Gramma's history lesson

So last week was focus on the Carews and Mitchells, this weekend has been focus on the McCarthy's, Emmanuelson's, Magnuson's, etc. I have learned so much this weekend with Gramma. Ben and I have been talking (more like joking about) naming our future son "Magnus," but now it's really growing on me. It's a family name (on my Swedish side), and it's unusual enough that our son wouldn't be one of a million Magnus' at his school.

Kevin and his girlfriend, Robin, as well as her son, Paul, have been here also. I've had fun talking with Robin, playing with Paul and movie watching with all of them. Last night's feature film was "Wyatt Earp." Tonight will probably be "Tombstone." Apparently, "Tombstone" is a favorite of Kevin and Robin's. Ben likes that one a lot too.

Tomorrow, I'm off to Wallingford, CT, to visit Grampa Carew. I'll have to make sure to take pictures for Mom. She'll want to see everyone. :)

I can't wait to be home. I miss Ben. I miss my bed. I miss being regular (don't ask if you really don't want to know).

P.S. I got a second interview, scheduled next week (Thursday)!! YAY!!!! This could mean a new house.... then travel..... then baby.... Yah!

Life in Southboro, Mass

There are trains every 20 to 30 minutes behind my aunt's house. It's actually not bad, it reminds me of being at Mom and Dad's house (they're a little farther from the tracks though). I'm making meals or helping Sher make meals on most days. For example, I'm eating my homemade chicken salad on a pita, and I'm LOVING it!

Tests have gone well for thekindey testing. All my appointments are complete except for my surgeon appt. on Tuesday. That should go well. I hear he looks like Ah-nold. Thank God I'm doing this surgery laparoscopically!!

I met Grace Corrigan yesterday. She is Christa McAuliffe's mom. I was in the house that Crhista grew up in. I was in awe. Grace was SO nice. I had tea with Grace Corrigan. She's a superhero in my book. She has not only learned to live with her daughter's tragic death, but she is out in schools ACROSS THE NATION promoting space science. What a gal. I'll post a pic when I have the film processed.

This weekend, I'll rent a car and drive down to see my Grandpa again, and then stay with my Gramma. My Grandpa is my mom's dad, and my Gramma is my dad's mom. I love them both dearly. Grandpa is getting a little codgety in his old age, but he's a good guy, he's just trying to make sure I'm a good little lady before he's gone. Gramma, she's awesome. She just needs to quit cooking everything under the sun for me. Aunt Sher and I went there last Saturday for lunch. Gramma made a whole thanksgiving like dinner!!! For lunch!!! She loves you with food, that one.

Also, I had a phone interview today for the education coordinator position at the St. Louis Challenger Learning Center. I feel really good about it. I hope I make it to the next round of interviews. I'll find out later today.

I'm trying to check my e-mail as often as possible, but I don't want to tie up my aunt's phone line. Yup, I'm using dial-up. (dun-dun-DUN!) I'll survive. :)

Boston Trip

I've been in Boston for a few days now. Everything is going well. Aunt Sher looks good, she just gets tired very easily. It's been fun hanging out with her. She's been giving me family history lessons and knitting tips.

My CT scan was on Friday. Boy, that was an experience that I don't want to do ever again. The scan itself wasn't bad, it was the contrast that they inject into your arm during the scan. It burned going in, and then gave me hot flashes, and it felt like I went to the bathroom on the table. Your whole torso gets warm, but it's mostly on the back half of your body. Then, the pain and warmth is suddenly gone. It's weird.

Today I met with the social worker. That went well. She was just making sure that I knew what I was getting into, as well as address any non-medical concerns that I had. She realized quickly that I'm normal and know what I am doing.

Then I met with my anesthesiologist this afternoon. She's British. She was really nice, and I feel really good about her or anyone else she might hand pick for me.

Unfortunately, I found out today that I still have to stay until the 28th/1st. The transplant coordinator made a typo, and she cleared that up for me this morning. Oh well, it's just more time to spend with my family here in town.

Well, e-mail me if you want. I'd love to hear from any and.or all of you!! :)

P.S. I got Dunkin' Donuts yesterday!!! And tomorrow, I get LOBSTER!!!!!!! Yeah, baby!

Valentine's Day

I have the best husband ever. Just so you know. I got roses and chocolate at work today!!! It was awesome.

