Seriously. I just realized I haven't posted since OCTOBER 1ST! Not that it really matters in the grand scheme of things. But still.

Quick update on what's been going on since then:

* Ladybug had her 15th birthday October 9th. She and I spent it at Disneyland. We had a GREAT time. 'nuf said.

* I had my shoulder surgery (finally) on October 26th. All went well; actually, bettter than well. Turns out I didn't have a torn rotator cuff as the doctors had thought. I "just" had a really nasty bone spur. They fixed it. Other than a month or so of physical therapy and the same amount of time that it will take for the healing from the surgery itself, I should be feeling great by Christmas!

* Sonofgeek is stressing over school work and college, etc. He's got a severe case of senioritis. He's in denial about it, but he's definitely got it. To quote him, "I just don't care anymore." Yep. That sounds about right. But, he's hanging in there. Pray for him. The teachers at his school show no mercy, and he's seriously overloaded with the classes he's taking.

* Hubby is ... fine. Thank You, Lord, for that! Work is going well and his health is good. Lord willing, it will stay that way for a long while.

* Molly. STILL not housetrained and driving us all batty. But, she is so stinkin' adorable we can't help but love her. I will be calling a recommended professional trainer probably tomorrow. Time to call in the cavalry, I'm afraid.


What's up now? Getting ready for Thanksgiving. As always, the big day is at our house, so I've got to do my shopping this weekend. I can't believe it's that time already. I am going to have to do some serious cleaning out of the fridge to make room for a turkey. THAT'S always fun! (I have a pretty small refrigerator.) We'll get up early to get the turkey going and the kids and I will watch the Macy's parade. Then later in the afternoon my brother and his family will come over for the day and we'll just eat 'til some of us (not me, thankyouverymuch) are overstuffed and then just hang out. On the menu (it's pretty much exactly the same every year): Turkey (seasoned under the skin with fresh parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic mixed with olive oil; the same mixture is rubbed on the outside of the bird as well - YUM!!), cornbread, sage and onion stuffing (I know, Oropher, you are wrinkling your nose as you read this), homemade cranberry sauce, homemade gravy, homemade mashed potatoes, egg noodles (I make them because my brother HATES potatoes), and brussels sprouts with pancetta, onion and balsamic vinegar. My SIL will usually bring another green veggie as well. It's a seriously carb-heavy meal. But, that's what my family wants for the big day. The funny thing is that nobody is really big on the whole pie thing, so I am never sure what to make for dessert. I'm open to ideas!

Day after: I avoid Black Friday like the plague. Sonofgeek is going to go out with his buddies and stake out Fry's Electronics overnight, I think. The rest of us are going to be putting up our Christmas decorations. This should be interesting with a beagle puppy running around

Not much to post, but since it is October 1st, I felt the need to "autumn things up".  I've put my fall decorations out and changed my backgrounds on my computer.  And even the weather seems to (sort of, for Arizona) cooperating - highs in the 90s today and in the 80s tomorrow.  It actually feels really nice out, FINALLY.

Still busy, still feeling overwhelmed, but as do all seasons of our lives, I know that this will pass eventually.     And then something else will come along - that's why they're called seasons, right?

Molly is still not housebroken and it is frustrating me to no end.  She's nearly 6 months old now!  Granted, she was in a pet store until she was 4 months old, so she's a little behind the curve, but it's really getting old.  We may have to get some outside help with this one.  Other than that, though, she is doing great.  And, much like every other pet we've had, she has a really fun and unique personality.  If we can just get her to understand that peeing OUTSIDE is the goal!

Ladybug had her first choir concert this week.  They were fantastic!   I felt terrible for her, however, as she managed to get a sore throat a couple of days before so she wasn't feeling so great.    The trooper muddled through, but did have a little bit of a coughing fit in the middle of one of the songs : P  Thankfully, the doctor says it's most likely just allergies and possibly a mild virus, but nothing serious - no antibiotics required.

Let's see, what else is going on....  Sonofgeek has officially sent in a few of his college applications. *gasp*  I still think it's not possible that I am old enough to have a son going off to college.  Denial.  It's a wonderful thing.  Oh, and he has a car now - sort of.  It's actually Hubby's Honda.  Hubby got a new car finally - a used Mercedes!  Crazy.  I still can't believe he bought the thing,  but it's one of the low end models and got a fantastic deal on it.  So, now Sonofgeek and Ladybug are getting themselves to and from school and to and from youth group.  It's at once freeing and freaky! 

Oh, and I have two very exciting things coming up in the next week that I am SO looking forward to:  On Sunday, the whole family is going to Star Wars in Concert (I know, it's so geeky of us - but we can't wait!!!!) and next Friday, which is Ladybug's 15th birthday, she and I are flying to California and spending the day at Disneyland.  We did the same thing on my birthday in April and we had a blast, so we decided to do a repeat performance for hers.  Yay! : D   .... And I have a scrapbooking retreat coming up soon, too, so I guess I have three exciting things to look forward to soon.   Then, I finally have my shoulder surgery on October 29th.  Lord willing, it will be a quick recovery and I'll only have to be in the shoulder sling for a week or less - the doctor says it's possible, depending upon what they find once they get inside and see what's what.  I'm praying : )

Speaking of praying... please pray for my half-brother J.   I just found out a few days ago that he's had a massive heart attack and had to have an emergency quadruple bypass.  The last I heard he was stable, but in ICU.   

