On Vacation - a real one!

I'm on vacation again. This time it's a real one becaues my kids are back in school, hubby is at work and I've got the house all to myself! COOL! Or at least it would be if I didn't have to go to class tonight - yeah the photography class I referenced last time. Hmph! Ain't no shame in my game. I am inept. I still ain't getting it. This whole aperture/shutter speed/ISO/distance/ depth of field etc. I just ain't getting it. Having said that, I did take a couple of cool pictures and managed to nail last week's assignment, but how I managed to do that, I have no mailto:*#@$ idea. None whatsoever.

I don't know. It has dawned on me that the last time I was in school Jared was in kindergarten, Jordyn was one and Justin was in the oven baking. Yep he walked across the stage with me, or should I say in me, when I got my master's degree (no wonder he's so smart - but I digress). My point is that even though all three of them required my attention, none of them were in school that had homework or in any other activity that required my time and attention like now. I've got their homework and mine to do and it's only the first week of school for them, second for me. What was I thinking when I decided to take this class?

Oh well. I am in my scraproom totally reorganizing. It's a mess but it's a good mess because it's in the process of getting organized. I finally got around to getting it carpeted and I also added another cabinet and I bought this awsome 8-section storage bin from Ikea. Even though it is so chaotic in here, I can see tons of progress! I'm already lovin' it! Can't wait to get done.

What else. I am sure I will regret putting this in writing, but I have been doing really really well in terms of watching what I've been eating over the last week or so. I think I'm down roughly three pounds. Not much, but its at start right? So now that I have put this on the www for the www (whole wide world) to see, I'm sure I'll be up six pounds by the time I blog again.

Dave and my dad will probably install the hard wood flooring throughout the remainder of the first floor that doesn't have it already or isn't carpeted, some time this weekend. Woo hoo, I am sooooooooo loving my "new" house!!!! Dave continues to make huge progress on that lengthy honey-do list!

Okay, I'm off to find that dang stash of Tinkering Ink papers I seem to have misplaced.

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This is for you ... you know who you are ...

First of, let me tell you how many times I had to try to log on to make this entry. It's been so long that I'd forgotten my password. That's what happens when you are a severely delinquent blogger.


Two weeks ago today I was at the Mall of America. Drove there from Wisconsin Dells (our family vacation this year instead of DW). The Dells was cool. Until we went, I kept thinking to myself, "I don't get it." I mean what do you do there. Now that I'm back, I tell everyone that it reminds me a lot of Niagara Falls, only without Niagara Falls. It's a neat little tourist trap that boasts itself as the waterpark capital of the world, or is it the US? Well, one of those ... I with my lard a--- am sooooooooo not a waterpark person, but I grinned and beared it, or should I say bared it. I left my new Canon at the hotel that particarly day.


Speaking of my new camera, I start a photography class next Monday. It's a two hour class with a four-hour lab on Wednesdays. It amazes me how most people I know who have this camera just get to snapping gorgeous looking pictures without any previous serious picture-taking experience. Not me. Don't get me wrong, I've taken some decent shots but in all honesty, I'm not seeing what the big whoop is all about - I'm referring to my pictures now. So I'm plopping down an additional $365 to make me feel that the nearly $900 investment on the camera and bonus lens wasn't a waste of my hard earned cash. Make sense? I'm not so sure it does but ...


Back to vacation - as usual I was off for 2 weeks. The first week was spent traveling, the second was spent making sure Dave completed the extensive honey-do list I made for him. #1 on the list was painting our foyer with it's super high ceiling. Guess what?! He did it and it looks sooo wonderful.


I have to take a moment to brag on my man, cause he has mad skillz!!! Under the hood or the body of a car and throughout the house with his many many many handy-man tools, he has got it going all the way on!!!! Gotta give him his props 'cause I know way way too many women whose hubbies who don't know jack when comes to such. I can only imagine how much money Dave has saved us over the years because he's able to do so much himself.


What else? Hmmm. Not much. Thus the main reason I haven't blogged. Honestly, most of the stuff going on in my life just isn't that interesting, well it is to me but I suspect that it's much of the same stuff going on in most people's lives. KWIM?


'K so I have been scrapping. Lately I've been trying to use some older papers and stuff to make room for all the Summer CHA stuff I've bought/plan to buy. Here are a few LOs:

So this is basically the kinds of stuff I've been up to. I'll try to blog more often. I can't promise it'll be interesting, but it'll be me ...

Neurosurgery? I don't think so ...

and neither does the neurologist, but nevertheless she thinks I should meet with a neurosurgeon. I don't have MS or any other chronic disease. Whew! That was my biggest fear. What I do have is a protruding disc that is compressing my spinal cord. Because my cord is involved the neurologist wants me to consult a surgeon, but she doesn't think I will need surgery. She believes that he may prescribe physical therapy. I was hoping that she would do that but I think she would like me to have an opinion of a specialist. I thought she was one, but oh well. The saga and the numbness continues but at least I know that I will live! I have my good days and bad days so I guess I'll just try to revel in the good and tolerate the bad as best I can.

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14 Years and Counting

Fourteen years ago today, Dave and I were married. Who'da thunk we'd have lasted this long? Me for one. He for two. Other than that, what does it matter? I'm still in love and he makes me feel like he is too. Well most of the time anyway :-) Our marriage ain't perfect but I defy anyone to show me a marriage that is.

Well, I met with the neurologist on Friday. I cried almost non-stop in the hours leading up to my appointment. Truly, I cannot stress to anyone reading my blog who truly wicked and wild my imagination is when it comes to this whole health issue that I am dealing with. Anyway, still don't know what's wrong with me. After she took me through the same series of "tests" that I've been through three other times to ascertain that I haven't had a stroke, she told me that I have "brisk reflexes." Okay.

I gotta get that MRI, which I was unsure whether I would get on that day or not. My appt. for that is soon.

The doc could tell that I'm pretty distraught and asked me why. I told her that I was afraid that maybe I am dying. Just like the second ER doc that I saw, she tried to assure me that she didn't *think* I'm dying. Just like the second ER doc, she said that the worst thing she could guess about would be MS. Ah well ... I just try to see how many days I can go without crying now. I was at two until this morning. Gotta start over now.

Geez, this has got to be the most depressing site on the entire www. Sorry ...

Dave and I did finally get a new mattress. It's probably a good eight inches taller than our previous one. I love it. I think. Hard to tell how well it sleeps. I have to lay on my back with my head elevated so high that I am almost sitting upright to minimize the numbness. I hate sleeping on my back. I'm a side sleeper. I like "spooning."

What else? Not a lot.

Okay, like with my last entry, I can't let this one be so much of a downer so I'll try to end on a positive note. Despite everything that is going on, this quote by Robert Browning, is an indication of my love for Dave on our 14th wedding anniversary and of my hope for health and longevity ...

"Grow old with me, the best is yet to be."

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