The Eagle Scout and the Beau Hunk: Christmas at Our House

Four months later and the Eagle Scout still flys high at our house... and so does the Beau Hunk.

In early December, I bought the Eagle Scout a Starbucks gift card as a little Christmas gift. As I was paying, I remembered the Beau Hunk would be home from his basecamp and would most likely be over the house at some point over the holidays. So, I bit down hard on my lower lip and purchased one for him, too, in the same exact denomination. God forbid, I be accused of playing favorites.

As I exited Starbucks, I could taste my own blood.

At Christmas, the Eagle Scout came over with his out-of-town grandparents who wanted to meet their grandson's "girl". They were very nice and we enjoyed getting to know them over a cup of tea. The Eagle Scout was very appreciative of the gift card and acknowledge the words of encouragement I had written in his card. He took his card home.

The Beau Hunk was able to come over only because D2 picked him up and brought him over. When I gave him his card, he looked at it like it was odd I was giving him a gift, opened it, said a quick thank you, and never said anything about the message I wrote inside wishing him well and telling him how much we admire his service to our country. After he left, I found his card all balled up and thrown in with a pile of crumpled up Christmas gift wrap.

I never mentioned it to Doc H. It would just be another Beau Hunk conversation between the two of us which ends in simultaneous sighs and eye rolls.

{click here for the next installment of the Beau Hunk Saga}

My Husband is a Wanted Man

I love my husband. He is most definitely a wanted man, but that's not the type of "want" I'm referring to.

Doc H is currently negotiating a consulting contract with the medical company who acquired his first start up. The negotiations have been going on for months. For the past year, he has been traveling around the country, using ATO time, to help market the technology he "birthed".

After much discussion, Doc H and I decided the lost hospital wages, time away from home and family, and the toll the travel takes on him is no longer worth the aggravation. If the medical giant wanted Doc H to continue to stand behind the product and be their talking head, they would have to pony up... handsomely.

So, here we are-- The negotiations seem to finally be coming together which means Doc H will have to take the contract to his PIC for approval.

Last night, I asked Doc H if he thought he would get any resistance from the hospital. He said he shouldn't, but if he did he would just tell them he would resign and head over to another hospital who has been knocking on his door.

My husband is a wanted man... and it is a blessing I will never take for granted.

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Don't forget! This coming Monday is the first Monday of the month, which means it's Medical Monday! Stop by to link up and have some fun visiting others!

Doing Nothing Never Felt So Good

We spent all of last week at our "retirement" home with D2 and LB who were on their winter break from school.

We did absolutely NOTHING.

Well, we did some things... we worked on puzzles, we painted (landscapes and flowers, not rooms), Doc H played his guitar, and we ate more than plenty.  We shopped the quaint, little downtown shops once and even saw a movie in the old fashioned, independent movie theater. We went on daily walks no matter what the weather. We were brave that way.

It was MARVELOUS!

Today, we are back in our normal routines. Doc H left for the hospital dragging his knuckles on the ground. I can tell he's absolutely enthused about heading back to work.

Me?? I'm heading to my local warehouse discount store and then taxiing kids to their various practices. I need to figure out how to stuff dinner in there somewhere.

Very exciting stuff, people.

BUT, let me tell you what I am looking forward to...

Medical Monday Bloghop, this coming Monday!!! I love that there is one Monday each month that doesn't carry the Monday blues for me. It's a fun time, so mark your calendar and join us!

If you are unfamiliar with bloghops and have questions, feel free to email me at yourdoctorswife@gmail.com

Teen Tales: Victoria Secret

While walking through the mall yesterday with our son, LB, we passed by Victoria's Secret. The store front still displaying their racy Valentine's wear along side oversized photos of the VS uber-models wearing nuttin' but bras and panties.

As we walk by, LB peers into the store and says to me, "Remember when I was little and I hated walking in front of this store?"

"Yes... I do," I say.

"Wellllll.... I don't anymore!"

Dear God, Are you there? It's me, Emma...

Adult Brownies

I'm so happy to be working with

Did you read my post "The Adult Brownies Are In the Freezer"? 

If not, catch it here!

