Cheesy Beach House

It's like a mini-vacation everytime I go to visit my Mom now. She got a new place with her boyfriend. It was previously owned by an older couple- the first and only owners if that tells you anything...talk about eccentric! Cement lion statues adorn the front walk. There is a "Birdies Welcome" sign encircled by a fake wreath and planked by medieval axes and swords hanging on the front porch. The living room oozes a retro flowery charm with wallpaper, built-in planters and popcorn ceiling. The fireplace hearth and end tables have matching (chipped) handcrafted green tiling. One dining room wall is entirely tiled with mirrors, hastily glued to the wall. I have no idea what image I'm conjuring up with this description!

I'm overwhelmed with saltwater breeze most when I walk onto the back porch where the pool is. The bright blue slatted deck surrounds half of the pool, complete with ceramic seagulls. They've already set up beach chairs and barbecues- two of them because as you know when two previously married folks play house there's two of everything! The changing room for the pool has seashells glued onto the ceiling and sea creature posters. The garden is chock full of statues and homemade birdhouses. That was the older man's hobby apparently, and he must have retired a long time ago because it's clear he had plenty of time to devote to it. They weeded through and pulled out a ton of decor and still it seems cluttered. The previous couple just overdid it. That's what 50-some odd years of collecting and trying to display it all does I suppose.

The house has potential. The potential for my Mom to invite the boys back into her life. She was very strange about not having her own house before, so much we were at the point she wouldn't invite us over to her apartment because she claimed it was too small. As reluctant as I was to go to the new house, it wasn't so bad after the first time. Of course we haven't been there when her boyfriend is home yet. That's a discomfort I avoid when at all possible.

The kids seem right at home though, which is what I should focus on through all of this. They get to feed the multitudes of pond goldfish. The garden is their haven, free reign to arrange and rearrange the figurines as they see fit. Weston already has claimed the strawberry patch and gathered all the frog statues, naming each one of them after his beloved favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They even have their own bedroom for when they spend the night. I've got to get comfortable with that idea still, with there being a pool and pond right out back!

All in all, this could work. I do enjoy a sand and surf vacation when the mood strikes.

Re: BOOBIES

Here's the update. There pretty much isn't one. I guess the radiologist that came in at my ultrasound appointment thought that I would be a great subject for a study being conducted to test out some new technology. I misunderstood thinking I was participating to get further medical information.

The technology being tested is similar to a new form of mammogram. You lay down on this table face down and put your breast into a tank of water. Then come the plates that squish it as flat as possible. Then the machine takes a picture every 3mm. But then they can put all the images together much like in a brain scan for a 3D view. It takes about 20 minutes of laying in an uncomfortable position with your breasts being squeezed and squashed. Sound like sex much?! Ha ha. Since I've never had a mammo, I have nothing to compare this to. The tech said that I wouldn't hear results of the study but if they did find something serious they would pass the information on to the doctor who then in turn would contact me. And the benefit of this is my information will be recorded so I have some comparison point if there are any future changes.

I Have the Power to Entertain Myself

With these amusing commercials:

"You and you, fight."

(Click the picture on this one)
"Hey you, go tackle that birthday cake."

Ahhh, the smell of burning plastic.

Laugh with me, not at me! So my Mom got a new house with her boyfriend. She called very excited for the boys to come see it. I guess it has a pond and children's benches and whatnot. Every part of me is screaming don't go see it. I'm at that point with my Mom right now. So instead of being rotten and telling her no, I was going to do the opposite, kill her with kindness. I preheat the oven to do a batch of cookies and get busy doing dishes. A few minutes later I start smelling burning plastic. Oh shit! When my friend came to visit this morning I shoved a few dishes in the oven to "clean." A stack of three colorful plastic lunch trays is dripping and oozing into my oven. I guess this is a sign I'm supposed to stand strong and not go visit Mom? Or maybe I'm supposed to take plastic-scented cookies.

BOOBIES

Now that I have your attention!

I don't know why I'm always so surprised at how long I've gone in between posts. Writing is my thing! I enjoy it so much. It's my outlet but here I've been selfish keeping things inside again.

About 2 years ago after I gave birth to my last son Connor, I felt a lump in my breast. Since I was breastfeeding at the time I tucked the info discreetly into my back pocket and attributed it to changes in my breasts from nursing. I was 24. You don't hear of too many 24 years olds with breast cancer. Casually mentioned it once to the nurse-midwife who did an exam and came to the same conclusion. Nearly two years have passed and damnit that abnormal spot on my breast still has not vanished. It was still nagging. So at my yearly OB/GYN appt. a couple weeks ago, I brought it up again. This time my new doctor took note and sent me for a breast ultrasound, still reassuring me that at my age the chances that this was anything significant were very slim but we'd better be safe than sorry. Sigh of relief. Finally I would know if this tiny lump was small in physical size but gigantic by life-changing means.

This morning I went for my ultrasound. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but it was nothing like my previous ultrasounds. Nothing compares to seeing a tiny, budding baby nestled in your very own uterus for the first time. This was for my health and my future. For my peace of mind. The lady who did my ultrasound wasn't one for small talk. We sat silently in the dim room as she maneuvered the wand. When she had the shots she needed, she excused herself to take the information to the radiologist. 5 minutes pass and I lay on the table with gel on my boob and the air conditioning quite cooling the gel. Maybe the radiologist was busy when she handed him my chart. 10 minutes pass and I am starting to worry. What could they be looking at? Are my breasts really that interesting? 15 minutes and I notice my heartrate has jumped up and I'm clenching my hands together. 20 agonizing minutes later she comes back with the radiologist who also needs to feel me up and they need yet more pictures of my booby. Done and done.

Results: Inconclusive. Even thought the radiologist assures me that they don't typically do this for women my age, I have a chance to be part of a special study with some new technology that's out. Instead of an ultrasound which reflects rays off the area, this other equipment sends rays through. No question, I opted to give it a try. I have to know! I'll of course let you know how it goes.

2 years have passed. I let two precious years slip by for whatever excuse I could give you here. Thankfully I haven't noticed any dramatic changes. The key is early detection. That's why I leave you with this- if you have boobies, you should be doing your monthly BSE (Breast Self-Exam). http://www.komen.org/bse/