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Out of the not being ok!

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It’s been a while since I posted anything. I have been in a not ok place and haven’t even been able to think of anything remotely funny to post. However today on the way to vote it came to me but first what is not ok.

I had to come to terms with the fact that I am not going to run anytime soon if ever. If I try to run more than twice a week, my foot that did not have surgery hurts so bad I can barely walk. I am not happy just running twice a week and my addicted brain immediately starts thinking try a third day and then I’m back in pain. So last week I rejoined the rec center. I previously had a six month membership that expired shortly before my surgery. I never really thought i would have to renew it. However with a choice of another surgery so I can run again or swimming and biking I choose the latter. My goal is no running until January 1 and then if I still can’t pick it up without my left foot screaming I will then consider surgery. My doctor told me that 99% of the time when you fix one foot, it fixes the other. I remember looking at him and saying great you are talking to me the nurse curse queen. And to those of you who say quit running, please think of something you love to do and then let me tell you never do it again. It’s really hard. So anyway with new fitness goals in mind I am getting out of my feel sorry for myself slump.

So today as I am driving to vote I start thinking about how Jesus said it’s not wise for a Christian and a non-Christian to marry. What his advice should have been is a democrat should not marry a republican. If you want to start a fight in our house just mention politics. Today Brian said I see you voted. I said heck yeah I had to negate your vote. He then told me that anyone that supports my party is stupid. I chose not to respond because it would have been a pointless fight. Although I guess it is better to fight about politics than God!

Mole moral If you are a republican marry one and if you are a democrat marry one and your life will be so much easier! And way less fighting about an issue where almost every single person in politics is corrupt!

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School Board meeting

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Last night was the Fox school board meeting and since I was off work I decided to attend. It was very interesting. It started with them doing a short video on a bus driver and what his day is like. My first thought was those people don’t get paid enough to drive 70 crazy kids around town. I learned all about safety features on the bus that I didn’t know existed. It was really interesting.

Once they moved on to public comments things became really interesting. First of all someone got up and attempted to attack the acting superintendent by asking him how he could even show his face after admitting that he knew staying in the expensive hotels was wrong but did it anyway because the previous superintendent told him too. They shut him down immediately and said you cannot attack a specific board member on a public forum. They did however agree to let him come into closed session. I am not sure if they have ever done that before. It was kind of funny because this guy basically said what everyone in Arnold has been thinking for months. How can any of these people still show their face after what has come out. This includes the teachers whose bad comments on the Topix website were traced back to their home. One of them was sitting on the board last night. Another person got up and asked why they would make the starting salary of the next superintendent 170-210 thousand dollars. By starting that high we would be right back where we are in regard to salary and we are not the Ladue or Clayton district. He encouraged the board to start the person at the 170 mark. A teacher stood up to explain the amendment 3 issue that is on the ballot. She recommended voting no and after hearing her speak the only thing she left out was that if voted in we are well on our way to being stuck with the common core and our kids instead of taking 26 standardized tests in 12 years would be over 220 and the school has to pay for all the tests. I cannot figure out what was wrong with the way I learned things in school and why we are trying to dumb down our kids and make life all about testing. However that is another issue for a different post.

After public comments they then decided to have the board members meet with each of the elementary school principals for their plans to improve their school. This took well over an hour. At first i thought maybe it was a ploy so most people would leave but then I decided it was so the principals weren’t stuck at this meeting until almost ten o’clock since they had worked all day. Of course so had everyone in the room except for me. So who knows but I stuck around and spent time texting and reading (against my better judgement) Steven King’s The Stand. I am remembering how much I loved that book. Then Rich came over and said hi and I talked to him for quite a while. He is very easy to talk too. Of course I knew I would get hell at home from Brian for this. He constantly teases me saying I’m leaving the family for Rich. As if I have time for that nonsense!.

The most ridiculous comment came out of the talk about replacing Cheryl Hermann the board member who resigned last month. I can’t remember which one said it but it was to the effect maybe we could have a past board member sit in until election time because they would know what they are doing. Oh if anyone on the topix site heard that they will go nuts. Because why would we bring back in a “rubber stamper cronies of Dianne’s who started this mess in the first place?” I can hear it now. I don’t know what the answer is but that was not the best suggestion for sure.

