Vaca Is Over

Vacation is over and it was back to work today.

Sunday - my last relaxing day of vacation we went and saw the movie It's Complicate. I liked it - it was cute and Meryl Streep is as good as ever. The casting did show the double standard of our society though - Alec Baldwin has gained quite a bit of weight over the years but he was cast as one of the leading men - you certainly wouldn't see an older actress who has gained weight being cast as a leading lady. It just shows again the double standard in this society between men and women. After the movie Linds packed up all her belongings to go back to her apartment - sad :-( K had packed up earlier and headed back to school around noon - there was still lots of snow in Wichita Falls and the roads kinda slick so best for her to get going well before dark. It was sad to see them head back as well as their cute little pups - Kara and Bailey. They both have such cute personalities.

Monday - packing and flying home were the tasks of the day. The flight home was a little bumpy - I kept Muppet in her crate the whole time - no getting yelled at by Flight Attendants this time around. My flight was full of soldiers again - this time they were heading home a two week furlough instead of shipping out for a tour in Iraq. Got home around 6 - the cats were fine. I left them home for the 10 days with no one looking in on them - left 2 big bowls of food (they only ate one) and an automatic watering system - I'm not even sure they knew I had been gone for 10 days - when I walked in the door Buffy acted like she does every day when I get home from work and Niki was sleeping on my bed. They did sleep with me last night though - all curled up tight - so they may have missed me just a bit.

Tuesday - Back to Work! It was a little slow moving this morning but I got to work by 830 - no too bad. I always feel a little scattered when I come back from vacation - trying to catch up on things that happened while I was gone - answer every one's "I Need This Now" questions and requests - remember what needs to get done this week because it is Month/Year End. No time to just catch a breath. I am hoping to get to work earlier tomorrow so I can get a handle on everything. I made an appointment today to go see the Neurologist - next Tuesday 12/5 at 815 in the morning. He doesn't look like McDreamy but hopefully we can get this all figured out. Headaches is borderline under control for the time being but the ringing in the ear is still here.

L - seems to be getting a long OK. She didn't get the job at KinderCare :-( She is still looking for work. She has applied for and received food stamps through DSHS - our tax dollars at work. At least she took the initiative to do it though - hopefully she does the same with her unemployment so she has some type of income coming in.

Muppet - must be very happy to be back in her house, with her bed, her dishes, and no one trying to be her friend - I just caught her playing with the Santa Monkey toy she got for Christmas! She is a happy pup!

This Blog - I can't believe that it has been almost 2 years (495 Posts) since I started this. It started out as a way to get out of a comfort zone and to also keep everyone apprised of what was going on with L. There has been drama, joy, sadness, frustration . . . The title is A Year In The Life of De and L . . . it has been more than a year and L is no longer living here. I think I need to make some changes/adjustments to the blog. I am open to any suggestions for a new title. Here are a few ideas:

• The Year As A Walking Pharmacy
• What Else Can Go Wrong
• The Crazy Cat and Dog Lady
• Empty Nester
• A Year With De - How Long Between Trauma Dramas

With no L drama . . . knock on wood . . . . I am always looking for topic suggestions.

I am going to head to bed . . . kinda tired . . . the Condo is a bit chilly . . . . nothing exciting on TV . . . . work tomorrow.

De

Christmas Day and Boxing Day

Christmas Day -

The Kids (pups) - got us up around 730 in the morning. It was like they knew there was something different about today. We went downstairs and sent them all outside - then Santa filled their stockings - lovingly made by their Nana! When they came back in Little Emma was sniffing at her stocking! But . . . . they had to wait for J to wake up. In the Meantime - T made a run to Starbucks - Yes . . . . . .there was a Starbucks open Christmas Morning. Linds and C made their breakfast casseroles. Tradition is . . . Stockings then Breakfast then Gifts - opened one person at a time so we can all see what everyone got. The "kids" opened theirs first - Linds filled Bailey's and K filled Kara's so that the Mama's could be surprised! The kids were very excited with their new toys. Bailey guarded her new stuff! It was very cute! Linds, K, and J opened their "replacements" stockings - Tess replaced Linds, Lexi replaced K, and Emma replaced J! Mup didn't have much in her stocking because she's not really a toy or treat kinda girl. She did chew on a small rawhide for a little bit but not really excited Christmas - everyone was pleased with what they got and how everyone liked what they gave them. We all settled in wand watched movies on the TV and played Scrabble! No . . . . . not the kind of Scrabble you are probably thinking of . . it wasn't on a board with solid tiles with everyone sitting around the table playing! This was an application on the iPhone and iTouch which allowed us to carry on individual games against each other! Family Game Time in this electronic world!!

Christmas Dinner - made by T - was barbecued Flank Steak and real mashed potatoes. Really - really good. Muppet had some of my Flank Steak for her Christmas dinner - she loves flank steak!! I think Christmas was a fun day for all and tuckered some people and "kids" out - Linds and Kara didn't even make it to bed! They fell asleep in front of the fire!

Today we did the traditional day after Christmas thing - we hit the mall!! The Musielak girls know how to shop - they get it from their Mom! :-) We hit the mall - then Best Buy - then Target! I bought Muppet a snuggie at Target! J bought a Snuggie for Emma before Christmas - each of the little dogs took turns wearing it - Tess loves it! She has been in her jammies and the snuggie since Christmas morning. She is like the little old lady in her pajamas and bathrobe!! All she needs now are some rollers in her hair! Linds says Tess is a little bitty and if she had furniture it would be covered in plastic!! Each of C's 3 dogs have their own little personalities - Tess the prissy bitty, Lexi the treat lover, Emma the cute white one! I'm not sure what the other 2 are yet - they are such puppies - Kara and Bailey are best friends - chasing each other around - wanting whatever the other one has - they are typical "cousins"! I remember Linds, K, J, and L being the same way when they were little. Muppet is the loner - she doesn't play with the other dogs and growls whenever they get too close. I think she is going to be very happy to go home. She has been very good here though - she's learned to bark when she wants to go out and the bark at the backdoor when she wants back in - and she hasn't picked up the habit of barking at every little sound at the door!! Yay!!

I just have one more full day here then it's time to fly home and back to the reality of work and L. This vacation has been so relaxing for me - I have had fun just hanging out with the Musielaks and not stressing about chores, bills, work, etc . . . . Can I just stay down here on permanent vacation!!

De

The Dogs Got Christmas Jammies!

Merry Christmas From De and Muppet, Linds and Kara, Colleen, Tess, Lexi, and Emma and K and Bailey!

Christmas Eve in Texas

Snow . . . . . In Dallas!!! Flights are cancelled and the one highway from here to Wichita Falls - K's school - are closed due to snow on the road and jackknifed semis. Glad K is already here. The snow probably won't stick for very long - supposed to "warm-up" to 44 tomorrow.

The only ones who had to work today were C and Linds. C for 2 hours - yes, her boss made her some in for 2 hours today how ridiculous is that! Linds worked a half day. We all met up with her at Grimaldi's for lunch - a really good pizza place. The restaurant wasn't crowded but the streets and parking lots sure were - all those last minute shoppers! J had to go to Target after lunch - he is one of those typical boys who waits until the last minute to finish up his shopping - his sister Linds went with him to help out - shopping for a girl! Linds called us on her way back home from . . . . . . . SONIC!!!!! Wanted to know if we wanted anything - my first request was a Lemon-Berry Slushie but then everyone else placed orders for ice cream so I changed mine to a banana split. Very Very Good!! They so need to put one of those closer to me. I understand there is one in WA - down in Puyallup - not going to drive 1+ Hours for a Slushie.

Right now everyone is just relaxing - we just finished watching Julie and Julia - a cute movie. I liked Meryl Streep in this one - I forgot that it was her and really believed she was Julia. **News Just announced that there is 7" snow in Wichita Falls** T is watching a movie on his computer - C is reading a magazine - Linds and K are up in K's room wrapping packages I believe - J is asleep on the floor by the Christmas Tree, I think he was up late last night. Emma was just sleeping on me but now she is asleep over by T as is Muppet - yup. . . . Muppet moved from me to T . . . . .it only took her 1/2 of our vacation to warm up to him. She still is not a fan of the other dogs though - I don't think she will warm up to them at all. The dogs are so funny when C comes home from work - they all get so excited and run over to her to get their rubbin's from Mee-Maw!! They get excited when T come home too but I def think that C is the pack leader here.

I need to get my packages wrapped - the box I sent down arrived safely yesterday. I bought wrapping paper, tags, and tape when I got here. We have also rented Angels & Demons to watch later so I should go do the wrapping now. Yup . . . .time to get off the couch and go upstairs! I really hate wrapping gifts! Linds offered to wrap them for $1 a gift . . . . . . I think I might wrap hers and have her wrap everyone elses! It will probably be worth it! I also need to straighten up my suitcase a bit . . . . it is so not organized anymore. Should take my meds now too so that I don't over sleep tomorrow. Yup . . . . . everything I need to do is upstairs!! Kinda putting it off
:-P

**News Break . . . . . McKinney should expect snow to fall for the next 1.5 - 2 hours with the possibility of accumulating 1" - 3" . . . White Christmas in Texas!

OK - heading upstairs!

