2010 in Review

2011 is right around the corner- literally! One more week and it will be a new year. 2010 has been an amazing year for me. Sad to see it end, but really excited to see what 2011 has in store for me!

*January: My assignment at Portafab Corporation is extended. Mark turns 26. I take my first session of Zumba- love it love it! Lose a great friend: Tom Meyers Jr. Spend a few days in the hospital thanks to gastritous (all better now).

*February: Loki celebrates her 4th birthday on the 8th! Attend Jenny's Baby Shower. Enjoy the fact that my assignment w/ Kelly Temps at Portafab has been extended yet again.

*March: Portafab hires me on! 2 days later I get a new car. I make my biggest purchase to date: a 2010 Ford Escape in Sangria Red. I call her Ruby! Enjoy time w/ friend Sarah (who lives in Cali) when she visits St. Louis by getting our nails done. Get to meet her beautiful daughter, Hayden for the fist time.

*April: Froggiegirl & Gimlet (aka Jenny & Tom) welcome their beautiful daughter Jillian Nicole into the world on April 5th. I get to meet her a few weeks later. I attended a wonderful sectionals held by Alpha Phi at Washington University.

*May: I turn 28 on the 5th. EMAA holds a meeting at Ted Drews where I become the Vice President.

*June: EMAA holds a great bbq. Jillian is baptised on the 5th, and a party is held in her honor at the Kyle house. Get to spend more time w/ Jillain :) Attend a baseball game w/ JR. Start taking Pilates w/ mom and friends

*July: Pilates finishes up at the end of the month :( See Titantic at the Muny w/ Amy Rose & her mother. Start up Zumba again. Slip and fall, landing on my knee after a drs appt at St. Clares- end up dropping Zumba :( Parents leave for annual gambling trip next day.

*August: Dad celebrates his 61st birthday. Mom and dad take a road trip to the Smokey Mountains. Parents celebrate their 39th wedding anniversary! Attend a Cards/ Cubs game w/ Dad.

*September: Mom celebrates her 39th birthday (she began counting backwards once she hit the big 5-0). Mom & I check out the Hispanic Heritage Festival downtown, plan on making it a yearly tradition. Attend my 3rd (and last) Cardinal game w/ a friend, Michael Mulqueeny. Cards (finally) win (they had lost the other games I had attended)

*October: Hispanic Heritage Month!! I attend my first Taste of St. Louis w/ Jennifer Francis & Friends. Take care of the Kyle's Chinchillas as they take a roadtrip to Chicago for a wedding. Hang out w/ Erin & Kelly at Erin's new apartment and celebrate their birthday- get to see some friends I haven't seen in a while. Friends Veronica & Kyle celebrate their 2nd wedding anniversary.

* November: Celebrate Jenny's b-day at Chipotle w/ friends. Start attending weekly meetings for my chapter, Sigma Alpha. Participated in SIUE's Fall Service Day. Participated in Scouting for Food Collection Day. Attend Guns 'n' Hoses (Cops vs Firefighters) Boxing Match w/ JR. Experience a white Thanksgiving (we only got a dusting but it was pretty). Enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving w/ my family. Grateful for another year together and yummy food.

* December: More snow fell on St. Louis on December 12th. Experience the shortest elections in a long while with Sigma Alpha. Mark falls and breaks his elbow, and has surgery (doing fantastic). Enjoy a lovely evening at Zia's w/ EMAA. Then enjoy Tilles Park's Winter Wonderland w/ Andy K, Sonalee, and Stephanie. Mom recieves the Vigil Award for Order of the Arrow (the highest award). Possibly going to enjoy a white Christmas. Enjoying my first real vacation in four years. Going to fly on a plane for the first time in 4 years on the 27th- super exciting. Flying to Atlanta, GA to attend my 2nd National Convention for my Fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega.

