answered prayers

Today was Grace's tonsil & anenoid surgery. She sailed right through it, despite having a low at around 3 am, for which I had to give her some apple juice. The Dr was ok with that, though he became a little upset when he realized someone had scheduled us later than first. It's his policy (and most surgeons' as well, I believe) that patients with diabetes will have the first slot of the day. Everything did go great though, and Grace is now home resting.

Also, we were concerned about selling our car, since it is older, has somewhat mid-to-high mileage, and several things didn't work on it (cruise control, for one). But we discovered the two magic points to selling a car: "Cold A/C," and "Good MPG." We had parked the car on Monday evening at my brother's house with signs in the windows. Tuesday we had two calls, and Wednesday another person called, who ended up being the buyer. I don't think we've ever gotten rid of a car that quickly! Definitely answered prayer there!

If you want to see a pic of me and my friend Angela Caswell performing together at the MI Ladies' Advance, click here.

article in local paper about my cousin

Wanted to share with you all, this article is about my cousin Gloria Wonder. I'm not sure how long it will be available online, so read now!

Another loss and our trip

Well we made our trip to Montana, left a couple of days early since Lane was let go from his job the week before over a misunderstanding.... So we departed Thursday evening and arrived in Bozeman late Saturday afternoon at my sister's.

On Monday afternoon I began to bleed. It was very little at first so I was hoping it was going to be ok, but later in the evening it became heavier. I am pretty disappointed, as you can read in my previous post, this time around felt much more convincing, so I was pretty surprised that it ended.

While staying in Bozeman, we were able to assemble with the saints there on Lord's Day for morning and evening. We got to go to the Hot Springs in Gallatin Gateway, shopping a little in Bozeman, and had coffee and a couple of dinners with friends. We stayed there till Wednesday morning, when we left to go "surprise" Lane's parents in Deer Lodge, where they live, on the way to Missoula. Lane's sister was planning a big family get-together around Mercy's birthday party. Her birthday was Tuesday but they held the part on Wednesday. Too bad Dad & Mom Smith were wise to the plan and not too surprised to see us, but very happy nonetheless! We didn't stick around Deer Lodge very long, but left for Missoula and arrived in the late afternoon there at Joe & Lisa's.

The girls loved staying there-- Joe & Lisa have a good old dog, Pooger, two horses, and a few chickens. Grace loved going out in the morning and afternoon to "pick out eggs." We prepared for the big anniversary party and it was held on Saturday afternoon. Dad & Mom both loved and enjoyed the song I sang for them (Lane announced it as our gift to them), and that made me very happy to have been able to contribute. While at Joe & Lisa's, Joe got Lisa a new dog, a Saint Pitt (St. Bernard and Pit Bull mix, hmmmm). It's a girl and they named her Seeley, after Seeley Lake, the city in which Joe got her. She is very playful and really liked my flippy black skirt...

We were able to assemble with the saints in Missoula on Thursday at their Bible study and again on Lord's Day morning. Mr. Miller was very gracious to not publicly announce that we had no Bibles with us, as it seems someone snatched them out of our van while we were in Bozeman--- they were in the church building in Bozeman when we returned there that evening.

We stayed on more night in Bozeman and got to eat a ginormous Ribeye steak breakfast with Tom & Lorrie Geer, along with Riley. Emily & Noah were at school. Along with the huge steaks we also had some great coffee, cheesey hashbrowns and fried eggs. What a great sendoff!

Then it was a short drive off to Billings to visit with Larry & Karin in their very new-to-them home. I think Karin said that today they will have been there for 2 weeks. It was good to be able to have them entertain us for once-- since they've moved out west, we have hosted them each time they come to Michigan, but this time Karin enjoyed fixing us dinner. We ate and visited with them and Mike & Amy Ferguson were also able to come to visit. Mike and Amy were married six days after us. We hadn't seen those two since I was pregnant with Grace, and they hadn't yet had any kids. Now they are blessed with two awesome kids, Luke and Becca.

Well I guess I need to cut this off. Our trip went great, we arrived home late this morning. Now we're preparing for the weekend, our Michigan Ladies' Advance-- great fun!