De

Half-way There

I can't believe my vacation is half over already! Yesterday the weather was 70*! It was so nice and warm - me in my short sleeves and the others in their sweatshirts!! It feels weird to have such warm weather at Christmas time - Christmas is supposed to be cold. It is cold today! 33* and snowing! How does it go from 70 to 33 in one day. Not sure I could live like this - never knowing what to wear!

Yesterday we had lunch with Linds in Plano by her work. We went to Canes - a place that serves Chicken Fingers - that's what they're known for. They were good - the special sauce was really good too. Then it was off to WalMart - I wish I had a WalMart close to me!! Someone needs to turn the old Albertson building into either a WalMart or a Super Target!!

I baked Lemon and Mincemeat Tarts last night - they must have been good cuz they went pretty fast. We watched The Hangover and then Four Christmases.

Now - we are getting ready to head out to lunch with the whole family - Linds just got off work and everyone else is here. Going to Grimaldis.

De

Special Edition

OK - just heard from one of my regular readers that they aren't getting their monies worth for their subscription because I didn't post! So here is Monday and Tuesday all in one! It's a Special Double Issue!!

Muppet - Monday and Tuesday she woke me up at 730 - which is 530 Seattle time - she just doesn't have this sleep in on vacation down yet. She'll probably figure it out on the day we leave to go home. She is enjoying having a backyard as am I - no having to go down flights of stairs at night in the rain - just open a back door and out she goes. I thought she was getting used to the 5 other dogs in the house - until the growled - barked - and snapped this morning. Of course - my hand was in the way so when she snapped she ended up nipping my hand. Yup - Muppet was put in timeout!

Activities - Monday the only person who had to work was Linds - so the rest of us went out to Potbelly for lunch. Excellent sandwiches! Toasted Goodness and then fresh made Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies! Next we went to the grocery store - C picked up some Flank Steak for Christmas dinner and I picked up ingredients for Tuesday's Dinner - I'm cooking because C works all day. I also grabbed stuff for making mincemeat tarts and lemon tarts. :-) Today J, Linds, and C all had to work. T, K, and I went to Target - they have a Super Target close to their house - I wish we had a Super Target - big, fresh fruit, veggies, and meat - I would def be doing all of my shopping there. We then met up with C at Wendy's for lunch. When we got home we watched the movie UP - very cute! Thanks K for renting this one!

For Dinner I made my Stroganoff - Everything was going fine - hamburger cooking in the microwave, big pot of water on the stove to boil for the noodles, Muppet locked up in her area so she would eat her food. Then all at once everything happened - the water with the noodles started boiling over - the stroganoff mix was done and the microwave was beeping at me - Muppet was barking to get out. I let Mup out - stepped in to the area she had been - proceeded to slip on the water she had spilled all over the floor. You know what, bare feet + wet stone floor = almost falling on your a** !! I did some spectacular balancing moves and stayed standing! I think I scored 8.5 from all but the Russian Judge who gave me 6!

After dinner we watched the movie District 9 - I had heard really good revues on it and never had the chance to see it in the theater. Thanks K for renting this one too! It was not at all what I was expecting. The story was very interesting and causes you to think about segregation and how people who are different are treated some times. It is filmed in a documentary style -subtitles for when the Aliens talk.

I have gotten a few calls from L while I've been here - mostly just wondering what I was doing - who all was with me - and to tell me that she threw up three times yesterday but seems to be feeling better now. Not exactly sure what I am supposed to do with that information! She called me on Friday after her interview and wanted to know if she had any purses at the house. Uh . . . . . Yeah, I'm sure there are but ummm . . . . I'm in TX! She said Oh yeah - I know I'll have to wait for you to get back I just wanted to know. OK - Random much. She should find out tomorrow about the job she interviewed for at the Kindercare. Let's all cross our fingers, say some prayers, rub a rabbits foot, or whatever it is you believe in or do for good luck!!!

I have had a headache all day - woke up with it and now I'm about to go to bed with it. I may take a vicodin tonight and hope it is gone in the morning. The only plans set for tomorrow so far are to meet up with Linds for lunch over by her work. Dinner tomorrow is Leftovers and I think I am going to make the tarts tomorrow. I told Linds I would have Lemon Tarts for her!

OK - Muppet has been outside and I'm getting a little sleepy so off to bed.

De

Are You Ready For Some Football

Sunday Sunday Sunday!!! Football is the activity of the day!

The day starts with NFL Today - getting all of the reports, analysis, stories of the day. Once the games start it is Football all day. They have the NFL package so when one game goes to commercial then we switch to another game - if that game gets boring then it's over to another. T is in the playoffs for our Fantasy League so there was lots of switching over to track his players and his opponents. I don't think T did as well as he needed to.

During the first round of games I ended up falling asleep on the couch with Muppet - a normal Sunday for me! The only difference was - I wasn't on the couch looking at my cluttered house thinking I should really get off my butt and do some chores - Guilt Free Napping!! When I woke up the second round of games were starting - I decided to do some baking. I made Peanut Butter Cookies with either a Hershey Kiss or a Peanut Butter Cup in the middle - I think they were a hit. I Love C's kitchen! An island in the middle that has an outlet so you can plug in the mixer - lots of room for moving around - a thin tall cupboard next to the dishwasher where you can store the cookie sheets! I so need a kitchen like this. I have plans to do some more baking while I'm here - Mincemeat Tarts - Lemon Tarts - and possibly some Pumpkin Bread. I am also going to make dinner for the family on Tuesday - C works all day so I thought I would help out. I haven't decided on what to make yet - Chicken Potpie or Stroganoff.

I then spent most of the rest of the day playing the new Mystery Case Files - Dire Grove game on my computer. I think this might be one of their best ones so far!! It is very addicting - lots of secret things are hidden - lots of having to remember where you found things cuz you need to go back. Thank goodness for the walk-throughs posted on-line or else I would still be stuck on a few parts. I'm still not all the way through yet - something to do later this week.

Linds is getting ready - C is out making a Starbucks run - Linds is treating me to my Hot Chocolate :-) I think C must be back cuz the dogs are going crazy!!! They are a bunch of barkers!! Mup doesn't join in - she just sits and looks at them and then growls if they get too close to either her or me!

Muppet has decided that sleeping in is not part of vacation - woke me up at 730 this morning which is 530 WA time. I guess I won't have trouble getting up for work after!!

De

Vacation Day 2

Day 2 of Vaca opened with Muppet having a seizure at 8 am - I wasn't surprised - the plane ride probably stressed her out so I was expecting her to have one - it was pretty short. I put her out in the backyard to wander while I got ready for the day. When I came back downstairs Tess, Lexi, and Emma were gated up in the laundry room, C had left to go running, and T was off at lessons. I had breakfast and then sat down on the couch with Mup - which slowly turned in to laying on the couch with Mup and then sleeping on the couch with Mup. A nice 4 hours nap!!

After sleeping it was time to make a run to Target for some last minute items and then to Chik-fil-a for lunch!! Love it!! I wish they had this franchise up in WA. T met us at chik-fil-a because his last lesson was a no show so he was done for the day.

The "kids" were all off doing their thing. Linds is in Vegas - she texted her Mom that her BF gave her $100 gambling money on Fri and she turned it in to $457!! The BF then said she had to spend it so he sent her off shopping with his Mom and sisters! I don't know if she put any money down on her beloved Cowboys yesterday - if she did she would have made some money! K was in a wedding Saturday night - she headed out at 11 to go get ready with the bride, then pics, the wedding, more pics, then the reception. She got home around 1030 pm. J worked until 5 and then went to dinner with us then off to see Avatar with his friends.

Dinner was a trip to On The Border! Best Mexican food - I had the Border Sampler plate - Steak Nachos, Chicken Quesidillas, Chicken Flautas. Very, very good. I have leftovers that I will probably snack on during Sunday Football.

After dinner we came home to finish watching the Cowboys - Saints game. WTH!! Who would have thought the Cowboys could beat the undefeated Saints.

Headache is still here - although not as bad as it was at the beginning of last week. I had hoped that the plane ride with the change of pressure might miraculously cure the ringing in my ears - no such luck. If anything - I think it has made the ringing a little louder - more ringing now than high pitched whine.

I am now up - showered - dressed - and ready for vaca day 3. Probably going to be a Football Day.

De

And . . . . . Nothing Again

Long . . . long. . . . day. Started by getting to work at 630. Needed that quiet time before everyone gets there - uninterrupted heads down processing. I was able to get a lot done. But of course . . . . when you make perfect plans of how your day will time out . . . . . things always come up. Questions - please pull this - what about this! I rushed at the end of my day - hope I remembered everything. I had to leave the office at 230 this afternoon for my appt with the ENT Dr.

I won't bore you with all the details of the appointment - hearing is good - eardrums look great - ears withstand pressure within the normal range. So basically . . . . A Big Fat Nothing!!!!! Getting so frustrated and upset - all these Dr's and tests and still nothing. Bottom line right now - learn to live with the damn ringing in my ear! Call my primary Dr tomorrow as the headache meds aren't working anymore.

OK - I'm heading to bed.

De

Shhhhh . . . . Mom went to bed and left the computer on. I don't know what she's said about me lately but let me tell you my story.

