If you're like me, you frequently ask a question in a comment post and then forget to follow-up to see the answer!
SO...with that in mind...your questions about my dental quirks...ANSWERED!
Lisa: I did not ever have a horrible experience as a child at the dentist. My mother has always had a rough time with dental visits, and it's possible I just inherited that from her. Extra sensitive mouth, I guess.
Jamie: Yep, my dentist writes my script. And only for 5 pills at a time, so every 6 months (a year, in this case), I have my teeny-tiny bit of awesomeness that makes me incrediby loopy and go-with-the-flow. Sometimes I, too, wish I had more :) (I tend to think Mr. P may agree with me...he seems to enjoy my state of mind on valium.)
Julia: Not afraid of the pain (though it does hurt!). I've only had 2 cavities in my near-27 years, so not really afraid of that, either. But if anyone even mentions a drill, I cringe like most people do when they hear nails on a chalkboard.
I hate the taste of metal, or the thought of it in my mouth. Imagine chewing a ball of aluminum foil. That's just the tip of the iceberg in comparison to how hard the dentist is for me.
Another interesting fact: I managed to get through 2 years of braces. And it didn't bother me NEARLY as much as a dental visit. Who'd have thought I'd end up marrying a man with a dental implant? Go figure. Yes, Mr. P has 4 fake teeth. And he's had the implant for nearly 15 years, and has been having some issues with it lately. I fear he needs a replacement, which will entail some serious surgery and dentist-related shenanigans. I honestly don't know how I'll be able to support him through it all. I can't even bear to listen to other peoples' stories without wanting to pass out.
When the time comes, does anyone want to take my adorable, loving, kind, handsome husband to the dentist in my place?
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Adventures in Dentistry
(a.k.a. quite possibly my most ridiculous neurosis)
For most people, a dental cleaning is a smiple trip, upon which they leaving feeling sparkly clean, right?
For me, not so much.
I schedule my dental visits in the afternoon, knowing full well it's going to require my taking a half-day at work. I always make sure to eat some kind of breakfast on dentist day, because I know I won't be able to eat lunch due to the panic factor. The nerves start early in the morning, and by the time lunch rolls around, I hightail it home.
About an hour before my appointment, I take my first Valium. This is followed by my second Valium about a half hour before the appointment. Gotta make sure that stuff starts working in time :)
Mr. P graciously drives me there and walks me into the office, where the women all schmooze about how sweet he his, how cute he is, and usually giggle at me - they know the drill :)
I'm usually feeling pretty good by this point. Nice and relaxed, and if it weren't for the butterflies in my stomach, I'd probably be asleep. I get called in, and the ordeal truly begins as I lie back in the chair.
Yesterday was dentist day. And I avoided it as much as I could - I hadn't gone in almost a year! It was a rough appointment, to say the least.
When it was finally over, Mr. P was again my gracious and adorable chauffeur. I got home, took a final Valium, and went to sleep. I can't believe my irrational fear of the dentist causes the insane amount of stress that it does. Most people can't understand. Am I neurotic? No, just a wimp, I guess.
So here I am today, with a sore neck from all the stress tension yesterday. I absolutely adore the receptionist and hygenist at the office - they care enough to make sure I'm doing alright. And since they've known me for most of my life, when I call to schedule an appointment, they're already preparing for what may come.
The good news is that the Valium makes me an almost-normal patient. If only you could have seen how bad I was before they started prescribing it for me. I used to squirm and cry and hyperventilate. It was quite the picture, I'm sure, to see an adult have such an extreme panic attack due to a simple procedure. I can't believe they didn't just kick me out sometimes. This all goes back to my childhood - I've just gotten worse as I've gotten older :)
But today, I'm exhausted, partially functional, and feel like I just got hit by a Mack truck. Tomorrow I'm sure I'll be back to my usual semi-neurotic self. I just figured I'd share one of the more prevalent oddities about myself for your amusement.
And for the record, when we have children, Mr. P will be on dental duty. I really, truly hope that our kids don't have to suffer the same fear I do.
For most people, a dental cleaning is a smiple trip, upon which they leaving feeling sparkly clean, right?
For me, not so much.
I schedule my dental visits in the afternoon, knowing full well it's going to require my taking a half-day at work. I always make sure to eat some kind of breakfast on dentist day, because I know I won't be able to eat lunch due to the panic factor. The nerves start early in the morning, and by the time lunch rolls around, I hightail it home.