Oropher and Suz - I think we need to seriously see if we can plan another Disney trip together.     Getting together every five years just doesn't cut it for me.  I miss you all too much.

It's been a crazy-busy couple of weeks, so I haven't posted for a while:


CBS (Community Bible Study) started back up and since I've changed roles from being a Core Group leader to being the assistant to the Coordinator, my job at the beginning of the year has become significantly heavier.   But, at least we've gotten all the prep stuff done and the first day out of the way, so at least my CBS stuff should be relatively low-maintenance from here on out (until the end of the year anyway). 

Our women's Bible study at church also started up, and I'm facilitating the daytime session.  Plus, there have just been a bunch of things going on at home - lots of doctors visits (allergist, neurologist, pulmonologist, podiatrist, orthodontist, MRI - don't worry, not all my appointments), keeping up with Molly (not just the regular puppy stuff, but we had her spayed this week as well), and I ended up with a migraine this week (four days - the migraine was only about a day, but I had all four days with dizziness this time and one of the days was really bad). 

It's been pretty stressful around here, so that's why I haven't posted.  Thankfully, my migrain/dizziness seems to be gone now.  CBS  and the church Bible study are off and running, and Sonofgeek is feeling just fine.  Molly is not  housetrained, but hey I can only hope for so much at once, right? ; )

Good news:  I saw the pulmonologist yesterday and he gave me the all-clear to have my shoulder surgery, so I am going to call the orthopedist as soon as they're open and get that scheduled.    Bad news:  I got an email from my mom this morning.  She was supposed to come out for Thanksgiving this year, but now she says she can't.  : (

On my to-do list today:   Get my hair cut, get the laundry done, clear off my desk (it WOULD be nice to see the surface), call the surgeon, and mail the Munchkin's BD card/gift (Oropher, please tell her I'm sorry she's going to be getting it late!).

Dinner tonight:  It will just be me, Sonofgeek and Hubby.  Ladybug is spending the night at a friend's house.   Not sure yet, but I'm thinking maybe curry.

One final thought - I need a vacation!!  If we could afford it, Oropher, I would so be coming for a visit right about now.  At least Ladybug and I have her BD trip to Disneyland to look forward to - just an overnighter, but it will be fun.

From Oropher, via someone I don't know (at least I don't think I know her - can't tell from all the coded LJ names)...  BTW, Oropher, I'm not certain I would have guessed correctly : (   Though, I definitely wouldn't have picked #2 as the lie - it just sounds too much like something that would happen on a date in south Florida.  Okay, here goes:

Post three unusual facts about yourself, two of them are true, one isn't. Can you guess the lie?

1.  I once worked as a food demo girl - cooking sausages on an electric skillet in the middle of Albertsons.

2.  I have read the entire Agatha Christie series.

3. I fell off the stage at church in the middle of the Mothers Day service, and managed to bloody my knee and break my toe in the process.  But, I looked beautiful doing it!


Drama update:  Sonofgeek doing better, but had to go on another round of antibiotics.  Ladybug doing better, save the teenage attitude.  Hubby, thankfully no drama there.  Molly, still working on the housetraining.  She's getting there, but not as quickly as I'd like.  She's also trying to chew up everything in the house so I'm getting plenty of exercise!  OH, and she's finding all sorts of things - yesterday she found a plastic wall anchor, a penny, something I didn't recognize, and this morning she found another unrecognizable something (it honestly was a little disturbing because I REALLY couldn't tell what it was - other than it definitely wasn't a bug).  Me, other than my shoulder hurting, I'm actually doing just fine : )  I've almost reached the 10 pound mark - that is, lost 10 pounds.  On the plus side - yay, I've lost almost 10 pounds!  On the down side - it's taking FOREVER.  I think the thyroid meds are starting to kick in finally and having the puppy is keeping me more active as well.  Between the two, I can definitely see a difference.

On the docket for today:  Chase Molly, pick up after Molly, scold Molly, do laundry, try to do some cleaning (ha!), and make some phone calls.  Kiddos are out tonight, if they don't have too much homework.   

I'm hungry.  I think I'm going to eat my breakfast now.

Just to top off the *wonderful* week that we've had...

When we got Molly we were told that she had had a case of giardia, but had been treated and cleared.  We just had to take her to the vet for another check to be 100% certain.  If she came back with the parasite, then the store pays for the treatment.  Okay, no problem.  So, we took her to the vet (the vet we HAD to take her to in order to start up the guarantee) and had the test done.  They called us the next day and said she was all clear.  Great!  Well, she had had some sporadic episodes of diarrhea with blood and I was getting a little bit concerned, so I called our own vet and brought her in to see him on Friday morning.  He ran the same test the other vet ran, plus another test the other vet DIDN'T run.  She still has the giardia!  CRAP.  So she's on meds.  She's fine otherwise, thankfully.    $200 for that unexpected trip.  I called Hubby to let him know what was going on and he informs me that he got his a/c fixed - $600.  (Did I forget to mention that he came home on Thursday night and the a/c in his car had bit the dust?)

