Back in the Polar North

I have returned from the sunshine state to the land of 1000 lakes successfully. We woke at 4 a.m., I had a 6 a.m. flight, and after taking a shuttle from Minneapolis to Rochester, successfully arrived in Mayo-land around 1:30 today. I had to immediately go get blood drawn for our IVF cycle and then put in a few hours at Mayo before returning home.

Kelsey is here with me! Such a relief to know that the next two weeks I will have some company. I do plan to get together with some of the other ladies in my life (they know I am definitely free when JB is away!), but just having Kelsey here is a comfort. I am not sure if I told my blog faithfuls that Kelsey will be moving to Colorado in the next month or so. Her older brother lives there and is a third-assistant for the University of Colorado's mens basketball team. She decided that Boulder would be a nice change of pace in preparation for the start of law school in the fall of '07. I am sad to see her go but definitely know that this is the right decision for her. It's time for her to leave Rochester. Everything is for a season and the "Rochester" season has passed. As I write this, we are getting prepared to watch the season debut of Prison Break. Yay!

As for me, it will be weird being here in the Polar North while JB continues to soak in the rays at Eglin. Leaving Eglin was also very weird for me. I had so many conflicting emotions while I was there, and maybe, at some point in the next week, I'll feel at peace with sharing all of them. It's hard to vocalize (or should it be "editorialize"?) that deciding to go to Eglin means saying good bye to so many things we have come to love so much. In the same breath, it's hard to know that deciding to stay at Mayo means saying good bye, again, to the chance at seeing family and having a tan. (Thanks for noticing Aunt Linda!)

I was amazed at how quickly I reverted to being a beach-chick. I truly, somehow, in the last ten years, had deceived myself into thinking that I was no longer a beach girl at heart. Oh my what I liar I was. I had my flip flops on and hair pulled up and tank tops on every single day. Suddenly going to Tahiti for a graduation trip does not seem like such a priority if we are going to practically live in Tahiti!

There are so many good things about staying at Mayo and so many good things about going to Florida. In the end, in mid-September, JB will rank his choices, and we will go to whichever choice that we get. What's difficult is that we feel the ranking is fairly indicative of where we will be especially if we rank Eglin first. Alas, seasons of life, right? This is just another one of those seasons.

Most people are still emailing, asking what we have decided. Our decision has not been made, however, the financial/weather/family gains of Florida have begun to seem too mighty for the Mighty Mayo in our feeble minds. We are continuing to discuss, pray, and seek wise counsel, however, putting Eglin down first, does seem like the likely choice.

We spent some time looking at houses and debating as to what we would do if we did move to Eglin? Buy? Live on base? Rent off base? As of this moment, I think that we are leaning toward living on base if we did move there. We could afford to live off base, but would we want to when living on base offers so much convenience and would not cost us an extra penny. If we bought, it is not likely that our housing allowance would cover all avenues of buying (hurricane insurances, taxes etc.) meaning that we would end up dipping into JB's pay for a mortgage that would be free if we lived on base. In exchange, our place will most likely be smaller, and not as new, but it's just a place to live.

Okay, so I ended up bearing more of my soul that I originally intended. Sorry for that. Any decision I tell you we have made stands to be changed at a moment's notice. Only when we find out December 15th where we are going will either of us really know.

Waiting. Also waiting for my September 7th transfer. Keep that in your prayers too.

Long promised pictures

Ray and Gabbi came in at about noon on Friday afternoon. Since JB was still in the hospital, I was in charge of meeting them at the visitor's center and getting them passes to get on base. (I can do this because I am now "official" with my new military cards.)

I went and got them checked in to their really nice two room little hotel room (for just $35 a night!) and by then, JB was off, and blessed to be done for the day thanks to a captain who thought he should spent the afternoon with his family. We took them to the little restaurant we really liked on the water, "Boatyard Cafe" or something like that. We are having difficulty remembering the name of the restaurants because they are all named some combination "boat" or "harbor" or "wharf" or "crab". It gets very confusing.

We spent the rest of the evening talking and hanging out around base. We also went and got some groceries at the Commissary (on base grocery store) (VERY cheap), and JB made some cheesy chicken marinara, bread, and veggies in their room for dinner.

Here are some photos from Friday evening.





Saturday, we decided to head out on another boat ride. Here is Grace helping her Uncle JB load up the van.


Here is a photo of my one and only niece. When she asked if she could wear my glasses to "look like me", I agreed, and even said "Sure" the way Gracie says "Shure" everytime you ask her somthing that she thinks is a good idea. (Example: "Do you want to get some ice cream Gracie?" ... "Shuuure!")


Here are a few pictures before we left on our pontoon boat. It was a gorgeous Saturday. Nate looks happy in his life preserver. That lasted all of about five seconds before he realized "this thing is a pain in my neck" -- literally.


Okay, so we had to take our family back to Crab Island and show them the beautiful blue water. Here are some photos. This is NOT a pool folks. This is the ocean. Oh, and there is a reason Gabbi isn't in any of these photos. She didn't come in the water. So she is sitting on the boat being the official photo-taker person.

Saturday afternoon after our boat ride, we went to Destin Commons -- a really nice outdoor shoppping area in the heart of Destin. It was gorgeous. When we got there, we realized they had a little outdoor waterpark for kids to play in/on so Ray & Gabbi found a cheap little t-shirt and shorts for Grace so she could play while we all took turns shopping and watching Nate sleep in his stroller. Very fun and a very cool area to hang out for the afternoon.




After we went shopping, we drove to "Seaside". Seaside is the town used to shoot the movie "The Truman Show". We just drove through it, but I would like to go back and watch the movie again so I can see it after seeing it if you know what I mean.

For dinner, we went to a restaurant recommended by our new friends Tim and Jenny called Big City American Bistro in Fort Walton Beach. It was a great recommendation, and we really enjoyed our meal despite two kids that were pretty over-tired.

It is now Sunday morning and my last full day here with JB. Ray and Gabbi and the kids just left. We are going to hang out together -- go to the beach, run some errands, do some laundry etc. I am really sad to be leaving. I have had SUCH a wonderful time and do not want to go back to Rochester without JB. My only little pit of sunshine is that Kelsey will be there to keep me company. It will be two weeks before JB returns to the Polar North with me.

Will post soon

I have TONS of great photos of our family here visiting. But we are so busy -- no time to post them. Stay tuned either tonight or tomorrow for some great photos!

McGuire's Irish Pub sends me into boy's room

Last night we had dinner at a much-recommended restaurant in Destin -- McGuire's Irish Pub. They pride themselves on making fun of you and having you making fun of yourself and do so I did.

I ended up in the men's room!

Now before you call me a complete moron, let me tell you that this is exactly what McGuire's Irish Pub hoped would happen to me and every new visitor. How did they manipulate this? Well, by putting a sign on the bathroom door which reads WOMEN in capital letters. Only after I walked in and saw the urinals did I go back out, recheck the door, and see the tiny print above the word WOMEN which read "Absolutely no WOMEN allowed in here. This bathroom is for men only."

WHATEVER!

I asked our waiter, Danny, how often people go into the wrong restroom. He said nearly 50% of customers choose the wrong one. Yikes! I didn't feel as stupid. Thank goodness the bathroom was empty when I walked in.

I am sure you are wondering whether JB ended up in the girl's restroom. Well, being the nice wife I am, I decided that I couldn't allow him to feel as stupid as me, and I warned him ahead of time much to Danny's disappointment.

I hesitated even putting this on my blog because if we move here and you come to visit, I would want to take you to McGuire's, and bummer if I didn't just save you some major embarrassment!

I'll probably blog later tonight with pictures of Ray, Gabbi, Grace, and Nathan who are currently on their way here. They should be here in just a few hours. I'm really excited to see them.

Tall and infertile!

So for those of you who read my blog regularly (or hang out with me regularly) you know that I really don't like to be reminded repeatedly that I am 6'3". In addition, I really don't need to be reminded repeatedly that I am currently fertility-challenged.

But, alas, I still get comments about my height or about our infertility here and there.

