Saturday, October 30, 2010

Overwhelmed and Underpaid

I don't get paid enough for this job...

I had better get lots of hugs and kisses from my husband once I get up to Nebraska!  I'm pretty sure he owes me big time!

I am in the midst of packing...packing an entire house!  Yes, you heard right.  We've decided to move the whole house.  It is mainly a financial thing.  It is going to cost us around $1000 minimum to move.  We don't want to do it twice.  It would shave the cost down a bit...maybe $700 each time, but STILL!  We don't want to do it twice!  So, we're going to get it all packed up, loaded up, and shipped out.  What does this mean?  That I am TERRIBLY behind schedule!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two weeks ago, my sweet friend was going to come help me pack.  I opted for a girl's night instead.  BAD CHOICE!

That same week, a sweet friend DID come help me pack.  I sent her home early saying that I just didn't know what else needed to be packed at that point in time.  BAD CHOICE!

This past week, I rounded up some ladies for a last hurrah at Carlos O'Kelly's instead of rounding them up to come pack.  BAD CHOICE!

A different day this week, I had people over and had them do minimal things because I didn't really think that I had that much left to do.  Keaton wouldn't let me put him down, so they did a few minor things while playing with the kids and I took a shower, got all dressed and fixed up, etc.  BAD CHOICE!

Do you see a trend here?  I seem to be losing ground here.  Don't get me wrong.  I wouldn't go back and change my choices.  I needed those times with the girls and everything.  At the time, we were planning to only move the essentials.  Now, we're moving out everything that we own.  We're clearing out the house and our lives from Wichita as far as material possessions are concerned.  We went from half moving to full house moving and it is a LOT to do with 3 kids.  When mom comes to help, one of us is doing something for the kids the whole time.  It's kind of like trudging through mud!  I know we're making some progress, but it is SLOOOOOOW!

Now, dear readers, I ask you one question: Why am I taking the time to do a blog update when I feel this way?  Simple.  I needed a "get my mind together and straight" break before I lost it...my mind, I mean.

Now, I feel better and refreshed and I'm going to go pack up some DVDs.

the end

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Let's try this...

I have videos of both kids singing the old testament.  They both have learned all 66 books of the Bible.  Conrey's is hard to understand, so you might want to watch Cassie's first.  Sorry they're sideways.  I don't know what to do about that.  I hope that they'll upload!



Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Let the countdown begin

So, we're in the home stretch, ladies and gentlemen (If there ARE any gentlemen that read my blog.   No, Dustin...you don't count...sorry)!  The event that we have been looking forward to...waiting and watching for...it is almost here!  I can finally say that, Lord willing, 11 days from right now, I will be in my new home in Alliance, Nebraska!  WOOT!  We have been waiting since the beginning of July to be able to plan a day that we would all be together in NE.  At first, it was "as soon as baby comes."  Then, it was "as soon as Mark finds a house."  It was "this" and "that" and we thought that it was NEVER going to all come together.  Now, my dear readers, it has and we're going to be reunited on Nov 6th! 

So, obviously, we got the house.  Now, there was confusion about the floorplan.  No, there is no bedroom with a bathroom in the middle of it out in the open.  That was a misled conclusion.  But, there IS a rec room that has a sink in it and a closet with a toilet in it.  There IS a laundry room with a shower in it.  There IS a masterbedroom with old, orange carpet.  We are getting a brand new dishwasher.  We are just pretty stinkin' excited to get there.  Mark moved in tonight.  He got okay'd to move in yesterday, packed up everything he had last night, and moved today.  How's that for desperate?!?  :)  He was more than ready to kiss his old, yucky apartment good bye.  Thank you, Lord, for an awesome anniversary present for him!

Oh, did I mention that it's our 8th anniversary today?  We made it through the 7-year itch with no itching problems!  :)  Years 6 and 7 were T-O-U-G-H.  However, our marriage has never been stronger.  We have never been closer.  We have never loved each other more.  We were in the burning fire, but found out through it all, that we are fireproof...and we intend to remain in that state with a lot of hard work and prayers.  Alliance is a town with little to do.  We're excited to spend real, quality time with each other and with our kids with no cable TV (they have cable service...we're just opting out)!  This morning, my doorbell rang and I was presented with 8 roses for 8 great years by the Dillon's delivery man.  What a sweet guy I married!  He's so thoughtful and considerate!