Pilates/ Zumba

As many of you know (or may not know) I have been taking Pilates classes throughout June and July. My last class is this Wed :( I really love Pilates. It is a gentle workout, you don't really feel like you are working out but you feel it later. I have improved my flexibility and the strength in my core (stomach). Another plus of this class is that I feel better about myself b/c I am more comfortable with my body. I am in better shape and better for it. I am definitely signing up for fall classes as this is something I want to continue. I can do a lot of these exercises at home; I bought a little toy ball for a workout tool. Only problem is that my dog thinks its for her. So I have to hide the ball when I'm using it. I am taking Pilates through St. Louis Community College Continuing Education. Right now we are at the South County Center. The instructors name is Kat and the classes are on Monday or Wed ( I go on Mondays) at 6:30 pm. The fall classes will be at Mehlville HS ( I think).
I also started a new session of Zumba; I started doing this last winter, but due to health complications and a hospitalization (I'm better now) I was unable to continue. So I have started it up again, as it is soo much fun. I've attended two of three classes (I skipped last week as my knees were really hurting). I love how I feel after the class. Parking has been a bit of a nightmare as the place where I take Zumba (Riverchase RexPlex) also has a summer swim team and they have hosted some meets. This creates a big problem; even though they open up a place for ppl to park on the grass, a lot of people think they are too good for that and create their own spots. Never mind that these spots are illegal and create potentially dangerous situations. Last time there was supposedly a cop out in front. I hope every single driver who parked illegally got a ticket.
Overall I am healthier and happier. These classes also provide a nice escape from the daily stress of life.

Products I love!!

Sometimes I run accross a product that I absolutely love and just have to share with others. A lot of the products are name brand- I usually buy them on sale or use coupons. I hate paying full price.

Deep Water Bath by Better Bath
This gadget I am absolutely in love with!! You place it over the overflow drain on your bathtub and you are able to get a few more inches of water in the bathtub. Hence deeper water :) I love taking long hot bubble baths. This is my ultimate de-stresser. Now I can get the water up to my ears. The product advertises that not only does allow inches more water, the water stays hotter longer. I'm a bit skeptical of this...however in according to physics (yes I'm using physics) the larger the body of water it is the longer it takes to heat up or cool down. So since you are able to add more water, it takes longer for the water to cool down.

Aromatherapy Luxery Bath in Lavender Chamomile by Bath and Body Works
I love, love, love this bubble bath! It is a very soothing refreshing scent and creates amazing bubbles that last a long time. At little bit creates a ton of bubbles! Right now Bath and Body works is having their Yellow Sale- where everything is on sale and all aromatherapy items are buy 2 and get 2 free! The only downside to this product is that it is in a glass bottle, other than that its amazing!

Pantene Nature Fusion Moisture Balance Conditioner
This stuff is amazing. It smells clean; not a floral scent. It aslo leaves my hair shiny and soft. Very happy with this product!

Haircare
Bed Head TIGI Maxxed Out Hairspray-It has amazing hold & smells like grapefruit. no helmet hair feel. I bought new hairspray sometime last spring and two hairsprays were packaged together (buy one, get one free deal). Just finishing up the first bottle, so the product lasts a long time.

Garnier Fructis- Fiber Gum I use this stuff to hold my part and add some volume and texture to my hair. I love the fresh semi fruity smell. It also helps against frizz and helps hold your style. I just use a tiny bit and it goes a long way- I've had the original container for over a year now.

Fekkai Glossing Creme-I put this in my hair before I dry it. Cuts down on the frizz big time! Gives hair a smoother texture. Again a little bit goes a long way- you just use the amount of a pea. Lasts a long time so its worth the price. Of course having coupons for Bath and Body works helps a lot too! Especially those buy one item and get a 10 dollar item free! I love those coupons!

Eyes
Opti-Free Replenish Contact Solution-My eye doctor got me hooked on this. I just put my contacts in this solution and they are clean. Last year I got a ton of samples from my eye doctor so I haven't had to purchase this stuff in over a year!! Also, if you do buy these most of the time inside or on the box its in there is a coupon for a dollar or so off the next purchase.

Blink Eyedrops-I got this sample from my eye doctor and the past few weeks I have been very grateful for these! My allergies have been acting up (thanks to an outrageous mold count), and these drops help stop my eyes from feeling on fire. This is particulary great b/c its sensitive enough that I can use it w/ and w/o contacts.

Beauty/ Cleansers
Olay Daily Facials Express Wet Cleansing Colths (Sensative skin)-My mom and I use this to take our makeup off at the end of the day. It gently removes all the makeup and dirt accumulated during the day. We prefer the sensitive skin formula b/c my skin is extremly senstive- all of my face wash stuff has to be sensitve otherwise I break out. Your face feels clean and fresh after using them.

