Scar Tissue

Well I went to the doctor today and it was all good news! He was happy with how the incision looked and was amazed about the lack of swelling he saw. I guess he was excepting my neck to be big and giant. Although I think it is big, I guess he doesn't. He said the biopsy was normal! YAY!

Then the bad part happened. He took my stitches out. It really didn't hurt, but the whole time he was taking them out I was thinking about how they were coming out and it made me very light-headed. He had to almost stand me on my head for me to not pass out! lol. Oops!

But now that I have the stitches out, he gave me the go-ahead for working out and resuming normal activities. I have never wanted to hit the gym like I do now! Here is a picture of my incision with the stitches still in place.

I ran right out after my appointment to get mederma for this monster of a scar I'm going to have. I didn't realize how much that stuff cost. But I guess it will be worth it if it really does make this scar disappear!

I am glad all this stuff is behind me now. I just have recovery ahead of me!

Until next time! :)

Recovery Update

I thought I would update everyone with some details of the surgery and my recovery thus far.

Tuesday: The day of the surgery. We made it on time to our 6:00am appointment. They called me back and I had to get undressed and into a gown. It was FREEZING! Then I got a shot in my butt (which still hurts 4 days later) to give me dry mouth for the surgery. Then I had an IV put in place. I actually did good with this! I was nervous but they really did a good job with it! Then Dan came in. The first thing I did was cry. A nurse came in about 10 minutes later and saw I was scared to death and said she would be in to give me "something to calm me down." HA! I got that shot and about 2 seconds later I was in la-la land. I apparently told Dan I loved him, kissed him, and then went on my merry way back to the OR. I remember someone saying something about the medicine making me feel like I have a "heavy booty" or something. Then I do remember moving onto the operating table from my bed in the holding room. That is all I remember. I woke up in the recovery room and the  first thing I did was get sick. Twice. It was icky and hurt my throat REALLY bad. I got yet another shot in my butt for nausea/vomiting which put me out! I barely remember getting home. I told Dan he was bad at car transfers (haha the physical therapist in me) and asked my mom to help since that is what she does! I then slept ALLLLLL day. I woke up once to eat and had about half a cup of jello and a mug of chicken noodle soup. I could barely swallow and was in extreme pain. I didn't do much else this day.

Wednesday: I was feeling better today. I know I took some pain medicine and spent some time with my parents. They left this day, so I tried to stay awake long enough to see them out. They went to Zaxby's for lunch and I was able to eat some french fries and a milkshake. It hurt to chew but I managed. Again, took some more meds and was pretty much out of it the rest of the night. I also got to take a bath that night. Dan was so sweet and helped me into the tub and helped me wash my back. Then I managed to climb onto the kitchen counter to put my head into the sink so my hair could be washed. It made me feel much better but still not as good as a shower!

Thursday/Friday: I was feeling much better these two days. I was a little nauseated on Thursday but able to keep food down. Then on Friday I went out for the first time! It was nice to get out! I was starting to have cabin fever! We went to Olive Garden and then did a little shopping. I also took my bandage off on Friday night. It was starting to itch real bad and they told me after 4 days I could take it off. It looks okay. I look like I have a turkey neck (the Doctor said I would) and its still swollen. It's hard to sleep and I'm still sleeping at a 45 degree angle.

Saturday: Today Dan made me breakfast! He's the best! I had a turkey sausage, egg and cheese sandwich on a crossiant with fresh fruit! I was able to eat it all (slowly though) and it was pretty good! He's the best husband ever!!! So supportive in this whole thing! Tonight we are going to a Christmas party with our awesome tacky sweaters!!!! I am hoping to stay the whole time but we'll see how I feel!!!

Thanks for all the support, prayers, and well wishes! I will keep updating you with my recovery! I have a follow-up appointment on the 17th and will let you all know how it goes!!!

Until then! :)

surgery

I found out I will be having surgery on December 7th. It's about a week away. I'm SO nervous. All these thoughts are going through my head... I just keep telling everyone to pray for me and hope for a quick recovery. 

I'll blog more about my surgery later... like when i'm drugged up and have nothing else to do on my week off. I'm looking forward to that, but not the whole recovery thing. 

Our thanksgiving was spent in Warner Robins again with our Air Force Family. It was so generous of Matt and Mary to open up their house to us again! I had to work but we still made it to their house by 4:30. Dinner was delicious as usual. I made this new recipe i found.. pumpkin bars. I heard it on the radio. They were pretty much amazing. I will be making those again soon, i think.

I went out again for Black Friday. That was CRAZY. I got a little ridiculous this year and actually camped out at Target. We got there at 11:30 and I stayed until it opened at 4. The line nearly doubled in size in front of me as the time got closer to store opening. I guess some people just stood in line and saved spots for others who came right before it opened. What also made me mad was the group of 75 to 100 people that were in the parking lot at 3:45 waiting for the doors to open. They refused to wait in the back of the line. And wouldn't you know, when the doors opened, they bumrushed the doors and cut right in front of everyone. Go figure. But in my plan for revenge, I ran to the camera desk, hitting people with my basket and throwing bows. But i got what I wanted!!! Since my camera broke while we were in Key West, i decided to replace it with a new Canon camera. We wanted a DSLR but it just wasn't in the budget this year. I just got a regular digital camera, but it's can upgrade from the previous one. I also bought some other things, which I can't say because they are gifts! We made it back home at 5:45, ate breakfast, and went back to bed. I went back out shopping later that day and finished most of my shopping!

There are only 25 days until Christmas. Which means, only 25 days left to shop for everyone. If you subtract the 8 days I will be in recovery and the 2 days for travel, that doesn't leave many days. So I hope I can finish my shopping!!!! 

I will keep everyone updated on the surgery. Please say a prayer for me on Tuesday December 7th!

Until next time! :)

birth defect.

