Surprise Attention

Last Thursday, I had some outpatient dental surgery which involved grafting some tissue from the top of my mouth and attaching it to one of my bottom canine teeth. I was referred to a periodontist from my regular dentist, and I was so happy with this doctor! She explained my options, how everything works, different scenarios and then answered all of my hundred questions until I felt good about our plan of action. From my experience, this is very rare that a doctor isn't rushing off to another patient or a drug rep as soon as you say you have some questions!

Dr. Hsu was wonderful! So when the day of the procedure came, she and the surgical nurse were ready to go, competent, answered all of my questions, explained everything that was going to happen and exact instructions for when I go home and what to expect. My instruction sheet that they gave me even had the doctor's cell phone number on it and they told me to use it if I had any problems at all - wow!

But the thing that really impressed me the most was that Dr. Hsu called me at 8pm that night after the surgery just to check up on me and she asked how things were going so far. I was doing just fine, so she just reminded me of what I should and shouldn't do and some tips to get through the first few days. What a great surprise to have a doctor that really cares and has such a dedication to their patients!

Cowtown and Clay

No trip to Texas would be complete without a trip to the Stockyards - of course. They are going to start recognizing me pretty soon there! Anyway, when Beth & Stacie were in town, we spent a whole day in Fort Worth - touring Texas Motor Speedway (that post will be next week), exploring the stockyards, going to a rodeo at the Cowtown Coliseum, and finishing off the night at Billy Bob's where Clay Walker was doing a show.

Stacie was more gung-ho about the whole western/cowboy experience, but Beth was 'along for the ride' as she put it. However.......at the end of their visit, she said that the Fort Worth day was her favorite part of the trip! Ha! Maybe I've converted her!

Here are some pics from the rodeo:

Beth and I in the stands, waiting for the show to start:

And I'm not sure what the point of this was, but when we walked into the rodeo, the lights were way down and a huge spotlight was on a tractor in the middle of the arena! And then right before the rodeo started, some random guy just jumped up on it and drove it out. STRANGE!

Here is the girl that does laps around the arena at the beginning of the rodeo while they played Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA", and then the national anthem.

Some sweet bull-riding action!

Cowboys getting ready to put a rider on the 'bucking bronco'!

After the rodeo, we headed over to Billy Bob's and it was PACKED. There were TONS of people dancing and then Clay Walker did a show - he was great!

Friday the 13th.....ALL WEEKEND LONG!

My friends, Beth & Stacie were in town this past weekend and I knew that Friday the 13th was going to be happening during their visit, but I didn't realize that things were going to go awry for the WHOLE TIME?! Anyway, here's a list of the bad things that occurred around this supersticious day:

1. I smashed my forehead and nose on a wood shelf in the garage - still hurts!
2. Maggie had an accident in the living room.
3. Stacie's shoe broke on her first day here.
4. A car rear-ended me at a light (well, it just tapped the back of my car - no damage...but still)
5. We had major rain/flooding and 40 degree weather basically from when they landed until when they went home (70-80 and sunny before and after their trip)
6. I knocked over a can of Diet Dr. Pepper on my living room carpet.

What was the deal with everything?!?! Anyone ever have a ton of stuff go wrong all at once????

These Boots Are Made For Walkin'

Well, it's official.....I think it was my initiation into the wide world of Texas.......I bought cowboy boots this past weekend! My friends from Toledo, OH - Beth & Stacie - came to visit for a few days and we did some shopping.....and I ended up with cowboy boots!

Here are pics of my friends and I at Hard 8 BBQ in Coppell (Beth is the one in the orange):

So basically, I think these girls brought "Friday the 13th" with them as far as weather goes - it was about 40 and raining for most of their trip, which is very unusual considering that the whole week before their visit was 70-80 and sunny and it went back to that after they left...so consequently, Stacie's shoe had a crack in it and the rain made her foot/sock all wet. That's what started the unstoppable shoe shopping...