GM has called Lane back, by the way, but no date yet. He is raring to go!

It's happened again!

Wow, this is somewhat surprising to say the least. I've taken many pregnancy tests this week. Had 5 (out of 6, I think) come up positive. The 6th was unclear.

I got right in this morning and had my beta hcg drawn. It was 11, not very much for where I should be in the pregnancy, but I FEEL much more so this time than last. Hoping this means all is well.

I go back in Monday morning for another draw. I'm praying it will rise significantly, and that we can see the little beaner on an ultrasound before the end of the week. We leave on Saturday morning for Montana, and I'd sure hate to have to try finding someplace to get bloodwork or an ultrasound done out there! Plus trying to get MI Medicaid to cover it!! Oy!

Oh yeah, another update

Forgot to add, we have been looking high and low for a decent vehicle that is capable of making a cross-country trip. We didn't want a loan, so we were mostly looking at private sales. One day last week when Lane got home from work, he was driving the truck around town to keep it starting (not using it much right now), and he spotted a Ford Aerostar.

It's older, a 94, but it has only 44,000 miles on it, nearly perfect exterior with very little rust, and is in great running condition. The only thing wrong, a brake line, will be fixed this coming weekend, and we will be buying the van the following Monday or so. Best part is, I looked up the value on Kelley Blue Book (kbb.com) and the asking price is a little more than half of what it's worth! And I'm very pleased that since we got our taxes filed and the refund is being deposited on Friday, that we'll have a couple of weeks to drive this thing around and get used to it, as well as get all the fluids flushed and any other necessary work done, before our long trip. Oh yeah, and get this: it's got electronic all-wheel drive! I've never heard of a Ford van having all-wheel drive before, only Chevy Astros. Overall, we feel like we're getting quite the deal.

Is it any surprise that this was after Lane had been praying about it for weeks on end? *BIG smile*

Monday Menu Plan!

It's been a while since I've done this, but MJ has a gentle way of encouraging me (posting to the ladies on TM: "Monday Menu Plan, where's yours?"). So here it is:

Monday:
Leftovers

Tuesday:
Chicken Marengo, salad, rolls

Wednesday:
Denver Potato Pie, fruit, rolls

Thursday for Valentine's Day:
Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, Key Lime pie (Lane's favorite dessert)

Friday:
Brats, chips, cut veggies

Saturday:
Tacos

Sunday:
undecided as of right now, but it has to be something "crockable" since I'm having the teen girls over again for a music rehearsal.

In other news I got my "new-to-me" insulin pump in the mail today! I'm so excited to be able to use a newer pump with better features. I will be trying it out at my next site change to make sure everything works on it well. The plan is to keep using my old 508 until it dies or I run out of infusion sets, and then begin using the new 715. But I'd sure hate to find out that far down the road, if it didn't want to work! I think Grace was a little disappointed in the color (kids!) because I'd been telling her that if I got myself a new pump, I would ask for clear. This one is the smoke color, I'll just have to explain that there was no option on the color this time. She's in love with her purple one. *smile*

more updates

boring, I know.

Well, I don't get the new pump, but I will get a new-to-me pump. A friend over at teachingmom.com whose hubby was type 1 diabetic, recently had kidney and pancreas transplants. When she heard I was not getting my new pump thru insurance, she and her hubby graciously offered me his. I'm so excited for it! I can't thank them enough! It's due to arrive any time now.

Lane has been hired in a temporary job at Spartan Chassis in Charlotte-- they make the chassis for lots of large vehicles like ambulances, fire trucks, military vehicles, and motorhomes. He's liking it pretty well, but feels that it doesn't compare to the organization and experience of working at GM.

Grace is scheduled for tonsils/adenoids to be removed March 20 unless there is a cancellation within the next week. She'd need two weeks full recovery before we did what I'm leading into now:

March 1, we are leaving on our trip to Montana! (as I type this, I'm really hoping Jack & Ellisteen don't read my blog.... it's supposed to be a surprise for them..) It's the Smith's 50th wedding anniversary, and we're going for the party and to visit for a few days. Lane's sis Lisa will be throwing a birthday party for Mercy as well, since it is the 4th.

