This evening, when I was driving home I noticed a bird sitting in the middle of the street. One hundred percent of the time, a bird like away as my car approaches it, but this little pigeon was not going anywhere. As I came closer, I noticed it was rapidly flapping one wing and trying to hop. It was SO SAD! I didn't know what to do, so I just stopped my car and put on my emergency blinkers. I stumbled across the passenger seat and ran up to the poor bird, picked it up (ewww), and then set it on the sidewalk. I hopped back in my car (which was in front of about 30 backed up cars. Why didn't anyone go around me?) and started to drive off....but then I started to think, Ok, the bird won't get ran over, but it can't move. It can't eat and it can barely hop. The bird will either get eaten by something, eventually fall back on the road and get ran over, or starve to death. None of those seemed like good options, so I moved into action.
Unfortunately, bird saving is not a hobby of mine so I had no idea who to call or what to do. On top of that, my phone was already blinking red and continually reminding me that I am about to lose battery power. I knew that if there was a rabid wolf in my house, it would be appropriate to call 911, but what about a pigeon? I didn't have any other options and my phone was blinking, so I made the following calls:
To 911
Police: "911, is this medical or emergency?"
Me: "I'm so sorry! This is not an emergency! Sorry! I just don't know who to call. There is a hurt pigeon. I'm so sorry!" (And yes, I did feel like a moron).
Police: "Call 411, they can help."
To 411 (my phone definitely about to die)
411 person: "411, How may I assist you?"
Me: "HeyIfoundahurtpigeonandIsaveditfromdyingtbutIdon'tknowwheretotakeitorwhattodo!"
411: "Uh...I guess an animal hospital? I'll transfer you to one."
To Animal Hospital
Vet person: "Hi, Such-and-Such Vet hospital"
Me (even faster this time): "Hey411saidIshouldcallyou.IfoundahurtpigeonandIsaveditfromdyingbutIdon'tknowwheretotakeitorwhattodo!"
Vet: "Well, we don't care for wildlife animals, but there is a wildlife hospital in Tulsa. Here's the number."
To Wildlife Place
Person who answered the phone: "Wildlife Place! How can I help you?"
Me:*a slur of words so fast because of my phone, but I'm pretty sure I mentioned a pigeon*
Person: "Yeah, you can bring it here, but we close in 30 minutes."
Last call! To Jordan:
Jordan: "Hello?"
Me: "This is an emergency! I saved a pigeon and we have to take it to a hospital! Come quick and meet me! And bring gloves and a box! Hurry, we only have 30 minutes!!!!"
Jordan:.......(sigh)
Jordan did a great job of hiding his excitement as he came and met me to rescue the bird. We scooped it up and drove it 8 miles to an animal hospital and handed him off to the workers there.
It was quite a hassle and the whole process ate up over an hour, but I'm glad we did it. I can sleep better knowing that the pigeon is at least in a safe place for now, instead of worrying about whether or not it was something's dinner tonight. It also reminded me how important life is for all creatures. Really, we all want to survive. (Almost) all animals feel worry and fear. I think it is good to be conscious of each other's feelings...even dirty pigeons. I also believe in Karma, which means if I ran over the poor thing I would probably have a bird poo avalanche on my car tomorrow. Nice save!
P.s. I named it Jimmy.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
In case you didn't believe me when I said January sucks....
Yesterday I called my doctor's nurse (she should be on my speed dial by now) and explained that my UTI symptoms were still present and seemed to be getting worse. It is most likely a kidney infection so she had me come in during my lunch break and do a "urine culture" test. She also gave me a different antibiotic.
This morning I came into work and 15 minutes into my morning I threw up. My supervisors don't like to turn a blind eye to employees puking their guts out in the bathroom and told me they would be much more comfortable with me going home. I am completely drained of all my PTO and in debt 5 days, so today gets to be an Unpaid Leave Day. I called my nurse again and she said to not take any more antibiotics until tomorrow, which means more horribly painful pee for me. Yay.
February could not come slower. I promise I will be less whiny next month. For now, I am going to take a 15 hour nap. G'night.
