Teeth Extractions

Well, since I haven't gone to regular dentist visits since my early 20's... I've had a few problems with my teeth :(  I've already had 2 pulled out... and today, I had 2 more pulled :(

I wait until I can't take the pain and then I go.
Well, Monday, after my walk, my head/jaw just started hurting constantly!  I made an appointment and was able to get in today!  Yay!  An end in sight from the pain!

He extracted my left side wisdom tooth and my 6th tooth from the front on the right side.

And I have another tooth that needs extraction; the right side wisdom tooth.  I'll wait until I'm good and healed before making that appointment.

As much as I love my teeth and teeth in general (even had many, many dreams about teeth), you may ask why didn't I go to the dentist BEFORE extractions were needed?  Well, because I have no insurance and it can be pretty costly to pay on your own.  Today, it cost us $345!  So, being that Jeremy is making better money, I'm going to try to go regularly from now on.  That next appointment, will be a cleaning as well.  And I will try to get Jeremy to put the kids on his insurance at work (remind him at the right time of the year) so that they can start going too.

I really like this guy I went to, Willie Collins.  He's very nice. :)

Oh, for what it's worth, the teeth I've had pulled, you can't tell unless I open my mouth really wide and show you :)  In other words, they aren't noticeable when I smile which is why I'm okay with them being pulled out.

The experience this time:

Those two x-rays were taken.  Dr. Collins came in, and shot my mouth up with numbing stuff.  Could barely feel it between my mouth and teeth but in the roof of the mouth?  That's just freaky feeling!  You can hear the skin pop when the needle goes in!

Thankfully, the shots work for me and I only feel the pressure of the pulling and hear... that's one of the freaky parts... just listening to the cracking and all...

The wisdom tooth came out before I even realized it!  I was like, "woohoo!  One down, one to go!"

But, of course, it couldn't be THAT easy for that second tooth!!!

Apparently, I have long, strong roots and dense bone.  My jaw didn't want to release my tooth!  He had to work on it.  Had to stop a few times to get different instruments!!!  LOL  OMG!  He ended up having to cut up my roots to take them out one by one (3 altogether)!

Now, funny... a tooth being drilled into/cut into smells just like when hair is on fire...

The only discomfort with this extraction was when he had to use my other teeth as leverage... he had no option since there's teeth on either side and my tooth was so resistant to come out!

So, that's over!  whew!

I gave me an antibiotic prescription because my wisdom tooth had started getting infection in it.  He also gave me some pain medication with codeine; I didn't think I'd really need it but, got it filled anyways just in case.  It's a good thing I did!  As the numbing agents wore off and I was awaiting my prescriptions, I felt like crap!  My head was hurting so much!  Thankfully, I don't think I waited more than 30 minutes and it cost under $20!  So, that was a nice surprise!

I'm sooooooo thankful to have those teeth gone!  That resistant one (the one with the hole in the x-ray) was soooo aggravating!  I'd chew mostly on the left side because of it and always had to pick food out of it!  And then I couldn't floss between that tooth and the others because my tooth would cut the floss! :-/

So yay!

I didn't eat anything today, but drank a banana, pecan, & chocolate almond milk smoothie for dinner :)

Lost 2 lbs... LOL

This Week's Progress

Rained Friday, so, cut my walk down :-/

Inspiration

I was talking to my mom the other day and she told me it took her 3 mths to go from a size 14 to a size 8 when she was walking from the house (the 2-storey jouse we grew up in) to my grandma's house to visit the Cherie.  And then she said it wasn't daily!  She also had to walk over an overpass, so, that inceeased the effort... but, it's still inspiration!  Even if it takes me twice as long to lose about the same amount, that would still be great! :-D

Poison Plants

This picture is just a small sample of the poison plants I have to walk next to daily!  I'm quite sure this represents all 3 types: Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, and Poison Sumac!  You may not be able to see all 3 I in this picture; but, I'm quite sure they're all there... hiding... I really think that it wasn't Poison Ivy that I had a reaction to last year... I think it was either of the other two plants.

Tons of Poison Ivy are growing high aling the road :-/  There's only grass as the shoulder of the road... so, I step off into the grass if a car approaches... I hope I don't get into contact with any of the poison plants when I do that!  Argh!  That would suck so much!  I'd have to stop walking for 2 wks!  It's bad enough I can't do my running/jogging until my shins heal completely...

Voodoo Fest Update

I called my mom about coming to stay at our house for the weekend of the Voodoo Fest and she's fine with it!  Woohoo! And whew!  Now we don't have to stress over that!

Cherie said she had still planned on coming bc of Wyatt's Flea/Fly game :-)  I hate that we'll miss it though!

We also made a deposit for a kind of duplex to stay for that weekend with Angele and Shane too!  It's awesome!  It's close to the Festival Grounds and has 2 bedrooms and a stocked kitchen!  I believe we'll have a great weekend!

I'm not sure about Halloween; since it's on Thursday... not sure if T-r-T'ing will happen on Thursday or Friday... and MACA is supposed to have a dance too; I'm assuming that'll be on Friday but, I've no idea...

Weekly Progress

Thursday is low bc I was supposed to go to lunch with Brandi but she canceled bc of kidney stones :-/

Voodoo Fest - New Orleans

We put our deposit on a place to stay in Downtown, New Orleans for the Voodoo Fest!  It's sooo great!  It's like a little house, actually; has 2 bedrooms with a full or Queen size bed (I forget) in each!  Has a stocked kitchen too!  It's not far from the festival grounds in City Park.  The trolley stop is like 2 or 3 blocks down the road :D  This is going to be so fun!

I haven't called mom about staying with the kids yet.  I'm sure it won't be a problem though.

Saturday is Korah's birthday party; should be a good time for us adults too :)

Voodoo Fest & Flea/Fly Game

The Voodoo Fest will be November 1-3 this year.  We bought our tickets when they first started selling them, before the line-up was announced.  Angele & Shane will be going too :)

I'm super psyched!  The Cure, Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, and Paramore will be there!  If only 311 would be there, it would be perfect! :D hehe

Now, the problem:  The dates are Friday, Saturday, & Sunday.  This means either my kids will miss school on Friday and we bring them to Raceland/Montegut to stay with family.  But, Fridays are usually test days!  So, what I was thinking was that my mom could come up here a day or so before Friday.  And being I don't think she'd handle being here, alone, with my 3 kids... I asked Cherie if she could come up for the weekend.  So far, she'll come :)

It just sucks that Jeremy & I will miss Wyatt's Flea/Fly game :((  Maybe Nov. 3rd isn't a date set in stone... I can only hope!!!

Shin Splints :-(

Well, my shins were hurting so much yesterday that I looked it up online... and apparently, I have shin splints :(  So, I can't run/jog until they don't hurt anymore.  I just walked today.  I did get my 10,000 steps (according to my cell phone app) though :)  Maybe my weight loss may slow down even more because of this... but, I think about how my mom was able to lose weight by walking 2 miles almost daily some years ago and she was older than me.  It didn't happen overnight; but, it'll happen :)  Once it's cooler, I may even walk twice a day:  In the morning, after the kids get on the bus and in the evening, before dinner, with whatever kids want to come (so far, Ursula wants to join me).

Today

My shins are killing me today!  I only did 2 running stints bc it was just too painful :-(

On a good note, I weigh 149 lbs this morning!  Woohoo!  So, if I go by this... I lost about 1.5 lbs a week or so... so, maybe in 2 wks, I'll be 146.5lbs?  So, that would make 6 lbs a month... and by the end of October, maybe I'll be around 140lbs???  Wouldn't that be sweet?  And quite possibly, 134lbs by the end of November???  Could I really achieve that?  It would be so awesome and my legs should look way better too!  I really need to keep this up!  I want those results!

