44 Odd Things About Me

I received this from a friend and was assigned the task of telling 44 odd things about myself and then learning 44 odd things about my friends. So, it is your turn to tell me 44 odd things about you. Email me now, please!

44 ODD THINGS ABOUT ME!

1. Do you like blue cheese? Yes
2. Have you ever smoked? No
3. Do you own a gun? No
4. What flavor of Kool Aid was your favorite? grape & strawberry
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Yes
6. What do you think of hot dogs? I dislike them greatly; I would only eat a hotdog if it was burned and it was the LAST thing on earth for me to eat.
7. Favorite Christmas movie? Charlie Brown Christmas
8. Favorite thing to drink in the morning? Wild Strawberry Protein Shake
9 . Can you do push ups? Possibly a few; haven't tried in years
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding ring, diamond earrings & Rolex watch (all of them from my precious husband)
11. Favorite hobby? Reading, Scuba Diving, Knitting (I just learned this week.)
12. Do you have A.D.D.? No; completely the opposite; probably too focused sometimes
13. What's one trait you hate about yourself? Lack of patience; irritableness with others
14. Middle name? Lynn
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment... 1) I need to go on a DIET and start exercising. 2) I wish my right eye was clearer (I just had eye surgery a week ago, and my sight is not as crisp as I would like it to be yet. Still progressing.) 3) I love this movie (watching August Rush).
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? water, tea, Dr Pepper (on occassion)
17. Current worry? My eye sight
18. Current hate right now? my weight
19. Favorite place to be? snuggled in my bed watching a movie with my husband and kids
20. How did you bring in the new year? with friends at Lake Livingston
21. Where would you like to go? Australia; back to Europe
22. Name three people who might complete this: Kathy Stroud, Shelley Hodges, Angie Booth, Jody Daley
23. Do you own slippers? Yes, but I can't find them right now; I really needed them this morning; my feet were freezing!
24. What shirt are you wearing? my pink rubber duckie Nick & Nora PJ's
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? No, too slick and cold - LOVE 800+ thread count Sateen or Egyptian Cotton sheets
26. Can you whistle? a little; not too well or for a very long time
27. Favorite color? to wear - Black; otherwise - pink
28. Would you be a pirate? No, they are always way too dirty.
29. What songs do you sing in the AM? whatever is on the radio when I wake up or get into the car
30. Favorite girl's Name? Megan, of course
31. Favorite boy's name? Connor, of course
32. What's in your pocket right now? Nothing; I am wearing PJ's
33. Last thing that made you laugh? Watching my mother-in-law as she laughed so hard that she was crying as she listened to Eden tell the story of her trip home from Michigan.
34. What vehicle do you drive? Chevrolet Taho -- LOVE it!
35. Worst injury you've ever had? Torn ligaments in wrist.
36. Do you love where you live? Yes
37. How many TVs do you have in your house? four
38. Who is your loudest friend? probably Sherry MacLean
39. Do you have any pets? Yes; Sophie (1 year old Shit zu) She is PRECIOUS!
40. Does someone have a crush on you? I hope my husband does.
41. Your favorite book(s): Emily Giffin's novels & Sophie Kinsella's novels
42. Do you collect anything? sterling silver charms from places I visit, crosses, Willow Tree Angels
43. Favorite Sports Team? Aggies!
44. What song do you want played at your funeral? I Can Only Imagine by Third Day

Turkey Day!

Thanksgiving was fabulous!  We had a wonderful turkey, new potatoes, sweet-potato casserole,   green bean casserole, rolls, fruit salad, with pumpkin and cherry pie and peppermint cake for dessert.  After lunch, we cleaned off the table and began a great game of Phase 10.  Connor and I did not fair so well at Phase 10, but we had a great time playing anyway.  

Connor is addicted to Phase 10 and wants to play constantly.  He is so cute; he holds his cards all stacked together - not fanned out - yet he seems to know exactly what he holds in his hand and what he needs from the draw pile.  Although he rarely wins a game, he loves it all the same.

