Finding humor

I am convinced you can find humor wherever you look.  And a quick laugh puts everything in perspective.

And if you've read my blog lately, I guess it's been kind of "heavy" with some health issues we and others are facing.  So it's time to break out of that pattern and have a few laughs together...

Where is the football game?  And hot dogs and beer?

Here's the catsup.  Or is it water?  (Water tower in Collinsville, Illinois)

Fried bologna and Velveeta???

Ok, it's not exactly funny, but it's a STRANGE sign...

A vet with a sense of humor 

Fleas Navidad?

Naughty or nice...

Is it no "E" or no "L"???

And then there's the day to day life that makes everything warm and fuzzy!

Our cat, Gilbert, catching some rays

Cozy area by the fireplace (recently converted to direct vent gas insert)

Winter sunset over frozen lake

 The past couple of weeks we have been enjoying temps in the 30's and 40's, and we are 'lovin it!  Could Spring be right around the corner?  I know, wishful thinking!

Diane

Surviving a root canal

 Or Diane's little adventure of trying NOT to get a root canal...

It started simply with chipping a tooth after an Indianapolis Colts football game in October.  Next came two trips to the dentist to get a temporary and then a permanent crown.  And of course this tooth is in the very back of my mouth and required many Novocaine shots each visit.  Lovely.

And a couple of days after the permanent crown I noticed the tooth was still painful.  So as you might expect,  I waited several weeks (with LOTS of ibuprofen) before going back to the dentist.  Of course that was two days before Christmas.  And my worst fears were confirmed.  ROOT CANAL!

On Monday January 6th, I called the Endodontist office about my appointment on Tuesday morning.

Here's how the phone call went...

Me:  My appointment is tomorrow at 10AM, and I'm a bit worried about the weather.  Any openings Tuesday afternoon?

Andrea:  No.  If you don't come in tomorrow at 10 AM, next available appointment is next week.

Me:  This is just a consultation, right?  No dental work tomorrow?

Andrea:  No.  He has the root canal scheduled for tomorrow and has allowed enough time for it.

Me:  Will he take x-rays to verify which tooth?

Andrea: Yes.

Me:  I have not been taking antibiotics. Is that ok?

Andrea: Yes

Me:  I have a head cold.  Is that a problem?

Andrea: No.

Me:  Will I be able to drive myself home?

Andrea:  Yes.

Me:  So basically I've exhausted all my reasons to not come to the appointment tomorrow, right?

Andrea: Yes, you must be there.

Well, all we got was a lousy 5 inches of snow Monday evening, and though traffic was crummy all around the city, nothing was closed down.  Darn.  So I spent almost 2 hours driving to the appointment, which is normally a 45 minute drive.

And the first thing the Endodontist says to me is "you are late".  Ok, I was 10 minutes late.  Next as he's testing the tenderness of my tooth, I didn't understand his instruction of "back and forth" which supposedly meant "chew down on the Q-Tip".  Seriously, who would understand that?  He said "LISTEN TO ME!"

And then he tapped on several teeth with a blunt dental instrument, and I was a little jumpy.  He said "Did that hurt?"  To which I answered, "No.  I'm just nervous".  He said "Don't do that unless it hurts".  Are you getting the idea this wasn't going well?

And then he did the ice cube test, and when he placed it against the back tooth, I almost jumped out of the chair.  He seemed happy then, like I finally responded like a normal patient.

Ok, I will spare you the gory details here.  I closed my eyes and prayed and clenched my back muscles until they hurt.  I listened to the blow by blow description of what he was doing, but I respectfully declined to watch his work on the TV screen.  NO! NO! NO!   I do not want to see any medical or dental work on my body.  After an intense hour of him working on my tooth, it was over.  I left the office exhausted and exhilarated.  

And ever since then I've been exclaiming to Mike "My tooth doesn't hurt.  My tooth doesn't hurt."  Seriously, it's the first time I've been without that dull, throbbing ache for over a month.  Wow!  

Lesson learned once again:  quit worrying about medical and dental procedures as they are never as bad as I imagine. 

 But I still wince when I see a billboard or ad with a tooth on it...

Diane

December highs and lows

I'm not sure that I even took a breath in December.  I thought about writing my blog, but I was so busy  living life that there was no time to write.

December was a month of highs and lows. But I guess a lot of people may feel that way about the holiday season.

The month started with my outpatient breast surgery. I was anxious, nervous and afraid, and it brought back many emotions from my 2010 breast cancer surgery. But the surgery went as planned, and the results were awesome-NO CANCER!  And with that news I began to heal, both physically and emotionally. Once you've had cancer, I'm not sure you ever escape the "fear zone" of whether cancer will recur.  It's always in the back of your mind. But I'm able to say I'm 4.5 years cancer free!  And I realize how fortunate I am...

Recovering with my trusty duck...

But the most difficult news was that our friend, Mary, has ovarian cancer.  She had her first chemo treatment on her 55th birthday on December 5th.  And one week later, she had a stroke and was hospitalized.  She experienced many more strokes in the days to come, but the great doctors at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis found a way to stop the strokes with a powerful anti-coagulant.  We visited her twice in the hospital, and we believe she recognizes us and is able to understand our words of hope and love.  She has a tough road ahead: recovering from the strokes and resuming chemotherapy.  She is now at a rehab hospital/bootcamp receiving physical, occupational and speech therapy.

We pray for her daily, and I welcome your prayers and positive energy for Mary.  She is never very far from our thoughts...

Mary and her husband Stan during our trip to Kansas City in August

And my mom continues her treatment for lung cancer.  She is very tired from the radiation treatments, but that doesn't slow her down much.  She has an amazing attitude and ability to bounce back.  

We celebrated her 83rd birthday weekend in December with a cooking baking extravaganza!  

Mom with my brother Gary and sister Pam

Lunch with Mike, Pam, mom, niece Alex and sister-in-law Peggy

Cookies

Cookies

And more cookies!

 The month has been an odd mixture of sadness and joy.  We are painfully aware that we can't take a single day for granted.  And we realize how blessed we are to share Christmas with wonderful family and friends.

Here is some of the joy we've experienced this Christmas season...

Nephews Dane, Jeff and great-nephew Rhys in the middle

Rhys, Iron Man and Dane

Sister Jude, brother-in-law Ron, sister Ange and mom opening gifts

Enjoying a moment with niece Diane and great-nieces Violet and Alice

An evening with Kevin and Kathy at the Little Nugget in Danville IL

With nephew Adam

Annual Christmas Event at the Red Key Tavern with Pat, Bryan, Melanie and Chuck

Sharing Christmas Day with my sweetie

It's a new year now.  Though we don't know what it will bring, we live, love and cherish every single day.  And we know that faith and prayer will help us through the tough times.

Diane