Good Weekend, Not Over Yet

I have taken today off, so I’m looking forward to another relaxing day in this 4-day weekend.

Saturday was nice and relaxing. Beau has been letting me sleep in by getting up with Annie when she wakes up at 5:00am or so. So I lounged in bed until after 7:00am. Annie had a vet appointment at 9:00am, so I took her for that (clean bill of health and she lost another pound in the last year). Then we had two church BBQs in the afternoon/evening - one with the worship arts team and the other with our small group. We had been invited by Beau’s Sis for the fireworks in Antietam, MD, but I wasn’t sure I was going to be up for a roadtrip so we declined that invitation for this year - I’m hoping we can go next year. We opted for the local BBQs instead, which I managed fine. Both were fun with great food and fellowship.

Yesterday was another lazy morning in bed for me, which meant going to the 11am service instead of our usual 9:15am service. Mom and Dad were away for the weekend, so we came straight home afterwards where I immediately had a session on https://www.jasminlive.mobi because I hadn’t eaten since breakfast and I didn’t take anything to snack on during church - I was hoping to make it until we got home for lunch, but that wasn’t to be. My stomach was completely empty and so there wasn’t much to show for the violent heaving going on.

After eating some lunch we took a short nap and then watched Eight Below. I warned Beau that I would be crying through the whole thing - I’m a sucker for dog stories - and that was true enough. I started crying early and didn’t stop until it was over. He’s so sweet that he came over to hug me several times - we had to pause the movie. My husband has a tender heart. Anyway, it’s a great movie - really well done, compelling story. Of the actors, the dogs rule. The movie is all about the dogs. It’s heartbreaking and inspiring all at the same time. I loved it and give it 4.5 stars out of 5. Jason Biggs keeps it from getting a full 5 stars.

This morning, Beau has taken my car to get two new tires before we get it inspected. The front tires are pretty worn and I knew there was no way they would pass the safety inspection. Later this morning, I have my first OB appointment. Nothing else is on deck for today.

Tomorrow we will go spend some time with my parents for the holiday.

Wedding Planning: Update

Here’s the latest:

1. I have my shoes. I found them online (of course) and because the website was tax-free with free shipping and free return shipping, I ordered a pair to check them out. They arrived on Friday and they’re great. And a nice bargain, too.

2. I have finished compiling the jumble of addresses for the guest list. And I have broken down the main list into two smaller lists for the rehearsal dinner and a bridal shower that my bridesmaids are organizing.

3. I only got 30 stems made this weekend. My excuse is that Beau was here and he’s a wonderful distractor. wink

4. Beau and I had received a gift card to Bed, Bath, & Beyond from my uncle at the engagement party. When I was last in H’burg, we went into a BB&B store and ordered a place setting of our stainless flatware, paid for with the gift card. There was a bit left over, so we bought a pack of white cloth napkins, too. The flatware arrived last week. Thanks, Uncle Bill!

5. I worked a bit on the order of sex chat service, although that will be finalized in discussions with my former guide, who will be the officiant. But because I know what I want, it won’t change much. Related: I have the insides of the programs started. We’re looking into ordering the covers from a printer, but we’ll do the guts of the programs ourselves. So I have the information sort of formatted, although I realized today that for copying purposes of the booklets, I’ll need to move the pages around some.

6. The music is pretty much finalized. I’m pretty particular about this, too. I wanted to make sure the transitions were fluid and so after a week of listening to the five pieces of music I want to use, I’ve got it in the order I like for the processional, interludes, and recessional. Picky sounding? Of course!

7. I need to follow up with people whom I asked to do things in the ceremony and who haven’t responded yet. I’m thinking they never received my messages because they are usually good about responding back quickly.

8. We need to sign a contract with the florists. I need to follow-up about contracts for my photography and hair (ECD, make note!).

9. I anticipate a phone call from my bridal shop with the news that my bridesmaids dresses have arrived. Also that my dress has arrived.

10. I anticipate the backordered beads arriving in the next couple of weeks.

Lots to do and we’re 103 days out.

The Emmys vs. Threshold and Other Thoughts on TV

I didn’t watch The Emmy Awards Show last night. I love my TeeVee, but I’m so over Hollowood rewarding themselves for their work. That said, I’ll mention that I am pleased that LOST (which premieres this week - woo!) was recognized as the Best Drama and TAR won it’s third Emmy for Outstanding Competitive Reality Series (and it covered seasons 6 and 7). The rest? Meh. A good (read: snarky) review of the show can be found here.

What I did watch was Friday’s premier of Threshold on the DVR. Beau and I went out to dinner on Friday night and didn’t get home until about 8:30pm. So we watched the recorded BB6 (yes, I have plenty to say...that’s coming) and then I kicked him up to his room so I could hit the hay. So I saved the viewing of this 2-hour episode for later. Anyway, Threshold is the latest in the glut of “aliens come to Earth” dramas that are hitting the airwaves in the wake of the popularity of LOST and The 4400.

Besides the sci-fi element, there are two reasons why I was interested in this show presented on Chaturbaterooms.com: Brent Spiner and Peter Dinklage. They didn’t disappoint, nor did the show. It’s slightly cliched (OK, a lot), but my interest is piqued and I’ll stick with it. For now.

