Archive for October, 2008

The ear fiasco 2008 continued…

Yesterday I talked to my cousin Annie, who also was diagnosed with an ear infection. She talked to her pediatrician and explained my situation. The pediatrician was sure I would be fine to fly on Saturday and this sparked some quick-based action. I called the walk-in clinic I visited on Tuesday to see which ENT they were referring me to. I still haven’t heard back from them. So I called Annie’s ENT in Olathe and they got me in TODAY! I was totally surprised that things moved that quickly. Today after leaving 15 minutes later than planned from work I rushed to Olathe Medical Center, got lost of course and was pretty late for my “be 30 minutes early to do paperwork” date. I did that paperwork in RECORD time I tell you. Then I was off to the otologist for a rather intense hearing test. I’m not hearing so well out of my infected ear, chuh. I was sweating during the test though, my breathing is so loud and labored due to my cold that I was afraid I’d miss some of the high-pitched noises so I held my breath. Next I saw the ENT who checked me out and suggested that I either get temporary ear tubes put in or take short-term steroids. The important part was that he said to definitely NOT cancel the trip to Sanibel. SWEET! I was kinda thrown off by the whole ear tubes bit, I didn’t think I’d have to make such a big decision. And anything involving slicing and inserting sounds like a big deal. He said I could think about it and get back to him the next day (Friday). After talking to mom I decided the ear tubes were the way to go, only problem being I am working all day Friday and have already put this family through the ringer. I didn’t want to go back on my commitment to them so I called the ENT office back and asked if they had any availability today. This is at 2ish PM. They had an appointment at 3:20 and I said I’d take it. What a whirlwind. I went back, the procedure took about 15 minutes and now I’m ready to go!! I am all souped up on drugs now too, shoot. I almost feel like there isn’t a natural product running through my body at all at this point. When those natural products are mucus and viruses, yeah, don’t so much mind those not circulating anymore. Whew. I am worn out. BUT I AM GOING TO SANIBEL. That is the bottom line and it’s the best bottom line. I just can’t believe all that has happened in the last 56ish hours. God is GOOD!

LOVE!

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It’s all your fault xanga

This morning at about 3 AM I woke up with INCREDIBLY awful pain in my right ear. Nothing would help me out and I miserably laid in bed for 3 hours until it was time to get up for work. I tried a washcloth with hot water on my ear, I tried the blow-dryer (desperate times call for desperate measures), I tried laying my head every which way to lessen the pain but NO. Then BAM! at 6 all the pain medicine I’d been taking for the past three hours all hit at once, and, though I’ve never been on speed and don’t plan on ever being, I imagine that’s what it feels like. Everything was racing and I was ready to go! do anything! homework! yes! what a GREAT IDEA! So I went to work feeling MUCH better, thinking it all just a fluke. I texted mom so that when she awoke this morning her first thought would be panic over her beloved daughter’s night’o'pain. Miraculously she moved beyond the panic and suggested I go to a walk-in clinic as I have plans to fly to Florida this weekend. I did and those plans, yeah, not happening anymore. I could fly but I would be in extreme pain and/or my ear drum would burst. My ear drum is extremely extended and there are some other gross details that I will leave be, as I did expose you all to talk of poo yesterday. Let’s just say that three doctors had to come look at my ear because it was such a rare sight. awesome. Yes, having that otoscope shoved in there two more times than is necessary feels AMAZING. Sorry but this calls for serious sarcasm. ha…”serious sarcasm”. oh man

Cold, did you NOT get the letter I posted? You couldn’t just LEAVE? You had to kick me in the rear (or ear) on your way out? YOU STOLE MY FREE VACATION IN SANIBEL!!! I abhor you.

The thing is, I hadn’t really allowed myself to get excited about this trip because it was always in question. We didn’t know if Ethan would be able to fly or would be feeling well. We didn’t know if it would work at all. Last week I FINALLY started looking forward to the trip, I got out a suitcase, starting making plans, began to dream about the beach and renewing my tan. I finally shared my joy with all of you via xanga yesterday and look what happened.
Now I will be faithfully taking antibiotics and moping around cold Kansas. Unless I can find someone to drive with me!

ho hum

love

ps I did find it interesting that yesterday I felt completely FINE, great even. Yesterday I had to submit 2 exams, neither of which I studied for extensively. There is a plan. I just wish that plan included Sanibel next week.

