The Year End Review

365 days. 1 year. 2012

2012 seemed longer than other years.

January started with a storm that closed schools for two days. Snow days don't happen in our neck of the woods, so a two day school closure was noteworthy. January also started a 6 month long insurance nightmare. The Hubs had every medical test known to man in 2011. The tests showed a ruptured cervical disc C-6/7. He found a surgeon in Spokane, WA that routinely performs disc replacement. PROBLEM... insurance decided that the ruptured disc was preexisting and retroactively denied all claims for the entire year. Yep, insurance HELL.

February: insurance HELL continued. The Hubs continued teaching middle school, (I think he is a saint) I persevered at the University, and the boys did well in school.

March: insurance HELL continued, orthodontist appointments, and Resident Teenager turned 14! Yikes, I know that I cried because I am that sappy and uncool!

April: insurance HELL continued, middle school wrestling, Resident teenager's health scare, echo-cardiogram, and the first hints of spring.

May: insurance HELL continued, Mother's Day, finals, and sweet sons.

June: insurance HELL continued, summer school, Resident Little Dude turned 9, band camp, sweet husband, Father's Day, and BBQ.

July: insurance HELL resolved and surgery appointment made, camping trips, and road trips. We are lucky to have an amazing friend that watched the boys while we traveled to Spokane, WA. It sucks to be in a strange city while a loved one has surgery.

August: recovery, HOT, and back to school denial.

September: back to school adjustments, Physics HELL, High School, wonderful sisters, marching band, 4th grade, and more recovery.

October: Halloween, Resident Little dude as a necromancer, trip to the ER complete with IV, genetic testing, relief, All State Band, multiplication tables, Physics HELL, supportive friends, and more physical therapy.

November: thanks, term papers, tears, Physics HELL, saxophone lessons, 17th anniversary, orthodontist appointments, and doctor appointments.

December: 5:30 am swim practice, Pep band, finals, survived Physics HELL, Christmas programs, band concerts, swim meets, definitive AS diagnosis, tears, broken hearts, love, and family.

Goodbye 2012--- Welcome 2013!

 

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Out of The Mouth of Dudes

Ahhh, another weekend with the Dudes--- never boring! Since we are all on Christmas break, most of the week felt like the weekend, except Resident Teenager had swim practice everyday.

Resident Little Dude: Beef Stroganoff makes my taste buds call 911!

He really knows how to boost my confidence in my cooking skills.

We have a war in our house---a war over which radio station to listen to in the morning. The Hubs prefers country, Resident Little Dude prefers whatever the rest of us don't prefer, Resident Teenager has eclectic taste, and I care more about the morning DJs than the music. Taking this all in, I make the command decision listen to the local country station because the morning DJs are hilarious, of course this means that I get comments about virtually every song played.

Resident Teenager (while listening to Keith Urban's I Want to Kiss a Girl): So does every other straight man in the World! Really creative song...

Never a dull moment.

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Time with The Hubs

One of the best investments, time alone with The Hubs every Saturday. Such a small investment with a huge return!

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Things I learned this week

The original Star Trek, you know the one, Captain Kirk, Bones, Spock, Sulu---- contains 30 episodes in the first season.

Squirrels like butter.

Out of my 8 siblings, only one makes time for me.

As soon as I clean the toilet someone poops in it!

3 glasses of prosecco is a tad too much for me.

I am the only person in my family capable of placing toilet paper on the roll. DNA?

Resident Teenager doesn't like it when I say, Yowza!

I could listen to Adele all day everyday.

A person shouldn't order gobs of books through inter-library loan and not pick them up. Beaucoup fines. The same person might overhear a conversation, "Your fine is $800." Lady responds, "I thought is was only $500."

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Blah

Every December I go through a blah phase, usually a couple days after the BIG day. This year is no exception. I used to think that it was the let down from the frenzy known as Christmas. Once I went back to college I thought it was the let down from the semester and Christmas. Now I know that I just plain miss my mom.

We never outgrow our need for our moms, just get sick and tell me who you want to take care of you. When the nurse placed Resident Teenager in my arms my first thought was of my mom. When he cried and cried and cried, I wanted her to give me sage advice on what to do. When Resident Little Dude got a concussion from ice sliding (purposely down a hill on his playground) I knew that my mom would know exactly what to say to calm my fears.

I live my life like this, a motherless daughter. My mom died in a car accident--- days shy of my 9th birthday. 1984 was not my year. I missed her with a little girl heart, teenage heart, young woman heart, an adult woman heart, and now a mother's heart. I wonder and squint hard to see the past. I can't remember her voice. I see her 28 year old face in my memory. I vividly recall her hands with bright red fingernail polish. Of course, in my memories I am still an 8 year old girl--- we are both trapped in memories.

She was a tomboy, funny, and serious. She could grow anything... roses in the Arizona desert, no problem. She could make anything... she made ALL of my clothes. I wanted to redo my bedroom... no problem a whirlwind trip to the fabric store followed by a couple of whirlwind days at the sewing machine. She was patient. I would "wash" the dishes and she would secretly rewash them... I never knew until well into my adulthood. She was a terrible cook--- spaghetti should not be a soup dish! She was stubborn. She was loving.

Life as a motherless daughter is lonely. I have The Boys and they are wonderful, maddening, sweet, surly, and mine; yet I always wonder what my life would be like with my mom in it instead of memories. I try to wrap my brain around it, but it is too abstract--- even for my crazy brain.

I just miss her, seemingly simple, but terribly complex.

I have my sister. We play the roles of mom, sister, friend, crazy aunt, and confidant. She's nuts... I am nuts... but we love each other with a reckless abandon reserved for mothers.

