My Married Life!

[Kacie_bride]

Good grief Lacey. I'm glad you guys may have figured out what was wrong. I know this has been an emotional and physical struggle for the both of you. I wish you both all the best!

[LaceyinPgh]

Good grief Lacey. I'm glad you guys may have figured out what was wrong. I know this has been an emotional and physical struggle for the both of you. I wish you both all the best!

Thank you Kacie. I can't wait for Monday to get here. We get to meet with a doctor and start the testing. Although I hate the my mom has to be turned into a human pin cushion again. Plus, they may want to do a bone marrow biopsy and those are just one of the most painful things you can have to go through. I think her doctor's appointment is really early in the morning so I will probably have to spend the night down there in West Virignia with her to save me from having to get up at 5. The worst part is that there isn't a Starbucks within a 45 minute drive of her place.

[cowboysbride]

Oh Lacey, I'm sorry I didn't see this earlier. At least it's a step in the right direction (hopefully). I am so happy for you and your mom, I will continue to keep you both in my prayers. Amazing what **** we have to go thru before we find an informed doctor (oxymoron maybe??).

I'm sorry you are going thru, I am here to talk if you need me, and again, at least she is on a new track and hopefully the right one to make her feel better.

:hug: Hugs for you and for your mom!

[brewsells]

I am glad to hear they may have found the problem. At least now there will be alot of answered questions. Hopefully the treatment they use will help her. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your mom.

[LaceyinPgh]

Oh Lacey, I'm sorry I didn't see this earlier. At least it's a step in the right direction (hopefully). I am so happy for you and your mom, I will continue to keep you both in my prayers. Amazing what **** we have to go thru before we find an informed doctor (oxymoron maybe??).

I'm sorry you are going thru, I am here to talk if you need me, and again, at least she is on a new track and hopefully the right one to make her feel better.

:hug: Hugs for you and for your mom!

Informed doctors are in the same catagory as military intelligence.I shall leave my comments at that.

I appreciate your kindness a great deal. I just hope that this is over soon. As horrible as I feel saying it, I am just tired of dealing with it. Usually my grandmother or one of my mother's husbands has been in the picture to help with some of her healthcare issues at least in the respect of going to doctors, researching, ect. It is hard when all that helps just funnels down into one person.

[LaceyinPgh]

I am glad to hear they may have found the problem. At least now there will be alot of answered questions. Hopefully the treatment they use will help her. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your mom.
Thank you, Holly.

[cowboysbride]

Informed doctors are in the same catagory as military intelligence.I shall leave my comments at that.

It is hard when all that helps just funnels down into one person.

I understand completely, it takes alot out of you. I know my mom is about to scream because of my grandmother...she is 88 years old and has the age related problems and feels horrible but refuses to go see anyone (she is doing the Scarlett O'Hara gig to a "T"). PM me anytime if you need to talk, vent or exchange smarta$$ comments with someone who can relate.

[CindySue]

Lacey, you shouldnt feel guilty for being relieved. Youre not only relieved for yourself, but also for your mom. Hopefully the docs have it right this time, and while she will never be completely better, at least they know how to treat her without unintentionally making things worse.
Best of luck to both of you!!!

[blueeyedbride]

Ok apparently I was wrong. My mother didn't have 2 doctors' appointments today, she had 3. She only cancelled the one. She did make it to see a lung/internal disease specialist. Had I known she was going, I would have insisted on going with her. But, she never told me. Anyway, she walks into this little office to see this doctor. He doesn't say a word to her. He just looks over the paperwork she filled out and the chart her family doctor faxed over. After a few minutes he starts asking all these questions, "Do you have this?" "Do you feel this way?" So she answers him as best she can. He gets up, walks across the room and calls his medical partner on the phone. They talk for a few minutes. He comes back, looks as my mother and says, "We think you have mastocytosis."

So what is mastocytosis? It is this incredibly rare (less than 200,000 people suffering from it in the US) disease that causes you to form abnormal cells that cause your body to over produce histamines. This damages your soft tissues, casues skin problems, and just makes you feel generally sick like you are constantly having an allergy attack or sinus infection. It is just a miserable disease. No one knows what causes it or why some poeple get it and others don't. But it would explain why my mother has been sick every day of her life since she was a baby.

She is going to see a specialist Monday. Apparently they LOVE to get their hands on new cases since it is so rare. She will officially get tested and start a treatment program then. Apparently one of the reasons that she has been feeling slightly better the last couple of weeks is that by a flucke her heart doctor changed her medication to one of the ones that are used to treat this disease.

I just can't believe that in little Steubenville, Ohio she found one of the few doctors in the area that had ever seen a case of this before. Otherwise, she would have kept on suffering and probably eventually died from organ failure or infections brought on by it.

Here is the website that explains it a little better than I can. I'm just torn between so much joy and agony right now that I know I am babbeling.

http://tmsforacure.org/index.shtml



I'm shocked myself to hear about the band aid stations here actually helping someone..... Hope your Mom is on the right track now

[MOB Karen]

I'm sorry, I haven't responded in a while, Lacey! Just sort of taking it all in about your Mother and everything. As women age, the medical problems start knocking, I'm having a hard time with it myself, and I'm 50 years old. :bbconfused: I just hope I can make it to June 2012 so that I can retire with full benefits. My own Mother is healthier than me, and she's 76 years old. She's going to live forever. ;) As a matter of fact, she's healthier than my oldest sister Wendy too, who is 54 years old. My sister Jody is the healthiest of all of us girls, and she's 52.

Sorry, Lacey, enough about me. I just wanted to say that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your Mother during this time, and I am just wishing you the very best, and sending my warm Arizona http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_4_23v.giflove down to Pittsburgh to both of you. :)

[LaceyinPgh]

Lacey, you shouldnt feel guilty for being relieved. Youre not only relieved for yourself, but also for your mom. Hopefully the docs have it right this time, and while she will never be completely better, at least they know how to treat her without unintentionally making things worse.
Best of luck to both of you!!!

I just want it over. I am tired of sittin gin doctor's offices. I am tired of hearing about how sick she is. I am tired of her whining about being a burden. I am tired of her not calling the doctor because he might be too busy but apparently I am free game any hour of the day or night.

I just want her to get well.

[LaceyinPgh]

I'm sorry, I haven't responded in a while, Lacey! Just sort of taking it all in about your Mother and everything. As women age, the medical problems start knocking, I'm having a hard time with it myself, and I'm 50 years old. :bbconfused: I just hope I can make it to June 2012 so that I can retire with full benefits. My own Mother is healthier than me, and she's 76 years old. She's going to live forever. ;) As a matter of fact, she's healthier than my oldest sister Wendy too, who is 54 years old. My sister Jody is the healthiest of all of us girls, and she's 52.

Sorry, Lacey, enough about me. I just wanted to say that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your Mother during this time, and I am just wishing you the very best, and sending my warm Arizona http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_4_23v.giflove down to Pittsburgh to both of you. :)

Thank you Karen. My mother has always been sick. She was incredibly sickly as a child. I don't remember too many days when I was little that she didn't take to bed because she wasn't feeling well. It just gets worse every year.

Thanks for the good wishes, but you can keep the warm Arizona sun we have enough heat to deal with up here. But, some of that nice dry air would surely be appreciated.

[LaceyinPgh]

I'm shocked myself to hear about the band aid stations here actually helping someone..... Hope your Mom is on the right track now

Band aid stations, I like that. That is how I feel about some of her doctors. Apparently this "specialist" we are seeing Monday is in Wintersville, Ohio. So, I wonder just how special he is. I guess though this disease is so rare that anyone who sees a case of it is deemed a specialsit. So, we shall see.

I do know that I wouldn't take my dogs to her heart doctors. Her gynecologist is a total joke. Nor would I let them be treated in a few of the area hospitals. I know in Weirton Hospital, there has been more than one occasion that I got so tired of hitting the nurse call button to get her pain medication or soemthing else that she needed, that I had to go and track them down on the floor. And, it was still a long time before any of them showed. Wheeling Hospital actually lost her in the Xray lab one night when I took her in for a chest Xray. She had pneumonia and the Xray tech just left her laying in the Xray room because the nurse from the ER never showed back up to get her. If after 2 hours of waiting I hadn't made someone go and look for her, she would probably still be laying there. East Liverpool hospital, she leaves sicker than when she gets there.

But, will she let me take her to a real doctor with a real practice in Pittsburgh or Cleveland. No because she can't bother those people they might be busy.

[MOB Karen]

Thank you Karen. My mother has always been sick. She was incredibly sickly as a child. I don't remember too many days when I was little that she didn't take to bed because she wasn't feeling well. It just gets worse every year.

Thanks for the good wishes, but you can keep the warm Arizona sun we have enough heat to deal with up here. But, some of that nice dry air would surely be appreciated.

You got it, I'm blowing it your way. lol :D

[CindySue]

I just want it over. I am tired of sittin gin doctor's offices. I am tired of hearing about how sick she is. I am tired of her whining about being a burden. I am tired of her not calling the doctor because he might be too busy but apparently I am free game any hour of the day or night.

I just want her to get well.
I can imagine you do. Hopefully yall are headed in the right direction with this new diagnosis.
Best of Luck!!!!

[LaceyinPgh]

I'm bored this morning. Sean got up and took the car to get serviced. I decided to lie in bed while he did that. But, now I'm bored. Since the room darkening blinds in the bedroom are still pulled and the fact is that it s raining out, the dogs haven't even bothered to grace me with their presence yet this afternoon.

Speaking of the dogs I thought I would show you a couple pictures of them
Here is Ruffles begging for something, probably food. She is horrible about begging for food.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/Rooup.jpg

This is Ellie in full speed chasing something at the dog park:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/Elliepark.jpg

Here they are in their Halloween costumes. Ruffles was a ballerina and Ellie was a sailor. They had little hats, but their ears are too big to get the hats on their heads.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/dressedup.jpg

[LaceyinPgh]

By the way I am going to complain again because it seems that I am oddly good at that anymore. I am so tired of people just assuming that I changed my name. I didn't. Unless I am trying to escape a felony, I probably never will. Now, we were annouced as Sean Bannon and Lacey Horvat after the wedding ceremony. (Which my minister was not happy about.) We were annouced as Mr. Sean B and Ms. Lacey H as we entered the reception. Our wedding announcments were Sean B and Lacey H. The thank you cards, Sean B and Lacey H on both the cards AND the return addresses. My email signature is still Lacey Ho. The voicemail is still the H and B residence. My cell phone voice mail is still Lacey H. We had friends over the other night who told their kids they had to cal me Mrs. B until I finally corrected them and told them my names was STILL Ms. H. How **** much plainer can I make it that I didn't chance my name? I am about ready to hire one of those airplanes with a banner trainling behind it to fly over the tri state area.

Every other day I go to the mail box to find mail addressed to Mr. and Mrs. B I AM NOT MRS. B!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sean's mother and grandmother can be Mrs. B all they want. I am no having it. People with closed minds and ears aren't going to force me into this choice. I can't wait to send out Christmas cards, I will make it as clear as can be there. After that, I swear I will start returning mail to people with the response of addressee doens't exist. Phone calls won't be returned because Lacey B doens't exist and hence forth cannot dial your phone number from the abyss of YOUR imagination!

[MOB Karen]

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/23/23_5_133.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxdm824YYUS)

[LaceyinPgh]

So today my mother is seeing her specialist to find out about this mastecytosis disease. That is of course unless she slipped around and cancelled the appointment. But, it was really early this morning so I doubt she had a chance to. She is supposed to call when she gets home.

On an up note, tomorrow I leave for vacation. It isn't really a real vacation like the Bahamas early this summer. But it is still going to be fun. We leave Tuesday for Hagerstown, Maryland. Hagerstown isn't all that fun. But on Tuesday night we are going to Shepherdstown, West Virginia to have dinner at this great little German resturant, The Bavarian Inn. Shepherdstown is where I went to college. So it will be kind of like a homecoing. It is a beautiful little town on the banks of the Potomac. I love it there.

On Wednesday Sean has an early morning meeting in Hagerstown. Then around 10 we are leaving for DC. After we get there, I am going to the DC zoo while Sean goes to another meeting and then some boring dinner. I love DC having lived there for awhile. It is great. I'm so excited to see the new panda bears. I love panda bears! Then I have the whole day and evening to myself. We are staying in DC on Thursday but Sean doesn't have any meetings. So I let him pick the activity of the day. He has requested the Smithsonian Museum of American History. (Yippee in my sarcastic tone! I teach history and have taken EVERY family memeber I have to that AMerican history museum.) Then we are going to dinner at one of my favorite places in town, DC Coast. The food is to die for.

Sean has a meeting Friday morning. Then we are heading up to Philadelphia on Friday afternoon. We have a rehearsal dinner to attend. Then Saturday we ahve the morning and afternoon to ourselves and a wedding that night. Sunday will be the long and somewhat hungover drive across Pennsylvania back to Pittsburgh. Depending on time I might request a stop in Lancaster to check out Amish crafts and baked goods. I would love a nice quilt (they are so expensive though) and a Shoo Fly Pie.

http://www.bavarianinnwv.com/
http://www.shepherdstownvisitorscenter.com/
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Visit/default.cfm
http://americanhistory.si.edu/index.cfm
http://www.dccoast.com/
http://www.lambertis.com/locations/positano.htm
http://www.pafa.org/splashFlash.jsp
http://www.padutchcountry.com/our_world/index.asp

[cowboysbride]

Sean's mother and grandmother can be Mrs. Bannon all they want. I am no having it. People with closed minds and ears aren't going to force me into this choice. I can't wait to send out Christmas cards, I will make it as clear as can be there. After that, I swear I will start returning mail to people with the response of addressee doens't exist. Phone calls won't be returned because Lacey Bannon doens't exist and hence forth cannot dial your phone number from the abyss of YOUR imagination!


Say the word darling and I will throw my sh*t in the truck and drive up there with a mega size box of Q-Tips and a baseball bat...one way or the other THEY WILL HEAR YOU!

[cowboysbride]

Depending on time I might request a stop in Lancaster to check out Amish crafts and baked goods. I would love a nice quilt (they are so expensive though) and a Shoo Fly Pie.

http://www.bavarianinnwv.com/
http://www.shepherdstownvisitorscenter.com/
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Visit/default.cfm
http://americanhistory.si.edu/index.cfm
http://www.dccoast.com/
http://www.lambertis.com/locations/positano.htm
http://www.pafa.org/splashFlash.jsp
http://www.padutchcountry.com/our_world/index.asp

Hope your mom's Dr appt goes well and is encouraging and informational, as always you are in my prayers.