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Recent Grievances (in case you were JUST wondering how to not annoy me)

When people don’t turn their headlights on while driving in the rain

Colds that don’t die

No Starbucks on the way to any of my jobs, it’s silly I know

My left contact

Firefox lately

My lack of funds inhibiting the buying of shoes, glorious, patent-leather shoes

My car takes 20 minutes to warm up

(not for the weak-stomached) poop, I hang out with kids all day and when I leave them I SWEAR I can still smell poo on me, eck

It’s been almost a week since I’ve seen my dear Ethan, don’t worry though, I shall be spending a week with him in Sanibel starting Saturday (guess that cancels out the grievance part, eh?)

On the other hand,
I’m leaving for Sanibel on Saturday for basically a free vacation. I finished “Into Thin Air” and EVERY NIGHT I am thankful I am getting to SLEEP in a BED with LOTS of blankets and OXYGEN inside a HOUSE at WAY less than 29,000 feet above sea level. I get to see my brother tomorrow AND I’m getting a pre-free-vacation pedicure on Wednesday. I just took an exam that I studied for maybe 3 hours for today and got on 84% (it should be 86% because one of the questions was wrong, I’ve petitioned that, we’ll wait and see) and I’m pretty okay with that.

Okay off to bed, you know, that warm place with lots of oxygen? AHHHH

LOVE!

ps. I was reading last month’s InStyle (addicted to it) and on the last page they have these mini-interviews with famous people. Last month was Lindsay Lohan and she said she likes to get manicures and O.P.I. makes this great color called Russian Navy that she likes. Seriously?!?! I SOOOO wrote a post about that (actually I wrote two) 6 months ago, how ahead of the style curve AM I?!?! If you don’t believe me, just look. Man, it’s so hard being this cool.

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the slippery slope in reading

I’ve been on a nonfiction kick of late. And what a grand kick it has been. I can’t stop reading nonfiction, which is strange because I consider myself such a HUGE (classical) fiction fan. I still am but dude! nonfiction is so useful! For instance, I just read a book about the life of Anne Boleyn, as I felt I had to balance out “The Other Boleyn Girl” (eek). Mom and I were watching a show about Henry VIII and I was able to point out the fallacies at every opportunity (which I am SURE she appreciated) because I had read that book. Therefore, reading nonfiction has made me the smartest person in the WORLD! I was trying to think back to why I began this wonderful journey (ha) and I think it started with “Into the Wild”. In case you are also looking to change things up and be able to spout facts to your family with authority, here are some other good ones;
“Anne Boleyn” by Joanna Denny
“The Berlin Wall” by Fred Taylor
“Marie Antoinette: The Journey” by Antonia Fraser
(beware, you may become addicted to nonfiction

I love being able to read, at length, about something I am curious about. I am currently reading “Into Thin Air” by John Krakauer, who also wrote “Into the Wild”. It’s so overwhelming to think about all the books out there that I’ve yet to read. So much has happened in our world and I only know a teensy bit about it. I plan on changing that and becoming the smartest person in the WORLD! Just so you know.

LOVE!

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Dear cold,
Please leave.  You’ve been around for almost a week now and I don’t much appreciate it.  Why must you hang about so?  I made things pretty easy for you, except for the complaining, but, hey, you’re a cold, were you expecting a welcome mat?  It’s nice to have an excuse to lay around all day (only one!) but not so great when I’m out of work and a week behind in homework because of you.  Do you realize how hard it is to convince people I am okay to watch their INFANT when I sound like I’ve been struck by the plague?  And while I appreciate you going for the Guiness Record of Most Snot Produced in a Week, I suggest you pick another category, like say Shortest Cold or Lightest Cold, I’d totally vouch for you on those.  I will say this, I’ve discovered and obsessed over the word “contagiousity” because of you.  Some may think it’s not actually a word, but when I worried about giving you away to those I love I thought up this word and it’s stuck around, probably due to its contagiousity.  Did you see what I did there?  ha.  Thanks for not sucking all the humor out of my body.  I read that there are over 200 types of cold, I’m relatively sure I’ve had them all, so spread the word to your friends, don’t come knocking at this door, we’re IMMUNE. 

Not so much love,
Mandy

LOVE!

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You see that precious face below, in the previous entry?

