Emotional Roller Coaster Ride

I wish I could say I haven't posted in awhile because I have been doing too many fun things to keep up with. Unfortunately that is not the case! I have had a week full of ups and downs. I usually like roller coasters, but the emotional ones really stink! 

To keep it short and non-gruesome...

- I was supposed to have surgery to remove a septum dividing my uterus on Tuesday.

-My mom arrived in Tampa Sunday night to help me with the surgery.

-I was called Monday morning by the hospital to tell me my insurance had not sent an approval.

-This was a shock to me since I already paid my co-pay for the surgery 2 weeks before.

-I am told by my insurance that my surgery had been denied. "Didn't you get the letter we sent Thursday?" No, no I didn't (and still haven't gotten this so called letter.)

-I am told by others in my Dr.'s office that it was all a mistake. Wrong insurance linked to my ID. 

-Am told it will all go through fine.

-I stay on my liquid diet since I will still get my surgery.

-Am told, oops, it is denied after all. The insurance Dr. did not find it "medically necessary."

-They want to talk to my Dr. who is out of town until the night before my surgery.

-I cry. I need the surgery.

-I do all I can to get ahold of my Dr. and finally do as he is getting off his plane. 

-He can't do anything until the next day because everything is pretty much closed, but assures me he will talk to the insurance and straighten in all out so I can have surgery the next week. (He only does surgery on Tuesdays.)

-I sadly remind him my mom is in town and is leaving before then.

-30 mins. later I am told there is a slight possibility if the Dr. can convince the insurance I in fact need this very necessary surgery, they can squeeze me in on Thursday. Fingers were crossed, prayers were said!

-My mom and I wait at the kitchen table until 12:30 Tuesday afternoon for a phone call.

-The surgery is on for Thursday! It only took my Dr. 5 mins on the phone with the insurance to convince them...or threaten them!

-I get to eat/drink liquids for yet another day before surgery.

-I go to the hospital on Thursday for my surgery.

-While I get admitted the nice lady tells me that she doesn't see an insurance authorization on her screen. 

-Chris and I look at each other like we have been slapped in the face.

-She calls the Dr.'s office and gets an authorization number.

-She tells us she still needs to verify this with my insurance.

-My hopes for having the surgery begin to fall...again.

-While on hold, she tells us we also owe money for the surgery.

-Luckily by now I am smart enough to carry every last bit of info on me and I happen to have a receipt which I promptly produce.

-As I am prepped for surgery, I am still waiting for someone to burst through the door to tell me that they are so sorry, but I cannot have this surgery.

-Happily this does not happen and after talking to Chris and my mom and a slew of doctors, I am wheeled in and having surgery!

-After recovering in a haze for awhile and losing the liquid in my stomach on the way home, I am now feeling great and am so happy it is over with!

-The Dr. found some extra things we didn't know about and was able to take care of those and the septum. 

-After a horrible roller coaster ride, I am feeling very grateful for an amazing doctor, a doting husband, a loving and hard working mother, many great friends, and tons of others who couldn't be with me but were praying for me. 

I guess this didn't fall into the "short" category I was hoping for, but hopefully it wasn't gruesome. I have pictures and a DVD of the surgery for that! Just so you don't feel too bad for me, the extra days of feeling good before surgery gave my mom and I some more shopping days that we took full advantage of. Also, my recovery has been so great, that we were able to sit and pump out around 40 homemade cards. I guess that covers my week!

No More Bachelorette Parties For Me

A good friend of mine is getting married soon and in keeping with the typical tradition of excited brides-to-be, she had a bachelorette party. Me, having gotten married a little earlier than average and having some pretty conservative habits, did not have one of these parties, nor have I gone to one because most of my friends have a similar background to mine.

You can imagine therefore, my mild apprehension at going, yet I love this friend and wanted to support her. We went to The Columbia restaurant first and watched the flamingo dancers and ate good food. This restaurant has been open since 1905 and has some beautiful architecture and decor. 

 

We then went to Channelside where there are lots of restaurants, shops, bars, bowling, and a movie theatre. We hit a couple bars where there was music and dancing. Melissa, the bride, was pulled on stage where she stood uncomfortably for a minute or two, then hurried off. 