Last night I got a double whammy. For the first time I got a tall AND infertile whammy.

There are Thai restaurants EVERYWHERE here. I mean seriously, on one stretch, we may pass three or four in a half mile. Yesterday, JB asked one of the residents he works with which one was his favorite, and we headed to Fort Walton.

At the conclusion of our meal, we are checking out at the cash register, and there are two older Thai women standing there talking. Now, let me preface this by saying they were very sweet -- kind of the female version (as JB remarked later) of the old men in one of our favorite movies Return to Me -- just sitting around after hours, shooting the breeze.

So here is the way the conversation went down.

Woman #1: "You two look like you could be brother and sister."
John: "We aren't. We are married."
Woman #2: "Woah, both same height. She is very tall."
Woman #1: "Yes. Perfect couple. Same height."
Woman #2: "You have children?"
Wendi: "No."
Woman #2: "How long you been married?"
Wendi: "Eight years."
Woman #1: "Woah, and no babies?'
Wendi: "No. No babies."
Woman #2: "Good thing. They would be very tall."

We laughed, and I really handled it well, and wasn't that bothered. They were nice woman, and I have mentioned before, sometimes the language barrier causes comments to be a little more "brusk" than they would be if said by someone who spoke English as their first language.

Point to highlight right now. If we do ever get pregnant, please don't tell me my kids will be tall. Let's just consider that an "understood". I won't tell a short woman her's will be short or an overweight woman her's would be chunky, so let me just get that out right now. I know if we do get pregnant, our kids will probably be tall. I am okay with that. :)

Anyways, okay, enough infertile/tall stories. Right now, I am sitting under a tree at 8:15 a.m. outside a building that has wireless. Oh how we take wireless internet for granted. So fast and so easy. I am in heaven. Going to do some work for RLSF and just relax until JB gets off this evening.

Ray and Gabbi come in tomorrow! I cannot wait! I can't wait to see all of them and especially to hug my little Gracie. I really miss her. She has started preschool. Man am I old or are Ray and Gabbi old. Okay, I guess we are all aging equally but they are the parents.

I'll definitely have pictures from our weekend with the fam. I also leave Monday. I don't want Monday to come! I also took my last two pills of progeseterone last night and gave myself my shot without JB there this morning. Hurrah for me!

I am official

I am now officially a military wife. I have both of my cards (one for reservists and one for people on active duty).

The only reason I wanted the card was to save myself trouble getting through security on base. However, I have learned that these cards offer other advantages as well.

I am now, officially in the computer. If JB dies, I get $400,000. Very exciting stuff there. Also, if he cheats on me and I turn him in, he can be court-martialed. Another exciting discovery.

Yesterday, JB was on an OBGYN rotation, and there were no patients scheduled. So while he had to go in in the morning and at lunch for a lunch meeting, he ended up having quite a bit of time here with me. We ended up running a lot of errands. We picked up his dry cleaning (uniforms for his interview next week), he got his hair cut at one of the military barbers, and went to the little store where you can buy Air Force t-shirts and other gifts.

We also spent a good portion of the day working on getting my ID's and a new ID for him. A few months ago, JB's paychecks stopped, and after a few phonecalls, he realized they had his graduation date in the computer as 2006 instead of 2007. He got this sorted out, and he started receiving paychecks again, however, the computer still had him down as 2006. This meant he was on an active duty tour while no longer in the military. We had to get this sorted out before we could get the ID's. It took about two hours, but we both left with ID's!

Last night, I went to my first pharma dinner. Technically, wives or significant others aren't supposed to attend these dinners. However, since I work for two medical organizations, they got me in. These are amazing dinners at amazing locations where you receive a presentation on a certain drug and eat an amazing meal. This one was on a new drug for smoking cessation. The meal was, nothing short of spectacular, and this restaurant was RIGHT on the ocean. In fact, right through the huge glass window, there was a couple having a fancy dinner on the beach.

I learned a lot during dinner, and I'm not just talking about all the information on smoking cessation drugs. We sat with two first year residents and one of the first year resident's wives, and Joe, who is basically THE main "go to" guy for all residents --all of which gave us some things to think about. Here were some things we learned:

• Joe told JB that if he puts Eglin down as his first choice, he is basically guaranteed a spot. If we were to choose civilian first and then Eglin, we are losing our "edge" in getting Eglin if the military doesn't let us do civilian.
  
• The housing stipend is up to about $1400 a month and rising every year. If we choose to live on base, we don't get the money. If we buy a house off base, that stipend pays our mortgage. The bad side is that to live off-base, we will be at least 15 minutes away which would require us to buy a second car. However, to not take advantage of FREE equity seems rather foolish as well.
  
• One of these guys lives right in Destin. He is actually thinking about buying a small boat and boating over to base every morning. JB's jaw was literally UNDER the table.
• The military will MOVE us to the base come next July. They do everything. However, if we choose to move ourselves, they will reimburse us for everything and pay us for weight and distance -- what comes out to about $5,000-$10,000. A signing bonus of sorts. These guys said that while the money would be nice, not having to pack a thing was quite a fun event as well.

We have not made a decision yet, but things are becoming clearer. Please continue to pray for us as we try to figure things out in our mind. JB must fill out his paperwork on September 15th so that date is fast approaching.

Also congrats to Kristen Y. who won the trivia yesterday! Hurrah!

Florida Rain Showers

JB got off around 4:00 yesterday, and we went for a quick run. Then we met another couple for dinner at one of their favorite restaurant -- Harbor Docks.

My friend Roberta who is one of the leaders of the Hearts like Hannah Support Group went to high school with Tim and church with Jenny when she was younger. She put us in touch with them so we could meet another couple while we were here. Jenny and I started emailing a few months ago and decided to get together for dinner while we were in town.

Tim is an F-15 pilot, and Jenny is a social worker in Fort Walton Beach. They will most likely be leaving Eglin before we get there although there is a chance that their next assignment might be in the area. They are also dealing with infertility treatments and will actually be heading to San Antonio for IVF later this fall. So needless to say we had a ton in common and enjoyed a wonderful dinner on the water. They requested a table under a cover which was good because about thirty minutes into dinner, the rain and humidity flew in.

It was great to talk to another couple who lives here. Jenny was so wonderful to give me a bunch of brochures and information from the area. We talked about living on base, churches (they go to a large Calvary Chapel!), shopping, and of course, flying. JB was excited to learn that aerospace doctors are required to fly every thirty days with their flight! I would not be surprised if he decides to do aerospace medicine. We'll see.

In other news, I thought I would ask for prayer for a few things. My buddy Kristi found out that she is having a GIRL! Her name will be Raylee Hartley Hunt. However, Kristi's pregnancy continues to be high-risk with a few issues hanging around. Please keep her and their second daughter in your prayers during the next few months.

Also, my cousins Josh and Sarah are moving very soon. They are moving back to our old stomping grounds in Brentwood, Tennessee, where Josh will take a youth pastor position. Selfishly, we are very excited to see them heading back into Tennessee. If we move to Florida, they will only be six hours from us. In addition, JB and I hope to eventually settle somewhere in the south and it's great to have them close. I know moving with two young boys is a lot of pressure on them both so also keep them in your prayers.

While we are on the subject of prayer, keep me in mind. I will finish my last night of progesterone tonight and will do my blood work the day I return to Minnesota (Monday). Last night I made the mistake of getting up to use the bathroom less than four hours after taking it. I ended up in the kitchen instead of the bathroom and then knocked my makeup kit off the counter once in the bathroom. The dizziness that accompanies this drug is something fierce. I made the mistake one time of taking it in the morning because I had forgotten the night before. I ended up having to leave church less than ten minutes into service. I couldn't even stand up. But anyways, I am getting closer and closer to our September 7th transfer.

One of my big prayers with this transfer is that both embryos that they "dethaw" survive the dethawing process and are in good shape for the transfer. If one was to die relatively early, they would dethaw our one remaining sticky baby. Otherwise, if it is too late, they will only transfer one. I would really like to transfer two. I am starting to think about it often, and last night had a dream that we were pregnant but it was with a different embryo (not our own). I think it's always a fear of women who do IVF that they will give you the wrong child, and obviously this is true as evident from my dream last night.