I can finally put faces to everyone’s names. It has taken four school board meetings but finally I can recognize them. Now if I would only meet Sam Ferry. He’s not on the school board but was instrumental in bringing to light the hiring of the Linda Nash’s daughter in law to be head of the nutrition department. She was unqualified and remains unqualified to this day. And for my nurse friends you may be interested to know that the head nurse (for lack of a better word)  of the nurses at Fox does not have a BSN and makes about 10 grand more a year than a full-time nurse at Mercy that is at the ceiling with pay. Very, very interesting.

And that is my personal take on the school board meeting.

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The 250 St. Louis cakes update

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So earlier this week I dreamed Allyson and I went back to this park that was located somewhere close to broadway and there was a second cake. I was like we have to go see this except we kept getting on the wrong street and then people started trying to get us. We were on bikes by this time. (Ok so in real life I needed to get up and go to the bathroom). So maybe three days later I get on the official website to see if they have placed another cake which they had not but I learned the cake in front of Bush Stadium is no longer on display. This is a real shame because this is a really cool cake. So I did some research and I learned two things. First of all in a bizarre twist of fate my dream was partially correct. Ameren UE donated a ton of money to the cake fund so they asked for a second cake and were granted one. The employees decorated it and it was indoors and no one but employees could see it. They have since moved it outside until the end of the year. Looks like Emily and I will be running by Ameren again. (Oh yes I am a crazy obsessed fruitcake). Also I thought perhaps the Cardinal cake was removed because of the playoffs. Nope. The artist wanted her name on a plate on the cake and could not come to terms with Stl250 so the Cardinals removed it and put it in storage at an undisclosed location. It’s really a shame that the artist would rather not even have it out on display. I’m just glad I drug Emily all over the place on her break between summer and fall school! Thursday is the day we all we gather and see the two cakes located down here in Arnold. I am pretty excited!IMG_4841

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29 years ago today

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It was twentyIMG_5902 nine years ago that someone named Brian Moehlmann showed up at my doorstep wearing this shirt. (Yes, I have kept it all these years. A couple of years ago he put it on and told me it still fit. I told him it fit like the Hulk was wearing it, about to bust out of it. It was so funny looking on). Anyway why I ever got into the car is beyond me. Most likely because my really good friend Lisa Rush fixed us up because Brian was thin and I liked thin guys. Something must have clicked on that date because it’s been 29 years and still growing strong. I met his mom on our first date too. I am not sure where his dad was but they had just gotten a fairly new dog that was being stubborn about potty training. We ended up playing pool in his basement. Or I should say he played, I watched. I rarely play pool to this day because he is some sort of pool shark and I suck! It’s only nine more days until we have been married for 24 years. Allyson told us a couple of weeks ago that we will never be divorced. We both shook our heads and then smacked our foreheads and said bummer! Life with moles, interesting in a bizarre sort of way!

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Another day, another adventure

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1977370_2699390406160_2763049538933809759_nMy day started yesterday with Emily waking me up to tell me her car was dead again. It had died two days prior at school and Rockhurst security jumped her. She drove it for a while. She said her lights were on both times and she didn’t leave them on. That kid has never left her lights on so I am thinking is it some weird glitch from the dash being ripped apart. She found a ride to school but she was supposed to babysit for Shelly for the first time and asked if she should cancel. I said no way you made a commitment and we will figure out a way to make it work. After thinking for maybe five minutes I knew I was going to have to go and switch cars out to bring it home and have it looked at. I think PT school might actually be worse than nursing school! I remember my stress level and considering Emily is just like me there is no way she could deal with trying to find a place to have her car looked at, being without a vehicle for a couple of days and all the other crap that goes along with it. She will be home in two weeks but no way could she deal every morning was her car going to be dead or start. So the dog and I took a road trip. The dog got play with her PT friends on campus and loved it. We went out to lunch/dinner and then called the triple A guy. Emily had to leave to babysit before he showed up. He checked the battery. Said it was four years old and being totally discharged twice in three days it was pretty much shot. He offered to put a new one in. I said heck yes then I could stop to use the restroom if needed and the car would start. He thinks the fuse to the radio is still in the on position (normally turns off when you turn off the car) and is draining the battery so Brian’s job is to get it off. I think we might have to take it in just to make sure they didn’t jack up any other electrical stuff when they destroyed her dash for the cheap radio. So so annoying.

