A Good Week

Last week was a really good one. Of course, it was riding on the coattails of the week after I had surgery and was knocked out with drugs, so there was plenty to improve on!

First off, I called my periodontist office Tuesday and they told me I could ease into smiling again. I admit I didn't ease -- I started smiling again outright, at least for the first couple of days. After that I could feel my gums pulling on the stitches, so I reached what I feel is a happy medium, although when I practice in the mirror I realize it looks a little odd. My mouth is already crooked, so the crooked smile makes it super-crooked, and the side I'm smiling with doesn't turn up as much as the side I leave stationary. Oh well... I'm smiling with my eyes and feel happy!

Wednesday I got to see my friends in Seussical the Musical at Midvale Park. It was so fun! I sat with Stephanie M and her husband Troy, and they were sweet to let me hold their baby for a good half hour. Such a cute baby and cute parents! The play was awesome -- I've had the songs in my head ever since. Elisha and Candice and everyone were fantastic in their roles, and it was easy to tell everybody was having a ton of fun, including the audience. I am very proud of my friends on the pro team and onstage. I wanted to see the show again Saturday night, but circumstances got away from me!

Troy and Peanut

Thursday I took my friend Michelle B and her daughter, Abbie to see Beauty and the Beast at the Murray Park Ampitheatre. Michelle loves the music but had never seen the show, and she was thrilled to take her daughter. Abbie was tired and grumpy at the start -- 8pm is her bedtime -- but by the end she was standing up and her eyes were wide. The play was wonderful! Each scene just got better and better, and I cried during "If I Can't Love Her". I never realized just how lonely the Beast is, and how I can relate sometimes. After the play I found the Black family (friends from Bye Bye Birdie who were in Beauty and the Beast) to tell them how much I enjoyed the play. Another one I would have seen twice if I had the time!

Friday Michelle and her boyfriend tried to get a group together to see the Mormon Miracle Pageant in Manti. Since it was last minute, only they and I ended up going. I adore Michelle and Ryan, though, and the three of us had a lot of fun. Michelle and I drove to Provo where Ryan had dinner waiting, then we all drove down to Manti just as the show started. I'd never been before and was surprised at how long it was, and how much it affected me spiritually. I enjoyed the message and was reminded of a few things that I needed to hear. When the show was over, we waited around at the temple grounds, then ate some ice cream in an attempt to avoid the traffic. Ryan has been introducing Michelle to the music from Wicked, and we're all hoping to take a trip somewhere so Michelle can see the play (and us, too, of course), so we sang and talked and laughed all the way home. I didn't get home until 2am, but I loved it!

I had about six things I wanted to do Saturday, but ended up only getting to three: laundry, cleaning my apartment, and going to the temple. It was a lovely, relaxing day. Something I very much needed. I even took the time to straighten my hair for the first time since the Experiment in January. I love my curly hair, but sometimes it's nice to just brush and brush as much as I want and still have it look good. Oddly, I don't really like people making a big deal about the change. I don't know why that is.

The meetings at church on Sunday were great for me. I'm having a hard time getting aquainted with people -- many are nice, but I haven't really clicked with anyone although I've been there a good eight months. Most of the time I make an effort to sit next to someone so I don't feel so solitary, especially if that person is also sitting by themselves. In Relief Society, the lesson was on provident living (or living on a budget within your means), and the teacher had a bunch of us admit to things we'd purchased lately we probably don't really need. I said stickers for my pedicures, because I was too embarassed to admit I saw the Star Trek movie four times in the last month; it's a good movie! In Sunday School, the lesson was on the signs of the last days. I even had a few comments to make. Unfortunately, that teacher didn't see me on the right side of the room, so after about three minutes of raising my hand without him noticing me, I interrupted him. It's rare that I actually have something I want to say out loud, and I was grateful that I had insight into the topic. It meant I learned more than I normally would have. The talks in Sacrament Meeting were about temple attendence. Although I'd been the day before, I was also grateful for their words. I should go to the temple more often than I do. I'm pretty busy, but I'm not quite that busy.

