I GOT IMPLANTS!

My entire life I have wanted perfect vision.  At the age of 8, I got my first pair of glasses.  At the age of 9, I had my first pair of glasses with bifocals.  At age 13, I got my first pair of gas permeable contacts.  Boy were they expensive...$375 back then!  At age 18, I went to toric soft contact lenses and switched to regular soft lenses around age 21.  Needless to say I have spent practically my entire life in either glasses or contacts and I was ready to stop.  I always wanted to have my vision corrected but always thought it would be out of my reach financially and I probably wouldn't be a candidate anyway due to my high prescription.  It is funny to me that I spend my whole day now dispelling this financial myth and giving patients the opportunity to see a whole new world!

One of the many perks of my job is majorly discounted vision correction with payroll deduction.  Around August, I decided I was ready.  I have a very strong prescription and am severely nearsighted.  I couldn't see anything unless it was about a foot in front of my face.  In fact, there had been many times I had taken my contacts out at night only to put them back in because I couldn't find my glasses.  Sad but true! 

Due to my high prescription, I had the option of two different surgeries....LASIK or ICL.  Working closely with both surgeries and knowing my own vision I easily picked ICL (intercollamer lens often referred to as implantable contact lens) for better optics, quick recovery and longer lasting correction.  I will have these babies until I get cataract surgery when I am older.  The patient discounted price for the surgery is $5900.  The full price is around $13,000.  My price was about 10% of this.  Nothing short of a miracle!  I jumped on this opportunity quickly!

On September 29, 2010, the world as seen through my eyes changed.  I had ICL done in both eyes.  The following day I woke up looked at the time on the alarm clock and didn't even realize I actually saw it.  I went to the bathroom where I reached for my glasses when I looked in the mirror I gasped.  I ran back out and looked at the alarm clock in total disbelieve.  Is this happening to me?  I could see the time on the alarm clock clear as day.  I have never seen the time on the alarm clock unless I feel asleep in my contacts.  In fact, without glasses or contacts I couldn't even see the alarm clock existed let alone the time.  All I would see is a red light blob across the room.  Amazing!  I continued to get ready for work. 

On my way to work I just looked in awe at everything.  Now sure I had seen everything with my contacts but now it was even clearer than with my contacts and I wasn't wearing any glasses or contacts for the very first time since I was 8 yrs old.  Life changing I tell you!  My sister called during that drive and said, "How is your vision?"  I started crying like a big baby saying, "I just can't believe it is clear so fast.  I can see everything Lisa.  I can see everything!"  I cried the rest of the way to work just out of pure joy and thankfulness.  Everyone at work thought something was wrong when I got to work with my red weepy eyes then just hugged me and laughed.  They checked me for my one day post-op appointment and I was seeing 20/20 in one eye and 20/25 in the other.  Now six months later I am seeing 20/15 in both eyes and still just as amazed. 

It is funny to me that I see patients all day that come in telling me how "blind" they are.  When I look at their prescription it will be like a -1 and I think wow I was 6 times worse than that....they have no clue and they are still legal to drive without correction!!  I enjoy helping them see better but I also know it is not that big of a change for them.  BUT I also see patients with eyes twice as bad as mine and I think wow they are blind.  If I couldn't see anything more than a foot away from my face and trust me that is no exaggeration, then how do they see anything at all.  Those are the patients I enjoy helping the most.  I know how my life changed so I can't imagine how their life changes until they send me a thank you card or call me crying because they are just so thankful!  Those are the ones that get me and tug at my heart strings!  Those are the patients that I know understand why I cried after surgery.  Those are the ones that make me think I love my job!  Those are the ones who understand me when I say....

 "I love my new eyes!!"

A WHOLE NEW EXCITING WORLD

You all know my parents closed their business in April 2009 and I was unemployed for a little over 7 months.  Finding a job was way harder than I had ever even imagined.  I could do HR, AP, AR, taxes, place order, post orders, enter new items, sales reporting, marketing and much more but no one cared.  I couldn't find a job anywhere.  I was told basically I had too much experience in too many areas aka they "thought" they couldn't afford me or I would quit too soon for a better opportunity.  I just needed a paycheck.  No one was willing to give me  a chance.  I finally got hired on at the Ophthalmology clinic/surgery center where my sister worked on November 17, 2009.  This would be a whole new world for me considering I had never worked in the medical field but I was willing to do anything by this time as long as it gave me a paycheck again!

