Tuesday, August 31, 2010

In other 7 news…

Today is Cooper’s 7th Birthday!

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Dearest Mini Boy Cooper,

Happy Birthday!  I hope you enjoyed a day of guarding the house in peace. 

Seven years ago, I didn’t quite know you yet.  We will celebrate your “Gotcha” day in a couple of months.  Your parents, Little Boy Blue and your mom (whose name I don’t remember offhand) would be proud of the canine you have become.

You have the best non-Chihuahua disposition.  You do not yap, but bark if necessary.  Your worst habit is jumping at the back of our knees when you are excited we’re finally home.  With a welcome so genuine though, it’s hard to be mad at you.

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I love that your favorite place to hang out is on the back of the couch – so you can see outside, or any available lap.  I love when you bury your head on my sternum and give good hugs with your paws on either side.  When someone is sick, you are quick to play nurse, never leaving our bedside until we are well. 

You are so very good with the kids.  You came home with me a week after A was born and have always adored her.  R looks for you immediately after coming in the house and K loves you so much, it’s gotta be uncomfortable, but you tolerate it with out a growl. 

I’m so glad we chose each other!

Love,

Me

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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Workaversary



Seven years ago, I walked into my first day of work wide-eyed, excited and thankful to have lucked into a job so quickly following my resignation/layoff from my previous employer. I was all set to learn the ropes of this new company in a totally different industry.

After some ups, downs and lots of learning experiences, I am in a job that matches my degree. I answer a lot of hard questions - mostly no, but sometimes, I get to help make things better. Those days are the best. I'm grateful for my job stability, autonomy and that I have a voice that matters in the company.
My supervisor toasted (with our 7Up), "Here's to another 7 years!" and I asked for it in writing...

Now, if I could only accomplish as much in my personal life as I have professionally...

Monday, August 16, 2010

A Tale of Two Eyes…

The Lasik Post

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My appointment was at 11:00 Tuesday, August 10.  I got there about fifteen minutes early for good measure.  I had to fill out a few forms and they administered my valium and some eye drops.  Dr. S got there and did a few measurements.  He made marks on my eyes to also correct the slight astigmatism I’d developed in the last few years.

From there, I went into the laser room.  The part you lie on resembles a dental chair – something very familiar to me.  It’s inclined such that your head is a little lower than your feet.  They handed me a stuffed dog to hold onto. 

Dr. S applied the suction to my right eye, then swung me to the left so the laser could cut the flap in my lens.  He then did the same with my right eye.  The suction was probably the most uncomfortable part of the whole experience, and it wasn’t too bad.  It’s mostly a feeling of pressure and I’m pretty sure I could feel my brain move (not really, but that’s what I equated it to).  After the flaps were cut, you can see a sort of white veil over your eyes.  These are bubbles and fluid trapped under the flap. 

Then, Dr. S applied a speculum (not at all like the kind at the other Dr’s office) to keep my eyes opened.  He had to tape my lashes back and commented that I was great at following directions.  I told him I was a little Type A.  Haha.  After rigging my right open, he swung me under the actual laser.  Aside from friends and relatives having a great experience with this particular Dr., I chose the eye center I used because their Lasik laser is so smart.  It knows if your eye is where it needs to be or not and if it gets out of range, the whole machine shuts down to avoid risking damage to the eye.

The right eye was harder for me to keep focused than the left.  You’re supposed to stare at a blinking red light, which was obviously hard to see because of my already poor vision, but also because of the white veil.  Add to that, my left eye kept looking towards the Dr and techs who were talking, and of course my right wanted to follow.  About 45 seconds in, my eye was out of range and the machine stopped.  The tech realized my left eye was part of the problem, so she covered it with gauze and we finished without an issue.  They rigged my left, and put me under the laser again.  We made it through the full minute of lasering without an issue.

Within about 10 minutes of completing the left eye, they had removed all the rigging, applied all my drops and I was walking out the door.  Everything was fuzzy, but visible.  Dr. S double checked the flappage called it good and gave me all my post-op instructions.

