Just a quick catch up for anyone who is interested. Chris decided not to report Evil for biting Koda. I don't understand this decision but I respect it. Koda got her stitches out and is healing nicely. Soon her hair will grow back in and it will be like it never even happened. I just hope it never happens again.
So this week I have been in pain! Both figuratively and literally. First I will share with you the literal pain I have been in this week. I cracked my back crown last weekend and thanks to my new husband's wonderful dental insurance I got to go to the dentist on Monday. Nothing could be done for my crown besides dig out what was left and replace it with a brand new crown. So after a quick 1.5 hours, I had a temporary crown on. It was great! I was completely numb during the drilling and digging portion of the show. What they didn't warn me about was the pain I would be in when the numbness wore off! My jaw has hurt all week! I can't drink coffee without being reminded of the pain. I have even started choosing my meal options based on what will cause the least amount of pain. It's so funny because the dentist man made this big deal to only chew on the other side of my mouth etc. Well let me tell you... there is no way I would choose to chew or bother that temporary in any way shape or fashion! Hopefully my permanent crown will come in soon and all will be right with the world again.
Figuratively I have been in pain because I have been trying to officially change my name. I ended up at the wonderful driver's licence place 3 times this week! Not fun at all! On the first trip, they couldn't help me because I had to wait 24 hours from when I went to the SS office. Then on the second trip, they didn't believe me when I told them my new name and apparently the paperwork from the SS office wasn't enough and so they said I should just wait until the cards came in. When there for my second attempt, the lady even tried to tell me my address didn't exist. She told me I must be confussed, like I didn't know where I lived! So crazy! Finally, today I went back and had the new SS card and all the other paper work possible and they gave me a new drivers license. Well, really they gave me a temporary. The new one should get here in a couple of weeks.
Anyone else noticing the irony in my life surrounded by pain and temporaries? Sometimes we just have to laugh or we'll go crazy!
So my weekend plans are so exciting I thought I would blog about them early. I have got to get some more grading done. I think probably another 2 hours. Then I have a little bit of work to accomplish for my work team. Probably another 2 to 4 hours. But my big goal is to work on my prospectus. I want to finish filling in my research lit review triangle. Then I want to begin writing the different pieces. Maybe one day soon my pieces will begin to look like the picture on the front of the puzzle box! Wish me luck!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Dinner out!
So I just got the news... We are going out with another couple (outside of family) for the first time since we got married! We will all meet up at church for this great production they are putting on and then go out to dinner. I am so excited! It's not like we stayed in and didn't go out with others on purpose. It's just when we got back from the wedding and honeymoon, work and the spring semester were already in full swing. Honestly, it feels like we have been playing catch-up for the last month. It is nice to finally be able to go out and have some fun with another couple who is our age.
So far, now that I have hit the one month of being married mark, I think the hardest part has been the move. I love my husband and I love my job. I am even starting to be more comfortable at the church we have found. But I miss my friends. I miss my school and the routine of going in to study with my grad school friends. I still talk to some friends and my best friends will always be there for me, I know. But it is just different.
Part of me thinks the lack of social interaction might be good. It will keep me focused until after I am done with my dissertation. But the other part of me still misses my coffee dates with Tiffany, my bi-weekly pedi dates with Susan and my weekly dinners with Ami. I didn't move far, just far enough to make keeping up and not missing anything a challenge.
Chris has been wonderful. He really tries. The biggest difference between us is that he is happy to come home and chill by himself in his chair. I, on the other hand, want to meet up with friends and chat or socialize. I crave those interactions.
I guess I will just have to buckle down and focus and get my dissertation done so I can focus on the fun stuff. And for now, I will have to have a blast when we meet up with another couple for dinner. I wonder where we will go... but really it doesn't matter! Anywhere is great with me!
So far, now that I have hit the one month of being married mark, I think the hardest part has been the move. I love my husband and I love my job. I am even starting to be more comfortable at the church we have found. But I miss my friends. I miss my school and the routine of going in to study with my grad school friends. I still talk to some friends and my best friends will always be there for me, I know. But it is just different.