In order to do this, we have to use a good chunk of our tax return to buy a newer vehicle. We've been milking our car for the last 6-8 months and it's just plain dying. I hope we can get rid of it-- that's the only part that scares me about buying our next vehicle thru a private owner rather than dealer. I know it's best to buy from someone who's been driving the car, so they can be helpful about needed repairs and such. But then we've got the whole mess of selling our car, keeping both licensed and insured, etc etc. Not to mention that with our budget, we'd likely get lots less car for our money at a dealer.

We're actually leaning toward minivans, hopefully a Chevy Venture or Pontiac Montana. Yep, Lane's still loyal to the GM products.

Also coming up right after we return from our MT trip, is our annual Ladies' Advance for MI/OH/IN surrounding areas. We'll also have attendees from PA and MD, and sometimes even have ladies come in from MT and OR. This is always a TON of fun, lots of fellowship, great messages, and uplifting music. I'm working on two songs for the young ladies to perform, "Thy Word," by Amy Grant, and "Enough" as performed by BarlowGirl (originally by Chris Tomlin). I'll also be singing "East to West" by Casting Crowns as my great friend and sister in Christ, Angela will be signing--- we did another Casting Crowns song last year together that was a big hit. Somehow seeing sign language put to a song is so visually emotional that many ladies cry even if the song would have otherwise not affected them. It's so beautiful to watch Angela too, almost like a dance! I'm also working on a hymn to sing with my mom and aunt, and maybe one more, called "Here's My Life," also by BarlowGirl.

I've collected so many BarlowGirl tracks that I think I ought to have a BarlowGirl sing-along during one of the breaks. Ha!

Anywho, that's about all for now. Gotta try getting a nap, though the snow might prevent evening travel to the assembly of the saints.

Updates All Around

Well, a long while back I promised some updates, and since then, so much has happened. So I'll try listing them by family member to lower confusion rates.

Mercy

Well thankfully, the only thing the little one has had to deal with has been persistent upper respiratory infections. But other than that, she's keeping well and growing. I've decided we need to get her nap in before noon or give up on it altogether, as she fights bedtime more and more of late. Who knew 3 year olds were so argumentative? Ha!

Grace

Let's see.... On Oct. 27, Grace had a sleep study. Multiple health issues brought us to this, including repeated/prolonged bouts of strep throat. Her last bout was from Sept 20 till mid October. She has also seen an ENT doctor. He wanted to see her back in two more months, as the illness she'd just gotten over could have still kept her tonsils swollen when he first saw her. SO thankfully, she stayed well that whole time, which was necessary for him to even look at her tonsils. They were just as huge as ever, and it helped that the doctor from the sleep center said that she does have mild sleep apnea due to the tonsils, and he believes that their removal will resolve her apnea. I am hoping this will resolve her nightly bedwetting, as we have eliminated all other causes for that, other than her body just plain catching up, or maybe something emotional. Don't tell Lane I said that... 'Psycho-babble!'

The first follow-up we had at the sleep center was with a different doctor than I mentioned, and that doc thought he saw some 'seizure-like' activity at points during her sleep study, so in November or December (sorry my blurry mind can't remember!) she had an EEG as well, but it came back normal. Also, we got to have her wear a continuous glucose monitor for a three-day span, and got to see what her blood sugars actually do after her meals and during sleep, etc. It was very interesting to see how quickly she can be rising or falling. Unfortunately, it wasn't a very usual 3-day period for her, I'm hoping we may be able to do another that is during the school week instead of over the weekend-- she tends to feel lows at school when her bg reads normal, and hopefully we can find if she's dropping quickly at those times.

Grace is doing great in school too, so we're very thankful that she is able to keep up even in the midst of all these health issues. She's even learned that shots and getting blood drawn doesn't hurt so bad after all. She had her 'annual' blood draw at the Endocrinologist's office in December, and also her chicken pox booster and flu shot the next week. She also had her seventh birthday at the end of November, wah! We keep trying to tell these girls to stop growing, but they never listen!