Well, off to do some work for RLSF. I don't think JB will get a lunch break today so I will be on my own. There is a chance we may be going to a pharmaceutical company dinner tonight, but I don't think this has been confirmed.

All right, since I am online all day, I thought: why not do a trivia. So, I am including it below:

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Time for a trivia (and please remember -- this is family-friendly trivia!) Here is today's question:

Just over a third of us confess that we did this at least once in high school...but the number of folks doing it gets smaller each year. What is it that we got away with that our kids won't?

Did I tell you ....

Did I tell you that last night, I CREAMED JB in miniature golf?

Okay, well actually, it was tied going into the last hole. TIED! And the last hole is one of those holes that basically, you just hit it and it goes in.

Well, that's what I did. I hit it, and it went down the hole back to the people who run the miniature golf course.

JB hit it and the ball just sat there right outside the hole, and I won by ONE stroke! It was great -- classic! We actually realized we hadn't played miniature golf since we played with Josh and Sarah in Kentucky. It's probably been about four years! I don't think it will be that long before we play again though. John says he needs a rematch.

Another thing I need to tell you is that I have been giving myself my shots!!! John helped the first few times, but this morning I did it completely myself. It really isn't hard, but I am still very proud of myself. This is important that I learn this because once I go home, JB will still be here in Florida, and I will have to do this all by my lonesome.

I am currently working from the hotel room on RLSF stuff. I am getting tons of work done. This job is not one I really need to be in office for. In fact, if we did move to Florida, I think I could keep doing it if they would have me. I did take a break for lunch. JB surprised me by coming home for lunch. He said his captain ordered him to "take his wife to lunch" and more specifically, to take me to a seafood resataurant right on the water on the other side of the base. So we did! It was AWESOME.

Speaking of work, back to it.

Great date night

Yesterday we said good bye to my parents and then decided to see if we could find somewhere with wireless that I could do some RLSF work from when the weekend was over. Our room has dial-up and it takes nearly 10 minutes to download a file. All the Paneras and Starbucks (which have wireless) are far from the base, and the library on base had its router damaged in a lightning storm last week.

So I checked the phonebook and found out there was a public library right outside the base. So we drove there and discovered that this library probably would not have wireless. It was actually quite humorous. Here is a picture of this little mom-and-pop library:


The rest of the pictures below are courtesy of our "date night" tonight. We went to "Joe's Crab shack" where we at shrimp and crab with a bucket and bibs, went miniature golfing across from the beach, and then got some custard and went walking in the dunes. Here are some pictures from the evening. We had a WONDERFUL time.

Snapshots

Well I am including a few more photos. These are photos that JB took before I got here in the hopes of showing me what the place looked like. However, his laptop went on the fritz, and he was unable to load them. Not to fear! Christo Philip came through with a laptop loaner from the medical school that I brought down with me. Now he can get online and load photos.

So here are some of the snapshots:

Just a shot of the beach

A shot from the car going over the bridge near Destin.

This is the hospital on base. This is where John would be nearly every day if we move here.

Here is a photo of my soldier!

This beach is actually right on base about a mile from the hospital and where we are staying.

My parents left this morning after we ate breakfast in the room. About two weeks ago, Lesley Jones left for Chicago with her husband's cell phone in her car. This morning my parents left for Florida with my cell phone in their car. We only realized this about an hour after they left. Lesley had to mail David's phone to him. I may ask my sister-in-law Gabbi to bring it with her next weekend? Gabbi? Darling? Is this a possibility?

We did some driving around this morning, checked out a local mall, and spent about an hour at a beach on base just sitting in the water talking. It seems like we have been doing a lot of talking since I got here -- trying to list and relist our reasons for leaving Minnesota or our reasons for staying in Minnesota. Today we tried to list the "reasons we wouldn't leave Minnesota" and the reasons we "wouldn't come to Florida". This may not sound very different to you, but the different angle can give different answers. Did it help much? Not really. We don't want to move. We don't want to leave our friends in Minnesota.

One bad thing we realized: there is no train running from here to Fort Lauderdale. The tracks were damaged in last year's slew of hurricanes and Amtrak is debating whether to fix them at all! So that option of visiting family doesn't exist. The best I can do is to drive to Orlando and take a train from Orlando. That's a possibility.

So anyways, we are now off to take a tour of the hospital and get some Thai food for an early dinner. Keep praying for our decisions. JB has to put his list together early September. Not much time!

My husband the boat captain

I wish I could load my photos. However, while JB has gotten the photos up on my desktop, for some reason, I can't get them to load. If I could load my photos I would show you JB and I nearly a half mile from the shore of the local bay (that has an Indian name something like Chatohochtocheeke), standing on a sandbar in the most amazingly blue water I have ever seen.

How did I get there?

Oh, well, I got there because my husband JB the goat-loving/physician/bird-watching/Chef is now a certified boat captain!

Here's the moment I, too, grew to know this.

Picture it:

Driving in our tiny red rented neon on the way back from Fort Walton Beach Airport late on Thursday night.

Husband turns to wife: "Do you like boats?"
Wife: "Yes."
Husband: "Do your parents like boats?"
Wife: "I think so."
Husband: "Want to go out on a boat with your parents when they get here tomorrow?"
Wife: "That sounds nice."
Husband: "Cool."
Wife: "How would we do that?"
Husband: "We would rent a boat."
Wife: "From where?"
Husband: "From the Outdoor Recreational Rentals on base."
Wife: "Cool."
Husband: "Yeah. Isn't it?"
Wife: "Who will drive this rented boat?"
Husband: "I will"
Wife: "Who will?"
Husband: "I will."
Wife: "You will?"
Husband: "Yes."
Wife: "How?"
Husband: "I have a small craft boat license."
Wife: "How?"
Husband: "I took a test."
Wife: "When?"
Husband: "A few days back."
Wife: "Did you pass?"
Husband: "Of course."
Wife: "Did you study?"
Husband: "No."
Wife: (Remembers that she failed a driving test after driving for ten years and studying for the test prior to taking it). "Geeeeez."
Husband: "Cool, huh?"
Wife: (Shocked to believe that her husband, on top of wanting to be a farmer and a doctor and a chef and a diver and a pilot, now also can drive boats.)
Husband: "So you want to go tomorrow?"
Wife: "Sure."

That conversation led to the four of us renting a boat. They were out of the boats JB wanted to get so we opted for a Boston Whaler and headed off to the blue waters of Destin on a boat! Getting sun. Wind in our faces! Ninety-eight degrees beaming down.

Once there, we realized that hundreds of yards from shore, all the boats were docked and people were swimming and snorkeling. We looked into the light blue water (that I thought only existed in places with names like Tahiti and Cancun), realized that the ground was right below us, and immediately anchored our little boat. Then me and our captain jumped in! It was waist deep and absolutely gorgeous. It was truly a memory I will not quickly lose. I wish everyone of you could have been there with us.

Prior to going out on the water, JB and I took a three mile run while my mom walked. After the boat ride we finished off an already fabulous afternoon by making a sonic run. People: Have I told you how good a cherry limeade is? I mean, those of you who out there who have had a cherry limeade, am I not telling you the God's-honest-truth here?

I also realized that it took me, oh, about 36 hours, to immediately return to my Florida roots, wearing my bathing suit top and cabana skirt to Sonic with flip-flops! Only in Florida folks. Could you picture that in Rochester, Minnesota?

I did realize that if we were to move to Florida, there is one major issue I would have to deal with. That issue is leg shaving. This would have to be done, well, even during the winter. (Gasp!) Now don't pretend my dear Polar North compadres, like you don't know what I am talking about. Rachel, Tara, Lesley, help me out here! You know as well as I do that it is easy to skip shaving when you realize that no member of public society has seen your legs in nearly three months, and if they did see them, they'd be blinded by that light.