So, that's where we stand.  We will pick up anchor either the evening of the 5th and drive part way or the morning of the 6th and drive straight through.  Either way, God is bringing us back together and we are ecstatic!

Thanks everyone for the continued prayers, the strength and encouragement, and for holding my hand through all of this.  Keep the prayers coming over the next couple of weeks!  I'm gonna need them!!!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Tastefully Simple SALE

[EDIT] The list continues to shrink!  If you're undecided about something, you'd best jump on it before it is gone!!!  If you have any questions about my products, please don't hesitate to ask!

Here's what I've got left, folks:  I sold a BUNCH today and will only have these items on the 30% off sale until I move...then they'll be back to full price.  If I talked to you about a specific product today, I probably took it off of the list to save it for you, so ask me...don't just think that it is sold.  Thanks!

Artichoke and Caper Slow Cooker Sauce (10.72) 7.72
Asian Honey Mustard Dressing (7.23) 5.21
Balsamic and Basil Dipping Oil (9.65) 6.96
Berry Sunrise Pancake and Waffle Mix (9.65) 6.96
Cake Batter Chiller Mix (8.04) 5.79
Creamy Caramel Sauce (9.65) 6.96
Gotta Lotta Garlic Salsa (9.65) 6.96
Juicy Watermelon Slush Drink Mix (10.72) 7.72
MMMMM Mojito/Juicy Watermelon Mini Bucket Drink Mix Duo (10.72) 7.72
Nana’s Apple Cake Mix (6.84) 4.93 (ONE left)
Onion Onion (9.65) 6.96
Samba Sangria Slush Drink Mix (10.72) 7.72
Simple Salad Dressing Mix (6.03) 4.34
Spinach and Herb Dip Mix (9.65) 6.96 (TWO left...this one is a HOT item)
Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler Mix (10.72) 7.72
Sunny Orange Pancake and Waffle Mix (9.65) 6.96
Sweet Pineapple Chipotle Salsa (9.65) 6.96
Sweet Pepper Jalapeno Jelly (6.84) 4.93
Truffle Fudge Brownie Mix (8.25) 5.94

Pictures

Be sure to check out the post below about my Tastefully Simple Online Open House Sale!

Now, for some pictures of the kids.  Keaton, Cassie and Keaton, Conrey and Keaton, and the most hilarious baby picture I've ever seen!

Thanks to my friend, Donna, for taking these last night when she was helping me pack!





Hope you got a giggle out of that one!

Tastefully Simple

[EDIT] My products are going fast!  I am price checking several others for people, so if you want something, you'd better claim it quickly!  Thanks!

With the slow, agonizing death of my business, due to my pregnancy, I am going to sell off a lot of my inventory.  I have plans to restart soon in Nebraska, but for now, I will just clean my slate and sell a bunch...mostly so that I don't have to move it!  :)

So, what does this mean to YOU?  Well, I have a list below of the products that I have that I'm selling for 25-30% off of retail prices!!!  What a bargain!  For example, you can get the beer bread for only $3.85!  I only have limited product and it is first come, first serve.  MD, I have your garlic pepper.  Sorry I'm a lame-o slacker!  I will do my best to bring it tomorrow night to church.

So, if you'd like something, contact me ASAP at mdvickers@juno.com or on facebook.  They're going to go fast, I have a feeling!

