But, I figured, why not? and made the appointment.

Our first visit was pretty uneventful.  I sat down in the waiting room and right away I saw a sign that said “I believe in Miracles”.  That sounds alrighty to me, because I need one … plus I patiently waited for an hour, so I figured if anyone qualified for one, it’s me.

Miracle Man (I’ve never had a self-proclaimed name in my blog before … I kind of like it!) took me off of the meds Hippie Doctor had me on and went on and on about how bad Armour (my old thyroid pills) were and how they aren’t FDA approved, etc. etc.  He also took me off of the Cortisol Hippie Doctor had me on.  Gave me some samples, drew some blood and I was on my way.

The nurse called two days later to inform me that I had Hashimotos.  Um … no kidding.  She said I had toxic levels of T3 due to the Armour (the number was 4.6 for all of you number crunchers … the closer to 1 I get the better I’ll feel)  She recommended I stay on the samples until the next appointment. I was a little excited thinking about the possibility of actually feeling better, and oh, I don’t know, losing weight … and I suppose if we get there I will have to do some dancing around the Pol.

Fast forward to today … the next appointment.

Today they informed me once again that I do, in fact, have Hashimotos.  At this point I am starting to wonder if they’ve written down anything in my chart, because the nurse is sounding like a broken record.  She even has the same inflection with her words as she says them.  It’s fascinating.  Oooh, I know – Let’s give her a name too, just because I am in a bad mood – how about Turntable?  Sounds good to me.

Anywho, Turntable asked if I had any questions, and I almost asked her if she knew if I tested positive for Hashi’s, but I bit my lip and only asked about my sun allergy.  To which she replied I would have to ask the doctor.

Miracle Man came in and he talked a bit about the fact that my anti-bodies are some of the highest he’s seen in his 30 years of practice, so there’s a good chance I will have other auto-immune disorders.  Well, that’s awesome news.  He then told me they will need about 3-4 more monthly visits to lock in my T4 hormone (between .8 – 1.8 is the target) … and that’s only if I don’t get pregnant during that time.  If I do, then we start over.  Then we start over again upon delivery.

It’s about this time that I felt like the walls were closing in and things were feeling a bit more like a prison sentence than a doctor appointment, and at the same time I could hear the collection calls in my head because all of this sounded pretty expensive.   I was able to ask the questions about the sun sensitivity issues I’ve been having, and he told me I had to see an allergist or auto-immune specialist for help with that.  I just don’t understand why he couldn’t run the blood test for the other auto-immune disorders.  It’s not like he wasn’t going to do a blood draw anyway.  But, I didn’t have any fight left in my at that point, so I packed Caterpillar up, let a nurse dig around in my arm trying to find a vein and I left.

I got home to find a nasty message from our credit union about our two-week late car payment … which I had planned on paying as soon as some of Daddy’s invoices from JULY made it into our mailbox.

Today is awesome.

Sounds fun, right?

Well, it was!

And I’d do it again, but I must admit all of those years of art school that Daddy went to didn’t always pay off (read: I am WAY better at picking wall color!).  The one thing that Daddy says over and over again when considering wall decor is “When you think it’s too big, it’s perfect”.

And he is right.

Think about it … most art you hang on the wall you will walk by without even noticing in about a week.  But, when you hang something up that looks just a touch too big, in about a week you will love it just the way it is!

Back to the wall color – same thing applies.  Those who know me know my walls are saturated in color.  Not because we are covering anything up, but because we love it, and still get tons of compliments on it when we have new guests.  So don’t be afraid – go for the color, then go for some big beautiful prints!

Check out what Amy of Amy Ro photography had to say about all of this, and then let me know what you think!

Don’t forget after you are done reading her post to  come back and order all of the extra large prints that you’ve been considering.  I promise, you won’t regret it!

A

While I have fully embraced social media and I love all that it offers, today I got to see first hand the downside.  After promoting the Mamapedia.com deal that was to be delivered today, mamapedia decided to run the ad at a later time.  Not only that, but they decided to run another photographers ad this week.

