Jessie came to visit! I was SO surprised when I opened the door with my hair up in a messy bun, wearing sweat pants and a sweater and the house not tidied at all, and the guest room kind of junky. Huh? Seriously though....three times before she didn't make it and this time she did. I guess it just goes to show you that you should always be prepared? When she came I was working on putting plastic on the windows in the office.

It was great to have Jessie over! She was my first friend when I moved to Boyceville in fifth grade, and my only friend for that entire year. The next year I gained two more -- Melinda and Kari. :) Kari is my cousin by marriage and Melinda was ... well. Melinda. Anyway, so I have known her for quite a while and this was the first time she has ever visited me. How cool! We talked, went and had coffee with Hilary where she was able to get her baby fix (she has three kids of her own). That night we drank a lot of wine, watched Spotless Mind, talked and talked and finally went to sleep. Friday after my dentist appointment we went to Misty Mountains (a gaming store right next to TKD) where she met an online friend. That place is HUGE! It's like a mini convention center. I took some pictures which I will put up later. Then we went to Olbrich Gardens to look at the art and Thai Pavilion, and then to Cost Plus. I love that store. It was a harrowing drive over to the west side but we managed to find it and return in one piece. Thank god. After dinner we counted a bunch of change and headed over to the DeJope Bingo and lost it all. But we had fun and that is what matters most of all. Right?

On Saturday morning she left but was happy to be heading home. A week is a long time for a first trip out away from the husband and kids.

So the Dentist.....fuck! I have another tooth that has gotten cavities and a filled one that may have cavities but definitely needs to be replaced. If it doesn't get replaced it has a greater chance of decay and THAT means any extra drilling would require me to have a crown. I asked them what a crown was and they told me it was very expensive.

Anything at the dentist translates directly to expense with me. Anyway, I also have a cavity on the only erupted wisdom tooth (which I only had for two years!) which she isn't going to worry about because it is going to be pulled. SO...the whole reason I went to the dentist was to check out the wisdom teeth and get them out. I wasn't t planning on getting any fillings...that is going to cost 185 dollars. Sigh. So I have all four wisdom teeth, two partial erupted, one full and one impacted, and they ALL grew in straight. I just don't have enough room in my jaw to accommodate them. And even if I did have enough room (as the top one has proved) it would probably get a cavity in it right away. MAN! Since it is oral surgery most of the cost is covered under medical insurance, except that one tooth. Break it all down it is going to cost me about 25-35 dollars. However, and there is always a however.....the oral surgery place requires a 200 dollar deposit. They say they will refund the change after the claim has gone through insurance. That just doesn't seem right. I am offended that I have to tie up 175 dollars for this bullshit.

Sunday was Tim's birthday! Yah! We went out for breakfast the Dairyland Dinner, then he went to play DnD, and then later on his parents stopped by for a surprise visit with a cake! You see, I wasn't going to make one because I would just end up eating the whole thing. Then Tim's sister Sarah and Luke and two of their friends stopped by too and we all had cake and chatted. Tim's parents have never done anything like that in the whole time I have known them. It was a Very Special Birthday.

OH! Sharon (the mother in law aka mil) fixed my sewing machine! And when I say fixed, I guess I mean showed me how to work it. It had something to do with tension -- that I knew all along. What I apparently didn't know, was how to thread it correctly in the tension wheel. She showed me how to do it right and ... voila! Working sewing machine. Wow. What should I make? The curtains are already made. Wait, who am I kidding? I have a bajillion other things to be doing.

I also forgot to mention that Tim bought...er I bought for Tim....Champions of Norath and Halo (1). Wow, that Halo game is fun...it's the first person shooter I have ever gotten the hang of. It took a while too because I had the controls inversed but I got used to it. And switching back to how it should be would be just too confusing.

Pictures will come tomorrow.