Absolutely Almond Pound Cake (6.18) 5.17 (ONE LEFT)
Artichoke and Caper Slow Cooker Sauce (10.72) 7.72
Artichoke and Spinach Warm Dip Mix (8.04) 5.79
Asian Honey Mustard Dressing (7.23) 5.21
Bacon Ranch Dip (5.87) 4.23
Backyard BBQ Dip Mix (5.87) 4.23
Bayou Bourbon Glaze
Balsamic and Basil Dipping Oil (9.65) 6.96
Berry Sunrise Pancake and Waffle Mix (9.65) 6.96
Blue Ribbon Blueberry Bar Mix (6.43) 4.63
Bold and Bossy Honey Mustard Sauce (7.50) 5.41
Bountiful Beer Bread Mix
Bountiful Beer Bread Value Pack (15.55) 11.20
Bruschetta Cheese Ball Mix (7.50) 5.41
Cake Batter Chiller Mix (8.04) 5.79
Corn and Black Bean Salsa (9.65) 6.96
Creamy Caramel Sauce (9.65) 6.96
Dried Tomato and Garlic Pesto Dry Mix (9.65) 6.96
Gotta Lotta Garlic Salsa (9.65) 6.96
Juicy Watermelon Slush Drink Mix (10.72) 7.72
Key Lime Cheese Ball Mix (7.50) 5.41
MMMMM Mojito/Juicy Watermelon Mini Bucket Drink Mix Duo (10.72) 7.72
Nana’s Apple Cake Mix (6.84) 4.93
Oh My Chai (10.72) 7.72
Onion Onion (9.65) 6.96
Perfect Parmesan Biscuit Mix (6.96) 5.01
Perfectly Potato Cheddar Soup Mix (9.11) 6.56
Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce (9.65) 6.96
Roasted Garlic and Herb Dip Mix (9.65) 6.96
Samba Sangria Slush Drink Mix (10.72) 7.72
Savory Wheat Beer Bread Mix (6.43) 4.63
Seasoned Salt (9.65) 6.96
Simple Salad Dressing Mix (6.03) 4.34
Smoky Bacon Grill Sauce
Spinach and Herb Dip Mix (9.65) 6.96
Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler Mix (10.72) 7.72
Strawberry Rhubarb Spread (8.57) 6.17
Sun Dried Tomato Veggie Dip
Sunny Orange Pancake and Waffle Mix (9.65) 6.96
Sweet Pineapple Chipotle Salsa (9.65) 6.96
Sweet Pepper Jalapeno Jelly (6.84) 4.93
Tasty Rye Bread (4.82) 3.47
The Trio (Bacon Bacon, Garlic Garlic, and Onion Onion single use)  (7.50) 5.41
Truffle Fudge Brownie Mix (8.25) 5.94
Twisty Grahams (5.35) 3.85
Vidalia Onion Salad Dressing (8.25) 5.94
Warm the Oven Savory Cheese Dip Mix (9.65) 6.96
Warm Up Mulling Spices (9.65) 6.96

Monday, October 18, 2010

I've Only....

This is a post by one of my friends that she posted on Facebook.  I thought that it was really good and needed to be shared.  Imagine how we could increase the self-worth and confidence in our children if we never indoctrinated them with the "I've Only's."

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I’ve got them. Not the Mondays. The “I’ve Only”s. And it gets worse…it seems I have passed them along to my kids.

Little Sister’s school has a fitness challenge going on where the kids run during recess and someone tallies their laps. Once they reach five miles, they get a little keychain charm in the shape of a foot. She was talking to Leader Pam about it today, and I overheard her telling her, “I’ve only run 2 miles.”

Big Sister is getting great grades in high school, which is a relief, because she struggled in middle school. At the beginning of the year, it because she’d “only” had a few assignments, but she’s keeping up with it and we are so proud of her. She’s a great artist, too, but “only” because she had a picture to guide her.


And me. Since giving birth ten and a half weeks ago, I’ve only lost 25 pounds. Since joining Weight Watchers again 9 weeks ago, I’ve only lost 8.6 pounds. I went back to the gym recently, but I’ve only been 6 times in the last three weeks.

Why? Why do we qualify our successes with that word? Why do we make them seem less important, less impressive than they should be? Leader Pam asked the question at my Weight Watchers meeting this morning—why can’t we celebrate our own successes?

For me, it’s because I’m not done yet. I have a hard time seeing the place I came from because I’m looking at how far I have to go. It’s hard to celebrate fitting into regular, not maternity clothes because I’ve still got boxes of clothes I can’t fit into. It’s hard to celebrate losing five or ten pounds because I’m nowhere near where I want to be.

It breaks my heart that my children have picked up on this and started qualifying their own achievements.

So, this week, I’m challenging myself to celebrate the small things and stop demeaning my success. I DID go back to Weight Watchers. I DID go back to the gym. I WILL continue to lose. And I will set a better example for my children while I’m working on it.
 
