So the other night I said that Wolverine was a werewolf. To all you non-comic book people this apparently is a huge mistake. First, Nick couldn’t believe his ears and then started shouting things about “his bones have been fused with adamantium”. (FYI to non-comic folks: adamantium is a made-up metal, so I’ve been told) In my shock of being yelled at about made-up metals I referred to Wolverine’s comic series “Fantastic Four”. Holy shit, another mistake, it is “X-Men”. OK, OK, I’m not a comic-kind-of gal, I mean I like Batman…Spiderman is cool. That is the extent of my comic book knowledge, obviously.

I guess I would get all crazy if Nick said “Catherine Parr” was Henry VIII’s first wife (not last)…so we are both dorks, just at different subjects. And that is why we mesh so well.

originally i had this huge article about my surgery and how things were going, but it was so boring I feel asleep during it. So here is the quick recap of this week.

Wednesday: had surgery. Almost got admitted to the hospital, apparently my body hates anesthesia. Much of the night is a blur. Had to sleep upright which was the worst part of the whole day, go figure.

Thursday: I think I slept 15 hours that day. No pain except for my throat where they had a tube, and my neck from sleeping upright. Took my disgusting and annoying drains out.

Friday: Got to sleep on my back, no better, hate it. Took a shower, almost passed out twice. Only pain I was having was my neck and now back from sleeping.

Saturday: Nick left me to play broomball which I’m sure helped his insanity. Mom came over really to help with Evie and to keep me company. That night I took care of myself and Nick went over to Brian and Kim’s. All went well.

Sunday: Slight meltdown on how annoying it is to not lift your arms or sleep on your stomach and to smell like gauze. Successfully took a shower without passing out.

Monday: Bored. Nick made mashed potatoes for dinner and they were awesome.

Tuesday: Dad dropped off some homemade lasagna! And another successful shower day. I’m getting pretty good at bathing…what?

Wednesday: Best day ever. no neck pain or back pain, maybe I’m getting used to sleeping on my back (don’t think so). I cleaned house a little, took the dog for a walk, and did laundry. Felt pretty normal. Finally wearing a normal shirt, not one of nick’s old button-down shirts. Grandma and Grandpa visited and dropped off some enchiladas. Good day.

Basically what you need to know is the surgery was really no pain. I am extremely happy with the results, I went from a L cup to a D cup and took about 4lbs total out. My posture and back already feel better. The worst thing is sleeping on your back, wearing a sports bra for 4-6 weeks and not using your arms that much.

I would sincerely like to thank my friends and family for all the well wishes and thoughts for me. I would like to especially thank my mom, dad and grandparents (kay & chico). I might have been a little grumpy with these kind souls and I am so sorry. I truly appreciate all you have done for me and all your support.

And to Nick, dealing with me for three straight days, must have been hell, but he was so patient and amazing. If I could give an award for awesome boyfriend he would certainly get it.

So there you have it, I lived to tell the tale of cosmetic/medical surgery. I get my stitches out next Tuesday and return to work next Thursday.

I can’t believe in one week I was fortunate enough to see two amazing and two very different concerts. Monday, of course was New Kids, this past Saturday was Brandi Carlile. She performed at Hoyt Sherman, which is such a neat venue anyway, but it was an all string performance (guitar, bass and cello) and it was incredible. Two times she went completely unplugged and the whole room was dead silent. She also played an incredible new song on the piano. Rocked The Story and did covers of Johnny Cash and The Beatles. It was such a personal, intimate, beautiful show. Very cool.

So check out The Story’s video

As a child, a female child of the eighties, I was not alone in my love for New Kids on The Block. Like many, I had their tapes, tons of shirts, blankets, buttons, action dolls and concert videos. I had many dreams of marrying Joey (or Jonathan) and living happily ever after.

Looking back, at the time I was around 10 and Joey was 18 (Jonathan 22) um, gross. I really didn’t grasp the age difference back then.

I digress, the point, I was a huge fan, like all the girls my age and I was never fortunate enough to see them live in concert.