Railroad Tracks

Every day that I walk, I pass over the train tracks close to our house.  We live one house away from the tracks; and after living here for 12 yrs, the trains are barely bothersome... only if they're going really fast or have a heavy load or stay on their horn, do we notice them... our house, which is on the ground, shakes sometimes! Hahaha.  And of course, if I'm on the phone outside (bc I usually go outside if I'm talking on the phone), a train will pass and lay on that horn!!!  Every single time! Haha

More Accurate

I believe this screen shot from today is more likely how I did yesterday.  This is more believable... 4 miles instead of 7 !

I did 4 miles in a little less than an hour :-D. Not too bad, right?

I can't wait until this fat melts off!!!

Puppies!

They are a week old today :-)  Our Pitbulls' (Veya and Titan) babies:-)
They're so cute!    Eyes and ears are still closed; should be open by next Thursday
It's so hot though!   They pant sometimes:-(
We've already had people asking about them!  Like about 5 are interested!  Woohoo!
We'll probably get Veya fixed after this...

Before Pictures

Ok... here I am... fat and nasty!  150-152 lbs.

I took these after my walk/jog today.

My goal?  I need to get rid of at least 10 lbs!  At first, anyways.  Ultimately, I'd love to be 125 lbs!!!  Haven't seen that weight in years... maybe even over 10 yrs!

Honestly, I'm cool when I weigh 134 lbs.  At that weight, I fit a size 5.

Right now, I am about a size 8.  I can squeeze into a 6... hahaha.  I have back fat and love handles.   So, yeah, I'm too fat for myself right now!!!  Hate it!!!

Sometimes I wish I could be anorexic for just a few months...  but, I just love food too much to avoid it or regurgitate it... hahaha. 

Excuse the dirty mirror!  Pictures always show details you can't see so easily on glass and mirrors!  Hahaha. Anyways, that's from my cat, Cosmo.  He likes to splash his water around when he drinks!  Crazy kitty!

She's Going the Distance...

I reached my 10,000 steps goal today!  Woohoo!  I'm thinking that the mileage and the amount of steps shown on this pic (from an awesome app) isn't exact... like, I believe I walked/jogged 3 miles, not 7 miles... but, hey!  Looks great on here!  Hahaha. But really, I'm proud to have gone as far as I have!  By myself!  The past 2 days, my neighbor's ankle has been hurting, so, she hasn't gone with me.

At the end of the week, I'll post a screen shot of what I've done this week :-D

I need this exercise to be a daily thing; a habit.  Something that calls out to me every morning.   I'm looking forward to see what progress I've made in a month!  I really hope this works out for me!

As of now, my shins ache while I'm walking/jogging.  I ignore that and hope it goes away :-)  Jeremy said my body is just getting used to it and it won't ache for long.

I put a pic of me still drenched in sweat... hahaha

To the Start of Success!

Just bought new shoes to prove my determination to continue the walk/run exercising with my neighbor!

Hopefully, the weight will start melting away! 

I also bought some Malice in Wonderland.   It's to help with weight loss.  It's got some natural stuff in it.  Hope they both work for me!!!

2 Mile Walk/Run

Today, I I'vearted joining my next-between that and the walk/run, I've taken over 10,000 steps today!neighbor, Jessica, for a 2 mile walk/run!  OMG, rough towards the end but, I made it!!! :D  woohoo!  This is her 3rd day and my first... but, since today is Friday and Monday is Labor Day, we won't do it again until Tuesday.  Sweating my a$$ off!  ha ha ha  My cheeks are hot and red!   hehe  But, I NEED this!!!  I weigh 152 lbs this morning!!!  argh!  Now, it could be pre-menstrual weight too... but... still... way TOO much!

I had thought about fasting again... was going to do it this week, but, Jeremy took his vacation and was home all week and didn't want me to... so, we could go eat lunch together :D hehe  It's been nice :))

I'll see how this walk/run goes and think about fasting... I don't know if I should fast while doing that though... probably not a good idea... 

Before and After pictures???  IDK... I HATE my body right now... but, maybe I will for my own incentive if I need it in the future.

Well, I've mowed half the yard and between that and the walk/run this morning, I've taken 10,000 steps! :-D

Commitment

Ok, so, I've decided to do this workout:

Today will be my 3rd day; yeah, haven't done it yet (but will start it in a few minutes).
OMG!  My legs are sore!!! LOL  Wow!!!
I miss that though!

I'm not thinking I'll lose 10 lbs in 2 wks... but, I do think I will have made a difference in my appearance in that time!  And, hopefully, I can continue doing this until it gets easy and I find another, more challenging workout!
I really HATE being as big as I am without being pregnant!
OH yeah, I wanted to mention that in order to do the jumping jacks and running in place, I am wearing 2 bras!!!  Otherwise, WAY too much movement in the chest area to be comfortable doing that!

Wants & Needs

I want to lose weight... I'm now like 150lbs... I don't even know how it happens...

I NEED to lose weight... I feel better (physically & emotionally).

How?  Exercise, of course!  I really, really, really need to get on a regular exercise schedule!  I just feel too blah to do it... why do I feel blah?  BECAUSE I'm overweight!  Because I am in a depressed state of mind because of what I look like!  How did I get to this weight?  Because I was happy at being 135lbs and didn't do anything to maintain that weight because I thought it would magically stay that way if I wished it would!  I need to get out of my imaginary world and do something!

Another thing?  It's kind of secret... I really want another baby... I don't know if this is a passing phase or what... But, it's also something that I'm fighting inside myself too because even though I would love (and have always seen myself with) more children... I do enjoy my free time when they're at school and I do enjoy their growing independence.  And I can finally read books again - having a baby/toddler really makes this hard because they demand so much time and energy as well as their little hands constantly grabbing the book.

I have even read up on what makes your pregnancy "high-risk"... I mean, just because you're over 35, you're automatically put in the "high-risk" category; which is just insane, in my opinion.  I've looked up about having a Down's Syndrome child... usually happens because of something inherited from the parents (I know of no blood-related Down's child on either side) and low folic acid.  I've been taking folic acid :)

My children always talk about me having another baby.  They're all for it.  They're the ones who bring it up.  I don't discuss it with them... I mean, I actually tell them the negatives (my age, their age differences) and they aren't concerned about that.  I actually think it would be a good learning experience for my girls -because should I have another, they'll be older and understand the ramifications of them having children and may even cause them to postpone having children until they're in their 20's or so! lol.

I sometimes think that my body gaining weight for no reason is because it's been ready to carry another child.  I had started gaining weight back (after getting to my good, prenatal weight) around the time Wyatt was 2 yrs old.  Ever since then, it's been a roller coaster of me being at a good weight and me being overweight :(

As I've said earlier, I've always seen myself with more children.  Even as a child, I always envisioned myself surrounded by lots of kids.  One of things I wanted to be as a kid, was a hospital nursery nurse; so, I could hold those babies and give them love.  Why didn't I have more children?  Well, because Jeremy & I had such a rocky relationship for such a long time (like 10 yrs) :(  The times I conceived were in those times we were doing better... but, when it was bad, it was bad and I'd just think, "How can I justify bringing another child into a family such as ours?"  So, I wouldn't get pregnant.  It was really bad.  And I really didn't see it getting any better.  However, things have changed and we've been doing really well for like 5 yrs!  Thankfully!  And me wanting another child has nothing to do with celebrating that; although, I think it would be a totally different labor and delivery than before...

One more thing... I've had 2 readings.  One was when Ursula was a toddler and one when Wyatt was a baby.  One was runes and the other were playing cards.  Both times, they showed me with 5 children!  How weird is that?  And the one with the playing cards showed possibly twin boys.

Of course, I'll be totally fine with having my three children.  I love seeing them grow, change, and mature.

Maybe, perhaps, this too, shall pass :)

Drama, Drama, Drama

Thankfully, my immediate family isn't directly involved this time!  LOL  (not really a LOL moment... more of a whew moment!)

