Really ridiculously good 1.5 days

YAY!!! Kevin still loves me even though I gained 250 pounds in the last three months and didn't tell him. Boy was he surprised when he saw me again and couldn't get his arms all the way around me. Thanks to gastric bypass and the widely advertised liposuction available in Utah (We Suck... Fat!), I was back to my normal size by Saturday evening which is when these pictures were taken.

What can I say? I love a practical joke. Add another 30K to the student debt total -- Lipo is exPENsive! But I fit into my wedding dress again (phew.)

I must throw in here that I went to the temple to receive my endowment this weekend in Logan and it was the best experience of my life so far, only to be topped by the event happening this Saturday, of course.


Here are some pictures of what Kevin likes to call "The Kevypoo and Jeebers Celebration Event." It was a shower/open house/party. (I was too busy being glued to Kevin to take pictures of Thanksgiving or the temple.) Sorry... but not really.

food prep

the happy couple

Glenns and former Glenns and soon-to-be former Glenn (me)

I love this man

My cutie patootie cousins Amanda and Jocelyn

Blue Steel

Opening gifts with Scott the recorder, Cherie the garbage collector, Cheryl the photographer, and Vern, Greg, and Shawn as the peanut gallery.

We got lots of wonderful and special gifts. Thanks everyone!

Kevin is hoping to use that pink polka-dot bag for bringing his lunch to the dental clinic.

I told him that would be alright. Here ya go, honey.

It was a blast to see friends and family again, and to meet a lot of the important people in Kevin's life. Sadly, these pictures were taken approximately one hour before I had to drop my wonderful fiance back off at the airport. My only consolation this time is remembering that 6 days is a lot shorter than 3 months, and to reflect back on the time that he and I shared together in the temple on Saturday morning.

Kevypoo is taking finals this week. He's gonna blow the competition out of the water, I say. And, this may be the last you hear of me for a while because, well, I'm getting married, ok??? And I'm going to act like a newlywed and pretend that there is nothing in the universe but my new husband for a while. So sue me.

Lemon-scented Pledge

My mom's new nickname:

Dobby the House Elf.


I came home from work for my lunch hour today to the fresh, lemony scent of Pledge and sparkling, dust-free furniture.

Thankfully, there are some differences between her and her namesake. She is not nearly so annoying, she has far fewer wrinkles, and she is not two and half feet tall.

Unfortunately, when she snaps, she doesn't disappear. Wouldn't that be a cool trick? Don't worry, Mom, I don't want you to disappear.

We are having a blast just hanging out and making wedding preparations at a leisurely pace. It's two weeks from tomorrow! Halle-FREAKIN-lujah!

Fall in Richmond

The mighty James between two parks, Pony Pasture and Huegenot Flatwater. This stretch of river is really popular with kayakers.

Do you see the Redtailed hawk in the picture above? I got some good looks, even without binoculars.

This is a road heading up the one I ran on. This is a really cool neighborhood.

As much as I miss an alpine landscape or towering sandstone cliffs, I'm not without opportunities to lose myself in nature, and this time of year the legendary fall colors in Virginia are in full glory. Getting in touch with the natural world and all the life and beauty it contains is important for my own well being, and it was really good for me at this time of my life. Yesterday I went for a run down by the James River, and I was so overwhelmed with the beauty of the colors that I decided to retrace my steps this morning before church with my camera in hand. This was a very pleasant diversion for my poor mind as I count down the days (27) until the big day. I miss Jeebs tremendously, and I need productive activities like this to keep me from dwelling on how much I miss her. I can't wait until I can afford a nice SLR with some nice lenses to boot to really capture the details. I just wish I could have shared the amazing experience with Jeebers......

The Change I Want To See

I was perusing opinion articles on Medscape today and found one that paints a nice (realistically UGLY) picture of our nation's insurance industry. He's Dr. John P. Geyman and you can access the full article and references on Medscape.

Here's what he said:

"The health insurance industry in America is dying. How can that be -- such a powerful, $300 plus-billion industry with so many lobbyists? Here are some benchmarks of its death march:

• Growing unaffordability of premiums, which grew 87% between 2000 and 2006,[1] and are projected to consume one third of family income by 2010 and theoretically all of it by 2025.[2]
• Forty-six million Americans are without health insurance, and at least another 25 million are underinsured.[3]
• Four of 10 Americans are "somewhat" or "completely" unprepared to cope with a costly medical emergency in the coming year.[4]
• The private market now includes less than 60% of employers, and in 2005, only 6% of US employers covered the full cost of family coverage.[5]
• While the insurance market fell by 1% between 2000 and 2005, its work force grew by one third (mostly new employees involved with denial management).[6]"

I'm of the opinion that a drastic change needs to be made, and soon. Obviously what we have is not working, and I am one of the many frustrated providers that has the special privilege of seeing the incredible waste and inefficiency of our health insurance system from the inside.

My question to you, dear readers:

What do you think about a single-payer system for health insurance in America?

Trust me, I've heard arguments on both sides, but I'm increasingly convinced that this may be our nation's way out of its downward spiral. Today I found the Physicians for a National Health Program website and they have a great FAQ page about single-payer systems. [Disclaimer: it is written from a PRO single-payer perspective.] Check it out and see if it answers or addresses some of your doubts or questions.