Lane

Only major update here is that Lane's been off work for the last week. GM laid him off, but we know this time will be much easier than last time. He's applying for jobs and 'unenjoyment' (his word), and since we're finally caught up with bills for once, this lay-off won't hurt so much as the last few have. He's taking some time to do things around the house, and keeping up very nicely with cleaning at the school. A friend of ours happened to get laid off from his job the very same day, though they didn't know ahead of time as we did. Both the guys are applying for overseas jobs too.

Iana

This brings us to me, and perhaps the most lenghty of all updates, ha! Since the pregnancy in October, I have had medical insurance as well, so I've been getting all kinds of things taken care of. All the normal womanly stuff; stocking up on insulin, test strips, and synthroid; trying to find a dentist, but not many take what coverage I do have; trying to figure out what happened with my weird body that decided to get preggo in the first place (nothing definitive was found-- apparently my tubes are still tied!); and I also got my own sleep studies done at the sleep center. I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, and am working on getting my CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure-- keeps the airway open while sleeping) next week. I got to spend one night at the clinic wearing one, and the next day was just phenomenal! I wasn't tired till almost 11:00 that night, and normally I'm wanting a nap in late morning and again in early afternoon-- don't let it fool you though, I rarely get either! Lane even noticed that my under-eye circles weren't as dark.

I was also trying to get a new insulin pump for myself since the one I have just turned 8, ancient as far as pumps go. The technology in it is far outdated, and I'm just worried that it will up and die on me some day. So I figured that since I had coverage, I might as well try. Too bad that thought didn't occur to me till the end of November... The insurance I have has a standard 45-60 day pre-authorization wait for upgrading an insulin pump. Please don't ask me why they want to make an 8-year pumping veteran wait that long, when I know tons more than any newbie would, and yet a newbie just starting out pumping (on the same insurance) can have their pump in hand 2-3 weeks after filling out paperwork. I know this because this is the same insurance Grace has, and we had her pump less than 3 weeks after filing papers. I don't have a problem with the speed that newbies are given, I just wonder why it takes so much longer for veterans... craziness. So, earlier in November, my caseworker (with the ins.) misinformed me about when my coverage terminated. And since I called the pump company in December, and I thought my coverage ended Dec. 31, we all thought it was pointless to continue to process an order, and cancelled it. Everyone I spoke with at the pump company said if I had till the end of January, they might be able to push it.

Then two days ago, I got a letter in the mail stating my coverage lasted till Jan. 31st. AAARRRGGGHHH!!! So I got on the phone pronto to see if we could do anything to expedite an order, the very kind lady who has been working with me is doing all she can. I'm praying, nothing more I can do now.

I also had repeated sinus infections, and now I wonder how much of that could be from the sleep apnea? Who knows, we'll probably see soon enough!

So, I hope that this is sufficient to update all my three readers (Hi, Mom, Angela, and... um... ok, TWO readers. *blush*). Enjoy your January! Maybe if I get motivated I'll post my menus later.

my obligatory blog for Angela

I know, boring... but I try to stay offline most of the holiday season, since I'm generally crafting and baking.

Just wanted to announce to the world how glad I was that someone taught Angela how to use the strikethrough feature on her blog....

I do have some things coming up to blog about, but am waiting on some info from our family doctor. Maybe tomorrow (singing the Nouveau song in my head now)!

oh, this is rich

Hmm... wondering about the accuracy of this site!

had the teen class cracking up this morning....

mostly because I was laughing so hard I was crying, and my niece was laughing so hard she was crying out of sympathy for me... Someone at the opposite side of the table just figured out we are "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." (most of the time they'll only say one, not both together) So they kinda all at once thought of the movie, and someone else says, "heeeey, Mr. and Mrs. Smith!" To which my husband replies, "yeah, they based the movie off our lives."

I just started laughing my eyes out thinking of the two of us being spies. Then one of the boys said to dh, "And they picked Brad Pitt to play YOU?!?" At this point I started crying from the laughing... My poor dh is quite heavy, bald, wears glasses, etc. Basically no way could there be any resemblance. The only thing that unites my dh with Brad Pitt is Bozeman, MT, where scenes from "A River Runs Through It" are filmed. Dh lived there before moving here to marry me.