Happy Valentine's Day~ To My Dear and Loving Husband

If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee.
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole Mines of gold
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that Rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompetence.
Thy love is such I can no way repay.
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let's so persever
That when we live no more, we may live ever.
             ~Anne Bradstreet (1678)

Mindless Happy Birthday Wishes on Facebook

Thank God for Facebook. I love Facebook, but sometimes it just makes me sad.

Let me explain...

I went through my morning ritual. Still in bed, I grabbed my iPad to pilfer through my social media outlets.

As soon as my Facebook page popped up, I noticed the lovely little birthday reminder...

It read, "Today is Jill's birthday".

All would've been fine and dandy... if she were still alive. Jill died over ten months ago.  For ten months her Facebook page has been silent. She has been an avid game player and Facebook poster before her death. Ten months of silence.

Yet, some "friends" has not noticed and mindlessly {and I'm certain meaning well} posted Happy Birthday messages on her page.

I saw these messages:

HBD! Have a great day!
Happy Birffday!
Enjoy your birthday with your family and friends!
Celebrate your special day!
Happy Birthday! Hope you are doing something special to celebrate your day!
Happy 45th birthday!
Happy birthday! I'll be in your neck of the woods in May! Let's get together!

As I read through these birthday wishes, I felt a strong ache in my heart. I imagined the pain her family would endure as they read through these wishes from her "friends". People so removed from her life that, ten months ago, they hadn't noticed the plethora of "Rest In Peace" messages that had flooded her Facebook page.

I've made a personal rule for myself. No mindless Happy Birthday message to Facebook friends. I would hate to come across insensitive, even though my actions come from a good place.

I Saw Penises!

A sign like this
would've been appreciated

This weekend is going down in our history.

Have you ever experienced one of those moments is life when, as you were living it - experiencing it - you knew you would always refer back to it as, "Remember the weekend when dot dot dot"? Both Doc H and I felt it, lived it, and appreciated it.

This weekend will go down in our history as "Remember the weekend when we ran into all the penises?"

I kid you not.

Other than LB's little boyhood dingy, and his father's schlong, I haven't seen a non-family ding-a-ling in over a decade.  That is, until Doc H and I went on our "date" day this past Saturday and I experienced penises galore.

The day began innocently enough. We drove out of town and literally stumbled upon a fantastic restaurant with fantastic views. We were able to get a table within fifteen minutes without a reservation.

One blood orange mimosa, organic spinach and chard omelet with roasted fingerling potatoes, and a chocolate tort later, Doc H and I headed out to explore. We had no specific plans except to enjoy the day.

We headed out, finding ourselves at a popular park which was filled with people. Dads were flying kites, kids were tossing baseballs, young couples were tossing frisbees, joggers passed us by, dogs happily ran about chasing their balls and sticks, couples walked by us hand in hand, engaged couples were holding their kisses long enough for their photographer to get the perfect engagement photo. It was a beautiful setting.

Doc H was busy photographing the natural beauty of the setting, while I caddied for him. I was his "lens" girl. Doc H was having fun, and I was having fun. We were having fun together.

All was good in our world.

Then Doc H suggested we walk toward the end of the park, so he could get the "perfect" shot.

So, we did.

As we approached the far end of the park, I noticed a a guy, standing at the farthest end. He wore a navy sweatshirt, baseball cap, shades, and what I thought was a tiger-striped Speedo. I thought it odd, but I've seen crazier outfits, so I didn't put much though into it.

And then we got closer.

And closer.

And closer.

As soon as I realized there was no Speedo, I hear Doc H, "...UGH!!! God!!!"

We immediately started laughing, but had to try to hold it together since we were now basically right in front of the man as he stood free and swinging.

We hung a hard left and veered away.

Doc H wanted to climb up a rocky path in order to capture the perfect photo. I began to follow, but halfway through the schlep, I decide I had to stay true to myself and my shoes, and told him to go on without me. I had to turn back. My shoes were being torn to shreds.

As I turned back and began my descent, I found a short squat man had laid a blanket in the middle of my path. My heartbeat quickened as I instinctively knew what was about to happen. There with me only a short five feet away from him, he dropped his shorts.

What I saw blinded me and rendered me speechless.

I continued on and waited for Doc H.

Doc H was astonished and asked if I had seen the short-squat's hairy ass.

I told him, thankfully, I had not. The full frontal assault on my vision which I had just endured was quite enough.

In case you were wondering, neither nudist resembled an underwear model.

