Thanks, ALOT

I am now in love with a new blog!!!!!!!!

Now I can read this blog & laugh rather than sending email after email to the news editors of a highly read online news organization informing them of their multitude of over-looked grammatical & spelling errors. Because, sadly, I don't believe they even know what a dangling modifier is, let alone an "alot" or "alright." How could they when they used the non-word "funner" in a bloody headline!!!!

Perhaps I could have this author draw me a dangling modifier~or better yet: provide me with a stuffed animal of one that I could squeeze tightly when I stumble across one while reading. I would also like to get a stuffed ALOT!
 
Anyway, I am now a fan (if you haven't caught on yet) of the blog: Hyperbole And a Half


Please visit this blog: it'll have you laughing! You can start with her commentation on the usage of alot:

A big thank you to Andi for introducing me to this! Really: thanks alot! 
 
 

 
 
 

This is an ALOT

Created, Drawn & Rights Owned by the Author of Hyperbole & A Half

Ma Compagne Ininterrompu...

...Douleur.

Ma Compagne Ininterrompu...Douleur

Doesn't that sound so much nicer than "My constant companion...pain." Makes being in pain at least sound more glamorous.

Sadly, I don't really speak French...I'd had plans/dreams once of going to the Loire region in France to study it for a year or so. But those have gone on hold (probably permanently) because of ma maladie (my illnesses), so I dont even know if this (Ma Compagne Ininterrompu: Douleur) is even correct.

Regardless, the statement itself is true. And the past three days have been filled with more pain than usual. I had a fibro flare-up on Monday, probably caused by the inconvenience of one of my teeth breaking, falling out, disappearing last Tuesday. And then needing to wait for a custom crown to be made, during which time, the temporary cap fell out (on Sat). And then my dentist was out of town & his fill-in had the flu...so I had to fix it myself.

That pain probably triggered the fibro/neuropathy flare up on Monday which then cause excruciating mouth pain on Tuesday when my freakin' cap fell out (again). The pain radiated up into my sinuses, my ears, my neck. I wanted to blow my head off, thinking that wouldn't hurt as much (yes, I know that's illogical). I practically ODed on pain killers trying to keep the pain in check (which obviously it didn't).

But now my mouth is nicely numb again with a new temp cap in it while we wait to see if I can have the crown put in or if I'll have to have a root canal first.

Sadly, the intense pain I was in yesterday was most likely exacerbated by my constant "maladies": my hypersensitive nerves that send pain signals out with great gusto.

Because I find complaining about being in some form of constant pain boring/irritating (both for me and the listener), I really try not to complain too much. I actually try not to even think about it too much. Yesterday, however, it took every bit of conscious energy to not cry out in pain, vomit from pain, or become a total freakin' bitch to my mom who (being a saint) took even more special care of me than she already does on a regular basis.

Side-note: Seriously, my mom is awesome: she totally supports me emotionally, financially, and in every other way: cooking, cleaning, helping me with paperwork (which I have trouble with since suffering from not-so-temporary temporary encephalopathy-which is a nice word for brain damage) and on and on and on.

Anyway: this posting is one big complaint: I hate being in constant pain. I hate having dreams dashed. I hate living a limited lifestyle.

And then I remind myself that
a) my physical pain isn't as bad as other peoples'
b) physical pain is easier to deal with than emotional pain~especially grief
...So I should just suck it up and deal with it.

And I will.

Tomorrow.

I found this on Google Images. It's pretty good illustration of my life...I added the items in pale green (smaller font).

An Apple a Day

...can literally last all day when you only have a handful of teeth.

Are We Hearing Things?

We may be crazy, but four of us have now heard Teagan say "What you doin'?" My mom & I heard her talking to her doll, here at our house. We thought we were nuts, but then...

She was with her daddy & her uncle Kent came over to visit and she greated him at the door with, "Whatcha doin?" Needless to say, they were both shocked and excited.

So either all four of us are nuts or she really used a complete sentence. Unreal!! She's 14 months old!! She is growing up waaaay too fast! Slow it down, kid!

Baby Needs a New Pair o' Shoes!

But first:

Um~how cute does Teag look in her little plaid skirt & cardigan?!?!

Auntie M! Turn on Winnie-the-Pooh right now!!

My neck is always cold so I wear scarves a lot.

Which works out well since mom is a knitting queen~

I have lots of scarf options.