Well, at this moment, pretty much all my siblings are going through some crap :-(

Sister 3 had a harrowing experience earlier this year... met a local guy online.  Met him a handful of times.  He promised many things (house, help, ability for her stay home, etc).  Asked her to go on trip to TX with him to meet his parents (2 different locations in TX) for the weekend without her kids.  She did.  He abused her in every way (physical, mentally, & sexually) and pretty much kidnapped her by not allowing her to leave (she was in his vehicle) via a phone call to a family member or any other way or bring her back when he said he would prior to leaving in the first place.  Well, she filed a report and he's currently in jail; waiting for a court date.  Many charges against him.  She since moved out of state to keep safe because he made many threats against her and her children.

Sister 1 is going through marital problems.  We all know that their marriage hasn't been the best in the last 20 something years, but, she decided to step out.  Well, her husband found enough proof to get her to admit it.  She is to break all ties with him and go to our mom's house where they will start to put their marriage back together... or attempt it.

Sister 2... well, her husband has been in the hospital multiple times within the last year few years due to blood clots (genetic problem)... so, its been stressful on them.  Plus, they've been trying to get into their trailer for a few years now... finally moved into our dad's house so they could be closer to the trailer so it could be worked on easier.  Also, he's been in a partnership in business and has always got the shit part of the deal and finally wanting to break away from that; not sure if he succeeded in this yet.  His mom has been going through some stuff too... dropped a crap load of weight and checked into a mental ward.  So, all this going on with them... :(

And my brother... his wife decided to end their marriage.  I really don't know the details... just know the main complaints from before.  My brother is distraught.

My parents?  Well, they seem to be ok :)  My dad is actively going to dance classes and entering dance competitions.  He just bought the Xbox Kinect and is dancing away with it :)  Happy he's so mobile!  He's 68 yrs old.

Mom... well, she's not nearly as mobile.  She has a hard time walking to the mailbox!  She's living in her parents' house.  I keep trying to encourage her to get moving.  Its imperative!  I told her she has great-grandchildren coming and she needs to be around to meet them!  She's 67 yrs old.

Not that this is drama... it's exciting... but, there is drama associated with it... my oldest niece is due for her first baby (my first great-nephew)!  Her est. due date is June 4th.  The drama surrounding this is that her birth choices differ from her in-laws (deja vu'!).

Thankfully, Jeremy & I are doing quite well!  Yay!  Our kids are fine :)

Weighty Issues

So, the fasting has helped me :D  I'm 142 lbs this morning :D  I'm trying to figure out what's best... I hear that eating several small meals a day keeps weight down... but, how can you argue with limiting calories; like, not eating... skipping breakfast... stuff like that?  So far, I've been skipping breakfast.  Having a smallish lunch and moderate dinner... like, never ever getting that "full" feeling; no seconds.

Oh, at this weight, I wear like a size 7 snug; size 6 snug; 8's are loose.

What I don't understand is why my bra size hasn't gone down much???  Really irritates me!  I want smaller breasts!  I want to be able to buy bras from most any store that sells them!  I want to be able to wear strapless bras with strapless shirts/dresses!!!  At this weight, before having children, I was wearing either a DD/E or F... I think it was a DD.  I'd be so HAPPY to be that size again!!!  arghhhh

XBox

So, our XBox360 stopped opening the CD drive... so, of course, this infuriates Jeremy because he's an avid gamer (MW3).  We look online, and find a special edition, new, sealed box, Final Fantasy console + 250 gb hard drive + FFXIII game + 2 wireless controllers + cheap headphone & (plus all the wires and crap) :D  So, I order it and it came in in like 4 days (from Canada)!  So, Jeremy transfers his gaming info from our 120 gb to the new our new 250 gb hard drive.  Brings the old xbox to Ursula's room (that's where the other TV is located).  And guess what?  Not only will the disc drive not open, it won't spin now!!!  So, this makes his super angry and he decides he's going to go to GameStop and buy another one for the kids.  We get and Elite model console.  So, now we have 2 new XBox360's... why didn't we get the slim design?  Three reasons:  older ones are cheaper, we already had an external hard drive, and Jeremy wants to get the XBox720 when it comes out; which could be later this year!

Also, we went ahead and paid for Ursula to have a membership as well :)  So, now we all have XBox Live memberships :)

What do I like to play on Xbox?  Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and RPG games (like Skyrim).
What do I like playing on our Wii?  Dance games & work out 'games'.

Fasting - The End

Well, I couldn't help it!  LOL  I ate a yummy veggie salad for lunch today; thereby making it a 2.5 day fast :) Not bad!  I am happy I was able to prove to myself that I could do it.  :)

Funny thing... about half an hour after I finished my salad, I had diarrhea... hmmm  I know it was from the salad because, well, no other food in my system since Sunday night... and there was lettuce leaves in the toilet bowl!  Yes, I look!  ha ha

Gosh how I love food!  hehehe  I just need to cut my portion sizes and exercise more :D  "Eat less, move more!"

Fasting - Day 3

OMG!  I made it past 2 days!!!  Wow!!!  Yeah, I am pretty sure I never went 2 days without food before... perhaps one... but, I'm quite sure its never been two!  ha ha ha

This morning, I'm down like 8 lbs!!!  woot woot!  I weigh 140.2 lbs right now.  The question is now, how long can I go???  I really want to eat!  LOL  My belly wants food!  I'm feeling more nauseous then anything.

Yesterday, I finished mowing the yard and was feeling very tired while doing it; had to push myself to continue.

Yesterday, I believe I had the most knocks on my door in one day! ha ha ha  First, my neighbor by the RR tracks, Chelsey, came over to ask if I could feed their puppy for the next few days as she's going to see her boyfriend/husband (not sure if they're married) since he's working in another state.  I'm like, no problem (esp. since the puppy comes from us! ha ha ha).   Later, not long after the kids get home from school, there's another knock.  Someone I've never met before.  She says she's the guy next door's cousin and that she'll take the puppy home to try to housebreak him while they're gone so that he'll be able to stay indoors :)  I'm like, does Chelsey know?  She said, no, not yet, but Chris knows :)  She asked if we have another puppy to give away and I'm like, nope... last one went to our other neighbor's friend :D  Her name is Blaire :)  Added her to facebook!  ha ha ha  She seems cool :)  Third knock was Lori.  Asking if Jeremy could go look at her car's back bumper when he gets home from work; he did :)

Back to fasting... the kids are acting concerned that I'm not eating.  But, are they really concerned about me not eating or me not cooking?  LOL  Jeremy tells me that I can eat any time I want... nothing to prove; we all know you can do this; you don't have to!  LOL  I'm like, yes, I know... but, I've come so far!  ha ha ha  He wants me to eat dinner tonight, at least... I really don't know if I can make it to dinner without eating... I mean, I've gotten to a better weight... now its just eating less to maintain... that along with exercise, of course!

Fasting - Day 2

Yay!  I made it through the day without food!!!  Only water!  Woohoo!  AND, I loss 4 lbs since yesterday!!!  Talk about incentive to continue! ha ha ha  So, this morning, I weigh 144 with jean shorts, shirt, and socks on :)  I'm not expecting to lose another 4 lbs today, although, that would be fantastic! heh heh heh

My stomach is rumbling and I have a slight headache... nothing to concern myself about.

I not only did the Gazelle for 20 minutes (could do more, but it's just so boring... LOL), I also mowed most of the yard!  Didn't do all because I couldn't restart the mower after putting gas in it... Of course, Jeremy came home and started it up almost right away... :-/  ha ha ha  So, I need to finish that up today.

I have been having a light rash on my chest for the past few days... not sure what it's from...

Oh, so, we've started charting what 'jobs' the kids do and paying them for it... again, incentive to continue.  We're on the 4th week and it's working quite well; the kids are seeing how it adds up and loving it :)  We're only giving a $1/job with the exception of filling up the water (Pur filtered water picture) & tea... that's only a quarter and straightening up is $.50.  So, anyways, I ask Wyatt if he's going to fill up the water (being that I really need it now that I'm on a water fast!) and he's like, "Yeah!".  So, I take it out and give it to him... he starts acting like a strong man and putting it on his shoulder... well, in those few steps from the fridge to the sink, he drops it!!!  I'm like, "NO!!!"  Crap.  I surely don't want to have to resort to drinking unfiltered water!!!  Well, Jeremy comes inside and sees it.  He showers.  And leaves to go to Lowe's to buy another one!  I told him not to worry about that and that I'll just get one tomorrow but, he left anyways.  He came home with another like we had as well as two filter bottles for both of us :)  Thoughtful, huh? :))

Fasting

Okay, so, I turn 40 yrs old this month!  OMG!  Where did the years go?  Yes, I realize that's a cliche'... but, it's so true!  I really don't feel that old!

