New Places

I have neglected my poor blog!  Things have just been moving along so quickly the past few months but now it has slowed down a bit.  In May, we were looking for a new place to live.  We wanted to be closer to base and hopefully find a quieter spot.  However, the city next to base also has a university so looking at renting apartments was frustrating.  Fees to apply for the apartment, steep deposits, sometimes first and last months' rent, large non-refundable pet deposits, additional pet rent added each month, the rent prices were high...  We talked to some other soldiers and they suggested looking into buying.  Well, we had no debt and good credit, so we found a good realtor and started looking at different places.  Some places we loved and some places made me think we should just start looking at apartments again.  However, one of them I could really see us living there.  It was terrifying.
But, we decided to go ahead and buy it.  I'm still pretty scared.  What if this happens, what if that breaks, what if a sharknado comes through... I have anxiety disorder so there is a constant little chirp in my head of worries and stresses.  I'm mostly concerned about when John next gets deployed if I can really take care of the place on my own.  But for now, we are slowly (s..l..o..w..l..y) unpacking and getting things how we want them.  We realized we needed to buy and install towel bars and toilet paper holders and shower rods in the bathrooms so we have been working on that.  John took a lot of leave so we could work together on everything but it seemed to go by in a flash.  He's had a couple of details he's been put on since going back to work and my medicine seemed to be less effective than it had been so our progress kind of fell down.  I have gotten an increase in the dose of my medication so I'll just be going through adjusting to the side effects for a couple of weeks or so, but I'm trying to keep getting things done and just take a break if I'm feeling dizzy or nauseated or what have you.
I want to post some pictures of the place, though, because a couple of people have asked to see some of the inside. :)

Johnny sitting adorably on the front steps.

The living room.  There is a big window to the left and the dining room to the right.

Dining room and stairs.

Kitchen

Other side of kitchen and can see the laundry closet.

Breakfast nook

One of the upstairs bathrooms

One of the bedrooms

Guest bathroom

Screened porch and back yard

There we go. :)  So these are pictures we took as we were deciding and going through the buying process.
I'm not very good at decorating and making things pretty.  I wish so much I had that talent like my adorable niece does.  (I kind of wish I could just hire her to come out here and make it all pretty for me. lol  But, for now Pinterest can tutor me. haha)  I did order a totally cute wreath from her Etsy shop (click the word "Etsy" there for the link if you'd like to see her fantastic shop) for my front door, though. :D  That spruced things up a bit.

Cute kite wreath!

 Adding our furniture and kitty-cats made it feel more like a home, as well.

They drift around the house depending on where the sun is. lol

Zoe-bears on the stairs. :3

Patches looking out the window.

And now we finally have blinds in the giant front window!  We had to have them measured and specially ordered and installed, so that took some time.  I am so glad not to feel like a goldfish anymore.  I'm sure the neighbors are envious of my stripey pajamas, though.  Totes adorbs.  (No, there will be no jammy pics today.)

Blinds!!!  And yes, there is a hammer on the shelf of my coffee table. lol

Oh, alright, one jammy pic just for funsies.

Such cute stripey and there also happens to be the most adorable marshmallow-esque Zoe sleeping with her feets on them. ^_^

Yay!  Now you guys can see pics of our new place. :)  We're excited!  (But yes I'm still terrified - what if a pipe just breaks for some reason and I have to build a bunch of new walls and ceilings and stuff? D:  I miss the maintenance guy!)  We have some plans for little changes.  I'm not very good at DIY stuff... or painting things... or hammering or sawing or fixing...  But, my sister-in-law is awesome at all of that and can give me some tips, I'm sure.  (And possibly get a couple of panicked phone calls or emails... sorry about that, sis.)  We still need to get a fence put in for the back yard which is stressing me out a little bit, but it will all be okay and fine and happy. :)  (John keeps me grounded because he is so positive and I keep him grounded by ... worrying about remembering all the things to worry about. lol)

Try is a thing, damn it.