Maybe you had to be there, but I got to the point that I had to get up and leave the room. Thankfully, dh understood that I wasn't laughing at the lack of similarities between him and Pitt, but just the suggestion that the movie was based on our lives.

And please don't take this as a recommendation to watch that movie. Yuck!

the (not-so) short version

Maybe I'll even post the long version later on, but here is most of today in a nutshell:

Normal morning stuff, get Grace to school.

Have Dr appt at 12:45 for ultrasound. Dr can't see much, sends me downstairs to radiology for better ultrasound, but first for another hCG draw. Calls down before U/S is over and wants us back upstairs in his office.

My hCG has dropped now (last time only rose about 50, where it should have doubled), so he is now sure it's either ectopic or miscarriage. Not wanting to take chances on the possibility of ectopic, he decides on methotrexate injection; this will stop the growth process since the baby cannot survive anywhere outside the uterus, where it was not seen on either U/S.

SO, back downstairs for another blood draw, this time to check my liver and kidney functions, and then to outpatient surgery unit (not sure why "surgery") for the methotrexate injection. One shot in each arm, wait 15 minutes so they can see if I have an allergic reaction, and then we're done. Picked up dinner and then picked up girls.

Got home about 7:15. Poor Lane crashed, has been in bed since about 8. I'll be going in soon myself.

Dr will do more hcg testing next week to make sure levels have gone down, and then in a couple of months, we'll do a dye test to see what the conditions are for my tubes, whether we can expect this to happen again or not. And plan from there.

As short as I could make it; it was a long day! Thanks to all who were praying, the Lord has certainly carried us through the last 11 days.

Public Service Announcement:

"Sterilization Not 100% Effective"

Believe it or not, it's true. Due to what seemed to be stressful and difficult pregnancies, and the continual concern of my diabetes, when I was still awaiting Mercy's arrival, hubby and I decided that I should get my "tubes tied" (quotes because no Dr actually ties the tubes anymore, they are either cut, clipped with rings or bands, or burned) during her (scheduled c-section) birth. More specifically, my OB/GYN used cauterization, which is supposed to be one of the most reliable forms of female surgical sterilization. Statistics tell that one woman in every 250-300 will have a 'tubal failure.' It is more likely to happen when the surgery was performed during a Caesarean delivery, as I had.

Well, 3 years and 7 months later, here I sit, almost one week after finding out that I am indeed expecting another baby. I won't bore you or gross you out with symptoms and dating and all, but just suffice it to say that I have taken enough pregnancy tests AFTER having my tubes tied to keep Wal-Mart itself running. Crazy, I know, but if you wanted it like I have, you just might understand. I joked with a friend that I take pregnancy tests so my cycle would start, since it always seemed to within a day or two after I gave in to the desire to "poas" (pee on a stick, as is often quoted in mommy-type websites).

So last Tuesday afternoon, I paid my $1.06 at the Dollar Tree and stuck the test in my purse. I tested that night, since I never have been able to wait for the first void of the morning. I never expected what I saw....(the pic above)

The past week has been a flurry of seeing the doctor, having my blood drawn (3 times now, and will yet again on Wednesday), and an ultrasound to see if the baby could be located yet. Because of circumstances under which this pregnancy has occurred, I have a high risk for having an ectopic pregnancy (or tubal, though the term means any pregnancy that does not implant within the uterus, which is the only place a baby can survive and grow). Good news is that it is still very early on, so we can watch carefully. All the blood draws have determined that my beta hCG (human growth hormone, only shows up when a woman is pregnant, and doubles every 48-72 hours) is multiplying as it should, but this does not rule out an ectopic.

What would clue us in to it being ectopic is a leveling or dropping hormone level, or if the hormone level continues to incline, but we still cannot locate the baby in the uterus-- for which I'm having another ultrasound done Friday. I hope Lane will get to come with me for that one.

