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