Only Three Little Pounds

That's all I gained over my Christmas vacation! I'm pumped! I really need to officially weigh in the morning to know exactly how much I gained. I'll update in the morning. And another tiny, yet significant "yee-haw" is that I did NOT eat the mini Snickers bar that was laying on my cabinet. I tossed it aside and grabbed a grapefruit. I think I will just go throw it in the trash can while I'm thinking of it...

King and I had such a wonderful talk on the way home from our trip. We talked about our goals for this next year. I'm very excited for 2008! I can't believe it's just around the corner.

There's much laundry and unpacking and football parties to prep for over the next couple of days. I'd better get going. Happy New Year!

UPDATE: Just as I suspected, I always weigh less first thing in the morning. I did not gain anything on my trip!! I left weighing 139.6 and I weighed 139.6 this morning. That is very rewarding!

I'm still sick, but better. We are at my parents' house now. We had a gargantuan birthday party this morning to celebrate everyone's birthday that wasn't celebrated throughout the year. Seems that I'm not the only one who is tardy about mailing presents.

We've also been surrounded by extended family which is fun. Tomorrow my mom's extended family will come over for a Christmas party and "White Elephant" gift exchange.

My granny came over with everyone last night and evidently the excitement of seeing my brothers, myself and our kids was a little much for her and she had an alzheimer's episode during the night. She's really changed in the past 6-9 months since I saw her last. Her face structure has even changed. She's looking like the 91 year-old that she is, but it's still hard to watch. She's always been such a picture of unconditional love and sweetness and energy. It's hard to watch her struggle for thoughts and be so feeble. They said she falls every week or so now. But, the great thing is that she is still with us and still "Granny" for the most part.

doctor, doctor, tell me what to do!

I'm sick. I left home well, or so I thought. However, on Christmas eve I started in with a sore throat and icky feeling. 24 hours later, I had lost my voice and had lots evidence of bronchitis, if you know what I mean. I went to the doctor today and yes, I have bronchitis, fever and an ugly throat. I'm drinking Airborne, got a shot of steroids and am on an antibiotic.

As far as eats go, I took a 24 hour free day from part of Christmas to part of today. I thorougly enjoyed it! Delicious chocolate pie, my fav foods ... yum! I'm back to being good. Hubby has encouraged me to keep eating the chocolate pie as I have no idea when I'll get to eat a Nana Chocolate Pie again. We'll see. Right now, being sick is a pretty good reason to just be good on the eats. I feel kind of rotten anyway.

We had snow last night and I forgot to take a picture. It's mostly all gone today. It was just enough to cover the ground, but was a beautiful gift from God on Christmas night. :)

Our Savior Reigns!!

Merry Christmas!!!

I'm enjoying our family time at hubby's folks. They are so generous and fun. I finally got to play a game of "42" (a domino game). There are so many good sweets and the meals are filled with everyone's favorite dish. I've done really well on eats so far. Bear with me while I write out what I've eaten ... it keeps me accountable in this scrumptious environment!

Yesterday:
banana
container of grapefruit chunks with g-fruit juice
large green salad with taco meat, a TBSP of guac and 2 TBSP cheese
2 iced cookies
boiled egg
coffee, decaf with splenda and some 2% milk
sandwich with turkey meat and mustard, 3/4 tsp dip with 4 finger size crackers
1/2 cup of cooked beans (jalepeno beans from Cooper's BBQ)

Today:
Banana

Yea, Baby!

I'm down to 139 lbs this morning! It feels good to be back in the 130's!! My trick? I threw away all the Christmas candy and goodies that we've been given. Just dumped 'em in the trash. I felt bad because my friends worked hard to make those for me, but I certainly don't need the temptation and there's no way that I need the calories. So, if you are reading this and you are one of my sweet friends who dropped goodies off in my front porch ... my deepest apologies. Please extend mercy.

Boy, does it feel good to have such quick results. One week and down six pounds!!