Part of me thinks the lack of social interaction might be good. It will keep me focused until after I am done with my dissertation. But the other part of me still misses my coffee dates with Tiffany, my bi-weekly pedi dates with Susan and my weekly dinners with Ami. I didn't move far, just far enough to make keeping up and not missing anything a challenge.
Chris has been wonderful. He really tries. The biggest difference between us is that he is happy to come home and chill by himself in his chair. I, on the other hand, want to meet up with friends and chat or socialize. I crave those interactions.
I guess I will just have to buckle down and focus and get my dissertation done so I can focus on the fun stuff. And for now, I will have to have a blast when we meet up with another couple for dinner. I wonder where we will go... but really it doesn't matter! Anywhere is great with me!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Stitches and Support
So this last weekend we spent the night out at my husband's family lake house. I love it out there. It is absolutely beautiful. There is forested areas and a quiet dock out over the lake. Plus, it is where my husband proposed so it has that special meaning. Anyway... we brought our two kids with us out to the lake. One of our girls is a 4 year old yellow lab named Koda and the other is a 7 year old sheltie named Precious. They are our girls and are spoiled and loved beyond belief. They are very well behaved and well trained if I do say so myself. We travel with them quite often and together, the 4 of us make a very happy little family.
So we were doing some work on the lake house this weekend and the neighbor and his big dog came over to visit. Now this dog who we will just call Evil for now has had a past history of being mean. He has gotten into fights with other dogs and has even cornered Precious and me on the dock. My brother-in-law had to chase him away on a four-wheeler so I could safely get off the dock! Well, Evil and his owner come over. I see him and quickly send Precious inside. My brother-in-law's girlfriend sees Evil coming for us, teeth bared and hair on end. and defends herself and us with a rake. She never makes contact with the dog but scares him off. Evil then returns to his owner and they proceed around the house to talk with my husband and his parents who are working on some electrical issues. Koda is there playing with her daddy. She never even sees Evil coming. Evil doesn't growl or give any warning. One minute he is standing there being good and the next minute he has lunged at my dear sweet Koda. She was completely blind-sided. She howls and turns on Evil. Chris comes flying out from under the house in full protective parent mood. He orders Koda back (which she obeys! Told you she was a good dog!). Evil continues to attack her. Chris flings himself at Evil, yelling and throwing up his arms. Evil finally runs off. And you know what!?!?! The entire time this was happening and even after, Evil's owner (my wonderful neighbor) does absolutely nothing. He never apologized for his dog or got his dog under control. I, having been on the other side of the house, only heard the whole thing. As soon as Evil ran off, Koda came running around the house to me with Chris closely on her heels. He explains what happened and I quickly check Koda over for injuries. She never whines or cries out. So we think the incident is over. Evil is gone and we let the girls continue playing in the yard and following us around happily for the rest of the day.
That night at the lake was my night to make dinner. Each family grouping takes turns making the main course and then the others will all help with sides and desserts. So I am making dinner and I notice a little blood on Koda's leg. My mother-in-law assures me that it is nothing, probably just a scratch from her tumble with Evil. I insist on being one of those crazy new moms and fussing over even the tiniest cut. So I wash my hands and lay Koda down to investigate where all the blood is coming from. I move a way some of her fur and find the wound. As I begin to clean the area I see it is not just a cut or a scrape, but a large gash right in her soft flanks area. I call Chris over and show him and insist that Koda be taken to the ER Vet. At first, the family thinks we should just put some antibacterial stuff on it and that she would be fine. But Chris sides with me and googles to find a vet that is open at 5:30 on a Saturday night. After finding one, I call and tell them Koda and Chris are on their way and he loads up our baby girl.
I feel like I am going crazy while they are gone. I can't seem to focus on making dinner. Precious senses something is wrong and continually alternates from waiting at the door to following me around. I have no news from Chris and all I can do is pray.
