some things change ... but not by much

I spent 4 days in NYC last week. NYC is a superb place to visit and for the past couple of years it's become the place I go to see my friends and family when they visit the US of A! In NYC you never have to worry about 'what to do'... lots of walking (so plenty of time to catch up), tons of tourist spots (to keep you entertained) and plenty of places to eat and drink (just in case it all gets too much!)*

Over the past, oh I don't know ... 8 years, one of my very best friends and I, have not been in the same country at the same time. That's just what happens in your 20's!** So when she said she was visiting NYC I jumped at the chance to see her (and meet her fiance and 2 of her other friends!) So off I went last week to NYC full of excitement! It was pouring the rain when I arrived, which I really dig***. So I sorted out an umbrella and started exploring by myself, as my friend (whom I hadn't seen in 8 years) wasn't arriving until later that night.

I got up early**** the next morning to head to Times Square and meet my friend (whom I hadn't seen in 8 years). I felt myself getting nervous. Like REALLY nervous. What if we were completely different now? What if she couldn't understand my NewZealand/WestVirginia/Ohio/NorthCarolina accent?***** What if we didn't laugh at the same things? eeeeeeeeeeeek! Shaking off my nerves I got on the Subway. My phone beeped. 'We are on the red steps.' A text from her. OH MY GOD. What if I don't recognize her? Nerves are back. I didn't bring my glasses with me. I am going to look ridiculous squinting into the crowd at the bottom of the red steps without my glasses ... looking for someone who MIGHT NOT LOOK THE SAME!!! GREEEEAT! Did I say nerves are back? I approach the red steps. I can feel my heart beating in my chest. I peer into the crowd****** and I begin searching for a familiar face. She jumps up calling my name and waving and I let out a huge sigh of relief. I run up the stairs and give her a big hug. ... she looks exactly the same! Yay! AND then the tears started! Yep I'm slightly strange. I don't cry at goodbyes (ever), I cry at hellos!

With the 'meeting' out of the way I started to really enjoy myself. Over the next couple of days I had the best time with not only my friend (whom I hadn't seen in 8 years) but also her fiance and their wonderful friends. So had anything changed? Yep, a few things. Yes, she could definitely hear my NewZealand/WestVirginia/Ohio/NorthCarolina accent but we only had one communication breakdown the entire time! We still laughed at the same things (the 2 buses that broke down for example). And yes we had changed, but not much. One - I am not very good on a bike anymore*******.

And two - she has become an awesome travel agent. She's always been great to go on vacation******** with but I could tell that her career has made her REALLY great! Even though she hadn't been to NYC before she knew all the places to go (and some of the most inexpensive *********.)

I had a moment about 30 minutes after I meet her at those red steps. We were on the bus********** and we were laughing, and I thought 'Wow, has it really been 8 years?' It felt like just yesterday we were laughing about the same things and I smiled. You have friends that you know for a short while. And you have friends you know for a long while. And then you have those friends that you can pick up right where you left off. Coz some things will change ... but not by much.

* Just to clarify I don't have annoying friends or family. Well any that I'd tell you about! ** I've decided. I might write a blog about it *** Read my previous blog titled 'Rainy Day's - I love rain (a little too much) **** 10am (early for vacation) ***** I've moved a lot the past 8 years and yes my accent has suffered from it ****** NOT FUN! FYI everyone that is sitting on the Red Steps is staring at YOU! ******* Note to self: purchase a bike, don't wear a dress & practice riding bike ******** 'Holiday' for everyone outside of USA ********* $12 dinner, in an amazing restaurant in Manhattan! ********** before the first bus broke down

Rainy Days

It's amazing what a few months will do. I'm all about positive thinking. I have a tendency to aggravate my friends when I post 'motivational & funny' photos on facebook*. But a few months ago (back in February to be exact) I really had to practice what I preach.

Things had been a bit crazy**. To put it bluntly we were broke, alone and I had just broke my wrist. Not just any break, I needed surgery. I had never broken anything nor had surgery and coming from someone who doesn't deal well with pain this was very frightening. I do remember my worst fear after breaking my wrist was how am I going to style my hair***? And how will I fasten my bra in the morning****? On a more serious note I also realized that I was lucky to have had insurance when it happened and that it could of been a lot worse.