After I got her home, later in the afternoon, I picked the kiddos up from school.  Sonofgeek was to have his follow up appointment with the doctor due to his ER visit earlier in the week.  Ladybug's ear had been ringing since Wednesday night and was hurting a lot (she had been the doc on Tuesday with a sinus infection and was on antibiotics already).  So I took them both to the doc and hoped that I could get Ladybug seen as well.  Thankfully we were.  This is what we found out: 

Sonofgeek's illness could be giardia from the puppy.  It still gets treated the same as the adenitis, so no biggie; as long as we can fully get rid of it.  Also, short of doing a stool test (sorry to be so graphic) we don't know for certain that's what it is.  He's definitely doing better, though. 

Ladybug's ear looked TERRIBLE.  I know because the doc let me have a peek. : /   She switched antibiotics and hopefully will be on the mend soon.  Now if the doctor only had a pill for attitude adjustments....  ; )

Just got back from the pulmonologist.  He didn't test me for asthma, which is what I thought I was there for.  He asked me a bunch of questions and said he wanted to see me back in two months.  When I then asked him about getting the okay for my shoulder surgery, he said, "Not yet.  Why don't I see you back in a month instead?"  (He actually said more than that, but I can't remember all the medical stuff - something to do with the breathing tube and all that.) 

Great.  Nothing like holding back tears on your way out of the doctor's office.  At least I didn't cry in front of him like I did the last time I was there.  This doctor must think I am a nut job.

What a week!

Sonofgeek wasn't feeling too well over the weekend.  So much so that by Monday I made him stay home from school.  I thought he just had a case of the stomach flu.  I called the doctor to see if there was anything I could give him to help him feel better (because what we'd been giving him wasn't working very well) and to find out if it was possible that the medicine she had given him last week could possibly be the cause of his intestinal nastiness.  No on both counts.  She wanted us to come in for an appointment.  So, I brought him in and she asked lots of questions and did all the doctorly (like that word?) things.  Finally, she made him lie down on the table and started prodding his abdomen.  Poor guy about went through the roof!  This is the kid who is his father's son - I had to MAKE him stay home from school.  He was in excruciating pain!!  She had him sit up, turned to me and said, "You need to take him over to the ER."  What?!!!  She suspected that he either had some sort of colitis or appendicitis brewing.  So, SOG and I spent five hours sitting in the ER on Monday.  SOG very much enjoyed the morphine, if only for a short while.  Thankfully, he did not have appendicitis.  He had mesenteric adenetis.  Very painful, but nothing to worry about.  Oh, and the day didn't end there....  I called the high school to leave a message with Ladybug to take the bus home.    She, thankfully, was able to get a ride home from a friend's dad because she couldn't get to the bus on time (long story).  SOG and I get home from the hospital, I grab Molly to take her to her vet appointment (THAT was interesting doing alone!), come home from the vet to find that Ladybug has come home from school with a sore throat and fever!  So, SOG went back to school on Tuesday, but Ladybug had to stay home and get to the doctor herself.  She had a pretty nasty sinus infection going on and ended up home for two days.  They are both back at school today, thankfully.

My shoulder is killing me - probably from throwing toys for Molly and walking her.  I am very happy that she is currently passed out on the floor of my office.  I think I played with her enough this morning that I wore her out.  She is very cute, but man I was 10 years younger the last time I had a puppy!  This is wearing me out.    (Oh!  She just made the cutest noise.  She makes these really cute groany  type noises when she sleeps. Adorable.)

I see the pulmonologist today - yay!  I realize that sounds really weird.  But, I'm hoping that he gives me the green light to go ahead with my surgery.  I'd like to get this done and over with as soon as possible.

Lastly,  a couple of prayer requests:    I told you about Mentorlady who is dealing with cancer.  She had a procedure done the day before yesterday.   It involved some complicated things I don't understand, but she had some type of surgical chemo treatment done on her liver and is now home, but in some serious pain.  She had not been expecting the procedure to be so painful.  Also, she was not expecting to have to have the treatment more than once, but has now been told she will have to go through this again in about three months.  Please pray for her - for healing, for comfort, for peace, for all those good things.      Also, we had a couple in our church who had their home broken into yesterday.  The thieves stole a lot of stuff, including important papers - social security cards, birth certificates, etc.  Pray that they catch the thieves and  that they can stop the identify theft side of things before it gets too far.

I really hope next week goes better...

I am seriously looking at puppies now.  I think I have pretty much decided on a beagle.  I wanted a male, but I found an adorable female and I think I'm going to get her tomorrow.  Ladybug and I found a male beagle online this afternoon and went to look at him, but by the time we got there, he had already been sold.  Bummer. 