We laughed the rest of weekend. Especially when we returned home, downloaded Doc H's photos and realized he had taken a wide angle, high def, photo of the park. Guess who was there in the lower right hand corner?

That's right...

Penis #1 standing strong... standing proud.

Heading Out

I wrote three posts to publish today and erased each one.

They weren't bad. They were funny, but, they were also incredibly mean. I have nothing nice to say right now. Divorce will do that to a person, you know?

So, I'm heading out and going to plan my Saturday outing with my husband. We have a whole day off with no kids and no call.

I'm looking forward to spending the day "dating" my husband!

The Beauty of Divorce: Nights with No Kids

There are plenty of negatives of divorce and I'm pretty sure they are all well documented, here, in this blog, and plenty of other places in the blog-o-sphere.

So today, I'm here to tell you of one of the beauties of divorce...

Nights with no children.

Let your imagine roll with that for a moment.

When the kids are young, you have a court ordered visitation schedule which rips your children from you for days as they go live their life with their other parent. It is heart breaking, frustrating, and horrible.

Yet, as time passes, you acclimate to the time alone. You use that time to take care of personal and professional business, so you can purely focus the on the kids when they are in your home. And, when and if you re-marry, as I have done, you have nights to yourselves when you can foster your relationship.

Admittedly, connecting with your spouse with kids clinging to your legs or teens mulling around the halls late into the night is challenging. The older the kids get, nighttime sexy time gets.... well.... just awkward.

Who wants to experience this...


You're afraid the big kids will hear you in the throws, which would lead them exercising their gag reflexes and then a bout of projectile vomiting. I don't care who you are or how sexy you think you are. Your kids' vomit kills the moment.

So, now, Doc H and I find ourselves with kids in the house pretty much every single night of the year. We're missing our nights to ourselves.

Once upon a time, we would make out or perhaps laugh our way into foreplay.

Nowadays, the phrase, "Lock the door" IS foreplay.

Isn't it?

Gratitude

Despite our crazy dog barking at absolutely nothing, a minor drama with my step-kids' mother that's not even worth the effort to type about, the continual absence of sunshine, the reality that my face has broken down to the point where I had to cash in a doc wife perk for some Retin-A, and two baskets of unfolded laundry at my feet, today, I am feeling a tumultuous amount of gratitude.

First, what a great link up at yesterday's Medical Monday Bloghop. I enjoyed reading everyone's posts and comments. What a great community of bloggers and readers! If you're slapping your forehead because you missed it... no worries. The link up is still open! Go ahead and link up here. We enjoyed our personal best with the number of link ups, so keep it growing. The more the merrier!

Thank you all so much for linking up!

After spending most of the school hours reading Medical Monday link ups yesterday, I drove D3 to her volunteer job where she works with the local 4-H's rehabilitation horseback riding program for physically and mentally challenged children.

If seeing these kids doesn't put your problems in perspective, I don't know what will.

D3 has been volunteering her for awhile now, and she loves it. Up to this point, most of the kids, ages eighteen and under, have had physical conditions which benefit from the therapy of riding. However, despite their physical limitations and the hardships of being physically challenged, they were all attending school and one was even in the process of applying to Ivy League universities.

Yesterday, for some unknown reason, most of the kids were mentally challenged. I watched teenagers with the mental abilities of a toddler ride with excitement, children with severe cerebral palsy seemed to  smile, and I smiled for them, happy they were able to enjoy an hour on horseback.

Then I glanced over at the parents of these particular riding students, and as I looked at their tired faces, I realized their plight was much different from those parents of the physically challenged kids.

One day, as these parents grow in age, they will no longer be able to physically care for their mentally challenged children. Who will care for them? Who will pay for their care? Who will love them?

As I realized their lifetime plight, and what must be a worry which weighs more anything I've ever experienced, a huge cloud of sorrow came over me. I could only try to imagine their hardships and emotions as they cared for their children. The profound sense of loss... lost dreams, lost hopes, lost milestone celebrations, loss of future generations. Lots of loss to mourn. Lots of heartbreak.

Then, as the sadness sifted through my thoughts, something caught my attention. There, as my daughter walked along side a pony, holding onto the safety belt of her mentally challenged rider, she shot me a smile and a little wave.

