10 Things

Ok- I was commissioned by Megan to come up with 10 little known facts about myself. Some may be new to you!!

1. I either want to get my nose pierced (a tiny little diamond- not a giant ring!) or a tattoo. My husband, however forbids this.

2. I have 2 left feet-- I cant dance to save my life. I once bought a "dance" work out video in hopes of both losing weight and gaining some sweet moves.

3. I really would love to go to medical school;  I'll settle (later on) for an NP, PA, or midwifery school.

4. I love traveling new places; I've been to England, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Mexico, Honduras, The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands, Hawaii and various other states in the US. I still am hoping to see New York, Seattle, the Grand Canyon, San Francisco, and make it back to Paris one day. 

5. When I was little, my favorite dress was picked up off the side of the road by my Nana. My mother hated it and I wore it almost everyday. I, of course, didnt know all of this until I was about 14. 

6. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day; I could eat it for lunch & dinner too! Unfortunately, Jordan doesn't really eat breakfast.

7. I've thought long & hard about going blonde. Of course, I'd have to lighten my eyebrows too.

8. I consider moving to Texas my greatest accomplishment (outside of my relationship with Jesus). I couldn't have done it without my husband.

9. My favorite pizza is Round Table Pizza. We must have eaten there 4-5 times over our honeymoon, and recently were able to have more RTP on our trip to California! Delicious!!!

10. God speaks to me through His creation. I never feel closer to Him than when I'm outside seeing new and beautiful things. It's probably one good reason I love to fly (and stare out the window at the Earth) to new places.

Now if you're (still) reading this- it's your turn!! 

Current song stuck in my head: Sweeter than This by Katie Herzig

Ugh.

I feel like an invalid. 

and I should rename my blog to "24 hours of whining and torture." Because I feel like that's all I do! 

Nothing much has changed.... my tongue is still totally numb. No taste. No hot. No cold. I do think that earlier today while eating some watermelon that I bit my tongue- so maybe it is getting better? My jaw is still stiff, and no amount of painful stretching is helping. I've expanded my diet from slim fast and ice cream to include soup, watermelon and fudgecicles too. My mom is convinced that I'm wasting away, but I'm certain- after packing away a cup of blue bell per day, that my waistline is fine. Only problem with a cup o' ice cream per day? It doesnt add up to much energy. Deciding to go back to work yesterday may have been a mistake. I fell asleep quickly (on the couch) after getting home and when Jordy woke me up around midnight, my teeth were on fire! When I woke up this morning I had the worst headache!!! I didnt go to work today. I feel like such a punk- I've only worked 4 days since we got back from California. I've burned up all of my sick time and several vacation days.... for my stupid teeth.

I'm so ready to be done with all this. 

And I really appreciate all the people who have been an encouragement. The Stranges, the Whittens, the McElroys, the Ackermans... My MOM (loving on us in a big way from far away)... Mandy- keeping me encouraged that all these symptoms I'm having may be normal... and everyone who knows a little about having problems with extractions and know it's not easy. All the prayers, the phone calls, the messages... it's been a wonderful encouragement for myself and Jordan!

I gotta get started on some cards. :)

Recovery

So things are pretty much the same. My jaw is really stiff on one side and I can open my mouth just far enough to get a spoon/fork in. But dont let that fool you- I'm still sticking to mostly liquids. I did eat some watermelon this morning, which I was pretty excited about, except that I couldnt taste it. (because my tongue is still numb too.) Apparently this tongue thing happens sometimes- according to whoever I talked to @ the dentist's office this morning. I was able to crank my jaw open enough to see my bottom holes (where teeth used to be) and they dont look half bad. Stitches are still there, the tissue is nice & pink... from a nurse's standpoint, it looks like they're healing well. If my lower jaw is healing well, then my top 2 holes are probably doing backflips.... I really thought the dentist was going to break my jaw trying to get my bottom teeth out. Yikes.  I dont really want to go back to work looking like I have marshmallows stuffed in my cheeks, but I'm scheduled to go back Wednesday. I can only hope that tomorrow I'll have some sort of miraculous recovery and all the swelling, tingling, soreness, etc will be gone. At least if I do end up back at work on Wednesday, I'm in the operating room all day, so I'll have a mask on to hide my poor swollen cheeks! 

I have watched every movie, seen every TV show, read all my books (except one which isnt very interesting yet...) and am entirely bored. I need to fold & put away laundry, but I'll find ANY excuse to keep from doing that... doesnt EVERYONE hate that part? It's the pits.

I got a wonderful visit from Michelle last night- she brought us food! Our Sunday school class is the best- we have another couple coming over tonight - they sent Jordan home with food Sunday morning! I mean, extractions arent open heart surgery, but it is really nice knowing we have people praying for us, and Jordan has plenty of good stuff to eat while I'm feeling bad and not cooking. We're saving some of our delicious goodies in the freezer for when I can eat again too. I should be using my time today to make thank you cards, but I havent started on that quite yet. Anyway- I love our class, and even though we're continuously looking for ways to unite the class, I feel like this is the most active, outgoing, and caring sunday school I've ever been apart of. We've always said the Stranges are our adopted family out here, but now our whole class is becoming like family. 

