Whoo-hoo

We are off to the beach in the morning! Austin and I are flying with my mom to Philly where we will meet my aunt. Then we will all drive out to Long Beach Island NJ to see my grandparents and stay at their beach home! I love that place. We have gone there every summer since as far back as I can remember! Austin is excited about the plane ride... I just hope I don't make the news as the next person with a rowdy toddler to get kicked off of a flight! I will post pictures and tell you all about it when I return! Happy Weekend!

No time!

I sat down to write a short little blog but it will have to wait in the 3 minutes I was on the computer Austin cooked a full loaf of bread in the microwave!! I will blog when he is in bed from now on!

Saturday!!

Yeah it is Saturday!! Who is excited? ME! I don't have any plans but I think that is what is so exciting about it! Leave me some love and tell me all the amazing things you are or are not doing this weekend! Love to hear from you.

Here it comes!

Well 6 months have almost come and gone since I was diagnosed with Vertebral Artery Dissection! I will be going in for my angiogram on August 8th. That is right, 8-8-08 at 9am (I know....I know... why couldn't they have made it 8am!) The actual procedure doesn't start until 10:30 but I have to be there at 9:00. If you have read the first part of the link that tells you what an angiogram is you will see why I nearly freaked out the last time they did it to me and have requested that they give me something to calm me down this time. Last time I had to fight the urge to rip out the catheter they were threading through the artery in my leg and I could imagine that if they did that I would do damage to the artery. They will be giving me some stuff that apparently puts you to sleep enough that you don't really care about what is going on and you don't remember it but it keeps you awake enough to do what they ask you to do since you have to hold your head a certain way or you have to hold your breath so they can get the pictures they need. I will be taken to and from the hospital by someone and I will have to keep my leg still for about 8 hours but other than that it should be fine. (All except the dinner plate size bruise I will sport along with my bathing suit for the rest of August... but that is what they make wraps for...right?!) Anyway. The point of this blog is to request your prayers! Although mentally I will be fine once they give me the meds I would like you to pray for the outcome! There are risks (and since I have done this before in much scarier circumstances I am not too worried about the risks) . I am worried about the findings. This is the test that will tell me where I can go from here. This is the test that will tell me if I am healed and if I can get off the blood thinner and the heart meds. (Which I would not like to take the rest of my life!) This will also tell me what my activity level can be as far as how careful I have to be of my arteries in the future. So if you think about it. I would appreciate being added to your prayer lists. I know that prayer worked for me at the beginning! I saw, first hand one miracle after another from the start of all of this! It started a few weeks before the injury at the end of January, strangely enough with the passing of Heath Ledger. He was my age and had a daughter my son's age. That really set my mind spinning and thinking of the possibility that I could be gone tomorrow. Then about a week before, a hockey player (many of you know that I love hockey) was hit in the neck with another player's skate and had his carotid artery cut! I thought a lot about that for the following weeks. Before my injury I remember thinking how amazing it was that he could survive such a traumatic injury and then during my recovery I thought a lot about him and how if he could survive I could too. I think God did a lot of work preparing me for the ordeal I was about to go through! Then there were all of the miracles that happened in the hospital. Like the ER doctor that ordered an MRI "just to make sure that nothing was going on." (While I knew that there was something other than a migraine going on, the doctor's in the ER thought I was having a migraine because I had been to the ER once before for one and the symptoms I had sounded a lot like migraine symptoms. Not to mention that young healthy women don't typically come in to the ER with stroke symptoms!) Had she not ordered that MRI I would have been given pain killers and sent home where I would have eventually had a stroke. I sat in the waiting room for over 6 hours... plenty of time to have had my stroke but I didn't. I think the most amazing thing that happened was that I never felt like I was going to die. Even when I was laying in the ICU in critical condition with the Chaplin siting next to my bed I knew that GOD was with me and that I was going to be fine! I was still scared, but it was not the feeling that I would have ever thought I would have had in a situation like that. I know that I have blogged about my experience before but I have not really blogged about God's role in all of it and it took me a little while to process before I really was ready to share. So here it is!

The last wedding of the summer!

So, I have not told you about the wedding... except that I missed it! I really think I need to take a step back and tell you that even though I missed the wedding, the reception was amazing!! The bride was gorgeous! I was so busy dancing with Austin that I forgot to take pictures so unfortunately I don't have any to post, but the house and the grounds were beautiful! Out back it had a two level stone patio that led out to a grass yard that had tables and chairs to sit in. Beyond that there were stairs that let to a small decorative pond with a fountain. That is where they had their wedding pictures taken. I can't wait to see them! I am sure they will be breathtaking! I loved hanging out down there. It was great to see my family and share in such a special event! They had the greatest band who kept everyone moving and there was more food then I think I have ever seen before! I really was glad that we made it up there! It was well worth the drive just to see the family! (And the chocolate bar!)

