Lullabelle Scare

Last week, after much pushing and prodding by Mike, I finally took Lullabelle to the vet . Ok, she has never been in her entire six years of life. Before you judge me, let me explain. She lives inside and is only with Mike and me. I just never thought that she needed to go. (Are you still not convinced? Do you still think that I am a bad mother?) After a little nudging and a lot of guilt, I took my sweet cat to a vet I found online. It ended up being a nice place, which is something I was worried about. They took her mug shot and then brought her into another room to take her blood. If you remember, this cat is skittish. She was in the pound for a year before I got her and has had many traumatic experiences since then. I actually heard her scream when they took her blood, and I felt sick to my stomach. I truly can't imagine taking my human child to the doctor or having them be sick - I was a wreck during the entire process.

When the doctor came into the room he told me that her blood work was fine, but she had a cracked tooth. He showed me where her tooth had split in half (most likely for stale treats that either Mike or I gave her) and was completely infected. The vet told me that she needed to go into surgery ASAP to get this taken care of so we wouldn't have to pay for a tooth extraction down the line. Then he said I could go home and he would see me in the morning. How can you leave this face??

I left after saying multiple goodbyes. I asked the secretary if they would please contact me when she got out of surgery. She said I was welcome to call at 4 pm. (Apparently they have more important things to do than make personal calls for each patient.) I was on the phone at 3:30. Luckily Lullabelle did great but was still a little groggy when they went to check on her. I asked if maybe I could just come pick her up then, but the nurse said that was out of the question. When the doors opened the next morning, I was standing on the steps waiting to pick up my sweet cat.

There was a new front desk lady who did not make me feel very comfortable. When I asked how Lullabelle had done overnight she replied, "I don't know. I wasn't here." Hmmm. I paid my money and she went into the back to get my precious cargo. When we got home, Lullabelle just kind of laid around and randomly walked into things. Mike thought this was hilarious. I was on the phone with the vet making sure everything was ok. I think the anesthesia has finally worn off. We have antibiotics that she is supposed to be taking but she has fought us every step of the way. Mike tried to put them in her water, but then she stopped drinking. She's a smart one, that cat.

This is her recovering the next day - still a little stoned I think.

So, that was our excitement for the week. We really are starting to be a little domesticated, suburban family - I love it!

*New post below.*

Scuba Certified! Check!

I think I mentioned in a blog awhile back that I was planning to take scuba classes. I started last Tuesday night and finished up today. It really is one of the coolest things I have ever done. We started out in a pool where our instructor taught us how to assemble the gear, put the gear on and eventually get in the pool. If you are considering taking classes, also consider booking a massage for the week after. I am so sore. The tank/equipment, etc is approximately 60-70 pounds and you are hauling it around on your back. Although it is weightless in the water, I have been on the couch every time a session finished. The process is exhausting - swimming, breathing and carrying that load.

Once we completed our pool skills, they took us out to the lake. Since there is no ocean within 6 hours of us, they certify people this way. I wish I could say that I saw a lot of amazing things, but that was not the case. The visibility was only about 5 feet in front of us, but it was amazing to that we were able to stay under water for so long without worrying about taking a breath or running out of air. The instructor makes you do all these things in the lake just in case they were to ever happen in the "real world." Examples: losing your mask, losing your breathing tube or learning how to use a compass underwater (tricky).

Using the compass was hilarious. They made us practice on land so that if someone veered off course, they would be able to grab us without losing us in the lake. The instructor made us all put towels over our heads and wander around until we got to our appointed destination. I kind of think he did it just to laugh at us. My towel kept getting in the way - things were not going well. Luckily things smoothed out under water and I was able to pass that portion.

One of the things that I found interesting is that I was not claustrophobic at all. I was concerned that I was going to get very anxious and not want to stay under water. But again, you get so caught up in what you are doing and seeing that you forget you are underwater doing something that humans are not made to do. I am so excited to go diving in Florida and have already informed my father that I have several trips planned for us. My father informed me that I have a propensity for spending other people's money and we will discuss future dives after I get a job. In the meantime, I can keep diving at the lake! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

49 Days and Counting

Today is the 49th day this year that the temperature has been over 100 degree. And I'm not talking about grazing the boundary around 101. I mean it is a consistent 107-108 degrees every day. Just imagine getting in your car (which you know is going to show a higher temperature) and seeing 120. I really can't believe it. Now, I will see say, I know that AL, LA, and MS are all very hot, plus they have the added bonus of humidity. The difference is this dry heat where you feel like you are actually burning as soon as you walk outside.

