(And thanks to Jes for the picture!)
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
All the news that's fit to print!
I'm totally and completely in love with this song.
In other news, I'm completely healed with three small scars as the only evidence of my surgery. Saw Madelaine Albright speak. The Giants won the Super Bowl and Obama won Missouri. Erica's back in town - yea! The godson is as cute as ever. Brother and SIL are moving to Colorado soon and may now get to start that family they want. "O" at the Bellagio is absolutely amazing - see Cirque du Soleil if you get the chance. Jet lag is a bitch but traveling is fun. And all hell is breaking loose at work - since the first of the year I somehow acquired two new bosses and the work of another entire person. Been working many, many hours as a result. Good thing I still love my job.
More later when I have time to breathe.
In other news, I'm completely healed with three small scars as the only evidence of my surgery. Saw Madelaine Albright speak. The Giants won the Super Bowl and Obama won Missouri. Erica's back in town - yea! The godson is as cute as ever. Brother and SIL are moving to Colorado soon and may now get to start that family they want. "O" at the Bellagio is absolutely amazing - see Cirque du Soleil if you get the chance. Jet lag is a bitch but traveling is fun. And all hell is breaking loose at work - since the first of the year I somehow acquired two new bosses and the work of another entire person. Been working many, many hours as a result. Good thing I still love my job.
More later when I have time to breathe.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Starting the year with a bang
So yes, I'm aware that I haven't posted in a long while. It seems so silly for me to be posting anything when there's nothing really going on in my life. Most of my excitement seems to stem from my enjoyment of my loved ones' life events, such as spending time with my Godson and hearing tales of the goings-on of my friends. And now that something has happened to me I feel a need to post about it, but I'd almost rather have a series of little events happen than something as major as this.
The holidays were good. Mizzou played some good football. Parties were attended. And then, 2008 came in with a wallop. I was all set to go back to work on the 2nd when I woke up that morning to some stomach cramps. I figured it had something to do with the pizza I ate the day before while watching bowl games even though I wasn't feeling nauseous or dehydrated. So I called in sick and fully intended on going in on Thursday.
Thursday morning came and I still was feeling crummy. By this point I figured if I had food poisoning that the cramps should have been gone, but I figured I'd give them a little more time to clear out. I went back to bed hoping when I woke that they'd have passed, but when I woke at around 2:30 p.m. I still had them. By this point I decided that if the cramps hadn't let up by Friday morning then I'd go see my doctor. Maybe I had something a little more serious like E.Coli or something.
That evening I was laying in bed and poking around on my stomach and noticed one little place on my right side that was causing some sharp pain when I pressed on it. Yep, I figured I definitely needed to see the doctor now to rule out appendicitis, but I was sure I didn't have it. All of the people I knew who had ever had it had experienced horrible pain in their sides, pain so bad that they couldn't walk. I could walk fine and wasn't even in any serious pain, so I figured I was getting a bit paranoid about it, but I'd find out for sure the next day.
Friday morning came and I called the doctor's office to set up an appointment to come in and see my primary care physician. They didn't have an opening until 11:45, but I went in early to see if they could squeeze me in. Yeah, what a waste of time that was. Anyway, my doc saw me around noon and did some poking and prodding, and she said that I exhibited symptoms of appendicitis but before I went for a CT scan and was exposed to all of that radiation, she wanted to get a urine sample. So I peed in a cup and waited for those results, and, sure enough, the doc said I needed to get a CT scan. I was to go over to the lab right away because it was going to take at least two hours to prep my body for the scan.
The CT lab techs made me drink this vile beverage (that they tried to pass off as Crystal Light lemonade) so my insides would glow on the CT image. I had 16 ounces when I got there, 16 ounces an hour later, and another 8 ounces an hour after that right before I got the scan. I got done with the scan about 4:00 and was forced to stay in the lab until the radiologist read the results and consulted with my PCP. About half an hour later the receptionist in the lab received a phone call and told me that I needed to go to the emergency room. I told her, "Well, I guess I have appendicitis then, huh?" At least she thought I was funny.