For him, I bought the Wallace and Gromit DVD. I also made us dinner (Chicken Parmesan, garlic herb biscuits and Caeser salad). We had wine and chocolate, too. Candles, roses. We also had good conversation.

What a great day!!!

Now we're watching the Olympics. We're so dorky.

More plans

Man, it seems like every time I turn around, I think of (or am politely reminded of) another thing I want to do while recuperating.

*clean my room (yup, just like an 8 year-old would)
*clear off my dresser
*help Bob with his house
*practice my sign language

So much to do, and I'm not sure how much of it will really get done.... Oh well, as long as I really try to do most of it. I'm sure that Ben would appreciate me at least clearing out my side of the room so it looks decent.

I could probably also donate some clothing. I'm sure there are clothes in my closet (and/or dresser) now that have not been worn in a year. That's pretty much my rule these days. If I can't remember wearing it in the last year, it's gone, baby.

Plans

While I'm home recovering from the surgery, I hope to get a lot of things done. Some of these are jobs around the house, and others are related to finding a full time job WITH BENEFITS for next year.

-get desk organized
-go through old bills and mail
-put together resume packets for sending out
-knit scarves
-learn to knit simple hats

Getting my desk organized will hopefully not take long. Going through old bills and mail could take years.

The resume packets are a lot of work. I swear, schools now want to know SO much about the people who are applying. First off, they ask for a cover letter, resume, letters of recommendation, transcripts, your shoe size, etc. It's such a pain. And not every district wants all the same stuff. Some districts ask for a copy of your teaching certifcation, some ask for your scores on the certification test. some require original transcripts, most are OK with a copy during the application process.

I have gotten a lot of compliments on the scarf that I most recently completed, so I've started new ones using the same yarn (Chenille). I'm hoping to maybe sell them to friends and family who might like the colors, designs, and/or feel. I love mine, it's SUPER warm.

Finally, I want to learn to knit a hat (to go with the scarf from above). I have some left over yarn and I don't want to waste it. There's not enough for another scarf, but there might be enough for a hat. I bought some double pointed needles, cuz I know you need those to make a hat. I've had one offer from a friendon how to knit a hat... I just hope it's simple knitting, I have no interest in purling or sewing it together or anything like that.

So much going on.....

On Thursday, I'll be flying to Boston for a CT. This is one of the final tests before the surgery (which won't be happening until mid to late March). The CT scan will help the surgeon decide which kidney to remove for donation. While in New England, I'm going to visit my grandparents and other relatives. I'm also planning on having some lobster; fresh, cheaper lobster. Darnit, if I'm going to be traveling and donating, I'd much rather have something to look forward to, like my visit with my family, my grandmother's cooking and lobster. I'll probably gain weight while back east, but that's to be expected. At least it will be less weight gain than if I were staying with Gramma Mc.

I'll fly back on March 1 or 2. The transplant coordinator is shooting for the surgery to be Mar 20. I'll have one last blood draw to insure that my aunt and I are still a match. Apparently, from time to time (only 3 times in Marti's 20 years), the recipient's antigens change based on their exposure to certain illnesses. This change causes the recipient to no longer match with the donor. So prayers that sher and I are still a match would be appreciated.

Also, I'm starting to worry about the job front for next year. I have two job prospects on the table now, and I'm hoping that they don't diminish during my recovery time from surgery. It will probably be pretty hard for me to get around and interview during my recovery time. But I have to believe that God will put me where I'm meant to be. Hopefully, that will mean teaching at the school I'm currently employed with or with the Challenger Learning Center. I like the idea of getting to teach gifted students in science and communication arts (LMS). I also like the idea of not having to lesson plan on a daily basis and no grading (CLC). I'll get to do some traveling with the CLC job. But at LMS I would get the benefit of working with the same kids on a day to day basis. That allows for relationships to be built, allowing me to make more of a difference in a student's life.

Something funny

Perhaps this next thing is only funny if you were there, or after a couple of beers, but I went out for drinks with some coworkers of mine tonight. We all got to talking about gender relations, and one guy told us his theory of how you could really mess with a girl's head. Tell her she has manly shoulders. Seriously, that's his thought. What's so funny is the fact that he's probably right. There is nothing that a woman could do to have less manly shoulders. No Nip/Tuck will ever fix that. Everytime she wears a tank top, she'll always wonder "do my shoulders look big? are they getting bigger?"