Okay, well shoot. Tara's half Indian. Lesley is Asian. Rachel, do your legs at least get a little white? Ebby? Kristen? Any of my completely Caucasian friends? You feel my pain here right? Moving to Fort Lauderdale would completely take a chunk of my day in shaving my legs alone.

Okay, all joking aside: did I tell you they have a Chick Fil' A here? Susie was it you I heard singing praises of the Chick Fil' A? Oh man! I miss that place. Even in Kentucky we had a Chick Fil' A.

All right, off to play a game of spades with my parents and then hit a fabulous seafood restaurant. Seafood. Geesh. Rachel you may be right. I think this town is brain-washing me with things I absolutely love. Red Lobster isn't quit the same thing as "the Crab Trap."

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Note: Shortly after posting this blog I figured out how to load my photos. Okay, actually JB figured it out. But here are some of the photos from Florida.

This was actually yesterday. We were lying on our stomaches on the beach, looked up, and these birds were inching their way toward us.

Here is our crew shortly before launching.

Here is the blue water I am talking about. You can see where the sandbar starts in this photo.

Here is JB, I mean, Wendi in the water. You can see how far we are from shore!

Wendi and the boat captain!

Okay, so while I figured out how to load photos on this new computer, I can't change the photo order so this photo is actually prior to leaving the dock. "Oh captain, my captain!"

Again, my order is lacking. This is yesterday when we saw the birds. The sand in Destin is so white!

Fabulous Florida

Well folks, I don't quite know how to say this except to just come right out say it. It is absolutely gorgeous here. I always thought Fort Lauderdale beach was nice, however, it really doesn't hold a candle to the beaches of Destin and Fort Walton.

I got in late last night and wasn't able to see much until this afternoon. JB got off around 12:30, and we went on a little tour and had lunch at the Crab Trap right on Destin beach. It's an open restaurant with the water right next to you. And man is the water of the gulf BLUE! The food was delicious and the scenery and open air felt wonderful. We then came back, got our suits, and laid on the white sands and cooled off in the water. I haven't been in beach water in years!

The base is also wonderful. There are beaches all over the place and pools as well. I have only see a tiny portion of the base, but it is very secure and women are out jogging at night. When you have to go through security clearance to get in, it does instill some confidence in your safety -- and safety was something I never felt while growing up in Fort Lauderdale.

We stopped at Publix to get some healthy snacks for me (since I have to eat meals between meals right now). I love Publix. I miss Publix.

Right now we are hanging out in our hotel room. Hotel rooms on base are less than $35 a night! We got one booked for my parents for tonight and are now anxiously awaiting their arrival in about two hours. After they get here, we'll go out to dinner the four of us.

Honestly, I know everyone is wondering whether visiting here has changed our mind about our first choice. I have to say that while our minds aren't changed, we are definitely floundering in our decision-making abilities. Honestly, I have laid the advantages and disadvantages of both out for you on previous blogs and nothing has changed. We would like to stay at Mayo for numerous reasons. We would like to leave Mayo for numerous reasons. Ultimately, the big thing that JB didn't realize was how many more procedures he would get to do on base. Because there aren't all these specialists, he actually IS the specialist and has already gotten to do procedures that he would only refer patients to get at Mayo. Like today. He did a whole morning of colonoscopies. (I know. I agree! But John tells me this is a GOOD thing. Go figure.)

Currently, however, getting to be so hands-on is the kind of "straw" that could end up breaking great Mayo's back. I guess the main thing to say is that while we thought we were pretty "for-sure" about wanting to try to stay in Rochester, we have realized that with the increased money we would make, continuing to use Mayo's infertility services (if need be) would not be an issue. I would just have to fly back to Rochester occasionally. Unfortunately, the military's only IVF center is in San Antonio. There is a huge wait, and they currently don't do frozen embryos. That is not even an option for us. We would stay with Mayo for sure.

However, he still has three weeks to go, and then about two more weeks to make his decision so just be praying for us. If you have advice, feel free to share. We are open to opinions, even if they are biased.

Also, I am taking pictures but we have dial-up internet. I may need to wait until we get some wireless before I try to load them. But just trust me on this folks. It's awesome here!

Oh and give it up Minnesotans. This has only confirmed that the words "it's so humid" should not be allowed to be uttered outside the borders of the Sunshine State! :)

Blogging from Memphis

So I take out my computer in the airport in Memphis to transfer some work files to the computer and things start popping up and telling me I have wireless, JB calls, tells me I have this thing called "IPAS" and, oh my gosh, I have internet access sitting here in the Memphis Airport. This is amazing. Now if I could get the woman on the speaker to quit talking, all would be well with the world. Oh and if I could take back the barbque I spilled on my new white linen kapris as well, all would definitely would be well with the world. The woman being quiet and no bbq would do the trick.
Actually, it would take a lot more than that to make my day a good one. This has truly been (and no Ronnie, I am not being a drama queen) one of the longest days of my life.

As you can see from my previous post, the day started going badly when I woke up and while doing my hair overheard the Fox News team saying something about a "terror threat" and "no liquids".

From there, the day got longer and longer.

So let's go back to the beginning of one cumbersome event after another.

• I get to Tara's house this morning with my shot materials only to realize I forgot the instruction sheet which says how much medication I need. We have to return and do the shot back at my house. Ugh!
• I get to work at RLSF and decide to call Northwest Airlines to see what they suggest about my medications which not only need to be carried on but need to be refrigerated. I am on hold for about thirty minutes. I am told that if I have a valid prescription and my driver's license matches that prescription, I can bring my meds on the plane.
• Additional issue: the meds need to be frozen with gel packs. I call my doctor. He will write a letter and fax it to me to help the cause.
• The fax machine at RLSF is not working.
• I have to go pick up the letter.
• Before going to get the letter, I attempt to burn my files onto a CD so I can take the CD with me and work for RLSF from Florida. This seems like it will be faster than emailing myself all the necessary files.
• The CD is taking forever to burn.
• I opt to leave the CD and run and get the letter and come back for the CD.
• I swing by the house and throw my leftover pasta in the microwave.
• I forget the container is plastic and shouldn't go in the microwave.
• Container melts.
• Not thinking this is healthy to eat, I just eat a little off the top, get all my luggage and put our birds in the car (to drop off at the Rays) and head to the Charlton building to pick up my letter.
• Unbeknownst to me, they are tearing up the entire front side of the Charlton building. I will have to go around the two blocks and instead go in through the side door.
• There is no parking by the side door.
• I park about three blocks away (nearly as close as my house is on the other side), crack the windows for our birds, and run to Charlton.
• I return only to make a left onto another street that is now no longer open.
• I turn again thinking I am on a one way street. I get into the left lane and realize it's a two-way street.
• I am facing oncoming traffic.
• The truck driver next to me gets all father-like and waves me into his lane so that I am safe.
• I make a left turn. Street closed.
• I almost start to cry.
• I forgot to feed the fish and stop home to do that on my way back to RLSF to pick up my burnt CD.
• I return to RLSF. My CD info was too big for one CD. My two WONDERFUL co-workers recognized the plight and were trying to help save me.
• I waited about five more minutes and then finally left for Ebby's house.
• The drama ends temporarily.

At Ebby's house I set the birds on the table and decided to give up control and just let her drive. I was a bundle of nerves.

• I get to the airport and get up to the security, and they tell me I am going to have throw away my gel packs.
• At first I am sad. I like these gel packs, but I figure that at least I get to keep the meds.
• I tell them that's fine figuring I can find some ice somewhere inside the terminal.
• I stand and wait as a group of TSA agents start inspecting my bag and talking. The head agent decides I am legit and decides to let me keep the gel packs.
• I have since had to explain to about five more people what is in my little cooler bag.
• No there is no water in my cooler bag. No there is no baby formula in my cooler bag.
• Drama ends temporarily again.

In Minneapolis I sat down at Chili's and got a Caribbean chicken salad which was really good! I was then blessed with a middle row exit seat which I gladly took. I'll take being squished horizontally in order to stretch out my legs vertically. However, to make it even better, the people sitting on either side of me were traveling together and asked me if I would mind giving up my middle seat so they could sit together?