Clinique- 3 step-I love Clinique- personally I think they make the best makeup. They also have a really good skin care line. I have been using this for years and am very happy with the results. My skin is clean and clear. The Dramatically different face lotion has been ranked consumers fave face moisturizer for 5 years in a row! The main reason I love clinique so much is b/c it works with my sensitive skin. I've tried other products and they have caused rashes or break outs.

Clean & Clear Deep Action Cream Cleanser- just switched to this for the winter, love how my face feels "cool" after using it.
Clean & Clear- Morning Burst- My other face wash- like it b/c it wakes me up (could be the shock of water on my face) and its sensitve enough for me.
St. Ives Apricot Skin (gentle)- I use this exfoliater once a week, really cleans my face and gets rid of dead, and dry skin. Again my skin likes this.

Milk-Bone Dog Biscuits- Loki loves these! We usually get no name brand, but then I found out that Milk-Bone donates a percentage of their profits to an organization that helps pair people with helper animals. So we alternate b/t no name and Milk-Bone (Loki doesn't know nor does she care).

and finally:
QuikTrip - how could I not include this?! I love QT- this is the only place I go for gas. Their stations are always well lit, clean and the workers are very friendly. Plus I love their 32 oz fountain drinks :)

For those of you who read the entire blog: thank you- hope it wasn't too boring and helps you out; giving you new products to try or a good laugh.

Twitter and other updates

*Okay so I am officially entering the 21st Century....I am going to start texting and tweeting. Aye! I found out I can upgrade my phone so I will upgrade my plan upon getting my new phone. I am highly suprised that I haven't had any major probs with this one. I will miss my red phone. Le sigh, but hey I have a red iPod so it's all good.
*Missed another Zumba class due to my stomach. I am going to attend my last class next Tuesday and then instead of signing up again as planned I am taking a break until my stomach and gastritus are under control. This makes sense as I don't want to waste money on classes I am unable to attend. I'm not happy about making this decision but sometimes you have to be an adult and make decisions like this. Once my stomach is back to normal I will sign up again, as I love Zumba.
*The water is starting to call me. I want to go swimming soo bad, but with my stomach I can't. Hopefully I will feel good enough this weekend to hit the pool and do some laps... I can use my new goggles (I broke down and bought new ones a few months ago- the old ones had scratches and were begining to leak-so yea I had to get new ones). Gotta remember to bring a bottle of water and my pull bouy.
*Baseball season is around the corner!!!! Pitchers and catchers reported to Jupiter this Monday :) I can't wait for the season to start. Thank goodness for the Olympics which allows me to get my sports fix. Otherwise I'd be going batty or watch hockey....which I'm not to fond of. The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to have a good team this year. As long as our players stay healthy I think they stand a chance. As always I hope they win lots of games and for the Chicago Cubs to lose lots of games and NOT win the World Series...hehehe.
*Speaking of the Olympics, I have been highly entertained. My favorite moments so far have been watching Apolo Ohno on Short Track and watching Shawn White decimate the field on the Snowboard Half-pipe. Shawn White's first run in the finals was amazing, he got massive air and landed all of his tricks clean. Then his second run, which was his "victory" lap as he knew he had the gold before he snowbaorded, was even better. He did his new trick which was soo cool. The thing I like about Short track is how fast they can go and then how they defy gravity by nearly getting horizontal to the ice. Of course, the ability to skate fast is impressive to me as I can't ice skate. I prefer to be in the water, than on the water. So go Team USA!!

Zumba Week 5

No, I didn't slack off and not blog about week 4. I didn't make it to week 4. I didn't make it because I was sick/ still recovering from my bout with gastritus. Gastritus is where everything in the stomach is inflamed. I ended up going to St. Clare's ER)Thursday night (Jan 21) for shortness of breath and nausea. I ended up being admitted to the hospital, got up to my room (a private suite!) a little after midnight. I was released around 4 on Saturday. Unfortunately, I missed Friday's work b/c I was in the hospital, thankfully my employer understood. Long story short: I am all right, and am doing better.
Okay now to Zumba. Well the class I missed last week, two new songs w/ new moves were added. Lucky for me I pick up choreography pretty fast, so I had few problems with the new routines. My fave songs were still there. I had a lot of fun even tho the class worked me over big time b/c my energy level is still not at 100%. Only 3 more classes left :( I am definately signing up for up for another class. Our Zumba instructor told us that she is being certified in AquaZumba, which is Zumba in the water and that Riverchase (where I take Zumba) is interested!! So AquaZumba might be featured there around May or June!! I seriously hope so!