Saturday she gets us up early . . .thought Saturday was the day to sleep in. She takes me outside and then starts talking in that high pitched excited voice - this usually means a treat!! I get really happy and start dancing around - which makes her laugh. We get in the car - I Love Car Rides! Maybe were going to go visit Nana! But No . . . . it's a very short car ride . . . . we're going to the groomers! I really don't like going to the groomers - when she hands me off I try to grab on to her with my paws - you know, cats with their claws are actually very lucky - then can really grab onto someone when they don't want to go. When I'm done getting my haircut - I actually smell pretty good! Sniff . . sniff . . . I smell like Sugar Cookies! Now that's different! It takes awhile but Mom finally shows up to get me. She really likes how I smell! I thought we would head home but instead she takes me in to the store next door. WTH! What are we doing here? I want to go home? Please don't put me down! I just want to be curled in tight! Phew . . .she's not putting me down. We go over to a bench and sit by this man dressed all in red with a white beard - I think I remember him from last year at this time. Another guy is trying to get me to look at him - he has a camera. I don't feel like being cooperative though so I just keep squiggling around. We're finally done there and we drive home.

Yesterday Mom came home early. I got all excited again - danced around - jumped in to her arms! She took me out to the car and we drove away. Maybe we're going to Nana's! Nope . . . short ride again - you would think I would have learned from Saturday :-P! This time it was much worse than the groomers . . . . . it was . . . . .the . . . VETS!!! Oh No!!! I started shaking and getting so scared . . . no good ever comes from a visit to the Vets!! There's lots of poking - pushing - prodding. Why does he always look at my teeth and then in my ears! I try to shake my head back and forth so he will let me go. Then I get weighed - and he says the weight out loud!! I don't need to know that! I finally get to climb back in to Mom's arms and I think everything is over. Then . . . . I feel him grab my tail . . . . .and then . . . in goes the thermometer!! Really . . . really . . . . is that necessary! I feel fine - I'm not sick. Finally we're all done - no shots or needle pokes so I guess it wasn't all that bad.

OK - Mom is moving around a bit - Niki is sleeping on my pillow and snoring - Buffy is off in the corner of the bed. I hope there are no surprises tomorrow.

Muppet

How Was Your Day . . . . Mine Was . . . .

Our Gingerbread House won Best In Show! Yay!! Winning is great - and it's even better because we had fun doing it! I don't know what our prize is yet - I'll post when I find out.

I accomplished a lot at work today - 1 day down 2 more to go! My work goal is to leave my desk clear and organized so that there are no "fire drills" while I'm in TX. I'm bringing my PC with me though so I can login and check things.

I accomplished nothing at home - My home goal is to leave my home clean and organized! So did not get close to that goal today. I'm going to blame it on my head - which has been hurting since yesterday morning. Had 2 hours relief today - thanks to KFC for the Vicodin! So the plan for home today was to fold clothes so I could start getting things ready to pack - yeah - not even close! Oh well - try again tomorrow. I think I will start making my packing list. Then try to do the laundry - folding thing tomorrow.

No L drama to report - which is a nice change for a bit. I am having a Christmas lunch with her on Thursday.

Muppet still smells like Sugar Cookies! Love It! She has an appt tomorrow to get her health certificate so she can fly.

Shout Out to my niece K - Straight A's!!!! Yay!!! So proud of her. Of course - she couldn't have done it without me - her paper editor! jk :-P

De

Almost Vacation Time

I am watching a rerun of Food Network Challenge - it is the Extreme Holiday Cakes challenge from last year. I really enjoy the challenges on Food Network - the contestants are fun - I enjoy seeing what they can come up with. Most of the judges are nice - good critics who give constructive criticism and praise. I do not like Kerry Vincent!! Her face is always pinched together - she never smiles - she is so over critical - her attitude is like she doesn't think any of these bakers deserve to be in the challenge let alone win! It amazes me that none of the contestants has ever told her off!

I only have 3 days of work this week!! Yay! I hope I actually go to work tomorrow - I have been fighting a really bad headache all day. I need to go in so I can get my desk in order and ready for me to be gone 6 work days. Ahhhhhhh - just thinking about it is making my head pound even more!

I wonder if we will find out the winners of the Gingerbread contest tomorrow. On Friday during the display time when we all voted one person - SC - made a comment that Finance was cheaters and that she had already complained to HR and wanted us disqualified! WTH! You've got to be kidding me! This is supposed to be a friendly, fun competition! It's not like we're competing for a huge cash prize! The complaint was based on the fact that Finance used 3 Gingerbread House Kits - which we were given by HR. We originally were going to be split in to 3 groups but there were people out on vacation - out sick - so we decided to be one group and combine our efforts. The rules were that you had to use all the items in the kits and then you could use any additional items you wanted to as long as they were edible. Well - our additional items were more gingerbread pieces and lots and lots of candy! I tell ya - I felt like I was back in elementary school on the playground! One group of kids doing well and the rest of the kids turning on you calling you cheaters - mainly because they didn't come up with the same idea we did.

OK - I'm heading in to bed - hopefully this headache will be gone in the morning.

De

Teamwork

We worked very hard at the office today - big project that started yesterday, continued today, had to be done by 3:00 this afternoon. It required everyone to work together so that it could finished on time. Everyone had a job!

Project Finance - MA
Project Manager - DS
Contractors - CV, KFC
Decoraters - IH, DB, AH, JC, KFC,
Landscaping - CV
Purchasing - NP, TC, DS, CH
Inspectors - RD, BP,
Movers - CV, JC

Here is what we accomplished:




Merry Christmas!
De

Fun Family Dinner

I had a really good night tonight! After work I went to J & A's house for dinner and survivor watching. It was fun - J is very lucky to have an A at home - kids are well taken care of - dinner is ready to be put on the table when he gets home - I need an A at home! A cooked Fajitas for dinner - I thought they were really good! Their 2 little boys are so entertaining - it's been awhile since I've been around little kids - let alone 2 rambunctious boys! J & A are really good with them - they know how to keep them entertained - played the game Hot or Cold with the boys looking for their McDonald's toys! You can tell that they are a team - A got the boys plates ready - then J got his plate ready while A held their 6 week old baby - another boy! - then J held the baby while A got her plate ready! Teamwork! When I was done eating I got to hold the baby so J could finish his meal - the baby is sooooo cute! I love babies!

Before Survivor we had dessert - Choclately Goodness - really . . . . that's what it's called . . .and it describes it so well! Picture layers of chocolate cake - chocolate pudding - whipped cream - crushed candy bar!! Yum!! Then it was time for survivor. I won't ruin the show for those of you that haven't watched it yet - the only thing I will say is that the gal I picked to take it all was almost voted out tonight but they switched it around again right before tribal so she is still in it!! Yay Me!!

After Survivor I drove home - not too bad - only took me 30 min. Muppet was very excited to see me. Now we are both snuggled up on the bed - it is extremely cold in here tonight and the bed and blankets are the warmest place to be right now! The cats haven't joined us yet - they are having a rousing game tag right now. Niki's favorite place to hide is my bathtub! She comes running down the hall - zips around the corner into my room and on to the bathroom - jump into the tub! I am sure my downstairs neighbors wonder WTH is going on up here! If Buffy doesn't come running after Niki she just sits in the tub staring - i don't think she's all there! Well . . . . . she is L's cat after all!

Yay - tomorrow is Friday! I only have 3.5 working days left until my Xmas vacation. The half is next Wednesday - I will leave work early to go see the ENT Dr I have been referred to. My MRA was normal so this is the next step. I decided I probably should go in and see her before I got on the plane. Also - my headache seems to be starting to come back :-( I'd been feeling fine with the Nortryptyline but I think my body must be adjusting to that dose and so the nerve endings are hurting again - that is my amateur diagnosis.

I Am Discombobulated!

On Monday we moved offices - we didn't change building we just moved up form the 18th floor to the 20th. We are still in the same corner of the building but it feels like a whole new world. The cubes have tall walls instead of short - I no longer have natural light coming through a window - I've unpacked everything but I feel like I don't know where anything is. I have this constant feeling that I'm forgetting something important. I only have 5 more work days before I head to Dallas so I need to get myself pulled together so I can make sure everything is covered. Ahhhhhh!!!!!

I Love Dr. Ben - my chiropractor! Monday I could barely move/walk/lay down - I went in to see Dr Ben and he adjusted my spine and hip bones - the popping/cracking of my hip sounded like popping bubble wrap - but it felt oh so good! The release of the tightness and the pressure. I could walk again! It was still tender and I still had a bit of trouble finding a comfortable way to sleep - I had another adjustment today - more bubble wrap! Feeling even better. I will go back in on Saturday and hopefully be back to normal.

My MRA results came back normal - so once again we are back to square one. Next step is to make an appointment to see an ENT. I was given the name and number of the one my Dr recommends but I haven't made the appointment yet. Not sure why - other than I am tired of them not finding anything. In my research I have found that it could be tinnitus - which is a fancy name for a ringing in the ears that will never go away. I will go crazy!

I needed to get myself focused tonight so I baked cookies! Lots of measuring - mixing - following directions - the only part of my week that I have felt any kind of control! So the office gets to enjoy M&M Cookies tomorrow.