The only other time I've seen anyone get into the ER so quickly was when they complained of chest pains. I barely had time to call friends and family with my quickly dying phone before they took me back into the ER. I had to take some blood tests and another urine test before I got a bed. Then my surgeon introduced himself and finally gave me some test results and some answers to my questions. He said that the CT scan indicated that my appendix was inflammed but it was still technically within the normal range. He felt confident enough, though, that waiting would just delay the inevitable and that we should remove the appendix now before it got worse. I agreed, signed the forms, and headed for surgery around 7pm.
I asked Vanessa to get some things from my place for me, because I was not prepared to have surgery when I left the house Friday morning. She was waiting for me when I got out of recovery and spent a little bit of time with me even though visiting hours were over. I tried to sleep the best I could that night but I had to get up every couple of hours to go to the bathroom because I was madly munching on ice chips to get rid of the dry mouth caused by my medication. At around 3 in the morning I woke up to what I thought was me sweating through the sheets, but it turned out there was a leak in one of the connections of my IV. Since I had another IV port in which they could give me pain meds, they decided that I didn't need the saline anymore so they removed it.
Saturday morning my surgeon checked me out and said that I could leave the hospital as soon as I successfully ate lunch. He said that they were able to complete the entire surgery laproscopically and didn't need to open me up, which would significantly help my recovery time. They were able to remove the appendix and he said that "it looked bad," so I guess I made the right decision in going ahead with the surgery. My parents drove down Saturday morning and arrived as Karl, Jes, Elliot and Vanessa were all visiting and I was working on my lunch. They stayed with me until this morning, and I swear my mom made me enough food this weekend to last me a month.
I'm feeling really good considering. I'm really only in pain when I have to flex my stomach muscles to stand up, sit down, cough, blow my nose, etc. Before my parents left we went into my office so I could get my laptop and do some work from home this week. The surgeon said that was fine as long as I didn't drive while on my pain meds, didn't lift anything too heavy, and was able to get plenty of rest.
I really appreciate the well-wishes and those offering to help me out this week, and I'm probably going to take some of you up on the offer. Otherwise I'm planning on taking it easy and getting plenty of sleep. I'm sure I'll be itching to get out of the house when all of this is said and done!
The holidays were good. Mizzou played some good football. Parties were attended. And then, 2008 came in with a wallop. I was all set to go back to work on the 2nd when I woke up that morning to some stomach cramps. I figured it had something to do with the pizza I ate the day before while watching bowl games even though I wasn't feeling nauseous or dehydrated. So I called in sick and fully intended on going in on Thursday.
Thursday morning came and I still was feeling crummy. By this point I figured if I had food poisoning that the cramps should have been gone, but I figured I'd give them a little more time to clear out. I went back to bed hoping when I woke that they'd have passed, but when I woke at around 2:30 p.m. I still had them. By this point I decided that if the cramps hadn't let up by Friday morning then I'd go see my doctor. Maybe I had something a little more serious like E.Coli or something.
That evening I was laying in bed and poking around on my stomach and noticed one little place on my right side that was causing some sharp pain when I pressed on it. Yep, I figured I definitely needed to see the doctor now to rule out appendicitis, but I was sure I didn't have it. All of the people I knew who had ever had it had experienced horrible pain in their sides, pain so bad that they couldn't walk. I could walk fine and wasn't even in any serious pain, so I figured I was getting a bit paranoid about it, but I'd find out for sure the next day.
Friday morning came and I called the doctor's office to set up an appointment to come in and see my primary care physician. They didn't have an opening until 11:45, but I went in early to see if they could squeeze me in. Yeah, what a waste of time that was. Anyway, my doc saw me around noon and did some poking and prodding, and she said that I exhibited symptoms of appendicitis but before I went for a CT scan and was exposed to all of that radiation, she wanted to get a urine sample. So I peed in a cup and waited for those results, and, sure enough, the doc said I needed to get a CT scan. I was to go over to the lab right away because it was going to take at least two hours to prep my body for the scan.
The CT lab techs made me drink this vile beverage (that they tried to pass off as Crystal Light lemonade) so my insides would glow on the CT image. I had 16 ounces when I got there, 16 ounces an hour later, and another 8 ounces an hour after that right before I got the scan. I got done with the scan about 4:00 and was forced to stay in the lab until the radiologist read the results and consulted with my PCP. About half an hour later the receptionist in the lab received a phone call and told me that I needed to go to the emergency room. I told her, "Well, I guess I have appendicitis then, huh?" At least she thought I was funny.