Heck no I don't mind! Exit row aisle. Nice.

(If that woman gets on the speaker again and tells me what I can't bring on board I will scream! Yes I know the baby will have to drink his bottle to prove what is in it.)

Hopefully the last drama of the day:

• I got a bbq beef sandwich here in Memphis (thus the stain on my pants).
• Hey, I told you I have been having to eat every 3 hours.
• Now if I could just SLEEP every 3 hours everything would be great.
• Did I tell you I didn't sleep last night?
• Do you realize this is my third blogging post in one day?
• Do I not have a life?

Okay, wait, drama is done. No more need for bullet points.

I will be leaving for Fort Walton Beach in a little under an hour and will get to see my babe. I cannot wait!

Did I tell you I am posting this blog in the airport in Memphis!?

(Oh man -- there's that woman on the speaker again! Hair gel, toothpaste ... bad, bad, bad.)

This is a problem

Okay so I haven't been sleeping. I am flying without JB with me. I am edgy and hormonal, and I have to take this shot this morning.

Tara came through big time and punctured my leg for me. I also had a perfect plan for how to transport my shots to Florida -- small lunchbag with frozen icepacks. That will work fine. I wake up, turn on the news and see:

You've got to be kidding me?!?! More stress. I can't pack the prescriptions because of the risk that something might happen to my luggage or that the ice will dethaw by the time I arrive. I called my mom. I called JB. I called Northwest Airlines. They said if my name is on the prescription (and I can show valid proof that it is mine) they will allow me to take my shots with me on the plane. I am hoping they will allow me to also take the ice packs as well. I am also going to go pick up a letter from my doctor giving me permission to have the icepacks. Ugh!

Please be praying for me today as I travel! I need it!

So for now, I think all is well.

Insomnia

Again, I apologize for the complaints. I feel like this IVF cycle has included a lot of complaining.

The insomnia from the progesterone has now reached the "I'm going to crazy if I don't sleep" point. The appetite issues are frustrating but manageable. The moodiness is also something I can work through. The upset stomach/GI issues are cumbersome but tolreable. But when you compound all of these with an inability to sleep, the frustration mounts.

Each time I have taken progesterone, I have had a bout of insomnia. I have now taken progesterone, probably 15 times, and it took 4 or 5 times before I noted the timing of the sleepless nights. The doctor told me this is a common side effect and in fact, a google search of "prometrium" (aka progesterone) and "insomnia" gets you over 64,000 hits. He said there is nothing he can prescribe for this, and I must battle through.

An example. Yesterday I was horribly exhausted all day. I came home from work but knew I wasn't ready to sleep. At about 10:00 I finally hit my bed horribly exhausted only to lay there.

Now the thing is, I can't get up when this happens because of the dizzy spells -- at least not for about 3-4 hours. So I laid there and laid there. I finally fell asleep close to midnight only to wake up at 4:15 a.m. wide awake again. The thing is though, I am wide awake but exhausted. I am sure anyone reading this has had a night or two of insomnia (or more) in their life and knows what I am talking about. I am just praying that this week long bout is on its down swing.

Anyways, it is now 5:19, and I gave up falling asleep. I am now halfway through taking this drug. I am praying the Florida air I will get this evening will help improve my sleeplessness. I am also relieved because tomorrow, JB will be working during the day, and while I do plan to work for RLSF from Florida, I will have time to relax and hopefully nap.

Okay, so thank you for listening to me whine. I promise my next post will be whine-free. (Thank you for the straw so I can "suck it up" and no, I don't want any cheese with my wine thank you very much.)

Leaving for Florida

Tomorrow I leave for Florida. Even though I am currently a hormonal basketcase, I am excited to see JB and to see the base. John sounds like he is really enjoying himself. Last night he had dinner with a group of the physicians, and tonight he is going to a cook-out at one of the resident's houses. I am also excited because my parents are coming to the base on Friday to visit! I haven't seen my mom since Christmas!

My medications are playing havoc with my emotions and with my appetite. I am constantly hungry but can only eat a small bit at a time before I am full. Basically I am eating about twenty meals a day! This is fairly usual when I get on these hormones, but it still throws me for a loop. In addition, the progesterone I take in the evening has to be taken immediately before bed as it causes me to get very dizzy. If I wake up within three hours after taking it, I feel the dizziness instead of sleeping through it.

Tomorrow morning, I have to take my first shot of lupron. I think I am going to go over to Tara's house and have her help me with it. I am nervous about doing it myself, all alone, in my condo. Kelsey flies out tonight to visit her brothers, and I am worried that if I can't go through with the shot, I'll be stuck running down the corridor of our building asking someone to help before my "time window" closes. It really isn't that dramatic, but when you are a hormonal basketcase, everything feels dramatic.

Okay, going to run Kelsey to the shuttle, come back, and finish packing. Ebby is going to drive me to Minneapolis tomorrow. (She's a saint!) And her daughter Veronica is going to bird babysit so I have to bring them over on my way as well.

I plan to post from Florida as long as all goes well with our internet connection. I haven't gotten any pictures from JB but plan to take some myself when I arrive so stay tuned as the POLAR NORTH MOVES SOUTH!

Infertility insurance

I have posted previously about infertility insurance. Even if this doesn't affect you, it affects millions of women, and if we can get insurance companies to reconsider helping women pay for this, why not try? I am blessed that Mayo pays 50% of our bills but many women are unable to seek treatment because they cannot afford it.

The National Infertility Association (www.resolve.org) has posted this "call to action" on their website. Would you take some time to follow the steps and send a generic email encouraging those who matter to fight for coverage? I truly don't know if this will help but have decided that it can't hurt.

National Infertility Email

I also want to thank everyone who encouraged me after my rough day yesterday. I was so blessed with some of the comments. One person in particular referred me back to a post I had personally written back in January. I don't know who you are or how you remembered that post but that was such a blessing. It's initially why I post these personal feelings on my blog ... so I can go back and remember what it was I said. Thank you! thank you! (Said twice because women say things twice when they want to emphasize it ... according to JB.)

Here's a link to my January 31st post. Yes Lesley, my laundry room buddy ... it was that long ago.

Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus

I found my black pants!

Important news bulletin: I found my black pants. I am sort of embarrassed to admit that I found them HANGING in my closet on a HANGER. My closet really isn't that messy. I promise.

JB is loving Florida. He found out that he is only on until 5:00 everyday, only has to take overnight call if he wants to, and is never on during the weekend. He says that it is very casual and not nearly as "military-like" as he originally thought. I am really excited to see the place in two days.

All right, here's something to lighten the mood from my previous post. Useless trivia!

Only a quarter of Americans would ever do this, but Americans will still spend 400 million on it this year - what is it?

Some days are harder than others

I apologize for this post. I don't think it will be the most upbeat ending to your day (or beginning if you are reading this on Tuesday morning).

A day like today is a day that I wonder whether infertility treatments are what I should be doing.

I can't put my finger on it. I can't tell you the exact reason why today was a hard day. Often times it is a combination of things. Either way, no matter how hard I try, when I start taking all of these hormones and keeping track of medications and checking the calendar to see what I do next, everything starts to unravel. September 7th is now, less than a month away, and its as if my mind instantly becomes aware of it and decides to go crazy.

I find myself changing the channel when certain shows come on. Songs about children and pregnancies are instantly turned off. Days like today are days that running by a park or walking through the mall is too much to bear and I either leave crying or avoid going altogether. A pregnancy announcement hurts my feelings. (How crazy is that?!)

Why can't I go through this journey and start treatments without getting so emotional? Is it the hormones or is it just the excitement and fear of trying again? I don't sleep well. My appetite is screwy. I get easily frustrated. Days are more difficult. I am conscientiously aware now that I have been married eight years and still do not have children. Three weeks ago, this wasn't something I thought about fifty times a day.

I find myself measuring myself up to other women. Is she healthy enough to get pregnant? Is she old enough to get pregnant? Is she mature enough to get pregnant?

