The Closure Procedure

Well, today I had my long awaited, much anticipated leg surgery on my varicose veins. I got my right leg done. It was an in-office procedure, but it was surgery nonetheless. It was a little more painful than I expected it to be, but not too bad. So this is a relatively new procedure called The Closure Procedure where the vascular surgeon inserts a catheter in the diseased vein which delivers radio-frequency energy which heats and kills the vein. So I was thinking that I would go in and get poked and proded a bit and then I'd be done- kind of like the sclerotherapy that I'd tried in the past. I did not expect the doctor to be decked out in a gown and surgical mask and blue sheets placed all around me and whatnot. I really felt as if I was in an operating room. The thing is- I was waiting so long for the insurance company to approve this surgery that I kind of lost the excitement of it and I didn't get nervous until this morning. So when I was being "prepped", I was kind of freaking out a little. I started to think, hey, maybe I should've gotten a blessing yesterday. Maybe I should've made a will. It all turned out okay though. I have several punctures throughout my leg- ankle to groin and I'm wrapped up like a mummy. I'm in a bit of pain, but it's nothing I can't handle. My 31-hour labor with Cameron makes everything seem minor. So we shall see in the coming weeks if the surgery was a success and then- onto the left leg! Fun! If you are reading this and are plagued by these awful, nasty veins, you can go to www.vnus.com for more information on this new procedure.

Tony Snow

So I'm still mouring the loss of one of my favorite actors, Heath Ledger. Now one of my favorite news anchors (and the former White House Press Secretary) passes away from cancer. We are a big Fox News family and Tony Snow was one of the first anchors that I really enjoyed watching and listening to. Everyone else I could always find something irritating about. When he was diagnosed with cancer in 2006, I sent him a get-well e-mail and he actually e-mailed me back! I thought that was so nice of him. I heard this morning on Fox News that he was a very religious and spiritual person who felt very close to God, especially in the past few years. I know he is at peace and I pray for his family who is devastated at the loss of such a young and vital man who had an incredible life and career. I know I'm not alone in saying, I'll miss you Tony!

Finally!

Finally...We got a minivan! It's a 2008 Nissan Quest in Majestic Blue with gray leather interior. We named her Lizzie. I love Lizzie. She's so good to me and I, in turn, am very good to her. I've wanted this car for over a year now and my wonderful husband, who preferred the Kia Sedona, gave in to me. He's glad that he did though. He admitted to me that he likes the Nissan better. It's roomier and has a lot of cool ammenities. I'll post a picture soon.

Finally...Microbiology is over! Okay, so I know that a month-long class doesn't sound like a long time, but to me and all of the other students, it was an eternity. It started off awful. I didn't like the professor, I did awful on the first exam, and there was so much studying and work that I didn't have much time for anything else (that one I kind of expected). Once I got used to my professor, however, I came to really like her. She was very passionate about bacteria, fungi, protozoans, helminths, and viruses. She wanted us to love it too. Her sense of humor emerged within a week or two and I found it hard to not pay attention. My grades went up and (thank the Lord), I got an A-. I'm going to miss that class in a sick, freaky, gross sort of way. I learned a lot.

Finally...I bore my testimony for the first time in Fast and Testimony meeting! It was three and a half years in the making, but I finally gathered the guts to get up in front of the church and tell everyone how grateful I am to my Heavenly Father for all of the blessings He's given me and my family. I was shaking the whole time and my voice was cracking from fighting back tears, but I knew that bearing my testimony was one of the only ways I could show Him my gratitude.

And Finally...I can blog again!