A Visit to the Surgeon

I got the call this morning that I was to see the surgeon at 2:15 this afternoon. No problem....wait, a small problem....I am on strong pain meds, I'm NOT supposed to drive.....

I ended up staying off the meds, so I could drive myself, since I didn't have help today.

After dropping the boys off with my mom, I went to the office. I sat in the waiting room and filled out 5 pages of medical history. Then I sat and read through a full issue of People. I even read many stories all the way through.

An hour after I arrived (45 minutes past my initial appointment time) I was taken back and my vitals were taken. Then I was shown to a large examination room. I sat in there and waited by myself and WITHOUT reading materials for another 15-20 minutes.

The surgeon finally came in and asked me about what had been going on. I gave him a condensed version, and then he asked me to change into their paper shirt to be checked.

I waited another 3 minutes before he came back.

When he returned he was on his cell phone with another doctor discussing a man's treatment. He was talking about chemo and surgery and removing his colon.....all the while he was pulling out a long strip of packing that was inside of me, and causing me to call out in pain. (What I really wanted to do was scream loudly and interrupt his phone call....am I NOT important??)

Then he finished his call and told me that he wants the wound to heal and then he'll come up with a plan of action. See how much of the tissue is affected and where to go once we know more. He recommended that I not wear a bra for the next 2 weeks while it heals....um, no...thank you.

Then he bandaged me up (hello, I'm allergic to tapes and adhesives....oh, well, I'll just take it off as soon as I can....) and told me he'd see me in 2 weeks.

Yup, that's it. I spent a good chunk of my afternoon waiting for this man to tell me to hurry up and wait. *eye roll* Thanks for your PROFESSIONAL opinion.

I Saw a Doctor (Well, a Nurse, REALLY) Today

I was in excruciating pain today. I couldn't even lift up my arm to help out...it was bad. And last night the wound started oozing.....

I called my doctor's office multiple times and got NO answer. I had enough, so I went to a Redi-care (ER alternative, supposedly faster and better...) They were super busy, so I sat in the waiting room and slept for a half hour while I waited.

When the nurse called me back, I explained everything that has been going on. I mentioned that it began oozing last night. She told me that they'd have a doctor (who turned out to be an RN) come and look at it.

He was very nice. He apologized over and over for hurting me (I did cry.....and I always thought I was a tough gal...) I warned him that it was already oozing (when I'd changed into their gown I noticed LOTS of pus and crud....it was SO gross!) He was okay with it. He covered his face with a mask and his glasses (in case it REALLY decided to explode) and lanced it for me. The worst part was when he was packing gauze into the wound when it was all over, THAT really made me cry.

Then they put me on an antibiotic IV that I have to return to get for the rest of the weekend. I also have to get the packing changed out.

He gave me two prescriptions and I was done.

Thankfully, my parents had kept my boys with them the whole time. That was wonderful.

But things are starting to get fuzzy....I've taken my pain pill....so I'll leave it at that. More treatment is necessary, but I'm okay for now! :)

More on the Boobie Front

This will be TMI, so if you don't want to know, please stop reading now. Just a warning.

I called my doctor today. (Yes, I've been waiting for things to take care of themselves for 3 weeks.) The nurse told me that there are two options to help my poor, painful, purple/black boobie out: do hot compresses and ibuprofen OR visit a surgeon and have it taken care of surgically. Since I've already tried the cheap option (hot compresses and meds) I now have to do the more expensive/scary option. She said she'd try to find a time for me to see someone next week.

As much as I would LOVE the pain to be gone, I'm nervous about having surgery again. I've had multiple cysts taken care of, so I know it's not a big deal, BUT none of my previous cysts were THIS big or painful.

I'm a little scared.

Well.....

Sometimes I should just keep my mouth shut!

Last night my little Jake was miserable. He wouldn't eat for very long, he'd sit straight up in my lap....and if you've read my nipple post, you know that isn't real conducive for nursing. I got fed up with him starting and then stopping so I just pumped....which is SO annoying, but I guess necessary sometimes.

All night long the boy was yanking something fierce on his ears, by the time I noticed his misery, the doctor's office was closed. I was pretty bummed. So I just gave the kid some pain relievers and hoped he'd be okay until morning.

He was up quite a bit last night just sobbing. I tried to cuddle him, but he just didn't want anything to do with me.