Fast forward to Hawaii 2007, while on vacation I was watching VH1’s Bands Reunited, and they attempted to get New Kids on the Block to reunite for a one-night show. I was so excited. However, each member (except Jonathan) declined. I was crushed.

April 2008. Donnie confirmed the band was reuniting for a new CD and tour! The first round of touring brought them as close as Kansas City (where my hair stylist Hannah saw them and said it was awesome). Finally, they extended their dates and included a stop in good ol’ Des Moines! Craig and Tia hooked us up with tickets and that brings us to last Monday.

My life is now complete.

Couple things I want to say about the show:

Party the whole atmosphere was a giant fun-filled, neon-colored eighties party.

Jabbawockeez they opened the show, the music was super awesome and the dancing was amazing. My only complaint was the length; I wish they had performed longer.

Songs Holy shit, they played every hit. They even mixed it up and came in the middle of the audience to sing/play the piano. Jordan, Joey and Donnie all did individual songs. Jordan sang his solo-artist song Give It to You, Joey sang his solo-artist song Stay the Same and Donnie sang “Cover Girl” decked out in Iowa Hawkeye gear while playing the guitar. Though it was “I’ll be loving you forever” in the white suits that melted my ten-year-old heart.

Jordan there he was all alone on the stage in a buttoned down white shirt singing Baby, I Believe in You. All of a sudden the artificial wind swoops up and he busts open his shirt in true Superman fashion for all us ladies. Truly amazing was this moment and I realized, yes, it is the same New Kids that I loved.

All Grown Up there were flashes throughout the night where I was truly happy I am 28 and seeing this concert…

1. I could drink. This never hurts a concert.

2. Joey said “balls” sorry, this is funny to me. He said while attempting to spell out IOWA, Danny was trying to light Donnie’s balls on fire. Never would have happened 15 years ago.

3.I was a witness to possibly the greatest sign ever…during their goodbyes, someone threw a sign on stage, a great sheet material, homemade sign “Danny Wood gives us lady wood” hells yeah.

Hangin’ Tough the final song of the night and it was fabulous. Swinging our arms in the air, it was the perfect ending with my men from Boston. You really believe they are doing this for the fans. During the final minutes, Joey took the time and signed autographs from the audience. How cool is that.

Money’s Worth the show was over two hours! It was high-energy. A great mix of classic songs, new (not so bad) songs and the fantastic true-to-fashion New Kids choreography. There was confetti, great costume changes (including Joey’s gold jacket) and fan participation. Not gonna lie, got goose bumps when the giant screen flashed “NKTOB”. It was so fun, so entertaining, everything I ever thought it would be and so much more.

Grandpa my grandpa was there! Not with us, but working. That is pretty awesome.

Friends This night was even better since I shared it with Kari, Drea and Tia. My only regret is we needed matching T-shirts…next time!

Concert Photos

I’m feeling the value and power of a dime these days, but it has nothing to do with our current economic crisis.

On July 23, 2006, my niece’s fiancé, Ryder Mapes died too young from non-Hodgkins Lymphoma at the age of 22. Even more sobering than that reality is that if the insidious disease has been diagnosed earlier, he might still be here today to see his beautiful daughter Ella Rose turn four in May.

Ryder was truly a unique, gifted individual and somewhat rebellious, which is probably how he caught my niece’s eye. Yet given the fact that at age 22 he felt immortal (who doesn’t?) it also didn’t help that he didn’t have health insurance. In retrospect, the signs were there that he wasn’t feeling well for quite some time, leaving us all of his friends and family to ponder “if only I had said xx to him or if maybe we had really, really tried harder he would have went to a clinic earlier and saw the right type of doctor…..” When he was finally diagnosed, it was quite advanced and spreading throughout his body.