We broke from the Phase 10 game and tried to play Catch Phrase for a bit.  We did not play the game as the rules state, but we had a good time guessing the words as the kids and other adults gave out clues.  Connor, Haley, and Megan really got into the game and continued it upstairs in the bedroom after the adults had enough of the game's beeper.   The kids have had so much fun together.

Earlier in the day, they played in the snow, climbed up and down the hill behind the house, and built a little snowman.  At one point, Connor came to the door looking for the girls with a huge snowball in his arms.  The large snowball eventually became the base of the precious little snowman that he built.  He finished off the snowman with two stick arms, some rock eyes, and a red Folgers coffee can for a top hat.  I will post a picture of it once we return home.

It was a terrific Thanksgiving filled with lots of food, family, and fun!

Eye Surgery - Day 6 & 7 and Trip to Taos

My vision is much clearer today.  Although I can't read street signs that are a couple hundred yards away, I can read items just closer.  The surroundings are much crisper and continue to improve every day.  My eyes are not as tired and are feeling more and more refreshed.

We headed to Taos this morning.  Blake, Flip, and Connor played golf at the Taos Country Club, and Megan and I shopped about Taos.  We had a fabulous hamburger at 5 Star Hamburgers and then went shopping.  We picked up a few things at the Taos Walmart, which is always an interesting experience, and then visited a few local stores.  Megan did not enjoy the trip to the Overland Sheep Company too much.  She was a little uncomfortable with the sheep skin and other fur coats and shoes.  We tried on some Uggs, but we did not make any purchases.

The guys wrapped up their golf game and we headed back to Red River.  We had just enough time to rest a few minutes and play a round of Phase 10 before heading to Sun Dance for dinner.  Although the service was quite slow, the food and sopapillas were fabulous, and we had a great time visiting together.

Brad, Amy, and Haley arrived just as we were finishing dinner.  They had a rough trip in from Denver, but things are much better since they arrived.  About 10 minutes into their trip, they blew a tire and damaged the bumper of their car.  Luckily, the gentleman at Discount Tires was able to help them out and get them on their way, a little late, but on their way.

We were all excited to see each other, and Megan, Connor, and Haley began playing immediately.  We visited and settle in at the cabin before Brad and Amy headed back to town to their condo.  Haley stayed here at the Cabin with Megan and Connor, and we kept the dogs - Coco and Boggie - as well.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so we will all be waking early to help Sharolyn set the table and finish the cooking.

Eye Surgery - Day 5

I drove myself to the eye doctor today.  The contacts were really dry this morning, so I have put in lots of Soothe eye drops, but they were still irritating.  I was SOOOOO ready to get them out.  I arrived early and only had to wait a couple of minutes to see Dr. Noz.  She numbed my eyes and then used a metal tool to remove the contacts.  Being a longtime contact wearer, I was a little nervous about the metal tool, but ... I knew that she knew what she was doing.  She did not want to pull the contact on my eye and risk damaging anything, so she slipped he tool under the top of the contact and folded it forward and removed it.  It was not too bad since my eyes were numbed.  I would not have wanted to try it without the numbing meds.  Just seeing the metal tool was enough discomfort.

My vision today is 20/40.  Not the 20/20 that I was hoping for today, but she assured me that it is just around the corner.  "By the end of the week, your vision will be much clearer," she said.  I have to admit that I was disappointed.  Although the clarity and sharpness improved when the contacts were removed, I was expecting more.  The miracle did not happen today, but I am patiently waiting for it.  I am ready to wake up and see clear, crisp images.  I know that that date is not too far off, so I am waiting and praying that the crystal clear image that I saw immediately following surgery last Thursday returns soon.

My cornea is still healing, so the blurriness and lack of clarity and 20/20 vision is because I am still healing.  I am using the steroid drops 4 times each day and taking my vitamin C and B complex religiously, so I know that the day will come.  Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, emails, and phone calls.  I really appreciate all of them more than you know.  Thanks for the continued prayers for healing.

