Life's Unexpected Moments

Cutest little older woman in the grocery store with her daughter stopped and said Hi to me tonight. I said Hi back. She said, "you look really nice." I said "thank you, you do too." Then she opened up her arms and wanted to hug me. So I gave her a hug. Her daughter then said, "OK, mom, let's go." Daughter smiled at me and her mom smiled bigger. Sometimes life surprises you in unexpected ways.

What is Your Purpose in Life?

Ever feel like you're wasting your life? Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing what I should be doing. I don't mean am I working where I should be. I love my job, the people I work for and work with. I know what I'm doing for my client and the people we give jobs to is very important. Not only from the point of the client who needs a person to fill a job, but also for the person who needs to make a living to support their family.

I guess I'm wondering, is there MORE I should be doing?

I recently watched a TV show called Serving Life.



Yes, it's a prison show and all of you know how I love prison shows. Usually I love them because they interview cold, hard killers who you can look straight in the face and see the "crazy." I find it fascinating how people can commit horrendous crimes and have complete disregard for other people's feelings, lives, families, themselves, etc. Maybe I should have been a psychiatrist so I could delve in the minds of these people?? Yeah, probably not.

This show featured prisoners who had committed terrible crimes, spent years and years in prison, yet most of them were still very young - but had turned their lives truly around in prison. The prison is in Angola, Louisiana. The warden of this prison works very hard to rehabilitate the men in his care.

This prison has a hospital, as most do, and a hospice unit. Prisoners can volunteer to work in the hospice but have to go through a rigorous interview and training session to be accepted in the program. The show I watched showcased 4 men, most of them had committed Murder 1 or 2, who asked to participate in the hospice volunteer program.

Volunteering in this program means these prisoners will have to do things they probably never imagined doing in prison. Cleaning up another man who can't do it for himself. Caring for bedsores, wiping their behinds. It also means as these dying, sick men come to the end of their lives, these volunteers, and fellow inmates, sit with them in 4 hour shifts so they don't have to die alone.

Watching these volunteers, most of whom had taken someone's life, hold a bedside vigil while a fellow inmate passes on was amazing and inspiring. These men had already come to grips with the crimes they committed, they live with the guilt every day, but nothing hit them quite as hard as watching another person, whom they have cared for in very intimate ways, pass on.

I sat and cried my eyes out, not only for the men who passed, but for the men who sat vigil and watched them. One of them said, "hospice is helping live life with love." Exactly what God wants from each of us.

So I'm sitting here thinking, "is there more I could do?" I've gone through phases in my life where I thought I should be volunteering to help children, volunteering to help the elderly but I haven't done anything with it.

I think I need to pray to figure out what this calling to help others inside me really is and how I should use it in my life. Honestly, I'd love to sit with those dying prisoners and help them and learn more from the inmates who care for them.

Stay tuned.

The Casey Anthony Verdict

Right now I feel like cussing a blue streak. Maybe even make up a few really awful yet awesome, filthy cuss words of my own. But in reality, I'm at a loss for words.

Very rarely am I caught up in "current events" but I couldn't help but get completely wrapped up in the Casey Anthony trial. It was riveting at times. Her web of lies was unbelievable.

The stench of a dead body in Casey Anthony's car, after she and her daughter have been missing for weeks, I guess that's not enough.

Her complete lack of concern for her "abducted/drowned/missing" daughter.

Not Guilty.

Wait. What did she just say? Not. Guilty?

How? Why? What about that little baby girl, thrown in a swamp, duct tape over her nose and mouth and thrown in a trash bag.

Only a few, non-family related events have left me stunned, angry, sad, shocked, numbed.

• The obvious, 9-11-01: Nothing will ever compare to that day and I hope to never see another day like that in our country in my lifetime.
• 8-31-97: The day Lady Diana died.
• 7-5-11: A not guilty verdict in the Casey Anthony trial

Of course, I would never minimize the affect 9/11 had on me by comparing that day to the day Lady Di died or when Casey Anthony was found not guilty.