I hope you have fun! Remember me Saturday! I'll be getting married! We have tons of Amish communities in Ky...I buy most of my bulk goods (spices,f lour, sugars and such from the bulk dry goods store in Liberty....I will take pics of my quilts and share them with you...I have 2 wedding ring quilts and some patchwork quilts my aunts and grandmother made!

[LaceyinPgh]

Hope your mom's Dr appt goes well and is encouraging and informational, as always you are in my prayers.

I hope you have fun! Remember me Saturday! I'll be getting married! We have tons of Amish communities in Ky...I buy most of my bulk goods (spices,f lour, sugars and such from the bulk dry goods store in Liberty....I will take pics of my quilts and share them with you...I have 2 wedding ring quilts and some patchwork quilts my aunts and grandmother made!

My great grandmother was an expert quilt maker. She had dozens of them dating back to when her mother came over from Europe. However, when she died, my idiot grandparents sold them all for $5-$10 a piece at a garage sale. The couple I did have, got thrown away in a very messy divorce between my mother and husband #3.

[AngelinLove]

Good Luck with the news about your mother!! I hope you have an awesome trip!!!

[LaceyinPgh]

Good Luck with the news about your mother!! I hope you have an awesome trip!!!

Thanks Angel.

[MOB Karen]

I'll be thinking about you and your Mother, Lacey!! :) Sounds like you're going to have fun on your trip!!!

[LaceyinPgh]

I'll be thinking about you and your Mother, Lacey!! :) Sounds like you're going to have fun on your trip!!!
Thanks Karen. I always have fun. That is why you guys keep me around.

[cowboysbride]

Thanks Karen. I always have fun. That is why you guys keep me around.

Why we keep you around is because you are the only one that can tell someone how it is and make them like it :wink: which is FUN to witness LOL!

[LaceyinPgh]

So the news from the doctor, masteocytosis, maybe/maybe not. He doesn't really know. He looked at mom's test results from her cardiologist, general practioner, allergist, and internal medicine doctors. Some parts point to yes and other results point to no. He really isn't sure. He put her on some medication to see how she reacts to it. He wants to see her again in a month. He may or may not order a bone marrow biopsy at that point to test further. AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, in looking at the test results the her family doctor took last week now her thyroid is throwing off antibodies which it shouldn't be doing or if it is it should be measuring them higher than a 60 and hers are at 270. Plus now, her platelets in her blood are severely elevated. The platelets could be anything. But, the thyroid is telling me that there is a problem with the immune system. So I guess now we are going to an immunologist. I'm now wondering about Grave's Disease or possibly back to Lupus?

When I get back from DC she and I are going to sit down and talk. Then I am calling her family doctor and the three or us are going to sit down to a Lacey style pow wow. (I'll bring the video camera for that one.) We are going to see what specialists I need to take her too and who he recommends. In his recommendations I wan tthe names of doctors that HIS mother would be going to. Not the quacks he has been sending her to. I'm so **** frustrated right now!

At least I am leaving for vacation today. I'm on my way down to pick up mom now. She is going to be staying here with her furry grandchildren that she just loves so very much. :bbmrgreen:

[Valmai]

Sorry they still dont seem certain what is wrong with ur mum Lacey, at least if they knew theyd be able to treat her properly - good luck with the Lacey style 'pow wow'.
Hope you have a great holiday, A lot of my uni work involves the Smithsonian and its one of those place which id like to visit so sorry but im jealous that u get to spend time there so much! lol
Enjoy anyway xxx

[LaceyinPgh]

Today was phase one of our little mini vacation. Right now we ae in Hagerstown, Maryland. Sean has a meeting here first thing in the morning. I actually went to school right across the state line in West Virginia so it was nice to be back.

Sean took me to dinner at this nice Bavarian style place in Shepherdstown, where I went to school. It overlooks the Potomac River and the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. You look out one side of the resturant and you can see the beautiful farms of Western Maryland and the other, my old dorm room. I had a perfect view. I had to take a picture and email to my old roommate, Alicia. She will laugh tomorrow monrning when she checks her mail. We used to look out our window at the resturant and wish we were eating there as opposed to the crappy dining hall every night.

After dinner, we took a stroll though town. Unfortunately everything was closed since it was late. It was dark so I didn't get any pictures. The only way I can describe the town is Soho meets West Virginia. It has all these trendy little shops, martini bars, and cafes right in the middle of these beautiful hills and rivers of West Virginia. Those of you who know anything about Civil War History, it is nestled right betwee Antietam Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Maryland and Harper's Ferry, West Viriginia.

On our way to the resturant we took a drive through Antietam. It is so morbid but to me it is on of the most beautiful and peaceful places on earth. I actually feel calm and relaxed there. The rolling hills, stone fences, Civil War Era farms full of corn, white churches, oak and willow trees. There aren't even words to describe it.

Here are some pictures (I wish I could take credit)
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/And11.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/Ant1.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/Ant2.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/Ant3.jpg

[LaceyinPgh]

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/Ant4.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/Ant5.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/Ant6.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/Ant7.jpg

[LaceyinPgh]

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/Ant8.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/Ant9.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/Ant10.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/Ant11.jpg

[LaceyinPgh]

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/Ant12.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/Ant13.jpg

[MOB Karen]

Wow!!! Those pictures are great!! There is some wonderful history in them!!! Thanks, Lacey!!! :D

[LaceyinPgh]

Today was day 2 of mini vacation. It was my most anticipated day. Today I went tot the DC Zoo in hopes of catching glimpse of the pandas. It was so hot that just walking around the zoo caused me to just drip sweat. Not only was it miserably hot but super humid as well. I finally got to the pandas and guess, they were there, hanging out, doing panda things. Words cannot describe how absolutely adorable they are. Thnk of the most adorable puppy sitting with a basket of kittens and new babies with little baby bunnies and ducks running around. Then multiply that by 100. That is close but not fully how adoreable pandas are in real life. I took a million pictures of them Tragically, I forgot the cord to connect the camera with the laptop so you will have to wait until Sunday to see. But I was so happy to FINALLY get to see a panda that I almost cried. When I lived here, the two pandas they used to have had passed away. So I never got to see them before. Unfortunately it was just so hot that they animals were all laying low or inside so I didn't get to mee much. I did get to see the hippo though, but hse stayed under water the entire time. After abot two hours I finally just headed back to the hotel. It was miserable. By the time I got the 3 blocks to the metro station I was actually light headed and sick. I was dripping wet. I got to the hotel and just crawled into the shower then into bed. Sean woke me up just in time to get ready for dinner.

We had the best dinner at this great little French place, Le Bourgerie , in old town Alexandria. I finished with this amazing hazelnut souffle that made my souflees look like flourless cake.

Right now we are just chilling in the hotel. I am really tired still from this afternoon. Tomorrow Sean doesn't have any meetings so we are going to go to the Smithsonian of American History and possibly Natural History as well. Now if I could just convince him to move back to this area, we would be in business.

[LaceyinPgh]

I forgot to add, Sean told me this afternoon that is greatest fear sending me off to the zoo was that the pandas wouldn't be out. He said that he knew there would be no way to make that up me because I wouldn have been so devestated by it. (I had been waiting years for this!)

[LaceyinPgh]

Today was the Smithsonian of American History and the Smithsonian of Natural History. Sean had never had a chance to see either. We has a lot of fun. Except, we pretty much solidified the fact that we do not like children. They are ill behaved, loud, and hyper. Their parents are worse because frnakly, they needed to grab the ill behaved little monsters, smack their asses, and put them back in their strollers or leave with them. I have no patience for people who refuse to parent their child especially in a place where some amount of social decorum needs to be observed. Also, of one more tourist pushed me out of the way, I was going to declare war on them all. Get in the ****ing line and wait your turn to see the exhibit! If I had to wait, you can as well. But, don't linger too long there is no need to take 5 minutes to read the placards. Oh, I HATE tourists or people who act like them!

I feel better now.

Sean and I are getting ready to go into DC for dinner tonight. I love this city at night. There is no place in the world more beautiful. I wish I could convince him to move down here permanently.

[AngelinLove]

I am glad that you are having a wonderful time on your vacation and that you had teh opportunity to see the pandas. Good luck convincing Sean to move to the area permanently!!!

[MOB Karen]

I cannot wait to see the pandas, Lacey!!! I think they are adorable too!!! :D I would also love to see the Smithsonian before I die too.

[Valmai]

Im with you on the children thing lol we dont go anywhere 'popular' on weekends here 'cos there will be kids there' - why do their parents seem to approve of them running arund screaming constantly? I couldnt stick my own screaming i got no chance with anyone elses lol
Glad you're having a good time tho - the pandas sound awesome! xxx

[LaceyinPgh]

I am glad that you are having a wonderful time on your vacation and that you had teh opportunity to see the pandas. Good luck convincing Sean to move to the area permanently!!!
I've been trying for 7 years with no luck. But I did drag him onto the Metro dn he was really impressed by the convience and ease of it.

[LaceyinPgh]

I cannot wait to see the pandas, Lacey!!! I think they are adorable too!!! :D I would also love to see the Smithsonian before I die too.

DC is an amazing place. Everyone should see it in their lives. The Smithsonians alone could take up an entire vacation, not to mention all the other "DC" sightseeing stops. No place in the world is as beautiful as this one.

[LaceyinPgh]

Im with you on the children thing lol we dont go anywhere 'popular' on weekends here 'cos there will be kids there' - why do their parents seem to approve of them running arund screaming constantly? I couldnt stick my own screaming i got no chance with anyone elses lol
Glad you're having a good time tho - the pandas sound awesome! xxx
Thank Heavens! I just thought I was being a b*tch. I can't stand people who can't force proper behavior in their children. When I was 3 and 4 my parents took me to the ballet and opera, museums, ect. I always knew what was expected and how to behave. Sean and I avoid family places on the weekends too because it just gets on our nerves. Tragically here, it was the middle of a Thursday afternoon and still that bad. I hated tourist season when I lived here.

Also, I hate to sound like a bigot but if one more Japanese tourist jumped in front of my yesterday, I was going to redeclare war. They just push right through the exhibit and stand in front of it. The line and patience means nothing to them. I had the same woman jump in front of me while I was trying to take a picture 3 times in 3 seperate places. Finally I looked at her and said, The line is back there. I suggest you go and stand in it and wait your turn unless you want someone to PUT you in it."

[LaceyinPgh]

Today we are leaving DC :bbcry: and heading up to Philly for a wedding. (I bet Ellen's will be more fun!) I don't really want to deal with a wedding but I don't have a choice.

[brewsells]

It sounds like you are having fun on your little mini vacation. I'm glad you were finally able to see the Pandas.
I have kids, but misbahaved children is my biggest pet peeve. My children know how they are supposed to act in public and they know what the wrath of Mom is like. Nothing drives me more crazy than screaming kids running all over the **** place.

[Valmai]

I used to think that i couldnt tolerate them because my own behaved and could be taken anywhere and would behave appropriately, but Jamie is even worse than me and loads of children running around just spoils a day out for us so we avoid such areas where possible (school holdiays its unavoidable sadly lol) Jamie has no wish to have any children never has and he says he never will. What ages do you teach? I think its easier then because you are in charge and they probably know how they should behave.
Enjoy the wedding and the rest of your break xxx

[LaceyinPgh]

I used to think that i couldnt tolerate them because my own behaved and could be taken anywhere and would behave appropriately, but Jamie is even worse than me and loads of children running around just spoils a day out for us so we avoid such areas where possible (school holdiays its unavoidable sadly lol) Jamie has no wish to have any children never has and he says he never will. What ages do you teach? I think its easier then because you are in charge and they probably know how they should behave.
Enjoy the wedding and the rest of your break xxx

I teach high school. I mostly have the older grades so my students are between 16-18 plus they are in the gifted and special talents program so they aren't bad at all. I substituted one day for elementary a couple years ago. At the end of the day, I walked into the office and told them to NEVER call me again. I really don't like little children. That is why I don't have any. If by a twist of fate, one does show up in my life, they will not run aroun dlike wild animals because if they do they won't be able to sit down for a month afterwards.

[LaceyinPgh]

My mother is house and dog sitting for us. She called me last night to tell me that my cousin called and asked for an RSVP from Sean and myself and my mother about the family reunion on August 18. This is the cousin that sat in the corner and did nothing for my bridal shower, RSVP'd yes to my reherasal dinner and didn't show up, then left the wedding before the pictures were even done and didn't show up at the reception because I didn't invite her underage children. It is a reunion for the family that didn't show up at my wedding and didn't even have the balls to call me back and tell me that they weren't coming. And, Sean and I are supposed to drive an hour to hang out with these people like it is all ok? Are they smoking crack? She is lucky I wasn't there to answer that phone call. But, she and the rest of the psycho brigade will be getting an earful about it soon! I refuse to ruin my vacation thinking about it!

[CindySue]

Thank Heavens! I just thought I was being a b*tch. I can't stand people who can't force proper behavior in their children. When I was 3 and 4 my parents took me to the ballet and opera, museums, ect. I always knew what was expected and how to behave. Sean and I avoid family places on the weekends too because it just gets on our nerves. Tragically here, it was the middle of a Thursday afternoon and still that bad. I hated tourist season when I lived here.

Also, I hate to sound like a bigot but if one more Japanese tourist jumped in front of my yesterday, I was going to redeclare war. They just push right through the exhibit and stand in front of it. The line and patience means nothing to them. I had the same woman jump in front of me while I was trying to take a picture 3 times in 3 seperate places. Finally I looked at her and said, The line is back there. I suggest you go and stand in it and wait your turn unless you want someone to PUT you in it."
Lacey, I have 4 kids and while they can be brats at times, they do behave in public. Well most of the time. It bothers me when I see kids running around acting like horses butts and such too. I dont allow mine to act like that, theyve tried, but learn real quick that it just isnt going to happen.
I love the way you handled that lady!!!!