I won't even lie when I started I absolutely hated it.  I always hated filing and would even pay my nieces and nephews to file for me.  Instead of laziness or just mere hatred of filing, I chose to call it "outsourcing".  Filing...ugh!  The first day at my new job I filed for 10 hours in heels.  I wanted to chop my feet off.  Hubs asked me what I did and I said, "I filed all day!"  He said, "Well you had to do something other than file."  I replied, "No, I filed all day long IN HIGH HEELS!"  Then I began to cry!  I hated it but that didn't matter I had to have a paycheck to feed the boys.  I was there everyday at 6:45am.  I no longer got to get the kids up and ready for their day and take them wherever they needed to be.  We all had a bit of adjusting to do for awhile and saying it didn't go over well is quite the understatement.  I didn't even see them in the mornings and then all day until about 6pm.  Let me tell you working 7-5:30 was a big change from 10-4!  I do not like mornings especially starting my morning at 5am.  I had to dress up daily including dress shoes aka high heels during my probation period then they would order scrubs.  I was excited at first but that was extremely short lived consider I wanted to cut my feet off after day 3!  I managed. 

First I worked in medical records.  Prepping almost 100 charts for each day constantly trying to stay one week ahead, sending medical records to other doctors/patients/agencies/insurance companies, searching various offices within two floors for missing charts and filing.  Oh the filing!  I thought it would be the death of me.  I moved to two desks within two weeks.  Then was I started filling in at the front desk.  Then I moved to check-in at the front desk and then check-out at the front desk.  They quickly figured out what I had said all along in each of my billion interviews over my 7.5 month long unemployment, "I learn quickly and can do anything I am taught".  I worked my butt off and it quickly paid off. 

In April after only being with the clinic a little over 4 months, our LASIK surgery counselor resigned.  I wanted the position but feared I wouldn't get it for two reasons:  (1) I had only been there for 4 months and (2)  I was too good at my current position that they wouldn't want to move me.  By this time, two of the front desk girls had been fired (one including my sister...ouch....that is a long story) and there were only two of us up front.   I just knew I wouldn't get it.  I decided to try anyway in hopes that at least they would see I wanted to move up and was willing to learn more.  Plus, I needed more money....in a bad way!

I GOT IT!

Saying I was floored is putting it lightly.  I had my very own office.....A BIG OFFICE WITH A WHOLE WALL OF WINDOWS.

I did strictly LASIK counseling for about two months.  Then the Cataract counselor took a week off so I was quickly thrown into that as well.  Now I do LASIK counseling, cataract, YAG, SLT, ICL, DSAEK, PTG and corneal transplant counseling plus they have added a little marketing to all of this.  (I know you don't know what half of that is but it is a LOT!)

I LOVE IT!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!

I AM MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE'S LIVES AND LOVING EVERY MINUTE!

Now it is by far not the perfect job and I have my moments (especially when insurance companies are involved) but I have learned a whole new world of information involving eyes and vision and it is truly interesting and amazing the things we can do!  I work a lot and often worry about the impact this has had on our lives but I also have not missed a thing involving the boys sports or school activities.  I have become friends with some great people and had my own life changing opportunity that I will tell you all about later.  In short, this job has been a whirlwind and a God send to my life.  It seems like just yesterday I was searching high and low desperate for job but really I have been here almost a year and a half.  I think it is good to keep that time fresh in my mind so that I will always make sure I am an asset and keep my job as well as keep me humble!  Wow how time flies!

SUPER SPECIAL SHOES AND ROBOT LEGS

Good news all!!

We went to the orthotics appt for Elijah and hold your breath.............

his "special" shoes appear "normal"!

I know, I know!

How vain!

Remember though it is only because I didn't want the special shoes to cause him problems at school with teasing. It was rather interesting and the lady was the sweetest when I approached the "normal" shoe issue. She said, "Well he is so handsome and I know he doesn't probably want to sport the chunky all black Velcro shoe so I am going to get him a normal looking shoe."