I will not be writing a entire post on the weather today, but just wanted to show you why I finally caved and joined a gym. After Mike locked me out, and the temperatures were still above 100 at 9:00 at night, I decided there really was no point in trying to run outside unless I had some sort of death wish. (I don't.) I have always had some aversion to joining a gym. A) There is something so freeing about walking out your front door and going for a run. B) I don't know what any of those machines at the gym do. When the guy was signing me up, he asked me exactly what I was going to be focusing on. "Just a treadmill please, that's all I need." I have since found the ab machines, which I *think* I am doing correctly. I have tried a few other machines, but I am pretty sure I am working out my legs when I should be working on my arms, abs, etc on that particular machine.

This gym is HUGE. I accidentally walked into the "candlelight yoga" class yesterday when I was trying to find the Zumba class. That was embarrassing. The best thing about this gym is that they have come up with the idea of a movie theater with treadmills in it instead of seats. Brilliant. You no longer have to switch channels when the commercials come on and you run in the dark. I LOVE the idea, but am terrified of flying off the machine (this has happened before) and disturbing everyone else's run. The other glitch they are still working on is the actual movies. You are able to check the movie schedule on the internet before you go - this is key for me. I don't want to watch G.I. Joe (which Mike and I did rent the other night) while I am running. On this particular day, The Dilemma was playing. I was excited - a girly movie that wouldn't take much thought. When I walked into the theater, I saw - The Terminator. I stuck it out for an hour, but it was pretty horrible.

If you are still reading this, I realize it was pretty boring. Sorry - however, I can't move very much today after two consecutive days at the gym (getting my money's worth!) and am getting a little bored. Enjoy the rest of your Friday!

Goodbye Silver Bullet

Today was a somber day. I watched my Pathfinder drive away with another owner. And I actually cried. I had sunglasses on, but my voice cracked when I was trying to be professional and say thank you. I have got to work on the "business" side of me before I get set up in this whole law business.

If you are interested in selling a car, I now know everything you need to know. Prior to today, I had no idea what I was doing. First of all, the guy that I sold the car to was anxious to get it as quickly as possible. He asked me to bring the title when he actually looked at the car for the first time. Umm....where is that pesky piece of paper? Of course, I blamed my mother for giving me something of such great importance at the young age of 20. I don't think it was a very good argument. So, I had to explain to the guy that we could do a Bill of Sale and I would next day air the title. I don't know what I was thinking. Have you ever heard of a DMV that does next day air specifically for you? Me neither.

So, we met at the Fed Ex office while I mailed my request for a title (that will be returned in 2 weeks.) We made copies of the Bill of Sale (this was his idea) and copies of our driver's licenses (also his idea.) Both were great ones, I must say. Then I gave him the keys. Did I say keys? I meant the one key that I still have to the car. I wish y'all could have seen his face. "You only have one key?" I said yes and then mumbled some excuse that I don't think he really cared about. (Mike kept conveniently wandering away. I think he was embarrassed too...)

But, it all worked out in the end, and I watched my little SUV drive down the road while I cried. You see, I have been driving that car for eleven years. That is a lot of events that the Silver Bullet had been a part of. She was around when I was in college, when I got my first job, when I met Mike. She has traveled to Mississippi, Virginia, Missouri (she didn't like it there either), Louisiana and Florida (just to name a few.) I have eaten more breakfast bars in there, had more diet cokes and had more passengers in that car than I can even count. And I have impressed more than one person by showing off that she is a "stick."

That car was perfect despite the fact that it had a large crack in the windshield, the clock worked when it wanted to and there are random pieces of plastic that have fallen off and I'm not sure just where they were supposed to go. The Silver Bullet endured at least 8 people crammed into her on a Saturday night in New Orleans, listening to '80s songs while everyone sang/screamed at the top of their lungs. She survived boyfriends and break ups way before Mike was around. The type that led to me driving around with the windows open and some sort of country love song blaring while I dramatically cried, thinking I would never find "love" again. She survived my sister driving her into a large cement pole at the gas station. And she was there when I got married. So today when I said, "Take good care of her! She has never been in an accident!" while sobbing, I didn't really feel that silly.

Here's only hoping the replacement, "The Blueberry" will be as reliable and bring as many memories as the Silver Bullet. She has some big tires to fill.

The Big 3-0....Again...

As I have mentioned before, we love birthdays. We do not have children to celebrate birthdays with yet, so we basically act like children when our special day comes around. Last year was kind of a rushed Big 3-0 celebration as we were moving and there honestly just wasn't time for a lot of celebrating. That's ok, it just gave me that much more to celebrate this year!