Zumba Week 3

So I was a little late Zumba due to spacing out before class, but I came in before the first song ended. I got an even better work out as I finally caved in and wore my left knee brace. I have a love/hate relationship with knee braces.....I hate wearing them with a passion, but I love the support they provide. Next week the music is changing up a bit, so the routines that I have now got down (minus a few steps) are are going bye-bye. Oh well, I am sure that I will enjoy the new music and new moves. Some I can add to my dance moves :) Tuesdays are definately becoming my favorite days. I get excited on Mondays thinking "Zumba t/m night!!". Tuesdays I am almost dancing around chanting "Zumba, Zumba, Zum-Ba!!! Zumba, Zumba, Zum-Ba!!" . I am definately signing up for another session, I am having soo much fun and want to continue. Plus I love how I feel after class, even though I am all hot and sweaty, I am tired but its a good tired. Also condsidering exercise releases endorphins which makes you happy. Its also a good escape from the "real world" for an hour. Everyone could use that! Come on Tuesday! I want to Zumba again!!

Zumba - Week 2

Well I survived my second class of Zumba. Once again I had a blast and it kicked my butt. Learned some more stuff 1)Bring a larger bottle of water (worked up a big thirst), 2) apparently there is a clock in the room...however it is analog so I can't read it, 3) Still need to get those songs to download. Concentrated more on my abs this time, keeping them contracted and imagining my belly button pushed against my back. So as a result, they are a bit sore. But its a good feeling. I am exhausted, but feel awesome. Tuesdays are becoming my favorite days! I get so excited about class! The class was a lot smaller this time, I'm guessing some ppl thought it was too much. Yes it pushes you but thats what you want. You are supposed to work up a sweat and be tired. I would love it if Zumba was twice a week :) Tuesdays and Thursdays....that would be awesome!! However, I'm going to start swimming on the weekend to get more exercise.

Zumba- Week One

Today was my first Zumba class. For those who don't know, Zumba is a fusion of latin dance moves, hip hop and aerobics. I signed up for an eight week session, and today was class one. I was super excited. Within the first few minutes, I learned the following: 1) bring a water bottle (hydration is muy importante- the instructor kept saying "keep hydrated"), 2) my knees don't like some of the moves, but this will help stregthen them which in the long run is great, 3) you don't really need to get a locker- if you get there early enough you can snag a hook for your coat, 4) my salsa abilities help a little, 5) ditch the watch, time is irrelevant, class ends when class ends (besides I was the only one wearing one), 6) this class is going to kick my butt. So the next class I will definately be bringing a bottle of water- although finding a water bottle might be a problem j/k we have an overflow of water bottles in the house as a few years ago they were all the rage as participation gifts. Between scouts and APO we accumulated quite a few within a short period. The instructor warned us that our legs will be burning t/m morning. I hope so, that means that I'm working hard. I'll just stretch it out. Also, I might have to ge the names of the songs played so I can download them :) some of them I already have. The music is a variety of latin, hip hop, and raggaeton songs. I heard a new Daddy Yankee song- must get this :) I am already thinking of signing up for another session when this is over. It is a lot of fun but a lot of work, within the first ten minutes you are sweating.