She went all gaga over a shiba inu, which I have to admit WAS adorable.  So, we came home and did some research.  Actually, the shiba looked even better suited to our family and lifestyle than the beagle .  Until I did some more research.  We have a budgie.  Shibas are bred to hunt small animals.  Not a good combination.  Oh, and the price range on the shibas were over $1500.  So, no shiba inu for us.  Too bad, though. 

So, on tomorrow's docket:  puppy-proof the house, pick up puppy "accessories" (crate/kennel, leash, toys, food, etc.), call the vet.  That is, as long as the beagle is still available when I get there!

Tonight:  open house at the high school.  Can you just sense my anticipation?  Actually, I think I'm going to be a bad mother and just attend the Senior portion of the evening - get the info about graduation, scholarship stuff, and all things senior-related.   I've gone to pretty much every open house since the kids have been in school and it's the same every year.  We've never received any information that was truly vital. 

My soapbox for the week:  I am soooo tired of people telling me that I should ... use aluminum bottles/buy organic/homeschool my children/get my dog from a rescue shelter/use only "green" products, etc.    It seems like so many people these days are so paranoid about pretty much everything and anything that no matter what I do, I feel like I ought to somehow be doing something different or at least feel guilty about how I'm doing it.   Not anymore.  My kids go to public school.  We use plastic bottles when we're on the go.  I buy organic when I find it necessary, but not always - because it's freakin' expensive.  And my dog - yep.  We're buying her from a pet shop. (One that guarantees they do not go through puppy mills, for those of you who are concerned about that.)    The worst part about all of this, for me, is that I'm getting this message subtly (and sometimes not-so-subtly) from mostly my fellow Christians - none of you who read my blog, btw.  Just needed to get that off my chest.

Lastly,  please pray for my neighbors - J&J.  The husband just lost his mother a few days ago.  She died of mesothelioma.  Apparently, it wasn't a very long time between her diagnosis and her death. 

Another hilarious video courteous of Rhett and Link, "In the 80s"... Enjoy!

Hubby has been sick for a couple of days.  Yesterday his fever was 102*, but today he is much better.  He's still got a low-grade fever, but he's otherwise okay.    However, I told (yes, TOLD) him that he couldn't go to work tomorrow because his co-workers wouldn't appreciate his sharing of whatever virus he has.  He has reluctantly conceded that I am right.  *GASP*   I can tell that he's feeling better today because he can't stand to sit around doing nothing, even though that's exactly what he needs to be doing.  He came into my office a few minutes ago and ASKED PERMISSION (lol) to use the handheld vacuum to work on the pantry.  All I could do was shake my head and laugh.  "Are you kidding me?!"  He just couldn't help himself.  And, of course, regardless of what I said, he went ahead and vacuumed out the pantry anyway.  Wait.  It gets better.  This is the conversation the followed shortly thereafter:

Hubby:  Can I read the paper?
Me:  Um.  Okay.  Why do you keep asking my permission for stuff?
Hubby:  Well if I read the paper it's going to have my germs and stuff all over it.
Me:  Okaaay.

Well, at least he cares, and  he's not one of those guys who turns into a four-year-old when he gets sick (which is about once every five years). 


So, today the kids and I went to Joe's Farm Grill for lunch.  It's  a place that was featured on the Food Network's "Diner's, Drive In's, and Dive's"  (I think I put those in the right order.)  I've had so many friends tell me about this place, even before it was on the show, and we finally tried it out.  Really good food, kind of pricey, but did I mention really good food?  When Hubby gets better, I'll drive him out there for a taste.  We didn't try anything adventurous today, but maybe the next time out. Today I had the fried shrimp with coleslaw and sweet potato fries.  The shrimp was to die for - I wish I knew where they brought it in from because it was so good and fresh.  The batter was really different from anything I've seen used with shrimp before - it had herbs in it, including dill.  Unusual, but really tasty.  Plus, the cocktail sauce was freshly made and again, really tasty.  Ladybug went really plain and just had chicken tenders - but even those were really good if you tried it with Joe's own barbecue sauce.  Sonofgeek had a buffalo chicken sandwich, which I did NOT try (don't like bleu cheese), but he thought was really good.  Next time we're going to try one of their interesting pizzas or one of the barbecue items - they all looked good.  The interesting thing about Joe's is that it's in a community called Agritopia and all of the food they use is pretty much grown right there on the property.  If you want to read more about them, you can go to their website:   www. joesfarmgrill.com

Odd quote of the week, from Sonofgeek:  (Here is the context of the quote, not that it will help - he doesn't like Crocs, but we were in the mall and Ladybug was talking about needing closed toed shoes for biology lab, but only wanting to wear sandals, when we happened by the Crocs kiosk.) 

"Crocs are sandalicious."

Sorry for the punnage....

