Patrick Dempsey and Missing Asians...

So the wisdom teeth thing went well.  No swelling, healing quickly.  No pain...except in one place where my bone is sticking out.  But the dentist put some gel in it to help.  The gel tastes very strongly of clove oil...very strongly.  Everything I eat tastes like clove oil.
The pain is so minimal I don't even notice it.  Except at night.  I fall asleep but the tiny bit of pain keeps me from falling all the way asleep.  So I dream like crazy-- it's like watching really weird movies all night-- until Anton comes home and I'm finally released from my half-sleep prison enough to move my limbs and take something.  You'd think I would learn to take something before I sleep but I feel like I can handle it and then it just keeps happening. 


Last night I had a dream about Patrick Dempsey. I was at home with mom and dad and they were alluding to my having a crush on him, and he was there in the kitchen while they were making fun of me. They were saying things like, "are you going to eat your McLunch?" and then snickering... because he was McDreamy... in my dream.  He smiled politely and then went upstairs.  I don't know what he was going to do up there but I was kind of embarrassed.  In my dream.


Anton is having a hard time with school.  English is a foreign language for him but economics is even more foreign.  They use lots of complicated words that nobody really uses.  He's thinking about taking more financing classes, maybe going that direction a little more.


Also, I think our crazy Asian neighbors moved (the ones who yell and scream bloody murder) and were replaced by white people who like to play loud rap/hip hop music all day.  You know those songs you hear everywhere you go, all the time-- the ones that could be tolerated once in a while but after about the 97th time it just gets annoying...

Wisdom Teeth are Mean

So after talking to Mom and Jeri about not having any problems with my wisdom teeth... on Monday I noticed the gums around my wisdom tooth were sore, and figured it was sinking back down, like what mom said happened to her.  So I thought, I'll just wait 'till it comes out again and then have it pulled.  The pain got really bad.  Really bad.  I was so swollen on the inside I couldn't open my mouth enough to eat very much.  And I couldn't swallow-- even my own saliva.  So I went to the dentist on Wednesday.  He told my my gums were infected because there's not enough room for that tooth (and the infection spread through my jaw and throat), gave me some antibiotics, saved my life... I'm getting it pulled next week if the infection's gone.

The worst part was that on Valentine's Day, I just happened to make the best dinner I've ever made.  Marinaded some chicken from the previous day, made the most amazing potato casserole, and a green salad with ranch, and I couldn't eat it.  I got some tiny pieces in my mouth (enough to know it was the best thing I've ever made), but the pain of swallowing kept me from eating.  So I starved for a couple days.  It's  all good, now, though.  I love antibiotics.  And my dentist.

It didn't kill all the pain, but at least I can eat and yawn.  I think pain in my mouth makes me really emotional.  I've been doing weird things.  The other night I called Anton while he was at work around 2:45 A.M.  I was perfectly fine, I just couldn't sleep and wanted to talk.  The second he answered and asked me how I was doing, I started balling like a little baby.  It didn't hurt that bad and I don't know why I cried but it really scared Anton.  He had no idea what was going on-- probably thought I was in an accident or something scary.

On a different note, Shantal has a sewing machine so I think I'm going to start sewing and stuff.  Probably mostly blankets.  I don't think I can do anything else.  I found some cool baby blanket ideas.

P.S.  Had my first plane ride.  Smallish plane, but it was super cool.  Anton did it for our anniversary.  I even got to fly most of the way.  The pilot told me I was really good but I think he was just trying to be nice so I wouldn't get too nervous and do something irrational.

Duck Dinner

I wrote this a while ago, and forgot I didn't post it.  So, this is the old stuff:

Yeah, Anton's really into duck hunting.  He brings one home about every other day and we have duck for dinner.  It's pretty good-- but only when it's cooked right, otherwise it's not so good.  And I can't eat it as a leftover.  I like to bake it in the oven for a couple hours.  It tastes like a really good pot roast (with less fat).  Nothing like chicken, which is what I had been expecting.  But the best part is that Anton loves it.  Duck season ends on Friday and then he will move on to coyotes.

I can't be a full time student this semester because it's my off track and they changed the rules-- I now have to come up with the money myself (which is kind of hard, since I spend most of my life being a student instead of earning money).  But I got a loan so I could at least keep taking Russian.  It's a lot better when I only have that to study.  But it's still hard.
Since I'm not a full-time student I decided to tuff it out and keep my job a while longer.  Also I work out with Shantal every night.  I'm still in pain from working out too hard when we first started (almost two weeks ago).  So I haven't been cooking more.  But I am going to... because I need to eat more, otherwise all this working out is doing me no good.  Well, maybe some good.