Lately Teagan has been taking the scarves from my neck

& putting them on hers.

How cute is that??

Now for the shoes....

Tiff got Teagan new shoes.  Aren't they cute?? Yep~As long as you don't try actually put them on her.

We only got 1 on her.

Frankly, it would have been easier to unscrew her her right leg leg & then ram the shoe on vs trying to screw the shoe onto her foot!

It took 2 of us to get the left shoe on, but we gave up on the right foot...

and let her walk around uneven for a while in one old shoe and one new shoe...

before we relented & put both her old shoes back on.

One year old & already having shoe issues!!!! Wait till we get her high heels!

Tot Spot Cafe

How brilliant was the entrepreneur who came up with this idea? It's a cafe with grown-up & toddler foods, a "green" baby items boutique, comfy couches, bistro tables, and best of all a big enclosed area filled with toys for toddlers.

Teagan LOVED it! And~typical of Teagan~she totally suprised us by wanting to play with the other children (or their moms) rather than playing along-side them (which is typically what 1 year olds do).

She had a blast...and I had a really good latte & took (as usual) a billion pictures. Best part? I got to observe while it was her mama who had to run & take things out of her mouth! Actually though, Teag seemed to feel right at home & wasn't anxious if we sat on the outside of the wall while she played on the inside.

I missed the shot of her crying cuz she didn't like the hat

but didn't want to let go of the steering wheel!

From firefighter to little mama...she loves baby dolls!

Teagan teamed up with this little princess for a time.

This little boy was super jealous when Teagan was trying to play with his mom,

but loved playing with her~he really made her laugh!

Teagan really liked this other 14 month old. He, however, really likes to hit.

Yeah, we have no idea who this woman is~just another mom Teagan charmed.

Phew! What a day!

Yep...

I'm that crazy cat lady...not one but two posts on my cats in a week...but come on: how cute is Gypsy? And besides, she demanded equal time.

Don't you wish you were this flexible...this relaxed?

Talk about Comfortable

Being Auntie M...

...is delightful.

I'm in Love

 

Oh~did you think I meant with a man???? Silly you~you know I have no life! (at least not that kind!)

Decisions, Decisions

Don't you just hate it when everything on the menu looks so good that you just can't decide?

Sweet Madeline

Today marks the one year anniversary since the world and,more importantly, the Spohrs lost their sweet Madeline.

No: I don't know them in-real-life. I had begun to read their blog approximately 2-3 months before Maddie passed away. I remember clicking on to their blog a year ago to be hit by a 2x4 with the news. You see, Maddie's mommy, Heather, wrote so beautifully that I (along with many others) truly felt as though I knew them in-real-life, not just through cyber-space. Heather's postings were full of stories, pictures, & videos of Maddie that captivated me & a large blogging audience. When Maddie passed, it was touching to see how this "audience" rose up to support the Spohrs. And we still do.

Maddie's smile & bright blue eyes lit up any room she was in. While the color purple has always been associated with Maddie, I think of her in yellow too, because her presence was like bright sunshine.


I still cannot imagine the Spohrs' grief...


Please join me in holding this family up in prayer today  as they deal with this difficult memorial date.
 
If you would like to hear the sweetest song, written by Maddie's daddy, click here. He also wrote a very tender song about grief that you can listen to here. To read more about sweet Madeline, written beautifully by her mom, please visit, The Spohrs Are Multiplying. You can also leave a message for them there.

If you would like to support the Spohrs in another way, please feel free to give to the March of Dimes in Maddie's name.


To see a few pictures of Maddie, captured by her mama, simply scroll down..........

April Tradition

Today we visited the Skagit Valley region & the town of LaConner to visit the tulip fields. We did this last year as well, with Teagan just a wee baby. This year, she strutted her stuff & walked to the fields on her own.

  

2009

 

2010

First we had lunch on the river in LaConner...after much decision, Teagan (and the rest of us) chose fish & chips.

Being silly...

Gramma, Teagan, & Mama (Tiff)

A rare picture of me...I've got to get out from behind the lense more often!

The tulips are so breath-takingly beautiful, that it sometimes seems as though they couldn't possibly be real. But trust me: they are!

Did I mention the crazy down-pour we got caught in while out in the tulip fields?

Taking refuge under some trees before making a run for the barn...

The tulip bulbs are the main focus for farmers. When the tulip flowers reach a certain point in bloom, they are simply mown down....

Sweet sleep after a busy day...