New Glasses and Old Friends

Since Koners ate my glasses a few weeks ago, I got to go to the eye doctor while I was home. How exciting! After a lecture about how I don't need to decide what I want to do for the rest of my life, just for the next 3, 5, and 10 years and a couple of trips to Laurel, I obtained 2 pairs of new glasses. It's pretty exciting really! Here are the photos...the fun ones first and the less-fun ones following close behind...
I'm on my last leg of my trip home to MT...leaving tomorrow evening...heading in the direction of CO, my love, and my puppy! But first, as has become tradition, I'm heading over to my friend, Megan's, house tonight to meet up with some of my girly friends from high school. Should be good times as always, catching up on the latest gossip from across the lands, and from across the street. The normal group of cheerful participants has begun to dwindle already though, only months after our college graduations. One is getting married tomorrow, and another was proposed to only days ago. I assume their participation in future gatherings will be limited from here on out. We better make this year's get together memorable. Until later...

Tis the Season to be Thankful

First of all, Happy Holidays! I hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas and wish you a prosperous and healthy New Year! I've definitely been enjoying my time at home with my family, but am getting anxious to get back into the "real world" of job searching and puppy training. Anywho, the holidays always remind me of all of the things in my life that I have to be thankful for, so I thought that I'd compose a little list.

In no particular order, things that I'm thankful for:

**My family** They are and have always been my biggest support system. Whether I'm laughing or crying, they're by my side, ready to pick me up or to give me a reality check if that's what's needed at the time. :) I could not have asked to have been born into a more loving and wonderful family than the one that I was blessed with.

**Keith** He's put up with my insane irritability for the past several months and always manages to look on the bright side. He makes me smile and laugh WAY too much, over nothing most of the time, and I can't even begin to tell you how much he means to me! His awesome family has also been really supportive over the past months, not to mention kind enough to share their son, (and in Lynn's case-her home) with me.

**My puppy, Kona** Based on all of the photos posted on the blog, you all already know how awesome I think she is! She chews on things and bites my toes, but she's always ready to snuggle and give puppy kisses to make up for it. Just by being a puppy, on mornings when it didn't seem worth getting out of bed at all, she coaxed me out of bed, sometimes even with something resembling a smile on my face.

**My friends** Even though some of my friends are even worse at keeping in touch than I am, I know that they're always there for me. I'll never forget the library dance, Sunday morning spooning, randomly breaking into song, or nights spent watching the same movies we watched the weekend before. They say you're lucky if you can count your good friends on one hand, and I'm happy to say that I can, and they're REALLY good ones, even!

**My health** While this may seem like sarcasm at first glance, let me assure you that it is not. One thing that never hurts is a big dose of perspective. While I'm not running around doing cartwheels, I'm a far shot away from dying, which is more than a lot of people can say. If little kids can fight cancer, I can get out of bed every day (most days anyway) with a smile on my face knowing that I'm lucky because I don't have to deal with something life-threatening.

While I'm sure that I could go on and on, I think you get the point. Again, Happy Holidays, everybody!

Concert Pics

I was browsing through the photos on my mother's oh-so-sweet camera, when I came across these photos from the Josh Gracin and Phil Vassar concert my mom and I went to in August. I don't know why we didn't take any pictures of ourselves, as mother-daughter events should be documented, but I took a million photos of the guys! The concert was great! I have this thing where I go to concerts then want to be a singer, too! I should have tried...maybe I still can!

This is Josh Gracin, an American Idol contestant from a few years back.

And below is Phil Vasaar. I saw him my sophomore year of college in Kellog, ID in this really small amphitheater. He puts on a great show, so I had to see him again!

Better...better...

Things with me are still the same...it's still cold here in MT and I'm still bored, but feeling better every day. That's good news if I've ever heard it! Perhaps it's the gluten-free diet, perhaps it's the vitamin D, perhaps it's the new meds, or maybe it's just resting that's making me feel better, but I'll take it, no matter what the reason is. The gluten-free diet is still, well, exactly that, a diet. I may be able to consider a new career path in a few weeks...modeling. Maybe not, but I'm definitely going to go back to life after this Christmas, just like last year---skinny. I'm sure as I get used to this though, I'll gain it all back...great. Anyway, I made some soup last night that was alright, definitely not meal-worthy, but something, and I made some lemon poppyseed muffins today (pictured below) that are definitely not horrible. They're not what I'm used to and are a little bit funny looking, but if my dad said that he could eat them, they must not be too bad! He and Dillon do seem to enjoy complaining about the foods that they have to eat when I'm home. Brats! Gotta love 'em though! Anywho, I'll adjust to this wheat-free thing just as I did the dairy-free thing. I'm keeping a positive attitude, see?