Well i was surprised to learn last week that i have a congenital anomalie. This is how it all started:

last year, when i first got military insurance, i went to the doctor for a physical. i had him check my throat because i kept feeling this lump in it and knew it just wans't right. he checked it and told me it was nothing. so i left it alone. then a couple months ago, i started to feel it again (i think because i was taking the vital stim course) and, again, knew it was not right. so i made an appointment.

i asked for a referred to an ENT when i called base to make an appointment. but that was a joke! i would have to been seen first by the base medical before i could be referred. so last monday i went for my appointment. i was so nervous because i just kept thinking the worst. while i was there, they did an ultrasound of my throat (the lump mainly) and ran some blood work.

figures that i would go on a week with a holiday (veteran's day). luckily the results of my ultrasound were ready by wednesday. the dx: thyroglossal duct cyst. what is that you may ask? well apparently when you are a fetus the thyroid gland "migrates" from your throat to your neck. if the duct doesn't close properly, a cyst can form. it can form when you are still in the womb, right after birth, or when you are a toddler. per the internet (probably wikipedia or something) the cysts usually happen in toddlers and "rarely" happen in adults. actually one website said "a Thyroglossal duct cyst is a rare but occasional cyst"... i'm wondering in what language that makes ANY sense at all. Regardless... the nurse interpreting the radiologist report said the dr. said i would need it to be removed and referred me for an ENT appointment. this is where it gets simply annoying.

why does it take so long to process a referral over the internet? aren't we moving forward with technology? not backward? the lady in the referral dept. told me that they were backed up due to the holiday. I wanted to punch her in her face. You should have planned for the holiday. It was not a surprise.. you knew it was coming, plan accordingly. now a snow day... maybe i could see how you could be backed up... but a federal holiday? come on.

so it's now a week and half since my initial appointment and i have yet to receive a referral to get my appointment. i called today to the ENT office and it still was not in yet. it's quite annoying and a giant waste of  time to follow the referral dept around to make sure they do their job. but that's what i plan on doing until i can get an appointment. meanwhile, the cyst has gotten a little bit bigger. the initial report said "it appears to be benign" but you never know. i'll just keep waiting and hoping to get this thing removed in the next month.

i'll keep you posted if i ever get my appointment! grrrr...
mood: annoyed. :/

until next time.

One year down, many more to come!

Well it's been one year!! We made the first milestone of our marriage! Let me take a minute to reflect on our first year of marriage... it's been trying at times, but then again, who's marriage is perfect? And to me, if you're marriage is perfect, then you don't live in real life. Everyone has their arguments and disagreements. If you don't disagree then, in my perspective, you aren't voicing you're opinion enough. Which brings me to my next order of business. In the next year I vow to communicate more with Dan. We are very open with one another, but sometimes if we have a disagreement, I just walk away without a discussion. Not anymore! This is what brings most couples down. But we have decided to open the lines of communication and not hold back.


This next year will be filled with many activities... good and not so fun....
1. We may not be able to go home for Christmas because of my work. I hate that is comes down to that, but if I have no one to cover my patients, then I can't leave. Simple enough. 
2. Dan will be deploying in March. Ick. Not looking forward to this but I know I can get through it.
3. Dan will be returning from deployment! YAY! Sometime in July. I"ll let you know of the date when I know it.
4. Europe. We are going to Europe if I have to kill someone. Ok maybe not that. But we have been discussing a trip to Europe since we moved here. Hopefully 2 weeks but not sure yet. Again, I'll keep you posted.


Those are the scheduled activities as of now. Dan recently found out that he did not get into AFIT, so alas, we will be here for another 2 years. Not my idea of fun, but I can't do anything about it. We discussed traveling to different areas of GA to site-see and do SOMETHING. Our weekends are filled with TV and cleaning. Not that I should neglect cleaning, but I would rather go somewhere other than in this house. So we have discussed camping trips and day trips to Atlanta. Something to get out of Warner Robins. I still have yet to find out how one person lives in this city for longer than a year. 


Here are some pics from our First Anniversary! Enjoy! I love Love!

Until next time!!! A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person

Sick Day Update

I'm sick.. YUCK!! Good thing it is just allergy/cold and not the flu. I don't need that right now. This is the first day I have not been at work since I started. Which I think is good considering I've been there over a year! But I do remember this sickness also happened last year. It thought I had swine flu so I went to the urgent care. Turns out I didn't, I'm just over-dramatic!

Well time for some updates. I don't have any pictures to add to this blog from our trip to Key West... but look to facebook, they are on there!

So we recently went to Key West for our anniversary trip. It was amazing!! We stated on the Naval Base there. Our room was average. It had all the essentials and really we just needed it to sleep. We spent the rest of our time riding bikes all over the island and sight-seeing! We saved lots of money by staying on base. I told Dan that we should plan trips around the availability of base accommodations. It really saves! Anyway, like I said we rented bikes to ride around. They were nice beach cruisers with a basket. Perfect for going to the beach.

We were only about 5 blocks from Duval Street (the main strip in Key West) so within walking distance. However, when we walked to Duval st., we also walked up and down the street. So it was much easier to ride our bikes. I was worried about a BUI (obviously we were drinking!), but then I saw a girl riding down the street past a cop with a margarita in her hand. I wasn't worried after that.

We spent a lot of our time at the beach. Although there really weren't that many beaches there, and they were man-made. But still white and sandy so it made me happy. The scene was beautiful and I thought life could not have gotten any better. We also went to the pool one day, which was also on base. It was a very quiet pool and relaxing!

One day we went to the Butterfly Conservatory and Aquarium. It was fun! Then we went on a sunset cruise with snorkeling! We even saw a nurse shark while we were on the reef! It was nice to see all the fish and marine life.