The only other time I've seen anyone get into the ER so quickly was when they complained of chest pains. I barely had time to call friends and family with my quickly dying phone before they took me back into the ER. I had to take some blood tests and another urine test before I got a bed. Then my surgeon introduced himself and finally gave me some test results and some answers to my questions. He said that the CT scan indicated that my appendix was inflammed but it was still technically within the normal range. He felt confident enough, though, that waiting would just delay the inevitable and that we should remove the appendix now before it got worse. I agreed, signed the forms, and headed for surgery around 7pm.
I asked Vanessa to get some things from my place for me, because I was not prepared to have surgery when I left the house Friday morning. She was waiting for me when I got out of recovery and spent a little bit of time with me even though visiting hours were over. I tried to sleep the best I could that night but I had to get up every couple of hours to go to the bathroom because I was madly munching on ice chips to get rid of the dry mouth caused by my medication. At around 3 in the morning I woke up to what I thought was me sweating through the sheets, but it turned out there was a leak in one of the connections of my IV. Since I had another IV port in which they could give me pain meds, they decided that I didn't need the saline anymore so they removed it.
Saturday morning my surgeon checked me out and said that I could leave the hospital as soon as I successfully ate lunch. He said that they were able to complete the entire surgery laproscopically and didn't need to open me up, which would significantly help my recovery time. They were able to remove the appendix and he said that "it looked bad," so I guess I made the right decision in going ahead with the surgery. My parents drove down Saturday morning and arrived as Karl, Jes, Elliot and Vanessa were all visiting and I was working on my lunch. They stayed with me until this morning, and I swear my mom made me enough food this weekend to last me a month.
I'm feeling really good considering. I'm really only in pain when I have to flex my stomach muscles to stand up, sit down, cough, blow my nose, etc. Before my parents left we went into my office so I could get my laptop and do some work from home this week. The surgeon said that was fine as long as I didn't drive while on my pain meds, didn't lift anything too heavy, and was able to get plenty of rest.
I really appreciate the well-wishes and those offering to help me out this week, and I'm probably going to take some of you up on the offer. Otherwise I'm planning on taking it easy and getting plenty of sleep. I'm sure I'll be itching to get out of the house when all of this is said and done!
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
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Monday, October 22, 2007
It's almost over
I'm so glad this case is nearly over. The family are good people and deserve some peace finally.
In a related story, wouldn't you just love to grow up in this place? I was just there a few weeks ago, and I must say that I really felt a change in the atmosphere there from when I was a kid. When I tell people stories from home I sometimes feel like others think I'm telling tall tales, but unfortunately they're very true.
In a related story, wouldn't you just love to grow up in this place? I was just there a few weeks ago, and I must say that I really felt a change in the atmosphere there from when I was a kid. When I tell people stories from home I sometimes feel like others think I'm telling tall tales, but unfortunately they're very true.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Introducing Elliot Karlson
He's here! He arrived at 12:46 a.m. and weighed 6 pounds 15 ounces. I don't have a length yet as they're cleaning him up and measuring him right now. It looks like he's going to have red curly hair like his daddy. Both mother and baby are doing excellent.
Edited to add: Length is 20-1/4 inches. His hair now appears to be a wavy strawberry blond.
Edited to add: Length is 20-1/4 inches. His hair now appears to be a wavy strawberry blond.
It's time!
We're at the pushing stage now - and just a few minutes after midnight. Karl came out to inform everyone, and he said he'd seen the head but yet couldn't tell if Elliot had any hair or not. So exciting!
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Zero station
We're starting to get into the final stages now and Jes is doing great. I told Karl that 1:33 in the morning is a wonderful time to be born, not that I'm biased or anything. Looks like we'll have an October 14 baby!
7 cm
We're on our way! Apparently the relaxation she's feeling from the Epidural has helped to move things along. I still don't think it will happen before midnight, which is probably a good thing at this point because if she delivers after midnight she'll get to stay an extra day in the hospital. More later.
