Countdown to Gallbladder Eviction

We had a lovely Christmas. J and I chose to get each other experiences for Christmas. I got us a 3 hr glassblowing class and he got us a weekend away at a resort in marble falls. We also did stocking stuffers, which are always fun. Then we watched die hard and die hard 2 before going to his family's place for dinner and the white elephant gift exchange where we proudly walked away with a quesadilla maker for him and a neck massager for me. It was a lovely mid-week break before we both had to go back to work.

The night before

The day of... as usual, Ace wanted to eat the plastic instead of play with his presents.

The pre-festivities nap

We had a great time on Christmas. Then we has to work for a couple of days, and my friend A came to town Friday night. We went to cocina frescoes for food and black pearl margaritas, then walked around GeekOut for a while, then tried the new martini lounge. It was really good.

Black pearl

Margaritas and a white mocha martini.

What it says in the martini lounge. Lol. Good times.

We had a lazy Saturday of listening to the HUGE storm that came thru, then having papa murphys for lunch since we figure it might be a while before I want/can have pizza post surgery. A went home and J and I continued to lounge on the couch with the kitty. 

I have to work Sunday thru Tuesday due to a lack of PTO and the need to take Thursday off for my gallbladder eviction. Its been acting up intermittently all week, which is making me feel better about evicting it, tbh. I mean, if it wasn't causing me pain, I'd be less likely to want to take it out. Tho now I know it's only working at 4% and who ever keeps something that only works at 4%??? You don't, you get rid of it. Everyone I've talked to says it's a game changer. You feel better, you have more energy, you have a day or 2 of uncomfortableness and then the bliss of having the useless organ removed. I'm still a little nervous about the anesthesia, but mostly I'm ready for the post-eviction life! I've got my bile pills, I'll get my painkillers before the surgery, and j is ready to take care of me. The cutie already has a hotel room on stand by in case I'm not up for the 45 min drive back home, we'll be taking the van cuz I think it'll be easier to get into and out of, and I've warned him that my coworkers are going to be rather curious to meet the man I married. Hehe. Hopefully E doesn't actually get out the spot light in the interrogation room (my office). It's gonna be strange being at work as a patient, but it's comforting knowing who will be taking care of me. Our surgeon is great, so that also helps my surgery anxieties. I'm mostly afraid of what I might say coming out of anesthesia. A always said some funny shit... I wonder if I'll be funny, angry, or just spew TMI all over the place. Lol... I guess we'll see. I told J he can't hold anything I say against me until the anesthesia wears off. So, yeah. It's gonna be a weird day. 

Anyway, hope you all had a lovely Christmas as well. As we head into the new year, let's look forward with hope and kindness as life is crazy enough without us making things harder for each other. Sending all my love to my friends and family far and wide, and to those who stumble across this blog. Much love to all! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Pre-Christmas Date Weekend

Hello all! So at the ornament party last Saturday, our friends were telling us about some fun stuff to donin grapevine, so I asked J if he wanted to do a date night up north od the metroplex and he said sure! So after the standard work week, I went out to Eastland for margaritas with A (cuz, you know, it's cheaper than normal therapy and possibly more effective), and then picked up J on Friday and headed up to Grapevine. 

A got a super pretty watermelon margarita. This place is good, close to her home, and i get to give her dad hell, which is always fun, too. I love my tex-mex family.

J and I took the toll roads up north to avoid traffic, which was a good idea. We had a late lunch at Anamias in Coppell (of course) and then walked around the grapevine mills mall for just a bit. We wanted to check out the Disney store, I ended up getting some things from Torrid cuz they were on super sale, and we had some fun wandering around before we decided it was too much. We left thru the arcade where he beat me at the axe throwing game by 2 points, and we tied at the jurassic world game. Lol. Then we went to the hotel, got a little fancy, and sat downstairs in the bar for a bit until we got a little tipsy and decided to go to bed.