I know and am confident that the Lord will not give me any circumstance that I cannot withstand through his Holy Spirit. If this pregnancy is doomed to fail, then I must find something within it that will help me draw closer to the Lord. If it is successful in terms of a live birth, then the benefit may not be so difficult to see. I am praying the our Righteous God gives me the clear eyes to see what I am to learn from the whole experience. Certainly trust, and patience, are two things which come to mind.

I covet your prayers as well, please join our family in praying for the safety of this child, but above all that the Almighty Lord's will is done in our lives.

I've heard the saying, but never thought it more true until now: "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans!"

sent our "D" story to Oprah

Clarifying here: I'm NOT a fan, I think I may have watched Oprah about 3 times in my adult life, but I heard about this on the CWD site boards, and I figured if going on national television could help clear up some misconceptions about the type of Diabetes Grace and I deal with, I'd be willing. Here's my submission:

My story begins before I was ever born. My father's father was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (also called juvenile diabetes) when he was 16 years old and newly married. He did not live long; in that time home testing supplies were simply not available. He died at 36 after going blind and being confined to a wheelchair, while my father was a senior in high school. I never met him. My father's mother and sister were both diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in following years.

In June of 1991, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I went through many years of ups and downs, thousands of finger-pokes for blood sugar checks and thousands more injections of insulin. I credit my mother with handing all the responsibility of the day-to-day management of this disease to me. It grounded me in a way nothing else could have. I remember her telling me that what happened when I was diagnosed reminded her of the Willie Nelson song "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground."

After marrying in 1999, I knew that if I wanted children I would have to get better control. I got tired of hearing the myths that people still held onto that diabetic women should not have children. My doctor had talked to me about using an insulin pump, which would give me much better control. I started on it and found out we were expecting our first child a month later. Since then I've had several miscarriages and another healthy birth, so we now have two beautiful daughters, Grace and Mercy.

When Grace was 5, she was also diagnosed with the same disease. I think that was the first time I ever realized how my father must have felt when I was diagnosed-- it was scary, but perhaps not as much for me as it had been for him. Treatments have greatly improved, and quality of life for those with this chronic illness has been increased. Grace accepted it very easily because she has seen all her life how I learned to handle it.

We still have many things to do every day-- we still check our blood, we use our insulin pumps to regulate our blood sugars and to coincide with what we eat. We have constant reminders of the disease being a part of us. Many parents of children with diabetes I have come to know use the phrase, "We don't live with diabetes, diabetes lives with us." I find this to be true-- it's an unwelcome guest at every meal, whenever my daughter wants a snack.

I also struggle with not having medical insurance, and finding difficulty in budgeting to pay for my own with our finances. I have been able to continue using my pump through donations I have received from generous people who have upgraded their pumps to newer versions, so they have old supplies they can no longer use. My greatest struggle however comes through not being able to test my blood as often as I should. I've recieved testing strips donated as well, but these get used up much faster, and as a result of not testing frequently enough, I still suffer from some of the typical symptoms of the disease, and am starting to notice more complications arising. I pray all the time for a cure, but I also know that having diabetes has caused me to be a different person I would have been without it, and my daughter and I share a bond through the difficulties we have to endure.

An actual blog (or: How My Day Was Smashed to Smithereens)

Ahh the joys of days like this... Let me begin for you (actually, before I do, let me warn you that this is LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!).

Awaken at about 7:30 by dh calling me. He told me several things I'll never remember, as I was still asleep. It was nice, however, to have slept in. Grace is sick, though she isn't acting it. She is going to Dr. at 11:15. After chatting with dh a bit and then getting him to bed, I end up dozing for a few minutes next to him. Got up, showered, walked dog. It's now approaching 10, and I decide that since I haven't eaten breakfast, I should go ahead and try to get my elusive blood draw done. I've already been fasting 11 hours by that point, and so I call my Dr office to make sure they have sent the lab order to the lab, located at the hospital. This order would include all kinds of stuff for my diabetes and general health: HbA1C, cholesterol, triglycerides, Thyroid, etc, etc.

