Weekend Wrap-Up

What a great weekend! Thursday afternoon I left Joplin and went home to the lake. When I got home I settled in and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Friday morning I woke up and my mom made me breakfast... an eggy-cheese sandwich to be exact. After a quick nap I went to Versailles. I had to go to the court house to get some paper work to get a new vehicle licensed. I have been trying to get my dad's personalized license plates that say "BOATIN" since he passed away in January. It has been nothing short of hell to get them. I had to have someone "gift" me a vehicle so I can get a title with only my name on it in order to get these personalized license plates. It has been a huge ordeal but this license plate really means a lot to me.

After I left the court house I went to the license bureau and prepared for the worst... I figured I had forgot something like a signature or a piece of paperwork but NOPE! I remembered everything and got the truck licensed and it was so EASY! A huge weight was lifted off my chest! I only have a few more steps until I can say that the license plate is officially and legally mine. Wish me luck!

Afterwards, I got my hair done and got to spend time with Dixie, her daughter Caity, and her beautiful twin baby girls who are already one year old now. Time sure flies!

When I realized how fast I got all of my errands done I text messaged Mallory to see if she was busy at work. She wasn't so she invited me to come to the clinic to visit with her. I am so glad I got to spend some time with my bestie! We don't see each other very often so I will take what I can get. We hung out at the clinic for a few hours and then I went home to have dinner with my mom. I relaxed for the rest of the evening and enjoyed my mom and our doggies company.

Saturday I got up and went to Columbia for the Mizzou game. My friend Melissa invited me to the game with her and Richard. Richard has a suite and technically, the best view of the entire field. It was the press box before they revamped the entire stadium. It has tons of seating, free drinks, food, and a dessert cart comes by and spoils you rotten. I had an absolutely amazing time hanging out with friends and watching the game in the suite. I even got to meet TJ Moe! He was our wide receiver last year and now plays for the New England Patriots. He tore his Achilles tendon four months ago so he has been in rehab in St. Louis. Mizzou hired him to be a greeter for the suite guests during home games. Oh and I forgot the most important part... we won!

The amazing dessert cart...

Richard, TJ, and I

 After the game we went to Shiloh and Room 38. We stayed up waaaay too late (3:30am) but we had a great time!

Sunday laid around until 12:30pm and then went to lunch and over to a friends to hang by the pool on the last great day of the year. (Winter will be here soon, my friends.) I was so exhausted from our festivities that I drove back to the lake and went to bed... at 7:30pm. I needed that sleep!

How was your weekend? Have a great week, friends!

What I've Been Doing and a Birthday Recap

I feel like I've neglected you guys. Let's catch up!

At the beginning of August I was recovering from having two dental implants. On top of having surgery, I was nursing one of our two cats back to health. He was not in good shape... he had diabetes and heart disease. I syringe fed him three times a day for nearly eight weeks and checked on him multiple times throughout the course of the day/night but his disease ended up taking over. He passed a blood clot so we had to put him down on August 8th.

August was also a very busy month for us at work. We were working at a remote location so I was driving back-and-forth to our shop multiple times a day to retrieve parts and tools. We also had numerous meetings with our customer and we had to move one of our locations. It was absolute CHAOS.

Then smack dab in the middle of all of this, Tyson decided to go to New York to reclaim his title for the Bermuda Challenge. The weather was clear for them to go on August 21st... this weather window is very tight and they can not go until they get approval from the Coast Guard. August 21st just so happened to be the day that we had to have our friend's boat delivered to Lake of the Ozarks for the Shootout. This would normally be no-big-deal but this boat is not easy to haul. A good friend of mine ended up hauling it for us and everything worked out even though I was sweating bullets the whole 6 hour drive.

But in the end, Tyson and Chris got our record back! Woo hoo!

This kicked off my birthday celebration and the Shootout!

We had a blast at the lake and I can't wait until next year!

Tuesday the 27th was my actual birthday. We had dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant, El Vallarta. It was low key and perfect!

The following weekend was Labor Day. My old boss from the gas dock asked me if I could fill in a few shifts for the holiday weekend. I couldn't say no! I missed the gas dock so much and loved every second of being back. It was so much fun!

