NO MORE METALMOUTH!!!

Note: I know there's a lot of people out there who've had braces for a longer time than me, so I'm overexagerrating a little bit, but this is just my view on it.

September 14, 2006 was a big day for me. It was the day I got my braces. Looking back on a post Dad put on his blog, I was pretty excited about it, talking about how much easier it would be to get a girlfriend, and that they were my "back to school" present! Oh, and my picture was pretty cute, too:

That was about 2.5 years ago. I was 13.

I went through the rest of middle school with them, and then into high school with them as well. I kept getting encouraged with comments like: "When you get those braces off, your teeth will be PERFECT", and "They're coming off soon!".

Last August was supposed to be my last month of braces, and I'd be headin' to Foss High brace-free. Well, instead, they said it'd be another year or so at first (it's been reduced a bit), and I was bummed. I mean, no Skittles, no Air Heads, no Laffy Taffy, no GUM??? (Actually, we dropped that last one: I'm still chewing gum today).

Hearing I have an orthodontist appointment tomorrow always gets me nervous. They usually put on a new wire that's THICKER than the last, often resulting in soreness for a few days, to the point that I sometimes eat something different than the rest of the family. It's the pits.

But, I can't complain too much, as my siblings all have 'em now too, and Kaylee will have hers for 6 YEARS, including headgear. That alone makes me question why I'm even writing about MY problems with braces. If this 2.5 years was tough for me (WITHOUT headgear), then it's gonna be a heck of a time for Kaylee, especially because she's 12, and in 6 years, she'll be graduating from high school, and she may even still have those darn torture-devices on then! Man...

Good luck, Kaylee! Andrew Brinkerhoff signing off.