I got everything I need to make bread and started on it after I got home from work tonight... and realized I need to buy dry milk.  Thought I had everything, but I didn't.  Anton was pretty bummed.  I told him I'll go to the store first thing in the morning and get some dry milk and he will have hot, fresh bread waiting for him in the afternoon.

Our First Christmas-- with a few pictures

Well we got a new car... again.  Mazda 6 this time (2009).  Anton got a really good deal because it's the end of the year and all the dealerships want to get rid of as much inventory as possible.  And he got them to reupholster the seats and make them leather.

I tried to surprise him for Christmas but he figured out what I got him.  He surprised me, though.  Now I have lots of perfume, lots of nail polish and a shiny new purse.  He couldn't wait for Mom's present so we've already been using the orange blanket and bread-maker... actually I haven't made bread yet-- but I'm going to.  I have to finish un-cluttering our apartment first.  We're getting rid of clothes and stuff we don't use.  I can't feel good about cooking until everything is clean.  So basically we starve until the apartment sparkles (we don't actually starve).

Anton also decided we are going to start our own Christmas traditions-- stockings and presents at midnight Christmas Eve, which is then Christmas Day.  But he fell asleep so we didn't do it.  I did get some pictures though.

 This is Anton playing with the kitty... which you can't see.

 Holding his Curve, which he already knew.  I told him I don't like that smell and I would never buy it for him.  But he didn't believe me.

 The tree he cut down.

Just Kidding

   We're actually not getting our own house.  Anton received some counsel from his millionaire former sponsor and decided against the mobile home.  The interest was pretty high anyway.  I guess I can deal with listening to my neighbors's conversations and everything else, including the smell of what they cook, for a couple more years... : (

Got some more books in the mail.  I love my children's books.  I read them to myself because I don't have anyone else to read them to.  Someday...

Anton is such a big softy.  He says he will never feed this ridiculously spoiled cat ever again.  And then he lets the cat inside because the cat is cold and gives him little smokies and lets him eat our butter.  So we're out of butter now.

We came to a conclusion about our jobs.  I am going to quit mine and we'll get a loan to cover what I won't be making.  But he'll probably keep his job since we can't afford the benefits we get (like half of his school paid for and pretty good insurance) without it.  So after I quit I can get my homework done earlier, which means... I will have time to cook.  Yes, I am going to cook.  Hooraaaaaay!

I'm getting my own house! Yay!

I wrapped Anton's gun and told him he couldn't have it until it was under a decorated tree and we were drinking hot cocoa and eating cookies... and stuff like that.  So he got a tree permit, drove an hour away to cut down a tree (and an hour back), got some christmas decorations with me, cleaned the apartment, and put everything up by himself while I was at work.  I had no choice but to let him open it.  He was so excited, he went out shooting with his buddy the next morning and showed it off to his brother over skype.

Also we decided to buy a mobile home here because it would be cheaper than paying rent and a nice rest from having dummies for managers and landlords (which seem to be pretty much inescapable here).

Two of the ladies in my ward turned 100 years old last week.  Pretty awesome.

Anyway, we're figuring out that working while we're both full-time students is very, very stressful (partly because both of our jobs suck and there is way too much childishness and unnecessary drama going on that interferes with our regular lives).  So we're trying to decide what to do... just deal with it and live miserably for a few years, quit and live off of student loans, go somewhere else to work on our off-track and hope we make enough money to live for awhile... find a rich person to sue and live pretty for the rest of our lives (just kidding).

Okay, Annie, here you go.

Since Anton now has a green card and is about to get a hunting license... I think I might get him a gun for Christmas. He can't stop talking about guns.  He really, really wants a 12 gauge right now and he has a PELL grant coming soon (he applied for one right after he got a green card).  So you could get him some bullets if you want...?  Since my ears are pierced now, I like jewelry and stuff.  And books-- I'm really into buying children's books right now.

I probably can't visit for Christmas, though.  It depends on whether or not I can come for Thanksgiving.  Kmart is so stupid.  $7.25 an hour and they think they own me.  I threw as nice of a fit as I could when they said I can't get Thanksgiving off.  I told them this is the only holiday I have asked for time off for and that my family only gets together like this once or twice a year, and this year, it's for Thanksgiving.  They said they'll see, so I hope it works.  But if it does, I can't come for Christmas.

Other than my lame job, things are pretty good.  The snow was nice for the first night, but now it's too cold and I want it to go away.  Shantal got a little kitten... she is so cute!  I take her to my house and play with her all the time.  Anton LOVES her.  He plays with her instead of doing his homework.  She cuddles with us when we lay down to take a nap too.  And now we both really want a little kitten.