Race day is here!!!!!!!!!

Am I nervous...not really.  More tired than anything.

I picked up my bib and chip on Saturday so that means I was committed to do it.  I was committed to do it when the bosses paid the registration months ago, but this just solidified it in my mind (especially when it had my name on it!0

 

 

My race start time was for 7 am and I found out that the co-workers that signed up for the 10K thought that they didn't train hard enough and dropped down to the 5K with me.  Well 2 of them were MIA by start time and so that left me with JamAng

 

 

We started off running the first kilometer together and since I am still on interval training I broke into a walk.  JamAng said that if she started walking she wouldn't pick up the run again.  I told her to go on ahead and I would see her at the end.

 

Well I stuck with the intervals until the 3K mark when they were handing out water and sports drink.  I went right past them to the garbage can and threw up.  I had a volunteer explain to me that my body had to much lactic acid and I was getting rid of it.  She suggested walking for a bit and then picking up the run again.  So walked a full kilometer and then ran the last kilometer to the finish line.

 

I came in 166 of 199 runners and did it all in 50 minutes and 18 seconds.

 

 

 Nikki was rather distraught looking for me at the finishing line.  I t was nice to see that I had 2 fans looking for me at the end :)

 





Dinner with bells

Well the lovely hybrid that Nads made me had started to unravel :(  I knew that it was a prototype and I am sure that she loved the challenge of making something new.

So we met up for some supper and we had a good chat and some food.  Then the presentation I was waiting for.....And she didn't disappoint either!

 

 

All done as "mico maille"  Think about knight armour, but on a really tiny scale.  This must have made her go cross eyed!

 

Now I just need to fill it up with Pandora Charms :)

Really sad day........(Sep 8)

I had a sick day today and I was sitting upstairs watching something on the PVR and Nikki came into the room to see me and her back end wobbled.  Kind of like when a foal is born and is a little unsteady on their legs.

She had been doing this in the past, but it was very infrequently and we just figured it was old age but she was more than happy to step along on a walk.  Well when we were at the IC, I noticed that she was good for an hour and she needed to rest or she "wobbled."  She has always been my walking partner and when we went on the 5K walk when we were camping I noticed when she got tired she wobbled.  So she know compensates by "trotting" when se walks to keep from wobbling but she tires out faster.

So when she wobbled simply by turning around it broke my heart.  Her body was finally letting her down after 14 years.  Time for her to retire from being a service dog and time to enjoy the life of leisure.  I discussed it the DH and we needed to figure out who would look after her during the day.  We had 2 options, Maine's daughter (Americana) or GrandmaS.  I figured that GrandmaS wouldn't mind but she does work for weeks at time at her old place so Americana seems like a good choice.  She loves the Girls, she is old enough to come out on a bus and she needs the work experience and the cash.  So we were texting with Maine to see if her and the PizzaGuy were cool with it before offering her the job.

The other said part of the day was this is to be the last time we would see NavyWife and the mister.  He finished his one job and now going to the other side of Canada for another year for his job.  I miss them and their little dog too :D  I have to admit that I held it together pretty well and there is always social media to keep in contact with them.  Who knows they just might end up being a destination for a trip.

DH b-day

Well it was the weekend of the DH b-day and he isn't one to make a big deal of his birthday. If you ask him, you will get "I was congealed from a puddle of goo."

So rather than making a big party out of it, I thought a camping weekend with me and the Girls with a nice dinner would do.  I know he hates it when I make a fuss over him but he was hitting a milestone year.

So Sunday night at the site, I made him a lobster (shudders because the darn things scare me.  I have watched to my cryostasis movies with the DH!) with his favorite vegetable and he favorite cake for dessert. 

 

 

We enjoyed ourselves and I didn't even sing "Happy Birthday" to him :)

It has been years

and not much has changed but it has.....

I went back to the fold of the Church.  I have been having 2 ladies over that we call "Sisters" because we have a Heavenly Father and we are all his children.  So the ladies are Sister "last name" and the men are Brother "last name". 

I remember going when the DH and were first married and ran into a Brownie (young Girl Scout for my US friends) and I used to be called "Sunshine" as my leader name.  One Sunday I was at Church and in the hallway I heard "Sister Sunshine?"  I never thought I would hear those to words together LOL

So SisterD and her companion have been coming over and I have been feeling fairly comfortable with them.  SisterD suggested that I come to the monthly "Relief Society Socials" (all the church ladies get together and do stuff for fun) and I didn't think about going before in the past because they were on Wednesdays and I have a shift at the second job on Wednesday.  This is when she told me the were changed to Thursdays, and I felt a little excited about it.

So off Nikki and I went.  The theme of this month's RS social was preserving and canning and they were working with peaches......YUM!

So I walked into the Chapel (our word for the building where services are held on Sunday) with a bit of hesitation.  I knew that SisterD was going to be there so I would at least know one person.