There is no comparison of these events, except for the way these events knocked me off my feet. Made me sit, stare blankly, with no words.

I'm dumbfounded. Confused. Silent.

I just can't explain it. And all I can do is think about that little girl. Caylee Marie Anthony.

This may sound completely sick. But I believe Caylee is the winner here. She's with God. In Heaven. Away from a mother who may have loved her at one time, but surely never loved her enough.

The Will to Live - The Story of Joan Simmons

I was thinking about my beautiful Grandmother today. I reflected on her life from a young girl who lost her mother at a very early age in life, to being one of the youngest of 10 kids, living through the depression. Her family nearly starved during those times. Once she told me she ate coffee grounds, but now she says that never happened. (Hey, I'd block that memory out too!)

She was tossed from home to home - being one of 1o kids without a mother, the kids moved from relative to relative - just looking for someone to care for them when they needed it.

One of many heart wrenching stories she told me was a time when she and her sister Hannah were staying with her older sister Jean. They went off to school and came back to the sister's house to find they had moved. They didn't tell the girls - "oh when you get out of school, we won't be here anymore." They were just gone. No trace or note. My Grandma and Hannah were just kids - where were they supposed to go?? They walked all the way across town to a lady they knew and she helped them for a few days until they found somewhere to stay. Anyone else may have never forgiven that family member - but not my Grandma. Even at her young age, she understood.

I wonder what her dad was doing all this time! I know he had a lot of kids, but is that any excuse for not knowing where your kids are or if they are ok?

There are lots of stories of hardship in her life, but she has always laughed at the circumstances of her early life.

She talks about good times too, singing with her brothers and sisters. They could all harmonize and play piano. I can just see 10 kids standing around a piano singing their hearts out.

There's a story of her brother jumping from a bedroom window and landing on the roof of a car...I think it may have been a convertible and he went right through it - I'll have to have her tell that story again.

She laughs about sleeping with a brick that they put in an oven, which was how they stayed warm during the night.

Even the stories of Christmas - getting an apple as her present, or just a piece of candy, she can still laugh about that. Heck they were just happy to still be alive and together!

She met my Grandpa when she was just a teenager - and was married at 17! My Grandpa loved my Grandma. You could see he was crazy about her. He really must have wanted to rescue her from her circumstances, not that he had much more than she did, but he was making a living as a golf pro at the American Legion Golf Course in Kokomo and had a car. He probably seemed really rich to her back then. He always spoiled her and gave her whatever she wanted. She drove a big Cadillac Eldorado, bought her clothes from Talbots and LaMode (in Kokomo).

In her middle years, she was a hard working lady. She worked around her house tirelessly and raised 4 kids, sometimes without her husband there - he was off building golf courses in some other state or country. When my Grandpa was the golf pro at the Kokomo Country Club, they lived in a tiny little house on the golf course. They moved to Houston, lived in the Bahamas, on Ile Bizzard, Quebec Canada while my Grandpa built the Royal Montreal Golf Club. She got to travel to Europe, Hawaii and all over the U.S.

She's not a saver and she threw everything away to keep her house neat and clean. On one hand that's great, but I'm sure there are treasures I would have loved to have and save from her life.

One time she was moving her washing machine (God only knows why, probably to clean behind it) and dropped it on her little toe!! She nearly cut her toe completely off! Crazy thing. That may have slowed her down but sure didn't stop her!

She and my grandpa survived a terrible car crash in North Carolina (not Florida as I originally thought.)

My mom and I drove to Houston with my Grandma and Grandpa when I was 16. It was a fun trip. We stopped in Kansas to drop off golf course plans then traveled through Arkansas on our way to Houston to see Aunt Jan & fam. That ride though the mountains in Arkansas was comical. My Grandpa driving 90 miles an hour around hairpin, mountain curves. Getting lost and ending up in Noel, Arkansas - where everyone in town looked at us like aliens - we were obviously not locals! My Grandma sat in the back seat with me and made fun of me hiding on the floor and putting my head between my knees when my grandpa's driving got a little too crazy!!! She was used to that maniac, cursing out everyone around us and driving way too fast.