Yeah!!

She then proceeded to hand the catalog to Elijah so he could pick out his shoes.

Really?

Not a move I would've made but luckily he picked out the pair I liked too without me saying a thing!! That's my boy! I taught him well! The shoes appear to look like a VANS skater kid type shoe which is way better than I imagined in my head. They are mainly white with a little bit of blue. Hopefully, they will truly resemble the picture once they are made. The shoes will be ready in two or three weeks complete with removable longitudes and arch supports that we can insert into his football cleats.

All was good until she then informed me that although insurance would completely cover the cost of the shoes, the shoes are over a $100 and the inserts are a little over $200!

Are you freaking kidding me?

Wow!

My seven year old boy picked out a $350 pair of WHITE shoes.

Ouch!

After that little bit of info, I promptly said, "How long will these last and how often will they buy him a new pair?" She said to take him back to the orthopaedist in December since the insurance will buy him a new pair of orthotics in January. Phew! Wow!

Needless to say, if the dog eats this pair of shoes it will more than likely die!

Hopefully he will have the shoes late next week and begin his healing process!

Oh and I can't leave out this little tidbit.....

The place we went to get the shoes is a prosthetics and orthotics facility. While leaving our room, a nurse was putting another patient into the next room. The man had a mainly metal prosthetic leg. Isaiah looked straight up at him and said, "Are you a robot?" The man said, "No but are you a robot?" Isaiah never being one to hold his tongue continues with, "Well no I am not a robot but if you aren't a robot then why do you have a robot leg?" He must have sensed my complete embarrassment because he kindly explained his situation to the boys and told me I shouldn't be embarrassed. He would rather kids ask instead of stare in case they encounter a child with a prosthetic leg. He let them touch his leg and told them they shouldn't be scared of people with metal legs. They thanked him and we left. The entire way through the rest of the office and in the parking lot Isaiah was muttering to himself, "He IS a robot! I want a robot leg too! I bet he has robot leg super powers!" Out of the mouths of babes!!

GOOD NEWS: HIS FEET WILL NOT FALL OFF!!

Today we went to The Orthopaedic Center at Hillcrest and saw Dr. Holderness. He was amazing, sweet and informative. The office was super nice and the staff was highly knowledgable. Our appt was fast which was great since I had to meet Hubs at his three month diabetes appt an hour later. I was in and out in less than one hour.

Yes, Elijah has STUFF in both feet!

The STUFF is a bone that stopped forming!!

The doctor had a really good laugh at that one and wondered how an orthopedist could not know about Kohler's disease. Elijah has Bilateral Kohler's Disease basically Kohler's Disease in both feet. Not half as bad as it sounds with the word disease at the end!! I think it should be called Kohler's Syndrome!! Not as bad, right!! I am not going to lie when I first heard it ~ I WAS SCARED! Until he said, "It is no where near as bad as it sounds and they should just change the name! It is a self-limiting and self-healing disease." Basically, the navicular bones in both of his feet stopped forming and just looked like "stuff". The left foot is already healing on its own explaining why he has no pain in this foot but instead some mild tenderness. The right foot has not started the healing process yet. At this point, he said it is ok for him to resume all activities including football. Elijah was very relieved to hear this little tidbit. He said, "Basically if it hurts him then he needs to rest and take ibuprofen for any swelling."

First, he said he would send him to get longitudes and arch supports (?) for his shoes. He would have put him in a cast for a few weeks but since his pain is not constant he thinks the inserts would be the best option. THEN he changed his mind since Elijah's bones are growing inward he decided to send us to get prescription shoes! I think right now this is more of a setback for me rather than him. I don't want him to get made fun of and hope that these orthotics are fashionable. If not, maybe we'll opt for the inserts! I know, I know!! I'll do whatever he needs but I don't want him emotional scarred for life because he got made fun of for his "special" shoes and then he turns into freakin' Forrest Gump with Avani as his "Jenna"!! I deal with all of that Thursady of next week at the orthotics/prosthetics appt. He also said later on this could also affect his heels but we would deal with that when and if it occurred! For those of you who are more detailed oriented here is what I learned on the internet............

