How we doin'?

Well, I haven't been 100% sugar free since Wednesday I hate to admit. Thanks for the support and helpful ideas. So far today (it's only 10am!) I am good. Baby steps. I just need to stay busy and not focus on it so much. I did buy some sugar free treats and they are not up to my standards! I want flavor!

I just finished writing about 6 recipes that I will post as the week goes on, so be sure to check out http://downrightdelish.wordpress.com/ for tasty new ideas and let me know how they work for you. Do you have any suggestions for recipes? Maybe I should work on a few sugar free recipes.

I think I am going to take a blogging holiday. I have hit a writer's block, nothing interesting or exciting to say and we don't need more mindless dribble on the web from yours truly. I really wish I was here, I should go work on Phil, plant some seeds. Hasta.

Sweet Stuff

I have attempted this before. And failed. Miserably.

Hi. My name is Heather and I am addicted to sugar. I love it. I crave it. I eat my midday and evening meals and feel an instant need for something to satisfy my sweet tooth. This is a problem.

In effort to kick my habit to the curb I am hereby abstaining from it's sweet seductive and intoxicating hold starting today. Right now. Right. Now. At this moment, this morning... Um, maybe this evening after my last hurrah. Everyone should have a last hurrah, right? Just one more cookie, cake, ice cream, chocolate, etc. one more rendezvous with the ones that I hold dear.

I can do this. I can be strong. I am greater than my weakness. I am in control. The first few days are the hardest. It will get better, easier. Okay, here goes nothing.

A Revelation of sorts

(Got my game face on)

My satisfaction with work varies constantly throughout the day, as does yours I'm sure, mine directly correlates with the people I see. I look over my schedule multiple times a day, skimming over patient's names, reading through their chart, past notes of previous visits, reading their x-rays, preparing myself for a mouth I have forgotten or haven't seen before. Sometimes the notes spill forth a plethora of information, other times they leave no hint of what's to come. I like the former, chart notes that are succinct and detailed, painting a clear picture of the state of disarray and disease.

My day on Tuesday included a patient that had not been to the dentist in over 20 years. His chart notes indicated that he reports brushing 1x/week! Once a week!? Gasp! The hygienist who was lucky enough to see him the week before diagnosed him needing a deep scaling and root planing, bring on the nitty gritty! This is when we as hygienists whip out the big guns and get down and dirty. (It is fun! Sick but fun and satisfying.)

Here's the kicker. The front desk informs me he only wants a "cleaning", none of this dig down and deep rehab stuff. This is a problem folks. Legally and ethically I am bound to perform what he needs not what he wants. If I just do a regular "above the gums" cleaning (the happy easy polish one) I am neglecting the underlying disease and he will continue to get worse. The doctor and I concur that I will reassess and make my own diagnosis and perform at the very least a gross debridement (think deeper than a regular cleaning but not the full monty). The front desk calls the patient and informs him of our decision, he will be in at 3pm today.

I am nervous. I hate confrontation and the front desk reports he already has his panties in a wad since he didn't get his "cleaning" and the hygienist who saw him earlier was just a temp. Great, off to a good start. The gentleman comes in with his biker-esque attire, long scraggly beard that has a pony at the end of it and reeks of his most recent cigarette, which he informs me he just put out. How kind of him, since I will be occupying the vessel he just polluted with toxic smoke. How very thoughtful.

We begin the reassessment and I find that I can perform the necessary procedure in the hour we have together. I then launch into full super hygienist mode. I educate him extensively on the conditions of his mouth, what has caused his diseased mouth-even going into the microbiology happenings. I bravely ask why he chooses to brush only once a week. He replies that he has never had a problem (ie: cavity) and figures he doesn't want to "risk" upsetting this so called balance by brushing more. I get him to see things my way and convince him that he is not doing himself any favors by only brushing once a week.

He responds so well! Turns out he is an awesome patient and very enthusiastically embraces my bossy doctrine. He delights in my supreme "digging" skills as he incredulously remarks during the procedure that I "am even cleaning behind the teeth?" and "Wow, you really get in there!".

We part ways with him thanking me for my time and glorious skills. I find myself very satisfied at the moment. Today my job rocks. And I am good at it.

The old adage holds still. Don't judge a book (mouth) by it's cover, even if it reeks of cigs and has a ponytail beard.

Happenings, or lack thereof.

Things have settled down around here. Phil finished his interviews and we haven't heard from any other schools yet. He feels really good about the way U of A went, both of them. He really fell in love with the downtown Phoenix campus and we are both hopeful for an acceptance there, only 5 more months of waiting to hear from them! He has one more interview with Midwestern University in Glendale at the end of the month but they are really expensive and he already has the acceptance from Nevada, who he would choose over Midwestern so we are probably going to decline this one. Other than that, it has been work as usual.

As you can tell, I have started a photography venture and am excited about the response. Thank you for all of your wonderfully kind words and support. I am anxious to book more shoots and improve my skills. Buying a nice and thoroughly intimidating camera has challenged me and I have enjoyed seeing the results as I continually learn my camera and the concepts of photography, and I have found there is a lot more than "point and shoot" involved!

