30 Day Blog Challenge

My friend Dot is doing a blogging challenge next month (starting tomorrow), and I thought it looked like fun.  I need a distraction since I'm waiting to wait right now, and it's kind of nice not to have to think about what to blog about.  I'm going to try my hardest to keep up with this.  Join us, if you wish.  Here's the rundown of things to come:

Day 1 - your favorite song
Day 2 - your favorite movie
Day 3 - your favorite television program
Day 4 - your favorite book
Day 5 - your favorite quote
Day 6 - 20 of your favorite things
Day 7 - a photo that makes you happy
Day 8 - a photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 9 - a photo you took
Day 10 - a photo taken over 10 years ago of you
Day 11 - a photo of you recently
Day 12 - something you are OCD about
Day 13 - a fictional book
Day 14 - a non-fictional book
Day 15 - your dream house
Day 16 - a song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 - an art piece (drawing, sculpture, painting, etc)
Day 18 - my wedding/future wedding/past wedding
Day 19 - a talent of yours
Day 20 - a hobby of yours
Day 21 - a recipe
Day 22 - a website
Day 23 - a youtube video
Day 24 - where you live
Day 25 - your day, in great detail
Day 26 - your week, in great detail
Day 27 - your worst habit
Day 28 - what's in your handbag/purse
Day 29 - hopes, dreams, and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 - a dream for the future

Now, remember I'm in the middle of a MAJOR house project, but my part should be slowing down a bit soon.  We painted ALL weekend long, and are nearly finished with that.  I'll try to take some pics when we finish. 

In the meantime, lots of love to everyone!

Hugs and baby dust,

99 Things About Me

In honor of my 99th post, here are 99 things about me! I saw this done on another blog and wanted to join in. If you’d like to participate, copy and paste the list and bold all the things you’ve done!



99 Things About Me

1. Started your own blog –
2. Slept under the stars –

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii – No but I’d love to

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to DisneyWorld

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person –

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted--do cariacatures count?

48. Gone deep sea fishing

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris–no, but I've seen a replica at King's Island!

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone – my toe, while building my house

78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Got a tattoo

94. Had a baby – oh, how I'd love to be able to put this in BOLD  (Yes, it would deserve all caps, too!)

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

One down…how many more to go?

Yesterday, J and I traveled to Nashvegas (a.k.a. Nash.ville, TN) for our first RE appointment. My stomach has been in knots ever since I scheduled the appointment (a week ago). J wasn’t one bit nervous, which was fine since I was nervous enough for the both of us. I think I just didn’t know exactly what to expect. I’d researched all I could, but every doctor is a little different, so I couldn’t predict every little thing.


First of all, I decided to work a half-day. I thought it might take my mind off things and help save sick time for more important days. (OK, let’s be honest…I have plenty of sick days—103—but I’m quite stingy with them.) So, I scheduled a substitute for the second half of the day, beginning at 11:00. I was a bit uneasy leaving my class of 5th graders, though, when I discovered my substitute was a “little person.” Mind you, I did not doubt her abilities in the least, nor did I believe she was unqualified for the job; but I wasn’t sure how my darlings would react. They do not do different well. (Thankfully, she left a very positive note and even asked me to keep her in mind if I need to miss anymore.)

I drove to the clinic where J works to pick him up, and he pulled out a 3 Musket.eers Truffle candy bar to share with me, saying, “I’m sure you haven’t eaten anything.” Gosh, he’s so sweet. And we were off…

We arrived at the reception desk 20 minutes before our appointment. Having already filled out 7 forms online, I didn’t expect to have much paperwork. I was wrong. But it wasn’t too bad, and soon we had turned in our clip boards and commenced to waiting. And waiting….and some more waiting. We outlasted everyone in the waiting room AND everyone who came in after us for about the next hour. That was okay, though, since I was trying to calm my nerves anyway.

Finally, they call us back. The nurse was very nice, and she escorted us to an exam room 7 (sorry…I have a thing for 7s, remember?) where she sent J, telling me I can leave my purse with him while she takes me elsewhere to get my vital signs. She weighed me (gee, my favorite part), then asked me a zillion questions, mostly about AF, and took my blood pressure—which was up at 130/100. She asked me if I was nervous (ya think?). Then she said I could rejoin J, and as soon as the conference room was available she’d move us into it. I commented on the courtesy of providing a hanger on the back of the door for your clothes when you have to undress for examination. J noticed the mismatched tile on the floor, and we spent a few minutes trying to figure out why there was one strip of blue. Never did come up with anything good. The best I came up with was so it matched the identification bracelets they gave us. After a few minutes, the nurse came in and asked us to move over to the conference room. This was a small office with a desk and rolling chair on one side and two regular chairs on the other. We waited in this room for the doctor. Hmm….there weren’t as many “things” in this room to talk about. I pointed out that the box of tissues had a Box.Top on the bottom and asked J if he thought they’d notice if I cut it out. He said they probably would. (And he didn’t seem the least bit amused, either.)