This morning I came into work and 15 minutes into my morning I threw up. My supervisors don't like to turn a blind eye to employees puking their guts out in the bathroom and told me they would be much more comfortable with me going home. I am completely drained of all my PTO and in debt 5 days, so today gets to be an Unpaid Leave Day. I called my nurse again and she said to not take any more antibiotics until tomorrow, which means more horribly painful pee for me. Yay.
February could not come slower. I promise I will be less whiny next month. For now, I am going to take a 15 hour nap. G'night.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
January 2012: Good Riddance
Is it just us, or.....
HAS THIS BEEN THE WORST MONTH IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE?!
Ok, maybe that's a little extreme....worst month of the history of the planet? That's better.
I am truly starting to believe that those crazy Mayans were onto something with their calendar, because so far 2012 has been less than bueno.
It all started with the first weekend of the month/year. Jordan had been complaining about fatigue and never feeling as though he was getting enough rest. He felt pretty nasty and thought that maybe he had walking pneumonia. After a pretty lousy Friday night and Saturday morning we decided to go to the Urgent Care center.....four hours, one x-ray, and several blood tests later we left the clinic with Jordan's diagnosis of mono. D'oh! The timing was less than perfect because Jordan just began his ER rotation which had several night shifts. Jordan continuously apologized for "wasting [my] Saturday" at the clinic with him. I told him I'm sure there will a time when he'll have to spend hours in a hospital with me... when I said this, I was thinking in about a few years when we have a baby; not the following weekend.
Fast forward to the following Monday after the Urgent Care visit. I had a follow up appointment with my Urologist to see how my lithotripsy went in December (In October I was diagnosed with a huge kidney stone and had a pretty easy procedure done in December to shatter it. Since then, I experienced very little pain and was considering myself lucky. Ok, back to the story.) My doctor told me the reason that I had no pain was because nothing happened with kidney stone. It was in the exact same place and did not look any different. Double D'oh! He explained that in order to get it out he would need to get all up in my bid'ness, send a tiny laser up to my kidney and zap the stone. He said that it wouldn't be a big deal and I believed him. I scheduled the procedure for the following Friday (which was Friday the 13th...I should have known).
I was pretty nervous going through the whole laser thingy. Jordan fulfilled my prophecy by staying in the hospital with me all afternoon for it. Before I was knocked out, my doctor talked to me a little and explained that the laser surgery would be easy and only about an hour. Then I fell asleep. I woke up in the recovery room with really sharp pain in my back and lower stomach. The nurses kept politely asking me to stay still. I guess I was being pretty wiggly as I moaned. I also fell back asleep after they shot morphine into my iv. Next I woke up in a different room with Jordan. Jordan explained that the reason I was in unexpected pain is because when my doctor got up to my kidney he realized that I had Infundibular Stenosis, which is a fancy way of saying that my kidney tube that goes from my kidney to my ureter was abnormally small. It was preventing my kidney stone (and other calculus) from passing, so he had to use the lasor to essentially carve out the tubing and make it bigger. Hence, the pain. Not to sound dramatic, but the following weekend I experienced the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. I am officially terrified of childbirth.
The next week I had to miss three days of work, which drained me of vacation days. Boo. Jordan was able to stay home with me for several of those days. Once Friday (one week after the surgery) came, I was feeling a little better and actually left my apartment.
The following week I started to have an increase in pain in my back and in my bladder area. It also stung super bad to pee....which lead to a diagnosis of a urinary tract infection. Boo. So now I am on more pills for that. Also, I had a stent placed in me that had to stay in there for two weeks. When I called my doctor's nurse to ask if I could pull it out (which was the plan), she said yes and warned me that I would need more pain killers to curb the inevitable bladder spasms I would experienced. Yay.
So yeah...January has not been so fun. But despite the crappiness of it all, there were some positives.
My boss was super understanding and sympathetic toward me. She eased my anxiety about missing work.
My mother in law was an amazing help. She brought us dinner several times, helped me with errands, brought me tons of candy, did our grocery shopping, and bought me my new best friend (my heating pad).