Bienvenido a 2010!! (Welcome to 2010)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! FELIZ ANO NUEVO!! 2010 is finally here, 2009 is finally gone! I survived 2009! There were moments this year that tested my strength, but I pulled through! I am sooo excited to start 2010! Every new year people are supposed to come up with new years resolutions...not usually a big fan of that. Didn't come up with one for 09. However, since it is the dawn of a new decade I have decided to make a resolution. I am keeping it simple. Here are my resolutions for 2010
1) Eating healthier- making sure every dinner meal has at least 2 veggies. This has already started and mom is on board so this is a family resoultion. We are also planning out our menu for the week, so we know what we are making each night ahead of time.
2) Making smarter choices. Food wise: switching to whole grain whereever we can. Exercise wise: getting more active- already got a jump start on that. I signed up for Zumba classes at Riverchase. My eight week session starts this Tuesday, Jan 5th. So every Tuesday until Feb 23rd, I will be dancing for an hour. I have always wanted to do this but have always come up with excuses not to. This year I'm not making any excuses, I am doing it! My motivation- the fee I paid for the classes. I paid for the classes so I have to go to get my money's worth. Who knows? Maybe after the first session I will sign up for another one or a different class, just to keep active. We shall see. I also will be taking the dog on more walks. Loki is in great shape and we need to keep her there. It is far easier to keep a Lab at a good weight than try to get them to lose weight.
3) Try not to be so pesimistic. This is my hardest. I will need help on this one. For the past few years I have been pesimistic instead of optimistic. Time for that to change. However, in order for me to achieve this goal I will have to focus on it and have some outside help.
4) Upping my skills in the kitchen: I can cook, but I need more practice and need to expand my repitore. So I am going to take turns with my parents on cooking family meals. As we plan out the weeks meals on Sundays; I will know ahead of time what I will be cooking. Also this will be a big plus when I'm finally out on my own. Mom got a food processor for Christmas, so I will get to learn how to use that too :)
Another thing I will be doing this year is I will blog after my Zumba classes. So heading your way are 8 blogs about my trials and tribulations in Zumba. Should be entertaining, possibly producing some chuckles. Again, we shall see.
Final Thoughts: May your new year be filled with joy, laughter and love. Never take anything for granted, and count your blessings. Try to live each day to the fullest, and appreciate the time you have with your friends and loved ones. So once again Happy New Year!! Feliz Ano Nuevo!! Here's hoping 2010 will be the best year yet!

Updates

Here is the latest in JBear's world:
*Home Repairs: The kitchen is 98% done; we are waiting for the rest of the cabinet handles, and a new door. It looks awesome! The new floor is fantastic; it looks like a ceramic floor but its not. Its called Dura Ceramic. Its really neat. The whole house is more earthy and open. The siding and roof are done. The gutters are being installed t/m! Hopefully that won't take too long. I will be glad when all of the hammering is done. We are repainting the front and back doors as well as the garage door a nice red color. The next room to be re-done is our office. We have to de-junk it first and then re-paint it. Should be interesting.
*Apartment: Isn't going to happen anytime soon unless I get a job. I got layed off (really don't feel like going into it). So I'm back with Office Team, hopefully I will get some temp work soon. Meanwhile, I need to call the apartment comlplex and explain the situation to them and see if we can push the move in date back a few more months.
*Knees: I am in physical therapy at the moment. My knees are still hurting, most of it comes from my knees not tracking right. So we are taping my right knee so that it does that. I have my good and bad days with my knees. As it is I am limlited on the temp jobs I can accept. I can not stand for longer than 5 minutes without pain; so there goes the idea of me working at any retail place.

*Random Note: The store Linens'n'Things is closing for good. They went bankrupt and were sold last week. They are having liquidation sales right now. So if you need house stuff, go there and get it for a decent price.

One Step At a Time

One step at a time...really good advice...I just gotta take it. My knees, especially my right knee, have been really hurting lately. So this weekend I tried resting and icing my knees. My little brother, Mark, reminded me that I am in recovering and I need to let myself do exactly that; recover. Its just hard, I want so badly to be back to my normal self. But he's right, I have to slow down and take it easy and recover. My stitches come out t/m, and the doc will check out my knees and let me know how I'm doing. However, I am the one who really knows how my body is. So I am going to do my best and try to slow down and recover. I am going to try to take things one step at a time, one day at a time. Eventually, I will get back on track, but I gotta be patient. As hard as that is. And its easier said than done, but I will do my best. So....I will try to take it slow, allow my knees time to recover and be patient.

Look Ma, No Crutches

Yesterday, JBear had bilateral arthiscopic surgery. Translation Double knee surgery; I had my knees scopped and cleaned. I am doing great. I am already moving around w/o crutches for short distances. I am eating (major suprise for me b/c usually I can't eat anything for a few days until the drugs are out of my system). My ankles are normal size and not swelling, and I can move them around w/o pain. I am resting and taking it easy. Surgery went great and I'm on the road to recovery.