It's been a while since I've written.  I guess I just didn't have anything to say for a little.  We've just been taking things day to day.  John just finished Air Assault School.  There was a 12 mile ruck on the last day of it and his heat injury triggered.  He gets warning signs like tingling hands and if he doesn't realize in time it can trigger and he will experience some of the symptoms of his heat injury.  He didn't have another heat stroke, but his temperature went up to 105 degrees and he had to have fluids put into both arms and he was taken to the hospital to make sure he didn't go into another heat stroke.  So, he wasn't able to attend the graduation ceremony, but he did graduate. :)  He recovered from everything pretty quickly.  His temperature went back down and he has felt alright.  His blood panel came back showing his organs are healthy and his blood count is good.  Because he is a heat casualty, he can go into it more easily.  However, he can also handle it better now.  The only change I've noticed is that he sleeps very warm now and sweats a lot in his sleep, just like when he got back from Afghanistan.  Even that is already getting less and less, though.  What is obnoxious about me is that I react to it stupidly.  I distance myself and push him away instead of pulling him closer.  Because it scares me so much to think of losing him.  He was dead for a few seconds in Afghanistan and that kind of broke something inside me.  (And I feel like a jerk - "your near death experience has been hard for me."  What a tool I am.)  He's been in my life for half of my life and imagining it without him makes everything colorless.  But it's like I can't stop getting ready for it to happen.  And every time he needs to leave for a few days it's harder than it should be.  I was able to go for 13 months and you'd think I'd be used to it now and it would be easier.  But, it's actually harder for some reason.  It's like I don't know how to prepare for short times apart.
It's been just over a week since his symptoms triggered, but he's worked a lot since it happened.  He worked over the weekend and pulled a 24 hour shift on Tuesday so Wednesday he had a day off to catch up on sleep and that helped him a lot.  But, getting a weekend together is wonderful.  There are things we should do to be responsible adults but today we're having a slightly lazy day.  We did have a kitty grooming session, though, to combat the shedding of winter coats.  Zoe loved it and felt pampered.  Patches loathed it and felt truly victimized.  They have very different fur - Zoe's is coarse and all in one thick coat while Patchy's is a fine double coat and it can pull more on her fur and hurt to brush through it.  A catnip toy and not touching her for a little while so she can repair the damage (she likes her fur a certain way and we ruined that) is helping her.
I've adjusted to my nerve medication well and am functioning better these days.  It still makes me tired; I take it before I go to sleep at night and if I wake up during the next several hours I feel very sick but if I get a little more sleep than the average bear (not human, I think I sleep more than hibernating bears do) then I do alright. :)  The only problem is we live in a place that doesn't quiet down very much.  Even just last night we heard gun shots a few minutes before 1 a.m.  John went outside to see what was going on (we've called the cops about gunshots before and they were unconcerned... though they have suggested we get a gun for the household) and there were 8 police cars at the annoying little bar close by.  The bar tends to be loud until very late on weekends and after it closes its patrons loiter around in the parking lot for hours with music blasting from their vehicles and drag racing or whatever else drunk people probably shouldn't be doing in a residential area.  At least the cops actually came this time.  No one was hurt, the shots seem to have been fired in the air from a shotgun.  Shots happen pretty regularly and one of our neighbors thinks it's funny to get drunk and set off fire crackers on his wooden deck right below the overhanging tree.  Because a fire is something we all want to deal with.  So, while seeing different neighbors being hauled away in cuffs is an enjoyable time, we are looking forward to moving this summer.  John has lived in scarier places and dealt with shadier characters, but I am one of those people that thinks wearing a hoodie makes me totally "street." lol  The sad thing is driving around this side of town actually shows that we live in one of the nicer spots.  It's really sad, actually.  When you go downtown you can tell there were such good times.  But all the buildings are empty with broken glass.  I wish some kind of big business would set up shop here and help rebuild the economy again.  I guess I think cinematically.   I could write that movie.  Danny Glover plays a big time business tycoon that sees potential in a small dying town and moves a new branch of his business there, reviving the town.  But the former big frog in a small pond is resentful and tries to sabotage the progress at every turn.  PG13 rating for language and drug use and general adult-ness of too much reality.
