My Blogging Update

The house is quiet, I am enjoying the silence and the time to just browse through blogs.
I like reading random blogs, seeing that other people live the same sort of life as me.
No matter where they are, Utah, Texas, Georgia, New Jersey, etc... people are alot more alike than you might realize.
We all have our ups and downs, our struggles, but for the most part we are all living the same way. Making ends meet, or trying our best to, raising our kids and hoping to not totally loose our sanity in the process, spending time with friends and our special someone, and maybe finding a little time for ourselves too.
Blogging is the way people keep in touch now. It's how families send updates to those in another state or country. It's the way Grandma, who is not able to travel to visit the babies, can see how they are growing and learning new skills. It's our way of sharing those precious moments with one another. Ahhhhhhh........technology.
I enjoy sharing my life with others, rather it be friends, family or someone who just happens to find my dreary little blog.
Today I thought I'd share the latest pictures that my daughter has taken. Sometimes her creativity amazes me.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy.............




It's a good thing that we live out in the country where the traffic is light or this could be a difficult pose to achieve.

















Of course, having friends with you is always a plus.











I especially like this picture, the way she used the brick wall is really cute.





Riding in the car is even a photo opt.














I love when the kids are playing together, there is such love between them ..........

Sweet Sixteen....Here We Come

HILLTOPPERS ARE IN THE SWEET 16!!!


YEA!!!!!!!!!!





Way To Go Toppers!!!!!


This is sure the top story around here.
All of Bowling Green is excited, my son included.
He is Ecstatic!!!

GO HILLTOPPERS

Fans all across Bowling Green are celebrating victory!!!

Western's 101-99 overtime win over Drake has all of Bowling Green excited.

Ty Rogers says that he saw it coming.

Days before Rogers became a Hilltopper hero Friday with his game-winning, 25-foot 3-pointer, he said he told teammate Matt Maresca that WKU would beat the Bulldogs with a buzzer-beating shot.

“That’s true,” Maresca said. “For some reason he had it in his head that we were going to win the game on a buzzer-beater shot.”

After hitting the shot, Rogers pounded his chest, yelling, “I told you!”“I just thought it might happen, let’s put it that way,” Rogers said, smiling.

“This is going to be one of those plays you’ll see on commercials and the NCAA Tournament for years to come,” Maresca said. “It’s one of those things you see on TV and you never think you’ll be a part of. It’s awesome to be actually part of it, to say one day you were part of that team and part of that game.”No matter what happens in Sunday’s game against San Diego or the rest of the tournament, the Hilltoppers know they added a dramatic chapter to this year’s tournament and WKU’s history.

I know my son sure is happy................

Just Saying Hey

Not alot going on here. I have had to work this weekend and I am ready for a day off.
Still have to work one more day before I get it though. Hurry up Tues............

Lindsey's Spring Break starts this week. Actually they have Professional Development Days on Thursday and Friday and then Spring Break begins. Anyway she will be out of school for 11 days. I plan on taking a few days off too. Probably do a little shopping and maybe some Wedding Tasks also. Still soooooooo much to do, but it is coming together.

I'll try to post about that soon.

Have a GREAT Sunday............

Another Dr. More Test.....

How many Dr's does it take to find out what's causing pain?


1) My Family Dr.

2) Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist

3) Rheumatoidologist

Hopefully, the third time IS the charm.

I saw the Rheumatoidologist yesterday.

He did a full examination and MORE blood test. This time they are checking my muscle enzymes. It seems that when you have muscle damage, the enzyme levels are elevated.

So, the only way to find out is to take my blood.

At least I'm getting better at having this done. I used to pass out frequently when they took my blood. I haven't done that, yet!

The Dr. checked my bones, my reflexes, my muscle strength, my breathing, etc, etc, etc....

He says that I have Osteoarthritis and Fibromyalgia. Both can cause wide spread muscle and joint pain, which I have. One of the main symptoms of Fibromyalgia is fatigue. It affects your non-rem sleep, or your deep level sleep, the restful rejuvenating sleep.
He suggested that I work on my sleep patterns by:

Going to bed and getting up at the same time every day
Avoid caffeine, sugar and alcohol before bed
Avoid eating immediately before bed
Practice relaxation exercises while falling to sleep
Avoid exercising within three hours of bedtime
Maintain a sleep environment that has a comfortable temperature and is quiet, free from distractions such as television
Limit daytime napping.