So, for some reason, my body wants to be heavier... and I've gained like 10 lbs so far this year... and I just can't allow that to continue!  What am I doing to stop and reverse this?  Well, I've started getting on my Gazelle again and doing some ab exercises.  Today, I'm trying to start a water fast.  So far, so good!  By 7:30 pm, it will have been 24 hrs without food!  I am going to try to go for 3 days.  I really will!  I think the most I've gone was 2 days... LOL  I think... I'm hoping to get over the headaches and tummy growling and continue without food.  I think I need it.  Not just because of my weight gain; but, because of having had pneumonia at the end of last year.  Even now, when I inhale deeply, I can sometimes feel it 'catch' in my right side (which is where the pneumonia was).  Maybe fasting will allow my body to heal properly without having to digest food.  That's my hope, anyways.  I really want to do this.  I think I'm head strong enough to go through with it.  And I don't like how much I want to snack and eat sweets now... I am not normally like that... so, I need to put a stop to that!  Problem?  Having to feed my family!  The smell of good food!  I just love food so much! hahaha  But, I need to do this.  Jeremy told me not to worry about cooking tonight.  We have leftovers as well as easy to cook food that the kids can prepare and eat.

Another thing that we're trying to do, as a family, is to abstain from dairy (at least in the house and at Jeremy's work).  Jeremy has noticed that he feels better when he goes without and that when he does consume any dairy, he gets this red blotchiness on his face, around his nose and under his eyes!  Internally, his gut feels awful, he tells me.  It makes crazy noise when he presses different areas that even I can hear.  He'd really like to fast (it was his idea for himself, actually), but, with him working 6 to 7 days a week; we don't think that's a good idea.  To fast, you need to be able to rest because it can take a lot out of you.

Gift Shopping

I've been doing some shopping online since I can't leave my house with this damn pneumonia :(  I really wanted to check out some local thrift stores, especially ARC (because I like supporting them).  Wyatt really needs jeans... and you can barely find retail jeans for less than $15/each for a growing boy.  So, I went to Stagestores.com and bought him a couple of pairs, bought Jeremy two pairs of jeans, and bought Calista a winter coat :D  They had a special... and I got 40% off the whole purchase!!!  woohoo!  Awesome deal!
PLUS, put it on the Stage card :D

We also bought a mini bike off of eBay for Ursula :)  It'll be her both her birthday and Christmas present and she's fine with that :D  It should be in tomorrow!
We bought Calista a sewing machine :D  She'll be so thrilled!
Bought Wyatt the Batman 2 game for XBox360; its what he wanted.
Bought both girls a new mp3 player and headphones.
Not quite finished buying... but, glad we have what we do so far :)
And Oh!!!  I bought 2 new bras off of eBay yesterday!!!  I'm soooo excited!!! LOL  I HOPE THEY FIT!!! LOL  They're both 32 G's.

As for as gifting family members... not sure what's going on there... Jeremy's talking about not doing anything with his bc of the seemingly total disregard for us... of course, it could all be a great misunderstanding... I'm still perusing possible gifts... with if it comes down to last minute decision to go, then $25 cash to the kids... I don't think they've ever liked our gifts anyways... for either birthdays or Christmas.  Doesn't seem like they did, anyways... But, who doesn't like cash?  I just wish I'd know for sure what the plans are so I can buy; I'm seeing so many cute gifts for good prices right now and there's time to be delivered right now...


On a different note:

I'm not quite sure if its the medicine, illness, me not drinking anything but water and juice, or what... but, I'm down to 136lbs!!!  woohoo!  LOVE that!!!  I hope I can either stay this weight or go down; that would be AWESOME! :D

I have a few days left on my antibiotics... and no family practice doctor.  The Port Barre Family Practice is full... or so they told me.  I think its because I don't have insurance.  But, f*ck them!  There's not many family doctors in the area... I did see that the doctor that attended me in the ER is a family doctor but I think he may be in Washington... I have no idea about that little town.. I think I went there once with a past neighbor, Julie; but that was it.  I guess I'll just go back to Urgent Care for a follow-up and x-ray.

Pneumonia

So, after taking a 5 day round of Zpac as well as the cough/cold med, I was no longer throwing up and no fever... which may have been because I was alternating Tylenol and Motrin.  However, it was NOT masking the pain in my right side!
I was in such pain!  I was taking hot steam baths daily... even getting up in the middle of the night to soak... to help relieve the pain.  The pain wasn't just in one spot... it was in my ribs... from top to bottom with the bottom hurting more when I'd cough or anything like that.  I was putting Icy-Hot stuff on it and it reacted and got really hot and helped somewhat.
We really had no idea what was going on.  Jeremy thought I may have pulled a muscle in my chest from coughing or perhaps even fractured a rib.  I had no idea.  I couldn't bend over; pain.  Laying down wasn't helping.  No position was without pain.  And shortness of breath.

On Nov. 21st, Jeremy came home from work bc he was worried about me and we went to Urgent Care again.  This time, the wait wasn't so long.  I cried on the way there... I guess I was afraid of what I'd hear.  You have to understand, I don't get this kind of sick.  My kind of sickness is colds, allergies, and a handful of flu or flu-like symptoms; Mostly colds and sore throats.

I cried in the waiting room... and again, for those that don't know me, I'm not one of those girly girls that cry. I cry more now since having children... but, still not a crier... I guess we waited for an hour to be called in.

The Dr. recognized me (I had been there Nov. 9th) and I told him what was going on.  I told him of the pain and he tried pinpointing it but, there's multiple areas where it hurts; I guess the worse spot was on my lower ribs.  He got a nurse to come in and give me a shot in my upper butt for pain.  This time he sent me to get a X-ray.  The lady who took them (2 of them, front and side) took the slide out, put it in this machine which began to show it on a large screen.  It was reading the x-ray from right to left.  She asked me if I had taken a deep breath and held it.  I told her I did as much as I could... and she's thinking we may have to take another one bc I didn't inhale.  But, as it goes to my left side, you can see black space; which meant there was air there.  She says that it looks like I did inhale now and perhaps I have pneumonia.  She calls the Dr. in and he starts asking her if it looks like I have nemo or something like that.. she nods... so, he tells me that I may have this nemocromosis or however its said/spelled.  So, of course, I have NO idea what he's talking about and he tells me that means a collapsed lung!!!  I immediately start crying... which is awful because of the excruciating pain on my right side.  So, we walks me back to the little exam room Jeremy's waiting for me in and tells him.  He says for us to wait a minute while he consults someone else.  Well, not much time passes before he opens the door and tells Jeremy to bring me immediately to the emergency room at Opelousas General!!!  I cry again.  He tells Jeremy that he's calling ahead and they'll take us once we get there.

It's not a long drive, so, we're there in a few minutes.  And yes, I was taken in within a couple of minutes to pre-admit.  The lady there asks me a few questions, takes blood pressure and temperature and gets a wheelchair for me to get wheeled into an exam room (#5).

A nurse, Sara, comes in and starts getting my blood pressure, oxygen levels, and temperature.  Of course, questions are asked.  Doctor Patrick Gillespie comes in and asks questions as well.  While I'm talking to him, Sara is putting a hemp-lock on me.  She draws blood and forgets to close it off and blood's pouring out of my left arm... LOL  I had no idea until Jeremy said something.  It was kind of funny.  Big area of blood on the gurney and drops of my blood on the floor.  She closes it off, rushes to the sink to clean herself up and clean my arm up.  She didn't even have gloves on... good thing I'm clean, huh?

