If I told you everything that has been happening lately, it would be a novel...and I'm not sure you'd have the stamina to sit and read the whole thing. (Maybe I don't have the stamina to sit and write it all right now either.) So I think I'll break it up into chewable pieces for you:)
February was a month full of family because February is birthday month. My birthday and my sisters' birthdays (blood sis and sis-in-law)! My dad and stepmom visited us at the beginning of the month and we ate at a delicious spot on the river for dinner. The food was amazing:) Riverside Grill on the Clinch River in Oak Ridge, TN. Go early enough to have daylight to see the view. Excellent.
Then hubby took me out of town for my actual bday weekend and surprised me throughout the entire weekend! He's so sweet to me. He took me downhill skiing near Asheville, NC and to the Biltmore House, which neither of us had ever seen before. It was so much fun. I enjoyed the house tour much more than skiing in 21 degrees of cold but it was a fabulous weekend. He made reservations at the fancy dining room in the Biltmore Inn and we ate by the massive fireplace. Heaven! To make the weekend even better he announced his present to me was...A KITTEN:)!
Soak that announcement in if you're a cat person. Big cheesy grin, squeals of delight and jumping up and down and asking over and over again, "Really? For real?" Best. Gift. Ever.
I grew up with cats and always wanted my own. When hubby and I met I found out he was severely allergic to cats. Epic disappointment. Almost a deal breaker (not really but I did at least pause a little). I'm allergic to dogs and I really don't like dogs AT ALL. For good reasons. So we decided we'd just have a lot of kids and no pets ever.
Fast forward 2.5 years and a move to another state. Mind you, the Allergy Capital of the USA...no kidding. Knoxville is in a pit surrounded by mountains so the air just sits. This explains why every other billboard is for a local allergist. And our new neighbors found out I was a cat-lover and informed us of some awesome news...there is such a thing as allergy shots:) Please do not picture me forcing my husband to mutilate his arms with pricks. That isn't what happened.
What did happen was we BOTH went to the allergist and got tested. If you've never been tested for allergies before, here is what happens: They take a small, tiny amount of serum and prick it onto your back. Yes, prick it. Something tiny and sharp deposits the serum on your skin. Then you have to lie there for 20 minutes, no scratching allowed, and they come in and see how your skin reacts. Big red itchy bump = you're allergic to whatever was in that liquidy stuff.
Now, multiply that agony 90 times. Because they prick you with 90 different serums at the same time in a grid pattern on your back and then make you wait for 20 minutes. We both went through this craziness. I ended up having to get several shots in the arm because I didn't show up being allergic to some things on my back so they give you a larger dose under the skin in your arm and make you wait again. I think I got 9 shots in my arm. Nice.
Well hubby blew up like a Macy's day parade...turns out he's allergic to air. No seriously, to basically anything in the air. EVERYTHING they put on his back became the size of a 50 cent piece almost. No lie. So he went forward in getting the allergy shots bless his heart. Not just in hopes of a future furry pet but also for his general breathing abilities:) 2x a week for several months increasing in concentration...and now only 1x a week...:) He's a trooper. A real winner my hubby:) I love him for it.
And I thank God that the shots are working:) We have 2 of the cutest kitties ever and he's having no issues. He loves our cats:) They bring us BOTH such great joy.
Thanks hubby! You made my 27th the best birthday EVER. No foolin'.