When Dr. W. came in, she apologized for our wait, and commenced to reviewing our information with us. She had already received our records, but she asked just a few additional questions. She mentioned that we may want to try a couple of IUIs if further testing shows J’s count up any at all and if the motility was still improved, but ultimately we could decide if we wanted to try that or jump straight to IVF. We told her that we were prepared for IVF and our OB/GYN had told us that IVF w/ICSI was going to be our best option for a biological child. She said she would agree with that, but she wanted to be sure we knew there were other things we could try that we had not yet. She ordered some more bloodwork for J, and asked if she could examine me. So, off we went to another room…the one with the ultrasound machine. Thus, my first date with wandy. I emptied my bladder and was told to undress from the waist down, covering myself with the paper sheet. (Note to clinic: my Ob/GYN uses real sheets. They’re warmer. Just so you know.) I found the whole process just a tad uncomfortable, but not too bad. She had some trouble finding my left ovary, so she tried several different angles and positions, with and without pressing on my abdomen. That was the most uncomfortable part. After re-dressing, we went back to the conference room to go over the u/s pics. She said that my uterus looked great (whew!), but she had a hard time seeing my ovaries. Having been diagnosed with PCOS, she thought they would have been larger, but she also said that it being CD 18 and post-ovulatory, it wasn’t the best time of the cycle to get good pics of the ovaries. Since she wasn’t able to gather all the information she was hoping for, she requested one more test for me (besides a few prerequisite blood tests). We opted for the Clom.id Challenge test. So, now I’m just waiting for the orders for the other blood tests to arrive and for my next cycle to begin so we can do the Clo.mid Challenge. Then, we have to attend a 3-hour IVF orientation class and we can begin any cycle we want after that.

The nurse came in to give me the prescription and instructions for the Clo.mid Challenge test. She said that since we were a distance away, we could get the bloodwork done at home. I just have to call them with a fax number to send the order in. On the way out, we stopped to pay the bill. J’s wasn’t covered at all (which we knew), but the billing clerk said that we would pay toward my deductible. What? My insurance doesn’t cover squat when it comes to IF. I think she just got mixed up. Whatever…we got out of there charging $330 to our credit card (hey, we deserve the 3% cash back on this), which wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. I still think I should’ve taken the Box.Top….

Hugs and baby dust,

Tag...I win!

Well, after playing phone tag since Monday, I finally got in touch with Naomi at NFC.  (I know, I know...short amount of time in the grand scheme of things.)  She told me that it was nice to finally get to talk to me.  :-)  It appears that they have received all of my paperwork, and they've already received my medical records as well. 

Then came time to schedule the first appointment.  I was expecting October...September if I'm lucky.  We have a day off in September for professional development, but our schools never host anything, so I was really kind of crossing my fingers for that.  So, imagine my surprise when she says, "I've got a few slots for next week.  Or did you want to push it further out?"  What?!?!  Next week?  Trying to hide my astonishment, I quickly respond with, "No, next week is probably okay.  What do you have open?"  We're going for our initial consult at 1:15 next Wednesday.  I could have had an earlier appointment that day, but J and I can both squeeze in a half-day of work if we go at 1:15.  Wow. 

This doesn't seem real.  When we first started trying, I knew very little about IVF.  That was something other people did.  Something I would never do.  It just wouldn't get that far.  I could never do it--not because I felt it was wrong, but  because it cost a lot of money, etc.  Now, that is my reality.  I can't believe this might actually happen for us.  I'm trying not to put the cart before the horse.  This doesn't mean anything, I know.  It just means I'm trying everything I can.  And that's what it's all about.

Hugs and baby dust,

Wow, that was fast!