So, they get my blood and urine as well as vitals.  Order another set of x-rays because they said their machine is much better than Urgent Care because it needs to be... since they're a hospital and all.  I have no problem with that.  So, I walk to the x-ray area with 2 nurses and I'm feeling better, not so much pain because of that shot I was given at Urgent Care.  I think I'm able to take a deeper breath.  They take the 2 x-rays and walk me back to my room.

While waiting for them to examine the x-rays, they're telling us that I'm going to have to get admitted!  And get a tube stuck in my back to drain the fluids and hope my lung expands again!  Again, more crying... this is the day before Thanksgiving!!!  Jeremy had already planned on cooking!  Cherie was coming up; her youngest two girls (8 & 10) were already at our house.  Not to mention the fact that I have no insurance.  The ER will cost us enough... imagine a few days' stay at the hospital!!!  I couldn't stop crying.

Meanwhile, I'm given a breathing treatment.  Afterwards, Sara comes back and opens the hemp-lock and gives me a steroid shot, antibiotic shot, and hooks me up to an antibiotic drip that lasts an 1½ hours!  She said it has to go slow because of how potent it is.

I'm actually feeling much better by then... my pain has decreased so much!

We're in the ER for like 6 hrs!  In that time, both of our phones have died.  Jeremy had been texting my family about what was going on with me... they were all on pins & needles.  Some, who had no plans to come up, would have changed their plans to be with me if I required hospital stay.

Thankfully, after the drip was over, the Dr. comes in and says that their x-ray was much better and it looks like pneumonia.  WHEW!!!  NOT a collapsed lung!  OMG, I was so relieved!  He said there's fluid around my lung and that's causing the pain and shortness of breath because my lung can't expand.  I think he said its consolidated fluid... and that he's going to prescribe some stuff to help me manage it at HOME!!! Yay!!!

So, I get to go home!!!  Hip hip hooray!!!

From the ER, we drive to Wal-Mart.  I stay in the van while he puts in my prescriptions.  They say it'll be about half an hour... which isn't bad at all!  The 'scripts say "no substitutions".  Then we drive home; finally!  Oh, yeah, Calista was at home with not only Wyatt & Ursula, but, also Sophia and Olivia as well as our neighbor's son, Kameron (he's a year younger than Calista).  We didn't think we'd be gone for so long... But,  Jeremy texted our neighbor and told him what was up and if he could go and check in on them until we got home.  My kids are told to stay in the house and no cooking if they're left with Calista (who's almost 14 yrs old).  They listen.  They played MineCraft the whole time we were gone! LOL

We get home, everyone's fine :)  Happy to see us... wondering why we took so long!

My meds:  Levaquin (levofloxacin) - Oral 500 mg tablet  1 a day 10 tablets ($100!!!)
                 theophylline anhydrous (Theo-24) - oral 300 mg capsule, extended release 24hr  1/day for 28 days. ($75!!!)
                 Mucinex (guaifenesin) - oral 600 mg tablet extended release  1 tablet every 12 hrs for 30 days
                 Albuterol Sulfate - via nebulizer every 4 hrs   7 boxes!  That's 525 little vials!
                 Motrin as needed (regular otc) 200 mg

So, as of today, everything seems to be going well!  My pain levels went from 10 (max) to about a 2!  I need to stay inside.  Yes, I tested it out and ended up coughing 20 minutes (which still hurts) both times! :-(  I can't do much activity at all or I end up being short breathed.  It really sucks because I have shopping to do for both Christmas and two of my kids!!!  I guess it'll be online shopping for all!  Oh, while I sit here typing, I've got a heating pad on my back... helps a good bit.

Follow up... Dr. would like me to do a check-up after the antibiotics run out... for another x-ray to see if I'm good.  I need to find a doctor... ha ha  I'm trying to get in with the Port Barre Family Practice place since its so close and I've already brought Wyatt & Calista there before.  Figured it would be good for us, as a family, to go to the same place, right?

Oh, and what also sucks?  Is that I finally was able to go red (been wanting to since the summer) and bought some cool, black leather riding boots and haven't been able to really enjoy neither!!!  argh! lol

Being sick isn't fun.  Life lesson though.

Thanksgiving

Jeremy took it upon himself to make a Thanksgiving Feast all by himself :)

He succeeded!  He did an excellent job!

How did this come about?

Well, ever since I was a child, we did Thanksgiving with my paternal grandmother.  It was great!  My uncles and aunts and cousins would all usually be there... which was significant because even though we all lived within an hour of each, we barely ever saw them :(  We lived a mile down the road from my grandmother, so, we saw her practically daily.  Its the only holiday we somewhat celebrated.  We were brought up Jehovah's Witnesses.  We couldn't do any other holiday or birthdays.  But, with this one, not only did everyone have off work and school, but, it was ok to do, kwim?  No pagan origins.

Well, she passed away in April of 2005 (I wasn't aware I was pregnant at the time of her death) from pulmonary fibrosis.  Ever since then, there's been no family Thanksgiving lunch/dinner.

Jeremy & I got together Dec. 31st, 1996.
I'm not sure if that first Thanksgiving together we went to his parents' house or not, but, more than likely, we did.  And so, from then on, we'd arrange it (until my grandma's passing) so that we were able to be with both sides of the family during this holiday.  It worked out well and great to be able to see relatives you don't get to see very often.

Jeremy's father passed away in January 2010.

There was no Thanksgiving Dinner.

This year, no notification or indication of any upcoming dinner; from either side.

Its no surprise from my side.  Like I said, we were brought up without holidays (although, only 2 continue to attend JW meetings out of 7).  And we have a sister that lives in Georgia with her children (minus her oldest bc she just got married in August and is currently living in California).  Though, if plans were made, I'm sure she'd come down.  And then I have another sister who's husband's family all live in Mississippi.  So, they always go there... he gets to hunt while there too.  And I'm sure that even with them, if plans were made, they'd be there too... like if it was on the Wednesday before.

However, the major thing, is that there's really nowhere to host a Thanksgiving Dinner.  Our house is tiny.  Cherie and her 3 girls live with our dad.  Angele & Shane live with our mom until they get their home set up.  I guess Montegut would be the only place to hold anything, but, its not exactly a neutral zone; being that our parents are divorced and other tenions...  Although, I hope that since this past summer, things are ok and everyone would attend such a dinner if one was planned for there.  So, really, that would be our only option.

So, that's why its no surprise my side had no plans.

Except that Cherie and her girls usually do come to our house for that week; or at least she brings her kids and goes to work until Thursday.

And Jeremy's side.  Nothing.  No email.  No phone call.  No text messages.  Nothing.

I remembered one year, we were in GA for Thanksgiving and we went to a restaurant with Aimee & her family.  So, I asked Jeremy what were we going to do for Thanksgiving since we didn't hear from anyone.  I had asked at the beginning of November.  He said he didn't know, but he was going to cook a turkey.  Well, the month continues to go by and still no word from anyone.  All I know is that Cherie & her kids will be here because they usually are :)

As Thanksgiving gets closer, Jeremy brings home two turkeys along with sides and things to make desserts.  He's going to have his Thanksgiving Dinner regardless of anything else.  And if we would have gotten a call to have dinner somewhere else, he could have just brought his food...  

Well, Wednesday, I go into the ER... you can read about that in another blog entry... ha ha ha

So, we wouldn't have been able to attend anyone else's dinner, anyways... but, no one knew that until Wednesday night when I posted it in my facebook status.

Below are the finished results of Jeremy waking up at 7:30 am and having it all together by 12:00 pm!

He loves to cook and takes great pride in his work :)

Master Chef, Jeremy!

