Monday, October 27, 2008

Busy Busy Weekend

This weekend was a crazy one for me. I had SO many things going on all at once. Friday was my birthday, but it was a fairly normal day. Carleen decorated my desk at work and made a cake for me. That was nice. Also, my work friends got me a $25 gift certificate to Wal-Mart. The day at work went by like usual.

After work, I worked on making cookies. Half way through making the cookies, Wil's brother, Drew, came over to help us get the couch that was downstairs out onto the patio. Wil and I purchased a really nice couch from my great aunt that we want to move down there. The blue couch that was being moved out is seriously heavy. Drew was at the bottom holding most of the weight. Moving that thing just about made Wil pass out since he's not really used to moving heavy objects. Drew was resting the couch on his head for a while, so we were afraid he might break his neck for the 3rd time. It was scary to watch all of that an know there was nothing I could do to help.

After moving that, I went back to making cookies only to discover that we were out of chocolate chips (which is crazy because I swear there were at least 2 bags in 2 different cupboards last week). So, Wil and I went to go get chocolate chips. While I finished up with the cookies, we ordered Wingers take out since it was around 8 pm and we were starving. We ate and Wil and I were both so exhausted that we fell asleep pretty quickly after that.

Saturday, I woke up at 4:30 so I could meet up with Jenn and Steph to do my bridal pictures. Of course, I thought I'd brought everything, but I forgot to bring my make-up. Jenn's mom ended up using Mary Kay samples instead. Steph did an AWESOME job with my hair, and Jenn's mom made me look amazing with the make up. The shoot went great and I was much warmer than I thought I would be.

After the photo shoot, Jenn, Steph and I made our way to the Studio for a bridal shower from my dad's family. The theme was all about games. There were cards for a large variety of games all over the walls. Some spelled out "Congrats Jess" and my niece, Annee, spelled "love" with the cards on another wall. It was a lot of fun. For gifts, they gave me a variety of board games. It was so much fun and the games they got for me and Wil are great. I'm so excited to play them.

When I got back to Wil's house, I ran around like a crazy person to try to put away all my wedding dress stuff (the gown was in a garment bag so Wil couldn't see it). Once I stopped to breathe, Nate introduced me to his girlfriend, Megan. We went out to eat with them at a place that Wil and I had never been to. I think it was called Thai Delight. It was amazingly good food. Megan got along really well with Wil and me, especially considering that I was beyond exhausted and Wil wasn't much better. It was a ton of fun.

Shortly after that, as I was falling asleep on the bare floor with a couch cushion as a pillow, Wil asked when I wanted to go deliver the cookies to our friends, the Kenner's. I had made them specifically for them. I groggily told Wil that we can go whenever. He asked if I wanted to go before I fell asleep. I very sleeply agreed. I told Wil that we should probably call them. Wil said they are my friends too so I should call them. I tried not to be annoyed when I told him that I am fine with going anywhere but I would not call anyone at the moment. I was tired and falling asleep and he could barely understand me when we were right next to each other. So he ended up calling them. The Kenner's, Chris and Brittany, were just about to head to the Gateway to get some ice cream. They invited us to come along.

So we headed out for our 2nd double date in the same day. We gave them the cookies, which they were really excited about, and went to the Gateway. After hanging out there for a while, we finally got Ben & Jerry's and decided we should all go back to Wil's house for either a movie or so that Chris and Wil could play a game. We planned on watching Iron Man. That didn't happen. Wil and Chris played Little Big Planet, and Brittany quickly fell asleep on Chris' lap. I was attempting to stay awake to hang out with them, but it didn't last long and I finally decided to go to bed.

On Sunday, we had been invited to a dinner with Wil's cousins on his mom's side. So we headed down to Provo so that I could meet them and Wil could catch up with them. It was a lot of fun. Wil kept us all laughing almost the entire time. When we got home, I relaxed for a few minutes, did my homework and then quickly fell asleep again. Apparently, I didn't get enough sleep this weekend because I still feel like I'm asleep. Oh well. It was crazy, but it was SO much fun. I haven't laughed that much in a long time. This weekend also reminded me how much I enjoy being with my family, and my friends and how much I love spending any amount of time doing anything with Wil.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Rain's Surgery

Most of those who know me, know that my dog had to go into surgery yesterday to remove a mast cell tumor that was on her neck. I thought I'd let you all know how she is and post a few pictures of how sad she looked last night (she was probably just seriously groggy, but Wil and I had trouble not laughing at her a few times).