The rest of the time was spent on Duval street shopping and going out to dinner. They had some GOOOOD food down there. The last couple nights we were there it got very crowded and the streets filled with crazy people doing crazy things. They were preparing for Fantasy Fest, which is like mardi gras in FL, only crazier, which was what we were told by locals. The fest ran from the Saturday we left until the Saturday before Halloween. We may go down there again for the fest. Seems like our crowd!

Well we had an amazing trip and I didn't want it to end. I got Dan a kindle for his anniversary gift. I understand the first anniversary is paper so I got him electronic paper. :) Dan got me an amethyst ring that I have been wanting for a long time. It's currently in the shop getting sized. I also decided to take in my engagement ring and wedding band to get sodered and dipped. I have been saying I wanted to get that done for a year now and i thought I should just do it! But now i feel naked without my rings! Oh well, it's worth it!

Until next time! :)

Short and Sweet

This post will be short and sweet. Unlike most of my posts which are ramblings of things I'm not sure everyone wants to read! Anyway... we have exciting things to come!

First we leave for Key West on Saturday!! I WAS excited until I found out that someone else will be joining us... her name is Paula and she is a effing Hurricane!!!!! Stupid weather. We'll see who gets there first! But seriously, the projected path of Paula is over Cuba and some of the keys. So not sure what is going to happen. We are staying at the Naval Air Station (Thanks Keeling!) and Dan called today to get an update on Paula. The receptionist said that they think it will be nothing. I told him not to hold his breath.

Lacie and Lynsey (and a friend of Dan's) have told us places to go! So I am making my list and making sure to hit up all those spots along the way!

We get back on the 23rd (BOOO!) and then the next day I am hosting a friend's baby shower! I have already cleaned the house and prepared as much as possible so I'm not running around at the last minute. We'll see how it goes! But I'm excited to be the host because I haven't had many people over since we did the major renovations. I'll be sure to not show anyone the bedrooms considering they are the last thing I want to paint right now. But it's a work in progress and they will have to understand.

Then I go back to work for a week (another BOOOO) and then it's HALLOWEEN!!! My most favorite time of year besides Thanksgiving! I won't share with you our costumes but just know they will be amazing! I am making them myself, which is a big deal for me. They are not too shabby if I may say so myself. Pictures to come for sure!

Lastly, I have decided that I may not run the marathon in January. I was so excited, but with the last race I ran (and ran crappy) I have decided to focus on my diet and toning my body. I am going to begin 90X yet again on October 25th. I am going to stick it out AND I am going to try the diet this time too. I am hoping that it will get me on the right track. I may still run the half marathon since it's Disney and it's awesome. I will keep you updated with my progress!

Until next time! :)

Visit from the In-laws!!

My in-laws were in town this past week! They flew in on Tuesday. We took them to Georgia Bob's, so good ole Southern BBQ. They enjoyed it! Wednesday was their 17th Wedding Anniversary! We headed up to downtown Macon for dinner. We ate at the Rookery. It was pretty delicious, as always. They were concerned that we were going to get shot, but we told them not to worry! I guess their small town life is starting to get to them when they get into a big city.

We headed down to Savannah on Thursday. On Thursday night we headed to River Street. We got MORE than enough of our fair share of free praline trials. :) They are too delicious to pass up. We went to Wet Willy's to get a margarita. Boy did that do me in. Ha. But it was good. They have this bar where you can pick from about 20 different margarita flavors. I chose the banana flavor mixed with Chocolate. Dan has the strawberry mixed with chocolate. Both tasted good. On Friday it was Kandi's birthday! We went out to breakfast, lunch, and dinner! haha. But we did because we had nothing else to eat! We did the 90 minute tour of Savannah on the bus. Then got out and walked around for the rest of the day. It was beautiful weather. They also had a craft show and Oktoberfest! It was packed! I got these really pretty handmade glass earrings that sparkle and shine in the sun. We had dinner and had more pralines! I just couldn't get enough.

On Saturday, we went to Tybee Island. It was just like I remembered; cold and windy. We walked on the beach and had lunch at a seaside restaurant. Then we traveled into town and shopped. I bought a cute headband with a flower and a book written by an author from Tybee Island. So far I can't put it down!!!

Today, we went to Atlanta. We went to the World of Coke. It was much needed. I was craving that Coke room where you can taste any coke product and you have unlimited access to the classic Coke fountains! YUM! It was a nice time. I got to see some different memorabilia that I didn't see the first time. I also spent extra time at the gift store. I saw a few new products. I ended up buying a "W" keychain and the Coke cookbook! I am hoping to make the Coca-Cola cake! I'll let you know how it turns out!

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend. I am so glad they came to visit. We had the house finished JUST in time. In fact, I was still putting pictures in the frames that first night they were here!

We have lots of things coming up! We are going to Key West in 2 weeks!!! :) :) :)
Which means I have to get in shape for a new bathing suit I bought! So for the next two weeks, I will be in the gym 6 days a week working my butt off (literally). Then when we get back, I am hosting Kay's baby shower! I'm so excited for things to come! Forgive me if I don't blog in that time. But I will have tons of pictures from our anniversary trip to show everyone!!! Until next time!

Time Elapsed

I realized it's been forever since my last post. I am finding it hard to sit down and type anymore... :(

But I will go ahead and update you with our lives together!

It's been a VERY VERY VERY busy month. Did i mention we were busy? Yeah. We decided to rip our carpets up and put down hardwood floors. That's what started this whole mess. We decided it was time to get rid of the carpet and try for a more modern look. So we got some laminate flooring and have literally been laying it for an entire month. As I type, Dan is putting the molding on, which ideally should be the last thing to do. But we still have carpet hanging out of the doors from the bedrooms. Real classy!!

Our next project was to paint the trim in our house. It was a nice shade of 1970's brown. And at first I liked it. It brought a nice sense of warmth. But then I just hated it. So we decided to paint it white. I knew it was going to be a project, just not quite sure how big. We started with the kitchen and have been painting for a month. We barely even have half the house done! :( Epic Fail. But it's coming along. Just a slow process..