The little black bugs?  WEEVILS!  UGH!!   The Orkin guy was really nice and told me that we had been doing all the right things, but that it takes usually 3-4 "rounds" with the suckers to be completely rid of them.  Plus, I'm going to have to go back to storing things like I did when we lived in a humid climate - i.e., everything in Tupperware again.  The worst part is that I emptied our not-so-small pantry by myself (not that big of a deal, except for the shoulder pain) and now my kitchen counters are covered in stuff, and I can't carry out the garbage because it is too heavy.  So, I'm stuck until the kiddos get home.  Hopefully, they don't have too much homework tonight and can help me get some of this sorted out.  Hubby wants to keep the pantry completely empty for a few days and store the uninfested (we hope!) food on the dining room table until we know for certain that the pantry is clear.  I'm going to rip out the shelf liners and bleach the whole darn thing at this point!    I hope this is our last round with the critters.  I really hate bugs.

Ahhhhh.  Things are finally starting to feel somewhat back to normal around here....

Update on my health issues:   Saw my endocrinologist yesterday and she says my thyroid ultrasound looked good and I don't have to have another until next year.  Praise God!  The only thing she did was adjust my synthroid.  Maybe that will boost my metabolism a bit.  I could sure use the help!!    My energy is nearly back to normal levels now, except now that the kiddos are back to school there's no more sleeping in!  My breathing is pretty good, but still not as it should be.  I see the pulmonologist again in a few weeks for testing for asthma or whatever, plus he has to give me the official go ahead for my shoulder surgery.  Of course, now that I am moving around again, my shoulder is hurting again.  Geez.  At least I can cook and do the laundry without wheezing! : )  Enough of that...

The kids started school this week and all seems to be going pretty well.  Sonofgeek is still trying to sort out the problem with not getting into orchestra.  Apparently Colonel (the orchestra director) is working with the counselor to see if they can work it out so that SOG can get into the beginning orchestra as a co-conductor!    It's a little odd, though, as really all SOG wants to do is PLAY his instrument, not teach other kids how to do so.  Plus, he seems to be enjoying the idea of the AP psychology class.  I have a feeling at the end of all this, he'll probably just end up quitting cello *insert sad face here*    He really enjoys playing, but without an orchestra to play in, he'll lose his skill pretty quickly; and because of his school load, he doesn't really have the time to join a community orchestra. 

Ladybug is adjusting to high school well.  Not terribly surprising.  She's very pragmatic, that one.  Her schedule got messed up, too.  She was supposed to get into a drawing class, but  has ended up taking guitar.  It worked out well as she is VERY enthusiastic about it!  Hubby bought me a guitar that's been sitting in my office, unplayed, for about two years now so we didn't even have to purchase a new instrument. 

Today...  I really needed to get stuff done around here, so I coaxed Hubby into letting the kiddos drive his car to school and he took mine to work.  I am without wheels.  It's a little weird, but it's forcing me to get things accomplished.  (I know, like sitting at my computer writing on LJ?)  I've been behind on my Bible in 90 Days challenge, but have caught up through the book of Isaiah; plus, I started laundry, printed business cards for my Bible study coordinator, and caught up on emails I needed to attend to - and it's only 9:15 am!  Hey, that's a big deal for me.  What still needs to be done today:  finish laundry, dust and vacuum (don't know if I'll do the vacuuming, depends upon if my shoulder can deal), clean up the kitchen (it's disgusting at the moment - I haven't paid it much attention for nearly a month), call Orkin (I am on round three of weird small black bugs in my pantry that we can't seem to get rid of), and clean up the master suite (again, it really hasn't had any attention paid to it since I've been sick).  That's probably more stuff than my body is ready to handle in one day, but it's at least a goal.  If I can get at least a third of it done, I'll be content.  I can work on the rest of it tomorrow.

It's just Hubby and I tonight as the kiddos have CrossWays.  Hmmm.  Maybe we'll go out for dinner?

Car's out of the shop and in working condition.

I'm STILL sick, but seem to finally be getting somewhat better.  I'm on my way to a pulmonologist in a few minutes to get his two cents on all of this.

Sonofgeek didn't get into orchestra : (  He is taking AP psychology instead.  ?????  I guess we'll see how THAT goes.

Ladybug will get her schedule on Thursday and has all-day freshman orientation on Friday.

Hubby and I are going to the bank tomorrow morning to sign the closing papers for our refi on the house.  

I will officially have TWO highschoolers on Monday.

I am exhausted, but have done not much of anything.



Oh.  And Hubby felt so bad that I've been doing all this sitting around on my duff for going on three weeks now that he went and bought me seasons 1 and 2 of Star Trek:  The Next Generation.  : D   I'd rather have energy, but at least I've got something interesting to watch now.

On the plus side - we are finally getting our summer storms!  Yay!!  Rain, thunder, lightning - the works : )  Don't like humidity when it's already 100+ degrees outside, but it's nice to have the rain.

