Braces. . .

A Day.

I'm not really sure how to describe this day.  It was just kind of strange.

I took Lucy to the vet.  Her ears are yellow.  So are her eyes and her belly and her gums.  Apparently that isn't a good sign.  The vet was concerned.  Very concerned.  He even said the "C" word.  We lost Emma suddenly to the "C" word last year so we're all feeling a little bit uneasy about that but no one wants to say it out loud.  They drew some blood and we'll find out the results in the morning.  I'm sure it's nothing. . .

Gloria went to the dentist today for a filling.  She was given laughing gas and thoroughly enjoyed it.  She was dreading the visit and now she can't wait to go back.  Not sure what that means. . .

Gloria and I went to the store together when we left the vet and we walked through the store holding hands.  She's 12 and that doesn't usually happen in public.  It was nice.  She even hugged me at the cash register and said, "thank-you" and the cashier smiled surprisingly at us and said that our eyes are exactly the same. 

When we got home, Gloria and I worked together and made dinner and set the table with matching dishes.  The four of us sat together and told funny stories about our day as one thing reminded us of another.  Some of the topics were very random. 

After dinner we watched the rest of the final season of That 70's Show on Netflix.  We often joke that Rob is Red, I am Kitty, Zach is Eric and, we have finally decided, Gloria is Jackie.  Season 8 wasn't all that great but the finale' was good and made us all feel a little sad that it was over.  Even though it was on Netflix and we can watch any episode of any season at any time. 

While we watched, Lucy walked around giving each of us her tennis ball, hoping that someone would take pity on her and toss it in the air.  She is supposed to be taking it easy so she finally gave up and just stared at us with her chin resting on the ball. 

At the end of the final episode, Gloria got ready for bed, Zach and Rob cleaned up the kitchen and I sat down to write.  Gloria called me in when she was ready to be tucked in and as I walked in the door I realized she had tears in her eyes. 

"What if Lucy has cancer?"

What do you say to that when you've so recently lost a dog to cancer?  I'm choosing to be optimistic and believe that the results will lead in an entirely different direction. 

So we said our prayers and I kissed her wet cheek.  I'm sure everything will be fine. . .

No More Brace Face. . .

On Thursday, October 25th, 2007, I officially became a brace-face. I had spacing issues and hide-my-smile issues as well as some medical/dental issues so I took the leap and just had it done. 2 years and 15 days later, they came off. This is the very last picture ever taken of me with braces:

Gloria came along to watch the process and even took a few pictures while she was at it. It hurt! Gloria said there was a lot of blood. . .

She even held my hand when it got really bad!!

At the dentists' office, I was handed a small hand mirror so I could see the finished product, but I didn't get a very good look. On the way home, I stopped for gas and then went on my merry way. I couldn't help but try to see what 2 years of torture had accomplished so I kept looking in my rear view mirror to get a better look. I grinned and smiled and made all kinds of faces just to see the difference. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a guy in the passenger seat of the car next to me trying to get my attention. Apparently I hadn't put my gas cap back on and he was trying to point that out. It was a little embarrassing.

I finally got a good look at my teeth when I got home and was happy with the result. I have to say it was all worth it!!!

Here's my before picture:


And here's my after picture:


It's not completely over since I'll have to wear a lovely retainer for awhile but at least I can chew gum and eat apples again!!!

Come Along With Me. . .

The main goal of our short trip to the cabin was to take the 4-wheelers out for a nice long ride. Rob's dad came up on Monday to ride with us and Gloria got to be his passenger!


Zach usually rides a little green 4-wheeler but it's funny how small it looks in comparison to how tall he is now, so he upgraded to one of his grandpa's bikes. . .


I would so much rather ride the roads and trails at the cabin than the hills and gullies out in Emmett!! The scenery is SO much better!! I happily trailed along behind the others with my camera around my neck and my favorite music in my ears. I would slow down or stop whenever I felt like it to take a picture. . .



. . . and then go as fast as I wanted to until I caught up with the others. . .

I was thinking how great it was to have this experience and wishing I could share it with my friends. I decided that everyone who reads this could have the experience vicariously through this blog by doing a few things while looking at this post. First, throw some dirt in your eyes (because you weren't smart enough to put on goggles until later), second, eat a few bugs (it's even better if you have braces because they get stuck in there and you can enjoy them later), third play the songs I've put on here from Imeem since they are the ones I listened to as I drove along, and fourth, pretend you were there. . .

Be My Escape (Album Version) - Relient K

Jeans On - Keith Urban

Papa Come Quick (Jody And Chico) - Bonnie Raitt

You Again - Cadillac Sky

If it took you close to 5 hours to experience this post, then it was truly like you were right there with me-all 46.2 miles!! If you got through it in less than a minute, which I'm assuming most of you did, you can always re-visit it again sometime when you need a mental vacation!!