New Desk

Our friend Pete gave a his old computer desk. He was able to take it completely apart so we could get it out of his house. However, Jason and I had to put it back together. It was quite the adventure. We didn't have any directions, so we ended up having to take some of it apart to put it together better. It took a good two hours, but we got it done and stabilized. Jason did a nice job putting his stuff back. Of course what's in the picture isn't all of his stuff. He still has a couple of boxes to go through yet. We moved his old "desk" downstairs. We're going to use it as a folding table. Hopefully, we'll be able to find a good place for it.

New Picture Site

I have added a new picture website. I haven't downloaded any pictures to it yet, but will soon. I have also signed up for lifeblob.com which is another picture site. Apparently, you have to be invited and one of my "friends" to see those pictures. The same as mejuba.com. I have signed up for that website, but you have to be my "friend". Good news is I can put up as many pictures as I like while Dropshots and Flicker only let you download 200 pictures. Flickr will let you put more on than that, but they only show the newest 200. So just wait! Let me know if you would like an invite to either mejuba or lifeblob. You could share your photos too!

Surgery

I am having my wisdom teeth pulled on February 26th at 9:15 AM. I'm hoping all will go well. Jason will be there, and so will my mom. Mom's gonna buy me a chocolate malt after the surgery. The oral surgeon says it should be pretty quick. The way the roots of my wisdom teeth are will make it easier to pull and should be fairly minimal damage to my gums. The surgeon said it should be about an hour and a half or so. It sure will be interesting.

What I Know

Friday morning I had a meeting with Human Resources. They told me about my bumping options. The first one is to bump into a position in the same position I am in, as long as someone is lower in seniority than me. Doesn't work for me since I am the lowest. The second option is to take the voluntary layoff. With this, I can be put on a recall list that they will call me if any position is available for the positions I am qualified for that I list for them. It lasts for two years, but if I refuse a position, I'm off the list. My third option is to bump into a position with an equal or lower pay grade that I currently hold. This is a tricky one because I have to be qualified for the position, and there needs to be someone lower in seniority than me. HR gave me the paperwork for this last bump option, which I have five days to fill out. Five days, not five working days. So, by Wednesday at 5:00pm, I have to decide what positions I would like to bump into and hope that there is someone with lower seniority than me. If there isn't, I automatically have to take the "voluntary" layoff. However, through all of this, no one is bumping into my position. They just want me to know about the very likelihood of it happening, and want to get the paperwork out of the way. They hope I can be patient with the process as it is still ongoing. Needless to say, I took a half sick day on Friday because I was getting a migraine.

Saturday, I went and picked up our Angel Food Ministries food. It is an organization that has what I call box specials each month. The different "boxes" you can choose from range from pre-made frozen meals, to fruits and veggies, to meat. We bought a signature box and the fruit and veggie box. Anyone can order and they can order as much as they like. Jason and I had the frozen meal (beef macaroni) and the rolls. They were pretty good. When I went to pick up the food, the people there were really nice. A guy came to my vehicle to walk me in under an umbrella, then they helped load the food into our Pacifica after they let me go to drive it up so the food didn't get rained on too much. (Yes, it rained all day yesterday.) I'm pretty sure we will be ordering again. Most everything comes frozen, and you get milk, eggs and dessert from the signature box. This month we got two pumpkin pies! I encourage everyone to go to the Angel Food Ministries website and try it for yourself. (Any food not picked up is donated to those in need!)

Jason and I also found out yesterday that kitties become lactose intolerant once they are adults. We gave Zara a bowl of milk, which she loved! Unfortunately, she proceeded to throw up the milk shortly after. The poor thing, she never saw it coming. I think she was embarrassed by it. She was her spazzy little self afterwards and Jason and I have decided that we'll just have to give her teaspoons of milk with her food if we want to give her an extra special treat. It sure doesn't stop her from trying!

Mousies Galore

So, I am the best kitty mommy. I got on the floor and fished mousies out from under the kitchen cabinet and the entertainment center. This is what I found.

I also moved the refrigerator.

All together, there were a lot of mousies.

Of course I went to feed Zara, and found three more in the closet. Go figure.

On a different note, I was supposed to have an appointment with HR yesterday, but with the weather, it was rescheduled to tomorrow morning. They said something about discussing a third option with the bumping. I'm not sure what the first two were. I guess I'll find out tomorrow, I guess.

Ice

Jason and I woke up to about 1/4 inch of ice in our driveway. And the best part....it was just starting to rain. Iowa State did not close, so I went into work. CyRide ran, so Jason went to work. I've had a somewhat boring day. We started the day in the lab with six people. A few more came in by the afternoon, but we didn't get much for samples. I'm sure Jason has had an extremely busy day. No one wants to drive in weather like this, and CyRide is the safest vehicle on the road.

The major factor for me going to work today was that I was supposed to have a meeting with the HR department. It's been moved to Friday morning, and I guess they're going to tell me my third option in the bumping process. I don't know what that means because I don't think they ever told me what the first two options were. Regardless, it's been such a long, drawn out process that I just want to see end.