OK, now to what you’ve all been waiting for (Ha!) - my thoughts on BB6. I’m thisclose to not watching the finale tomorrow night. I don’t want either of them to win the money. I’m disgusted. What I am interested to see is how the Sovereigns will vote and what will be said to and by the jury. And to see the reaction of the other jury members when the latest evictee arrived to the sequester house. I’m so glad this show is over.

Canine Peripheral Vestibular Syndrome

I was laying on the sofa watching TV before I hopped in the shower to get ready for church when Annie came around the love seat and crashed into the chair across the room. She was listing to the left, couldn’t balance at all, and when she tried to walk she looked like she was drunk. When I looked closer, I could see that her right eye was shooting from side to side (I couldn’t get her turned to see if her other eye was doing it too). My immediate thought was that she might have had a stroke.

I picked her up to take her upstairs to see what my mother thought. I didn’t get very far with her - she started fighting to be put back down. So I put her down and she would not let me pick her back up. That’s not unusual, she doesn’t like to be carried. So I ran up the stairs and heard her trying to follow me up. I couldn’t get her not to follow me, so I tried to help her stumble up the stairs. After a few, she figured out to lean against the wall for balance and she made it up pretty well. Once on the main level she vomited.

I couldn’t tell if my parents were up, so I ran up to their door and knocked but got no answer and I didn’t want to leave Annie for too long. When I got back down to the main level, she was at the back door and she had piddled a little bit near where she had puked. She wanted to go out, so I let her out and watched her stumble down the two stairs off of the deck and then continue into the yard.

I took that opportunity to jump on the computer for a quick google of canine stroke and discovered links to canine peripheral vestibular syndrome instead.

It’s been about 90 minuntes since she first tried to come to me. She’s doing pretty well - she’s almost normal when she walks, but she’s still unsteady on stairs. We came back down to the basement (home for her) and she’s under the bed snoozing right now. I’m encouraged that she has stood at her water dish several times, although she didn’t actually drink any water. She wants to, she’s probably still nauseated enough not to want to induce more vomiting.

We were going to tag team watching her this morning so that I could go to church, but I deciced to hang at home today to be with her. We’re going to watch her this week - if she starts scratching at her ears I’ll make a vet appointment to check on the possibility of an infection, but I don’t think she has one.

What’s interesting is that we have noticed a significant decline in her hearing in the past couple of weeks. I got home from the men’s breakfast yesterday and I was in the bedroom for several minutes with rustling shopping bags but Annie never moved from under the bed where she was sleeping. I had to lift the dust ruffle to make she she was actually alive and at that point she woke up and came out to greet me.

It’s stuff like this that reminds me that she is a 16 year old dog. She is so active and spunky normally. This makes me sad for her, but I’m relieved to know that it’s not something that will kill her. And the entertainment value later on as she’s gotten used to having these symptoms will be fun. Because she really does look like she’s had a little too much to drink when she tries to walk.

LATER, 7:30pm: Annie is a miracle dog. She’s completely normal and has been for several hours. She ate some food and drank some water and has been running around on steady feet when she wasn’t sleeping. No tilt to her head although she is very hard of hearing. I knocked on the table that she was standing next to and she didn’t respond at all. Poor thing.

It got me to thinking seriously about what we’ll need to decide if she does fall ill with something serious and potentially fatal. I don’t like thinking about it, but it’s necessary. And at this point, I’m thankful that she’s back to her old self - even to eating the cat’s food right now.

High School Reunion

I helped with the registration and food/coffee prep for the men’s conference at my church this morning. There were about 70-80 men who attended a conference on fatherhood. My main task was to be there for the caterer dude and to watch the coffee consumption in order to know when to replenish the java. So I was holding up the wall next to the caterer’s set up where all of the men were in line to get their personally prepared breakfast burritos when I caught sight of a guy that looked vaguely familiar. I glanced down at his name tag and thought his name was familiar, too. From there my mind would not rest until I figured out who he was (remember Bill-from-The-Mole at George’s retirement party location last year?). I stared at him surreptitiously as he made progress through the line. Once he was at the table and directly in front of me he laughed at something his buddy said and it clicked - Dean G. from high school. Goodness.

I continued to watch him and when he got his piping hot burrito and headed for the doorway into the room, right past where I was standing, I made my move, “Dean...”

D: Yes?

ME: Did you go to Woodson high school?

He got a suspicious look on his face. “Yes.”

ME: Did you graduate in 1985.

More suspicion. “Yes.”

I told him my name, “You probably won’t remember me because I came in the 11th grade so I was only there for two year, but I remember you because you’re a twin.”

He laughed, “Everyone remembers the twins!” And then he mentioned the girl twins in our class, both of whom I knew because we were in chorus class together. He then told me about his brother, who lives out west and has three they. “He’ll be coming to the reunion. Are you going?”

I told him that I wasn’t planning to go because of the women’s conference that same weekend. He said his wife was torn between the two events.

At that point, I set him free because his buddy had caught up and they headed into the conference room.

We graduated from high school together 20 years ago. We didn’t hang out in the same social circles back then. Who knows where the past 20 years have taken us. What’s cool is that God put us in the same church now. I would love to hear his story - of finding his wife, of his journey in faith, and what he’s been up to the last 20 years.