For some reason, I found this funny enough to laugh myself to the point of tears. It might have been that I was one beer down, and getting ready to order another, or the fact that I could tell that he was holding back from telling that to a gal at the table that he didn't like. He is a fairly nice guy, and decided not to hurt a coworker, but I know she gets on his nerves. She's very stand-offish, and I have trouble reading her. She can be very friendly at times, but other times, she doesn't want to work and she complains about it. I know that there are worse people that I could work with, so I'm not terribly upset. I rarely have to really spend any real time with her, so it's all good.

"She's got manly shoulders." Say that to a chick who has pissed you off.

So now it's getting more real...

OK, so I am days away from scheduling my trip to Boston. My renal ultrasound came back good, so things are really progressing. All I have left is a CT scan, and that has to happen in Boston. My plan is to schedule the scan and then schedule the surgery for a few days after that. I really don't feel like paying to fly there for a scan, fly back to St. Louis and then fly back to Boston for the surgery a fews days later. My aunt needs this as soon as possible. I don't think that she's on dialysis yet, and I don't want her to hold off on that for much longer.

The whole thing still doesn't feel quite real yet. Surreal is very much how this situation feels. I know that it's going to happen soon, but it feels so far away. Like February is not starting next week. Weird.

Anyway, so that is what's going through my head now. Not funny, not thoroughly entertaining, but like I said, few of my blogs will probably be super funny.

Kidney stuff

So I had a renal ultrasound today. The tech said that both kidneys look good and healthy. She added her little fine print, "Of course it's all going to true and final after the doc looks at it." I'm cool with taking her word for it, because I'm sure that she's done a ton of renal ultrasounds, so she's probably familiar with what is healthy and what is not.

I think that the surgery is going to be in early to mid Feb. Which isn't all that far off, but it all doesn't seem quite real yet. I know in my head that it's going to happen, but it's just too far distant a concept for me to really believe it. I know that my aunt is still not quite banking on this yet. I think she's afraid to get her hopes up. But I know this is going to go through. I just hope and pray that my kidney takes and that her body doesn't reject it. I think that all this will feel more real once I get to Boston.

Please keep my aunt and me in your thoughts and prayers.

the prettiest scarf ever

now if only I knew how to knit a matching hat....

I just finished knitting a gorgeous scarf (if I do say so myself), and now I'm looking to find out how to knit a hat. I don't want to have to purl, just knit. I know that my friend Cheryl knits hats for babies using four needles at a time... maybe I'll ask her to teach me. Of course, I want to knit a hat bigger than a baby head.... Jennie's got a big ol' head. With this much hair, I have a large hat size for a girl.

Back to the scarf... Seriously.... I need to take a picture and include it with this blog... maybe the next one, I'm too tired and lazy now. But the scarf is totally awesome. Not just awesome, but awesome, awesome (nods to Craig, Jessi and Ben). "You all know what I mean."

Skiing for the first time

I went skiing for the first time on January 13. It was awesome. First off, I got to go for free. All I paid for was my dinner that night (p.s. $7 for a hot dog, chips and a bottled water). I didn't pay for rentals, lessons or lift fee. That rocked. So the lessons went well, apparently, I'm not a half bad skier. I went down the practice slope once, then moved on up to the bunny slope for a few tries. I befriended my supervisors daughter (who was also a ski newbie) and we decided to ski together and watch out for one another. That went well until I was going down the tow rope slope the first time. I was trying to ski side-to-side as the kids were supposed to, but every time I turned, I'd gain speed. I tried to make a breaking wedge, but it didn't seem to slow me down. I did alright though. Only one fall the whole evening.

During my final descent (which I didn't know was my final), I noticed that there was an emergency snowmobile at the base of the slope I was skiing. When I got to the bottom, I realized that it was one of our students (did I mention that I was on a school sponsored trip?) and there were no other school staff around. I radioed that we had an injured student and that I would meet another adult at the ski patrol office. I wanted to stay with the student because she's deaf and I didn't want her to get scared. I know that she can communicate fine with strangers, she reads lips perfectly, people just have to remember to look at her while talking. I also know sign language alphabet, so I decided to stay with her just in case. Plus I was tired, and my legs and back were starting to yell at me.

The rest of the night was spent in the lodge talking with other staff members and students who were done for the night. I had a great trip back to school that night, and slept pretty well, too. I woke up sore as hell, though. Boy, I never realized how many muscles are used during skiing.