A Couple of Busy Days

Today is the last day of my "mandatory unpaid leave". I spent most of yesterday at Mercy East in Des Moines. My friend, Kim, (she used to work in the chemistry/toxicology department with me) and her fiance, Ryan, had their baby new year's day. She went into labor the day Jason was released from the hospital. She originally started at Mary Greeley (she works there part time), but she was only 32 weeks along. (Normal is 39.) They sent her by ambulance to Mercy East, after giving her Magnesium sulfate to stop the contractions. She finally convinced the doctors to stop giving her the Magnesium sulfate around 11:00 pm new year's eve. Nolan was born new year's day at 8:48 pm. He was born at 8 pounds and 19 inches long. However, he was born with fluid in his body, all over. As the days went on, they discovered bleeding on both sides of his brain and he was possibly having mini strokes. They put him on an anticoagulant which was the less invasive course of action, but still could have been fatal. Nolan is to be in the hospital until his due date. He is on a respirator and is stable, but still considered critical. He is awfully cute though. He even opened his eyes for a little bit while I was there. Kim is staying optimistic and she's gotten to change Nolan. She takes things day by day and says that the prognosis changes everyday. Unfortunately, while friends and family can visit, no one under 14 is allowed in the NICU. Nolan's brother, Neil, hasn't been able to see him except in pictures. They do have a family waiting room, so at least Neil gets to be near.

This ordeal has made me very thankful that our nephews have been born, and continue to be, healthy. We pray for Kim and her family. Nolan continues to get stronger, but he's got a long way to go. I'm going to visit again next Saturday with another co-worker of mine.

On a happier note, I had a second interview with the company Caremoli today. I'll know for sure next Friday. I think it went pretty well. I also started another quilt today. I don't think I had enough of one of the fabrics, but I'll adjust. I also went to the quilt store where they have started a block of the month. If you purchase something, you get the pattern for free, otherwise it's a dollar. I bought a neat book on how to make Slouchy Bags. Once I get done with this quilt, I think I'll try making one of them. The block of the month is paper pieced and they have a class once a month on how to paper piece. The class focuses on the particular block for that month. I'm not taking the class this month, but hope to in the next few.

Jason has been back at work full time and is already frustrated on how people can't figure out what schedule it is. I'm sure he's glad to be back at work and get back to a "normal" schedule.

Appointment

We went to the doctor again today and I am happy to say that Jason was finally able to get his PICC line removed. I watched and it wasn't bad. Jason said he didn't feel anything when they pulled it out. He still has to wear the compression sock for a while (I hate that part the most), but he can go back to work with no restrictions. He can also not get gloved up to shower! I think he was most excited that he could go to the chiropractor and get a normal adjustment. He goes back in a month for another check up. He did have to hold Zara before we left though.

I'm on day two of my mandatory unpaid leave. I got a massage and went to the dentist for a cleaning yesterday. I have one cavity in a wisdom tooth. I was referred to one of the oral surgeons in town to get all my wisdom teeth pulled. I haven't called them yet, so we'll see what happens. Today was Jason's doctors appointment and we sort of took it easy. I did start reorganizing the living room since we were woken up by a large bang. Zara had gotten up on our entertainment center and knocked a sign over. That's the biggest reason the living room is being reorganized. Tomorrow I'm going to try to work on the kitchen and computer room. Maybe I'll get the main floor done before I go back to work on Tuesday. (Monday is a holiday.)

Appointment

Jason had his doctors appointment today. The doctor said he could be done with his antibiotic, but he needs to keep the PICC line in. They want to see how Jason will react without being on antibiotics. He has another appointment next week to see how he's doing. He's really tired of having his PICC line. Since he has an extension on his PICC line, he has to keep it wrapped so he doesn't catch it on something. He thinks the wrap is giving him a rash. Jason is allowed to go to work. He can't drive a bus, and can only work four hour shifts, but he can go to work. We'll see how he does at work tomorrow.

Busy Weekend

This weekend we had some friends come over. It really made Jason feel better. We've had a lot of visitors these past couple of weeks, and we appreciate every one of them. It's been a tough time with Jason in the hospital, and my job status not being very secure. It's wonderful to know we have family and friends who are there for us in our times of trial. It's so much easier to get through those times when you know how much you are loved!

While our friends were only here for a brief amount of time, Zara was glad to see them go. Especially the dog. She moped around all weekend and hid in the bathroom closet, or downstairs. She's not much of a people person.

Things are starting to get back to normal. I'm back at work. Jason isn't scheduled until Wednesday, but has a doctor's appointment Tuesday afternoon. Right now he's restricted to office work only and only four hours at a time. Since they had already scheduled him to be gone, they just told him to wait until after the appointment. Hopefully Jason will be able to get his PICC line out and go back to work. I think he's staring to get tired of just sitting at home.

Happy 2010!

Happy new year to all of our friends and family! We hope that the new year brings everyone happiness, joy, and peace of mind.