[CindySue]

My mother is house and dog sitting for us. She called me last night to tell me that my cousin called and asked for an RSVP from Sean and myself and my mother about the family reunion on August 18. This is the cousin that sat in the corner and did nothing for my bridal shower, RSVP'd yes to my reherasal dinner and didn't show up, then left the wedding before the pictures were even done and didn't show up at the reception because I didn't invite her underage children. It is a reunion for the family that didn't show up at my wedding and didn't even have the balls to call me back and tell me that they weren't coming. And, Sean and I are supposed to drive an hour to hang out with these people like it is all ok? Are they smoking crack? She is lucky I wasn't there to answer that phone call. But, she and the rest of the psycho brigade will be getting an earful about it soon! I refuse to ruin my vacation thinking about it!
I would soooo love to be a fly on the wall to hear this!!!!!!!

[WhiskeyGirl]

My mother is house and dog sitting for us. She called me last night to tell me that my cousin called and asked for an RSVP from Sean and myself and my mother about the family reunion on August 18. This is the cousin that sat in the corner and did nothing for my bridal shower, RSVP'd yes to my reherasal dinner and didn't show up, then left the wedding before the pictures were even done and didn't show up at the reception because I didn't invite her underage children. It is a reunion for the family that didn't show up at my wedding and didn't even have the balls to call me back and tell me that they weren't coming. And, Sean and I are supposed to drive an hour to hang out with these people like it is all ok? Are they smoking crack? She is lucky I wasn't there to answer that phone call. But, she and the rest of the psycho brigade will be getting an earful about it soon! I refuse to ruin my vacation thinking about it!

if it were me I'd say yes and then send them a big steaming pile of manure and tell them to eat it!! Your family really seems to have something loose! "oh hey I said I was coming to your wedding and then I didn't but do youwant to come to our family reunion?" UH DUH!!!! lol Please let us know exactly how the convo went Lacey!!

[LaceyinPgh]

I finally made it to Philadelphia. The trip that usually takes 2 1/2-3 hours from Alexandria to Philly straight up I95 took 5+ yesterday. We totally missed the rehearsal dinner we were supposed to be going to. (Fine by me) But it was just a miserable trip. So I got my first look at Philly. It has got to be the ugliest and dirtiest cities that I have ever seen. (I have been to the thrid world). This is truely the arm pit of our Commonwealth. It sucks here. Oh, and they stand to break their murder record AGAIN this year from what I saw on the news last night. they are up to 230 as af 11 last night. Woo Hoo! I can't wait to go venturing out. Our hotel is very nice but from what I seen this entire city is da 'hood!

We might go to Constitution Hall today but I'm not sure. The wedding is at 630 tonight.

[MOB Karen]

Yikes!!! :bbeek: Stay safe, Lacey!!! :D

[LaceyinPgh]

I would soooo love to be a fly on the wall to hear this!!!!!!!
My best friend and Sean both said the same thing.

[LaceyinPgh]

Picture time. Photobucket finally decided to to stop being so fussy. Sean and I got home around 4 but then I had to take my mom back to WV. This of course took twice as long as usually because I sat in traffic on 22 west over an hour because of the **** Kenney Chesney concert. I hate country music and this only solidified the fact.

Anyway let's start with the National Zoo. Your tax dollars pay for it so you might as well enjoy it.

Giraffe:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/P7260002.jpg

I find beavers to be very funny little animals so I always enjoy watching them:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/5d6205ce.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/67699a97.jpg

I find donkeys to be funny for some odd reason too:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/c9e279bf.jpg

[LaceyinPgh]

The only things funnier than beavers and donkeys are seals:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/1360c2d1.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/c619cada.jpg

Ponies aren't funny, they are just cute.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/fa8261c7.jpg

Land Tortise. This thing was huge. I swear it was bigger than my first car. (Not saying much my first car was a Pontiac La Mans)

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/47a83034.jpg

[LaceyinPgh]

I was thinking of our girl, Kelli, when I saw the hippo. I know that she loves hippos. I waited and waited in near 100 degree heat to get a better picture of the hippo. Apparently they can hold their breath far longer than I can endure the beating the sun.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/072d2367.jpg

And now the moment that you have all been waiting for. I know that I waited years for it, the panda. I was so excited to see this little guy that I almost cried. Don't be disappointed, pandas aren't social. They are lazier than my dogs. It was almost 100 out. And, this was about as close as you could possibly get without breaking about a dozen international laws:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/P7260003.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/P7260005.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/P7260006.jpg

[LaceyinPgh]

On Thursday we went to two Smithsonians. The American History Museum and the Natural History Museuem. Tragically I have been to both so many times taht it doesn't dawn on me to take too many pictures.

I will say that the new 9-11 Exhibit is very moving. Also, the Vietnam War Memorial Exhibit where they show various artifacts left at the Wall is very moving as well. I lived in DC pre 9-11 and I never went through the Vietnam War Part until Sean dragged me. I didn't take pictures of either because I just felt it was too personal for too many people to just turn those special moments into tourist fodder.

But, here is Sean with one of his favorite TV Characters of all time, Oscar the Grouch:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/P7270022.jpg

Also, they had a Jim Henson Exhibit going on. That thrille dme because I LOVED the Muppets growing up:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/P7270023.jpg

[LaceyinPgh]

So, after Sean's meeting on Friday we made the infamous trip up I95 from DC to Phillly. I hope to never have to do that again. It was ridiculous.

On Saturday we went to a wedding at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. It was really a gorgeous venue.

Sean, Johnny, Mary Beth, and Paul:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/P7290042.jpg

Tina (the bride), Tim (the groom), Mary Beth, and Chris:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/P7290036.jpg

Tina and Paul:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/P7290031.jpg

[LaceyinPgh]

Of course, The Virgin Mary made it to the event. (I personally packed her up, hauled her through 4 states and the District of Columbia to get her there. (I'm so glad this is Sean's friends' tradition!)

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/P7290029.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/P7290039.jpg

[LaceyinPgh]

Just to be funny, we took this one. I bought a stuffed panda at the zoo gift shop. By the way they get REALLY nervous if you ask to take a real one home. Anyway Sean and I joked about needing to find the little guy some bamboo. So when we got to the hotel in Philly, the bathroom had potted bamboo growing in it. What luck, Sam the Panda, was really hungry by that time:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/P7300043.jpg

[mariaandmanish]

Lacey, that is SO precious! I love that picture. Panda's are so adorable, and if you didn't know better, you'd think it was not a stuffed one! Adorable pic! I am glad you had fun in DC.

[MOB Karen]

Love the animals!!! Love the pics!!! Wish I could go there!!! Thanks for sharing, Lacey!!!:D

[LaceyinPgh]

AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited. And of course my husband's cell phone is turned off. I just got a call from my dad. They just announced that on October 6, Elton John is going to be at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. I love Elton!!! All girls need a fabulously gay best friend. I, having to ALWAYS have the best, decided years ago that my fabulously gay best friend would be Elton. Is there anyone more fabulously gay who can also play a piano? I think not. I will be up at the crack of dawn on August 7 to buy tickets. I hate to break it to Sean but our Vegas weekend (scheduled for that weekend) just got cancelled!

[AngelinLove]

You tell him girl!!! I am not a big Elton fan, but you deserve the best and if that is your best then you go get it girl!!!!! Vegas will be there the next weekend!!!

[MOB Karen]

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/15_2_3.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxdm824YYUS) I love Elton!!! Sounds like a fabulous concert to me!!!

[LaceyinPgh]

You tell him girl!!! I am not a big Elton fan, but you deserve the best and if that is your best then you go get it girl!!!!! Vegas will be there the next weekend!!!

Actually the next weekend we will be en route back to Pittsburgh from Los Angeles if all goes as planned. So maybe we can reverse weekend. I don't really care about Vegas. It is a blast and all but he is Elton! Lacey loves her a rock star!

[MOB Karen]

Actually the next weekend we will be en route back to Pittsburgh from Los Angeles if all goes as planned. So maybe we can reverse weekend. I don't really care about Vegas. It is a blast and all but he is Elton! Lacey loves her a rock star!

Hellooo... I get it!! Love him!!! Rocket Man, Philadelphia Freedom, Don't go breakin my heart, just to name a few!!!! :D

[LaceyinPgh]

Hellooo... I get it!! Love him!!! Rocket Man, Philadelphia Freedom, Don't go breakin my heart, just to name a few!!!! :D
I only wish his new stuff turned out to be as good as his old stuff.

[MOB Karen]

I only wish his new stuff turned out to be as good as his old stuff.

I know, Lacey, but how the hell can Elton ever live up to his old stuff?!?!? That's just classic rock thru and thru!!! I'm so jealous!!! http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_6_217v.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxdm824YYUS) I adore Elton!!!! :D

[LaceyinPgh]

This AOL IM conversation just transpired between my hubby and I. I thought it was too funny.

LDH: IT IS PAST YOUR BEDTIME MISTER!
SMB: i know - i had to send out the baseball moves. it is night-night time!
LDH: Get to bed, don't make me come up there!
SMB: yes dear
LDH: Your a fast study, I like that.
SMB: silly Princess
SMB: Good night
LDH: Night!

[blueeyedbride]

AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited. And of course my husband's cell phone is turned off. I just got a call from my dad. They just announced that on October 6, Elton John is going to be at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. I love Elton!!! All girls need a fabulously gay best friend. I, having to ALWAYS have the best, decided years ago that my fabulously gay best friend would be Elton. Is there anyone more fabulously gay who can also play a piano? I think not. I will be up at the crack of dawn on August 7 to buy tickets. I hate to break it to Sean but our Vegas weekend (scheduled for that weekend) just got cancelled!

Hey if you psot pone your trip to Vegas and are out there the week of Oct.22 Bill adn I will be there..

[LaceyinPgh]

Hey if you psot pone your trip to Vegas and are out there the week of Oct.22 Bill adn I will be there..
We live 45 minutes apart and have to travel to the other side of the country to meet for drinks You gotta LOVE the irony on that one.

Actually we are heading out to Anaheim that week so Vegas was going to be a quickie detour.

[Valmai]

Ooooo sounds great Lacey fingers crossed that u get tickets - i love Elton too! LOL @ ur conversation jamie and i have ones like that! xxx

[LaceyinPgh]

I just got home after spending 7 hours in the er with my mother. She got very sick, broke out into hives, and her neck started to swell causing her to have a hard time swallowing. After a million blood tests, Xrays, scans, pokes, prods, and everything else, the doctor walks in, looks at her, and says, "I don't know what is wrong with you. All the tests came back negative. Follow up with your family doctor. If you don't straighten up, maybe go see an endocrinologist." AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!! Apparently medical school isn't as hard as I was lead to believe all these years. I could be a doctor. Watch how easy it is, "Ewww, I don't know what the hell is the matter with you. I don't even know where to start. Here go see this guy and be his problem."

[AngelinLove]

This AOL IM conversation just transpired between my hubby and I. I thought it was too funny.

LDHorvat: IT IS PAST YOUR BEDTIME MISTER!
SMBannon: i know - i had to send out the baseball moves. it is night-night time!
LDHorvat: Get to bed, don't make me come up there!
SMBannon: yes dear
LDHorvat: Your a fast study, I like that.
SMBannon: silly Princess
SMBannon: Good night
LDHorvat: Night!

That was a cute little conversation!!!

[mariaandmanish]

I just got home after spending 7 hours in the er with my mother. She got very sick, broke out into hives, and her neck started to swell causing her to have a hard time swallowing. After a million blood tests, Xrays, scans, pokes, prods, and everything else, the doctor walks in, looks at her, and says, "I don't know what is wrong with you. All the tests came back negative. Follow up with your family doctor. If you don't straighten up, maybe go see an endocrinologist." AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!! Apparently medical school isn't as hard as I was lead to believe all these years. I could be a doctor. Watch how easy it is, "Ewww, I don't know what the hell is the matter with you. I don't even know where to start. Here go see this guy and be his problem."

OMG, Lacey! Your poor mother! It sounds like an allergic reaction to something, but that is absolutely horrible what the doctor did! I will keep your mother in my thoughts and hope that she is better very soon and that she finds a doctor who will really pay attention and show caring and attention to someone who is obviously sick!

[LaceyinPgh]

OMG, Lacey! Your poor mother! It sounds like an allergic reaction to something, but that is absolutely horrible what the doctor did! I will keep your mother in my thoughts and hope that she is better very soon and that she finds a doctor who will really pay attention and show caring and attention to someone who is obviously sick!

We have been to dozens of doctors over the last year and half or so. Everyone of them looks at us and says, "I honestly have no clue what is wrong with you. I have never seen anything like this before."

[LaceyinPgh]

Well, I am off to the vet with my Ruffles. Nothing like starting the day on a traumatic note for the both of us!

[LaceyinPgh]

Little Miss Ruffles and I are back. Our regular vet had a amily emergency today so they had this woman in there with the bedside manner of a troll. First of all my Ruffles doesn't like the vet at all. This woman was loud and rough when running the tests that Ruffles needed. Then she pointed out that the test results weren't what she would like to see. Well duh! I would have liked her tear production to be higher too. But she does have an eye infection again because the dog sitter didn't clean her eyes out properly and she has cold. Her production is always down during those times. Then this woman looks at me and says that the results are low and I should reconsider wasting $42 on the medication if it is only going to work moderately. HELLO DUMB ***!!!!!!!!! Working moderately is still better than nothing. Can you imagine your eyes not producing any tears at all? How miserable that would end up being! It is my money and I understand that Ruffles is an older and somewhat cantakerous little dog but that doesn't mean that your cheap *** gets to make her miserable on top of it all.

[Valmai]

Doesn't sound like you're having a good day Lacey! Sorry the dumbasses still dont seem to be able find out whats up with ur mum, or at least they dont have the intelligence to be able to - i think the first thing they learn in med school is 'how to pass the buck'. I hope she (or you) are not too down/annoyed after yet another bad experience.
Poor Ruffles too give her a hug from me
Take care xxx

[CindySue]

D A M N Lacey......sounds like the ER doc and the Vet got their licenses from the same :censored: cereal box, doesnt it?

[cowboysbride]

My dear Lacey, this is awful and I'm so sorry you are having to experience it. I can't fix it, but know that I would if I could! I continue to keep you in my prayers. I'll chat with you soon dear, XOXO!