We're just making our way through time.  Figuring out our possible futures and which one we should go with.  Sometimes we want to get out of the army and move back to Utah and start over.  But sometimes we want to just stick with it as John moves up in rank and hope it will get better because we've paid a lot of dues and really don't want to start a new set of dues all over again.  But we miss family and friends... it is giving us so much indecision.  But we are gathering information about our different options so we can make a more informed decision.  In the army, you can't really just see how it goes.  You sign a contract for years at a time - 4 years, 6 years, 8 years - and that's it.  That's what you're doing for those years.  I plan way ahead in my mind now as a result.  I need to know what's happening next year.  But I never know what really is happening because a year ago we thought John would be deploying this summer and now it's been pushed back.  It is phenomenally frustrating to try to plan anything.  The plans I had for John's birthday were suddenly changed the day before the reservations because he was now working over the weekend.  But, we were in a tough spot when we joined and the army gave us an option that we couldn't get anywhere else and there is a lot of opportunity to be had in the military.  It just would be nice to live close to family and be there for important events and have somewhere to go on holidays.  However, as we move up in the ranks and start earning a little more we could be able to visit more easily.  Gah!  We do have an option we're learning toward, but need to find out more and to see if it's really feasible.  We'll see. :)  We're focusing on learning about that option and getting ready to move.  Probably across the state line into Tennessee if we can.  It would awesome not to have someone's car thumping bass next to my wall and children screaming inches from my windows.  I'm not a people person.  Being around this many people all the time makes it harder to breathe.  I won't get my hopes up for quiet, though.  Apartment living doesn't have any quiet.  Just endless assault by other sounds: their music, their arguments, their sex lives, their babies screaming, their dogs barking and clipping across the floor above you, their inability to close anything without slamming it (seriously what is UP with that?).  Our goal is to be able to get a second vehicle - a cute one, if possible - so that I can have more of a life.  Having one car with John's changing and inflexible schedule while living in a not great area with no public transportation system has left me... at the point of psychotic break if I don't escape this world.  I clean the same things over and over again and feed the cats again and again and sleep and wake up and cook things and watch things and block out the revving engines and bass thumping and yelling and then John puts something in a different spot in the fridge and I have a meltdown over the importance of fridge organization and he looks at me like I have turned into a bird of prey that is overreacting.  That is when we go for a drive and get to an area full of fields.  And I can breathe and we sing with the songs on my iPod playing through the tape adapter because our car is that old and we feel like we can make it a little longer.  Or at least until John helps fold the laundry and folds the socks differently. I have shame.  If I had a kid I'd have more purpose and it would be different. I'd still feel cooped up but I would be taking care of that child and teaching it things and playing with it.  Maybe someday.  For now there is just the feeling of stagnation but trying to be supportive and trying not to be afraid to actually, finally write because I have the perfect opportunity to really flesh out a novel now.  I mean, I feel like I'm already the embodiment of mediocrity as it is, what do I really have to lose?  I hate waiting until we can work something else out, but Johnny is good at this.  He's a good soldier and he is progressing well and feeling accomplishment and things he never got to have before.  And I want him to have that. I want some of that, too.  It will come, though, in time.  A lot of it depends on how hard I'm willing to work for it.  And if you don't try you don't really fail.  But, you'll always wonder about the things you didn't grab onto in life.  So, I will try my best as time keeps going by.  (Okay, you Yoda-quoters, stop right there.  I get it, do or do not, I hear you.  But neither of those things happen if you aren't trying.  Try has to happen first.  And there's not just do or do not.  There's do not over here and there's do over there.  And do leads to success or failure.  It's a process not a pick the right hand or the left hand scenario, so take your wise little quote and put it back in your pocket and go have a popsicle because I live in the real world where not everything simplifies down to something that easy.  And I cannot use the force, seriously.)
I'm ready for what comes.  Whatever happens with my facial nerve.  Whatever happens with having a child or not.  Whether I become the founder of cold fusion or not (I had enormous teenage dreams).  I've been out of commission for a while but I'm ready to stand up again.  Being tired doing it, but ready, nonetheless. ;)