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Mine can be qualified in other ways that are limitations, as well.  "I've only slept 4 hours...I've only sat for 20 minutes the whole day...I've only..."  This type of speech limits me in different ways, as it is still negative in nature.  If we could get the word only in its proper place in our vocabulary, I believe that we would have much more power in what we acheive, our attitude, and even how we feel!  Let's all strive to put this limiting qualifier back in its place and encourage ourselves for the great things that we DO accomplish!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Crazy Days of Packin' Heat

I'm packin' heat around here.  No, I'm not a member of the NRA.  I'm just packing like crazy and it is crazy  hot here in Oz.  We had 86ish as our high today...Oct 16th...What in the world?!?

Does anyone have ANY idea how difficult it is to pack up SOME of your stuff to live with for who knows how long?  How do I know what to take?  How do I decide what items to take and what items to leave behind.  What if I forget something.  What if I make a dumb decision in the midst of the crazies?!?  I just don't know what to do.  I go into a room and freeze up unsure of where to start and what to do after I've started.

Do I sound like a wreck?

In the packing department, I am.

Life in general, however, is beautiful.  Sure, I'm exhausted.  Sure, I am outnumbered and sometimes do not have enough appendages with opposable thumbs (might have helped if God gave moms monkey feet...I'm just sayin').  Yes, I miss my other half terribly.

However, life is beautiful.  I am feeling good.  I am fulfilling my role as mother to 3 with, I believe, more grace than I had anticipated.  I get up each morning with joy and I drop into bed with thanksgiving.  I have had 3 pregnancies.  Twice, I have felt AWFUL for weeks afterwards.  This time, when I needed it most, God has blessed me with health both mentally and physically.  From the day of his birth until now, I have felt well and I haven't had complaints other than a few minor aches and pains that are to be expected...are normal...NORMAL.  I don't typically fit that bill, medically speaking.  God has been so gracious to me to grant me good health when I am on my own with 3, packing, getting little sleep, and surviving...no flourishing daily.

So, the questions that I've been asked over and over again that I would like to address now are as follows:
1.  Has our house sold?
2.  When are we moving?
3.  Did Mark get the house we were talking/praying about?
4.  How is Keaton?
5.  How are the other kids?

1.  Our house is past the 100 days on the market mark with no signs of selling any time soon.  However, God is sooo much bigger than the economy and we know that it will sell when His timing is perfect.

2.  I wish that I had a solid answer to this.  Let's combine this with #3.  We pretty much have the house.  The lady hasn't had showings and is sending him the application, which he will fill out and send her with the deposit.  Mark wanted us there next weekend.  Not gonna happen.  We wanted to be together for our 8th anniversary (Oct 26th), but we're not going to be able to be, I guess.  Now, we'll either be going Halloween weekend or the first weekend of November.  As soon as I know, I'll be sure to pass the word.

4.  Keaton is awesome.  He is the best baby.  Again, God blessed me with just what I needed in this difficult situation.  He is still a very chill baby and he never cries unless he is REALLY hungry.  Thank you, Lord, for a calm, contented child when we I needed it most!  Mark doesn't get to be included in that because he hasn't experienced the 3-children thing yet.  We'll have to initiate him once we get up there.  :)

5.  The big kids are great.  They love their brother so, so much and have adapted well.  We still have issues of them messing with him, but I just try to remind myself that they just love him to pieces!  Cassie is doing great in preschool and I terribly hate to have to pull her out at the end of the month.  Conrey's language skills have exploded to where other people can understand him a lot of the time.  It is so great to be able to meet his needs much more effeciently now that we can understand what the heck he's saying!

Welp, that's about it.  If anyone out there wants to A) help me pack, B) come play with the kids while I pack, or the best option...choice C) come do all of the packing for me while I enjoy a relaxing trip to the spa, be sure and let me know.  I would love any and all help that I can get!

I'll keep you all posted with the details of our lives once I know them.  Over and Out.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

The Happenings

So, Mark has a place that is pretty much on hold for us with one exception.  The house is on the market.  The lady made a deal with the realtor to have no renters for the first 30 days that it is on the market.  That should end some time before the end of this month.  The lady has tried to sell the house off and on for 10 years.  SO, we're not too worried about it going before then.  I guess it is a weird floor plan with a bathroom literally in one of the bedrooms or something like that.  Plus, 3 bedrooms are on one side of the house and the other is on the complete opposite end (it's a long ranch).  We'd use that room as a playroom/office, probably, because it is by the kitchen, livingroom.