Jordan was a HUGE help and never complained once. He slept on the couch next to me (it hurt too bad to sleep in our bed) and would set his alarm for every 3 hours to give me my medicine- even in the middle of the night. He gave a ton of back rubs and would help me go to the bathroom over and over. I really relied on him for the first 3 days for just about everything.
Lastly, I am so grateful for my doctor's nurse. I called her several times (usually in tears) asking about symptoms and help. She was very patient with me and always called me back right away. I'm sure she never wants to see me again after this.
Our good friends had their very first baby and we got to see the new little family. That was a fun reminder that there are some cool things about the hospital too.
So that was our month. There are only three days left of it. Bring on February!!
HAS THIS BEEN THE WORST MONTH IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE?!
Ok, maybe that's a little extreme....worst month of the history of the planet? That's better.
I am truly starting to believe that those crazy Mayans were onto something with their calendar, because so far 2012 has been less than bueno.
It all started with the first weekend of the month/year. Jordan had been complaining about fatigue and never feeling as though he was getting enough rest. He felt pretty nasty and thought that maybe he had walking pneumonia. After a pretty lousy Friday night and Saturday morning we decided to go to the Urgent Care center.....four hours, one x-ray, and several blood tests later we left the clinic with Jordan's diagnosis of mono. D'oh! The timing was less than perfect because Jordan just began his ER rotation which had several night shifts. Jordan continuously apologized for "wasting [my] Saturday" at the clinic with him. I told him I'm sure there will a time when he'll have to spend hours in a hospital with me... when I said this, I was thinking in about a few years when we have a baby; not the following weekend.
Fast forward to the following Monday after the Urgent Care visit. I had a follow up appointment with my Urologist to see how my lithotripsy went in December (In October I was diagnosed with a huge kidney stone and had a pretty easy procedure done in December to shatter it. Since then, I experienced very little pain and was considering myself lucky. Ok, back to the story.) My doctor told me the reason that I had no pain was because nothing happened with kidney stone. It was in the exact same place and did not look any different. Double D'oh! He explained that in order to get it out he would need to get all up in my bid'ness, send a tiny laser up to my kidney and zap the stone. He said that it wouldn't be a big deal and I believed him. I scheduled the procedure for the following Friday (which was Friday the 13th...I should have known).
I was pretty nervous going through the whole laser thingy. Jordan fulfilled my prophecy by staying in the hospital with me all afternoon for it. Before I was knocked out, my doctor talked to me a little and explained that the laser surgery would be easy and only about an hour. Then I fell asleep. I woke up in the recovery room with really sharp pain in my back and lower stomach. The nurses kept politely asking me to stay still. I guess I was being pretty wiggly as I moaned. I also fell back asleep after they shot morphine into my iv. Next I woke up in a different room with Jordan. Jordan explained that the reason I was in unexpected pain is because when my doctor got up to my kidney he realized that I had Infundibular Stenosis, which is a fancy way of saying that my kidney tube that goes from my kidney to my ureter was abnormally small. It was preventing my kidney stone (and other calculus) from passing, so he had to use the lasor to essentially carve out the tubing and make it bigger. Hence, the pain. Not to sound dramatic, but the following weekend I experienced the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. I am officially terrified of childbirth.
The next week I had to miss three days of work, which drained me of vacation days. Boo. Jordan was able to stay home with me for several of those days. Once Friday (one week after the surgery) came, I was feeling a little better and actually left my apartment.
The following week I started to have an increase in pain in my back and in my bladder area. It also stung super bad to pee....which lead to a diagnosis of a urinary tract infection. Boo. So now I am on more pills for that. Also, I had a stent placed in me that had to stay in there for two weeks. When I called my doctor's nurse to ask if I could pull it out (which was the plan), she said yes and warned me that I would need more pain killers to curb the inevitable bladder spasms I would experienced. Yay.
So yeah...January has not been so fun. But despite the crappiness of it all, there were some positives.
My boss was super understanding and sympathetic toward me. She eased my anxiety about missing work.
My mother in law was an amazing help. She brought us dinner several times, helped me with errands, brought me tons of candy, did our grocery shopping, and bought me my new best friend (my heating pad).