Life was hectic and a huge struggle. Then came some more news. My man (we'll just call him B) got a job offer. A job offer that we couldn't turn down. A job offer that had him away from our home, but still a great job offer. So B went for it. He was out of town and we didn't know when we would see each other but he was happy and I was happy for him. With our relationship relying on phone calls and text messages we quickly became amazing communicators. It was nice to hear the excitement in each others' voices when we would have our daily phone convo.

Then came the decision to move to be together. I had been through so much with my tight-knit work family that I couldn't bare the thought of leaving but I knew deep down I had to move forward for my family (B & my little cat). We decided to move out of our broke, alone and (almost healed) wrist situation and thanks to some very wonderful friends and family we were able to do it*****. We were luckily both able to immerse ourselves in work that we not only loved but we found incredibly fulfilling. We were also able to move into a wonderful neighborhood where everyone was so welcoming and interested in the 'Kiwi' from Ohio and her WVU proud B******.

It's been about 4 months since we moved (our '180') and I am so glad that things have changed for the better. I am so in love with my boyfriend, my job & my life (oh and my cat!) I think the biggest decision I had to make when everything seemed unattainable, was do I let this get the better of me or do I keep on keeping on and maybe I'll learn from it? Believe me, it almost got the better of me, but I never doubted that things would only get better. I laughed when things totally overwhelmed me and took one day at a time. And I don't know if it's because I grew up in rainy Auckland, New Zealand or if it's the soothing sound of rain at night but whenever it rains and everyone is complaining, I'll usually have a goofy grin on my face. Which also might be why my favorite saying is 'I like people who smile when it's raining.'

* My friends don't actually confront me about my posts but sometimes (especially Monday morning)even I know I'm a little too chipper. ** Crazy is an understatement *** My boyfriend became an 'expert' hair stylist **** Also my boyfriend - quote 'I'm used to taking these off, not putting them on' ***** You all know who you are :) ****** Not everyone is interested but you get the picture

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

It is with a heavy heart that I support Domestic Violence Awareness Month this month. I have always had a tremendous urge to support Domestic Violence Awareness Month however I do so this year because it has hit so close to home for me.
Less than a week ago I had a friend murdered by her ex-boyfriend in a horrific attack, which has left a community of friends & family completely heart-broken. My heart hurts so much as I come to grips with the reality of this situation and realize that this beautiful & talented women is no longer among us. I have reached out to so many friends and workmates already and each and every one of them has given me so much support and have committed to helping me in my support of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Please do your part to help end this horrific abuse of power and stand up for these women and children who have no voice and have suffered in silence.

Cyan, I will forever miss you

This is me and Cyan at the West Virginia State Fair a few years ago

Cami’s Orthodontic Associates Invisalign Journey’ SIXTH ENTRY - The First Week!

OUCH!!!

OK so it hasn't been that bad, but Day 2 was definitely uncomfortable. Day 1 was a breeze but by Day 2 my teeth really started moving. Added in is the fact that I'm not very good at taking the Invisalign out so I had to practice that as well.
Day 2 started off reasonably well, but when I tried to drink my morning coffee I realized that if your coffee is too hot it's going to be too hot with Invisalign on as well. OUCH!!!


By lunch time I could feel my teeth start to move so I took an Advil. The cool (& slightly annoying) thing about Invisalign is that noone noticed. Even though I was a little annoyed that noone noticed I realized that that could be a good thing!!! However instead of keeping it quiet, I had to of course let everyone know about it.
Something very interesting happened on Day 2. I actually sounded like myself. I was fully expecting to sound completely different and you couldn’t even tell. I listened back to some on-air segments where I had the Invisalign in and ones where I didn’t have it in and you couldn’t tell the difference.



Getting back to Day 2, after making it through lunch and of course removing the Invisalign to eat and putting it back after I’d eaten, I got settled in for a busy afternoon. I actually forgot about the Invisalign during the afternoon. I had been so consumed with it during the morning that after lunch I think I started getting used to it, so used to it that I didn't notice it much at all.