Kohler's Disease

Kohler's disease is a rare bone disorder of the foot in children that may be the result of stress-related compression at a critical time during the period of growth. Kohler's disease is a condition, where the navicular bone in the foot undergoes avascular necrosis. Avascular necrosis is a disease resulting from the temporary or permanent loss of the blood supply to the bones. Without blood, the bone tissue dies and causes the bone to collapse. For some unknown reason, typically in a child, the navicular bone in the foot loses its blood supply for a while. It is characterized by limping caused by pain and swelling in the foot. It most often occurs in children between the ages of three and seven, and it affects males five times more often than it does females. Typically, just one foot is affected. Children appear to grow out of the disorder, and the affected bones regain their size, density and structure within a year. For some, however, symptoms may last as long as two years.

Symptoms
Kohler disease is a rare bone disorder characterized by a painful swollen foot. The foot is especially tender along the length of the arch. Putting weight on the foot or walking is difficult, causing further discomfort and a limp. For reasons that are not understood, the flow of blood to one of the bones in the foot (navicular bone) is interrupted, resulting in progressive degeneration of that bone. In a relative short time, however, the bone heals itself.Usually, symptoms will be mild, and patients may not seek treatment until the pain and swelling have persisted for a while (you know like almost a year in this Mother of the Year's case!).

Causes
The exact cause of Kohler disease is unknown. It does not appear to be hereditary and, until recently, was not thought to be linked to an injury. Some orthopedic specialists now believe that Kohler disease may be linked to an injury in the area around a bone (navicular bone) in the foot and may be the result of delayed bone formation (ossification). Structural weakness might result from an increase in the ratio of cartilage to bone. Since the navicular bone is part of the mechanism by which the foot moves (articulation), it is subject to weight-bearing pressures and stresses from twisting and turning. Under normal circumstances, the navicular bone is served by a blood vessel from which smaller arteries supply blood to the regions of bone growth. At around the ages of four to six, the blood supply to these regions of bone growth increases as other blood vessels reach them. If ossification is delayed, and the child gains weight, the effect is to compress the blood vessels, thus causing tissue destruction (ischemia). The navicula is the last tarsal bone to ossify in children. This bone might be compressed between the already ossified talus and the cuneiforms when the child becomes heavier. Compression involves the vessels in central spongy bone leading to ischemia. Ischemia causes clinical symptoms. Thereafter, the perichondral ring of vessels sends the blood supply, allowing rapid revascularization and formation of new bone.

Affected Populations
Kohler disease is a rare bone disorder of the foot that affects males more often than females. The disorder strikes children between the ages of 1 and 10 years with a peak occurring at ages 3 to 7 years. The center of bone growth that is affected in Kohler disease develops in young girls about one year before it appears in young boys. Nevertheless, the disorder is five times more prevalent in boys than girls. It is thought that the incidence of the disorder in the population is about 2%.


Standard Therapies
DiagnosisKohler disease is diagnosed with an X-ray of the foot and the presence of weight-bearing pain in the middle of the foot. Treatment ranges from weight-bearing short-leg plaster casts at one extreme to "watchful waiting" at the other. Special supportive shoes may also be considered. Staying off the foot as much as possible helps in recovery. Symptoms can last for a few days or persist for up to two years. However, symptoms usually resolve within a year.

HAVE I TOLD YOU LATELY THAT I ♥ U?

Have I told you lately that I ♥ our pediatrician and HER staff?

I do!

They are so down to earth, friendly and just.....sweet!

There was the whole mix up with the referral but understandable since it was done on a Saturday and welllllll.....I love them so I can't stay made at THEM too long!

It is really hard {at least it was for me to find one that either I don't know doesn't kill your kid and have to start chest compressions or even listen to me!?!?!} to find the perfect pediatrician!

Anywhooooooooooochie......

I was calling the referral coordinator to tell her about Dr. Huang so she could be informed that he is not a pediatric orthopedist and wellll........basically is an idiot! She laughed at my story over and over and thanked me for warning her. I asked if there was any way the Doc could look at the CD of X-rays given to me by Sir Idiot. I thought maybe since she looks at pediatric X-rays all the time that maybe she could explain the "abnormal STUFF". At least see if it is a normal pediatric thing that she didn't point out since it is normal or if he truly needs to see a peds ortho. The plan was to drop the CD off Monday morning and have another Doctor look at the X-rays since our pediatrician was on vacation for 10 days.

