Scratch My Back, I'll Scratch Yours...

So this week I developed an allergy. To what? One might ask. To which I would have to respond, GOOD QUESTION! I broke out in this rather large whelp-ish rash on my right side. A very ITCHY whelp-ish rash. I immediately began a regimen of applying cortisone anti-itch cream at the slightest sign of an itch so as not to re-live the days following the infamous days post the clean up of Abbah's yard!
So anyway, cortisone seemed to be working...the whelp-ish-ness was contained...for a few days that is! All of a sudden, the whelp started to spread & the itch became even more intolerable!
I called my mom to rehash what could possibly be happening! We went through the list have you change:
Shampoo? No
Body Wash? No
Laundry Detergent? No
Dryer Sheets? No
Deodorant? No
Eaten any strange foods? No
So on, and so on...but we haven't changed ANYTHING! I haven't been outside in any leaves or brush or anything! So after a weekend of endless itching...the Hubs finally drew the line & told me I would be going to the doctor come Monday. :(

The Whelp-ish-ness

So I hit up the doctor & got an appointment for 1:45pm...of course they can't pin point an allergy when you DON'T. KNOW. WHAT. YOU'VE. BEEN. EXPOSED. TO! Ughgh! So of course there's the steroid shot to get the swelling & itching to go down, a steroid dose pack, and an anti-itch cream. 

Did I mention it's about 2:30 / 3:00ish by this time...and I, the self diagnosed insomniac is getting a steroid shot?

Needless to say I was WIRED, although the itching did subside a bit! Yay! Came home, made dinner, ate, the hubs went to bed...and I watched tv as is our normal routine. However, I NEVER GOT TIRED! And while that's not completely unusual but I usually get an inkling of tiredness! So I forced myself to go to bed around 11:45...and I laid there. And I tossed. And I turned. And I stared off into the darkness. I twiddled on my phone. Toss. Turn. Repeat. For FOUR AND A HALF HOURS!

That's when the Hubs alarm started, yes, started, to go off...and I began to Twitter the morning:

2:00 AM 

That steroid shot the doc gave me is making it IMPOSSIBLE to sleep! :-/

4:15 AM

In fifteen minutes @real61's alarm clock is going to go off & I haven't slept *yet* ...this stinks! :(

4:30 AM

His alarm went off for six minutes without him even STIRRING! I can't wait to introduce @real61 to the Sleep Cycle App :)

4:37 AM

Three minutes this time...oi, @real61!

4:44 AM

Impressive, @real61! Not even a full minute that time!

4:49 AM

@real61's alarm started going off at 4:30 It's been off&on for almost a 1/2hr now..wondering what time this boy actually gets out of bed?

4:51 AM

Slacking again @real61 this time it took 2 minutes & some prodding before you hit snooze!

5:02 AM

@real61 it's 5:02 and you're still snoozing...I think that's not supposed to be happening :-/

5:07 AM

Just tried to wake @real61 he told me "it's only 5:09 by my clock, I got this, it should go off again in a minute"...& it did...wow

5:10 AM

Up and at 'em ol' boy! That's quite an impressive routine you got there @real61! Makes me thankful I'm usually sound asleep during all that!

5:13 AM

For some reason I've now got the Malcolm in the Middle theme song in my head ::sings:: "can you repeat the question?"

5:15 AM

I think @real61 was shocked to see me awake & chipper during *his* morning! May b the FIRST time I've uttered 'Goodmornin' w/out grouchiness

5:30 AM

Who knew @real61 used my hairdryer in the mornings?!? {8-o}

5:37 AM

@real61 *claims* that if I'd let him know just how awake I was @ 4:30 he might have altered his morning routine..ha!Good thing I knew better

5:59 AM

I think I might be getting a tad bit tired now!!! @real61 could you make sure I'm awake by at least nine?            

Around six-ish I FINALLY fell asleep, and my amazing dear Husband did indeed make sure I was awake by 9:00 AM...so I'm trucking on around three hours of sleep & no coffee (Lent)...but it really hasn't been all that bad! But a warning...if you need a steroid shot, GET IT EARLY in the day!!! 

sometimes songs say it all...

Recently I was introduced to this amazing site called Noisetrade by Derek Webb. This is a site where artists can put their music up for free download (and also give you an opportunity to tip anywhere from $1-$8). Needless to say, the music lover in me jumped at the opportunity! Amazing music as cheap as, well free? Yes, please! AND I am given the opportunity to contribute to an artist...wow! I've been uber impressed thus far and have to say that I've obtained quite a bit of music. One artist I've particularly fallen in love with is Ben Rector...in particular his song 'Hank'. I am now a very proud aunt...and in May will be bestowed with aunt-ness again (even though I technically count that little bugger already!)...and even though this song is from the perspective of an uncle it just really hit home! Not that in either case it's 100% applicable...but the care & love are totally there on Aunt Trix & Uncle Awesome's side of things!
Check out the lyrics to 'Hank' by Ben Rector (and then go download it immediately!)

To a boy who looks just like his mother, who's a sister to her brother who sings this song to that boy from far away.
I am young but you are younger, till you speak more words than mumble, you'll have to lend an ear to everything I say.
So be kind and love your mother and your father, though sometimes they seem to bother, come my age and you'll know. That they're the ones who'll always love you and support you, they prayed for you before you stepped foot into this world. That's one thing that I've learned.
I remember you were walking, in a month I'll hear you talking. There's a million things I'd love to say to you.

