It's a long one............

Whew. Who knew how crazy my life would be these past couple of weeks?! I have not had time to slow down, or, as the saying goes, "stop and smell the roses".

Here are the last few days in a nutshell:

Saturday, August 8: Arrive home from Nicaragua. Tired, and sleep deprived. Weary from standing on my feet 10 - 12 hours each day, and having no relief from the heat. (NO AIR CONDITIONING!)

Sunday, August 9: Up and on time for Sunday School and church. (Which was a miracle!) I tried to take a Sunday afternoon nap, but my mind was racing frantically over Brennan's first day of school the next day. Later in the evening, play practice for dinner theater at our church, which ran later than I wanted it to....But, I never really went to sleep that night anyway, so I guess it worked out okay.

Monday, August 10: My firstborn starts kindergarten. The day I've held in the back of my head for the past 5 years. I guess I thought it would magically never come around??? He did great. I did terrible. I never let him see me cry, but OH, I cried. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do: Letting my child out into the world without me. Fortunately for me, as I found out later, he has a FABULOUS teacher.

Tuesday, August 11: Before the morning even gets started, Ethan managed to spill my coffee all over him, our furniture, and our carpet. TWICE. No, I'm not a bad mother. Just panicked the first time he spilled it, and he went back for it again when I carelessly set my cup to the side while cleaning up the first spill. A week later some of our furniture is STILL in the garage airing out. That Nicaraguan coffee is some strong stuff. And no, my coffee (thank goodness) was not hot enough to burn him. And Ethan woke up with a lovely summer cold. Play practice in the evening. No tucking my boys in for the 10th night in a row.

Wednesday, August 12: Started off with Chad and I somehow colliding at the kitchen counter and a whole bottle of Benadryl being spilled all over the counters, cabinets, and floors, which escalated into a horrible fight between us, and both kids crying over it. I think this might have also been the day my uncle called my mother. Or maybe it was Tuesday. Whatever day it was, I'm over it. He's a thorn in my side, and I will say no more about it. I won't even give him credit for making my day worse. Enough said. Play practice in the evening. 11th night I didn't get to tuck my boys in and say bedtime prayers.

Thursday, August 13: I had to work. I love my job, and this could have quite possibly been the best day of the week. However, I went to Brennan's school for a meeting with his teacher (it was a school-wide event). Then went straight from there to DRESS REHEARSAL at church. Which, by the way, I was an hour late for. 12th night in a row I didn't get to put my kids in bed and cuddle with either of them.

Friday, August 14: Hold on to your hats. This day gets a little crazy. So, I had to work (which we are closed on Fridays, but because my boss is taking 2 weeks off for vacation next week, we had to work a Friday to make up for a day or so) and I was okay with it. Until I got there. Our first patient of the day was an extraction turned root canal from hell. He couldn't hardly open his mouth, and then he WHINED like a baby the whole time. While we were working on this root canal sent straight from the devil himself, it became awfully hot in the office. And it was only 8:00 a.m. I started sweating and wondering if I was having some sort of hot flash. Oh no. I'm not that lucky. Turns out, our air conditioner at the office had quit working. Yep. No air. Mississippi heat and humidity is probably something that can't be compared to any other location other than someplace like Louisiana. It was smothering HOT. Like someone had wrapped my body in a flannel blanket and wouldn't let go. Keep in mind we have to wear masks and glasses.

Well, about 2o minutes (literally) after we discover our air is out (thank you, Elaine for acting fast and calling the a/c man) we hear a strange, loud noise in the closet where our compressor is. (Keep in mind, our compressor controls everything from the air and water we use in the mouth, to the dental handpieces). Well, we soon learned our compressor was not working properly. It requires immediate attention from someone in the dental field, and wouldn't you know it? Most people in the dental field have taken Friday off, because that's when most dentists are off. So we finally got someone to agree to come take a look at it. Meanwhile we had to send 2 patients home because we couldn't do what we needed to do. (Oh, and we were STILL burning up!)

Finally, compressor is repaired, business as usual. So, our last patient before lunch shows up late, OF COURSE. Another root canal from you-know-where. Worked through lunch. And let me tell you-- it is never good to be HOT, hungry, and exhausted. It's a bad combination.