A little under an hour later Sandra, the referral coordinator, called me back. She said, "I feel really bad and rather concerned about your situation so I have been on the phone ever since you called. I hope you are available Tuesday at 10am because I called the insurance company to ask about a pediatric orthopedist and they had one that was NOT listed. I called the peds ortho, explained the situation then went ahead and made you an appointment for Tuesday at 10am. I am faxing the referral right now. I am so sorry about all of this and I assure you we did not know he doesn't do pediatrics otherwise we NEVER would have sent you there! Thank you for letting us know! Call me if you need ANYTHING else!!"

I ♥ her!

So there you have it folks ~ service at its finest!

Hopefully this will go much better than Dr. Wong Stuff's appointment and maybe just maybe they can explain all the "abnormal stuff"!! I personally am not worried about the stuff since the pediatrician did NOT point it out in the first visit and it is in both feet. What are the odds of both of them having "abnormal stuff"?

ACHIEVEMENTS......DO I HAVE ANY?

Christy at LIVE and Learn was kind enough to pass on the Noblesse Oblige award to me a few weeks ago and YES I am just now getting to it!

Thank you so much Christy!

Here it is:

So pretty!

Recipients of this award are supposed to share some achievements of their blog then share with five other bloggers!

Wow achievements, huh?

Do I have any?

I don't know if I have achieved much besides keeping stories about the children for memory sake, taking and posting tons of pics and making people laugh. I love to make people laugh! I think laughter is so so important to life! I also believe it is much easier for people to laugh at me when I tell stories in person rather than in my writing. I don't know if anything I have done on the blog has been an achievement BUT I do know I have "met" some wonderful people many of which are much like myself. Who knew, right! It is so nice to know so many others out there deal with the same issues and yet I have learned so much more from the others out there in blogland with issues far worse than my own. I have learned to appreciate my life more even when new problems arise. I see the funny side of our life and bring it to you the readers. I am shocked that 62 people read what I have to say and keep coming back for more.

Thank YOU for all of your kind but honest comments!

Thank YOU for making my life seem "normal"!

It is nice to know that most of us Moms, Wives and Bloggers are alike in more ways than we realize!

It is a small world after all!

Now to pass it on to five people:

A Psych Mommy

Kelly's Korner

La Dolce Vita...

Let's Explore

Seven Clown Circus

Thanks again Christy!

THE PAPARAZZI AVOIDS ME

Dani over at Dani's Daily Drop sent me award about a month ago and as with everything else I am just now catching up!! Thank you so much Dani! I truly appreciate it!! Being an award winning author and all......ahem.....I try to keep a low profile and awards ceremony don't allow this with the red carpet events and all so I avoid them at all cost besides the whole dress finding fiasco sends a whirlwind of depression!! I have managed to keep the papparazi away from my life unlike others Jon and Kate no names mentioned!! Luckily, I am able to go to the grocery store and all of our outings without a problem which is NOT surprising with my status!! Oh how I crack myself at the thought of ME being that popular EVER!!

This award is called "Premios Dardo" which roughly translates to "Top Dart". The award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his or her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values every day. Really, me?? The rules are to accept it, link back to the one who awarded you, award it to 15 others who are worthy to receive it, then let them know.

All I have to say is 15....WOW!!

Let me see.......

adventures of aidanpod

An Italian Mama Gone Crazy

In My Mind it's Always Funny

Kisatrtle's Kreative Korner

Life with a Little One and More

More than Words

My Blessings from Above

My Voice, My View

No Ordinary Life

One More Fairytale

The Little Bluebird Diaries

The Rambler

The Art of Panic

Too Much Information

Waiting for Happy

Wow that was harder than I thought!!

Thanks Dani!

WAY BEHIND AND CATCHING UP

Life has been so busy around here since well it is always busy but I haven't been able to blog consistently since May and I am going nuts!! Here I am with a goal to catch up on things mainly because this allows me to stay in my room where it is cooler and away from Moose who is driving me absolutely NUTS!!