Our new addition to our family!

This is my beautiful fridge! I love it! What I love the most about it is the price! It is listed on the Internet for $1,298 (which is more than I wanted to spend. Especially in the summer when I don't get paid!) However, they have cheaper prices based on where you live... yeah I don't get that either... but when we looked in our zip code they listed it for $1,078. Then since it was a GE we got a $100 mail in rebate and then since it is an Energy Star appliance we got another 10% off and the one I wanted they were out of and we bought the floor model (which I wanted to do anyway because it saves you money and it was in good shape) so we got another 10% off! We ended up only paying around $870!!! Whoo-hooo! They are also running a special on delivery. You pay $79 dollars and they deliver it, hook it up and take the old one away which is awesome enough but then you fill out a paper and they send you a Visa gift card with that money on it! I am way excited!

Would you like some WHINE with that cheese?

So let me just tell you about the week we have had around here! After the dog went pee pee all over my house and we took her to the doctor (see blog) we then left for our trip Thursday leaving Lexy in the capable hands of my friend "John: the dog whisperer." We decided to leave Thursday after work since it was a 9 hour trip to NJ and my cousin's wedding was at 4 on Friday! We drove as far as we could and only really made it 5 hours to DC but that was about halfway so we were happy about that. We stopped for the night and a nasty hotel that should have been cheaper than it really was but whatever it was just for the night! We get up and out of there around 10am. Frank was all showered and dressed for the wedding and I was showered and had my hair and makeup done. I was worried about sitting in my dress for the 4 hours that the drive should have taken and didn't want it to get wrinkled. By leaving at 10 we had an extra 2 hours before the wedding to meet mom and dad at their hotel where I could get in my dress and Austin could get into his clothes. Well, let me tell you! We not only needed that two hours but an additional hour due to traffic! We were so late we actually MISSED the wedding! I could not believe it! I had to dress in the car (while we were driving) and Austin fell asleep 15 minutes before we got there! The GPS told us that we had arrived at our final destination on the left and when we looked at the left there was a church with a limo parked outside. We pulled into the parking lot and Frank started looking for mom and dad's car. We couldn't find it but we just figured that they carpooled with someone else. I asked Frank if he would wait with Austin (still sleeping) while I just peeked into the church to see what the wedding looked like. I walked up to the door and peeked in. My first thought was "Wow, my cousin Heather sure has a lot more hair than usual!" and while I searched for my mom and dad the minister asked everyone to pray. So standing at the door I bow my head and pray. I hear him say "Dear God, please bless Kristin and Jim..." Who??? That is right! After all of that, I was at the wrong wedding! I ran from the church (while the photographer staired) and we went in search of my cousin's wedding once again. When we finally made it just in time to watch the wedding party walk down the aisle and out the door! That drive that should have taken 9 hours took 12!
That night we stayed at my aunt and uncle's house outside of Philly and on Saturday we went with Austin and my cousin Emily to Dorny Park. It is a theme park with a water park together. I have never been so hot and I have never see so many people! We only really got to ride the kiddy rides because the lines for everything else were way too long! Then when we were all about to die from heat exhaustion we went to the water park. There were so many people you could not even see the wave pool until you were right at the entrance! We found a small patch of water and just rolled around in it! It was the greatest feeling! Then I noticed a band aide and part of a hair extension go by and I thought that maybe we should move ourselves along. Sunday we returned home. We got a real late start because we wanted to just enjoy some time with our family before we left. We go home around ten that night to find that our refrigerator broke! So I did what anyone would do in that situation. I left everything right where it was and I went to bed!

Creepy!

Here is a picture of the most random thing I have ever seen for sale in a store! I was in a store that sells decorations for your home and I found this 3 foot glitter mummy statue! ....What? Who would use this in home decoration and what must their decorating concepts look like?!

Ahh... the joys of owning a pet!!

