Where has my wisdom gone?

Hello all!  I know you thought I had traveled to Siberia without any internet access, gotten abducted by aliens, or trapped under something heavy, but in reality...I'm just me.  (aka: Blog Slacker)

Spring has finally sprung here in RI, and I'm loving it!  The trees outside my house are covered with white blossoms, and the grass is green.  The sky is blue, and there are buds and flowers everywhere.  I'm sure it will get hot and muggy soon enough, and I'll be back to whining about missing Colorado weather, but for now I'm appreciating the tardy arrival of the long awaited Spring. 

Last Thursday I had one of my two remaining wisdom teeth removed.  I had the top two removed when I was 21, and the bottom two have been grown in and minding their own business for several years, but my dentist didn't want them in there anymore.  Apparently my ability to keep them brushed and flossed way back there was less than stellar, and to maintain my amazing luck in the dentist's chair (no cavities since I was 10), he said they needed to go.  

Dr. Morriseau decided to take one out at a time so that I would be able to eat, which I can appreciate, but after that experience he's going to have to do some serious sweet talking to get me back in the chair to remove the last one!  What happened?  Well, let's just say that the tooth did not want to go quietly.

It was supposed to be a simple, quick procedure.  30 minutes.  In, out, done.  As you can probably guess...not so much.  I was awake for the whole procedure, which made it so much more fun!  

He shot me full of novocaine, got me good and numb and then started the process of "rocking" my left wisdom tooth out of my mouth.  Only, THIS tooth didn't want to rock.  It didn't want to move at all, and because there was very little room to move around back there, he decided to pull out the drill.  Nothing more pleasant than the sound of a drill accompanied by the smell of burning...something...coming from inside your mouth!  FUN!  He broke the tooth into several pieces, grasping and "rocking" each piece as he broke it away from the rest.  There was so much pressure on my jaw that at one point I had to reach up and apply upward pressure on the left side of my jaw to keep it from feeling like it was going to rip off of my face!

Dr. Morriseau was literally leveraging himself against the dentist's chair to work on it and at one point said...out loud..."Oh, come ON!"  Very soothing. (please note, I really like my dentist a lot, and actually almost laughed when he said it...but the fact that he has his hands and instruments in my mouth at the time kept me from enjoying his frustration out loud)

The last piece finally gave up the ghost, and he sent me on my way with a prescription for Vicodin and instructions for taking care of the gaping hole in the back of my mouth.

This past weekend was a bit rough, and I spent a lot of time on the couch with an ice pack and a bottle of Advil (didn't fill the prescription...I'm too tough to need prescription drugs!).  I still have to depend on Advil, and have a dull ache nagging me pretty much all the time, but I can handle it.  I can't really chew, which is getting old, but it's improving.  I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to eat a nice big filet...but not tonight!

I went back today for a check up, and he removed the stitch.  Interestingly, he decided to tell me a story.  He said that Friday he was golfing with a buddy who told him about a tooth that he had to pull that was so difficult that he actually told the patient that if he wanted another tooth pulled to please go to someone else.  Dr. Morriseau said that hearing this story, he immediately thought of me.  Glad to know it wasn't a pleasant experience for him either!

So there you go.  My latest blog entry.  A real gem, don't you think?  Perhaps I'll be back again before Summer! 

Life is good!

The Little Things...

What better time to post to my blog than when I should be studying! It's the perfect procrastination activity! I've spent most of my "free" time for the past week studying for a certification test I have to take next Friday, and I'm still not even close to ready. This weekend is supposed to be my "buckle down and LIVE it" time, but there are so many more appealing things to do that I'm finding it difficult to commit. I'm sure my level of commitment will alter come Thursday night!

Anyway, this week I've been reminded of some of the little things in my life that add to the overall sense of contentment I have been blessed with of late, so I thought I'd share.

1) Music. This one may not be so little really, but it's affect in my life can be subtle at times. I love music in all (or at least most) of it's forms. Anything that gets me humming along or tapping my toes is a welcome addition to my life. I'm the girl that sings along (and sometimes dances) to the music in the Grocery store. It makes shopping so much more fun, and to be honest, I can't help it. Even if I try...it just cannot be stifled! The music has GOT to come out! :)

I always have my iPod playing through little desktop speakers at work, but this week I did two things differently.

First, I started listening to my full library of music rather than playlists. Just set it to random and let it go. Some of the songs that pop up are slightly embarrassing, some are hilarious, but most are just pleasant little gifts. Songs I haven't heard forever, but liked enough to load onto my iPod at some point. They make me smile...and that makes my day so much better.

Second, I started listening with my headphones instead of the speakers. There were a few projects I was working on that required some focused attention, and I discovered that even with the music playing, I was more focused and got a TON done by blocking out the world around me with the music that, as previously stated, makes me smile.

