weekend wrap up: i'm ba-ack

Well, I've been noticeably absent the past week and a half....chalk it up to moving into a new apt., having no internet until last Friday, and working like a maniac! Here's what I learned:

1. Being without the internet in this day and age is just unacceptable. While whining about it to my mom she said with a hint of sarcasm, "what did we do before cell phones and internet?" Seriously I don't know! But, I do know that I did not feel a part of society for awhile! {Plus, I had over 650 postings in my reader to catch up with.....ugh, it begins to feel more like a chore with that number!}

2. Making your appearance on TV rocks. Yep, I made it on network TV last night! I attended as a seat filler for the Tony's and was fortunate enough to sit in Kelli O'Hara's seat for the first half of the show {next to her cute, cute husband Greg}, and Daphne Rubin Vega's seat for the second half. I was right behind Lin-Manuel Miranda when he won for Best Original Score for a Musical and apparently was in another shot when Lauara Benanti won for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. It was a fantastic night and I am more determined than ever to get there myself!

3. Some celebrities are just down right enjoyable. Had a lovely chat with Mr. Patrick Stewart in the vip lounge at the theater where I work. He is in town for the Tony's and was quite lovely.

4. Sure e-mail is fast, but getting post is just the best. We have received some really fantastic letters from my lil' bro who is currently serving a mission for our church in Fresno, CA. I am so proud of him and his rapid growth and learning.

5. Having a hole in your heart doesn't mean you love any less! Well, after quite a few tests {including a horrible MRI in which I had a panic attack as I am super claustrophobic} it is determined that I do have a PFO {hole in my heart--10% of people have this} and I will have to have the procedure that my mom recently had. I am hoping to have the procedure done in August. I'll update when I know more! This is what the experts say it is:

Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) and Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) Closure
An Atrial Septal Defect, or ASD, is an abnormal hole in the wall of the upper chambers of the heart. This hole means the wall between the right and left upper chambers does not close completely.

Fetuses have an opening (called a foramen ovale) between the upper chambers of the heart that closes naturally soon after birth. If this fails to happen, the result is an open (patent) foramen ovale, or PFO. For either an ASD or a PFO, a cardiac cath lab procedure can be used to close the hole.

How it’s done:

• A catheter guides a flexible closure device through a blood vessel into the heart.
• Once the device is correctly positioned, it can expand to plug the hole. (Generally speaking, the device works a bit like an umbrella. When collapsed, it is small enough to travel inside your blood vessel. When opened, it covers a larger area.)
• When the catheter is withdrawn, this plugging device remains behind to close the hole in the heart. Eventually the device becomes covered with the body’s own tissues.