A Very Silver Lining So Far

So you all know about my ridiculous last few weeks. Not fun. Not easy. A lot of spirit was sucked out of me then, but it failed to kill my sense of humor and, most importantly, my optimism. Some really cool things happened because of those days.

1) Firstly, I have had a long going addiction to caffeine. I cannot survive without my coffee in the mornings. If I tried to resist, the headaches would always send me running back to the coffee machine. But, in the last three weeks, I have had no desire to drink coffee and somewhere between the tooth pain and the pain meds, I must have not noticed the headaches. So, as of now? No more coffee addiction! I still love the taste, but it's not required. Wahoo!

2) Next, for those two weeks I spent very little money. I was not tempted at work to buy the fancy coffee or the snack. I didn't go out and socialize at too-expensive places. It felt really good to not spend money on the stuff I really didn't need. Bank account is much happier!

3) I'm a girl that's been wearing makeup for a long time. My skin isn't too bad, but I really liked my little mask. During those two weeks of bedrest and staying home, however, I didn't put even a dot of makeup on. And the result? Awesome looking skin! I haven't worn any since and it feels amazing! I am proud to walk around in my own pretty skin, and I love not having to spend the time to put it on in the mornings. Hurray!

4) Also, because of the meds I'm on, I need to take in a lot of yogurt. For a girl that hates milk, and only eats dairy in cheese form most of the time, this has done me wonders! My body feels so much better now that I have so much dairy in my diet. Hello beautiful fingernails and healthy bones!

These are just a few of the benefits that came from going through my tooth hell. So, it wasn't all bad. I feel prettier, healthier and more motivated. Hurray for the silver lining! I hope to always be able to find the good things in very bad situations. A little part of me is almost pleased it all happened. Not saying I want to go through it again though... :)

A Small Taste of Summer

My cat and I are gazing out the kitchen window once more. The sky is still clear, and the sun has wrapped around our street and is now peaking through the western most windows on its way to the horizon. I spent a decent amount of time at this table today and noticed so many pleased faces as they walked by outside, drinking in the sunshine. It got up to 71 degrees at my house, and it felt amazing. My windows and doors were flung open wide! My sprinkler guy came today to turn our underground system back on and after he left, a thin layer of water sparkled on the grass. I went outside and it smelled like rain. Felt good on the toes too! Heavenly! The birds are singing, and the city is alive. It may only last a few days this week, but this gorgeous weather (and the happiness it brings) is warmly welcomed. I took a few moments an hour ago to sit on my bench in the front yard. The plants surrounding me are about to pop with their little buds. I cross-stitched for a good while, just soaking in the goodness of it all. I was able to work a bit today too. First time back to the lab in the last two weeks. I am not out of the woods just yet with my teeth, and I have a lot of healing left, but I am ready to be productive again. I can finally concentrate and get things done. It felt good to be back. I'll just have to take it easy. Thankfully, my coworkers and (most importantly) my employer, have been very understanding. Thank goodness! Well, my sister just left me the house to myself for a spell, so I think I'll pick up the cross-stitch once more, find a cozy spot, and get to work. I hope tomorrow is just as nice!