And then the next weekend (I feel like a broken record) was Rachel's bachelorette party! Rachel and I were very good friends all throughout middle and high school and we have stayed in touch very well over the last seven years.

Friday night was our Girl's Night. We went to a winery and then to Shady Gators while the guys went to Frankie and Louie's. Later that night we all came together at Rachel's parents house where we set up camp! It was so much fun having everyone packed in to the house with their air mattresses and staying up late like high school again.

Saturday we went out on the boat. (Both guys and girls.)

The whole weekend was so much fun until I got news that some guys we know from Joplin died in a boat accident. I could not believe it. My heart stopped for what felt like the whole day.

The last few weeks have been a little more low-key. We went to Michigan to tour the Skater Powerboats factory which was very neat.

(That place is full of secrets so I couldn't take any other pictures.)

Then last weekend we celebrated Tyson's late father's 70th birthday party.

So that's what I've been doing for the last eight weeks. A lot of ups-and-downs but that's life... and I have to live it. Hopefully I will get back in to the groove with my blogging. I sure miss you all!

Confessional Friday

1. I confess I have had so much anxiety lately. My to-do list is a mile long. I am at a crossroads with my orthodontic work. I either need to shell out $6,000 for a surgery that will make the rest of my Invisalign a breeze, or I get to go down a rocky road of "making things work". Maybe I'll find 6k laying on the ground today.

2. I confess that I am a little excited to see the two hours season premier of Grey's Anatomy. I used to watch it religiously back in college but I stopped watching because I got so busy. I saw the finale from last season so now I want to know what happens to Meredith and James!

3. I confess that I will be a calendar model soon!

4. I confess that I miss coffee. I can't bear to have my Invisalign out for more than 2 hours a day... one hour for lunch and one hour for dinner... so I just don't have time to sip on a cup of coffee every morning and it sucks.

5. I confess that I have not ran or worked out in about a month. I'm not happy about it either.

6. I confess that yesterday I bought a box of Fruit by the Foot and Fruit Roll-Ups. Yes I grew up in the 90's and yes I plan on finishing off both boxes by next week.

7. And finally, I confess that I am so excited to be going to the Mizzou game on the 28th vs Arkansas State. It's my friend Melissa's birthday weekend and we are going to have a blast!!

Now go link up with Leslie and confess!

Winner Winner, CLARISONIC!

Boy am I one naughty blogger! I haven't posted in a month and some BIG THINGS have happened. I have been so busy! I'll catch you guys up on that stuff later, though. Today I am devoting this whole post to thanking one of my favorite bloggers, Shasta Anne! I won her giveaway for a Clarisonic!

She announced the winner on August 25. I was out of town AND my stupid iPhone wasn't connecting to my gmail account so I wasn't getting some of my emails. Then she commented on my Birthday Wishlist post telling me again that I had won. (I'm a horrible giveaway winner, I know.)

I finally saw her comment and e-mail when I got home on the 26th. I can assure you I was ECSTATIC! I was sitting in my office screaming

"OH MY GAWD!!! I WON A CLARISONIC!!!"

The guys were like "What is a Clarisonic?"

And my dumbass replies "It's this face-scrubber thing that vibrates!!!"

and they say "You won a vibrator!?"

ummmmm... kind of?

men...

I was so very happy that I won. I have wanted a Clarisonic for a few years and have struggled with whether to buy one for myself or put it on my wishlist for Christmas or my birthday. The stars must have aligned because winning one is way better!

When I got it in the mail, I was pretty happy.

Shasta packaged it so beautifully with a glittery "T" and pretty tissue paper.

I got to choose between the MIA in white, teal, mango, or pink OR the MIA 2 in white. I selected the MIA 2 in white.

I have been using it about every other day and I can definitely feel my face is cleaner than just washing it with a cleanser. And so far I haven't experienced that "Clarisonic breakout phase". My acne is hormonal so I don't think it will really help with that but it will definitely keep me looking fresher and promote new cell turnover which is great for me since I have oily skin.

Again, big thanks to Shasta! This is one of my absolute favorite birthday presents!

My Birthday Wishlist

The ole birthday is in 11 days so I think it's about time to announce what I want would greatly appreciate. So here is what I am wishing for and to make it a little bit more exciting I'm going to tell you why I want it!