About an hour before my appointment, I take my first Valium. This is followed by my second Valium about a half hour before the appointment. Gotta make sure that stuff starts working in time :)
Mr. P graciously drives me there and walks me into the office, where the women all schmooze about how sweet he his, how cute he is, and usually giggle at me - they know the drill :)
I'm usually feeling pretty good by this point. Nice and relaxed, and if it weren't for the butterflies in my stomach, I'd probably be asleep. I get called in, and the ordeal truly begins as I lie back in the chair.
Yesterday was dentist day. And I avoided it as much as I could - I hadn't gone in almost a year! It was a rough appointment, to say the least.
When it was finally over, Mr. P was again my gracious and adorable chauffeur. I got home, took a final Valium, and went to sleep. I can't believe my irrational fear of the dentist causes the insane amount of stress that it does. Most people can't understand. Am I neurotic? No, just a wimp, I guess.
So here I am today, with a sore neck from all the stress tension yesterday. I absolutely adore the receptionist and hygenist at the office - they care enough to make sure I'm doing alright. And since they've known me for most of my life, when I call to schedule an appointment, they're already preparing for what may come.
The good news is that the Valium makes me an almost-normal patient. If only you could have seen how bad I was before they started prescribing it for me. I used to squirm and cry and hyperventilate. It was quite the picture, I'm sure, to see an adult have such an extreme panic attack due to a simple procedure. I can't believe they didn't just kick me out sometimes. This all goes back to my childhood - I've just gotten worse as I've gotten older :)
But today, I'm exhausted, partially functional, and feel like I just got hit by a Mack truck. Tomorrow I'm sure I'll be back to my usual semi-neurotic self. I just figured I'd share one of the more prevalent oddities about myself for your amusement.
And for the record, when we have children, Mr. P will be on dental duty. I really, truly hope that our kids don't have to suffer the same fear I do.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Good news!
We've known for a while that M is moving back to STL in June. She and I have been friends for almost 22 years now, but the past 10 she's been in Michigan. So I'm stoked to have her come back home!
*photo courtesy of Browers Photography
As if that isn't exciting enough, yesterday we found out that A will be doing his residency (or some part of his crazy MD-PhD program in Texas) here at Barnes with Wash U! And he'll also be moving back in June.
*photo courtesy of Browers Photography
What better way to honor them both than by posting photos from Mr. P's and my wedding day, both after unexpected pit stops :)
Love you guys and can't wait to have you home! Looking forward to another fun summer together :)
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Two weeks already?!
Didn't realize it had been that long...
1. Yes, we're still house hunting. I certainly don't think anything will pop up right away. Dream and reality are trying to find a happy median. Mr. P and I can totally fix a place to make it better, but we can't change where a house is located. (Though trust me, I've imagined doing exactly that.)
2. We finished the puzzle! Yes, it took forever. A few pieces here, a few there, me shaking my butt (the happy dance?) every time I found one that fit...And I plan on posting pics of the puzzle. Unfortunately, our 1000 piece puzzle turned into a 997 piece puzzle, and I think the furry brown one is the culprit...
3. Work is busy busy busy. New things, pressing deadlines, frustration. Excitement. Exhaustion. Good and not-so-good. But I'm thankful to have a job and be able to make an impression.
4. I'm FINALLY taking time off. Next week is Mr. P's spring break, and I'm taking (at least 3, but aiming for all 5 days) off to spend with him. We'll be spending our "vacation" at home, running errands, and just enjoying a few days away from the madness that is our life. I imagine a spring cleaning will be part of the week's agenda.
5. My wagon is broken. I'm not proud of my smoking habit, and I'm already looking at setting a stop date again. I've just got to set some new boundaries for myself, that's all.
Hope you're all doing well! I'll try to post puzzle pictures soon. And maybe try to get a cute shot of the Furry Brown One to remind myself that even though finishing the puzzle was a letdown (hello? it's not DONE if there are THREE MISSING PIECES!), she's pretty dang adorable.
1. Yes, we're still house hunting. I certainly don't think anything will pop up right away. Dream and reality are trying to find a happy median. Mr. P and I can totally fix a place to make it better, but we can't change where a house is located. (Though trust me, I've imagined doing exactly that.)
