The weather in the last 48 hours has left me wondering, "What season is it?"
Punxsutawney Phil announced on Groundhog Day that there would be six more weeks of winter. I added it up. Basically that just means that spring would start when all the calendars say the first day of spring is: March 20, 2009.
That was a week ago. And while a week ago it was getting mighty close to summertime temperatures here, this week brought plain old spring showers and moderate temperatures.
Until yesterday, when the wind started blowing like we're in Oklahoma and the temperatures dipped down into the 30's. I do believe at this very moment there is a wind chill of 44 degrees (Fahrenheit). Basically, it is an awful lot like winter here today.
My closet right now is portraying the chaos that is end of winter/early spring in Texas: T-shirts, tank tops, sweatshirts, Capri pants, flip-flops, boots, and scarves jumbled together. Because who knows what I'll need to wear tomorrow, or next Wednesday.
(And come to think of it, if I take a cue from the fashion portrayed all season long on the last series of The Bachelor, I guess I can wear a tank top, boots, and a scarf all at the same time without a qualm.)
It is, thankfully, a perfect day to stay inside. I admit I'd rather be snuggled up on the sofa with some coffee and a good book than doing what I am actually doing today - housecleaning. However, the housecleaning has given me a chance to listen to music, something I need to do more often.
Emotionally, it's been a tough week. There's no rhyme or reason as to when my moods go up and down anymore. The lyrics of Ginny Owens' song, "If You Want Me To" pretty much describe my own thoughts and feelings going through this infertility journey.
So, I'll end this post with the lyrics that I've been listening to today (although it's so much better to hear it for yourself...but that would require purchasing the mp3).
The pathway is broken
And The signs are unclear
And I don't know the reason why You brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If You want me to
Chorus:
No, I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise You're not through with me yet
so if all of these trials bring me closer to you
Then I will walk through the fire
If You want me to
It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my home
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone
So when the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear You answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering that Your love put You through
And I will walk through the darkness
If You want me to
Cuz when I cross over Jordan
I'm gonna sing, gonna shout,
Gonna look into Your eyes and see You never let me down
So take me on the pathway that leads me home to You
And I will walk though the valley
If You want me to
Yes, I will walk through the valley
If You want me to
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Recap of a last-minute weekend trip
Now, I have relatives that live in Oklahoma. Mostly I go there in the summertime, but I made a very last-minute decision on Saturday to drive up to the capital of that state to the north in order to see my husband in actual real-life (as opposed to talking to him on the phone).
Maybe it's because it's the beginnings of spring, or maybe it's because of global warming, or maybe it's because I have just been totally unobservant over the past 30 years, but I observed for the first time that Oklahoma City has got to be the windiest city ever!
(Dear relatives who are reading this and wondering why I did not come see you during my whirlwind trip to your state,
a.) note the "whirlwind trip" reference
b.) this was a very last minute decision (see first paragraph)
c.) I really just came to reacquaint myself with my spouse
d.) We will both come visit you again at some point, I promise! And we miss you!)
I approximate the average wind speed in that city to be 28 miles per hour with regular gusts of 50 miles per hour.
Because I am a meteorological expert, of course, and can just whip out facts like that at a moment's notice.
OK. Honestly I have no idea of the wind speeds, but my hair was constantly a mess and people were nearly blowing over on the sidewalks. I might or might not have seen a small dog and the Wicked Witch of the West hurtling through the air. It could have been a mini-tornado.
So, my advice to tourists planning to visit OKC: bring some hair accessories to tie your hair back and keep your small dog on a leash with a firm grip.
I enjoyed the weekend and discovered that, not only is Oklahoma City extraordinarily windy, but it is also the home of the annual prepaid legal convention. And there are thousands of people in the prepaid legal business.
Just in case you're wondering, prepaid legal is apparently more like insurance salesmen and not so much anything having to do with being a lawyer. However, prepaid legal services do come in handy if your company offers a low-priced deal and you can basically get a lawyer to write up your will for $30. I admit we procured prepaid legal services through John's work in order to have this very thing done for us.