Wil dropped her off early in the morning so she could get x-rays and blood work done to make sure that the one tumor was the only one she had. The results came back on that around 11 am. As far as they could tell with the tests they'd done, Rain only had the one tumor. The vet called me to let me know of the potential things that could happen with the surgery. I'm not going to go into that. I felt better after talking to her, and was finally able to relax a little about how Rain was doing. She went into surgery about an hour later.

Around 6 pm, the vet called and talked to Wil. He was told that the surgery went great and we could pick her up around 7:30 or 8. He was also told that they didn't have to cut into the muscle like they thought they would so Rain's pain would also be less than they thought it would be. When we went to pick her up, the vet tech went over what we need to do with her to make sure she heals. She needs three different pills taken once or twice a day.

When we got home, we gave Rain the pills she needed and put her on her bed in the kitchen while I made dinner. She was clearly exhausted but seemed to refuse to fall asleep. It was ridiculous. I could tell how tired she was and it was killing me to see her like that. I even tried laying on the floor next to her to try to get her to go to sleep. She did relax and laid her head on my arm with our noses touching, but she heard a sound and she made herself be as alert as she could be. Finally, she passed out and didn't wake up until I had to move her into her kennel for the night.

This morning, she seemed a lot more like herself. She was wagging her tail and really excited to see me when I let her out. She didn't jump around like she used to (which is actually nice because it allows me to walk without almost falling over her). It was really cute because she just stuck by my side as I got her food then started to eat while I got her pills ready. I think she smelled the peanut butter because a few seconds after I got it opened, she was timidly walking back inside (she knows she's not allowed inside unless we tell her to come in). I gave her the pills hidden in peanut butter, took her to go potty, and then put her back in her kennel since Wil wasn't awake to watch her yet.

Wil should be taking her to the vet soon so they can remove the bandage on her neck and make sure the surgery site looks good. All seems to be going as well as can be expected. Rain is very happy to be home with us again (which is probably why she didn't want to fall asleep..she was probably afraid that she'd wake up with more of her shaven and in more pain). The pictures were taken last night while I made dinner and watched her.




Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Wait Until Dark

The Empress Theatre (http://www.empresstheatre.com/) in Magna is starting their new show, Wait Until Dark, starting on Friday. The Empress always puts on a great show and the theatre there is amazing. There are 3 sections (South, North and East) so it's always fun to see every show in each of the sections because you get a completely different angle on the show. I've helped out at the box office, the concession stand, as an usher, and as an audience member many times, and no matter how many times I hear/see a show, it is always amazing. Also, my cousin's husband as well of some others I know well are in the cast. They are all great at what they do and I can't wait to see Wait Until Dark.

My mom and I will be helping out at the box office for this show. If you want to get tickets when we'll be there, get them for one of the following days:
Friday, October 31st
Saturday November 1st
Friday November 14th
We'd love to see you there. Seriously, the Empress is a great little theatre in Magna and I want to do what I can to help support it. If you have any questions, go to their website,
http://www.empresstheatre.com/ or ask me and I can probably find out for you.

End free publicity now... :)

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Sunday Adventures...Kind of

Today, Wil and I decided to go to the ward he lives in. We'd never been there before but Terrill (Wil's mom) talked to the bishop of that ward and he agreed to marry us. So, we went to sacrament meeting (because it was last and we had no idea where the other classes would be for sure). It was the primary program, which Wil and I think is always great fun.

After the meeting was over, we tried to catch up with the bishop. Wil introduced himself, and the bishop asked if he was new to the ward. Wil said yes, and the bishop to us to follow him. He took us to the clerk's office and got a paper for Wil to fill out so that his records could get to this ward. Before we sat down so Wil could fill out it, I stopped Bishop Ebbert and let him know that we were the ones Wil's mom called about. He was so excited to meet us. We let him know that we'll be going to that ward from now on so he'll get a chance to speak with us more.

