Weekend Fun...Thus Far

See that beautiful, smiling face? That is the face of a bride-to-be. Last night I spent the evening basking in her pre-marital bliss. It was her wedding shower and it was lots of fun. I used to be her youth leader another lifetime ago. The fun thing is I knew her fiance' before she did. He was a friend of mine when I used to live in Wisconsin. Their wedding will be a whole lot of fun.

Today I met my best friend from High School at the downtown convention center. Her daughter was here competing in a national dance competition. (Think "Bring it On".) It was amazing. My friend's daughter's team won 1st in their division which was exciting to see. One of the things I noticed was that most of the dance teams used classic 80's music for their routines. I guess they know good music when they hear it. Heh.

So, I spent my weekend in the presence of beautiful ladies and it was good. Check out more photos below or by clicking my Flickr badge.
This is the only team I saw in competition with a boy

This team had a healthy assortment of healthy larger girls.

This is my friend's beautiful daughter.

Here she is again. LOVE! HER!

Here is my friend and her daughter.
Just a random photo of a random dance team.
This is the all-star dance team from the same studio my friend's daughter dances with.And to end this round-up of estrogen, I leave you with a photo I took while walking back to my car after lunch. This father was teaching his son some hockey skills at a downtown rink. So cute.

Total Eclipse of the Heart

It was bitterly cold at the nature center last night. But that didn’t stop a dozen hardy souls from venturing out into night to view the Raccoon Moon and total lunar eclipse. It was amazing. First, we sat through a short presentation given by an amateur astronomer about eclipses and moon names. Then we tugged on our layers and tromped outside for a hike in the night. We were walking in the dark, following deer paths, walking on frozen lakes, climbing snowy hills, listening for owls and critters, and watching the earth’s shadow cover the moon. It was spectacular. After the hike, we set up our telescopes and cameras to better view the display. When the cold got too much for even the bravest of Minnesotans, we packed it in and head for home.

I am happy with the few pictures I took. During the initial covering of the moon, I was on the trail sans tripod so those photos are quite blurry. I got a couple photos of the eclipse that aren’t too blurry. I don’t have a remote for my camera yet so I used the 2-second self timer and that resulted in less blur but there is still some noticeable blurring. Still, I am happy with what I have and I had a great time getting the photos. If it hadn’t been so cold, I would have stayed out longer and experimented more with the settings and such. Still, a good time was had by all who attended.

Lunar Eclipse

I don’t know why I am so excited about tomorrow’s lunar eclipse.  I can’t even take a good photo of the moon.  I’ve tried.  Even with my newer camera and new lens I don’t get anything but a big white blob/blur.  Erg.  However, we are going to a local park preserve for their lunar eclipse program and viewing.  The first part of the evening begins at 7 with a program and discussion of the “Raccoon Moon”.  I didn’t know what a raccoon moon was until I Googled it and found that each month’s full moon has been named by different cultures.  The Dakotah Sioux have named February’s full moon the Raccoon Moon.  After the program, we will walk to the viewing area where they will have telescopes and sky guides available.  I asked about accessibility when I called for information and the lady said they had all-terrain wheelchairs available as well!  Score!  Bob is going to come with me but he is definitely not as excited about this as I am.  Usually, though, he will come to something just because I want him to and he ends up having a blast.  I hope this is the case with the eclipse otherwise I’m exposing him to the cold and snow for no good reason.  If you live in the Metro area and want to join us, email me and I will give you the particulars.  If you live somewhere else and want to find out what’s going on in your neck of the woods in regards to the eclipse, Google, 2-20-08 Lunar Eclipse, your area.  You should get some hits with viewings going on nearby.  Or you can just stand in your back yard and watch it.  We live in an area with lots of light pollution though I wanted to avoid that as much as possible.  Also, we don’t have a telescope which would be fun to use during the eclipse, hence the tromping out into the cold, cold woods at the nature preserve.

Things at work were sticky today.  We did something yesterday we should have waited until today to do.  It wasn’t a nightmare, but it kind of messed things up a bit for a gal who just got back from vacation.  However, as she called around to find out how to fix the small mess, she made comments like, “I can never go on vacation because everything falls apart when I’m gone,”  “I am the only one holding this place together,” and “What’s going to happen when I retire in 10 months?”  Also, someone on the other end of her phone conversation must have asked who entered the information that was supposed to be saved until today, she said, “Amy” in a tone of voice that can only be described as disdainful.  My name, a two syllable word, came out of her mouth sounding for all the world like, “That screw-up,” “Figures,” “Who else would it be?  Isn’t she the one that always messes things up?”  It’s hard to get that all out of two syllables, but my co-worker managed it.  Just hearing my name in that tone of voice made my face flush to the roots of my hair and I got all nervous and apologetic. Things are all worked out and back to normal but those first few hours this morning were horrible.  I hate feeling like the weak link on the chain.

