Land Ho, Matey!

Here is my photo for "Wordless Wednesday."  It is a picture of my grandma looking through the telescope in one of our glitzy hotels in La Jolla.  They have a telescope in EACH room!  How cool is that?  Ha!

I hope each and every one of you have a fabulous Thanksgiving holiday.  Eat lots of good food!!  And take lots of pictures so we can show them off on Friday.  :0)
Big hugs,

Trapped Inside My Skin

Hi, my dear friends!
Can you believe it is already Sunday?  This week has just gone by so quickly.  Thanksgiving is just around the corner and then Christmas.....are we ready for all that?  :0)

My hubby and I started out Sunday with him puking and me a massive case of diarrhea.  Boy, we are high excitement over here!  We know how to live it down!!  The only thing I can think of that set it off was yesterday we had Chinese buffet (I couldn't go due to my leg was just killing me so my hubby brought home mine.  Isn't he sweet?) from one of our very nice friends and it was just one of those meals that keeps on giving.  I should have known because last night I had the heartburn from Hell and had so many Tums I feel like I could take stock in their company!  The heartburn finally went away and I fell asleep and woke up with the diarrhea.  What a day already!!

I just feel "trapped" inside my skin lately.  It is VERY, VERY sensitive to any kind of touch.  And don't even think of touching my shins.  I will let out a primal scream if you do!  They are so sensitive it is painful.  They are one of my fibro trigger points and it never goes away.  I mean, it lessens in sensitivity sometimes, but it's always there.  Hope that makes sense.  I also have the same kind of trigger points on my chest.  When Jack jumps up on the bed to snuggle, he likes to walk across my chest and it's all I can do to not scream.  I hate to push him away, but sometimes when those are really flaring, I have no choice to reposition him farther down my body.  Does anyone else have that kind of "trapped inside" your skin sensation?  It's horrible!  I want out!  Now!

Okay, before I go completely nuts (shut up to those who say I'm already there!) I want to share one of my poems and a pretty picture with you.  Every now and then I like to spruce up the blog by doing that.  I am hardly a poet, so if you don't like it, let me know.  I can make corrections.  Writing has always been an "outlet" for me, especially in those rough years of high school and college.  I've written 200 poems and some rhyme and a lot don't.  I'm one of those that believe that you don't need to rhyme to have a good poem.  Words just flow from your heart and seldom rhyme.  Do you talk in rhyme?  I don't think so!!  So every one of my poems is a masterpiece of my heart.

OK, OK, before I get too sappy, I'll show you the picture first.  It's just something to look at and make you feel calm and relaxed.  Or at least it does me.  I just LOVE the ocean, so I've got zillions of pictures.  My mom would tease me and say, "I believe you have EVERY  wave captured by your camera!"  You know what?  I think she is right!!!  I would take my camera with every time we would go to San Diego for our rheumatologist appointment. We would stop by the ocean and I'd get my pictures.  After all, you CAN'T go to California and NOT see the ocean!  I think there is some law about that....ha!  LOL! The picture I have chosen for today was taken in San Diego on Pacific Beach.  It shows the lifeguard station with a large USA flag billowing in the breeze.

Isn't that pretty? I just adore Mission and Pacific Beaches.  They are so vastly different, what with Pacific Beach having the pier that is actually a motel.  "Sleep Over The Ocean" is written on the side of the pier.  I kept telling Mom and Grandma that we should check into that.  I always got the same answer......"I wish!"  Yeah, it is pretty expensive.  But a girl can dream, right?  :0)  Now for the poem.  Hope you like it!

Only Then Shall I Be Saved

Look down upon me, Lord
See me as you did when I was first born
See me as white as snow-
My gown not a wrinkle to be seen
Look down upon me with love, Lord
For only then shall I be saved.
Oh, I know my slate is not clean
I have sinned today.
But I love you, Lord
And you say you love me
You say you can forgive
And forget.
Look down upon me-
Only then shall I be saved.
I want to feel you again
And live in glory.
I miss you, Lord.
It is I who walked away,
It is I who gave in to hardships,
It is I who have sinned.
It is You who stand before me with open arms;
Arms that are ready to receive me.
Please don't look away,
Like I have done,
But look upon me with love and forgiveness;
Only then shall I be saved.

Hope you enjoyed the new "feature" to my blog.  Every Sunday I'll do this: have a pretty picture and poem for you to enjoy.  I've been getting lots of positive feedback about my pictures.  Thank you, friends, for being so supportive!!  You have a lovely Sunday and relax....for tomorrow is Monday!

