How to Count to Ten Without All of your Fingers

Yes, the rumors are true, my husband Ryan really did permanently lose part of his left middle finger after getting it caught in a big metal door at work. We've both agreed that somehow the loss would've been much cooler if for instance, while assisting one of the dentists, a patient bit him in a fit of angry rage, or perhaps he was rescuing a bear cub from a burning forest and things got little out of hand, but no, it was just a big metal door...no enraged patient, no frightened bear cub... just Ryan and the door and the gust of wind that changed our lives forever... In years to come Ryan will be known as the "The Grampa with the funny finger" or maybe even "Amputee Grampee". Whichever they choose I'm sure we will cherish the endearment.

On a more serious note, Ryan had surgery on Friday and it went really well. And things seem to getting back to normal in just over a week since this crazy accident. He is in very little pain these days and is in pretty good spirits. So we are feeling very grateful. Though I think Ryan is a little disappointed he won't be able to flip people off with quite as much gusto as before...

We also want to give a HUGE thank you to everyone who helped us out in various ways from the ER to OR and back home again: Thanks to Ryan's fellow Campbell Dental employees(Dr Bryce Carter for keeping Ryan from going into shock until the ambulance got there and wrapping up is finger, Ursula for calling me and letting me know what had happened and giving me directions to the Hospital, Tamara & Marina for picking up the slack while Ryan's been gone and of course Dr Jason Cambell himself for paying for Workman's comp all these years-it was not in vain -and for being so supportive). And thanks to Carolyn for the great referral. We also can not forget Cheyenne, Amber, Cecily and Molly for watching the kids (we really couldn't have done this without you, thank you does not seem a big enough word!!) . And finally we just want to let you know how much we truly appreciate all of you for your thoughts & prayers, emails, phone calls and genuine concern for our family!

Wardrobe Malfunction

You know you have a lot on your mind when you realize you've spent the entire afternoon doing errands with your pants on inside out.... Yes I really did this...

My Advice-FLOSS!!

Here's me lookin "Saweet" in the dentist chair awaiting a root canal. Yes, that's right, I am 31 and I've already had 2 root canals. In a way you could say I am very fortunate in this situation seeing how my brother -in -law Jason is my dentist. It saves us some money and I can always tease him in front of the staff if he needs it:) You know my mouth contains the very first cavity he ever filled??!! Yes, while he was in dental school he filled a cavity in my back right molar. It was quite an event considering he was one of the first in his class to do one. Several of his fellow students came over to ohh and ahh over "Campbells Class 2". Whatever that means, something very cool in the world of dentistry I guess. But I don't really care I just like to pretend I'm not there. Which is why through all of these dental experiences I've learned to be very grateful for one thing in particular- my ipod. I just lay back, turn the volume up as high as it will go, close my eyes and find a happy place. At one point during the procedure I honestly and truly thought I was going to pass out. I started to get light headed and very dizzy. I said to myself, "at least you're already lying down, even if I do lose consciousness no one will notice". Thankfully Dave Matthews kept me just enough above the surface to be relaxed but almost entirely unaware of what was going on.

Thanks Jason and his assistant Majorie! As much as I don't like going to the dentist I really appreciate the work you did for me!!

Hard Decision

After a lot of tears and several swiss cake rolls. We agreed that right now is not the best time for our family to have a dog. We took her back to the man who rescued her on Saturday. We miss her but we hope and pray such a sweet dog will be adopted by someone whose situation is more suited for her.

First Day

Pretty in Pink on her first day of school. She goes 2 days a week for a few hours. She's been twice and so far has really enjoyed it. It is a Chilren's Morning Out program run by the same Methodist church where Ryan went to Pre School.

Meet Virginia

Or, perhaps a better title for this post would be "What in the World Were We Thinking??!!"To be honest I'm not sure if we were thinking at all. We certainly didn't plan this addition to our family she just sorta fell into our laps. Here's how it went down. Thursday a sales rep at Ryan's office (who rescues dogs on the side) somehow convinced him that this little beagle puppy (who was going to be put to sleep) should come home with him. So Friday, she did! I guess this sales rep is really good at his job... Here's a new toothpaste sample oh and how bout a beagle to go with it... So now instead of potty training my 21/2 yr old (when is that girl ever going to get out of diapers??!!) I am now concentrating on house breaking a new puppy! Ahhhhh!! I already felt as though I didn't have the best grasp on my relatively simple life before the dog. But hey the kids adore her. And as my first love Luke Skywalker always says "If we're going in, we're going in full throttle!"

We named her Virginia after the Carolina Wren who nested in our laundry room a few months back. I've been trying unsuccefully to get everyone to call her Ginny for short. It is just not happening. So Virginia it is.

CONTASTIC!

I will say that Ryan and I have done our best to experience the Southeast for all its wonder and beauty. We've been to Savannah, Chattanooga even honeymooned in New Orleans (we new that place was cool long before Brangelina hopped on the hurricane train thank you very much) And we've enjoyed our fair share of experiences in this regions most famous capital. From going to the zoo to see the baby panda, or splashing around the fountain at Centennial Olympic Park to riding the sky train at Stone Mountain. But after 8 years of living in Atlanta, it is always exciting to discover something new and fun for our family to do together. This past weekend we encountered the wondrous world of DRAGON CON!!! Yes that's right- Dragon Con- a 3 day weekend dedicated entirely to grown ups who still like to dress up like Spiderman! Our friends the Croxalls told us about the big parade they've taken their 5 year old to every year where the characters from your classic favorites (and new ones too) march down Peachtree Street in all their glory! We had such a fun time. Thousands of people came out to see this and it did not disappoint. Ryan H was crazy over Darth Vader and the Storm Troopers! It was like Christmas morning for him watching hundreds of them coming down the street in unison guns at the ready. I'll admit I gotta little jazzed myself. Adelaide was all about the fairies and the random lady in a wedding dress. There were costumes beyond costumes (dad even the Ghost Busters made an appearance) including a bearded man in a glittering, gold floor length dress(the drags be representn' at dragon con) whom Ryan excitedly pointed out for me. "Look mom there's a man princess! Mom did you see that?! A man princess!" The whole event was out of this world. I'll admit a little bit of the aura was lost for me when as we were leaving and I saw 3 Storm Troopers, helmets off, having a smoke break behind one of the hotels, but not enough to keep us from going back next year. Hooray for Dragon Con!! "Live Long and Prosper"