The building felt like it did when I went all those years ago, but there were new faces to see and none of the older ones I remembered.

Nikki was very good (when isn't she....) and she actually made it to the RS Facebook page too LOL

Will I go back, not on a Sunday since they start at 10 am, but I will be more than happy to go to the socials.

A new additiion to the family.....

No the DH and I didn't get another dog......

My brother and the GF had a little baby girl!  Sweetest little thing and my Mom is over the moon and back.

Mom left the job site at 7:30 from the North and drove to TO to see the wee one.

The DH and I had plans to go down together hat night since the DH missed the birthing of his twin niece & nephew.  The issues was it was a Wednesday, and I had a shift at the second job and no one was going to cove it so the DH stepped up and worked it so I could go down. 

I headed down during a ballgame was in town and I swear it was a sea of blue that walked out in front of the truck.  I was getting aggravated and was just going to start taking them out at 10 points each LOL

I found parking for the dodge and found my brother and headed up.  I met up with the GF mom and we chatted for a bit since the nurses were busy with the GF.

I was able to hold the WeeOne for a bit and took some pics for the DH and wanted to know if she had the "new puppy" smell.  She didn't but she loves to give butterfly kisses that I explained to the GF learned about. The nurse was glad that someone knew about them because she explains them to new parents and no one seems to know what they are.  If it was for LauraD and the BranMan I wouldn't have know either.

I finally left around 10 and I think the GF mom was going to take the WeeOne home with her but my brother said that she couldn't per her in her purse LOL

Decompression from the IC

Both the DH and I took the week off after the IC.  We made it home on Monday and slept (and did laundry LOL)

We packed up the Girls and ourselves and headed out on Tuesday to a KOA for the remainder of the week.  There were many campfires and we tried new things while we were out.

The DH tried to bake in the trailer:



 

 

And the muffins came out ok on the top but burnt on the bottom.  I was going to leave it to him to eat those up.

 

Nikki and went for a walk and I am sure she was glad to see the last of the 5K's LOL

 

 

 

It was nice to just lay in bed until 10 an know we didn't need to be anywhere.  I think the Girls appreciated the rest too!

Sunday of the IC

Wow......was I ever exhausted but I forged on........

The Sunday morning of an IC is to wrap everything up (literally and figuratively) and send everyone on their way.

We had one 2 little bits of business left to do......The charity fundraiser and to announce the total for the charity for the weekend.

Well in the past (too many to count...) there have been pies in the face.  It is usually the CS (President of the organization) and the IC Chair (the DH).  The DH and I talked about the pie thing and we both agreed that it has run its course and we needed something new.  That is when I mentioned the duct tape challenge.  Originally it was to have strips of duct tape sold to that we could tape them to the wall and take away the chair they were standing on to see if they would hold.  Well after seeing the conference centre, the masses decided that we should tape the DH and the CS together.  Then a bidding war started to see if they were to be face to face or back to back.  I am happy to say that we raised over $400 to have them taped face to face.

Once everyone paid up, the weekend was a great success!  We raised over $2000 so that will send 2 kids to NASA Space Camp for a week!  WOHOO!

So folks went on their way and I told those that were in the business meeting on Friday and missed out on the walking tour that I would be doing it again on Sunday afternoon.  We met in the front lobby and I was surprised to see that Jong came along a second time and brought Garcia with her.  So we had about 10 of us that were crossing the border for some fun.

Merman took this picture of me on the walking tour.  I think I was explaining the bit about all the tulips from Holland when he took it.  Either that or I am trying to be a body builder LOL

 

 

When we stopped for lunch at Burger King, I was able to chat with Victor and CoffeeVictor and I found out that they were at the table with BollickS last night and she neglected to tell me that she ate a whole bowl of salad plus what she told me.  No wonder she wasn't feeling well.  She had enough food to fill a regular tummy.  Victor made a note of how much she ate because he has had the sleeve done and was surprised at what she ate too. 

 

This is when we got in to a great discussion on health care.  I found out that there are 2 types of health care, one that gets you by and one that gets you the extras.  Well BollickS had the standard care where she was told to lose 10% of her weight and she gets the surgery.  Then she is left to live her life.  Victor had the "upgraded" version where it was like what I went through with the specialists but instead of Opti, he was to lose 10% of his weight.  This would explain sooooooo much now.

 

I was glad to stay one more night at the hotel so I could get some rest.  I don't think I could have gone home and unpacked everything the same day.

Saturday of the IC

This is the longest day of the IC.........

We have a general session in the morning where we hear the highlights of the big business meeting from Friday and this goes usually from 8 to noon. I decided to sit at the back of the room since I had both girls with me so that the room could get cleaned.  I never realised that when I twist my legs around each other when I sit, it gives me a muffin top! LOL  BTW, the shirt I am wearing here is a LARGE!!!!  I automatically went for the XL and it was swimming in it.  I was just glad that there was another one for me to swap out.