Well he gave me a wicked cold.  I suppose I shouldn’t have lavished so many kisses upon him, but, honestly? how could I resist that smirk and soft skin?  I’ve been thinking a lot about my family (AMAZING) and how the birth of my cousins’ children affects me.  I find myself so attached to their kids, most likely a product of my attachment to my cousins.  I want to be close to them, to be a witness to their lives, for them to recognize me not just from photos but from my interaction with them.  As I spend time with my cousin Annie and her children it seems odd to me that people are not close to their cousins.  I feel as though my cousins, all 10 of them (on both sides) have been my lifelong playmates, though we have about a 15-year age range between all of us.  As I’ve said before, my best and most-cherished memories are always when I’m with my family.  Whether that be just one member (I’m sure you know who ;)) or the whole gaggle of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, cousins’ spouses, and the great-grands (cousins’ kids), there is always fun to be had.  I suppose it’s not so inexplicable that I am so overjoyed that our family continues to expand and yet we still actually KNOW each other, we still have deep conversations, still comfort each other in our despair, still celebrate each milestone, and still love each other without limits.  I love that I know my “side” at my wedding will be my whole, ginormous family.  I love thinking about the future and how the circle will keep going when my cousins’ kids will babysit my kids who will babysit the cousins’ grandkids (follow that?).  Family, oh what a blessing!
Okay I totally didn’t plan on blogging about that, but I’ve had a bad cold since Wednesday so that has consumed my thoughts.  Cold leads to Ethan which leads to family!  I would give Ethan millions more kisses and not care about the risk of cold! 
Will work on broadening my blogging horizons by finding subjects other than Ethan.

LOVE!

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I know, I know

What can I say to explain my lengthy and extremely quiet absence from blogging? Let’s see, well, DC to Denver to home then off to Northwest Arkansas for Homecoming? Fill in the free time with loads of homework, studying, reconnecting with good friends and working? This equals BUSY! Honestly I feel like I haven’t yet caught my breath since leaving for DC. I’ve just today gotten back on track as far as homework is concerned. Oh and I’ve fallen in love. With my 11-week old cousin (please spare me the hick jokes). Seriously. I don’t care that he’s colicky, I don’t care that half the time I am with him he is screaming in my ear or placing his precious toes into his dirty diaper. He’s so dang cute. Which is interesting timing as I just spent a weekend talking to my JBU girlfriends about how we are SO not ready for kids. I mean, my first reason is that I am not married, which is a deal-clincher for me with the whole kids business. Shocking, I know. Secondly I LOVE SLEEP. Thirdly I make, oh, about $1,000,000 less than is necessary to raise a child. Anyhoo. Last week I helped my cousin Annie out with her 10-week-old Ethan. When I left on Thursday and imparted on that loathed drive from KC to Siloam Springs (more on that later) I realized I missed Ethan. I love how he smells and how his head fits perfectly under my chin. I love his coos and giggles and full-body smiles. I couldn’t wait to go back and cuddle with him yesterday morning. So this makes me think that someday I will be ready to have kids. I have always known I will and have always wanted kids, but once I got to that stage of life where it seems like everyone I know is having kids, I started to freak out. At least now I know that the freaking out can hold off for a long while. There is freaking out that I need to focus on now, like WHEN WILL I EVER FIND A GUY? SERIOUSLY? Will I EVER get married? Will I live with my parents FOREVER?

LOVE!

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I know it has been almost 2 weeks since I wrote something here but it’s been a crazy two weeks.  I went to D.C., my Opa died, I flew to Denver so I could get to Colorado Springs, spent a lot of time with my family and drove over 8 hours to get back to Kansas.  Next week I have an insane amount of homework, will be working full-time and am heading down to JBU for Homecoming.  I feel like I haven’t been home in months. 
Yes, Opa, my paternal grandfather, passed away.  It hasn’t been that long and I really haven’t formulated my thoughts about all of this.  It was a really hard week for all of us even though we know that Opa is in glory now.  I do know that I have one of the most amazing families in the history of family, and that goes for both sides.  I also know that I have seriously underestimated the kindness of neighbors and friends.  I met two men this past week who have done so much for my Oma and Opa, who, whether or not they know it, have been used by God to bless my grandparents.  One man, a neighbor, shovelled my grandparents’ driveway every day it snowed.  If it snowed again, which it does in Colorado, within the hour, he was back to re-shovel.  When did I become to cynical as to not believe things like this happened?  God is showing me so much and convicting me as well.  The Lord is so good.

LOVE!

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