Well, I'm back from yet another vacation. This time to Wisconsin. Wisconsin: The vacation capital of North America :) Just kidding. We went to a week-long, family-oriented Bible school/conference thing, and I ended up having a really good time. At first, I thought, "Oh no. What was I thinking?!" But then, as the week went on, I had somewhat of a spiritual renewal. This is a really good thing, considering what a slump I have been in for the past few months.
When we got home, Josie came down with a fever, and she's had it for almost 3 days now. I think I'm going to take her to the doctor tomorrow. She's SO pitiful when she's sick. She's not super-fussy or cranky or anything... she's just lethargic and mopey. She wants to snuggle all the time, and she wants to put her little head on your chest and just stay there. I like the snuggling, but I hate that she has to be sick to want to do it!
BUT, the reason I am writing this right now is to VENT. I needed something cathartic, and this won out over 1) eating a whole bag of Oreos and 2) throwing myself off a cliff.
I have way too many things going on this summer. On top of all the travel, I've had one wedding and I have one more to go. I'm also coordinating our church's bible school. As most of you know, I've had chronic shoulder pain for about ten years now.... it just so happens that the best shoulder specialist in the Northeast had only one opening in months... and that's for this Friday. He ordered an MRI Arthrogram for me... that's where they stick this big needle into your joint and inject you with dye so they can see what's going on with your muscles/tendons/joint/etc. I went for that today (so he can give me the results when I see him on Friday). Well, in addition to taking THREE hours that I can't afford to lose this week, I went through x-ray, through this painful dye-shooting procedure, and through another hour in the scary MRI machine. For those of you who have never had one, it's very disconcerting. It sounds like a variation between a very loud jackhammer and a hundred little trolls banging on pipes with tiny little hammers. Plus, you can't move AT ALL, so of course you start itching all over. And you can't fall asleep, because you might jerk awake suddenly and move. So, the only thing to do is sit there and wait. Of course, I start thinking that the building might catch on fire, or aliens might attack, or terrorists might take over the hospitial... any number of crazy things... and I'd never know it, because I'm stuck in this TUBE o' DEATH with jackhammers and trolls beating a silly song all around my head!!!
Gasp. I seriously did almost panic. Finally, when it was over, lo and behold - the doctor who did the arthrogram was standing there waiting for me. "I put the dye in the wrong area," he said. "It went into the soft tissue and it needs to go into the fluid around the joint," or something stupid like that. "Sorry!" And he walked out. AARRGH! I was - am - so mad. I now have to take ANOTHER three hours that I don't have (the 2nd wedding is on Friday/Saturday, and bible school starts Sunday, plus Josie is sick and I'll probably have to take her to the doctor, not to mention that I'm working at WORK three days this week, not to mention that I'm still not all the way unpacked from my FIRST trip which was three WEEKS ago, not to mention that we might be closing on a house on Monday and I have to start worrying about moving!) and go BACK to the dumb hospital, get my shoulder poked and injected and sore all over again (it hurts, buddy) and sit in that troll tube for another 3 stinking hours.
There. I've said it. I feel somewhat better, but now I've wasted another 20 minutes just trying to de-stress. Calgon, take me away....
