Ppssst...

Just a side note...

For those of you that read this and think that life's all hunky-dory (gotta love that word, even if it's misspelled) - please don't fool yourselves.

We're pretending right along with the best of them (actually I don't know who's the best at it, cause if they were the best at it, then we probably wouldn't know....so..yeah..)

Anywho...I don't live in a big house and drive a big fat yellow Lightning McQueen Car (as my cute niece refers to it) any more.

• We're broke
• We're been force-fed the words "Provident Living" (haha)
• Luckily our closet has enough clothes that people think we recently bought some new ones
• The small change that's been piling up in our closet (in old mayonaise jars nonethelesss) has finally been counted and we CAN have Christmas
• Certain community colleges are massively cheaper than certain state colleges
• Cool sister-in-laws and others have some seriously cute hand-me-downs for my cute girls

So...ya...only post the good pictures..make up a good story if you don't have one..or if you can't or don't want to do that....heck..I think there's a button on here somewhere to post links to other site and pictures....no one will know the difference...at the point i'm at - i'm not going to question it..I'll go right along for the ride.

And don't forget these three words of wisdom (I think either Monson or Confucious said them)

GILLIAN-BARRE ROCKS!

Crap - I think that's only two, seeing how one's hyphenated - sorry..

Woah!!!!!!!!

Holy crap! (lolololol)

I just found this picture on the laptop. I had heard about the depicted event occuring, but until I saw this - I didn't realize that my mental picture of what happened didn't quite coincide with the actual event. To be honest with you, I can't believe it was cleaned up before I came home (probably why I didn't realize how bad it was.) I thought I would be the end of our marriage....well - I would officially like to thank my two cutest girls in the world for stepping up to the plate to keep me from feeling lonely.

Please don't allow small children to see the following. Apparently and innocent bystander had the unfortunate experience of happening upon the ghastly even. The sheer horror one can see in her face is unspeakable.

Neither counseling nor drugs have been able to return her to her previous bystander state. Our prayers are with her.

Hopefully I don't find myself in too deep of crap by posting this on here (quite frankly - I don't own a pair of boots - and the van's I've been wearing lately don't appear to be that poop-proof.) Wish me luck, cause I don't run that fast yet.

OK. I know you think I'm biased, but just look!

My girls are the freakn cutest!!!!!!!

For anyone wishing to contest this statement, please emall a picture of your kid (but be prepared for me to disagree with you, as you can see, for obvious reasons)

OK.....

Ok...The time has come for me to take over my own blog!

Watch out world...I'm guessing it's going to be:

• somewhat cheesy (for effect)
• hopefully intriguing (entertainment)
• hopefully make you smarter (info)
• let you know how the heck i'm doing (otherwise you wouldn't be here)

Unfortunately, there are no guarantees (although you can purchase one...a guarantee that is...and it's an extremely minimum fee*

So - I'm going to be experimenting a lot and with any luck get into somewhat of a habit (yes, those things that clothe nuns and make me and you the creatures that we are.)

I think before I was probably embarrassed to write, not to mention that my fingers were working like crap and they couldn't feel anything when Chaney first asked me to write (so it was the equivalent of doing squats with a 100 pounds for a mile...you probably think I'm joking).

I'm also not going to be big on spell check or grammar check..(notice that correctness wasn't one of my points mentioned above.)

Anyway - Goodluck - hope you get your moneys worth.

* Monthly fee is extremely minimal when financed at a extremely low interest rate over an even more extreme amount of time. They'll get you on that every time - those small print fast talking jerks..lol.

Garage Sale

So we are having a garage sale. Cory has decided to go back to school FULL TIME (the goal is to Medical School) so we are really trying to down size OUR LIFE so we can concentrate on that.

Come visit us this weekend and BUY some of the cool stuff we have.

Here is the info from the craigs listing that I have posted.

******* 4 FAMILY GARAGE SALE*****


We are all cleaning house

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY Oct. 2nd & 3rd

8 am - till you stop coming!!!

