Update on Martin

Thanks for all your prayers and support. Martin's vision has been improving, but not as quickly as he'd like. Unlike last time, when we went for three weeks with the misdiagnosis of pink eye, we started treating this early enough that there were only a couple days when it was painful. It's just frustrating to him to not be at 100% when he's got so much going on.

He's been working every morning at one of the local hotels and then coming home to edit the infomercial with two producers. (I call them "the ladies" and they were at our house every morning at 9 AM last week. Nice ladies, just always here.)

As for the blood tests to rule out any possible auto-immune causes, he's got an appointment in September with a rheumatologist, but I'm trying to get him to schedule an appointment sooner with a family practice doctor. No need to pay for a specialist if we can get it done more inexpensively, right?

As for the insurance not covering any of this, that's a bridge we have yet to cross. The opthalmologist's office has submitted everything to BCBS, so once those claim are rejected we'll have to work out payment. Good news is that this doctor gives a 50% discount to cash patients. But 50% of what is yet to be determined...

JT, on the other hand, is fully recovered and no longer has to wear the hated cone. He's on anti-itch meds that are costing us more than his life is worth, but we'll wait and see if he deserves to live. Actually, we're on a plan that hopefully will find us the lowest possible dose to keep him from itching his eyes out, but he has cost us $200 this month, which is more than we paid for him! If he were a car...

A Lot to Say...

Well, I've been busy, what with not working and all, and I have seriously neglected this blog. Here's what I've been up to:

Our friends Amanda and Janelle came to visit for Memorial Day weekend. We had a lovely time and of course I took no photos. I've been meaning to post these pictures, however. I didn't take them, and she didn't do it here, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to show everyone how INSANE she is.

Apparently, she went rattle snake hunting, which is basically finding snakes, pinning them with a stick, and then picking them up. She thought this was fun. She is crazy. (Not to mention, she took her 10-year-old niece with her.) I guess there's just not that much to do in Tulsa, 'manda?

Amanda wearing a snake as a hat - The snake is pinned, now to pick it up
The craziest thing I've ever see Amanda do

I've also attended Marc & Ashley's wedding reception in Seattle, which included a nice time in downtown Seattle with Brad & Noelle, and Matt & Cristin. Of course, again, I took no pictures of Matt & Cristin. I did get these, though, of the rest of us! (Cristin, will you send me copies of all the pictures you took?)

Noelle meets Hannah Montana! - Brad & Noelle at the Pike Place Fish Market
Brad at the First Starbucks Ever - Brad & Noelle
Martin & Betsy - Martin, dreaming about the yacht we will never own

Then Martin and I went to Tijuana, Mexico, on another AMOR Ministries trip to build a house. (Our first trip was in February of this year.) We had a great time! I can't even begin to relate how satisfying it is to build a house for a family.

Click on any of the photos to see the whole set. We had so much fun, but worked so hard. I'm still digging cement out of my ears.

On the trip, however, Martin started feeling a familiar pain in his eye. Martin had a case of iritis about a year ago, which was hugely painful and scary. At that time, we were told that one case of iritis is no big deal, but if you get it twice, it can be a sign of an auto-immune issue, like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. To make things more complicated, when I lost my job and we switched from a group plan to our own individual plan on BCBS AZ, he had to sign a waiver for both his chest and his eye as "pre-existing conditions" which would not be covered, at all.

Well, in Mexico, on Saturday, all of a sudden Martin started feeling the same pain in his (other) eye. We weren't sure if it was all the dust, sweat and sunblock that was in all our eyes just irritating it, or if the iritis had come back in his other eye. He was OK on Sunday and Monday, but by Tuesday morning it was so bad he stayed all day in our darkened bedroom. He finally got in to the doctor this morning, and they confirmed that he does have a severe case of inflammation in the eye. He's got steroid drops and other drops that keep his eye dilated, and a follow-up appointment on Friday. He also has to get an appointment with his PCP for blood tests to rule out any other things (lupus, RA, even TB). There's a 60% chance that there's nothing else.

He's got a video shoot on Saturday, editing all next week, then another video shoot the next Saturday. They have already prepaid him for this job and he can't not do it - there are many other personnel involved in the shoot that are depending on him. Right now, his right eye (his shooting eye) is completely clouded and so sensitive to light he just stays in our room. He obviously can't do the shoot on Saturday (in this current condition), so he needs immediate improvement.

