No one said it would be easy

...or cheap. I went to the Periodontics doctor on Tuesday and I found out how the AOO procedure really works and how much it is going to be. The operation is really neat and interesting actually, and I was shocked to find out that I'd be awake the whole time, too. A total of four to five hours of my mouth wide open. That's not the hard part, though. I found out that it would cost $5,143.00, and it would all need to be paid in full on the day of the operation. No insurance company, dental or medical, covers this procedure, so I'm out of luck on that one. They do offer Care Credit, however, but of course, I was only approved for $1,000.00 of the $5,000.00 because I don't have much credit, at all. The doctor wants to do this in a month. A MONTH. Which would mean that I would need the money that soon. You're supposed to get this done very soon after braces are put on, so that's why there is a rush. I don't know what I'm going to do as of yet, but I'm determined to figure something out.
Tomorrow is the extraction day... I'm not looking forward to missing four front teeth, (at least they aren't SUPER noticable, but still. I'm not going to like it. I just keep telling myself that the outcome is going to be great. That's what truly matters.

Hope everyone is doing great and enjoys their weekend! I'll try to update with some photos soon!

Smiles and Tattoos

I look a lot younger now because of the braces, but I really like this photo of Tyler and I. This was us going out for a friends birthday dinner.

Brittany and I.

Blake and I. He is seriously a hoot.

Katie, the birthday woman!

This is a photo I took when I had just dyed my hair. I promise I'm not nude, but wearing a strapless dress :)

And for the tattoo part. I remember saying that I would add photos of all of the tats that I have so far, so here they are, in order of when I got them.

My angel wings. For my father that passed away when I was younger.

My sparrow. Sparrows can mean many things, but most notably, they signify freedom, and this is the reason that I got one. The time when I got it, I knew that it was time for me to leave home. I have always been very mature and responsible growing up, but I was never really treated like I was by my parents. Because of this, I HAD to get out and be on my own. It was a big step, but it was time that I fly from the nest.

"No Lies, Just Love". I got this soon after I got out of a four year relationship. The purpose for these really is simple, but I get the most grief about this tattoo because people just don't understand. I got it because during that relationship, I knew that I wanted out of it, but I kept lying to myself and stayed in it for much longer than my heart really wanted to. I made a vow to myself to not to try to convince myself that something can work out, when you honestly know it cannot.

"The Harder the Conflict, the More Glorious the Triumph". Of course, the title of my blog and a quote that I will forever live by. Around the time of that break up, I had no idea why I had such a sudden change of heart and it really confused me and bothered me a lot. My emotions were out of nowhere, and totally unexpected. During the whole thing, after we were completely over, I still lived with him. Not because I wanted to, who would, but because we had a lease and I had nowhere else to go because of money. I am a good person, and because I am, I still paid my half of the rent even when I was completely out because that was a commitment that I knew I had. Besides that, during this whole time, my mom gave me a lot of grief for not knowing what my mind and heart was thinking, which made everything harder. Friends did, too. My friend didn't agree with me breaking up with him and the way that everything was happening, she recited this quote to me. Like I said, it really hit home and applies to everything in life. The harder the issues, the conflicts that you struggle through, the more you learn from them and grow. You appreciate so much more when you have to go through hard times.

Busy Little Bee

I've been so busy lately. Working full time and going to school full time is a heck of a job, and it really takes up all of my 24 hours/day. Add in appointment after appointment and then you really don't have much time at all. Speaking of appointments, I have my braces on! The wires on the front top and bottom aren't applied yet, but the left and right sides are. Since I am getting four of my front teeth and my four wisdom teeth extracted on Friday, they decided to wait on wiring on the front...which makes sense. With that said...come Friday, I'll be in major pain and so will Tyler. He's getting his wisdom teeth taken out, as well, and at the same exact time as I am. His mom is in town (she lives in California) so she is going to take care of us :) Along with my braces, I have these annoying blue dots on either side of my mouth, on the bottom on one tooth. They're called "turbos" and they're there to keep my top teeth from knocking off my bottom brackets. Turbos wouldn't be all that bad if they weren't the only part of my mouth that touches when I bite down or try to chew food. But they are. I can barely eat because of these turbos and it is a little inconvenient. I've been drinking a lot of smoothies, and buttered grits are my new bread. Here's to unintentional weight-loss!

I know, I'm complaining. I also know that I'm the one that signed up for all of this work to be done. I told Tyler that even though I may whine a lot about the pain or the annoying factor for the next year and so, I'm really actually happy that I'm doing all of this and to just ignore it (unless, of course, I'm seriously DYING with pain). I'm just ready for the outcome and can't wait until the surgeries are done, the braces are off, and I have a great, wide, and beautiful set of pearl whites! :D

I plan on posting photos during the process. Before, during all of my treatment, and after the treatment so you guys can see the progress made and difference in everything. I could always do that on a dental blog, but I don't want to leave this one behind. I like it too much and love all of you six followers :)_

Somebody Pinch Me

Oh my, oh my. Have you ever had that feeling where you already knew that you loved someone, but for some reason those feelings were just multiplied times a million? I felt that way today when I saw Tyler this morning and he gave a huge hug and kissed me. My whole body started to melt and I could not hide my smile. I don't know what it was, but that man's kiss was like a love potion poison and it was out to get me. I loved every second of it.

Sorry for the mushy-ness, but my goodness, I'm in a terrific mood now because of this.

I've added this photo before, but it cracks me up! Tyler doesn't exactly look like Tyler in this photo, but it explains his silly side.

Thank you for contacting customer relations.. my name is .... X1,000,000,000

and repeat over and over during an eight hour shift on a Saturday. The joy! (okay, my job isn't that bad)

Anywho, this is an exciting one! For me anyway, and I'm pumped! Here's a little bit of what's going on in my life:

- I went to my local bank that I've been with for as long as I've had an account and applied for a loan to help with my dental work. Surprisingly, I have pretty good credit, but because I am so young, and have absolutely no collateral to my name whatsoever, I couldn't get as much as I wanted. I still got a loan, enough to pay the down payment on my braces and to help with the four additional teeth extractions. My monthly payments are rather small, except since I'm only able to pay the down payment, I'll have twenty monthly payments of $180 for the orthodontist. I'm just going to say that it will totally be worth it. I'm so ready for this and am excited.

- With that said, I will be getting those darn wisdom teeth out and the four additional toofs :p pulled on April 22. Soon after, my braces will be applied! I'm so freaking excited!

...and the last little tidbit of news....
....
........
................. THERE HAS BEEN TALK OF MARRIAGE!!!!!!

I know, I know. I sound like a little girl...but, YAY!!!
It's been brought up before, and we both know that when he is done with his training and he is permanently stationed somewhere that I'm going with him, but we've seriously talked about it lately. SERIOUSLY. As many have to do when they are tied to the military, we may have to settle with just a courthouse marriage because Tyler is going to be gone WAY soon, like, possibly 2-4 months soon and that is NO TIME to plan something formal and wonderful. So, as much as I hate the idea of just getting a paper and it being done, (in Arkansas you do not need witnesses or even a ceremony :( ) I'll be okay because I love him and really can see us together for the rest of our lives. We would still plan an actual wedding once we got settled and such, so I can compromise ;)
All of this may just mean that in the next few weeks or so, I could Mrs. Lovett- Harriman. Or just Mrs. Harriman. To hyphen or not to hyphen :p