So early this morning (well, once the doctor's office opened) I called and got him an appointment. They ushered us back quickly in case the kid was contagious, and then we waited and waited. I was actually pretty excited to learn that I got my regular doctor (he's got 8 or 9 other doctors that he's in the office with, so you KNOW that's lucky!) We weighed the boy (he's now officially 20 pounds.) and waited for Dr. O to see us.

The doctor did his regular suspects, asking questions along the way and discovered that the boy didn't have an ear infection (*whew*) but a "moderate sore throat." He told me that *normally* they don't test infants under 1 for strep UNLESS they have older siblings. Guess who had to go to the lab for a strep swab? UGH!

Anyway, the fun part (if there is a *fun* part) was that I got to see a family friend and visit with her for while we waited for the results. The nurses even joked around with us.

After the wait we were relieved to find that we were negative for strep. It's just a typical sore throat. (Um, yay!?)

So the doctor urged me to push liquids on the kid in the form of juices, Popsicles, sherbet, and cold pudding. He's worried that since he's not eating normally, that he'll dehydrate...I'm worried I'll lose my milk.

Anyway, he's not completely healed, but we're on our way....I hope! *crossing fingers*

Of Big Kids and Biting

My baby is HUGE!! Okay, so we weighed him on a scale a few weeks ago and according to that scale he was 17 1/2 pounds, but it only measured by the 1/2 pound. Yesterday we had Cameron's annual physical and Jake's 4 month appointment. Cameron weighs 59 pounds (which is pretty average.) and Jake is 17 pounds 10 ounces. Really, I shouldn't have been surprised, but I kinda am.

I do have a major problem with Jake though. He bites, and he bites HARD!! He's only got 2 teeth, but they are sharp little buggers! I've yelped many times in the last week, and I still can't get him to not bite. I asked the doctor what he suggested, and all he said was pump and give it to him in a bottle. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! The whole reason I nursed this kid was so I wouldn't have to DEAL with bottles! He also suggested I use a nipple shield. He told me that at Jake's age, kids don't understand the concept of causes and effects.

I'm almost at my wits end. I've tried pulling out and telling him no, but then he laughs at me. I've tried shoving his little face into my boob, but that just releases his bite. I've tried flicking him when he bites, but then I feel like I'm a rotten mommy! I've been nursing him with my fingers right by the nipple, ready to stick my finger in his mouth if he DOES bite. Oh, and I did try the nipple shield, but even WITH the protection, the kid's bite STILL hurt like heck!!

I'm not ready to give up, but I'm up for any and all advice to teach him not to bite. I really want to get him taught BEFORE the top teeth come in (I can see them starting to come down!) HELP!! I'm not quite ready to give up on nursing, and I certainly don't want to pump everytime he needs to eat.....any tips?? Anyone!?

I'm Still Here

This week has been kind of a laid back one for me. I've been trying to enjoy staying home a bit more (normally, I'm climbing the walls if I've been at home for more than a day straight....) But I did venture out so that I could get some things done today (like all of Cam's Christmas...yup, we're DONE! Still have clothes to get for Jake, but we figured with his growth, waiting is the best option for clothes that FIT!)

Cam now has OT on Fridays (not that it's a big deal or anything...) starting in two weeks. He was tested by the new OT and he REALLY really REALLY likes her. I think he really likes the fact that she has a swing in her office, but that's beyond the point. I hope this new place works out as well as his last OT place did. I'm kinda sad that we won't be seeing Aaron anymore, but I know that times change and things do too.

I saw my eye doctor this week (along with my cousin who works there) and we picked out THE cutest glasses frames for me. I'm SO excited for them. I'm kind of bummed (again) that I won't have contacts, but I LOVE the new glasses. LOVE them! They're red and super cute! When I get them I WILL post a pic....just because they're SUPER cute!! And thankfully, my eyes have changed only slightly (but really, I'm blind.....)

We also set up our annual trip to the geneticists for next month. Unfortunately, Cam DOES have to have another MRI, but if there's no change in the tumors then the doctor will slowly space the MRIs further apart. (YAY!) We'll be there for a few days. I'm not necessarily looking forward to being in Utah, but I will be glad when it's over. I'm a little excited to see one of my friends (she's the geneticist's assistant) and show her our little Jacob, she's one that's also suffered from infertility in the past, she ended up having twins on fertility shots. She would commiserate with me whenever I saw her. She's so fun! I'm really excited to see her!