In Mesa, East of Lindsay Rd. between McKellips and McDowell

LOOK FOR THE SIGNS!!!
We have everything you would want!!!!
Click on link below to see just some of the pictures.

Tools
LOTS of home improvement items crown molding, new light switch covers, lighting, (we had a fix it upper and we have lots of left overs)
Antiques (50 years of everything she couldn't live with out)
Baby items, New and gently used including an Eddie Bauer Bassinet and a New in Box Fisher Price 3 in 1 swing
12 ft. PRE LIT Christmas Tree from Costco. (has the real feeling pine needles on the ends of the branches)
Vintage Games
All kinds of Books
Furniture
Home Décor
Office chairs and furniture
TV
Computers, Computers and more computers and anything and everything you need for you computer.
Printer
Full Size Pool Table
Beautiful Wrought Iron Chandelier
Full work out Gym with bench, bar bell and weights
Shoes ALL sizes men’s and women’s (many new in box)
Women’s suits
Jr. Girls clothes
Men’s Clothes
Baby Clothes
Floral Arrangements
90 gallon aquarium, marine equipment, lights, pumps…lots more.
Many new in box kitchen appliances and accessories including, microwave, toaster oven, blenders and Pyrex…etc.
PAINT BALL / AIR SOFT STUFF guns, ammo etc. (my husband owns a business and he has tons of OVERSTOCK priced to move!!!!!)
Halloween Decor, including foam head stones, fog machine, costumes....etc.
MANY MORE ITEMS NOT LISTED!!!!

We have so much stuff and we must get rid of it. My husband didn’t get married until his 30’s and he is a pack rat
(we have kept some dang good stuff) I JUST DON’T HAVE ANYMORE ROOM!!!!!

If you are interested in seeing any of the items before the sale please contact me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CONT.

Cory has always wanted to go on a hot air balloon ride so since it was my birthday, that was my surprise present. It was amazing...the desert was beautiful this morning. We topped the ride off with a delightful sparkling cider breakfast in the desert. Thanks Cory it was a surprisingly enjoyable and relaxing way to ring in my new year.

You CANT Make This Stuff UP & Happy Birthday

It's me again...Chaney's sister. Yeah, that bad. So Chaney's last blog said things were NORMAL, what she didn't know was that it would fall into the New Normal category.

This story begins the two days before Cory was released from the hospital. Chaney spent those two days preparing and learning everything she needed to know to bring her husband home and take care of him. Those two days were crazy and this nursing mother forgot ( or just didn't have time) to nurse or pump. After all she had plenty of milk stored for Scottie in the fridge so Chaney didn't give it much more thought.

I can already hear the groans of pain from all the nursing mothers...I too insert my groan of pain right here. AGHHHHHHHHHH

As Chaney mentioned earlier, she brought Cory home to a large Gifford Family Reunion. She was trying so hard to put on the brave face while helping Cory and staying interactive with the week long reunion that she put her own sickness and pain to the side and acted as if she was just fine. Here is where I insert my own personal OSCAR award to her. So Chaney spent week two of Cory's return just finding their groove and still pushing through her now very painful mastitis infection. By week three she was in so much pain that she was bed ridden and there was a large lump she just couldn't break down. She finally conceded and went to the doctor for herself (keep in mind she and Cory have been to so many doctor / therapist apptmts these 3 weeks, the last place she wanted to go was another doctors office).

Doctor Visit #1: Mastitis confirmed, antibiotics prescribed, off you go now.

Chaney takes her medicine like a good girl and after a weeks time has absolutely no relief at all.

Doctor Visit #2: Shot in the rumpkins and new antibiotics given, off you go now.

Now Chaney has a sore tushy to ponder as she is still sick as ever and the lump, not of much concern to the doctor keeps growing and causing greater pain. She only waits a few days this time to go back as the treatments have renderd ZERO relief.