It wad a perfectly lovely time. We ended up getting a hotel because I asked him how crazy we wanted to get and we decided hotel crazy. Lol. The next morning we got up, had coffee, and headed to downtown Grapevine to see what they had going on as the "Christmas capital of Texas."

As we wandered up and down main street, looking at the vendor stalls and popping into the shops, we found some things that were cure, some that were strange, and some that were downright horrifying. 

Jay says he felt his soul being sucked away, so he turned and found that once again his picture was being taken. LOL... I'm not THAT bad. 

We popped into a Christian book store and coffee shop and had to laugh at the 'Catholic Corner' they had set up. Remember to put your catholics in a corner. They will get into all kinds of shenanigans if you let them wander willy nilly all the time! Much better to keep an eye on them in the corner where they must be approached by others. LOL. However, I did find myself in a rather urgent need for a bathroom at one point and many places (including coffee shops) said no public restrooms so we took off at a pretty decent clip down the road until we found the Warhammer citadel store and cafe.

Big space marine

Fun stuffs

I wanna know if any of the players try to use this guy.

They had a restroom, thank God. We perused their inventory, gor a couple drinks and a blueberry muffin to share, and J got some more stuffs for his army. 

I may need to go back for this. It's plushy, it's spiky, and it had a skull! It's all my favorite things in one!!!

We had lunch at a place that said it was the margarita capital of TX, and while the margarita was good, I wouldn't say it was great. Food was good tho. Then we headed back home cuz J was hosting D&D that night. His people came over and they played while I read my books and listened and laughed at them. Mostly cuz "this is a one-off, just a 30 min campaign." "Oh, we'll fix that!" ... 3.5 hrs later "We won!" "Only because (the DM) let us." Me:"Oh I know I heard. Something about the port key being a cookie that someone IMMEDIATELY ate because... cookie." It was entertaining to say the least. Lol.

So now back to a semblance of reality for a few days. J has to work Sunday and Monday, and I think Thursday. I'm working Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday this week. Then Sunday, Monday, Tuesday next week. Then Thursday next week I'll be AT work, but as a patient for the first time ever, as that's the day of the gallbladder eviction. J is taking that day and the following Sunday off so that he can take care of me while I recuperate. I'm not anticipating any issues. Its weird getting surgery at the same place I work, but also kind of comforting because I know the people already, I know the facility, I know the process, the only thing that will worry me is if I wake up on med surg, not in PACU. But, again, not going to worry about it. The best thing is, my somewhat angry organ is going to come out so it will stop causing me pain. You know, I got to thinking about it, and I think I initially went to see a doc about this when I worked at GRMC the first time so call it 2015-ish. That doc told me it was probably just gas. Sigh... I'm glad I changed PCPs when I came back. And our surgeon is awesome, so no worries there. Finally no more weird pain in my side!! Oh, and I'm no longer taking the migraine med due to the side effect of losing feeling in my extremities. My fingertips were starting to go numb on the left, and then the right side was starting too. My doc said to go ahead and stop taking the med, so I'll do that and see what the neuro says in Feb. Ah, the fun medical things!! I'm interested to see what the endocrinologist has to say once all THAT goes down. 

Anyway, darlings, I hope you are all doing well. I hope you are staying warm, I hope your shopping is done, your cooking goes well, all appliances behave normally, and your Christmas I filled with joy and goodwill. I hope you can get some rest, hold your loved ones close either in your arms or in your heart, and look toward the new year with hope. No matter what is going on big-scale-wise, we can all be a little light on a small scale. Small acts of kindness help make the world a better place, even for just a second. Hugs and love to all ❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰🥰

Good Times

I had a work thing in Austin on Thursday. It was part of the program to help study for taking the CPHQ exam. Im proud to announce that the legacy is held up... I kicked @$$ at Jeopardy, and won first place at kahoot. Well, the first round anyway. The 2nd round I SUCKED at. Turned out I did so well at the questions that my fellow peoples were speculating on if I was a nurse! I had to laugh at that because anyone who knows me would know that I'd have a HORRIBLE bedside manner. It was a productive class tho, and I was able to network with the state office of rural health and other quality professionals from around texas, so that's nice.

