Zac sent me this gem today, and if I could find it, I’d buy it and wear it (but only when I’m alone and at home.)  ~

Last week when my family was up visiting, my mom and I were fabric shopping when I came across a fabric I couldn’t help but fall in love with.  White with black flowers and swirls highlighted by hot pink… what couldn’t be more me?  However, despite the perfection of the fabric, Mom and I couldn’t come up with a single use of it in my new bedroom.  Guess that’s how you know a room is just right when you can’t find a way to use a gorgeous fabric.  So with a tish of sadness we walked away from the fabric and decided if we came up with a use we could always go back.  Less than an hour before my family had to leave, Mom and I had the epiphany that my bed would look better if there were 7 pillows on it and not just 5.  So we raced back to the fabric store to but the beloved fabric to make pillowcases for pillows I already owned and kept in the closet until company showed up.  Well, it’s been about a week since they left and already Mom has made gorgeous pillowcases from the fabric below and mailed them too me.  Yeah, I’m spoiled

Pillowcase fabric

Completed bed with new pillowcases

Because receiving gifts like these from my student workers totally makes my millennium.

I really can’t think of a better way to end a long and emotionally taxing week than to pull up to your house and see a bright green and purple box on your front steps that you know is full of flowers.  Without even pulling the door shut behind me, I rushed into the house and ripped the box open to find two dozen blood red, pink, and cream roses and the most amazing card from Zac.  Lucky me, I have the world’s best friend/brother who cares enough to do the things in life that remind me how blessed I really am.  Every day I think these roses have finally reached their peak of beauty, but today I’m sure they just can’t possible be any more wonderful… kinda like Zac.

Spring semester at the university begins tomorrow which means my co-workers, student staff and I are at work on this fine Sunday.  Because we ask our student staff to be back early before classes begin and most of the dining options aren’t available, I try to feed all thirty of them during the move-in weekend.  This time around I made a huge 24 lb. roaster oven full of chili for them with Mexican cornbread and a coconut cream and chocolate-peppermint bundt cakes.  What I didn’t account for was the fact that these are starving college kids who had polished up two cakes and all of the chili in one day.  So with help from Cory we threw together another oven full of chili this morning and are keeping our fingers crossed that it lasts til the end of the day.  If not, I may have to pick up a second job so that I can afford to feed them. 

These pictures have a hilarious story that goes along with them. One that I don’t quite have time to tell you today, but trust me you’ll crack up at it when I finally get to it. We’ve been buried for a few days, and Zac arrived on my doorstep to drive his crippled sister home for a week. I’m hoping to have the internet at my parent’s house to blog from. If not, I’ll catch you up when I get home. From the bottom of my heart, I hope each and everyone of you have an amazing Christmas.

I love when the University closes due to winter weather, and I still am expected to report to work.

So it’s been roughly 72 hours since the awesomeness of my swan dive to the pavement, and my ankle is finally a lil less swollen.  Of course with a decrease in swelling comes an increase in bruising, but at least I’m lucky and loe pink and purple! (Ignore the lighting. It’s a camera phone!)

So about halfway through the day yesterday, I remembered that I had promised the munchkins’ parents I would once again hang out at their house when the dad left for work and before the mom got home from her basketball game. Needless to say, I wasn’t thrilled at my commitment, but it was a commitment I needed to fulfill busted ankle or not. After bundling up for the artic weather and packing my purse full of drugs, an iPod and headphones, and a book to keep me occupied, I headed across town with the selfish hope that all of the kiddos would be fast asleep.  It’s not that I don’t adore them.  It’s just I was exhausted, and my ankle was aching.  Of course, I wasn’t that lucky.  The middle munchkin was still awake and ready to play when I got there.  After saying goodbye to her dad and promising she’d go to bed soon (not that she has any concept of soon), she turned to me in expectation of etertainment.  First, she wanted my phone to text her boyfriend.  When I denied her that, she then proceded to remind me I was single and, therefore, did not need a cell phone.  This kid is good!  Then she went and chose three books for me to read her in the dark and didn’t let me in on the fact she had them memorized and would point out every mistake I made.  Finally, I gave up and grabbed my iPod and put the earbuds in her ears.  It’s amazing after a lil Beyonce and Jesse McCartney she was ready for bed.  Thank goodness!!

So last night I’m leaving work heading to my car when I step off the concrete ledge onto the pavement between my car and another. Except instead of there being flat, wonderfully solid pavement there is a huge crack and pothole in the solid ground I wasn’t expecting.  Needless to say, my right ankle rolled and popped under me, and I face-planted it.  I must have sat on the ground in the dark between two cars crying for what seemed like an hour but was probably ten minutes wiling myself to stand up and begging my ankle to stop throbbing.  Eventually, I hobbled to my car unlocked the door and crawled to safety, but driving with my busted right foot wasn’t going to happen.  So I did the only logical thing… I drove home with my left.  After the slowest three mile drive of my life, I finally made it home and into my bed to survey the damage.  Upon seeing how swollen it had become so quickly, I called Cory, and after a quick game of phone tag, he was on his way to help me decide if I needed to be hospital bound.  With a quick consult of WebMD, we decided it was probably just a sprain, and ice and elevation with a side of multiple episodes of House and some good company/nursing was what any doctor would have called for to be better by morning.