Today was my brother Peter's birthday, but we celebrated yesterday with a big Sunday dinner as is our custom. Peter's girlfriend's family came, too, so I got to meet them for the first time. I can't describe how tasty the meal Mom prepared was (teriyaki chicken, rice, salad, french bread with butter, and squash cooked in italian dressing, and yellow cake with chocolate frosting and vanilla ice cream), or how nice Jordyn's family is. We had a great time chatting, getting to know each other, and watching Peter open presents. He is such a good guy -- truly a reason to celebrate. I'm going to miss him when he goes away to school in the fall!

Peter and Jordyn

This week has all the potential of being another good one, in spite of evening meetings for work tomorrow. Tonight I went to family home evening, enjoyed the speaker, met some new people, and talked with some I already know. I'd call that a success! I'm looking forward to the holiday weekend! Hooray for three days off from work!

Men are Just Happier People

I generally don't pass on funny/inspirational email forwards to my friends, especially friends I don't really keep in touch with outside of email forwards. However, this one made me giggle today so I want to share it. Feel free to paste it in an email and send it to your friends... except for me, because I've seen it ;)

**Disclaimer: For women who have a sense of humor and who can handle it ... and to the men who will enjoy reading it.**

Men Are Just Happier People

NICKNAMES:
* If Laura, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Kate and Sarah.
* If Mike, Dave and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Godzilla and Four-eyes..

EATING OUT:
* When the bill arrives, Mike, Dave and John will each throw in $20, even though it's only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.
* When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.

MONEY:
* A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.
* A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need but it's on sale.

BATHROOMS:
* A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel.
* The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337. A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.

ARGUMENTS:
* A woman has the last word in any argument.
* Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

FUTURE:
* A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
* A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

SUCCESS:
* A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
* A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

MARRIAGE:
* A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.
* A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, but she does.

DRESSING UP:
* A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the trash, answer the phone, read a book, and get the mail.
* A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.

NATURAL:
* Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.
* Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

OFFSPRING:
* Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.
* A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
A married man should forget his mistakes. There's no use in two people remembering the same thing!

5 Little Speckled Frogs Sitting on a Speckled Log...

I know it's after 3pm, because I have this song in my head:



Although, in my head, the frogs say "Ribbit! Ribbit!" instead of "Glug! Glug!" at the end of the verse.

I have a few theories as to why every weekday after 3pm for the last three weeks this song has popped into my head:
Is it because I long to be outside?
Is it because I'm antsy?
Tired of the rain that only recently stopped showing up every day?
Hungry?
A little bored in the midst of all my to-dos?
Sometimes want to just start shouting for no particular reason when I'm in a really quiet room for an extended period of time?

Why yes, yes I believe all of these possibilities apply.

My one attempt to sing the song to get it out of my system was met with "Oh, you" head shakes at first, and then annoyed silence when my co-workers realized I meant to sing the entire song. That's why I only did it the one time. I can only push my silliness so far in a professional setting. Actually, I only sang the first two verses out loud, and at about 5% volume, but I would have finished it at full voice if I hadn't suddenly felt so darn self concious!

Normally, I just hum a few bars, and then look for my iPod.




....Is it time to go home yet?



RIBBIT! RIBBIT!

Happy Future Mother's Day!

When I arrived at my parents' house on Mother's Day, my dad was working on a car in the driveway. I said "Hi" and walked over to give him a kiss on the cheek, and was a little surprised when he gave me a hug and replied "Happy Future Mother's Day!" What a sweet guy. I was, and still am, touched.

For the last couple of months, my dad has been putting in long hours at my condo, pulling out the front closet and rebuilding it so it's big enough to fit a washer and dryer. He's getting very near the end, and it looks great! I firmly believe there is nothing he cannot do with his hands and enough time. I have enjoyed his visits, and the chance to talk with him one-on-one a little. It's very evident to me that one of Dad's favorite ways to show love by doing work, and I have been doing my darndest to express as often as possible how great the closet looks and how much I appreciate his help. It's all true! I'm so excited for when it's done and I can buy a washer and dryer and not have to lug my laundry to his house or the pay washer/dryer in the basement anymore!

Last Monday, Dad came over on his lunch hour to do some work, and discovered that I was still in bed (trying to recover from the surgery and the prescribed medication). It concerned him that not only was I home at 1:30pm on a Monday, but I slept through the entire two hours he was there, presumably banging on walls and running the drill. He called the next night to make sure I was okay, and Wednesday night when he came over and I slept the whole time again, he left notes all over my condo telling me he loves me and to get well soon. How cute is that?