De

What More Can I Say

So L is back in town and living with someone new - now known as E. E lives in an apartment in Bellevue with two other guys. When I picked L up at the train station I asked her if E had left her a key or how was she to get into the apartment. Oh - E's Mom will be there. I kinda looked at her and she said - oh - his mom has her own place but she comes by and stays every once in awhile. I asked her why - answer - To Party! She goes on beer runs for the boys. Good Grief - L's friend's parents are quite a different lot.

When we got to the apartment I got out of the car to help her carry things in. We got to the front door - she knocked - and E's Mom answered the door. Good Grief - she looked like a women who's been road hard and put away wet. We walked in to the apartment which smelled of cigarette smoke - dirty dishes piled around- and it was so dark - no lights on - blinds closed. She can certainly pick interesting places to live.

Today I gathered the stuff that L has left at the house and consolidated it all down to a few boxes. As I was going through one box I found a bottle with 6 unidentified pills and the paperwork for when she was arrested for DUI - yup, arrested! There was a case number and a copy of her breathalyzer readings. Let's see - legal limit if you are 21 is .08 - L was tested twice and blew a .132 and then a .147 - yeah - a little bit over the limit. Can you guess what date she was arrested on and where? If you are regular readers you will remember back in September L called asking telling me her car had been towed from in front of a friends house. That would be the day after the night she was arrested. Her car was towed by the police due to the fact she was drunk. You know - even after I received the notofication in the mail for her regarding the fact that she had gotten a DUI - she still lied about it. Oh no - I wasn't arrested - it was not the same day my car got towed - I was only a little drunk and they just talked to me for a bit and that was it. Sometimes I think L actually believes the lies she tells. She just doesn't seem to be able to tell the truth.

De

**Update - 11 Days Until I fly to Dallas**
**Update 2 - My hip seems to be feeling better today. Must be from the combination of ice then heat and the Shiatsu Massager I got last year for xmas**

In Her Shoes

We've all heard the saying "Walk A Mile In My Shoes". Meaning - try my life on for awhile and see what it's really like. Well, today I did that.

On Tuesday I was moving things around the house - boxes, clothes, etc - the next day it felt like I had pulled a muscle in my glutes - aka butt! As the week went on I thought it was getting a little bit better. Then yesterday at work we packed up our office for a move up to the 20th Floor this weekend - lots of bending, lifting, moving of heavy items. Throughout the day my hip started to hurt worse. It was no longer in my butt it was my actual hip joint - I've had problems with this joint for awhile - it gets locked up and I have had to go to the Chiropractor to get it adjusted back in. When I woke up this morning I thought it had worked it's way back in sso I didn't go by the Chiropractors - I got up - showered - went to go get L from the train station.

On the car ride to the train station it really started to hurt - sitting down was very painful! Thank God for the Vicodin prescription for my head. Of course - by this time the Chiro office was closed - I will have to deal with it over the weekend. After dropping L off in Bellevue - which I will have to blog about at another time - I went to Home Depot to get some shelves for a home improvement project. I found myself leaning on the shoppong cart and sliding my foot along - it hurt to put weight on my leg - shooting pain from the heal on up. It also hurt to move my leg so I found myself kind of waddling -swinging my whole hip and leg forward to eleviate the pain of actually moving my leg.

It was as I headed back to my car that it finally dawned on me - God was having me walk a mile in my Mom's shoes - showing me what Mom goes through every day - the shuffling of feet because the hip hurts so bad - the needing to walk a little slower - the feeling of getting up off the couch feeling fine until you go to walk and it hurts really bad because it stiffened up while resting. The pain is making me crazy!

Luckily for me - I can go to the Chriopractor on Monday and get the joint adjusted back in - Mom has to go through this every day.

I understand now and can empathize with her. Thanks for the lesson and the mile walk God.

De

Good Morning!

Yes - if you look at the time stamp it is correct - I am writing this at 430 am! Muppet woke me up at 3 this morning right before she had a seizure - which I think is kinda cool that she knows when it's going to happen so she wakes me up - but 3 is just a little to early for a furry face in yours going "Mom . . . . Mom . . . . . wake up Mom I'm about to do something scary"

The seizure didn't last too long - maybe 5 min - but then the wandering started. Last time she wandered a lot she ended up peeing on my bed. This time I brought her in to the kitchen - put a puppy pad down - and closed the baby gate. She traveled around in circles over and over again and then just randomly sat down on the linoleum kinda floppy like and peed - not anywhere near the puppy pad. I went to grab some paper towels to clean it up but by the time I got back to her she had already proceeded to walk through it and track little yellow footprints all over the floor and pad. She also then started walking right through her water dish - maybe she was trying to wash her paws? Anyways - I cleaned up the floor and wiped Muppet's paws as best I could - she was still in a very active wander mode - and decided to let her stay in the kitchen. When she is done wandering and has settled down a bit I will need to give her a quick bath. What fun for a Friday morning!

This morning I won't be heading in to work right away. My second test - this time an MRA instead of an MRI - is at 8:15 this morning in Bellevue. The insurance company didn't have any problem pre-approving the test this time. Again I have mixed feelings - it could be scary if they find something but if they don't find anything then we are still in the dark about what's causing everything. If nothing shows up on this test then the next step will be to go to an ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat Dr). My mother-in-law gave me the name of the one she went and saw in Bellevue that she really liked and I have verified that the Dr is on the preferred provider list with the insurance company.

L called my last night to let me know that she was at the train station and getting ready to board for her 37 hour trip back to Washington. Long trip - but should be interesting.

It is now 440 - an hour before my alarm is scheduled to go off - so I think I am going to try and get 40 winks before the day really starts.

De

What? Are You Sure?

I am sure that most of you are aware of the great tragedy that occurred in Lakewood WA over the weekend - the murder of 4 police officers. I was saddened by this and couldn't understand how someone could do this - it's just something I can't wrap my brain around. After the murderer was found and killed the stories of how so many people were aiding this guy to get away and avoid being caught just astounded me. What goes through a persons mind when they make that choice? What kind of people would do this - criminals - thugs - gang members. That's what you would think. Tonight I discovered that someone I am acquainted with has been arrested for giving aid to this guy! From what I saw of this person I did not see them as a criminal - thug - gang member. This person seemed to be just like me. Now I am having an even more difficult time wrapping my brain around this. It was easier when I could lump all the people that helped into the same category of the accused killer - but this is someone that you could see walking down the street - shopping at the mall - standing next to you at the grocery store. It makes me look at everyone around me a little bit different. I got on the bus this evening and found myself being a little more alert - taking notice of the people sitting close by - getting on the bus with me. Any one of these people could be the type of person who would help out an accused cop killer. Not just the scruffy scary looking people but the people who look like they work in a nice office.

I have read on some news sites that this acquaintance has been arrested. I'm not sure what will happen after this - not sure how involved this person was. It makes me a little nervous to think about being around this person - not sure what to say - how to act. Just a lot of things to think about - my muddled brain just can't grasp all of this.

De

Creepy Stalker Guy

Who knew that drama could travel 1598.5 miles!! That's the distance between me and L right now. The drama is because of her ex Justin - who will be known as J from this point on.

Yes - J - the same person who tried to get her out of his mother's house multiple times. As far as I can tell this was the progression -

• L decided to go to MN and J was upset about that. Tried to convince her to stay here so they could work on things.
• Called L while she was in MN to talk to her and try to works things out. L told him that things were over and she was trying to get her life together. He was upset because that life did not include him.
• He kept calling L and yelling at her - telling her she was a horrible person and that he was over her - they were done. L told him to quit calling then.
• J started looking through L's MySpace and Facebook. Called her wanting to know why he wasn't a top friend anymore - who was this other guy she was talking with - this was it they are so over he's done with her. He told her not to talk to him anymore.
• L told him it wasn't any of his business who she talks to and that she's not the one who keeps calling - if it's over quit calling.
• Last weekend he called her and told her she needed to tell her friends that he didn't beat her up on Halloween because he is getting threatening calls. If she doesn't tell her friends then he is going to sue her for slander/defamation of character.
• J then called me! Asked me to come get the rest of L's stuff - asked me what L had said about Halloween. I asked him why he wanted to know - he told me what he had said to L. I asked him what he thought he could sue her for! She has nothing - he would have to get in line behind all of the other creditors she owes. I also told him that it was a he said she said and could never be proven. I told him to just let her go and to quit calling.
• J then decided to send a message to E - the new guy L has been talking to - and to tell him all of these things about L. Messaging her other friends and telling them that L is a liar and some other things that can not be repeated here.
• L's friends E & T told J to just drop it - to not call or message - if they didn't leave L alone then they would have to come beat him up.
• During all of this J has still been calling L non-stop and leaving voicemails telling her what a bad person she is and how he is so over her.

My take on this is - J is a very controlling person. He had control over L for so long - he controlled where she lived, who she saw, where she was. He now has no control and can't deal with it so he is trying to drag her friends into it - trying to get them to be on his side so that L has no one and will have to come back to him.

I called him tonight and told him that he needed to leave her alone. No more calling - no more trying to drag her friends in to this - he needs to just let her go. I told him that they are toxic together and both just need to move on. He tried to tell me that it was L and her friends that kept calling/messaging him and that he's just trying to get on with his life. I said if that's true then this shouldn't be a problem. He said that T had called and left him a death threat and didn't appreciate 1 - I don't think T threatened death and 2 - kinda funny that Mr tough gangster J is afraid of a gay guy who's in MN! What a nutcase!