Speaking of epic fail... i attempted to set a new PR for a half marathon. HA! Boy was I a dreamer. First of all, from previous posts, I have been trying to train in this GA humidity. It's been really hard. And as I have been saying since Saturday, bad training leads to bad results. So in a nutshell, I did horrible at the Air Force Half Marathon. I let myself down majorly and now I have to make it up. I was hoping to just get the time I wanted and never run one for time again. But now I have to. But i'll pick a different time to train.

Our time was 2:10:51. I gave it all I had and barely crossed the finish line. But I did and that is important. It's not my worst time, but certainly not my best and not something I am proud of. Sometimes you have to take a few steps back before you can move forward.

Also, speaking of moving forward.... Dan's parents will be in for a visit in a week!!! :) I am very excited about it! His dad hasn't seen the place and I am excited that he can come visit. We are planning a trip to Savannah on thursday night. We will be in Savannah on Friday to celebrate Kandi's birthday! :) Way better place to celebrate than Warner Robins. Then in a few weeks after that, we will be going to KEY WEST!!!! WHOOO HOOOO!!! I can hardly wait for this trip. A nice way to celebrate our anniversary!!!

Well that should catch you up. i will try to not be so lame and post a little more in the next weeks. 

"Someday your whole life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching."

Jax!

So I did something so unlike myself this weekend... I took a random, unscheduled trip to Jacksonville with Dan! He was TDY there for work and found out on Thursday evening. I kept saying "oh, no I can go. What will we do? What will Chloe do?!" and then I just said.. "forget it" and just went!!! This is VERY unlike me.

I boarded Chloe at a new place called Endless Love Pet Palace. It's adorable and they took such good care of her! They even let her play in the pool and gave her extra lovin! So much so, that when she saw me, she wasn't even excited! It made me tear up a little. But I'm glad she was in such good hands.

On friday night, Dan and I went to the beach. I FINALLY got to put my toes in the sand and actually get in the water. The last time i was at the beach was when my mom and I came down for Spring Break 1 year ago. So i was very much missing it! We ate at this place called Salt Life Food Shack. A nice little place with a young crowd.

On saturday we decided to venture to Amelia Island. The weather was pretty crappy, but after we ate lunch, it cleared up a lot. Amelia Island was really nice. Nice hotels. Golf Courses. Expensive retail stores and spas. You get the idea. Needless to say, we simply saw the beach and then left. We went to where more common folk like to hang out. Another beach called Fernandina Beach. It was really nice. Lots of public beaches and the downtown area was beautiful. Lots of cool little stores. Then we went back to Jax to get ready and then headed out to dinner at an outdoor shopping area. It was nice to walk around. Funny though because the mall seemed to be divided in half into expensive and cheap. One area had places like Coach, Louis Vitton, Juicy, Lacoste, etc... and the other  half had stores like Abercrombie, AE, Dollar Tree. LOL. It was a nice place though. We went to PF Changs for dinner! So amazing; i haven't had that in a long time.

On sunday, we went for a run on a paved bike trail and then went to breakfast. We spent the reminder the day at the Jax beaches shopping and getting that last mintue time with the beach!

I think this trip really reminded us of how much we dislike warner robins and how we can't wait to leave. it was filled with things to do, young crowds of people still going to the bar to get drinks, BARS (we only have 1) and exercise! I just wanted to exercise the whole time we were down there. It would be so amazing to live in a place like that. We just miss the night life and the excursions. we just can't wait to leave!!!!!!!!

Well i hope you enjoyed my festivities from this weekend. I will sit here and listen to the rain since it knocked out our satellite! Until next time <3!!

No Name

I have no name for this post. Just don't know what to call it exactly. It's an update, some news, and our plans. So a lot in a little post.

1. Dan was recently promoted to 1st Lt. I am so proud of him! I took off work to go to the ceremony. His commander said so many nice things about him. Then he gave a little speech and said some kind words about me! Then surprised me with flowers. What an amazing man I have! Just so proud of him!

2. We went home to register our new vehicle. I was SOOO excited to my family and my nephews! We arrived on Friday night and our weekend was JAMMED packed, as it usually is. We went to a cookout with our old neighbors and "my second family." It was so good to see everyone! Then on Sunday I spent time with my grandma and with the boys. We went running at Miami Whitewater and I didn't sweat to death... that much anyway. It was nice to run in non-humid conditions. I think we went at 10:00 am and it was only 73. Ah-mazing.

3. The boys are growing so much. Grant is teething.. getting those adorable bottom two teeth. He was a bit cranky, but I can understand. JT hasn't yet teethed, but it's coming. The boy is drooling so much. They weigh 16lbs each. They are so healthy! I'm not sure how my sister does it! They have a schedule and stick to it. I want to be just like her when I am a mom... only with 1 baby. :)

4. We found out that Dan will be deploying in March 2011. He volunteered (because he is a good american) and they chose him for the March to July slot. Our friend Evan just got back from this slot and he said it was no big deal. Just VERY VERY VERY hot. He thinks it's hot here, he's got something coming. I will be staying here to man the fort! LOL. I am hoping for some visitors while he is gone. I will be lonely.. but it may be kind of nice. Who knows. More on this later when we know more.

5. Since Dan is leaving, we have to get our butts in gear to get this house together. We might be doing the following projects: fence, painting our trim white, painting/tiling the fireplace, putting tile in our bathroom vanity area. BUT not sure how many of these will be finished. But those are the plans anyway!

