A very pleasant weekend indeed

Even though this week has been incredibly stressful, this weekend has been nice so far.

Last night was my bachelorette party. It was thrown by Ross and Meghan. It must have been the tamest bachelorette party in history, because we were all asleep by 11 PM. It was super-fun though...we played a trivia-type game that Meghan made, we had quesadillas, we played video games, we ate ice cream, and I had rum and Coke! Normally I dislike rum & Coke, but maybe Ross put something else in it because it tasted different.

This morning I left Meghan and Ross' house and stopped by my mom's house to talk about the wedding and pick up my mail and some other things. I got a letter from the Community Medical Group, which is where Mike's doctor works. After our adventures in Urgent Care a few weekends ago we decided to keep the appointment he'd made days before with his family doctor. The doctor talked to him, checked him out, offered to phone in refills for his inhaler if necessary, and sent us on our way. He said that he couldn't do any testing until Mike had been off the steroids he'd gotten at Urgent Care for six weeks. Mike doesn't have health insurance yet at his job, so I paid for the visit with a check.

I was nervous when I opened the envelope and out came a letter and my check with the word VOID on it in big letters. My heart sank. Did it bounce somehow? I wondered. Was there a mistake at the bank?

I shook open the letter. It said:

We are returning your check for $50.00 for the Date of Service 9-25-06. Dr. Mark Clemence is not going to charge Michael for his office visit of that date. Hope he is feeling better. If we can be of any further assitance please contact us at the office.

Can you believe it? I was almost in shock. Never ever have I had a doctor turn down a fee for an office visit. I'm sure he did it because he knew that Mike wasn't insured, and that we were getting married. It's so thoughtful. I want to send them a thank-you note, and possibly cookies.

It's been a very nice weekend so far.

Augh...

Things have been stressful. I'm not as floored by it as I was earlier this week, but it's still hard.

My car is still running. The insurance guy is mailing us his estimate, and now all we have to do is decide where to get the thing fixed and drop it off. I think that we'll wait until after the wedding so that if we get any money we can use it to pay the deductible, or at the very least ensure that we can pay the mechanic without any unexpected wedding expenses cropping up.

Work hasn't been so good. I've completed six of my meetings, but the five I have left could be tricky. The new metal detectors will soon be moved in front of the school doors for kids to file through, which I'm sure will cause a backlash. I had a dream last night that the school got an elaborate new security system which involved giant fences, ID cards that you had to scan in, and tests to prove your identity.

Mike is still coping with his inhaler and awaiting news about his grandmother. She's hanging in there, but instead of falling into a new pattern of behavior to deal with this turn of events his entire family just seems to be holding its breath. And, as you know, you can only hold your breath for so long. I remember when my grandfather was in hospice and it's an incredibly depressing, stressful time. Fortunately my father, aunts, and uncle got a routine of care and visits going, and the rhythm helped them get through the days. I try to be there for Mike but I'm not sure that I do a good job.

The wedding is a nightmare that I have when I'm asleep and live when I'm awake. Okay, it's not that bad. But it isn't fun. I suppose I'm disappointed because I thought the weeks before my wedding would be a soft-focus, pastel sort of time. It's not. Emotions are running so high on both sides of the family that it feels like we can't do anything without offending someone. Plus, we should have kept Mike's mom in the loop more since she's second-guessing things that have already been decided. She chimes in with advice on things like grooms' gifts, music, and the gift-opening party days too late, and gets frustrated when we tell her it's been done and we can't use her ideas.

I'm so sick of everything. I just want one commute without holding my breath and listening for the sound of the dents grinding against the wheel. I just want one workday that doesn't involve a period of panic or a moment of heart-pounding. I just want one night that consists of me and Mike curled up reading or watching TV, instead of a night of my nagging him about the wedding and both of us cringing when the phone rings.

I want things the way they were two months ago, or the way they will be a month from now. Is that so much to ask?

Stress!

It's 3 AM. I'm too stressed to sleep. Must blog.

Why am I stressed? Oh, let me count the reasons...

1. A car accident

Yes, yesterday morning I got into a car accident. At an intersection someone tried to turn in front of me, and in moving over to avoid hitting him I hit the guy in the lane next to me. So because I hit the person, it's my fault. I got a traffic citation too, which I'm going to court to fight. Luckily it's the day before Thanksgiving, so I have off of work. Unfortunately I was late and had to call in to work, so everybody knows about it.

I'm not sure how I'm going to work getting my car fixed. Mike eyeballed the damage and he thinks it'll take a couple of days to fix.

2. The wedding

With twelve days and counting until I enter into holy matrimony, everyone is kicking their stress levels into high gear. There's so much to do and while time seems so short, each phone call from my mom or his seems to take an eternity.

And I swear, if I hear one more person tell me that my wedding is coming at an inconvenient time, I'm going to lose it. You think it's bad for you? Check out this list.

3. Too much at work!

I have eleven student meetings within the next two weeks, and three the week after the wedding. Now, my friends in Wisconsin freak out if they have two in the same week. I'm accustomed to doing more per week - I can do three or four without breaking a sweat. But this is too much.

Also, a student died last weekend. He's the second one this year. The cops are out looking for another one of my students. Things are getting bad at school

4. Mike's grandmother

She's in hospice right now, and everyone is saying their good-byes. Even though I've only met her a few times I feel bad. Mostly though I feel bad for Mike and his family.

5. Asthma

Mike is still getting the feel of his asthma and is becoming accustomed to knowing when to use his inhaler. But I think we both still get a little anxious when the wheeze returns.

6. Hormones

And wouldn't you know, it's that time of the month too.

It's too much. IT'S TOO MUCH! I wonder if I can call in sick to life...

Little in the middle but you got much back

The only downside of living with Mike is that now I have to wait for him to leave before I dance around my living room like an idiot to the dulcet tones of Sir Mix-a-Lot.

Good thing he had a work meeting tonight.

Baby got back!