Happy (Belated) Birthday to me!

It's official.  I'm 30!  I've never been one of those girls who wallow in self pity over something as silly as a number.  Actually,  I am enjoying being 30-  for the brief 4 days that have eclipsed since bidding adieu to 29, anyway.  So, I thought today's post should be a list of things I am enjoying right now.  It's going to be a great year, and I need to start it off right by appreciating all of the amazing things that I've been blessed with!

1.  I'm really enjoying my husband and these little fur mongers:

They make my life so much better, just by being a part of it.

2.  Loving being told that I'm "normal"!  All of my lab results are in, and everything is great- no chromosome issues or communicable diseases.  There's the small matter of a new hypothyroidism diagnosis, but I'm staying positive here, right?  I'm ridiculously thankful to finally have all of my results in!

3.  The Game of Thrones series by George R. R. Martin:  Thanks to a fabulous co-worker for getting me addicted.  I now have a series of long books to read on my Kindle while endlessly sitting in waiting rooms.

 

Check it out on Amazon!

4.  These fabulous quilt squares-  I've got 10 more to whip out, and the real fun of laying out and pattern-playing begins!

5.  I'm super excited about spending the weekend in Dallas with Paul and celebrating our birthdays together.  A little Kings of Leon concert, a great dinner, an FC Dallas Soccer game and a lot of lounging relaxing and doing absolutely nothing.


See?  I told you there was a lot for me to be thankful and excited about!

Do you insist on making me crazy?

This post is directed at you, Houston IVF!  I love you guys with all my heart-  truly I do, but I'm sensing a breakdown in communication here...

When you're going through something as time-sensitive as preparing for an IVF cycle, every day counts.  I'm still waiting on lab results from the blood I had drawn on July 1.  I know...  chomosome testing takes time.  Then why does Paul already know that he is communicable disease-free, and his chromosomes are perfectly perfect? 

Perhaps it's because the lab spun a vial of my blood that shouldn't have been spun, so that one measly test couldn't be run, and Houston won't report the results until all of the results from a lab set are complete.  So now I'm waiting on a call from my nurse, who is supposed to be calling my local lab to see if this test can be added to more blood I had drawn on Saturday.  Unfortunately, I'm fairly certain that Saturday's lab was run at the local lab instead of being sent out to the Quest Lab (this could be my fault, but I'm going to pass the blame here).  This means that the blood is most likely not available anymore, so we can't tack on one more test.  It also means that Houston might not accept the results-  they're fairly insistent on having all tests resulted at their lab, not my lab.

Here is where the time crunch comes into play.  The labs I had drawn on Saturday must be drawn on a certain day.  If we missed that narrow opportuity this month, we have to wait and have it redrawn next month.  I might cry if a lab issue pushes us back another month. 

I'm trying to let go of my fears and concerns about all of this.  I think worrying is my insane attempt to maintain some sense of control over the situation.  So, I'm trying to listen to Paul when he says, "Don't worry until there is something to worry about- it's not going to change anything!".  It's not easy, but he's right.  Don't tell him I said that.  :)

Hot, Hot, Hot!

My mom and I spent Sunday in Kaufman, TX piddling over things for my Grandfather's estate that need to get finished.  It was so hot, even the insects were trying to bum rides in cool, air-conditioned comfort!  This guy hung out on our windshield wiper for miles begging us to let him inside.

 Summers in the south are always hot, but I don't remember it being this hot for this long last year- 100+ temps for weeks is just insane.  When innocent pink crayons are committing suicide by jumping onto scalding pavement, you know it's too hot.

At least there are plenty of things to do inside.  I've finally finished the diaper cover for Josh's little girl.  I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out!  Perfect for a little hula girl, I think.

Thank you (and a bit of crochet)!

Thanks for all of your kind words of support and encouragement for Paul's dad. He had a pacemaker placed on Monday afternoon and was released from the hospital yesterday. Even though I work in the medical field, I am constantly amazed at the resources available to us today. It baffles me that you can have wires inserted into your heart muscle and be home 24 hours later. Simply unbelievable!


Also unbelievable: the fact that I still haven't gotten this diaper cover finished for Josh.

I finally found a flower pattern that I like, so this work-in-progress should be finished tonight. One small flower for the headband, a few leaves, some stitching on, and this project will be in the books. I do love making these and they look so cute on little baby butts, but I'm itching to get going on a new quilt top. I have new-projectitis!

It's been a long day.

It started innocently enough- a little gym time, an iced caramel macchiato at Starbucks and a trip to Lowe's to pick out this shed to build in our backyard:

NOT our backyard, though I'd love to claim it!

Pretty, isn't it?  Well, we need a concrete slab on which to place the aforementioned shed, and a secure gate on the fence that surrounds the yard in which the shed will live.  So, on to find a fence company to repair our gate that has been broken for 6 months. After playing phone tag with the fence company, they finally arrive to give me an estimate.  Did I mention that "they" were a full crew who started taking the hardware off of the gate before I even had a quote?  So much for a free estimate!

After asking the guys to stop working, I was finally given a ridiculously outrageous price.  While they were packing up, a crew member snuck into the backyard and offered to come over Saturday and do the work for $150 less than the estimate from his company.    Do you have your own insurance and licensing?  No?  I think I'm going to pass, buddy.  Good luck with that, though. 

In the middle of the fence fiasco, we get a call that Paul's dad is in the hospital with a heartrate of 35.  Seriously?  Yes, seriously.  

So, the day that started off so well ended at the VA Medical Center.  Paul's dad has been diagnosed with a 2nd degree heart block- Type II.  The doctors are holding one of his blood pressure meds until Saturday to see if he will self-correct.  If not, he will be the proud recipient of a shiny, brand-spanking new pacemaker.  The high point of the afternoon was dinner with Paul's mom at Olive Garden.  We might as well worry with full bellies, right?

The weekend in pictures

Where did the weekend go?  I feel like we've accomplished quite a bit, though it feels like these past 3 days have flown by.

-Visit farmer's market for lots of yummy goodness?  Check.
-Mow the yard and weed the flower beds?  Check.
-Go to church and pray for this crazy (but FREE!!) nation of ours?  Check. 

Deliciousness.  That's what's for dinner.

Currently, there are homemade meatballs simmering away on the stove and fresh bread in the oven.  Not a bad way to cap off a lovely holiday weekend, right?  The only thing that could make this evening even better would be some hook time on this never-going-to-get-done ripple afghan.  Alas, it's probably not going to happen.  I'm not very inspired to work on it when the temperature is 104 degrees outside.  It's feeling like more of a fall project.  I think I'll stick to baby sized projects for friends this summer.

Random color pattern?  Absolutely.... and it's driving me insane!

Have a fabulous 4th of July, y'all!  Have fun and be careful!