Almost Christmas

I have neglected my blog!  Sorry about that.  I've just been getting used to life on the medication for my facial nerve problem and I've had a kidney stone or something so been kind of out of it.  Also, John just had LASIK surgery on his eyes so he's been putting drops in his eyes every couple of hours and wearing shades a lot.  But he's excited to have improved vision without wearing his specs anymore. =)
The kitties have just been enjoying themselves.  Lots of wrestling and running around and getting into things.  As kitties must do. ;)  Patches has been growing up!  She is becoming a lithe, gorgeous cat.  And she can jump even higher now. O.O  We've given up trying to stop the jumping onto high things and have just started stabilizing things and keeping them clutter free for her to land on safely. lol  Zoe oversees everything and takes care of everyone, in the meantime.  She's such a sweet girl.
We had a quiet Thanksgiving because of the kidney stones but it was still nice for us.  Thanksgiving cartoons and some easy to fix holiday food together was all we needed. :)
I've been gradually feeling better.  We'll be having a CT scan of my right kidney (again) soon and meet up again with the urologist.  These things take time at the army hospital, though.  Between the two of us, we've had a lot of appointments lately! lol  We are looking forward to a little time off. ^_^  It will be so nice to just be home together and relax.  I love Christmastime.  (Again, there will be holiday cartoons. heehee)

Johnny and Me

Zoe and Patches, the little sweeties.

Chin Up

It's been a while.  Sorry about that. :/  So, John went through the Warrior Leadership Course (WLC) and did a wonderful job.  It was hard on us because he was gone a lot and it had its stressful times (as leadership training most likely should) but we made it through and after it ended we were able to take the time to go see the neurologist.  He said that I do have a facial nerve problem.  He could tell by the way I talked that there was something wrong.  He said it might be permanent, it's hard to know with nerves.  It takes time.  So we can see how it does.  I'm going in for a long MRI (they said about an hour and a half in the machine) this week to look at my brain, brain stem, and facial nerve just to take a look.  If they see anything they can do something about, something irregular, I'll need to talk to a neurosurgeon.  However, he doesn't expect to see anything.  The location of the problem is tricky because trying to fix something could end up doing more damage, like paralyzing that side of my face or something.  I'll also need to see an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor (ENT) and possibly get another MRI to have a look at the sinus and see if it has healed or if there is still a problem with the sinus.  I'm back on the medication I was taking before to help with the nerve pain.  I'm going through the side effects again as I go back on it, though.  It makes the anxiety worse and then I get really depressed but last time it started to balance out again and was helping the pain and wasn't causing those problems anymore, so we're confident that soon that will happen again.  Just for now it's mostly taking the edge off of the pain and making me feel sad and that is blah.  But we can hold out. ;)
I've also developed a bone spur at the site of the tooth excavation that causes a bump at the side of my gums.  Most the time it isn't noticeable but recently something irritated it and there was some inflammation, so I went back to the endodontist and he looked at it and let me know what it was.  If it persistently causes a problem for me, he can go in and open up the gums, file it down (the spur is on the main bone of my face/skull since there is no tooth there now), and suture it back up.  So, it's good to know we have that option.  The problem is we don't know if it is hurting because the spur is bothering things or if it hurts because of the nerve problem.  Or maybe the presence of the spur is exacerbating the nerve pain?  I'm not sure at all.  So, we'll see how things go.
Meanwhile, the kitties are doing well.  Patches turned 1 year old last month and we had a little party for her.  They had a special dinner and then we gave her some new toys.  (We also always have a toy for the kitty not having a birthday so they don't feel left out.)  And we sang her "Happy Birthday" and gave her lots of hugs.  Probably more hugs than she wanted. Haha. ;)

They play together and cuddle each other and us (when they feel generous lol) and we are so glad to have them.  Sometimes people laugh or just don't understand.  But the way life is in the army can get lonely.  Especially when John has to be away, whether for trainings or deployments.  And having these sweet little kitties... care about whether I get up in the morning or not... means everything to me.