God bless you all!
Until next post,

ARGHHHH!

That should tell you what a day we have had.  I'm trying to work down my checklist for the bariatric clinic and my doctors aren't being very cooperative with me.  My own primary care doctor hasn't, after MANY requests from myself and the bariatric clinic, faxed over necessary forms to even start my chart at the bariatritc clinic.  My first appointment they still hadn't faxed anything over and I waited and waited and the receptionist took pity on me and let me go back.  When I was in my appointment, FINALLY they faxed the referral form.  That is just ridiculous.  If people would just do what they are asked to do, instead of always having to make multiple phone calls about the same thing, the world would be a happier place.  People wouldn't feel like going postal!!!

My husband and I drove over to the imaging place where I had the duplex scan of BOTH legs.  I thought it was in May, but it actually was in February, so I probably will have to have another one of those fun tests.  I think they are good for only six months.  And luckily I kept in that filter that catches blood clots before they reach my heart and lungs.  Speaking of lungs, I'll have to get a referral for a pulmonologist, too!!!  Aye Carumba!  All this stuff, I better be approved for the surgery!!!

When we got back home, my doctor's office called and they said my medical record is ready for pick-up on Monday.  Yay!  And here the doctor doesn't like giving records out to her patients.  But if her office doesn't do the faxing they need to do, then something needs to be done!  I'm glad they have the records for ME to transport over to Gilbert for the bariatric surgeon, which we will do on Monday.  My next project is getting an authorization number from the insurance for the psychological exam that I will have the end of November.  Guess who has to do that?  You got it.....my primary care doctor!!!  At least I see her in person on November 1st and I can tell her in person how important this surgery is for me and I need that code ASAP.

I'm very overwhelmed, but I know things will get done if I just calm down and relax.  I've still got plenty of time in which to get things done.  OK, to help me calm down, I'll think back to the times when Mom, Granny and I went to the beach.  I've got pictures on top of pictures!!  Today I'll show you the ones I took of downtown San Diego.

 We actually where in San Diego over my birthday in June, 2002.  Best birthday gift, because as you know, I LOVE San Diego!!  We went downtown and I just went crazy taking random pictures of places I didn't even know what they were called!!

 

It sure was pretty downtown, though.  We were hoping to go through the gas lamp section, but it wasn't in the cards for us that day to visit there.

 Now we were heading towards La Jolla, California.  If you've never been there, you have to go there!  It's the "Beverly Hills" of San Diego, in my humble opinion. All the posh ocean front homes are here, along with the most expensive shops!!  You could be driving around, at anytime, and see people in convertibles with their cell phones to their ears (I thought they out-lawed that practice!)  and tops down on their cars.  It's quite the experience!!

 

Here is Mom in front of a La Jolla shop.

Mom and Grandma in front of a shop, BIG dreamers!!!  :0)

Back in our territory of Pacific Beach!  Here is Grandma, giving me a dirty look because I've taken her picture ONCE again!

Mom and Grandma standing on the shore, watching the waves wash in.  We could NEVER go to San Diego and NOT watch the waves at least for a while!!

And last, but not least, my mamma enjoying her lil' stroll among the surf.

We had to cram in everything in two days, then it was back to life in Yuma until our next rheumatologist appointment.  I so looked forward to our "Girl's Get-Away" every two months!!

Alrighty, that'll do for this post.  Hope you are having a happy Friday.  Be sure to join in on the blog hop going on down towards the end of my page. Everyone is welcome and there are give-aways galore.  So come try your luck and enter a few.  You never know....the next winner could be YOU!

God bless!

Until next post,

An Ocean Of Memories

Hello, everyone!

My Sunday is going along OK, although I'm still having a lot of pain in my right leg.  Every day is a new day of torture.  It definitely has gotten worse.  The muscle in my calf is rock hard, a result of constant muscle spasms. Even my muscle relaxer, Soma, is not helping much.  I can't stand long enough to shower, so tomorrow, we are going to go look at shower chairs.  It might be a problem because our shower is so narrow.  I hope we can find one or I'm in serious trouble....nobody will want to stand by me too much longer! LOL!

I don't know why my leg is doing this to me.  I'm on so many medications to help and they do....or I'd be literally SCREAMING my head off in pain, but I still do have the severe pain enough that it inhibits my walking, bending, and standing.  Is it all the pinched nerve roots or from my weight?  Maybe both.  I don't know. All I know is it HURTS.

