My Weekends Just Freed Up

Apparently I'm now marrying a golfer.

Just a few weeks ago Jimmy has really gotten into golfing. He goes with his friends almost every weekend, and during the week they like to go to the driving range. Before this summer Jimmy NEVER went golfing. And now he has a whole new set of clubs and I'm left at home wondering who this new man is that I'm engaged to.

Not that I mind really. It's kinda nice when he goes out because it makes it easier to get things done around the house and for the wedding. Plus now I know he'll enjoy the free round he'll get to play at Cog Hill. BTW if you see pro golf on TV this week it's the BMW Championship which is held at our reception site!!

He got his new clubs this week and I haven't seen him that excited in a while. He even put them to bed that night because he hadn't yet bought a new bag for them... he's so weird.

ABC

I'm not quite ready to start the recaps of the Disney trip. I better soon though, or I won't remember anything. Geeze I hope I'm not like this for the wedding recaps!!

Some bloggers have been doing this, so I thought I would, too!

A- My AIR CONDITIONER is set on: 75. It would be warmer, but since I've been itchy we keep it cooler because it helps a little.

B- My BEDROOM theme is: comfortable? We don't really have a theme.

C- The CAR in the driveway is: probably one of our friends' cars. We keep ours in the garage. It really bothers me when people don't use their garages for cars.

D- My DESK looks: nonexistent. I have no desk.

E- The EXACT time I wake up daily is: it varies depending on work. I like to be up by 8am at the latest so I don't feel like a complete waste of space.

F- The FIRST thing I wash in the shower is: my hair.

G- My GARAGE is filled with: two cars, Jimmy's tools, lawn mower, patio chairs

H- My HOUSE is: tiny, but so cute and comfortable for Jimmy and I. It'll be tough when we start having kids.

I- If you peeked INSIDE my bedroom you'd see: a bed, two dressers, and a bunch of clean and dirty laundry I need to take care of today.

J- My favorite JUICE is: Cranberry and grape

K- The best part of my KITCHEN is: It's getting finished this week! We been living in a construction zone for about a month.

L- The LAST person who visited my home was: Jimmy's grandma, uncle, and father. They picked him up for a graduation party while I had to go to work.

M- The last piece of MAIL for me was: my bank statement

N- My NEIGHBORS think I'm: quiet. I don't like talking to my neighbors because they're all weird and like to poke their noses into our business. Especially the old man across the street.

O- If you OPENED my fridge you'd see: not a lot of food. Lots of drinks and condiments.

P- My last house PARTY was: I had an engagement party for our friends Ryan and Melissa in May. But people are always over here for movies or dinner.

Q- A QUICK meal I like to fix is: my homemade alfredo sauce. sooooo good.

R- My favorite ROOM of the house is: The front room. It has the most character.

S- The SHAMPOO brand I use: I switch all the time or else my hair starts to get gross

T- My largest TELEVISION is: we only have one TV and it's in the front room. It's pretty big.

U- UNDER my bed you will find: nothing. I like to keep it clean

V- The last time I VACUUMED was: Saturday. I need to do it today.

W- Looking out my WINDOW I see: my creepy neighbor's house. Can't wait until we own a house that isn't so close to our neighbors.

X- I wish I had X-TRA: money. But don't we all?!

Y- My YARD is: small, and needs to be weeded, but it's so hot and rainy outside I don't think it'll ever actually get done.

Z- ZZZZZZZ My bedtime is: whenever I can stop itching my skin off lately. Usually it's when Jimmy goes to bed because I can get some good cuddles before he falls asleep.

Puppy Supply Shopping

Shopping for all the things our puppy will need is overwhelming.

We've taken several trips to pet shops where we end up walking out empty-handed because we were unsure what to buy. We know what things in general he'll need, but there's such a huge selection that something as simple as a food and water dish can turn into a 15 minute debate.

Finally today, knowing that our baby boy will be coming in only two short weeks, Jimmy and I made a special trip to Pet Supplies Plus. Neither of us had ever been to this store before. It's in a not-so-nice part of a neighboring town, so I was skeptical. Thankfully I had little to worry about. It was just like any other pet store.

What really worked out nicely for us was that a super nice lady who just happened to be a dog trainer overheard us talking about our puppy, and led us through toy and leash shopping, offering us more advice than we could have asked for. I have a feeling she goes into pet stores to find new clients, but we got free advice, so who am I to complain?

We walked out of the store with some great things, and we're that much closer to being ready for our boy to come home.