So, my friends, I know that many of you have been doing just as I’ve asked and told friends about the deals that were coming.  And, I am hoping that they turned around and told friends.  That’s the beauty of social media right?

Until something like this happens.  And I have no way of knowing how many friends of friends are online right now buying another photographers packages.

No way to unring that bell.

That being said, Mamapedia has ‘gone dark’ (for all of my 24 fans!).  Since they have done so, I would like to extend a very special offer to you in place of the Mamapedia ad, because in the end, it is my job to take care of you.

I will offer the same offer that Mamapedia was going to run, which is for $99 you will receive $199 worth of credit to use towards any package you’d like.  Meaning, if you apply it towards the nibble, you are good to go for only $99.  BUT, to help remind you to pitch in and unring the bell that has been rung by telling your friends and family about THIS deal, I will also throw in a completely FREE 8 x 10 print of your choosing.  This offer stands for anyone that mentions this blog posting, or what I am now nicknaming the “Unring The Bell” deal.

So please, get the word out there to anyone who you may have already told, and anyone you think could use this deal.  This deal is only available directly through me, and I will honor it for anyone who books and mentions the deal, for the remainder of the month.

I love you all more than my luggage,

Angie

Then, around 6am she came in excited that she had woken to find her tooth on her tongue!  She could not have been more excited, and somewhere along the way the tooth right next to her gaping hole also loosened up.

The tooth fairy apparently has really taken inflation into consideration (does she not know the state of our current economy!?) because she gave her $5 AND a candy bar.  Doesn’t that seem insane?!  I blame it on that little finger that Daddy is hopelessly wrapped around.

Aunt J pointed out the candy bar was just future job security for the tooth fairy, but either way I am completely convinced the precedence set by the tooth fairy is one we’ll come to regret.

This month I realized I absolutely love the quiet moments that come with a newborn, making even the shyest of kids laugh, and the intimacy and adoration that comes with capturing a boudoir session.

Don’t get me wrong, I love to capture the emotional interaction between the family members, but I also think there is an expectation from family members to capture some of the posed portraits that have traditionally separated photographers out from those who I admire, and those whom I think have a nice camera in order to make up for mediocre creativity and talent. 

Even as I type this, I hesitate, because I am quite aware of the repercussions that may occur: I may never have someone pay me to capture their family photos ever again.  While that would break my heart, at the same time, I have promised in this blog to be honest and true to my feelings.  They may change tomorrow, but I can’t help but feel for today, it’s what is on my heart and needs to be out there.

I started capturing people because it’s what I love, and part of the reason I love it is because I see things most others don’t …the details that are often unnoticed by most, but treasured by those who love them … and there is something to be said for that! When I am put into a situation where I am expected to give direction on where to stand, how to smile, etc., and find myself saying things like ‘everyone look right at me, now big smiles’ I am seriously embarassed.  There is a need for people to do that, as some people love those images, but I am just not sure I’m cut out for this if that’s what the job includes.

I just don’t want to wake up in five years and realize I sold out to what pays the bills instead of what God created me to do. My entire business model has revolved around taking more time for each client, and my love is poured into each session and the post production work.  Not because it’s good customer service and I am hoping for a tip, but because I honestly love what I do, and I love the families that hire me to do it.

Is that business suicide?  Perhaps.

But I suppose that’s a risk I am willing to take.

But, I learned today, not at Chili’s.

My gluten sensitivity is normally not sensitive enough for cross-contamination, but I guess it’s been a while since Chili’s has changed their deep fryer oil because I got instantly sick.

At the resturaunt, at the library, and then I came home and fell into a gluten induced coma for two hours.

Even now, I am pretty sure I could sleep for the next two days, which won’t work at all because my calendar was already jam-packed full of things that I cannot reschedule.

I looked it up online, and it seems as though a lot of people have had a reaction to their chips and salsa.  They are not listed on their GF menu, even though they are in fact GF because of the cross contamination.  But, like I said before, this is usually not an issue for me.