Jordan was a HUGE help and never complained once. He slept on the couch next to me (it hurt too bad to sleep in our bed) and would set his alarm for every 3 hours to give me my medicine- even in the middle of the night. He gave a ton of back rubs and would help me go to the bathroom over and over. I really relied on him for the first 3 days for just about everything.
Lastly, I am so grateful for my doctor's nurse. I called her several times (usually in tears) asking about symptoms and help. She was very patient with me and always called me back right away. I'm sure she never wants to see me again after this.
Our good friends had their very first baby and we got to see the new little family. That was a fun reminder that there are some cool things about the hospital too.
So that was our month. There are only three days left of it. Bring on February!!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
2011 recap
This year....
I turned 25
We celebrated our 2nd anniversary by going on a cruise (as well as New Orleans)
We got to travel to Seattle and Tuscon to visit family
I got to go to Utah for a weekend to visit family and attend my good friend's wedding
My sister came to visit Tulsa
My cousin got married and I got to go (back to Seattle!)
I "celebrated" my one year anniversary at my job
Jordan began his medical rotations AND his second year of PA school
I got to go to the ER for the first time since I was a a baby (I think)
Had my first ambulance ride (and with those puppies costing $1100 for a one mile ride, I hope it is my last!)
Jordan turned 28 (which I neglected to blog about because our computer was broken)
We got to go Seattle for a wonderful Christmas
aaaaaand I got rid of Pokey (my kidney stone)
We are so excited to begin 2012 because we already know about some of the fun things it will bring (trip to Disneyland, Boise Thanksgiving, and...... Jordan's graduation!!)
Happy New Year's Eve!
I turned 25
We celebrated our 2nd anniversary by going on a cruise (as well as New Orleans)
We got to travel to Seattle and Tuscon to visit family
I got to go to Utah for a weekend to visit family and attend my good friend's wedding
My sister came to visit Tulsa
My cousin got married and I got to go (back to Seattle!)
I "celebrated" my one year anniversary at my job
Jordan began his medical rotations AND his second year of PA school
I got to go to the ER for the first time since I was a a baby (I think)
Had my first ambulance ride (and with those puppies costing $1100 for a one mile ride, I hope it is my last!)
Jordan turned 28 (which I neglected to blog about because our computer was broken)
We got to go Seattle for a wonderful Christmas
aaaaaand I got rid of Pokey (my kidney stone)
We are so excited to begin 2012 because we already know about some of the fun things it will bring (trip to Disneyland, Boise Thanksgiving, and...... Jordan's graduation!!)
Happy New Year's Eve!
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Let's just wrap this up.
Yeah, the 30 days of Thanks did NOT work out for me. I didn't have it in me to post everyday, and I figured people didn't want a new post from me to pop up in their Google Reader feed everyday. Instead, let's just knock of the rest of the month out in one entry. Ill pick up from where I left off.
This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for....
6. hot water
7. stores that actually carry size 5 shoes (yes, that size of foot exist, almost every store in America)
8. the internet. I'm such an online addict...and I'm cool with that.
9. air conditioning
10. Dollar Tree (my guilty pleasure)
11. inside jokes with family members
12. my family, in general (you guys are aiiiight)
13. my glue gun
14. soldiers. Seriously, thank you.
15. dogs. They make the world happier.
16. the privilege I had to have such a wonderful, non-screwed up childhood
17. medical insurance
18. my education, and
18b. the easy access I had to getting an education
19. the Gospel. Not only it is amazing to understand and know that their is a Savior, but it's also great to be a member of the Church. We Mormons stick together and live in such as tiny Mormon world. There are tons of connections and help. Jordan compares it to being a member of AAA. You need someone to help with X,Y or Z- BAM! Here's three names you can call.
20. vacations. They are so necessary in life.
21. Bubblegum. He is a stuffed dog that I got for Christmas when I was 3 or younger. He accompanied me to many different adventures, sleep overs, and vacations. He even survived being chewed up by my cousin's dog (thanks for reconstructing him, Aunt Lori!). I still have him,
22. MONEY! Does that sound awful? I don't care.
23. my braces and retainer. I think these babies really saved my dating life!