Here's what we have so far for our pup:

A 48" crate with two doors. We were unsure on the size, so we went with the bigger one... it's huge and if our boy gets to be as big as Kenny and Joey says he may get... we should be good. I'm working on getting a divider for it so as a puppy he won't be able to make a mess in one end and sleep in the other. I was a dummy and bought the one that didn't come with a divider.

A nap mat for inside the crate. I'm not sure how our puppy is going to be with tearing things apart so I wasn't about to spend a lot of money on a nice bed that will get destroyed in a week. For now this is on the bottom of the crate and should keep him comfortable, especially in this warm weather.

And here it is all set up in our guest bedroom. I had to move the bed against a different wall than it used to be, but everything seems to fit nicely. I'm hoping I won't have to move anything, but I can see how having those picture frames near the crate could be a problem.

Two stainless steal dishes. One is large for water, and the other slightly smaller for food. The rubber on the bottom should help them not be pushed around. I'm just hoping our puppy doesn't get into the habit of knocking them over.

An "Insta Grip" lead. The lady we met in the store raved about this leash. I personally am not a fan of the retractable leashes. I've seen too many people lose control of their pet when using them. My FBIL has one and loves it though, so to each his own I guess. This leash will work well for us.

A "Check Training Collar." Another recommendation from the woman we met. We'll only use this collar when we take him on walks as a training device. She also recommended the Gentle Leader, but we're holding off on getting one of those until our puppy proves to us that he needs one.

A 15' tie-out for our yard. We have a back yard that is mostly fenced off, but there is a small section that is open to our neighbor's yard. We'll only use this when we are outside with our dog where we can keep an eye on him. This also will come in handy for when we go on trips to the lake since Jimmy's grandma's huge yard is not fenced in.

Another recommendation from the trainer was the Nylabone Dental Dinosaur. She said if she could recommend one toy to dog owners this would be it. Second would be a Kong, which we plan on getting in the near future. Apparently this also comes as a T-Rex. The store didn't have that style so we're stuck with the Brontosaurus. Soon I want to find a fun toy for the water for when we go to the lake. Our dog will be a swimmer!

That's pretty much it for now. We still need to pick out a brush, and I've heard great things about the Furminator, but at $60 it's way more than I want to spend. We're also waiting on any food and treats until we meet with Kenny and Joey. Out pup will have already been started on dry food so we'll need to continue with the same brand and gradually change over to something different if we choose to do so in the future.

We need to choose a veterinarian within the week. My aunt is a vet 45 minutes away from us, so I'll be asking her what she recommends. I also need to puppy-proof the house before August 7th. What great fun that should be...

If you have any suggestions on great puppy/dog supplies I should look into, please let me know!! Even though I grew up with a dog I feel like I'm jumping into this as a first timer.

One of Nine

Today Kenny and Joey emailed me. The first pick family had chosen their male puppy, thus revealing which pup would be ours.

We got the individual pictures of the entire litter just yesterday, and weren't expecting to know which one would be ours until this weekend since the other family was on vacation.

So I was surprised when I got the email saying we were getting the boy with the blue collar!! He's the lightest silver of the whole litter, and Kenny said he reminds him of his own silver lab Neo. The next two weeks are gonna pass so very slowly now that I've seen our little boy!

Just look at how pudgy he is!! Kenny says that this is the stockiest litter they've ever had and there isn't a runt among them. They take after their dad Duke apparently. I was kinda hoping to get the blue collar pup, but would have been just as happy if we had ended up with the green boy. I can't wait to get him home.

TTFN

I'm soaking up the last bit of internet time I'll have before I'm cut off during our vacation. Now way I'm paying for internet while I'm at Disney.

We're leaving tomorrow morning at 9am-ish from my parents' house. I'm definitely not gonna be able to sleep tonight.

One thing that I'm really excited about for our trip actually has nothing to do with it. Next wednesday our puppy will turn 5 weeks old, which means Kenny and Joey will send us pictures of our actual puppy!! We'll get to see what boy will be ours, and after that the last 3 weeks before he comes home will drag.

I'm thinking that maybe my sister Alison will be able to get the pictures on her iPhone so I won't have to wait until we get home.

So until next week... TTFN, Ta-Ta for now!! (Wow that was really dumb... but I'm going to DISNEY!!)

2010 Disney Adventure: Packed And Ready!

We're almost ready to go! T-minus 2 days!