My final words to J were that I wanted him to stay away from L and to not call her. If he kept this up I would go to the police to get a restraining order against him.

Good Grief ~

De

PA-THE-TIC

The title says it all! The Apple Cup was just horrible! I have been a true die hard Cougar Fan for 27 years! I think this year has been the hardest one to date. I wore my Crimson and Grey every Friday to work and every Saturday for game day - Muppet wore her Jersey religiously - we cheered them on and talked trash to our opponents! But . . . . alas . . . . . the football team just didn't carry their end of the deal. This season was bad - bad - bad - and ended just as it started - Pathetic!!

I am still a die hard fan though - you will hear me saying things like "Just wait till next year" - "We are in a building period" - "The program will be great next year with all the Freshman we have on the team" "Basketball Season is next and we'll kick your a**"

This Apple Cup has cost me some $$$! I owe TM - be prepared to get the bank back you sent last year! DB - $5! BM - $5! NP - Friday Starbucks! and last nut not least - AP - Dessert of her choice which I am making right now!

On a cheerier note - My Fantasy Team seems to be doing well. I am down 9 pts right now but my opponent has no players yet to play and my QB Drew Brees plays tomorrow night. Barring something horrible happening I should take this game. I have no chance to make it to the playoffs but I can shake things up by beating certain people!

I did some chores today - laundry, organizing, kitchen. Still needs a lot more work but I will get it done before Dallas. I have decided to turn my "coat closet" into a pantry - thanks for the idea mom! I just need to pick up some wire shelves from Home Depot and take my electric drill out of storage!

OK - I need to go finish the dessert! Then try to get some sleep - the ringing in the ear is quite loud tonight for some reason.

De

**18 days until Dallas!!**

Hi All!

Good Morning! Have we all recovered from our Thanksgiving Dinners! Yesterday we went and saw the movie The Blind Side! It was so good! I had heard good things about it and usually when I hear a lot of hype about a movie it doesn't stand up when I go see it - this one did and even surpassed my expectations! It's even more incredible because it is based on a true story. I could def see it again.

I'm still at Mom and Dad's house - stayed over again last night. Got home from the movie - had our Turkey Sandwich Dinner - watched some TV. I will probably head home around noon or so - get home in time to watch the Apple Cup!! Go Cougs!!!

No other plans - just some chores this weekend and watching football. I have a lot of boxes in my dining room that need to go to storage - I think I am going to move those to the spare bedroom which will get them out of the way and help me to get the actual living area clean and tidy. Then I can bring one box back out at a time to go through and take to storage. I so need to hire someone to drag all this stuff to storage for me! That is one of the things I hate about being on the third floor. Hauling groceries is one of the others.

Muppet has had fun up here this weekend - being able to just run out the front or back door to go outside. She is going to love being down in Texas and having a fenced in backyard. One of these days I will move and get her a backyard.

OK - gonna go in search of some toast or something for breakfast. I already had 2 Mincemeat Tarts but should probably have something a little more substantial.

De

**19.5 Days until Dallas!!**

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

Got up this morning - took a shower - packed - headed on up to Mom and Dad's! My Mom makes the best Thanksgiving meal. I love the Turkey, stuffing (outside of the bird), potatoes, and cranberries!! Then I love the Turkey sandwiches the day after. They have to be made on soft white bread with lots of mayo! Then you put turkey on one half and stuffing on the other - then smoosh them together! The cranberries are on the side but you dip the sandwich in the juice. Yummy!!

Mup and I are staying overnight up here. Don't want to drive home in a Turkey fog!! Tomorrow we are going to go see the movie The Blind Side. I've heard good things about it.

Muppet isn't a big fan of staying overnight! Right now she is finding it hard to get comfortable on the bed - probably because it's a twin bed so she doesn't have as much room. She also had an accident earlier today - peed on Nana's carpet!! She hasn't done that in a long time!! Luckily I caught it soon enough so it came up pretty quick. Told her she better not do it again or else she'll be regulated to the kitchen and the bathroom and nowhere else.

The ride up here was long. I can usually get up here in about an hour and a half. Today it took 3 hours!! I was expecting a little traffic but not this bad. The slow down started at Everett - Marine View Drive exit - and went all the way up past the Outlet Mall and Casino!! About a mile after the mall I saw why we were so backed up. There was an accident involving a semi! It was pretty torn apart - the semi was only there so I'm not sure if there were any other cars involved. After the accident traffic picked up.

I talked to L a couple times today. She is very lonely and going stir crazy - it's like being put in an isolation cell. Next week at this time she will be on a train headed back to Washington. The MN Experiment was a bust. I am pretty sure I'm not getting the whole story about what's been going on back there. This was T's last facebook update -

Just loves how some people seem to make me out as the bad guy... If someone is to concentrated on getting laid and fucked up all the time it's not my place to be near them... I gave that up to live a productive life rather than sit by and watch time slip away until I couldn't find myself...

Well - she will be back in WA in a week. We shall see what happens. It does seem like a lot of the old crowd she hung out with are growing up and moving on. T is looking for a job, K has past the written exam for the Guard and is going in to take her physical, J has a job-went to school-and is living on her own independently. I just hope L makes a turn soon.

De

***21 Days until Dallas!!!***

FML

This headache has made my brain very fuzzy feeling. I keep thinking that I have forgotten something - I hate that feeling. I found miniature composition notebooks at Fred Meyer this weekend and grabbed a few - one at work, one at home, one in my purse - to try and jot things down so that I don't forget. I taped a note inside my car again reminding me to return my movies to the Redbox at Fred Meyer.

Saturday I went and saw New Moon - Loved It!!!! So much better than Twilight. This is one that I will definitely want to own and watch over and over. I left the theater wanting to read the books over again just so that the story wouldn't end and I could stay in that fantasy world.

L called me this weekend. T's Mom - who lives with her boyfriend - informed L that Thanksgiving is only for family and that she was not invited to dinner at the boyfriends house. How can someone be so heartless!! Isn't Thanksgiving a time of helping others and being with people whether they are "family" or not! I just couldn't believe it. T's Mom also took them out to do some grocery shopping - I had sent a $25 visa gift card to L for food - T's Mom then told L and T that they were not allowed to share food and that the food she bought is only for T! WTH!!! I understand she doesn't want to "support" L - but isn't this going a little overboard.

So I am saying that the MN experiment has not been successful. L says she has been talking to her Dad regarding what she should do next. Her friend Eric in Bellevue says she can stay with him and look for work in Bellevue. L looked up prices for train tickets from MN to Seattle. Her Dad said he would try and help her out. But of course - since her made the offer and she has tried to call him to say that yes - she wants to get a train ticket and come home - he is no longer answering his phone for her or returning her calls. He called her today to say he saw she had called - he was at work - and would call her on his way home from work. Never happened. You know - child support is no longer being garnished from his paychecks so he has an additional $250 a month - he could certainly use some of that to help his daughter out. Boggles the mind doesn't it.

I Won My Fantasy Football Game on Sunday!!!! Beat the Yuck Monkey's Team (Owned by TM). He was 7-3 going into yesterday's game and I was 2-8. Just a preview of how Saturday's Apple Cup will go!! Go Cougs!!

Time to head to bed. Gotta get up early tomorrow so I can get to work early so I can leave early for my Dr Appt. Lets hope that they can figure something out tomorrow. Spent most of today with the headache along with noises and eye movement making me feel like I was going to throw up. Fun Fun Fun! Jealous yet!!

FML

De

You Have Reached . . . .

In order to keep all parties as private as possible I will be using initials for all!

Got a call today - not the morning one from L - the afternoon one from T's Mom! Wanted to talk to me about L. Seems L had not really told me the all the facts about her move to MN - and it seems she has been pulling the wool over T's Mom's eyes as well. T's Mom had said L could live in the house with T as she had to pay the mortgage anyways - but if it sells they are out. She had not told L that they would feed her - she needed to contribute/buy her own food. T's Mom could not believe that I would send L out to MN with only $20 - Said "I am not going to support your daughter!" I told her that I had sent L with $100 so not exactly sure what happened to that - must not have been spent on food. She went on and on - making me feel like I was the one mooching off her and asking her to raise my child. Oh - did I mention that this call came while I was at work - not exactly the place to have a heart to heart with someone - it was 5 her time but only 3 mine! The way the call ended was T's Mom telling me that if things don't get better I better plan on buying her a ticket to come home. Oh - and she also said that T had complained to her about L - saying she was mooching off his stuff - exactly what did he think was going to happen - he asks L to come live with him knowing that she is poor and has no job! After this call I of course called L - she had no idea what T's Mom was talking about - everything was going fine. I also forgot to mention that in the conversation with T's Mom she mentioned how L doesn't shower or brush her teeth and that her teeth look like she's done nothing but eat sugar - made me feel like it was my fault. Umm........the girl is 19 1/2 not 5 - I can't make her do anything. I told C about this over IM and she gave me a good line to use if the call comes again . . . Here's L's Dads number . . . Call him. Kinda like that line from a Travis Tritt song . . . . . .Here's a quarter call someone who cares!