Am I praying God will provide Jordan a job in Fort Worth? 

Current song stuck in my head: Fix You by Coldplay

mmmMMMmmm... Slimfast.

Ok, so I am eventually going to get back around to talking about our trip to California.

Friday I got my wizzies pulled- all 4 of them, so now I look like this little guy.  ^^^  The doc had a really hard time getting the bottom left tooth out, so I'm super super swollen on that side- all the way down my throat. I still havent tried chewable foods- I hope to have my swelling decrease before I chew anything. I dont know if this is normal or not, but my mouth is so swollen, my tongue is numb. Does it scare me a little? Maybe. 

Anyway- Slimfast shakes have become my friend. At least I can rest easy knowing I have vitamins and protein and calcium going in me. 

I remember everything about the whole tooth pulling experience. Apparently, this doc I went to thinks 2mg of Ativan is enough to calm someone down for 4 extractions. Well it sure wasnt enough for me. I think I had a panic attack in the chair. It was awful. And of course, I'd already had a partial root canal before my extractions, so I was already a little on edge. I have to go back to complete my root canal (joy.) I think my actual dentist (whom I do like) will be finishing my root canal. We'll see I guess.

I'm not really having a lot of pain, but the swelling is so annoying!  If I could get the swelling under control, I'd be one happy chipmunk-looking little girl. 

Current song stuck in my head: Handlebars by Flobots

An End to my headache?

So I went to the Dentist yesterday. 

My wisdom teeth are barreling into my mouth, but they aren't coming in straight.

My other teeth are shifting around (oweee) to make room.

And one of them has cracked in the process.

So FRIDAY I'm having all 4 wisdom teeth removed.... AND a root canal.

Shoot me.

Current Song stuck in my head: The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson

DIsneyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!

I totally met Mickey Mouse

Again.

I LOVED Disneyland. It was, I think, the highlight of our trip to California. Call me childish, call me small-minded, but it may very well be the happiest place on Earth. Why else do all the superbowl winners and gold-medal winners and Presidents and important people always say, "I'm going to Disneyland! (or Disney World, equally as cool as Disneyland.... but nevertheless.)" I just love Disney. I even got this fab little pin of Minnie dressed as a nurse that I keep on my badge... right next to RN. :) We totally got up early and drove in our crappy little rental car from San Diego to Anaheim to live @ Disney until like 1125PM that night, when we got back into our crappy rental and drove back to San Diego. It was a blast. 

Park Hopper?? Uh, Yes.

We did California Adventure too, just incase you were wondering. We took breaks for food and the occasional restroom break, but for the most part, we filled every minute of our day with meeting Mickey & the gang and riding neat rides and seeing fab shows. I have now met my blog quota for the word "fab" and will no longer be using it, just incase you were wondering. 

Despite forgetting to take my meclizine prior to entering the park (the medicine which keeps me from yacking after being tossed and turned about, as you do at amusement parks), I rode on. We both totally loved the Toy Story ride- It was incredible! You sit in this car with a gun and 3-d glasses and shoot at moving targets throughout the ride. The car keeps track of your score and at the end, I was victorious! It's all pretty fantastic- getting flinged around corners and swirling around, everything is 3D and wowee. It was impressive. We also loved the Indiana Jones ride, despite a minor expletive release at a climactic point in the ride. Ha! And of course, we did all the usuals.... Pirates, Haunted Mansion, etc. We could have easily filled a second day, but alas, we only had 1.

Jordan & I 

We got these little "Happy Anniversary" buttons when we first got to Disney and proudly wore them alllll day. So our anniversary was the day prior to our park adventure and all, but we were still all about the celebrating. The neat thing is, all the worker peeps... "Cast members" as they're so referred to, walk around and say happy anniversary! to us all day. It was fun :) Of course, throughout the day, I saw people with "Just Married" buttons, "Happy Birthday" buttons, "My first visit" buttons, and "I have epilepsy" buttons. Well, maybe not the epilepsy thing, but i think most everyone had a special button. It didnt make me feel any less loved, just for the record.

Mr Incredible & Mr Incredible

While our trip to the California form of Disney was short-lived, we had a pretty awesome time. I hope one day to go back, see the things we missed and ride the rides we didn't get around to. 12 hours is not enough time to do 2 parks. I would love to do Disney World again soon- havent been since 11th grade. Jordan hasnt been since he was like, 8. 

Oh and we had the most delicious lobster & shrimp ravioli.... if anyone knows where to find anything close to what they have at the Jazz Kitchen (in Downtown Disney) holy cow, let me know. mmmmMMMMmmmm delish.

