Wisdom Teeth

I know this is not my most exciting post, but I have been laying around the house for 24 hours and decided I would share my experience getting my wisdom teeth out.  Luckily, I only had 2 wisdom teeth!!!  Here are a few things I learned through the experience, for anyone anyone who still has theirs. 

• When your dentist tells you to get your wisdom teeth out, DO IT!  I waited way too long and one of mine started to poke through about 3 weeks ago.  The pain I went through leading up to the surgery was worse than the pain I have felt since surgery.  The worst part was that I was on a family vacation the week before surgery, experiencing extreme pain.  
• Find a great oral surgeon.  I went to Dr. Stamboulieh at Legacy Oral Surgery.  I was in and out of their office in less than an hour for the surgery.  They were ready for me the minute I walked in the door so there was no waiting.  When they brought me back to the room the doctor was already waiting for me so they got straight to work.  I was probably in the office, awake for less than 10 minutes.  I really appreciated now having to wait before or after.  
• Follow instructions!  I have probably over followed instructions and the recovery has gone pretty smooth, so far.  
• ICE ICE ICE - I have had ice on my face since the minute I was home.  So far, I have had very little swelling.  Corn is my favorite thing to use as ice.  I have always heard that, but thought it was silly.  I tried it yesterday when neither of my ice packs were cold anymore and it was AMAZING.  It stays cold for much longer than an ice pack.  Brussel Sprouts have worked well too.  Don't ask why we had them in our freezer, I did not buy them.  Using them as an ice pack is probably the only good use for them.  Can you tell I am not a fan of the veggie? 
• Try to schedule surgery for a Friday morning.  Mine was at 7am so I have 3 whole days to recover before I have to go back to work.  Early morning surgery will also help with the fasting.  If I had to wait until afternoon I may have been starving. 
• Make sure you have someone wonderful to take care of you.  John has treated me like a queen!  It probably helps that he had a horrible recovery when he had his surgery so he does not want me to go through the same thing.  He has made me the most delicious smoothies so I don't starve to death.  He even went to KFC to buy me mashed potatoes and gravy for dinner.  Their mashed potatoes are PERFECT when you cannot chew.  They are pretty much like soup.  
• It is funny how animals can sense when something is wrong.  Chlöe is definitely a daddy's girl and acts like I do not exist most of the time (unless she is hungry).  She knew something was wrong when I got home and sat on the coffee table watching me with concern.  When John left for the pharmacy, she even cuddled with me!  She cuddles with John ALL THE TIME and even sleeps in his arms, but she usually wants nothing to do with me.  I love the rare times when my sweet kitty loves me. 

I hope this was helpful for anyone who may have to go through this in the near future.  

Comfort Food

Since it was a cool 89 degrees in Dallas today, I decided to make "fall food" for lunch.  This summer has been brutal with 40 consecutive days over 100 degrees - 1 day short of tying the record.  This morning, we even woke up to rain!  It has not rained in MONTHS here.  I celebrated the "cool," cloudy day by making chicken and dumplings.  I found the recipe here.  I was a little worried that this recipe would lack taste, but it had good reviews.  I figured I would make it once and then doctor up if it deemed worthy of making twice (I am the queen of not following recipes and making them my own.  The only problem with that is when I don't write down what I did).  This recipe was delish!!!  I will probably add veggies next time, nothing too drastic.  Bon Appetit! 

Officially a Texan

I have lived in Texas for almost 9 years so I have been considering taking the plunge and buying a pair of cowgirl boots.  We go to quite a few concerts at Billy Bob's in the Fort Worth Stockyards and I would probably fit in with the crowd better in boots rather than my usual heels or wedges.  There is also less risk of falling on the cobblestone streets in boots.  When Sophia, my high school bestie, was in town we decided to do a little boot shopping.  We found an adorable western store at Northpark Mall and I fell in love with a beautiful pair of embroidered boots.  I sent a picture to John and asked if I could buy them - he said no:(  Even though I did not bring home the boots that day, I still obsessed over them for weeks.  I came up with a whole list of events and activities that could involve the boots.  Tonight, when I got home from work, John handed me a bag with the boots inside!  He had to do some investigative work to find out the mall, store, brand, size, etc, but he managed to keep it a complete surprise.  I love unexpected surprises.  I am not a fan of flowers on our anniversary or chocolates on Valentine's Day.  I love when people show their love and appreciation when you least expect it, and that is exactly what John did today.  I cannot wait to wear my boots.  I think I am officially a Texan! 