I am grateful to know that he loves and thinks about me. Dad doesn't expect me to be any more than I am, and doesn't make me feel like I'm not good enough by myself. I appreciate his acknowledgement of my dreams and his pride in who I am and all I've accomplished.

Thanks for letting us celebrate YOU yesterday, and all of your sacrifices on our behalf, Dad. It was fun to watch you open your presents, and even funnier to watch you model them! I love you!

Post Op

Last Friday, I had some periodontal surgery. It turns out that when my (or anyone else's) gums recede, the jaw bone recedes, too, so my teeth could literally fall out. My dad/dentist referred me to a periodontist and badda-bing badda-boom I have a new skin graft. I must say, I've totally taken the televisions on the ceiling above the chair at my dad's office for granted. So, I'm glad I took my iPod to listen to during the surgery. The shuffle was kind to me and played stuff like "Best Years of Our Lives" and "If We Were a Movie" -- songs I love that helped me not pay attention to the surgery. I made it a point to close my eyes so I would not see when scalpels and other instruments were being brought into my mouth. I opted not to have nitrus-oxide, but the local anesthetic they used made the right side of my face so numb it didn't wear off for 7 hours, so I didn't need it. I was also pleasantly surprised that by paying cash the surgery was a lot less than it had been quoted. Hooray!

Afterward, the doctor gave me an ice pack, prescriptions for antibiotics and painkillers, and one of the weirdest doctor's orders I've ever had: smile as little as possible. Say what?! Asking me not to smile is like asking a mom with three kids under 6 years old to be on bedrest! It's hard! The graft is on the upper right gums, so they don't want me to stretch that part of the lip, even to take a look at the wound. This has made cleaning it a little sketchy. I have no idea how well I'm doing. Or where the graft came from (I forgot to ask, but I suspect it's right next to the spot where the graft was stiched in).

I had a meeting at work I wanted to go to, even though I was exhausted and drugged up, so I went to work for a couple of hours, and found it's impossible not to smile there. My co-workers are hilarious! I started to nod off during the meeting so people cracked jokes and I tried not to smile in humiliation. Everyone understood, but sheesh! I left as soon as I could. I'd had plans to go to a party that night, but I didn't want to be the girl who went to a party and then didn't smile. So, I fell asleep at 5:30pm instead :P

Saturday, I joined my brothers and parents and nephew's friends at Gunner's 5th birthday party. There, my brothers made fun of my new non-smiling laugh, where I basically purse my lips tightly together and laugh through my nose like an old British lady. They were right to mock me, because it's really dorky. I had a lot of practice; you try watching ten 5 year olds play games and not laugh! Then my brothers would laugh at my laugh and I'd really start to laugh. They're hilarious! The party was a lot of fun.

I stayed in as much as possible over the weekend, but found it's pretty near impossible for me not to smile at church. I have a really nice ward! I only attended Sacrament meeting, and by the end, my gums were really starting to hurt, I was tired of trying to just smile with my eyes, and I was overall exhausted. Except for Gunner's birthday party, a quick lunch with Marilynn on Saturday, and church, I slept the whole weekend, and all day Monday and Tuesday. Getting up to use the bathroom or make myself something to eat was really inconvenient. At least I'm not on a liquid diet! Tender mercies.

I'm feeling better today, but slept most of it anyway. I had intended to get some work done from home but still feel out of it. I'll probably just go in for awhile tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll be well and whole soon. And hopefully this graft will take and it will all be worth it! I miss smiling!

Meanwhile, my car is fixed and back in my possession! The alternator and battery had both burned out. It cost more than I expected, but less than I feared. I am blessed!

Is This Real Life?

It's 7:25 a.m. and I'm at work! I've been here for 20 minutes so far and though it's earlier than my normal work day, I am very glad that my Visiting Teacher was willing to drop me off on her way to work. The other VT will pick me up about 5:30 p.m. tonight. Kind of a long day, but tomorrow will be a short one so I'll be okay.

Note to self: Since the mechanic didn't call me yesterday, do not forget to call him in an hour.

I'm typing one-handed and have nothing clever to say, so I'm ending with a funny clip. Admit it: you've all felt like this kid at one time or another.