I have gotten a few very supportive comments about my last post...THANK YOU. I don't always have interesting things to share, but it makes my heart warm over to know that I have friends who care enough not only to read my blog, but to comfort me when I need it.

On a happier note, I finished my first set of Invisalign trays today! I just started my 2nd set (start of the 3rd week), and boy, is there a difference! I hadn't realized just how used to the first set I was. I took some Aleve and am getting ready to go pass out and sleep through the initial shock of the new set. I got over the mouth sensitivity after about 6-7 days of the first set, so that's no longer a problem. I even got to the point of sometimes forgetting I had them in! I am very satisfied thus far.

Absent mother, long vent

I have the day off today after a 6-day work week that ended Saturday. I'm having trouble prying my lazy ass off of the couch...not feeling so hot. Kind of negates the whole day off.

I finally talked to my mom lastnight after 5 months of silence. Oh, she called while we were in Mexico in August to wish me a happy birthday, but I left my phone at home. She got some credit for that, but in turn, never returned the 3 messages I left BEFORE her phone got disconnected. Or should I say before she neglected to pay her phone bill? Yes, you could say I am very bitter. This is a pattern that keeps repeating itself. We had an hour-long conversation that had undertones of her trying to sugarcoat things in order to make up for never calling me back. Apparently, she also moved (and did not tell me) and no longer had a phone. I found out through my half-sister Brenda about this. Brenda offered to let my mom use her phone to call me, and she turned it down. And when she called lastnight, it was with the cell phone of a friend of a friend of mom's stepson. If you're confused, you're not alone. I am lost.

My youngest brother Shawn and his girlfriend Sarah are expecting a baby within 2-3 weeks. Mom was bubbling over with excitement (as she should be), and explains that she doesn't have a job (and hasn't had one in 2 months) because she's waiting for the baby to arrive so she can move in temporarily with them and help out. What? It takes me back to the day when she told me that since I'm the one who moved away from my family, I get the luxury of her either being at my wedding or at the birth of my first child, not both. It came down to a week before the wedding, and she had not saved any money (over the 16 months she could have) to be able to come to Portland to see her only daughter get married. Apparently, the cigarette stash was low and took priority. To save myself from the embarassment, I reluctantly bought her a bus ticket, and my in-laws paid for her motel stay. You bet your ass I'm not paying for her to be present at the birth of my first child when that comes. I've shed too many tears hoping that she will grow a heart bigger than the size of a grain of sand. She will be the one missing out. I have adopted a new family that actually welcomes me, supports me, protects me, and nourishes me. Who says blood is thinner than water?

Boy, being off the pill really screws with my hormones.

No O

Cycle day 18 and still no ovulation....I'm starting to wonder if my cycles won't be as regular after BCP as I had hoped. :( No panicking yet, though.

My Invisalign diet: I need more lemons!

I've graduated from tomato soup and grilled cheese to crab cakes....much else, I can't chew. To be honest, I can handle ripened bananas, berries, yogurt. Perhaps I need to ask Jenny for a few of her baby food puree recipes. :) But those lemon drop martinis I had lastnight went down really easy. We went to Portland City Grill lastnight for an Oregon Physical Therapist Association fundraising event, and I made sure to replace calories lost from food with a glass of white wine and 2 martinis. Afterward, we and our friends Jeff, Megan #1, Ernie, and Megan #2 stopped by Voodoo Doughnuts to satisfy Glen's craving. They are known for their bacon maple bars (that's right....I nice maple bar slathered with a couple of strips of greasy, crispy bacon) and a variety of other ones (click on the link!).
Then we went to Paddy's for a nightcap...and home by 11:00! We just can't handle the late nights that we used to. Papa Rod took in puppydog Tech for the night (because, truly he really does have a soft spot for his pseudo-grandchild until we can give him a real one). I have a feeling it won't be so easy with one that doesn't play fetch, sit, stay, and go potty on command....

First day of Invisalign

I got my "attachments" and first set of invisalign trays today. They HURT....but I've only had them in for 4 hours. I hear they get better after 1-2 days. I wear each set for 2 weeks, so that means when I put on each new set I get to look forward to this mighty painful initial adjustment.