24. hot tubs
25. airplanes. They can be such. a. pain. But they are also fantastic. I dig traveling over 1000 miles in under 6 six hours.
26. patience. This is something I really struggle with holding onto, but I appreciate it so much when other people use it on me.
27. Mascara and eyelash curlers. If I could only wear one type of make up for the rest of my life, it would definitely be mascara.
28. my health. I have several annoying diagnoses but they are NOTHING compared to what others may have. I am so grateful for the freedom that comes with a healthy body.
29. to be an American. There are several flaws in our country, but overall it is still a wonderful country. I read about the horrors that many women face in other countries. It's overwhelming to think how liberated I am compared to them.
30. I'm grateful for Christmastime, which officially starts tomorrow.
Happy Thanksgiving!
This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for....
6. hot water
7. stores that actually carry size 5 shoes (yes, that size of foot exist, almost every store in America)
8. the internet. I'm such an online addict...and I'm cool with that.
9. air conditioning
10. Dollar Tree (my guilty pleasure)
11. inside jokes with family members
12. my family, in general (you guys are aiiiight)
13. my glue gun
14. soldiers. Seriously, thank you.
15. dogs. They make the world happier.
16. the privilege I had to have such a wonderful, non-screwed up childhood
17. medical insurance
18. my education, and
18b. the easy access I had to getting an education
19. the Gospel. Not only it is amazing to understand and know that their is a Savior, but it's also great to be a member of the Church. We Mormons stick together and live in such as tiny Mormon world. There are tons of connections and help. Jordan compares it to being a member of AAA. You need someone to help with X,Y or Z- BAM! Here's three names you can call.
20. vacations. They are so necessary in life.
21. Bubblegum. He is a stuffed dog that I got for Christmas when I was 3 or younger. He accompanied me to many different adventures, sleep overs, and vacations. He even survived being chewed up by my cousin's dog (thanks for reconstructing him, Aunt Lori!). I still have him,
22. MONEY! Does that sound awful? I don't care.
23. my braces and retainer. I think these babies really saved my dating life!
24. hot tubs
25. airplanes. They can be such. a. pain. But they are also fantastic. I dig traveling over 1000 miles in under 6 six hours.
26. patience. This is something I really struggle with holding onto, but I appreciate it so much when other people use it on me.
27. Mascara and eyelash curlers. If I could only wear one type of make up for the rest of my life, it would definitely be mascara.
28. my health. I have several annoying diagnoses but they are NOTHING compared to what others may have. I am so grateful for the freedom that comes with a healthy body.
29. to be an American. There are several flaws in our country, but overall it is still a wonderful country. I read about the horrors that many women face in other countries. It's overwhelming to think how liberated I am compared to them.
30. I'm grateful for Christmastime, which officially starts tomorrow.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Grateful for Home Depot Boys
Yeah, so....I missed a few days? Are we surprised? No. Do we really care? No. So let's just keep going.
Today I am grateful for the helpful people at Home Depot. I went there this evening and it was same ol' thang...
Take today for example. I walked into Home Depot completely confused and overwhelmed. I knew I needed this tube foam thing but I had no clue where to even begin looking for it. Thankfully a saint dressed in an orange apron could sense my panic and asked if he could help me. I asked the guy,,
" Do you have like, foam tube things?"
"Oh, you mean plumbing insulation?"
"....Uh.... they're like round tubes??"
Turns out it WAS plumbing insulation, which I found out as the employee walked me directly to them.
And of course once I get there, I realize that they are completely out of my reach (like approximately 75% of the merchandise in hardware stores) so I had to ask a friendly stranger t grab the thingy for me. Once I had my foam- I mean pluming insulation- I remembered that I needed another thing. It was decorative aluminum sheet stuff....or at least that is what I was calling it tonight. I thought, maybe I can find it myself. HA!!! After pacing the store for about 10 minutes I was approached by another orange aproned friend.
"You ok, ma'am?"
"Uh, no. I'm lost. *nervous chuckle* I'm looking for um, decorative aluminum sheet....stuff?"
