Urgent Care...Yet Again...Not for those with weak stomachs!

Frustrated...sick...tired...uncomfortable!!!  This is now my 3rd trip to the Urgent Care since October 7th because I'm STILL sick and feeling like crap!  I haven't had the energy to do anything and I've gotten very

slack with my bootcamp attendance.  By the time I get up and get ready for work I want to go back to sleep, but obviously I can't, so I head to work.  I am not typically a teacher to sit at my desk, I stand and roam the room during classes but not this month, I simply don't have the energy!  For weeks now I have been battling fevers, sore throats, and constantly (at least it seemed) inflamed swollen, spotted tonsils that made turning my head uncomfortable!  So far, on the first 2 visits to the Urgent Care they tested me for Strep Throat which came out negative both times and gave me antibiotics for the tonsil issue.  Each time, about half way through the antibiotics my tonsils would clear up and look normal again but a couple days past the 10 day regime they'd become grotesquely inflamed again!  This nastiness (for the 3rd time) and the fact that something is still attacking my body is what brings me back to the Urgent Care yet again!  The physician's assistant walked into the room and I swear he was carrying a Strep test in his hand and it took everything I had not to explode!!!  I calmly asked him and when he confirmed it was in fact a Strep test I refused to let him use it!  Seriously, did he read my file?!?  I've already been tested for Strep twice with negative results BOTH times and he thinks I'm gonna agree to it again, NO?!?  He looked a bit shocked at my reaction and excused himself from my room.  A doctor returned and I begged him to figure out what the heck was wrong with me and to please test me for ANYTHING but Strep!  At this point he obliged, and took me to get blooddrawn to test for Epstein-Barr virus, HSV1 (a herpes strain?!), and against his will, he went ahead and tested me for Mononucleosis, saying that people my age (over 30) rarely test positive for Mono because by that age you've probably been exposed and built up antibodies for it.  Anyway, he sent me home with a 3rd round of antibiotics and a script for Prednisone (a steroid to help the swelling in my tonsils go down).  He told me they'd call me for a return/results visit in about 4 days.  So guess what, all my tests were negative (thank goodness) except one...yup, this 32 year old girl tested positive for MONO!!!  No wonder I'd been so stinkin' fatigued!   To think I've been living with this for nearly a MONTH simply because it wasn't standard practice to test people over 30 for Mono!!!  It's known as the kissing disease, but can also live outside the body on food and surfaces for a time (if someone has coughing or sneezing symptoms) so I talked to Paul even though he wasn't experiencing any symptoms himself.  He confirmed that there WAS a girl in his office that currently had it right now!  Paul's brother had Mono as

a kid and so according to the doctor, Paul probably had been exposed as a child and built up the antibodies and therefore could spread it to me but not experience symptoms himself.  Who knows, but it's plausible?!?  Lord knows I haven't shared food, drinks, or kisses with anyone else (thanks to Mom...I'm a bit of a germaphobe when it comes to sharing food, drinks, chapstick, etc...probably why I wasn't exposed to Mono as a child or teenager)!  :-)

The Grimes Family--Halloween 2011 Photos

Sherry is 30...Happy Birthday!!!

Matt planned a big surprise party for Sherry's 30th birthday at Don Perico's restaurant.  It was really nice, he rented out the back room and it was catered buffet style.  He did a lot of leg-work and had invited family, friends, and co-workers.  There was a really good turnout because we really did fill the room!  For her gift Mom and I went in on it together and made her a "30" pinata filled with some novelty items, candy, and a bunch of gift cards to places she likes to go (like Kohls, Cold Stone Creamery, Love Nails Salon etc.) and we topped off with some fun balloons!  I babysat Carter that afternoon so Sherry and Matt could have a date night (wink, wink) that way I could bring him to the restaurant for the surprise!  It went off super smoothly, almost everybody that RSVP'd showed up on time and when Sherry walked in with Matt she was genuinely surprised!  Matt did good and it was a fun party!

 

 

 

 

Yep! You guessed it, that IS a whoopee cushion!

Coolest Color EVER!!!

I was having a quiet night at home...so I chose one of the at home facials I had under the sink and started "painting:"  Who would have known how awesome the color would be!?!  What can I say, I'm easily amused by the little things!  

Impromptu Backyard Wedding?!?!

Paul calls me on Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 11, 2011) to ask me to go with him to a wedding that was happening in the next 2 hours, WHAT?!?  His friend Cory Jenkins was going to marry Mandy Brewton (I knew her from school, she was Sherry's year) in a backyard ceremony with only a few friends and family in attendance.  They were planning a big reception in April 2012 for ALL their family and friends, but Cory had accepted a new job in Prescott, Arizona and wanted to be married prior to moving. It was crazy, I ran home to change into a dress and then he came by to pick me up.  It was the shortest wedding ever, but it was sweet.  Afterwards, we all went to dinner at a Mexican Restaurant to celebrate.  