So, with great pain, I must cross Chili’s off my list of places to eat out because I cannot refuse this tasty appetizer, and their GF food isn’t all that and a bag of chips. (ha!)

For example, as I mentioned yesterday, the Used Car Salesman Chiropractor wanted me to pay over $3k for 6 months of chiropractic and alternative care, all without my insurance.  I told him IF we decided to move ahead, we could not do it right away as I would need to save the money prior to starting.  He then offered me a financing through Chase Bank, and told me it was ‘better’ than financing because the credit limit would be much higher than what he would need to use, so I would have that ‘cash’ on hand to use however I’d like.

At first, I politely explained that I don’t use financing for anything, and I would need to stick to my plan and save up.  He assumed I couldn’t get credit, so then he assured me that he could get me approved.  I explained that was not the issue, as I could probably get approved with no problem, however I choose not to use credit of any kind.

He said he does the same, yet about two minutes later he brought it up again and said “What is your health worth to you?”.  I simply said it’s not worth taking food out of my kids mouths and credit cards are not good for our family.

That afternoon, Daddy went back to talk them again about the options and payment plans available.  He then politely and not as politely had to explain at least five more times that there is no way we are going to get a credit line for this.  And that was all before he left with the screaming baby about 20 minutes into the conversation.

So, I either had my third eyeball uncovered, or not using credit makes me a freak.  Because the look on his face when it finally sunk in had to be a result of one or the other.

For all of you DR fans out there, have you had people give you a hard time about credit?  What did you say?  How did they react?

It was awesome and I was so proud.

When I got home, I reviewed the insurance again, and Dr. Muscles (from last week) is a covered provider under my chiropractic care, however when I called my insurance they said I had no acupuncture care.  However, on a whim, I looked up acupuncture care and there were a bunch of providers listed.  Dr. Muscle wasn’t listed under acupuncture, however I am hoping since he’s a covered provider, the whole thing will be covered.  We shall see.

The thing about Used Car Salesman was I actually found his treatments intriguing.  I believe in oxygen treatments and I saw my father in law have miraculous healing while using oxygen as part of his homeopathic recovery from Hepatitis.

So, now I am torn.  By the time we left the office, he’d agreed to about 50% of what he wanted, broken into 3 payments.  He said he couldn’t break them up anymore because of insurance law.  That kinda smelled like something bulls do after they eat, because I am on a two year payment plan for some unexpected medical things … but whateves.

I am trying hard not to let my desire to feel better cloud my judgment.  And I know I may not have to go the typical medical route, and I am okay with paying out of pocket for those services.  I am so thankful our insurance covers a lot of holistic and alternative medicines, but of course I understand they are just not fully covered … yet, and I am willing to pay for the care I want.

So, please keep the prayers a-comin’ as we make these crazy decisions.  I can feel Gods hands around me, and your prayers … and I love that!

One of the first houses we visited had a beautiful crock that I’d love to store my potatoes in, but the man wanted $75 for it, and for something I don’t need that’s a bit much for me.  It was worth every penny as it was in perfect condition, but it was a touch big for me anyway so we moved on.

Then, I spotted this:

Could it be?!  Oh my … not only was it a gumball machine, but this is the real deal.  Glass bowl, metal case, etc. etc.  They wanted $15 firm.  Monkey has been saving her allowance and only had $8 in her spend account right now.  So I made her put it back and walk away.

Just kidding!  We went halvsies with her!  I’m not that mean.  EBay price = $50!  Woot!

The other item we were searching for was a telescope.  Monkey has been checking out the stars and planets lately and about a month ago we spotted one at a garage sale that was just a bit too expensive fancy for us.  So when I spotted one for sale, I made Daddy jump out and go check it out.  The man selling it said he couldn’t get it to work, and couldn’t find a manual, so for $2, it was ours.  We snatched it up thinking even if we had to order a part, it’d be a good deal for the five year old.

We got it home, tightened up the wingnuts, and bam! Works perfectly.  Ebay price = $40.