But, while working through lunch, being hot, hungry, and exhausted, the alarm man came to service our alarm at work. Let's just say there's nothing like working on a root canal from hell and having the alarm tested every few minutes...... And Friday of all days?????? What a weird day!

So, I get some lunch down as fast as I can maneuver, when, YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME, one of our lu-lu's come in. I know her heart is in the right place, but, bless her heart, her head is not!!!! She brings us a container of German food (where she is from) with all the "fixin's": Cabbage, sausage, and something else I got a whiff of that made me gag as I was taking it to the refrigerator. I think it managed to make it to a co-worker's garbage disposal over the weekend. If you think I'm mean let me just say this: I trust nothing that comes from someone wearing lime green socks and purple sandals. Again, her heart is in the right place, but her head just isn't there!

Backing up just a bit, as I am returning from placing this container of food in the refrigerator, I see something black slither on the floor from the corner of my eye. It was one of those moments that you don't really pay attention to, even though you see something "not quite right". Finally, I froze-- for whatever reason-- later, I learned that this was fear that had paralyzed me. In horror I watched the biggest, longest salamander I have ever seen slither across the floor. It was like a bad dream. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't. So instead, as I watched it crawl into our "gas" cabinet , I walked over nonchalantly to our receptionist. Gave her a rundown of what I just saw, however, not realizing she had a paralyzing fear of creepy, slimy things, too.

So she decides it's worth interrupting Dr. H. Let's just say he wasn't happy over Paula freaking out about it. (I put on my big girl drawers and pretended everything was OKAY!) However, he did say it was the biggest salamander he's ever seen. Shudder. Enough about that. This Friday just kept getting stranger and stranger.

That evening, I finally had the REAL dinner theater. Had one of the funnier parts. I don't know whether it was from being so deliriously tired or because I'm just easily amused in general, but I burst out in uncontrollable laughter when I said one of my lines. I wish I could say I made a quick recovery, but I didn't.

HOWEVER, as late as it was, I FINALLY got to tuck my children into bed.

P.S. Our air did get repaired later in the afternoon...... After I was ready to strangle a few people.

Saturday, August 15: Because I have such a wonderful husband, I slept SOUNDLY until 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon. And it felt FABULOUS. Then I had dinner theater again Saturday night. I did better with controlling my laughter.

Sunday, August 16: Support team meeting for the Children's Department. No Sunday afternoon nap for me!

Monday, August 17: My child is sent home with a project due by Friday. This is not good, because it's a very detailed project, and I know I will end up hurting my child by the end of the week. (Okay, not literally, but I don't have patience for these type of things..... and it's only the first week of kindergarten! I still have 12 more YEARS to go!) Although, I did join the PTO. A little strange and even surreal to me.........

Wednesday, August 19: Phone call at work from Brennan's teacher. #1) He was being (what I thought) was dramatic. He said he was choking on some Skittles his teacher had given him for good behavior. #2) He refused to go potty, because, as his teacher said he put it, he "was scared to go to the bathroom". Again, I thought this was because we had created a monster out of him by being afraid of germs. Turns out, my kid has a fear of the toilet flushing. Also turns out, Skittles makes my child vomit. Because, well, that's what he did right before school let out. Vomit. Still not sure what that was all about, but, well, I guess it was typical of how the past several days have been for me.

This has been my motto for the past week: "This too shall pass" I keep repeating it over and over and over and over.......................

I can only chalk it up to this: I had such a wonderful, peaceful experience on my mission trip. I really learned what it meant to be close to God and to know Him and seek Him. The minute I hit American soil, the devil has been on my heels. I haven't slowed down and I haven't taken the time I should to "be still and know that God is". My life has been consumed with so many things and it has even changed dramatically, BUT I haven't done what I need to do. I have been tempted, tried, and challenged in my heart and my thoughts and my deeds. I need to get back to what is right and what is real. Although, I am already aching to return to Nicaragua....... It's worth it, and I would relive the past couple of weeks to return to a few more days in a foreign country, doing something I feel I love to do!

Okay. So I didn't get around to blogging today. It's been quite a busy day today. But soon, I will blog. I NEED to blog. It's good therapy. Check back soon and I will have something entertaining posted!!!!