I mentioned Mike's parents were in town a few weeks ago. Mrs. C took me shopping for my birthday. She always saves me from looking like one of those "fashion dont's." I was able to pick out a few special things and had a wonderful birthday dinner. I have realized this year, I don't really like surprises. I thought I did. I always said that I wanted big surprises, but I think I wanted to plan the surprise and then be surprised so that everything would be just how I wanted it. Does that make sense?

This year, I told Mike to decide what we were going to do for my birthday week/day. But then I kept making suggestions. "Maybe we should go see a movie?" "Maybe we should specifically go see The Help at 5:30 and then go get sushi?" "Maybe we should go to that sushi place we haven't tried?" Mike finally asked me, "I'm sorry - did you want to plan this, or am I?" So, I tried to let go.

It was perfect.Yes, we did end up seeing The Help and eating sushi, but we just had so much fun being out together. I am so thrilled because I got some new sunglasses just in time for us to head to the beach. My old ones are all scratched up and you can't really see out of them. (I promise they still look cool.) I also got this cake:

It makes me smile. No, Mike cannot take credit for the flowers, but the rest of the decorating is his handywork. We didn't have any candles so I blew out a lighter...is that redneck? Yesterday we laid around and watched movies and today, we FINALLY sold my Pathfinder! We have had it on Craig's List for several months and someone contacted me saying they wanted to buy it ASAP. We are "making the swap" on Tuesday at 4:15 in the grocery store parking lot. I feel like I am living on the edge.

I don't remember if I mentioned that I am going to B'ham a few days early so that I can see all my "nieces" and finally meet my "nephew." I will take a picture with all four of these sweeties so you can see why I get so excited to go home. On that note, I showed Mike this picture today:

His response: "Which one is this?" Well, that would be our niece.
It just goes to show you how many babies flash in front of his eyes everyday. Isn't she getting so big and so cute!! I told her momma those eyes are going to be trouble! Sean, you better get your gun!

Anyway, there's the weekend update. Hope everyone's weekend was just as great!

Now What?

*I wrote this several days ago and stopped in the middle of it. The house is no longer eerily clean.**

I am sitting on the couch with a grocery list in my hand, but grocery shopping is not as enticing as it was when I was supposed to be studying. I am already going a little stir crazy. My in laws are gone and Mike has gone back to school to get ready for his big test on October 12. Things are eerily quiet and clean around here.

We had a great time with Mike's parents. They are always lots of fun, and we ended up shopping both days they were here. While Mike's dad played golf, I went with his mother and one of their close friends to "The Mart" and to do a little early birthday shopping. We had some wonderful dinners and it was nice to have someone to just take care of us for a little while. Sometimes being a grown up is exhausting and it is so wonderful when your parents step in!

Today I have searched for jobs, cleaned the kitchen again, watched more episodes of Weeds and created the menu for the rest of the week. I called my parents who are (of course) at the beach this weekend. I was trying to explain how antsy I felt to my father who said, "Oh - I'm not sure I have ever been in that position. Well, when we were in Jamaica and I was just sitting on the beach I did get antsy. That's when I got scuba certified." SO not the same, Dad. I calmly told him that I did not feel we were in the same place and I probably needed to get off the phone.

One good thing coming out of that conversation is that I am getting scuba certified so that I can be my dad's partner. Mom is not at all interested in participating, and neither is Mike. So, we figured they can fish or tan on the boat while Dad and I are diving. Good plan, huh? I signed up for a class and start in a week. Apparently, you learn in a pool and then they take you to the lake where you do your "dives." After I paid for the class, I called my mom and asked her if she thought I give off an appearance of stupidity. I was so annoyed by what the guy selling the class (and all equipment in the store) was trying to hook me into buying. He went on and on about how it was necessary for me to buy $200 goggles so that I don't get blisters around my eyes, and how the rental places for scuba diving never have the correct sizes. When I tried to "argue" my position (just say no) he got very huffy. I wanted to tell him that I do in fact have a college education and am not as dumb as I may appear.  Regardless, I am signed up and will let you know how these lessons go. I am a little worried about how my claustrophobia is going to play into all of this, but, I'm sure it will be fine. What's the worst that can happen?

We are going to meet my parents at the beach over Labor Day and I cannot wait. This pale body needs some sun, and this southern girl is missing the beach! It seems as though everyone has had their beach/lake vacation and I am ready for ours! That really is all that is going on here these days....birthday post to come!