Laparoscopic Appendectomy, Anyone?

As many of you already know, I got to experience the joy of having my appendix removed. I went to the E.R. early Monday morning (at like 2AM) because I was having this horrible abdominal pain that would NOT go away. They did some blood work & gave me a couple different things to try & subside the pain. Finally, around 8:30 AM they sent me home with some pain killers thinking it was a muscle spasm in my diaphragm... I WISH!

About 3 hours after I got home, the pain unbearable! I was REALLY weak & dizzy, but it wasn't until I PASSED OUT that we finally decided "OK, maybe we should go back to the E.R." & we did. Round 2 started at 6:30 PM Monday night & around 4AM Tuesday morning (after more blood work, 2 CAT scans, a very invasive pelvic exam, & many tears later) the Dr. told me they were taking me to the O.R. to have my appendix removed. It was a LONG DAY, to say the least!!

Thankfully, it didn't burst! They were able to take it out with a laparascope, so instead of having a scar across my tummy I have 3 small incisions (on my right side, in my belly button, & right on my pelvic line). You can't see my belly button incision because they stuffed it full of cotton, & the one on my pelvic line... Well, you can see about all you'd want to... we're not that familiar with each other :). I was discharged Wednesday evening & have been doing pretty good at home! My belly is still really SWOLLEN & TENDER, but I can eat regular food as long as I take it easy. The only REALLY CRAPPY thing is getting in & out of bed & I have to sleep on my back, in the SAME POSITION, all night long.

Thanks to everyone who has called, come to visit, sent flowers, brought dinners, & just let me know of your love & support!

Maybe my parents chose the wrong name...

What Ashleigh Means

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.

You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are deeply philosophical and thoughtful. You tend to analyze every aspect of your life. You are intuitive, brilliant, and quite introverted. You value your time alone.

HMM...You think this describes me?? See what it says about you: http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyournameshiddenmeaningquiz/

Still Searching

It's been two months & still no sign of Jared. It's really crazy that there have been ZERO leads, activity, or ANYTHING that would help us figure out where he is! I'm still trying to keep the faith & have a "Thy will be done" perspective, but I HATE not knowing what happened. Still, it's these type of trials that I'm grateful for (as awful as that may sound) because they help me strengthen my relationship with Heavenly Father, as I lean on him more frequently for guidance & comfort! It's not the first time I've experienced confusion & heartache, and I'm sure it won't be the last... I'm just thankful that I know He is aware, of me & Jared! I know that when His time is right, I'll understand what happened.

Blast From the Past!

I was stalking blogs the other day, just seeing if I'd run into somebody I know... & I did! I found a couple of old friends from high school, & one of them had this picture on their post. WHOA- Took me back! This was taken my senior year at the Snowflake Temple (my best friend & I had planned a temple trip for all the LDS seniors at our school, for our Young Women in Excellence award). I'm the 3rd one from the left... CRAZY how young we all were!

¡¡ I LOVE HIM !!

Today was wonderful! I got to sleep in & have a nice relaxing morning before work; then around noon, the front door opens & in walks sweet Anthon... with 2 dozen long stem roses!! So, this obviously put me into a better mood than I was already in ( I LOVE surprises)! Then work was great because I didn't do ANYTHING- just helped my boss put her girls valentine gift bags together (REAL productive, I know). After work I came home & started to get ready when Anthon pulled another surprise out... A BEAUTIFUL diamond & aquamarine (my birthstone) necklace!! Then he took me out to dinner at PF Chang's- my FAVORITE, & since I couldn't decide between the crispy honey chicken or mongolian beef he let me get both (so now I'll have a nummy lunch for tomorrow)! It was a great Valentine's Day... He has a way of making me feel like I'm the best thing in his life (I hope he knows he's the best in mine)!!!

Primary Presidential Election

Today is an important day for us Americans... I hope everyone is excited to get out & vote! Meagan posted a link for a fun poling quiz from USA Today, so for those of you who are unsure what issues are supported by what candidates, go to this website. It might help you figure out which candidate you like best... It's fast, easy & I had a lot of fun :)!

UFC Fight Night

So, Anthon & I went with a group of friends to Sluggo's to watch the fights last night (since we don't have Pay Per View & they weren't charging a cover). It was a lot of fun... some pretty decent fights, but what was really cool was they had Houston "The Assassin" Alexander there doing a meet & greet type thing (He's an up-&-coming fighter. He's fought in UFC 71, 75, & 78, & he's beaten Keith Jardine & Alessio Sakara). Anyway, what a COOL guy! So nice & fun to talk to!! Anthon was stoked to get to meet him, & all-in-all it was a really fun night!