"Oooookay....I think I know what you're talking about. Let's go look."
Sure enough, the guy was speaking my lingo because he took me right to it!
So you would think I would have learned my lesson by now, but noooOOOOooOOoo. I remembered that I wanted to find this one outlet do-hickey that you can screw into your porch light. Surely it is just in the Christmas stuff. I totally got this......I never got it. Feeling defeated, I timidly asked another guy if he had any clue where one could find "the thing that you screw into your balcony light to plug Christmas lights in". He took me to a completely different isle that I was in that I didn't even know existed.
So, thank you, kind Home Depot guys. You made my gratitude list.
Today I am grateful for the helpful people at Home Depot. I went there this evening and it was same ol' thang...
Take today for example. I walked into Home Depot completely confused and overwhelmed. I knew I needed this tube foam thing but I had no clue where to even begin looking for it. Thankfully a saint dressed in an orange apron could sense my panic and asked if he could help me. I asked the guy,,
" Do you have like, foam tube things?"
"Oh, you mean plumbing insulation?"
"....Uh.... they're like round tubes??"
Turns out it WAS plumbing insulation, which I found out as the employee walked me directly to them.
And of course once I get there, I realize that they are completely out of my reach (like approximately 75% of the merchandise in hardware stores) so I had to ask a friendly stranger t grab the thingy for me. Once I had my foam- I mean pluming insulation- I remembered that I needed another thing. It was decorative aluminum sheet stuff....or at least that is what I was calling it tonight. I thought, maybe I can find it myself. HA!!! After pacing the store for about 10 minutes I was approached by another orange aproned friend.
"You ok, ma'am?"
"Uh, no. I'm lost. *nervous chuckle* I'm looking for um, decorative aluminum sheet....stuff?"
"Oooookay....I think I know what you're talking about. Let's go look."
Sure enough, the guy was speaking my lingo because he took me right to it!
So you would think I would have learned my lesson by now, but noooOOOOooOOoo. I remembered that I wanted to find this one outlet do-hickey that you can screw into your porch light. Surely it is just in the Christmas stuff. I totally got this......I never got it. Feeling defeated, I timidly asked another guy if he had any clue where one could find "the thing that you screw into your balcony light to plug Christmas lights in". He took me to a completely different isle that I was in that I didn't even know existed.
So, thank you, kind Home Depot guys. You made my gratitude list.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Day 5, and earthquakes
For the fifth day of thanksgiving month, I am grateful for the earthquake drills I had to repeatedly due in grade school. They have come in handy over the past 24 hours. There have been TWO earthquakes in Tulsa today- one at around 2 am and one just about 3 minutes ago. Luckily, neither one was destructive at all but there was definite shaking. Thanks to my many drills from Cascade elementary, I instinctively ran to a doorway. So thank you, earthquake drills!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Day 4
I am so grateful for tastebuds. Food is such a huge part of my life. It is a source of comfort, a form of entertainment...and it does something for my body too. How sad it would be to not be able to taste it, or to have everything taste like cardboard. Thank you tastebuds.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Day 3
I am so grateful for humor. I often wonder when humor began historically. Like, who was the first person to think that telling something that wasn't true would result in pleasant feelings? I would have loved to have heard the first attemp at a joke. I wonder if humor came naturally or if it was something that had to be explained.
My brain just exploded.
Well, however humor ended up on the earth, I am beyond thankful for it. It makes life so much more delightful and makes crappy things so much more tolerable. I am such a sucker for funny. When I was single, the most important thing to me is if the guy could make me laugh. Comedy is by far my favorite movie genre. And laughing is definitely my favorite ( and at this point my only) form of exercise.
Yay for humor!
My brain just exploded.
Well, however humor ended up on the earth, I am beyond thankful for it. It makes life so much more delightful and makes crappy things so much more tolerable. I am such a sucker for funny. When I was single, the most important thing to me is if the guy could make me laugh. Comedy is by far my favorite movie genre. And laughing is definitely my favorite ( and at this point my only) form of exercise.
Yay for humor!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
gratitiude 2
I am grateful for something very special. My roadtrip companion, my love and best friend....
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