[WhiskeyGirl]

Little Miss Ruffles and I are back. Our regular vet had a amily emergency today so they had this woman in there with the bedside manner of a troll. First of all my Ruffles doesn't like the vet at all. This woman was loud and rough when running the tests that Ruffles needed. Then she pointed out that the test results weren't what she would like to see. Well duh! I would have liked her tear production to be higher too. But she does have an eye infection again because the dog sitter didn't clean her eyes out properly and she has cold. Her production is always down during those times. Then this woman looks at me and says that the results are low and I should reconsider wasting $42 on the medication if it is only going to work moderately. HELLO DUMB ***!!!!!!!!! Working moderately is still better than nothing. Can you imagine your eyes not producing any tears at all? How miserable that would end up being! It is my money and I understand that Ruffles is an older and somewhat cantakerous little dog but that doesn't mean that your cheap *** gets to make her miserable on top of it all.

Matthew has similar problems. He's supposed to use eye drops all day!! Or else we are to move to Hawaii! lol He hasn't been using his drops lately...maybe he wants to move to Hawaii...hmmmmmm.

[LaceyinPgh]

Sean's grandpa is in the hospital. They think he had a mini stroke. But it is my understanding that he is doing fine. In fact it seems to have cleared up his mind a little bit. Of course, with all the nurses he is thrilled because he has a new audience for all of stories. Sean's parents filled us in last night over dinner. I'm assuming that since they kept their dinner plans with us, that they aren't that concerned about it, meaning he should be all right. Since he is in Mercy and it is right across the river from the house (literally I am looking at it) we are going over after work tonight. I'll have to pick him up some cookies when I am at the store later. He LOVES cookies.

[cowboysbride]

Sean's grandpa is in the hospital. They think he had a mini stroke. But it is my understanding that he is doing fine. In fact it seems to have cleared up his mind a little bit. Of course, with all the nurses he is thrilled because he has a new audience for all of stories. Sean's parents filled us in last night over dinner. I'm assuming that since they kept their dinner plans with us, that they aren't that concerned about it, meaning he should be all right. Since he is in Nercy and it is right across the river from the house (literally I am looking at it) we are going over after work tonight. I'll have to pick him up some cookies when I am at the store later. He LOVES cookies.

Let us know Lacey, I have wonderful recipes for choc chip, lemon spritz and orange spritz if you're interested ;-)

I hope he's okay!

Thinking of you and keeping you where you belong, in my prayers!

[LaceyinPgh]

We just got back from visiting Sean's grandpa. He seems to be doing really well. He is in the neurological ICU but unlike the rest of the patients I saw, he is up, awake, talking, and knows his surrounding. So far the only real issue is that he is having trouble moving his one leg. At 89 years old, if that is all the worse he comes out then we realize we are lucky. I took him over some peanut butter cookies and brownies. Sean's sister, Kelly, had just left before we got there. She brought him some truffles. So, at least we know he will be eating. I told him if he is still there in a day or two, Sean and I will bring him over a real meal. Hospital food sucks. The nurses said they don't care what we bring him since he isn't on a ristricted diet. But the catch is that they get some too. In all it is the best case of a worst case scenario. So that is something to be thankful for.

[LaceyinPgh]

This is what I woke up and found this morning.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/P8040044.jpg

[CindySue]

This is what I woke up and found this morning.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/P8040044.jpg

Awwwwwwwww......I want to pet the puppy soooooo bad!!!!

[LaceyinPgh]

I have been in bed with a migraine most of the day. When that happens I take the phone in the bedroom off of the hook. The ringing sound is enough to make me want to die when I am in that state. Anyway, I finally just got up and looked at my called ID. I have 7 calls from my mom on the home phone. On my cell (which I turned off in the hospital last night) there were 2 missed calls and 2 text messages with just her phone number. There were no messages. So I call her back and want to know what the big deal is. I figure someone had to be dead. I mean why else would you keep calling and calling and calling when no one was answering and then not leave a message? The reason, the school district in her area is hiring teachers. I already have a job that pays **** well. It is near my house. I am on my way to tenure. And my benefits are some of the best in the country. So, why in the hell would she think it is a good idea to drive 2-3 times as far everyday, take a major pay cut, have to start working on tenure all over again, and get crappy benefits? Plus, I am not even certified to teach in the state of West Virginia! So I would have to go through the entire procedure to do that. Her reason, I would be close to her. I swear since the wedding she has done everything she can to get me to move back in with her. (I haven't lived with her since I was 18 so I don't see the big **** deal!)

[LaceyinPgh]

Awwwwwwwww......I want to pet the puppy soooooo bad!!!!
And to think that last night I was mad at her for having an accident in the living room. How could you ever be mad at something that cute?

[cowboysbride]

How could you ever be mad at something that cute?

I feel the same way over Eric :D! I love your furbabies they are so cute!

[LaceyinPgh]

New neighbors moved in. They seem normal, almost nice. I bet I can turn them against the *** aches around here with their wine/cheese/current event gatherings. What freaks live in my neighborhood! But these new ones seem, well, nice. I'm not used to that. To top it off, they have a 10 week old pug puppy that is just adorable. He is so tiny.

The H&M clothing store just opened up down the street. I will be shopping there tomorrow. I had Sean with me today and I don't like to shop with him. He gets antsy in the stores. But tomorrow after I drop him off at the airport, H&M, here I come. They also just opened a Black and White. I need to check that out. Oh, and the new Will Ferrell movie, super funny. I'm sorry if I offend the NASCAR fans out there, but, I just don't get it. Although, when people are making fun of it, it is still funny.

Sean leaves tomorrow for Boston. I swear I spend more time without him anymore than I do with him.

[rainbowtreat]

Well have a great time shopping. Good luck with the new neighbors. And I love puppies. Wish we could have one but we have had to settle with cats.

[AngelinLove]

Good luck with the new neighbors Lacey....everyone needs a "normal" set every now and then!!!! Good luck turning them against the rest of the crazies around there!!!

[LaceyinPgh]

So I went shopping this afternoon. I actually had a moment walking into the stores where I had to do a double take. I sincerely think it would be akin to Rip Van Winkle waking up and realizing that time passed him by only mine went in reverse. Leggings over mini skirts, leg warmers, cowl neck sweaters, skinny jeans, tunics, Madonna inspired jewelry, fingerless gloves, and members only jackets. I swear on all things holy in this wold there were members only jackets at H&M. I vow that come hell or high water I WILL NOT ever wear a members only jacket or leg warmers (again.) The one girl at Urban Outfitters asked if I needed help. I told her no, I was just trying to figure out if 1985 was going to suck this time around too. I don't think she got it. I did manage to find a few things that weren't totally frightening. I need to order some pants online tonight. In general I hate JCPenney but I love their Worthington dress pants. I don't know why. Tomorrow I have to stop at the mall. I'll see if Macy's has joined in the tim ewarp or not. It was like totally eerie and stuff, ya know?

[Jenn060306]

I've seen some of the 80's inspired clothing. It's scarey! The other night i saw a girl with super tight tappered leg jeans. SCAREY!
I'm glad you where able to find some good clothes. Shopping it always so much fun!

[LaceyinPgh]

I've seen some of the 80's inspired clothing. It's scarey! The other night i saw a girl with super tight tappered leg jeans. SCAREY!
I'm glad you where able to find some good clothes. Shopping it always so much fun!
These weren't 80's inspired. These were straigh out of the "Like a Prayer" video. I remember them because I had the EXACT same outfits! They were ugly *** then and guess what, unlike good wine they didn't improve with age. By the way tapered leg jeans, or as they are trying to disguse them as "matchstick" leg jeans make EVERYONE'S *** big. If they make Kate Moss look like she hit one too many tubs of Chunky Monkey in coke rehab what the hell chance do we have in wearing them?

[LaceyinPgh]

My mother just called. She in on the way to the hospital to undergo a sleep study. This makes me laugh because my mother does not sleep. She roams all night. If they wanted to do a sleep study, they should have scheduled it for between 12 and 4 this afternoon. Silly silly doctors!

I have discovered the suckest thing in the wrold, when you are reorganizing your closet, and you get tired half way through. I also need another set of shelves to put in the thing. At 7 on a Sunday night, this means only one thing, WalMart. Oh, the trepedation of treading into the evil empire!

Scratch that, I just checked, Target is open til 9!

[AngelinLove]

OMG Lacey...I just had this EXACT same experience yesterday....and a very depressing conversation after it. I remember about 5-10 years ago I used to say ALL the time that there was NO WAY that I would ever be like all those "old" people out there that got caught in a certain style and never left....but I tell ya now.....if my only other option is to start dressing like I just excaped sixteen candles or a hairband video...just give me my "old" lady card and let me on my way!!! There is NO WAY on God's green earth that I will EVER, EVER dress like that again!!!! I was out shopping todaya nd saw a shirt that said "I Love Jake Ryan"...my fsil was like "who the heck is Jake Ryan?"...I was like OMG...it is the character from the movie Sixteen Candles!!! I just cannot believe that this is happening...the 80's were a horrid blight in fashion history and I just WILL NOT accept it again...I will dress circa 2005 from here on out...or atleast some better fashion ideas come along!!!

[LaceyinPgh]

OMG Lacey...I just had this EXACT same experience yesterday....and a very depressing conversation after it. I remember about 5-10 years ago I used to say ALL the time that there was NO WAY that I would ever be like all those "old" people out there that got caught in a certain style and never left....but I tell ya now.....if my only other option is to start dressing like I just excaped sixteen candles or a hairband video...just give me my "old" lady card and let me on my way!!! There is NO WAY on God's green earth that I will EVER, EVER dress like that again!!!! I was out shopping todaya nd saw a shirt that said "I Love Jake Ryan"...my fsil was like "who the heck is Jake Ryan?"...I was like OMG...it is the character from the movie Sixteen Candles!!! I just cannot believe that this is happening...the 80's were a horrid blight in fashion history and I just WILL NOT accept it again...I will dress circa 2005 from here on out...or atleast some better fashion ideas come along!!!

You know, it is just a matter of time before someone gets the great idea to bring the perm back into hair fashion. (On a sad side note, I am ready, I still have my crimping iron from like 1988. Bring on th ebig hair baby!) of course, fashion decide to recycle itself AFTER I move and get rid of 99% of my stuff!

[Valmai]

LMAO im glad its not only this side of the water thats being invaded by 80s fashion - our shops are full of it too!! xxx

[LaceyinPgh]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just got KICK *** seats to see my boy Elton on October 6. If I wasn't so exhausted from lack of sleep I would do a happy dance!!!!

[AngelinLove]

Congrats on your KICK A$$ seats!!! I hope you have a GREAT time!!!

[StaceyMc]

Congrats on the tickets Lacey!

As for the 80's flashback - my sister and I were at the mall last week and as we were walking out of Houlihan's, I stopped dead and stared at the girl standing outside the door - leggings under the jean skirt, 80's hair. Made me feel old. Although, I think I still have my fingerless lace gloves in my dresser drawer - I just couldn't get throw them out when I was cleaning last month :bbredface: H&M shocked me too.

[LaceyinPgh]

Congrats on the tickets Lacey!

As for the 80's flashback - my sister and I were at the mall last week and as we were walking out of Houlihan's, I stopped dead and stared at the girl standing outside the door - leggings under the jean skirt, 80's hair. Made me feel old. Although, I think I still have my fingerless lace gloves in my dresser drawer - I just couldn't get throw them out when I was cleaning last month :bbredface: H&M shocked me too.
If you fish around at H&M there stuff is great. I am also a size smaller there than normal. Which is weird because they go by European size charts so technically I should be a size if not two sizes bigger.

I'll bring the crimping iron, you get out your Madonna gloves (yes I had them in black, white, AND red). We will both get jelly shoes for our feet to sweat in, and we will ROCK this town. I wonder if this will inspire Elton to bring back some of his great 80's outfits? (Let us never forget him dressed as Donald Duck on that HBO special in Central Park!)

Oh, and to just round out my H&M experience. As I look at the member's only jackets, Madonna was on the radio. You gotta love it! (You were only a couple blocks from my house when you were there.)

[StaceyMc]

I did notice that H&M had some nice things as well - the manniquen at the entrance surprised me - made me want to sing "Like a virgin....HEY!" LOL

I was at H&M at the Pittsburgh Mills.

Alright sister, gather up your 80's gear and name the time and place!!

(I'm embarressed to say, Friday on my drive home, I was 'striking a pose' with Madonna while "Vogue" was on)

[LaceyinPgh]

I did notice that H&M had some nice things as well - the manniquen at the entrance surprised me - made me want to sing "Like a virgin....HEY!" LOL

I was at H&M at the Pittsburgh Mills.

Alright sister, gather up your 80's gear and name the time and place!!

(I'm embarressed to say, Friday on my drive home, I was 'striking a pose' with Madonna while "Vogue" was on)
Vogue was one of the first songs to be deemed ipod worthy when I got my new ipod for Christmas. How deeply disturbing was that video?

[LaceyinPgh]

I got my mother into an endocrinologist! The woman is supposed to be quite good. She is with UPMC and affiliated with both Presbyterian Hospital and Magee Women's Hospitals. Magee is one of the best women's hospitals in the world. So I feel good about this. We are expecting the results from my mom's sleep study today or tomorrow. I can't wait to see those. Also,I gave my mother homework. She needs to gather up every test she has had in the last two years, progress reports from ALL of her doctors, all scans and ultra sounds and get them to me. I am officially taking charge of it all from this moment out.

I'm going to make no bake cookies now for Sean to take to his grandfather later today.

[LaceyinPgh]

I want to be asleep! I don't like staying up past my bedtime. I have horrible cramps and a headache. I took 2 Advil and a sleeping pill at 7 thinking that by the time I got out of the hot bath they would both be working and I could just sleep the pain away until about 7 tomorrow morning. Oh no, it is 4.5 hours later, I am still awake with the same problems. How did this happen?

[LaceyinPgh]

My mother just called. If you remember, last week we went to the emergency room because her neck had dramatically swollen. They did a CT scan of it. The doctor came in, told us nothing was there and sent her home.Well, my mom's family doctor sent the CT scan to an eye, ear, and throat guy. This doctor says that there is a growth of some sort on the side of her thyroid. So, she goes in to see him next week. I don't know what to think anymore.

[cowboysbride]

My mother just called. If you remember, last week we went to the emergency room because her neck had dramatically swollen. They did a CT scan of it. The doctor came in, told us nothing was there and sent her home.Well, my mom's family doctor sent the CT scan to an eye, ear, and throat guy. This doctor says that there is a growth of some sort on the side of her thyroid. So, she goes in to see him next week. I don't know what to think anymore.