Martin in his Bat-Cave (click on image to read notes) - What it REALLY looks like in there

On top of that, although we're doing OK financially with both of us at home, a huge medical ordeal that our insurance won't cover puts us on shaky ground. Please pray for favor with our insurance company, as we work to see what they will cover in spite of this waiver, and wisdom to know whom to ask for help.

Not to mention that we just paid $95 for more meds for JT, because of his own eye issues. Just think, when we got this puppy, I told Martin if we had vet bills over $100 we would just put the dog down. JT doesn't know how close to death he was. :) Oh, I am so kidding: it will break my heart to have to do that. I love his silly little furry butt. (He's looking like Spaceman Spiff in his collar. Check him out.)

Poor little guy doesn't fit through the doggy door with his big collar

And finally, I've been greatly amused by this comic:

Probably because the "dead squirrel" comment reminds me of my family's endless amusement with roadkill. Don't ask. We're weird.

Update [7/16/08]: Martin's eye is getting much better. He's been taking steroid drops and the inflammation has greatly decreased. He has a follow-up appointment in September for the blood work, but that seems like more of a formality than an urgency. We're still looking into our insurance issues, but the good news is that the ophthalmologist gives a 50% discount to his cash customers.

Where Have I Been?

When Shannon tells you you're shannoning, you know it's got to be true. Well, I have good reasons, people.

On May 16, um, shall we say my "employment status" changed. You can call to get the full story. Anyway, Martin and I decided that I've been wanting to work from home for a long time, and we're taking this opportunity to make that a reality.

The following weekend Janelle and Amanda came to visit. We also had a freak cold snap - it was rainy and in the 70s on Memorial Day weekend, when it had been 109° just days before! We had a lovely time with the ladies, and we were sad to see them go. (I'll post pictures whenever Janelle gets around to sending them to me.)

On Memorial Day, we threw a last-minute party, the perfect party if I do say so myself. No RSVP, very little set-up, everyone brought their own meat and a side to share, and they came and went all day. We had a great time with everyone who showed up, and it only took 30 minutes to clean up after! Of course, the weather returned to normal and it was warm and sunny and Martin burned his head.

All the while, we've been working on the impending E3 move. This next weekend, June 8, we'll be meeting on Sunday mornings (currently we're on Sunday evenings) in a movie theater. I'm very excited about the change, but it has been tons of work to get all the stuff organized, signage designed and printed, postcards, web updates, etc.

Not to mention that we went to Nashville for a friend's wedding. (Lisa Shaker's daughter and Dan's sister, for those of you who are wondering.) We arrived at 2:15 PM on Friday, the wedding was at 6:30 PM that night, then the reception, then we flew out the next afternoon at 3:05 PM. We were literally on the ground 24 hours and 50 minutes. Martin edited a quick preview video for a party to be held Saturday night, on Saturday morning, and we were exporting and burning the DVD in the car on the way to the airport. He did a fantastic job, by the way - it was a candlelight ceremony, which makes it very difficult to do video! You should see the final project... it's gorgeous.

So, needless to say, I've been busy. And when you're working from home, there's no "off" time. I feel like I work more hours now than I ever did before. (And then, just when I'm feeling successful, Martin asks, "But how much of that is paid work?" and I realize how much free work I do. Oh, well, treasures in heaven, right?)

The Weather and Other Ramblings

We haven't quite hit our summer stride yet, but it's been consistently in the high 80s to 90s for the past few weeks. I hear that we're looking to pass 100° next week.

What's hilarious is that I'm sitting here in my office, wearing a light sweater over a tank top, with my space heater blasting. The other residents of the office are on a drastically different temperature setting than I am, always. They have the front door open and the AC on.

This office never gets below 72, and ironically I think it's colder inside during the summer months than it is in the winter. (I use "winter" loosely here, as we usually stay in the 40-60° range, and it doesn't last very long.) On my lunch break, I usually go sit somewhere in the sun in my car, and warm up.

I'm also cold at home, where I cuddle up in a huge fleece blanket when Martin turns on the air. Last night, I was finally comfortable in our bedroom, and Martin was literally sweating. I know this is a common imbalance in marriage, but I think we're even more out of sync than most couples.