An Update from the Dental World

So where did I leave off last time? Ah! Sense & Sensibility. I was healing, and un-numbing. Well, of course the chaos can't end there, can it?? For the pain from my tooth removal I got a new drug, Tylenol 3. Ok! Less narcotic! We'll give 'er a shot. Next morning? I'm hungover again. I kinda feel like dying. Every time I run to the bathroom the cat follows and watches me. It's weird. I ended up spending some good quality time sitting on the cool tile with a glass of water in my hand and a cat by my side. It was easier than getting up and walking to my room. I finally got the new pill out of my system and was back to feeling up again. I am so paranoid about my mouth not healing correctly, so I was following the instructions to the letter! I re-read them often. Gently swished with salt water. Brushed lightly in the area. Was careful which side I chewed on and didn't use any straws. And then, I had this awesome idea to eat a little bit of a donut....with sprinkles. Gingerly I munched away and later, upon looking in the mirror, I found my worst nightmare. A sprinkle! In the hole where my tooth was removed! No no no no no no! How am I supposed to get it out?! Talk about a lot of swishing, but the sprinkle left and I could relax again.... Then, over dinner, I decided on spaghetti. Yes, real food! So I ate my meal and watched TV. My mother sent me a cute picture of herself on her phone so I took a pic in return. As I looked at the photo I'd just taken, I could only shake my head. My chin was covered in tomato sauce. I'd had no idea. Because it's numb I couldn't feel it! I sent the picture anyway before scrubbing. What a mess! Next morning? New adventure: swelling. Yep, this is the next chapter in E. Charlotte's Recovery Story. My cheek was very much chipmunk like, which was odd three days after my dentist appointment. Hmmm. Well we pondered about it, and iced it, and decided to go to the doc the next day. Morning came around and now not only my cheek, but my chin, and my lip and my gums were swollen. Many a joke arose, some slightly creative references to the Elephant man, and I finally got in to to see the Doc at 2. Well, I shoulda known by the look on his face and his "I'm gonna go make a call..." that I was in trouble. Next stop? Oral Surgeon! (Only after bursting into scared tears in the dentist office.) The surgeon was rough but smart and thankfully, did not see the need to put me under and slice me open like I thought he would. Instead, I was given lots and lots and lots of antibiotics. May I mention that one of those doses was injected in me? To jump start the process. The place they put it? Butt cheek... It was a day of new experiences for sure. Oy! That night, last night, was a scary one. If it got worse it meant a trip to the ER. If it got better we might be in business. I didn't sleep. Neither did my mother. But there has been progress made, and I am remaining hopeful that my body can fight this off. It has been one hell of a ride so far. So here I am, still numb on my chin, still a little puffy, and my stomach is screaming obscenities at me for drowning it first, in Ibuprofen, and now in antibiotics. Time to finish my yogurt and get ready for bed. We'll see what tomorrow holds!

Nothing quite fixes things like Jane Austen!

I, curled up with a heating pad and a milkshake, enjoyed a little Sense & Sensibility this afternoon while I healed. The stunning views of the country side were wonderful, and got my mind off of the pain. Now, one tooth less, I am relaxing with my fuzzy Bear and relishing this time off of work. The healing is slow to start, but I look forward to being done with this soon. Oh how I long for a hamburger! LOL. So until then, I will lounge, and rest, and pretend that I, in my empire waist gown, is relaxing in my cottage in England. :)

"Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds. Or bends with the remover to remove. Oh no! It is an ever fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken." Shakespeare, Sonnet 116

Ow!

Oh what a week! Monday I felt ill, and stayed home from work Tuesday. That's when the pain started. A throbbing in my jaw and teeth. What in the world was going on?? Pain pills did little to help and I spent Wednesday at home as well. I couldn't find an ice pak worthy, but I did find a small frozen pizza in a box which I tied to my face with a kitchen towel. It helped for a little while, but was hard not to laugh at. My sister took a lot of photos before preparing me a better suited remedy. Laughing felt good for the soul, but bad for the mouth. Thursday came, along with my dentist appointment, where they told me? .....nothing! They shrugged, told me to find a root canal specialist, and handed me a prescription. Well, at least I had a prescription! For what? ...Evil Lortabs! After my first one, I stumbled around the house, wide eyed and confused looking. But the pain was gone! I continued using them all evening and into the morning. Then I started to feel funny. Dizzy, disoriented....oh no oh no oh no I think I'm gonna vomit! It was the worst "hangover" of my life. I could eat nothing, watching TV made me dizzy, I was tired, and dehydrated, and still in pain! I gave up on the pills that day and awoke the following morning so much better! The pain had localized. I knew what was the issue! Hurray! I felt good enough to clean my basement, straighten the house, wash all my linens, and hang out with my family. And then it happened...the pain came back, stronger and stronger, and then my lip went numb. I was confused. Then my chin. As of right now, Sunday morning, the lower half of my face has no feeling. Oy! Apparently the nerve in my jaw is gettin' squished. So after frantic calls to my dentists' houses, I finally got a call back. I'm due in this afternoon to get the tooth removed. And hopefully all the feeling will come back to my face! I am nervous for the extraction, but it's gotta be better than what I'm going through now. So many useful days wasted! Wish me luck!