I have written before about how I was receiving calls from collection agencies for L. Well, today I got the strangest message . . . and it wasn't for L it was for my former brother-in-law C and his wife G. The message was "Hi D, this is A from ***** Company. I am trying to reach C and G. Can you please pass this number along to them and let them know I need a call." Then he left a 1-800 number. How weird is that!! I changed back to my maiden name well before I moved to my current place with my current phone number - the last name was never associated with either place. How was this person able to locate me and put me together with C & G but not able to find their current phone number. When did I become the go to person for these types of calls.

Health wise I am doing a little better. The new med I am on seems to be helping a little - I get between 1 - 3 hours in the morning headache free!! It starts to creep back in and by evening it is making itself known. The ringing in my ear had calmed down to just an annoying high pitched buzz - but it is back in full force tonight - don't know if this is stress related or just the symptoms shifting around a bit. New symptom - slight bloody nose when I blow it. I'm not blowing that hard - not sure if this might be a side effect form the new meds or not - I will add it to my list of questions for the Doc on Tuesday. Oh - and my memory seems to be going a bit. I wrote a grocery list this morning and knew I would probably forget about it so I taped it to my steering wheel when I parked at the park and ride. When I got to my car tonight I looked int he window and my first thought was - Who's leaving me notes and how did they get in to my car - the door was locked.! Then I remember it was my list! It was a good thing I taped it there because I had totally forgotten that I needed to run by Pet Pros to get Puppy Pads and Dog food.! Muppet would not have been a happy camper tomorrow morning if I had forgotten to pick these things up.

OK - I'm going to try and tune out the ear symphony and get some sleep.

De

Please Hire L

This blog was originally started as a way for me to vent about living with an 18 year old. The first month I started writing I used L's name in the posts - I eventually shortened it to just L so that some anonymity could be kept. A few months ago I did a Google search on L's name and one of my blog posts came up. I went back into the blog and removed her full name and replaced it with L. I figured it wouldn't fair to her if someone googled her name and what came up was my rantings as a frustrated Mom. Well - what they say about things on the Internet never really going away are true! If her name is googled it will pull up a post from two years ago even though I removed the name - it was "cached" - so it still brings up a link to that old post.

Well - someone in MN googled her name yesterday and went to the old post and then also looked through posts from this month and last. I am thinking it may be a potential employer - as I know they use Google these days.

I hope that whoever reads my posts that they take what I say about L with a grain of salt. My frustrations should not have any bearing on whether you hire her or not. She is a good young lady and is very serious about finding a job and doing well at it.

I spoke with her today and the homesickness and stress she was having yesterday has passed. She was very excited about some job opportunities she had found and applied for.

Please Hire L.

De

The Results Are In

MRI Results are in . . . . . . nothing abnormal showed up in my brain /head or sinuses. On one hand this is good news . . . nothing serious is wrong. On the other hand this is bad news . . . no idea what's going on inside my head that is giving me these headaches and ringing in the ears. Very very frustrating.

Then . . . to top it all off . . . L has called me 4 times today crying about how she hates MN . . . . it's not like how she thought it was going to be. It's boring - her back hurts - she wants to come back to WA - there's no food in the house so she's starving. This is how I addressed each of these issues:

• Find a job so you have a reason to get up each day and you have something to do and it won't be boring.
• Take some Advil and apply heat for her back pain. If it hurts that frickin bad then have Talon take her to a Doc in The Box to have it looked at - she's on my insurance until the end of the year.
• I'm not buying another airplane ticket. She needs to start earning and saving money to find her own way back. Told her she can call her Dad and go to TN.
• I sent out a box today with some Mac & Cheese and granola bars. Isn't this something she should have discussed with Talon before deciding to move to MN. I also gave her some cash when she flew out last Sunday - what did she spend that money on?

I said - "You always do this - make a snap decision to do something without really looking in to all the details. You never look any farther then the present - never planning for the future. Now you are going to have to figure this out on your own. I am not buying another airline ticket - and if you do come back to WA you are not living with me."

Sounds like a fun day doesn't it! Good thing I had a Lisa appointment today so I had someone to talk to about all this - otherwise I would be going even more nutso than I already am. I was able to tell her some things that I have been feeling without having to worry about her reaction. She is just there to listen and not judge the dark thoughts that have gone through my head over these past few weeks. It felt good to voice them and get them out of my head.

Now I am going to go take a Vicodin and make this headache go away. I will start on the migraine meds tomorrow night.

De

32 Days until Dallas!

Forever

Well - yesterday I should have gotten my MRI results - I called the Dr around 230 to see if she had gotten them only to find out that . . . . Yes, the results were in! But . . . . . . . .my Dr was at a certification class so I won't be able to talk to her until Monday!! I swear - this whole process has taken sooooooo long! I just want to know what is causing this and get it fixed. Major headache tonight - just took a Vicodin so hopefully I can get some sleep.

It's hard to believe that L has been in MN for only a week. It seems like forever ago that I took her to the airport. I have heard form her a couple of times. I think she is doing ok - spent this past week getting settled in - hopefully she will start looking for work and get a job soon.

OK - short blog - I am finding it really hard to concentrate right now - I need to just turn off the lights and close my eyes - hope for the pain to subside.

De

MRI

The day finally arrived - Insurance finally said OK - appointment was made and kept. Check in time was 330 - had to fill out lots of paperwork - mostly question about whether I had an metal in me - wouldn't want little pieces to get sucked out of your body by the giant magnet! After the paperwork was done I sat in the waiting room for about 10 - 15 min. I was then brought back to a room to put my belongings and change into a scrub top - I was able to keep my jeans on which was good because I forgot my sweats at home and didn't have time to run in to Target to buy a cheap pair. They then came to get me!

In the MRI room I laid down on a table that was about the size of a bench - they put cushions under your legs and neck to make you comfortable - as comfortable as you can get on a skinny bench like table! The next step was to have an IV tube put in to my arm - this was in order to inject me with a contrasting dye for the last part of the MRI. I was given a panic ball I could push if I started to get stressed and headphones playing music I had chosen - I went with 80's! Then a plastic looking frame was placed over my head - it was just a frame so I could still see out of it. Then it was time to start - the table moved back into the MRI machine. At this point - my advice to anyone having this done would be to keep your eyes closed and don't even peek - I peeked! It is a very small chamber - if you are even the slightest bit claustrophobic you will not be comfortable. I am and thought I was going to go into pure panic mode. I closed my eyes and just tried to lose myself in the music. The MRI machine makes some very loud thumping , clicking, whirring noises. The first part of the test lasted about 30 min. The tech then came back in and moved the table out a bit so she could inject me with the dye. At this point - Do Not Peek!! I did again - they don't pull you all the way out so your head is still in the machine - very tight space. The second part of the test was only 15 minutes - more thumping, banging, and clanging. Then it's over! Change back into your regular clothes and head on out. I decided that after this ordeal I needed to treat myself! I went to Target and bought myself the new Bon Jovi CD.

Now it's just a waiting game. They said my Dr should have the results tomorrow afternoon. If I don't hear from her by around 3 or 330 I will give her a call.

I am torn between wanting them to find something so that I can hopefully get it cured and the ringing, pain, dizziness will go away and wanting there to be nothing wrong. But if they don't find anything then how will they make this go away.

OK - I'm going to sleep. I have tomorrow off - going to try and get my house organized a bit.

De

Yes Virginia . . . .

It is starting to look like the holidays in downtown – the store window displays have mannequins in mittens, scarves, holiday dresses, ornaments hanging from the ceiling. They have started putting the lights up in the trees along the streets. Santa’s House has gone up outside Nordstrom’s. This morning as I was driving in to work I pulled up next to a Metro bus and saw out of the corner of my eye what looked like Santa. Wow – even Metro is getting in to the holiday spirit. I turned my head to read what is said – The picture was of Santa on top of a roof next to the chimney and it read Yes Virginia, . . . . . There is no GOD! In the corner was a logo which read Seattle Atheists’ Group.


WTH!!!! What is it about these people that they feel the need to come out and be unpleasant during the holiday season. Last year it was posting a sign next to the Christmas Tree and the Menorah at the State Capitol Building. (See Picture) They don’t post signs or pay for bus advertising during any other part of the year.



I’m all for freedom of speech and the Seattle Atheists’’ right to post whatever they want. You know darn well that if another group wanted to buy bus advertising that read – Illegal Immigrants Should Be Sent Packing, or if the KKK wanted to advertise their group by showing a black man hanging from a tree – There is no way that King County Metro would allow it. I’m not saying that these other signs should be posted – I just believe that there would be a double standard towards who would be allowed to buy advertising spots.


When this group was asked about this bus campaign they responded by stating they just wanted to get the word out to people who may not believe in God that there is a group of likeminded people they can get together with. If that is their purpose then why don’t they buy advertisements during any other time of year?


It just frustrates me that these types come out of the woodwork during a time when we should be showing goodwill toward our neighbors and friends. Isn’t that just a human belief and not just a Christian belief – The Freedom From Religion Foundation (Seattle Atheists’) says they want to live in a world where they don’t have to be around religion. Do the Atheists’ not believe in tolerance of others beliefs and/or celebrations?


