Went to GA for the weekend, and didn't get home until late late late on Sunday night. The worst part was riding in Jimmy's truck for over 4 hours. Oh, my butt.
The trip's purpose was to provide support and love to Michael and Patti, deliver Adam's old queen-size bed to our niece Beth, and to try to help my mother-in-law (Nena) understand why she can't go "home" when she leaves the nursing home next week. Saturday was a nightmare as she cried and ranted and name-called ... and in every way, proved exactly WHY she shouldn't go home. But on Sunday, she seemed more accepting of her reality. I really hope that behavior continues.
Don't know how successful we were at the providing support and love part ... there is never enough damn time when we go for the weekend.
The plan is to make the trip again this coming weekend. We'll be helping get her moved into her new "independent living studio apartment", and taking Emilie's old full-size mattress and box springs for Nena to use. Not looking forward to another trip so soon (see above: Oh, my butt.).
-----
My favorite moment of the weekend:
We took my Mom to eat dinner at the restaurant where my niece and nephew work. Beth was hostessing that night, so I walked up to her, smiling and expecting a hug. I stood right in front of her, she looked up -- and I could tell by looking into her eyes that she really and truly DID NOT RECOGNIZE ME!!! How freakin' surreal was that?! It took only a few seconds before she realized, and I did get my hug, but WOW, that was weird.
-----
Have y'all seen that Ok Go video on the treadmills ... "Here It Goes Again"? I love that! Talk about making me feel uncoordinated though.
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Note for Amy:
Girl, I ain't no grammar or typo police! :-)
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
"There's many things I wish I didn't do ..."
At this time, three months ago today, I was in the recovery room ... recovering, I guess. A lot has happened, and a lot has changed in the last 12 weeks!
I'm trying to exercise every day, not always successful. Yesterday was skipped because I spent the morning at the hospital, having an Upper GI test, done to check on the status of the gastro-gastric fistula. After I got home from that, I lazed around with a slightly upset tummy from the lovely crap I had to drink for the X-rays. So I just never got around to sweating on the treadmill. But today I was back at it. (I'll know the results from the Upper GI tomorrow when I go for my "3 Month" office visit with Dr. Bour.)
On my home scale, I've lost 50 pounds since surgery. I like to add in the 21 I lost before surgery, for a total of 71 since March of this year.
-----
To my faithful commenter, Amy:
I have a Beth Hart CD ... "Screamin' For My Supper", or something like that ... I'll have to listen to see if I can walk to it. (Marching band is so deeply ingrained in my brain, if I can't walk EXACTLY to the beat, I get all tripped up and distracted.) Haven't heard any of Garth's rock alter-ego, but I'll look for that.
After I wrote my last entry, Jimmy got all into making me a CD to walk to, so we went through some of my favorite CD's to find some with the right beats. That night, we went to Adam and Brandy's house for dinner and Canasta ... and Adam and Jimmy worked on it for about an hour with Adam's educated computer skillz, and now I have my very own 45-minute Walking CD! Adam made it so that it the "beats per minute" increase with each song, until midway through ... then they decrease again. So I can warm up, work hard, and cool down ... all without thinking about changing tracks on the CD player. I'm so spoiled now! Don't know if it would be too slow for your liking, but for my 5'10" self, it's perfect for the shape I'm in right now. (I bet he'd burn you a copy if you make him a cocktail at the beach!)
I hear ya on the Chilltown guys ... they are REALLY good at what they are doing though. I can't help but laugh at them when they get all tickled with themselves.
-----
Final Thought For Today:
For those of you who are working hard to change bad habits into healthier ones (WITHOUT the extra help of having your digestive system rearranged surgically) ... and I think you know who you are ... I am SO PROUD of you!!! I know it's hard, and I know it gets tedious and boring, but it WILL pay off. I want you to live long and healthy lives and I don't want you to have to do what I had to do. So don't give in, and don't get discouraged. You're changing your lives, and your futures look GOOD from here! You will build lean muscle with exercise, and lose fat with your healthier diet ... and if the scale doesn't move every week, then forget about weighing for month or so. The changes you are making ARE worth it!!! If you have a slip-up (or a week at the beach) just get right back to making those healthy choices. As long as you NEVER give up, you CAN'T fail.
