How to pick a doctor

At my ultrasound on Monday, the nurse asked me if I have an OB picked out yet.  Uhhh no.  I did see a primary care physician in January, but she is not an OBGYN so I currently don’t have anyone.  I guess I don’t have much time to find one though- I have another ultrasound this Monday with my RE’s office, and then one the following week.  After that if everything is still good I’m released to an regular OB.

How the heck do I go about finding an OB?

I emailed my nurse asking if the doctor had any suggestions, and she said that I need to figure out where I want to deliver and then I can pick an OB based on the hospital.  Really?  It feels way too early to pick where I want to deliver when I am still coming to terms that the IVF actually worked.

Honestly?  I just want a doctor that is well-versed in C-sections.  Due to my fibroid surgery, my uterus has been weakened and I sadly will only be allowed to have a C-section in case my uterus ruptures in the middle of giving birth.  Even before I was pregnant, I had to come to terms that I won’t have a natural birth.  But all I want in the end is a healthy baby and for me to be alive to take care of it, so a C-section it is.

Is there a hospital rating website?  How do I figure out who is the C-section guru in the Chicago area?  And how many times do I have to go to the hospital prior to a C-section?  I ask because if we pick a hospital that is downtown and we live in the suburbs, it could be hard for CP to come to the appointment.  Most if not all appointments are at the doctor’s office, right?  And if you have an emergency, you don’t just have to go to the hospital where you are going to deliver, right?

These sounds like stupid questions in my head, but I am clueless.  Help me!!

Ovarian torsion questions

Sorry if my posts these next few days/weeks are going to be very IVF-centric, but this being my first cycle, I have lots of questions and it's all new to me!!  I'm going to do my best to try to talk about other stuff as well....

That being said, I need some advice from the IF ladies...specifically those of you that have gone through IVF.  I am getting worried about starting my stimulation medications and what I can/cannot do.

According to my doctor, ovaries are not well-supported organs in the pelvis and are only attached with a few blood vessels and loose tissue.  Once I start stimulation meds, the doctor wants to restrict my physical activity.  According to my doctor I can walk, swim or bike ride.  I have to avoid lifting over 25 lbs, and no bouncing- such as jogging, aerobics, tennis, horseback riding, bungee jumping, sky diving, or kick boxing.  (By the way, women have asked to do all of these things so that's why they have had to include them.  BUNGEE JUMPING?  Seriously?!?  I can't believe someone even asked.)  The doctor is worried about ovarian torsion (twisting of the ovaries on the blood vessels) because it can be a life-threatening condition.  

But as soon as I started to talk to the nurses, they suggested that I not walk the dogs because they might tug on me with their 80 pound bodies, causing the torsion.  I also have to be careful with Buster jumping on me and trying to give me a hug. (It's adorable, but won't be for these 9-12 days.)

So what did you do while you were on the stimulation meds?  Did you even try to work out?  Were you able to do household cleaning and regular tasks?  Bouncing may not happen while vacuuming, but sometimes there are some jerking movements- is that something to worry about?  Or am I just freaking out unnecessarily again?

Any help/suggestions/advice would be fantastic.  Thanks in advance!!

F*ck

I don't usually post twice in a day, but I'm posting because I am trying not to worry too much right now.  This morning, only 2.5 weeks after my month-long Lupron shot, I had some spotting.  Last time I took Lupron my reproductive organs were knocked out for 6 months, far longer than the 3 the shot was supposed to cover.  I was expecting the same thing to happen here....

I called my nurse and she told me to get bloodwork and an ultrasound done tomorrow.  She mentioned something about upping my dosage or having to tweak things because of the spotting.  I'm trying not to think about it too much but does upping my dosage mean that I will have yet ANOTHER month on Lupron starting whenever the shot arrives at my clinic?  I have been fairly patient waiting for this month to go by and for me to really get started with this IVF cycle.....does this spotting now mean I have to wait even longer?

Ladies, have any of you had spotting problems in the middle of long Lupron shots?  Any advice, stories, etc. would be appreciated- especially if you can tell me that it's no big deal and that tomorrow's appointment is just a formality.

 My day started out not-so-great....and has continued downward.  :-(  I need some chocolate.