Patches has also commandeered one of our trash cans as a place to play and nap.  It's a wicker one I usually just put papers and such in because ... well, it's wicker.  And one day she removed the papers and took it over.  I have an extra one, so I use it now and she can use this one to play in (we cleaned it up after taking her photo). It's really funny and cute of her.

This medicine makes things hard right now.  I ran out of it and we couldn't go to the doctor for a new prescription because the schedule for WLC is quite strict so I didn't have it for about a week.  I didn't think such a short time would mean I'd have to get used to it all over again.  But, my body seems to be kind of sensitive that way (meaning it freaks out a lot haha).  But when it gets hardest it means it's about to get better (I've tried enough meds in my time to be able to tell that now).  So, it's going to be alright.  I'll probably need to be on it for a while, maybe need to get a stronger dose if the pain gets harder to manage, but it will be fine.  Over the years I've been learning how to keep being me despite what a medication does to me.  It's really hard though and sometimes it goes better than other times.  But no matter what I'll keep picking myself back up and trying harder.  So my kitties have a happy mama and so my Johnny has a happy wife, so we can keep having a life and making memories and loving each other.  Just cause you get carsick doesn't mean you can't enjoy the drive. lol  I do my best to be strong for them because they are what gives me strength.  Finding out this pain might never go away has been really hard and scary for me.  But Johnny has been so supportive and sweet and helpful.  I'm so tired so much of the time and he is really doing his best to help me with whatever I need.  I know that I'm really lucky to have that in my life. And it makes it easier to keep smiling and to keep going. :)

When things get difficult I remember what Robin Hood said (yes the cartoon fox one, of course), "Keep your chin up." ;)  Going to do my best.  Oo-de-lally!

10

Well, we ended up pulling the troublesome tooth and it was indeed cracked on the root side.  But the pain didn't go away.  It seems there is something going on with the nerves in my face and I'll need to see a neurologist.  I went to see my primary care doctor and she agreed with the endodontist about it.  So, I waited the 10 days for the referral to arrive and called and made an appointment.  I won't be able to go until October so, in the meantime, I am on some medicine for nerve pain.  The medicine made me a little sick at first but now it just makes me very tired.  I'm on a very small dose so it just mostly takes the pain away, but I'm glad that it does that much.  If I want a stronger dose I have to have John talk to his sergeant and then I call the doctor's office at 6 a.m. the day I want an appointment and wait on hold for a while and see what appointments they have left and then talk to John's sergeant about the time we got so that John can take me.  (We only have one car so things get tricky with appointments.)  So, we'll see how it goes.  The site of the tooth excavation has been healing up very well, so that's happy. :)
John had started the preparatory Physical Training to start Air Assault School this month, but they decided that due to his prior heat casualty (heat stroke) that they should reschedule him to come in after the heat of the summer is over.  But, he will be starting WLC (I don't know the acronym haha but I do know it's some kind of leadership training course) soon and he is looking forward to that. =)
Also, this month we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. ^_^  We decided we would go somewhere nice in Nashville for dinner to celebrate over the weekend.  I looked at reviews online and found a lovely restaurant called Etch, so we got a tiny bit dressed up and started driving up there on Saturday with what should have been enough time to get there for our reservation.  However, suddenly the traffic on the freeway came to a complete stop.  (We found out later that there was an accident causing traffic to be at a stand still for about 6 miles.)  And there was a steady stream of cars going back up the onramp! o.o  We were right by the onramp, though, and going to be late so we went with them and followed a stream of cars along an alternate route for a while and then got back on the freeway after we were past the congestion.  We called to let them know we might be late and were doing our best to make it.  But, make we did and only 7 minutes late. =D  We were treated very nicely at the restaurant and it made the night special. :)  We had roasted cauliflower for an appetizer and some rosemary bread and then I ordered the pork tenderloin and Johnny had the lamb chops.  For dessert I had the lemon meringue that came with blueberry sauce, blueberries, and some lavender cream on top.  It was exquisite!  Such delicate flavors.  Johnny was adventurous and tried the homemade rye whiskey ice cream which was very creamy and subtle.  The drive home had good traffic, just some heavy rain that we are getting used to here.  Thunderstorms happen a lot here.  It can be cozy, but a little scary sometimes (especially for kitties).