So, we bit the bullet last night and filled out the new patient forms to set up housekeeping at the RE's office.  *grin*  All five forms.  Plus the "survey of medical and genetic disorders in your family" form (each of us), AND the release of medical records form so my OB/GYN can send a copy of all the stuff I've already had done.  I figured I might hear from them in about a week.  Nope.  I was wrong.  When I got in the car this afternoon and turned on my cell phone (they're a no-no, you know, at school), I heard the familiar *ding* that usually lets me know when my SIL hasn't paid her bills that my SIL hasn't changed her phone number with a LOT of businesses she's dealt with.  (Long story...condensed version = I somehow now have her old cell phone number.)  Surprise, surprise!  The message was for me.  And the person on the other end of the call sounded like we were old friends.  "Hi, Angie!  This is N-- from NFC.  Holler at me when you have a chance.  I'm at (insert phone number), option 2.  Have a great afternoon!"  I returned the call as soon as I got home, but got her voicemail.  So now, I suppose, we're playing phone tag.  (My least favorite game.)  Now, I realize that this is just the new patient appointment coordinator I've dealt with, but if everybody else is as friendly as this lady seems to be, I think I'll at least feel a little less awkward about the entire situation.

I think I'm going to have to come out of the infertility closet with my 5th grade team very soon.  I've got over 100 sick days built up, and if I have to start missing for treatments, they're going to know something is up.  I think it's better to be up front with it all than to have them worry about me later.  (They'll definitely think something is wrong.)  I wish I worked with all of you, dear readers, so that I'd know for sure my work buddies would understand.  I'm a little scared to tell them.  We don't talk about such things here in May.berry.  (I don't really live in May.berry, but my hometown is about as smalltown U.S.A. as you can get.)  I used to work with a gentleman who now has 3 beautiful children thanks to IVF, but he left our school to be a principal at another school. 

Construction seems to go in cycles--we'll move along at a nice clip for a couple of days, then come to an abrupt halt for a few more.  They're nearly finished bricking the outside, and I tried very hard to determine whether they'd done anything inside today or not.  It doesn't look like it to me, other than set a bucket of water way too close to our carefully placed boxes of laminate.  What's it for?  Beats me.  Nevertheless, here are the most recent pics of our progress. 

They messed up my pretty garage floor.  The worst part is that now we track drywall dust into the kitchen every time we go in and out.  Yuck!

MIL bedroom/closet

Family room (this used to be the garage)

MIL living room/kitchenette....my, my they've made a mess!

Upstairs storage room.  It just so happens we plan to "store" a bedroom suit up there.  (But if we call it a bedroom, we have to add more lateral lines to our septic system.)

Bricking on the end of the house is finished...

...but the back still lacks a few days' work. 

Hope you had a fabulous Monday.

Hugs and baby dust,

Back in the Saddle and Sunday Funnies...

Wow, it's been a while, huh?  Seems as if I've fallen off the wagon yet again.  While I highly doubt anybody's missed me too much, I do apologize for those few regular readers I have who may have noticed my absence.  I don't really have a good excuse other than school has begun and I've been super busy the last two weeks trying to get back into my routine.  I'll try to do better. 

On the TTC front, J and I decided that if cycle day 1 hit again, we'd fill out the forms to become a patient at our chosen fertility center.  Well, AF found her way to our house last Sunday.  It's been a crazy week, though, and we still haven't finished the forms.  We have plans for that later this evening, though.  I'll be sure and let you know.  I'm not usually a procrastinator, but I can't seem to bring myself to get in a hurry about this.  And I don't really know why.  I guess I feel like I'm giving up on my own if I fill out these forms.  But there have been more than enough tears shed over the past 35 months and I'm just ready to move on.  Try something different.  Even if that means facing my every fear.

Construction is coming along.  The brick work is nearly finished, and the drywall has been hung.  We're waiting on the drywall to be finished and then we can paint.  We're crossing our fingers for next weekend, but I'm not going to hold my breath.  I'll try to post some pics tomorrow of our progress, since it's been a while.

A colleague of mine sent me this list of "random thoughts," and I thought some of them are just too funny not to share.  Enjoy!


1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.


2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this - ever.

15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voice mail. What did you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

18. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

19. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

20. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

21. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

22. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

23. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

24. Shirts get dirty. Underwear get dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

25. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

26. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'll bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

27. My check engine light has been on for three months now and nothing's happened. I'm starting to think that my car is just an attention whore.

28. Sometimes I pretend not to remember details about people because having a good memory apparently equates to creepiness.

29. My GPS says "Estimated Arrival Time." I see "Time to Beat."

30. Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

31. My keyboard needs a removable crumb tray like my toaster.

32. What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

33. I wish it were appropriate to say to a complete stranger, "Excuse me, would you like me to show you how to discipline your child?"

34. I never understood why the Lions and Cowboys always get to play on Thanksgiving. Shouldn't the Patriots play the Redskins, and then steal their stadium afterwords?

35. Double-Stuffed Oreos should just be called Oreos, and regular Oreos should be called Diet Oreos.



Hugs and baby dust,