Good and bad

Today is a mix of good and bad things.  I’ll start with the bad.  I went to get a Brazilian yesterday and my waxer mentioned that I might want to head to a doctor because what I thought was simply a very large ingrown hair was most likely a cyst.  I don’t know why I am partial to getting this stupid things, but if you have  been reading for a while, I had a large cyst taken out of my back in the spring of 2010.    Thankfully this cyst was smaller and I didn’t need to be put under with general anesthesia, but I will probably be sore for a few days.  The worst part about it?  No sex for two weeks because of its location and to make sure that I don’t open the stitches.  Seriously???  I haven’t seen my husband for more than 24 hours in A MONTH and in the 24 hours I did see him, I of course had my period.  ARGH.

The good news is that CP’s work in Brazil has finished early so instead of leaving Friday night and arriving early Sat morning into Chicago, he is going to leave tomorrow night and arrive early Thursday morning!!  I’m very excited that I get two extra days with him and I’m crossing my fingers that he doesn’t have to go anywhere next week.  I seriously miss my husband- especially because it has been FREEZING in Chicago the past few days.  When I took the dogs out this morning the wind chill was -15 degrees.  I mean, I love my two furry blankets but snuggling with the dogs is just not the same as snuggling with your husband.

My other good news is that I actually got CP to agree to go to a couples group on how to support each other through infertility treatments this weekend.  It’s free and only an hour long so it can’t be that bad.  I’m just amazed that I didn’t have to beg or plead with him to go with me.  Progress!!

On another note, those of you that have done acupuncture in conjunction with your fertility, how many times did you go a week?  How far in advance prior to retrieval did you go?  Was there a place that your doctor recommended or did you just find a place nearby?  My insurance wouldn’t cover acupuncture, but there is the place that my clinic recommends (place #1) or there is also a place that is connected to my gym (place #2).  Place #1 is a bit more expensive ($25 more for the initial consultation and then $15 more for follow ups) and farther away than Place #2 (25 minutes as opposed to less than 5 minutes).  I wondering though if the specialty acupuncture place (#1) is worth the extra money and driving time because infertility is really what they focus on.  Thoughts?

Helpful book?

You guys, I am so glad that I met up with the RESOLVE meeting facilitator last night.  Without knowing one single thing about the woman, other than her name, we talked for over two hours (finally realizing that it was 10:15 and we both had to get home!).  We both described our infertility journeys, what I could expect out of a group meeting, and just learning about each other.  It was REALLY NICE to talk to someone face to face that could understand what I was going through.  I am definitely looking forward to my first meeting (hopefully I can go next month).

She even recommended a book that was really helpful to her around her 2^nd year of infertility:

Photo from Amazon

I downloaded it onto my Nook this morning and started reading it on the train ride into work today.  I’m hoping that the book doesn’t make me want to cry because that might be embarrassing in public, but I’m only 50 pages in and already I’m nodding my head along. 

A big section of the book is devoted to depression because Dr. Domar is convinced that depression plays a part in infertility.  She even cites a study that women with female-factor infertility who had increased depressive symptoms on day three of their IVF cycle experienced significantly lower pregnancy rates then the women who were not depressed.  She advocates for infertile women to practice some form of relaxation for 20 minutes a day through mind/body exercises, yoga, meditation, relaxation tapes, etc.

I don’t think that I am depressed (maybe just minor depression?) because I don’t have many of the factors, but my stress levels have definitely been higher due to infertility.  So I could see how some sort of relaxation tape or maybe even an App on my iPhone could help.  Does anyone have one that they would recommend?

I'll let you guys know my review of the book when I am done with it, but I can imagine that I am going to like it a lot.  Are there any other books you think that I should be reading (they can be about infertility or whatever fiction/non-fiction book you are currently reading and enjoying)?

Play my doctor

Come on down!  It’s time to play PLAY MY DOCTOR!