Me with my dinner. :)

Johnny being adorable. =)

Desserts!

Our waiter was sweet and took our picture. ^_^

Patches hiding and telling me how much she doesn't like thunder.

It was a happy anniversary.  It doesn't seem possible that we've really been married this long.  There have been a lot of hard times and a lot more wonderful times.  We're so grateful we could be together this year.  Next year at this time John should be deploying again so celebrating together this time was extra sweet.
The kitties are doing well.  They try to keep out of trouble though sometimes they just can't help themselves. ;)

Patches loves to play in the boxes that only have packing paper left in them.  Getting back out was a problem for a while, but she's getting the hang of it.

"Please don't tell Dad I'm up here."

Zoe needs to do everything Patches does.  And get in all the same trouble.  Patches usually looks down at me smugly like, "Yeah.  I'm up here.  Whaddaya gonna do?"  But when I found Zoe on top of the cupboards she looked very alarmed and got down quickly.  She was very worried so I only scolded a tiny bit. ;)
They take good care of me during the day and I'm just doing my best to get things done slowly for a while.  And in the evenings and on the weekends we enjoy our time all together. :)

Zoe is 3! :)

Time has been going by so quickly!  Sadly, we are still slowly unpacking.  We are trying to get rid of things we've been holding onto that we don't use or don't need as we unpack, so we try to get some done in the evenings together (easier to make those decisions when we are both here) when John gets home from work or over the weekends.  I've still been pretty out of it so that makes it hard.  I feel so bad that it's taking so long, but am also feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything right now. :(
Things are still up in the air about my tooth.  We decided to do a last ditch round of medication and did more steroids and antibiotics together for about a week to see if the tooth would calm down.  It was pretty effective, but now we are just waiting to see if things flare up again.  I didn't get as sick on the medication this time, but since it has finished I have been very tired and weak.  The tooth seems to be gradually getting a little more painful, but I am just waiting to see if it gets bad enough to give up or not.  If we wait and wait and it stays calm, we can finish the retreatment with a new root canal and a crown.  If it becomes problematic again while we wait (which it seems to be veering toward), it will need to be extracted.  My endodontist wants to send me to an oral surgeon in that case because he is pretty sure the tooth will break during extraction.  So, we'll see what happens.
It was Zoe's birthday on the 15th!  She turned 3 years old. :)  We did a special tuna dinner cat food for their dinner and gave her a new scratchy bed and a couple of toys.  We could really tell it made her feel special and she's been very cuddly since.  She's never been a lap cat, she likes to just sit next to us.  Not much of a cuddler.  But then last night she snuggled down on my lap for around a half hour!  It feels like we've gotten closer to her by making her feel special that way. ^_^

The kitties playing with Zoe's presents.

Zoe on my lap again this morning (pardon the jammies lol).

We also started running together this week. =)  John is now attached to a cavalry unit that does a lot of physical training and I want to get in better shape, so we decided to join forces.  Johnny is teaching me better running form and we did some various drills, as well.  We found a nice little area with lots of trees where the street loops around, just perfect for running laps.  I admit I have blisters and am pretty sore, so we're going to wait a couple of days for my feet to recover before going out again.  It was cool to learn some of the things that John does every day and for him to be my coach for a little.  He says he was a little surprised by how well I did and encourages me that I am going to be a skilled runner by and by. :)  I feel like it brought us a little closer to each other by adding this new aspect to our relationship.
Life can be daunting after a PCS move.  Completely new place, don't know anyone, someone else packed our stuff so we can't find anything, since we found our new place to live online... we're kind of in a not great part of town, moving always takes its financial toll... there's a lot of stress involved.  Adding in all the dental weirdness, it's been really hard.  But, we're learning how to work together more and more and we're just glad to be together.  We found out John shouldn't deploy again until next summer, so that is good news that we'll have another year together.  Life beats the crap out of you from time to time.  Sometimes it gets us down, but we're not out. ;)  We're going to enjoy our year together here and make the best of it. =)  North Carolina was scary at first, too, but after a while we found a lot to love and I know we will in Kentucky, too.