We mostly stood around and listened to music, danced a little, and talked a lot. It was definitely an eye opening experience for me as I watched people act stupid and lose control a bit, or a lot. I was the only one not drinking, yet I was not the only one driving. This made me sad and a little more wary about driving late at night. If anything, this night made me grateful for the habits I have grown up with and the more "boring," conservative lifestyle I lead. It was not my cup of tea, but I know that by the world's standards that makes me strange and I'm okay with that. I was glad that I got to go for my friend, but probably won't go to another celebration of a "last free night out."

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!

We celebrated our country's freedom by spending time at my In Law's house with family and friends, stuffing ourselves with food, swimming, and playing on the Wii. It was a really fun day to relax and ponder how lucky I am to be an American! 

Chris's sister, Camie and her husband Mike are now Floridians, and of course they brought their dog. You might not think that is a big deal except that over the last year or two my husband has decided he wants a dog, and "Bear" is just fueling his fire! He wouldn't put the dog down. Thanks guys. 

Our friend Craig decided to bring his dog, Waylo along as well.

Mike just hanging out after swimming

Camie eating some delicious angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberries. 

This is Camie's signature pose when she's eating food! 

I decided to make mine look pretty and added blueberries to make it look patriotic.

Craig had his with some blue topping as we really got into the USA spirit.

Mike and our friend Clark striking a pose.

Chris intensely playing Wii.

We tried to cheat on Wii by having someone guide you on one of the games. It didn't really work.

Clark didn't want me to mess him up.

Calla wanted to play too! 

Random Pictures

I have been staying busy doing "this and that" and have been having a great summer so far.

My regret is not taking more pictures. I have been to the beach and a natural (freezing) spring/park with friends, had book club at my house, had dinner with a bunch of girlfriends while our husbands stayed busy, and saw Transformers 2 in Imax stuffing myself with popcorn just because we got the free refill bucket (thanks Brittany!).  

Here's one thing I actually snapped a picture or two of. One of the Young Woman I taught has gotten married. She is the first to get married out of her age group, and it was so strange to see this happen! I taught about getting married in the temple, and now here she is doing it. It was beautiful!

My mom asked to see my new light fixtures hanging, so this is for her and anyone else who cares. I hated our old light fixtures, and didn't get around to changing them until I accidently broke one while changing the lightbulb. And yes, it really was an accident, not a ploy for a new fixture as my husband still partially believes. I came home with one style of fixture that would go perfect with our house and decorating but Chris hated them. I left them out on the table for about 3 weeks, hoping they would grow on him. Alas, it was not to be, and his distain remained. I traded them for these, a little more modern fixture that I love, but doesn't match my house quite as well. Chris likes them despite the fact that they are way more "out there" than the first ones I picked, go figure.  They are up and we are happy. 

Lights On

Lights Off

Next on the list...you can now see that I badly need a curtain for my kitchen window! I know what I want in my head, now I have to find it. Also, let me know if anyone is having a great sale on large area rugs. I need one of those too!

Good Old Florida Thunderstorm

For those of you who have never lived in Florida or the south, you haven't experienced a REAL thunderstorm. We get them big time in the summer. This is a pretty typical thunderstorm for this time of year. You don't get the true effect of it though because the water is so loud by my front door that it drowns out the thunder a bit and it is hard to see the actual size of each massive drop of water. The thunder is so loud it shakes my house though and for the record, the amount of water you see is only from 15 to 20 mins of rain. If you look at the street, you can see the wind blowing the water around. And yes, this is a thunderstorm not a hurricane. We do get those too though. Gotta love Florida. 

 

Chris and his 2nd Favorite Girl

I'd like to think that I am Chris's favorite girl, but I have a feeling this little one is a close second. This is Calla, our niece. Camie, Mike, and Calla came to visit recently, and we had tons of fun with them. Often times Calla would be comfortably "chilling" in Chris's arms. Even when Camie would offer to take her or put her in a seat, Chris usually refused, saying that he was "just fine." She is too cute for words and I guess I understand why he is so taken with her! :) I happen to like the little princess quite a bit too, but I have to fight to get a moment with her!

Happy Father's Day!

I wanted to say Happy Father's Day to mine and Chris's dads before the day was over. They are both wonderful men, and we are lucky to have such strong, good examples in our lives. I know both Chris and I turn to them for advice and a good listening ear. We love you both!