 Everyone else that was here to eat (Jeremy took pic on workout bench)

 Everyone being silly :D

Bronchitis

I thought October wasn't very kind to me... looks like November is trying to beat that...
What started out as a wet cough got progressively worse.
After having fever throughout the day for a week as well as throwing up every morning (mucous), I finally asked Jeremy to bring me to Urgent Care in Opelousas.   This was a Friday evening and there were quite a few people there.  We sat in the waiting room for 3 hrs!  Calista 'babysat' her siblings.  I kept in touch with her via text messaging using an app called iGotChat that they can use with our older Android phones via wi-fi since we no longer have a land line.
I finally get called in and tell them what I'm experiencing, the doctor says I have bronchitis.  I'm having a sharp pain in my right side every time I cough.  I was thinking they may do an X-Ray on my chest but they didn't and I didn't suggest because I figure they know what they're doing.
The Dr. prescribed a 5 day round of Zpacs (Azithromycin) as well as Deconex DMX (decongestant, cough suppressant, and expectorant).

Halloween

Well, after my severe Poison Ivy/Oak/Sumac, I was feeling ok, went to 3 stores to pick up stuff that was needed or wanted... About 2 days after healing up, I start coughing.  This wet cough.  Great.  Because, you know, I'd been coughing (those popping coughs) from June until September!  That started from right before we left Montegut after being there for 2 weeks so the kids could do swimming lessons there.

So, now, its Halloween, and I'm not bringing the kids to Trick-or-Treat :(  Jeremy's bringing them because I know I'm not feeling good enough to go.  I'm coughing a lot.  And it really sucks, because this year, we have new costumes.  Jeremy would have been the Wicked Mad Hatter. I would have been the Red Queen and Calista was Alice.  Ursula was Abby Bominable (Monster High).  Wyatt was a Dementor (Harry Potter).

I wasn't feeling well enough to even do their make-up :((

Severe Reaction To Poison Ivy/Oak/Sumac

Alright... this really sucked...

It got really bad!  The rash spread to places that the plant never touched, like my belly!  The left side of my face was swollen!  The right side of my face was starting to swell but not even close to how much the left side did!  Awful and UGLY!!!  Wow!  And then, before the swelling was over, I had to go get a package from the mail lady!  I put on some sunglasses and held my head down as much as possible! lol  And my face didn't itch at all.  However, it was feverish and red.  And after the swelling went down (took about 4 days altogether - from start of swelling to ending of it), it was like I had a sunburn and a thin layer of skin had to be exfoliated off... not bad though.

I definitely stayed inside as much as possible!  I looked up info, of course.  And for those that think you can catch Poison Ivy from someone... its ONLY if they haven't bathed yet or washed their clothes because the plant's oil will still be on them.  When you have the fluid filled blisters, THAT'S NOT CONTAGIOUS!  Your body doesn't start becoming a plant and producing the poison!!!  Think about it!  Even if you scratch them, you can't give it to someone else!  And oh, let's talk about scratching... OMG!!!  It was ecstasy to itch!  Wow!  I could have scratched my skin off and it would have felt AWESOME! lol  Thankfully, my logical brain overruled my sensory organs... Jeremy hooked me up with pretty much any and all (almost) things relating to Poison Ivy.  Some worked better than others.  I really liked the Calamine spray.  It has a numbing substance in it as well as anti-itch thing.  The clear Caladryl... I didn't like too much... when it dries, it peels off... good ole Calamine works well still :)

So, I had the rash on both forearms, small blisters on backs of my fingers, near the lowest knuckle, my knees, and up the top of my thighs, my neck and chest had some, and my belly... even some discoloring on my breasts but no itching, and my face was affected but no itching there either.

I'm sooo glad its almost ended!  Yay!  Yes, huge lesson learned!  I will be using weed killer from now on!!! LOL

Poison Reaction

Well, so much for me not having reactions to Poison Ivy/Oak/Sumac!  Honestly, I have no idea which one is making me itch now... but, definitely having a reaction :(  I checked out pics online, and I'm pretty certain that not only was ivy there (which I totally recognized) but, I'm quite certain oak too... and I'm think even some Sumac... Right now, its mostly on my arms, which is ok...

Pulling Poison Weeds

Well, I pulled weeds today.  Or more to exactly, poison ivy, oak, and perhaps even sumac... Why?  Because, now that the first rent house on Midway Lane was sold, they redrew the boundaries and now I have more land to mow, weed, and keep up... including another Holly bush/tree.  So, being that I've never gotten the poison weeds out from under that new tree and my daughter, Calista, is very allergic to it, I got to work.  I've never had any reaction to them... or to just perhaps just the Poison Ivy... I was pulling out all kinds of weeds... some I recognized, others I didn't... I took no chances and pulled them.  I put them in a plastic store bag and then put them in the garbage can outside.  I hope to have taken care of all dangers around that tree!  Guess we'll see!

On a side note, I also met our new neighbors behind us (facing HWY 743).  Kristi and Mark.  They have 2 children: Chase (5 yrs old) and Gracie (4 mths old, I think).  They're like us in that they've been together for years, have children and aren't married! lol

A New Year

I know I haven't been keeping up my blogs... thanks to Facebook! lol

Anyways... thought I'd update today... beginning of a new year and all...

Great news! I am starting this year under 140 lbs!!! woohoo!!! It has been soooo long since I've seen the 130's on any scale for myself! And it feels WONDERFUL! I still a little ways to go until I reach my goal... but, I'm loving this!

How'd I do it? Well, being that going to Curves everyday, pretty much 5 times a day, wasn't working so well (had been going for over a year... lost inches but only like 5 lbs)... I decided to go a different route. A route I never thought I'd do... but, I was soooo tired of being 160 lbs!!! That's way too much weight for someone of my stature and I just couldn't shake it! So, I went to a diet doctor! He's actually a doctor of internal medicine and does this on the side. And I've been taking phentermine... I just started my 5th month. So, the weight isn't drastically disappearing, but it is... slowly and wonderfully! Size 8 jeans are loose! I can fit some size 6's... yay! Love it, love it, love it!!!

This picture, I took Oct. 27th, 2010.

Yes, dirty bathroom mirror! lol  Oh well...

Anyways, I've lost a little more weight since this pic :D

What I'm going to work on now is working out! ha ha ha Yeah... I've lost weight... but, really need to tone up!!! Thankfully, we have work out 'games' for both the Wii & XBox360!

So, personal goals for myself for this year is to get down to 125 lbs and be toned up! Another goal: Get divorce papers from John! He's remarried (so he's said- legally... IDK...). I need to figure out how to attain them... if its not really filed, than that needs to be done pronto!!!


Another thing I recently got accomplished is that I finally have a birth certificate AND social security number for Wyatt!!! Yes... I should have tried to get these done prior to now... but... it's finally done!!! woohoo! Now Jeremy can amend the tax forms he's turned in and file the others :))

Also, after the taxes are all done, we can actually start looking for a place for ourselves!!! And on a slightly different note, we can apply for LaChip insurnace for low income families! woohoo! Its for medical, dental, vision, etc!!! Awesome! And way cheaper than other insurances I've been looking into!


Speaking about Jeremy (I know, he doesn't want me talking about him on my blog... but, this is good stuff :-D)... our relationship has much improved in the past 2 yrs! Its been great! He's still not drinking and says he has no desire to (whew!)!
Also, he was promoted to Foreman of the Pipe Department at work! Because of that, we were invited to the company's annual Christmas Party! Wow!!! How cool was that? We actually went! Jeremy's mom said she could babysit the kids... so, we dropped them off on the way there and they slept over :)
He has also maintained the weight he went down to when he was training for Ryan! So, he's under 180lbs :)


Our Kids:

Wyatt & Ursula just had their bdays last month... so, my baby is now 5 yrs old! Ursula is 8 :D Calista will be 12 next month! I plan on getting her a little bit of real make-up for her bday :D I let her wear brown mascara sometimes and light lip gloss... but, this will be her's :) She's been shaving her legs for a few months now... ha ha ha    My tiny girl is getting older!

Something else pertaining to my girls is that bus wreck that happened on Dec. 3rd, 2010.  I'll try to post more about that on their blog.  That really sucked... My heart still wrenches when I see a bus or pass the spot where the accident happened.  I am bringing them to the chiropractor.