Gal on phone says, I will fax it right now! So I immediately pack up girls and go, hoping to get draw done before Grace's apppointment. Get to hospital and man are there LOTS of people there. Right away I start thinking I'm gonna have to ditch this till after Grace's appointment. I decide to wait and see just how long it'll be, so I check in and sit down. I have a pleasant conversation with a teacher from my old high school. He's a teacher I never had, so I have a good excuse to not be sure of his name! But he was kind in reminding me. He turns out to be Type 2 Diabetic, so I go into all the Diabetes stuff with me and Grace. He and his wife seem amazed that neither Grace nor I are angry about her having "D" (as we abbreviate it on any D board you read). Well, you know, I think for her it was just life as she knew it. I truly think Mercy feels left out sometimes, she often tells me that her pink pump is beeping. *smile* I keep trying to tell her she's going to have to pick a different color, so far no one makes a pink one.

Get called to register and realize it's now 11:05, tell the gal I'll be back. Go to G's appt, they get us right through. Strep test, but Dr doesn't even wait for test to finish before saying that's what she thinks she has. She sends us out with the Rx and instructions to just call back if any of the rest of the fam comes down with it (I thank God for Dr's like this!-- none of the rest of us are even her patients!). Back to the lab. Check in again. Go to register and the gal tells me that the order can't be found. She tries calling the office from where it should have been faxed. It's 12:05 and no one is in the office, they're ALL on lunch. I'm starting to steam a bit. At least I know my sugar's ok, I've been checking and honestly I think the stress is making it stay at a good level. By now I've been fasting for over 13 hours.

SO, I can either wait there till 1:00 when the registration gal can talk to someone there, or go there myself to see if I can get it any quicker. By now I can tell that I am starting to function poorly, even if my sugar is ok. It honestly starts to scare me. Not to mention the crushing headache I have since I didn't have my morning coffee (normally only one cup, honestly!). I think I must look slightly drugged; I feel like my eyes are swollen and half-shut. So I made the decision to go to the office.

Got to the office (it's within the Health Department/ WIC office). Never realized that entire office closed for lunch. So we sit and wait. One nice gal who walked by tried helping us. She eventually found the person who would have talked to me that morning on the phone, says she'll be a little late back from lunch. Office opens at 1:00, I go straight to the desk of the gal who said she'd be a bit late. She comes and checks out my stuff on the computer. She sees that the order was first sent in July, I agree, and explain that it has taken me this long to get the 12-hour fast in, as it is nearly impossible for a T1 Diabetic. She notes that they were all canceled about 2 weeks later, which I had expected and I tell her that was why I called and made sure they were faxed this morning. Then she says she can't send the order, only a Dr or nurse can, and there are none in today. I am really restraining myself, because I know it is so completely NOT her fault. Tell her thank you, and get up to leave. Total time fasting 14+ hours. And still no bloodwork. ARGH!

We went straight to McDonald's. I thoroughly enjoyed my double cheeseburger and 1/2 the fries, along with a chipotle bbq chicken snackwrap, and iced tea (that I didn't put enough ice in-- it must have been JUST made and still warm in the brewer!).

Next we drove to Secretary of State-- both licenses needed renewing, and I wanted to make sure to do it before tomorrow just in case the state decides to shut down government offices due to nothing resolving the ginormous state deficit. I remember it happening in another state last year, and I knew that if they at all suspect that they won't meet the Oct. 1 deadline, they won't wait till Sept 30 to shut down government offices! Thankfully, that was quick and quite painless, not counting the $145 it cost for 2 plate renewals. Very thankful dh has the job to pay for these necessaries.

Next we go back to hometown, stop at local store for eggs. Go home, drop off eggs. To pharmacy to fill G's Rx. To 2nd-hand store to kill time before Farmer's Market opens. Go to Farmer's Market, buy some sweet peppers. Got to talk briefly to my Grandma C-- she's getting around nicely with a walker and my Uncle.

Go home, wake up dh, he's going to work early. The rest of the night went pretty smoothly, except that I didn't get to make my planned dinner. Oh well, flexibility is a must as a parent, isn't it? I have leftover potato/corn chowder; girls have sandwiches and bananas, dh has turkey plate from last night's dinner.

I had planned to do the dishes today (really, Mom, I DID!!!). They're still stacked up. *sigh* Ok, so maybe the WHOLE day wasn't a total loss, but man, long about 4:00, it really felt like it!