Well, I'm certainly thankful for a good vacation because I had no idea what lie ahead when we got home!  San Diego was beautiful, as usual.  I mean, it was sunny, cool - full of lots of fun things to do like Sea World, walking along the beach on Coronado Island and La Jolla, visiting the San Diego Zoo (all the animals at their finest), great food, etc.   However, the day we got back I ended up sick (I probably already posted all of this - if so, please forgive the repetetiveness as my brain is somewhat foggy at the moment) with what I thought was just a minor infection.  I went to the doc just to make sure, as I had shoulder surgery scheduled for July 9th.  She told me that yes indeed I had an ear and throat infection, but it was early and antibiotics would take care of it and I should be fine to have my surgery in two weeks.  Great.  Not a problem.   I went about the rest of my day - picking up Sky (our bird) from my brother's house, picking up dry-cleaning, getting groceries, doing laundry, doing all the typical day-after-vacation stuff.  By Tuesday I started feeling a little bit worse, but I figured I had just started the antibiotics and it was probably just the infection and  would start to feel better by Wednesday if I just took it a little easy.    I ended up waking up in the middle of the night on Tuesday coughing terribly and hardly being able to breathe.  Great.  Wednesday morning I called the doctor and told them what was going on.  They started me on a different, stronger antibiotic, a cough syrup with codeine so I could sleep, and an inhaler.  By the next week the only thing that was better was the infection and the cough.  I'm past week two now and still am having trouble breathing - I've had a chest x-ray (to see if I had pneumonia - negative), blood work (to rule out valley fever - negative), and a CT scan just this morning (to again check for pneumonia - in case the x-ray missed it!).  I'm on breathing treatments now, which aren't doing a whole heck of a lot, I must say.  If they don't see improvement in a few days, then I will probably be sent to a pulmonologist.  This is CRAZY.     The worst part of it all at this point is I'm so freakin' bored!!  I'm watching too much television, I can only read so much because my brain isn't very focused, and there are too many things that need to be done and I feel like I should be able to get them done.  But, because I get winded doing small amounts of activity, I can't really do too much.  It's all very frustrating, but I guess I'm learning a few things in this process:  patience with myself and with my family, how to accept help (which I REALLY suck at), how to let others deal with their own needs sometimes (I'm better at that, but not as good as I thought I was), and how to let some things just go (again, something I thought I had learned a long time ago, but maybe not so much)... 

I am doing better - Ladybug and I went to lunch today.  We went to Baja Fresh.  Not very exciting, but as I'm not exactly running a marathon right now, my appetite isn't very big.  But the BF Baja Tacos are quite good.  Then we trudged (I say "trudge" because of my verrry slow pace) around Ulta for a little bit before heading back home.    BTW, Oropher,  Ladybug and I have decided that "it's" your fault. ; )  We are getting hooked on Urban Decay makeup - well, at least the eye makeup.  I even got the mascara.  Love it!

In other crazy post-vacation news:  We, gratefully, had no problems driving to and from California in my Passat.  However, when we got home Hubby, Sonofgeek and I all noticed a very strange grindy noise coming from my car.  Both Hubby and SOG thought it was the steering.  Hubby was alarmed enough to volunteer to take it in to the dealership and have them check it out.  Good thing he did.  Apparently, the steering rack was cracked!!    Praise the Lord we didn't have this problem while driving on the highway!  At any rate, thankfully it's under warranty and car rental coverage is also included.  So, SOG has had wheels all week (Hubby's car) and Hubby's been driving the rental.  With me being sick, it's actually worked out well.  We were hoping to have the car back yesterday, but the parts didn't come in.  Maybe by the end of the week?

The kids go back to school on the 27th.   They pick up their schedules next week.  Pray for SOG - he's still not certain about whether he's going to be able to get into orchestra this year because of the conflict with his Chinese 2 class.  It would really suck if it doesn't work out, but if it doesn't, pray that he can get into another good class that he can enjoy.

 I sure hope this is the end of the craziness for a while.  Don't know when my surgery will be rescheduled, but it's not going to be at least until August at this point (because of all the meds I've been on).  I hope my next post will be not only shorter, but less dramatic ...

Still sick. Started steroids yesterday. Hopefully that will make a difference. Still don't know if I have valley fever, but the doc doesn't think so. Surgery has been put off for ast least a few more weeks. I seem to be one of few who find it disgusting how folks who are Christians think it's okay to bash a dead man. Struggling with how to talk to them without disrespecting their opinions but giving them mine. I'm ready to be back to "normal", whatever that is. Too many friends and family are going through crap right now and it's overwhelming - cancer, divorce, married to an unbeliever, autistic child, alzheimer's, sick baby, infertility... Kind of puts things into perspective, doesn't it.

I could use something to lighten the day up a bit, thought you might, too. Don't know if you've heard of or seen any of Rhett and Link's stuff, but they're pretty funny. Sonofgeek showed me this one yesterday.

So, now I am having trouble breathing, have a terrible cough, and because I had to go on antibiotics for the infection they've had to postpone my surgery anyway.  Sucks.  Pray that I only have to put it off a week, otherwise it will have to be done at the ABSOLUTELY WORST time - the week before school.  It's not so bad for Sonofgeek as he can take Hubby's car that day and pick up his schedule on his own.  But, Ladybug, being a freshman, will need me to tag along for schedule-pick up day.   Well, at least it's just my shoulder and not anything that has to be done right away.  Worst case scenario is that I have to live with the pain for a little while longer and I have the surgery once they're back in school.  Not the best plan, but we could make it work if we have to.

