The Easter Bunny really came!

As you can see I actually caught the Easter Bunny on my digital camera! He's real! My niece is gonna love this. This is just as good as the picture of Santa her dad caught on film. This little guy took full advantage of my mom's love for the local birds. She's got this birdseed block set up and it feeds bird, squirrels, chipmunks and bunny rabbits. (javalina just are neighborhood bullies and come at night and knock it over and stomp on it)

I did not eat any chocolate, as my braces are not allowing me to close my bite for the time being. I have lost my ability to close my teeth down to grind any food with my molars. My bottom braces were installed a week ago and I've reduced myself to pureeing all my food. I can't even chew anything. It's sad. It's taken a lot of fun out of eating. I'm guessing that once the teeth move I'll be able to close down my bite again and regain my ability to chew. Who knows how long that will be or if this is normal, since I've never had braces before. I promptly went to Walmart on my lunch break and purchased a cheap hand blender and pureed some potatoes and some chili when I got home and enjoyed a softer sort of chili potato. I eat soup at work and blend things when I come home. I've discovered that the California medley of veggies looks really gross when pureed! It still tastes good, but nobody enjoys watching me eat the off colored goo that looks like it's come from a baby's bottom. Yeah, see the fun I'm having?!!! Anyone else experience this? I blew out my cheap blender at mom and dad's this weekend as I was testing it on ice. Mom as kind enough to blend my Easter dinner in her blender. Blended turkey looks very much like sawdust. It sort of goes down like sawdust too, but I learned to add gravy to it and it goes down much easier. I also discovered, no matter how yummy a grilled hamburger is, it's just no good pureed. Yeah, it looked like my mom's dog's food and it' lost it's good charbroiled flavor somewhere in the blending process. I won't be eating anymore of that. I've found I'll be eating lots of potatoes. Those are easiest to eat and are filling. So for over 4,00 dollars, you too can join in my weight loss program. I've lost 15 pounds since the January installment of the top braces and with my new puree diet with the additional installment of my bottom braces, I'm guessing weight will still proceed to come off. I'm actually quite happy about this, though I'm sad that eating is no fun and I'm becoming accustom to my stomach growling at me. I just don't feel like eating unless I absolutely have to. It's just too much work and I'm growing tired of soup. So no Easter candy for me. I've tried sucking on Skittles, but it takes me 3 minutes to suck one piece down to a little ball of sugar. It wasn't enjoyable. I sucked on a strawberry whopper malt ball and spit out the hard candy shell. I'm not patient with sucking on candy.

Anyway, those are my latest woes of braces. I think they are starting to straighten. My teeth hurt and now and when I sneeze and clinch my teeth and that hurts! I accidentally bumped my face as I was unpacking my curling iron, bopped myself in the upper lip and that about sent me in tears! I'm very fragile!

All in all, Easter weekend was lovely. Dad did another turkey in his smoke pit. It was good even pureed. We went hiking for Indian ruins but didn't find them. It didn't matter, it was so beautiful and perfect weather. I'm going to miss this when the summer heat really turns on. I even took time to do a small carving. I put it next to a carving mom and dad got ages ago in Taiwan. If mom is a good mom, it will still be there next time I go out to visit. Only mom's will leave something so ugly in their home just because their child made it for them. I won't take it personal if she gets rid of it though. We gave dad the pleasure of starting several fires for us. He loves starting fires. We enjoyed watching the full moon rise while huddled around the fire ring outside on Friday. Then on Sunday evening while playing Skip Bo, dad built another fire in the fireplace because mom and I were cold. I was satisfied with a lovely visit with the parents and counted my lucky stars to have such awesome parents. I'm so blessed to have the family that I have. My thoughts have been with my brothers as they both struggle with their own trials in life. I love them deeply because those are two boys who patiently dealt with their stubborn, selfish little sister and still loved me enough to let me be a part of their lives and love me back.

I miss childhood moments in which I had a closeness with my brothers and it was easier to express my love and appreciation for them. I have always admired their different talents and have basked in the small moments when they express their love for me. I couldn't have been more blessed. I have missed my brothers dearly as we all live in separate states. I was excited to book a flight in May to go to California to visit with my oldest brother. We already have hopes to do some kayaking together. It won't matter what we do, just spending time with him will be all I ask. I hope to also catch up with Nathan, the other brother in Tennessee this summer. Plans are not solid on that visit, but I hope it will work out, as it's been way too long since I've been able to enjoy visiting with him, listen to him play his guitar and kick it with his sweet wife. I will be anxious to hear of my niece's adventures and stories and my nephew is working at a Pizza Hut, maybe my teeth will be aligned enough that we can order a yummy pizza from him! I love my family and I am a better person because of them!