Looking at this picture it reminds me of how my mom reads her romance novels.  I think it is the way my left arm is positioned.  Ahh the days of mom reading LOL

So the afternoon was setting up for the auctions.  DevineW and LiLDevineW were there to help me out.  After looking at all the stuff after the Marine Mess last I am glad that we broke it up into 2 auctions. 

So I was able to leave the silent auction in the hands of DevineW and I headed back to the room.  I was soooo beat I decided to head back to the room for a nap.  I knew that Jong and Garcia were stopping in so I thought hearing his knock on the door would be enough to wake me up.  No such luck.  I had left the door propped open for them and the housekeeping staff actually stopped in to clean and she panicked when she saw the girls.  Lucky enough Garcia was there to calm her down and told her to come back tomorrow.  Where was I through all of this?  Sleeping.  Yup didn't hear a single thing.  Garcia gently closed the door and left me to sleep.  I woke up 2 hours later to get read for the bidding auction and the dinner.  This was the moment I have been working so hard for.  The past 9 months were for me to walk into a rom and make the DH say "wow that's my woe.  She looks great."

I freshened up and slipped into the purple dress and took a good long look in the mirror to see how I was looking.  Thanks to the help from Nash with my undergarments I think I pulled it all off!  The shoes looked really nice, my hair turned out and I really don't see anything that screams "stuffed sausage" :)

It took me some time to get used to the heels again, but I have to say, now that the weight is coming off, the knees don't hurt as much when I wear them.  Will I wear them more frequently?  Probably.

Here is what I look like all cleaned up ;)

 

I had a few compliments and even a cat call!  I walked into the conference centre and JU yelled "(DH) you don't deserve that!"  I was shocked that I got that compliment, but then I thought that the DH does deserve this.  I was also told that I have models legs since they are so long.  I know that I am not signing up with any agencies soon but I will keep that compliment under my hat :)

I was happy to have my little cups with me at the dinner.  Everything was set up "family style" so a big amount of food on a plate was passed around and you took what you wanted.  I talked to the DH about it and he said that if there was more food needed, the plates would be refilled and brought back out.  I am glad that I had this chat since I didn't go into the "grab it first" mindset.  It made for a nice relaxing meal.  Dessert came and it was an Italian Lemon cake and I have been making a conscious effort to cut back on the "white" carbs.  So when I saw the cake, there was a middle of cream (Merman thinks that it was ricotta) and that is all I ate.  It was quite a funny sight to see the end result.

And then things get interesting.........

The DH was talking to AlRoz and his girlfriend BollickS and the DH flags me over.  So I went over to see what was up and BollickS had the RNY and wasn't feeling well.  I asked what she had eaten and she then informed me that she had the pasta, some breaded pork chop and mashed potatoes.  I nearly fell over since she had enough starch in her system that a normal person would have consumed!  So as a result her stomach had gone hard and didn't know what to do with the food.  I told her what she had done and the only thing to do was to walk and sip water to help it all through.  I walked away absolutely shocked, thinking that this was RNY 101. 

She and AlRoz excused themselves for the rest of the night and I didn't see her again.




Friday of the IC

Well this is the day of the business stuff takes place at the IC.  So there are about 40+ that need to sit in the meeting and it usually takes all day.  That means there are spouses with nothing to do and I have come across this situation at past IC's that I didn't know what to do with myself.  So I told the DH that he can leave this to me and I will take the spouses on a walking tour of the Falls.

So we met in the front lobby at 10, and there was MUBoss, JD, BFFlorida, Jong, Chuck and myself that decided to go.  So we walked across the border, took pictures by the Falls, walked up Clifton Hill, bought some souvenirs, stopped for some poutine for lunch, had a beaver tail for dessert, walked back down to the Hershey store and hit the Duty Free for some ice wine and Caribbean cigars.  The tour took about 4 hours in total and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

By the looks on their faces they enjoyed the food.

 

 

 

Friday night of the IC has a dinner called the "Marine Mess" and it is for a part of organization that the Marines are the infantry forces of the organization and  unlike the rest of chapters whose personnel, who used a naval ranking structure, the Marines use a rank structure based on equivalents of Earth infantry-based militaries, such as the MACOs.

 

So you have members who where uniforms to the dinners and there is quite the pomp and circumstance to the dinner.  So I decided to go with looser fitting clothing and I got to wear DentisT's skirt to this dinner.

 

I think I even did CCC and Nash proud by doing my hair before I went LOL
 

 

 

 



August 19th

This was a busy day for a day off.......

The DH loaded up the Dodge to head to the conference centre and hotel for the IC and I stayed behind to work my shift at the second job before heading out on Thursday.

It is a good thing I did since I was getting texts from the DH if things that he had forgotten to bring with him to the hotel.  So I started a pile at the front door and decided to just keep adding to it until I packed up the car.