Both Monkey and Daddy had scored, but I had yet to find anything.  So, back out again the next day we went.

We wanted to make the Castle Rock Festival, so we didn’t want to garage sale all day, and frankly Caterpillar was at his limit for driving around.  So, after just a few stops, we were planning on heading out.  We turned onto a street that didn’t have any sales, but at the very end of the cul-de-sac was a deep freezer with a sign that said ‘FREE – WORKS GREAT”.  We couldn’t believe it.  We’ve been contemplating buying one, but with our extra funds being applied toward debt and Disney, it just wasn’t happening yet.

Daddy jumped out and knocked on the door to let the family know we’d take it, but had to go home and get a truck first.  No answer.

The race was on.  We raced home (about a 15 minute drive) and back only to see the freezer was gone.

As we turned the corner to leave, I saw the freezer.  It had been moved to a sale around the corner and now had a sign that said “$20 – WORKS GREAT”.  Hmmm.

Daddy got out and explained we’d just gone home to get the truck and the man said he’d gladly give it to us for free.  I started to get out to help load, and Daddy leaned in and said I didn’t need to, as the guys were embarrassed and offered to load it.

They loaded it up, Daddy got back in the car and said he was the one who was embarrassed.  When I asked why, he explained that it was in fact their freezer!  They had moved it around the corner to their friends sale, and marked $20 on it so people wouldn’t think it was broken!  The wife had come out of the house and said she’d just defrosted it that morning because it was too big for their needs.  They refused to take our $20 and said they were thrilled a family would get to use it.

The freezer is circa 1973, but we plugged it in and once it cooled down it froze a milk jug of water, so it’s working great!

Although, even though I assumed that they had moved it and were now trying to make $20 off of a neighbors free freezer, I admired their entrepreneurship and have to admit – I might have done what I thought they did!

What is it that people say about the word assume?

Oh, that’s right … nevermind.  Ebay price = $35.

Did you find any deals and steals this weekend?  What’s your favorite garage sale tip?

A

I was a teeny bit disappointed, of course, but we are hoping the kids will still have fun.  We are kicking off today with a pool day, and have the swim whisperer meeting us for a lesson this afternoon.  We are hoping to still go fishing one day, hit the zoo, the Highlands Street Fair, some garage sales, and Daddy is taking Monkey to see Toy Story 3. We have also started Sorry! marathon that I am sure will be a daily challenge.  Did you ever notice how no matter how many players you have, and no matter how well someone is doing in the beginning, it always comes down to the final few plays?  In the end, almost everyone is even-steven.  The engineering on that game baffles me every time we play. 

I also completed a collage for Fathers Day, and I’ll post it later, but here’s a sneak preview with one of my favorite pictures of Caterpillar.

It won’t be all fun and games, however.  We are also doing on overhaul on Daddy’s business site, the MOPS site, and some changes to my pricing page.  I also need to place a large order for printed materials for Daddy, MOPS and More Sugar Than Spice.  I have a session on Saturday with a very sweet family of six, and some edits to complete from my last boudoir session.

In other news, we ran out of rice milk, so Caterpillar went back on regular milk on a trial basis.  Day one he was cranky as all get-out.  Day two he pooped four times and was much better.  I am praying that it was just a phase, or that his tummy has settled down, or that I was just plain ol’ neurotic and his downright cranky behavior was a dream and I’ve now woken up.

We weened him off the bottle in about two days, and he now sleeps through the night, but he wakes up STARVING.  The first thing he says when I go into his room after being abruptly awoken by a terrified-horror-movie-like scream every morning is ‘pancake, pancake, pancake’.  He’s walking more than crawling nowadays, and instead of looking like a drunken sailor, he’s taking on a more Forrest Gump-like gait. He still loves to torture Monkey, and I am not sure that will ever change.  She’s so dramatic about every little thing he does that it just feeds his desire to be the center of attention at all costs.

Anyway, that’s all that’s happening on our home front, what’s going on in your neck of the woods?