We are having a picnic for our family and friends tomorrow to celebrate our marriage on the first of the year. We knew we wanted to reserve a specific park a short walk from our home for this party, but the village would not take reservations prior to January 1st. Ideally, we would have liked to have the park some Saturday early in the warm season. However, we were a bit busy during the first bit of January, and by the time we called to get a reservation, there were only a couple of Saturdays in August left. One conflicted with other plans, so that left August 27th.

We both have off today to finish up the last minute items—including the less significant but fun ones like putting little glass beads in mason jars. This was actually an idea from my friend Heather…there are a couple dozen daisies waiting to be picked up today to be used with these as well. We had ribbon too, but Nick and I decided we liked them better without. It's more "us" this way (we're just not ribbon kind of people).

Nick spent an inordinate amount of time measuring 9.3 ounces of beads for each jar using our food scale. I stared at him all the while, hoping my stern gaze would speed him along. If this is any indication what the rest of the preparations will be like, I think I might have to start drinking early.

Yesterday I tried a high-dose anti-inflammatory medication (a steroid) that I've never tried before. I had to see a physician's assistant the day before since my regular doctor was not in. He told me that if I use it with my daily pain medication, it would probably make me feel a lot better…and I have to admit, my back did feel better on it—but at a cost.

It was a scary day for me. My heart was racing and I was sweaty, jumpy, and very anxiety-ridden. Then, at about 3:00 in the afternoon, all side effects vanished and my back pain was back full force. I got in touch with my regular doctor and we have it all straightened out now.

But getting back to last night…

We have a big party we're hosting on Saturday (a wedding celebration thing), so we've been tasky all week. I got home and changed out of my dress into a pair of shorts and a tee shirt. The shorts felt about two sizes too big. I looked at my legs and I had muscle definition back and everything—it felt like I was back in 2005! Ah, life before all this mess began. It seems like so long ago.

Still, as nice as it was to get a glimpse of old Laura, it's not worth feeling that awful to get the inflammation (and thus its swelling symptoms) down. Wouldn't that have been sweet though!?

There was a bit of a disconnect today as I walked into the ultrasound technician's den. At first, I was humored in my state of somewhat undress, when she dimmed the lights.

You see, I saw my doctor yesterday over symptoms that frightened me but that she could not explain without a better picture. She had her nurse call all around town to see where they could get me in for an ultrasound yesterday, but everyone was booked. The first opening she could find was today at a clinic across town…as in, a clinic where no one there knows me.

I didn't consider this an issue because that's what charts are for, right? (Nick and I saw mine a few years ago. It was sneaking up on two inches thick THEN…thankfully, I think they're keeping everything digital these days.)

Anyway, I'm lying there, with the mood lighting, making inane conversation with the chatty lady in scrubs when she starts making perplexed grunting noises and chewing her bottom lip. I admit that my first thoughts were very dark. I couldn't have lived through my mother's disease without decent fear that one day that could be me. Luckily, my romancer didn't grunt for all that long before asking me if I have ever had any pelvic surgery. She seriously had no idea why I was even there.

"Um, yeah…a total hysterectomy five weeks ago."

Her audible release of breath was both comical and disconcerting. I know that America runs on legions of "yes" men, but really? I mean, if you're going to try to seduce me, you should at least try to get my name first. She was absolutely dumbfounded because she couldn't find a single uterus. Little did she know, since she obviously did not read my chart, that five weeks ago, I had two. Just think how I would have wowed her with that! Maybe it would have been worth a little wine and music to go with the lighting…