Finally Chris calls and says they are going to have to keep Koda overnight. He leaves her there with the assurance from the vet that they will call with any news. We pick Koda up the next morning around 10. The vet said everything looks better than expected. It turns out that Koda has a 2.5 inch gash where Evil's bottom tooth entered her when he bit her. She also has a smaller (1 inch) gash where his top tooth got her. Overall, the bit mark is about 5 inches wide (from top bit gash to bottom bit gash). The vet decided to leave the drainage tube in Koda to help prevent any infections. He said we needed to give her medication twice a day, put a warm compress on the tube twice a day, and keep her calm for the next week. The last bit of those directions are proving to be the hardest part. As Koda continues to heal, her playful lab demeanor returns undaunted. We are going in today to have the stitches checked and hopefully the tube removed. Then on Saturday we will return and they will remove all of the stitches. In all, Koda is projected to make a full recovery.
So what will come of Evil? Well, Sunday after we got Koda back from the vet, Chris and his dad went over to talk with the neighbor. They didn't really care if he paid for the vet bills but were more interested that he take responsibility for his dog. They wanted to make sure he understood the dog was no longer welcome on our property. Chris and his dad knocked to no avail. No one ever came to the door.
The big decision now is whether or not we report Evil and his assault on Koda to animal control. The county has a law that if any dog attacks another it must then be controlled by a leash. what is more important is that by reporting the incident to the proper authorities, we will have started a record. Then the next time something happens there will be an accurate history of Evil's past transgressions. I vote that we do report Evil. Even if nothing can be done now, I want the authorities to keep a legal record. I am concerned about future attacks on my girls, on people, and on any future kids that might come around. Others in the family want to talk with the neighbor first and try to be neighborly. I understand this point of view but my feelings of neighborliness went out the window when my little girl got a ton of stitches. This puts Chris in a hard position. We need to respect the family's wishes to wait until they try to talk to the neighbor again but if we wait to long, we will not be able to report it because too much time will have passed. A decision must be made and action must be taken within the week at the very latest.
This is where the tough new wife lesson comes in. I know how I feel and I know what I want to do. But I must support my husband and his decision. He is the head of our family and I must respect that. I told him how I feel and what I think and then I told him I would support whatever decision he made. I want to relieve some of the rock/hard spot metaphor. I want him to know that he will not be disappointing me if he does what the family has asked. I wish I could promise him that the not disappointing would work both ways but that is not my promise to make. I will do my very best to support my husband in his decision. No matter what the decision is, I just hope we can both live with any consequences.
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| The girls and me at the lake near Oak Mountain after a full day of hiking. Gotta love those outdoor adventures! |
So we were doing some work on the lake house this weekend and the neighbor and his big dog came over to visit. Now this dog who we will just call Evil for now has had a past history of being mean. He has gotten into fights with other dogs and has even cornered Precious and me on the dock. My brother-in-law had to chase him away on a four-wheeler so I could safely get off the dock! Well, Evil and his owner come over. I see him and quickly send Precious inside. My brother-in-law's girlfriend sees Evil coming for us, teeth bared and hair on end. and defends herself and us with a rake. She never makes contact with the dog but scares him off. Evil then returns to his owner and they proceed around the house to talk with my husband and his parents who are working on some electrical issues. Koda is there playing with her daddy. She never even sees Evil coming. Evil doesn't growl or give any warning. One minute he is standing there being good and the next minute he has lunged at my dear sweet Koda. She was completely blind-sided. She howls and turns on Evil. Chris comes flying out from under the house in full protective parent mood. He orders Koda back (which she obeys! Told you she was a good dog!). Evil continues to attack her. Chris flings himself at Evil, yelling and throwing up his arms. Evil finally runs off. And you know what!?!?! The entire time this was happening and even after, Evil's owner (my wonderful neighbor) does absolutely nothing. He never apologized for his dog or got his dog under control. I, having been on the other side of the house, only heard the whole thing. As soon as Evil ran off, Koda came running around the house to me with Chris closely on her heels. He explains what happened and I quickly check Koda over for injuries. She never whines or cries out. So we think the incident is over. Evil is gone and we let the girls continue playing in the yard and following us around happily for the rest of the day.