At this point I could get on my “soapbox” and talk about how the health care system is totally broken in this country. Okay, I guess I will step up on the box, but just for a minute, I promise! It was upsetting – and at times traumatic - to Ryder and all of his family and friends of the “hoops” and struggles he had to go through to get to a proper diagnosis. Many helped him when and where they could, but there is also no doubt that all of the roadblocks impacted his personal motivation to pursue getting the correct and timely diagnosis and treatment. I’m all for personal accountability, but if you do not - or do not know how to - advocate for yourself when it comes to your own health care, it can be a long struggle to find out what is wrong. And that is even when you actually HAVE health insurance. It is a shame that good health care is still a privilege in this country. I see it as a human right, and I do take some solace knowing that I am not alone in that opinion. But alas, I’ve digressed too far from my intention of sharing this story with you and will get off the “soapbox.”
Just as I now have more hope that quality health care will be available for all citizens some day in this country, I also have hope and peace in my heart via the spiritual power of a dime. Let me explain.

Shortly after Ryder’s death, my sister Jan and her daughter Jenni, who was Ryder’s fiancé and mother of their daughter, Ella Rose, participated in a psychic gathering along with some of Ryder’s family members. My sister and her immediate family were closely involved with Ryder’s care and support during his illness. I know, I know - there are many skeptics of psychics that claim to channel with the afterlife, and odds are you are one of them. I’m sure the skeptics of a psychic’s ability will remain questionable by many now and forever. But I view psychic channeling like most of us approach faith – doubt is the greatest part of faith (someone famous said that, I think) and if we could or had to “prove” something all the time, life would be much more dull and less inspiring. As an example, if we truly had undeniable proof of alien life my husband would be really bummed as his beloved UFO conspiracy shows would probably go off the air. Come to think of it, it would mean less time spent zoned out in front of the television, and that would be a good thing as far as I am concerned!

But not so long ago, I was psychic skeptic too. During the gathering my sister attended, the psychic turned to her and said (having never met her, never conversed with her before) and mentioned that the dimes she had been finding around the house were signs from Ryder and to remind you he is still “around” the psychic shared. Shocked, my sister about fell off her chair – wait a minute, I think she actually did! She HAD noticed finding dimes around the house lately in unusual places. The psychic also shared with her things that my Dad had been doing to sense his presence to her in the afterlife as well as Dad had died suddenly about 6 months after Ryder. But the biggest mind-blower for Jan was the dimes from Ryder. Of course, my sister was excited to share this with everyone who wasn’t there to witness this conversation with the psychic first-hand, myself included. I was awestruck but still wasn’t quite sure what to think. I wasn’t sure about this psychic thing, yet wanted to believe. I “absorbed” the information, shared it friends in a “listen-to-this-totally-wild-encounter-my-sister-had-with-a-psychic” mode and went on about my life.

Then it started happening at my house. Jan was over to my house one day and found a dime in the sink while cleaning up after a family gathering. We laughed, and said “Ryder’s here!” and went about clearing up. A few weeks later, I’d find dimes in corners while vacuuming, dimes found in the garage by the car door, a dime sitting alone in a desk drawer, a lone dime in my pocket. Why not quarters, why not pennies? I realize dimes can be found in places where you might pull out car keys or kick accidently in corners, but again, why dimes and only dimes? I know Ryder was fond of my husband and me. One day after the dimes started appearing to me and I hadn’t shared yet with my husband, he said “I swear there is ghost in this house. I keep finding dimes everywhere!” He had totally forgotten the psychic/Ryder/dime thing when he said that. I looked at him and my jaw dropped. It was then that something in my heart and soul found peace and joy, particularly on a day when I kind of needed it. It also helps me share some ongoing positive and spiritual conversations with my 8-year-old Erik about heaven and afterlife. He just loves it when we find dimes and what they represent. It comforts all of us.
And I still find dimes. Just last week, I was lying in bed, unable to sleep and thought that perhaps I could smell the incontinence issue of our older cat somewhere in the bed. As I was feeling around the bed searching for dampness, getting angry with the cat and frustrated that I couldn’t sleep, and I found a dime. Nothing else, just a dime. I felt it in the dark, thinking it could be a penny, but the size and ridges around the outside told me it was a dime.

I stuck in under my pillow and I laughed because I remember Ryder’s sense of humor and wouldn’t put it past him to alert me to his presence in such an “odorous” manner. But it was Ryder, telling me to ease my mind get some sleep. So, behold and stay open to the presence and power of loved ones who have passed on. They are with you always. And believe with me in the power of dime during these troubling times.