Jeremy's dad will be gone a year on Jan. 12th :(  It's something that Jeremy's been struggling with.  We actually stayed up all night Sunday night, talking about him... he even went to work Monday morning even though he literally had no sleep!  But, he said he loved that night and it really helped him deal with his passing.  Jeremy's mom is supposed to get remarried in Las Vegas on Jan. 25th... crazy, huh?  Another thing Jeremy's having a hard time with...

Vampires

I know that there's a whole fad type deal going on with vampires now... but, in all honesty, I've always been into vampires... even when I was a kid... I wasn't interested in watching werewolves, zombies, ghouls, and whatever other type of monster out there... however, I was always fascinated with witches/occult type stuff too... along with the vampires :)

So... anyways... I've been reading different vampire books. I had actually read the first 3 of Ann Rice's Vampire Chronicles back when I was like 21 or 22... (yes, a LONG time ago... LOL). And I reread them recently (actually, not all yet... just finished the 5th book... need to buy the others). I read the Twilight books. Read the Vampire Academy books. And the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, series (there's one to more to go on that one). So, two of these bunches of books are geared towards teens; but, they're still good :)

The first two series listed below are geared towards teens:

The Twilight series (by Stephenie Meyer)... I liked it as a whole. I am not too into Bella's personality though... she's too somber? Idk... But, like I said, I like it as a whole... and it has a good ending :D Oh, I also like how they don't cower & die from the sun but sparkle :) And how they never sleep :D That's great :))

The Vampire Academy series (by Richelle Mead)... that's incomplete still... but, actually, pretty good :D A different concept on vampires... two different types: one is a living vampire and the other, the 'bad' one, is the undead. The story is being told from a 3rd different species though... she's one that was born to protect the living vampires.

The Vampire Chronicles series (by Ann Rice)... Really good set of books... I've only read the first five so far... need to buy the rest... in the meantime, I started on Pandora last night. Its not part of the series but associated with them. The fifth book, Memnoch the Devil is really good :D It talks about the roles that God & the Devil play in our lives... interesting take on things. I'm really interested in reading the next 5 books... just have to get them now :D I actually have the 7th book, Merrick... I picked it up, long ago, at a thrift store... just like other Ann Rice books that I have. I have to say that reading this series has taken me longer to read then the others series of books... the books themselves, are bigger... if they don't appear that way, don't be deceived... the font is smaller and closer together and the margins are smaller too. Also, its the way that they're written... not in casual, everyday language... since the main characters are at least 200 yrs old, its written like they're telling the story, the way they spoke back then. I like the stories that the books tell... and like my sister said, seems like Ann Rice got better with each book :)

Finally, the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series (by Laurell K. Hamilton)... This series is DEFINITELY NOT FOR KIDS!!! LOL I've read 17 of these books. There's an 18th book that I haven't gotten yet (came out in Feb of this year); called Flirt. I like the concept of this series of books too... its set in modern times and all fabled monsters are actually around and mostly accepted in society... and there's new laws and social norms because of them. Anita isn't a 'monster'... but, she was born with the ability to animate the dead; so, that's what she does for a living. This is a site I liked to go to when I was reading... its a fan site called the Anitaverse :) I liked seeing who people thought should play the different characters if they'd ever be a movie based on the books... if so, it would have to be at least rated R... LOL There's lots of graphic stuff in these books!

So, because of my super interest in vampires... you're probably wondering this...

Would I like to be a vampire? Yes indeed! LOL I would stay the same age forever! Would I kill people? Nope. I would look for donors and just take a little blood at a time :) And, when my children would get to around 18, I'd let them make the decision if they'd want to be vampires :D See, vampires have like all kinds of 'super' hero stuff going on with them... so, why would anyone want to be Superman, Ironman, the Hulk, Wonder Woman, etc? :P

New Stuff

What's really cool, is that we're doing really well :) Well, considering how things were in the past... I imagine that lack of alcohol purchases have really helped both the financial and emotional well-being in this household :D

Anyways... all of our bills are paid :D woohoo! Nothing is behind at all! YAY! AND... we have money from week to week (check to check)!!! Its awesome!

Jeremy had to buy another Xbox360... his broke... and he tried fixing it... but, didn't work... so... he bought another... he's addicted to playing those online battle games... LOL Modern Warfare and another... forgot the name just now... anyways...

He bought us a 42" Plasma TV right before the Super Bowl. Bought me a new computer chair, since around Christmas time, I now have 2 new 1TB hard drives, bought my car a new windshield (couldn't get an inspection sticker for almost 2 yrs because of his cigarette lighters exploding and cracking the windshield)! So, now my car is totally legal again! woohoo! But, geez... that windshield cost like $200!!! A few months ago, he also bought me 4 new tires! And the difference in the driving was amazing! I know my car is old, but, it really drives well and it was taken care of by its previous owners really well! Its a 1992 Grand Marquis. All it really needs to look better is a paint job :P And he bought us a new dishwasher! woohoo! We also have a new work out bench :D AND, he bought a new bedroom door for us :) He said he'll replace the 3 other doors down the hallway too :)

Its really crazy actually being able to buy these things without breaking us... You have to remember, I'm a stay-at-home mom... so, there's only one income here... and Jeremy had been laid off a couple times a little over a year ago...

Now, if only I could go and buy some new clothes... I mean, I can... I just won't... NOT UNTIL I LOSE THIS STUBBORN WEIGHT!!!

I am going to start walking Monday (I think...lol) I'll walk while Wyatt rides his bike... I hope that'll work for us... I think he'll be okay... he's pretty cautious. If I could just lose like 30 lbs, I'd be ecstatic... of course, losing more would be wonderful.

I actually gained weight since quitting Curves... its sickening.

On a Sad Note...

Jeremy's father, Nathan, passed away January 12th, 2010. We are still awaiting the autopsy results as no one really knows exactly why he died. Something was causing his organs to fail... we need to know what was doing it... if it was environmental, genetic, etc... He was only 53... he was in the hospital in December, for his bday & Christmas :(

Its just so terrible. I liked him... he was a good guy... and he always had a new joke to tell us everytime we'd see him. I feel sad not only for his wife and children, but for his grandchildren. Calista's his oldest grandchild and she's only 11 (as of Feb)... so, these children won't have many memories... mostly pics... And Wyatt never got the chance to go fishing with him... and he really wanted to... and he still talks about it. Wyatt asked if Paw-paw was poisoned or if someone shot him... :(

End of the Year... Already??? OMG

I just can't believe how FAST this year has flown by!!! geez

My baby, my son, Wyatt will be 4 yrs old soon!!! And I'm sooo enjoying him!!! hehehe He cracks me :) He's too cute :D And being that he'll be 4 this month, I came to the realization that this has been the LONGEST time I've gone without being pregnant ever since I started having sex! lol WOW! hehehe

Ursula will be 7 this month too! Lil Ms. Bossy... ha ha ha She's doing really well in 1st grade.

I haven't even planned a bday party for them :( I'll probably just end up baking 2 cakes here for them... no biggie.

I've been using Jeremy's laptop for the last couple of weeks because something went wrong with my desktop :( I swear, everytime anyone else besides the people who live here, gets on my PC (every computer I've ever had), something happens and usually I end up having to format. It happened again... for the first time on this computer... see... I wasn't letting anyone use... I know, I probably sounded so much like a bitch... but, really, every one of my siblings has at least one laptop... so, really, no need to use mine. Well, in October, we had everyone here. My sister & her family from Georgia came in along with my sibs and mom from Houma/Thibodaux/Raceland all spent time at my house... we planned a birthday party at the local ice skating rink for the two 10-yrs old (Calista & Soleil). And even while they were still here, my PC started acting funny. Like taking forever to go through my pictures (on my hard drive) when usually it zips through them. And that progressed to other areas... severe lag... then, soon after that, it started showing errors and it shut down Windows, then the cursor would stop and control + alt + delete wouldn't work right... it would bring up another error... and then the only thing to do was to just shut it down.

