POS PCOS

....The lab called and said my doctor wanted to meet with me for a consultation. They suspect I have PCOS. My world stopped.

I left my grant immediately. I went home and spent the afternoon in bed. I only spoke to my husband and my two best friends......briefly.

This was it. My bad thing.

I've surpassed people's expectations my whole life. I graduated from high school and college. I'm in my fourth year of a career that I love and about to start my third year of marriage to a man that I love. I have little debt, a house, two cats and a dog. It doesn't sound like much but I'm proud to say I've gone above and beyond what anyone expected.

And now here I am. Not working properly. Perhaps unable to have children. andthatsucks....I was looking forward to having the first grandchild on both sides of the family. Now how do I answer the question that all newlyweds face in their first years of marriage. "When are you going to have kids?" Broken....that's me.

So sure, I surpassed expectations......at least all expectations that don't involve having children. (Except the one where I have a baby before I finished high school!)

So hello meds, hello pity, hello all things I never wanted to do. Here I am.

Fashion Challenge OH 10

I'm obsessed with a new show on VH1 called You're Cut Off. Normally I wouldn't be so into a show except I went to high school with a girl on the show. I feel so famous and in with the in crowd! The girls on the show are pulled from their glamourous lives and taught to live on a budget. They are given challenges each week. This past week they had to go to a "thrift" store and shop for outfits with a budget of $100.00.

Michael and I got bored this week and came up with our own challenge. We decided to go into Goodwill and spend $20.00 on an outfit. Well, we didn't come out with any outfits BUT I did score some pretty cute stuff for only $20.00! I might have to hit up Goodwill a little more often!

First up , 3 cute tops. A yellow, floral t-shirt of sorts, a black short sleeve turtle neck (sure to please the husband) and a knit goldish top. ($9.00)

Next, a floor length, purple, paisley dress. ($4.00)

Finally, a sheer patterned shirt thing....for lack of a better......vocabulary? ($3.00)

Maybe I could learn a thing or two from those girls!

Carpalooza

is over.

Steven and I are the proud owners of a 2007 Honda Accord! After 4 weeks of searching we've found "the one."

(I relize the picture isn't great but the camera was about to die. I'm lucky I got this one!)

Goodbye Dodge Neon.

Now, if we can just figure out how to get it out of the driveway!

Honey Dew

Today's Dew List:

1. Clean House

2. Buy a car

Simple right? : )

I'll (book) Club You In The Head.

because you're going to need it after you read through this scattered post.

Last night we had our monthly book club meeting at Katherine's house. I had the most fun that I've had at book club yet! We started book club close to 6 months ago and I've been suprised at how it took root. This month we read Saving CeeCee Honeycutt.

I was running late for book club for two reasons.

1. Steven and I find ourselves in the middle of hell, aka car shopping.

2. We stopped at Amelie's to pick up a cupcake for Karin's birthday. The bad news was that Karin didn't even show up for book club. The good news is that Steven and I got to keep the delicious little $5.00 cupcake for ourselves. It's sitting in the refrigerator now looking all chocolate and delicious.

Back up to number one please. Hell. You know it's bad when you would rather say hell than car shopping. Steven's car has kicked the bucket. We've been car shopping for 3 weeks now and we think we've found the one! Hopefully we'll have it Monday. I thought it was incredibly sweet though when Katie said that our car shopping had been a learning experience for her and David. She said because of us, they could see how long the process should really take. She also said she had been praying for us to make the right choice. It never occurred to me to pray about our car. Good thinking Katie. This is why we're best friend. So you can pray for me!

Hopefully, I'll be back on Monday with pictures and a new car!

Vacation - All I ever wanted

For some reason during the summer I feel entitled too multiple vacations.....maybe because we never really took vacations growing up and I'm trying to make up for it. Surewhynot.

This summer I dove right in to vacation number 1: North Myrtle Beach

After waiting in the hall for 1.5 hours we were finally put in a room that didn't smell like oil paint! But the room was upgraded to ocean front so it was totally worth it!

The first night there we decided to take a walk on the beach since it was too late to swim. The beach was crawling with aquatic life. This boy had just caught a shark and Michael and I were brave enough to touch it. We say manta-rays swimming at our feet and fish caught it tide pools. I tried to save one to make up for the bird I smashed with my bumper on the way to the beach. No such luck, that fish was long gone. A moment of silence for the bird, if you will.

Our last night there we decided to walk down Ocean Drive and take a stroll through the sketchy "amusement park."

And my favorite picture from the whole vaca.....this one, taken on Cherry Grove Pier. Nhia asked a stranger to take our picture under the sign. As soon as we realized what the sign said, we scooped Katy up and smiled for the camera!

I declare vacation number one a success!

Onward to vacation number dos!

Steven and I decided to go to the mountains and take Ivy to visit some waterfalls. (Technically this was a day trip but we'll call it a vacation. It makes me seem more interesting that way.)

Ivy loves mountains, waterfalls and being off of her leash. All of which we were able to do when we took her hiking. We started out at the fish hatchery at Pisgah National Forest. There are some really nice trails back there. There is one spot in particular that Ivy loves and so do we. It's pretty far off the trail and there's a nice swimming hole there. We take her off her leash and she goes NUTS!

Seriously, it's HI-larious. First she tries to drink all the water in the creek, the she squats to pee ever other step.

Pressing forward.

Vacation Number 3

A long 4th of July weekend in Maggie Valley.

We went for a family vacation at Susan's cabin in Maggie Valley. Dad, Susan, Sarah, Thad, Steven and I all enjoyed a weekend that included rafting the Nantahala, shopping in Cherokee and fire works in Maggie Valley. Oh yeah, and we got to witness and true Cherokee Indian singing Achy Breaky Heart....Billy Ray would have been proud.

Yes, those are screen snapshots....but at $20.00 a pop what do you expect.

Anyway, this summer has already brought 3 exciting vacations. Are you ready to be jealous? I've got two more left. Another week at North Myrtle and an anniversary in Charleston. The best part is the Charleston will be free thanks to an earlier mix up at the Charleston Harbor Resort.

Letter to Al

Dear Al Gore,

I'm all about saving the world. I've switched to reusable grocery bags, we recycle (as much as Kannapolis allows) and we've switched to the energy star CFL light bulbs. But I'm here to say "WHAT WAS I THINKING!"

Last night, Steven was playing with our dog Ivy, when I heard a loud pop. Steven threw Ivy's rope bone right into the overhead light bulb, a CFL no less. As I took in the scene I almost had a heart attack. As you must know, CFLs are full of a toxic powder which contains mercury and there are extensive guidelines for cleaning up broke CFLs. But the best part Al, is that there are different guidelines for different surfaces. There are guidelines for carpet, clothing and hard surfaces, all of which were contaminated in my house. You see Al, the light bulb burst over my rug, hardwood floor, couch and let's not forget the basket of socks that I had yet to put away. But don't worry, 1.5 hours, two ziploc bags, 3 microfiber cloths, a roll of tape and 3 vacuum bags later, I am proud to announce that we have a toxic mercury powder free and dog hair free couch, rug and hardwood floor. I hope. Now if you'll excuse me Al, I have to go buy all new socks for my husband and I. You see, according the the energy star website, all clothing that comes in direct contact with the CFLs, must be sealed and thrown away.

I'll leave you with one question to ponder... Do you think the energy savings yielded makes up for the roll of tape, 3 vacuum bags, 4 microfiber cloths and 2 ziploc bags?

Sincerely,

A Greener Elizabeth