The Great Bear Cave!

So, Sunday found me celebrating Easter, but it also found me in the cold shadow near the garage helping my boyfriend hammer in nails. We were finishing The Project. What was it? Well, let me explain. My dear kitty, Bear, has a tendency to, uh, pee on things. We can't break her of the vindictive habit, and my love for her runs too deep to give her up, so the bathroom became her temporary "bedroom." When we couldn't supervise her, we would put her in her "room." Well, after so long I couldn't stand that any more! So we found two solutions: make her a mostly-outdoor-cat, and, give her a new room to live in when she comes home. That meant building her a very tall structure for her to sleep in, in the garage, when she isn't outside. We used 2X4s and chicken wire and it worked like a charm! (After four separate nights of trying to finish it...) I furnished it with all of Bear's favorites: scratch post (up high so she can see out the window), favorite bath mats to keep her toesies warm on the concrete, her fave toys and squishy bed. I was so happy to get it done! Now she just needs a TV and a few pictures on the walls! LOL. I put her in it Sunday afternoon and watched as she wandered around, a little confused. After learning of the window view, though, she was pleased! Thank goodness! Up next? Cleaning the bathroom! No more kitty hair and spilled kibble! I couldn't wait. What a wonderful day it had been to get that big loose end tied! Now that it's Tuesday, I can safely say that the new enclosure is working just fine. I've covered some of it with blankets to insulate it at the moment. It's been snowing here! Brrr! Yesterday morning, I went out to check on her and she was sitting, impatiently, near the little door to her house. With worried eyes she seemed to say "Mom? I don't mean to judge, but I think you accidentally left me out here last night. You went to sleep before putting me back in the house..." Whoops! So, now she has the walls insulated and a heat lamp. That will get her through the next few frigid weeks, then she'll be comfy. The next big item for me then is letting her become an outdoor cat. This is huge for me. I'm so scared of something happening and her little self not coming home. I'll work up to it. At least for now she can wander the house when I'm home, and when it's sleepy time she can curl up in The Great Bear Cave. And I'm more than content with my sparkling bathroom, finally litter free! This roof now covers one very happy home--for woman and cat alike.

My honey, stapling the chicken wire.

Bear in her new house!

Completely & Utterly Blessed

You know that best friend you have in high school? The kind of friend you have that you need to see every single day. The one that you send notes to between classes and you see on the weekends too. You never get tired of them. You can tell them anything, and they give you THE BEST advice--on everything from problems at school, issues at home and of course, boys. It's the friend that knows you inside and out, ugly and beautiful, happy and sad. It's the friend that is so real and exactly what you need whenever you need her. The kind of person you know would be there if the world went dark. The person you'd take with you if you were stranded on an island. You have so much in common you've lost count how many ways, and you bring out the best in each other. They get you through those rough times when no one else can. A friend like that means the world, and nothing less. This type of friend is priceless, (and thankfully can actually be found far from high school). Mine? Well, I'm actually pretty lucky, because mine's my Mom. I realized even more so today when I saw her, after seeing her so much recently, that she is that person to me. She's like my best girlfriend in high school. She's the one who I think is so wise that I always ask for her advice. And of course she knows me better than anyone. For 24+ years she's seen me at my best and worst, stumbling, standing, learning and growing. She never lets me down, she never falters, she's my rock. I tell her everything! Things that surprise her, and even surprise me as I hear them coming out of my mouth! But she doesn't mind. She knows exactly what I need, exactly when I need it. She's a constant comfy place in a sometimes very rough world. My flesh and blood hero! My Mom! How lucky am I to have such a friend in this world! I am completely and utterly, blessed.

Even the Geese Sang Praises!