The attachments I mentioned are little buttons of tooth-colored enamel that are attached to certain teeth that need to be rotated. My trays have indentions to catch these buttons in order to provide that rotation. I tried to take pictures of them, but our camera *sucks*.

So I can only have water while the trays are in; otherwise, I have to take the trays out to eat and then brush/floss/rinse/reinsert trays...EVERY time I want to eat something. Tonight I took the trays out after about 1.5 hours in, tried to eat soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. Uh, yeah, not so great. I have 4 of those attachments on my bottom teeth, and due to the overjet/overbite I have, I can't fully bite down because my top teeth hit those buttons on my bottom teeth. Looks like the "invisalign diet" is off to a great start. I'll be sipping soup for a while! Not to mention the pain I felt with trying to put the trays back in after eating...(those little attachments are a pain in my ass!)

Oh! I forgot to mention the sanding of my teeth that I got to enjoy today as well...the dentist took a thin piece of metal that serves as sandpaper to reduce the width of some of my crowded teeth and allow room for them to shift. It felt like what hearing nails down a chalkboard sounds like.

This better work! (and if I could lose about 10 pounds, that would be great, too!)

Texas Tech beats the Longhorns!

Woohoooo! I didn't think it would happen...but they pulled through. Go Tech!

Holy Mustache

One month down (last week)....here's to hoping all of my cycles off the pill are as normal as this one was! (I do know the odds of that are not that great.) I'm still trying to lose a few last pounds before REALLY trying, but if it happens, it happens.

For work today, Glen dressed up as Steve Prefontaine (famous U of O runner back in the 70s)---except with a curly wig and without the gigantic sideburns. He even shaved off his goatee and left a mustache. Who woulda thought Mr. Oregon State Beavers would imitate a former Duck on Halloween? Pics to come later.

Right now I'm between trick-or-treaters (it's a little slow this year), but I am highly impressed by the manners that they all have. I'm hearing "thank you's" from almost every single child. And except for the adults who are dressed up and saying "I'm doing this for the baby", I'm really enjoying it. Granted, I guess I just don't understand because I'm not a mom yet, but couldn't they at least dress up the baby and trick-or-treat? Nevertheless, this is one of my favorite holidays because the kiddos are just stinkin' cute. Including the big kiddo that sleeps in my bed.

The Rain arrived, along with ovulation

Yep, I said it. If you're too sheepish to hear me talk about my cycle, then this is not the place for you. :) I ended up ovulating right on time at CD 16: woo-hoo! Today is CD 24, temps are all running above coverline as expected during the luteal phase...(I really do sound like a dork by now)....now I'm just waiting to see when exactly AF shows up. We were (or I should say I was) trying to avoid conceiving this month so that I can figure out my cycle (without bcp). I am blessed at this point to see that everything is going normally SO FAR. I know it takes more than one cycle to figure yourself out.

On another note, the fall/winter rains have arrived, though not in full force. The leaves are still turning from green to orange/yellow/red, which I LOVE about the Pacific northwest. In Texas, one day it's summer and 100 degrees out, the next it's 40 degrees, windy, and icy. No autumnal change at all! Plus, here, my geraniums are still alive!

While I'm feeling a bit rambly today, one more topic: colleagues at work who are so insecure about themselves that they make a point to act like they know EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING. There is a particular person in my clinic who is in her late 40s, never went to college, and is in charge of billing. She is a mostly nice woman who HATES working under therapists who are in their 20s (who have masters and doctorate degrees). So she goes out of her way to root her nose into every conversation (even those that are therapist-related, involving patient care tactics, or how to use a certain piece of medical equipment) to tell everyone what should be done. Don't get me wrong, we all TRY to treat her with the upmost respect, and there is no segregation between office staff and therapists. She just really got on my nerves today, so thanks for the vent. :)

Pancakes in a can

Yep, you read me right. Pancake batter in a can. My husband's new love. I have to admit, they aren't half bad. A little too salty for my taste, but hey, he can actually make them on his own without giving me the "could you make me some of your yummy pancakes?" face. Normally, I'd be a tad offended that he didn't want my cooking, but this is awesome. I get to stew in my "not a morning person" groggy mood.

401K nightmare

This economy sucks. That about sums it up.