Nice hotel

GREAT drinks and food

My pile of winnings from Jeopardy

Lunch was provided

After class beverages at the bar. 

So nice that my bestie could come up and see me! So much love for this Chica.

Traffic home was surprisingly not bad. When i got home, J and i ended up having lunch at cocina frescoes, and then wandering around GeekOut, as per usual. Then we had some errands to run. Saturday we had a gathering to decorate ornaments, have some cocktails, and watch some Christmas movies. We also meant to decorate sugar cookies, but drinks were flowing and we didn't quite get around to that. Lol. 

We are so cute

People were over! 

It was so sweet of them to brave the 2 flights of stairs. It was a PJ party as well because comfort is key. Now we can start really trying to get rid of the person eating couch. Lol.

This week is business as usual, then since Christmas is on Wednesday I've got some weird work days coming up until the gallbladder eviction on Jan 2. I'm soooo ready for it to come out. I'm hoping what people have been telling me is true and all the stomach/digestive issues I've been having get better after the lazy organ is removed. Honestly I'm ready, tho anesthesia freaks me out. At least I know the surgeon, nurses, and facility pretty well. Lol. 

Which is the real Ace??? 

Ace is having a lazy Sunday and I hope you are, too. Lol. Much love, all.

Ever Vigilant

The other day my hubby and i had an interaction that caused me to think about how differently we move through the world. We had dinner at Fuzzys in Arlington and as we were leaving I turned left to go back to the car and he turned right. I teased him about going the long way around the back, and he said it wasn't any longer, we bantered a bit and then dropped it as we went his way. On the way home in the car I mulled over why going right and around the building bothered me, and why I had the thought 'now we get mugged.' Then it hit me. Going right thru the empty parking lot and around the back of the buildings set off all my alarm bells as being unsafe. The area is well-lit, but fairly empty, and had I been alone I would not have felt comfortable taking that route. That's why I naturally turned left to follow the main road until I would have turned between the business establishments we came thru to get to the car. It's been so ingrained in me to stay where it's heavily trafficked during dark times of the day that even when I'm with my hubby I feel uneasy going against those instincts. He, on the other hand, doesn't have those instincts. He used to walk thru Dallas at night playing his harmonica. He can go where he pleases. I got some of that kind of life when I was overseas. I never felt unsafe in Korea, never worried about who or what was lurking in the shadows... I miss that, sometimes. Come to think of it, I didn't worry about it too much in R-town either. Huh... guess I've gotten jumpy in my old age. 

Another thing happened that makes me wonder how many times Dad has been pitied for having all girls. A coworker is getting ready for a wedding. In my boss's office the other day said coworker expressed that they were happy they only have one daughter and told my boss he should be happy he has all boys. I got to wondering how many people over the years have told dad they feel bad for him having all girls. From the inevitable period jokes to having to pay for weddings. Then I thought it really depends on how you raise them as to how much you're expected to pay. I can't speak for others but I can say my parents raised 3 extremely independent women (mom sometimes bemoans this fact) and have not had to complain about any of us expecting expensive weddings. I have no idea what older sis's wedding expenses were, as I was merely traumatized by making her cake and was 16 at the time! My own wedding was cost-efficient and fun. Dad's contribution was much appreciated and not at all expected. And younger sis got married at the courthouse! It just makes me sad that the 'poor man has all daughters' trope hasn't died as fast as the 'I hate my spouse' trope has. I used to wonder if dad wished he had a son. Now I think he's just happy we are all finding our ways in life. He did mention he'd like to know why mo and I both had gallbladders that decided to go kaput. No real answer for him there, I'm afraid. We're female, in our 40s, and fertile. That's the gallbladder trifecta, apparently.

