Dental Woes

I don't think anyone hates going to the dentist as much as me. Why is it that the 6 months in between cleanings flies by... every single time. Just like yesterday when I got the call that my appointment was scheduled for today, my reaction was the same as it always is, "Ugh Crud... again already!?"

Not that I have anything against dentists in particular. I have a fabulous father-in-law who is in fact a dentist.. but not MY dentist, irritating MY gums. It's not that I don't like the end result. Who doesn't love clean teeth? It's just that awful noise, that grating sound, that makes you want to pull every LAST hair our of your head. And seriously.. do you really need to use that hook like contraption to scrape over the same tooth over and over again?

I've grown to hate dental visits the older I get. I attribute this to a couple of reasons.

1. There is no longer the appeal of the bubble gum flavored paste when they polish your teeth. Just because I'm 23, does not mean I prefer mint to bubble gum!

2. To put it lightly, I have had dental "issues" in my lifetime. It all started back in the 8th grade when Tyler McGee "accidentally" knocked Heather and me over on a youth group outing, while Heather was on my back. We came tumbling down, and I first hit my mouth straight on, and then Heather fell on top of me, and I got a second blow to the forehead. End Result: Every last brace on my teeth came off, and I had to have all of them put back on. On top of that, I ended up with a dead tooth. yup.. dead. Which ended up in a root canal, that was even better than a teeth cleaning (sarcasm). If you ever happen to notice that one of my front teeth is slightly darker than the others... now you know why. No one actually notices this, except my mother.

Fast forward 7 years. I'm on my way to Bham to visit Matthew for my spring break (side note: we had only been dating a couple of months). In the car, I all of a sudden start feeling this gnawing tooth pain in yup... you guessed it. The same tooth. WHAT? It's dead! How can I be feeling any pain? As soon as I got to Bham, the pain was unbearable. So terrible, that I couldn't even eat... at this point I KNOW it's a problem. So, Matthew calls his father (my incredibly talented dentist of a father-in-law.) And he informs me that I have a tooth abscess. So after a sleepless night, we called every dentist in Birmingham the next day, to no avail. I couldn't see anyone until the next day... 2 days of unbearable pain. And NO sleep. I'm sure I was a complete joy to be around. To make a long story short, it was fixed eventually. Thankfully, my mom who has also had a tooth abscess informed me that it hurt worse than having all 3 of her children. At least I have something to look forward to?

So, as you can see. I HATE the dentist. Countdown: 6 more months.

5 things

I try most times to not be too materialistic. On a post-doc salary/student loans, we don't have much of an option. But there are times when "things" warm my heart.. and not in a bad way, at least I don't think. Here are the things that I particularly LOVED this past week.

1. My Kitchen-Aid mixer
I do NOT know what I would do without it. After seeing my own mother burn through countless hand mixers growing up (she used one with only one working blade for years), I knew that I HAD to have one. Now, thankfully, we did not have to buy one of these jewels ourselves, thanks to the Matar's in Lextown. But, even if we had... it would have TOTALLY been worth it. All you gotta do is throw in all your ingredients, turn it on, and you can go about your business until it's done. It's only making people of my generation even LAZIER :)



2. My stethoscope

I'm a stethoscope snob. Mainly because I think mine is better than everyone else's (when all reality it's most likely just as good... but still). I worked on a cardiac floor this past semester, and since my stethoscope was so awesome, I was hearing all sorts of murmurs, bruits, prosthetic valves, etc... Thanks to my wonderful in-laws. Now, I only need to get it monogrammed so no one can steal it!

And yes, of course it's a Littmann :)

3. Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte at Starbucks
I'm not a huge coffee drinker, but this is a lifesaver when I have to be at the hospital at 6:15, which really means 6:00 in order to catch the trolley to get from the satellite parking lot to the hospital (it is just wrong to have to be up at that hour). Thankfully the hospital I was at this past semester had one on campus! And apparently, it's only 90 calories!