Thank you all for your kind comments and emails regarding the photos I took this weekend.  My new lens is a 70/300 zoom with a macro setting.  I love it

Pondering

I am taking steps to wean myself off of Coke (the cola, not the drug) and so far today I’ve had none.  However, the amount of times I’ve thought of Coke over the past 7 hours?  Approximately every 4.2 seconds.  A guy I work with just opened a soda and just the sound of the little metal tab cracking drinking surface open makes my mouth water.  I don’t even know if it was a Coke the guy opened.  I just know that I would hand over my wedding band right now for a little Coke with lime.  Arg!

So, is everybody ready for Wednesday evening’s lunar eclipse viewing?  I am, I am!  I printed out a list of all the county parks that are hosting viewing parties and will be choosing the park I visit on the basis of it’s darkness ratio, accessibility in case Bob wants to join me, and level land for optimum tri-pod planting.  I can’t wait to try my new lens to see if it makes any difference in photo quality.

Question:  Why is it that everyone assumes that the elevator that arrives will arrive empty when usually it arrives with people waiting to get off?  The people inside the narrow box must then navigate around all the rubes standing directly in front of the doors as soon as they open.  There should be a rule that people waiting to get on the elevator stand at least 10 feet away from the door so as to allow passengers to disembark.  Maybe paint a big black line for those who enjoy a good visual aid.  Oh, and another question: Why does this bother me so much?

I just realized that all the infertility bloggers I’ve read are all moms now.  Yep, all of them.  And while I’m so happy for them and glad to read of their triumph over infertility I wonder where the new infertility bloggers are.  Am I just in a blog reading rut?  These women all gave me hope and inspiration while simultaneously writing of things that I could relate to and identify with.  That’s no longer the case.  We are still wading through the trough of childlessness and it’s still hard.  Does anyone have any suggestions as to where I can turn in order to read some good, even humorous, infertility blogging?

In sort of relation to the above, I will say that the, uh “lovin’ time” with Bob has been exceeding and abundantly better this past couple of months.  It’s almost equal to honeymoon passion now that we are just doing it when the mood strikes instead of in timed intervals between doctor visits.  Huh, who knew?

Weekend

Kayte, I don't have your email. It's a Bissell Pet Hair Eraser vacuum and I still love it.

This weekend has gone too fast. We spent hours yesterday at the Como Park Conservatory and Zoo. I used the last bit of our tax return and bought a 70-300 zoom lens and I wanted to try it out. I love the pictures. Here are a few. You can see them all by clicking my Flickr badge.

Today was a frustrating day. We were going to go to church but Bob didn't feel up to it...again. So I decided to do laundry. I didn't want to do it but if I didn't do it, I wouldn't have clothes to wear this week. So I sucked it up and did it but while I was doing it, I started to think about all the things I HAVE to do and how I never get a day to just do nothing (other than go out and take pictures I guess). Basically I had a giant pity party and came home pouty. Thankfully Bob is a great guy and as I cleaned out the litter boxes, he vacuumed the carpets. He likes the new vacuum too! However, it would be nice of him to do it more often, not just when he sees me upset. Still, it was nice of him to do it. Oh, and he ordered dinner in so I wouldn't have to cook. So, pity party is over and I realize I am lucky to be married to Bob.

Valentine's Day Update

Bob and I had a very nice Valentine's Day. The best thing about it was that we sent a dozen long-stemmed roses to one of our single friends. She's been feeling sad and lonely lately and we wanted her to feel loved and special even though she's not seeing anyone right now. We were more excited about giving that gift to her than we would have been had we gone and gotten something for each other. She LOVED them and we were thrilled with how special a dozen roses can make someone feel.

After I got off work, I drove home, did my hair, put on make-up, and got dressed up for my husband. We had reservations at Timber Lodge. Nothing too fancy, but we had a coupon AND a gift certificate so we thought we'd put both to good use for V-Day. We got there a little bit late due to traffic, but we had a table within minutes. Walk-ins were not so lucky. We were told that the wait for walk-ins was 45 to 60 minutes!

Our dinner was great. We ordered an appetizer, had soup, bread, and salad and by the time our dinner came, we could each only eat a half a dozen bites before declaring ourselves full. We had a hostess take our photo:When we got home, we put our left-overs away and then we did what most couples do on Valentine's Day evening...we checked out email and watched TV. Heh! Well, we did do that but we also did other stuff too. Overall, it was a good day/night.

Goofy Fan

Have you ever really enjoyed some form of the media and wondered what it would be like to meet the people creating your faves? I used to work in radio and as a runner/gofer for a large concert hall so I've met a lot of popular entertainers. Mostly singers and songwriters though I've also interviewed quite a few local, state, and national politicians. I wasn't ever really star struck. Mostly that has more to do with the stars than with me. I have interviewed singers whose music I've enjoyed and had to work at being professional without sounding like a geeky fan-girl. I think I pulled it off for the most part. Whenever I've listened to those old interviews, I mostly sound more green than geeky. The more interviews I did and the more stories I wrote, the better I sounded. However, there were some performers I knew I could probably never meet or interview because my awe and admiration of them fully eclipsed any professionalism I could muster.