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Cookie Hangover

Resident Little Dude at 11:30 pm: Mom, I am hot and my stomach hurts.

Me rolling out of bed: Let's get you a drink of water and we will hang out on the couch.

Resident Little Dude: I really don't feel good.

Me: Do you feel like you are going to barf?

Resident Little Dude: Yeah....

Me getting up to fetch the garbage can: I wonder what is going on with you.

Resident Little Dude: I think it was too many cookies.

Me: HOW many cookies did you eat?

Resident Little Dude: About 11.

Me: WOW, that is A LOT of cookies.

Resident Little Dude: Mom, if you were my age and someone said I made cookies just for you, go to town, help yourself, eat ALL you want---- HOW many would you eat?

Point taken.

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Elf Off The Shelf

Day 25

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye---- See you next year!

 

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Merry Christmas!

   

Elf Off The Shelf

Day 24

Fridge Elf.

 

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Elf Off The Shelf

Day 23

Sugar cookies are dangerous!

 

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Elf Off The Shelf

Day 22

Hero worship.

 

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Elf Off The Shelf

Day 21

Elf's work is never done--- think about that the next time you eat a kiss!

 

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The Diagnosis Is?

Ankylosing Spondylitis

Over the past 2 years The Hubs had every test known to man.  MRI, CT, Nuclear Scan, foot MRI, urine, poop, blood work, blood work, and more blood work.  He had varying symptoms for YEARS!  He experienced a funky eye condition, iritis, on and off over the years.  His first bout occurred before we were married--- 17 years ago.  Some days the back and neck pain is more than even he can manage.

He started having major foot pain sometime in the spring.  We figured it was simple plantar fasciitis which is common among teachers.  He bought super supportive shoes; I talked my 6'4 mountain man into Dansko clogs.  His physical therapist made custom insoles.  Nothing seemed to help so he made an appointment with a local foot specialist.  She ran more tests...  He had some weird bone abnormalities.  She sent him to a rheumatologist...

He spent the entire afternoon at said rheumatologist on Thursday.  Definitive diagnosis--- Ankylosing Spondylitis.  If you manage to spell one of those words in Scrabble or Words with Friends--- you win!

 I am scared and frustrated!  AS has been thrown around for years and each "specialist" threw it out for one reason or another.  The Hubs has suffered the acute pain of the condition and judgment and ineptitude of doctor after doctor.

Sometimes tears cleanse and sometimes they fuel the fire, consider mine fuel.

http://www.spondylitis.org/about/as.aspx

Dinner with The Hubs

 

Yummy sushi. After sushi we went to Sean Kelley's to listen to an Irish band and dessert.

 

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Cookies

Resident Little Dude and I spent the morning making cookies. Lemon with sprinkles.

 

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Elf Off The Shelf

Day 20

Stuck in the mixer Elf--- I warned him!

Elf Off The Shelf

Day 19

Crafty Elf.

 

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Elf Off The Shelf

Day 18

Bubble wrap Elf!

 

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Elf Off The Shelf

Day 17

Fishing for candy! Candy aquatic creatures courtesy of Aunt B.

 

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Elf Off The Shelf

Day 16

Sick Elf.

 

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Elf Off The Shelf

Day 15

Teacher Elf.

 

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Elf Off The Shelf

Day 14

Notice the crushed blue candy cane?

Elf stone. I had to get clarification on this one. Elf is a stone so the Lego dudes are mining the ore. I think this might have something to do with Minecraft.

 

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Out of the mouth of Little Dude

I love Christmas programs!! Yeah, you guessed that. Little Dude and I chatted before his program.

Little Dude: Why are we having a Western Christmas program?

Me: We live in the west.

Little Dude: We don't live in Texas. That is the kind of west the program is talking about.

Me: It will be cute.

Little Dude in southern accent: Let's just have rootin' tootin' cowboys from Texas! What about apocalyptic Christmas?

Me: What is an apocalyptic Christmas?

Little Dude in a sing-song Christmas song knock-off voice: Meteor showers destroy your Christmas tree, the Christmas tree falls over and kills all your family and friends....

Me: Who wants an apocalyptic Christmas?

Little Dude: Dr. Who.

Me: What about the season of miracles?

Little Dude: The apocalypse doesn't have miracles.

Me: What about glitter?

Little Dude: Glitter comes from comets and comets destroy Earth--- apocalypse.

Me: What about presents?

Little Dude: The Christmas tree falls over and destroys your presents.

Me: I am going to destroy your presents!

Little Dude: We have a quantum shield generator, so the meteor shower won't hit us!

Me: Go get your rootin' tootin' cowboy shirt on!

Little Dude: It looks like a hippie shirt.

 

Yeah, the season of miracles at our house consists of meteor showers, quantum generators, Dr. Who, death, rootin' tootin' cowboys, hippies, and glitter!

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Holiday Programs

Is there anything better than an Elementary school Christmas program?

Yep, that is Resident Little Dude with the cheesy smile! The entire fourth grade played the recorder--- that is a lot of recorder. The music teacher must be a genius to put those things on yarn necklaces.

He pays attention really well.... The expressions are priceless.

 

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Elf Off The Shelf

Day 13

Beauty Elf!

 

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Elf Off The Shelf

Day 12

Wise Elf--- Semi sacrilegious, but we are going with it!

 

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Elf Off The Shelf

Day 11

Elf got caught in the cake dome last night with candy canes and a chocolate reindeer. The reindeer had an accident--- must have been the stress of captivity!

Resident teenager and Resident little dude are far too old to believe in a magical elf; we take turns deciding Elf's fate.

The pooping reindeer belongs to Resident little dude!

 

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