Your Friend and Mine

Mr. and Mrs. Banana! Look at these spotted little darlings! Do they look edible? Yea, verily, I tell ye. They are not only edible, they are delicious! I almost threw them away and then I thought, "Well, I'll just peel one and see how it looks..." Oh, dear. The warm smell of the tropics hit me as I made the first long peel down the side of the banana. Then I tasted it and I was like smooth, banana goodness to my sore throat. Oh dear. How did I go 35 years not eating, smelling or touching this very nice and likable fruit?! Thirty-five years I have missed out on these delectable, nutritious delights. Ya know what happened after 35 years, don't you? I went to the caribbean and ate the bananas from the local islands and I was hooked.
Do you recognize Mr. And Mrs. Banana's downstair neighbor family? It's the Grapefruit Clan. Nice ones, those Grapefruit. They seem a bit tart when you first meet them, but their sweetness gives way soon after. This clan is originally from Texas and we're proud to have them at our house for a time. I'm sorry to say their family members keep disappearing one by one. It's a bit disturbing.

I did find out some intersting tidbits about the Grapefruit Clan. Did you know that Grapefruit's properties reduce insulin levels and encourage weight loss? Yep. It's not just a fad diet anymore, there is research to prove that grapefruit reduces insulin and insulin regulates fat metabolism. So, ya heard it here first.

2 miles

That's how far I walked this morning. There is something inspiring about exercising outside. I can go farther and faster when I am outside versus walking/running on the treadmill.

It seems that my migraines are here to stay until work gets less stressful and I can't see that happening until late February to March. As a result, if I'm not paralyzed then I try to exercise in the morning before the migraine pain hits. I have lost two pounds in the past two days. I'm really trying to get my water in each day and carefully watch my portions. The tricky thing is that when I have hyper episodes, I have to eat to abort them ... carbs and sugar no less! Increased eating and lying down paralyzed for 6-8 weeks will put the pounds on a gal.

I'd love for ya'll to share some low-fat crock pot recipes. Working the hours that I am, I don't have the time most days to cook, so the crock pot is my friend. If you do not want to register with blogspot in order to comment on my blog, you can just email them to me.

Stop by my SIL's blog and wish her a happy b-day today! She's amazing and deserves many blessings today!

The Big Fat Fly Swatter

Paralysis episodes really defy definition. How do I describe being totally aware of every noise, smell, sound and stimulus without being able to respond to noise, light, smell, sound or itches. How can I communicate what it is like to lay there completely unable to move ... willing my muscles to move and yet, no movement occurs? There are no words ... except maybe that it feels like being swatted with a 50 cubic foot fly swatter.

Yesterday was one of the hardest paralysis days that I have had in a year or two. I woke with trouble and by the time a couple of hours had passed, I was unable to speak without going into another episode. Today was the same until about 2:00 today. Now, I'm answering phone calls, doing support tickets and working on a spreadsheet. God really equips us for His purposes. All too often we think we have the "plan" and are working it well. Then God reaches down to remind us that all that matters is His Glorification and working His Plan.

My sweet SIL asked where I've been. Fair question. I've been working and having migraines. I have had a migraine every day, save two, since November 25th. That would be 20 days of migraines. These are directly related to my Paralysis and sometimes I get paralyzed and sometimes it's "just" a migraine. I've been getting the basics done in life, but few extras.

Princess gets new shoes today as she has outgrown most of her shoes, clothes, everything! We were reading in the Book of Nana yesterday that Princess's grandad was 6 feet tall and weighed 165 pounds in 8th grade. His son, my King, grew to his full height (5'9") in 8th grade. I have no doubt that Princess is on the same track. She is already 52" in 3rd grade. So, I said all that to explain why in the world I am going to the mall on a Saturday, on the second to last weekend before Christmas. :) We'll have to update later with our picture of our conquest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UPDATE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, since my migraine hadn't hit yet this morning and I had fairly normal potassium and calcium levels, I thought I'd try the treadmill. I really pushed myself and have the wobbly legs to show for it. I also now have my migraine. It started about 5 minutes after getting off the treadmill. Oh, well. At least I got to workout. Off to the mall now... praise God for Excedrin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Last UPDATE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, we made it through the mall and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. There still were plenty of people though! We got our last present and found some shoes for Princess. Aunt J, you will be so proud. Princess can't wait to show you her Saucony sneaks!