We were going to go see Ice Age 3 today (hey, the other two were funny), but I don't think I have the energy. 

Back from beautiful San Diego!  It was beautiful - cool and sunny.  California weather at it's best, though we did manage to all get some pretty bad sunburns even after we had used sunscreen.  I had forgotten how harsh the rays can get when you are around water.  Still, it was a nice week - went to Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, old town, Seaport Village, took a cruise of the harbor, went to the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla, drove to Coronado Island and walked the beach behind the resort where "Some Like it Hot" was filmed.   At Sea World and the zoo the animals were at their best!!  Got some really great pics.  Will post when I get the energy.  The worst part of vacation:  the drive home.  We stopped in Yuma for lunch, got out of the car  to a scorching 115*.  Blech.

One interesting thing that happened while we were still in SD was what we surmised to be a flash mob.  We were walking back to the hotel from dinner (downtown) and hundreds of cyclists were riding down the middle of the main thoroughfare in the middle of town - stopping traffic, causing a great ruckus.  We couldn't figure out what it was all about - at first we thought it might be for some cause of some sort, but there was one guy who kept stopping cars in the middle of intersections and telling them to, "Lighten up.  Can't we all just have a little fun?!"     He was also kicking the cars of people who wouldn't stop.  Not so cool - to both the kicker and the non-stoppers.  It had the potential to become a very bad situation (people's tempers and all), so I was relieved when the police showed up and started scattering the cyclists. 

And, what the heck happened to the world of celebrity when we left town?!  Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and the lesser-known Billy Mays?  Are you kidding me?!  Think maybe God is trying to get our attention?  It is so sad.  I was especially saddened by Michael Jackson's death - what a terrible life that man had, regardless of how much "stuff" he had, it seems as if no one really truly cared about him.  And I wonder if anyone ever shared the Gospel with him, told him that God loved him, that Jesus loved him and died for him, that regardless of his earthly father's expectations, God loved him just as he was and that he didn't need to try so hard to be something he wasn't.  It just breaks my heart.  Say what you want, think what you want.  None of us really knows what he did or did not do in this life, but if we learn nothing else from the deaths of these people - and especially the life and death of MJ - we ought to  (and I ought to!) be spurred on to remember something I read this morning in an e-devotional:  "Everyone you meet is fighting some sort of battle."  If we remember that, we will not be so quick to judge, but will be much quicker to pray, to speak the truth, and to do it in love.  I believe this is true not just for those we come into contact with every day, but also for those we read about on the covers of tabloid magazines and hear about on the news.  We tend to forget that celebrities are also people.  The main difference between us and them is that their mistakes are broadcast for the entire world to see and ours are kept private.  Call me crazy, but I think we ought to be praying for the Michael Jackson's (well, it's too late for him, unfortunately), the Britney's, the Madonna's, and all the other celebrities that we tend to act all high and mighty about.  Who are we to say whether or not God will open their eyes at some point to the Truth?  We were once blind and now we see.  Who are we to decide?  Sure, we are not supposed to cast our pearls before swine, but as most of us will never have personal contact with these people I don't think that applies.  I do think that there are people that God has placed in the world of show business to share His love with these people.  We need to pray for them as we pray for our missionaries in Africa.  I was reminded of that only yesterday when a story came on about MJ.  One of his earlier albums was produced by Michael Omartian - a believer.   I don't know if he is still working in the secular industry, but if so, he needs prayer for courage, boldness, protection, etc. to live his life "out loud" that those around him see Jesus.  

Whew.  That was a taller soapbox than normal.  Apologies.

Anyway, I'm glad to be home.  Now I've got some awful ear/nose/throat infection.  Doc has me on a Z-pack so hopefully it will be nipped in the bud before my surgery next week.  Otherwise, it will have to be postponed - and I REALLY don't want to have to do that.

And it's 3:33 pm.  Oropher and Suz - See?  That time is still somehow "haunting" me.

What a day!!  This is how it went down...

Slept in until 8 am, which was really great as I didn't sleep much last week.  For good reason, though - Oropher and Our Mutual Florida Friend (we REALLY need to find you a better name, Suz) were visiting!!  I'm not as young as I used to be and find that I can't stay up as late or shop as long as I used to : (  Still, we had a TON of fun talking, eating, shopping - pretty much the same things we've always done, only this time accompanied by our daughters.  There were moments that I found it a little bit surreal.  It's hard to believe we've known each other as long as we have, but I am so grateful for them both.

*a moment of interruption - I hear NCIS in the background!*

Anyway, they left yesterday and so today I got a little extra sleep.  Once I was up, I got some laundry started, checked and responded to emails, made an appointment for Sears to come out and look at my refrigerator before the warranty expires, returned some dvds to Blockbuster, and mailed out Oropher's toiletries bag and makeup bag (should be there by Friday).  After that, I went to my Jenny Craig appointment. 