I had plans yesterday to work on the California trip and to run. I knew yesterday it was going to rain today so I decided if it rained all day then I would just watch Criminal minds (it was on last night while I was driving home) and use my treadmill. However it stopped raining and I got my run in. I think I have finally found the key to that. I have only been running two days a week and my foot has been incision pain-free since the Ovarian cancer run. Now the goal is to break the thought in my head to try three days a week! I need to be content with two for now because two is way better than NONE!

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Was this really necessary?

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Last year vandals cut the catalytic converter off of Emily’s car to get probably 50 bucks for it and cost 300 to replace. Yesterday she went outside to find her car broken into and the radio stolen.

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Was it really necessary to destroy her dash for a 70 Wal-Mart radio? I am assuming it was druggies looking for something to pawn so they could get a quick fix. They jacked up her window on the passenger side as well. With her being four hours away, Brian cannot fix it until she comes home in October. She has no guy friends or friends with dads (in KC) that know anything about cars. Emily and I realized yesterday what a treasure her father and my husband really is. I know he can fix the window and get the dash back together to a reasonable state. Her car is old and she lives in a nice area in KC. She is a mole and just has the worst luck. So now we have to decide replace the radio so a punk can steal it or get the kind where you can remove it and she can bring it in the house every night. (umm annoying). Oh and the best part they left her credit card in the car and didn’t take that. Oh the life with moles!

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Sticker shock at the orthodontist today

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Allyson finally had enough baby teeth fall out that she could see the orthodontist So before I made the appointment i learned Dr. Herr (in Arnold) had retired but someone has taken over his practice. The new guy is still there Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and then up north on thursday and Friday. So we went today and as we were driving there I was thinking about Kayla’s x-rays. Her bottom teeth touched the roof of her mouth so her mandible was jutted so far forward Dr. Herr was concerned and said it was a good thing she came in when she did. Well Allyson’s x-ray was even worse. Her front top and bottom teeth came together in such a way that it looked like she had a bird’s beak going on. Rather freaked me out and the doctor too. But when he evaluated Allyson mouth it turned out it was more the way she held her teeth but her jaw  was in good alignment. She still has four baby teeth, three of which are molars. She is 13 1/2 and he did not recommend waiting until they finally fall out as they are impeding her jaw bone from growing evenly so her teeth look like they have hills and valleys. He said she can get the bands on first if the dentist can’t get her in. So tomorrow I will call for that appointment.

The benefit lady told me that they have Allyson’s birthday wrong with our dental insurance. So it took her a while to get our benefits. She tried arguing with me that I had a 1500 lifetime max. I said no we have crazy insurance and have 1500 a year to spend however so if I put it all towards braces then preventive care will be out-of-pocket. She was convinced I was crazy. Well when she came back, guess who was right? Yeah me. She said that it was the craziest thing she ever heard of. I said tell me about it, it’s the third time I have dealt with it and it makes it really difficult to determine how much will be paid towards braces. So since she will have them on for two years I can get two years worth and we agreed on having the insurance cover 2000 giving me 500 a year for preventive care etc. There is a chance that two of Allyson’s bottom permanent teeth will have to come out in six months which will then make the braces stay on 30 months instead of 24. I told you her teeth were a mess. So what is the final cost of these braces you ask.

FIVE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS! So I will be paying 3300 out-of-pocket. It’s a good thing Kayla is going to community college this year. These kids cost a small fortune. I thought diapers and formula were bad. Emily’s braces 12 years ago was 3500 and Kayla’s were 4200. Thank God I don’t have any more kids because I would have to tell them you can have crooked teeth and learn how to be a ventriloquist. Haha just kidding. Well sort of!