4. My planner
I would be lost without it. I feel incomplete if I'm not able to cross through yet another day before I go to bed each night. It's just so satisfying. How do people survive without one? It is now currently counting me down until: Baby H's arrival- 9 weeks 5 days, graduation- 15 weeks 5 days, and hopefully our cruise!- date TBA (sometime in late August or early Sept)

5. Lysol Wipes
I could possibly go through a carton of them a week. Having learned that I used them so frequently, I have had to restrain myself and reuse them by washing them out and then spraying kitchen cleaner on the countertops and wiping it down with a wipe. But it's just not the same... not even close. I'd like to think that these babies are what kept me from getting swine flu back in Nov.

And of course you have to buy them in bulk... much cheaper.

Happy Birthday Lex!

This is what I found when I came back inside after taking Lexi out... Adorable.

What makes a great Saturday? Start it off waking up at 9:50 and that's about all you need. 9:50! Add going to the produce market with Ed this morning to get some top notch veggies and fruits, the gorgeous weather, going to the pool, and........... Lexi's 2nd BIRTHDAY! She "turns" 2 today. We're not sure when she was really born considering she is a rescue dog, but when we got her they thought she was about a year old... so her bday is the day we got her... April 10. A whole year later, and she is still the best thing that has happened to us as a couple... seriously. No, seriously, I'm not joking.

We might/or might not gotten her a few presents. Don't judge me! I have nothing else to dote on until Baby H makes his appearance in 11 SHORT weeks! She has a new flashy UK blue rhinestone collar, along with a new rope AND bone. She even got a few happy birthday phone calls from her aunt and uncle (Ashley and little Matthew) and Honey (my mom).

So Happy Birthday Lexi! What would we do without you?

Hodge Podge

Long time, no post. My profuse apologies. We've been pretty busy the last couple weeks, but I will try and catch you up on all the comings and goings of our household through pics.

Heather and Russ spent a night with us a couple of weekends ago on their way to the beach. Ed and Shawn had everyone over for dinner at their place, since they love Heath and Russ just about as much as we do.

This is my recent baking experiment... Key Lime Cake. Yup... cake, not pie. I'm not a huge fan of tart desserts, but this one "took the cake". I saw it in a Southern Living mag at the gym, submitted by Trisha Yearwood, which means that Garth has probably eaten it... #1 reason I wanted to make it.

We went to Nash this past weekend for Sing-to-your-Mama and Easter.

Benj was a director this year for the SID show. He did an A-W-E-S-O-M-E job! It was a great show, and if anything, he looked super snazzy in his tux.

What's Easter without pics on the front porch.

Had to take a pic of my good friend Emma, looking super cute in the Easter dress my mom got her. I'm sure some of you remember this fire ball from being the flower girl in our wedding... Here she is below.. over a year and half ago!!!

She couldn't be any cuter.

M pumped about his Easter basket... NEW SHOES. Thank goodness. Note.. it is apparently possible to wear the same pair of tennis shoes for 3 years. My hubby is a pro at it.

David, Sandra, Benj, and Morgan were able to join us for Easter lunch this year! Yay for being able to spend it with both sides of the family.

Remember that time my little bro is now taller than me. Yup, it's true. We measured just a few short weeks ago. But, I have grown 1/4 inch since college!

And what would a recap of pictures be without a pic of the BEST dog ever.

Recent Notes:

-We have decided to stay put in Bham for another year. Matthew was offered a post-doc position with Ed for a year to finish up some projects he has been working on and such. Plus, the fellowships that M is really interested in do not take post docs until the summer of 2011. One position will be open at Vandy! (yup Aimee... Vanderbilt!) Plus a handful of other universities.

-We are 99% sure we will be moving into a HOUSE sometime in the next couple of weeks! We are SO excited. M gets his raise this month, so we are "Movin on up". We are going to be renting a 2 bedroom house in Crestline Village that has a screened in porch and a deck with the best part... a yard for Lexi to play in. Not to mention, that it is a great neighborhood with lots of young couples and closer in to downtown. Can you tell we're pumped? So, now no one has an excuse to not come visit. We've got a spare bedroom!

- I am TWO tests away from being in my LAST semester of school. It's hard to believe it is almost over.. and I would NEVER do it again :)

-M is going to New Orleans in the middle of May for the American Thoracic Society conference. A poster he submitted got accepted so he gets a all expense paid trip! We're hoping that it works out for my schedule to be able to go down for a couple of days to join him. Beignets anyone?

That's about all. We hope everyone is doing well!