That night at the lake was my night to make dinner. Each family grouping takes turns making the main course and then the others will all help with sides and desserts. So I am making dinner and I notice a little blood on Koda's leg. My mother-in-law assures me that it is nothing, probably just a scratch from her tumble with Evil. I insist on being one of those crazy new moms and fussing over even the tiniest cut. So I wash my hands and lay Koda down to investigate where all the blood is coming from. I move a way some of her fur and find the wound. As I begin to clean the area I see it is not just a cut or a scrape, but a large gash right in her soft flanks area. I call Chris over and show him and insist that Koda be taken to the ER Vet. At first, the family thinks we should just put some antibacterial stuff on it and that she would be fine. But Chris sides with me and googles to find a vet that is open at 5:30 on a Saturday night. After finding one, I call and tell them Koda and Chris are on their way and he loads up our baby girl.
I feel like I am going crazy while they are gone. I can't seem to focus on making dinner. Precious senses something is wrong and continually alternates from waiting at the door to following me around. I have no news from Chris and all I can do is pray.
Finally Chris calls and says they are going to have to keep Koda overnight. He leaves her there with the assurance from the vet that they will call with any news. We pick Koda up the next morning around 10. The vet said everything looks better than expected. It turns out that Koda has a 2.5 inch gash where Evil's bottom tooth entered her when he bit her. She also has a smaller (1 inch) gash where his top tooth got her. Overall, the bit mark is about 5 inches wide (from top bit gash to bottom bit gash). The vet decided to leave the drainage tube in Koda to help prevent any infections. He said we needed to give her medication twice a day, put a warm compress on the tube twice a day, and keep her calm for the next week. The last bit of those directions are proving to be the hardest part. As Koda continues to heal, her playful lab demeanor returns undaunted. We are going in today to have the stitches checked and hopefully the tube removed. Then on Saturday we will return and they will remove all of the stitches. In all, Koda is projected to make a full recovery.
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| Koda with her stitches and drain tube! Poor girl!! |
So what will come of Evil? Well, Sunday after we got Koda back from the vet, Chris and his dad went over to talk with the neighbor. They didn't really care if he paid for the vet bills but were more interested that he take responsibility for his dog. They wanted to make sure he understood the dog was no longer welcome on our property. Chris and his dad knocked to no avail. No one ever came to the door.
The big decision now is whether or not we report Evil and his assault on Koda to animal control. The county has a law that if any dog attacks another it must then be controlled by a leash. what is more important is that by reporting the incident to the proper authorities, we will have started a record. Then the next time something happens there will be an accurate history of Evil's past transgressions. I vote that we do report Evil. Even if nothing can be done now, I want the authorities to keep a legal record. I am concerned about future attacks on my girls, on people, and on any future kids that might come around. Others in the family want to talk with the neighbor first and try to be neighborly. I understand this point of view but my feelings of neighborliness went out the window when my little girl got a ton of stitches. This puts Chris in a hard position. We need to respect the family's wishes to wait until they try to talk to the neighbor again but if we wait to long, we will not be able to report it because too much time will have passed. A decision must be made and action must be taken within the week at the very latest.
This is where the tough new wife lesson comes in. I know how I feel and I know what I want to do. But I must support my husband and his decision. He is the head of our family and I must respect that. I told him how I feel and what I think and then I told him I would support whatever decision he made. I want to relieve some of the rock/hard spot metaphor. I want him to know that he will not be disappointing me if he does what the family has asked. I wish I could promise him that the not disappointing would work both ways but that is not my promise to make. I will do my very best to support my husband in his decision. No matter what the decision is, I just hope we can both live with any consequences.
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