I may be away from an internet connection for a few days, so I probably won't be able to update you until the end of the week, but I will do so when I can.  Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Eye Surgery - Day 4

My vision is better today.  Still blurry, but much improved.  No discomfort at all today.  I am looking forward to having the contacts removed tomorrow and to hopefully seeing really well.  Megan and I went shopping today, and although I could not see too far away from me, my eyes felt less tired today.  It was a great shopping trip, and I enjoyed getting out for a while.

My appointment is a 9:15 in the morning, so I will email an update afterwards.

Eye Surgery - Day 3

It is day three, and I am doing my best to type this amidst the great blur.  It is strange to type with your eyes closed or almost closed and not be able to review what you have typed on the screen because the blur is quite great today.  My eyes are slightly sensitive, but 100% better than before.  I am still doing the multitude of drops - some every hour, most 4 times a day.  The drops are getting easier and quicker to administer.  I have to wait 5 minutes between each drop (to allow the drop to seep into my eye and not have the follow-up drop flush out the first one), so it is not a fast process.  

I have not been in any pain, so I have never taken the pain meds, and I did sleep better last night.  I woke up a few times and put drops in, but I rested much better than I did the first night.  I am comfortable today, able to hold my eyes open without difficulty, but my vision is really blurry.  I try to focus, but it just tires out my eyes and doesn't help, so I have stopped trying.

The contacts that are protecting the raw surface of my eye as the surface layer of the cornea regenerates, are blurring my vision.  The cornea should be healed on Monday, and then the contacts will be removed by Dr. M.  I can't wait!

Eye Surgery - Day 2

The alarm went off, and I was exhausted.  I had to get up and get myself and the kids ready for school.  Blake had to drop the kids off and then take me to my doctor's appointment.  We got the kids delivered and were off to Blake's office to run a program and then off to my appointment.  My eyes were EXTREMELY sensitive to light, and it was all that I could do to hold them open, even though I was wearing tinted, "very fashionable" goggles, and darkly tinted, "equally as fashionable" sunglasses over the goggles.

We made it to Dr. M's office, and I saw Dr. Nov first.  As soon as she entered the room, I told her how sensitive my eyes were.  She put in some yellow numbing drops, and I was in heaven!  I could hold my eyes open without any effort at all.  I wanted to hug her.  She checked the protective contacts to make sure that they were still in place, and did a quick eye test.  I was reading really well.  She checked a few other things, Dr. M. came in to take a peek, and that was it.  He said that my vision, although quite clear at that moment, would probably get rather blurry this weekend.

Eventually the marvelous numbing drops that Dr. Nov had given me wore off and the light sensitivity returned, so I kept the goggles on and stayed away from the light for the remainder of the day.

Eye Surgery - Day 1

I went in this morning at 9:15am for my surface ablasion at Dr. M's office.  The process began with some paperwork, a valium, and then some tests.  The tests were soon followed by several eye drops and a surgical cap to cover my hair.  I was taken into the operating room where I rested comfortable on a reclined chair with lots of cushion.  On the ceiling above me was a large yellow smily face with the words, "If you can see this, SMILE!"  I could see it, but it was still blurry for me, as I had not had the procedure.  

Dr. Noz placed a few more drops in my eyes, an eye cover over my left eye, and then inserted an apparatus to hold my right eye open.  It pulled a bit, but nothing was painful at all.  Next, Dr. M. took a drimel type tool with what looked like a small electric sander piece on the end, and began to sand my eye.  Yes, that was a little freaky, but again, I felt nothing - not even pressure.  Then, he took a small spatula, like the little spatulas that you get with moisturizer sometimes, and cleaned off the surface of my eye.  Again, I could see it all, but I could not feel anything at all.

The laser was next.  He rotated my chair under the laser, realigned it, and then asked if I could see the blinking red light.  He explained, "All you have to do is watch the light.  That's it."  He moved we out from under the laser once again, made some adjustments, and then said, "Are you ready?"  I was very ready for all of this to be over with, although I was not anxious anymore, I just waned to be passed it.