Well, last night I once again entered the realm of geeky fandom. Thankfully I wasn't interviewing anyone, but I was offered the chance to meet some of my favorite comedy performers. The original cast of MST3K performed last night at the ACME Comedy Club in Minneapolis. This was the launch party for their new DVD "The Oozing Skull". I brought my camera with hopes of getting some good photos but my seat wasn't so good. Actually at first it wasn't horrible. I was in the last seat of the regular chairs, but I was in the middle of 4 couples. One of the foursome had a friend show up and he was sitting in the way back, against the wall, in the tall bar chairs so I offered him my seat so he could be with his friends. Little did I know that I was giving up my unobstructed view for a partially obstructed one, but the guy was so thrilled with my offer, he gave me $10! It sometimes pays to do something nice. Anyway, I didn't take pictures because I was far away, the view was somewhat obstructed, and I didn't want to be "that guy". However, I did manage to get one shot of most of the cast at the end of the show:Here you see a tiny portion of J. Elvis Weinstein (Josh), all of Frank Conniff, Trace Beaulieu, Mary Jo Pehl, and Joel Hodgson. They were singing the theme song to MST3K before going out to the lobby to sign all kinds of autographs.

During the autograph signing, I took photos and waited for the line to go down so I could get my own copy of "The Oozing Skull" autographed. Of course, this is when I became completely tongue-tied and dopey. It didn't help that it was passed my bed time and I'd had some wine during the show (thanks to changing seats guy and his $10). All I could muster in the way of intelligent conversation was "thank you", "I love you guys", and "great show". Duh! I am SO a graduate of a Communications program, huh? You'd never know I once interviewed the governor of Wisconsin and procured a fairly intelligent interchange. Still, I wasn't really a fan of his, so maybe that's the difference.

Here are some photos. Go out and buy your own copy of "The Oozing Skull". Also, look for tickets to Cinematic Titanic's Live show at the State Theater in October.

Josh and FrankThe lovely Mary Jo

Frank and Joel

Mary Jo and JoshThe whole Cinematic Titanic cast

Dolled Up

I love the new vacuum. Bob asked why we needed a new vacuum. So I showed him. I put a new bag in our old vacuum (which is an 8 year old Hoover upright) and went over the floors. Then I put together and plugged in the new machine. The amount of cat hair and crap that still came up was enough to fill the bagless dirt holder twice. Gah! THAT is why we needed a new vacuum. He's a believer now. I've used it every day since buying it on Sunday and it's still picking up stuff. LOVE the new vacuum.

I had continuing education classes yesterday and today. Yesterday I wore make-up and today I didn't. When I got to class someone commented that I wasn't all dolled up today as I had been yesterday. My hair was exactly the same, my outfit both days was just jeans and a sweater. The only difference was that I wasn't wearing make-up today. How does that make me dolled up yesterday? I know there is a huge difference in my look sans make-up but really? That much difference? Huh.

Tonight I am going to see Cinematic Titanic at the Acme Comedy Club. I. Can't. Wait. I will bring the camera but I don't know their rules on photography. Still, I can't allow a photo opportunity to pass me by.

Bob Update and a New Toy

The meeting with the pulmonary doctor on Friday was mostly just to get a preliminary check-up. It was kind of a meet and greet since he didn't perform any tests today. He will be running some kind of breathing/lung tests and he is setting up a sleep study because he is sure sleep apnea is exaserbating Bob's breathing problems. Or maybe his breathing problems are exaserbated by sleep apnea. It's a catch-22.

We were glad to find out that this doctor is actually going to refer Bob to another doctor in the pulmonary clinic. Apparently this other doctor is a pulmonary specialist with a neuromuscular specialty. This was EXACTALLY the kind of doctor we were looking for when we moved all Bob's health care to the U. This doctor will be setting up and monitoring the sleep study and lung/breathing tests.

The final appointment of the day was with Bob's primary care physician. He told us that all Bob's blood tests came back normal. He has good regular blood pressure, good thyroid, great cholesterol, etc. He did say that Bob has low iron count though he is not anemic. Still, he wants Bob to add an iron pill to his daily vitamin regime.

Right now we are still kind of in limbo as far as a diagnosis is concerned. Thankfully they are not concerned enough to hospitalize Bob. They think there is a possibility that one of Bob's heart valves is weakened. They want to be sure and that is why they have ordered the lung/breathing tests. The tentative diagnosis is pulmonary hypertension. They will know more after these other tests come back. So it's more waiting and wondering. Thankfully Bob is doing better and has lost about 15 lbs of water weight. He feels much more himself and is anxious to feel even better.

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So, we got our tax refund back already. We paid some bills and then split the remainder. I have enough to get a zoom lens for my camera as well as this:

Interviews and Breaking Down

Quick update:  I ended up having 2 interviews yesterday and both went nowhere.  I talked to the guy in Austin, TX and I talked to another guy in Palm Beach, FL.  Both interviews were for other jobs with-in Big Bank Co.  Both guys were super nice and both guys ended up saying I sounded like a good candidate but they were really looking for someone who could start right away.  Both said if I ended up in their area to look them up and they would see what openings they had at that time and thank you but no thanks.  So, there’s that.