Doctor Visit #3: Ultrasound of lump (tech freaking out), Dr. wondering how he missed the lump, and a referral to a specialist given, off you go now.

Chaney goes back the next day, a Thursday, and the specialist (surgeon) presents her with a syringe attached to a 5 in needle. Surgeon plunges needle into chest. Surgeon tells Chaney to breath. Chaney cant breath as she is sure her lung will be punctured. Surgeon trys to extract substance forming the lump. Nothing comes out. Surgeon sends Chaney to hospital for surgery.

Hospital Stay #1: Chaney was told that they would go in cosmetically to remove said lump. Chaney being the stubborn supermom is determined to continue nursing and tells the doctor to just go in at the site. All goes well with the surgery and I find myself sitting once again in a hospital room with Cory, his parents, and Chaney's good friend Chelsea. It seems we were all here just weeks earlier. The only difference this time is Cory and his walker are standing at Chaney's bedside. SIDE NOTE: I CURSE MYSELF FOR NOT GETTING THAT PICTURE.

The doctors wanted to keep Chaney until Monday for observation. Did I mention they didn't sew her up nicely and put a big band aid on. No she has a huge gaping hole packed with gauze that has to heal from the inside out. It is possibly one of the grossest thing I have seen. Chaney will have none of this. She is so D. O. N. E. with hospitals and doctors and surgeries, and medicines, and treatments. After just one night she convinces them that she will be fine and they release her Friday evening. I have to give a big shout out to my Dad right here cause this all took place the day after my mom and sister left for Utah for a week and I myself left out of town on Friday. So he and my brother Gabe took care of the girls so Cory could be with Chaney. Good job grandpa! I also have to mention that Cory, still in recovery got to take the girls the night Chaney was in the hospital and neither is sleeping through the night. In fact Scottie usually sleeps attached to said lumpy boob most of the night. I am not quite sure how Cory, gimpy Cory, pulled that off, but again good work daddy.

Chaney has a nurse come and dress her wound (did I mention the gross factor? Just checking) on Saturday and she was feeling good until that point. After the nurse left, Chaney started to go downhill again. Sunday she really wasn't doing well and by Monday night she spiked a fever, starting vomiting, and was generally in miserable pain.

Doctor Visit #4: Doctor and Surgeon send Chaney directly to hospital. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.

Hospital Stay #2: She has a serious infection and thanks to the biopsy results they have now learned it is MRSA! No wonder she couldn't get rid of that lump!!!!!!! And now the concern is that it could be in her blood. So they decide to do a pic line. I don't know much about this other than it requires an X-ray and an ultrasound to get the line of antibiotics directly to your heart. This is the best was to treat MRSA as it is resistant to most antibiotics. No wonder she wasn't feeling any better and only got a sore hinny as her booby prize!!!!!!!! (pun very intended) As soon as they started the pic, Chaney had an allergic reaction and they had to take it out.

So after 2 more days in the hospital and more failed attempts to treat her, she is released with her still painful gaping hole, the best antibiotics they could give her, hopes that it might work, the reality that she now had to stop nursing after all that, the fear that she could have given MRSA to her baby, the threat of a blood infection and the looming knowledge that if they confirmed the blood infection she would be returning to the hospital and staying until her blood was clean.

This brings us to this last week. She played phone tag with the doctors and as far as I know she still hasn't talked to them and is assuming her blood is clear. My mom, who I have seen take on the worst bodily functions, and malfunctions for that matter, changed Chaney's dressing only once and informed her that would be the last time. This brings me to today

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHANEY

YEAH FOR 23!!!!!

You will spend this morning at wound clinic. But after that Cory is taking the girls so we can get our toes done and go to lunch with Chaney's two besties. He also has something up his sleeve tomorrow as wound clinic interrupted his master plan on your actual day. We all love you so much and my personal prayer is that 23 is so good to you that you will call this THE YEAR OF BLISS. Cause heaven knows you deserve a break!