First of all, I would like to thank Kristen for our beautiful necklaces.

Kristen from La Dolce Vita makes necklaces and sells them at Kristen's Custom Creations. I originally planned to see if she could customize a necklace for me then ended up buying necklaces for my Mom, sister and two sister-in-laws for Mother's Day. I love them!! Kristen was so helpful, patient and fast once I finalized my order. Thank you so much!

First I wanted one that said, "I love you more than all the stars in the sky!" Kristen experimented and kept in contact until I had what I wanted! Love her! So my Mom and I got this:

This is what Elijah says to me almost every morning when he would get out of the car for school. I love it!! She experimented and now it is part of her collection. I added the boys birthstones to mine. LOVE IT!! Did I mention I love it?!?! I get tons of compliments on it......well if and when I end up leaving the house nowadays!!!

Then I got this for my sister-in-law Karen who really is more like my sister since I have known her since I was...............I think 6. She is also a great friend to me who probably regrets all my LONG winded phone calls because I feel like I can tell her anything.

Then I got this one for my sister Lisa and sister-in-law Carolee. I had her take the name charm off and add the birthstones of their children. They have them on all the time and get many compliments!

Sorry it took me so long to post this Kristen but I truly appreciate all your help, patience and hard work. We love our necklaces and I am spreading the word!!

By clicking on the necklace photos, you will go directly to that necklace in her etsy shop. Go there, look around and surely you will fall in love with something you just have to have or email her for a custom creation!!!

I WON!!

I entered this giveaway in April!

I never expect to win because I never won anything until blogger came into my life!

I WON!!!

I did not realize I had won then I sent my mailing address to an invalid email address. Then when I turned my address into the correct email address it was a day late so I thought I wouldn't get my prize!

I received the book the end of last week!

This is an AWESOME book and it is huge!

The boys absolutely love it!

It is hard cover with sturdy pages chuck FULL of dinotastic information!

I would highly recommend this book if your kids' are dino lovers like mine!!

Thanks Momdot!

WORDFUL WEDNESDAY

Many people do Wordless Wednesday and just post a photo. Yes I believe that some pictures speak for themselves; however, you don't know the story behind some of them and what they truly mean to the photographer could be the complete opposite. For this very reason I am pleased to say I have found Wordful Wednesday and it is just my cup of tea. So here we go with my inaugural Wordful Wednesday post and we all know I have an earful!!

To most this is yet another picture of a beautiful little boy staring off into the world but to me it means SO much more. For the initial version of my son's hearing difficulties go here and I will try to keep this short and to the point. I had told everyone for a long time I didn't think Isaiah could hear me. I knew he wasn't completely deaf but I had to clap my hands of yell to get his attention far too often if he wasn't looking at me. Everyone had an excuse like he is stubborn (yep!), he is the second child and they don't talk as early (true!) or he is a master of selective listening (he's a pro now!). Like every Mother who doesn't want anything to be wrong with her baby, I chose to accept these excuses but my intuition told me otherwise. After a long struggle, I got him into an ENT who confirmed my fears. Isaiah needed tubes in his ears, he could not hear and they feared he would have permanent hearing loss because of the extent of his damage. The surgery went off without a hitch and I cried the first time I saw him wandering around the house trying to figure out each and every noise he heard. You don't realize all the things you "hear" and block out until your baby boy is perched with his ear against the running dishwasher wondering what in the world is going on in there and you never even "heard" it running. Everything was new to him. Isaiah's personality and hearing was night and day just days after surgery. Six months post-op, many visits, two failed hearing tests later, he FINALLY passed his first hearing test and tears just rolled down my cheeks as he turned for every sound.

Isaiah always loved parades and was never scared of the loud noises but that was because everything was muffled in his world. The photo above is of him watching a parade just two weeks after surgery. He was in awe as if he had never seen a parade but it was because he had never truly heard a parade until this photo was taken. Every time I see this picture I think of all my little boy went through and how thankful I am that he can hear everything unless he is using his professional selective listening skills, of course! At the time I was taking the picture, I was wondering if he could hear and my heart skipped a beat when the firetrucks came and I saw this:

This photo is music to Mommy's ears!