I went with Bob to his CT scan.  It ended up being a quick trip.  We got there and they took him in right away.  They injected dye into his vein, laid him on a table, and then the table was raised and sent through a scanning/X-ray machine.  I didn’t get to be in the room during the actual scan but it only took about 2 minutes.  We go tomorrow morning to meet with the pulmonary doctor and with his primary care physician.  I guess this is the appointment where we will find out the results from all these tests and see if there is a treatment plan or not.

Bob sister called us after I created and posted to Bob’s Caring Bridge site.  She said their dad had a genetic heart defect called PVOD.  It has something to do with a weakened heart valve.  He had similar symptoms to what Bob is exhibiting right now.  It’s kind of scary because Bob already has a genetic issue what with the MD and everything.  Wouldn’t it just figure he has something else too?

Speaking of defects it seems like everything is breaking down just about now.  Bob’s wheelchair needs to be repaired.  We are dropping that off tomorrow after all his doctor appointments.  Thankfully, the repair place has a replacement for him to use while we wait for the repairs.  Bob’s van also needs to be repaired.  The check engine light has been on for over 2 weeks.  Bob took it to have the oil changed right when it first came on but the mechanic couldn’t find anything wrong at the time.  Now it’s getting worse and making noise.  We have an appointment Saturday morning to have it looked at again.  I hope it makes it there and that they find something wrong with it.  Well, something wrong that’s fixable and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.  My car needs a new headlight but in comparison, that’s not so bad.

I’m nervous about tomorrow and what we will be finding out.

Interview!

In an attempt to expand our quest for warmth, I applied for positions in Texas and Alabama as well as Florida.  I just got a call from a guy in Austin, TX asking for a phone interview for tomorrow late afternoon.  Whooo!  Hoooooo!

Random Photos From the MDA Event

Bob and I just had so much fun at the MDA Winter Wine Down in Stillwater that I wanted to post some of the photos I took at the event. Next year, please come out and join us.

You will check in and meet some great folks from the MDA.You will get your very own wine glass to take home from the event.

You will enjoy some live music.

Live music performed by Walden Pond Revisited.You will meet nice people and maybe make some friends.

You will meet the MDA Youth Ambassador and his family.

You will have the chance to play Heads or Tails.This guy won Heads or Tails

There is a wine pull

There are heavy appetizers. Mmmm, so good.

There is a silent auction

You will find lots of nice things to bid on.

Just don't get outbid!Of course there is wine to tasteAnd more wine to tasteWineWine

and more wine to swirl, sniff, and swill.

There are also places to hang out and talk...like in a window,

Standing around a bar,

or hanging out in the red room. Come join us next year, won't you?

The Wine Down Wrap Up

The Wine Down was fun. It was held, once again, at the Depot in Stillwater. Everyone had a great time. There was a silent auction, live music, heavy appetizers, and of course, wine. I found a yummy new dessert wine from the Stillwater winery. I also pulled 3 bottles of wine at the wine pull. I pulled my favorite, a Riesling, off the bat but then pulled a red I was able to trade for a nice white. My last pull garnered another nice white. Score! If you want to see what kind of evening we had, click my Flickr badge to see the shots I took.

I didn't do a thing yesterday but go to the Wine Down. Today was a totally different story. I got up and got all our tax info together for our tax guy. I called him and he said I could bring it all by this afternoon, which I did on my way to the library. I dropped off my latest stack of books and then drove to the laundromat. For some reason, it was not very busy today. I did 6 loads which kind of freaked me out. Usually I do 4. While the clothes were washing I ran to Target to get some stuff we needed. I LOVE Target. Where else can you get a can of WD40, a roll of packaging tape, a bag of potatoes, and a bottle of cooking sherry all at once?

I drove back to the laundromat in time to change my clothes to the dryer and then I ran 2 more errands. I was able to fold all our laundry in a half hour and then it was back home to put it away.

I used the WD40 on the rusted screws on my car's front license plate. It worked except one of the screws busted in half. I got the new plate on but it's only being held by one screw. Hope it holds. I also need a new front headlight so maybe when I get that put in, I can ask about securing the plate.

Though I had been busy, I wasn't done yet. I started cleaning our apartment at 4. This was no surface cleaning either. I've been feeling peckish and closed in and usually a good clean or purge of stuff makes me feel better. I cleaned and cleaned for four hours. We only live in less than 1200 square feet so you know I was a cleaning machine. I feel so much better now. I still have a niggling antsy-ness that will only really go away once I get my butt in gear and purge some of the crap we've been holding on to for the past year. Gah!

I forgot to mention that while at the Wine Down I found out that 4 of the MDA staff are pregnant and all due this summer. What is in the water that everyone but me seems to be getting knocked up? Bob and I did talk about the possibility of adopting with in the next year. It's not something we are doing anything serious about right now but Bob wants to think/pray about it for a couple of months before revisiting the topic.

I came up with what I think might be a good way to get started with my photography business. I can't really talk about it here yet but I'll let you know what it is and how it goes as we get closer to Spring. If it works here, it will pretty much work anywhere and having a portable business will be nice if and when we move.

500

Hey! Look at that! It's my 500th post. Huh.