Grandma S stopped overnight to watch the Noodle so I could work the second shift.  She was able to stick around into Thursday so that I could run into the store quickly without a dog.  So once I had the car fully packed with the girls and all the stuff I headed off to Niagara Falls around lunchtime.

I received a call from the DH saying that he was should WaytoKill'em around the Falls and that I would have to drive on Clifton Hill to meet them to get the room key. O_o  This is the busiest street in Niagara Falls Ontario because of the tourist stuff to do.  I am glad that the DH was waiting for me outside to the attraction since there was no way I could have found parking.

I crossed the border into NY and that is when I fell apart.... believe it or not, there is a Sheraton AT the Falls and a Sheraton ON the Falls?  Well I had the wrong on in the GPS and I was trying to figure out why it kept taking me back across the border.  So I pulled over and called the DH crying and he gave me the address I needed and I was just over a minute away from the hotel.  PHEW!

I got to the hotel and started to unload the car and when I got up to the room with the girls the hotel had a surprise for them!

This was nice of them!  I should have told them that I had the 2 dogs, since I can see some looks coming from Nikki claiming this bed.  So on the last trip to the car I brought up the bed that is in the car for Melodie and she is such a sweet girl she just slept on the old dog bed and was happy.

I began unpacking the luggage for the stay and the DH and WaytoKill'em came to the room with Garcia and Jong and we had a good chin wag to catch up on news.

At this point I realised that I hadn't eaten since I ate the power bar in the car and the troll was getting achy. So we decided to herd down to a TGIFridays and met up with AwardsQueen and R6RC.  And of course I was at a restaurant with Garcia so we had to get Mozza Stixs again lol.  He got a fair bit  more than just these but who I am I to turn down a decent mozza stick!

I also discovered that when you are in a hotel restaurant that is holding the IC, you can never just have a meal and leave.  As we were enjoying dinner we were joined by JD and BFFlorida.  They are a great set of friends who went me to the stock yards in Dallas.  They were the ones that invited me along so I thought I would return the favour and show them my neck of the woods on a walking tour tomorrow of the Falls.  So as I was getting tired from the noises of the restaurant I had the best of intentions to get up and go, but then we were joined by KU and her hubby MU.  At this point I was too tired from the day and needed to leave and it isn't like I wasn't see them during the IC.  So if you plan to go, go.  There will always be someone showing up and you will never got out!

So I took a very tired Nikki back to the room and she decided to flop for the night and this is where she spent the rest of the night:

August 18th

And this begins the upswing to the IC..........

Garcia and Jong were up from California to take advantage of the sights and fun that Toronto had to offer before heading out to Niagara Falls NY for the conference.  So the DH and I headed off to the hotels around PIA to catch up with them over a really late supper.  See California folks are 3 hours head of us in the time zones so since the DH  were working  and could get out until 8ish, this worked in their favour.

Last year at the IC Garcia and I were notorious for enjoying the same appetizers, in particular the Mozza Stix.  Did you know I went looking for the post from that weekend and there isn't one?!?!?!  The shock!  LOL  Anyway, Garcia mentioned at dinner tonight of we should split another order for old times sake.  I told him that I would be up to eating half an order, but definitely try to eat one.  Well I did try, and got through half.  The DH was nice enough to eat the other half and Jong and Garcia split the rest of the order.  Of course I did order off the kids menu again and tried side ribs again.  I didn't get through them all (only 3) and the troll let me know I was full.

So I am sure that Jong and Garcia will be in my posts later on since they are joining us in Niagara Falls on Friday after a few sight seeing spots in T.O.

August 16th

Was a day away to see the Jays!

It was bobblehead day.  Yes a bobblehead.  They were having the alumni from 1985 make an appearance since it was the anniversary we won the division series.

 

So I went as C's second person so that she could get 2 of the bobbleheads.  She likes to have 2 so that she can keep one to display/play with and the other stays in the box so that she can sell it as a collector's item later.  I think she mentioned that this is how she is supporting her retirement LOL

 

So this is what we went for and as you know it was the second trip for us.

 

 

 

It was a very hot and humid day and the stadium was packed.  It was very tight quarters with the young guy beside me and I was hoping that it would be an empty single seat but alas it wasn't.  So all of us were very tolerable with each other and I am glad that I wasn't at my highest weight because that would have been ugly.  Between all the sweat in places I didn't think sweated ands constantly touching someone would have drove me nuts.

 

Well that will be the last game of the season for me since F is going with C to the last 2 games that she wants to go to.

 

I guess I will see if she needs me next year LOL





August 15th

Was a blast at the farm!

The DH and I took Nash and her friend Little Sara to the barn and had a great ride.  The sun was shining but it made for a really warm ride.  I don't think Nash minded at all and who did they put me on for a horse?  Kelly!  Really.....the Cadillac of the horses!  This gal was built for comfort and not for speed.