Hope I filled you in with our life thus far. Still training for our 1/2 marathon. I am having some issues with the training. I am having some mental insecurities and some thinking that I'm not sure i can do this. For some reason, I felt it was no big deal to take 15 mins off my time for my 2nd 1/2. But now that I only need to take off about 5, I am finding it impossible to do. I am challenged with the thought that I might not be able to do it and this is effecting my running. I am hardly able to run more than 5 miles. I am constantly thinking I "can't do it." UGH. It's very hard. I need to mentally prepare myself before my runs... just not sure how!

I hope to update you with more cheerful news of my training! Until next time! <3

Landscape Update

I realized I have not posted any pictures of the landscaping renovation that's been going on for a few months. It's been such a daunting task. We started relatively late in the year and it got real hot, real quick. It's hard to get out and do such hard labor in the middle of 100+ degree weather. But we have finished 2/3 flower beds

and are pretty much at a standstill. I'll tell you more about that later. Here is a before picture of our yard:

 

Ok. What we did first was create a whole new flower bed in the middle of the yard by the tree. The grass wasn't growing in that area anyway, so we decided to just rip up the sand (we don't have dirt) and then create something more appealing to the eye. Here it is:

                

 

Finally finished! Then we moved to the side flower bed which was next to the garage. We decided to have a trellis with some climbing flowers to draw the eye up and to make it not so boring on that side. We also had to put down weed fabric so it wasn't overcome by weeds and crap. It seems like the only thing we can grow here is weeds!

Here are some pictures of the side bed:

I realized that there is only one picture and I didn't even take a picture of the plants in the ground. But I do remember that we finished this bed about 10:00 one Sunday night. We used Dan's headlights to give us light to finish planting. And then his battery died and I had to run up to walmart for a new one. Yeah it was a bad night. Probably why I didn't take any more pictures! 

So now I'll let you know of the problems we are facing. We (I should say Dan) put in gutters because we didn't have any. Well we thought it would solve the problem of water falling into our beds and drowning our flowers. Well we were wrong. It seems that once we put the landscaping bricks in, we only made it worse. See below:

So this seems like quite the problem. Our entire front lawn is flooding every time it rains. And the picture to the right is our 3rd bed. We haven't planted here yet because we aren't sure what to do about the flooding. It got to the point that Dan had to remove a brick from the walkway so the water could flow. SOOO.... for now, this bed is on hold pending a solution. 

As far as the fence goes, we have not started yet. We are waiting because it is a very expensive project and if we are only going to be here for maybe 1 more year, it seems not worth it. And secondly, the surveyors came and looked at our property and our beloved trees along our back yard line are not ours and we would have to build the fence in front of them. Chloe loves those trees and we would hate to take them away. 

For now, we are just trying to finish some small projects around the house, plan our fantastic 1 year anniversary to KEY WEST, and enjoy the summer!!! Hope you like what we have done!

Sweet Summertime

Well it seems like it's been forever since my last update... and it has. A LOT has happened since then. Time is flying so quickly.

We have begun our training for the Air Force Half Marathon. I am hoping to finish in less than 2 hours. Dan says I can do it because the course is flat and fast. But I'm having some difficulty with training in this weather. It's HOT down here. I mean hot. It's been over 100 degrees for the entire month of June almost. It's just icky. My body is still adjusting and every time we run I get a little better. So hopefully my body will adjust and I will be able to kick this half marathons butt!

We have been home to visit Dan's family and for the boys' baptism. It was so good to see everyone. It went by WAY to fast. But it was very good times with great people! We attempted to go to the Reds vs. Indians game but it was bad weather which resulted in a beautiful rainbow!

We had a relaxing 4th of July. I took off 2 days (Friday and Monday) so Dan and I had 4 days together! It was so nice to be with him! We spent the weekend looking for a new car! We decided on a 2008 Toyota Rav 4 Sport! It's so freaking cute! It's got a nice DVD player as well, which was a bonus. We didn't even know about it until we got up to the dealership. It has average miles but was a really good deal. Here she is:

We also bought new bikes! They are Trek 7.2FX fitness bikes. They are pretty much amazing. Pricey, but well worth it. The other day we rode 28 miles to Perry and back. We had a nice little day planned until we got to Perry and all of the restaurants were closed. We ended up going to DQ but it was worth it because the blizzard was delicious!

Lastly... I cut my hair! It was so amazing to see it all cut off and hold it in my hand. I donated 8 1/2 inches and I am so proud of it! I will probably keep this cycle going. Only next time, I was to donate 10! Here is my short hair!

Latest Happenings

It's been a while. I didn't mean for it to be this long. But things happen. Like life! :)

Not much has been going on here in GA. We went from winter to summer in about a day. I was not ready for the 90 degree weather but you get used to it. Dan and I are trying to figure out the plan for our landscaping. It's horrible right now so whatever we do to it, even if it is ripping everything out, will be an upgrade. We went to Lowes and spent an hour or more trying to pick out shrubs, flowers, pavers, mulch, etc. I got sunburnt, but we found our plants!!! :) We didn't buy them but we will when we get back from our adventures at home!

I have been speaking previously about job interviews and offers. Well I got another offer for Bibb County Schools. They gave me less than 24 hours to decide. Which I think is a little rushed. It's a BIG decision going from a SNF to the schools... at least for me. I was mad about the short time frame, but Dan and I talked thoroughly. I decided to turn down the offer. The pay was low and it would be the same commute. The only difference is the schedule and children instead of adults. I feel like I am finally establishing myself at the SNFs where I work and I like it. Nurses are actually coming to me and asking me questions about patients and referring for swallowing/cognition. They weren't doing this in the beginning, so it's a step up. And not to mention, the pay was very different for the schools and I just couldn't take that amount of a pay cut.

So looks like it's skilled nursing for me until we move!