I was looking through my family photos again and the memories just swirled around me.  I remember when my mom, dad, me and my husband piled into the car and headed for my favorite city, San Diego!  We went to the beach and took about a roll of film's worth of pictures.  Here are some of those pictures:

They look like gang members, don't they? :0)  This is a photo of my dad, my mom and Frankie.  They take up just enough space you can't see the ocean behind them.

Yikes!  I look like an absolute WHALE!  I'm with my dad and mom in this picture.  I can't wait for my weight loss surgery!!!

Here's a good shot of my mom and dad. Dad always had his hat and sunglasses on, rain or shine!  :0)  Behind them, you can see the beach patrol pick-up truck.  These photos were taken on Mission Beach.  The next batch are from Pacific Beach.

 

I think this is one of my favorite pics of my parents.  I've titled it" Ocean Dreamers."  It looks like they are dreamers, doesn't it? 

I'm also rather fond of this picture, too.  It took Mom a long time to get to that rock, but she was determined.  She had a lot of help from Dad, too!!

And, to end the show, here is myself and my husband, Frankie.  Two peas in a pod!

I hope you all are enjoying your Sunday.  Spend lots of time with your loved ones.  As the saying goes, "Live, Laugh, Love" or something like that. I may have the order reversed, but you get the idea!!  ;0)

The blog hop below is also for today, too.  So add the URL of your blog and go blog hoppin' and you'll be amazed at how many return the favor and visit your blog.  It's just all around a neat way to meet new friends and read fantastic blogs.

God bless!
Until next post,

62c4d810-2ab6-4f75-b394-bfadfb2c3c7e

1.03.01

Stormy Sea

Hello, everyone!

Hope today finds you happy and well!  I'm still very sore from my bang-up of a fall yesterday, especially my right knee and hip.  I must have hit the floor with those areas.  My first step of this morning could be described as: OUCH!  That wasn't EXACTLY what I said, but you get the picture.

Today I'm going back in time to when I first came to Arizona to live and work after that fateful trip Mom and I had in May of 1993 and we saw how bad Grandpa was with Alzheimer's.  I originally came to help Grandma with him, but he died of pneumonia, so I was glad to be here for her as she went through a very bad time.  She missed the man he USED to be and that is who she grieved for when he died.  We both did and still do.  I'll think of something funny and I gotta tell my grandpa, then I know he's gone and I get sad.  I hope my mom and her dad are having a party up there in Heaven!!  They deserve it!!

When I flew in from Chicago to Las Vegas, NV on October 31st, I guess you would say I was re-born.  New place. New job. New roommate (my grandma). The ONLY thing I remember about that flight was the flight attendants where wearing costumes. I remember getting a coke from a flight attendant dressed as the Devil!  I took some Dramamine before the trip so I could sleep, as I was balling about leaving my parents (I'm an only child and we are a very close family!) and didn't want to carry that over to the plane.  Crying four hours at 30,000 ft over the country didn't appeal to me.  My grandma was so sweet, though, she picked me up in Las Vegas as she thought it would be fun and exciting for me.  She was right.  I will never forget, as long as I live, how beautiful the lights of the Strip were over Vegas as the plane landed at night.  There were even slot machines in the airport!  My grandma and her friend, Betty, weren't there yet to pick me up, which kind of worried me because all I had to my name was $75.00 (which was mom's last $75.00, I am quite sure!) and my suitcase.  But they came after thinking I would be landing at the main airport instead of the charter plane airport.  We spent three days in Vegas and headed to Yuma.

Getting used to life in Yuma was hard. I missed my mom and dad everyday and I would call them frequently.  My new job at the hospital was challenging. I felt like an idiot at every turn because you don't know what you are doing yet, so you ask a lot of questions and then think your patients THINK you are an idiot!!  But I finally learned the ropes.

My grandma was her usual wonderful self.  She knew how homesick I was, so she planned all these little trips.  My first trip to San Diego at Thanksgiving to see the ocean; Palm Springs at Christmas and Laughlin, NV for New Year's.  I loved the San Diego trip the most.  As usual, I took lots of pics.  I'll show you a few in a minute.   When we went to San Diego (which is my FAVORITE place in the world, I think!) we couldn't have chosen a lousier day.  It was rainy and stormy, but oh, my goodness!  The pictures I have of the storm-churned sea can't be beat!!  At first Grandma wouldn't find the beach (we were always getting lost!) so she tried to pawn off on me this little pond we kept passing that was the ocean, just a little smaller than usual.  I didn't buy it!!!
We finally found Pacific Beach and I took a lot of my pictures there.