You Go, Girl!

My sweet housekeeper, Julia, was telling me a beautiful story today. Her English is not great and my Spanish is not great, but the story is compelling in any language.

Julia is learning how to drive and she was at the grocery store with her 16 year old son. A woman who had been drinking came up to her and asked for a ride. Julia was a bit nervous and asked the lady to wait a moment. Julia turned aside and prayed. Julia really felt the Lord was telling her to give the woman a ride. So, they all get in the car. Julia asked the woman where she needed to go and the woman told her she is homeless. Julia just started telling this woman that she is precious to God. The woman says, "Oh, no. I'm not worth anything. I have no life. There is nothing to live for." Then the woman starts telling Julia about how she doesn't have a life. Evidently this woman has lost everything. A month ago, she really hit bottom. Her son had died and her husband left her for another woman and there was another loved one who had died. So, last month, this woman climbed one of the really tall buildings in downtown and was going to jump. Julia and the other Christians at church that morning all came out to see what was going on. There were ambulances, police, etc and everyone was looking up at this tall building where a woman was trying to commit suicide. So, Julia and all the Christians standing around there were praying for Jesus to comfort this woman and help her not jump. The situation was resolved and the woman did not jump. That was last month. This exact same woman is the one who asked for the ride and is sitting in Julia's back seat. When Julia told her that Jesus would clean her heart out and make it new, this woman's look of wonder was priceless. She was so excited to hear this truth and asked Julia for a bible. Tears were streaming down this poor woman's face at the reality that SomeOne could love her. That was yesterday. It's amazing how God uses us to change others for Him. Julia's face was radiant as she told me this story. You go, Julia!

Norway and Perfectionism

I just have to say how incredibly sweet is my God! For those of you that don't know what I do, I am in charge of customer support and sales for our company. We have been so busy since I came to work and as a result, I have not really undergone any formal training. As such, I lean mightily on the Lord to help me in all of my work. I learn quickly and can pick up on things by listening to King. Things are going well, but they are not always easy. Each time I answer the phone, I pray first. This teaches me humility and reminds me that each thing I do in life is enabled by the Lord.

I think I have mentioned that we sell software to 75 different countries and most of my telephone conversations originate in the States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or the UK. I got a surprise today when I answered the phone and a gentleman from Norway was on the line! A first for me. What a nice guy. I very much enjoyed helping him and walked away from the conversation totally amazed at how tender God is to give me new experiences in such a gentle manner. I could have answered the phone to an overseas call with an angry customer. Not so.

I have done a number of new things today. This is remarkable for the simple fact that I am a perfectionist. Perfectionists (this one anyway) like to do things perfectly. Every time. New things are very tricky because it's almost impossible to do a new thing perfectly. Thus, new things are avoided until the point in time where it may be done without flaw. As a further consequence, these actions (or inactions) would lead observers to assume that the perfectionist is a procrastinator. Actually, a perfectionist does not like to procrastinate because procrastinating causes a chaotic situation of unaccomplished things "lying around" in life. This leads to frustration with the chaos and an attempt to clean things up, resulting in the inevitable ... facing the undone new items. And we are back at the beginning.

I began work in March and have "seeped" into the job that I have now. I do not keep track of my hours, I just work as much as I am able. (I work about 50 hours a week.) Each day I do some new thing. Today there have been several new things to accomplish. In the beginning of April, I was still functioning in the above pattern of perfectionism. Over the months I have learned to just do things. It doesn't matter if they are perfect or even wrong. Just try. I have learned that I really can do new things. As a result of being forced out of my comfort zone, I have learned that I can do many things I once thought were impossible.

Our sunrise this past week. Doesn't that make you want to be a poet?!

Matthew 17:2 "There he (Jesus) was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light."