We are going out of town on Thursday to visit Dan's family! I can't express how freaking excited I am. It's been 6 months since I've seen them! 6 months! That's a crime. But we will be there Thursday through the following Wednesday. I am also glad to get away from work for a few days. I need a break every once in a while. We are also going to Cincinnati for our Nephews baptism. Also, VERY VERY VERY excited about that. I haven't seen those boogers in 2 months. I miss them like CRAZY! I can't wait to post pictures of them to show everyone (or anyone who cares, really).

Well that about sums up the fast few weeks and the next week. Until next time! :)

all alone

so this week has been interesting. dan is working 12s from midnight to noon. it wears him out, but i think it is worse for me!! LOL. by time i get off work and get back from my workout, he has been asleep for 4 or 5 hours. he sleeps until about 9 or 10 at night. then gets up, eats breakfast (HAHAH), and then goes to work.

i had to rely on myself to cook and keep the house neat and tidy. HA. like that was going to happen. first of all, for those of you who don't know, i DON'T cook. well i try, but i'm simply not good at it. for example, the other day i made BBQ chicken. i had to use the grill and i think that is where it went all down hill. i did everything dan told me to light it and get it ready. but for some reason it would not get hot. all i could get it to was about 250 degrees. well i had planned on my chicken taking 20 mins and instead it took something like 35 or 40. so my potatoes were cold and i had already eaten my okra because it would have been inedible by time i got to it. i also had to watch chloe. which is a job in itself. she proceeded to steal my umbrella from my bag, chew dan's boots ( i caught her before any damage) and actually did damage his boot straps. she is so annoying some time. dan was mad but i explained to him that it was hard doing all the cooking and babysitting and he understood.

i can't wait until this week is over. i'll get my husband back! :) i guess i sometimes take him for granted because he is really helpful,i just don't realize it. but now that he is gone, i miss his help and him. so friday is his last day of these 12 hours shifts!

i still haven't heard back from Bibb county schools. i guess i'll wait until the end of the school year to find out. i feel as though they are waiting for all other suitable applicants to decline and then they will offer it to me. ha. oh well. i still am not sure what i am going to do. unsure of what my current job holds in the future being that they are closing one of my buildings.

in other, way more exciting news, i am actively looking at cars. i am trying to see if i can turn mine in early becuase i WILL be over my miles. i had a nice stockpile, like 5000 miles, but with driving to and from macon every day plus travel between buildings and to the gym, i am currently 1 mile over where i should be. and i'm averaging 100 miles per day recently. so it's scary.

well that is all in my boring, uneventful life. hope to be more exciting next time. Missy is coming on friday! :)

Job Decisions!

Many of you may not know that I am trying to get another job. A few people know, but I was trying to keep it on the DL for as long as I could. Well I finally had to tell my supervisor because she kept asking me daily if I was going to stay with Integra or if I was leaving after my CFY.

There was a point in my CF that I hated my job and hated the one facility where I worked. It was very hard to go to work everyday because the people there (mainly dietary and a few nurses, the administrator and DON) made me want to pull my hair out. They were constantly criticizing the decisions I made and trying to make it seem like I was a bad SLP. And I know that is not true. Being that all of this happened right after my first CFY review in which Amber, my supervisor, had said that I was a great CF and that she was very impressed with my knowledge and the way I do my therapy and evals. I got all good feedback from her and from my boss. Then I come to this building in question and I feel like I'm doing something wrong because they are always mad about my decisions and always asking me why.

To make a long story short, we eventually worked out our issues and for the most part, I am getting along with everyone and they are happy with the work I am doing there. I can't say I get along with Dietary. For some reason they all just hate me and it's like a chore for them to get me something I need out of the kitchen. I would rather go out and buy all of my own snacks and sippy cups then have to go back there and ask. And that is just sad. Other then that department, I am happy to work there.

But when I was not happy, I went out and looked for another job and had every intention of leaving from there and completing my CF elsewhere. But by time I got interviews and such, I was getting along with everyone. It's complicated. Anyway I had 3 interviews: one for Bibb county Schools, one for Houston County Schools, and one for The Speech Path. I was very excited about the Speech Path. It's a private practice and they were SOOO awesome when I went there. I could see myself working there. But they offered me a position and it was not in the pay range I had wanted. I thought it was going to be right around what I'm making now, but it was a lot less. Dan and I had been talking about doing things (travel, vacations, yard work) and if I took the pay cut, those things would not be possible. So I turned down the job. Which was a good decision because they lady was very rude when I told her and that made it a little easier.

Now for the  schools.. Ugh. Not sure if I want to work in that mess. I would need a lot of help because I know nothing about IEPs. But they said they were more than willing to help me learn. Bibb county (in Macon) has not offered me a position yet, but we are actively speaking about it. I wish it was Houston county. That is my dream school that I want to be in. But they never called me back. Assholes.

Anyway. I am weighing the Pros and Cons. Oh and I forgot to mention that the other building where I currently work is shutting down. Therefore, I would have to work full time in the building that is less than desirable (the aforementioned facility with the horrible kitchen staff). So that is a big CON on my list.

So for now, I will be thinking about the pros and cons if I leave Integra and go to work in the schools. Please provide input if you have any! Until next time!!!     :/

update!

Well hello there. It's been some time since I updated....such a busy life we lead! Not too much has been happening since our last update.

The weather here is BEAUTIFUL!!!! In one day we went from spring straight to summer! It was 90 degrees the other day, which I was NOT ready for. It was so bloody hot and my body just wasn't ready for that. The pollen down here is CRAZY! It blows around and seriously looks like a sand storm. We were doing yard work last weekend and Dan was stirring it up with the lawn mower and it was blowing ALLL over me and our garage. I think it was like 1/2 inch thick on my car. I've never seen it this bad. The locals (haha) said once we get a good rain, it will take care of it. So we did get one day of rain. Then the next day the pollen was back. Oh well! I guess I am getting used to it now.