Anyway, what else happened this week? Well, on Friday my bestie and her dad brought up a couch and a dresser for us. We wrangled them up the stairs and now we are rocking the 2 couch living room. We are planning a get-together next weekend, so the 2 couch thing is ok for now, but if no one takes the 2nd one by Christmas we'll need to haul it to the dump. 

J says now we have room for all the stuffies. Lol.

Bestie and her dad were having fun looking at all of Js fun stuffs.

I sooo love this Chica!

After that, J and I went to Home Depot for feet for the old couch as the ones it has are disintegrating and tearing up the floor (oops). Then off to Costco for some stuffs. We brought up the Costco haul, had lunch (Ceasars salad and pizza from costco), then he took a nap (he's coming down with something) while I went to Kroger for soup and baking essentials. I got home, hauled the things up, realized it had been a VERY productive day, then changed into PJs, layed down on the new couch and finished The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Its a wonderful book, written as letters. I highly recommend it.

I tried a new recipe this weekend. Leek and potato soup.

All this

Became this

And turned into that. It tasted AMAZING. 

Then I baked some ginger molasses cookies, and Ace seemed to want to eat them. 

I didn't trust him. For good reason. He ended up jumping on the table.

Sunday I'm making an old favorite. Potato and artichoke heart soup in tomato broth. And making oatmeal raisin cookies for a friend at work. I just figured out if we leave the light above the stove on, and I put the butter in the microwave, it should soften ok. J and I are playing "how cold can the apt get before I turn on the heat." My madman of a hubby has informed me that when he lived alone he NEVER turned on the heat. I have informed him that I'm all for saving $ but when the apt itself gets into the 50's common sense rules all. It's been hanging out around 63ish, which is fine as long as I have a couch blanket and hoodies 😁. The oven in this apt just can't heat the place like the one in my old apt. Lol. This one is ever so slightly bigger. On the upper hand, Ace has become a cuddle buddy.

Getting comfy....

Sacked out kitty bug.

He may be a menAce, but he's a cute, soft one. 😁

Anyway, that brings you up to date on my deep thoughts and our shenanigans. Its another busy week ahead, so fun, fun, fun! I hope you are all warm and for those affected by the snow, I hope you're able to either batten down the hatches or dig out. Warm hugs all around. 🫂❄️👩🏼‍🍳❤️🥰🥰🥰

December Already??

Last weekend we were coming back from KS so I wasn't able to write a post. This weekend we were lazy at home for most of it, so I was able to catch up. 

It was a lovely visit with gma and gpa. We even got to visit downtown this time around and check out the new claw machine shop. You can buy Japanese stuffies or you can buy tokens and try to win them! My claw machine savant of a hubby won me a duck!

What duck?

We even got to catch up with my friend M from high school. It was very nice. She kind of gushed a bit over my hubby, as she said she never thought I'd get married. A sentiment I'm sure many share.

We had some great pizza ar Rudy's after checking out a used book store (the dusty bookshelf, which has a Dina, a bookstore cat). It was great seeing gma and gpa. Gma hasn't lost any of her cooking skills, she made us a great lunch of a roast, mashed potatoes with gravy, and carrots. It was delicious. Gma also sent us home with banana bread and we went to aldi for other snacks. We helped bring in her groceries and spent lots of time chatting with her and gpa in the living room. Gpa even caught me up on some family history, we cone from a long line of characters, i must say. I did get my Taco John's on the way, which is always a treat.

We also were able to stop at free state brewery for a meal and a brew, which was nice. 

I had a brat burger with saurkraut and mustard. The brew was an Ad Astra, which happens to be Dads favorite, too. Ask J about his plate of beans, also known as the black bean quesadilla. Lol. On the way home we stopped in Denton at Portillos and I had a polish sausage and salad. 😁

It was delicious. 