We still get mail from that lawyer advertising cruises that he will be a part of where we can conveniently learn all about estate-planning in our spare time while aboard the ship. Because isn't that what we all want to do while on a cruise that we've paid for in both money and vacation days?
Yeah, me neither.
And all this rambling has made me tired (or maybe it's the late hour way past my bedtime that has made me tired), so I shall, thankfully, end this post.
You're welcome.
Maybe it's because it's the beginnings of spring, or maybe it's because of global warming, or maybe it's because I have just been totally unobservant over the past 30 years, but I observed for the first time that Oklahoma City has got to be the windiest city ever!
(Dear relatives who are reading this and wondering why I did not come see you during my whirlwind trip to your state,
a.) note the "whirlwind trip" reference
b.) this was a very last minute decision (see first paragraph)
c.) I really just came to reacquaint myself with my spouse
d.) We will both come visit you again at some point, I promise! And we miss you!)
I approximate the average wind speed in that city to be 28 miles per hour with regular gusts of 50 miles per hour.
Because I am a meteorological expert, of course, and can just whip out facts like that at a moment's notice.
OK. Honestly I have no idea of the wind speeds, but my hair was constantly a mess and people were nearly blowing over on the sidewalks. I might or might not have seen a small dog and the Wicked Witch of the West hurtling through the air. It could have been a mini-tornado.
So, my advice to tourists planning to visit OKC: bring some hair accessories to tie your hair back and keep your small dog on a leash with a firm grip.
I enjoyed the weekend and discovered that, not only is Oklahoma City extraordinarily windy, but it is also the home of the annual prepaid legal convention. And there are thousands of people in the prepaid legal business.
Just in case you're wondering, prepaid legal is apparently more like insurance salesmen and not so much anything having to do with being a lawyer. However, prepaid legal services do come in handy if your company offers a low-priced deal and you can basically get a lawyer to write up your will for $30. I admit we procured prepaid legal services through John's work in order to have this very thing done for us.
We still get mail from that lawyer advertising cruises that he will be a part of where we can conveniently learn all about estate-planning in our spare time while aboard the ship. Because isn't that what we all want to do while on a cruise that we've paid for in both money and vacation days?
Yeah, me neither.
And all this rambling has made me tired (or maybe it's the late hour way past my bedtime that has made me tired), so I shall, thankfully, end this post.
You're welcome.
Friday, March 13, 2009
It is finished.
The post, that is.
After priming the post on the front porch, we waited almost as long as we could possibly wait before actually painting the thing. I believe the can of primer said we must paint over the primer within 30 days or we would need to re-prime.
We were NOT going to re-prime, so on day 28 we decided the paint must go on!
(Not that we were procrastinating or anything.)
(No, really! The weather just happened to offer us hurricane-force winds and/or bitter cold and /or misty drizzle for the past three weekends. Not ideal for painting outside.)
At this point I feel the need to admit that my sweet husband was the one who got out there and painted the post. I helped a bit in the clean-up process.
So, we now have a beautiful, freshly painted, white post on our front porch. I take it as a compliment that it doesn't stand out anymore...even though that means no one will really notice that we repainted it.
By the way, we have a new camera now, so technically I could take a picture of the post in all its glory, but without a "before" picture I am certain you wouldn't be too impressed by a picture of a plain old white post.
However, I will show you why we are now dreading the process of re-painting the other wood structures on our house.
(And yes, that picture was taken several years ago during the summertime because, well, it has been raining for three days here and is approximately 30 degrees outside. I do not wish to tromp around in the mud and freezing rain to take a picture of the patio right now. Don't worry. Before we paint I'll make sure to get a good close-up to document how old, peeling, and filthy the paint on the patio really is.)
It took a month to paint a POST...ONE POST...maybe five weeks.
By my calculations, it will take approximately six and a half years to get the back patio done from start to finish.
Add another few months to that because I'm pretty sure it will take at least that long to finally get started.