You make me so very proud. :-)
-----
I'm not a perfect person
There's many things I wish I didn't do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you
I'm sorry that I hurt you
It's something I must live with everyday
And all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears
Thats why I need you to hear
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you
I'm trying to exercise every day, not always successful. Yesterday was skipped because I spent the morning at the hospital, having an Upper GI test, done to check on the status of the gastro-gastric fistula. After I got home from that, I lazed around with a slightly upset tummy from the lovely crap I had to drink for the X-rays. So I just never got around to sweating on the treadmill. But today I was back at it. (I'll know the results from the Upper GI tomorrow when I go for my "3 Month" office visit with Dr. Bour.)
On my home scale, I've lost 50 pounds since surgery. I like to add in the 21 I lost before surgery, for a total of 71 since March of this year.
-----
To my faithful commenter, Amy:
I have a Beth Hart CD ... "Screamin' For My Supper", or something like that ... I'll have to listen to see if I can walk to it. (Marching band is so deeply ingrained in my brain, if I can't walk EXACTLY to the beat, I get all tripped up and distracted.) Haven't heard any of Garth's rock alter-ego, but I'll look for that.
After I wrote my last entry, Jimmy got all into making me a CD to walk to, so we went through some of my favorite CD's to find some with the right beats. That night, we went to Adam and Brandy's house for dinner and Canasta ... and Adam and Jimmy worked on it for about an hour with Adam's educated computer skillz, and now I have my very own 45-minute Walking CD! Adam made it so that it the "beats per minute" increase with each song, until midway through ... then they decrease again. So I can warm up, work hard, and cool down ... all without thinking about changing tracks on the CD player. I'm so spoiled now! Don't know if it would be too slow for your liking, but for my 5'10" self, it's perfect for the shape I'm in right now. (I bet he'd burn you a copy if you make him a cocktail at the beach!)
I hear ya on the Chilltown guys ... they are REALLY good at what they are doing though. I can't help but laugh at them when they get all tickled with themselves.
-----
Final Thought For Today:
For those of you who are working hard to change bad habits into healthier ones (WITHOUT the extra help of having your digestive system rearranged surgically) ... and I think you know who you are ... I am SO PROUD of you!!! I know it's hard, and I know it gets tedious and boring, but it WILL pay off. I want you to live long and healthy lives and I don't want you to have to do what I had to do. So don't give in, and don't get discouraged. You're changing your lives, and your futures look GOOD from here! You will build lean muscle with exercise, and lose fat with your healthier diet ... and if the scale doesn't move every week, then forget about weighing for month or so. The changes you are making ARE worth it!!! If you have a slip-up (or a week at the beach) just get right back to making those healthy choices. As long as you NEVER give up, you CAN'T fail.
You make me so very proud. :-)
-----
There's many things I wish I didn't do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you
I'm sorry that I hurt you
It's something I must live with everyday
And all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears
Thats why I need you to hear
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you
Friday, August 11, 2006
"I think you're crazy - just like me ..."
TGIF.
The summer drags on. And on. We are looking forward to some rain tonight, and lower temps (mid 70's! Whoooo!) tomorrow. Back in the 90's by next week. What'd you think, I live in Seattle?
-----
I want to go see the new Will Ferrell movie, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Every clip I see makes me snort. I love Will Ferrell.
In other couch potato news, I'm making it through the LONG LONG summer by watching Big Brother on CBS three times a week. That's right ... THREE. Jimmy comes in every night, asking if it's a "Big Brother night".
I'm also reading regularly again. Not getting through the books as fast as I'd like (see: Big Brother THREE nights a week, above), but it's enjoyable. I finished a good chick lit paperback last week, The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc by Loraine Despres. It was ... scandalous! This week I started the more serious Midwives by Chris Bohjalian. This is an "Oprah's Book Club" pick, so you know it's just riviting. So far, so good though.