We also got to see my older sis and brother in law before they quit truck driving. So that was nice. I was able to give Mo her Christmas presents, tho I did forget to bring her any of gmas banana bread. Oops. Lol. J and I have enjoyed it immensely.

We spent Thanksgiving at J's sisters, and then enjoyed a rather lazy weekend together. It was lovely, tho my stomach and associated systems were not being nice to me. I've been having some pains in my right side over the past few years, and I've gotten them checked at my doc's. The problem has been that by the time I have an ultrasound the pain has been gone. This time, I was able to get the ultrasound done while I was having pains. Turns out, this is called a 'positive murphys sign' which is an indicator of an inflamed gallbladder. We talked to the surgeon at work who ordered a HIDA scan to see what % my gallbladder is working. He said below 30 is abnormal, between 30 and 40 we'll talk options, above 40 is usually ok. Well, the HIDA came back at... drum roll please... 4%. So the eviction of my gallbladder is scheduled for Jan 2. 

For those who don't know, the function of the gallbladder is to hold bile and release it to aid in digestion when you eat something fatty. If it isn't emptying (like mine) it can become inflamed and, if it gets bad enough, burst. So we are gonna get rid of it before it bursts. The stomach issues I've been having have kinda freaked me out because I don't want emergency surgery. Especially since we don't do that at my hospital. I also wanted our current surgeon to be the one to do the surgery, and he's planning to retire soon. So here's hoping my stupid gallbladder holds on until Jan 2 when it can be properly evicted as planned. Saturday my stomach played nice, so 🤞🏻🤞🏻

I had also tweaked my back a few weeks ago when we were in San Antonio and while that is doing better, it's not 100% yet. I was able to get some muscle relaxers, which help, and my shark that hubby got me is perfect for putting under my knees at night, so that also helps. Hopefully with some yoga the disc will slip back into place. Or I'll be able to get an appt with my chiropractor. I may have to *shudder* call his office. So yeah, all the medical crap just continues to hit the proverbial fan. Still have an appt for the endocrinologist in feb, followed by the follow up with my neurologist to check on the cyst on my pituitary gland (the tiny gland all up in the brain that controls a lot of hormones). Fun fun. 

Work-wise I finished my rural grant writing course with 100% (lol and woot, it wasn't meant to be difficult). I also am now a certified just culture champion, so I can add that to my resume. Next will be taking the CPHQ in Jan (certified professional of Healthcare quality). After that, my boss and I may be looking at getting a CHC. Certificate in Healthcare compliance. Work in a small hospital, wear a LOT of hats. 

So that pretty much brings you up to speed. I highly recommend Richard osman's The Thursday Murder Club book series, but be warned, they can and will rip your heart out. The movie is coming out sometime in 2025, I believe, with Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirran, and Ben Kingsley, so you can be sure I'm going to watch it. I think hubbs and I will be getting out the Christmas decorations today. He wants to go somewhere today, and as long as my stomach cooperates I'm ok with that. I have a thing that I need to send to AZ before the 25th, bets on if that happens? It's a cool present for her tho. 😁 much love to all. This has been one helluva roller coaster of a year. Between all the wedding stuffs, the wedding, the moving in together, all the medical stuff, work crap, figuring out meds, organs crapping out, and bring afraid my brain was gonna need surgery... and then all the things I don't blog about ... wow... 2024 really kicked my ass. Like... holy crap. RUDE. 2025 better be nicer... or maybe just... less. Course I'm not gonna be planning a wedding, getting married, or moving in with someone for the first time ever, so it's already gonna be less. I'm telling you, something happens to J, thats it for me. No more dating. I'm gonna be looking at big houses to live in with my female besties and our pets. 🙃😉😆 Golden Girls style, babes!!

I hope all of you are staying warm, enjoying the holiday season, and staying somewhat sane. Lol. I have beverages and a sympathetic ear when you need it. Much love ❤️❤️