As she's entered her later years in life, her body has slowed, her arthritis became more of a factor, even though she had been diagnosed with it it as a very young woman. She just can't do as much anymore. Her mind is still really sharp and her sense of humor is fully intact. She laughs at how old she is and how she's cheated death a few times.

My Grammy still loves getting a new purse and getting her hair done on Friday's. She loves to look at the Talbots catalog and she's reading the Bible, all the way through again, that's at least the second time, maybe third. She wouldn't think of missing a golf tournament when Tiger Woods is playing and Judge Judy? Well let's just say, don't drop by, call or even think about my Grandma when Judge Judy is on!

So here she is, 93 years old. As beautiful as ever.

In the last few years, she's had a couple of scares and we almost lost her.

As ready as she probably is to go to Heaven, that sense of survival always kicks into this gal when her body is in crisis. Her will to live is strong and she pulls through even the gravest of health scares. I really think it's just instinct, at this point, from her earlier years. After all she's been through, it just comes natural for her to be a fighter. She doesn't know anything else.

God didn't know what he created when he made my Grandma. He never thought how tough it would be to get this girl to enter the pearly gates. Thank Heavens for that instinct she has - otherwise, I probably wouldn't have her right now.

I feel so lucky to be 46 years old and still have a Grandma. How on earth did I get so lucky to have her in my life?

If there's anything my sweet and funny Meemo has taught me, it's to keep a positive attitude regardless of the circumstances, fight, fight, fight and never ever, ever give up. But more than anything, my Grandma has not only taught me, but also showed me, laugh your way through life and you'll live a very long, happy one!

She's a special person and I'm very thankful she's my Grandma!

Mackinac Island Blog

So last fall, we went on vacation to Mackinac Island, Michigan..as you know. Don't remember? Well, let me refresh that moldy, old *smile* memory of yours with a few images of the trip!


Ohhhh there's lots more where that came from, but I digress!

Anywho, so after visiting this little island from the past, I began to wonder, what's Mackinac Island like in the winter. I found a couple of webcams that you can visit here and here, to see Mac live and in action. There are several other webcams on this site. Check em out.

So I watched Mac Island move from summer, to fall, to winter, to spring and now approaching summer again. It's almost as good as being there.

As I searched for webcams, I ran across a couple of really interesting blogs. This one is written by a teacher who lives, year round, on the island and teaches at the island school. She shares stories of her life and explains what it's like to live on an island, completely isolated during winter months. Interesting to read!

The blog I really enjoy reading is written by Bree, a southerner who spends her summers on the island and recently returned from the south to her northern paradise. She knows everyone on the island, enjoys meeting her blog readers as they visit and introduces her readers to the people, places and all things Mackinac.

Check out her blog, it's really interesting and if you get to Mackinac, like I want to again, this blog will help you plan your journey north. Thanks Bree!!

Enjoy!!

Ink on my Seat

So I had a meeting downtown today. I always leave a little early, get downtown ahead of my meeting time, so I can catch up on email, chill, stop thinking, take a much needed breather - and the list goes on.

So I'm sitting in my car, enjoying the sun and people watching, doing a little work too. I'm writing notes on some documents and with my pen in my hand, put the papers in my passenger seat. What do I do? Swipe the pen right across the upholstery on my seat. Yes, the light tan colored upholstery in my car (the interior color of this car almost made me buy a different one - but I wanted white and when you buy a white Honda they give you blue or tan interior - I got tan).

Now anyone who knows me, knows I'm a fanatic about my car. I "guy" park everywhere I go to avoid door dings, I yell at people who sloppily eat in my car, etc (yeah it needs cleaned out right now but let's not bring that up).