And as I mentioned before I'm nearly done with my Christmas shopping!! I can't believe it! Thankfully, I've only got 2 kids to shop for, but now I'm thinking about what to get my siblings and nephews. I THINK I've got my parents and Steve's parents gifts covered.....but we shall see.

Otherwise, our computer is completely out of commission. It's old and moldy, and died. I'm kinda sad, but at least I have access to a computer sometimes! So if I'm not around as much, don't worry.....I'm still alive!

Where Did I LOSE Two Months?

Yesterday was Jake's 2 month check-up. Honestly, the time has gone by SO quickly! (In fact, I'm STILL trying to figure out where the whole last year disappeared to!)

Now, I know that my baby is a big boy. He even thinks he's a big boy with trying to sit up and stand on his own. I'll try to tell him that he's just not old enough for those kinds of things yet, but he just laughs at me.

Anyway, my *little* baby is a whole 14 pounds now! He's only 23-23 1/2 inches depending on where you measure him, but he's just a CHUNK!

He took the whole doctor's appointment pretty well, until it was time for the shots.

This time around I was told there is a vaccine that they take by mouth. (Really?) And then he'd have to have several other shots lumped together.

I'm not one of those moms who's against immunizations, but why do there have to be SO many needles?? I mean, if they can combine a few of the vaccines together, why not lump them ALL into one big syringe? Why shoot my baby up three times? (On top of the one that he had to swallow?)

The poor kid screamed for a few minutes (in fact, his whole head turned a pretty shade of red) then he was pretty laid back and just kind of whimpered through the rest of the day. I tried to keep him up on top of his pain killers, but that just made the poor guy punch-drunk.

All in all it was worth it. He slept through most of the day yesterday, not eating much (ouchy for ME), but he only really screamed a few times. This morning he's ALL smiles and ready to play.

But if anyone can find where my last year disappeared to, please let me know!

Crazy Dreams and Little Sleep

That's it for my "bad" news. :) I'm having insanely crazy dreams....ones where there's a psycho ghost baby who is EVIL, but I'm the only one who believes it. So I'm forced to take care of it. (This "ghost baby" was found in Cam's school....what she was doing there no one knows...) I've also dreamt that while Cameron and I went 4-wheeling in the middle of nowhere I ran across my parents. We had run out of gas, and were walking when we saw a castle. They were staying in the castle, that was modernly furnished on the inside, but after a quick peek, the whole castle collapsed with them inside of it. Cam instantly became super-heroey and saved them. Then that same night, I dream that I'm telling my mom about the castle dream. I even show her where the castle was supposed to have been.

Yes, dreams plague me! I get so deeply into my dreams that I sometimes forget where I am when I wake up.

On top of this, my hips are spreading, which causes me constant pain! Finding a comfortable position is not easy, and when I do find that PERFECT spot, Steve will invariably roll toward me and snore in my face or ear, depending on the side I'm sleeping on.

Such fun! :P

On a happier note, I saw my doctor and she's proclaiming that everything is going well. I have normal-ish blood pressure (top number was SLIGHTLY high...only 4 points up...), decent blood sugars, we're not worrying about the ketones, and I had a side-ache checked out (I worried it might be kidney problems....) and there was nothing to worry about....probably just the hip pain or just normal aches of pregnancy.

The baby is doing well. He's a mover. He likes to move VERY low in my belly. In places where Cameron just CANNOT feel! (Although he tries...) When the doctor measured my tummy, she said he's definitely NOT small. I guess that's good!

Now I wait a few more weeks. Then I'll be doing the weekly visits and more monitoring! As long as we get a healthy baby, I'm all for doing whatever it takes!

(OH, and I did NOT schedule the c-section date yet....I have yet to register with the hospital, and I think that COULD be an important factor....)

On another doctor related note, I found out that we may have to make a day-trip to Salt Lake next week for an NF1 study Cam is participating in. We thought we were finished until October, but I guess they need to do some more testing on the boy. *sigh* At least I'll get to see my study-coordinator friend, who I JUST told I was pregnant! :D

Sick...and TIRED

So I haven't been to visit my computer for days now, simply because I've been hacking, and whinning....I'm sick. I've got a sore throat, ear ache, stuffy nose and cough. Normally, being this sick wouldn't be SO bad, but on top of the sickies, I'm constantly tired. *sigh*

I just wish I had some cure-all medicine to fix myself, but sadly, I'm trying to get better drinking as much water and OJ as possible!!

