My Sweet Angel

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May Madness

It's hard for me to wrap my mind around this, but it seems May 2012 will be the last month of my 20's. That's right, at the beginning of June, I will turn 30. Thirty Years Old.

I was babysitting yesterday afternoon and overheard a fascinating conversation between two of the girls as they sweetly played in the cul-de-sac.

Livvie: (Age 8) Noo! I don't want to be old!
Bella: (Age 9) Well it would just...
Livvie: Noo! I don't want to be 30.
Bella: Well...
Michelle: (Age 29) Uhhh Livvie come here just a sec.
Livvie: Yeah?
Michelle: Did I just here you say "you don't want to be old"?
Livvie: Yeah.

Michelle: Mhhhhmm because you "don't want to be 30"? 

Livvie: Uh - Yeah.

Michelle: Hmm... I am going to be 30 next month.

Livvie: Hahaha!!! REALLY?!?!? You're really going to be 30?

Michelle: Uh - Yeah.

Livvie: (still giggling a little) Well, Bella gets to be 23 and it's not fair. She's trying to make me be 30 and I don't want to be old.

After I stopped laughing, I had to stop and think for a minute.

And I am still thinking.

I definitely don't want to dread my 30th birthday - as if someone is making me be 30...making me be old.

Instead, I would love for May 2012 to be an incredible month for me. I don't know what the month has to hold, but I do know I want it to be an extraordinary time of personal, emotional, and spiritual growth. At the very least --- maybe I will do one thing that is extra fun, something else that is super brave, and a few things to keep me laughing and thinking all at the same time.

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My Big News

If you know me, or have even just read the "about me" section of my blog, you know I love learning and school is one of my favorite places to be. I have been a history teacher/professor for the past seven years and have had so much fun getting to know some awesome students while (trying) to make history a little interesting and creative.

I also have a huge passion for theater - especially acting and directing. Before going down the path of becoming a history teacher, I earned a BA in Theater from Meredith College in Raleigh, NC and was a theater teacher for a brief period of time.

Well I am thrilled to say that I am returning to my first love of theater and the arts. I was recently accepted into the MA in Theater Education program at Emerson College here in Boston and will be going to Emerson full-time this Fall. I. Am. Excited! =)

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Another FYI...

This is why this is not a parenting blog:

The way Addison's crayons are supposed to look...

The way Addison's crayons actually look.

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Sunny Days

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Old Man Winter

I realized today that I have a major problem.

One of my biggest fears about moving to Boston was the dreaded winters I'd heard so much about. I love being outside, so the thought of spending all of my waking hours fighting the snow and ice was not something I was looking forward to.

Boston gets an average of 42.2 inches of snowfall each year (compared to 7.5 in my hometown of Raleigh, NC). All of my new friends had warned me that in November, the city
turns white and pretty much stays that way until spring. Last January, they had
44 inches of snow in the month of January alone!

But this year has been curiously different. According to one Boston Globe correspondent, this
winter has been the second warmest winter on record. So far, we have only had a total of 9 inches of snow to complain about.  Boston.com

So what's the problem?

It has been miserably cold. 

I have been miserable and cold. (Wait, didn't I just say this has been the second warmest winter on record?).

Yep. I'm in trouble. For some reason, I am just not all that impressed with the 30-40 degree windy weather that everyone around me keeps describing as "warm". And if it is really going to be 20 degrees outside, can't we at least get some snow on the ground that is deep enough to play in?

Well, when all is said and done, I really am glad that Old Man Winter was kind to me my first
year in New England. Maybe we are pals and the "warm" weather will stick around for a couple of years...

We've had a little snow on the ground! 

I actually bought Addison several snowsuits and boots
in preparation for the "awful winter ahead" ...Good thing
I was able to return some of them.

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The Dentist: Part Two

I wasn't kidding when I said I was terrified about going through my wisdom teeth surgery.

Most people have their wisdom teeth removed around age 18. I was fortunate to not have to go through that experience when I was a teenager since mine were still so far imbedded in my gums the dentist recommended not messing with them at all.

But - like all things in my life - that changed once I became pregnant. As I prepared for Addison to make her appearance in this world - one of my wisdom teeth decided to make its appearance too. Of course, the tooth grew in completely the wrong direction (as most stupid wisdom teeth do) and it had to come out. Since I was already going in for surgery to remove that one tooth, it was advised to go ahead and get them all taken care of (in case, heaven forbid, one day I decide to get pregnant again and the rest start to grow in).

[oops, I think that should have been "in case one day I decide to get pregnant again and, heaven forbid, the rest start to grow in]

Maybe if I had removed them when I was 18 I wouldn't have been as scared. I remember thinking I could survive anything when I was 18 years old (plus "all the cool kids were doing it"). I would have probably showed up for surgery all proud and excited about missing school and getting to eat pop sickles during recovery.

Now that I am so much older (and obviously wiser) I knew this might not be that easy. I was pretty anxious about it all when I nervously popped my first sedation pill on the way to the dentist. I remember dramatically telling Josh to be sure to watch out for me and to not let anything happen to us. The cars outside my window started to blur and...I don't remember much else.

Apparently I was a real trooper. I was told by the dentist (a few days after the surgery) that there was only one strange thing I said. At one point during the surgery I started to wake up and whine a bit. When he asked if I wanted more sedation drugs - I told him the following:

"Well normally...in the past...I would have tried to tough it out and I would have told you 'no - I am ok - I don't really need it'. But since I am working on saying what I need and not just trying to tough it out all the time, I think it might be smarter to just go ahead and take the drugs, ya know?"

Uhhh

"Sure" he told me.

And gave me some more drugs.

So the only thing I remember from the entire experience is waking up about 7 hours later feeling awful and sick to my stomach. The remaining pain was 10 times worse than I had imagined - but the sleep was 10 times better than I could have dreamed. I loved the sedatives - even though I had been so anxious about taking them only 24 hours earlier. I was in so much pain, I don't know how I could have handled the surgery and post-operation time without them. But I was sorely dissapointed that I could not remember anything about my day and would have no stories to tell for a "Dentist:Part Two".

The next day I could finally wake up enough to process what had happened to me. I mustered up enough courage to look in the mirror and this is what I saw.

That was a pretty big shock.

But fortunately I was safe at home and no one had to see me.

I went back to bed and fell fast asleep. After a little time had passed, I woke up to a strange noise coming from outside the apartment. Josh heard it too. It was a familiar sound - but very faint and far away. I soon realized it was a fire alarm and opened the apartment door to see what was going on. Sure enough, someone's apartment was on fire, the smell of smoke was in the hallway, and everyone had to evacuate the building. Nice.

In my delusional and ridiculous state of recovery I had to face them all. Hello neighbors. Hello strangers. Hello Firefighters. Hello Apartment managers. Hello everyone.

No I do not want to be seen like this. Yes I look like a monster. No I don't always look like this.

Despite the awkwardness, I must admit I  was pretty excited when I realized that at least I would have something exciting to write about for "Dentist: Part Two"!!

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