 Look at them there swayin' palm trees.  There was quite a gust that would come up from the ocean and just about blow you over!

Grandma and I walked to the end of the pier.  She's probably gonna kill me for putting her picture up on the 'net, but some things are worth dying for! LOL!  Don't worry, Grandma, I'm putting my picture (next) up!

 There I be, waving at all of you folks at home!  I just ADORE San Diego. Have I mentioned that yet?  Hehehehe.....the next batch of pictures are the stormy sea taken from the pier.

This next photo was taken near La Jolla, California. I think it is one of my faves in this group of pictures.  La Jolla is a really ritzy area of San Diego and all the posh go there.  Grandma and I took the scenic route through there so I could get some photos.

 And last, but certainly not least, here is a photo that me, my mom and Grandma all called "The Church of the Lost."  Quite simply, every time we would go to San Diego, we would get lost.  I don't care how many times we planned our trip out before we went or what map we used, we would ALWAYS end up on I-5 by this church.  So now, it's such a familiar site, we use this church as a marker to tell us where to go!  It's such a beautiful church.  Mom wasn't real big on GPS, she didn't want to take orders from some "voice in a box."  My hubby and I can't live WITHOUT our GPS!

I never have regretted moving to Arizona from Michigan. In fact, I can't imagine going back.  Arizona is such a beautiful state with its mountains and gorgeous sunsets and we are close to California and the ocean and to Vegas.  It can't be beat!!!  So thank you, Grandma, for letting me live with you for six months to get used to my job and to save money so that my parents could come out the following April of 1994.  I'll never forget the fun we had and I really appreciate you.  If I never said it enough growing up, I'm saying it now: I love and really appreciate you!!!

That'll do for today's post.  Hope everyone is having a good day.
God bless ya all!
Until next post,
Missy

Early Morning Rising

Good morning, everyone!

I remember when I would be working nights, I would always take about ten-fifteen minutes right around sunrise time.  The Arizona sky would light up into a brilliant spectrum of colors....red, orange and blue.  Of course, after my little break, I'd have to go back to work and it would start the busy time: patients getting up, moving around, washing up, getting ready for breakfast.  We would be running around like chickens with our heads cut off until report time.  But I still remember that one brief period of quiet time and watching the sunrise and thinking back over my life (to see if I forgot anything!) and thinking ahead to see where I'm going.  It's a great time to reflect on life.

I'm no longer working, but I still love the sunrise.  I get up at 5am and everyone is still asleep, so it's so nice and quiet and peaceful.   This is when I do my emails and blogging most of the time because it's easier to think and not be interrupted.  Unfortunately, this early time is when I miss my mom the most.  I remember her picking me up from work and we'd get breakfast and watch "Charmed" reruns while we ate.  The guys would be alseep, still and we could talk about anything.  Now I'm missing my early morning buddy more than anything in the world!!  You'd think after 2 years, I wouldn't be so nostalgic all the time, but if anything, I think as time passes I'm even MORE nostalgic about my mom.  Does it ever end?  I know I'll never forget her (I think of her everyday), but will it get easier and not hurt as much when I think of her?  I can only wonder.

Nothing much else to report. Frankie is doing well, drain and all.  When I empty his abdominal drain, I get anywhere from 5cc-20cc's out.  Hopefully he can have that removed when he sees the surgeon Sept. 7th.  Every time when the visiting nurse comes out, he says the drain site is looking really good and Frankie's vitals are in normal range.  I check them periodically, too, and they have been normal for me, too.  I'm just glad that the hospital ordeal seems to be over with!  Knock on wood....such as my hard head! LOL!

I'm still in the fibro flare-up I had all last week, although I think it has lifted somewhat.  I am still so very stiff (especially upon waking) and my left foot is still very sore. I go back to the podiatrist on Tuesday so I'll mention that the shot he gave me didn't help at all.  Speaking of fibro, I want to mention a very good book called "Fibromyalgia For Dummies."  It is very informative and educational.  Check it out on Amazon.com.  I've made it very easy - just click on the link to the left and it'll take you right there. You can buy it either new or used.  I've bought a lot of stuff from Amazon and think they are the BEST on the 'net. I've also got a "ferris wheel" of fibro books from Amazon at the top of my blog that you can take a look at.  Or, you can do your own search using the widget below to look for Amazon merchandise.  Am I just a shop-a-holic's dream? LOL....