The money that they spent on this advertising campaign certainly could have been put to better use such as helping out the homeless – How about an Atheist Soup Kitchen for those people who need help but are not religious. My friend Kevin called Metro to find out how much an advertising campaign would cost - Exterior ads range from $450 to $600 per bus per 4 weeks. Interiors start at about $15. So if they put their signs on 20 buses to run through Christmas (8 weeks) the cost would be $18K to $24K. Certainly could help out a lot of people and get the word out about their group to other likeminded people in a positive way.



Thoughts?


De

She's in MN Now

Sunday morning I woke up around 500 to the sound of L throwing up. She was really sick. She went back to bed hoping she would feel better after a few hours of sleep. She got up at 800 to get ready to go catch her plane - got sick while she was doing her hair. We talked about whether she should get on the plane. She called Talon and he told her to see how she does on the car ride to the airport. So - we headed on out to SeaTac. When we got there she thought she was going to hurl again. We decided she could change her plans to Monday or Tuesday. When she went to call Talon she said her stomach wasn't hurting anymore - I said "Hmm, once it was decided you weren't going today you felt better" Yup. Talon told her to get on the plane. Nerves and eating a bunch of crap with Kellie the night before had gotten to her. We got her checked through - I gave her some money to get water or juice once she made it through security. We hugged good-bye. I watched her go through security - went to some windows and watched her take the escalators down to catch the tram. When I got home I tracked her flights to MN. She got there safe and sound! I spoke to her on the phone today - she sounded so happy and I could hear her laughing - haven't heard that in a long time.

Some people have asked me why she went to live with Talon in MN instead of her Dad in TN. Well . . . . her Dad never returned either of our calls! I called him twice and L called him multiple times through out the week. What Dad wouldn't call to talk to his daughter after learning that her boyfriend was abusive? What Dad wouldn't want to try and help her get away from him? I just don't get it.

It was hard to see her leave not knowing when I would see her again. I can't just go and take her to lunch to make sure she eats at least one healthy meal. I Love her very much. I believe that this is going to be good for both of us. Help me to let her go and not be her rescuer - Help her to stand on her own feet. I am hoping and praying that L comes out of this stronger and better.

De

For Those Who Like Drama . . . . . .

Went to bed last night not knowing where L was and not able to reach her on her phone - just rang 7 times and then to voicemail - which meant the phone was on - she just wasn't answering or couldn't answer.

Friday Progression of Events -

1:30 am - woke up - checked my phone - no missed calls or texts

5:30 am - woke-up - no word from L. Got ready for work

6:30 am - I logged on to her cell account to make sure she had minutes and to see if she had made any calls. 270 minutes - no activity since 10 Wed night.

7:30 am - got to work. Did some more investigating - took down phone numbers she had called and numbers that had called the house.

8:00 am - called Talon to see if he had heard from her. Called and left messages on the phone numbers she had called last and most.

8:30 am - Still no activity on her cell phone - I have now entered panic mode - I just had a bad feeling in my stomach. I called Overlake Hospital to see if they had admitted her - nope. Asked if they had any Jane Does - Due To The HIPA Laws they couldn't tell me that - they can only release that information to family or the police. Not sure how they know who family is if it's a Jane Doe!!

9:00 am - Complete melt down at work. Called 911 to report her as missing. Spoke with the Issaquah police giving them a description of her - including her Tattoos. I left to go home. Couldn't hold it together at work anymore.

9:45 am - Got home - looked up some more phone numbers. Per Officer H suggestion I called Harborview to see if they had admitted her. Nope. Which I guess is good news. Pulled up the latest picture I had of her - figured out how to work my printer and printed out pictures of her and pictures of her Tattoos.

10:30 am - Spoke to the Officer again and gave him additional information. Gave them Justin's name and number. He is a person of interest seeing as what went on last weekend.

10:52 am - Received a call from L! Said she had her phone on silent and that's why she never picked up. I was so glad she was safe!

11:00 am - Called Office H to let him know I had heard from her. He said he was going to call her just so he knew she was safe.

11:15 am - L called me and was very upset that I had called the police. Justin had called her because he received a call from the Issaquah Police looking for her and he didn't like feeling like he was a suspect. How could I call the cops! How could I give them Justin's name and number! Told me I should have listened to Talon when he told me she would be fine. I told her that I was thinking that until I saw that she hadn't used her phone - which is permanently attached to her ear.

11:30 am - Let Putbory know that everything was fine so she could pass it on to people at work. Took some deep breaths. Tried not to feel stupid. I'm so ready for her to go to MN - I need a break from these dramatic episodes.

2:00 pm - Fell asleep - a much needed 2 hour nap.

5:30 pm - 12 hours after this day started Spoke with L. I will be heading out to pick her up from her friends apt soon.

1.5 Days until the flight to MN leaves.

De

Deja Vu

Hmm . . . . this post may be a little Deja Vu! Here I sit at 8:00 at night not knowing where L is. She left with some friends last night saying that she would be back today . . . have not seen or heard from her since. I have tried calling her - phone rings and rings and then goes to voicemail - so her phone is on and working she's just not answering it. I find myself getting worries - stressed out - imagining all sorts of horrible things that could have happened. I'm sure she's just hanging out and not even thinking about the fact I might be worrying about her. These past few days I had kind of gotten lulled back into a feeling of - things have gotten better - but after today I remember once again why she needs to be somewhere else and not my responsibility. Can't take the stress.

Her ticket has been purchased for MN - she is scheduled to fly out on Sunday. Hopefully she shows back up before then because she still needs to pack and haul whatever she's not taking with her to storage - I told her yesterday that anything she leaves inside the house is going to either be donated or tossed. The Condo is not going to be her storage unit.

It is only 8 and I am exhausted. I've taken a Vicodin to try and help me sleep tonight - the ringing has gotten louder throughout the day.

Here's hoping that tomorrow brings better things.

De

Headache Update

Called the Benefits Advocate this morning - she says she called me yesterday and that the number was out of service - ummmm . . . - I don't think so - my cell was in service all day. And . . . if it was out of service that one try - why didn't she try calling me again a little later. Anyways - the CT Scan was denied because the case notes didn't show a month long treatment with a Dr and/or a month long medication treatment. So - I called my Dr and made an appointment for this afternoon.

My appt with the Dr went fairly well - no I'm not cured - but she is going to resend all the case notes including today's visit - which brings it up to about a month - and give the insurance company a call to see what more needs to be done. I got a new prescription for Vicodin to help me at night - get a little too loopy when I take it at work :-P. So - for now it's just take the Vicodin at night to help sleep and drown out the ringing. Wait and see what the insurance company says after they get the additional case notes and the Dr calls them. Keep the fingers crossed.

De

Crackers In Bed

It's been a busy busy night. Took L over to Justin's to pick up all her "crap" - his words not mine. We got there and before L even had a chance to knock on the door he was already bringing her stuff down the stairs and loading it in the car. She does have a lot of stuff!! Especially considering what was in her car when it got stolen almost a year ago. After the last box/bag was loaded in the car they both went back upstairs. She wasn't up there as long as I thought she was going to be. When she got back in the car she was crying.

He didn't want her to move to another state. Why couldn't she just move in with Micah - he's the guy that she was supposedly sitting too close to on Saturday which made Justin mad. He then told L that he hated how things had gotten but she had brought it on herself!! What an ass!! Let's not take any responsibility for his part in all this! He sure knows how to make L feel like crap. Good Riddance To Bad Rubbish!

Now I am home - sitting on my bed - watching NCIS -Best Show On TV! - Having a dinner of cheese and crackers. L is dragging the many bins of stuff to her room so she can go through them - toss what she doesn't need/want - box up and move to storage items she wants to save - pack what she needs to take with her. It is looking like she will be heading to MN to live with Talon. She has been talking to him and his Mom all day. Plans should be firmed up tomorrow.

Nobody wants to talk to me! Alan has not returned my calls from yesterday regarding L - The Benefits Advocate has not returned my call regarding why the insurance denied the CT Scan - No call back from the Dr office.

OK - gotta sweep the crumbs outta my bed and go to sleep to the wonderful musical stylings of the Ear Ringers!

De

I Am Screaming On The Inside

I am at home sitting on my couch and not enjoying the peace and quiet I usually get to come home too. L is in the spare room talking on the phone as loud as ever - that girl can just not talk in a quiet voice. I left a message for Alan this morning and I just tried calling him again - no luck. L has now decided she wants to move to Minneapolis and live with her friend Talon. I told her to get the plans set and as long as that is what she really wants to do I will get her a one-way ticket there.

Additional stress - my Insurance Company has denied the CT Scans that my Dr ordered. Now I don't know what to do. It's not like the headache has magically gone away - the ringing hasn't suddenly gotten quiet - it's all still here. What am I supposed to do? I left a message with my regular Dr and also a message with the Benefits Advocate. Neither of which called me back today.

So - now I am just sitting on my couch - not having my peace and quiet - listening to the ringing and deciding whether to take a Vocodin tonight for the pain.

Anyone want to trade!!