I don't know what to say Lacey, wow bless ya'lls hearts...I'll keep you both in my thoughts and prayers...could it be her med's reacting on here (just a thought)?

[LaceyinPgh]

I don't know what to say Lacey, wow bless ya'lls hearts...I'll keep you both in my thoughts and prayers...could it be her med's reacting on here (just a thought)?
No, I don't think it is her medication. Although she is on enough for 10 people. They keep changing things around and she stays sick. I really think her thyroid is just messed up. I don't know what is wrong with it exactly but I know there is something wrong. I'll humor her little visit to her doctor's friend. But I am not too keen on her doctor. Like I said, he is a great well person doctor. I don't think he has a clue as to what to do with the chronically sick. This is the total opposite of her old doctor. He took great care of the chronically ill, however if you just had a sinus infection he would put you on these super antibiotics. Hell, if you wnet in for a check up or physical you left with super antibiotics. Not that it was a good thing. But his new guy fails to impress me.

We go to a real doctor with a real specialty in September. I'm taking her an endocrinologist at UPMC. The woman is supposed to be quite good, patient, and has a no nonsense approach. I like that.

[MOB Karen]

My mother just called. If you remember, last week we went to the emergency room because her neck had dramatically swollen. They did a CT scan of it. The doctor came in, told us nothing was there and sent her home.Well, my mom's family doctor sent the CT scan to an eye, ear, and throat guy. This doctor says that there is a growth of some sort on the side of her thyroid. So, she goes in to see him next week. I don't know what to think anymore.

Your poor mother... when it rains, it pours. If it's not one thing, it's another. If she didn't have bad luck, she'd have no luck. I think I could go on and on with these little cliche's but I'm going to stop. I don't mean to make light of your mother's problems, Lacey. I'm really sorry for her and for you too. I'm starting to have a lot of health problems too, and I was just wondering how old is your mother?

[LaceyinPgh]

Your poor mother... when it rains, it pours. If it's not one thing, it's another. If she didn't have bad luck, she'd have no luck. I think I could go on and on with these little cliche's but I'm going to stop. I don't mean to make light of your mother's problems, Lacey. I'm really sorry for her and for you too. I'm starting to have a lot of health problems too, and I was just wondering how old is your mother?
Mom is 48. I know her heart issues are genetic. She has the exact same weak heart valve and muscles that my grandfather had AND the mytral valve issues that my grandmother, uncle, and at least one of my cousins have. However all of that is under control. Her last test came back that she was improving.

This chronic illness thing she has been dealing with for the last year is something different. I really think all of it could be tied up in a thyroid or autoimmune disease. It is just finding a doctor competent enough to figure out which one and then continue narrowing. Both are usually easily treated with medication if they caught early enough.

[StaceyMc]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the endocrinologist can help you and your mom narrow down the problem that she's having. I can't even imagine how frustrated you both are.

I know how much work it's going to be for you, but maybe it's good that you take control of this now. It seems like there's just a ton of miscommunication or something......

You both will be in my thoughts and prayers.

[LaceyinPgh]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the endocrinologist can help you and your mom narrow down the problem that she's having. I can't even imagine how frustrated you both are.

I know how much work it's going to be for you, but maybe it's good that you take control of this now. It seems like there's just a ton of miscommunication or something......

You both will be in my thoughts and prayers.
Thanks Stacey. Sometime in the near the future we are going to have to get together for lunch.

[LaceyinPgh]

I got my hair cut today. Nothing drastic, I just had about 2 inches trimmed off of the end. It is back to its normal length now. My hairdresser and I decided to do some highlights in it but that won't be until next week. Can someone just answer me this question though. Why in the hell do they use so many styling prodcuts? I mean my hair has no shine to it, feels like straw, and already looks dirty. She must have put 5 different things on it. She wanted to spray it all into place too put I said no. It is already gong to take me a week to get all of this out. It drives me nuts. Honestly it is so yucky that it makes me not want to even try one or two of the prodcuts that she is trying to sell me let alone all one million that she ended up using.

[blueeyedbride]

Lacey take u'r mom to the CLeveland Clinic, get her away for these dr's...

[LaceyinPgh]

Lacey take u'r mom to the CLeveland Clinic, get her away for these dr's...
I'm taking her to UPMC. She sees the endocrinologist here in Pittsburgh in September. I'll take it from there. I am tired of her doctors all going "I don't know what it is wrong" and leaving it there. If I can't get any answers here at UPMC, Cleveland is our next stop. After that, Mayo and Johns Hopkins. I'm tired of this bs!

By the way, we have to get together sometime up in Robinson. Maybe after your wedding?

[LaceyinPgh]

Another night, no sleep. I do my nighttime routine. I get tired. I lie down. I toss and tunr for an hour or so, then give up. I have never had trouble sleeping. There might occasionally be a night or two that it takes me lo9nger than normal to drift off, but this is ridiculous. I walk around all day like a zombie because I am so tired. But I can't go to sleep. What is up with this? I tried sleeping pills last night. I took them at 7 and I didn't fall asleep until about 130. I figured for as exhausted as I was today that I would have no trouble tonight. Nope, not the case. What the hell is wrong with my sleep pattern?

[WhiskeyGirl]

Have you tried taking Passion Flower? My iridologist gave me some and it worked like a charm...tastes like c r a p but it worked for me, perhaps it could work for you...:) I dunno!! Good luck, I hope you can get some sleep soon and your mom gets some answers!! :D

[cowboysbride]

Another night, no sleep. I do my nighttime routine. I get tired. I lie down. I toss and tunr for an hour or so, then give up. I have never had trouble sleeping. There might occasionally be a night or two that it takes me lo9nger than normal to drift off, but this is ridiculous. I walk around all day like a zombie because I am so tired. But I can't go to sleep. What is up with this? I tried sleeping pills last night. I took them at 7 and I didn't fall asleep until about 130. I figured for as exhausted as I was today that I would have no trouble tonight. Nope, not the case. What the hell is wrong with my sleep pattern?

You could call me I'm awake tossing and turning too...I beat Eric to death thrashing around at night. I tried Tylenol PM at 900PM and at about 630AM they made me sleepy:censored: ...HELLO time for me to wake up~! I feel ya girl, if I figure out what to do I'll let ya know.

[Jenn060306]

Aww Lacey i am sorry that you are having trouble sleeping. Definatly being stressed will affect it. Sleep is the first thing to be affected when you are stressed and having anxiety.
Try having a bath or a nice cup of tea and reading a favourite book for a while. I've never found any over the counter sleep aids have helped. My Dr. prescribed one for me before the wedding because i would be up to 3 in the morning every night. If nothing is working for you see you're dr. They may have some suggestions for you.

Good luck!

[Valmai]

With me if i have an 'off night' then my sleep pattern gets kicked into **** for nights afterwards, it doesnt seem to take much to kick me outta synch! Hope it doesnt last long for yah Lacey! xx

[LaceyinPgh]

With me if i have an 'off night' then my sleep pattern gets kicked into **** for nights afterwards, it doesnt seem to take much to kick me outta synch! Hope it doesnt last long for yah Lacey! xx
I think that is what it is. I took a nap about a week ago and am still paying for it.

Last night I actually did get some sleep so maybe things are regulating themselves.

[AngelinLove]

Good luck Lacey....I hope that your sleep pattern fixes itself!!! I have the worst insonia sometimes and I know how frustrating it can be not to sleep!!!

[LaceyinPgh]

It is now 11:13 at night on August 11, 2006. Both my husband and I just realized that it is in fact, the anniversary of our first date. As of today we have been in each other's lives for 7 years. It is kind of sad that we went all day without realizing it. I am going to blame it on stress.

We did go out tonight and celebrate without even knowing it. We went to Kennywood and pigged out on junk food including deep fried oreos and Potato Patch fries. (And a million and one other empty calories I won't mention)

7 years. I can't believe we have been together for 7 years.

[WhiskeyGirl]

It is now 11:13 at night on August 11, 2006. Both my husband and I just realized that it is in fact, the anniversary of our first date. As of today we have been in each other's lives for 7 years. It is kind of sad that we went all day without realizing it. I am going to blame it on stress.

We did go out tonight and celebrate without even knowing it. We went to Kennywood and pigged out on junk food including deep fried oreos and Potato Patch fries. (And a million and one other empty calories I won't mention)

7 years. I can't believe we have been together for 7 years.

Congrats Lacey!! :D At least you kind of celebrated right. ;)

[LaceyinPgh]

Sean just left. I won't see him until tomorrow. He is off to a meeting in Maryland. I sometimes swear he has second families in Hagesrtown and Bradford. A day of solitude and peace. I was going go to go ot the mall. Then I realized my Macy's coupon has an internet code. So I'll just be ordereing online in a little bit. I hate shopping on the weekends. It is a zoo.

Last night we went to Sean's business partner's 60th birthday party. It wa sa surprise for her. We had a nice time. I like Sean's partners and coworkers. They are all very nice and easy to get along with. The food was great. I'm going to have to call and ask Kristen what caterer she used. I might be calling them in the future.

Other than that, I have some laundry to do and I need to mop the living room and bathroom. Then it is all me time!

[cowboysbride]

I want some me time! I now have a craving for deep fried oreos! Have fun enjoy the time alone and congrats on the seven years!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LaceyinPgh]

I want some me time! I now have a craving for deep fried oreos! Have fun enjoy the time alone and congrats on the seven years!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Ellen. My mom has requested that I take her to the Canfield Fair. (It is times like these that I wish I had a sibling to pawn my parents off on). I can only hope that there will be more deep fried Oreos there. It might help take the pain out of it.

Alone time is great. I spent the first half of the day just sitting and listening to my ipod after I loaded a bunch more songs on it. (I'm up to 425 and still going!) The second half of the day I tried to sleep off a horrible migraine. It was gone when I woke up this morning but I think it is trying to come back. Lesson learned, I will never forget to refill my bc again!

[StaceyMc]

I just introduced myself to deep fried oreos over the weekend! Talk about heaven! I told Joe when we go to the Westmoreland Fair next week, I'm going to try a deep fried twinkie!! I have the feeling the fair is going to kill my diet!

Congrats on the 7 years :)

Oh yeah...I thought about you when I strolled past Bennetton in Shadyside on Sunday.

[LaceyinPgh]

I just introduced myself to deep fried oreos over the weekend! Talk about heaven! I told Joe when we go to the Westmoreland Fair next week, I'm going to try a deep fried twinkie!! I have the feeling the fair is going to kill my diet!

Congrats on the 7 years :)

Oh yeah...I thought about you when I strolled past Bennetton in Shadyside on Sunday.
I'm always at Bennetton in Shadyside. In fact I spend a lot of time in Shadyside. We really shoul djsut move there to save on the gas money. (But crime is high at night.)

The twinkies are ok. By far the oreos are the absolute bestestest things ever! Besides, what is twenty bazillion calories between friends?

[cowboysbride]

Besides, what is twenty bazillion calories between friends?

OH STOP IT! You are killing me with the fair fat!

[StaceyMc]

I was telling Joe that he couldn't pay me a million dollars to move to Shadyside - traffic is always horrid! I know that the arts festival was to blame for this past weekend but anytime I go there it's always aggravating. I'll go visit, but I'm not staying. (That's the country gal coming out in me)

Ohhh....the fair means homemade donuts too - I think I'll skip dinner that day and fill up on fried oreos, twinkies and donuts and whatever else I can find. I still have six months to fit my dress right?

[LaceyinPgh]

I was telling Joe that he couldn't pay me a million dollars to move to Shadyside - traffic is always horrid! I know that the arts festival was to blame for this past weekend but anytime I go there it's always aggravating. I'll go visit, but I'm not staying. (That's the country gal coming out in me)
I like Shadyside. But, I'm like you. I would never live there. It is just a bit too close to East Liberty for my liking. I like not having my home and car broken into on a regular basis. If we decide to stay in the city though we are thinking about moving over to Squirrel Hill. They have those great big old houses over there that I could have fun with. This girl likes living in the city.

[LaceyinPgh]

So I am going this afternoon to get my hair highlighted. However, I forgot to tell my husband this. I think I am just going to hold out on calling to tell him. The surprised look should be way more fun. Tonight is the last night I am going to see him this week. He has a meeting tomorrow night then on Friday he is leaving for Atlanta for the weekend. So I will be here all weekend alone. I need to find something to do!

[MOB Karen]

So I am going this afternoon to get my hair highlighted. However, I forgot to tell my husband this. I think I am just going to hold out on calling to tell him. The surprised look should be way more fun. Tonight is the last night I am going to see him this week. He has a meeting tomorrow night then on Friday he is leaving for Atlanta for the weekend. So I will be here all weekend alone. I need to find something to do!


Ooooh, Lacey with highlights!! Sounds good! Don't forget to show us too!! :D

[LaceyinPgh]

Well I am back and highlighted. It looks pretty good. It is touch redder than I would have gone but it seems to work so no complaints.

My mom's doctor had her ct scans from the ER analyzed. They sent her in for several more full chests scans. It appears that there is a grown on her salivary gland. It is about the size of a pea. They are going to remove it soon and do a biopsy. We will know more after that.

With all of her symptoms, this doesn't explain much. Her doctor told her today that he wants to send her to a endocrinologist (DUH!) because he can't figure out what is wrong with her. He then was telling my mom about his friend who practices endocrinology in their little town. God bless her, my mom looked at him and said, "No, thanks! Lacey isn't happy with dealing with you and your golf buddies. So she already made me an appointment with an endocrinologist in Pittsburgh. And, I'm not going to the Cleveland Clinic either! I am going to Johns Hopkins or the Mayo Clinci if this doesn't pan out because Lacey likes their results better." You gotta love the little woman for sticking up for herself!

[cowboysbride]

"No, thanks! Lacey isn't happy with dealing with you and your golf buddies. So she already made me an appointment with an endocrinologist in Pittsburgh. And, I'm not going to the Cleveland Clinic either! I am going to Johns Hopkins or the Mayo Clinci if this doesn't pan out because Lacey likes their results better." You gotta love the little woman for sticking up for herself!

YAHOO MOM! Hmmm wonder where she gets (or rather gave that to) from!? Lol, good deal!

You with red highlights....post pics, you know I wanna see the new and improved LACEY!