I am so ready to leave, but I have one more day at work before we go. I've been packing since last week. I like to do things slowly over a longer period of time so I make sure not to forget anything. The last loads of laundry have been washed, dried, and folded. All that's left are the things I can't pack until the morning we leave... like my toothbrush and contact solution.

Some people that go to Disney regularly have crazy packing lists that include things like moleskin for blisters, special water bottles, and even special bags they use for being in the parks. Not me.

I've been to WDW more times than I can remember. Plus living there for 5 months doesn't help either. I'm a simple being when it comes to a Disney trip. But then again I don't have any kids to worry about so that may be why I don't pack my entire life when I go on vacation.

The biggest tip I would give is to not bring in a purse or bag. They weigh you down over the course of the day, and make you hotter when it's already 90+ degrees. I carry everything I need in my camera case... which is about 3x5x3 and I carry it by hand - no strap or attaching it to my pants. Credit card, ID, room key, Disney ID, and camera go in there... THAT'S IT! You don't need all that other crap people carry in. Now my mom likes to have a fanny pack to stuff with snacks for her grandkids, but it's really not needed, although appreciated by the kids. I see people with huge backpacks and I have no idea what they would need that would fill an entire backpack.

I guess I'm just trying to say that I try to pack light for the parks. It really helps on this trip that we have a washer and dryer in our villa, too. I usually overpack my suitcase with clothes that I never end up wearing. Not this time... I'm even sharing a suitcase with Jimmy so I only have half a suitcase to use!! Dad will be proud.

In liver news I'm feeling a little better. For a while I was getting really nauseous putting me out of commission for hours at a time. This usually means I need to eat cleaner (less fat) to help my liver out so it doesn't have to work as hard. I'm still itching and it's still keeping me up at night, but I'm not having to get up for ice packs to ease the itching. At least I'm not like this guy:

I've only been like that a few times, in which I've then been admitted to the hospital for a few days. It's not fun being yellow, and the whites of my eyes always seem to have a slight tint of that nasty color thanks to PSC.

So far in 2010 Disney Adventure:

Intros

Details Part One

Details Part Two

Always Something

Exactly two weeks until I'll be at WDW with my family...

and my liver starts acting up. Great.

I've been diagnosed with a liver disease for almost 3 years now. It doesn't effect my day-to-day life, but it's something that I do need to keep an eye on. It's called Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) and basically is the scarring of the bile ducts within the liver for unknown reasons.

I see a hepatologist every 6 months, and Dr. Flamm is my most favorite doctor ever. I went through several doctors in my track to diagnosis, and I'm so happy to have found Dr. Flamm. At my appointments we talk about how I've been feeling, he'll check my abdomen and legs for swelling, and then sends me for a slew of blood tests. The blood tests check my enzyme levels as well as other indicators that my liver is working (or not working) correctly. Also, I have an MRI once a year to check for blockages in the ducts.

There's nothing I can do to treat this disease. All I can do is not drink alcohol, and keep having blood tests and MRIs done. Eventually I may need a transplant if the scarring ever gets too bad. I'm really hoping I'll never need one. According to research the average time period between diagnosis and liver failure is 12 years. I'm part of a support group and there are many people that have had the disease well beyond 12 years.

Anyway... back to what's going on today. Sometimes bile will leak into my blood stream when it can't flow easily through the ducts of my liver. When this happens I get VERY itchy. It's hard to describe, but it kinda feels like little pin pricks under the skin. Itching doesn't help, it's mostly in my hands and feet but when really bad covers my entire body, and most often is the worst at night. I have scars on my feet from making myself bleed trying to itch the itchiness away. It's the worst part of having PSC so far.

I started itching 2 days ago and I'm afraid it won't be gone by the time I leave for vacation. Like the disease itself, there's nothing I can do to stop the itching. Heat seems to make it worse, so I'll ice my feet and hands at night so I can get some sleep, but that usually only helps a little. There is a drug I was prescribed last year when I was itching for over a month, but I can only take it once a day and it needs to build up in my system. I took it again in February and it didn't help with that itching spell... which led to my terrible scar on my left foot that looks like an exclamation point.

If things seem to be getting worse, I'll call my doctor and see if he can get me that drug again, but I really just want to be healthy for this trip!! My last family trip to WDW was ruined when my liver disease showed up and I had to miss the last day at the parks because I could barely stand without wanting to vomit. Another lovely thing that PSC does to me from time to time.

So until we leave I'll be drinking lots and lots of water hoping to flush my system out, getting some sun (some people with PSC claim that UV rays help with the itching), and thinking good thoughts.