I don't know if I've blogged this yet, and if I have, bear with me.  I will be seeing the bariatric surgeon on Sept. 15th and have a conference with him (or her), the nutritionist, the physical therapist and case manager.  It's a whole team and program that I will be involved in.  They ran my insurance and I DO have benefits and they will go over that on the 15th.  My mother-in-law will come with.  BOTH my in-laws are so sweet as they will be helping me with what my insurance WON'T cover, so I can go through with the surgery and program. I am soooo very happy and grateful and ecstatic!  (Am I something else or what...being excited over SURGERY! LOL!)  Of course, I will owe them until kingdom come, but if it gets my life back or an even better one where I can move around a lot easier because I won't have all this weight holding me down, it'll be more than worth it.  So I will be undergoing this program and I will keep everyone updated on my progress with pictures.  This way, I'll have to stay on the program as I won't want to look like a fool in front of everybody!

Alrighty, that pretty much is it. To end this post, I'll include a video I took in San Diego of my mom and grandma walking through the surf on Mission Beach.  I'm so glad I have these videos, even though they have no sound, I can see her moving again.  I cherish each video and picture I have.  I hope that you cherish your family's members and heritage. You only have ONE shot in this life to make a difference, so make it a good one!!  That's my "pearl" of wisdom for the day.  Whew...it tuckered me out, might have to take a nap.....

God bless ya!
Until next post,
Missy

A New Day Has Come

Hello, my good friends!

I want to start this post out by saying I'm sorry about yesterday's post - or "whine fest" as the case may be!  I just was having a lousy day both physically AND mentally so I thought blogging might help, it usually does when I'm in a mood or upset about something.  Even when I'm happy, I love to blog.  OK-now that we all know I love to blog, I'll continue....

I'm very fortunate and thankful for one very basic, yet important thing: a beautiful roof over my head!  A big thank you to my husband's parents, Frank & Carol, for having us for two years and counting. Hopefully we haven't worn out our welcome yet!!  I am so thankful with how my mother-in-law has taken me in as one of her own and always has comforting advice when I panic or haven't thought things all the way through.  My husband and I are both very impulsive, so it's nice that SOMEONE has the brakes somewhere!!  My in-laws were away this whole week on a gambling retreat, so she wasn't here yesterday to talk to me.  But I'm glad they had a fabulous time-out from real life.  Maybe Frankie and I can do a short little day trip somewhere and get out of the house for awhile.  We've been cooped up because it's been so hot out and after Frankie's surgery ordeal, it'll be nice to go to Flagstaff or the Grand Canyon to cool off.  I'd LOVE to go back to San Diego, but that is a little more expensive trip we'll have to wait on.

Anyway, I'm also very thankful to have such wonderful people to lean on - and it keeps growing every day.  I 'meet' people on Facebook and through blogging and it's very therapeutic and helpful to find people like me, who have fibro and even those friends of mine who are fortunate NOT to have it, everyone has been really understanding and caring.  All those things are so much more important than STUFF (as I referred to in my last post).  My mom would come down from the skies above if she saw that post and kick my butt to kingdom come!  She'd tell me what the most important things are and it's NOTHING money can buy.......you are so right, Mom!

I received a beautiful letter from one of my childhood friends that I recently discovered on Facebook (God, I love Facebook!) and she pointed out all I just said and scriptures and that made me feel myself again.  Thank you, Lorie.  God put you in my life a second time around now and I hope we can remain friends and keep in contact forever.  I love ya, girlfriend!  :0)

I'll close this post by adding a video that always make me smile, and I hope it will you, too.  My mom, grandma and I would go to San Diego every three months for our rheumatologist appointments and we'd always stop by Mission Beach park and feed the birds.  I'm even going to try and add a video, too and see if that works.  It's of my mom and grandma feeding the birds our stale bread!  Thank goodness they aren't picky......

We ADORED our San Diego trips and called them "Girls Weekend Out."  We'd leave the manly men at home to fend for themselves and we'd take San Diego and the surrounding areas by storm.  Okay, now I'm gonna try the video. It was shot using my older camera, so there is NO sound to it - thought I'd tell ya that so you wouldn't spend all day thinking your speakers weren't working!  This is my first time, so if it doesn't work, please forgive me.  Here goes:

Hope you enjoyed watching that.  I have other ones from our travels I'll show in various upcoming posts.  I hope each and everyone that visits my blog has a great day and upcoming weekend.  Do something FUN with your family. Cherish those around you. I know I will!  :0)

God bless,
Until next post,
Missy