Lastly, I'm spending a little time every day, getting in some exercise. I know ... I'll give you time to let that one sink in and become real ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes, me! I'm on the treadmill every day for at least half an hour ... working my way up, though. Next week, I'll aim for 40 minutes.
I tried my Believe CD (Cher) ... mostly too fast, and my GHV2 CD by Madonna ... almost right -- but I think I'll go back to my old standby from my 1994 treadmill time: Immaculate Collection by Madonna. Most of the songs on that one are perfect for my slightly-slower-than-most-people walking tempo, with some even slower ones for warm-ups and cool-downs. If I was intelligent enough, I'd burn my own CD with the songs in the right order. Instead, I walk with the remote in my left cup holder ... and change the order my own self. I have never burned a CD, that's right.
I'm also doing a stretching and strengthening deal with a DVD I bought at the doctor's office. It seems so incredibly easy, but my upper arms have been talking back to me all week.
-----
So I was sitting here today waiting for the guy to come and do a "Pre-Blast Survey" of our house. Seems there's gonna be some detonating of some explosives behind our house in the near future, and the company asked us to have our house "surveyed" beforehand, so we can claim the damages when the ceilings all fall in, I guess. I knew we should have moved YEARS ago!
Anyway, the guy just called ... said he lived in Knoxville, and was heading home. He said, "They scheduled me to work from 7 AM to 6:30 PM today, PLUS I have to drive 3 hours to get home. Could you call the company and re-schedule for next week? I'm ready to go home." While I shook my head, made a bitchy face, and wondered where "MY" convenience was hiding in this equation ... I told him, "No problem, have a safe drive!" I'm wayyyy too easy.
-----
I think Jimmy and I are going to see Vienna Teng at The Handlebar a week from Wednesday night (the 23rd). The tickets are only $11 ... a steal. She is a very talented singer/songwriter! If you'd like to go too, let me know.
-----
Have a very nice weekend.
The summer drags on. And on. We are looking forward to some rain tonight, and lower temps (mid 70's! Whoooo!) tomorrow. Back in the 90's by next week. What'd you think, I live in Seattle?
-----
I want to go see the new Will Ferrell movie, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Every clip I see makes me snort. I love Will Ferrell.
In other couch potato news, I'm making it through the LONG LONG summer by watching Big Brother on CBS three times a week. That's right ... THREE. Jimmy comes in every night, asking if it's a "Big Brother night".
I'm also reading regularly again. Not getting through the books as fast as I'd like (see: Big Brother THREE nights a week, above), but it's enjoyable. I finished a good chick lit paperback last week, The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc by Loraine Despres. It was ... scandalous! This week I started the more serious Midwives by Chris Bohjalian. This is an "Oprah's Book Club" pick, so you know it's just riviting
Lastly, I'm spending a little time every day, getting in some exercise. I know ... I'll give you time to let that one sink in and become real ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes, me! I'm on the treadmill every day for at least half an hour ... working my way up, though. Next week, I'll aim for 40 minutes.
I tried my Believe CD (Cher) ... mostly too fast, and my GHV2 CD by Madonna ... almost right -- but I think I'll go back to my old standby from my 1994 treadmill time: Immaculate Collection by Madonna. Most of the songs on that one are perfect for my slightly-slower-than-most-people walking tempo, with some even slower ones for warm-ups and cool-downs. If I was intelligent enough, I'd burn my own CD with the songs in the right order. Instead, I walk with the remote in my left cup holder ... and change the order my own self. I have never burned a CD, that's right.
I'm also doing a stretching and strengthening deal with a DVD I bought at the doctor's office. It seems so incredibly easy, but my upper arms have been talking back to me all week.
-----
So I was sitting here today waiting for the guy to come and do a "Pre-Blast Survey" of our house. Seems there's gonna be some detonating of some explosives behind our house in the near future, and the company asked us to have our house "surveyed" beforehand, so we can claim the damages when the ceilings all fall in, I guess. I knew we should have moved YEARS ago!