While my eyes were still anesthetized, my mom and I headed to one of my favorite local spots for lunch, The Potpourri House.  This place has an incredible salad bar and some of the best French Onion Soup I’ve ever had.  I know that doesn’t sound too unique – but their salad bar isn’t salad fixings (that’s only a small portion), it’s a bar filled with already made salads.  Greatness!  And quite a tangent…

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(her name badge reads Dr. Feelgood – which is oogy b/c it’s my mom and b/c it came in the doctor play set we got the kiddos)

I fell asleep on the drive home (the valium finally kicked in).  At the house, my mom administered more drops (I was a little nervous that first 24 hours), I took some ibuprofen PM and went back to sleep for as long as I could.  My Dr. said that would really help ease the swelling faster.  I think that resulted in me experiencing no pain or discomfort.  I never felt like I had an eyelash in my eye or any of the other negatives they warned me against.  When I went to bed that night, my mom taped the shields on (to prevent me from accidentally rubbing/tearing the flap) and I took more PM meds. 

Wednesday morning, I got up, scrubbed the tape adhesive off as best as I could and we headed in for my follow-up.  They had me read the testing sign,  I measured 20/25 in each eye, 20/20 combined.  I had missed two letters, so I’m not sure how that worked, but that’s what he Dr. said.  He gave me a few follow-up instructions regarding my drops and told my mom to back off the tape.  You could almost hear my cheeks peel away from the microscope! 

We ran some errands, then came home and I took another nap for good measure.  Thursday night, I engineered the shields with a sleeping mask (I was not going to be so sticky at work!). 

I still have a little peripheral blurriness and I seem to get tired of the computer a little faster.  All of that is pretty normal and should be temporary. I have my next appointment on Thursday and then another in a month.  The whole thing has been pretty amazing.  If I ever win the lottery, I’d totally pay for my family and friends to have Lasik.  Life changing doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Sight and Speed...

So, if you read any of my FB posts, you know I've been contemplating Lasik. I've worn corrective lenses since I was 9. A week ago Friday, I had all my testing done and scheduled my surgery. As I sat waiting for the tech to go over some information with me, I confess that I got pretty teary-eyed. It's been 22+ years since I've been able to see clearly without something on my face or stuck in my eye. The realization that within just a few days, this won't be the case any more is a little overwhelming.

I'm excited to report that my procedure is tomorrow at 11-ish. If you happen to read this before then, I would appreciate a prayer that all goes well. I'm a little nervous because, obviously sight is a pretty big deal. I'm confident in the skills of my surgeon though and look forward to being lens free!

Another exciting thing this week - Wednesday is my last day on deferred adjudication. I got a ticket in Februray 2009 - and took nearly the full 90 days allotted to do defensive driving.
Then, just a few days shy of completing those 12 months, I got another ticket. In order to prevent it from being on my record, I opted to request deferred adjudication. Through court processes - that didn't start until almost a month after the ticket. So that 90 days probation was closer to 120, and it's been an anxiety filled time.

I'm soooo excited that come Thursday, I can see and speed!

Friday, August 6, 2010

My Biggest Fear...

aka - Why I'll do everything possible to be on the good side of my niece & nephews

This is a story from our local news:

Man was dead in home for months say Palestine Police


MONTHS people...he was found wearing a COAT! It hasn't been coat-weather in our neck of the woods since February.

On another note...how bizarre is it that I've now posted 3 times in one week? I don't think it's a sign of the Apocalypse or anything. After all, Texas is still hot.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

July Fun Recap

In keeping with my year of fun, I need to blog about my FUNtastic July!

First, we celebrated July Fourth with a calm weekend at home.  After traveling all of June, it was nice to catch up on laundry and chill in the backyard pool.  On the 4th, I went to the church hamburger supper and kid’s parade.  It was good fellowship celebrating our freedom.

The following weekend, we used our man-on-man defense to keep A, R and K while their parents went to float the river.  We enjoyed Toy Story 3D, pool fun, the indoor water park and lots of good snuggle time.

The weekend of July 16th, I enjoyed a much needed girls weekend with the owners of these wrists.

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Sadly, four were missing but we had them there in spirit.  The six of us enjoyed giggles, girl talk, dancing in the kitchen, outlet shopping, wine tasting, more giggles, a great dinner and Amy’s Ice Cream.  I’m so blessed to have all of these girls in my life and on my team.  Go WOO girls!

After a fabulous weekend, Monday was easier to face than normal.  It didn’t hurt that the following Saturday my mom and I were headed to Taos, NM.  Her coworker (and my adopted Mom – haha) has a house there with her husband.  The accommodations are luxurious and the hospitality, amazing.

I could type all about it, but they say a picture is worth a thousand words…

Taos

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Contradiction in Terms (aka my shortest post yet)

Have you ever felt like you couldn't be more alone and yet, couldn't be more loved all at the same time?