The laser made popping noises and I could smell something like burned hair, but I felt no pain at all.  It lasted only seconds.  He swung my chair out from under the laser again and Dr. Nov flushed my eye with a cool solution, and I could see the smiley face on the ceiling crystal clear.  It was amazing.  A contact and another solution were placed in my eye to protect the raw surface, and the crystal clear image became blurry once again, but that was ok and completely normal.

The process was repeated for the left eye, and only minutes later, I was walking out into the waiting room to greet my mom and walk across the hall to the regular office.  Dr. Nov accompanied me, made sure that I was situated and did not have any more questions, and then Connie came in to give me all of the follow-up instructions.  All of the instructions were written down, and my mom was there to hear them, as well, which was great because there were a lot of instructions.  She reviewed 6 different eye drops with me and gave instructions for how to administer them and how frequently.  Then, she reviewed it all again as she put the eye drops in my eyes.  Again, I was completely comfortable and without pain.  Moments later, I was adorned with some very fashionable goggles, made my follow-up appointment for Friday, and we were out the door by 10:45am.  Wow! 

The ride home was a little rough on me.  I felt car sick because I had my eyes closed the entire time.  (Car sickness is not uncommon for me, so I was not worried.)  We went to PF Changs for lunch.  It was great!  Next, we were off to the pharmacy to pick up a new pain medication and the eye drops that the pharmacy had to special order for me, and then we were headed home.  I was instructed to eat, put in the drops and take a nap.  And nap I did.

When I awoke, I was good; still adjusting to the goggles and the sensitivity, but good.  My eyes were EXTREMELY sensitive to light, so I wanted to just be in the dark.  The remainder of the day was relatively uneventful.  I took my valium to help me sleep, but since I was not in pain, I skipped the pain meds.

I awoke in the middle of the night in a panic.  I could not open my left eye.  I tried as hard as I could to open it, but it would not open.  I breathed deep and tried to relax, but I began to panic.  I needed to open my eye to know that I could still see out of it.  I was so afraid that I could not.  I woke up Blake, he tried to help me, but he just did not understand my panic.  I eventually got a few drops in my eye and relaxed enough to fall back to sleep, only to awake a few hours later to find that I could not open my right eye.  My left eye was find now, and so I knew that my right eye would be fine, too.  No panic attack this time.  I managed to get back to sleep, but I did not sleep well.

Sorry if there are a lot of typos today.  My vision is really blurry this morning.

Young Life

A couple of weeks ago, Blake and I attended a Young Life Banquet at the Embassy Suites. It was a great evening. We had the opportunity to meet some members of the local Young Life team, to see some of the current high school Young Lifers, to learn about the history or Young Life and their goals for our area, to experience a bit of Club (the weekly Young Life meetings for area high school kids), and much more. That evening, Blake and I committed to support YL financially, and we indicated interested in becoming a part of the YL team. Tonight, we attended our first Committee. Committee is a group of couples who pray for YL, help raise funds, support the YL leaders working directly with the students, and more.

I have always volunteered at church - working with children's ministries primarily - but until recently, Blake and I have never served together. A few months ago, we became part of the Welcoming Team at our church and serve together twice each month. Welcoming commitee has been great, and I am enjoying serving alongside Blake, but becoming part of welcoming commitee was my idea. Blake had a great experience as a member of YL, and he is excited about the opportunity of becoming involved and about our kids being involved in YL. This really excites me because Blake has a real vested interest in YL. I am very excited to join him and to serve alongside him and other Christian couples. I have always wanted to find a way, a place for Blake and I to serve together. I am so thankful that we were invited to the YL Banquet, that we were able to attend, and that we have this phenomenal opportunity to glorify Christ through YL. Please pray along with us that our local YL group and Wild Life group (middle school) would continue to grow and impact the lives of the middle school and highschool students in our area.