Anyway, the guy just called ... said he lived in Knoxville, and was heading home. He said, "They scheduled me to work from 7 AM to 6:30 PM today, PLUS I have to drive 3 hours to get home. Could you call the company and re-schedule for next week? I'm ready to go home." While I shook my head, made a bitchy face, and wondered where "MY" convenience was hiding in this equation ... I told him, "No problem, have a safe drive!" I'm wayyyy too easy.
-----
I think Jimmy and I are going to see Vienna Teng at The Handlebar a week from Wednesday night (the 23rd). The tickets are only $11 ... a steal. She is a very talented singer/songwriter! If you'd like to go too, let me know.
-----
Have a very nice weekend.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
"Wish we were kids again ... my sister, my friend ..."
Good news via the telephone just now -- my sister doesn't have cancer! (Insert big sigh of relief here, maybe a few grateful tears, too.) She does have Sarcoidosis in her lungs, but knowing that there is no malignancy there is the best thing I've heard in a long long time. I'll be reading up on Sarcoidosis, and I'm sure it'll be a struggle for her to deal with ... but no chemo or radiation treatments. So relieved.
-----
Emilie is still in Upstate NY with her friend, Jud. Haven't heard from her since her plane landed on Friday night. I'm trusting that all is well, and she is probably dreading having to come home to the real world again in a few days. Her Dad, on the other hand, is obsessing over WHY we haven't heard from her. I'm figuring she's happy and enjoying every minute ... he's figuring she's bound with duct tape and wandering the woods alone somewhere. *sigh* There is no cell phone service at the lake house, so I truly didn't expect to hear from her, but I did tell her to please call home collect if she needed to. It feels really weird to be the "NOT WORRIED" one, while Jimmy frets.
-----
Not much to write about lately. It's hot as hay-ull outside, and just the thought of it makes me cranky. I don't know how Adam drives home from work every day in his un-air conditioned truck. I know it could be worse ... as I sit here, in cool comfort, with ceiling fans in every room. But I really do hate summer, if I can't be near the ocean, or a nice, private swimming pool. And really, when's THAT gonna happen?? Grrrrr.
-----
Eye doctor tomorrow, then Dr. Bour on Friday. I've been having a sharp pain in my left side for about a week ... hopefully Dr. Bour will tell me it's residual muscle pain from the chest tube. It just seems odd that it would be this painful over a month after I had the chest tube in. It's in that spot, and feels sharp and uncomfortable when I take a deep breath in ... especially when sneezing or yawning. Roseanne Roseannadanna was right. "It's always somethin'."
-----
Emilie is still in Upstate NY with her friend, Jud. Haven't heard from her since her plane landed on Friday night. I'm trusting that all is well, and she is probably dreading having to come home to the real world again in a few days. Her Dad, on the other hand, is obsessing over WHY we haven't heard from her. I'm figuring she's happy and enjoying every minute ... he's figuring she's bound with duct tape and wandering the woods alone somewhere. *sigh* There is no cell phone service at the lake house, so I truly didn't expect to hear from her, but I did tell her to please call home collect if she needed to. It feels really weird to be the "NOT WORRIED" one, while Jimmy frets.
-----
Not much to write about lately. It's hot as hay-ull outside, and just the thought of it makes me cranky. I don't know how Adam drives home from work every day in his un-air conditioned truck. I know it could be worse ... as I sit here, in cool comfort, with ceiling fans in every room. But I really do hate summer, if I can't be near the ocean, or a nice, private swimming pool. And really, when's THAT gonna happen?? Grrrrr.
-----
Eye doctor tomorrow, then Dr. Bour on Friday. I've been having a sharp pain in my left side for about a week ... hopefully Dr. Bour will tell me it's residual muscle pain from the chest tube. It just seems odd that it would be this painful over a month after I had the chest tube in. It's in that spot, and feels sharp and uncomfortable when I take a deep breath in ... especially when sneezing or yawning. Roseanne Roseannadanna was right. "It's always somethin'."
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