My sweet dog Lexy has gone to the bathroom all over the house for the last three days! While I love working all day and coming home to clean up dog pee I thought "something must be done!" So I called the vet! Let me just tell you... it took 3 adults and one 2 year old to accomplish this vet visit. My precious doggy weighs in at a hefty 65 pounds and I can not hold on to her when she is chasing after a dog that she would like to sniff. Therefore, my hubby came to hold on to her leash. My friend Katherine came (because we had plans to hang out) and she came in handy at the end of the vet trip... details about that to come! So we go to the back, the doctor takes Lexy outside and can't get her to potty. (They were trying to catch it in a cup to test it, if it were me... I would be able to go either!) They then came back and tell us that she is a little excited and maybe if one of us walked her she would do better... Nope, that didn't work either! They then teach me how to get a sample while we are in the comfort of our own home! FUN! I was determined to get a sample before leaving the vet! So here is where it gets interesting! There we are in front of the vet's office and my hubby is holding the leash, Katherine is making sure that my two year old does not run off, and I am holding a little silver bowl and following the dog around so that when she squats I can get a sample. Well, I did! She has a bladder infection! And let me tell you the office visit was over $80 and the medicine was an extra $61 dollars. I don't even think they gave me a discount for catching the sample on my own! The real kicker is that we have to give her two pills in the morning and two pills at night for the next 2 weeks... and... she has already thrown up dose number one! Joy!

A picture is worth 1,000 words!

I happen to have a lot of photos to share from this wedding we went to last weekend. (I just don't want you to think that this is the only thing we dress this kid in!) Anyway... I took this picture and thought right away how this was the perfect picture that shows exactly how Austin is at this point! He is very independent. He will be 3 next month so EVERYTHING has to be done on his own or on his own terms. (He still has the "only mommy can do it" thing going on too which is very exhausting!) I have been to 3 weddings this summer and I have one more to go to next weekend. It is amazing how different I feel during the mother and son dance. (My husband makes fun of me since he is not even 3 yet and I am worried about him moving out and getting married.) But the last 3 years have gone by so fast. I can't imagine how the next 15 years will go by...

I hate Onions!

I was trying to nap the other day (I love summer vacation) and I made a very big mistake! I was watching Ellen while napping so there really no napping happening. She got on this little rant about onions (it was a rerun). She hates raw onions and thinks that they should automatically grow sauteed. ME TOO! I pick them off of everything. I will eat them, but I prefer not to. The thing I hate most about onions is cutting them! I hate that your hands smell like an onion for a week after cutting them and my eyes burn like mad. Some people have just one lonely tear drop from cutting onions... I sob! Uncontrollably! I can tear up just sitting in the room next to wear onions are being cut! I have found that you can find already cut onions in the freezer section and I love to use them. The only problem is that my hubby loves onions and swears that they just aren't the same. So... right next to the oven I have a drawer and all that that drawer hold is my swim goggles! That's right folks I have to wear swim goggles to cut onions! It is that bad!

Life with a boy

They are always superheros!
They don't let what they are wearing get in the way of fun! The creepier and slimier the better!
This is no longer a boat and a cooler. It is a pirate ship and treasure! (Austin could not believe that he found a pirate ship with treasure on our trip to Maryland!)
They do not fear dirt no matter how dressed up they are! But most importantly they are full of unconditional love!

Dinner out!

Last night we went out to dinner. It was one of those buffet style restaurants... they work very well for little kids! Austin loves to eat there because there is a guarantied ice cream sundae in his future (if he eats)! He was shoveling his ice cream in and quickly got a brain freeze. He kinda whined a little bit and put his hand over his mouth. Then he drank some of his drink that was also cold and therefore did not help at all! Once it went away he was ready for more ice cream and picked up a smaller spoonful and blew on it before eating it...as if that would help!

Don't let this face fool you!

So this was taken at the wedding that we went to in Maryland this weekend. However, earlier in the day he threw the most amazing tantrum I have seen in a long time! Over brushing his teeth! He is a little crazy... one minute he is yelling because he wants you to stop brushing his teeth and right when you decide that "it is not worth the fight... those teeth will be falling out anyway" and you stop brushing his teeth he then screams because you have stopped brushing them and he wants them brushed! Well, he got himself all worked up and there was some hitting and stomping and screaming and he was then banished to timeout. Once he somewhat calmed down I walked over for our little post-timeout conference and asked him why he was put in timeout. He looked at me and said..."because I freaked out!" There was no amount of biting my lip that could keep me from laughing and that logic!

50 Pounds!

I have bagged up 50 pounds worth of "stuff" I don't need! That was my summer goal and I have already done it! (Just from my closet) And I am not done yet! It is amazing how much junk I have just held on to for all these years! I stopped counting at 20 pairs of shoes (and those are just the ones I am getting rid of. I have another 30+ still in my closet!) I am in the perfect mood for closet cleaning! I am feeling ruthless and getting rid of things left and right!! It feels pretty good!

Attack of the killer closet!

It is officially time for me to tackle my closet yet again. I cannot put it off any longer! I am however feeling very very unmotivated!