After much sucking-up on my part, I seem to have finally won over my parent's dog. He doesn't really growl at me anymore, so that's neat. For being not even 2 years old, he's quite a grump. Being as he's 70+ pounds, he gets his way too often. I think that's the problem. All he does besides be a pain in the behind, is lay in front of the fire with all of the socks that he stole earlier in the day.I'm really starting to miss my Kona puppy a lot now! I'm glad to hear that she's been playing with lots of other BIG dogs, and hasn't been eaten thus far! Hopefully that continues through the new year.

Due to the presence of the aforementioned little puppy in my life, I get to go pick out new glasses frames tomorrow! That may be one of the most exciting things I've done in the past week or so! I'm like an old lady! I'm hoping that I'll be able to get 2 pair of glasses for relatively cheap because lots of places are having big sales right now. Since I don't currently have a job though, 1 pair might have to do. We'll see. Pictures to follow whenever get them. Finally, I'll be able to see so that I can read that book that I brought home with me!

Besides that, Dillon is my sweet little, well he USED to be little, basketball star, and he still has a few games left before I head south again. While it's not exactly the Gonzaga basketball that I've gotten used to over the past 4 years, it's not so bad. Dillon keeps swatting shots and swooshing 3s, so I'm entertained! Oh, and tonight is the high school Christmas concert, so I get to hear him play that shiny new trumpet too. He's a pretty cool kid, I suppose. Like sister, like brother...right?!?

Hungry in Montana

For now, I find myself with my family in Montana. Brrrr! SF has definitely made me weak, as the temperatures in the teens have made oh so apparent. A smarter person would simply get out the winter coat that was packed, but not I...I must suffer in order to adjust and adapt. After all, isn't that what my ancestors did? Pretty sure I'm here today because my ancestors were not weenies like myself. Better work on that. I'd hate to disappoint! As a side note, did you know that none of your ancestors died celibate? It's true. Think about it.

Montana is good, fairly uneventful, by my own choice though I suppose. See, I'm still supposed to be doing that bed rest thing. I'm much better at it here than down south, but being a human lump that hardly moves throughout the day is starting to wear on me...I'd say that I can actually hear myself getting fatter, but sadly, that's not the case. Allow me to elaborate...

Per the suggestions of several doctors, I'm finally trying a gluten-free diet. Not cool. Not fun. Not yummy. Not anything good! (In case you were wondering.) Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and maybe it oats. It follows that I can no longer eat anything containing wheat, barley, or rye in any form. While this may not sound that bad to you, the reader, I ask you to take a peek at the ingredients that are in all of the foods that you eat tomorrow. I can almost guarantee that you'll find wheat, of some sort, in most of the things you eat every day. It stinks! I went to the health food store thinking that gluten-free things would be easy to find and would be at least decently tasty...I was wrong! When the lady working there asked us if we were finding what we were looking for, we said we were looking for things that were both gluten-free and dairy-free, and her response was "good luck, that's gonna be tough." Not encouraging to say the least! At any rate, we left the store with 3 small bags of groceries totaling over $100! What I've been brave enough to try thus far, has been less than tasty. It's not only quite possible, but highly likely, that I'm going to starve over the next couple of weeks! If I feel better though, I guess it'll be alright. My days of being pain-free may be few, since I'll starve to death quickly, but I'm sure they'll be nice while they last!

In other news, I miss my Kona puppy terribly! I seem to miss that guy that I live with a little bit too... Not filling the void as I thought he would, my parent's dog, (who we got when I was still living at home) seems to have developed a hatred for me. Dunno what I did to piss him off, but it must have been bad! He growls at me all the time and he even managed to bite me on the face! This sounds worse than it actually was. While the damage was minimal and it may have been, at least partially an accident, he stinks. I may have to punch him in the face before long! Hopefully Kona doesn't decide to turn on me too! That would be a bad way to start off the new year...

In sort of awkward news, it has been brought to my attention that I'm a "hot sister" in my hometown. While I don't particularly enjoy thinking about 14 year old boys looking at my a$$ when I walk by, I must admit that it did make me laugh. It's a compliment, I suppose. Props to mom and dad for the genes that made "this" happen! ;) I better head to bed so that I don't miss out on any beauty sleep...I'd hate to disappoint my fans! Ciao!