Speaking of yard work... we are completely re-doing our yard and flower beds. We are ripping out most of the plants that the old man left for us and putting in some brightly colored flowers. Our house needs some color! We are putting in a fence soon and as we speak, Dan is at Lowe's buying gutters!
FYI: No one is Georgia has gutters for some reason. There are about a handful of people in our neighborhood that have gutters and those people happened to live up North before moving here. Imagine that.

We are hoping to get the surveyor here in the next week or so to mark our land. Then we can put in our fence! We are doing it all on our own, so this should be interesting! I will keep you updated with pictures of the yard as it progresses and of the fence project!

Easter was last weekend. It was a nice little Sunday. We went to Rachel's house and had a pot-luck Easter. It was so nice outside and nice to be with friends. I wish I was at home to see my Nephews, but soon enough we will be back there!

We will keep you updated!

Pictures from the half

Well here are the pictures from the website that took our pictures (obviously). I want to order some but they are ridiculously priced. But we will most likely order the one of us together because that is just priceless! We can hang it next to our medals that we won! Enjoy!

Clock time is a little off on these pics since it took me about 5 mins to get to the start line! Perks of running with 16,000 people!

I was WAYYY to excited to see the finish line too! LOL

               

I wanted to die in the picture on the far right! The race was TOUGH!

So glad to be finished!!! Another half marathon down for me and another marathon for Dan!

Goal Accomplished!

The Half Marathon is finally over!!!! Although I have been looking forward to this day for a while, I will miss training. I liked those runs now that I look back at it. But it won't be long before I am on the schedule again for yet another half in September!!

The course was HARD. At times I really thought I was not going to make it. I was struggling, but I just looked inside myself and made it. I did walk a few times, but those hills were KILLER!  I was told it was a rough course, but I just had to see for myself. Most of the course was rolling hills that actually weren't that bad in retrospect. Then we had giant hills that seemed to last forever. I made it to about 10.5 miles and then I started to walk, for small amounts of time only.

The gatorade and water stands were the only thing that made me get through. I really looked forward to giving myself more energy by drinking the gatorade. It was nice.

Now for my time: It was 2:03! YAY for me! On my first half my time was 2:18 with an average pace of 10:34/mile. This time, my pace was 9:24 per mile. That is over a minute improvement since my last race. I am SOOOOO proud of myself. I cried when I finished because I could not believe I actually did it. I look forward to my ultimate goal of getting under 2 hours for my next race!

Dan did okay. He is upset with himself, but I still think he did a good job. The hills were apparently worse on the marathon course. He struggled in the last 5 miles. He didn't get the time he wanted, but it was still a really good time. He finished in 3:38 for the full. I could never run a full in that speed/time so I think he did great. But we look forward to our next race and hope to improve our times!

I'm not sure what I will do with myself now that I am not training. I know that I am going to go to the gym and do more weight strengthening to try and lose a few more pounds (like 10-15) and then we will start running again. I can't wait!

MADNESS!

It's that time of year again! YEP! March Madness. My favorite time of the year (kinda). I love to fill out the brackets. I pick the most random teams for no apparent reason. Sometimes I have good luck, others I make a fool of myself. But it's all in good fun.

Here's how my bracket looks:
Elite 8: Kansas, San Diego State, Syracuse, Kansas St, UK, WVU, Texas A&M, ad Villanova
Final 4: Kansas, Syracuse, UK, and Villanova
Finals: Kansas and Villanova
WINNER: Kansas!!! :)

We'll see what actually happens... considering none of the above will happen.

Since my last post, not much has been going on. Still training for the half marathon, which BTW, is in 3 days. I am FREAKING out. I'm so nervous that I won't make my goal time. I am trying to run below 2 hrs... but it's a very ambitious goal. Throughout my training, I have been able to keep a consistent 9:30 pace for all of my mileage. So, if I do that for the 13.1, then I will come in at 2:03. Which is still REALLY SUPER good compared to my last half. I ran it in 2:18 with an average pace of 10:34. So I am cutting my time down my 1 min per mile. Good stuff.

We signed Chloe up for beginner's training at Pets Mart. I hope this works to at least calm her down and make her easier to live with. She stresses WAAAAY tooo much. Even more than me, which I didn't think was possible. But we'll see. I hope there is more than 2 dogs in her class. That way if she is the worst dog, she won't be the worst out of 2! But wish us luck with this!

I will write again after the marathon. I've got to focus and find my inner Chi. (Ha). Until then!

Two Miracles

Well... if you live under a rock or in a cave, you may not know this. However, most of you do.... my nephews were born!!! They arrived on February 21st. Grant Edward was born at 9:02am and James Thomas (JT) was born at 9:03. Grant weighed 6 lbs 8 oz and JT weighed 6 lbs 1 oz. We are the proudest aunt, uncle and god parents ever!!

It was quite the wake up call that Sunday morning. My mom called at 7:15am to tell me my sister's water broke and was surprised that I was not more talkative. Let's review... 7:15 am, Sunday.... hmmm... then she understood why!!

Dan and I went to visit the little guys on Thursday February 25th - Tuesday March 2nd. It was the best time. I loved holding those boys more than anything. It made me have baby fever... for a couple minutes anyway. I soon realized that I was just not quite there yet.... maybe a few more years and we'll think about it.

Since then, our lives have been uneventful. Just trying to clean the house up after we neglected it for a while. We need to start preparing for Spring Cleaning!

Since when do kids think they can just trample through your yard when they please?! Yeah that is what our neighborhood kids think they can do. Sometimes I just like to look out the window at our view of the street behind us (really not that interesting) and instead of seeing nice houses, i see hoodlums running and riding their bikes through our yard. ANNOYING! So I am hoping we get enough money back on our tax returns to purchase a fence. And we need one for Chloe's sake. Poor thing is sick of being tied up in the yard. But who knows.