Here is the scenario.  I ovulated this weekend and CP and I correctly timed our bedroom activities.  I have a short luteal phase which means that I need the drug Crinone to extend my luteal phase to even have a chance of an embryo to implant in my uterus.   The dilemma is this- in the two+ years that CP and I have been trying both naturally and through IUIs, we have failed to become pregnant even ONCE.  (I guess it’s possible that an egg did fertilize at some point, but there was no implantation because of my luteal phase defect, but we will never know.)  So if we have any chance of this month becoming a really happy month (aka I finally get pregnant month), I have to use the Crinone.

HOWEVER, we already know that IVF is going to be expensive and possibly the only way that we get pregnant.  Insurance covers NOTHING.  I have heard that the drugs are the most expensive part, and I would think that Crinone would have to be part of my drug regime when we finally start the IVF process.  I have maybe a box and a half of Crinone left (there are 15 sticks per box) and I would have to use one a day.  Not to mention the mess that comes with using Crinone…  I haven’t met with our new RE just yet (Oct 1^st) so I don’t feel comfortable calling her to ask what she thinks.  She probably hasn’t even looked at my medical records yet.

So what would you do?  (tick tock tick tock)  Your options are:

1.        Take the Crinone.  You never know when it could be your month!

2.       Don’t take the Crinone and hold onto your stash until IVF treatment.

Blog friends- what do you think??

                              -----------------------------------------------------------

On another infertility note, with CP galavanting around England and Ireland for work, my next door neighbors invited me over for a casual BBQ with friends.  It ended up being a small gathering with my neighbors and two other couples, along with all of their kids.  When everyone found out that I didn’t have kids, I got the usual “our kids probably make you NOT want to have children.  Ha ha.”  UGH!

While the kids played around us in the backyard, one of the men started talking about Iowa and doing his residency there.  Turns out he is an OBGYN.  Actually, to be more specific, he is an infertility specialist.  I froze when I heard that.  I was wondering where this conversation was going to go and if I would have to excuse myself.  I just shut my mouth and decided not to talk for fear of outing myself as an infertile in front of our new neighbors and their friends.  The doctor then started talking about the practice and I realized that it was the practice that I would be going to in two short weeks.  Luckily his offices are not in the location that I am going to, but the doctor that I am scheduled to see on Oct 1^st shares an office location with him downtown.  I’m sure that doctors talk about patients within the practice (hopefully not with names or addresses!) to bounce ideas, get advice on treatment strategies, etc., but hopefully they don’t talk that much and/or give away identifying information. 

The conversation never took a weird turn and I didn’t end up saying a word.  Most likely the people around me had never needed fertility treatments as they were all, “oh that’s fantastic my friend X probably went to your clinic” and didn’t say anything about having troubles getting pregnant (they all had 2 or 3 kids appropriately spaced apart).  But I would have expected the doctor AND his wife to be a little more sensitive about what they said to me regarding kids.  They have no idea my age, but a married couple in their mid 30s that doesn’t have kids?  It wouldn’t have crossed either of their minds that we may be trying and not succeeding??  Or why not (on account of your job) realize that you  need to be more sensitive in general because who knows what my story is??

Job hunt

Two days later I think that I am finally out of my funk.  I’m not sure if it was the whole Mother’s Day stuff, PMS, a combination of the two, or something completely different.  I just felt CRANKY and OFF the past two days (poor CP).

But today is a new day and although I am a bit sleepy, my mood is finally better.

For one, I received word that I won an award at work for an event that I put together and participated in.  It was so unique that I was given a cash award.  Woo hoo!  Of course it won’t be much once taxes get taken out, but hey, it’s something for my resume and I’m not going to turn down a few extra dollars.

Those few extra dollars might go towards polishing up my resume though.  Last week I applied to three jobs in Chicago and joined TheLadders dot com for a free 14 day trial.  A resume critique came with the trial and the reviewer basically told me that my resume is outdated and I’m not showcasing my talents.  I can totally see that because it is the same resume format that I have been using since college.  I’m sure things have changed quite drastically since then.  So for only $495 (ha!) someone will retool my resume.  I know that it is a lot of money, but I’m kind of tempted (has anyone used TheLadders?) as I already have my first “we have gone with another candidate” rejection.

