Might as Well Be a Master Card Commercial

Waking up in the middle of the night to horrible stomach pains...6 hours missed sleep
Doctors drawing blood and running labs...$500.00
Surgeon Removing an angry appendix...$4000.00(give or take)
1 night in ER & 3 nights in the hospital...5000.00(give or take)
Having NO health insurance...10,000.00(aaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!)

Getting to see my mom after 8 months and falling in love with my husband all over again...

Priceless.

So I am trying not to freak out about how much this little tissy fit my appendix threw is going to cost me. You see...the company we work for is fairly new and even though we get paid a full-time salary we are actually only part-time employees which is fabulous in its own right...until one of your body parts decides to suceed from the union....then you start to contemplate sending out resumes just to get a job with benefits. ah well...thus is life and I am not going to let it get to me. I didn't need any of that money anyway...blah.

I didn't want you anyway Appendix...you did nothing for me!

Now despite all the drama/trauma this has caused...I am actually thankful for many of the moments that have occurred over the span of this ordeal.

It was confirmed to me that I indeed have people in this world who would drop everything for me. Knowing this just makes my heart swell. My mom did just that. She is a teacher...so it isn't easy to just leave for a whole week...but she did and I couldn't be more grateful! She made what could have been an incredibly stressful and tough situation bearable. I will never be able to repay my mom for all she has done for and continues to do for me. I love you so much Mom. It was hard to see her go but I take comfort in knowing she will be back in March...woohoo!! Can't wait!

But in this Valentine's Weekend I am really thankful for the moments I had with my husband. I fell in love all over again as he took such good care of me and was by my side whenever I needed him. It was actually fun to have him in the hospital with me and just hanging out and talking and laughing...it felt like the early days of dating or just being married...when it was just the two of us. It was so nice. Of course we LOVE our son but having these moments together as best friends, husband and wife are wonderful and so needed.

Josh stayed the night in the hospital with me every night. He got up with me in the middle of the night to follow my white bum hanging out my hospital gown to help me pee, pushing my IV pump wherever I went, washing my hair for me when I couldn't get in the shower due to the dressing on my incision, encouraging my recovery and taking me on walks and telling me I was doing such a good job, fluffing my pillows and helping me get comfy in bed, putting my slippers on my feet and strapping me in the boots and hooking me up each time I returned to the bed(in the hospital they strap your legs in "boots" that are hooked up to a machine that squeeze your legs to keep you from getting blood clots...I actually LOVED these things and they felt so good massaging my legs) then scratching my legs for me after the boots dried out my skin and made me itch(seriously...the best scratching ever...I felt like a dog getting its stomach scratched) cheering for me when I was finally able to pass gas(so that may be gross...but seriously it was a big deal...I have never felt pain worse than that...it put the flaming appendix to shame;)

Josh is just my best friend plain and simple. He will do anything for me. Him seeing me at my worst, hardly able to walk, needing help in the bathroom, greasy hair, tired eyes, and he took such gentle care of me and hugged me and kissed me and gently rubbed my head. Every single request I made he fulfilled. I love you so much Josh. Knowing I have someone who loves me more than anything is just amazing. I couldn't ask for anything...anything at all because I already have you.

I know there are other people that if I called and said, "I need you here now" they would do everything in their power to come. That is wonderful to know.

With-in just hours of being admitted to the hospital I had the most beautiful bouquet of flowers I have ever been given to me sitting in my room from my sister and Cody...it really made my day. They were sooo pretty...I took a picture and need to post it. Casey called often to make sure I was doing okay. Thank you Casey!! Love you and can't wait to see you!

Katie made me a home-made card and sent it priority mail...it was just totally "Katie" and I LOVED it...thank you Katie!! It is a card I will keep forever.

Thank you to everyone who commented on my blog and sent up prayers in my favor. I really do appreciate all the friends I have and the people who take an interest in me and my well-being. I really am thankful for each and everyone of you.

I still have staples in my incision...seriously it is like the biggest incision ever made for an appendix removal. The doc said my appendix was lying in a different direction than normal so that is why I had to be cut wide open. Ugh. It is about 7-8 inches long..going long ways and right where I bend and have a nice fat roll...so it has been just lovely. I had somewhere around 20 staples. The doc took out half of them last Monday and I should get the rest out this coming Monday...but right now I am starting to be able to bend more and finally able to sleep on my side (I hate back sleeping). I still can't lift or do any heavy duty stuff. So I am taking it easy and hoping this incision just hurries and closes up and I can get on with it. No doubt I will always have a fantastic scar. My dreams of being a stomach model have been thrown out with the appendix. I was so close...so close.