Who am I? Am I God? What right do I have to make these assumptions? There I go back to my "just-world" mentality -- that somehow, I don't deserve this journey and someone else does. These thoughts cause me to get angry at myself. More hormonal emotions.

I will be okay. I know that. No matter how this thing turns out, I will be okay. I do wish that if we weren't going to have biological children, I could have total peace with that. Sometimes I have that peace, but some days, like today, I can't find that peace.

Days like today, I remember what JB wrote on the blog after our last failed attempt. He wrote: "...One must weigh the chance of this eventually working against the emotional cost of going through the process. That is actually the hardest part -- we have every reason to believe that this will work eventually. But deciding to keep pursuing it after the emotional toll is the real battle."

When we are not in a treatment cycle I think to myself, I can do this. I can do this a hundred times. I can do this until I am forty. But when I am in a treatment cycle I think, I can't do this. I can't do this again. This is the last time. This is too emotional. Negative results hurt too much. Counting days is too much of a reminder.

For now I just continue to take my medications and continue to take one small step and one short day at a time. I can't see the big picture and so I can only trust that I am heading in the right direction and strong enough to handle whatever this journey brings us.

I would appreciate your prayers, love, and encouragement during the next four weeks. On days like today, I really need it.

Eglin has a ...

Well, I spoke with JB last night. There are some good things to note:
1. He was given first-class on the last leg of his flight yesterday. A family wanted to sit together and they picked JB to move to a better seat. Nice!
2. He ended up getting a really nice place to stay. Officer's quarters depends on what's available according to your rank. If higher ranking officers wanted to stay at the hotel, he could have gotten bumped to a different place.
3. His quarters have a kitchenette!
4. His quarters are right next to the hospital so he can just walk over there. This is very important when you consider this is the biggest Air Force base in the world and it takes more than an hour (or so I have heard) to drive from one side to the other.
5. He went driving last night and RIGHT next to the base is ... A SONIC! Oh my gosh -- cherry limeades here I come.
6. He found a PUBLIX (Publix just feels like Florida) last night, and bought some basics for breakfast.
7. He said that the base is right on the beach and little bays. Oh my!

As for me, I am just plain beat. I ended up working almost six hours for my boss at Mayo yesterday and about two and a half hours for RLSF. My boss is getting ready to leave for India for three weeks about the same time that I go to Florida so we are both scrambling to get everything done. I picked up Kelsey at 8:00 last night and we stopped to get blizzards at DQ. I have found a new favorite blizzard folks. I know it is hard to believe but chocolate oreo has been replaced, thanks to Kelsey's suggestion, with chocolate french silk. Unbelievable! Kelsey has her huge fourteen mile run today so I plan to do at least a fourth of that with her to make up for the calories I took in. I did get a small, but it is still loaded!

Hopefully JB will have some pictures I can include later but pictures may have to wait until I arrive on Thursday.

Jb is on his way

Well I just returned from dropping JB off at the airport. He will not be back home until September 2nd. Yesterday was a whirlwind of "last minutes" and packing. It is tough to pack for a month -- especially when you have to bring five or six of your Air Force uniforms. The other frustrating thing is that we have this one wonderful suitcase that is gigantic and fantastic to travel with. However, these new fifty pound rules on airplanes mean he can't even completely fill that suitcase up without going over the fifty pound limit! We should have opted for multiple small suitcases.

Flying out of Rochester is so wonderful. For one thing, there are only two counters and six gates. You only need to get there about 30 minutes before your flight. Every time we walk in there we begin reminiscing about episodes of Wings. They also now allow non-ticketed passengers to go back to the gate if they get a special permit. JB thought his mom said that this is now occurring in the Fort Lauderdale airport as well?

Of course, in order to get my gate pass I had to show my driver's license. I must mention that I never officially got my license despite passing the test and showing them a new birth certificate and certified marriage license! Ebby, you were right. I got to keep my old license (with a cut in the top corner) and was given another sheet of paper telling anyone who asks that my new license is on the way. Geesh. So now I have to show the sheet of paper and the license.

JB took the camera with him, and I asked him to take a few pictures if he could. Even though I will be there on Thursday, I am hoping to get to see the base before that. If he takes any, I will share them with you. I am also hoping he has a refrigerator (for my meds) and internet access (for my job with RLS) in his room.

One thought, in the back of my mind, that concerns me, is that we will fall in love with Eglin. Yesterday, JB pulled up two links comparing Residency at Eglin (in the Air Force) or residency at Mayo (civilian). If you are interested, you can check them out here:

Eglin

Mayo

You will notice some major differences. I won't go listing salary differences here on my blog, but if you are interested, you can see the salary differences by clicking on each of those links. They are fairly substantial. In addition, you get four weeks paid vacation at Eglin and only three at Mayo. You get a housing allowance at Eglin. You don't at Mayo. Another big difference? The average in-hospital night call frequency at Eglin is every 15-28 days. At Mayo it is every fifth night! There are a lot of things about Eglin that would be better, and I don't want us to even consider changing our minds. Oh, did I mention the weather in Minnesota and the fact that we are a thirty hour drive from family? Minor inconveniences as well. Ugh!

I have to be honest and say that if we end up at Rochester or at Eglin, I will be very happy. I really feel like it is a win-win situation. My happiness will begin to dissipate slightly if we end up in southern Illinois, D.C., or California (all other base options.) If we end up in Nebraska, I may actually sit on the ground and pout for weeks at a time. All joking aside, this month will be important to firm up what we are going to do. John will also be interviewing with the residency program there as well.

As for me, my Sunday will be spent working for RLS from home and going in and doing some work at Mayo as well. I am also going to pick Kelsey up from the airport at some point. I'm not sure when she gets in. They are also having the kick-off to the CMDA (Christian Medical & Dental Association) Bible study tonight two blocks from our house. It's an ice cream social and always a good time. I might go over there as well although nearly everyone I know who would be there is out of town or busy. We'll see.

More of the good ol' farm

Friday night we went to the Sviggum farm for a night of fun and competition. Minnesota has its own unique brand of "picnic" games which includes bocce ball and bean bag tosses (Rachel does this game actually have a "name"?) -- both of which I really like. We also played some volleyball and had s'mores by the camp fire. I kept thinking we had had dessert and then there was more dessert! First there were these great "special K bars" that are a Minnesota favorite (and since they are served at every Minnesota function I have been to, they are now a favorite of mine.) Then there was some sort of great ice cream dessert, and then the s'mores. Needless to say, JB and I went for a run this morning.

Here are some photos of our night at Hans' farm:









We got home really late on Friday night and woke up this morning with a list a mile long (slight exaggeration) of things we need to do before JB leaves for Florida tomorrow. Yep, tomorrow is the day that he heads to Florida for one month!

Included on that list was my growing problem of not being able to find shorts. Kristen, you are my new best friend. I took your advice and tried Old Navy (Kohl's had nothing folks). I got not one, not two, not three, not four ... five shorts/kapris.

Here is a photo of me in just one pair (couldn't wear all five at once) of my new shorts courtesy of Kristen! I did buy one short pair, three long pair (including the ones in the picture below), and a pair of Kapris which I had sworn off (mainly because I believed they made me look like I couldn't find pants long enough.) I realized that if they are very short kapris, this assumption is not made.



Our other errands included finding JB a pair of shoes, me a watch (mine broke for good), and returning to the county fair one more time. (The previous exhibits were 4-H, and JB wanted to see the FFA animals.) We are now home, the house is in complete disarray, and my babe is about to leave for one month!

I will be heading down on Thursday to visit him and will be there for about 11 days. My parents, JB's brother and his family, and maybe his parents will all make the nine hour trip to visit us which will be wonderful. We are excited to get a good look at Eglin as most likely, if we aren't in Rochester, this is where we will be.

I also got a call from my brother today. He had a confession to make, and I feel it appropriate to share it with everyone on this blog. Keith tore my birth certificate! He says he was about 13, it was sitting on the table, and he accidentally tore it, but when my dad went yelling about it, Keith never said a word! Unbelievable. So actually Keith owes me the fifty bucks I had to spend to get a new one! Punk!