2. We finished the puzzle! Yes, it took forever. A few pieces here, a few there, me shaking my butt (the happy dance?) every time I found one that fit...And I plan on posting pics of the puzzle. Unfortunately, our 1000 piece puzzle turned into a 997 piece puzzle, and I think the furry brown one is the culprit...
3. Work is busy busy busy. New things, pressing deadlines, frustration. Excitement. Exhaustion. Good and not-so-good. But I'm thankful to have a job and be able to make an impression.
4. I'm FINALLY taking time off. Next week is Mr. P's spring break, and I'm taking (at least 3, but aiming for all 5 days) off to spend with him. We'll be spending our "vacation" at home, running errands, and just enjoying a few days away from the madness that is our life. I imagine a spring cleaning will be part of the week's agenda.
5. My wagon is broken. I'm not proud of my smoking habit, and I'm already looking at setting a stop date again. I've just got to set some new boundaries for myself, that's all.
Hope you're all doing well! I'll try to post puzzle pictures soon. And maybe try to get a cute shot of the Furry Brown One to remind myself that even though finishing the puzzle was a letdown (hello? it's not DONE if there are THREE MISSING PIECES!), she's pretty dang adorable.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Quick update
Yesterday's houses:
#1. FABULOUS neighborhood. Cool house, but needs more work than we're willing to put in to be happy. And really? Bigger than we need. But man! I am in LOVE with the neighborhood. I just worry that in order to live in it, we'd have to compromise a lot more than we want to.
#2. PHENOMENAL home. Phenomenally CRAPPY neighborhood. Definitely no.
As of right now, we've got a few "must sees" on our list. And while school district isn't currently a huge factor, it's still a big consideration for us. We could easily live in a not-as-nice home for quite some time if it would suit the needs (and our wants) for our future family.
Oh, and another question related to a home we're interested in: anybody have a rough idea how much it would cost to install air conditioning? Because while school's not a HUGE factor, AC definitely IS :)
#1. FABULOUS neighborhood. Cool house, but needs more work than we're willing to put in to be happy. And really? Bigger than we need. But man! I am in LOVE with the neighborhood. I just worry that in order to live in it, we'd have to compromise a lot more than we want to.
#2. PHENOMENAL home. Phenomenally CRAPPY neighborhood. Definitely no.
As of right now, we've got a few "must sees" on our list. And while school district isn't currently a huge factor, it's still a big consideration for us. We could easily live in a not-as-nice home for quite some time if it would suit the needs (and our wants) for our future family.
Oh, and another question related to a home we're interested in: anybody have a rough idea how much it would cost to install air conditioning? Because while school's not a HUGE factor, AC definitely IS :)
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Wish us luck!
Mr. P and I have two homes on our list that we're going to check out tomorrow (Friday). I *might* already have a crush on one of these places...
...and for those who wanted to know: we're looking in a lot of areas - generally south of Hwy. 40. Not that it narrows it down any, but I'm trying to keep positive by keeping a bit to ourselves.
Man. This makes me nervous.
...and for those who wanted to know: we're looking in a lot of areas - generally south of Hwy. 40. Not that it narrows it down any, but I'm trying to keep positive by keeping a bit to ourselves.
Man. This makes me nervous.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Homeowners - questions for you
Mr. P and I are looking. Not sure yet how serious we are, but definitely serious enough to do some follow up. This causes some awful nerves in my tummy...I don't know how you all got through it!
I've been searching online for YEARS now. But we're finally in a position to be a little more realistic, and have a pretty good idea of what we want and need in a home - and know the difference between the two.
So, questions...
Did you get prequalified before getting preapproved just to give yourself a ballpark range?
Who do you recommend lender-wise? (Or, who did you use?)
Did the first-time buyer process scare the bejesus out of you?
What would you do differently if you went (or when you decide to go) through the process of home buying again?
Did you search based on location, school district, any other specifications? What was important to you?
Any advice, suggestions, or calming strategies would be much appreciated!
I've been searching online for YEARS now. But we're finally in a position to be a little more realistic, and have a pretty good idea of what we want and need in a home - and know the difference between the two.
So, questions...
Did you get prequalified before getting preapproved just to give yourself a ballpark range?
Who do you recommend lender-wise? (Or, who did you use?)
Did the first-time buyer process scare the bejesus out of you?
What would you do differently if you went (or when you decide to go) through the process of home buying again?
Did you search based on location, school district, any other specifications? What was important to you?
Any advice, suggestions, or calming strategies would be much appreciated!
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