Last night I told CP that even if he doesn’t get the job in Chicago that I am going to start looking for a new job here in CT.  I know that I say this every few months and there are valid reasons as to why I shouldn’t leave my job (my accumulated vacation time and sick time if I get pregnant for one)…..but I am not pregnant.  And there is no end in sight to my infertile ways so why not get a job where I feel useful and happy?  Even with taking on the work of my retired coworker I am still bored.  CP says that when he sees it, he will believe it.

After almost four years of being unhappy at work, it’s finally time to change that.  Hopefully with a move to Chicago and a new job!!  


*UPDATE*  I just got an email from my boss saying that as long as Corporate HQ approves the transfer to the Chicago office, the Chicago office would love to have me.  I know that things wouldn't change as far as hating my job, but if HQ does approve this then I wouldn't have to scramble around trying to find a job in the next few months and instead could take my time.

Better to plan ahead?

As I have said many times before, I am a planner. Planning ahead is a great way to stay on top of things, but at times it can get you excited about things that never happen. You know, like the planning that I did in my head when we first started to try to make a baby….but that’s a different post.

This potential job in Chicago for CP requires a lot of planning ahead.

*We made a spreadsheet of all of the costs involved with moving and if it made sense financially.
*We made sure that the cost of living would be the same or lower so that we could still afford our lifestyle.
*We contacted our realtor who helped us buy our house for a comparative market analysis to make sure that we wouldn’t lose too much on the sale of our house despite only being in it less than two years.
*We checked into real estate prices in the burbs of Chicago to see what kind of house we would be able to afford.
*We thought about the furniture that we would sell/give away to make moving easier.
*We thought about ALL OF THE FOOD in our freezer (gallons of homemade beef broth, organic beef from our CSA, homemade meat pies, homemade Bolognese sauce, homemade sausage, etc.) and what we would do with it (a BIG PARTY!).
*I spoke to my boss about trying to transfer my job out to the Chicago office.
*I updated my resume and will start to apply to jobs out in Chicago because it may take a while.
*We thought about how to keep the house clean during showings and what we would do with the dogs.
*We bought plants and shrubs to landscape a bit more.
*We cleaned up the backyard.
*We put together a list of home improvement projects that would need to get done before our move.

A couple of these things we had meant to do anyway….but possibly having to put our house on the market pushed us to get these things done quickly.

But…..CP could totally bomb the interview on Tuesday (I don’t think that is going to happen, but you never know). CP could hear more about the job or the company and decide that it is not what he wants to do at all. It’s very possible that CP won’t even get an offer. And then we will have done all of this planning for nothing.

So in the end, is it better to plan ahead for something that may not happen? And risk getting let down from all of the excitement of making a huge life-changing decision? Or is it better to wait until you know more about the potential life-changing event and the possibility it may happen to you before doing anything?

Negative. 10dpo

This morning I woke up and was immediately relieved that I didn’t have my period. If this was a normal cycle and I wasn’t taking Crinone (progesterone), I’m sure that it would have arrived today, only 10 days after ovulation (aka too early for me to successfully get pregnant).

That being said, my First Response (ahem expired as of last month) pregnancy test was negative. I know that it is still early but I was REALLY HOPING that I would see two lines.

So how long do I wait to test again? If I don’t have my period in two days? Three days? I only have one test left, but I can’t imagine that my period will hold off for too much longer. But who knows how long the Crinone will push off my period if I am not pregnant?

This weekend I told CP that I didn’t think that the IUI worked. After he asked why I told him that despite the fact that we have no medical information to the contrary, that I think that there is something still wrong with me, even after my surgery. The whole weekend I hoped for implantation bleeding but didn’t see anything (I know that only 30% of women get it but it would have been a nice sign). I don’t feel any different either. I know that it is way too early to feel different even if I am pregnant, but in my mind because I feel completely normal (other than my crazy thoughts of course), I am not pregnant.

I did cry after watching the guy who started Post Secret’s TED talk, but being slightly emotional is normal before your period too. And it has been a few months since I have cried so I am probably due a good cry.

Tell me, when do you think I should take my next (and last in the three-pack) expired pregnancy test? Or should I just buy some up-to-date tests?

Hair help needed

Ladies, I need some hair help. I have been using Garnier Fructis Mousse for years now on my curly hair. I started using the brand because I used Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner- they smelled so good! With my switch to more natural products that brand was taken out of my shower, but I never made a switch for my hair styling product.