Once Wil had filled out the paper, we looked around for someone to give it to. Luckily, the membership clerk passed us right at that moment, noticed the paper in Wil's hand, introduced himself, and took the form. We turned around to find the bishop so we could give the pen back that we borrowed. Instead, we ran into the guy that lives next door (we have no idea what his name is...), shook hands with him, and spotted the bishop. We gave the pen back and as we were at the doors, we were stopped by the first counselor of the bishopric (we think). I was just stepping down to head to the car when he stopped us. I was surprised and whirled around so fast that my left heel (which was still inside and higher than my right) got caught on the metal part and I basically fell out the door. Luckily, I didn't actually fall. I just looked really stupid as I tried to catch my footing. He talked to us for a while and let us know that after church next week is a meeting for those who are new to the ward so that they can get to know who the leadership of the ward was. We promised we'd be there, shook hands, and were finally able to leave.

Anyway, we were finally able to leave after being stopped by so many people, I was thankful to get out of my new high heels (seriously painful).

Monday, October 13, 2008

Insanity Everywhere I Turn

Lately, I have been stretched so thin, and extremely stressed. Last week was probably the worst in a long time. I had a ton of work to do all week, but was only able to get a small amount done and get the rest semi-organized. Thursday, we had vistors from Atlanta in our office, so I spent the morning trying to make my desk look slightly more presentable. Friday, one of them was here again, the one I work with most closesly. I spent all morning and a large part of the afternoon with him trying to fix a problem. That turned out to be a huge waste of time. Oh well, it was still nice to get to work with him face to face rather than through e-mail or phone.

Thursday evening, Wil and I went to a work party (with my boss, the vistors and a few other people in the office and their spouses). Wil ended up sitting across from Russ, my boss, which made me a little scared since I've never really been around him in a non-work setting. I sat across from Melinda, who is the wife of one of Russ' work friends as well as the recruiter who placed me in my job. The dinner went very well and, thanks in a large part to Melinda's friendly-ness and talkitiveness, Wil and I had a great time and were able to talk without feeling awkward. Melinda was talking to Wil and I about wedding plans, where we'll leave, and what Wil does. When we explained that he currently doesn't have a job and is just going to school on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, she offered him a job for a week. Wil met with Melinda on Friday and got it all worked out.

Saturday was rough for me. Wil and I took Rain to the groomers, but I couldn't find her current vaccination records so we had to reschedule. We then took her to the vet because she has a fairly large lump on the side of her neck. It's been there for quite a while, didn't seem to bother her, and as far as we could tell, wasn't growing. Anyway, we decided to have it checked out. The vet and the vet tech both said that she seems to be in great shape. The vet told us that the lump could be three different things, first, a mass cell tumor (like a cancerous tumor in a human, but this is the dog version), second, a beign/fatty tumor that wasn't a big deal but could be removed if we wanted it to be, and third, it could be an infected cist, in which case they would either drain it, or it would eventually drain itself and be resolved. Of course, I was hoping for the 3rd option. It turns out that the lump is actually a mass cell tumor. While the vet went over what should be done, I listened and refused to look at Wil or Rain because I would have likely started crying. The vet left the room to get us an estimate of how much the surgery would cost to remove the tumor (while they did that, they'd look for others just to make sure she doesn't have on in her organs or anywhere else). Once she left, I broke down and cried on Wil's shoulder for a bit. He did what he could to comfort me and I was able to gain control before the vet tech came back in with the estimate and to walk us out so we could set up an appointment for the surgery. I've been trying hard not to think about it, but I'm scared to death that she'll have more tumors and they might not be able to remove them safely. I felt like kicking myself for not getting it checked sooner, but as Wil reminded, I didn't have the money to get her checked out then, let alone the money I'd need for the surgery. Anyway, her surgery is a week from Thursday. Wil has agreed to take her in while I go to work. I'll pick her up afterwards (scary thought).

Wil started his job today. He works 8 hours a day today through Friday in the excavation department at my work, Sinclair Oil. It's a great job oppertunity, even if it is only for a week and mainly involves filing and other mind-numbing tasts. He and I met for lunch and he seemed like he was doing well and was pleased with himself. I am so excited for him. Even if he doesn't end up getting a permanant position here at Sinclair, Melinda can hook him up with other temp jobs so he can get a variety of different jobs under his belt and hopefully find something he enjoys doing so he can turn that into a career.

Anyway, I have a massive pile (actually a few of them) of work that I still need to work on so I'll end this for now.