The hardest one for me will be the limiting of caffeine. Since Dr. Pepper is about all I ever drink.
However, if it will help me sleep and feel better, I'll learn to drink water.

The Dr. also talked to me about a clinical study that they are participating in. It is a "Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Safety and Efficacy Study of XYREM in Subjects with Fibromyalgia." A 27 week study.
Jazz Pharmaceutical Researchers want to find out if the drug Xyrem can help people with Fibromyalgia.

This drug is in the family of the date rape drug, a known drug of abuse. (Fun stuff....Huh....)It can be addictive. When you take it you are to be in bed and ready for sleep, not responsible for any child or elderly person and can not drive or do anything that requires mental alertness for 6 to 8 hours after taking the solution.

Not really sure that I want to participate in that study.

Anyway, I am supposed to cut WAY down on the caffeine and try to get restful sleep. Continue taking Advil or Tylenol for the pain. The Dr. will call when the blood test results are back and I am to see him on April 9th for a follow up and to decide what we will do next.

One good thing the Dr. mentioned, is that massage therapy is very useful in helping with the pain.
A VERY good reason to visit the spa. I know I sure enjoy a good massage....

I'll keep you posted.............

The Results Are In

I finally got the results of my blood test back from my Dr.

Lupus.....Negative
Arthritis....Negative
Glucose....Good
Calcium...Good
Liver Function....Good
Potassium...Good
Etc...Etc...Etc....

The only thing that was not within the appropriate range, was my hormone level.
It was on the borderline of being too low, but since I am taking a relatively high dose anyway, my Dr. doesn't want to change my dosage.

He wants me to complete the coarse of antibiotics that I am currently taking and if, after doing so, I am still experiencing the muscle aches and fatigue he will refer me to a Rheumatoidologist.

I am almost halfway into the coarse of antibiotics with little relief from the muscle aches or fatigue. The headaches have gotten ALOT better....Thank Goodness. The sinus infection seems to be better, not completely gone, but better.

So I am trying to cope as best I can. Being on my feet for 8 hours at work has become a challenge. By the end of the day I am exhausted. I come home and collapse. So much so that on Thursday I called the Rheumatoidologist office, thinking that it would take some time to get an appointment, and wanting to get in soon or near the time I finish the antibiotic. I see him this coming Wednesday.
I'll keep you posted..........

Drs. And Tests

I have yet to hear from my Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist.

When my cat scan was scheduled, I was told that it would take at least 48 hours from the time that the Dr. receives the results for him to contact me. I had it done on Sat. the 23rd. By Wed. I called the Dr's office to see why I had not heard anything, only to find that the office was closed for training Monday through Wednesday, the Dr. would be out of town until Thursday afternoon and would be in surgery most of the morning on Friday. Therefore, he would not have an opportunity to view the test results until next week.

Meanwhile.......I'm miserable.

I asked that a copy of the cat scan be forwarded to my General Practitioner. So, I gave him a call and made an appointment.

Thursday I go in, but have my results been sent to my Dr? NO!!

The nurse called the records department, to make sure, no test results. She calls the ENT's office and asked that they fax the results over. She continues taking my vitals.

Blood pressur was 150/100........and that's with taking my meds.

After a few minutes the Dr. comes in, looks over the chart and then goes to check the fax machine. Nothing.

By this time he is getting impatient, so HE calls the ENT's office and gets the results over the phone.

He is successful. Seems that I have a crooked septum, from some sort of trama to my nose at some time. This is possibly part of my problem, not letting my sinuses drain properly.

Also I have a chronic infection of my Ethmoid Sinus.

This is why I have had the headaches and the pain behind my eyes.

The Dr. prescribed an antibiotic that I will have to take for 20 days and a nasal spray that I am to use everyday.

Hopefully this will get rid of the infection.

He put me off from work until Monday and told me to rest.

I have no problem following those orders, since all I want to do is sleep.

Because I have had no energy, alot of muscle aches and soreness for going on a month now, the Dr. decided that I needed some blood work done also.