Sleep did not come easily, and by the time I woke up this morning, I had zero mobility and could barely even stand.  When it took me over an hour to get to the bathroom, get dressed, brush my hair, and put my hair in a ponytale, I realized that maybe I needed to seek medical attention.  Once again, Cory saved the day and chauffeured me to the ER.  Lucky for me, the place was almost empty at just after 8am, and I was back in radiology within 15 minutes of arriving.  After repeating ‘no, I’m not pregnant’ at least four times, x-rays were taken and I was headed to a room.  Somehow I should have known that being put in a room so quickly would not end as well as I had hoped, but my judgement was so clouded with pain that I didn’t find it as odd as I should have when the nurse instructed me to undress for my full exam.  I’m sure somewhere in the back of my brain an alarm usually would have been going off that ankle injuries do not require clothes-less exams, but the batteries had died in that alarm when I ate pavement last night.

So like a good patient (something I rarely am) I disrobed and went to put on the gown they had left me.  Have you ever seen Tommy Boy???  Remember the Fat Guy In A Lil Coat scene.  Well, welcome to my gown experience. This gown was small, but I followed orders and shoved my arms through the arm holes like a dutiful child.  However, there was not enough fabric to cover my chest.  So while the gown was on, my arms were sticking straight out the front, and my back was left completely exposed.  Looking like some freak, one-legged robot, I climbed into bed to wait.  Twenty minutes and a round of text messages to family and friends to let them know where I was later, the nurse came back in with a chart in hand looked at me and then the chart before confessing that there had been a patient mix-up.  Since I did not have a kidney stone and wasn’t twelve years old, I could put my clothes back on, and my real doctor (not the kidney one but the ankle one) would be in shortly.

The next hour was spent looking at my films (no breaks), prepping me with an air cast for my severely sprained ankle with minor ligament damage, and teaching me how to use crutches properly.  Mmmm an air cast and crutches, what a great way to spend the holidays!  To make a long story a tad bit shorter with Cory’s help, I made it to work for over five hours (haha to taking 3-4 days off of work) and am now resting with my leg elevated and ice on my ankle.  Just to prove that I’m not making it all up, I’m including pictures of my awesome ankle, badass crutches, and soon to be pink air cast.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… who wouldn’t wanna be me?!?!

My ankle this am. Notice the awesome swelling and bruising. If only I could find an eyeshadow in that pretty lavender shade.

Who wants to help decorate my air cast??? I bought it. Might as well, Laurel-fy it.

Oh, hospital wristband. Truly the perfect accessory to wear to an interview you’re helping conduct. Nothing says, ‘wanna come work with us’ like the chance that your newest coworker has just escaped from the hospital.

I was at work today trying to catch up before a daunting week of evaluations and interview when my phone obnoxiously beeped and vibrated with a picture message. The following conversation was too funny to not share.

Zac (pix message): I can’t wait to blog!

(My picture from kindergarten.)
Me: Hahah
Z: I forgot I had an older brother
L: That’s horrible
L : You are so mean.
Zac calls, and I answer it too late. So he continues texting.
Z: I’m sorry.
Z: Please call.
I call and the conversation continues on the phone.
L: You’re so mean.
Z: I found it while decorating for Christmas.
L: It’s painful, I know.
Z: It’s ok. Everyone goes through an awkward stage. Yours was just an angry lesbian one.
At least two straight minutes of simultaneous laughter to the point of tears.
L: (Some inside PTC joke.)
Z: No one should have ever cut your hair that way.
L: Talk about making my face look perfectly round. Blame mom.
Z: Miss you.
L: Miss you too.
We say our goodbyes and hang up
Z(text): I love you.
L: Love you too.
Z: That was the best laugh I’ve had in a long time.
L: I was crying
Z:

No wonder he’s my best friend in the whole world. No one else could get away with that and, instead of inspiring anger, have me laughing.

I’ve been contemplating what albums would make my Top Eight of 2008 list here when I ran across this helpful guide on one of my favorite music blogs. #4 and 5 are my favorites.  Stay tuned for my official list closer to the end of the year.

Last night after dinner and Fringe/House I headed over to my favorite munchkins house to babysit them until their mom got home from her team’s basketball game in Phoenix while their dad went to work. I didn’t expect to see the kids at all since it was after 9pm when I got there, but I should have known better. Lil Miss M had stayed up to see me, and her dad had giver her permission to hang out with me for an extra hour before she had to go to bed. While telling me a story about getting into trouble at her daycare, she started making the funniest face ever. When she realized how much I laughed at her she whispered in my ear that she had been practicing her faces if I wanted to see them. She then told me to take her picture and when I confessed I didn’t hvae my camera she reminded me my phone took pictures. Too smart for her own good, I tell ya!

What can I say?!?! Love the beard.

Here’s my mom on the couch, loving the way the Vicodin courses through her veins.  At any point in time during her recovery naps, you could find at least one animal sometimes 2-3 curles up beside her keeping watch.  My job… keep them from sleeping on her foot.