On the up side, we have a camera that works and you will have a "before" picture, so I can effectively post an "after" picture! In 2014. The projected completion date.
After priming the post on the front porch, we waited almost as long as we could possibly wait before actually painting the thing. I believe the can of primer said we must paint over the primer within 30 days or we would need to re-prime.
We were NOT going to re-prime, so on day 28 we decided the paint must go on!
(Not that we were procrastinating or anything.)
(No, really! The weather just happened to offer us hurricane-force winds and/or bitter cold and /or misty drizzle for the past three weekends. Not ideal for painting outside.)
At this point I feel the need to admit that my sweet husband was the one who got out there and painted the post. I helped a bit in the clean-up process.
So, we now have a beautiful, freshly painted, white post on our front porch. I take it as a compliment that it doesn't stand out anymore...even though that means no one will really notice that we repainted it.
By the way, we have a new camera now, so technically I could take a picture of the post in all its glory, but without a "before" picture I am certain you wouldn't be too impressed by a picture of a plain old white post.
However, I will show you why we are now dreading the process of re-painting the other wood structures on our house.
(And yes, that picture was taken several years ago during the summertime because, well, it has been raining for three days here and is approximately 30 degrees outside. I do not wish to tromp around in the mud and freezing rain to take a picture of the patio right now. Don't worry. Before we paint I'll make sure to get a good close-up to document how old, peeling, and filthy the paint on the patio really is.)
It took a month to paint a POST...ONE POST...maybe five weeks.
By my calculations, it will take approximately six and a half years to get the back patio done from start to finish.
Add another few months to that because I'm pretty sure it will take at least that long to finally get started.
On the up side, we have a camera that works and you will have a "before" picture, so I can effectively post an "after" picture! In 2014. The projected completion date.
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Ups and Downs
There are probably several of you (and by that I mean probably one of you) who would like a quick update on the fertility front.
First of all, we are grateful we have so many people who love us and are praying for us through this process. I just don't know how I would be responding to or dealing with stuff if I didn't have hope in God - that He is in control and really has the best plan for us.
The first IUI treatment was unsuccessful. Even though it didn't work, all the support and encouragement we receive is so important to us. Thank you! We will continue trying for a while longer, so please continue to pray for us. I trust that God will guide us in how far to walk on this road.
Lucky me - I was in a small percentage of women who undergo injections for ovulation that suffer some quite uncomfortable side-effects. While this condition does not affect pregnancy one way or the other, it is a bit painful and frustrating. Because I'm still having some effects, we are taking some time off for recovery before the next IUI.
It's both discouraging and a relief. Disappointing and a nice break from the medications and doctor visits.
Ups and downs is what it boils down to. I'll post another update when there's something to update.
In the meantime, I do hope you enjoy your weekend. I'm off to do some really exciting things like mop the floor, return some library books, and see my husband for about the third time this week.
(Actually, that last to-do item IS pretty exciting! Thankfully his constant travel is coming to a close in the next couple weeks.)
First of all, we are grateful we have so many people who love us and are praying for us through this process. I just don't know how I would be responding to or dealing with stuff if I didn't have hope in God - that He is in control and really has the best plan for us.
The first IUI treatment was unsuccessful. Even though it didn't work, all the support and encouragement we receive is so important to us. Thank you! We will continue trying for a while longer, so please continue to pray for us. I trust that God will guide us in how far to walk on this road.
Lucky me - I was in a small percentage of women who undergo injections for ovulation that suffer some quite uncomfortable side-effects. While this condition does not affect pregnancy one way or the other, it is a bit painful and frustrating. Because I'm still having some effects, we are taking some time off for recovery before the next IUI.
It's both discouraging and a relief. Disappointing and a nice break from the medications and doctor visits.
Ups and downs is what it boils down to. I'll post another update when there's something to update.
In the meantime, I do hope you enjoy your weekend. I'm off to do some really exciting things like mop the floor, return some library books, and see my husband for about the third time this week.
(Actually, that last to-do item IS pretty exciting! Thankfully his constant travel is coming to a close in the next couple weeks.)
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