Now do you see what I mean? If you didn't hear the story, these pictures are just cute but now you know why they are so meaningful ~ at least to me!

Hope on over to

and join in the fun!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Good news.....Santa did not get stuck in our chimney!

Here are pictures from our Christmas with my family

THURSDAY'S THANKFUL TEN

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all did not eat "too" much but I definitely know I gobbled til I wobbled ~ without a doubt.

Thursday's Ten this week (finally I haven't done one in awhile) is:

Thursday's Thankful Ten

1. First and foremost I am thankful for my family. MY family made up of me and my six boys in the house (husbands, three boys and two boy dogs that I am unsure about on most days!). Yes I am outnumbered but I wouldn't have it any other way! I get to be the Alpha Female!! lol I also love my big, huge, sarcastic yet hilarious, perverted, bullheaded, loud, outgoing, playful, out-spoken, supportive, helpful, full of good cooks ~ beautiful family including my parents, Grandma, brothers, sister, their spouses, 3 nieces, 5 nephews, 2 new foster nephews, aunts, uncles and countless cousins! No we aren't the Ingalls or the Waltons but we love each other regardless. Some are easier to love than others (me~lol) and yes there are many times when we disagree but we still love each other and have a good time when we are together. Well at least I know I do!!
2. I am thankful for a forgiving God because he knows I am not perfect and he loves me just the same.
3. I am thankful the election is finally over and that is all I will say about that!
4. I am thankful I am raising my kids in a time when their race is far more accepted than days past.
5. I am thankful for my husband who knows me in and out with all (I mean one or two!) my flaws and loves me for who I really am! He changed my life for the better and I am truly thankful for each and every day we get to make each other smile. We are too funny! lol
6. I am thankful Benjamin Franklin did not succeed in making the Wild Turkey the National bird b/c then I know I would not be able to eat turkey and I love turkey OH SO much!!
7. I am thankful for my friends. My true friends! The ones who laugh at my jokes, respect my honest opinion even when they don't want to hear it, listen to my problems even when they are in a crisis and my problem may be tiny at the time but they care enough to listen, understand the concept of GIVE AND TAKE, give me an honest opinion even when I don't want it, love and respect me and my relationship with my husband and the ones who know me probably WAY too well but stick around for the long haul anyway!!
8. I am thankful for my children that the doctors said I would never have! Guess all that schooling doesn't make you an expert!!
9. I am thankful for pecan pie, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, broccoli casserole, chocolate layer dessert, Kristin making some sinfully delish oatmeal/pnut butter/chocolate chip cookies, rolls, pasta salad, the inventor of Snickers salad and last but not least Turkey and the tryptophan it supplies to put me fast asleep when I am done with this list!
10. Last but not least I am thankful my three year old is finally asleep and I can crash for a few hours before BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING ON MY BIRTHDAY!

No Cancer!

Well the results are in! I was supposed to go to the doctor on Thursday but got a call late Monday requesting me to be at the doctor on Tuesday morning. After I kind of flipped out on the nurse on the phone wondering why he wanted to see me early and asking if my results were bad, she informed me she just had to reschedule all of Thursday mornings appointments because he had a meeting. I accepted her answer still thinking she was lying to me just to make me feel better. Tuesday I went to the doctor and waited an hour and ten minutes before they called my name. After two women left his office crying, my stomach was one big knot wondering if they book all the bad news appointments for one day to get them all over with at once. I really hadn't worried all week about the tumor just trusted the doctor's assumption that it was a benign tumor but now I began to worry. Then I found out he wasn't lying about his meeting because the room was full of patients with Thursday morning rebooks! Next I got called back and had to listen to the woman in the room next to me screaming in pain and I do mean screaming! I was next! Everything was fine! I had a baseball size tumor on my ovary that had to be removed along with the ovary and of course my appendix since it all this started with appendicitis. I cannot begin to spell the name of the tumor but it was benign and it is a fairly common tumor that grows and they do not yet know why. I really don't care why since it is gone and not cancerous!!! THANK YOU GOD !!