I was totally expecting to have gained a pound at worst, at best not have lost any weight and just maintained for the week.  I did fairly well on my diet for the first half of the week, but the second half was abysmal.  The food was good, though!!  We ate at a restaurant called Tomaso's the other night that was TO DIE FOR.  I had pancetta wrapped halibut with lobster mashed potatoes and asparagus, preceded by an amazing insalata caprese.  Amazing.  But, I digress.  I weighed in and by some miracle and the grace of God, I lost almost a quarter of a pound.  Not much, but the fact that I LOST was incredible.  Must have burned some calories flapping my jaws all week ; )

I felt bad, though, because my poor counselor was having a terrible time.  She had to put her dog down this morning.  I told her I totally understood as it's been almost a year since we had to put Rocket down, and I told her I would pray for her.  This spurred her on to tell me that she had been going back to church.  She was raised Catholic and for some reason decided she needed to go back to church (don't know how long she hasn't been going).   She's been going for three weeks and now with her current circumstances she feels even stronger that she should be there.  Pray for her.

After I left JC, I went home and took the kiddos to lunch.  They wanted Jack in the Box, so we went to the one closest to us.    Sonofgeek ordered the mini chicken sandwiches.  When he got to the third sandwich he made a face and said, "Blech!  What IS that?"  Of course, I immediately grabbed the sandwich from him and looked inside.  It was a 3/4" BOLT!!!!   I took it up to the front counter where the assistant manager was and showed him the sandwich.  He took it from me to the "cooks" in the back and they talked for a minute.  He came back to me and said, "Nothing's missing, I don't know where it came from.  Does he want us to make him a new sandwich?"  Seriously.  When I looked at him like he had lost his mind, he said,  "Here's your money back."  Then he said again, "I don't know where it came from."  And, "Good thing he didn't bite into it."  Really.  He did not apologize.  He did not ask if Sonofgeek was okay.   There were two highly-piereced young men standing at the register waiting to order watching the whole fiasco and asked me what was in the sandwich.  When I told them, they just looked at me with big eyes.  I kept thinking, "So, WHY are you still standing here?  Leave!"  Grrrr.  I told Hubby and he wants me to write corporate headquarters, not only because the manager was such a  *&^%$, but just in case it is a case of someone sabotaging JIB food.  Judging from the reaction I got, I doubt it.

We ended our afternoon by yet another viewing of the Star Trek movie.  Sonofgeek's and my third time and Ladybug's second.  Still a great movie.  We're definitely getting it when it comes out on dvd.

On tomorrow's agenda:  I have to go to the dentist and Sonofgeek gets his senior pictures taken. 

Feeling rather blah today.  Ever have one of those days (in my case, one of those weeks) where you feel like a complete outcast, and not really for any one reason in particular?  If not, please don't let me know.  I already feel like a weirdo.  If so, that will at least make me feel more "normal".  I'm going to chalk it up to either hormones or the new meds I'm on and move on...

This is going to be a busy week:  I'm still emptying containers from the garage, but I'm almost done.  Gotta get the house ready for the baby shower on Saturday and do the "regular" cleaning stuff that needs to be done.  I have to be at Ladybug's school tomorrow morning and Wednesday afternoon because she is singing for both her team assembly ("The Climb" by Miley Cyrus) and for the end of school assembly ("The National Anthem").  I also have a women's ministry meeting on Wednesday morning.  At least school will be done on Wednesday, and Sonofgeek only has half days tomorrow and Wednesday because of finals.

Poor Sonofgeek, pray for him.  He is totally stressing this week.  I swear he's got senioritis and he's not even a senior yet!!  He's stressing over a scheduling problem we've run into for next year.  Lord willing, it will work itself out.  Chinese 2 and orchestra conflict next year, so either his Chinese teacher has to be kind and allow him to be in the Chinese 1 class and teach him the second year stuff or we're going to have to pay for him to take Chinese 2 at the community college.... WHICH would also mean that his already busy schedule would get even busier.  Not my favorite option.   The least favorite option is, of course, for him to drop orchestra.   He's played for three years, it's the only "fun" class he takes, the orchestra teacher loves him, he loves playing his cello, he doesn't have time to participate in a community orchestra, and it would be good for him to complete the four years.  Aaaaaah!  He's also stressing out because he's taking the SAT on Saturday.  So, basically he's a ball of stress.  I wish I could help him calm down, but he can get very intense when it comes to academics.  I just keep telling him that he needs to chill out.  He knows it, but it's tough.

Oh, and yesterday I had a moment of startling realization when I was thinking about Ladybug starting high school.  In 2010, all of the following will occur:

Hubby and I will celebrate our 20th anniversary
Ladybug will get her learner's permit
Sonofgeek will turn 18
Sonofgeek will graduate from high school
Ladybug will turn 16
Ladybug will get her driver's license
Sonofgeek will start college

YIKES!!  It's going to be a momentous year, I think.