TONSILS OUCH

So I am getting my tonsils out in the morning. I am being a grown up about it too. Calling a cab at 5:30am to take me to the hospital, all by myself. No one to hold my hand or rub my back. Just me and the poor nurses who are forced to work at such an early hour of the morning.

Then I am going to sit around until they decide it is time to drug me up and knock me out for a short snip snip of the tonsils. My doc told me I could look forward to a morphine drip when I wake up. That only made me feel more nervous.

Actually, this is the first time I have had a body part removed (other then my wisdom teeth, but I never got to know them). Never to be a part of me again. I know its not like I am losing a hand, arm, leg or foot. But I have known my tonsils in a way most people never get to know their tonsils. They have been sore, and yucky for as long as I can remember. I can tell when they are getting infected and know the process it takes to make them feel better like the back of my hand. Details of which I don't think you really want to know, but it involves hot salty water and puss.

I think I am a purest of a certain kind. I never wanted my body altered by way of piercings or tattoos. Even my ear lobs are the same as the day I was born. My mother has been asking me to get the gap in my front teeth fixed for years (and my husband agrees) but that gap is a part of me just like my nose is. So thinking about getting my old enemies (my tonsils) out makes me well.... kind of uneasy, and strangely a little sad. I know, I am happy to be done with all the pain and bother. But still... its a part of me.

Well I better pack my overnight bag and get my papers in order. I am off on an adventure tomorrow. And in a few hours I will know what its like to live tonsil free! Here I go.

A Sunday at the Dog Beach

This Sunday Graham and I got up early and headed out to the beach. Being new to Perth we where not sure what beach to go to, so we just drove over to the coast a little north of Fremantle and kept on driving until we found a parking spot along the beach road. It was a hot day so many people had the same idea as us and it took awhile to find a place to park the car we had borrowed.

Upon arriving at the beach we noticed right away that something was different. there where about 200 hundred people at the beach and 3 times as many dogs. I mean for everyone one person on the beach (and it was busy) there was three dogs. I could not believe it. Dogs of every kind, all running free without leaches. Graham and I dropped our towels and headed for the water, it was cool and refreshing. We then spent the morning watching the nearly 600 dogs play, swim, fight, and chase each other. Many dogs where in the water with their owners, swimming along side, leaping over breaking waves. Some dogs completely ignoring their owners and running free like bandits on the sand, swimming with whom ever they choose. I have never seen so many dogs in one place in all my life, it was truly a site to see.

After a long swim Graham and I went for a walk down the beach, but where constantly being cut off by running dogs, or roaming dogs looking for some attention. It made for an interesting beach stroll. We watched in a kind of awe-horror as we saw dog after dog peeing of the same beach towels over and over again. That would be a big surprise after a swim in the ocean, nothing like a pee soaked towel to dry one's self off on. After seeing this we hurried back to our awaiting towels happy to find they where doggy pee free. Although we could not be sure of this as it was a hot day.

I did not have a camera with me on our beach outing but I wish I had (the pics above I found online). It was a beautiful beach, and it made me glad to know there was somewhere for dogs to play in the sand. But I am glad most beaches are off limits to our doggy friends. All the doggy pee and poo was a little off putting. Most owners picked up their pets "droppings"but sadly some did not. I don't know about you, but seeing a gigantic doggy poo floating in the water near where children are playing is a little upsetting. Even more upsetting is noticing that no one around really cares.

But despite all this it was a fantastic outing to the beach. These dogs really knew how to have fun. Graham and I headed home with a big smile, but decided next time we would go to a different beach, one with fewer K9 swimming companions. But next time we are there I will take my camera I promise!

Knowing me..

If you know me well these are a few things you can count on.

• I can not spell.. at all... even simple words, once a friend named Janice had to teach me to spell her name by saying "Mary think of it as JA-nice, then you will never forget". and this proves I did not.
• I am a simple cook. meat, and veg. maybe some pasta.
• I spend a lot of time worrying about things that will never happen.
• I can not sleep unless I read first, it can be for a few minutes, or a few hours, does not matter.
• I love sugar, I was a candy child. I know my parents tried their best to keep sugar out of my diet, but I was a kid, and I was an American and that meant I ate a lot of sugar, I still do, although I have gotten better.
• I do not know my multiplication tables. In 3rd grade I swore to my mother that I could do without knowing my times tables for the rest of my life. For all of third and fourth grade I hated learning them. And to my luck I have not had to use them much in my adult life. Although marrying a human calculator was the best thing I could have ever done.
• I hate it when people are late.
• I am rarely late.
• I use images on my blog that I am sure I have to ask permission for. Hope I do not get caught.
• I still have my childhood stuffed animal "Brownie" He sits on my bedside table!
• I am a proud American
• I love to write letters, and get them in the mail. My mom sends me a letter nearly every day with clippings from home, I have 4 boxes full of her letters. I guess she forgave me for not knowing my multiplication tables.
• I love cats! I would be the crazy cat woman if I had not met Graham, although there is still a chance it could still happen.
• I like to watch The Simpsons every evening at 6pm, and am not sure what life would be like if that stopped.
• Sometimes I want to climb tree's in the park, but don't tell anyone about it. Same with jumping into pools with my cloths on when no one is paying attention.
• I like to think I am a good friend, and I always try my best.
• I would love start my own Children's Theatre Company.