 

 

And before you ask.....yes my feet are out of the stirrups, my butt fit in the saddle and no I am not wearing a helmet (after much discussion from the DH.)

 

I did find however that I have no padding left in the my riding butt :(  I had 3 points on my bottom that were bony where I was making contact with the saddle.  But I did have loads of fun!

To quote the Dixie Chicks......

"I said a long time, long time, long time gone
Well it’s been a long time
Long time, long time, long time gone
Oh, it's been a long time gone
Long time, long time, long time gone
Yeah yeah"

I know it has been a few weeks since my last post but I plan on getting caught up during the day today and into the weekend.

So rather than swamping you guys with one loooooong post I will break it down into multiple posts with the date on it as the subject line.

You have been warned!

So make a cuppa and settle in for a long chat :D

Gonna be busy......

So I thought I would get quick post in.

 

-things with the physiotherapist are going well.  The crystals all have made it back home so know we are working on balance and the inner ear coordination.  She said 2 more visits and I should be right as rain.

 

-had a bit of a scare this week.  I had gained 5 pounds and was really concerned about it.  I was able to analyze my foods and found that I was eating waaaay out of my range in carbs.  So I have started reading labels again and buying new power bars and yogurts. I am happy to say that with these changes I have lost those 5 (again) and another 2.

-C was declined her revision surgery and that was a shock to me.  She had the same surgery as me and she was told that if she had any other surgery she would have been approved.  This is a good lesson for me to always keep everything in check. 

-Had DentisT over to the house this week and I tried on her skirt again and it was fitting pretty good.  I think it is the skirt I will wear to the marine dinner next Friday.  I just need to find a brown top to wear with it.  I also showed her my purple dress and it looked okay.  I am still trying to figure out how I can weigh less than my barn days but the still feels tight in the tummy?  I guess that will be core work in the new year and for next weekend it will be Spanx LOL

-Made a new friend recently (waves at her in case she is reading this) and I think I will call her Fleesa :)  She is into running and we decided that at the conference that we would be going on runs together.  So I guess I better get on GoogleMaps to see what I can route.  I see her being a "virtual" buddy support system and hopefully I can return the favour.

-This weekend I am doing something that I haven't done since surgery.  I am heading to the barn.  The last time I was there was for my birthday 2 years ago.  If you notice, my butt is too big for the saddle and I felt bad for Amarillo :(

 

We will see how this weekend goes.

 

-Next week is the start of the IC and holidays.  I know that here is going to be a lot of food at the IC so I am going to keep my cups nearby to measure EVERYTHING!

 

-As for the rest of the vacation?  That will be camping.  We need to compress from planning the IC for the past 2 years.

 

So I think I will be able to post from the hotel in Niagara Falls NY but if not it will be from the campsite!

The weekend that wasn’t

Well the weekend didn’t turn out like I had planned but that is okay since it turned out to be a nice one anyway.

I got a text from the DH saying that work has dumped on him and he isn’t able to go camping.  I had a though for 30 seconds of going on my own but when I go home and saw the state he was in I really couldn’t go for 3 days and leave him there.  I figured he needed me more than I need to plunk my butt at campground for 3 days.

So I offered to work his shift at the 2^nd job to relieve some stress for him.  I managed to get 2 hours worked on a busy Friday shift before my disassociation kicked in.  Lucky enough things calmed down around 8 and I headed home.  I asked the DH if he wanted any supper and I was willing to grab something. He said that he was eating some old pizza and that was enough. So I headed to DQ since I heard that they had some new chicken “snack” wraps.  So I ordered the chicken quesadilla and took it home.  I was pleasantly surprised at the size and it was Tiny Tummy size and it had some nice flavour, except for the black olives.  Really O_o  I will need to remember to order them without the olives next time.  Needless to say Mel-Mel and Nikki were happy to get the end pieces as I ate it.

Saturday I lounged and the DH said that the money I earned working his shift was mine, so I decided to blow it on clothes.  Or tried to LOL.  I texted Maine & her daughter about hitting a few stores and they were up to it.  So we headed off to a local charity shop where we found about 27 things to try one and I came home with 3 LOL. I found a navy blue skort from Reitman’s that says size 11.  Really….a 11. So does that make me a 12 in a regular store?  Who knows.  I also found a pair of jean shorts and a nice top that gives me some shape.

From there we headed to the local mall and I ended up at a bra shop and they had bras at 40% off which is fine, but when they start at $40 I was bit concerned.  Do I picked up 3 and now the “girls” are happy where they belong and snug again. I did have some buyer’s remorse since I know I can get them cheaper at Wal-Mart but I was informed that "the “girls” wouldn’t be as happy or look as good.”  So I will keep them.