It has been some time since I have had any blood work done, so he is checking everything. They took six tubes of blood from me.........

He thought those results would be back by today, but they are not. Guess they had too much blood to check.....LOL

I'll update when I know something.

Until then I will be taking a loooooong hot bath, watching t.v. or sleeping.

Sick, Sick, and Sick........

Sorry that I haven't posted in a bit, Lindsey and I have not been feeling well.






Lindsey has been out of school almost all week. She had a fever of 101 when her school called for me to pick her up on Tues. morning. She has pretty much slept since then. The fever broke Wed. night, but she was still achy and just tired the rest of the week. She is finally feeling better today.

I have not been running a fever, but just have no energy, what-so-ever. I have had sinus infection after sinus infection for the past 8 months. For the past several weeks I have been having headaches, alot.......and they have been severe at times. My whole body aches, especially when the headaches are bad.



So I made an appointment with an Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist.


I thought that maybe my allergies were causing this and that I needed some sort of different allergy meds to get them under control, or that perhaps my sinuses needed opening up to keep them from getting infected. I saw him on Wed. and he told me that he doesn't think, from examining me, that I have chronic sinus disease.

He mentioned Fibromyalgia, but said that he needed to see what is going on inside my head first to make that determination.

He said that I need a Cat Scan. So this morning I went in for that.

I won't know the results for a few days, but I'll keep you posted.


If you know any headache prevention or treatments that work, by all means........send them my way.

Happy Valentines Day

Hello all, I hope you are having a Wonderful Valentines Day!!

I was off from work today, so I took lunch to Michael's office. He was suprized, which was my intention.

Thursdays are always long days for him. He teaches a class at Draughons Junior College after working a full day, so I usually don't see him on Thursdays until about 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. It was a nice treat to be able to have lunch together today, especially since it is Valentines Day.

After our lunch, I headed out to take care of some errands. Lindsey had asked for a Teddy Bear for Valentines Day, so I dropped one off to her school. I also picked up a little something for Adam and Hartsul, stopped to get a pizza at Papa John's (it was supposed to be heart shaped....but it was not available at our store...figures....), then I headed home.

I got some chocolate and some strawberries and other fruits, while I was out today. I plan on making some chocolate dipped fruit to have for Michael when he arrives home tonight. Wish me luck with this, as I have never tried doing this before. It doesn't look too hard, but you never know how these things will turn out.

Anyway,

Have A Wonderful Valentines Day!!!!

It's Still Winter.....

Not alot going on here, it's a cold day and we have ice and snow on the ground, schools have been called off all around the area, I decided not to go into work today (driving on ice is not my forte), getting some cleaning and laundry done, watching the neighbor boy trying to sled down the driveway........he keeps falling before he can get on the sled, enjoying my comfy, warm, flannel pj's and the fact that I don't have to leave the house, sipping on my cup of hot chocolate, playing on the computer and just enjoying a day off.........Ahhhhhhh. Life is good!!!!!!

Hard to believe that last week we were having thunder storms and tornados.......I guess it's why people say, If you don't like the weather in Kentucky, stick around for a day or so, it will change.

Have a good day all!!!

The Hole In The Wall

Let me set the stage.........

After our remodeling of the house, we purchased and put up new towel bars in both of our bathrooms. All was well, we placed them where we wanted them and enjoyed the added beauty and usefulness of them daily.

Until, one of them began to be loose. Just a slight jiggle at first, but soon loose enough that the bracket was pulling away from the wall and was making a slightly larger hole where the screws had been placed, causing it to be loose.

The screws had been secured in the wall anchors provided as the instructions had advised.

We thought, no problem, just place the screws in larger wall anchors and this should solve the problem. That did not work. The holes got bigger.

So, Michael removed the screws and filled in the holes around the anchors with Gorilla glue.

Then of course, like all men's projects, it sat there for awhile.......untouched.

You know, you get busy and it just doesn't get done.

So I thought, I can finish this.....it's not so hard......just put the screws back in and hang the bracket and presto.........a usable towel bar.

It sounded good, not too difficult........