Well, Bob's health is no better but we are no closer to having any answers either. We went to the hospital yesterday and Bob had an ecko, an EKG, and an ultra sound. After waiting around for 3 hours, we left because I only took a half day off of work and I had to get back. They told us they would call us and they didn't. Not with the results anyway. They did call to say Bob has another appointment on the 6th. This time for a CT or some kind of scan. They are afraid Bob's heart valves are weak and that his lung tissue is fused together. I created a Caring Bridge site to keep our family updated on the road we travel towards Bob's healing/treatment. If you are interested on following along, go here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/robertmingo.

Tonight we are going to a wine tasting. It's an annual fundraiser for the MDA. It's one of our favorite events and we look forward to it every year.

I didn't do much today. I did rearrange our bedroom because Bob told me that it's becoming increasingly difficult for him to walk from the office where he parks his wheelchair to the bedroom and needs a place in the bedroom to park it. I think the new arrangement will benefit him greatly.

What is going on at Flickr?

Um, I just got a note on one of my Flickr pics from a guy asking me to comment on the size of his "meat". How do these freaks and weirdos find me? I had to block him. He had hundreds of contacts but only 3 of his own pictures. 2 of which were of him holding his, um, "meat". Gack!

Poor Bob. He went to the dentist today and found out that he has a pretty bad case of gum disease. Also, he needs 3 of his wisdom teeth pulled. Since it's been so long since his last dentist visit, they are cleaning his teeth in quadrants. Today they did the upper right side. His next appointment is on the 12th. They will clean 2 quadrants that day, leaving 1 quadrant for cleaning. They gave him a coupon for a SoniCare toothbrush. I am jealous. When we get our tax return, we will go and get him one.

Work is still crazy busy. The weather is still crazy cold. We are still planning on moving to Florida. That's about all that's going on from here.

Florida? Can you please hurry up and help me find a job?

This is the actual temp right now. Notice the windchill...that's what it feels like outside. I got dressed twice this morning. Once with my regular clothes and once to go outside. Just to walk from my house to my car and from my car to work I wore the following: Boots, winter coat, scarf, hat, and mittens. Usually I just wear my jacket...and usually not zipped up at that.

Here's the forecast for the next week:

You know it's bad when you look forward to a high that is STILL below the temp at which water freezes.

I Passed!

After much study, worry, and anxiety, I took the Property and Casualty licensing exam this morning and passed! I passed with a 72, so I just barely eked by. I was hoping I would either pass or fail spectacularly. There is nothing worse than failing just under the 70 mark. If I'd tested and ended up with a 69 or 68...well that would just irk me to no end. Thankfully that was not the case. Now I just have to apply for the actual license and if I so desired, I am now all licensed up with a Property/Casualty AND Life/Health license so I could sell insurance. However, I am not so sales inclined. My current job requires me to have the Life and Health license because I service annuity products. There are other jobs out in Big Bank Co land that require a P&C license, not because of sales but again, because of servicing. Anyway, right after the test, I called my brother-in-law and left a message on his voice mail to let him know he was off the hook because I passed.

I do have more observations about taking classes with the masses. First off, when the instructor says, "Please turn your cell phones off or to vibrate", that means everyone. Yes, even you! There were 2 guys sitting behind me who left their phones on and every time they got a text (which was at least 4 times an hour), their phone chimed. Also, we were given a 10 minute break every hour. Yet at every break, all the guys immediately pulled out their cell phones and began making/taking calls. What is so urgent that occured in the past 50 minutes that can't wait until lunch or after class? Also, there was one guy who texted during the entire class. Arg! Finally, what is the deal with guys having to back their cars into parking spaces? There were at least a dozen guys who held up the parking lot because instead of just pulling into a space, they pulled up and then backed up and swung around and then backed in. Is it really so hard to back out of a space? Really? Is it harder than backing into the space to begin with? Thank God I'm done with that. At least until we move and I have to do it all over again for another state.

Bob is doing OK. He's still not 100%. He is going to the bathroom more frequently and is losing some of the water weight. His legs, feet, and ankles are still puffy but not as bad as they were earlier in the week. His blood oxygen is still really (dangerously in my opinion) low in the morning but he is working on breathing more deeply and using oxygen when needed. The clinic called and they have him scheduled to see 2 specialists next Friday and 2 more specialists the Friday following. I already have permission to take half days both days in order to accompany him on those trips. I hope we find out something and that it isn't more of the same where they say, "Well, we see that you have these symptoms but we don't know why, what causes them, or really how to treat you." Bob hates that. Well, I don't love it, but I know doctors only know what they know. We are going to the University hospital which is also where the MDA clinic is, so maybe with everyone working together they will figure it out this time.

Florida stuff has been on the back burner but with February fast approaching, I need to get a move on the application process. I am compliling our tax info this weekend and setting up our tax appointment and after that, it's all Florida job information acquisition.

Surprises

I went to the place where I was to take my property and casualty license today. When I checked in, I gave my name and spelled it. The check-in chick said, "Oh! Just like your instructor!" I asked who that might be and when she told me, I about choked. My husband's brother was teaching my class! Freaky. At first it was a little weird but after about an hour, he just became my instructor, not my brother-in-law.