I headed to a store that always seemed out of my reach since they do carry XXL but every time I looked at them it seemed waaaaay to small.  This time, armed with courage of Main and her daughter and 90 pounds gone I ventured in.  I decided that since I was my 8 month surgiversary I wanted to see what I could find for a good “after/in process pic” to post.  And well Maine found a nice dress in the XXL and I tried it on.  In my mind it seemed a little snug and I am sure when I hit goal I will reconsider it.  This is the dress we found:

 

It has some pleating on it to hide a multitude of sins and really distracts the eye.   I would have considered buying for the IC, but I really didn’t have $150 to buy it right now since I am still saving for the room for the OH conference in NC.

So I headed home after dropping off my fashionistas and the DH and decided to head out for supper.  We hit the Montana’s nearby and I tried pork ribs for the first time.  They sat really well and will most likely order them again. 

Sunday was supposed to be a fire and supper with Main and her family and C&F.  Well F was feeling under the weather so he passed on coming out but we tried to have some fun between all the rain.  It started to storm at 5, so dinner was moved inside and we finished cooking it on the stove and we watched the original Tron since PizzGuy had never seen it.  Once that was over C decided to leave since her and F had tickets to a baseball game and she likes to get to the stadium early.

At this point the weather had cleared so Maine and the family moved back outdoor to toast some marshmallows and take the dog s for walk.  Well we got back and the weather was moving in again so we all headed back downstairs to watch “Morticai” since none of had seen it.  Once it was over everyone headed their separate ways for the night.

Yesterday had glorious weather so I put some laundry on the line and helped the DH with some stuff for the IC.  I t was mostly name badges and organization but I am sure that he was glad for the help.  Once I had finished that up while he was at the second job, I had a migraine kick in.  I am not sure if it was the lack of protein or what, but I was breaking out in sweats and so I went upstairs to bed at 8.  Needless to say as of this morning the headache has not subsided but the boss is on holidays and it payroll.  So I will suck it up (and 2 tablets) and head off to work.

So far the tablets are kicking in and I am trying to get through my work.

Camping and getting off the beaten track.

Well the weekend in MI for the R13 camping went pretty good.  

We left the house around 4:30 since the DH was able to cut his call shorter than expected.  We originally thought it was going to be closer to 6, but I was glad it was earlier.  I really didn't want to be setting up the trailer in the dark in MI.  I think that we have it to under an hour setting up if we don't have any hiccups.

The trip down was a little more comfortable on my butt in the truck than the Mazda.  I was able to shift from side to side and sit cross legged like a lady as well as cross legged like a kid sitting on the floor. So all in all I think I did pretty well for the 3+ hour trip. 

We made it across the border after hitting the Duty Free store for some alcohol for the weekend and headed to the KOA. And this is where we started to unravel.  We got to the site and the DH backed in the trailer and started to unhook it from the truck.  I guess he got distracted and didn't realise that he had left a safety chain on and pulled the truck forward and caused the tongue to come off the block of wood.  No damage to anything, but more of a pain to getting all back to the way it was. 

From there I hooked up the water and the electricity.  I forgot that the DH had opened all the taps when we put the trailer way last time ad I turned on the main valve.  Normally the isn't an issue, but when the hand towel falls off the hook in transport and lands in the sink creating a clog, water tends to flood the bathroom.  The only towels available were the bath towels and they got used to mop the floor.  So these needed to be washed before our shower or we were going to end up air drying.  Bless the DH since he was the one that ventured to the laundry mat to do wash them to find out that there was no laundry soap in the laundry mat, the store was closed and there were no dryers.  So the DH came back with damp towels washed in hand soap that air dried in the trailer overnight. 

The whole “family” slept pretty well since we really didn’t see much of the morning since we slept until almost 10.  I peeked my head out the window to see that there were a few bodies moving around so I decided that I should venture out to see them after a shower.  I bought 2 pairs of shorts from the Sally Ann and they were Denver Hayes brand but they were saying 16.  I will give as much credit to a size 16 as much as possible but since they were bought a charity shop, they had been well washed.  So I packed them up to take with me to MI and  they are at the point now that they fit “nicely” after a wash so by the end of the day they are well warn in.  I was wearing these shorts on Saturday and I got up from the picnic table and was told by NonScifan that I didn’t need to reminder how skinny I was becoming by pulling up my shorts over my skinny butt in front of her.  I honestly never thought of it that way……but I did realise that my “rental shorts” were needing to be returned back to the charity shop.   

I have been doing that lately…..taking a bag of clothes and coming out with some more to take home for a short stint.  I guess I will have to see what I find this week, since most of my shorts are getting to baggy to wear, including the ones I bought at the mall from the day job.  The ladies there keep telling me that I am getting lost in all the loose material. 

Nash made a comment to me that rolls around in my head as my weight declines.  “What if you get down to single digits?”  I guess I never really thought about it until I see some baggy pants on my butt LOL I am thinking that I am a loose 14 now, working on a 12.  But if I lose the last 20 I but be on the cusp of a single digit.  Do I want to make that a goal?  Will I still be healthy?  I know I talked to Susanne that I wanted to be out of the clothes that started with a 2 and I have done that for sure.  Perhaps I was underestimating the surgery? 

