Well that explains that...I hope...

So I saw a doctor today, because of a specific problem that had been alarming me for three months now. A different doc than my family doc (who professes there is nothing abnormal about me). Upon first sighting me she noted that it looks as if I have an enlarged thyroid, so neck feeling shortly followed. There was a pause as she thought she felt a nodule of some kind, but dismissed it as the cartilage on one side being larger than the other. That is until she learned about my mothers past meeting with thyroid cancer (which visited in the form of two different types, type one and type four, both only visible by ultrasound) at which point she decided that it probably needed to be checked out further. So my elite medical team (my doctor and my insurance company) are trying to put through the paperwork to arrange an ultrasound.

   She followed by listing many symptoms, such as unexplained weight gain, always being cold, moodiness, lack of energy, inflamed acne etc, each of which I checked on my list. So best case I'm developing an overlarge underactive thyroid, which would result in the necessity of medication the rest of my life, or killing off my thyroid.
 
  On one hand this is a relief, now I know why all of these bothersome things have been occurring over the past couple of months, including this meddlesome unexplained (possibly until now) weight gain. On the other, it is worrysome. And I will be highly irked if this has more long standing ramifications on my travel plans of the future (i.e. a mission).

  In other news, our date with paradise has been moved up by two days. We now leave the tenth. I know, I don't know how I'll survive that let down. :)

Afghanistan?

   A new update. My father was supposed to have an interview type situation on Tuesday, where he would be a possible fill for a position opening in a German town not so far away from where he is now. However this location would have been much better than where he is now, larger, and a position that would allow him not to take another trip to the middle east. Well, obviously someone behind the scenes or above our heads wants him has devious plans in mind. The interview was canceled, on account of his presence being desired in the big sand. Lovely. So as of now it is planned for my dad to ship out the beginning of next year. So, as we are so very experienced in the wonderful fluidity provided by a life decided by the military, we had a back up plan quickly initiated. My mother then plans on staying with my dad up until deployment, then shipping over to Holland to stay with our dear friends the Knudsen family (those wonderful people animal sitting for us) who promise to watch, feed, and lovingly support her whilst Jacob and I are mission bound.

   So lets see, that would put the Thiessen family on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 continents? One per member?

 I think that earns an appreciative whistle folks.

   However, since General McChrystal had the morals to verbally outline the governmental idiocy concerning the treatment and support of our troops in Afghanistan to the media (and was unfortunately removed from office), plans may change. Because he was over the mission in Afghanistan their stance/status/approach could alter and maybe, just maybe my dad wouldn't deploy. Its a slim chance. In any case, he decided very recently that either way, he is done. After this (whether he stays in Germany or deploys) he is going to take a short term post somewhere in the states (maybe our favorite island paradise)  then retire.

   Well all happy news aside (that being said with a heavy handed serving of sarcasm), my mom is going to try to rendezvous with her lover in Georgia next week when he is there for training. That leaves Jacob and I here to hold down the fort or throw wild parties for a week...whatever will we do with ourselves? 

   We may be meeting my mom on the return trip in Salt Lake to loiter thereabouts for a week or so.

20 Days until our Hawaii excursion!

69 Until the mission! 

I love living inside a question mark...

The past few weeks of my life have been...interesting. With the sudden onset and finalization of my long term plans (i.e. Taiwan) my short term plans have ceased to be in focus, though the two really aren't correlated.

    The entire family vacillated on the point of moving our household across the big pond to Germany. Now, we've known for a while now, since my fathers return from Iraq, that we were headed that way. It is a matter of when. Upon my homecoming from my self-purpose-discovering stint in Provo we were geared to immeadiately commence the moving process, pack up, and be gone within two and a half weeks.

   The date changed, the plan changed, we don't have a place to live, my mother could be working, she could not be working, we could not be moving, we could move north, no we're moving south we could move and live in a cardboard box, date changed again... Oh the joys of a military family.

   We are probably  moving. Or my dad will get sent to Afghanistan for another year and I have no idea what my mother will be doing. It looks like she is going to be dissabled. This is a good thing. We have been angling that way for about two years, and it gives her all kinds of freedoms that the job in Germany restricted, but also ties her down to the states a bit longer. Which is good and bad. It wouldn't be nearly so pleasant to be in Europe all alone for a year if my father gets sent to the Middle East (...again...) and my younger brother and I are on Missions.

   We don't know when we are moving. But the house is very nearly completely empty, save a living room of junk, a table, a couple of air mattresses and one bed. We sent our dear dogs and my cat to Holland, where they are making noisy residence with some good friends of ours until we have a place to live. We remodeled pretty much every trashy rundown aspect of the very first house my family has ever owned, just to move again. Lovely to know that all the sweat educing effort we put into landscaping, fencing, pasture-making, laying sod, installing granite counter tops, laying new carpet, replacing the kitchen floor, tiling, and building a new bathroom will be enjoyed so much...by someone else.

Aaah, cest la vie.

But we are certainly going to vacation in Hawaii in 4 weeks. Hmm...yum.

After that? Who knows?  We'll see.

First blog, first post...Oboi...

  As I set up this blog all that empty space just sits there and glares at me. Balefully. 

Well you won't intimidate me you empty abyss of nothingness! I combat you! And fill you with my first senseless posting!

Or maybe I'll deal with you in full tomorrow. I've done my peace. Adieu.