Bye, Bye Glasses & Contacts

Well, I have been contemplating eye surgery for a bit, have visited some doctors, attended a couple of consultations, and today, found a doctor and a procedure that I feel comfortable with. So ... next Thursday, November 20th, Blake and I are having eye surgery. We will be having a surface ablasion. It is done with an excimer laser, just as LASIK is done, but it does not require us to have the flap cut from our cornea. The healing time is typically 3-4 days as the surface layer of the cornea repairs itself. The advantages, we don't have to have a surgical flap cut which may not heal properly, and we don't run the risk of potentional injury/damage if we get hit in the eye with an object, elbow, etc. after the surgery, as typical lasik patients do.

For those of you who see me regularly, I have been wearing my glasses for 10 days straight, and this is why. I have not been able to wear my contacts. In fact, I will never wear contacts again. Wow!

I have worn glasses or contacts since I was 17 years old. Granted, I did not have to wear my glasses all of the time at first, but by the time I was in college, around 20-21, I was needing to wear them all the time, so I switched to contacts. Since that time, I have primarily worn contacts every day. Although contacts, solutions, and cleaners have improved over the years, the contacts have really been bothersome for the past year or two, so I am SO EXCITED about my surgery next week. I can't wait to wake up and see without glasses or contacts. I can't wait to lay in bed and watch TV without having to worry about falling asleep in my contacts and without having the discomfort of my glasses digging into the side of my head. I won't have to prop up my pillow or push the glasses down on my nose so that I can see the TV without sitting completely up. I won't have to worry about my contacts when I go scuba diving or swimming. I won't have to wear my glasses and squint as I drive because I can't wear my sunglasses and/or try to wear my sunglasses over my regular glasses. This just keeps getting better and better. I am SO EXCITED about getting my eyes fixed! I can't wait for next Thursday!

Feeling Better

Last week in my post A Bit Disconnected, I talked about how I was not feeling as though I was doing a good job at anything and not feeling as though I could pull myself out of the "funk" that I was in. Well, thanks to prayers from many friends and some very encouraging words from a few family and friends, I am much better. Thank you Mom, Steph, Kathy, Buffy, Kiki, and my Bible Study Divas for your prayers and precious words of encouragement. You guys are the BESTEST! (as Junie B. Jones would put it), and I appreciate your prayers and friendship more than these words can express. I love you all, and I am so thankful that God has placed each and every one of you in my life.

A Bit Disconnected

I am feeling a bit disconnected these days. Generally, I feel as though I am doing a fairly good job at most things in my life. If I wasn't so "gold" and so critical of myself, I would probably think that I was doing a rather good job at most things in my life most of the time. But, for now, and for the past couple of weeks, I just don't feel as though I am measuring up.

"Measuring up to what?" you ask. I guess that is part of the problem. Measuring up to the high standards that I impose upon myself, the high expectations that those who know me expect of me (or so I "believe" they expect of me, maybe? probably?). I don't know. I just don't feel like I am doing my best at anything, yet I just can't seem to do or give anything more right now to get closer to my perceived best.

I know that I am frustrated with myself right now because I am not eating right, not exercising, because I have gained 6 lbs., and because I can't remember everything about everything like I used to be able to in the past. I have managed to make a bit dent in my laundry pile and to keep my house 95% picked up and orderly, and that is a huge improvement over the last several months. I also know (in my head) that I just need to pray, stay focused - maybe refocus - stop beating myself up, pray, stop being so critical of myself, pray, stopping worrying so much about what I am "not" doing/doing well and focus on what I "am" doing/doing well, and pray that God will show me very clearly and simply where I need to place my focus and the path that He has for my life.

Like I said, I "know" all of these things in my head, but there is a disconnection between my head and my heart that I need to get reconnected. Tomorrow is another day. Another opportunity for me to start again, and I pray that I will feel more confident, more connected.

I heard this song earlier today, and it has been on my mind ever since.

Nationals Win Round One of Tournament

Our little guys pulled out a win tonight! They beat a team that beat them 4-2 early in the season. The final score was 7-6. They hung in there until the very end and never gave up. It was a great game and a great win! They play the #1 team in the league on Thursday night, so pray that our boys are focused and ready to give 110%!

Way to Go Nationals!