Update

It is already the middle of July; where has the summer gone?! I am amazed at how fast this summer is going. Here is what's going on in SoCo Bear's world:
* The 4th of July was spent in St. Charles w/ one of my fave, fave, fave brothers Erin. We enjoyed sweet tea, gossip, and a fantastic display of fireworks. After the fireworks we returned to Erin's dorm and met up w/ another fave brother of mine; Kelly. We then went to Dennys to eat and chat.
* My book club is on our third book; this month we are reading The Princess Bride. Previous Books were Sickened, and Emma. We have met twice and are planning on meeting at Denny's in Early August for our third meeting.
* Another group, Kyle's Killer B Movies, has also begun meeting. We enjoyed our first night of horror movies. The theme was 'When Animals Attack'. We discussed future themes, and are trying to figure out when we can meet again.
*Saturday, July 26th OneRepublic will perform for Live off the Levee. Hopefully I will be in attendence w/ several friends.
*The 5th Annual National Volunteer Coference for Alpha Phi Omega will take place on July 31st thru August 3rd in Independence, MO. I will be once again attending this. I am sooo excited!! This conference provides an excellent opportunity for me to a) escape St. Louis (if only for a few days), b) catch up w/ my alumni brethren, and c) gain more skills that will not only help me as an APO Alumni, but aslo as an employee. Not all of the workshops are about APO, a few are directed towards obtaining employment and making yourself more valuable as an employee. Last year I had the former APO president (who helps people w/ resumes and cover letters proffessionally) customize my resume and cover letter; it worked great!!.
*I had two cortizone shots on Wed for my knees; one each. Those hurt! Hopefully they will help out my knees which have been bothering me for quite some time now. I saw a new knee doctor last week and had X-rays and MRI's done (fun fun). The end result: surgery. Not to worry, its just orthoscopic surgery; basically going in and cleaning things up. I am having both knees done at once (what I call a double whammy). This shortens the recovery time to 3 months. I have done this before, back in 2004. D-Day is August 12th. No worries, I'll be up and about and causing mischeif within no time!

Weight Loss 2008

As many of you were unaware, I went on a diet starting in January of the new year. First off let me state that no one pushed me to diet. It was my choice. Not because I wanted to be pin thin like Hollywood seems to think is so great. I went on a diet to feel better about myself and my health; my knee doctor told me to keep my weight down to keep my knees in good shape. Plus some of my clothes for work were not fitting me, so it was either get a new warddrobe or diet. I chose the less expensive route. So I started dieting and exercising. The first 15 pounds came off easily. So far I have lost 20 lbs!! I am now eating better, exercising regularly, and am generally healthier. My clothes fit much better and I am comfortable with the way I look again. My curves are back (real curves not the curves created by clothes), a very important thing to me. I am happy with my appearance and that is the important part. I dieted because I needed to change the way I felt about my self and the way I was eating. I am still losing weight, its just more of a maitenence mode now.

Allergies!

Allergies majorly suck! For the past two days, my eyes have been swollen and painful. I thought when the weather got colder, the pollen and mold counts would go down. Wrong! I have been exhausting the tissue supply and putting cold washclothes over my eyes. So at the moment, contacts and any eye makeup of the sort is out of the question. Hopefully, my eyes will get better soon and I will get to wear my contacts again! Loki also suffers from Spring Allergies. In fact, she is on medicine for it. At one point, poor Lokilu was suffering so bad from allergies, she had to get a shot from the vet. Poor baby was so miserable, scratching and biting everywhere. Her eyes and snout were all red and puffy. She is much better now. The medicine is working wonders.

Recouperating

Okay, I'm a bit sore, but feeling better. I even made it out of the house on Wed! Just to walmart but I escaped! Climber tried to get on my lap, and stepped on my stomach twice...that hurt! Game 1 was rained out, and then Cards dropped game 1 to the pond scum Mets last night. However the rain out is good b/c we can send our ace Chris Carpenter to the mound tonight. Mets keep getting injured, its going to catch up to them. Well I am hurting now so I am going to go relax now. John Rodriguez is keeping a blog on the Cardinals post season, its pretty interesting, click here.
Let's Go Cardinals!!!