Also, if you look back at the pictures above, there is a recurrent theme. Can you spot it? There is something that is missing in each picture.

That something is my glasses. It's been nearly three years, but I can now wear my contact lenses again. For those of you who didn't know (and I didn't know either), fertility drugs, primarily clomid which I took during our first year of infertility treatments, dry your eyes out. I went to the opthamologist begging for help because I couldn't wear my contacts at all. She told me there was nothing she could do -- fertility drugs dry your eyes out. My only choice was to start wearing glasses. So I bought two nice pair and for the last three years have basically worn glasses. I have occasionally tried to get my contacts back in and have suffered through the dryness when running or doing other athletic activities, but basically hadn't been able to wear the contacts for more than 2-3 hours at a time. I am now wearing my contacts all day everyday again! YAY! I do like my stylish glasses but have never thought I look as nice with them on as with them off. I will NEVER take clomid again. For one thing, it does diddly squat for me. The other reason is dry eyes. I am slowly returning to normal -- just don't ask my husband if he thinks I am currently normal. These new drugs have not left me a wee bit cranky. (JB would say it is more than a "wee").

Keep trying on the trivia below.

Weekend trivia

I think I am going to start doing one trivia every weekend. If I do them during the week, I feel obligated to check them at work so people don't sit around too long, and I don't want to get in that habit.
Also, let's limit the guesses per question. You can't answer fifty-seven times per comment people.

So here, is this weekend's question:

The average American woman says that she owns three of these. What is it that she owns three of?

Join the list of amazing past winners including:
Ray
Gabbi
Cindy V.
Ebby
Justin

Done waiting

I got the call from the nurse. My pregnancy test was, negative. I think that makes my 97th failed pregnancy test either at home or by giving my blood. This is not a big surprise, however, they still make me get the pregnancy test before they start me on all the drugs to get pregnant. My progesterone level, unfortunately, was also low. This means that my schedule is as follows:

August 4 Start progesterone
August 10 Start lupron shots
August 17 Finish progesterone
August 21 Blood test to see if I am "down regulated"
August 22 Start stims (drugs) for FET (frozen embryo transfer)
September 7 FET

The good news is that I will be starting my shots in Florida with JB to help me. He is going to try and teach me how to give them to myself so that when I return to Minnesota, I can do them on my own.

The bad news is the shots have to be refrigerated. So I am going to have to keep them "on ice" on the airplane and once we get to the hotel. I am hoping his officer quarter's has a refrigerator, otherwise, this could get interesting.

Right now, JB is getting a massage from the massage school here, and then we are heading out the Sviggum farm for the evening. This is a favorite event of ours. We LOVE going to the Sviggums!!

I'll bring my camera and try to take some pictures.

Waiting ... waiting

I am doing some RLSF work from home and waiting for Ruthie, my nurse, to call with the results of my a.m. blood test.

Speaking of that a.m. blood test, I purposely got to the blood-draw place at 7 a.m. I am blood-draw professional, and I know that if I get my blood drawn at Baldwin, which is right across the street from my house, 7 a.m. is the best time to go in.

The best time, that is, if your paperwork is in the computer. For like the FIFTH time since this infertility journey began, somehow, my information for my blood draw wasn't in the computer. I was quite frustrated. Normally this requires me to go back home, wait until 8:00, call the nurses, get my labs called in, and then return to the area to wait in line with the 8:30 crowd.

However, this morning, I got some AWESOME tech who felt really bad for me. She made a few phone calls, tracked down a nurse, and about twenty minutes later, I was done giving blood. She also told me that if she couldn't get a hold of anyone, and I had to come back later, I could go right in. Hurrah!

So now, I am home, doing some work, and waiting for Ruthie to call. This is the start of my frozen embryo transfer. If my progesterone is high enough, I will be able to skip taking progesterone pills. This will make my day. No, this will make my week! These are major migraine culprits and major mood-altering culprits (JB isn't as concerned as usual because he leaves for Florida on Sunday). So I pray that my progesterone is on the high side. If it is, I start my lupron shots tonight. If it is low, I have to do progesterone for 12 days before starting the lupron.

Beside doing work this morning, I also ordered my bridesmaid dress for Keith and AD's wedding in December. All done! Hurrah. The dress is beautiful. AD, am I allowed to show people what it looks like? I'm not sure, so I won't link it yet.

Okay, still waiting for this call. I'm gonna run out and get my marriage certificate certified and my driver's license squared away while I wait. So much waiting!

I'll update as soon as I get the results.

P.S. Wasn't Kelsey's post awesome?! If you haven't read it yet, make sure you scroll down. She is also a writer. Also, Josh, JB said her blog may have been funnier than your's. What do you think of that?

A day at the farm

Ahem!

Dear Loyal Blog Readers:

Tonight you may view a day in the life of John and Wendi K. through the eyes of their (semi-permanent) houseguest, Kelsey. When Wendi indicated that I could "hijack" the blog I immediately felt pressure to do something witty and clever. Until I realized that living with John and Wendi was all the material I would ever need to entertain...hehehe. So I bring to you, without further ado "A DAY AT THE FARM."



It seemed as though it would be an ordinary day at the Olmsted County Fair: barbeque ribs and french fries that smell of haystacks and farm animals, chocolate malts, "carnies"* heckling young women as they walk by. But oh no. This is not your average excursion if you are with John K.

It became apparent soon after entering the warehouse labeled "Kiddie Farm Animals" that something was wrong with how much information John K. was able to recite about obscure wildlife. "Ahhh the black duck, also known as anas rubripes," quipped John. Strangely, his voice transformed into that of a stage persona as he began his recitation, lowering a few octaves for gravitas. "Originally discovered on a farm near Lake Kayunga in New York and then bred for their unusual color, they have not been found in the wild since."

"Hey mister, can I play with one of the black ducks?" asked one of the gaggle of kids that was now following our walking tour. "Yeah, could he see one," repeated a woman who was presumably the kid's mother.

"Uhh, well, they aren't my ducks," replied John. Hmmm. Novel. WHO KNOWS THESE THINGS ABOUT RANDOM FAIR ANIMALS IN MINNESOTA?! To that I answer, John K.

"Oh." The woman's voice deflated. Clearly she thought her kid would get to hold the man's black duck. "I just thought that they were yours because you knew so much about them."

At this point Wendi, Tara, and I had become entranced with a rooster that appeared to have the haircut of an 80's rockband member. "Ahhh, the ____ rooster," he began. Slowly he recounted the history of this and other fowl as his audience began to grow. Finally someone piped in.

"How long have you been judging poultry?" By all common standards one would think this man a judge. Not so with John Kisteiner. No sir, he's just a fine human being with a passion for birds, ewes, sheep, Jacob's sheep, cows, lambs, black-faced lambs, rabbits, hares, quarter horses, rams, billy goats, pigeons, water fowl...and on. And by the way, we did see everyone of the aforementioned animals (except the billy goat. I just added that one in because its fun to say billy goat).

Needless to say, the night at the fair was classic Kit. fun. Eating good food, fending off the carnies, and taking in all that nature has to offer. Well, okay, so maybe not so much classic Kit. fun as just plain fun seeing as 1) how the food tasted good but still smelled like the surrounding haystacks and animals (something that NEVER happens at John and Wendi's), 2) typically we have Ajit, Tara, or Dave over as opposed to carnies (to my knowledge none of them have exceptionally large hands or have ever smelled of cabbage), and 3) nature was prepackaged into convenient wire cages (well, there are the birds at John and Wendi's!).

At any rate, please enjoy some of the fine pictures below from our outing at the farm!


John, Wendi, and Tara basquing in the cow's backside.


John, admiring utters.

*Carnies: Men who run booths or rides at carnivals. Typically have large hands and smell like cabbage.