[MOB Karen]

YAHOO MOM! Hmmm wonder where she gets (or rather gave that to) from!? Lol, good deal!

I was thinking the same thing. LOL!

You with red highlights....post pics, you know I wanna see the new and improved LACEY!

Me too! Me too! :D

[LaceyinPgh]

Well, my husband has been home since 7. We have made dinner, watched television, read, and talked. No where in the last 3 hours has he noticed that his wife (who had almost black hair when he left for work this morning) now has reddish brown hair with blondish highlights through it. HELLO!!!!!!!!! I finally walked into the bedroom and pointed it out while he was working. His response. "Oh yeah, it looks nice. I guess it is kind of different." Two **** hours and $80 better rate higher than kind of different!

[StaceyMc]

Way to go Lacey's Mom! I'm happy to hear that she stood up to her doctor (and his golf buddies)!

As for the crime in Shadyside - the truck parked across the street from us had it's window busted out. I told Joe that really made me want to leave my car there for a few hours.

And...the houses in Squirrel Hill...beautiful!! I always want to go knock on people's doors and ask if I can see inside :) I can see me getting carted away by the police...

[LaceyinPgh]

Right now I am so mad! Literally I am siting here shaking. I walked outside this morning to take Sean to the airport. My front porch that was filled with flowers was empty. Someone came ONTO my porch and stole 2 huge planters of flowers and a hanging basket. Now, this was no little prank or easy task. Those flower planters were solid. They weren't the cheap plastic or terra cotta ones. Plus they were filled with wet dirt and flowers. And, now hundereds of dollars and hours of work are gone because of some jack ***! My husband is standing there and his response, "People are just *** holes. What do you want me to do. Let's go I'm going to be late for my flight." First of all, he sould have gotten up earlier. It isn't my fault he has to hit the snooze button five times to haul his *** out of bed like some hung over college student. Secondly, I can't have anything outside my hosue anymore. My lilies and tulips have all be ruined and don't bloom anymore because the second they do some drunk comes over and plucks them in the middle of the night. It takes me days to clean the cigarette butts, food wrappers, cups, and bottles out of my flower beds some days because the bar crowd just chucks them in my yard when they walk by. Thirdly, this "great" neighborhood has gone to **** since they closed all the police stations down in the area. We used to have patrols by our house 24/7. Now the police are spread so thin that anything goes. Lord forbid you leave your car doors unlocked. I can't tell you how many times that I have had my car broken into for the change in the ashtray. And you can't leave anything in the car and lock the doors. Several of my neighbors have had their windows broken out or their soft tops cut into for things like cd's, phone chargers, ect. And the car theft rate? Let's not even talk about that. I know I and several other of my neighbors have had cars stolen. The neighborhood is full of grafitti because the gangs from over in the "bad" neighborhoods come over to tag things. Muggings and assults are up. I hate it here more and more every day. This is just the last straw! I told Sean on the way to the airport this morning that I want the numbers crunched because I am NOT staying here. I want a real house in a neighborhood that I don't have to run out and check the car doors at 10 at night because I am worried about being able to go to work in the morning. (After they break into the cars, they turn dome lights on so the batteries drain, nice huh?) His response. First, I should be ashamed for giving him an ultimatium then sending him out of town on a business trip. And, if I want a nicer house in a nicer neighborhood, maybe I should look into a real job. WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is lucky his *** didn't end up walking through the Fort Pitt Tunnels to the airport on that one. Then we get to the airport and he wants to know what is wrong with me? How about this? My house was robber last night. Say what you will but someone came onto my property, took my possesions, and left while I was directly above them asleep. To top it off, my husband is gong away for the weekend and doesn't even care. Maybe that is what is the matter with me. What happens next time when they decide they don't like my flowers and would much rather have my television, stereo, and jewelry?

And just to *** insult to injury. Their is a security guard who works at the building across the street. He sits there all night, yelling at people who park in the no parking zone in front of our homes. Including us. If I pull in front of my house to unload groceries and let the dogs out, he calls the parking authority and has you ticketed. I can't count the $100+ tickets my neighbors and I have because of him. Yet, the cars get stolen and the houses get vandalized and he doesn't see anything? I'll be hauling my *** next door after I take a shower and be talking to his supervisors about that too!

[Valmai]

Im sorry uve woken up to this Lacey it must be awful, we were burgled one night while we were in bed a couplla years bac, they didnt take much but it was the fact that they came and took anything at all that bugged the shite outta me! Seans reaction is probably that of many men (they find it hard to think of more than one thing at once - bless them) he was thinking of getting to the airport! Your like me and cope with most things life throws u - its just not on when people treat you this way when you dont want them too lol! Hope your day gets better and u go and give that security guard hell kid!! Good luck xxx

[cowboysbride]

Oh ****! I am so sorry you are having to deal with this....I don't blame you I would be pissed off too. I won't dare try and give you advice (I know you well enought to know that you will handle this your way). If you want me to come up there and jerk a knot in someone's *** tell me by noon so I can tell my husband I'm going on a road trip. I have no problem readjusting some punks face with a garden hoe :boxing:.... as for the security guard tie doughnuts over your door maybe that **** will get his attention... OMG... it so infuriates me that these so called security guards can't do anything but scratch and fart while on duty!

I have plenty of tulips I can share my bulbs (I ordered them from Burpee) and I can send you some real fertilizer to get the growing process induced!

P.S. Give up on the hair, that's a man for you. Eric says more about my do when I have on a baseball cap than he does when I stand and struggle with it for 45 minutes....

BIG HUGE HUGS:hug:

[MOB Karen]

I'm sorry, Lacey, that so totally sucks!! When I was robbed, it sort of felt like I was raped. It's so personal when someone puts their hands on your things. I have a garage now, so I don't have to worry about someone breaking into my car, and the plants outside of my house are not expensive so I wouldn't be losing much. Good luck on getting your house though, that would be so cool!!! :D

[LaceyinPgh]

Well, the police department, the mayor's office, and the security off across the street have heard from me. The police and mayor's office are lucky, they just got phone calls. The security across the street got a personal visit. The manager didn't quite know what to say. Apparently he has never had an irrate woman who was pissed off over her flowers come over yelling and waving parking ticket stubs that list his companies name on them before. I wish I would have remembered to bring my video camera for that one. I still don't feel any better. I'm still mad at Sean. And, now, instead of a peaceful day at home, I have to haul myself to the mall. I see no reason to repurchase all the flowers and pots this time of year. In a few weeks they will be dead anyway. But, I am recouping my loses this afternoon!

[mariaandmanish]

Lacey, I am so sorry to hear about that!! That's really horrible, and I wouldn't want to be any of those people for all the money in the world, including Sean. Though, I can relate, men really don't react quite the way we would expect them too, ever!! It's soo frustrating!! I really hope that you can find a new place soon, and that Sean comes around and sees it from your point of view. Good luck with the shopping, and I will hope things improve for your neighborhood soon.:hug:

[cowboysbride]

Well, the police department, the mayor's office, and the security off across the street have heard from me. The police and mayor's office are lucky, they just got phone calls. The security across the street got a personal visit. The manager didn't quite know what to say. Apparently he has never had an irrate woman who was pissed off over her flowers come over yelling and waving parking ticket stubs that list his companies name on them before. I wish I would have remembered to bring my video camera for that one. I still don't feel any better. I'm still mad at Sean. And, now, instead of a peaceful day at home, I have to haul myself to the mall. I see no reason to repurchase all the flowers and pots this time of year. In a few weeks they will be dead anyway. But, I am recouping my loses this afternoon!

I would have loved to have seen the managers face when you got ahold of him. Have fun shopping, buy something for me! LOL! I was serious about the tulip bulbs and I have tons of lillies also, next year I can send you a box of them...I need to thin them out anyway! Let me know!

[LaceyinPgh]

I would have loved to have seen the managers face when you got ahold of him. Have fun shopping, buy something for me! LOL! I was serious about the tulip bulbs and I have tons of lillies also, next year I can send you a box of them...I need to thin them out anyway! Let me know!
You are the best Ellen! I'll keep you posted on the bulbs. Although there might be some city health codes about that "real" fertilizer of yours. :p

[cowboysbride]

You are the best Ellen! I'll keep you posted on the bulbs. Although there might be some city health codes about that "real" fertilizer of yours. :p

It is all natural and it would be dried of course....it won't start aromacizing the air until you wet it (do that just before you go to bed and NO ONE would steal them again, I GUARANTEE it!)

[StaceyMc]

Sheesh - It certainly doesn't help that they keep broadcasting that a significant amount of the police cars are out of commission does it? Joe and I both wondered why they would broadcast that a bazillion times for the past few days.

I have to say, I think Sean is lucky that he even made it to the airport.

[LaceyinPgh]

Sheesh - It certainly doesn't help that they keep broadcasting that a significant amount of the police cars are out of commission does it? Joe and I both wondered why they would broadcast that a bazillion times for the past few days.

I have to say, I think Sean is lucky that he even made it to the airport.
I don't watch the local news. I didn't even know that.

[AngelinLove]

Lacey...I am truly sorry to hear about the idiots who stole your stuff!!1 Some people are just dumba$$e$!!! I can totally understand why youa re upset!! As for Sean...I would be totally pissed too. I cannot believe that he would tell you to get a real job...like what you do is not a real job, like what you do does not matter!!! He was probably just caught off guard and defensive, but that does not excuse his comments and I would have a serious conversation with him when he returnes regarding the way he values your work!!! As for the police/mayor/worthless rent-a-cop....I would have done the same thing and I would keep complaining too!!! I hope that you feel better after the mall!!!

[hummingbird521]

Lacey, I am sorry to hear this has happened to you. I too would be mad as heck myself. I don't understand some people and never will. I would feel very angry and violated about the whole thing too. I am not giving any advice, for you do know how to handle it and have. I will send some evil thoughts your way that the flowers sprout poison ivy and ravage them for stealing. :D

[Jenn060306]

Holy SH!T! I would never thought anyone would steal plants from the front of someones house before. That is totally crazy! I am so sorry to hear this has happend to you! Plus Sean being so inconsiderate about it all. He is lucky he made it to the airport. I think i would have turfed Mark out of the car for making a comment like that about my job. Being a teacher is not easy!
I hope you were able to find somthing bigger and better then the onces you had before. And i really hope that you get some responds from the police and city.
Good luck hun!

[LaceyinPgh]

I got some pictures of the kiddies:

Ellie's favorite toy is Hank the Hedgehog. Unfortunately Hank is about a year old and not holding up as well as he could be. So at Target the other day I bought a "new" Hank just in case. Ellie discovered him and had to have him to play with too. Here she in on th ebed trying to figure out how Hank multiplied:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/Ellie2Hanks.jpg

Napping in the hall with Hank:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/EllieandHank.jpg

Sleeping in bed (on her back because she is weird)
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/Ellieonherback.jpg

This is a Christmas card contender. Ellie likes to sleep right outside the bedroom door against the wall where she has aclear view of the stairs. ( I can only assume to fend off a potential attack. I told you she is weird.) Ruffles likes to nap in her dog bed. It just so happens they were napping togheter the other day. I know Ruffles needs a new bed. But if you try to replace the old one she gets bent out of shape. She walks around the house pouting and barking until you put the old one back.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/LDHorvat/RooEllienapping.jpg

[MOB Karen]

Oh, how precious!!! They are just adorable dogs!!! :D

[LaceyinPgh]

I spent the day today with my mother. We went to lunch, to the mall, then out for some desset. (Lunch was heavy so we weren't really hungry this evening) Then, I took her home and picked Sean up from the airport.

Tomorrow mom is going to another doctor. She has that growth on her one gland that they are going to look at. From there I can assume that they will set up a time to remove it and do a biopsy.

[Jenn060306]

Sounds like you had a nice day with your mom. I hope you dr. appointment goes well tommorrow.
Take care :)

[hummingbird521]

Well I gotta ask this, since no one else has. Did Sean surviving the reaming I am sure you gave him for his tacky comment about your job? That was rude of him and uncalled for to say the least. Curious minds want to know. haha

[LaceyinPgh]

Well I gotta ask this, since no one else has. Did Sean surviving the reaming I am sure you gave him for his tacky comment about your job? That was rude of him and uncalled for to say the least. Curious minds want to know. haha

US Air helped me with a slight amount of revenge. He actually was supposed to catch the late flight back from Atlanta but was able to get to the airport on time for the earlier flight that would have got him to PIttsbrugh around 7. HOwever, there was a slight mechanical delay no biggie except for the massive thunderstorms that rolled him delaying him several hours. So he actually got home about 20 minutes LATER than if he had been on th elate flight which landed on time. Plus I went out and spent a ton of money and that always chippers me up some.

On the way home I informed him that I in fact had a real grown up job. I had more letters after my name than he did. And frankly if he truly wanted me to, I go go into law, politics, or foreign service and he could walk around explaining to people that he did have a wife but he hadn't seen her in ages because she was galavanting off in some other country or stuck in her office because he felt that she needed a "real" job. And, should that topoc of conversation EVER come up again he should know that I won't let the door hit my *** on the way out, because the door and everything that is attached with it will be coming with me.

[hummingbird521]

US Air helped me with a slight amount of revenge. He actually was supposed to catch the late flight back from Atlanta but was able to get to the airport on time for the earlier flight that would have got him to PIttsbrugh around 7. HOwever, there was a slight mechanical delay no biggie except for the massive thunderstorms that rolled him delaying him several hours. So he actually got home about 20 minutes LATER than if he had been on th elate flight which landed on time. Plus I went out and spent a ton of money and that always chippers me up some.

On the way home I informed him that I in fact had a real grown up job. I had more letters after my name than he did. And frankly if he truly wanted me to, I go go into law, politics, or foreign service and he could walk around explaining to people that he did have a wife but he hadn't seen her in ages because she was galavanting off in some other country or stuck in her office because he felt that she needed a "real" job. And, should that topoc of conversation EVER come up again he should know that I won't let the door hit my *** on the way out, because the door and everything that is attached with it will be coming with me.

You go Lacey!!! You responded great. I will have to remember about not only the door hitting my *** but taking it with me. :D

[Valmai]

Glad you had a good day with ur mum, hope everything has gone well with ur Mother at the Doctors today - thinking of you both!

Ive been sat here PMSL @ ur little rant at Sean lol did he reply with a little smile and a 'yes dear'? xxx

[LaceyinPgh]

Glad you had a good day with ur mum, hope everything has gone well with ur Mother at the Doctors today - thinking of you both!