Here are some fun pics of the HORRIBLE shoes we found:

It really wasn't a 'goal for the weekend' to get me some cowboy boots, but we stopped in Wild Bill's Western Store in Dallas while we were in the West End and I found the ones that I like! So Bruce (I didn't get to meet "Wild Bill") sold me a pair of 'shitkickers' and I love them! I even wore them to the rodeo the next night and to Billy Bob's for the Clay Walker concert (future blog posts about them are coming...)!

Here are some pics of my new boots!

Here's a shot of the 'boot-taker-offer-device' with the store logo on it (Beth's photographic masterpiece):

And I proudly present to you.......my new shitkickers!

Here's me and Bruce, the manager, who helped me pick them out and get the right size:

I think it's hilarious that Y'all is in the neon light - and in CURSIVE, no less!

A Year In Review

Yesterday, as everyone was talking in Irish accents and comparing green clothes for St. Patty's Day, I was silently celebrating my one-year anniversary of arriving in the great state of Texas. This past weekend was the exact weekend that I drove from Toledo, Ohio to Irving, Texas (with a stop in Memphis for the night!) last year. Yesterday, the 17th, was the 1-year anniversary of my first day at work down here. It was a crazy time - I drove for 2 days straight, on a Friday and Saturday, had Sunday to rest and then started my new job on Monday morning. Crazy! Maggie and I were in an extended-stay hotel for a couple weeks and then I went to live with Tammy for about a month before I closed on my house.

I remember being happy that I was finally in Texas, but at the same time I was absolutely terrified of EVERYTHING. I was in a strange state/city, had only the personal belongings that I could fit in my car, starting a new job, didn't have a home, and not really knowing a soul - except for my realtor Teresa and Allison's cousin, Tammy. I don't know what I would've done without my little Maggie - she was such a constant comfort!

This year has been one of happiness, lots of 'firsts' and reaching goals that I have had on my mind for a long time. I moved to Texas after being obsessed with wanting to live here for 6 years, bought my first house (and all on my own!), learned lots of home improvement skills, traveled to lots of places in Texas (west Texas ranch, road trip south to my Mom, trip over to Port Aransas on the coast, etc.) and explored Dallas/Fort Worth like any good tourist would! :)

This past year of my life has also brought some anxiety & loneliness, however. It's something I knew would come with the territory. Holidays are definitely not easy for me and I do not really enjoy them during this season of my life....and I have to be OK with that for now and just get through them the best way I know how. I cannot dwell on the sad or lonely times...I need to concentrate on the great things in my life and how blessed I am to be able to live wherever I want and basically do whatever I feel like doing. There are millions of people in this world who do not have those freedoms or opportunities and I am very grateful that I do.

With any time of change or great upheaval, there are occasions where we will stumble or have doubt in ourselves or our ability to persevere (and I definitely have experienced that!), but when you figure out that you really can do it, the feeling is unbeatable. That sense of triumph over the impossible is such a high! Even the small victories have been huge for me (I learned to wire light fixtures - Dad would be SO proud!).

So on this important anniversary for me, I would like to thank everyone who has helped me, encouraged me, supported me in my decisions, given advice, been a good listener when I needed someone to talk to, checked in on me, inspired me, and befriended me. I appreciate you so much!

Who's The Best Parent???

I know a few of you think I'm nuts for posting "cute animal pictures," but this one actually has a point....scroll through to the end. Pretty sad!

This IS My First Rodeo!

Well, I must say that my first rodeo was just as interesting as I thought it would be! They did bull riding, calf roping, horse tricks, barrel racing, horse riding (buckin' broncos!) and even a calf scramble for all of the little kids. My favorite part was the cowgirls who did some crazy stunts/tricks on their horses - there was even a 9-year-old girl doing them! AMAZING!

Here are some pics from our fun night at the rodeo:

These bulls were crazy! I can't even imagine how much it would hurt to be a bullrider!

Here's a roper getting ready for his turn.....

A buckin' bronco! WOW!

Some barrel racing:

Prepping the bull and rider before opening up the gate:

And the girl sitting next to me (not my visitors - she was a stranger) had some really cute cowboy boots on, so I of course asked her where she got them. She told me and I might have to pick up a pair - they were awesome!