That night I went home, ate dinner (taking the Invisalign out of course) and watched some TV. It was quite frankly a pretty boring evening but I started thinking about how much I really loved that my Invisalign was starting to work. I was also thankful that the Invisalign hadn’t altered my life as dramatically as I had thought it would. I still sounded the same, I still was able to work the same way and be the same person. The only thing I needed to remember was to wait after I poured my morning coffee so I didn’t burn my mouth. I’m working on it …

Cami's Orthodontic Associates Invisalign Journey' - FIFTH ENTRY - The Invisalign Fitting

The day has arrived and I am heading to my Invisalign fitting, but I am a little nervous because I have a video camera following me. It's daunting to know that someone is going to capture every single second of my Invisalign fitting. All I can say is I hope I don't cry. In all honesty I'm not sure how the fitting is going to go. I'm anxious that I'll be in a lot of pain, wont be able to handle it and will ultimately fail. I try to banish negative thoughts out of my head and focus on the end result .... pretty teeth.
As we head to the appointment I start to freak out. This video camera is going to be focused on the one area of my body that I'm most embarrassed about. I almost want to back out. I almost say 'maybe we should reschedule this for another day' .... but then I remember how happy I was at the initial consultation & that not only am I doing this for myself but I'm also doing this for all the other people out there that can benefit from a great smile with Orthodontic Associates.
I walk inside and everyone is looking at me. WHY?
Oh wait, that's right there's a video camera following me. It makes me laugh because I feel like I'm on a reality show.
My name is called and I walk through to the fitting area. I sit down and nervously look around ... I'm really doing this ... I'm really getting Invisalign! ... This is really happening.

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE FITTING!

'Cami's Orthodontic Associates Invisalign Journey' FOURTH ENTRY - My thoughts on getting Invisalign!

I am very excited to get my Invisalign however I am also very nervous!
My career is 'talking' for a living & there is the possibility that I could sound a little different on-air. Being from New Zealand & on a country station means that sounding different often comes with the territory but I'm nervous that it might throw me off a little. The fact that I wont sound like myself is a little strange & reminds me of when I was 13, awkward & had a mouth full of braces.
I know my teeth will start to move the instant I put my Invisalign in. I'm definitely prepared for how tender my teeth will feel but I'm still nervous about how I will sound.
I'm also wondering how the Invisalign will look. Invisalign gives the connotation of 'invisible' so I'm wondering if that will ring true. Also when will I be able to visually notice if my teeth are moving? When will my 'goofy' tooth become less pronounced?
I'm sure all these questions will be answered very soon as I'm getting my Invisalign next week. I'm ready to start the work on my new smile.

'Cami's Orthodontic Associates Invisalign Journey' THIRD ENTRY - Fitting's for Invisalign

I don’t know what to expect as I head to my ‘fittings’ for Invisalign. I do know that they have to make a mold of my teeth so that they can create (as I like to call them) ‘my new teeth.’ They aren’t of course actual ‘new’ teeth but it’s going to feel like that for the first couple of weeks as they begin to move my teeth. That’s right not just my goofy tooth is getting straightened out, the whole lot are being moved.



While I’m waiting to get my name called I begin to imagine all the cool things I’ll be able to do when I get my new teeth. I’ve never cared to ‘whiten’ my teeth coz I don’t show them, so maybe I can do that now? I don’t often wear lipstick, so maybe I can get a new hot red color!



I’m most looking forward to learning how to ‘smile’ with my teeth. I know this sounds weird but I might have to ‘practice’ smiling in front of the mirror.
As usual I drift off into a daydream and am snapped back to reality when my name is called.
I get the impression that Orthodontic Associates only hire people that are first of all super nice. Second of all (and here I am getting jealous again) people that have great teeth. I must look deep in thought (jealous?) because the lady I’m following asks if I am nervous.

“No!” I quickly say … ‘Should I be?’

She smiles again (jealous?), then laughs as she says ‘No way! This is going to be fun!’

I sit down and inform everyone that I am indeed very nervous. I also let everyone know that while most people want to know step by step the process that they are undergoing … I request that I be kept out of the loop. They totally understand and get to work creating molds of my teeth.



I admit I start to get curious. I’m nervous but it’s not nearly as scary as I thought it was going to be. I feel somewhat confident so I ask how long it usually takes. Surprisingly they say they are done and that I’m good to go!

You can check out the ‘Treatment Process’ according to the experts by clicking HERE

I start to feel a little sad as I get up to leave. The staff is so lovely to chat with (like an old friend from way back when) that I even linger around to continue a conversation with one of the ladies. She finally starts to show me the way out and lets me know that they will call me as soon as my Invisalign Package arrives.



I am beyond excited & a little disappointed that it went so fast. What to do??? Maybe start looking for that new lipstick? I think so!