enJOY it by Elise Blaha Cripe

go team, go.

I hope this is the last time I ever type about teeth.

1 year, 7 months and 4 days ago, a very skilled oral surgeon removed my number 9 and 10 teeth (the front left two). Because 4 years prior, they had been knocked out by a very skilled cheerleader.

Since then, I have worn a partial - which is like a retainer with teeth attached. (Also called a "flipper." For obvious reasons - I prefer the term partial.) I wore this as the inside stuff healed.  As I underwent surgeries and bone graphing and implant put-ins and implant uncovers and every thing else that equals stitches and bruises.

And all of that has been to get to here.

To today at 1:30 when I got the crowns permanently secured.

And here I am. With what I would not describe as decent. Unfortunately, over the past six years, despite all the surgeries, I lost a lot of bone which means they had to add a lot of artificial gum to the crown. And as fantastic as man made stuff is - it has nothing on what God can make. It is impossible to duplicate His work - as it should be.

So I am not so happy with the result.

This whole time I was so optimistic. I just had to get to the end. At the end, it would all be okay. It is so frustrating to be at the end and not like what it all looks like.

And I really did not even want to write anything about this today. I hate negative blog posts. There is already so much anger on the internet.

But I have to type it out. Because for the past 1 year, 7 months and 7 days, I have kept this blog. It is what I do. It helps me think. And sort out. And deal.

And you all, Blogland, help too. I greatly appreciate the support that I get from you people. For some reason you help me to think positive. You help me to act positively.

I am going to be relying on good thoughts for the next couple days as I adjust to this foreign object. As I start to just move past this whole mess. As I realize that as always - it could be much worse.

book share.

It took me over a year and a half to read The Kite Runner. Jenny was reading it when we got back to school second semester Junior year. She said I would like it.

I looked at the cover and thought "eh."

Katy read it. And lent me her copy. I think I started it. But then I put it back on the shelf and eventually returned it to her. Unread.

And then Vern read it. And Paul read it.

Everyone on goodreads read it.

I started it again. And got sidetracked. I read Harry Potter. I read easy chick lit books. For some reason, I did not want to have to deal with the heaviness that I knew this book would bring.

I wanted to be entertained.

This weekend, when I flew down to San Diego, I dug in. I read past the hard and painful parts and finally let myself get in deeper. I let myself be uncomfortable.

In the end I was not just entertained, but enlightened.

It was so very good. So very worth the struggle.

one more week.

Home from visiting Paul in San Diego.

So very weird that the next time I see him I will be surrounded by all of my suitcases and driving to OUR apartment. I am excited. We are excited. I expect there to be less palm trees in Bethesda, Maryland, but more everything else good.

This week shall be a bit of a blur. A lot of packing and shipping and getting teeth firmly secured in my mouth.

Like I said, I am excited.

san diego.

If we are lucky enough to end up back here for Paul's residency, I promise, I will climb that palm tree.

we can put it in our kitchen.

Last night, in the middle of the piles of stuff I am trying to reorganize and pack up, I made this little guy for what will soon be our new kitchen. I am so excited to say that. Paul will shout, "Babe, where are you?" And I will be like "In our kitchen!" Except that because we are in an apartment, there will really be no reason to shout.

We can pretend though.

It was very simple to make. I painted a wood frame white, glazed it with Mod Podge and stuck one of Linda's amazing taglets on a piece of patterned paper.

And now, off to San Diego, where there are no kitchens, only restaurants.