Brace yourself....

We've been waiting for this for years...braces.

We went for a consultation at the orthodontist today. It wasn't at all what I expected- which isn't a bad thing at all.

Our consultation lasted for 90 minutes and was a fantastic experience. Maybe I think that because at the end of the visit I didn't need to sign on the dotted line to begin treatment. Or, maybe it was a combination of really friendly people, a cheery office, a doctor with a sense of humor and a concierge who knew her stuff.

Regardless, we walked out with a plan. Oddly, the plan didn't include braces (I know- SHOCKING). Evidently our sweet kid doesn't have enough teeth to warrant any closing of the existing gaps and we're 2-3 years away from all heavy metal.

The plan does include some oral surgery. Eek.
Most people have 32 teeth. Our kid...has 33.
Technically a supernumerary left upper lateral incisor. And it must be extracted.

Here's the detail.....the original copy of this xray now functions as the front page of Cooper's notebook. He's all the rage in 5th grade!



Anywoooo....we've got an appointment for another consultation to discuss removal. Poor little thing. He's excited though- and will tell anyone who seems even vaguely interested all about "the extra tooth that needs to be yanked". If you see him, feel free to ask.

So, a few more years until braces but in the meantime we're clearing the path for the right teeth to come in and fill in that gummy/toothy grin.

Gotta love that kid!!!

fatal attraction

I love Easter.
I love the weather, the colors, the food, the festivities and the reason for the celebration.
It's such a happy time.

To prepare, I got out my decorations over the weekend. Since we've moved I had fun trying to decide where the best spot was in our new house for the beloved treasures.

Enter this adorable little straw rabbit (not truly this one...but one that looks pretty similar).



I got him years ago and he's one of my favorites. I found the perfect place in the living room and as I was admiring my handiwork Jon made a comment that maybe I should put him somewhere else.

I blew him off.
After all, what does he know about Easter decorations.

Fast forward to this afternoon when I got this message-

From: Jon
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2012 02:52 PM
To: Carolyn
Subject: fatal attraction

I knew there could be a problem when you set it out……when I came home to change from the doctor, the rabbit cage, the grass, and two rolls of paper towels had all been violated……

The rabbit is still missing.
I don’t know if she turned on a boiling pot of water or not.

***********************

OH. MY. WORD.
That crazy dog.

I might have been mad, but the message made me laugh so hard that I couldn't be too upset. I love that man- he is FUNNY.

I give you the evidence...



What would possess a dog to eat a roll of paper towels?
What would possess a dog to eat a straw rabbit in a tiny cage??

My poor decorations....destroyed.



Great news though- we found the rabbit (minus his nose)!




Sadly, I think my rabbit will not make it to see his pal the Easter Bunny.
Here's hoping your decorations come through the holiday unscathed.

Before and After Dog

Before-





I could eat her up she is so fuzzy and great!
Seriously. She's got a fan club in our town...it's a riot.

But, all good things must come to an end.





Poor thing. She's so mad at us...she hasn't wagged her tail since she got home and she refuses to look us in the eye.

Regardless of how long her hair is....she's a funny pup.

I love that dog!

What'll Ya Have??

About 10 years ago I worked on a project that had me flying to Tampa at least once a month. I was the most junior person on the team and two of my co-workers were probably some of the funniest people on the planet.

They were supposed to "take care of me" on the trips....because I was a female traveling alone. I wasn't 12- but most of the time I was the little sister tagging along on with them on planes, in airports, at hotels and as the butt of many of their jokes. I adored them! Still do.

The flight to Tampa was never direct (although it should have been) and so we had to fly through either Atlanta or Charlotte. I was all about sticking to policy and taking the flights that were the cheapest- even if they weren't the most convenient. But my funny co-workers.....paid no attention to policy. Those jokers would schedule flights around lunch time and add a long layover in Atlanta all so they could eat at the place they called "legendary". I never went- I was too afraid of getting in trouble. They happily left me behind and never brought me anything but a stinkin' paper hat.


(via google)

Last week, I was able to experience it myself.

My 1st trip to the Varsity.
Anxious faces behind the counter in those crazy red paper hats yelling, "What'll Ya Have?"

It was all that I anticipated and more & this is what I had-


(via google)

AWESOME!!
I know those jokers are proud of me, even 10 years later.

What'll ya have????

Did you mean- Glamour Shot?

I had my hair cut/highlighted today. Let me be clear and say that I adore my stylist and love my salon. I'm also a huge fan of a free service. So, when I saw a woman from the TIGI/Bed Head company doing complimentary make up....I figured why not. Besides, I didn't want to be rude and say no- I pride myself in being a valued client.

Sooo- she did my makeup- and everyone at the salon said wonderful things....but I just couldn't get past what I perceived as a TON of make up on my face. In fact, I described myself to friends as a 2 bit hooker- with amazing hair.

Anyway- they asked me- "do you think your husband will notice?"
And I said, "Ohhh, yeah, he'll notice."

When he walked in, he took one look at me and said, "Didju get your hair done today?"
My response, "Yes, you like?"
And he said- "What'd they do....GLOW SHOTS while you were there??"

Um- "you mean GLAMOUR SHOTS? And no....no shots- just free makeup"

His response?
"Well, your hair looks good"

And there you have it, if you can't say something nice.....

I think that's reason # 439 that I love the guy!

5.9

It doesn't seem like a very big number....but as far as earthquakes go- it's big enough.

Big enough to feel...even though at first I thought that my washing machine was off center.