Where's Kona?

So people, remember the "Where's Waldo" books that seemed to be the only decent reading material found in the pediatrician's office? Well, I found an even better game! It's called "Where's Kona?" and it's definitely less germ-infested than the Waldo books at the doctor. See if you can find her!

Still searching? Getting warmer...

Bam!

Good work! You did it!
Now go get yourself a lollipop with the little safety stick thing!

Oh Rats!

It's pretty hard to believe that I've been officially unemployed for exactly a week, and I've not updated the blog at all. I've been bored out of my mind, yet for some odd reason, I haven't made time for this, and believe me, I've had the time. Anyway, a lot and absolutely nothing has happened in the past week.

I remembered that I'm not good at sitting and relaxing. I seem to always convince myself that this time will be different, that I'll be able to relax and take some time for myself, and 10 minutes in to the first day, I'm already going nuts and looking for things to do. I think this is a negative quality. How I fix it, I know not. I do know, however, that I'm having more and more good days all the time. While I still can't say that I have more good days than bad, this is a huge change for the better and it gives me hope that things might become doable again. Also, perhaps as even better news, my vitamin D level came back as a whopping 24. While this may not mean anything to a single person reading this, I think it's also good news. See, over Thanksgiving, a shirttail relative, who just happens to be an orthopedic surgeon, asked if I've ever had my vitamin D level checked. She said that the main symptoms of vitamin D deficiency are muscle and joint pain. Hmmm...sounds kinda familiar... She said that the FDA completely underestimates that amount of vitamin D that people need every day. 1,000 international units, she said, is the amount that everyone needs, not the 400 that the FDA suggests. Interesting, isn't it. She also said that if my level was low, I could start taking 1,000 IU of vitamin D and could feel better by Christmas! I'm trying not to get my hopes up, it's easy to do when you're in pain, because the let-downs are easier if you're not too hopeful. While that sounds really pessimistic, it's the only way to get through things like this. Again, the fact that I'm having more and more good days, leads me to believe that something is working. Whether it's simply rest or it really is this vitamin D thing, I'm feeling better, so that's really neat! Oh, and I have an appointment with a physiatrist (read that word again carefully) tomorrow. Apparently physiatrists specialize in pain management. After all this time, it's definitely good to know that such specialists exist. How did I miss that one? Seems like I've seen about every other specialist... Curious.

Let's see...I've also recently learned that the cute little puppy with the curly tail and crooked ears is a force to be reckoned with. While this seems minor, considering we've had her for a couple of months, she destroyed my glasses a couple of nights ago. Not cool! She must have stolen the off of the coffee table or something. And, of course, instead of playing with them inside and just bending them up a bit, she decided that it would be best to take them outside, onto the concrete, where she could really have fun with them. Damn doggie door! To say the least, they're a little scratched up! Oops! Good thing I was planning on getting my eyes checked and probably getting new glasses in a couple of weeks anyway!

Here's the doozy though! Let's just set the mood first. This morning, like any other morning, Kona is out in the front playing. Keith and I are both inside cleaning (I know, it's hardly believable, but he really was cleaning!). I look outside and see Kona frolicking about with something plastic in her mouth. My brain is processing...still processing...OH $HIT!!! That's one of those containers that the pest guy put out to kill the mice when Lynn was here! We run outside and take it from her. There's no sign of poison anywhere, not even in her mouth, but we need to make her vomit anyway. Enter hydrogen peroxide...she drinks a little bit and pukes. No rat poison. We force her to drink some more...she pukes again. Still no rat poison, and her tummy is obviously empty now. This is a good sign, however, you can never be too careful regarding things like this. I call one of the vets from the clinic I worked at, which is not open on Sundays of course. She says to take her to the emergency clinic. Yes, they have those for pets too. The vet there is super nice and doesn't charge us for an office visit since I work in the veterinary field! (Well, I did just a week ago and I might go back...) Anyway, we're taking her back in later tonight to get a PT drawn to make sure that her blood is still clotting like it should. Since we're pretty sure that she didn't actually eat any poison and she confirmed that by not throwing any up, as long as her blood work is okay, we don't have to treat her. If it's abnormal, then we put her on vitamin K for up to 6 weeks, depending on the treatment for the kind of poison that it would have been in the box. It was a crazy day! Stoopid dog!

And so, the moral of the story today is...take your vitamins, people. They fix everything!