This has been an interesting few weeks. It's been hectic, stressful, happy, maddening, you name it.

I had a great time with my parents and Matt. Mom and Dad went home yesterday and Matt goes home today. Family is what it's all about!!! I will dearly miss them.

New Years Eve was fun. We had our usual buffet: shrimp, greek spinach pies, wings, tamales, finger sandwiches, etc. and of cours the sparkling bubbly. We toasted early this year because Steve had to go to work at 10:00pm. But that was okay...by midnight my folks were asleep and I was dozing in a chair. Of course Matt and Alex stayed up most the night playing video games.

New years day Mom, Dad, and I went to see the movie "Marley and Me" (awesome movie by the way!). During the movie I noticed something happening to my face. My muscles weren't moving on the right side. It hit suddenly. I didn't panic because a few years back Alex came down with Bell's Palsy. I had a sneaking suspicion that I had been hit. I wasn't worried about a stroke because I didn't see the other signs. However, after the movie we headed straight for the ER to make sure there wasn't some other underlying symptom causing the paralysis. After 4 hours of waiting in a room I was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy. NO FUN. I'm embarrassed to smile because I'm only 1/2 happy (haha). I do have pain in the back of my head that wraps around under my ear and along the jawline. It keeps me awake (it really does hurt). I have to use eye drops in my right eye because I can't blink. Man I look funny. Murphys Law I guess. Surgery, bladder infection, Bell's Palsy all in one month...hmmmm. At least I'm trying to laugh about it. I make an awesome pirate face!...without trying..hehehehe!