Big enough to scare me once it was all over and I realized what it was.

Earthquakes and Virginia don't typically end up in the same sentence. Today they do for the 1st time in 100 years.

Thankfully though, not big enough to cause significant damage or harm anyone (that I'm aware of).

And, as you can see from the below text from my friend Jess- not big enough to stop a woman on a mission.

"Just tried to text you back but it won't send. You ok? I was in line at Brusters when the earthquake hit. Don't worry, I still got my ice cream."

Hope you and your family are safe tonight!!

My Almost 15 Minutes of Fame

We went to visit my parents this weekend- a weekend with nothing special, just the chance to spend some long overdue time together.

My mom had a little surprise up her sleeve though....on Sunday, HGTV was filming a new show nearby and the public was invited to participate.

I was totally on board- and so this morning at 11:30, we headed out the door. We were determined to see the spaces, but didn't hold out much hope of being one of the 1st 100 people- the lucky ones who actually get to vote & be on TV.



This is what we saw-



Hmm- that doesn't look like more than 100 people.....maybe we're in luck.

WE WERE!!!



My mom with her ballot.....we're going to be on TV!!!

They had us all standing together as they got the opening scenes for the show- we must have done 5 takes.....and that was before the "star" of the show arrived.



Anyone a Bachelor fan?? Yup, the guy in the suit (on a 100 degree day) is Bob Guiney- the former Bachelor star who has a decorating side that we don't yet know. He's debuting as the host of the show.

We stood in the blazing hot sun while the cameras took multiple shots and the director yelled at us to make sure we were "in the know".



We were at the bottom of the steps....just mere feet from the door- and the chance to rate the space, give our opinion and vote for a winner when tragedy struck.

I started to feel a little dizzy....and then stars started to appear in front of my eyes....and I had to borrow my mothers travel stool....and I had to put my head between my legs so I didn't faint.

OH THE HORROR!!!

I couldn't go on...there were just too many people, the sun was too hot and my body decided that it couldn't function any longer. My sweet mother walked me out of line, explained to concerned on-lookers that I was ok, and we took refuge in the shade. A kind stranger brought ice water and I slowly recovered.

And while my blood sugar returned to normal, 98 other people toured the houses and offered their best decorating advice.

I was devastated.
And so, my 15 minutes of fame (and my moms 15 too) were squashed....

Maybe we'll be in the intro of the episode....and maybe we won't.
Regardless, it was a fun few hours and a super way to spend some quality time with my fabulous mom!

Thanks Mom- I sure do love you. Sorry we couldn't see the houses.....at least we can say we were there.

xoxo-

darn it, he was right!

I've been telling Jon for months that I really want new carpet.

MONTHS.

And for MONTHS he's been telling me that all we really need to do is have the carpet steamed.
It'll save money...it's not that hard....I'll be amazed at the results....

blah, blah, blah.

And every time he gives me the speech, I promptly ignore him and dream about new carpet.

So tonight, I'm desperate for new carpet and I just can't take it anymore.
So I rent one of these.



There is a reason that they all but fingerprint you and keep your 1st born child for collateral when you fill out the paperwork.

IT WORKS.

Darn it....
Oh well- $45 vs. $4500.

I can take being wrong.

Two Word Wednesday

KEG STAND.


(love you Katie!!)

Just wondering....

Are these the dog days of summer??
Because if they aren't....I'm REALLY dreading what's to come.
Regardless, shouldn't this dog be the poster child for the dog days???

Car -1 Garage- 0 (or, how to spend $1K without even trying)

Wednesday morning was cloudy, cold and rainy. The perfect day for sleeping in.
So I did.

Until a little voice said, "hey momma, can you check the clock?"
So I did.

8:01
Cooper needs to be at school between 8:05 and 8:20.

&$^#^$@&@#$%@!

I've never been more efficient...I barked orders, threw lunch into his lunchbox and grabbed the keys.

We were in the car by 8:12
And then I heard a noise I've not heard before.

Yup, I backed out of the garage prior to the door being all the way up.
UGHHHHHH. So. NOT. GOOD.

My car suffered no damage at all (yay).
The door however suffered a different fate.





At first the door was stuck open- at least I was able to exit the garage and get Cooper to school. But a stuck door wasn't going to be ok.

I sent Jon a message and within 20 minutes, he was home. I've never known him to leave school in the middle of the day for any reason. Evidently your wife driving into the garage door hit a new level of emergency.

He was able to get the door down and called someone to come and assess the damage.
I can think of soooo many other ways I would have rather used $1K. Sadly, we had no choice as the door was not able to be saved.



I'm now being VERY careful upon entering and exiting the garage.
No need for a re-match.

My advice for you....always look before you leave.
Hope your week was better than mine!

spelling matters....so does grammar

I got this message from someone on my team late this afternoon. Names have been changed to protect the innocent (and the spelling challenged).

************

From: Tracey
Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2011 04:48 PM
To: Carolyn
Subject: FW:

Example of why this temp will not be a good resource for written communication to associates :)

From: Charlie (TEMP)
Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2011 4:40 PM
To: Tracey
Subject:

Hi mz tracey this is just a reminder that I will be leavin early tamarrow at 11 I hav a appt to get some lab work done and to meet with my case worker. Bt I will be coming in at regular time in the moring.

***********

So, when Cooper asks me why he has to write his spelling words 3x each....and why he has to use proper punctuation.....

I'll be able to tell him.

It's because spelling and grammar matter- and because I never want you to send a message like this.

EVER.