Just felt like sharing. Cheers.

Always I wish there was more time!

This year got off to an exciting start for Graham and I, my Mom and Dad visited us from Indianapolis Indiana. We saw Mom and Dad last in July back in Indiana, so it was great to get to show them our new home in Perth.

Graham and I have a small 2 bedroom apartment in Perth so fitting us all in was an interesting challenge. It did not take long from my Dad to install his ham radio station from our front porch. He tied a long wire antenna to a tall tree on the street and then brought it back to our apartment. It was hanging about 10 feet off the ground from the tree to our front door ( a distance of about 30 feet). I am sure the people living on our street thought it was pretty strange, but in the Wolfla family things like that are normal. He was able to talk to his friends back in Indiana as well as new friends he made in Perth. He even went out to lunch with some of the local hams! It was fun to come home from work and see Dad chatting away on his radios!

I had to work most days of my parents visit (yuck I know). But Mom, Dad, and Graham got to have lots of fun together, they saw nearly all the sites of Perth. Visiting a reptile park, and the Australian Mint. I think Mom enjoyed the more simple things like going to the fruit and vegetable market, and super market the best though. I do have to say our local fruit and veg shop is pretty cool. They sell all kinds of great things, butters, cheeses, meats, candy, baked sweets, its a truly European shop. One could spend hours there and come home with tons of yummy fatty things. I love to visit on Sundays and come home with something spoiling for Sunday dinner.

Over a weekend Mom, Dad, Graham and I went down to one of Australia's most famous wine regions, The Margaret River. And yes, there is a river there although Graham claimed there was not one. We drove over it on the way into town. But don't worry I still thing Graham is perfect, as most commonly claims. Margaret River was beautiful, and I started to wonder why in the heck we did not live there. Its about a 3.5 hour drive from my home in Perth. Its green and on the coast with some really great beaches and reefs. We went to some of the best wineries the region had to offer, and stayed in a cozy hotel near town. Mom spoiled me while in Margaret River and bought me a pain of Birkenstock sandals. I love them! I know I will have them for a long time to come.

Mom and Dad where with us in Perth for the Australia Day public holiday. Its like the 4th of July, but it does not mark the day Australia won its independence from England like the 4th does for us. Instead its more like a "Yay for Australia Day". Australia is still tied to England in some weird ways. The queen is on the money, there is a Union Jack on the Australia flag, and Australia is a member of the Commonwealth. Kind of like being a member of the Queen's Club. Anyways. Australia Day Celebrations happen all over the country on January 26th, there are citizen ceremonies and fireworks, also lots of BBQ's and beer drinking (this is Australia after all). Graham and I took Mom and Dad down to see some fireworks and an air show (with airplanes) on the fore shore (shore line of the city). The fireworks where really cool, and I have to say better then any firework show I have seen in Indianapolis over the years, although the cities are of similar size. We brought a picnic dinner with us and had a few cocktails. It was a great night!

It was easy to get use to having Mom and Dad home with us, so as you can imagine it was hard to see them head home again. Although I suspect our cat Kit did not mind seeing them leave, (traitor). I feel so blessed and am truly lucky to have parents who are willing and able to travel to other end of the earth to see their daughter. Its not an easy trip, from my front door in Perth to my parent's door it takes a little over 34 hours travel time. If you have not traveled this far before, please let me tell you..... Its Far, really far. And only getting longer with the new laws being placed on air travel. But if it keeps us safe, its worth it! I am still waiting on a teleporter though! I hope to be the first commercial buyer of that product!

I am working on a trip home in June of 2010 at the moment to see Mom and Dad, and my girls in Boise. I will keep you posted on how it goes. It maybe just me coming home as Graham is studying non stop this year!

We love and miss you Mom and Dad! Thanks for everything!