Let the Summer Begin

For me, Memorial Day means the beginning of summer.  John and I started the summer off with a fun filled weekend.  First up was the Frisco Rough Riders baseball game.  Even though I work for JCP, John won JCP VIP tickets to the game at his office.  We sat first row, behind home plate, and enjoyed free food and drink all day!

Public Opinion Polls

Perfect view

The day was extremely HOT.  You can tell by the lack of people.

Cooling off in the JCP club

I could not help myself.  I had to take a picture, especially since I am moving to juniors.

After a hot day at the game, we were ready to cool off at Matt and Lacee's pool party

Me and Elizabeth

Minus 5 points for spilling a drink!

Preston!  The official mascot of Matt and Lacee's pool

Johnny's turn

Leah's Graduation

Congratulations to my little sister who graduated from the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota with a degree in business.  Next up, Law School.  Good Luck!

Unfortunately, it rained the morning of the graduation so they had to hold it inside.  My mom was sad because this the the 4th graduation in a row that was held inside because of rain. 

Poor Leah ended up with the sad, broken umbrella.

Leah with Grandma and Grandpa Czaja

Leah and Mommy!

Mom with her beautiful daughters:)

Me and Leah

So excited...

Wait, it's empty!

This is CRAP!

Leah in front of the business school

 Next up was the graduation party (aka Leah's "Big Girl" Party).  Like always, my mom outdid herself by making homemade personal pizzas.  They were a huge hit, as was Leah's peach sangria.  It is great having a bartender in the family. 

Wedding Venue - CHECK!

After being engaged for 8 months, John and I FINALLY nailed down a wedding venue.  I am happy to announce we are getting married at Piazza in the Village in Colleyville, TX on April 7, 2012.  The date is significant because it is the day John and I went on our first date in 2000.  We cannot wait to begin the planning process and are even more excited to celebrate with our family and friends.



Exterior of Piazza in the Village

The beautiful bridal suite where I will be getting ready.  My favorite part is the large flat screen TV where I can watch my family and friends arrive for the big day.

The Grooms Suite

Entrance to the Chapel

The beautiful chapel where we will say "I Do"

The state of the art chapel will broadcast our wedding live on the internet for any of our family and friends who are unable to attend

John and I will have the opportunity to customize the floor of the chapel with our favorite quote.  Below is an example from another couple

The courtyard where the cocktail hour will take place

The courtyard at night

The beautiful ballroom

Shelves in the lobby area that we can customize with our own photos

Our Many TV's

When we were building our house we added an outlet and a cable jack to the outside patio so we could enjoy watching TV outside.  Since a TV outside is not a necessity we never purchased one, so I finally bought one for John's birthday...4 months ago.  Today, John finally got around to installing it.   

Success!

 

 After the new TV was installed I began to think about all the TV's we have in our house for two people (who don't watch a ton on TV).  

We have a 46" TV in the living room

 30-something" TV in our bedroom.  I am not the biggest fan of the TV in the bedroom, but I enjoy having the TV on when I am putting laundry away or when I can't sleep

 

 22" TV in the master bathroom.  This is my favorite TV in the house because I enjoy listening to the news while I get ready in the morning.  This was another special request we had for the builder when our house was under construction.

19" TV in the office - please excuse the mess

 The final TV is in the "media room."  Our plan was to buy a giant TV, but since we have more TV's than two people need we decided to stick with the old, ugly, tube TV.  I hate this TV almost as much as I hate the TV stand it is sitting on and cannot wait to haul it away one day

TV overload in our house?  I think so!