NO, I didn't fall off the face of the Earth!

Man, if I wasn't with me, I might even wonder where I am or why I haven't been anywhere close to my computer. But, since I know where I have been, I guess I'd be a good person to tell you.

First, let me say, it's been a wowzer of a week (or so). Matt has been laid up since last week and he is miserable. I have been shuffling him from doctor to test to doctor and back again. He can't get comfortable in any position and he is a lot of pain.He is B R O K E Well, technically he has a 7mm protrusion at C7 with moderate spine pressure. He has numbness and pain in his left arm. He can't sit, stand, lay down, or anything really. He is in his own little hell because he has all that plus severe headache, nausea, tingling, all that annoying stuff. The worst part is Evan doesn't understand why Daddy can't play. The girls are being strong but you can tell they are missing him. We are lucky if he can get out of bed to sit with us for just a few bites of food. He has no appetite and no energy.

After about a zillion pone calls yesterday morning I found him a doctor that could see him right away. All the others wanted him to wait a month or more for an appt. Surely it was the grace of God's hand that guided me to the spine specialist we saw. They got us in yesterday, were very good to us and we have a plan for surgery on Monday. He will be out of work for two to three months! Man oh man is he sad about that. He's in so much pain that he is willing to do anything to get some relief. Basically they are going to completely take the disc from his spine that is protruding. They will put in a composite made of cadaver cells and insert a titanium plate as well. We were hoping for some better pain management in the mean time but the doctor said there is no room for injections because of the severity and the size of the protrusion. Matt's going to have to suffer for almost a whole week more before he can feel some relief. I can't believe how life can change it's course in a matter of a day.

Well, that's about it on that front. Luckily, I was able to spend last Sat with my person., My Holly. I call her my "person" and that is a compliment. It's hard to explain but just let me say how great it was to spend the day with her. We did our semi-annual trip to Scrapbook Expo. This time we were in San Diego. We had a great time. It was nice for me to have the break from the house and all that is going on here. My in-laws came to watch everyone and it was nice to know Matt and the kids were in good hands.

I didn't get nearly enough scrapbooking done. I really only completed two layouts. Even that is technically wrong because I had an issue with the cricut. You won't believe it. First, I have told you before that I have a black cloud that follows me?? Well, it followed me to Expo. Here's why I say that. I was buzzing up to the "cricut station" to cut my title to put the finishing touch on my layout. I took the "pooh" cartridge out from the machine and put my "Doodletype" cartridge in. Seems normal, right? WRONG! The machine re-wrote my cartridge to make it a Pooh cartridge. Not kidding. Tried it in other machines and still the same. Bummed me out that night but I'm better. Cricut Dan made it right today. He called provo craft and they are stunned and have NEVER had this happen before. Hmmm, remember that black cloud??

But that's where it ended. Really it was a great day to just hang out, with Holly and Tracey. I wandered the floor looking for the next "thing" to make me itch to create. Not that I need an itch but I really wanted something to excite me. I found it. I'm planning on playing with it and I will show you soon. We enjoyed walking the gas lamp for a tiny bit while looking for dinner. I really was loving being in the urban setting. I kept on saying how I felt urban. I will throw a few pics your way tomorrow.

Speaking of showing you.. here's my kids layout for Sept. Have you seen it in the store yet? It's cool because you can customize what grade number you want for each child. Check it out.

This class will be from 4:30-5:30 on Tuesday Sept 16th at It's About Time Scrapbooks and More in Murrieta. Call the store at 951-304-3422 to reserve a spot.

Because I'm playing a game of blog catch up, here's yet a bit more for today. I was "tagged" from Ally Serrato the other day and I really want to play and get the ball rolling for more people to play. So the deal is I'm supposed to write about seven interesting facts about me. Hmmmm Can I even find two??????

Okay, here goes....

1. I am the youngest of six. Is that boring? Hmmmm, maybe a need a new #1.

1b. OK, this might be something....I can't stand to eat meat on a bone. Nope, no ribs for me. No chicken wings either. The thought on gnawing on a bone just seems to make the whole meat eating thing seem so much more barbaric. If I do happen to get meat on the bone for a meal, I have to take all of the meat off and get the bone off of my plate before I eat. Weird huh? Luckily my hubby has been sensitive to that one. He is always kind enough to make sure no bones hit my plate. Love the hubbs so much on these days.

2. I take pride in being a good friend. A good person in general. The day people are sitting around at a funeral for me, talking about my life, I hope that kind is a resounding thought in the minds of people. I try to treat others, blah blah blah, you know. But really, it's true. Not too much bothers me and I really look for the good in everyone.

OK, well I'm just too tired to think of interesting facts. Guess I'll have to "play" tomorrow when I'm not so drained.

TTFN,

Lauren