De

Good Grief

Good grief - Not sure where to start. I had lunch with L yesterday and we hung out at the mall for a bit. During lunch she told me that Justin's Mom was definitely moving out and that she needed to find another place to live. She asked me to think about letting her move back in - I told her I felt she needed to look at other options - she is still out of work - has no car - and I just don't know if she has made any changes in her attitude/behavior. I dropped her back off at the apartment and headed home.

My headache seems to be OK in the morning and then gets worse throughout the day - by the time it was 830 it was pounding and the ringing in my ears was very loud. I decided to take a Vicodin and get some sleep. Well - that sleep was interrupted at 300 in the morning by a call from L. She was crying and said that Justin had spit on her - hit her in the stomach - hit her in the face and knocked her to the sidewalk. She wanted me to come pick her up. Now 2 things were keeping me from just saying OK and heading out there - 1. Considering the conversation we had earlier I wasn't sure if I believed her - she might be saying this just to get me to let her in the house and then I will never get her back out. 2. I had taken a Vicodin and was not really feeling up to driving. She said that her Dad had told her she could come live with him and that she wanted to do that but just needed somewhere to go tonight. I finally went and picked her up. On the way back to the house she kept talking about going to her Dad's - that she had no friends here - I agreed that she needed to make a new start somewhere.

Sunday is now almost over and she has not made any plans with her Dad. She says she called him and that hew was online playing a game and told her he would call her back - I asked her a few hours later and she said that she had chatted online with him and that he was sitting down to dinner and would call her later - a couple hours later I asked her to call him - she dialed a number and said he wasn't answering. Part of me is wondering whether she is pulling the wool over my eyes and that she never even talked to her Dad about going down there. I am going to call him tomorrow and talk with him - I just don't trust her.

She is still here and tomorrow I am actually going to leave her in the house while I am at work. This is just not what I need right now - my headache issues and this week is month-end. I did tell her that tomorrow she needs to clean the house while I am at work. 2 months of headache is kinda showing in my housework - kinda cluttered!!

We'll see how it goes. I have told her that staying here is not a long term solution. I think that Tennessee is the best solution - new place - fresh start - no one knows her there so she can start over. Most of her friends have stopped talking to her - which makes me think there is a lot more going on here than I know.

I am now heading to bed - no drugs tonight - gotta get up early tomorrow for Month End fun!

De

CT

This entry was originally going to be about the CT Scan I had today - but - I didn't get the CT Scan today. Not because I was suddenly better -No - its because my insurance company needs to pre-authorize this test. Some guy in a suit, sitting behind a desk, calculating numbers is going to decide whether or not I get a CT Scan to figure out why my head has been hurting for 8 Frickin Weeks!!!!!!!! As if he knows better than my doctor. The insurance company will decide whether they think the doctor has done everything she can that isn't an expensive diagnostic test. It will take them 3 - 5 days to review the case and decide whether to authorize it. So - I cancelled my appointment and rescheduled it for next Friday morning. In the meantime - I get to suffer with the headache. As well as enjoy the lovely ringing in my right ear which is now being accompanied by a high pitched squeal in my left ear. Not to mention that next week is month end - fun fun fun!!

Have I mentioned that this has made me crankier than ever!! I want to hit something - anyone want to come over and let me smack 'em around a bit!!

De

Charlotte

One morning when I left the house I noticed a spider hanging on the stairwell outside - well, not on the stairwell - it was on the railing who9ch is right outside my door. As you know - I Do Not Like Spiders!! This one was small- didn't move when I walked past it - didn't have anything disgusting hanging from the web. I figured it would probably have moved on by the time I got home from work. Nope - still there when I got home. I could see it as I walked up the last flight of stairs to my door. I carefully walked by it - giving it as wide a berth as possible in such a narrow area - and let myself into my home. Phew - made it past without it jumping at me or moving towards me.

For the next few mornings I would carefully look to see if it was still there - yup, in the same spot, hadn't moved. Hmmm . . . . maybe it was already dead . . . . if it was already dead it would be easier to move . . . . so I blew on the web. Ahhh!! Moved!! Not Dead!! I said Sorry and went on my way to work. After a couple mornings like that - me checking if it was there and still alive - we had a small routine . . . .Every Morning I would say "Good-Bye Charlotte" and every evening I would blow on the web and then say "Good, your still alive Charlotte. Good Night Charlotte" - I named her Charlotte! :-P

One morning last week as I was leaving there was a small fly buzzing around my head - I said "Charlotte, aren't you suppose to be taking care of these" I swatted at it - caught it with the back of my hand - and hit it directly into Charlotte's Web! The actual web not the book! She moved right on it - and started having her snack. As I left I said "OK Charlotte, remember who fed you!" Again - I'm not a spider person but I was actually getting a little attached and I liked Charlotte.

Saturday I went to visit Lyd - when I came home I noticed John L Scott Open House signs pointing towards my building - my stack - up my stairs. The until next to mine has been empty and on the market for almost a year. I started going up the last set of stairs - looked up as usual - Charlotte Wasn't There!! Maybe she just crawled up to a corner and I couldn't see her. Nope - her web was gone too!! The real estate agent Killed Charlotte!!!! My little spider friend was killed for the possibility of someone coming to look at a condo! Poor Poor Charlotte!!

De

**Headache Update - still here and now I have an annoying ringing in my right ear. Went back to the Dr today and I will be going in for a CT Scan tomorrow**

Way Too Much

There has just been so much different stuff going on lately that I haven't written - I'm not even sure where to start. Let's see - last Friday I had my tooth pulled. It went a lot better than I thought it would. I've had a tooth pulled before but I was knocked out for that one. This time I opted for just Novocaine - to go under you need to have an adult there to drive you home which I didn't have - the surgeon said that with a tooth like mine they usually just do Novocaine anyways. I was a little stressed out - mostly the fear of the unknown. The shots were the most painful part of the procedure - the actual pulling of the tooth only took 15 minutes. I drove myself home - took lots of meds - cooked up soft food to eat.

Saturday morning at 1:30 I received a phone call I never wanted - it was from . . . . .L . . . surprise surprise . . . she was calling all stressed out and in tears - she needed me to do her a favor. Could I buy her a pregnancy test! Oh good lord - not what either of us needs. I told her I would do it for her. I picked it up and brought it over to her on Sunday. I went to Walgreens to buy it - I was embarrassed and felt so white trash! I bought Halloween candy and a few other items so that the pregnancy test wasn't the only thing in my basket. I know you're all on the edge of your seat . . . . .the test came back negative!! Deep Heavy Sigh of Relief!

Since Friday I have only had 1 day headache free :-( That was Sunday and I was taking my meds every 4 hours. The headache has come back today. I went to the chiropractor after work to see if my neck was out - that was the only other thing I could think of that could be causing the headaches - my neck wasn't out. My left hip was but I don't think it was causing my headache. I got all adjusted and am now back at home . . . . head still hurting. Dang it!

So - not sure what I will do next. Probably give the doc a call tomorrow.

De

Trying To Solve The Headache Question

Headache Update - still hasn't gone away - even the Vicodin doesn't make it go away. I started thinking a little more about what might be causing it - a few months ago I had to go to the dentist for a broken crown - they did a temporary fix on it and said the tooth could not be saved and I would need to have it pulled at some point. Now - even though the tooth is not bothering me like a regular toothache it could be causing the headaches.

I went to the Oral Surgeon today and the x-ray showed a small infection in the root. I am on another antibiotic and I am scheduled to have the tooth removed Friday morning. Keep your fingers crossed that this cures the headaches. If it doesn't - it will be back to the medical doc and try to figure it out. In case you lost count - the headache has lasted 6+ weeks. :-P

I will work tomorrow - take care of the tooth on Friday - take the rest of the day and the weekend to recover. I will keep you posted.

De

Fantasy Football or a Nightmare!

Being a fan does not necessarily translate into being a great owner! I love football . . . . I am a crappy owner! On paper my Fantasy Team looks pretty good – in actuality my team pretty much sucks! I am on a 4 game losing streak – my record is 1 – 5 – I am in last place.

I second guess the moves I’m going to make. Week 5 my top QB – Drew Brees – was on a Bye week. My back-up QB was Matt Hasselbeck who was coming off of a rib injury. I thought – man, he hasn’t played for 2 weeks – he’s still not 100% - I probably shouldn’t take a chance – so I got rid of him and brought in a new back-up. Who knew that Matt would have an absolutely incredible game!!! Bam – Bam – Bam – that’s me banging my head against the wall.

So – week 6 I got rid of my back-up QB and brought back Matt. Now I needed to decide who I was going to play – Drew or Matt. I went back and forth – posted on FB that I needed help. When I went to bed Saturday night I had Drew Brees in to play. When I woke up Sunday I benched Drew and started Matt. OMG!!!! Who knew he could go from being great to being crap in just one week!!

I was playing my sister’s team – Team Moose (my team is Scooby Gang – refer back to Buffy). I lost 77 – 138. I left 140 points on my bench!! My bench beat her team!! Drew would have given me 59 points!! But NO – I went with Matt who gave me -2 points! That’s right – negative 2!!

Will I be able to climb out of this Losing Streak! I play Lindsay’s Team – Shorkie Attack this coming Sunday. Do I play Drew or Matt? Whomever I bench – they will be the one to have a breakout game!!

Almost half-way through the season – will I be able to stop the bleeding? I just want the season to be over.

De