Sometimes the mousse works great and my hair looks nice and natural. Other times my hair gets frizzy or the opposite occurs- it looks stiff or wet. No bueno. I’m getting to the end of my latest bottle and I’m wondering if anyone out there has a suggestion on another kind of mousse that keeps the frizz down, but keeps the hair looking natural (aka not wet or stiff).

If it helps, I have curly hair that is somewhat fine. The picture below is from my wedding day…I don’t normally curl my hair with a curling iron. Usually I get out of the shower, wrap my hair in a towel for a minute or two, and then scrunch mousse in my hair. A fairly simple routine.

Now that I am trying to wear my hair down to work more often, I would like to buy a product that is a bit more consistent. Bonus points if it is a more natural product!

Any help?

Looking forward to warm weather

Yesterday I alluded to our upcoming vacation….in three weeks CP and I will be headed to the Bahamas (Paradise Island to be exact)! My parents have a time share so we are staying right next to Atlantis FOR FREE. Yay for a free hotel!

Check out that water!!!

We really haven’t planned this vacation too much. Partly because that is our m.o. for vacations and partly because we have been too busy with having no power, my surgery, etc. I have been to the Bahamas before, but it was a quick cruise so I only got to spend a couple of hours on each island. CP has never been down there before so it will all be new to him!

This is not our usual type of vacation because it is a pretty touristy place. We certainly aren’t going to complain, but I think that it is going to be hard to get to a local restaurant to sample REAL food….not just the meal plan Atlantis tries to push on you (which we didn't get. $69/day? Ridonkulous). But, we are going to try to find a grocery store (locals have to get their food somewhere right?) to search out weird and new things to eat as we have a full kitchen where we are staying.

Has anyone been there? Do you have suggestions on things to do there? How about a nice restaurant? We will be there during my birthday which means we will be headed out for a nice dinner! I think that we are going to try to do one day of scuba diving. The doctor has cleared me for that, but I have a feeling that the doctor doesn’t realize how heavy the tank is out of the water. :-) I’ll just have to see how my stomach is feeling when we get down there. Other than that we have no plans except for kicking it at the pool/beach drinking fruity drinks.

Warm weather awaits…..

Back on the horse

Today is the first day that I am allowed to drive….but that’s not what I am excited about. Today is the first day since my surgery that I am allowed to exercise!* It’s just walking, but at least it’s something.

During lunch today I took Buster on a 25 minute walk. After that I took Fuzzy Britches for a 20 minute walk. For the most part, it felt great. I had a dull pain in my lower right abdomen, close to one of my incisions, but it was manageable. I have it when I am just walking around our house on a daily basis anyway, but I made sure not to push it too much.

So walking is my only allowable form of exercise for another three weeks or so. It’s frustrating, but I can only imagine how much pain running would produce. Even though I can only walk, it would be nice to lose a few pounds before our vacation- does anyone have any suggestions for walking weight off (other than just walk a lot? Ha ha.)? I know that losing weight/toning up is 75% eating right so I’m adding more salads/healthy things….the good news is that my two weeks off from the surgery didn’t add any weight to my body. I never asked the doctor if I could do squats, lunges, etc. so I’m guessing those are out of the question….along with weights. What is a girl to do??


*I sort of cheated and took Buster for a 25 minute walk yesterday because I had to get out of the house! Shhhhh.

Kids help

This weekend CP and I are having a cookout. I’m excited to get friends together from different stages of both of our lives (that was one of the best parts of our wedding), including new friends in our current town.

This is our problem: most of our friends have kids. Our house is not set up for kids/childproofed so we are going to have to be careful about that. But we also don’t have any games or things for kids to do at our house. Obviously if there were no kids coming we would break out the stump and the Beirut table for some over-21 fun. But with kids that makes it more difficult.

We will have a mix of kids ranging from 18 months to 8 years old. We have the entire backyard to use- we were thinking of playing Bocce Ball (as long as the dogs don’t think the balls are their toys) because that is something that most of the kids and the adults could play. We also have a Frisbee and dog toys that squeak (ha ha). But other than that? No idea.

