Hellllloooo beautiful!  This has been a long time coming, so I've given this post quite a bit of thought, though it may weave in and out of focus.

Me and my new parts have now coalesced into one bag of bones.  It seems like everyone likes each other and the "girls" are pretty close.  Dr. Chang and Gang said we can do more (orless, literally) with "unremarkable" if necessary, but she's darn near perfect, IMHO.  "Remarkable" is terrific and looks pretty normal.  She'll get the tattoo in June if I don't elect for some minor changes on "unremarkable".  

Dr. Change is very excited about the tattoo as the artists can now use 5 colors instead of 2 or 3, so that gives a lot depth to the new areola and nipple.  Exciting times.

My belly button is.....interesting.  Did you know that belly buttons are typically just off center?  Check it out!  I'll wait......

So, my new one is, too.  It's a little weird to reach for it to remove this week's lint, and I have to go a little further to the right.  Just weird.

What else.....ohhhhh....my head mop is trying to figure out what it wants to do.  It's a bit shaggy, which I like, and the color, I love, bc my awesome cousin helped me with that (thanks, Missy!).  The question is, do I grow it out, or keep it a little short as it is?  Ken likes it short, because with my new body parts, he enjoys having a new and different wife.  (The things I have to put up with.)

I am back at work full time, which I enjoy, though it's a lot of crazy and stress.  I don't have enough fingers or toes to count the number of people who say they DO NOT want my job.  I sometimes question the sanity of it, too.  But, my colleagues are fabulous, we are all very passionate about the mission, and I get to write a bit.   It's way conservative stuff because it's a school, but sometimes I do get to break out a little.

And, my energy level is finally coming back!  I'm not crashing on the couch like a dishrag so much after work.  Ken and I actually almost welcomed the dawn (alright it was 2AM) watching Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect the other night! (A great show, BTW).  The kids were actually asking US when we were going to bed!  I also have been purging the house a good deal.  Three soccer-mom vanloads of stuff to Goodwill.  I don't do garage sales because it's just way too much work.  Donate and take the tax cred.

I think I intimidate my peeps when I get into those cleaning and re-arranging modes.  I don't see them for hours!   And, I do make some rules:  1.  What's in the trash bag stays in the trash bag.  No garbage pickers.  2.  No, you cannot go to Goodwill and re-buy what we just donated.  3.  If it's on the floor, I now own it and I get to determine it's new home (trash bag or donation bag).  4.  We're not finished until the bags are in the trash or at Goodwill.  5.  I do celebrate with a Coke or Arnold Palmer on the return journey from GW.

I'm pretty ruthless most days.  If it's on the floor, that means you don't want it and neither do I.  No questions asked.  If it's been in the garage unopened for the past seven years, you don't want it, and neither do I.  I  have to be a little stealthy about this sometimes, but have been successful in scampering boxes into the mom van.  In terms of clothes, no one here wears a size 12 or smaller, so out it goes.

What else.  Yes, I was evacuated from Sanibel in September.  That's another longggggg and quite funny post.  Thank goodness for rational and sound thinking from Beth who accompanied me on what was supposed to a surgery recoup holiday.  If Ken were with me, we would still be there.  Some restaurants are re-opening and it seems the beaches are coming along.  There is hope for a July visit yet!

So, there is some EPL on the tube and some basketball later.  Ah, and today is meal-planning day from which I am scrambling to back on the wagon.  No meal-planning means no one eats quite right and plant-based is chucked right out the window.  I can't do that for very long.  I do like my salads and veggies.

Lastly, I am enduring the 2-year plan of meds and follow ups (there's an additional 10-year plan, too.  One plan at a time.).  Who knows what will come from all of this pill popping, but that's the norm these days.  The one med, I believe, is so expensive that they don't bill you for it, because they know you won't take it if you knew that it cost 5 digits per month.  My overactive imagination for sure, but there may be a hint of truth there.

Also, I wanted to share a fabulous thing my cousins are doing in case you want to jump in or you need or want to be a part of the Hayden & Crue Project (https://thehaydenandcrueproject.com/).  There are some pretty fearless, real, and spectacular people here making an enormous difference in families that have lost their precious babies.  My family, making an amazing impact.  Join them.

God bless you all!

Heather