Also, last week I ended up seeing my "normal" doctor. He's worried that I'll develop gestational diabetes (since I'm already severely insulin resistant and morbidly obese) so he's got me pricking my fingers and checking my blood sugars twice a day. My fingers are covered in mini scabs and I'm surviving. (As long as you don't count my fasting blood or after breakfast blood....) Thankfully, my sugars are close to being under control (usually half-way through the day) and I'm not TOO worried!! Otherwise, things are going well...how are you!? ;)

Random Blabber

Okay, so I'm not FINISHED watching baby J...yet! My cousin is still working at her current job until the 6th of March, then she's trying to find another job! HOPEFULLY, this will all work out, so I can keep watching him! Although, if we have another day like today, I may go crazy!!

Today Baby J was looking wiped out! He came over just red in the eyes and with that sleepy look! His usual naptimes are 9 and noon...so I tried to get him going....uh, a few snags.

1. We had a fairly good snow storm move through last night, and I wasn't about to take him with Cam and I out in the snow in his stroller with the snow this deep! So once I got home from taking Cam to school, I had to shovel our sidewalk...pushing naptime and snuggle time back...just a bit! 2. He was super cranky and crying out in pain for a long time. And guess what!? No pain killers! It was NOT fun...although, a cold, milk bottle helped for a while.

Yeah, I was feeling pretty calm...even when he was screaming out in pain, and Cam was covering his ears begging me to make him stop crying. *patting myself on the back* Luckily, with him being SO tired, he had two REALLY good naps...even if they were off from when he NORMALLY takes them!

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This week is my "go see the doctor" week. For some reason, all of my doctor appointments landed this week. Yesterday I went to see my diabetes doctor, and he's decided to put me on some more meds. Whoopie!? Luckily it's covered by the patient assistance that I'm on....YAY! And I continue to lose weight. Not a LOT, but after the last few weeks where I've been GORGING myself on chocolate, I'm impressed! And he really wants to put me on this cool weight loss drug that is, so far, only approved for people with full blown diabetes. He says that they're looking into starting a study on people (like me) who are morbidly obese with pre-diabetes. I told him that if they do it...sign me up! He took my name and told me that he can't guarantee anything, but if it happens I'm in!

Then today I had my eye doctor appointment. I haven't been to the eye doctor since the beginning of 2005, and I've been wearing my glasses that I got the prescription upped in 2003...it was definitely needed!! My right eye has taken a definite turn for the worse...which he fixed just by flipping those funny lenses. He's going to try me on disposable contacts, which I had a hard time with a few years ago, but says if we can find something that works, it will be worth it! (When I tried them before, one eye would be fine, but the other would spin uncontrollably, and I HATED it, let's hope we can find something this time!)

Then on Friday I have my dentist appointment. This is the one I'm NOT looking forward to. I've slowly been getting my dental work done. Starting in December when I could NO longer stand it, I have been getting teeth pulled, extreme cleanings, and fillings. The thing that is KILLING me, are the fillings!! Why does it not hurt until after they put them in?? I mean, I haven't had ANY pain with my cavities, but once the filling is put in...OUCH!! It may make me lose even more weight....I won't be able to eat!!

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I had a really good talk with my sister today. We talked for a while and just laughed and giggled. I love her so much!

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I've got a new reader!! It's kinda funny too...she's my visiting teacher!! (HI, ELENA!) I wonder if you can count it as a visit if you read their personal life on their blog!? :D

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I'm so HOUSE-hungry right now!! I've decided that I'm more house-hungry than I am baby-hungry!! I drive past a for sale sign, and just dream! I want a house, not an apartment...I want wide open space...not hearing my neighbor's screams through the walls. I WANT A HOME OF MY OWN!!

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The message board that I LOVED, is down. I'm so frustrated!! Luckily, we have a back-up board to go to, but it's just not the same!! *SIGH*

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I'm dreaming constantly about a baby girl....does this mean she'll be coming soon, or am I just getting my hopes up!? The weird thing about the dream....the name Steve and I decided we want for our little girl didn't fit. She just didn't look like that name! So, in my dream I completely renamed her...and I've decided I like it better...what do you think Steve will think?

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After my doctor's visit yesterday I went to visit a good friend who I haven't seen forever!! (Well, since last summer...) And I had a ball! :) I hope I didn't bother her just showing up unannounced! I love just chatting with friends, laughing, and catching up!