So sorry so long...but you know I have to document every little thing...I even erased a few paragraphs! And I know some people don't like sentimental, gushiness, but that is me...I am that...no apologies:)

So...if anyone wants to hold a benefit concert or blog auction to raise oh say...10,000 dollars I would totally be up for that! (totally not taking away or making light of situations where this is happening...because I am totally serious...my appendix robbed me)

Thank you again to everyone who cares about me...even just a little;)

Poor Poor Pitiful Me

Some of you heard...some of you did not. I went to the ER on Thursday, January 29th, with the worst stomach pain of my life (yep...right up there with labor). Though my symptoms were not presenting themselves as "Appendicitis" that is what it ended it being. After writhing for a good 3 hours in the emergency room I was finally given a shot of morphine and settled into an ethereal fog until they could run all the tests. I guess my appendix was *this close* to rupturing...so you can say I was *this close* to dying.

Anyhow...after 4 nights in the hospital I am home now. My angel momma dropped her life at once and flew down to take care of mine.

I don't feel like doing much...not even blogging **gasp (this one surprised Josh even)** but I wanted to just give a quick update ...if you don't hear from me for a while you will know why. Hope you are all well!

New to Me

I am copying Cheri because I liked her last post and I need to blog. I have been delaying my posts because the batteries in my camera died. They are rechargeable ones and we can't find our charger just yet...so I have been holding out posting until I could put some pictures up with it...until now because I am in the office and it will be slow again until rent is due next month and I need something to do. So Cheri, thanks for the idea.

New To Carter:

*Being 2....Not new: behaving like a 2 year old

*Having his very own trampoline. It is a mini tramp my mom sent him for his birthday and he loves it!

*Time-outs...we have found that "time-out" works like a charm. I often feel very bad when I have to put Carter into one of the bedrooms and shut the door. He is too short to open the door so he can't get out. I feel so mean doing it, but I also know discipline is important. I also know I am not hurting him. He is safe and sound in this room. It even has toys and books in it...but it works because he knows we are on the other side having a party without him and he doesn't want to be left out. Now all we have to do to stop bad behavior is threaten a time out. Works every time...until 5 or 10 minutes later when we have to threaten it again;)

*Being able to count isn't new...but now he can count to 10 at

SuPeR sOnIc speeds because sometimes to get out of time out early he has to count to 10.

*Making sentences. He is getting very good at learning to speak English. He always catches me by surprise when he blurts something out. He will often say "I want to talk to Grandma/PaPa" My favorite word he says is "snuggle" because he doesn't say the "s". He will say "Mom want nuggles?" And of course my answer is always YES!!

*Realizing that pooping is more of a private matter. I have found him numerous times in the laundry room with a grimace and red cheeks! ha! He will shake his finger at me and tell me to go away! I keep telling him to let me in on his little secret before he hides and we can use the potty...but he still insists on telling me he isn't pooping. My nose knows better!

New to Laura:

*Cable on demand...not a good thing. Actually I have done well not being consumed with it. Although yesterday I didn't feel quite up to par so I spent the majority of my time on the couch watching "Tori and Dean: Inn Love"...the whole first season!! I actually think they are pretty funny and I have a completely different impression of Tori Spelling now. So, if I can somehow take that information and use it to better my life and that of my family then I didn't waste an entire day!

*Trying to figure out how to market my reality tv show called "Little Mexico Meets the Clampets"...I will explain in a future post.

*I am loving all the free time we have and that we left behind 96% of our responsibilities when we left Pocatello. I feel like I am on vacation.

New to Josh:

*A brand new, friggin expensive lawn mower. Poor Carter and his lack of college fund. Actually it is a good investment that will pay for itself. You see...the property we manage has lots of grass. The company whom we have paid to mow charges 1500.00 to do it. Therefore, we cut them loose, bought a mower, and will add that to our pocket books. Now Carter might be able to go to college...a small cheap one...but still....although I desperately want to go on a cruise! Yes it is more work for us...but we have the time...and who wouldn't want the extra money!?

New to the Family:

*Having to worry about Chiggers.

*A brand new kitchen table. The very first table we have ever purchased and I am happy to say it was on closeout and only cost us 75.00. That was cheaper than buying the folding table and cheap folding chairs we had set out to buy! WooooWhooo for us!

*Learning to speak Southern. Yes folks, "Southern" is the official dialect of Mississippi and it very hard to understand when spoken by a true native. I tell you what!

*Driving 20 miles to church. And it starts at 9:00. A really bad combination for un-morning person Laura with frizzy, temperamental hair.

So...that is all for now. I have a ton to blog about but it will have to wait, I have to go and practice my new language so that I may better communicate with my tenants. How do you translate..."You Are Evicted" from English to Southern? Seriously...leave me a comment with how you think it might be said. Lance...if you read this I know you speak this language very well..so translate away!