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:
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.