More time!!!!

So much to catch you up on, and so little time. But, I promise, at some point tomorrow I will have an update of my incredibly "Twilight Zone"-ish week last week and the ending of it all with my ridiculously "Freaky Friday". For the two readers who read this, I WILL have something good to read by tomorrow night!

Update on Identity Theft Case!

So, SOME good news has been had for me this week. A little glimmer of sunshine. I received a phone call from L.A.P.D. yesterday. This was from a detective I haven't spoken to before. She informed me that a trial date had been set for Friday, August 14th for my identity theft case. She named off SIX, count 'em, six different charges she's being tried for in just this case. (This doesn't include all the other people she victimized and all the other things she bought using other people's credit.)

The six counts are as follows:

Two counts of identity theft (not sure why only two, or where exactly that number comes from, but I'll take what I can get)

Count 3: Grand theft/personal theft (I guess because she bought a BMW, two Harley Davidson's and acquired other merchandise by opening up credit card accounts)

Count 4: Forgery

Count 5: Theft (I guess just general theft??? Not sure about this one, either.)

Count 6: Petty theft

While on the phone with L.A.P.D., she asked me two questions. One of which I had to compose myself to answer. She asked what my opinion was regarding sentencing of the suspect if she were convicted of the crime(s). Trying to keep from laughing and/or yelling into the phone at such a ridiculous question, I told her I wanted to see this girl sentenced to the MAXIMUM amount of time in each count. I guess they take it seriously because I could hear her as she repeated it back while writing it down.

I know I am so lucky that the person who did this to me was caught. In so many cases like mine, they are NEVER caught. She just made a very stupid, careless mistake. One in which I am very thankful for. As crazy as it sounds, I do wish that I could make an appearance in court. Just to speak to her and voice all the stress she caused me for months. (I received a letter stating that she was set to go to trial and I had a right to appear in court, and express my views in court IF she was convicted.) I hope she is convicted, and I hope she has a long time to sit in jail and think about what she did, not just to me, but apparently SEVERAL other people.

I am over my anger, even though it may not sound like it, but I still think she needs to be punished for what she did. I still haven't cleared my name in everything, and it will take a while longer and more time for me to deal with it. I just haven't been able to deal with tying up all the loose ends. I'll get there soon.

Brennan's first day.....

Even MiMi is sad.

I blinked, and 5 years passed.

I don't want to let go.

HE is excited!


Brennan started his first day of kindergarten. It emotionally killed me and broke my heart into a million pieces. I wasn't ready for this day. I know I will do better by the end of this week, once we settle into a routine... but for now, it makes me SO sad.

El Bonete 2009

The Three Amigos. Missy, Kelly, and me.

Chilling out before the hard work began in the village.

Yay! Look at all those dental instruments.

Beautiful children of Nicaragua.

I started missing my babies about this time.

They loved having their pictures taken. They were in awe of a camera and what it could do.

Praying before the first patient is seen.

Time to see the dentist.

Kelly and Casey. Two of the triage nurses.

I fell in love with this precious girl.

Waiting patiently to be seen by doctors.

Assisting Dr. Lorena Lopez-- Nicaraguan dentist.

Dr. Lorena and me.

The two dental assistants. Jennifer and me. Jennifer is planning to apply to dental school soon.

Looking down the hill from the school.

The Three Amigos again.

Heather and me. We both had birthdays two days apart and were both turning 28.

Saying good-bye to the precious children.

The long bus ride back to the mission home at the end of the week.

The volcano that is constantly smoking.

The Hillcrest team at "The Crater"

At the orphanage for sexually abused girls. Our church made prayer quilts for all the girls living there.

MANIAC bus driver....a.k.a. Carlos

To say that my experience in Nicaragua was life-changing would be an understatement. It was awesome and I am ready to go back!!!! Of course, these pictures aren't even half of what I took. These are just a general depiction of our week. If you are on Facebook, then you have seen all the rest. What a great week it was.

Tomorrow Brennan starts school. I have dreaded this day for a long time. I hope I can handle it well. Especially in front of him......

Things to come.....

Pictures and possibly a video to come soon. Great time/experience in Nicaragua. Stay tuned.... for now I must nap. SO tired.