I have another class tomorrow but he's not teaching it, some other guy is. I'm not sure how I'll do on this test. I think now I should have scheduled the test for Saturday or Monday instead of first thing Friday morning. I don't think I allowed myself enough prep/study time. There are 2 seven and a half hour classes and then we should put another 7-10 hours of personal study time in as well and I am no where near having that much study time. Yipe!

Bob went to the doctor today. He was supposed to just have a physical but he's been struggling health-wise. He is exhibiting similar symptoms to a time about 3 or 4 years ago when he was actually hospitalized in ICU for breathing difficulties and extreme water weight gain. We were fairly sure that after seeing him, the doc would admit him to the hospital again today but that didn't happen. Instead, he took a bunch of blood, some x-rays, urine, and other tests. Then, he is working with other doctors in the clinic and is working on scheduling one day for all of the necessary physicians to see Bob. That way, Bob won't have to go to appointment after appointment, which is a good thing. In the meantime, the doc prescribed diuretics for him so he might be able to pee off some of that water weight. Also, Bob said if he feels like he is putting on more water weight and isn't feeling much better in the next day or two, he will admit himself to the hospital. That makes me feel better. Still, we don't have any answers right now. The doctor said that while he was very concerned, he didn't think it was a matter of life or death right now. I hope he's right.

When Bob gets this sick, I just worry. He jokes that with him gone and out of the way, I can marry a real man and have a real marriage. You don't even want to know how angry this makes me. If I were to lose him now, I'd probably just pack up and leave and start over somewhere where no one knows me and I don't have to really deal with anyone. Maybe become a hermit and live and work off the beach taking pictures of tourists for cash. Although I don't really know what I would do. I just hope I don't have to find out any time soon.

The Graduation Open House

Little did I know when I scheduled the date for my graduation open house that it would be held on the coldest day of the year!

That's a minus sign in front of the 13. That was the actual air temp when I left our apartment to run a couple of last minute errands yesterday morning. It is also the same exact temp THIS morning when I left to go to the laundromat to do our laundry. Brrrrr.

So, the party. I invited probably nearly 150, planned food for roughly 100, and had 15 show up. I LOVED seeing the people that came but I was a little bummed. I knew it wasn't going to be as well-attended as I had hoped when I sent out the invites, but I was not prepared for as small a turn-out as I got. I ended up sending 2 meat and cheese trays, buns, and chips home with 2 different friends. I have nearly half a cake, meat, cheese, veggies, dips, and chips to bring to work tomorrow. We can't eat it all before it goes bad so it has to come to work with me. The next party I plan is definitely going to be a pot-luck.Anyway, I did have fun. An aunt and uncle I haven't seen in over 10 years stopped by. They met Bob for the first time and he loved them. I knew he would because this particular uncle is a character just like Bob.Another fun surprise was that a former college classmate of mine from the FIRST time I attended college in Sioux Falls showed up with his wife. I was trying to think of the last time I saw him and can't remember. I went back to the school in 1990 for what would have been my graduation had I not flunked out but I can't remember if he was there when I was there visiting. Otherwise it would have been in 1989.Other friends of mine showed up as well. My faithful prayer group women and a couple we know from our former church. Also, my former roommate and the maid of honor at our wedding. So, even though it wasn't well-attended, I got to visit a little more than I probably would have with those that did show.So what's ahead? Who knows. This week we have a new person starting at work so I will be involved in her training. I am also taking the class and the test necessary to get my property and casualty license this week. Bob has a doctor's appointment and I hope he is able to get some answers to some pressing health issues he's been experiencing. I also have another PT appointment tomorrow. Not to mention more job hunting in Florida via the internet.

Weather Graphics for Dummies

This is another reason we want to move to Florida. See the numbers on the top? Those would be our weekly highs. I like how they write “cold” on the graphic. As if we can’t look at the numbers and realize on our own that it’s cold.

I was tooling around Northern Florida real estate websites last night and am surprised at how much house (& land for that matter) you can get for the money in the panhandle. Plus a lot of it is situated between the gulf and a lovely state forest preserve. Now if only I could find a job to pay for a house/place to live. I am sending resumes, letters, and applications nearly daily and have yet to hear back from anyone. Not even a “no thank you”. We might end up resorting to our least liked plan and just move when our lease is up and look for work once we get there. There are plenty of employment agencies, so temping might not be out of the question for a while. The only fly in THAT ointment is insurance coverage. In fact, we are so set on moving to Florida that we are foregoing the Alaskan cruise and are using that money for the move. Thankfully it was Bob’s idea. I thought we could actually do both but Bob decided that he would rather live in warmth near the ocean at this time.

I spent the weekend recovering from the crud from last week. My eyes and nose watered nearly constantly. All weekend I had that particular tickle in my nose where it feels like I had to sneeze but never could. Most of Saturday was spent doing laundry and cleaning. After sitting around my apartment for 2 days I felt like a good cleaning was in order. I also found a good deal on humidifiers. I found a cool mist humidifier for $15 at our local Aldi. I put that in our living room. Then, while on a drug run to Walgreen’s, I found a warm mist humidifier on clearance for $10! I put that in our bedroom. I don’t know if Bob’s noticed a difference, but I sure have. The cats aren’t sneezing as much and we aren’t shocking one another with every touch.