So I'm ticked OFF!!!!!!! No let me correct that. I'm TICKED OFF!!!! P.O'd!!!!!!!!! Plenty of other expletives also describe how mad I am! I grabbed a napkin, spit on it (isn't spit supposed to be clean?? haha) and tried to blot out some of the blue gel ink. Nope. Didn't do a crappin thing to the stain. Now I'm really ticked. I called mom to Google removing ink from upholstery cause I didn't feel like googling on my phone and I needed a little therapy to keep me from hitting some innocent person. Mom finds a few options mentioned online:

1. Blot alcohol on the stain followed by blotting the stain with a paper towel. Repeat until stain removed.
2. Put hairspray on it and wash it off. Repeat until stain removed.
3. Use rubbing alcohol on it. Repeat until stain removed.
4. Use nail polish remover on it. Repeat until stain removed.

Sitting in my meeting, I'm thinking, that stupid stain is settling in my seat downstairs and I'm envisioning all kinds of trouble trying to get it out - all while concentrating deeply on the subjects being discussed in my meeting, of course.

So I come home, do my own bunch o'googlin' and decide I'm gonna try hairspray on it, since I've got an abundance of the stuff around here.

I spray the stain with hairspray. Let it sit there a minute, then using a white soapy washcloth, I blot the stain. I reblot and reblot using various sections of clean washcloth.

IT WORKED!

The stain is gone!!

Where are the pictures of said stain and now unsaid stain? Oh no. I took no photographic evidence of this frightful event in my life. Who'd want to remember this????

The Perfect Cereal Bowl

OMG. Who likes soggy cereal? I don't. No. I really don't.

The Obol solves the whole problem. It keeps your cereal and your milk separate! Hello!!!! The answer to my prayers! Check it out. This thing keeps your cereal all tucked away, perfectly dry. Then just when you think all you have is dry cereal, you can dunk your spoonful o'cereal in the milk! LOVE!

Taking Pictures and Playing with Color

I took some pictures at Grammy's house this weekend. Her star magnolia was in bloom and I couldn't pass up snapping a couple o' shots. I don't like the shots as they originally came out, so I threw them in my photo editing software, cropped them down and livened them up a little.

Original #1

Retouched and Recolored


Original #2

Retouched and Recolored


Original #3

Retouched and Recolored

Original #4


Retouched and Recolored Version 1


Retouched and Recolored Version #2

So the point of this whole post is, you can be an ok photographer, but learn your favorite photo editing software. You can turn mediocre shots into something a little more special!

Updated Links

I updated my Read, Shop, Cook & Enjoy links in the right hand menu. Be sure to check them out. They're all quite fabulous and will contribute to hours of wasted time. You don't have to thank me. :)

How to Make the Perfect Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I'm so excited. April is National Grilled Cheese Month. OH! You don't believe me? Well then Google it! Don't worry about it. I thought it was too good to be true, too!

So, I'm a real lover and connoisseur of a good grilled cheese sandwich.

I don't require exotic cheeses like Gruyere, Fontina or Gouda. I'm Kraft American Singles all the way! Sure I know it's "cheese food" and contains less than NO nutritional value, but what does that really matter? I like it. My mom made them for me. It's good. It's melty. And it's yellow.

Good enough for me!

I've been on a grilled cheese kick for a while now (I didn't really need this holiday to celebrate the deliciousness of a grilled cheese samich). I'm not usually that hungry at night and a heavy meal never sounds good. So I just whip up a grilled cheesy and plop down on the couch to enjoy it while I watch E! News or whatever is on at the time.

I have to say. I'm very meticulous about how "grilled" it gets. I butter (with real butter) the bread. I put a light scraping of butter on the bread. I don't like it too greasy or buttery so a light little scraping of butter is all it requires. I pre-heat my favorite stainless steel skillet on around medium-high heat while I butter the bread. Oh and even though I just scrape butter across the outside of each slice, I cover every. square. inch. of the bread. I want a nice golden, brown crunch on the outside of the sandwich (as shown below).

Then, I put the first piece of bread in the skillet, butter side down (duh but some people need explicit directions).

You'll hear a little sizzle. You don't want it to sizzle too much, or you'll get too much browning and not enough melting of the cheese. Might need to dial back the burner.