Current song stuck in my head: Everyday People by Sly & the Family Stone

San Diego; A Whale's Vagina.

The view from our room

(it's hard to tell from the pic, but that's the Pacific just past the pink building)

I really enjoyed our little hotel- it was so quaint!!! It was only a block or so from the ocean, in a perfect location. It is locally owned, kind of a large B&B. They brought us yummy breakfast to our room every morning and had cookies & lemonade each afternoon (sometimes we were there for cookies, sometimes not.). La Jolla was beautiful; full of little shops and delicious restaraunts. It was very hilly- we got a workout everyday! The best & most surprising part?!? The temperature! It only got up to the 80's, I think. Most everyday it was overcast and cool with a cold breeze. It was such a nice departure from the heat of Texas. I dont think I ever took my hoodie off!

@ the Beach!

The water was freeeeezing!!! We definitely didnt swim- and I quickly ran back out of the water after this picture was taken! I may be just a bit disappointed that we didnt spend more time at the beach... we looked at it a lot, but didnt really spend a lot of time @ the beach. The La Jolla cove probably isnt the best location for laying out and sunbathing, which is usually all I do when I hit the beach. The water was super super clear- you cant tell from here, but you could see straight to the bottom! Totally gorgeous. 

The "beach"

So probably, around the corner, is a real beach that you could walk down to. This was really what things looked like in La Jolla. It was a hike between coves, can I emphasize enough the walking??? :) It really was gorgeous, breathtaking coastline. 

A partial view of the San Diego skyline

We went downtown for our anniversary and walked around the Gaslamp Quarter. I'm only slightly ashamed to say we ate at the Gaslamp Strip Club! How funny, right?!? It wasnt really a strip club, as in take-off-your-clothes strip, but new york strip, as in melt-in-your-mouth good. Although the restaurant capitalized on the strip club thing by giving the menu items fun names, among other things. It was tasty and fun and unexpected anniversary dinner! Not only did we have a new york strip, we had grilled asparagus (my fav!!!) and white truffle mac & cheese. Delish- totally delish. Pretty much all our dining experiences were great-- except maybe the Disneyland food... not so great, and crazy expensive. 

More to come........

Current song stuck in my head: watching WNTW- another fav show :)

I'm sitting in the Albuquerque airport, waiting for our next plane to board. We will be homebound once again. Isn't the last day of a wonderful vacation just the pits?? Knowing that you'll have to go back to real life after days of indulgence and frivolity, is never something to look forward to. We had an amazing time in California- it was beautiful and cold! (a welcome change from the 103-105 degree days we're having in Fort Worth. Once I get home and all our pictures are loaded, expect the next few posts to be all about our fabulous trip.

My mouth hurts. I'm talking hurts. There are times (few, but there ARE times) where I think this hurts worse than a kidney stone. I cant say about labor, but I've heard it's very painful too (everyday!) It hurts to chew, touch, brush, drink... my teeth are super sensitive now too, so even if it doesnt hurt to chew, if the food/drink isnt lukewarm, it'll hurt then too! I'm totally frustrated by all this- and I know Jordan's about ready to kick me out of the room with all my whining and complaining. I've probably totally destroyed my liver with all the NSAIDS i've been taking (with no relief) for the past week & 1/2. Either I have very little liver function, or I'm on the road to a GI bleed. Nice. I'm hoping to see the dentist (dread!!!) tomorrow, but that'll only happen if someone cancels. I dont know if I've got an abscess somewhere, or my wisdom teeth are giving me fits, or what, but there is nothing that I can do to make this pain stop! It's driving me crazy!!!!!!!!!!

Enough whining. It's time for another advil... or maybe 8. Hundred. 

Current song stuck in my head: Damaged by Danity Kane

Black

I am disappointed by the hatred in the world.

I have recently learned of a horrible thing that happened to someone so near to my heart, she and her husband are like family. The ultimate betrayal of security for her came in the form of a man who broke into her house while she was home alone. The unthinkable happened. 

My heart is broken for her, for her husband. To know what was done makes me sick to my stomach. I cant imagine what they are going through and I hate being this far away during such a time of turmoil. 

They are no longer living in the same area, but staying with family members while looking for a new place to live. I dont know if I'd ever feel comfortable someplace again, as they were in a "nice" part of town. I pray they can find a safe place to call home again soon. 

Most of all I am angry. These 2 people are some of the sweetest, most God-fearing people I know. I look up to them as a married couple and fellow sister & brother in Christ. I am angry at God for allowing this to happen. I cant imagine how to begin to pick up the pieces after something like this, how to heal, how to survive both physically, emotionally and mentally. This must be such a struggle on a new marriage, I pray that they both turn towards God in this horrible, horrible time. I can only trust that there is a silver lining in this, and somehow, God will be glorified. 

Current song stuck in my head: Heaven let your light shine down by Collective Soul