Friday

So, I've decided to workout by walking every morning for 15 minutes. Maybe I'll add in some weights. I've had a migraine every day this week. All day, every day. I am hoping that exercise will help them by relieving some tension/stress. This morning I clipped on my IPOD and started listening to a sermon. I got so involved in the sermon (on the character of God ... my fav subject!) that I didn't realize I had my eyes closed and was holding onto the treamill in front of me. I looked like something from an episode of Little House on the Prairie. I was being pulled along the treadmill like a ox pulls a plow. I realized, "whoops. I think I'm having an episode." When I let go of the treadmill, I thought I was going to fly off backwards ... I was moving so slowly and the treadmill was still going strong!

King helped me to the couch and I had an untold number of paralysis episodes. Here I sit at my desk, trying to work and I have only a portion of a brain. I have taken orders and helped customers from 12 different countries. The good news is that I can type slowly on the internet while doing customer service and no one knows I have a migraine or that I just had a 30 minute paralysis episode. :) The internet is such a good tool!

I'm "It"

I have been tagged by Katy, who also tagged her husband Cash. Evidently there is a rousing game of online tag going on and I didn't even know about it! As participation in this game, I must tell you 7 random things about myself. At first I could not think of one and then once I got going, I couldnt' stop. So. You will get 7 random things and 3 bonus facts. You must swear not to use these against me in the future. Ready? 'K. Here we go...

1. I have a neurosis about germs. I'm not technically obssessive/compulsive, but I'm definitely not normal when it comes to being freaked out by the cooties of the world. Before I put my hands on a shopping cart, I think, "Who touched this last and had they just wiped their nose? Maybe a guy that didn't wash his hands after potty time? " I could go on, but I will leave it at that. I have a very active imagination!!

2. I love fast cars and speed in general. My personality is really not one of a risk taker in general, but I have always liked to drive really fast. How many tickets have I gotten?? One. I've deserved far, far more. One day I will rent a Lotus, like this one, and we will have a fun, speedy weekend!

3. I love expensive stuff. If you leave me in a room with no price tags and lotsa stuff, I can pick out the most expensive items every time. Poor King. I don't aspire for expensive things and I could not care less about other people's financial position. Growing up, things were so lean for my family that we stood in line for government issued cheese. I ate "free" lunches at school and I can distinctly remember the day I got my first store bought clothes! I was in elementary school. My mom made almost all of my clothes. And I don't aspire for wealth, but for crying out loud, I seem to always choose pricey things when I pick something out. Even picking out Christmas trees this year, I seemed to always go for the ones that were hundreds of dollars and then roll my eyes when I saw the price tag. Chalk another one up to sin nature. :)

4. I am a one-on-one person. I can enjoy big parties, but my ideal setting is a small gathering of people where I can have a 1-1 conversation with everyone before the evening is over.

5. I am not a hypochondriac. I have been called this in my early life and I never quite understood it. You know, the idea of being a hypochondriac. Why would anyone want attention for a weakness or sickness? I like attention for "kudos", for working hard, for perseverance, for having a "no quitting" attitude. So, when I was called this as a youngster, I was always puzzled. Now that I'm older, I realize that my dramatic nature probably was the culprit. I can turn anything boring into drama in no time. :) However, I have pushed myself so hard to prove that I'm not a hypochondriac that I have done physical harm to myself. For instance, one day when I had been paralzed off and on all day, I was determined to make it to the restroom. I was too weak to walk, so I crawled. I was too weak to crawl and I dislocated my hip. But, by golly, I was not faking being weak and I was going to do my traveling by myself. Dumb. Stupid, in fact. Oh, the things we learn in life!