The weather has been decent down here. It was low 60's for a few days and then got to 78 one day! I sat outside and read my people magazine. Until the hoodlums decided to hang out in my back yard and climb 10 feet into my tree. again, ANNOYING.

I'll stop writing about annoying things now!! We have some very exciting things coming up that I can wait to write about!!!!!!!!

12 days until the half marathon! wish me luck. Until next time, my friends!

USA! USA! USA!

We have been addicted to the TV since Friday. We are OBSESSED with the Olympics. I love feeling like I am so connected to the world from my own couch in middle Georgia. The opening ceremonies were pretty good. I fell asleep toward the end, so goes to show you it could have been a bit more exciting. I think the most interesting part was when the hydraulics malfunctioned and the cauldron didn't come together like it should. i laughed. Oh Canada!

I find every event SO interesting. I wish I could do most of them. And then it makes me think of going back to Ohio and how much i truly miss skiing. I LOVE it. I wanted to learn to snowboard but never did. And now I live in a location where there is NO snow. Except for one day out of the year. Then it melts the very next day when it is 60 degrees!

Which reminds me... it snowed here on Friday! We got 2.5 inches! Chloe LOVED it. She was running around the yard, trying to catch the snowflakes in her mouth, and licking the snow off the ground. After we let her inside and wiped off her paws, she was ready to go back out. I can't wait to see her up in Ohio when we visit my sister and the new babies (which are not here, yet). I hear there is about 10-15 inches in Ohio depending where you are. I can't wait!


Back to the Olympics: My favorite event of these olympics thus far is the Mogul. i liked to see them go fast down those bumps. Made me think of how I would perform on those.. which is probably broken body parts. But still fun I think.

We finally got our coffee table in. It's large and in charge. I feel it is WAAAAYYY to big for our room, but Dan assures me that it's just the right size and that eventually I will get used to it. We'll see. Here it is:


Dan insisted on the lift top. And I insisted on the couches, so we came to an agreement. I bet you $100 we never use the lift top and never put anything to store in there either. But I guess it's a good table.

We had a relaxing Valentine's day. Ran ten miles (which was not relaxing), watched the Olympics, and then had a delicious dinner of steak, potatoes, salad and rolls. We had wine and it put me to sleep. :) I love him. Oh and he bought me a massage, too! All-in-all, a good Valentine's day!

in training!

Our marathon is 36 days away... eeeek! I am trying to reach my goal of under 2 hours for the half. Dan says it's ambitious, but I'm all about proving him wrong! I know I can do it and if I don't, I'll be angry, but still proud of myself for completing another half marathon!

In other news, my sister still has not had the boys yet. Her doctor said it could be this Tuesday (9th) or next Tuesday (16th). I am SOOOO excited! Mainly because I really want to finally meet them and call them by their names instead of Baby A and Baby B. Her doctor said she is doing well and as long as she can keep the babies and herself safe, they can keep "cooking."

Dan and I are having a superbowl party today! I'm excited becuase only a handfull of our friends have seen our house and only a few have seen it since we've painted and got new furniture. Oh, and i forgot to mention that we got new couches!!! They are beautiful and very comfortable, too! We also got 1 end table and a cocktail table. However, our cocktail table will be in next weekend, so we won't have it for our party. Oh well. guess this old trunk we have been using can last another week











I bought myself a sewing machine for my birthday. What was I thinking? I have NO CLUE how to sew. But I bought a Singer Simple. It's for beginners. It's actually very simple to use! I made Chloe a very adorable bed, which she preceded to chew up and destroy in a matter of 10 minutes! Gotta love her! I also made a pillow that is on our loveseat! I'm becoming so crafty. Here is her bed:
I also got a digital picture frame and some running clothes for my birthday! We went out to eat at Longhorn's and Dan made me the most delicious cake. He also got me the sweetest card that about made me cry when I read it. I just love him. And I loved my birthday that I got to spend itwith him! It was a lovely day.

Catching Up!

Well... long time no see, huh?

It has been exactly one month since I last updated. Perhaps I should update more often since I have so much going on. Let me catch you up:

1. Christmas was... different. Just Dan and I. But it was GREAT! I missed not seeing my family, but it was nice to spend it with my little family here. I got a TON of stuff, including LOTS of cool (possibly cold) weather running gear so I could keep training for the mini!

2. My mom and grandma came down for a visit the day after Christmas. It was nice. Although I had to work most days they were here, it was still nice to come home to my mommy! The only eventful thing that happened is when Chloe decided to break out of her cage and destroy our entire house. She left the tree alone, but ate my grandma's pills, our unity candle arrangement, plastics, her bones, cookies, buckeye balls, and peppermint patties. I was ready to literally murder her until I saw she consumed quite a large amount of chocolate. I paniced and call our friend whose Father is a vet. In a nutshell, I gave her hydrogen peroxide and she threw it all up. Problem solved. She is still alive and still a holy terror!

3. New Years was quiet. NOTHING eventful. Well except the fact that it was our first new years as a married couple. So that was exciting!

4. I went home for my sister's baby showers the weekend of the 9th and 10th of January. It was very fun, despite the horrendous delays and problems I encountered while trying to fly on the worst night of the year to fly. But I made it, safe and sound. The showers were wonderful! Mine was a success! We played: Guess the baby food flavor, Baby BINGO, and Guess how many diapers were on the diaper cake. It was very fun and my sister really enjoyed it!

5. Speaking of my sister!!! Her and the babies are WONDERFUL! She went to the Doctor today and had an ultrasound. The boys are both weighing 5 pounds! For twins that is amazing! Her C-section is scheduled for February 23rd, although she may go before then. Dan and I are planning our trip for the end of February. We will miss their birth, but my sister and mom promised they would skype me so I wouldn't miss out!

All and all it's been a busy month. I can't wait to go home and see my sister and finally meet our nephew and our godson! It's going to be so very exciting.

I'll promise to update more frequently!!!!