Paul with Cory's Sister at the Mexican Restaurant after the wedding.

Mendiburu Magic Foundation Fundraiser

Paul tends to get quite a few perks from his membership with the 20/30 Club and in this case he was given tickets (worth 50 dollars each) to the Mendiburu Magic Foundation Fundraiser.  I went with him and a few of his other 20/30 Club friends.  It was a fun evening with a nice dinner a an auction you needed to be RICH to join into, seriously a cake went for over $800 dollars!!!  They had a crazy fun photo booth with all different types of props (hence the pink cowboy hat and sailor cap).  The security guard was a TRIP, she was crazy funny and even took pictures with a bunch of people!  She might've even been hitting on me, she kept insisting that I was a model (or should be)...telling me she was SURE she's seen my photo in a magazine or storefront window?!?  Who knows, they say everybody has a twin...but I just think she was a bit crazy!  

Christopher Thomas (left) was one of Paul's friends and roommates that we went with (I forget the other guy's name).

The crazy security guard...

Urgent Care Visit...Warning, Kinda Gross!!!

I haven't felt all that well for a few days now.  I've been trying to tell myself that I must've caught some type of bacteria from our Lake Buena Vista trip because no one was sick around me and I rarely get sick enough that a dose or two of Nyquil and a good night's sleep doesn't fix!  My tonsils were swollen and my throat was on fire!  I had a date on Saturday and didn't want to feel this terrible, so I broke down,left work a little early (hoping to beat the after work crowd)  and went to the Urgent Care.  They tested me for strep throat but it came back negative.  They gave me and antibiotic and sent me on my way (nearly 2 hours later)!  Fingers crossed it does the trick!

A Termite Threat Calls for a BIG Black Circus Tent!?!

Mom had found some suspicious sand-like deposits near a couple door frames and hired a termite company to come check it out and give her suggestions on what it is and how to fix it.  The guy determined that the sandy stuff Mom had found was in-fact drywood termite pellets and he also found a couple strange mud tube cocoon-like structures that were evidence of subterranean termites that live in the ground.  Long story short, he suggested a combination of in-ground pesticide that would essentially create a protective moat around her house and a tent to kill anything living in the wood.  So we packed up photos and things in plastic to protect them and did all the other preparatory prerequisites from the list the guy gave her, then she packed an "essentials" suitcase and moved in with me for a few days!

Paul's 30th Birthday!

It's Paul Gordon's 30th birthday on October 4th!  I struggled with what to give someone I've only known for a little over a month, but its a BIG birthday...you only turn 30 once!  I decided to make up a Man-Cave style gift basket set in a big green ice bucket.  It had a few novel "30" items (including a glass beer mug), mixed nuts and some of his favorite beers (I drove all over town trying to find them) topped off with a gift card to Imbibe (a cute little wine & spirits place).  I think it was well received, and I was happy with the presentation   :-)

Octoberfest 2011--Me & Paul

Paul invited me to go to Oktoberfest this year and I've never been so I said yes.  THEN he tells me that he and his friends from the 20/30 Club were working a beer booth and would be dressed in full lederhosen!!!  I'm thinking that I can't go in regular clothes because I'll look like the silly one standing next to him!  So I went to Fantasy Frocks where they have costumes you can rent and others you can buy!  I tried on rentals first hoping to find one that would would be long enough to cover my booty, but totally struck out.  So I had to start thinking outside of the box...I found a packaged costume I liked the colors of and the bodice fit perfectly, but the skirt was inappropriately short (for my taste anyway).  I bought it anyway and figured I'd sew myself a skirt to match!  I was actually able to use a brown skirt that I already owned because it matched the bodice perfectly and was a length I was comfortable with!  Then I just cut off the back of green skirt the costume came with and sewed it into a double apron in the front and wallah!  Next I found some pink wedge shoes that I liked and doctored them up by sewing on a light pink ribbon over the toe (so it would match the pink laces of the bodice) and sewed the brown bows from the white knee stockings on the heel strap in the back!  It all turned out so cute I actually had people asking me all night where I bought my costume!  Some were disappointed when I said I created it (knowing they couldn't purchase an equivalent) and the other half were impressed!  I was even asked by a random stranger if I'd take a picture with her...a bit strange, but I agreed.  Anyway, Paul had to work set-up for the event starting at like noon and was planning to simply change into his costume in a trailer?!?  Obviously, that wasn't gonna work for me so I just met him there around 5pm.  I'm actually glad I didn't get there much earlier, because the event really didn't have much going on.  There were beer booths, German food booths, some tables and not much else.  Later in the evening, there was a live polka-style band that added some entertainment too.  It was fun to chat and hang out with a wide variety of people, but it would have been too looooong of a day if I'd gone with him at noon!         

Same Photo...just tweaked to look like a chalk drawing!