I hope to be able to build up my business in such a way that we will have some income when Phil is in medical school, no matter where we live. This is more fun and creative than battling the forces of plaque and calculus and will hopefully be more flexible once we have children. I am so looking forward to that time when I get to stay home and be a mother. Since that day is not yet here I need to get myself ready for work, off to battle the world of gingivitis! (Yeah right. More like off to repeat myself over and over and yet never see results from those patients that I labor over. Will it kill you to floss??)

Shameless Commerce

All right, I have been working on this for a bit. Nothing spectacular but it is a start and I will continue to add to it as time goes on. I am very excited to announce my new little business. You have seen snippets here and there on this blog and I now have a separate blog just for photography. Check it out and let me know if I can take pictures for your family.

http://heathergunnellphotography.blogspot.com/

9.11.01

Where were you on September 11, 2001?

I was at home, 18 years old and newly engaged to Phillip. He called me and told me the news, I turned on the TV and watched with my family the eerie footage of an airplane crashing into one of the Twin Towers. As the day progressed I watched at work on a small 12" black and white set as the buildings crumbled and people jumped out of the windows.

Remember what happened. Remember that we are free and brave men and women are fighting hard to preserve that freedom. Remember to thank them and your Father in Heaven for the freedoms that we enjoy and take for granted.

And most importantly, remember to vote this election. Be informed and make a wise decision, the decision that is best for you and your family. Exercise the freedom to choose, the freedom that men and women have died for. If you don't vote, you can't complain.

Without Further Ado...

I give you a photo essay of our first camping trip as a married couple. (Don't judge, the first and only time we were engaged and went with cousins, in separate tents. Of course.)

We camped in Oak Creek Canyon just outside of Sedona. If you haven't been there, I highly recommend it, absolutely breathtaking. Below is our camp site.

Our handy tent, purchased the day before at the beloved Bass Pro shop.

My manly man chopping wood for our physical well-being, bodily warmth and necessary s'more making. I happen to like this angle of the shot. :)

One would be remiss to not capture the delightful nature found all around. Phil loved playing National Geographic photog. (please oooh and ahhh appropriately)

Our fellow campers getting ready for the West Fork Trail. Another must do.

We spent a good hour or more at the mouth of the trail where there are some old ruins and ivy covered everything along the creek. We fell in love with the lighting and practiced our skills. Both Phil & Liz were shooting, my own personal paparazzi!

Phil captured this HUGE bumblebee making his rounds to all the sunny flowers. See his wings flutter?

Along the West Fork Trail, a fun reflection shot. I can't rave enough about this place.

There was one tragedy that occured. And unfortunately befelled our littlest camper, on his first camping trip. Here is Mr. Kyle before, happy little boy, traipsing around the campsite.

And the After. He met up with a nice little boulder. The boulder won.

More of the locals.

Phil has a talent of befriending people where ever we go and camping was no exception. Phil was minding his own camping business when this little guy came up to him and informed us that it was his birthday today. We congratulated him and wished him well. He came back a few hours later and invited us to his party. We obliged and became friends. They turned out to be great camping neighbors, lent us an ax and various camping tools we forgot. Phil & I followed the boys to a hidden pool of water along the creek and gave them a photoshoot of cliff jumping and messing around in the cold creek. The picture below captures his personality perfectly.

I remarked what a "ham" he was, meaning a goofball. Phil thought I was referring to his girth, as in a piece of meat.

(A shot documenting my future smile lines, crows feet and horrendous wrinkles to come. Botox anyone?)

We had a great time with our friends and hope to make this a recurring event.

*****Interview Update:*****

Phil went to U of A Tucson campus yesterday and had a great time. He was lucky enough to interview with the Assistant Dean (his options were a 4th year med student and various other faculty) and got a few envious glances. They talked for an hour and Phil felt it went really well. The interviewer got a great glimpse of who Phil is and we hope he made a lasting impression. They talked about our recent camping trip since the guy is taking his family up to Flagstaff soon and Phil of course recommended our beloved Oak Creek and talked about his interest in photography.

He sent him a thank you email and included pictures of our trip. I'm sorry, did you say "brown noser"? No, please, he just did as any polite young man would do, of course. Because that's what we are. Polite people.

Q & A

We accepted Nevada's offer, plunked down our hefty $2000 deposit (all but 10% refundable) which will go towards tuition if we end up attending. Classes would start August 2009. Interviews at U of A just around the corner and yes, Phil is more relaxed having one in the bag. Thank you for the support and congrats! We are excited and relieved and I am slowly warming up to the idea of living in the lunar land of Henderson.

We are off tomorrow for some awesome camping in the Oak Creek Canyon area with friends and I am so excited for the grub! Dutch oven cooking, s'mores, wienie roasting...the works!

I've got to hit the hay, early photoshoot tomorrow morning. Enjoy your weekend!

My Baby Sister...

Has a Baby!

Wow! My little sis Vanessa had a baby boy on August 28th, 4:28am, 6 pounds 12 ounces and just one day before her own birthday. I hear she did great and the little guy is too cute!

Please welcome Kash Casey to the world.

Congratulations Vanessa & Jeremy!