So... after trying to figure it out via scans (mostly wouldn't finish any of them before it would shut down on its own), I decided I needed to get my pictures off. Generally, I had approximately 20 minutes to do stuff on my computer before it would freak out. So, I took the two usb drives I had and would transfer pics from my computer to Jeremy's. I also noticed that if I turned my computer back on right away, it wouldn't work right... its like it had to cool down for a couple hours... so, with over 35 gigs of pics on my PC (that's NOT counting the ones I had on my other computers that are saved to disc already), it took me quite a few days to get. I finally was able to buy a 1TB external hard drive and finish the process. (Able to buy because Jeremy had a gift card from Ryan Energy from last year that I couldn't figure out how to use... I registered it and all but it would never go through when I tried to purchase stuff... so, I just, pretty much, forgot about it until recently... because after a year, the card {Chase gift card} starts taking money out every month... so, I finally called the number on the back of the card - hadn't before because I loathe talking to foreign people in customer service? why? because I have a hard time understanding them!!! Anyways, I called, it was automated! woohoo! And YES! My card was finally activated!) So, to get back to my story.... hahahaha I finally was able to format my computer!

I was so happy while it was doing its job... anticipating being able to use it again! Play my games (Sims 3... lol) and have a bigger screen, a mouse, no touchpad that did crazy things bc my fingers accidently drag or touch it... etc.

Well... it was working... I put in my inital stuff... it had to start over... I noticed how long it was taking but just thinking maybe this was usual for the initial process. hmmm.... apparently it wasn't because guess what???? Errors came up and failure to boot showed up!!! OMG!!! I was soooo pissed! Every time I've ever formatted my computers, its always worked!!! ALWAYS!!! WTF???

Jeremy had already suggested our hard drive must be corrupt. And I'm sorry to say this, but, he's usually right... lol He has this intuition thing because when he gets a feeling, he's usually right or close to the target.

So, after formatting didn't work, he said it again... its our hard drive... something's wrong with it.

Well, thankfully, we have a computer tech neighbor and Jeremy went talk to him Monday night. He said he'd work on it and get running again and get it back to us by this weekend! woohoo! We will probably have to buy another hard drive... but, c'est la vie, huh? He also told Jeremy it could have been a firmware problem (we haven't talked to him since he's had it)... said that sometimes, we give viruses to our computers without realizing it... with other stuff... such as cell phones. And you know, while my family was here, we had at least 3 different cell phones connected to it... to charge them because the chargers were either forgotten at home or just in the car and they didn't feel like getting them. He said that could definitely have been the problem.

Just so you know... Jeremy has helped this neighbor in the past, with his vehicles... so... it evens out :D

Yes, I know that was boring to read! lol But, it was for my own benefit... to jot that down for future reference... I have such a terrible memory... which is the reason for the plethora of pictures, videos, and blogs.

On the homefront...!

Jeremy & I have had our best year ever (I believe)! Its amazing the changes he's made and kept!!! He stopped all alcohol and hasn't had any in at least 6 mths... no hard liquor in a year! He's more laid back. He's helping more around the house with chores, cooking, and children (hey... 3 C's! lol). He's interacting with the children WAY more in positive ways.

And when I say he's helping with chores... I'm not saying he's doing major things because, obviously he works and I don't... so, he shouldn't have to do much.... but, little things... like not leaving his clothes in the living room... and taking out the garbage once in a while... he's been cooking more but really, I don't see that as a chore because he LOVES to cook.... hahaha really he does. And he's good at it.

Jeremy & I both have unlimited texting and data on our cell phones... so, we text each other all day. He calls me on his breaks and for lunch. He's on facebook too but he isn't very active. He's taking compliments people give me MUCH better and he'll comment afterwards... hahaha Its funny :D

Another thing... we dressed up for Halloween along with the kids... we went to his brother's house and the kids trick or treated out there :D His brother and sil also dressed up :D We had a good time :) It was a first for us.... sometimes, Jeremy wouldn't even come to the house with us in the past! This time, we all walked together!



We're doing sooooo much better! A year ago, I thought it was truly over. I saw no hope for us/our family. I only saw it getting worse and worse... as it had been over the course of 11 yrs we'd been together. But, as we approach our 13th year, things are better than ever. :D woohoo Hip hip harray!

Oh, going back to neighbors... our neighbor also apologized for her behavior two years ago and said we showed her what it was to be charitable and she left crying. We, of course, forgave her and I gave her hug. We haven't really spoken since... but, at least that weight has been lifted and its okay again between us.

About our neighborhood... we live in one of 4 rent houses. We keep hearing talk about our landlord wanting to sell a couple of them. We hear this from his son, who lives across from us and from a neighbor behind us. If he gives us a good enough price, we may buy. If we do, Jeremy's gonna have to add-on to this house! And we'll have to give it a makeover!

In just 3 more paychecks, Jeremy's garnishment will be over! woohoo! That's been 25% of each check, each week for a year! With that garnishment gone, we'll be able to save up for a down payment for our own place (if we don't get a good price for this house). We'd like to get a doublewide. I know the common thought about them... but, really... they're very nice. And in this area of world, they have to be built even stronger/better because of the hurricanes we get. To those of you who aren't familar with how doublewides look nowadays... you should really go check them out! There's some really beautiful ones out there! And to make the outside look better, we may have my brother-in-law, Shane, brick up the front... Also add a covered porch, and a flower garden, nice driveway, and you have yourself a good-looking doublewide!

Anyways, things are looking up :D Like I told Jeremy, I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel now! woohoo!

Results

Well, after 2 weeks of doing 40 or more minutes of cardio (actually, only 2 out of 10 days was that little amount of cardio... the rest of the days were 60 to 77min of cardio)... I weighed myself and the scale said I'm 153lbs! woohoo! That's closer to my goal of being under 150... I am thinking I will wait a little while longer before I get weighed in and measured at Curves.

Exercise

Well, I've been going to Curves for a year now... and barely lost any weight... I've lost inches... so, that's good.

Here's the breakdown of my work-out history there:

Joined Curves in April 2008
Curves Smart was implemented in August 2008 & I joined that as well.
I joined the cardio room in November 2008

After joining the cardio room, I did 20 minutes on the treadmill everytime I went work out... and I usually go to Curves 5 days a week.

A couple of weeks ago, I started doing as fellow exerciser does (Diane)... she counts the calories she burns while there and tries to get at least 1000. So, I did that... and did about 30 to 35 min of cardio every week day.

Last week, I decided to do more cardio. I did 40 min on Mon and Tue and 60+ the rest of the week days... 20 min on the Elliptical one all last week along with 20 min on the recumbent bike and 20 min on the treadmill.

I do the the Elliptical and bike first, then my CurveSmart circuit, then back to the treadmill.

I'm hoping that this routine will guarantee weight loss!!! It has to, right??? I'm so sick of being this big! My first goal should be easy... get in front of that 150 lb weight on the Curves doctor scale... My main goal is to got to at least 125lbs. But, I'll be happy (right now, anyways! lol) to be 140lbs! ha ha Sad, huh?

I looked up some info on how much cardio you need to do to lose weight and it was suggested on a few sites, at least 40 min 5x a week. I am doing that. One site also suggested some other helpful things... like supplements that do work. Just so happens, we have one of them... Jeremy had bought it back when he was working for Ryan Energy... and he lost 20 lbs in a month... not saying I'll achieve such desired results... but... I'd be super happy with a 5 lb loss!!!

So, today, I took 2 of those supplements and will eat a small breakfast soon... then, I'll get ready to go work out. I usually leave around 10 am and get home around 12:30ish... prepare a salad... eat it... and go on with my day.

I am really hoping that this works. If it doesn't... umm.... I don't know what else to do...

I really need to lose to help my backpain go away. Everyone who I talk to about it thinks its because of my breast size and I think that too... and with losing weight, I'll lose some of this extra stuff up there... plus, when I'm under 150, my back doesn't hurt. So... either way... if its because of my boobage or because of my short stature not being able to support excess weight... I need to lose it!!! I hate feeling like an old grandma when I rise from the couch!