What a glorious day it is indeed! And with the sun shining its heart out on my little mountain town. I awoke early this morning, and eager. I dressed, made coffee, quietly, trying not to disturb the slumber of my beloved. I watched the clock closely. My mother was to arrive at 6:45 am! As the second cup of coffee finished filling its cup, I tip-toed back to the bedroom. I left a chocolate bunny in front of the alarm clock, and kissed his shoulder, crept out and hurried into the warm car waiting outside. We were headed to the park by the river. The sky was light, but the sun still not risen, as we joined a group of chilly individuals. In coats and hats and mittens we held dearly to our coffee mugs and loved ones. Oh how I enjoy the Easter Sunrise Service! We sang "Morning Has Broken" with still-waking voices and enjoyed scripture and sermon alike. A church bell rang somewhere else in the city and geese made their joyful noise as they flew over our grouping. After prayers and communion, another song sang, we looked around and enjoyed the the sunbeams setting Lolo Peak alight. As we bid adieu to others, and headed back on the road, the sun pulled its final beams over the mountains to the East and warmed our path. With a smile and wave, my Mom and I parted ways. I have kept myself busy with projects around the house, and am looking forward to joining the sister at my parent's house here soon. It's about time for egg hunts, Easter baskets, turkey dinner and fun! I hope you are all enjoying your holiday!

A Friday Night Eggstravaganza!

So yesterday evening found me boiling eggs and preparing our work area for some good old fashioned egg dying! I only bought 6 eggs this time to dye, because we don't eat very many anymore. I bought the "Glitter" kit this year, so after we got creative with the colors, we dipped the eggs in liquid gelatin and then covered them in glitter!

I had a carton of 11 eggs in the fridge, that were bought for a purpose, but never got used fast enough. I hate throwing out eggs! At least this batch got colorfully dyed beforehand!

My sister and I had a wonderful time, acting like kids, goofing off, and making fun eggs. It reminded me of childhood, dying eggs with my Dad while my Mom laughed and video recorded the fun. Me, always dropping the eggs in the cups too hard. Crack! Whoops!

What kind of traditions do you guys have for Easter?

Good Friday!

It might be a little inappropriate, but every time I hear "Good Friday" I think of the song from Singin' in the Rain: "Good Morning," and thus begins the creation of new lyrics, Christ related, to that tune. Makes me laugh every time. It has been a good Friday for me so far. I left little Easter candy goodies for my coworkers on their desks last night so they'd be surprised this morning. They were all quite pleased! The sun is now beaming through my newly-bloomed pink tulips, and my belly is full of warm coffee. I look forward to a lunchtime chat-fest with my Mother here soon, and a trip to Jo-Ann fabrics. I love that store! I need new fabric and that place makes me feel so creative. Tonight you can find me dying Easter eggs with my sister---just like when we were little. It should be a lighthearted, fun night. I feel warm and fuzzy today, and excited at the prospect of a much-needed weekend. Easter Sunday is always a joy with the family, and tomorrow I will use to carry out all of my remaining chores and hopefully get the boyfriend to work on some honey-dos. If only the weather holds out! I'm inspired by the sun! Though the forecast calls for rain. Hopefully they won't call too loudly, and maybe the clouds won't gather here. :) Everyone enjoy their Good Friday!

A Mitten Kind of Morning

Brrr! Snow yesterday, and much frost today. The temperature gauge on the side of the house shivered at some temp between 20 and 30. I was still eager to ride my bike and get some fresh air, so I packed on a few more layers than normal and headed East. My hands were covered in my bright red, Vancouver Olympic mittens that make me grin when I wear them. I arrived to work quickly, with pink cheeks and a smile. The morning bike rides are not very long, but they wake me up like no cup of coffee can. (Especially when it's below freezing out!) If I leave early enough I run into few others on the roads. The sun is always just starting to pull itself up over the mountains and the air smells so good. Winter mornings find me curled under blankets, resisting the cold that will descend on me if I were to get up and go to work. But Spring mornings are full of spirit and hope for the new day. I have been looking forward to the earlier hours, even if they are a bit chilly, because they bloom into such beautiful days. And at work, I have tulips blooming! A gift from my mother, now that my lilies have wilted, I have 4 eager tulip buds that look like they may choose today to unravel their tucked petals. I look forward to their little faces in my window. Now back to the coffee and computer work I go. I hope you all are enjoying the Spring so far and the start of April!