As I make an aside……… 

I was actually getting up from the table to head into town with the DH to get a few supplies for the Picnic that we were having.  There were hot dogs and hamburgers on the campfire and I would like to thank WineSteward for bringing some bratwurst for us to enjoy.  I know that the Tiny Tummy would be against the burger and the hot dog so I was going to have a protein bar if necessary.  

So I stood back and let everyone take what they wanted and I was just doing my observing thing that I do.  I noticed that those made the littlest effort towards the picnic or was “supervising” the cooking over the fire were the first ones to help themselves to lunch.  I don’t know if it is something I would have done in the past, but I noticed it this time. 

I was able to get a nice picture of most of us and I want to thank the DH and Tooleman for cooking. 

 

It went well into the night and I am glad that my phone had a timer on it since most of us were grazing all afternoon and I remember DaTopp making a comment that how can I be eating again when she is so stuffed.  That is when I realised that that this surgery is working.  I was able to eat what I wanted earlier and stayed within my portions and was able to push my plate away.  Come 3 hours later I enjoyed a protein pudding and regrettable some apple pie filling.  Boy did that ever hurt!  So needless to say when the timer went off later on around the fire, I passed on eating again since I felt like I was still digesting the pie.

Come Sunday morning the pie had work through the pipes and felt right as rain for the ride home.  I had a “glammed” up protein shake that I had added some no sugar added syrup to since I thought I am better off with the shakes over the bars.  I have been reviewing my “rules” and I am over achieving on the carbohydrates.  Most of them are coming from the bars I got stateside.  I will need to review the Canadian bars just to see if I can work them back in.  The US ones were a nice change but not at the cost of abusing my tiny tummy. 

I am not sure what to think about this next topic, but I have been referring to my Tummy Troll as if it has a mind of its own.  I realised this when I was in bed last night.  I ate some Smartfood popcorn earlier in the evening and the tummy felt like it was quivering.  I felt like I had abused it and this was the way it was telling me that it was done.  Susanne and I have talked about “self-chat” and what comes of the conversation.  This morning was I got out of the shower and looked at my tummy and said “what kind of day are we going to have today?”  I often talk back to the noises that my tummy makes “okay, you have had enough to eat” or “I hear you, you didn’t like X” like some of us do to our pets like they understand us.   

So have I humanised my tummy by talking to it? Have I gone mad because I do talk to it?  I guess I am at the 2 month mark to see Susanne again.

Well I am wired.....

and it had nothing to do with caffeine LOL

I have had my heart rate monitor on for almost all 48 hours (bring on 2:15 pm today!!!) when I can disconnect myself.  This is half of the connections that I have stuck to me:

 

You will have to imagine where the other 4 are since I wasn't going to make this blog into a rated R version!  Needless to say they are still on my truck and every once in a while the one on the left side by waist gets itchy.  I was texting with my cousin HeatheRN last night and I was asking her what I could use to get all goo off when I am done.  Her response was "alcohol and not the drinking kind!"  Thanks.

I would like to thank the DH for his help with this since I have been getting my hair stuck in the "glue" in the connections that are closer to my collar bone.  As you know I am still losing my hair and I really didn't need to loose more involuntarily!

The little box that I am holding is what is recording all in the information and I feel like I am walking around with a Walkman.  Yes I said a Walkman since it is slung around my shoulders like I used to wear one in middle school and I was cleaning the house.  Y'all remember what I am talking about...don't deny it.

So once all results are analyzed and sent back to Dr. Sarah I will find out where we go from there.

I also had a follow up with the Physiotherapist and she is happy with my progress but I still have a few loose crystals and I am still lagging in the brain/eye coordination department so she has me doing some exercises and will see me again in 2 weeks.

Counting down the next hour and half........

The sitting situation

Well I have hit the point where I don't think I have any padding left on my bottom. 

 

I realised that I was in some trouble on our way to New Jersey a few weeks ago.  I tried to sleep in the car while the DH drove and I ended up waking myself up because of a sore tailbone!  I tired adjusting myself in the seat but nothing seemed to work unless I sat more upright.  At this point I just gave up.  and before you even suggest it, I am NOT getting a hemorrhoid ring to sit on either!

 

I am also having issues at the office in my chair.....I will get all comfy and start work and after about an hour, I need to get up and go for a walk since I seem to seize up in my butt.  I can't explain it other than the fact I shuffle along like a 100 year old woman until I take about 20 steps and work it all out.

