it was my favorite appendix.

Monday dawned bright and early, as all Mondays do. They're always too bright and too early. And this particular Monday was even more rude and annoying because no one in our apartment had slept the night before. Tommy decided to drink Mountain Dew at our late dinner, a rare going-out experience as a Sunday treat. His night was spent rolling around, reading, and watching some late-night ESPN to pass the sleepless night. My night was spent trying to find a comfortable position with an aching belly. So we woke up very, very tired and unhappy.

I also had a job interview at 3:00 pm.

By noon we had texted both of our doctorly dads and everything embarrassing had been talked about. Doctors really like to talk about trips to the toilet. We had also exhausted Google and WebMD and everyone decided I should at least go to an urgent care place so people could press on my belly...basically.

So at 12:16 I called the scheduling lady at this job place and we moved the interview to the following day, Tuesday, same time etc.

By 2:00, I was on the way to the ED ('emergency department', no longer 'emergency room') from the urgent care place with nothing but a "there's nothing we can do for you here" and a piece of paper describing my symptoms to hand to people in case we didn't feel like explaining it for the fifth time.

After 4:00, we had been in the waiting room for two hours, I had peed into a cup twice, had described my symptoms 3 more times, and had watched a terribly upsetting CSI-type show on the waiting room television. When we were brought back to the actual room of emergency (?) we explained my symptoms a few more times and THEN the EVILness beGAN.

Did you know I have very small veins? Me neither. Apparently they "roll", which means no one can get a needle in them for the all-important IV's. So they busted one in the bend of my arm, which they realized since I was still yellow with pain (Tommy actually said "wow, you're really yellow") and they had to try again in my bony wrist. So mean. At least I had forgotten about the pain in my stomach.

The sad thing was, both of our phones were dying, we were both exhausted, and we were both starving and dehydrated. So it was all probably more dramatic in our heads.

I didn't cry at all. Except. When they had to do a dreaded CT scan. She told me the contrast dye stuff they would send through my IV would make me feel warm and tingly. NOPE. It was like... someone took a slow moving chainsaw to my left arm. She later told me the dye is a sticky substance, so Tommy thinks it was having to push its way through those veins that were giving everyone such a hard time earlier. I didn't cry until we got back to our little curtained-off cubicle and I did... the ugly cry. But only for about 45 seconds! Then we went back to playing the celebrity game. It was all we had to do since by this time it was past 8:00.

The decision was made. The appendix, the cutest little nothing in my body, had to be removed.

A lot of other small dramas happened.... I was left alone in a hall holding my own IV bag... Tommy left to get our things and THEN they wanted to go into surgery... I had to pee in a cup for a third time (I keep mentioning this because....well.... I am poorly skilled in this department of coordination), etc etc. But finally I made it into the operating room and Tommy made it into another waiting room.

They told us the actual surgery only takes 15-20 minutes. Poor Tommy was left alone and in the dark (figuratively speaking- no updates for him) for something like two whole hours!

I remember trying to move my right arm and my head, and people talking al around me, kind of loudly? The next thing I remember was trying to move my arm, asking a nurse why I couldn't, and she patted my head and said "you were thrashing when you came out of anesthesia." HA! How embarrassing. What a bad patient. Apparently, I apologized a lot. She said I was very nice. Praise the Lord. I remember asking where Tommy was, but I don't remember the answer. I remember them help me move into my room bed. They introduced the nurses to me but I didn't have my contacts in, so who knows what they looked like. Thrashing, blind, bad veins.... sweet.

Then Tommy and I hear "BRAWH!!". The nice nurse staff came in to tell us that we were neighbors to a crazy person. Literally. And they couldn't sedate him because he was under observation. So from 2:00 am to about 7:00 am, he would make this loud holler every thirty minutes. We liked to discuss what he looked like from the sound of his voice.

The funny thing was, every other half-hour (-rethinking timing-), or whatever, a team of 3 or 4 docs and/or their learning-excited residents would come in, pop on the lights, and press my belly and ask me questions. If you know what I'm like being half-asleep, you can only imagine the answers I gave them. I hope the new doctors learned from my belly.

This all finally stopped around 9:00 and we finally got a little bit of sleep. And I could eat! And the food was good! And Tommy drew a little cartoon! And my mom came!

These past two weeks: my sister got her tonsils removed, my mom's mom ("Oma") went into the hospital for her intestines and her husband (Harold, or "Papa Harold") had a hip replacement, my great-aunt had knee replacement, and then I had an appendectomy. So my mom left my tonsil-freed sister, and after she leaves here, she's off to help the old folks! Cray. Z. Ness.