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And after having that really fun post last week, I've decided to make every Friday free-for-all question day! It was SO much fun! SO start thinking now!!

WARNING!! I'm talking about something that may be sensitive for some, and totally disgusting for others...Reader, beware!

Today is a new day. I'm actually pretty excited about it. I FINALLY got my period regulated!! YAY! We've been trying for years for a baby, and I've been patiently waiting for my body to get on a "regular" cycle....the day is finally here! I'm thrilled! It's actually taken many visits to a doctor to get me working regularly. I'm currently taking a couple of diabetes meds that have gotten my body in its groove!! To me, it means there's hope!

I'm sure my husband is happy about this regularity too! It means less of me being PMSy! See, before my body started to groove I'd get PMS for a month...sometimes two! That makes being around me not so fun. But now that I'm back to "normal," it only lasts a week...not a month!! Can we start cheering for my husband's happiness now!?

Anyway, that's all I wanted to share. I'm just so excited for all of this. My body works!! THANK GOODNESS!!

Update!

Just a quick update, and yes, it will be quick!
I got the papers for those NEW meds I talked about in the last post, and I was mistaken when I said that the doctor told me to stop taking it if my feet became swollen. I'm supposed to stop if I get preggo....So I'm okay, floppy feet and all.
That one nice thing my hubby did for me this morning was WAY overshadowed by the crap he pulled tonight! He made me so mad! I'm not going to get into all of it right now, but let's just say that everything he did wrong was MY fault! *keep it under control...eat some chocolate...punch his pillow...not his face* I don't know what it is, but he's just annoying the crap out of me! ARGH! I just feel like taking his blog (and I have FULL access to it) and making a post about the stupid things he's done this last week! I want to, but I won't!
My mom and I didn't even make a DENT in the packing we did for my grandparents today...39 years of crap really accumulates and just sets up it's own residence! After packing for 4 hours, my mom and I cleaned out the kitchen and the bathroom. There is TONS more to do. But we were just too pooped to poop!

Quickie?

Just a quick note....I probably will be busy for the next few days. We're going to be moving my grandpa and his wife into their new house and I volunteered to help out! My mom asked me if I wanted to help them pack today and my exact words were, "I can help if you want me to." My Grandma Sue picked RIGHT up on that one and said (imagine this said with a thick Tennessee accent), "Notice she didn't say she would LOVE to, just that she would."
Okay, so I admit it...I HATE moving. It's not fun...especially when you have a TON of crap to move! That is why I've told my husband that the next time we move, it will be INTO a house that I NEVER want to move away from! It will be nice to have them completely moved into this new house. They've been married for 3 years now, and this will be the first house they'll be living in that won't be "his" or "hers".... just theirs! I think they'll really enjoy it! I can't wait for them!
One more funny note, I'm taking some new meds. The doctor told me that if I take these meds I may be able to get pregnant. He also told me that it can cause feet to swell up and if that happens to STOP taking them immediately. So I've been religiously taking the pills and hoping beyond hope that it works. A few weeks ago I saw my first hints of swelling. I hoped that it wouldn't get any worse, but yesterday I saw that my hoping was not going to come true! Both feet were bulging and poofy. NO! This was my hope...don't take it away from me. I'm going to keep taking it for a while and hope that it doesn't get too bad. I just WANT this so badly, that I can't give up just because I have fat feet now! I'm just going to put up with the wobbling tops of my feet and hope it turns out the way I want!

Oh, and thank you all for checking out my hubby's blog. He's LOVING the comments he's gotten. See, he's been bit by the blogging bug! The other day I realized why I love blogging so much...Blogging is like fishing. You put out your bait (posts) and hope that you get a nibble (comments), and when you do, you get so excited you throw out more and more so that you will get lots of bites! It's the thrill of the catch! We're just catching new friends and not fish! Good thing...cuz I don't like fish!

One more thing...I swear!! My husband is so cute and thoughtful. Just now, he ran upstairs and changed the channel on the tv. Then he flopped on the bed and just stared at me. I watched what was on, it was OUR song's video! He saw that video and thought of me! What a sweetie!! I love him so much!

I guess this post really wasn't a "quick note," oh, well. You still love me, right!?

What a weekend!!