Yesterday I was determined to get out of the house. I went to Kohl’s to take exchange a place setting of Fiestaware. I was given a place setting as a gift but it’s in a color that dominates our dishes. I wanted to get the newer green but this particular Kohl’s only have the red, orange, and yellow. So I got the yellow. I also found a 2-opening frame on sale so I picked that up to house my official graduation photos.

Once I left Kohl’s, Bob called and asked if I could pick up his prescription and I also had to pick up some new bird food and a couple of things at the grocery store. Once home, I started a roast in the crock pot and put everything else away. I ended up cutting the roast in half, shredding 1 half and using it for enchiladas. They turned out fabulous! The other half we will have for dinner tonight with mashed potatoes and gravy.

Tonight I have physical therapy. I was originally scheduled for 3 times a week, but it’s going so well that my PT said once a week for now is good. After next week we will re-evaluate. I don’t really like it, but whatever. As long as I don’t need surgery, it’s a good thing and I’ll endure.

Crud

I have the crud. It started yesterday with sniffles and a not quite sore throat but a suspicious niggling ache. It got worse as I left work and went to the grocery store when I began to feel achey and my head stuffy. As I picked out eggs, mushrooms, bread, and meat I realized that though usually hungry at this time of day, I was not only NOT hungry but I was actually repulsed by the food around me. I checked out of the store, got home, put it all away, and fell on the couch. Bob knew I was sick the minute he saw me. He says he can see it in my eyes. They apparently look a certain way when I don't feel well. I was in bed and asleep by 7.

The symptoms of this crud seem to be, sore throat, full/stuffy head, chills, fever, sniffles/runny nose (oh man! I probably got it from that kid at the PT's office on Monday! Nice!), muscle aches, stuffy/achey ears, fatigue, and realistic pregnancy dreams. Well, maybe not that last one, but I dreamt a dream so startingly realistic in it's presentation, I woke up rubbing my belly and franticly trying to go into labor. (In the dream I was in labor but couldn't find the hospital in which to deliever the baby.) Oh, and I don't know if it's the crud or if it's all the juice I'm drinking to try and heal my sore throat, but I also have diaherria. Lovely.

I'm staying home today. I need to go back to bed now.

A Degree Comes in Handy...Who Knew?

I just applied for the perfect job for me.  It is for a public relations officer within the state of Florida environmental protection offices.  Basically every class I took towards getting my BS in Communications was training for this job.  I don’t know if they will seriously look at persons outside the state of Florida but I won’t know if I don’t try.  I was just so excited to see the posting and apply.  It’s in an area we hadn’t yet considered as it is more inland but is only 25-30 miles away from the coast.  So we could live near the coast and I could commute.  Not bad.

Today I told someone we were considering moving and their immediate reaction was, “Don’t you know how hot it gets there?” And my immediate reaction is, “Don’t you know how cold it gets here?”  And in regards to erratic weather, did anyone see the news that there were tornado touchdowns in Wisconsin last night?  That’s one state over…about 200 miles from me.  So we know from erratic weather.  We just think it would be nice to have erratic weather AND ocean access.

Did I write about my PT yesterday?  I think I did.  No more walking cast, stretching and strengthening exercises, checking in once more this week and twice next week and then a re-evaluation.  Did I tell you about the 12-13 year old boy I was about to kill while hanging out in the waiting room?  Seriously, this kid sniffled that wet, snarfly sniffle at 1-4 second intervals for 20 minutes!  I was about to jab the RX advertising office pens into my ears with the PT showed up.   Sheesh, we were in the waiting room of a medical building.  I’m sure there was a tissue somewhere nearby.

What is going on with the weekend of January 19^th that almost all of my RSVP regrets are coming back with, “We hope you have a great party but we can’t come due to it’s XXX’s birthday that weekend and we are celebrating.”  Seriously, I have received nearly a dozen of these.  Were all my friends and /or their family members born on January 18^th, 19^th or 20^th?  Weird.

Monday

Work was kind of crappy today. I ended up getting a lot done but personality clashes were frustrating today. Also, a co-worker announced that her daughter was pregnant and another's daughter JUST had a baby boy over the Christmas holiday. I can be happy for them but I still have a hard time not feeling sad and jealous.

Bob and I went to the Timberwolves game yesterday. It was on OK time. I'm not a huge basketball fan but there is enough going during the game to divert and hold my attention. Seriously, when did basketball become the sport of fans with ADD? There is constantly music playing, screens flashing, and the game. During time outs and quarter breaks there is entertainment. We saw the team dancers, a breakdance team, a magic act, a hoops contest, and other filler. It was kind of crazy. Our basketball team is an embarrassment right now. But we played the Mavericks and they had an amazing blond Adonis on their team that really played well. He was fun to watch. Not surprisingly we lost the game. I think the final score was 78-101.