Then I tear the cheese into strips and place them on the slice of bread in the skillet. I'm convinced it melts quicker and better than a solid slice. I am sure to cover every. square. inch. of the bread with not one and not three pieces, but 2 slices of Kraft American Singles. Then I cover the cheese with the other slice of bread, paying close attention to making sure the bread slices match up. Butter side up of course.

Time to let the bread, the heat and the even cooking of my trusty skillet to marry into each other. Be patient. You don't need to cook this on overdrive, even though I know you're dying to sink your teeth into it. Don't rush this excellence. It's worth the wait.

Check for your favorite level of browning frequently. It's important not to flip the "wich" too soon. You've got one chance to get the first slice just right. This is it. Let side one do it's thang. Get it to the level of perfect brown that you want, then and only then, is it ok to flip it.

There's no reason to flip and flip and flip your cheesy bread. This is a one flip sammy. When slice number one is perfect. Flip it. Then slowly grill slice 2 to perfection.

Keep your eye on this one, my friend.

By now, your skillet is a little hotter and slice 2 will brown quicker than slice #1 did. (You may need to dial down the heat ever so slightly) There's no time to pour a glass of milk. I hope you planned ahead and got your plate out cause perfection happens pretty quick on slice 2. Check, check and recheck.

Now I do one last thing before I dive into this scrumptious little delicacy. I gently remove my sammy from the skillet and place it on a paper towel. If you take it straight from the fryin' pan to the plate, you'll create steam from the heat and guess what steam does to bread. Yes, it makes it wet. Do I really need to tell you this?

So place your perfect grilled cheese on a paper towel for a minute or two, to let it rest. Then do just exactly what your mommy did, cut it diagonally, while still on the paper towel. Remove your sammy and place it on your plate. Walk to the couch, turn on your favorite show. Sit back.

Look at that perfection you just created. Then sink your teeth into it!

ENJOY!

Gnome Life

Check out this tumblr, it documents the life of a Gnome who just moved to New York City. While humorous at first glance, it's really quite interesting and sometimes may even pull at your heartstrings. Just click the image below to follow this little gnome's story.

Acme Stiletto Twiggy Pen

So my birthday is coming up and you need to buy me a present. GOOD NEWS!! I've done your shopping for you!

I want this!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Snowpocalypse 2011 - A Report from Indiana

Did you survive Snowpocalypse 2011? I did and I loved every minute of it.

Weather is so interesting to me - all kinds of weather. I love it when the wind howls, snow flies, torrential rain falls and lightning bounces off storm clouds over my head. I've always said I want to ride out a little cat 2 or 3 hurricane and one day I'm gonna do it, people, I'm warnin' ya now.

So Snowpocalypse had been hyped for days and days. Honestly, I didn't think it was going to amount to much. You know how weather people are. They get us weather junkies all excited about inclement weather, then it fizzles out and nothing happens. I was happy to see Snowpocalypse taking shape and moving our way. By Monday morning, it looked like a sure thing! How fun!!!

So Monday evening, around 5pm, it starts raining and the temps dropped. In about 30 minutes my car was completely covered in ice - time to bring the baby in the garage for the great thaw.

Sleet fell all night long! No I mean ALL night long. By 11pm, there was at least 3, maybe 4 inches of sleet balls piled up everywhere. Walking down the driveway and into the street was like walking on sand. You could kick it up in the air, move it around with your foot, slide through it but in no way could you pack it into a tight little snowball.

Of course, I took pictures!

Tuesday, or day 2, started out pretty uneventful. No precip in the air. However by early afternoon, the sleet had started again and it went on and on and on!! I've never seen so much sleet. We got another 3 or 4 inches of the little iceballs from Heaven. By Tuesday night, the sleet hurt your face pretty bad when you stood out in it for any length of time.

The scene from the front porch looked like this! It was really pretty!!

Then day 3, well everything was encased in ice! Literally. Cars had several inches of ice built up on them, driveways were impassable, and yet, my beloved Westfield Street Crew was out clearing the streets. They worked tirelessly, even coming through this little ol neighborhood.