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The best laid plans always go awry

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Such is the life with moles. Today was teacher development day (which prior to attending school board meetings, I always thought was teacher goof off day. However,I know for sure the principal’s have to lay out a plan to improve all the scores in their school and present to the board in two months so I imagine they will use this day for that.) Anyway, Allyson was off of school so we made plans over the weekend to go apple picking at Eckert’s and then see the Cahokia Mounds today. We saw both places earlier this summer only long enough to take a picture with the cake and we wanted to come back and enjoy the day. So we made it to Eckert’s and had fun picking the apples. I think we brought home close to 17 pounds. So I have already made applesauce and have pie crust chilling in the fridge. So I looked up the address to Cahokia Mounds to GPS our way there. And guess what they are closed on Monday and Tuesdays so we couldn’t even go. Everything I ever plan seems to turn into a big fiasco! It’s why I never entertain or leave the house. Ok so I am really antisocial and I am blaming it on bad luck. BAHAHAHA.

We had a good day and have decided we will see the mounds on the weekend and drag Brian along. I am sure he would really enjoy that Indian stuff too. One thing about driving all over creation to find cakes is we have seen a lot of places we never knew existed and want to go back and visit them!

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My first 5K in a year!

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IMG_5613The last time I ran a race was a year ago when I did the ROC (families run for ovarian cancer)run. I did walk (barely) for the RASCALS 5K run with Allyson about a month later. Since then I have been pretty much battling plantar fasciitis or recovery from surgery. And I’m going to be brutally honest I am sick of it! I am sick of my foot hurting pretty much every day. I haven’t really talked about it much because if left unspoken, it really isn’t happening. However, it is. There was about a two-week period where my foot felt great and then it went all to hell. And now by the time work ends both of my feet are hurting and I’m cussing because they wouldn’t amputate my foot like I wanted. I know my left foot is only acting up because I am back gimping on my right. And it’s not the plantar fascitiis pain either. (Of course it isn’t , it’s me I’m talking about). The outside of my right foot hurts because I think I’m rotating out when I walk to avoid the incisional pain. So I switched shoes and that  helped a little. Then I found my 700 custom orthotics and wore those. Now that really helped the arch of my foot but really bugged my heels on both feet. I cannot win for losing. However, this is all I am going to say on the subject. Oh and please if you are thinking she should just quit running that’s not even the issue. Besides today I haven’t run or did any kind of distance in three weeks and I still have pain. Also think about what you love most and never do it again. It freaking sucks BIG TIME.

So anyway I decided I was doing the run today and if I can’t walk tomorrow so be it. This is the third year in a row I have done this race and it is amazing. The sea of tea colored shirts is awesome and its nice to run besides women who are surviving ovarian cancer. The floor I work on, I take care of ladies with ovarian cancer. I see them when they are first diagnosed after surgery and sometimes never again. While I was running I thought of my most favorite patient who is now in heaven. I also thought about my first one who is now ten years in the survivorship. And there have been many more along the way. It kind of put a few things in perspective. My feet might hurt to the point of amputation but at least I am not dying or fighting one of the worst cancers ever. I’m looking forward to next years run as well. Who knows I may be in a wheelchair by then but I will be there!

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You’ve got to be kidding me!

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I may have used this title before but it’s a good one so who cares.

Anyway yesterday I was working on my cake photo book (hyper-focused, not OCD) and went to the http://www.stl250.org website to look up something about the Ameristar Casino cake and lo and behold they have added another cake. So now there are two to grow on. This one is located up north at Express Scripts. I had read somewhere that they may end up putting a total for four to grow on cakes out before the end of the year. Ok this is so out of control. How can I totally focus on the Fox superintendent fiasco when I still have cakes distracting me.

Nothing else exciting happening in the mole household. Brian called me at three today to ask me to bring his golf clubs up to the golf course. For the first time ever, he forgot and left them at home. I am telling you, getting older sucks!