There are definitely some downsides to this approach...it's not overly social, but I tend to be TOO social, so maybe a little restriction in that realm is not a bad thing. I also tend to sing along on occasion (ok...most of the time) and when no one else can hear what you're listening to, an unplanned public performance can to be a bit embarrassing. So far I think I've caught myself before anyone has heard my serenade, but it's only a matter of time before someone stops by just as I'm singing along to Fire by the Pointer Sisters (that one really gets me going).

2) A Garage. Ok, so if you have spoken to me, read my blog, or followed my Facebook statuses, you are aware of my severe disdain for the weather we've been experiencing here in Rhode Island. I'm not shy or quiet about it. It sucks. (sorry...no other way to say it).

HOWEVER, I did find something in the midst of the suckiness that made me grateful...the fact that through this entire nasty winter I have not had to clear my car of snow ONE time to go to work in the morning. I walks straight from the cozy warm safety of my house directly into my very own garage...no walking through snow and ice to GET to the car, no clearing snow and ice (or even FROST) off of the car, no warming up the car...it's WONDERFUL! I don't know how I lived the first 35 years of my life without one!!

3) Blue Skies. No matter how cold it is outside, when the sky is clear and blue it makes me happy. I think it may be a little bit of a reminder of home. I've always loved the intense blue of the Colorado sky. There are times that it is so amazing that it takes my breath away. Any small piece of that brilliance brings a happy jump to my heart. Recently the blue has had to work its magic through windows because as soon as I walk outside into the frigid wind the affect of the blue sky is negated by the impending frostbite of my nose, but at least it helps me get up the motivation to brave the cold when necessary.

There are plenty of other little things that make me smile...help me through the days that aren't so great...and make the great ones even better. I'm grateful for the little things.

Baby it's COLD outside!

Perhaps there should be a prize for Blog neglect! I could TOTALLY win!!

I'm supposed to be studying for a certification test I have to take in 2 weeks, but my brain hurts, so I'm taking a break and using my blog as procrastination tool!

Before I get started, in case any of you are here to check on Andrew's status, his fever is down, and he's doing better. He's still not keeping any food down, but Brittany says he refuses to admit that he doesn't feel well. Little trooper/twerp. Thank you so much for your prayers and words of support for our whole family, and most especially for my little, bald Bob Amato.

Be sure to check out his website. He has posted some video messages there that are precious! http://www.andrewvanderploeg.com/

Life here in Rhode Island has been great save the weather...which I complain about on a daily basis. I've developed a truly pationate distaste for Winter this year. I can't ever seem to get warm!

I love my home, but I'm convinced that THIS trip into the world of mortgage slaves is supposed to teach me something about patience and humility. Three weeks ago my furnace died and I had to spend the weekend with space heaters keeping my pipes from freezing and a fire in my fireplace to keep me from freezing. Now I've got a brand new furnace, and it works great, but for some reason I'm still always cold!

The front of my house is north facing so it doesn't get any direct sun, which is only a problem because there is a huge pile of snow and ice on the roof that creates a disturbingly steady supply of water dripping on my driveway. Unfortunately, because it gets no sun, it turns to ice again almost immediately when it hits the driveway, causing a fantastic "ice rink" effect. I asked the HOA to do something about it multiple times with no luck, so the ice just continued to get thicker and thicker. Last weekend I had to take 4 running starts to get my car into the garage, so I decided it was time to to take matters into my own hands and get to chipping away the ice.

You can check out pics of the whole ordeal here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=72534&l=ac452&id=714881782

Sadly, all my hard work has been continually undone since the minute I finished the job. Looks like I'll be out there chipping away again tomorrow! (another procrastination technique!)

The ice build up on the roof has also created a wonderful phenomenon known as an ice dam above my bedroom window. Basically the snow against the shingles melts during the day and then freezes when the sun goes down, expanding (as ice does) it's way under the shingles. When the ice melts again the next day it is UNDER the shingles and it leaks into the house. I've had lovely puddles of water in my window seat on randome days for a few weeks, but luckily there hasn't been any visible water damage, and the HOA has had contractors out to deal with the problem on the roof, so hopefully we are done with that issue.

Like I said, patience and humility! I really do love my home, and despite the cold I find all of the little adventures it's brought me rather humorous. Honestly, sometimes all you can do is laugh!

The nasty weather here has made me a bit more homesick for Colorado than usual. Friends and family there are continually notifying me of the temperatures in the high 60's...I think they enjoy being cruel! I did get to spend almost 2 full weeks home in Denver for Christmas, so I guess I can't complain that much. I'm a New Englander now, so I guess I've gotta toughen up! That and buy some warmer socks!

Brand New Site for Andrew

Andrew's dad, Dave, has posted a new site for Andrew with a bunch of pics, some videos and all the updates. You can visit anytime at www.andrewvanderploeg.com

XOXO!

