Such a great celebration!

First off, yesterday was the last day of my low iodine experience for this year. Since it was thyroid cancer, this will be repeated for the next few years.

To begin with, I need to go back to Thursday night. I’m part of a Guild Wars “guild.”

We play almost every night – myself, my husband, a friend and my brother in Ohio. After Thursday’s game, my brother called me and asked me about some Bay City Rollers song he had going through his head and wanted to put on his iPod. I didn’t know what it was but I gave him some pointers on using Google to find it.

So, Friday I got up very excited because the low iodine diet was almost over and I had plans to “break” my dairy and chocolate fast with a trip to a frozen yogurt store, Menchie’s, at our local mall. My daughter was going to join me after her only Friday class.

Before I left the house to get my body scan and blood work done, I texted her that I would meet her at the Border’s coffee shop before we went for our treat.

As I was lying on the scanning bed, my phone rang, but of course I couldn’t answer it and then the little bell that I had a voice mail went off. I figured it was Juliette telling me either she was going to be late or something like that.

When the scan was over, I headed for my car to go get the blood work done. I’d been told a couple of times by my endocrinologist’s nurse that the blood work was CRUCIAL. I had to get it done IMMEDIATELY after the scan and if I didn’t, then everything – the 19 days of low iodine diet, taking the radioactive iodine and having the scan – ALL OF IT – was for nothing and I seriously didn’t want to go through that again, so as excited as I was for the ice cream, I kept reminding myself, Blood work, Blood work, Blood work.

I looked at my phone and the missed call and voice mail was from my brother. He’d found the song – La Belle Jeane.

La Belle Jeane

His voice mail said, “Thank you so much. You’re awesome. Love you.”

I called him back and told him he was a goof ball and we chatted until I got to the lab for my blood work.

I went to check in and the receptionist took my information. She said, “You just left your doctor’s office?”

“No,” I said. “I just had a body scan done.” The nurse had told me the orders were already in the system, so she told me to take a seat.

A few minutes later, she called me back and said my doctor’s office had no record of me needing blood work done. I thought, what happened to without blood work it was all for nothing??? I told her that and said I just had the scan done.

“Oh, you just had a body scan done?”

“Yes.” I just told you that. She called the nurse back and when she said “body scan” she stopped, then said, “Oh, okay” and hung up. Then she told me to take seat and she’d send the order to the techs.

I don’t know how long I waited. I saw everyone that was there before me go in, but I kept thinking – it’s a lab. Not everyone is here for the same reason, but when the techs are standing around outside one of the doorways chatting, and people who are coming it now aren’t even getting their butts in a the chairs before their names are called, I knew something was up.

I went back to the same receptionist and asked if she could give me an idea of how much longer I needed to wait. She asked my name again. (Seriously, I was here twice about twenty minutes ago, you don’t remember me???)

“They haven’t called you yet?”

Well, yes, they did call me but having blood drawn is so much fun I thought I’d wait and see if they could do it again!

Well, yes, they did call me which is why I’m asking you WHEN they’re going to call me.

“No.”

“Okay. I’ll send the orders back again.”

I went back to my seat and was called almost instantly – or about a minute later so I know the orders didn’t go back the first time.

So, after that, I headed to the mall and got my celebration going.

My daughter, who is a junior in college and therefore broke, bought me a slice of pizza and then the frozen yogurt. She said it was lame but that was her birthday gift to me.

Now, if I hadn’t been on that restricted diet and if she lived at home and I saw her all the time, she might have been right. It wouldn’t have been a great gift, although getting to spend time, just us girls, and walking around the mall was fun.

As it was, it was great. We talked and laughed and had fun until I had to get Noah from school.

Today was the real celebration.

We went first to Noah’s basketball game. The Saint-Bulls are still undefeated and my son, who is excellent at defense, got the ball a couple of times and once even on offense and attempted a basket! He’s getting better; several of the fathers even told him and me that. Again, we were told that he needs to get into track because he’s fast. Now if we could just get him to run with his dad!!

After the game we went to a restaurant near the mall, BJ’s Brewhouse We got their before my in-laws. Steve had told me after lunch we’d go shopping for my present because he hadn’t had time to buy me anything. I had picked out at Sephora what I wanted the day before, so we went there while we waited.

I wanted the Too Faced Romantic Eye palette.

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However, they were out of that one. I have the Natural Eye one so I opted for the Naked Eye one.

I also got some mascara and then my birthday gift from Sephora, Birthday Cake body wash from Philosophy.

We had lunch and it was great. I started with a chocolate covered cherry martini, had Texas style chicken fried steak and chocolate ice cream on a hot chocolate cookie for dessert.

I’m not sure I’ll eat again for awhile.

For gifts, I got a lovely pearl necklace, $100 and an Olive Garden gift card from my in-laws and a cool head set from our friend who plays Guild Wars with us (he joined us for lunch). We’re hoping to be able to actually talk to each other during the game instead of using a chat window.

So, it’s been a great birthday and I’m a lucky, happy woman!

Have a great day, all my friends!!!