For my father....

My dad is in town going to the FW stock show and rodeo. He drove up to our neck of the woods this afternoon to look at the model home with the same floor plan as my new house and to have dinner. We had a great time looking at the house and talking about what we were doing different before going to Rockfish to eat.

While we were eating, he told me that he does read my blog. He also started giving me a hard time because he had decided I must have too much time on my hands since I have started posting. I guess he is really busy...of course, he has time to drive 7 hours to go to a stock show that none of his children are participating in, stay for 2-3 days, and then go home...like I said, guess he is really busy!! :-) Just kidding, Dad!!

I was so glad that he was able to come and spend the evening with us. It is always nice to just have some hang out time with my dad. It is also nice to have the opportunity to show him what our house will look like. Since we are so excited about it, I am glad that he knows what we are talking about!! Love ya!!

Perfect Attendance Boys

Saturday night, Daniel and I went to the annual Denton Fire Department Awards Banquet. We met Jared and Becky there and had a great time. We don't get to see them often (well Becky and I don't see each other often), but when we do, we always laugh and have a blast. Of course, looking at all the men in their dress uniforms wasn't so bad either!!



We did have to take a picture of our "perfect attendance boys" as Becky put it. Daniel and Jared each got a perfect attendance award for never calling in sick. I was actually surprised at how few people received the award (~10) in such a large department. I guess it is really easy to call in sick when you don't want to go in over the weekend or something. I have to admit that I sometimes tell Dan to call in when he has to work on the weekned and I am at home...I'm just glad he doesn't let me be too bad of an influence!! (I have never called in sick either so I can't be that bad...)

How Great Is Our God

We had a wonderful ending to the worship service this morning at church. We sang "How Great Is Our God" and everyone was singing their hearts out. I have noticed that all day long this song has been running through my head and I have caught myself singing little parts out loud. A few minutes ago, Dan started humming it as well.

I love how that song sticks in your head...it is a GREAT song to be singing all day. The words are so true and powerful!!

Sunshiny day!!

What a beautiful day today and yesterday have been!! I love being able to walk outside and actually feel the sun on my skin. I didn't mind the clouds and cold too much while it was here (I kind of like that once in a while) but I love the sunshine!! I know that this weekend is supposed to be a little cooler. I think God knew we needed a few days of sunshine before the cold came again. I was starting to think we had moved to the northeast!! :)

Worn Out!!

I just got home from the gym where I went to a spin class. I just have to say that she completely wore me out!!! For the last two weeks, I have gone at 5:45 in the morning and love waking up and getting active. It really makes you feel better throughout the day. Today, though, was tough! I guess that is a good thing, right? It has to mean that you are working hard!! Gotta go get ready for work...looks like I'm gonna be a little later than normal, but that's okay because I'm usually really early :)

Update on the weekend...

It actually wasn't that bad! I only had six calls over the whole weekend (which is about average...I'm happy to be average in this case) and none of them were extremely urgent. I like being able to just call people back, answer their question if they have one, and lead them in the right direction. Most of the stuff this weekend was calling in prescriptions for antibiotics that hadn't made it to the pharmacy on Friday or encouraging people to go to one of the urgent care centers to get looked at. I love the fact that it is just telephone call instead of actually having to go into the hospital or something.

My favorite part was that it did not go off on Sunday at all. That is the best because I don't have to miss church or life group while I make the return call. Now I shouldn't have it again for a few months. Yeah!!

Little Black Box

Last night was the first night ever that I have been woken up by my best friend for the weekend...the pager. It went off at 3:46 am. I listened to the recorded message and called the lady back. It was a lab tech calling about some abnormal values. She sure was chirpy!! Of course, then I couldn't go back to sleep until almost 4:45. The worst part about it was that it wasn't even about my patient.

We share weekend call with three other doctors. That way, one person doesn't have to always be on call. Within our office (1 doc and 2 PAs) we pass the pager around for our turn. This weekend, is mine. It basically works out to being on weekend call 4-5 times a year. Not bad, really, except for when you wake up in the middle of the night! :)

I will just carry my friend, the little black box, everywhere I go and hope that it doesn't go off. You don't have to do much when it does, but it is a little stressful trying to make sure you always have it with you, your cell phone is charged so you can call them back, and then having to make a split second decision about what to do with a patient that you have not seen in person.

Now that we (the other PA and I) are here, my doc has been more willing to go out of town at times during the week. When she does that, we will have it during the week as well. That is not that often. I guess I am blessed that I only have to do it 4-5 times a year...I know that it could be much worse!