Here's the deal, though.  Mark hasn't seen the house.  He won't see it until the lady is in town towards the end of the month...she lives an hour or 2 away.  He is ready for us to make plans to move up there before he even sees it.  Seems risky to me to plan on something sight unseen.

SO, if you all would be praying about that decision AND about our house here selling, we would really appreciate it.  If the house here would sell, we would just buy something up there and avoid this whole mess of trying to find a place to rent.  There are lots of good, cheap houses for sell up there.

Thanks for the prayers that I know you all have and will offer up for us.  You've been our rocks through all of this!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

And then there were 5...well, kinda...

You'd think that I'd be plastering this computer with pictures of my sweet one, wouldn't you?  Well, not possible.  You see, my camera is in Nebraska.  Lovely.  So, if any of you out there in blog land have pictures of my baby that you can send me, I'd appreciate it.  :)  I will try to copy and paste some from facebook that my parents have uploaded.

So, we are a family of 5 now, though it doesn't really seem like it with Daddy away.  Life this past week has been good, though extremely tiring.  I feel like I fairly float through each day.  By the end of the day, I just want to crash.  At the same time, I know that it will be a short nap before I have to wake up to feed, so it is sometimes hard to make myself go to bed thinking of the next time that I'll have to get up.

My good friend and I were due within 5-1/2 weeks of each other.  She has a 3-y-o, a 19-m-o, and an almost 7-week-old.  During our pregnancies, we were both praying for contented, laid-back babies for both of us.  I cannot speak for her as of late,  ;)  but I can say that I believe that God has blessed me with just that.  Keaton has the BEST disposition.  He does not cry unless he is hungry and then it is a very slow progression from talking at me to fussing to crying.  He just does not get mad.  He sleeps great for a newborn.  He's getting up every 2 to 2-1/2 hours, sure, but he falls right back asleep after being fed and changed.  He is just a sweet little man and has stolen all of our hearts.

I will leave you with this picture.  It is our first family picture as a family of 5.  It is from the day after delivery.  Cassie and Conrey had been outside, so ignore their crazy hair.  I had just delivered a baby the day before, so ignore mine too.  :)


Also, I want to show you this side-by-side of Conrey in the hospital and Keaton to see if you see the similarities that everyone else has seen. 


First is Conrey and then Keaton.  What do you think?
Well, that's all for now.  The kids are driving me bonkers about wanting dessert from lunch.  Well, not Keaton...he's sleeping peacefully in his swing.  


It's about time!

So sorry for the delay of posting.  I know that many of you have been anxious to hear about our labor and delivery...especially after I started updating about it and then quit at 10 in the morning!

So, it wasn't too terribly long after 10:10 that I got my epidural.  I knew that the really rough contractions were coming because the pitocin was in full swing.  So, I got it and did really well with it.

I got to a 6 and -2 station (you go -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, and then 3 station...3 station is where you're crowning).  Anyway, the next time they checked...6 and -2.  The next time...6, -2 to -1.  The next time...you guessed it...still stuck.  Oh, and all of those checks were 70% effaced.

Pretty quickly, I started getting a lot of pain down in the "delivery region" and they gave me a boost of epidural med to help.  They checked me just after this and I was at a 7-8.  The dr noticed with this check, though, that Keaton was face up and not face down, as he was supposed to be, so he flipped him.  I started complaining of a BUNCH of pressure right away, so she checked me again and I was at a 9 and 100%, but still -1 station, which is really high.  This was like 2 minutes after the 7-8 check. 

The dr was putting on his "gear" by this point.  I said, "He's coming!"  They said, "Ok....."  I said, "He's coming NOW."  The nurse lifted the sheet and said, "Yeah, we're crowning, Dr.  You probably want to come over here...."  From the time I was dialated to 6 until the time he was born was somewhere around 6-1/2 minutes.  It was crazy.

After the extra epidural medicine, though, I noticed my pelvis/hips really hurting even though I was completely numb in my legs with no function whatsoever.  The nurse said that it was just the bones moving around for baby to pass through.  I really didn't believe that because I'd done this twice before and never felt that feeling, but considering the fact that I was in the process of delivering a baby, I didn't argue.