The calm before the storm
Jes is resting and has decided to try and get some sleep now that her Epidural has kicked in. I don't know if she'll be able to get any shut-eye, but we've all moved to the waiting room so she can get as much rest as she's able to. At last update she was fully effaced and four centimeters dilated. I'll let you know when there's more news.
Closer
They're giving Jes an Epidural right now - maybe we'll have a baby before midnight after all!
Waiting...
Jes is in labor and we are all patiently awaiting the arrival of little Elliot. Her water broke at 10:30 this morning and she's hoping to go before midnight, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen until tomorrow. But for now, everything is going well and Jes is doing great! I'll try and post some updates as time permits.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Busy
My delay in posting is not entirely my fault, I swear. I had no Internet service for over a week (stupid Charter) and finally got it back on Friday. I've been super busy though with work, social and networking functions, being out of town and planning a baby shower. I'm finally able to breathe a little today though and it's a good thing since NFL Football is starting this week (unfortunately, my Chiefs lost).
The new job is going very well and I'm really liking it so far. For the first time in a long time I feel like I'm using my abilities to their full potential, and that's a great feeling. I need to do a little work today to try and get caught up a bit from being sick for a day and a half at the end of August, but I really don't mind so much because I like the work. Am I losing my mind?
I went home a few weeks ago for an informal 15-year high school reunion at my town fair. It's always nice to go home and see some old friends, but it's always nice to remember why I left and realize how much happier I am in my life here in StL.
Over Labor Day weekend, a group of us had a girls' weekend in Memphis. Bethany drove over from K.C. Friday night and Saturday morning she, Vanessa, Melissa and I caravanned down I-55. We met Erica at the hotel since we were late picking her up at the airport where she flew in from Atlanta. We had such a great time catching up with one another that I think we would have had fun if we had just stayed at the hotel the entire weekend. But we did find time to visit Beale Street, the National Civil Rights museum, the Peabody Hotel to watch the ducks make their daily march back to their room, the Memphis Music and Heritage Festival, and of course Graceland. Pictures are here.
I was specifically told to blog about a couple of things that happened during the trip - the fabulous mullet sightings, Dr. Bob from the Ninth Ward in NOLA, the "weddings" and "annulments" that occurred on Sunday night with the hoosiers from the Bootheel, the amazingly kitschy memorial wreaths marking the 30th anniversary of Elvis' death - but my favorite story still has to be the one Melissa's "husband" told me about working for the DEA. Apparently as part of his job he has to work undercover and take meth in an effort to bust some labs, but it's okay because the DEA has a special solution that he drinks right after he takes the meth that allows him to remove the drug from his system with one visit to the restroom. Then he told me that they know of a similar solution that can cure AIDS, but it's only found in outer space (I can't make this stuff up!). For someone who's "undercover" job is driving a combine, he sure had some WILD stories! If I've forgotten some stories I'm sure someone (Vanessa) will remind me in the comments.
The rest of my free time the past month has been spent planning for a baby shower/BBQ for Jes and Karl. Jes' mom, Karl's sister, S, and I decided on a monkey theme for the shower, and S and I spent a good amount of time making 60 invitations. I think they were worth the effort and turned out really well though, and we received a lot of compliments on them.
I think the baby shower was a success - I know I had a good time. Jes and Karl got a lot of great presents, and they seemed very touched by the outpouring of support and love from friends and family. I took a few pictures, and they are here.
Next weekend is another busy one, and the two weekends after that have the potential to be as well. One of these days I might have time to clean my house. I'll blog again eventually, I promise!
The new job is going very well and I'm really liking it so far. For the first time in a long time I feel like I'm using my abilities to their full potential, and that's a great feeling. I need to do a little work today to try and get caught up a bit from being sick for a day and a half at the end of August, but I really don't mind so much because I like the work. Am I losing my mind?
I went home a few weeks ago for an informal 15-year high school reunion at my town fair. It's always nice to go home and see some old friends, but it's always nice to remember why I left and realize how much happier I am in my life here in StL.