Men at work

Since my sweet hubby has been at work all day, I have thought a lot about all of the people who were working in the cold. Everytime I talked to him today, they had just gotten back from a call...they were extremely busy.

Just wanted to remind everyone to think about those that were busy working today. I think the news said that Fort Worth reported 29 major accidents, 105 fender benders, and 6 hit-and-runs...and those were just the reported accidents in the city limits of Fort Worth. (I think the numbers are right but they may be off a little).

Please think about all the firemen, paramedics, police, tow truck drivers, etc. that have spent the day responding to those calls.

You will have the thanks of a firefighter wife :)

Snow day...

I do not have to work today...I am so excited (and surprised). I have worked in this office for almost two years and we have never closed due to the weather. People always get sick, even if there is snow on the ground, has been the philosophy.

NOT TODAY!!

I got up this morning and went to the gym for a spin class. When I left our house at 5:30, it was just starting to sleet and the roads looked a little slick. It didn't look too bad though (in the dark) so I went ahead and drove to the gym. The radio said there was three schools west of Fort Worth that had closed. By the time the class was over and I was back in the car. The weather was much, much worse. It took the lady on the radio the entire drive back to the house (5-7 min) to list all of the school closures. My boss called and said we were going to plan on opening at 10 but he would call us before then. I got home, sent Daniel off to work (what a bad day to work outside, don't you think), and then turned on the TV. The TV broadcasters said they had between 450-500 closings. Wow!!

By 10, the weather was not much better, so the decision was made to stay closed. What fun!! Since I was already up and had been out, I decided to use the time (while we were just opening late) to clean the house and get some laundry started. We have a small apartment that is usually fairly clean so that did not take too long. Now the office is closed, my house is clean, and I am almost finished with the laundry...

It is now officially a free day!! Too bad, my hubby has to work until tomorrow morning...:(

Tagged!!

Lisa tagged me!

Here’s how this tag goes:

1) Grab the book closest to you
2) Open to page 123, go down to the fourth sentence
3) Post the text of the following 3 sentences
4) Name the author and book title
5) Tag three people to do the same

"She frowned, thinking about what she had just seen upstairs in the O.R. Remembered the empty tray next to the table. "He took surgical instruments," she said."
-- from The Apprentice by Tess Gerritson

I tag Rachel, Krystal, and Christy. Have fun!!

H. Pylori (do you know what it is?)

I thought I would tell everyone about my weekend of fun, now that I am feeling better.

Thursday, after lunch, my stomach started hurting in the center area. Since I had just had a fairly bad meal for lunch (a happy meal from McD), I was sure I was having gallbladder problems and that they would go away as soon as my lunch had digested. Unfortunately, the pain just got worse throughout the day and night. By the time I got to work on Friday, I could not laugh or cough without severe pain and a sharp pain was there everytime that I moved. It was bad enough that I decided to ask Dr. S about it.

We decided that it could be my gallbladder but it was now more left sided than right and I had not eated since lunch the day before. (For those of you who do not know, your gallbladder is in your upper right abdomen and usually only hurts for a few hours after eating) I called and made an appointment with my doctor for that afternoon and tried to "muscle" my way through work. We also decided to go ahead and order an abdominal ultrasound before my appointment so that we could see the gallstones if I really had them and then know what to do. As the morning progressed, Dr. S even thought about just calling the surgeon and having them take out my gallbladder before doing anything else. (She said that if I had my gallbladder out on Friday afternoon, I would probably be able to come back to work on Monday)

I went and had my ultrasound and then went to my appointment with the doctor. I did not have any gallstones on the u/s so we were stuck trying to figure out what was going on. Our thoughts ranged from musculoskeletal pain to gastritis to a pulmonary embolism (which would have been a BAD deal...that was reaching though). She finally said that she would order a CT for Monday and go to the ER over the weekend if it got any worse. Right before I was going to leave, she thought about doing a test for Helicobacter Pylori,just because I was already there...that would be an easy answer to the problem.

Well, what do you know...it was positive!! That is good because I didn't have to go get a CT or anything else, but it takes a while to get better. I am just now feeling like I can really eat very much. (We went to dinner on Friday night...that was an interesting experience due to my stomach pain).

H. Pylori is a bacteria you can get in your stomach that causes abdominal pain and can cause ulcers. Usually if you get rid of the bacteria, your risk of ulcers greatly decreases. The bad part is that I have to take 4 pills in the AM and 4 pills in the PM for TWO WEEKS!! I have only taken it for 4 days and I am already tired of it! I am feeling better though so I guess it is working. (Jennifer, you should ask your doctor about doing a test for H. Pylori...it is actually present in about 30% of the population)

Hope everyone is having a GREAT week!!