1. Josie Maran 100% Argan Oil in LIGHT

I want this stuff because I am almost out of the original Josie Maran argan oil. Since my skin is super oily, I want to try the light version.

2. Two 10lb hand weights

I'm tryin' to pump some iron and my 3 pounders ain't cuttin' it anymore.

3. Oakley Holbrook in Matte Black / Positive Red Iridium

These things are just BAD ASS. Red/pink/purple lenses? Yes please!

4. Clarisonic Mia 2

This girl needs Skin Rescue 911.

5. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

Apparently this palette is amazing so apparently I need it.

6. Jilbere Tourmaline Blow Dryer

My blow dryer sucks balls.

7. Nike Free 5.0+

I need some new errand runners. (Haha get it?)

8. Frye Harness Boot in Black

I wanna be a cowgirl. Kidding. Every time I see someone wearing a pair of these I fall in love!

9. Clinique Exfoliating Scrub

This stuff is my holy grail exfoliator. I use it almost every day and it definitely helps control my acne and blackheads.

10. American Eagle Artist Crop in Destroy

These crop jeans fit me great and are very comfortable! Gotta have this destroy medium wash.

11. Louis Vuitton Speedy Bandouliere 30 in Damier Ebene

I need a new purse really bad and I have totally been lusting for a Louis for about 9 months.

My Dental Implant Experience

I had two dental implants placed on July 23rd by Dr. Curry at Arkansas Periodontal and Implant Associates. This is my journal for the week following the surgery.

Tuesday, July 23
My appointment was at 10am. When I got there, Dr. Curry's nurse took me back to a room that looked like a normal dentist room. Not like a scary operating room or anything. There was an IV bag and some instruments laid out. She asked me if I wanted a blanket and a neck pillow as it was rather cold and the chair had no neck support. I said yes. Anything to make this procedure more comfortable, I'm in. She took my blood pressure and left the band on my arm. She also took my pulse with the finger thing, which she also left on. Dr. Curry came in and I joked with him about who got to put my IV in. I have deep veins but he did well. Very minimal pain putting in my IV which was the catheter type so I could still bend my arm. They taped down my IV and Dr. Curry began telling me funny stories. It was nice to have something else to think about than what was about to happen. He instructed his nurse to take two x-rays. After about 15 minutes, he began.

He started by numbing the left side of my mouth. After that, I don't remember much. I'm a light-weight when it comes to those "calming meds" so I basically fell asleep. He woke me a few times to ask me if I was doing okay, which I was. I also woke a few times to them talking about the procedure. I also woke when he was drilling in to my jaws. Overall, the procedure was very easy on my part. When she leaned the chair back up I saw that it was about 12:30pm. The procedure took about two hours. The nurse put my Invisalign back in, ensuring that it did not interfere with where the implants were placed. She then took two more x-rays. The nurse explained to me that they grafted bone in two places and also did a sinus lift. She retrieved Tyson from the waiting room and gave me a few instructions... don't blow your nose for 24 hours, change this gauze after it fills with blood, and go get something to eat like a milkshake so the IV medicine doesn't make you sick. As she was telling me these things I noticed a lady was being walked out a door near me and I said "What did you do to that woman?" (jokingly... as she needed help walking). He said "Way more than I did to you!" Oh. Well that's a relief. Someone has it worse than me? Can't be true!