I had physical therapy today. It went OK. My ankle is actually still a little swollen but is doing quite well. My range of motion isn't quite what it is on the right ankle but the therapist gave me some exercises to do and I go back on Wednesday for another evaluation. I also see her on Monday and from there we will reassess. I can also go without the boot though I'm to have it with me in case I get tired and need the support. I can also go back to driving my own car. Bob will be glad to have his van back.

I think I need to talk about why we are thinking/planning/desiring moving. Bob is in a wheelchair. He cannot walk or stand on his own for more than a few steps/minutes at a time. He definitely cannot stand or walk in snow or ice. He cannot move his wheelchair through unplowed or unshoveled snow which renders him housebound for a lot of the winter months. He is at his best health-wise when he an get outside in the sunshine for at least a half hour a day. When it's snowy and cold he does not get outside. We want to move to a sunnier, warmer place so his health can improve. Since he does not work, he needs a kind of place where he can get outside and maybe even find a ministry with which to volunteer.

We picked Florida because we have visited there often. We like it. We feel at home there. We also picked it because we both love and adore the ocean. There is nowhere better to find a home near the ocean in warmth and sun than Florida. The cost of living is better than California and my company has offices there. I am looking on our online job board and applying for openings there. If I get one of those, my insurance, 401K, pay, seniority, etc will transfer. If I don't get a job with my company, I have several other options open.

When I was 22, I moved out to the East coast and lived there 3 1/2 years. It wasn't easy. It wasn't the same. It wasn't what I was used to but I loved it and I did it. Bob has never lived anywhere but here and is a little more nervous about all of this than I am. I've done it before and know it can be done.

We don't have friends in Florida. Yet. We do have some family in one of the areas we are looking into and that would be nice. However Bob is not particularly close to his family and my family lives far enough away that I only see them about 4 times a year anyway. Both of us are friendly, outgoing people and make friends pretty easily. We are not worried about moving somewhere and making new friends.

As to the changing weather...well, we have that here too. The temp can be 95 degrees and in 30 minutes it can drop to 60. Or, in the case of last week, it can be as high as 20 one day and 40 the next. We have snow, ice, tornadoes, torrential rain and flooding, high winds, hail, sleet, etc. No matter where you live you have to contend with Mother Nature. We just want to live somewhere with warm weather near an ocean. Florida fits the bill for us.

Oh, I sent emails to some of the pastors of the churches I found online and one of them answered! He sent a lovely email and said he'd be praying for us. He also gave me his home phone number and said we could call him if we had more questions about the area, their church, or anything else. How nice.

Yeah, we've not worried.

Southern Churches

I haven't been writing much. I think it's partly because things are so busy at work and partly because a lot of what is going on with me and Bob right now is internal and not actual external events.

Work is still crazy. Thankfully, my boss is hiring someone on Tuesday. Still, that person will not be up to speed right away. Time will have to be spent training that person and helping them learn the ropes. Who knows how long that will take. There are also some issues my boss has brought to my attention and I am now being watched quite closely, so I've got to be on my game all day every day. I am doing several different jobs in addition to the job I was hired to do and in the past trying to get it all done on time made me a little sloppy. No more. If I get behind, I get behind and things will be done right. However, this also means that now when people ask me if I can help them with their workload, I am having to say no which seems to be kind of taking them aback. Oh well. I have to do what I have to do. Thankfully, Bob is a great listener and a good sounding board so I can share with him what's going on at work.

Operation Move to Florida is still in the discussion stages but seems to be in the forefront of both our minds. We agreed that we will talk, think, plan, and pray about the best way to move ahead. We are looking at cities/areas we would like to live in, be they on the Gulf Coast, the East Coast, North Florida, or South Florida. I have a road map of the state of Florida on our wall with the possible communities highlighted. Then I am going to church websites for those areas and looking for churches that might fit what we are looking for. This is proving to be an interesting exercise. I started looking in the Pensacola area and while there are HUNDREDS of churches, the majority of them seem to be quite conservative in nature.

Bob and I are looking for a church that is more interested in serving its community than itself, more interested in people than buildings, and more interested in outreach than in programs. We also like churches that are different from the norm. Maybe they have services at night, or meet in a movie theater, or welcome street people to join church festivities. I am not finding a lot of churches that are different. They all seem to be cut from the same cloth. They all seem to be wound kind of tight. They all meet on Sunday morning before 11am with Sunday School prior to the service. They all have a Sunday evening service as well as a Wednesday night prayer meeting. They all have programs for teens, kids, singles, adults but no real outright community service. They all feature pictures of older or elderly pastors in suits and ties with a boatload of similarly suited and aged church leaders. I did find some that at least list local Pensacola area ministries that they partner with so that was helpful. I went through a listing of hundreds of churches and came away with 10 that might be possibilities for us. I am going to email the pastors at those 10 churches and tell them our story and ask them to pray for us.

So, that's what's going on with us. Today we are going to see the Timber Wolves play. We won tickets from our apartment management office. We're not big basketball fans and the Wolves have been kind of pathetic since they lost KG but it's time out together doing something different and fun.