In the Process

Well, things are less scary now that we've been here for a little while.  We're medium unpacked at this point.

We were on a quest to find the microwave so we could eat out less and home more, even frozen dinners for a while.  I'm trying to wash the dishes I unpack and then put them away, so it is taking longer, but then I'll know they are clean.  And the big heavy boxes are still blocking the dishwasher for now.  The movers decided to put boxes in front of closed closet doors, all cupboards, anywhere to put things away so I have to unpack and just put things anywhere until we can make our way through.  We got the washer and dryer all hooked up and ready to go - after switching out our 4 prong plugged cable for a 3 prong plugged cable (I'm sure there's a better way to say that but oh wellz).  We scooted things so we can open the fridge a little and a few cupboards. :)  Once we found the microwave and set it on the counter, something was wrong.  It's "face" was looking at the floor.  It had become mutilated somehow in the move.  They put one thin piece of packing paper on the bottom of the box and then the microwave on the bottom so I'm guessing the box got dropped or something.  Or... twisted. lol  In any case, it was rocking back and forth dramatically if touched because all four legs couldn't touch the counter at once.  So, we'll report that and we went and got a new one with some of our dwindling dollars.  We also replaced the lamp that was broken the last time we moved with an adorable pear lamp from Hobby Lobby. ^_^

It spoke to me. ;)
Part of why I'm a little behind with the unpacking is that my tooth has flared up again.  (The one they did the root canal on but punctured the sinus and I got to move with a swollen face.)  I took all of my azithromycin and things felt better and seemed fine and I made an appointment to visit my new dentist so we can put the crown on soon.  Put then it became painful again so we went in earlier and saw another dentist at the same office.  He looked at it very carefully and looked over the x-rays and notes and has decided I should see an endodontist about it.  I have an appointment to see one this week to see if they think I'll be able to eventually get a crown done, have surgery, or if extraction is needed.  At this point, I don't even care if I lose the tooth.  I just want the pain to stop.  My new dentist also said to stop wearing the night guard my last dentist made me because a rubber guard can make night clenching worse (which it has been) and exacerbate the problem with this tooth.  Also, until Wednesday I am on Loritab to manage the pain.  So, I'm a little tired and out of it for a little.  But it's very nice to have the pain management.  I'm just very nervous about it all.
Patches has been loving her jungle of boxes.  She will play and play in packing paper and boxes and then come and take a break on an available lap or the cat tree and then continue when she wakes up.  She doesn't see a need for change and the more boxes disappear the more displeased she is about it. ;)

Patchy on Daddy's lap

John is going through inprocessing at Fort Campbell, which takes a little longer here than it did at Fort Bragg, but we don't mind. :)  We appreciate some time to breathe.  Some days he's gone all day, some days just part of the morning.  It does make scheduling my dentist appointments a little tricky, but we're working it out.
Miles always used to steal my hair bands/ponytail holders and play with them and when we got Zoe she loved that idea, as well.  Patches can take it or leave it.  She likes toys that make noise. ;)  But, since Zoe was a kitten her favorite thing is to get a hair band hooked over her paw and she'll just sit there happily wearing it like a little bracelet.  It's so cute!  I got a picture and had to share. :)

A light yellow hairband is around the foreleg on the right. :)

I also got a tiny gift bag that a necklace came in that Zoe has "borrowed" that she carried around by the drawstrings like a little purse.  But as I followed her around trying to get a picture she became highly suspicious of me and now hides it from me.  Haha.  I might not get a picture of that cuteness, after all.  They're such funny kitties.  They make things a lot brighter in our world.
Another thing that's been helping us with the stress of moving and life has been reading aloud to each other again.  We kind of slacked off for a little but when I've been not feeling well lately John will read to me and it is very comforting.  We just finished The Secret of NIMH (Excellent!) and are working on Hatchet now. :)  And I am reading The Great Gatsby to Johnny.  It's fun to share favorite books with each other that way.
I have a feeling it will be a good summer. =)