 

I do have so me good news though.......I fit into chairs better.  I have had 2 situations that I can recall and one is at the VIP seating seeing "Spy" with Maine.  The seats in the VIP seating are bigger than the normal seats so I thought I would try an experiment.  Now for those of you that know Nash, she is a thin & leggy gal that can pretty much fit into a suitcase if she tried (maybe on a drunk night and dared too LOL.) but when she sits in a regular seat she is able to sit like this:

So In my mind I thought I would try it in the VIP seating....and I was able to!  I was shocked since there used to be too much "bulk" around my legs that I couldn't fold them up.  So I was more than happy to sit like that for a bit but then my feet fell asleep :(  but I was glad to know I could do it!

 

The other time was this weekend........I was at the baseball game with C and I was able to sit in the regular seats with some space to share (since the lady on the right needed some extra space for herself) and I was able to pull me feet up onto the wall in front of me so the tops of my feet could get some sun!  I think that if I had my ~90 pounds from before I would have had sweat from places I didn't know could sweat and I would have felt the tight squeeze to sit through almost 8 innings in the sun.

 

So I am going to talk the Chiro and see if he has suggestions for the sore bottom and see if there is anything that can be done.

 

 

Well I am not brain damaged

But the fall of a horse (or 2) a tractor slip and 2 spills did knock a few things around.

Did you know that you have crystals in your ear?  They are there normally and sit on some fine hairs that tell your brain about your balance.  Mind decided to take a walk and ended up in the wrong part of my ear sending the wrong signals to the brain.

So the Physiotherapist rolled my head around and around to work the crystals back into the write spot and I will be back to "my" normal in a few days and see her again in a week to make sure that they stay put.

In the mean time I am getting fitted with a Holter monitor on Tuesday.  This is a little device that records my heart rate for 48 hours straight and then they look at the results.  So here is hoping that they see something with the heart rate to figure out the black outs.  I hope that I don't walk around beeping like an R2 unit while I am in the office LOL

And there's the floor........

Well here is the post you all have been waiting for.....the head meets the floor update :)

Some of my long time lurkers might remember this post from August but if not take a look......I will wait.....

Well it happened again.

I went to bed with a headache and thought it was from spending the day with the DH out front working on the yard and the late hour we went to bed.

I let little Miss Nikki out into the back yard at 4 am and my vision looked like a kaleidoscope (but different from an ocular migraine) and I out my head on the counter and continued talking to myself to keep myself "together."  Well that didn't work out too well since the next thing I know I was on the floor.

I remember felling Melodie licking my hand and my chin and then realising that I was sweating buckets.  That is when I noticed that the stone on the kitchen floor was nice and cool and I could have stayed there a bit longer LOL

The DH came racing out of the bedroom and was holding my head and neck asking if I was okay and what he should do.  The first thing I thought of was leave me here to cool down.  Then I said "let Nikki back in."

So he let her back in and he helped me get back to bed and that is where I stayed until 10 on Sunday morning.  I would up with a sore shoulder and a bump on my head I figured that this is where my body met the floor.  I was still a little "swimmy" as I call it and that is when the world takes a bit longer to catch up with my eyes and head.  I figured that since I had issues at the grocer's with Mom that I needed to go to the ER.

I was expecting a long wait since the waiting room was full, but after my triage I was admitted right away.  They were so quick getting me in, the DH didn't even have a chance to pull out his tablet!  We went to the examination room and was seen right away again too.  We were told that I needed and EKG and a cat scan and of course this caused the brain jokes to flow from the DH.  He also took a pic of me trying to fill some time waiting while reading a movie magazine from the night before. when I saw Magic Mike with Maine, DentisT and CorrieFan.  I knew that I have some weight loss but this picture makes me look dreadfully tired!

 

 

So the results of the tests all came back normal and there was a little slip up from the doctor that suggested that I should get a helmet to wear........and the brain jokes continued with the DH.  Now the DH is on the hunt for a helmet for me to wear and he has found this one:

 



 

With cameras and all!  He mentions " I was thinking along the lines of a Skully helmet with the camera in the back so that she can see what's behind her and be more careful.... or just watch the floor as she proceeds to fall down and hit it."

 

I told him that I wanted this one if I had to wear one:

But I got a big fat "no."

 

So while we are at the ER we were advised that I see Dr. Sarah and I was able to get into see her that week in the afternoon.

 

The first thing she mentioned was that I looked great and she referred another patient who got as far as the orientation class and ended up not continuing.  To each their own I guess.

 

She did a sit/stand blood pressure test and found that my blood pressure does decrease when I stand up and that I needed to be carful.  She also thought that I could have a balance/inner ear issue since I failed the mock "drunk test" in her office.  I couldn't complete the heel/toe walk in a straight line.  So she has referred me to a physiotherapist that deals with inner ear and balance stuff and I see them on Wednesday.

 

I asked her about my blood pressure and she said that I can get a high pressure job and to increase my salt intake.  Other than that we will have to see how it goes at physio.  The DH said that he could piss me off more if that will help LOL  Lord love him!

So I am sure I will post again tomorrow after I see the brain shaker :)