Our little Nationals played the Rangers yesterday and won their game 10-4. Connor was the third baseman for the 3-inning game, was walked both times he was up-to-bat, and scored one run for his team. Kathy's son, Jacob, pitched for the second time yesterday, and did a great job. He struck-out two batters.

Our end-of-season tournament begins on Monday night. If the boys win on Monday, it looks as though they will play game number two on Thursday night. If you would like to join us for a game, please let me know, and I will get all of the information to you.

Tornados Soccer

What a game! The boys played a terrific game. The game was exciting to the very last minute and the boys continued to take shots on the other team's goal and to defend their own goal right up to the final whistle. The game ended in a 1-1 tie. Connor was named DEFENSIVE Player of the game! He stopped several goals throughout the game, came up from his defensive position to attack the ball and send it back to his forwards, and made a HUGE defensive play just in front of his own goal, protecting his goalie and preventing the other team from scoring. Their last game is next Saturday morning at 8:00am. We would love for you to join us.

Halloween

What a great night! We joined our neighbors in the cul-de-sac to pass out candy, eat, and visit. The evening started with just the neighbors but ended with neighbors from around the neighborhood. At one time, we must have had 100 people in our cul-de-sac visiting and enjoying the cool night air.

The kids trick-or-treated, ate candy, played football, did gymnastics, ran around, and just had a great time. Some of the parents trick-or-treated, as well, but most just enjoyed hanging out in the cul-de-sac. A couple of us made chili, another tortilla soup and queso, and others ordered pizza. Everyone enjoyed eating and visiting, passing out candy, and looking at all of the cute costumes.

We saw lots of rag dolls, genies, ladybugs, scary creatures, Indiana Joneses, Bat men & Bat women, witches, and believe it or not, three young boys dressed as Elvis. Yes, our little Z-Man was a precious Elvis (Little "e" as Blake's called him), and our little drama queen was a modern day Raggedy Ann doll. (For those of you who are wondering why Connor's nickname is "Z" man rather than "C" man ... when we was little, he had a hard time saying "C" and he always said that his name was spelled "Z"onnor. Hence, Blake and my dad started calling him "Z" man, and it stuck!)

Here are some pictures from Halloween 2008.

I've Been Tagged

My friend Buffy tagged me. I am supposed to write 6 quirky things about myself and then tag 6 other bloggers. I got this a bit later than all of my blogger friends, so I think that they have already tagged all of the bloggers that I know, so ... I am not sure who I am going to tag, but here are 6 quirky things about me ...

1. I don't eat chocolate! I know, I know. Many of you are saying, "You don't eat chocolate? Really? How can you NOT each chocolate?" I just don't. I do eat brownies and the occassional chocolate cake, but I don't eat candy bars, M&M's, or any other chocolate candies.
2. I don't eat peanut butter. Just about everyone I know loves peanut butter, but not me. Growing up, I was the only one in my family who did not eat peanut butter.
3. I hate dusting. Growing up, my sister always dusted, and I always folded clothes. I would do just about any chore growing up to get out of dusting. I still hate dusting today. My house only gets dusted when the maid or one of my kids does it.
4. I'm addicted to technology. I love my cell phone, my computer, my email, etc. I can't stand to be "out-of-touch", and I end pretty much every day by crawling in bed, logging in to my laptop, and checking my email.
5. I wear the same earrings everyday. My precious husband gave me diamond stud earrings for Christmas 11 or so years ago, and I have worn them everyday (with very few exceptions) since then. I have received some FAITH jewelry earrings in the past few years, but I bet I have not worn each pair more than once. I just love my diamond studs and put them on every day.
6. I am addicted to Usana Wild Strawberry Protein Shakes. My sister-in-law, Amy, a nutrition therapist, encouraged Blake and I try them last winter to boost our metabolism and help with weight loss. Now, I can't go a day without them, and I have one for breakfast every morning and sometimes a second one for lunch or dinner. I even took my little personal blender and shake mix to St. Lucia this summer and made shakes for breakfast every morning.

Well, as I said before, I don't think that I have anyone left to tag - anyone who blogs, that is - so I am going to tag some of my new FaceBook friends instead.