Ive been sat here PMSL @ ur little rant at Sean lol did he reply with a little smile and a 'yes dear'? xxx
He didn't say anything. Sean knows that I don't stop unless I know that I have the last say. So it is usually smarter for him to stay silent.

[CindySue]

He didn't say anything. Sean knows that I don't stop unless I know that I have the last say. So it is usually smarter for him to stay silent.
Brian is learning that about me, AND Im learning that same thing about him. If Im venting, he shuts up and lets me vent and vice versa. Its when we try to vent at the same time that things can get ugly.

Lacey, Im sorry about your flowers. The 1st thing I thought of when I read that was that movie "Fun with Dick and Jane" (Anyone thats seen it will know what Im talking about.)

[AngelinLove]

US Air helped me with a slight amount of revenge. He actually was supposed to catch the late flight back from Atlanta but was able to get to the airport on time for the earlier flight that would have got him to PIttsbrugh around 7. HOwever, there was a slight mechanical delay no biggie except for the massive thunderstorms that rolled him delaying him several hours. So he actually got home about 20 minutes LATER than if he had been on th elate flight which landed on time. Plus I went out and spent a ton of money and that always chippers me up some.

On the way home I informed him that I in fact had a real grown up job. I had more letters after my name than he did. And frankly if he truly wanted me to, I go go into law, politics, or foreign service and he could walk around explaining to people that he did have a wife but he hadn't seen her in ages because she was galavanting off in some other country or stuck in her office because he felt that she needed a "real" job. And, should that topoc of conversation EVER come up again he should know that I won't let the door hit my *** on the way out, because the door and everything that is attached with it will be coming with me.


That was Perfect!!!!

[LaceyinPgh]

My mom finally called. The doctor she saw today doesn't want to remove that growth. Ok, so I guess we are really sure it isn't cancerous then. He wants to monitor it over the course of the next 3 months as he feels it is being cause by whatever condition she has yet that is unknown. He wants her to see an endocrinologist (going in September) and then to see a rhumetologist because he is very sure that she has an autoimmune disease, possibly a rare arthritis. So, she has to call the rhumatologist in the morning to set up an appointment. He is also very sure on top of this that she has fibromyalgia.

[ikkin510]

Lacey, i'm sorry to hear about your flowers. That stinks. I would be so mad too!
I'm glad to hear that the doctor doesn't think the mass is cancerous. It sounds like he might actually have some good thoughts on figuring out what is wrong with your mom. I hope everything works out for ya!

[MOB Karen]

My mom finally called. The doctor she saw today doesn't want to remove that growth. Ok, so I guess we are really sure it isn't cancerous then. He wants to monitor it over the course of the next 3 months as he feels it is being cause by whatever condition she has yet that is unknown. He wants her to see an endocrinologist (going in September) and then to see a rhumetologist because he is very sure that she has an autoimmune disease, possibly a rare arthritis. So, she has to call the rhumatologist in the morning to set up an appointment. He is also very sure on top of this that she has fibromyalgia.

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1998. It is incurable, but they will give her anti-depressants and pain medication to deal with it. That's what I do anyway. I'm glad there was no cancer anyway. Good luck with everything! :)

[mariaandmanish]

I'm really glad that the dr's don't think your mom has cancer; that's really great news. Hopefully they'll figure out what she's got soon and be able to deal with it in a way that will make her feel much better.

[LaceyinPgh]

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1998. It is incurable, but they will give her anti-depressants and pain medication to deal with it. That's what I do anyway. I'm glad there was no cancer anyway. Good luck with everything! :)

I was really relieved about the cancer thing. I had no idea how worried I was about it until she called. It must have just been nipping away in some little recess of my mind.

From what I have read about the fibromyalgia, it certainly seems that it could be one of her issues. Also, it doesn't seem as detrimental as some of the other conditions that she could have. At least it is fully treatable and not going to caus elong term health problems for her. I hope that for you and Amber along with the rest of your family that yours is doing as well as can be expected and not causing too many problems.

Hopefully they can just wrap this all up before the holidays and she can be back to her normal self. My mother used to be very happy, active, outgoing, and fun to be around. Between the illness, her family, the a-hole soon to be ex husband, and life in general she has been robbed of all those good qualities.

[Valmai]

I am so glad that there actually seem to be some positive diagnoses happening now - things seem to be moving in finding out what is going on with ur Mums health dont they. Im so relived that its not cancer and cant imagine how u must feel. Good luck both xxx

[LaceyinPgh]

You gotta love when life comes along and bitchslaps you! SO yesterday I chipped a tooth. No big deal. I call the dentist he gets me in this afternoon. I am fine with this because it doesn't hurt and I am patient most of the time. Anyway I go in today thkingint I am going to need a crown and cleaning (with my husband's new dental insurance).

I know how horrible this is to say but I haven't been to the dentist in like 2 years. Between going back to school and starting a new job and the wedding it just slipped my mind.But, how much can go wrong in 2 years?

Apparently a hell of a lot can go wrong in two years! I need 7 fillings (Im so glad they treated water with floride when I was a kid), 2 crowns (apparently I have a second tooth chipped in the back that I never noticed), a cleaning, and a custom made mouth guard to help with my jaw to help with pressure, and descaling with antibiotic treatments on my back 4 teeth. This comes to a grand total of just over $4500. Now, on my old insurance 90% of that would be paid for no questions ask. I would have to pay the $10 office copays and the extra cost of the cosmetic white filling over the silver one. On Sean's great insurance and he insisted I switch to, a max of $1000 is paid to each patient annually. No matter what. Now, my dentist has informed me that one if not both crowns could lead to a root canal because both teeth aren't in the best of shape.

And to top it off, my 4 fabulous wisdom teeth have to be removed soon. All for out them in sitting in pockets of cysts that could rupture. Plus, they have decided in the last 2 years to start growing at an angle towards the back of my head. So there is several thousand more dollars I am going to have to pay.

I am not happy. Sean is talking to the person who decided on this insurance and seeing what can be done. I am sorry but I WILL NOT give up my Christmas and vacation. I'll get some Oragel and and a pair of needle nose pliers.

[cowboysbride]

I'll get some Oragel and and a pair of needle nose pliers.


OMG Lacey I don't know what to say....I hope Sean gets your insurance worked out, I hope you get all your dental problems taken care of and put down the pliers you start that **** and break something off at the nerve and you'll know it!

I'm thinking of you, bless your heart!

[hummingbird521]

Lacey, don't do the pliers things. ouch!!!! you make me cringe here. I had more teeth work than I can count last year. Believe me I know what you are going through with it. Hang in there and maybe see if they might take payments?

[JennF]

A $1000 max? Ouch! I thought ours was bad at $1500.

Can the wisdom teeth be put off until after the first of the year? They'll suck next year's max dry but that way you can spread it out. Plus, if one or two of the crowns can be eeked along until next year that gives you a chance to pad your FSA too...so at least it'll be a nominal tax savings.

You have my sympathy. It always seems like when it rains it pours if you start talking to a dentist.

[WhiskeyGirl]

Lol...I'm sitting here thinking how lucky you got off! Sorry! lol. One tooth for me alone cost $4000! (And NO insurance!) But yikes, I'd hate to have to go through all that work that's for sure! Aren't wisdom teeth wonderful? Thankfully I only had two and they are both gone now!! And I've had a root canal and that is sheer pain!!! lol. I've had all kinds of oral dental surgery and I tell you it's the worst. It sucks and I hope that Sean can get you some more insurance coverage! Good luck Lacey!! :D

[LaceyinPgh]

Well the way I view it is like this. We are lucky enough that we can afford to pay it all and it wouldn't really be too detrimental. I just don't want to. (Although Sean did agree that if I was willing to perform my own dental surgery I must be **** set on going to Europe next year.) The oral surgery is covered by our health insurance. Frankly, my schedule is so packed that a lot of what needs done will carry over to the first of the year. So that is another thousand in my pocket.

I just really wanted a new car for Christmas and now that is probably going to get pushed back. But that is good because bying a new car in western PA in the middle of winter isn't the smartest thing in the world. Besides it will give me more time to convince Sean, that yes in fact I need a 2 seater convertible.

[LaceyinPgh]

So you all know, I am not the biggest fans of some of my neighbors. (New ones did move into one of the townhouses and they seem nice enough.) But ther eis one set that I cannot stand. The wine party people. So I was out running errands today and walked past their house. There is a big sign in the window, "For Rent". This means they are moving!!!!!!!!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!! No more wine and cheese people and thier **** cat who constantly gets out and climbs over the fence to :censored: on my patio and annoy my poor dogs.

[cowboysbride]

So you all know, I am not the biggest fans of some of my neighbors. (New ones did move into one of the townhouses and they seem nice enough.) But ther eis one set that I cannot stand. The wine party people. So I was out running errands today and walked past their house. There is a big sign in the window, "For Rent". This means they are moving!!!!!!!!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!! No more wine and cheese people and thier **** cat who constantly gets out and climbs over the fence to :censored: on my patio and annoy my poor dogs.


Well ****! I was wanting a pic of the morons! Lol! I'm glad that you're getting rid of them, best of luck on decent people moving in...I remember my annoying neighbors when I lived in town, between the welfare cases (these people were ABLE to work and too busy doing drugs and living off the system) down the street and the immigrants that loved to walk around in the "nice neighborhood" and help themselves to outdoor decorations (they actually would walk into the complex and steal things, walk 3 blocks home and put it out)...I actually went and retrieved **** on several occasions (while they were there)!

Anywho sorry to rant, I'm happy for ya.

P.S. I am beginning to get $$$ for my birthday I think I'm going
S H O P P I N G! I need a new Dooney!

[Valmai]

Sorry about the dentist and how much work u need done Lacey. You know people over here moan 'cos they have to pay a maximum of £300 for a whole course of treatment and thats only if they dont qualify for free dentist treatment - which many do! xxx

[LaceyinPgh]

Well ****! I was wanting a pic of the morons! Lol! I'm glad that you're getting rid of them, best of luck on decent people moving in...I remember my annoying neighbors when I lived in town, between the welfare cases (these people were ABLE to work and too busy doing drugs and living off the system) down the street and the immigrants that loved to walk around in the "nice neighborhood" and help themselves to outdoor decorations (they actually would walk into the complex and steal things, walk 3 blocks home and put it out)...I actually went and retrieved **** on several occasions (while they were there)!

Anywho sorry to rant, I'm happy for ya.

P.S. I am beginning to get $$$ for my birthday I think I'm going
S H O P P I N G! I need a new Dooney!

Yeah, I'll miss the a-holes (can you hear me chuckling!) I wonder if they need help packing? Plus, there will be one more parking place out front because they always take up two to protect their precious BMW (with the dent and one mirror torn off!) Seriously, I wonder if they need help packing. Or evenmoving for that matter. The entire back seat of my car lays flat. I can get lots of boxes in there.

A new Dooney! I got one of those for my birthday back in April too. They last forever.

[LaceyinPgh]

Sorry about the dentist and how much work u need done Lacey. You know people over here moan 'cos they have to pay a maximum of £300 for a whole course of treatment and thats only if they dont qualify for free dentist treatment - which many do! xxx
Yeah, I don't know how you Brits deal with that socialized healthcare. :bbmrgreen:

The one semester of my life when I didn't have health insurance, I got a sinus infection. The doctor's visit cost me $75. The throat culture was an additional $25. And the antibiotics were another $50. Who can afford that when they are already living paycheck to paycheck without health insurance (most American's don't have it) and a couple of sick kids at home. It drives me insane.

[MOB Karen]

I am putting off going to the dentist, because I know it is going to cost me a fortune! And I work for the government, we have very good insurance. But it doesn't matter, they still get you!! That's just so wrong!!!

[cowboysbride]

A new Dooney! I got one of those for my birthday back in April too. They last forever.

I usually get one for Christmas from Mom...Eric has picked up on my purse fettish...I adore Dooney's, Vera's, Coach, and YSL...I have a few western ones made out of actual horse hair and saddle leather...they are SHARP!

[LaceyinPgh]

I usually get one for Christmas from Mom...Eric has picked up on my purse fettish...I adore Dooney's, Vera's, Coach, and YSL...I have a few western ones made out of actual horse hair and saddle leather...they are SHARP!
If you like that western look check out some Vera Bradley's. They aren't my style but they are very well made. I do love my Coaches and Gucci's though. They last forever.

I don't have much of a purse fettish. I usually find one that I love and carry it until it is worn out. Then I go and find another one. I am very faithful to purses. Shoes on the hand are a different story.

[Jenn060306]

I am so glad that we still have provincial health coverage. Visits to the dr don't cost anything, blood tests, so on so forth. It costs for extra hospital things. But basic care if covered. Ambulances you have to pay for. Dental is not covered. We used to have some chiropractic and natural health care options covered but not anymore. And the same with vision. They only cover a visit to the eye dr. every other year.
Luckily Mark has health insurance so everything is covered up to 80% for us. If he didn't i think we would go broke trying to keep me somewhat healthy.

Please exuse me for asking.... but what the heck is a Dooney?

[LaceyinPgh]

I am so glad that we still have provincial health coverage. Visits to the dr don't cost anything, blood tests, so on so forth. It costs for extra hospital things. But basic care if covered. Ambulances you have to pay for. Dental is not covered. We used to have some chiropractic and natural health care options covered but not anymore. And the same with vision. They only cover a visit to the eye dr. every other year.
Luckily Mark has health insurance so everything is covered up to 80% for us. If he didn't i think we would go broke trying to keep me somewhat healthy.

Please exuse me for asking.... but what the heck is a Dooney?
Dooney & Burke, it is a leather company that specializes in things like purses and accesories.

[CindySue]

Dooney & Burke, it is a leather company that specializes in things like purses and accesories.
They have pretty purses but they arent my style. Kinda priced outrageous too. We were in the mall back around Christmas and I showed one to Brian and he wanted to know who would actually pay $400 for a purse so small it looked like you could only carry a tampon OR a tube of lipstick because it didnt look like both would fit. :bblol: I told him that wasnt the point.

[cowboysbride]

They have pretty purses but they arent my style. Kinda priced outrageous too. We were in the mall back around Christmas and I showed one to Brian and he wanted to know who would actually pay $400 for a purse so small it looked like you could only carry a tampon OR a tube of lipstick because it didnt look like both would fit. :bblol: I told him that wasnt the point.