Though your parents, they are wiser and will be better advisers, maybe hearing these things twice will get them through.
Go and find a girl for whom your love is selfless, someone who makes you helpless, to change the way you feel. But stay away from girls who always look so pretty, but who's hearts just aren't fitting for the man in you I see. Would you remember that for me?
When you find yourself alone in times of trouble, reach inside you and above you, there's nothing He can't heal.

If it is you do not end up with a brother, just call this older uncle, I can always lend an ear. Would you remember that for me?
Would you remember that for me? Oh...
Would you remember all these things?

oh my...

i posted these lists on Friday August 11, 2006...and i've only managed to cross of two things...that's a bit depressing...



things i'd like will to do:
bridge jumping
sky diving
month long road trip
month long camping trip
work with 'innercity' kids
own my own horse
paint a huge life portrait
try trapeze
skinny dip in every ocean
bike the Flume Trail again

places i'd like i'm going to live:
New York
California; San Fran, Oxnard, LA
Colorado
North Carolina
Washington: Seattle
Louisiana
Texas
Montana
a boat
THE BEACH

placed i want to will visit:
Africa
Italy
Sweden
France
Hawaii
Alaska
Toronto

Choke me...

choke me in the shallow water, before i get too deep...

What do you hope for?

Another guest post at Just Another Raney Day! Check it out now!

How to Fry Running Shoes...

Check out my guest post over at Just Another Raney Day on how to Fry Running Shoes!

Names have been changed to protect the persons involved...

so recently (as in today) my sister-in-law totally called me out on slacking in my mad blogging skills here at my blog. #fail! And since I'm campaigning to guest post on her blog for a few weeks...I totally succumbed to the peer pressure & have to post a blog...about a rather embarrassing moment that happened to...a friend of mine... a few weeks ago.
Here you go Em:

This friend of mine, we'll call her Tracy, has recently quit her job & has come to understand things like bliss, happiness, & budgeting! One afternoon Tracy was chatting it up with her mother-in-law (MIL), who we'll call Janey. During this conversation Janey mentioned a broccoli salad she would be making for dinner that night. Tracy thought it sounded super tasty! Being the amazing MIL she is Janey told Tracy she would bring some down to her once it was made so that Tracy could try some! You see Tracy & her husband...Adlerm...live about 3/10ths of a mile from his parents so it wouldn't really be that far out of the way for Janey (Have I mentioned what a great MIL she is?) So with this great news Tracy headed home to prepare dinner for her own house.

::short amount of time later::

Tracy is home & had dinner well on it's way to being prepared when she realized her husband Adlerm should be home any moment. She started thinking about how supportive he had been in encouraging her to quit the job that made her incredibly miserable. How he was so excited about redoing the budget to proving just how fine they would be. You get the picture, eh? He's pretty much an amazing husband! In light of that Tracy spent the next few moments reveling in the awesomeness of her husband. Once Adlerm walked in the door she gave him a big kiss & they may or may not have retreated to the back of the house for a "conversation".

Ha! I bet i know what you're thinking! Tracy, what are you thinking!?!? Your MIL is supposed to be bringing you broccoli salad!! Why, WHY, would you choose THIS moment to have a "conversation" with your husband!? WHY!? Yeah.

Well, once their "conversation" was over that very realization came screaming into her own mind!
"Oh, crap! Adlerm! Your parents are supposed to be bringing a salad for me to try!"
Confused Adlerm, scrambled to the front of the house to see if his parents were at the door.
Whew! They hadn't made it yet. Tracy asked Adlerm to check her phone for missed calls and sure enough there was a missed call from the MIL so she called her back immediately!
"Janey, I'm so sorry I missed your call! You guys can come on down when..."
Janey interrupted her giggling, "Did you find the salad?"
Shock & sheer terror caught in Tracy's throat, "Find the salad?"
"Yes...we knocked on the door... ::hee hee hee::"
"Uh, yeah...um, we had gone to the back to do some stuff...well..."
"Well we weren't sure, we knocked loud enough that if you were in the front of the house, you would have heard us. We didn't want to interrupt anything! We never want to interrupt that."
Oh my gosh! Did she just say that?!? Does she KNOW we were "conversating"?!? Oh my! Our walls are NOT that thick! Surely she means something else, right? RIGHT?!?
Then Tracy's humiliation & worst fears were confirmed. Adlerm's father yells into the phone, (Tracy said it was hard to hear exactly what he said but it was definitely one of the following):
We didn't want to inturupt if y'all were getting busy!

We didn't want to inturrupt we thought y'all might be busy!
This of course was followed by lots of giggles on the in-laws side of the phone while Tracy died & crawled under the covers! Finally hanging up the phone she called to Adlerm to check the screen door (where his parents had said they left the salad). He came walking to the back with a look of horror on his face, "They came by?"
"Yup"
"Surely they didn't hear our "conversation" though, right?"
"I wouldn't be so sure" Tracy told him as she explained the conversation she just ended..."I don't think I can EVER face your parents again!"

So, THAT my friends is one of my, err, Tracy's most embarrassing moments. EVER. She has learned not to get distracted by her husband when he comes home from work. She has been OH so careful not to let it slip her mind when people say they are going to stop by. She just pretends that this whole situation just NEVER happened...even though many people, including her brother-and-sister-in-law, found it all too hilarious!