Sorry for my long absence---A few updates

This inner ear thing has went from vestibular neuritis to BPPV in my right ear. I have a hard time laying on my right side in bed because it causes me to get dizzy. BPPV is a positional thing where crystals in my ear shift around when I change positions. Those crystals aggravate my vestibular nerve causing dizziness. It's insane, I tell ya. I have been going to lots of doctors and taking different meds to try to combat all of my ailments. The meds cause me nasty side effects so I have been spending the past few weeks in the bed. My Mom is here (she flew in on 1/29 and will leave 2/13) so she has relieved me from my usual duties so that I can work on healing. If my ear keeps causing me angst, my ENT wants to push for further testing in 2 months. The next steps are an MRI and another CT scan. He wants to look at my sinuses and inner ear. He seems to think that I will be better in 2 months though so he isn't pushing for those tests just yet. Regardless, I have a neurologist appt. set for next week and I can't make up my mind whether to go or to delay it until I have had further testing from the ENT (he says that the neuro is going to do the same stuff anyway so he would like to do it and have the results ready for the neuro if I come back to him in 2 months). Decisions, decisions. Anyway, I just wish this crap was over and my head/ear was back to normal.

Mom flew in on the 29th of January. She came with me to surprise Hayden on his birthday. We showed up at the school with cupcakes. I walked in first and told the class that I only had one container of cupcakes and that wouldn't be enough for everyone. I proceeded to say that we really needed more so that everyone could have one but 18 is all that I had. I told Hayden to look out in the hall and see if there were any more for the class. He walked out and saw my Mom holding another container of cupcakes for the class. He was so surprised and excited to see her standing there. It was cute.

For Hayden's birthday, we took him to Bonefish Grille for dinner. He chose it because he loves the Bang Bang Shrimp. It was fabulous as always. We surprised him with a small aquarium with an aquatic frog and a pretty beta fish. We also got him a new DS game. Aunt Steph came over the next day to celebrate and we had cake and ice cream. We played Rock Band all day and had fun.

I began cake decorating classes last night. It's so weird to have to learn from someone other than my Aunt Judy. I grew up licking beaters and eating icing at her house. She was a professional cake decorator and a Wilton cake decorating instructor while I was growing up. I so wish that I was back home so that I could learn from the best. Anyway, it was all pretty boring last night because we didn't get to do anything. Sitting back and listening was hard because all I wanted to do was start working with the icing. We get to do that next time. I have to bring in a cake that is already iced and ready to decorate. You wouldn't believe how much money I had to spend just to get my basic supplies to make that first cake. It was crazy. I got the class 1/2 off and the student kit 40% off and I have still spent over $100. This first cake better turn out decent, lol. Wish me luck!

Clayton and I went out on a date last week for the first time in forever. He took me to Rock Bottom and then we went to see The Lovely Bones. He hated it but I liked it. Clayton expected the clues to the girl's death to be more of a mystery-type saga. I think that he was expecting more of a M. Night Shyamalan kind-of movie. Neither one of us has read the book though so I am sure that made a difference for me. I can't wait to read the book now. The movie had a really cheesy part that was ridiculous in the end but that's the only part that let me down. Other than that, I thought that it was really cool how Peter Jackson portrayed the ever-changing world that the main character was trapped in.