We don’t particularly want to spend money on things that will just sit at our house unused after this party. And with such a large age range, how are we going to keep all of them occupied? We were thinking that keeping the kids outside as much as possible would limit the damage they would do to our furniture/house inside. Thankfully it is scheduled to be a nice day out on Saturday.

HELP US. Do you have any ideas?

Halloween Ideas

Every year I enjoy the candy from Halloween, but not the actual holiday. This is due to the fact that I never have a good costume. CP and I haven’t celebrated Halloween in a few years now- mainly because he hates getting dressed up for the holiday. This year CP and I have two parties to attend where we have to wear costumes.

Here is where you come in- help me find a costume.

I DON'T use the holiday to dress like a slut, I DO use the holiday to be funny.

For a couple years in a row in college (because I didn’t have any money) I would wear a brown t-shirt and pants, a halo, and a pair of wings. My costume? Holy sh*t. It was, in fact, hilarious because as soon as people got drunk, they would scream across the room “Holy sh*t!” all night long. But I have used that costume too many times.

One year in college I dressed in green and taped fake leaves to my body and wore a fake green leave crown. I was Jolly Green Giant and my best friend J (dressed the same way but 6 inches shorter) was Sprout.

I have been looking online for DIY funny Halloween costumes but thought that all of you creative types out there have some good ideas. I’m looking for something that I can put together myself….not too expensively. Do you guys have any suggestions?

Don't settle

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.”

That quote from Steve Jobs truly makes me want to cry. Early on in this blog I talked about not settling for a job simply because of the money. And how much I hated one of my jobs before law school because I basically took it in order to make more money.

While I certainly didn’t take my current job for the money, you all know that I am not happy. And I HATE people that complain about their unhappiness but then don’t do anything about it. However, I am stuck. I am not happy, but I can’t leave my job. Yesterday I received my approval from my insurance company for my jaw surgery. That’s great news that I don’t have to fight my insurance company….however, it also means that I can’t leave my company until I have the surgery.*

Trying to get pregnant complicates my jaw surgery too. If we weren’t trying to get pregnant then I could slap the braces on next week and have the surgery 8-12 months from now.

However, CP and I discussed the insurance approval and we easily came to the decision to put off getting braces while we try to get pregnant this spring. We aren’t getting any younger and we clearly need assistance in getting pregnant.

Here is the timeline that we are hoping for:

November- fibroid surgery
December, January, February- uterus recovers from surgery
March- first IUI. Hopefully pregnant within the first couple of tries (only 3 are covered by insurance).
Once I get pregnant, get braces put on after first trimester.
Have baby.
Have jaw surgery.

So yeah, for now I am stuck. But the sad thing is that even if I wasn’t stuck I am still confused as to what I want to do with my life. Should I still be feeling this way at age 32? Why can’t I find something that I enjoy? I don’t want to jump to another job without really, truly figuring out what I want as a career. Otherwise I fear that I will just jump from job to job with no end game in mind. At this age shouldn’t I be an expert in something? Or at least on my way to becoming an expert? *sigh*

How did you figure out what you wanted to do with your life?

*The insurance coordinator at my jaw surgeon’s office basically told me not to leave my job because getting an approval is very difficult. She said that I wouldn’t want to have to get an approval from two different companies as getting ONE approval can take up to two years.

Male egos

Last week I downloaded Pitbull's new album from iTunes. While listening to my new album, I came across this ditty:



"Come N Go" featuring Enrique Inglesias.

This song has a catchy beat, but the thing that made me snort was the lyrics. "I make the girls come, I make the girls go" with some woman in the background singing like she was in an opera (i.e. having an orgasm).

Now I realize that this is just a song, but the balls that these guys have to have to put out a song like this....proclaiming that they are god's gift to women in the bedroom...well, it just makes me laugh.

Have you ever had a guy come up to you with a pick up line to the same effect? Thankfully I have not but I would laugh right in his face. I was never interested in egotistical guys so right off the bat I would write the guy off. But it's not only that. What makes some guy think that I would be willing to even let him TRY to rock my world? I was not a one-night stand kind of girl- at most I would drunkenly kiss strangers. So the fact that he thought that he would be able to get into my pants just because he said that he was good in bed? HA HA HA HA HA HA.