Her little wave hit me like a tidal wave. It was the most powerful and forceful hit of appreciation and gratitude I've experienced in awhile.

We have been blessed with four healthy children and, for that, I am grateful.

Medical Monday Blog Hop {February Edition}

I won't lie. Doc H makes a damn fine living between working for the hospital, his start up, and the extra consulting work he manages to fit in here and there.

However, there are times when I have to wonder if it's all worth it.

Usually, I'm left feeling that way after a week of crazy call, early mornings, late nights and very few words exchanged between us during normal daytime hours.

But, today, Superbowl Sunday, it's clearly evident that he works way too much. While I'm home alone scrambling to put together some semblance of a Superbowl Party, Doc H is scrambling at airports across the nation trying to fly home in time to watch the Superbowl with us, his family.

That's right. Whoever booked his flight home from this board meeting, booked his flight during the Superbowl.

As I type, he is trying to make his way home. His journey home began at 4am in a different timezone.

For all our sakes, I hope it doesn't turn out to be a chapter out of "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles".


Because, I would really like him home in a good mood.

Because, REALLY, all we wish to do is sit together with the kids on the sofa, eat nachos, drink margaritas and watch grown men in spandex toss around a pigskin, pummel each other, with the only interruption being multi-million dollar ads that might make us laugh.

Is that too much to ask?

Well regardless of which team wins and whenever and whatever mood my husband comes home in, I do know one thing for sure! Monday will be a spectacular day, because it's...

MEDICAL MONDAY!

I hope you'll all take a quick second to link up your blog with us!

Medical Monday is an opportunity for any and all medical/med life blogs to link up and meet others. So join us!

Are you confused if you qualify for the party?

Do you work in healthcare?

Doctor? Nurse? EMT? Chiropractor? Vet? Dentist? Therapist?

MA? NA? PA? DA?

Are you the spouse or SO of a healthcare worker/student?

Are you a nursing student? Medical student?

Intern? Resident? Fellow?

You get the picture, right? 

LINK UP YOUR POST!

Our once a month bloghop for bloggers like yourself, where we can build a community of support and friendship, learn from one another and share our stories and what's going on in our lives.

Here are the rules:

1. Follow your co-hosts via GFC or email.
2. Link up you medical/med life blog. If your blog name does not clearly state how you fit in to the med/med life world, please write a little intro or link up a specific post which clearly demonstrates your connection.
3. Visit at least 3 other link ups, comment, introduce yourself, and tell the your stopping by or following from MM!
4. Help spread the word by using our button on your post or sidebar, tweet about Medical Monday, or spread the word on Facebook! The more the merrier for all of us!

And here's a helpful tip. . .

If you haven't turned of word verification, it's ON. Please turn it off. We'll all LOVE you!!

Not sure how? Click here for instructions.

Complete step one by following your co-hosts:

• Emma at Your Doctor's Wife
• Jane at From A Doctor's Wife
• Kelly at Newlymeds
• DJ at Medicine: A Love Story

Want to be awesome?
Post our button on you post or sidebar and help spread the word:

<a href="http://www.yourdoctorswife.com/p/medical-mondays.html" target="blank"> <img src="http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/r494/fromadoctorswife/MedicalMonday-001edit125x125.jpg"/> </a>

Want to co-host next month? Shoot Emma an email at yourdoctorswife@gmail.com and be sure to write "Medical Monday Co-host Request" in the subject field.

Now, link up below and have fun! The link up is open through Friday, so be sure to come back during the week to check some great reads!

Get Ready for Medical Monday Blog Hop

Don't forget!

Tonight at midnight Eastern time...

Hope to see you all on the grid!

Divorce Dilemma: What I did

In case you missed the dilemma, you can read it here.

Right after I hit publish, I emailed D3 (who is almost 16), telling her that while I could not pick her up after her lesson because I had already committed to helping LB out with some school stuff, I could help out by picking her up after school and driving her to the lesson. 

She was happy with that and replied, "Ok! Thx! (:  <3". 

All was well. 

Thank you all for your comments. Being that I don't come from a divorced family, it is so interesting and helpful to hear from everyone's differing perspectives. 

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Don't Forget!
Monday we'll be hosting our monthly Medical Monday Bloghop!
Hope you'll all come back and find some new fun blogs!
You can get more information here