The Move

I am excited to report that I am officially a homeowner...again! The closing went off without a hitch, and the new stairs look beautiful! Wait...rewind...I suppose I have to explain that one. The inspection turned up one major issue...the main staircase was not uniform. The bottom step had a 7" rise, the next 10 had an 8" rise and the top step had a 9.5" rise! Not only a code violation, but a significant trip hazard. I'm shocked that no one had done a header down the stairs before. Having just spent the past 6 years of my life working in insurance claims, I could not, in good conscience, accept that kind of liability, so I had to give a hard line demand that it be fixed or I wouldn't buy the property. That required that the entire staircase be taken out and replaced...which they did!

SO...back to the update...the stairs look beautiful, and the place is all mine! I really love it! We closed on Wednesday, and Thursday morning the movers showed up with my stuff. My friend Stacie was generous enough to take the day off of work to come help me move stuff from my temporary apartment, direct movers and be the official record keeper to check off boxes as they came off the truck. HUGE help!!! (she also tried to re-enact the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet off of my front deck, but no one was willing to play Romeo...)

We moved most of my stuff out of the apartment in the morning just in time to meet the movers at my new home. The moving crew was fantastic, and all of my stuff was in the house, set up and unpacked (out of the boxes anyway) by about 12:30pm. They even found a way to get my huge bed and couch up the stairs...well, not really the "stairs"...they sent them up over the back deck and through the back door instead. I chose not to watch...way too scary!

There was still a TON of work to be done organizing and putting things away, but seeing my furniture in the rooms of my new house really made me feel like I was home.

Once the movers left Stacie and I made a trip to the apartment to get the rest of my stuff and turn in my keys, but were met with...let's call it a "surprise". The cleaning staff hired by the relocation company had already been there to clean and had THROWN AWAY ALL OF MY STUFF!!! Clothes in the dryer, Clothes hanging to dry, a full fridge and freezer, a new leather laptop bag (luckily not containing the laptop!), some exercise equipment, a couple of boxes...and the list goes on. How they could possibly think that I had moved out is beyond me, but that doesn't change the fact that my stuff was GONE! The Relo company actually had maintenance guys go look through the dumpsters to see if they could find anything worth salvaging...or at least to help me inventory what I had, but they couldn't find anything. My guess is the cleaning woman didn't throw them out so much as put them in her car. They've agreed to pay me for everything, and I put together an inventory with prices, so hopefully I'll get a check soon.

Once I got over the shock of my "surprise" I headed back home to start the massive job of putting stuff away. Stacie headed back to her family, and I was alone in my home for the first time. Surreal! Several hours later, and a lot of trips up and down the many stairs in my house, I was ready to call it a day...and sleep in my own bed!!

It was about 11:30pm and I was exhausted. A quick shower and off to dreamland for me! Oh, wait...there's no hot water!! I headed down to the water heater to check it out and discovered that the pilot light was out. Good reason. The gas was turned OFF. No gas. Sin gas. Nada Gas. UGH!! I took a very cold shower and headed to bed.

The gas company apologized and told me that the previous owner's order to stop service and my order to start did not get matched up like they were supposed to, so instead of doing a change over they shut off the gas. No one bothered to call me about it, so I didn't figure it out for 2 days. They gladly set me up with a maintenance order and told me that someone would be at my house to turn on the gas "some time between 8am and midnight on Saturday". The tech would call me 20 minutes before he came, and if I didn't answer the phone my appointment would be cancelled. Amazing customer service!!

Anyway, the gas is now on, I have hot water, and I just took a really long shower! Ahhhh...

I love being a homeowner!

For anyone who just read that entire saga and is STILL reading (I'm so sorry!) and I should probably give you a bit of an update on Andrew! He's doing really well! He got out of ICU on Monday and has been up and about, walking without assistance. He should be able to go home in the next couple of days!

Still waiting to hear specifics on when the radiation and chemo will start, but we do know it will be aggressive. He'll have to undergo the treatments 5 days a week, 3 weeks on-3 weeks off, for 9 months. He'll be doing home school because he can't go to school while undergoing the treatments (his immune system will be shot).

Your prayers are still needed, welcome and greatly appreciated!

Regarding Henry

I'm increasingly awed by the incredible strength and character that shines through our little Andrew as his journey continues. In an effort to share my a bit of what inspires me, I thought I'd introduce you to Henry.

As I've mentioned before, Andrew has been a bit clumsy for a few years now...often tripping, knocking things over and spilling things. Last year he began to blame his little mishaps on "Henry". When he'd knock over his milk he'd proclaim, "It wasn't me, it was Henry!" It became a silly joke among the family. According to Andrew, Henry was his brain, and sometimes Henry just messed up his ability to control things.

Over the last week, we've discovered how real Henry really was; except that Henry was not Andrew's brain...Henry was the giant tumor. On some level Andrew knew that there was a stranger in his brain.

The most amazing part of this little story for me is not just that Andrew knew about Henry, but that he embraced him. With a smile and a little giggle he accepted Henry as a part of himself without frustration, irritation or complaint.

Always a smile. That's our Andrew.

New Site for Andrew

Just a quick update to let everyone know that we've set up a site specifically for Andrew. You can go there to get info anytime, and we'll update it with anything new.

Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers!!

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/andrewvanderploeg