I'm not quite sure why this song inspired me to write an entire post about it, but while admiring the cajones it took to write, perform and put this song on his album, I also have to laugh.

Do you have a reaction to this song?

Quit

So while my one coworker K is having problems with her (now-ex) fiancé, my other coworker D is having problems with her new husband.

D and her husband have been having some money troubles. He got laid off and was out of work for a while which didn’t help their situation. He finally found something about a year ago. He had training for a while and had to travel around the state more than D would have liked, but at least he had a job.

D’s husband hinted about quitting his job, but up and did just that about a week ago without fully discussing it with his wife. They have three kids- one about to head off to college. Bills to pay. She hates her boss too but doesn’t get to quit.

She is FURIOUS- and rightly so. When you are in a crappy financial situation even if you hate your job with all of your heart, you FIND ANOTHER JOB prior to leaving that company. I hate my job but I refuse to leave here before I have another job. You have to be smart- especially with the economy the way it is right now.

D is extremely frustrated at him. The added stress of being the sole breadwinner is not helping their marriage. I felt awful for her- and am shocked that he would think that this is okay. A marriage is a partnership. You make decisions together on things that would affect the family.

If CP ever thought of doing this (thankfully he likes his job)…I would kill him. Especially when you have kids it can’t be all about you and your unhappiness. It’s just so selfish.

What would you do if your spouse quit their job without talking to you first?

iPhone

Last week I was finally able to upgrade my Blackberry Curve to an iPhone. My two year agreement with Verizon was up and it was time to cash in my discount!

Because I already have an iTouch I thought that I knew a lot about the phone. Turns out I am wrong. My coworker also has the AT&T version and told me that the earbuds that they give you are actually a hands-free device! You can use the earbuds to answer phone calls and end phone calls. So cool. I would have never guessed that.

I already have a few good applications. I tend to only download the free ones because you can start to spend a whole lotta money otherwise. :-)

Some of my applications include:

Iheartradio
Nook
Angry birds
Yelp
Shazam
Tosh.O
Mapquest
Weather channel
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So here is where you come in. Do you have an iPhone? What application do you absolutely LOVE? Tell me about some more cool features on the phone because I am clueless!

Random questions

1. Why is it that the people I see roaring down our not busy suburban street are all of the mothers in minivans with kids in the back seat? The SAME MOTHERS that have a “Drive like your kids live here” sign in their front yard???

2. I understand that people are not as crunchy as I am these days. But why would you get pesticides sprayed on your lawn if you have a dog? I have to keep my dog off your lawn when I am walking her because of the chemicals- but yet you are subjecting your dog to the chemicals every day? I don’t get it.

3. It is supposed to be 70 degrees outside today. But yet I am in my office with cold hands and a fleece on because I am freezing. It’s really just the suite that I sit in that is so cold. The rest of the office is perfectly fine.

4. Why does my throat start to hurt the day before a 12-mile run?? Hopefully I’m not getting sick. The lack of sleep lately can’t be helping things.

5. Why are puppies born with a lack of fear? Buster jumped off our back stairs “Superman style” last night while CP was watering the herbs. The stairs are probably at least 4 feet off the ground. Almost gave CP a heart attack. (Buster’s fine)

What are you wondering about this Friday?

Trip out west

This past weekend CP and I received a Save the Date from friends in Denver. They have been together for 7 years so it was definitely time for them to get hitched.

Because CP and I won't be going anywhere for vacation this year (other than the week long camping trip in ME in July), I think we may make the trip into a week long vacation. I have never been down to New Mexico so we may spend the first weekend with family in Colorado, drive down to NM for some alone time and then head back up to Denver for the wedding weekend.

We were thinking about heading to Santa Fe because CP has been there before and says that it is much better than Albequerque. I definitely want to hit up Bandelier National Monument and maybe the Capulin Volcano National Monument. We will definitely be going to delicious restaurants and exploring the city.

Here's where you come in. Have you visited Santa Fe? Do you have any restaurant, tours or sightseeing suggestions (we will be going in September)? Help us have a fun vacation!