Over Labor Day weekend, a group of us had a girls' weekend in Memphis. Bethany drove over from K.C. Friday night and Saturday morning she, Vanessa, Melissa and I caravanned down I-55. We met Erica at the hotel since we were late picking her up at the airport where she flew in from Atlanta. We had such a great time catching up with one another that I think we would have had fun if we had just stayed at the hotel the entire weekend. But we did find time to visit Beale Street, the National Civil Rights museum, the Peabody Hotel to watch the ducks make their daily march back to their room, the Memphis Music and Heritage Festival, and of course Graceland. Pictures are here.
I was specifically told to blog about a couple of things that happened during the trip - the fabulous mullet sightings, Dr. Bob from the Ninth Ward in NOLA, the "weddings" and "annulments" that occurred on Sunday night with the hoosiers from the Bootheel, the amazingly kitschy memorial wreaths marking the 30th anniversary of Elvis' death - but my favorite story still has to be the one Melissa's "husband" told me about working for the DEA. Apparently as part of his job he has to work undercover and take meth in an effort to bust some labs, but it's okay because the DEA has a special solution that he drinks right after he takes the meth that allows him to remove the drug from his system with one visit to the restroom. Then he told me that they know of a similar solution that can cure AIDS, but it's only found in outer space (I can't make this stuff up!). For someone who's "undercover" job is driving a combine, he sure had some WILD stories! If I've forgotten some stories I'm sure someone (Vanessa) will remind me in the comments.
The rest of my free time the past month has been spent planning for a baby shower/BBQ for Jes and Karl. Jes' mom, Karl's sister, S, and I decided on a monkey theme for the shower, and S and I spent a good amount of time making 60 invitations. I think they were worth the effort and turned out really well though, and we received a lot of compliments on them.
I think the baby shower was a success - I know I had a good time. Jes and Karl got a lot of great presents, and they seemed very touched by the outpouring of support and love from friends and family. I took a few pictures, and they are here.
Next weekend is another busy one, and the two weekends after that have the potential to be as well. One of these days I might have time to clean my house. I'll blog again eventually, I promise!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Your Loss, My Gain
I went to a "get-together" for my new job tonight. There are six other people starting the same time as me because the company is beginning to consolidate all of its accounting work in StL. We were all invited by our manager to get some drinks and take a tour of the office.
I was the only one out of all of the new people who is going to be a senior accountant. The way I understand it, some of the people I hung out with this evening will eventually be reporting to me. When the manager announced this I could feel about 12 eyes looking at me and thinking, "She might end up being my boss." I've been in positions above others and helped with performance reviews, but I've never had official authority over employment decisions before. While I know I can handle being someone's supervisor I must admit it's a bit daunting.
Something I'll need to find out when I start this job is who MY boss is going to be. When I got the letter officially offering me the job, it said my supervisor was going to be the current senior accountant, who interviewed me along with the manager. But tonight the manager said that I would be senior accountant along with the current senior accountant, which makes me think we are going to be on the same level. I'm sure it will all be clearer on Monday.
The reason we got together for a tour of the office after regular working hours is because the company hasn't yet announced that they are moving this accounting work to StL. So when we go in for our first day on Monday morning, no one but a few select people in the company will really know who we are. They are supposed to announce the changes Monday afternoon, and on Tuesday morning we will be trained by a person whose job we will be taking and who was just notified of that fact less than 24 hours earlier. If that isn't awkward I don't know what is.
I'm really excited about this job though, and the people I met this evening all seem pretty nice. I must say that the company is doing everything they can to make it as painless on the other office as possible by announcing the change a few years before the transfer will be completed. But it's still weird knowing that this job is available to me because someone else will be losing theirs.
I was the only one out of all of the new people who is going to be a senior accountant. The way I understand it, some of the people I hung out with this evening will eventually be reporting to me. When the manager announced this I could feel about 12 eyes looking at me and thinking, "She might end up being my boss." I've been in positions above others and helped with performance reviews, but I've never had official authority over employment decisions before. While I know I can handle being someone's supervisor I must admit it's a bit daunting.
Something I'll need to find out when I start this job is who MY boss is going to be. When I got the letter officially offering me the job, it said my supervisor was going to be the current senior accountant, who interviewed me along with the manager. But tonight the manager said that I would be senior accountant along with the current senior accountant, which makes me think we are going to be on the same level. I'm sure it will all be clearer on Monday.