Mucho Frio!!

It is really cold outside!! I love the cold weather...when we only have it for a few days. I could definitely understand how people get tired of it after a few days. I think it is a nice change and so many good things are associated with the cold.

Here is my quick list of things I like about cold weather...
*big sweatshirts
*hot chocolate
*soup/chili for dinner
*the trees with ice on them...they are beautiful
*sitting on the couch with a book under a blanket (of course that is when I don't have to go to work)
*cuddling with my hubby so that I can stay warm (I am always cold in our house)

Just a few things I love about the cold!! What about you?

Hospitality

Last night, Daniel and I had dinner with two other couples from church at one of the minster's homes. We did not know any of the others very well and it was nice to get a chance to spend some time with different people. We had a great discussion about everything from church to sports to our childhoods. We even took our turn playing the newlywed game (we didn't win...of course, after our experience playing the newlywed game on our honeymoon cruise, I don't know if I would ever expect to win! D just likes to make up funny answers...I'll have to tell you all that story sometime). Thanks to Dan and Kelli for opening up their home and allowing us all to meet some new people!!

The Journey Home (or The Frozen Chosen as Daniel wanted to call it)

After Daniel and I decided to leave Breckenridge early on Saturday, the wind just continued to blow. We stopped in Fairplay to fill up with gas and turn in our rented ski stuff before we headed out to the cabin. As we drove along the road leaving town, the wind continued to pick up, but it didn't appear to be snowing any more than it already had. We turned onto the county road toward the cabin and encountered some pretty slick, snow covered roads. Daniel put the jeep in 4-wheel drive and we continued down the road. We had only gone about halfway down the road before he looked at me and told me to hold on...I looked up to see a huge snowdrift that we were going to try to get through...Dan gunned the jeep and then did an amazing job of steering our way through the drift amid the blowing snow. (I was very impressed at his driving ability). Our cell phones did not work in the middle of the valley so we were going to have to walk the rest of the way to the cabin if we got stuck. Thankfully, we were able to slowly work our way down the road and over several drifts....going forward and then in reverse until we had successfully managed our way through....

We turned onto the dirt road that led up to the cabin and continued to slowly work our way down the road. When we were almost to the cabin, we encountered Jon and Mandy waiting for us on the road...apparently, Jon had gone to plow the road and the 4-wheel drive on the truck broke...it was not going to go anywhere for a while because it was next to a 2 foot drift. Mandy was in their car waiting for Jon to show us where to go before going back home. After several tense minutes of trying to get over the huge drift that got the truck stuck, we finally made our way up onto the field on the side of the road where the snow was a lot thinner. We successfully made our way into the cabin with Jon and Mandy in front and decided to call it a night. We would not be able to get the truck out at this point until the 4 wheel drive worked again.


I had to work on Monday, so Daniel and I decided to try and get an early start on Sunday for the drive home...we knew that the snow could still be an issue, but thought we would see what the jeep could do on the roads. We loaded up and left at sun-up...we made it as far as the cattleguard before we got stuck...Jon had to bring out some excess shingles in the garage for traction, just so we could get back to the cabin...of course this was a 45 minute ordeal...100 feet from the garage door!!



After getting back to the cabin, Jon and Dan decided that a snowplow for the road and a tow truck for the truck were going to be our best bets of getting out...so they looked around and place some calls...nobody would be able to help us until 11-1 (Mountain time). That was definitely going to put a crimp in our day...it was only 815 at this point...so Daniel decided to take the 4wheeler out and really look at the roads. He returned two hours later (of course, I was very worried about him out in the 7 degree weather) and let us know that he thought we could make it out if we could get past the cattle guard. (sidenote...he had run out of gas earlier and Jon had taken him the extra that was in the garage) The boys dug out the cattle guard area with a shovel and thought that would make a difference.



Jon and Mandy's tahoe was running low on gas so the boys thought they would try to make a run to town, see how far they could get, and then fill up with gas. They had originally tried to siphon some out of our full tank of gas, but that didn't work at all. If they made it okay, then Jon and Mandy would wait for the towtruck and Daniel and I would try to make it out and then home. The boys actually had a good trip out...some fancy driving but did not get stuck. They called us from the road to let us know they were there okay. They soon called us right back kind of in a panic...