New favorite show...

OK, everyone should be watching "Mind of Mencia" on Comedy Central. Carlos Mencia is the funniest comic I've ever seen. I don't think I've ever laughed this much at one comedian. He says what I think but I'm too afraid to say thanks to all the PC assholes out there. I especially like when he tells his audience that he's not slowing down the comedy bus for the "dee dee dee" who fell off the back because he's too stupid to understand a joke. That's so great. I love intelligent comedy. Plus the guy has celebrities on all the time. He's great... so you should start tivo'ing/recording (for all you dee dee dee's who haven't jumped on the DVR/Tivo bandwagon) "Mind of Mencia." He's freaking funny, your life will be better for watching him on a regular basis. Laughter is good for you. Do it!!!!!!

First day back

Today was the first day back from winter break, and it was a good day for the most part. I found out that the husband of one of our secretaries had multiple strokes over the holiday break, so I felt really bad for her, she had it rough. And she's a really good person, too. I love working with Edie.

The good thing was that about 10% of the students didn't show to school. I don't know if they were still out of town on break, or if their parents just let them stay home from school (totally possible in this district), or if parents just weren't aware that we were back in school. From what one of secretaries said, many of the parents that were called trying to find out where the kids were mentioned that it was a federal holiday so they just assumed...which makes perfect sense, I guess the parents aren't really that far off target, but if you're not sure, shouldn't you check with the district website? or call? Aren't there parents out there who keep the school calendar up on the fridge the way my mom used to? I just don't get parents these days. And to think I'll be one someday.

Anyway, so back to my day. I totally freaked out one of the other TA's today. He mentioned that he had in a "rockin' CD for psyching up for Notre Dame games" that includes "Come on Eileen." My response was "Shouldn't you ask her first?" Tim's eyes got really big, and you could just see on his face that he was thinking, "Did she just say what I thought she said???!" It was totally funny. Then I told him my motto, "I don't 'go there,' I LIVE 'there' and my friend Morgan is my landlord!"

And I got wings for dinner. It was a good day.

Tonight, I've been reading "Peter and the Starcatchers" and looking at houses online. It looks like I will SO have to get a job for next year and save like mad to get the dream house for Ben and myself. To keep our payments under a $1000 per month (and I don't think that mortgage calculator puts in PMI, either), at a $10,000 down payment, we can't afford more than a $169,900 house. But our dream house is more like a $200,000 to $215,000, so we will need WAY more in savings for down and for furniture. Now, I could totally handle the 169,900 house, but I think Ben wants bigger rooms than I need, so I guess since he's willing to wait to afford one.....

Well, off to more reading... looking at houses online just makes me want to buy one even more. So Job hunting I go this weekend. I'll be printing resumes like mad. Wish me luck (first interview on Sat. with Parkway, where I did my student teaching).

Happy New Year!

SO I'm down in Kentucky, and New Year's was fun. We didn't get as drunk as I thought would happen, especially with all the liquor that was purchased/brought over state lines (apparently illegally). We drank a lot after dinner during poker. Then we watched the rest of "American Pie: Band Camp." Totally a soft core porn movie with a moral (sort of). And finally we watched the countdown with stroke-stricken Dick Clark and stripper-wannabe Mariah Carey. Then Jessi served homemade Dutch apple pie and I opened gifts. Jessi and Craig also had gifts from home (IL).

Well, off to bed. Happy New Year. What's your resolution??? I'm still trying to figure out mine.

The wierdness that was Sunday night

Alright, one more thing to talk about before bed. Sunday night my brother was to fly home for the first time since he left for boot camp back in May. So my whole family gets together, and we drive to the airport to pick him up. We've got flags and signs all ready to go. We get there a little early, so we all get some Starbucks to tide us over until dinner. Then Mom mentions to me to keep my eye out for someone whom she says is coming to meet David, too. This is the first I've heard of this person. Apparently, he met her through some friends from high school. What friends from high school?? He knew like three people, and none of them are super duper people that I would want to hook my brother up. Anyway, so she's supposed to meet him there too. So now, we're not just looking for him to come around the security corner, but we've also got our eye open for anyone who might look like they are there to meet him, too. NO DESCRIPTION given except that she's his "special friend." What the hell does that mean??