As I pushed him out, the pain severely increased.  They got him out and by this time, I was in agony in my hips, pelvis, thighs, calves, and feet...this confirmed that it had nothing to do with the bones moving around for delivery...something was NOT right.  I believe by this point I was...not screaming...I'll say loudly proclaiming my discomfort.  Moving helped minutely, but remember that I'm completely numb at this point and have no control.  My sweet, sweet doctor and my loving, concerned husband are moving my legs around trying to help relieve my pain.  I cannot describe it except to say that it was like the most extreme restless leg syndrome I can imagine combined with charlie horses in every inch of my lower half.  I was griping the bed rails trying to move myself around to a position that would offer minimal relief, but could find none.  The doctor ordered stat valium as a muscle relaxer/sedation.  Apparently, by this point I was screaming, because my dad's patient was working in the pharmacy when the stat order was placed and she could hear me screaming in the background and she wasn't even the one ON the phone!  They gave me the shot and it did nothing...absolutely nothing.

Needless to say, I was scared and confused as to what was going on.  It didn't help that my dr and nurses were at a loss too.  My dr had told me earlier in the day that he had delivered over 14,000 babies.  Now, he was telling me that he had never seen or heard of anything like this.  I kept saying, "I DON'T UNDERSTAND!"  I kept my eyes mostly closed because the dr and nurses all had bewildered looks on their faces...especially after the valium failed.

He then ordered a stat order of Toradol, which is a really strong pain reliever in the same family of meds as ibuprofen.  Somewhere between that shot and the epidural wearing off, I noticed that I could tolerate my legs being still a second longer than the time before.  Then, it was 5 seconds longer.  Finally, by the time the med was fully in my system and the epidural was worn off to the point that I could move my legs on my own, the pain was pretty much gone.

I'm not sure if it was the pain med or the lack of epidural meds that made the pain stop or if it was the combination of the two, but either way, I was back to normal and had no lasting effects.  It was extremely strange (but I've always claimed to be a girl of medical mysteries...I was severely sick for 6 years and no cause could be found by specialist after specialist) and I would not ever wish it on anyone.  I have never had  severe pain in completely numb parts of my body before...that is the weirdest part to me.  I couldn't feel the shots (I'm feeling them now, boy  howdy!).  I couldn't feel people touching my legs.  I couldn't move them.  However, something was sending severe pain signals to my brain.

I finally...FINALLY got to see my baby boy.  I really hadn't to this point because I was thrashing around in the bed like a psychopath.  My nurse actually told me that she was waiting for my head to start spinning! :)  Anyway, he was all cleaned up and wrapped up and all before I ever got to see him or hold him.  Instant gratification for all that I'd endured when I laid eyes on that boy.  I must say that he was and is one of the prettiest babies I've seen.  Everyone commented that he did NOT look newborn.  I think that it was because he had no time to be squished in the birth canal.  He was only in the birth canal for a total of about 4 minutes.  In that moment of gazing into his little eyes, I dare say that I fell in love for the 4th time.

Did I mention that my 1st love was there with me the whole time.  He was my strength and my focus through it all.  I truly do not know what would have happened had he not been there.  I might have been hysterical.  But, the good Lord provided what I needed, as always, and he was by my side.

So, that's the long story of my delivery (really post-delivery is where all of the action was).  If you're one of my preggo friends, don't let it freak you out.  Remember...my dr has delivered over 14,000 and never seen OR heard of anything like this.  My poor, poor nurse was 13 weeks along with her first and I dare say she'll be thinking about my delivery as she approaches hers.

More updates to come on life with 3

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Home Free

We are home.  I promise to update soon.  Thanks for all of the prayers and FB comments and all! 

Friday, October 1, 2010

10:10 a.m.

Dialated 4 70% -2.

Started

Pitocin was started at 8:45.  I've already been contracting all morning, so maybe this will be short!  :)  When they checked me, I was 2-2.5, 50%, -2...not any difference from Wednesday.  Guess that's about it!

Showtime

We're checked in.  I'm in a lovely gown (but at least its green...my favorite color).  We're sitting and waiting for our nurse to return.  Her password to log in was expired.  Please don't let this be a sign of the day ahead.  :)  Stay tuned!