That's why I love AZ. It's hot most of the time, and whenever I'm freezing inside, I can go outside and warm up.

So why am I going to Seattle this weekend?

Friday Few Showers High 51°F Low 39°F Precip: 30% Wind: SSW at 6 mph UV Index: 4 Moderate Humidity: 71% Sunrise: 6:01 AM Sunset: 8:14 PM Occasional showers possible. Highs in the low 50s and lows in the upper 30s.

Saturday Mostly Cloudy High 63°F Low 46°F Precip: 10% Wind: SE at 7 mph UV Index: 4 Moderate Humidity: 66% Sunrise: 6:00 AM Sunset: 8:15 PM close More clouds than sun. Highs in the low 60s and lows in the mid 40s.

I'm going to freeze!!!

I'm flying out Friday morning to attend a Father/Daughter event with Nick. I'm coming home Sunday morning, so it will be a very short trip. I'm also flying standby, so I'm going to try to pack light (no liquids!) and carry on. I'll have to borrow warm clothing, which is fine, because I don't own much!

Before and After

Here are some photos of the work that's been going on in the Leeuwner household the past few weeks...

1) New landscaping
2) Painted the house
3) Expanded the laundry room

We also did landscaping in the back and removed the old patio, but I don't have pictures of that.

BEFORE


AFTER


THE LAUNDRY ROOM PROJECT

Super Tuesday

Well, it's no longer Monday, so I can be thankful for that. However, I don't think I'm going to have time to go vote today and I missed the boat on the mail-in ballots. I just realized that I haven't posted in almost three weeks. Where have I been?

Projects I'm currently working on:

• New website for another church... one of those deals where they don't know anything about the current website (like who hosts it), they don't provide any feedback or copy, and communication comes in spurts.
• Redesigning brochure for a preschool.

That's the paid jobs... and now for the unpaid ones:

• New website for our church... having to merge two websites, complete redesign, working with an awesome volunteer with Wordpress, which I know less than nothing about. We still don't have a logo for the new church, which hobbles the design aspect greatly, plus we just found out we're switching service times. Mailing addresses, phone numbers, etc. will have to change. Big project, no time, lots of hassle.
• Design for an upcoming series with an 80s theme, including weekly service elements and service orders, display backgrounds, some kind of set design, bulletin, etc.
• Looking, hoping, whining about... the job situation. Hopefully, THIS will lead to a paid job!
  

In addition to that, which is almost entirely done after-hours and on the weekend, I've got a weekly staff meeting for church, a weekly LifeGroup and other commitments that seem to pop up all the time. Also, Martin was supposed to be gone this weekend - thankfully, he'll be here - we'll both be gone on a short little missions trip to Mexico the next weekend, and then I'm off to Tulsa the following weekend (and he'll be out of town as well). Every time either of us leaves, it takes tons of preparation to make sure the weekend service goes well, although inevitably something happens no matter how prepared we are.

I'm very excited about both of these upcoming trips, and will hopefully blog more about that before I leave, and if not, after!

So I have no time, lots of stress and I'm seriously feeling it. If you don't live here, pray for me. And you do live here, forgive me for being crabby (or working during both our UFC and Superbowl parties).

Playing

We got back from the cruise yesterday afternoon, less relaxed and rested than we had hoped. We crashed for a couple hours, got up and showered, and got to work. (Life goes on... no rest, even on a day off!)

Today, I'm at work trying to make up for missing two days. I'm almost caught up with one task, but I have 2-3 more hours of work to do it in about an hour and a half.

Weird thing is, I am still feeling the ship move.

Cruisin'

Martin and I are on our way to LA for a short little cruise down to Ensenada, Mexico. It's a l...o...n...g drive and the internet (via our fantastic Verizon Wireless card) is s...l...o...w.

Right now we're listening to the comedy channel on XM while I check email. Martin is laughing inappropriately at jokes making fun of wives and marriage. He's going to pay later. :)

Have a great weekend!

Games

If you have known me for any length of time, you know I like to play games. Any kind of board or card game, really. Not so excited about video games, although I can play Tetris for hours.

