A Day in the Life

I usually don't blog if there isn't something fun or exciting write or pictures to share, but lately I've been thinking...do I blog to entertain others or do I do it to journal my life? If it is the latter, then I think in 20 years I'd like to look back through this and see a little more of just my day-to-day life, not just the stuff I come up with to get a laugh out of my readers. ;)

Today was my day off, so I will actually write about yesterday, simply because it is more representative of my daily life.

Got up at 5:30. Showered, had some coffee while I put on my makeup and did my hair. Looked outside to see that it was snowing and wondered if any patients would cancel. Had breakfast of oatmeal mixed with craisins and mashed banana and cinnamon/nutmeg sprinkled on top. No sugar. Got my kids up, dressed, brushed teeth, and gave them their Flinstone's vitamins. I had one myself, along with a vit D tablet and a fish oil capsule.

Dropped the kids off at school (daycare, but we call it school), got to work. My 8:00 patient was really nice and an easy cleaning. At about 8:50 I radioed to Dr. B that I was ready for and exam, and when I looked at the schedule to see who my 9:00 patient was, I felt a little panic. This patient gets SO mad if you bring her back late. I begged Dr. to PLEASE come do my exam so I wouldn't run behind on the next patient, saving myself from being yelled at.

I brought my 9:00 patient back at (literally) 9:03. I could tell she was pissed by the way she answered fine without looking at me when I asked how she was doing. I cleaned her teeth in silence since she was obviously in no mood for conversation. It always amazes me that she acts this way...she is a nurse! As I sat there I took pride in the fact that I do not have that kind of anger or impatience towards those who provide me a service. Who wants to be the type that others dread working with?

My 10:00 patient was one of the other hygienists in the office. Since it had snowed that morning there were a few cancellations. There is no easier cleaning than that of a fellow hygienist.

My 11:00 patient was a 21-yr-old with severe gum disease. In cases like that I have to clean the teeth a quadrant at a time under local anesthesia, because the infection is so bad, inflammation so great, and bleeding so profuse that they cannot tolerate the procedure (scaling/root planing) without being numb. While I worked I tried my best to tactfully and respectfully educate her on the seriousness of her condition and to encourage her to care enough about herself to start brushing and flossing her teeth.

At lunch I went home, wolfed down some food, threw some stuff into the crock pot in the hopes it would turn out as chili, and headed back to work.

My first patient back from lunch was an older gentleman, very nice with good home care. After his cleaning he needed two fillings, so I got him numb (he complimented me that he didn't feel a thing!) and Dr. B came in to drill out the cavities. When that was done, I took back over and place one silver (amalgam) filling and one tooth-colored (resin) filling.

My last patient was a really nice gal who was my age, but we did not know each other from school. We chatted away as I worked. She was fun and a great patient to end the day with. When I asked her if the guy she is dating is from Shelton, she told me his name. I cracked up laughing. Oh my gosh! I said to her. He was my boyfriend in 7th grade...but we only lasted a week. He broke up with me because I was too afraid to kiss him. She laughed and said yep, that sounds like him. ;)

I left work and headed home. Dale and the kids were there, and they were eating the chili I had made. I was starved, and quickly ate a big bowl of it, followed by a protein bar. Then I had to leave again to go meet my friend Monica. We run together twice a week. We got through about 1/3 of our 5 miles when I told her that we had to stop or I would soon be wearing my chili down the front of my shirt (I don't usually eat dinner before we run). That was fine with her, and we walked the rest of our route. There is always plenty to talk about with Monica, and the conversation for the rest of the workout was about (what else?) food. Our favorite recipes, cravings, Rachel Ray, how hard it would be to be a contestant on Iron Chef, (broad topic, there's lots to say).

Got back home and helped Dale get the kids in their jammies, teeth brushed and fluoride given. Read them 2 books, tucked in and a million hugs and kisses given. I sat down and watched a few minutes of The Devil Wears Prada, decided I was cold and that a bath sounded good (as it does right now). As my bath filled up I aswered my emails. After my bath I brushed and flossed...crawled into bed exhausted but so thankful I didn't have to work the next day.

My New Shoes

*disclaimer* my apologies if this post showcases my very shallow side.

I went shopping with my great friend Michelle last weekend. While meandering through Nordstom I spotted these beautiful heels, picked one up, and had the following mental conversation with myself:

Fun, Spontaneous Self (FSS): Oh, these are great...

Boring, Responsible Self (BRS): Yes, they are.

FSS: Stuart Weitzman! On sale!

BRS: Still expensive.

FSS: But still a great deal.

BRS: When would you wear these??

FSS: Lots of occasions in February alone! Valentine's Day, Las Vegas, Austin, Jared's wedding...

BRS: The economy is bad. You should be saving your money like they tell you to on Good Morning America.

FSS: I do save. And I work hard. And I quit sugar almost a month ago. I deserve something nice.

BRS: You are right. You do work hard. You do deserve it.

FSS: Yeah! I DO deserve it!

It's About Time

I couldn't help but feel like a proud mama watching the inaguration today. Good for you, Barak Obama.

I've Been Tagged- Love Style

Ugh! January is the worst for blogging. The holidays are over...the weather is crappy...motivation low...blog material scarce. I am about to start referring to it as my blahg (get it? Blah + blog? Heh.)

Anyway, thank you Lindsey, for tagging me and giving me something to write about!



Love

I got tagged! - this one is about the one I love.....