The reason we got together for a tour of the office after regular working hours is because the company hasn't yet announced that they are moving this accounting work to StL. So when we go in for our first day on Monday morning, no one but a few select people in the company will really know who we are. They are supposed to announce the changes Monday afternoon, and on Tuesday morning we will be trained by a person whose job we will be taking and who was just notified of that fact less than 24 hours earlier. If that isn't awkward I don't know what is.
I'm really excited about this job though, and the people I met this evening all seem pretty nice. I must say that the company is doing everything they can to make it as painless on the other office as possible by announcing the change a few years before the transfer will be completed. But it's still weird knowing that this job is available to me because someone else will be losing theirs.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Best. Lyrics. Ever.
Why? Because they were written as a poem by my great-grandmother! You can even see a picture of her as a young woman in the video. This song is written and performed by my first cousin once removed. Enjoy!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
If I called Springfield home
This is me.
Make your own Simpsons avatar here.
BTW, HP and the Deathly Hallows did not disappoint. However, I stupidly stood in line from 11:45 Friday night until I could get my hands on the book at 2:15 Saturday morning. I finally finished at 6:00 Sunday night because I actually stopped to sleep before finishing it this time. Please, no spoilers in the comments for those who haven't yet finished it!
Make your own Simpsons avatar here.
BTW, HP and the Deathly Hallows did not disappoint. However, I stupidly stood in line from 11:45 Friday night until I could get my hands on the book at 2:15 Saturday morning. I finally finished at 6:00 Sunday night because I actually stopped to sleep before finishing it this time. Please, no spoilers in the comments for those who haven't yet finished it!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Get a Job
I did it - I found a job (finally)! Of all the jobs I interviewed for, this one was my favorite. Starting August 6 I will be working in the corporate world as a senior accountant. I will have four or five people who report to me and I will get to review financial statements prepared by them. In addition, about once a month I'll get to travel to various franchise locations around the country to train people on how to properly account for their finances and how they are to submit their information to the corporate office. This is pretty much what I wanted in a job - I get to work with numbers again and I get to do some traveling without traveling all of the time. And, I'm going to be able to help small business owners which makes me feel like I'm doing some good in the world.
This week I'm cleaning out closets and sorting through all of my stuff for the garage/moving sale a bunch of us are having this weekend. It's amazing how much crap I've accumulated over the years, and it feels good to be getting rid of it all (ah, feng shui). Of course the last Harry Potter book is released at Midnight Friday night, so I don't know how much help I'm going to be at the sale with my head planted in a book all day.
Once I get through everything and sell what I can, next week I can finally finish decorating my condo. Although now I have to add "fixing my hall ceiling" to my list of things to do because it fell in due to some water damage from either my upstairs neighbor's A/C unit or mine. Every time I've gone upstairs to talk to my neighbors they haven't been home. At this point I just want to know whose unit is causing the problem so I can take appropriate action on my end to fix the problem.
Sometime in the next two and a half weeks I'd like to actually use my pool, too. And I need to make invitations for Jes and Karl's baby shower. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't taken some time off to get things done around the house. Isn't it amazing how work can get in the way of living?
This week I'm cleaning out closets and sorting through all of my stuff for the garage/moving sale a bunch of us are having this weekend. It's amazing how much crap I've accumulated over the years, and it feels good to be getting rid of it all (ah, feng shui). Of course the last Harry Potter book is released at Midnight Friday night, so I don't know how much help I'm going to be at the sale with my head planted in a book all day.
Once I get through everything and sell what I can, next week I can finally finish decorating my condo. Although now I have to add "fixing my hall ceiling" to my list of things to do because it fell in due to some water damage from either my upstairs neighbor's A/C unit or mine. Every time I've gone upstairs to talk to my neighbors they haven't been home. At this point I just want to know whose unit is causing the problem so I can take appropriate action on my end to fix the problem.
Sometime in the next two and a half weeks I'd like to actually use my pool, too. And I need to make invitations for Jes and Karl's baby shower. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't taken some time off to get things done around the house. Isn't it amazing how work can get in the way of living?
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