Sidenote: Now it's been said that I'm competitive, but it's really a misperception. I like to trash talk, for the sake of the talking of trash. And I don't care what rules we play by, but I do like to know the rules and then play by the rules we agreed on. (This comes from growing up with my little brother, who always cheated at games. He stole money if he was the banker in Monopoly. He lied when I hit his battleships. He's grown up to be a respectable adult, and I don't think he's extended his cheating into real life, but I still watch his hands when we play cards. And now someone else in my life does the same... but more on that later.) In the end, though, I don't really care if we win or lose (but like everyone, I prefer winning), but it's the playing of the game that I love.

In the past few weeks, I've had the opportunity to play games on three occasions, and it's been so much fun. I played Balderdash with a large group (I would recommend a smaller group: it took FOREVER to get through one round!) and learned the words aprosexia, bathetic, and prunella. Truly, my life has been enriched. Of course, the last person you'd expect to cheat, Brad, was cheating in the last few rounds. At least he was man enough to admit it. Although I'm not sure how we all missed that he was looking up the words on the computer in front of us. So, Brad, when I tell you that you're just like a brother to me, what I mean is, you cheat just like my brother.

Then, we had an impromptu get-together and ended up playing one of my top 3 favorite games: Cranium. When we lived in Tulsa, Martin and I played this game so often that we actually knew most of the answers on the cards. It's been a while, and I think they've got new cards, because I only recognized one card, and it was a song I had to hum, so it didn't matter that I knew what it was. This game is so much fun, and you always end up laughing at someone's humming skills or acting skills or drawing skills. Especially when someone is doing a Sensosketch (which is like a Pictionary card - you have to draw a picture and have your teammates guess the word, except you have to do it with your eyes closed!) and his teammate doesn't realize he has his eyes closed, and says, "Dude, you draw like a retard!" Or when the person you're trying to imitate is Joe Friday, and your teammates have already guessed "Friday", and you say, "My first name is like, 'a cup of (blank)'", and your teammate yells out, "Tea Friday!"

A few nights ago, we got together with David & Emily and ended up playing DVD Trivial Pursuit. It's a slightly dumbed-downed version of the original game, but they still beat us by a huge margin. However, the last question (that we played anyway... we called the game for time and there was no chance of a last-minute rally for the Leeuwners) from the DVD played a tune and you had to identify the boy band. This was the song: (at least I think it was, which is kind of the point). David guessed *NSYNC, and I jokingly said, "How do you know it wasn't Backstreet Boys?" Turns out, it was the Backstreet Boys! I laughed, because I really didn't know either way, and said, "I don't know these boy bands. All I know is Justin Timberlake was in *NSYNC and Nick Lachey was in Backstreet Boys." Apparently, I don't even know that. David (how does he know so much about boy bands?) pointed out that Nick Lachey was in 98°. I had to look it up in wikipedia just to see who was in Backstreet Boys. (No one who's done anything since, I guess.) And I still can't name a single *NSYNC song! (Upon consulting the wiki... I see Bye Bye Bye. How could I forget that song?!) Anyhow, the point is... for all their records, promotions, videos, merchandise and hype, we still can't tell them apart. Or maybe the lesson is that if you're not a 13-year-old little girl, there's no way your brain can hold such useless information.

Whatever the game, I just love to play with friends. It's such a great way to get to know someone better, and makes great memories!

All Done!

Maybe Martin will take a picture before he sends them all out, but there is a stack of boxes in my living room full of presents! I am done with all my Christmas shopping... thank God for Kirkland's Home. (Here's a coupon for those of you who are still shopping: it's good through this Saturday.)

We got the tree up, and so far JT's curiosity is pretty low. There are a few stuffed snowmen under the tree, and he hasn't decided to eat any of them yet. Of course, he wasn't himself yesterday, as he was at the vet most of the morning getting neutered. He was groggy most of last night. So we'll see, once he's feeling more like himself, if he leaves the tree and gifts alone.

It looks like we're having some friends over on Christmas Day, so that's the next thing on my list: clean the house!

And of course, this Saturday is my 31st birthday.

Rawk Star

It's not exactly giraffes in Africa, but I got my hair done today, it looks great, and the only person to see it is JT.

He doesn't look terribly impressed, but he is.




I didn't realize how difficult it is to take a picture of the back of your head.

JT was no help at all.

Where Am I?