6. Spring is my favorite season. Romans 1:20 says, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

I think each season is a representation of Christ's life. Summer is like his 30 years of growing and maturing. Autumn/Fall is like His torture, being betrayed and crucifixtion. Winter is His death and time in the tomb. Spring is his resurrection and 40 days on earth post-resurrection. As I watch God paint in His creation, I marvel at the way "even the rocks cry out" about Who Jesus is and how every season proclaims that he is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

7. I have a poodle. I never, ever thought I'd be a little dog owner. I've always had big, slobbery dogs. Not that I like the slobber, but the big dogs are so cool!! My favorite is a Great Dane. I had a Great Pyranees while in High School. My friend had a Rottweiler that was the sweetest thing! Now, I have a poodle. Her name is Dixie and she has truly won my heart! Here she is in the middle of Princess' slumber party. I always thought poodles were nervous, snappy little dogs. Actually, poodles are very social, love everyone and never meet a stranger. I love my little poodle!!

And for 3 additional random facts about me:

1. I sneeze like a lumberjack.

2. I dream of being one of those delightfully witty people like my SIL J.

3. I can burp big enough to rattle the windows.

There. 10 things you never thought to ask me. Now, it is my great honor to tag J, my niece and Jamie! Have fun!

Holidays

I don't know how my blogging friends have time to blog every day. I intend to, but somehow it gets pushed aside. Since my last post, we have celebrated Princess' birthday, her slumber party, Thanksgiving and now have decorated for Christmas. Work is busy, Princess is still doing make up work from her sickness and King is trying to meet programming deadlines.

Tonight is date night. I love date night. I wonder what we will do tonight.... Any suggestions?

In my next post, I will have to participate in the online game of "Tag". I have been tagged by my sweet friend and I have not taken the time to be "it". Hopefully soon...

Sick and Tired

This is not the way we envisioned starting a birthday week. Alas. Her strep test came back negative, but the good doc is running a 48 hour culture to be sure it's not strep. I have never had strep and neither has Princess, nor King. I did not know strep could make you so sick! She's had vomiting, neck pain, headache, sore throat, fever and chills. Blech.

Shuttle Launch Slideshow

I wish I knew how to overlay the sound of the shuttle launching over the pictures. I haven't labeled all of the pics. Enjoy!

http://www.shutterfly.com/view/pictures.jsp

Happy Birthday to me!

Celebrating my birthday Saturday with my family was fun. My in-laws came through on their way to a meeting in a nearby city. We ate Mexican food and chocolate cake. Yum!

Shuttle Launch

I promised a slideshow of the

shuttle launch, but I haven't found the time. This is my favorite picture that I took with my new Nikon. For my friends who have a new camera on their wish list for Christmas, this is the Nikon d40 with the 80-200mm lens. Ok, so back to the shuttle, notice the green image to the left of the shuttle. This is some sort of inverted reflection of the flame. Isn't it cool? It moves around on the pictures right here at liftoff and then disappears. I think the other reason that I like this picture is that the sound hit us right about this spot in launch. It was so powerful that it felt like it was going to knock us backward. Everyone should experience a shuttle launch. Way fun!

On Our Way Home

Today is a very sad day.

We leave our beloved Disney and come back to reality.

Have we said how much fun Disney is for our family??? Way fun.

Last night we were so tired, but we had to go back just one more time. The conference was over in late afternoon and we went to Epcot for the last time. We ate at our favorite restaurant, but Sam wasn't working last night, so we didn't get to see her. The food was good and the fellowship was great. As we left, Princess cried when we got to the center icon, the large golfball-looking thing called Spaceship Earth. So we sat underneath, took out the video camera and 'journaled' our leaving and what a great time we had. It really pulled at the heartstrings of Mom and Dad as we walked through the parking lot to our car, Princess kept looking back over her shoulder. :(

This morning as King and I were stirring around packing the last minute items, Princess laughed out loud in her sleep. She told us when she woke up that she had been dreaming of some friends at school. I think we are all ready to come home, but not ready to leave this week of togetherness and family time.

It's been a great trip!

These are pictures from the conference. This was the largest turnout that we've seen! We loved the Orlando location as, obviously, others did as well. Also pictured is the nicest neurologist that I've ever met. Dr. Frank Lehman-Horn is so smart, so nice and so caring. Princess, King and I gave our blood for genetic testing. We'll find out in a year or so what the results are. Woo-hoo!