I'm a loser baby

I stink at Gin Rummy. Well I don't really think I stink even though I keep losing. In this last week JB has beaten me three times. Then last night I taught Kelsey, and first game up, she beats me. Dave and Ajit joined us for dinner last night. (JB made a FANTASTIC meal!) (We like to feed the bachelors.) (Lesley is in Chicago for the month -- we miss you Lesley!) (Are you sick of all these parenthesis yet?) We taught Ajit and Dave to play, and I still lost! Okay, technically, JB lost the game. I finished second (to veteran Kelsey again), and JB finished dead-last. So maybe that makes JB the biggest loser.

Maybe not. Maybe I am just trying to make myself feel better.

The trivia below still does not have a winner. Join the long list of past winners which includes:

• Ray Kay
• Gabbi K.
• Ebby
• Cindy V.

Keep trying folks, and I'll post again later. We are going over to dinner tonight at my friend Kelly's house. Kelly and Roberta are the other two co-leaders of my support group, and we decided our spouses should meet for once. I also wanted JB to get to meet Kelly's St. Bernard! Sammy is MASSIVE. (So maybe I'll post again after dinner.) (I had to end with a parenthesis.)

Trivia

More than 11,000 folks participated in a summer picnic survey, and nearly a quarter of them said that it just wasn't a picnic without...what?

Another reason not to move to Minnesota

Okay, so if it wasn't bad enough here with the negative forty degree days for eight months of the year, this week I had one major goal: GET A NEW DRIVER'S LICENSE.

If only it were that easy.

JB is off this week so Monday during lunch he took me to the DMV. I took the test. It was as many people warned me, very difficult. Only one person I spoke with had a different opinion of this test -- Kelsey, who told me only a moron would fail it.

I debated whether to put this on my blog. I also debated whether to admit it to Kelsey. But I'll just throw it out there. I failed the test. I got a 74, and I needed an 80.

So what were the questions I missed?

First major question. Take a look at the sign below:

Now before you say, "Oh Wendi you moron, that's the decal you put on slow moving vehicles," let me say that I knew that. However, the question was not that simple. What is the top level of speed of vehicles displaying this decal? THAT was the question.

So ... still think I am a moron?

The answer is 30 mph. I guessed 20 mph, and I got that wrong.

Okay, another question I got wrong had NOTHING to do with driving. The next question was which type of alcoholic drink has the most alcohol in it. Since I don't drink and have never drank, I got this wrong. I can't tell a whiskey from a Pina Colada for crying out loud.

Another example of the questions I missed? When you are a passing a bicycle, how many feet must you give the bicyclist? Now to me, this is a stupid question. You give it a LOT. Like I am going to get out and measure the distance. That's absurd. I guessed 6', but I was wrong. It was 3'. So I lose for being too safe.

Okay, so I am bearing my soul here. I failed the test and was told to come back the next day. I picked up one of the study books and had JB quiz me that evening, and then I returned on Tuesday to retake the test.

All right so before you start rolling in the aisle thinking Wendi the blonde failed the test twice, let me end your curiosity. I did NOT fail the test the second time. In fact, I got an A the second time -- a 91%!

Aaaah, license-here-I-come.

Yeah right.

I walk up to the counter all ready to take my picture and become a valid Minnesota driver. I even wore my hair down for my photo. I hand him all my forms of ID only to be told that my birth certificate is not valid.

Since it is my ORIGINAL birth certificate I ask him why.

He immediately thinks I am jumping down his throat and tells me, "M'am, I don't make the rules. I just enforce them."

"No, no," I tell him. "I'm not mad at you. I just don't understand. What's wrong with my birth certificate?"

"It's torn."

"Torn?"

"Yes, torn."

"Well," I say. "It's twenty-nine years old."

"Right, but torn indicates it could be forged. And then you taped it. Both of these make this birth certificate invalid."

He then goes on to give me paperwork which instructs me how to order a new certificate from the state of Florida.

"Is there anything else I can show you beside a birth certificate?"

He told me that I could instead present a passport. However, one of the major reasons I need a current driver's license is because my passport was lost when we moved! I don't have a passport.

I could also show him my military wife's card. No, I don't have one of those. I have a husband card and a husband with me to vouch for the fact that I am a military wife, but since we aren't on a base yet, I don't have a military wife's card.

However, the horror of the Minnesota DMV does not end there. It gets worse.

My marriage certificate ... my OFFICIAL marriage certificate ... my ORIGINAL marriage certificate is not valid. It is not CERTIFIED. So I have to take my official and original marriage certificate to the county courthouse to get a copy made that they will certify.

Huh?

So now I am in a bind. I need to fly next week and wanted to make sure I had a valid driver's license for my flight. Now I need a birth certificate. So I look up all the info online. Forty-five dollars and fifty cents later, I have a birth certificate on the way.

The driver's license will cost me another $30.00. I am not sure if I will have to pay for the marriage certificate to be certified. Either way, I am out AT LEAST $75.50 for a stupid driver's license for a state I don't even like and don't know if I will be in for more than eight months.

Oh, and to add insult to injury, the husband I FOLLOWED to this state doesn't have to get a license. He is a student. And even if he wasn't, he has a military ID. Never has to get a license again. So every state I go to will require ME to get a new driver's license while he just coasts right on through, quizzes me on driving tests, and tells me I am not a moron when I fail.

Do I sound bitter? It's probably because I am! I feel robbed. I feel like the DMV and the Birth Certificate place got together to figure out how they could milk a poor student's wife out of $45.50!

Grrrrr.

But at least I know that those slow Amish buggies have to go under 30 mph!

Tara needs your help!

So my friend Tara sent this email. I know some of you don't know her, but it doesn't matter. Tara needs your help so come on folks, let's help her out. Do your best. She does mention me so that is special :)

Here is her email just as she wrote it.

Dear friends,

So today, upon returning from the weekend, I received an e-mail from my good friend (and designated relationship/love counselor), Wendi, with a link leading me to an article discussing the "10 best cities for singles". In case I needed another reason to convince me to move to lovely Colorado (Matt, Cathleen, and Mindy-you ARE enough!!!), this seems to have done it. Apparently Denver/Boulder is No. 1.

Here is the link:

Best cities for singles

This got me thinking. I have been a bit unsettled recently as, after finishing an OB rotation, I am quite torn as far as a career choice. As most of you know, I've been pretty set on Family Medicine for a while now, but catching babies just is so much FUN.... I am also quite unsure on where to go for residency after graduation in May (applications can go out as soon as one month from now [YIKES!!]). And I'm feeling a bit lost, like I'm floating around, purposeless.
I feel like I need some hand-holding in this whole decision-making process and so I thought I'd ask for opinions from the people who know me best and who I trust the most. Any advice you have will be helpful (or, at least, amusing.... ). Perhaps I will tally up the results. Feel free to respond if you have strong opinions (or, if you'd rather not respond, at least you learned something about where I am right now in this whole mind-boggling process)!!

1) What specialty do you see me in (and why)?
a) Family Medicine (for my non-medical friends, this is a 3-yr program which includes training in just about everything, including OB).
b) Straight-up OB/gyn (4 years, has a lot of surgical training... and I might miss men).

2) WHERE shall I go (and why)??
a) Denver, CO (apparently THE hot spot nowadays, with great weather and great friends)
b) Portland, OR
c) Seattle, WA (#7 on the "Cities" listing)
d) San Francisco/Oakland, CA (#5)
e) Sacramento, CA
f) San Diego, CA
g) (Other city of your choice-I'm accepting write-ins) :)

3) And, just to see how sane you guys are, here's one more poll question. When faced with the exclusive choice of one ice-cream flavor, do you pick:
a) Chocolate or
b) Vanilla
(Wendi, you need not even answer this one).

Thanks, guys! Miss you all and hope to catch up soon.
Love,
Tara

"Peace-it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of all of those things and still be calm in your heart" -Unknown
I HOPE I GET HERE!!! :)

So okay people. Our mission -- Help Tara decide how to spend her future! (Also, the post below this is relatively new with TRIVIA at the end. Don't miss out. No one has gotten the right answer yet. Join the likes of Ebby, Gabbi, and Ray as winners of, well nothing, but hey they got one right. Although if you guess ninety times as Ebby does, it is fairly inevitable.)