Tyson and the nurse helped me out to the car and I gave Tyson a few directions to get on the highway and then I fell asleep. I woke when we got to Joplin, about an hour later. I was moderately uncomfortable when we got home. I took out my Invisalign, which was half-filled with blood. Very gross. I changed my gauze and left my Invisalign out for a few hours. I was hungry so I made some soup. I waited to eat it until it was luke-warm. A numb tongue and hot soup does not mix well. I also ate some ice cream. Afterwards, I rinsed with a salt-water mix and then with the oral rinse they prescribed me. I laid down in bed and rested for a little while with a cold-compress on my cheek. When I woke up I was in a little bit of pain, but not bad. Mostly just uncomfortable from the strange sensations in my mouth and the numbing wearing off. I took some of my medicine and went back to bed. When I woke I made myself dinner which was more soup and ice cream. As I was finishing dinner Dr. Curry called to check on me. I told him that my face was really starting to swell. He instructed me to take 600mg of ibuprofen between my pain pill doses. I did as he said and noticed it really helped with the sore feeling in my mouth. I rinsed with the salt water and then carefully brushed my teeth. I also rinsed with my mouthwash and put my Invisalign back in. Afterwards, I went down to the office to get online. After a little bit I got so sleepy I nearly fell asleep in my chair. I went upstairs and laid down. I was asleep for about two and a half hours. When I woke I noticed the swelling was still pretty considerate. I kept the cold compress on it and prepared for bed time. I fell asleep around midnight and woke around 2:30am. I was very uncomfortable. My mouth was sore, I felt pressure, and the swelling was very bothersome. I began to cry a little, which was not good. I took my pain pill and fell back to sleep about 30 minutes later. I slept from 3:00am until about 7:00am.

Wednesday when I woke up, I looked like a chipmunk packing nuts for the winter. My face was very swollen. I could feel it in my eye. Luckily, I had very minimal pain and discomfort and very little blood. Dr. Curry's nurse called right as I was about to get out of bed. She asked how I was doing and I told her about the swelling. She said it's different for everyone, but noted that if I didn't sleep upright, then it would be worse. I slept semi-upright so I did the best I could. I took out my Invisalign to clean my mouth and did not put it back in... my poor mouth needed a break. I packed up my goodies-- phone, iPad, ice pack and went down stairs to get out of bed. I set up camp in the living room recliner. I spent most of the day laying in the recliner with my ice pack. I ate soup and ice cream for lunch and snacked on pudding and jello throughout the day. I continued with the 600mg of ibuprofen every 5 or 6 hours to help with the minimal pain and swelling. I left my Invisalign out until afternoon. I brushed and rinsed and put it back in and went back to my spot in the recliner. For dinner I was sick of soup so I had Tyson get me KFC mashed potatoes and mac-n-cheese and pintos and cheese from Taco Bell. I was soooo full after eating all that food. Afterwards, I brushed my teeth and relaxed for a bit then went to bed.

Thursday when I woke up my face was still very swollen. I managed to take a shower and then most of the day I just sat in the recliner and watched TV. I retired my ice pack around noon that day. I had been using it religiously. I also took my Invisalign out for most of the day. I was very inactive and mostly just napped and relaxed. By afternoon, I felt some of my swelling had subsided. I did take another 600mg of ibuprofen so I'm sure that helped. I watched My Girl which I hadn't seen in years and it made me cry. Not sobbing just a few tears. This caused my sinuses to fill with snot. Lovely, right? I was completely full of snot so I very carefully and lightly blew my nose. My snot was mixed with a little bit of blood which I'm assuming is because of my sinus lift. I ate a late lunch of soup and ice cream and for dinner I had rainbow sherbert. My appetite was not quite what it had been the previous day. I didn't get to sleep until 1am.

Friday morning I woke around 8:00am feeling much more like my normal self. It was also the first night I had slept without waking up in the middle of the night. I got up and did some laundry and picked up the house a little. I didn't want to be too active too soon so I sat down for about an hour to rest. After I rested for a bit I took a shower and ventured out of the house for lunch. My face was still swollen but I sucked it up and put on a hat. We went to my favorite Mexican restaurant and I ate guacamole with a fork and ordered rice and refried beans. It was delicious! Much better than my Campbell's soup diet. After lunch I sat down at my desk to do some filing and noticed I had a runny nose. I blew my nose and had more blood mixed in with my snot. I tried calling Dr. Curry but their office was closed and he didn't answer his cell phone. I'm sure it is not a big deal but I just want to ask him. The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. I didn't take any of my pain medicine or Advil at all that day.

Saturday morning I woke up after a terrible nights rest but I was on a mission! I got so much stuff done that day! I don't know how people go to work the day after dental implant surgery. Saturday was the first day I had felt well enough to function. I had no pain at all and swelling had gone down more since Friday. I did feel a little tight in my neck. I'm not sure if it was from poor sleeping positions (I'm still not sleeping on my left side) or that my lymph glands are swollen. My surgical site still felt different... hard to explain but definitely not "back to normal". I have also not chewed anything on that side of my mouth yet. Saturday for lunch I ate pasta and soup and for dinner I ate blueberries and yogurt. I took two Advil before bed to combat any residual swelling.