I replaced the screws, hung the bracket, but it was still loose. I took the bracket back off, looked at it and devised that the excess glue was not allowing the bracket to hang properly. I sanded the excess glue until it felt smooth and even. I replaced the screws, still it was not secure.

Grrrrrrrrrr...........

Then a brilliant idea occurred to me........

Move the screws over, just slightly, the bracket will be secure and the towel bar will still hang properly. No one will ever know there are two sets of holes, the bracket will hide it. YES, I thought, this will work.

I carefully measured the towel bar.......YES, there is plenty of leeway. I can do this! Michael will be so surprised when he gets home!

I took my handy little cordless screwdriver and put those anchors and screws into the wall, just slightly to the left of the originally holes. Success. Until, I hung the bracket. GASP!!!!!!!

When you drill too many holes in drywall in close proximity of each other it tends to crack and crumble and cause ONE BIG HOLE. Now what am I going to do........

This is Michael's project and I have interfered. The panic button was going off. Should I call someone to fix if before he gets home? What now?

The thoughts of how things like this in the past had played out were going through my mind. Not good thoughts. My stomach was in knots the rest of the day.

Michael called, as he does most evenings before he comes home. I wanted to pre-warn him and I told him that he was going to be mad at me when he arrived home this evening. He asked why, and I began to tell him about the hole in the wall. He calmly said okay, we'll see what we can do. No shouting, no anger.

When he arrived home he came in, kissed me, as he normally does, put away the groceries that he had brought home and then calmly asked to see this hole in the wall. I nervously lead him to the hole. He looked at it, hugged me, sort of laughed and said,"we can fix it". I began to cry. I had been so upset by this and it was no big deal to him. He told me that this is my house too and that if there is something that I want to do as far as decorating it, that I should be able to do that.

He had to reinforce the hole with some wood and then fill it in with drywall mud. After it had dried it had to be sanded and then painted.

Then HE put up the towel bar.

As you can see in the picture, the hole is still slightly noticable, but the towel bar is up and usuable and a reminder to me of how wonderful my partner is!!!

Winter Blues

I am so ready for warmer weather.............

I don't mean to complain, but IT'S COLD!!!!
It has been so cold at work that I have been wearing layers. I'm near the front of the store where the door is opening and closing all day long. I'm not sure if it is just the weather or that some of the medication that I am taking makes me more sensitive to the cold. I believe that I have read somewhere that one of the side effects to hypertension medications can be sensitivity to the cold.
I'm not the fondest of winter time anyway. Seems that a number of my family members, myself included, suffer from this SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) thing. This winter has been better for me than past winters, probably due to my little friend Zoloft. Of course, having a more stable life in general has to play a major role also.
Anyway, I'm ready for not having to wear a coat everyday, not having to scrape frost or ice, not having to warm up the car every morning, not feeling like it's always dark, and mostly being able to get out and walk without freezing my butt off. Which I really need to do because I need to loose this weight I seem to have put on in past few months.
Could be worse I suppose.
I could live in one of these places that I read about:

Top 5 Coldest Places in the United States

Here are the spots in the U.S. that have recorded the lowest temperatures.
1. Prospect Creek, Alaska -80°
2. Rogers Pass, Montana -70°
3. Peters Sink, Utah -69°
4. Moran, Wyoming -63°
5. Maybell, Colorado -61°

Brrrrrrrrrr............ That's Cold.
Stay Warm All and Have a Happy Sunday.

Hours With Photo Shop

I think my daughter could spend hours and
hours playing around with Photo Shop.

Granted it is pretty neat, with all the ways you can change a picture.


She really likes taking pictures anyway, and then to be able to change them, is right up her alley.


She acually is pretty good at photography. She has taken some rather neat pictures. Mainly of herself......... Her Myspace picture has to be changed at least once a week........LOL

Here are some recent pictures that she has taken.

The sky was really pretty one night as the football game was about to start.

Hartsul took these next ones with Lindsey's phone and then Lindsey put them on the computer and touched them up with Photo Shop.

I love the way the trees reflect in the pond.

















Lindsey and her friends love going to mall, to shop a little and to take pictures.

Even at school they are taking pictures.



























These are some random pictures that Lindsey has Photo Shoped.















In some of her pictures, I think she has gotten rather creative, using props and such.
They are different, anyway.