When all of this started, I was just worried about the interview. It has been moved to this coming Monday.

just hire me.

Money is sneaky. It's so sneaky that people have to create little traps we call "budgets" and "savings accounts" just to keep it from floating off into space.

And because of money's character, I need to get a job. Tommy is providing so well for us, and then insurance and utilities and then rent just soaks up everything that we need even more so that we can eat and have clothing- you know, the little things.

So basically I've been applying to schools and other places all online. I have tried calling too after I send them in, but apparently they're supposed to call you. You are just supposed to wait... uncomfortably. It's been a gross process.

But! While we were in Alaska, someone left a message on my phone from the Early Learning Coalition, to which I had applied online with Craiglist (Craigslist is legit?!) and she wanted me to call her back. What?? Sweetness!!! So I did, and they asked me to come in for an interview that day!! Fortunately, my darling husband took me shopping a couple of weeks ago to get a fo' reals skirt suit that makes me look all grown up.

So I go in and get introduced to two ladies who told me immediately that I was over-qualified for the position I came in for (heart sinks. what a lame reason to not hire me.) BUT that they have another opening that I may be interested in (yay!!! I don't care what it is, just hire me!) and proceded to explain it to me. This second job would have me going to childcare and early childhood facilities and grading them on this scale and then creating a plan to help them fit the standards. Psh I can do that!!

So, I'm supposed to call on Monday and let them know what I've been thinking about it. They also gave me two books that belong to someone else, so I at least have to go back even if I'm just returning those!

I honestly don't think that I could do that for eighteen years or anything like that. They told me about 5 times that "we work with the poor" and I get very emotionally involved. And may not be able to handle seeing little baby kids in certain situations. But right now, I just want a job! Tommy's been very encouraging. He knows that this isn't a dream job. And he knows I'm trying! And he's proud of me :)

And if I get a job, I can buy more coke....

a la ska.

We just got back from our very first cruise ever.

We got a lot of "didn't you just go on a honeymoon??" But this trip was Tommy's dad's brainchild- conceived almost a year ago. This year is Tommy's dad's 50th birthday and Tommy's granddad's 80th. So what better way to celebrate the winter of your life (ha.) by going on a cruise to... Alaska!

My mom was very excited for us. She went to Alaska on a church-building mission trip when she was in college. I'm the only other one in the family who was getting to see this magical place she loved! Tommy and I were a little more...apprehensive? Because Tommy JUST started work three weeks ago, he had no vacation time. So this trip was going to be a week and a half of no pay. And then, since we get back at the beginning of July, we will have even less to pay our rent and utilities! And then- how bad does it look to leave three weeks after starting work for a week and a half?? That's half of how long he's been there! Fortunately, a lot of his coworkers are going on their summer trips, so we're hoping his time off will just blend in with everyone else's.

So to start the trip off right, we had to leave after work... at six in the afternoon.... for a nine hour drive. We both were hyped on caffeine, so we made it thru the three traffic jams and road construction and blinding rain. We pulled into Huntsville at 2:00, which is 3:00 AM on Florida time. But after the next day of two flights to Seattle, we could finally start our chillaxin.

You know what they say about cliché cruise entertainment? We got to experience that right away. We wanted to let you know that if Amy and the HALcats (HAL= Holland America Line) shows up at your party, leave. Even though we loved her awkward trance-like swaying, it didn't distract from the fact that she, in short, can't sing.

The whole trip seemed very surreal. The rocking of the ship made some people sick- people walked around with these medicine filled stickers stuck behind their ears- but it just made me sleepy. At least three of the days I feel like I only slept and ate. And each and every meal was appetizer, soup/salad, entrees, desert.... bread...coke... ugh. I gained five pounds!

The ports were actually really interesting. Even though it was cold and rainy and cloudy, to me really felt like we were on a little adventure. We spent one day riding on a tiny plane to the bottom of a glacier, eating fresh salmon in a hundred year old cabin. Another day, we visited a raptor recovery center where we were face to face with a huge eagle, watched legit Russian dancing, and saw a two hundred year old church. The most gorgeous day was spent on the water (the best way to spend a day) but they tried to ruin my happy day by taking us to see innocent crabs in traps. Oh the saddness!! And the little eyes saying "help"..... And then we went back and ate their bigger cousins!!

But honestly, it was nice to be with the family. I got to hang out with grandmother- who might actually really like me now! - and Tommy got to be manly with his brothers. And we haven't been able to spend time with the whole Middleton side since we've been married. So, at the risk of being cheesy, it was nice :)

So to sum up: we ate, saw glaciers, and felt warm fuzzies.