Thanks for reading my rant, it's now over. :o)

I'm here, really!

It has been pointed out to me that I have not blogged in a long time.

Here you go Angela.

:oP

I've Been Tagged!!!!

rules:
1) each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves
2) people who're tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things & post these rules
3) at the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged & list their names (Angela, you didn't list them!! ;op)
4) don't forget to leave a comment telling them they're tagged & asking them to read your blog

here's 8 random things about me!

1~ if for some strange reason I were to marry again, and my new husband's last name started with T, my initials (if I'd kept them all from the start, that is) would spell IMLOST. Incidentally, if something happened to Lane, I WOULD be lost!!!

2~ I'm the baby of my family. On both sides after my parents remarried, I was still the youngest. No contest on my step-dad's side: sister and brother are 4 and 5 years older. On my step-mom's side though, sister is 3 years older, but brother is only older than me by 16 days. One time we really fooled a waiter at Bill Knapp's (we were there for our birthdays, sometime right in between them), making him think we were twins delivered that far apart. He just looked at my step-mom and commented that the labor must have been terrible. She just nodded with a smile. He was wearing a pin that said, "Be nice to me, I'm new."

3~ I was the first graduate of the Christian school at our church.

4~ my family is strong living proof that both type 1 and type 2 diabetes have genetic factors. 2 generations of type 2 and 3 generations of type 1.

5~ I was in band while in public school (waving at fellow band nerd Angela), played alto saxophone, with short stints on French Horn and for one piece in high school I played the bells and marimba. Band was the only reason I didn't pursue going to an advanced-placement type school for math & science. If I'd gone to that school, I'd have had to drop band.

6~ our younger daughter's name is Mercy. There are 3 years and 4-1/2 months between the births of our two girls. When Grace was born, Lane picked Mercy's name ("if we have another girl..."). It took that amount of time for her name to 'grow' on me. I didn't want anyone to think we were 80's freaks and that Mercy was short for Mercedes. Later on I looked up Mercedes in a baby name book. It's Spanish for Mercy. Go figure. Lane calls her Mercedes regularly now. LOL

7~ we have owned I think 12 different vehicles since marrying almost 8 years ago. Only one was a standard transmission, and I still can't drive those, though my brother Blaine says I do well in reverse.

8~ I took my first plane trip two weekends ago to Colorado for my brother Dan's wedding. Flying was great, the wedding was awesome! The dehydration/elevation headache was not so great.

Tagging: MJ, BreadLaDee, Minkydo, Jaybird, Leni (Sorry gals, I don't have too many blogging friends!)

(Early) Monday Menu blog

Well I figured while I was sitting here on Saturday morning waiting for things to get moving, I'd post my menus for the next week. They're a bit abbreviated since I am leaving Thursday for my brother's wedding in Colorado.

Sunday-- dh is preparing a Mother's Day feast, so far consisting of at least steak and shrimp, not sure what else he has in mind...

Monday-- Ziti (sort of), salad, and softball practice for 6 year old. The "Ziti" is actually "Crock Pot Almost Lasagna" but dh won't let me call it Lasagna. I keep trying to defend it, saying, "that's why it is labeled 'Almost'!" He still doesn't buy it. ;o)

Tuesday-- Bread/Egg bake (I've explained this in an earlier post) with veggies and sausage

Wednesday-- leftovers

Thursday I leave; return Saturday, when we'll have frozen pizzas and salad.

Btw, tonight we're having fried catfish nuggets, baked potato fries, and dipping veggies. Need to thaw fish!

am I the only one...

who can't get through "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" movie (newer live-action one) without crying?? Humph! I suppose it's a good thing though, huh?

just for fun

Read this on Teachingmom today, HAD to share it!

Take 60 seconds to do this, I guarantee you will show someone else, it's too funny not to.

1. go to www.google.com
2 . click on "maps"
3. click on "get directions"
4. type "New York" in the first box (the "from" box)
5. type "London" in the second box (the "to" box)
6. hit get directions
7. scroll down to step #24 in the directions

Hahaaaaa!