Or, where have I been? Well...

We had our first Sunday morning service with Desert Vista Church this past weekend. Our current series is "30 Days to Live", so that's what the banners are for.


Martin leaves today for his first trip back to the Motherland. Fatherland? I'm not sure. Anyhow, he leaves tonight, and won't be back until after Thanksgiving. (No, Mom, murderers won't read my blog, google my address and kill me in the night. Besides, I have a killer dog to protect me.) He'll be seeing family, old friends, and attending his 10-year reunion.

Other than that, I'm keeping busy with work and all the side jobs of Iris Media. I'm looking forward to going to Seattle to see my mom for Thanksgiving, and I'm very excited to be attending an InDesign seminar on November 30 (David, want to go with me?), so hopefully I'll get some mad skillz.

OK, back to work. It's still month end.

November

I can't believe it's November. Where has this year gone?

Well, it's still month-end, the absolute busiest time of my month, but I couldn't resist posting this picture of our nephew Parker.

JT and I had a fun time at Mark & Terri's Halloween party last night. He was dressed as a moose, which lasted all of 15 minutes. Later, my puppy peed on me. Yeah, that's right. I sleep so soundly that I didn't hear him when he got up and started getting fidgety, so he relieved himself in my bed at 2 AM. I woke up in a cold puddle and had to put all our bedding in the washer and crash on the couch for the rest of the night.

Good times, good times. I need a nap.

It's James!

Our friend James Shelton came to visit this weekend. We dragged him all over with us, to a picnic, to the State Fair, to church, to band practice, to Jester'z, and through about 10 hours of TV, mostly Family Guy.

It was great to see his face again. In typical Leeuwner fashion, we did not take a single picture.

How My Week Has Been...

How about you?

Update

I just got a call from the other driver's insurance adjuster. I'm so mad right now.

He said that my story didn't match the other driver's story, so they weren't accepting any liability. I asked him, what didn't match? He said that I said that I was moving in the aisle and the other driver backed into me, and he said that he was fully backed out and I hit him. I said, I never said he hit me! I said that he was backing out and I hit him.

Whatever.

Anyway, it's now in my insurance company's hands. I've got an appointment next week to go have the damage evaluated, including photos that will help determine what actually happened. We're going to have my insurance company pay to fix it, less our deductible, and then get reimbursed if and when our insurance company can prove what happened.

It's not even so much that they don't want to accept any liability. It's the insurance adjustor's attitude ~ he basically said, I'm just calling to tell you that we don't believe you. I said, aren't you going to investigate any more? And he said, I don't know what else there is to investigate. No one ever looked at my car. If you look at it, you can see the impact was completely on the side of my vehicle. My tire exploded! No one contacted the witness.

I am glad to have our insurance agent working on my behalf at least.

Deep Thought Brewing

I've been really busy at work, both at work-work and at home-work. But I'm working on a deep thought, and when I get the time, I'll post it.

In the meantime, go to the links on the right side of my page and visit some other bloggers. Matt's always got something good to say! And if you haven't read Lee's story, you've got to read it now.

Feels Like Friday

Today "feels" like Friday and I'm going to be very disappointed tomorrow morning when it's not.

In other news:

• Martin has been the victim of a Nigerian eBay scam. Well, attempted victim. He's smarter than they are! He'll have to tell you all the story.
• Survivor: China premiers in just 22 days! There's a Christian talk-show host and author... who wants to bet she'll be one of the first three to go? Historically, Christians don't fare well on this show, usually because they're weird or pushy or both. With Lost and 24 not coming back until January 08, I'm so glad to have something great to watch!
• We still have a puppy, and he is slowly getting housebroken. He still does not sleep through the night, but we have come up with some alternate solutions (read: he won... he now sleeps in our bedroom, under the bed in his little cave) that have helped our sleeplessness, if not his.
  

Well, back to work.

JT, The Mighty

Here are some photos of the boy. We found out his birthday is June 10, so he's not quite 3 months. Click on any picture to see them all.


We took JT to Wes & Tonya's tonight to meet Duncan. We were afraid Duncan would eat our snack-sized pup, but were we ever surprised! JT is a NINJA!

Check out the video:

Meet J.T.

The newest addition to the Leeuwner household. We adopted him this morning.