Sunday I woke up feeling great! I felt about 99% back to normal. Went about my day as I normally would and finished up my rounds of antibiotics. By Monday I was back to my normal routine.

Here are some photos showing my swelling.

My tips for an easy recovery...
- Relax and rest. Don't do house work or anything that raises your heart rate for at least three days.
- Get a pill box to store your medicine. I had to take four pills a day for my antibiotic. This box helped remind me to take the pill and how many more I had to take that day.

I had my stitches removed exactly two weeks later.

This is the upper implant.

Lower implant. Hard to see it because the gum tissue is growing over.

Today I am feeling great. I have had zero issues with the implants. Absolutely no pain, irritation, bleeding, or any issues for that matter. Sometimes I even forget about them! My next appointment is on November 14. He will be taking x-rays to make sure they are fused to the bone properly. I can't wait to see those x-rays and move forward with the crowns!

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.
Thanks for reading.

DIY Scrunch Butt Bikini Bottoms

If you haven't jumped on board the scrunch/pucker/cheeky butt bikini bottom train yet, CLIMB ABOARD! This my friends is the best thing you can do to your booty. It will make your butt look more defined and perkier! It will also eliminate that awful "saggy butt" look.

These bottoms cost anywhere from $25-45 dollars at Victoria's Secret, about $30 from Chynnda Dolls, and up to $85 at Beach Bunny. Why pay so much when you can just scrunch the bottoms you already own?!

Items You Will Need

1. Bikini bottoms

2. Thread to match

3. Sewing Machine

4. Scissors

5. Elastic, 1/4 inch wide

6. Pen

7. Ruler/Straight Edge

8. A butt

Instructions

1. Set-up your machine (straight stitch, length 2, width 3, tension 4) and load your thread and bobbin.

2. Lay your bikini bottoms flat with the lining facing up. Find the middle of the bottoms and mark the center.

3. Cut a piece of elastic the length of the bottoms.

4. Place the bottoms and the elastic under your presser foot and lower the foot.

5. Lower the needle in to the elastic and fabric.

6. Manually walk the needle through the elastic and fabric for about 3 or 4 stitches.

7. Reverse stitch over those stitches back to the top.

8. Now pull the elastic straight down. The harder you pull the elastic, the more scrunch your suit will have.

9. Hold the elastic in place with one hand and guide the suit from behind the presser foot with your other hand.

10. Sew all the way to the seam where the crotch of the bottoms begins then back stitch 4 or 5 stitches.

11. You should have some loose elastic... trim that elastic and loose thread and you are done!

It took me a couple of tries to get this right and I consider myself an "okay" sewer. I can sew basic things and mend clothing but working with delicate, stretchy fabrics can be pretty advanced. If you are a beginner at sewing, ask someone who knows how to sew for help. If you are a moderately good sewer, find an old bathing suit to practice on. You will most likely mess up the first time. Do not try this on an expensive suit on your first try! I bought a pair of bottoms from Wal-Mart for $5.00 to experiment with.

A few tips and tricks...

-The more you pull the elastic, the more scrunchie the bottoms will be. Don't pull too hard or the suit won't lay right. For the gold suit I started with about 8" of elastic and cut off 1" after I sewed it. For the teal suit I cut off about 2".

-If you have a pair of bottoms that are saggy in the butt or are one size too big, pull the elastic really hard and it will take the bottoms down about one size.

-This works best on tie-side bottoms. I haven't had much luck with band-side bottoms.

-You don't have to scrunch the whole bottom of you don't want to. If you just want to add a little "touch of scrunch" only do the very top like this...

or go about halfway like this...

Final Thoughts...

-Sorry you had to stare at pictures of my butt. I was the only model available... Tyson said he wouldn't do it. HA!

-If you don't have a sewing machine or aren't any good at sewing, just take your bottoms to a local seamstress. Show them this blog post and they can do it for you for about $5.00. Definitely worth it if you have a cute suit that needs an update!

Now get to scrunching! Good luck, ladies!