Tell him I would and have and plan on it again! I have had one since the 90's and they all stay in a container in their little bags until I have the need to chose one that matches my outfit/shoes. Although I don't buy (or receive) the little ones, mine have to be big enough to accomodate all the **** I carry, which is another reason I buy them they LAST FOREVER!

[LaceyinPgh]

Tell him I would and have and plan on it again! I have had one since the 90's and they all stay in a container in their little bags until I have the need to chose one that matches my outfit/shoes. Although I don't buy (or receive) the little ones, mine have to be big enough to accomodate all the **** I carry, which is another reason I buy them they LAST FOREVER!
When I was in college, there was a Dooney & Burke outlet about 20 minutes down the road. That is where I got a lot of mine at. They do last forever. I figure I can buy one or two expensive purses a year or 10 cheaper ones and the price works out about the same.

I'm still trying to convince Sean that it is perfectly acceptable to spend $100 a pop on makeup because the better quality the pigment, the less you use. He gets that part. He doesn't understand if that is the case why I have to go to Sephora one a month. I keep trying to tell him, I can't wear the smae colors EVERY day. And, I have no control over seasonal fashion changes.

[LaceyinPgh]

They have pretty purses but they arent my style. Kinda priced outrageous too. We were in the mall back around Christmas and I showed one to Brian and he wanted to know who would actually pay $400 for a purse so small it looked like you could only carry a tampon OR a tube of lipstick because it didnt look like both would fit. :bblol: I told him that wasnt the point.
I'm a fashion whore, Cindy. I love every aspect from lingerie to accesories and everything that goes between them. I figure my husband spends money on season baseball and football tickets. He and his friends go to Casino Niagra a few times a year. This is my way of enjoying life.

[cowboysbride]

When I was in college, there was a Dooney & Burke outlet about 20 minutes down the road. That is where I got a lot of mine at. They do last forever. I figure I can buy one or two expensive purses a year or 10 cheaper ones and the price works out about the same.

I'm still trying to convince Sean that it is perfectly acceptable to spend $100 a pop on makeup because the better quality the pigment, the less you use. He gets that part. He doesn't understand if that is the case why I have to go to Sephora one a month. I keep trying to tell him, I can't wear the smae colors EVERY day. And, I have no control over seasonal fashion changes.

Lancome has been very good to me, it goes on well, stays on all day and usually I buy the foundation and pressed powder (about 70.00 for both, last about 3 months) and I get free gifts (which cover my blush and eyeshadow and lipstick)...I refill my mascara and my eyeliner about every 3 months and both of those run about 30.00 a piece. The shampoo, hairspray and root lift that I use comes to about 36.00 for all three and that's a twice a month expense!

Eric knows that I can't and won't use anything else and he loves my makeup and my hair so if he wants me to stay looking like the woman he fell in love with then he knows it takes $$$! With my job I have to look pretty polished and nothing else works for me!

[LaceyinPgh]

Lancome has been very good to me, it goes on well, stays on all day and usually I buy the foundation and pressed powder (about 70.00 for both, last about 3 months) and I get free gifts (which cover my blush and eyeshadow and lipstick)...I refill my mascara and my eyeliner about every 3 months and both of those run about 30.00 a piece. The shampoo, hairspray and root lift that I use comes to about 36.00 for all three and that's a twice a month expense!

Eric knows that I can't and won't use anything else and he loves my makeup and my hair so if he wants me to stay looking like the woman he fell in love with then he knows it takes $$$! With my job I have to look pretty polished and nothing else works for me!
I have no brand loyalty when it comes to make up. I do need a new mascara though. My mom bought me Prescriptives and I hate it. It is too thick and I have had it less than 3 months and it is already drying out.

Try this little beauty out, http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P1278&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=S10520 Even if I don't put on makeup, I dot some of this in the corners of my eyes. It makes me look more awake.

[JennF]

Try this little beauty out, http://www.sephora.com/browse/produc...or yId=S10520 (http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P1278&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=S10520) Even if I don't put on makeup, I dot some of this in the corners of my eyes. It makes me look more awake.

Thanks for mentioning that. I have to place an order soon and I'll be sure to try it out.

[cowboysbride]

Try this little beauty out, http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P1278&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=S10520 Even if I don't put on makeup, I dot some of this in the corners of my eyes. It makes me look more awake.

I do believe I will try that! Thanks!

[LaceyinPgh]

I hate to go back to work tomorrow! For real, no in service days. No text book meetings. Just me in a room alone with a bunch of teenagers. I don't want to get up at 5 am!

[mariaandmanish]

Poor Lacey! I don't start til next Tues, and no kids til Wed, but I know how you're feeling!! Best of luck with you new group of teenagers! Have a great school year!

[Jenn060306]

Wow! The summer went by really fast!
I hope you have a good group of students this year! Have a good day tommorrow.

[Valmai]

Good luck with it Lacey - u get a new set of students each year? x

[LaceyinPgh]

Someone tell me the thought process involved with them cutting the grass outside of my room today as opposed to let's say Friday when no one was here to disturb!

[LaceyinPgh]

Good luck with it Lacey - u get a new set of students each year? x
Yes, I get a different group every year. For the most part they are all in their senior year but I have a few juniors. SInce I teach the "gifted and special talents" program, I have a really weird schedule. The first black is independent study. The seniors get to take classes not offered in the regular classrooms. They do this online for the most part. I am just here to help them along and make sure that they stay on pace. Then I have a world cultures class, and a current events class. Again, both of these are offered to students at least on the precollege track of classes.

[MOB Karen]

Good luck with your classes, Lacey!!! I hope you have great kids this year!!! :D

[cowboysbride]

Good Luck Lacey!

[LaceyinPgh]

The kids are all pretty good. I do'nt have the big classes and general ed students. I really live in a little dream world of education. One last block to go!

[ikkin510]

Glad the first day back is going well for you. I can't believe we are at the back to school time already. Where did summer go?

[LaceyinPgh]

I SURVIVED DAY 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

It went really well. When I get home I have papers to review. I made them write a summary of a newspaper article so I see what I have to deal with in my current events class. With the independent studies we jsut talked about what each of them wanted to achieve this semster and how we would go about dong that. By Friday they have to have a plan of action and study typed out along with a calander of deadlines for me. In world cultures, we went over map terms, passed out books, went over the syllabus, all that good stuff.

Woo hoo! One day down something like 179 to go!

[AngelinLove]

Congratulations on a successful first day back!!! I hope the next something like 179 go just as smoothly for you!!!

[WhiskeyGirl]

Lol counting down already?? Lol...that was so me on the first day of classes when I was in school!!! At least you get to work with the intelligent students! lol...I know I would have never been in ANY of your classes!!! ;)

[LaceyinPgh]

Oh yeah, did I mention that where I work has no air conditioning. After sweating all day in a pair of capri pants and a linen shell, I am now shivering in the house a/c with sweatpants and a hoodie on. I love summer but right now, I want fall to get here so my room cools down some.

[hummingbird521]

Glad your first day went so well for you. I would hate working where there is no air conditioner. I feel for you there.

[rainbowtreat]

Good luck in your new school year. My baby starts kindergarden on Wed. I am not ready for that. Hope you students give it their all.

[Valmai]

Glad it went well (besides for the lack of air con) Its much cooler over ere @ mo and it feels lovely to be cold-ish!! I am starting to worry about actually teaching a class of people and i wont even start for a year lol xxx

[LaceyinPgh]

Glad it went well (besides for the lack of air con) Its much cooler over ere @ mo and it feels lovely to be cold-ish!! I am starting to worry about actually teaching a class of people and i wont even start for a year lol xxx
The teaching is the easy part. (As long as public speaking doesn't bother you.) It is all the other stuff that comes with it that makes it hard.

[LaceyinPgh]

I have decided to redo the living room. Our furniture is ivory and taupe or cherry wood. My father bought me a gorgeous Persian rug that is ivory, blue, and gold. So I have decided that I am going to paint the wall the Persian blue that runs through the rug with a ivory-goldish trim. Then I am getting new ivory blinds. (I hate curtains) The landing on the stairway is going to be tiled with ceramic tiling. I need to see when my dad can come and help. I need his scaffolding equipment to get the cathedral ceilings. I am also hoping that he can help me do the tile. It is a fairly small area and I don't want anything elaborate. I would rather have him help me than pay someone a few hundred dollars for 3 hours of work. I wold like to have it done in the next couple of weeks before all the new wedding pictures arrive.

[Jenn060306]

Your ideas for your living room sound gorgeous. I'd love to see how it turns out! I'm thinking i wouldn't mind painting the office. I kinda hate it.
If your dad can help you that would be awsome. I too would hate to pay when i know people who can help.
Have fun! Happy Decorating!

[Valmai]

It sounds lovely Lacey, i love decorating! Good luck with it! xxx

[hummingbird521]

It sounds like it will be very pretty Lacey. Have fun with it and don't forget to show some pics for us.

[StaceyMc]

Sounds pretty! Can't wait to see the finished product!!

[LaceyinPgh]

So I am driving to work this morning. I work in a fairly rural area. Suddenly in front of the car something medium sized and black walks onto the road. I hit my brakes and swerve. I thought it was dog. So I look in the review mirror to make sure that one, I didn't hit it and two that the **** thing got off of the road. I was greeted by quite the surprise. It wasn't a dog, it was a goat. I could just hear that conversation with my claims adjustor, "Yes Rick, it's Lacey. I need to get an estimate done to the front end of my car. It turns out, that I ran over a goat this morning on my way to work."

Then I get to work, and run into the new middle school pricipal. I actually had him as an English teacher in high school. He lives next door to my cousin who totally screwed me over on my wedding because I wouldn't let her kids come to the reception. So I had to listen to what a great neighbor she was for 10 minutes while I was biting my tongue almost in half to tell him what I thought of her.

It was an eventful day. (Although I am pleased with myself. Last night I finally broke 500 on my Ipod. I now have 1.5 days of listening pleasure on it. )

[ikkin510]

LOL, almost hitting a goat, or a cow, or a sheep is a rather common thing in this area. Although I'm sure your insurance guy would have love to hear the story coming from you!

[LaceyinPgh]

For some reason today the only thing that I have wanted was a Coke. All day long, I wanted a Coke. (Of course the only pop machine in the building sells Pepsi, which didn't cut it!) So on my way home, I go through Wendy's drive though and order a regular Coke. The woman hands me this vat of Coke. It was the biggest cup I have ever seen. It barely fit into my holder. I assumed thatshe gave me a the "Biggie/Super Size" so I said, "Oh no, I can't drink all of that, I ordered the medium." She tells me that is the new medium. All the sizes went up one to accomidate their new Super Biggie Size. Judging the size of the new medium, I shall assume that the Super Biggie is keg of flavored syrup and your own CO2 system? I drank more pop today driving home from work than I have in the last 2 months combined. No wonder everyone is getting fatter in this country!

[brewsells]

For some reason today the only thing that I have wanted was a Coke. All day long, I wanted a Coke. (Of course the only pop machine in the building sells Pepsi, which didn't cut it!) So on my way home, I go through Wendy's drive though and order a regular Coke. The woman hands me this vat of Coke. It was the biggest cup I have ever seen. It barely fit into my holder. I assumed thatshe gave me a the "Biggie/Super Size" so I said, "Oh no, I can't drink all of that, I ordered the medium." She tells me that is the new medium. All the sizes went up one to accomidate their new Super Biggie Size. Judging the size of the new medium, I shall assume that the Super Biggie is keg of flavored syrup and your own CO2 system? I drank more pop today driving home from work than I have in the last 2 months combined. No wonder everyone is getting fatter in this country!

LOL! I know what you mean about that! I am actually surprised that fast food continues to do things like that. I figured they would follow suit with McDonalds when they elimated their super size.. (And have you seen that movie? It totally steered me away from junk.. that's for sure)

[LaceyinPgh]

I just got home. Sean and I went to see the comedian, Christopher Titus at the Improv tonight. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. Seriously, he is on tour. If you get a chance, go check it out. We used to love his show on Fox. (Of course his family made mine look normal.) He is getting a new pilot with NBC, so we can't wait to check that out.

Other than that we haven't been up to much. The football season started last night. The Steelers won, thank God. We finally got the mayor buried. I have never seen this town so depressed before. But I assume the Steeler's victory perked everyone up. Oh, and I got Thai food for dinner. It was great. Sean is gone all day tomorrow and then on Sunday he is flying up to New York for meetings on the 11 and 12. I also have my mom's big endocrinologist appointment this week. Lots to do!

[mariaandmanish]

Good luck at the endocrinologist! I hope that you get some answers that will help!

[LaceyinPgh]

I just took Sean to the airport. It seems like I say that a lot. He is going to be in New York until Tuesday. Anyway, I stopped at Starbucks on my way home. All I can say is this, they have pumpkim spice lattes back. I am a happy girl until after Thanksgiving until the pepermint mocha lattes hit the stores.

[StaceyMc]

Mmmmm...pumpkin spice latte - I had one last week when I saw the ad at Starbucks......I love those.

[WhiskeyGirl]

Good luck with your Mom's doctors appointment! I wish you both the very best!!

[LaceyinPgh]

I have decided that my life has turned into the Bunny Hop: one step forward and two steps back! We spent all morning at the endocrinologist. We had a million tests. And the verdict: it isn't the endocrine system. The doctor has no idea. She wants to repeat the tests and do a follow up in 2 months just to be sure but she is almost 100% it isn't my mother's thyroid. The next step is to see a rhumetologist. I am really starting to think tha tmy mother is crazy. Because honestly we are run out of things to get looked at.

[Valmai]

Im sorrythat nothing turned up in her tests, i dont mean im sorry ur mother doesnt have a problem with her endocrine system, but at least when they finally find out what it is they will hopefully be able to treat her successfully. It must be terrible for her to be ill and constantly be told they cant find anything wrong, as well as frustrating for you all. take care xxx

[cowboysbride]

I've been trying to catch up Lacey...I sure hope you guys find something out, I know how frustrating this can be. I'm thinking of you girlfriend!

[Kacie_bride]

I've been trying to catch up Lacey...I sure hope you guys find something out, I know how frustrating this can be. I'm thinking of you girlfriend!

Lacey was banned. I don't know why.