As they were going into town, the cops were getting ready to shut the road down back out of town due to the blowing snow. They had to beg their way past him and even had to play the pregnant wife card (Mandy) before he would let them come back to the cabin and get us. He told them that if they could be back with us before the DOT got there, he would let them past. Mandy and I quickly gathered all of their stuff and waiting somewhat impatiently at the door for them to come get us.

Once they pulled into the garage, we grabbed everything and jumped in the car to head out...we once again had to take on the challenge of the road, but it was actually getting much easier every time due to the ruts we were creating through the drifts. We called the tow truck and the snowplow and canceled them because none of us would be at the cabin...The DOT and highway patrol were shutting down the road as we all drove by.


The trip home after that was fairly uneventful but snow filled until we made it into New Mexico. We had to drive slowly for a long time. By the time all of the events of the morning had unfolded, we were fairly late leaving CO...I think it was around 1230 mountain time...and then we had to drive below the speed limit for awhile...we pulled into the parking lot of our apartment at 345 am...it was kind of a late night!! Daniel drove the whole way because "You have to work tomorrow...go to sleep" was his mantra for the last few hours of the trip. We did get to wish each other a "Happy Anniversary" at midnight, though!! We also had to stop and pick up the other car in Denton...what a late night!!

Overall, we had alot of fun...it was really hard to get up at 630 the next morning to go to work. I am just very thankful that we all made it home safely and had a blast...can't wait to go back!!

Skiing in Breck

We had so much fun while we were skiing!! We drove up to Fairplay, CO on Wed and stayed with Jon and Mandy at the Aldrich family cabin. They have such a nice place and are so willing to share with everyone...thanks for being so hospitable...we had a great time!!

We got to spend three days sliding down the slopes in Breckenridge. Daniel tried snowboarding for the second time in his life, but I stuck to the skis. I think that we both did an excellent job. You could not even tell that Dan was not a seasoned snowboarder and, before long, we were hitting the blue/blacks and blacks.

The weather was nice and chilly!! I don't know that it ever got over 20 degrees the whole time we were there. It snowed steadily the first two days that we skied and was cloudy. It would get a little cold while we were sitting on the lifts but then we would definitely warm up as we made our way down the mountain.

The third day started out beautifully!! The sun was shining and we were having a blast skiing on the powdery new snow. A little after lunch, the clouds moved in and it got extremely windy! I think they said the wind chill dropped to -25 and it was blowing about 40 miles an hour at times. We finally decided to call it a day and headed down to the car...it took a long time to make it down because we couldn't see where we were going due to the blowing snow. We should have known that the blowing snow in Breck could lead to trouble leaving the next day, but I don't guess that crossed our mind at the time...we probably should have taken it as a warning of things to come!!





Check back tomorrow for the real adventure...our journey home...

January 8, 2005

Two years ago today, I married my best friend and I don't know that I have ever made a better decision!! We were discussing earlier that it did not seem like we had already been married for two years...time flies when you are having fun!!

What a wonderful man I married. He takes such good care of me and is always thinking of what he thinks will make me happy. He is also incredibly funny and is always keeping me laughing!! Most importantly, he is a man who is constantly looking to God...what a great Christian leader for our family. Someday, he will make an amazing father as well, I'm sure of it!

It sure is fun to look back and remember the day and the things about your wedding...Dan lifting his little sister onto the stage...my brother trying to hand me a pacifier instead of a ring...the bouquet hitting the chandeleir when I threw it...the smoke filling the hotel lobby from the sparklers...the hour it took to get all of the bobby pins out of my hair (with my new husband helping)...and so many more!!

Thanks Daniel for making our first two years such an amazing ride...can't wait for more to come!!

________________________________________________________

Made it back safely from Breck but that is another story...check back for that!!

Breckenridge Bound

D and I are leaving early in the morning to drive up to Breckenridge, CO for a few days of fun in the snow. We are meeting up with his brother and sister-in-law. I am so excited!! Should be a lot of fun...as long as we don't get snowbound!!

We are actually staying about an hour away from Breckenridge but are going to ski in Breck for three days. I have packed a ton of warm comfy clothes so we will see how that goes. It is definitely colder there than it is here!

I love to ski (as does Daniel) and haven't been since last Jan...we will have to see how sore I get after that!

On another note, we got the brick picked out for our new house!! I can't wait for them to actually start building it!

Please keep us in your prayers as we are driving and then on the slopes, I'll post some skiing pics when we get back...

Happy New Year!!

Just wanted to wish everyone a very blessed and Happy New Year!!!