I didn't think my life would be this busy! It all started on Friday when I went to a wedding of a family friend. I went to the ceremony and then afterward I had to hurry home so that I could go to a doctor's appointment that I had to discuss my Insulin Resistance. Before I went there though I found out that we had gotten our tax refund and was very anxious to spend it. So I went out a splurged a bit. I had talked to my mom about going to this particular doc, and she said that there have been times when she goes there and has to wait for 4 and a half hours. I wasn't really thrilled about that concept, so I grabbed a book and headed out. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was ushered in quite quickly and the doctor was there within minutes. He discussed some solutions and has put me on a strict diet and exercise plan along with a medication that should help me overcome this part of my existence. (So far I've been an absolute flop on sticking to it...)

Then I went home and hurried with my boys to go car shopping. We have been looking at mini-vans for several days now and decided to try a few more places before giving up on the whole thing and buying one that we love, but may be more money than we could afford. So with Cameron and the little girl I babysit strapped in the car we headed out. We tried one place and found that the van was worthless...at least in our eyes, but they were willing to give us more for our trade-in. We hesitated, but decided to try a few more places. We went just down the street and found the van we've been searching for. We love it. It's not as nice as the first one that was expensive, but it's decent and within our price range. So armed with the papers we signed over our lives for the next 27 months and bought a mini-van.

Then we hurried home to drop our little charge off with her dad so that we could go do a bit of shopping before running off to 2 wedding receptions. We had to take my brothers with us, so we grabbed them and hurried off. Now, before I get too far into my story, I should explain what kind of brothers I have. I am the oldest child of 6 and I was lucky enough to be blessed with 4 brothers. Growing up with brothers was not fun to say the least, but I survived...barely. As we've gotten older, my brothers have seemed to shoot up way past where I stopped. They are all taller than me by a long way and they all have my strange sense of humor. Well, we rushed off to both receptions and then afterward decided that we were hungry and needed to eat. So being lazy we went through the drive-thru at Burger King (for my son) and Taco Bell for the adults. While going through Burger King's drive-thru my 23-year-old brother told us to ask the lady if they had any "King Kong burgers." He was referring to the one they have on the commercial that is bigger than the lady's head. Well, the people got a bit annoyed and hurried us to the window to pay. When we got there they asked us if we wanted any sauces to which my hyped-up brothers all shouted at once the type of sauces they wanted. At this time my husband got annoyed with the whole thing and quickly ordered crowns "for the kids in the back seat." The lady working the window speedily grabbed us 5 crowns and we drove off laughing!

That excursion to Burger King was NOTHING compared to what they did to us at Taco Bell. My 19-year-old brother works across the street from this particular Taco Bell and thought that he knew the guy running the drive-thru and instantly began yelling...."HEY CHRIS!!" To which the annoyed guy replied, "Please don't yell at me." We ordered and then my 16-year-old brother in the way back started yelling one of his favorite lines from The Family Guy, "I want 10,000 chicken fa-ji-ta's!" My husband started to whine that he didn't want to be kicked out of Taco Bell for life to which my 23-year-old brother said, "That's okay, there's another one just down the street!" At this point of the night I was so tired that I was laughing at everything!

The next morning I had a funeral to go to for my Great-Uncle where my dad was giving the life sketch that he had wanted me to type up for him. I spent most of the night before trying to figure it all out and set up our new printer, to which we were missing several pieces. After the funeral we came back and I waited for my husband to get off work and then we went and spent more of our tax money. Then I had to hurry home so that I could make phone calls to remind people of our church choir practice the next day.

Today we went to church and found out that instead of singing with the choir next week, we have to wait until the week after (which I was previously asked to form a women's trio to sing that week...but we haven't practiced, so we're gonna put that off.) Then we cam home for a quick minute and then I hurried to my mom's house because one of my uncle's was in town and wanted to have a get-together with the family who lives around here. We had so much fun tonight. In fact, I don't think I need to do my exercise for the next week because I laughed so hard my belly hurts!! I love hanging out with my cousins, they remind me of myself and the kind of person that I am. We're planning another get-together this weekend and I can't wait! I feel worn out, but happy.

While at the funeral on Saturday I was thinking about the kinds of things that people will say about me when I'm not here and I hope I've been a happy influence and lived my life instead of just letting life pass me by. I was even thinking about the way that my husband and I met and what a funny story that was, but I will save that for another time. The ride just doesn't stop! What a fun time.