The solar light I have hanging on the back porch shows you just what the poor thing had to endure from this beast of a storm!

Of course, you can't keep a weather junkie in the house ... this ol gal had to venture out and see what the world looked like! Here are some of the scenes around Carmel, Indiana.

Carmel Policeman Statue, almost as if he's frozen in time.
I tried to tell this ballerina to get some clothes on but she was just way too into her dance to listen!
Snowy, wintery scene from Main Street, Carmel Indiana
The Monon Trail, pretty much deserted!
A tent at the new Carmel Palladium collapsed under the weight of all the sleet.
Not sure the cardboard & Target bags accomplished what this person was going for, but I applaud their effort.
The Carmel boys in blue were out protecting and serving.
So now we're back to normal Indiana winter weather. Boring!!!! Bring on the next blizzard!!!

Monon Trail & Central Midland Trace Trails in Westfield, Indiana

Everyone has heard of the Monon Trail, which is a multi-use trail system running from Westfield through Carmel and all the way to downtown Indianapolis. It's an awesome trail for biking, walking, running and general enjoyment. I like riding my bike from Westfield south through Carmel then on down to Broad Ripple. It's a long ride but easy with very few hills. I'm happy to report, the Monon is expanding north from 161st St up to St Rd 32 as we speak!

Also, soon to open, is the first completed leg of the Central Midland Trace Trial. This new trail system is opening from downtown Westfield east to Hazel Dell Parkway. Once completed, the 7+ mile Midland Trace Trail will run from Sheridan to Westfield to Noblesville! Some are calling this the East/West version of the Monon. :)

This trail system follows the old path of the Central Indiana Railway, dubbed the Midland in the 1920's. The trail will link up with the Monon and head east. Its plans show it crossing over two old iron truss bridges, which are not in operation today.

Possibly the best part? It's going to run right through my neighborhood! No more hauling the bike to the trail. I can just hop on it from my house and go anywhere I want! How awesome is that? Wanna see a map of the proposed trails in Hamilton County? Ok!

HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2011

I'm pretty proud of the fact that I've been actively blogging since 2005! It's 2011, I still have things to say & from the looks of my google stats, people still read what I'm saying (or look at the wacky things I find online). Though you don't all comment much, I see you out there stalking my blog. It's OK. Not everyone wants to have a voice online.

I enjoy posting things about my life & the interesting & useless stuff I find online. Even if no one was reading my blog, I'd still have it & I'd still maintain it. So if you were hoping I'd move on, try to find something to do with my life, other than ramble here - we'll sorry bout ya! I'm gonna keep this bad boy going!

In fact, I'm going to try to keep this baby more up to date in the new year. Enjoy your New Year's Eve & here's to a GREAT new year!!

Hysterectomy Update

So here we are, Wednesday evening, 2 days after my surgery. I have to say, this surgery wasn't nearly as bad as my gallbladder. I was so sore after that surgery, I was expecting the same or worse with this hysterectomy. Fortunately, I went to the BEST doctor (Sara Murphy - Women's Health Alliance @ Clarian North Hospital) and she proved herself to be just that.

So I went in at 8am to get registered & complete some paperwork. They called me back to my "pre-op" room around 9:00 where they had me strip down, put on a beautiful hospital gown, and some compression hose (which are used to prevent blood clots) and an IV. I laid in there until around 10. Just before they wheeled me off for surgery, Jill & Mom thought it would be funny to snap a couple of pics of me. Aren't they thoughtful! hahahahahaha!!!!



Just before 10 am, Mom & Jill came up. I was glad to see them before surgery. Of course Monday was one of the worst travel days of the year so far. We had a bunch of snow the night before and strong winds, so I wasn't sure Mom would be able to make it down south. Aunt Jill drove down separately but at the same time as Mom. That made us all feel better.