Oh, and I tried and tried to find this picture that I have of Me, John, Stacy, Mindy and Dale taken in the gondola in Squaw Valley in 1992. No luck.

1. Where did we meet? High school? I don't even know when I first met him.

2. What was the first thought that went through your head when you met? No idea.

3. Do you remember what he/she was wearing? No (sorry, this post will be boring)

4. Where was the first time you kissed this person? Leavenworth.
6. How long did you know this person before you became a couple? Mmm...At least 7 years.

7. How did he/she ask you out? I honestly don't even know.

8. How did he propose to you? Well, I won't go into how, but it's kind of funny...In the Twilight movie, the scene where they were on the beach in LaPush is the beach where we got engaged. But it's not really LaPush.

9. Do you and this person have kids together? Yes, the greatest two kids in the world.

10. Have you ever broke the law with this person? You guys know Dale...he doesn't break the law. All my law-breaking has been in the earlier days.

11. When was the first time you realized you liked this person? Once I found out he was going to go out with someone else.

12. Do you trust this person? Duh! Where do these questions come from?

13. Do you see her/him as your partner in your future? See answer #12

14. What is the best gift she/he gave you? My Trek. OH! That's right, and two great kids.

15. What is one thing He/She does that gets on your nerves? Nothing. My husband is pure perfection. ;)

16. Where do you see each other 15 years from now? Probably trying to keep two teenagers on the right path.

17. What causes the most arguments? See answer #15

18. How long have you been together? Together 10.5 yrs, married 7.5 yrs

19. Are you Married? Yes!

20. Who do you tag? Kaylee, Kansas Rachel, Courts

My New Baby

I received several gift cards to Kits Cameras for Christmas. Today I gathered them all up, and to celebrate my day off, I went and treated myself to a new lens. It's a Canon 50mm f/1.4. This is a lens I have wanted for a long time now. I won't go on and on about what makes this lens so great, but let's just say I am super-duper excited about it.

I have a photo shoot on Sunday...this will be just perfect for it.

The Bug Makes It's Rounds

I am home today with a sick baby. Honestly, I'd have thought Rowan would have caught the bug earlier than this. I was sick a few days before Christmas, and then Bella woke up sick Christmas morning (poor baby, opened presents with a 102.3 fever...only slowed her down a little), and now Rowan. It sucks.

What is it about January that gives me the blogging blahs? I remember this happened last year, too. It's like A) not much is going on, and B) blogging for some reason just feels like a huge chore. Do any other of my bloggers out there feel this way?

I am trying to come up with something blog worthy to excite my five readers...

Oh! My new year's resolution was to give up refined sugars/sweets/candy. The sad part is that I realized at 11:55pm on new year's eve that I hadn't made one resolution. This one came to mind real quick, which meant I didn't have time for one last candy frolic. It's been 12 days so far and I haven't cheated. This is quite an accomplishment for me, since my sweet tooth is stronger than Willie Nelson's craving for pot.

Also, my friend Courtney talked me into registering for a half marathon. This isn't the Nike Women's, which we didn't get a spot in last year (but will try again). This one is in June, in Seattle. It is two weeks before the STP. To answer your question, I don't know what I am thinking. Someone needs to save me from myself.

Eclipse

I just finished the third book in the Twilight series, Eclipse, last night. I spent so much time being frustrated!! ESPECIALLY (don't worry, Jamie, I won't give anything away) the bottom of page 527. Oh!!! I wanted to throw the book across the room! ...but that would have meant the book leaving my hands for 5 seconds, and we can't have that...

If I could scream at those characters, I'd tell them:

Jacob: Quit manipulating!

Bella: What the heck are you doing?

Edward: Grow a backbone!

It's funny. I never read fiction, yet now I am an all-consumed fanpire. Since I am only allowing myself one book per month, though, I now have to wait until Feb to start book 4. It is taking every ounce of self-discipline that I can muster.

Training

Registration for the Seattle-to-Portland bike ride opened January 1st and Dale and I were first to sign up.

We train a lot. Obviously Washington winters don't allow us to ride much outside, so we ride inside. We have these gizmos that our bikes clip into that look like this:

















Then Dale decides he wants to challenge himself (or as I like to say, show off how super cool he is) and buys one of these trainers, which is basically a set of rollers that you ride your bike on. It looks scary to me, but he took to it like a fish in water. He has been begging me to try it. He says it's better practice, and it is more realistic. I told him that I already know how to balance on my bike, and I don't need to practice that, thankyouverymuch. This is what his trainer looks like:






















Besides, I like to multitask. This is actually how I ride my bike. I ride and read. I train at the same time I get lost in the world of Edward and Bella. And if you don't know who Edward and Bella are....that is so sad....

For You, Jamie

Christmas is long over but the war wages on.

Ok..........Jamie..........I did think of you yesterday as I took down our Christmas tree. After all the beautiful decorations and lights were removed and stored neatly back in their boxes and placed in The Dungeon (our affectionate term for our storage room (yes, we name the rooms in our house)) I drug the tree through the living room, down the hall, and out onto the porch. As I looked at the thick trail of 986,794,857,892,734,372,478,753,875 dried needles the tree left in my house, for a breif nanosecond I thought to myself Man, those artificial tree people know what's up! Then I snapped back to reality. No self respecting Western Washingtonian owns an artificial tree!! That's as bad as owning an umbrella. It's ok though, Jamie. I know you are not native to our part of the country.

Therefore I proudly promote you to Head Counselor of Camp Artifical Tree.

By the way...Minnesota called. They'd like their weather back.

Love you.