Well, then he shows up. We all give him our hugs and handshakes welcoming him home. We're all also looking around for someone to come up and say hello to him too. Nothing doing. So we head down to the baggage claim and he heads off like a straight shot towards someone I've never seen before. He gives her a hug like he's know her for years. It's really creepy. We all get introduced, but then my sister, brother-in-law, other sister, my husband and I all stand around trying to figure the situation out. First, I decide the girl was smart enough to bring a friend in case he was a serial killer/rapist. Then, I begin to realize this is SO like him. To invite someone we've never even met or know anything about to his homecoming. He'll be home for like two weeks. Couldn't he wait until the next day to meet her in person for the first time??? Oh well.

So it turns out that the girl is Ok. She smokes, and that is a big strike against her. But she does have a job, and she is in school, and she's legal. So these are all good things. Sad when you have to check if your brother's new girl is legal. Says a lot about his previous choices in women. His last girlfriend was a good one, but things didn't work out.

I bet my sister Jessi has already blogged about this topic, and hers is probably way funnier, but that's ok. www.craigandjessica.com/blog

Oprah has been contacted

Well, I went to Oprah's page and submitted my idea for a show. I guess if I have tests before they contact me, I'll just videotape them and let them use that footage for the show. It would be way cool to have a show following the donation process. I'll wait to hear from Oprah's people, and if they want to do the show, I'll try and talk my aunt into doing it. Boy nothing like a million people watching to help you get your aunt to quit smoking so she won't die from lung cancer after you give her your kidney. And Oprah can be mighty influential herself!

I guess I should take some cough medicine and get to bed....

And it's a MATCH!!

So on Friday, Dec 16, I found out that I'm a match to donate a kidney to my aunt. As long as all my testing to make sure that I am healthy enough to donate goes well, I'll be a kidney donor sometime early next year.

I'm so excited that I can help her out. She's my godmother, and she's a great lady. I was so happy to tell her that I am a match. What is so fantastic is that I'm a better match than her own sister. Pretty cool. But I've just had this feeling since I found out she needed a kidney that I would be the one. So I am now doing all I can to insure that I'll be able to donate. I've cut soda out of my diet. I'm only drinking water, coffee, tea and hot chocolate. I'm watching what I'm eating and I'll start exercising when my sore throat is gone.

It's so funny that everyone keeps saying what a great person I am for doing this when my motives are completely selfish. All I want is for my aunt to live happily ever after with a kidney that works. I can do that for her. It means that I get to have her around a lot longer than if she didn't get the kidney.

I wonder if I should contact the Oprah show. Wouldn't it be cool to be able to show what it is like to be a donor?? Maybe more people would be willing to do it when they hear about someone they know who needs help. Yeah, all the testing might be a pain in the butt, and the surgery won't be any picnic, but I'll sleep through that, right?! :) Anyway, I know that Oprah did a show on the Steven Cujokaro guy who got a kidney donated. It might be a good follow-up piece. And hey, if I get to meet Oprah out of it, all the more worth it!!!!! Hmmm.........

Being sick during break sucks!

So, my break started on Saturday. As of Sunday, my throat started feeling a little sore. Then Monday, my throat was super sore. By the end of Monday, I couldn't even talk. Today I was on ibuprofen and acetemetaphin all day to keep the swelling and pain away. I just hate that when you finally get time to relax, you get sick. It sucks. Oh well.

So the reason I'm up so damn late is because I'm coughing and I don't want to keep Ben up. He's working super early this week to cover for a guy at work who usually does the early morning computer server stuff to keep their office running smoothly. I also hate that when I'm sick, I usually end up being up late at night, when I know I should be sleeping but I can't sleep for whatever reason. It's awful.

OK... no more bitching... moving on to happier things.

More kidney stuff

So, Ben and I have decided that the donation is worth doing. Now, I just have to talk with my mom and dad and see what they have to say. My sister Jessica is all for me doing it, as long as I can get my aunt to quit smoking. Which I think is not a bad idea. I wonder if the transplant doctors require quitting as part of their regimen?? It would be nice to get them involved in getting her to quit too. The way I see it is... I've kept this kidney in good shape for over 28 years now, almost 29 years (if you count my time in utero). I don't think it would be unfair to ask her to continue taking good care of it.

Is that wrong to ask that? I mean, technically, I am donating, so does that mean I can conditionally donate? Philosophers, help me out here....