So they wheel me back into the surgery area, which was at least 20 degrees colder than the rest of the hospital. The anesthesiologist was there waiting for me. He talked to me for a minute, then Dr Murphy came in. She practically laid on top of me while they put me to sleep. She was talking to me and holding my hand, but laying across my chest. Not sure what that was all about but I was only awake about 5 minutes from the time they put me in that room so who cares what she did.

Next thing I know, I'm trying to wake up in the recovery room. I could NOT get awake. They kept talking to me and I kept asking, "do I have to wake up?" They would say no but then talk to me some more. I remember trying to open my eyes and I just couldn't do it. Finally they wheeled me up to my room.

Once in my room, they asked me if I could move from the bed I rode up on to my hospital room bed. I told them I thought I could and hurled myself into that other bed. I think I surprised them that I could do it without any help. The man who brought me up to my room said, "Wow! OK I guess you can!" hahaha!! Hey they had me on some goooood drugs, that's all I can say!

I don't know what time it was but I woke up sometime in the afternoon. Long enough to tell Mom to go home.

I slept most of the day Monday. The nurse came in around 2 and asked me to get up and go pee. They didn't bother me too much in the night, about every 2 hours they were in to do vitals and check on me. Around 6 they had me get up and walk the halls. I didn't have any trouble doing that at all. I took a few laps, talked to some of the nurses and then went back to bed.

My doc came in around 8 and said I was good to go home that day! YAY!!!!!

So I'm at home, enjoying my drug induced haze and sleep. I've felt pretty good though, I have to say. This wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. AND to top it off, my stomach is WAY smaller than it was a couple of days ago. Little Uma had to come out - we couldn't be together anymore, it was her time to go. I'll miss her (not!) and I'm sure gonna miss having periods every month (NOT!).

I'm happy to report all is well and I'm on the mend!

Hysterectomy

Well the verdict is in: the uterus must come out! Finally got the call today. December 13th. That's the day. Leading up to this I've been through a very, *cough cough*, very thorough physical exam and a even more thorough ultrasound, not only of the gut but also the left breast.

In the above mentioned physical exam, my doctor found "something" in my left breast. I was over due for a mammogram anyway, so of course, off I went to the mammogram place. They squished and squeezed both girls nice and flat, and of course as expected, did an ultrasound on the left breast to see what the Doc felt. Only a couple of little cysts which are are microscopic, I'm not even sure how the Doc felt them, but she did. The ultrasound tech said, "those doctors have magic fingers." So the mammo turned out all clear - a relief.

Now onto the stomach. When I had my gallbladder out, the doc took pics of my uterus and showed me some fibroids that were hiding in there. She said, then - 2 years ago - that I would need a hysterectomy. To me it sounded like, "would you like fries with that gallbladder removal?" but hey I'm sure she was telling the truth.

Since then I changed job, my insurance changed 3 times and I've been packing away moolah in my health savings account. Thankfully so, because here we are today....staring a hysterectomy in the face.

As mentioned already, my doc did a quite thorough exam on me and determined my uterus is currently the equivalent of a woman 5 months pregnant. No wonder my pants aren't fitting so great! And good news, the doc said I will see a significant difference in the size of my stomach! I knew I wasn't this fat!!!! Rock on! So I'm anxious to get this whole thing over with and only have to wait a couple of weeks - or few days - depends on how you wanna look at it. I'm ready to "feel good again" even though I didn't realize I felt bad. I bet I do feel different with this thing out.

Please keep me in your prayers on the 13th - that all can come out laproscopically and that I'll be a new woman and back to work in no time flat.

Thanks in advance!!

Prettymaps by Aaron Straup Cope

Wow, check out the maps that Aaron Straup Cope turned into Prettymaps! Awesome!

Peanut Butter Bacon Cups

OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG!

These really need no explanation! Peanut Butter Bacon Cups. Get me some.

Free November Desktop Wallpaper

Who wants some free desktop wallpaper....YOU DO, YOU DO! On the first day of every month (rabbit, rabbit, rabbit), Smashing Magazine publishes user submitted desktop wallpaper, free for your personal use! Get you some & freshen up that desktop!