JBear's going under the knife

Yep, I'm having surgery Monday afternoon. I am having my gall blader removed. Apparently there are some gall stones and some sludge in there, and I'm in pain, so its got to go. For those who didn't know, I spent two days in the hospital trying to figure out why the heck I was so sick. Don't freak out on me, I'm fine, I have a really high tolerance for pain-but last Monday morning the pain was too intense. Tests came back normal (typical), went to doctor on Tuesday, went back to ER on Wed b/c I wasn't improving, got admitted and and to spend two and a half miserble days at St. Johns Mercy. I didn't tell ppl b/c I didn't want ppl to get scared. I am only telling ppl now b/c I don't want ppl getting all "ohmygosh, you're getting your gall bladder removed!". It's not a big deal, just a little outpatient laproscopic surgery. I will be fine, and hopefully after the surgery my stomach won't hurt all the time
*Warning: I am in no way posting this to get attention-that is the absolute last thing I want. I just don't want ppl worried about me. If anybody thinks that visiting me after my surgery is a good idea, forget it. I don't want any visitors until Thursday at the earliest. I don't like ppl seeing me all incapacitated. Besides Monday I'll be all drugged up. I won't be good company either, trust me. If you want to send flowers, cards, teddy bears thats fine (I am so kidding- a simple get well soon posted on my comments here will do the trick). I don't want this thing blown out of porportion, so I am telling everything now. The procedure is minor, I will feel bad for 3 or 4 days and in 2 weeks I will be fully recovered. I will admit I am a little nervous, but I've had worse surgeries so it's not that bad. I will just have to avoid having Loki jump up on me and hit my stomach. I WILL BE FINE!
*In other news, Loki is doing great. Her spaying went fab, and the stitches are out and everything looks great. Her fur is growing back fast, and she is her normal chaotic self. She did get into some grass seed w/ fertilizer and had red eyes and a swollen snout for a few days. She looked like she was majorly hung over. We gave her a benadryl (vet said this is okay). We also put a wet, cool washcloth over her eyes and that really helped get rid of the red puffy eyes. Poor puppy! Silly puppy is actually a better description, always getting into trouble, maybe she'll learn a lesson from all this. Then again maybe not.

ER/ Graduation/ Summer School

*Sat night was interesting to say the least. First we went to my fave restraunt, Chevys, for my bday dinner. As we were finishing eating, mom starting not feeling well. So I escorted her down to the truck early, by this time her pain was increasing. So when my dad and brother arrived to the truck after paying the bill, we had decided to go to the ER. First we were going to go to St. Johns b/c thats our hospital of choice. Unfortunately, mom was in so much pain we decided to go to St. Josephs b/c it was closer. They gave her some antacids and pain pills. Not exactly sure what caused all of this. So today she went to the hospital (St. Johns) and had an ultrasound of her liver and gall blader- the tech said everything looked good. So now we get to sit on pins and needles until the doc calls back and explains whats up. Hopefully, it will be something minor and the doc can fix her up. Mom says the whole time she was in the ER, she kept telling the nurses that she had to be better by Sunday b/c her daughter was graduating from college.
*On Mother's day, May14, 2006, I graduated from UMSL. Well, actually I walked across the stage and won't "graduate" until August. It was cool though, I am so close to being done. I got to walk w/ my friends and my parents got to see me "graduate". As the second generation of my family to graduate from HS and College, its really cool!
* Today I started my first summer school class. Not bad, the prof. seems like a cool guy. I've heard this class is hard, but we'll see.
*I PASSED MY LEGAL ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS CLASS!!! Okay, sorry I had to cheer, b/c I was sooo worried I wasn't going to pass b/c I did not do well in that class, but I went to class every time, spoke up in class, and attended some review sessions. Apparently my "hand grenades" (as the prof called 'em) that I tried to work in daily paid off. Nice!
*Whoever posted the last comment on my last post- you made me smile and laugh!!! Thanks!!!

I hate needles!

Whoohoo! The doc has three options before sending me to the neurosurgeon and let him give me his options. So lots of options before ppl even think of sending me under the knife! So it looks like I am going to get an epidural- a big old shot in my lower back. Can you say ouch? Seriously, I can't stand needles, I even hate IV's (and I've had more than my share of those thank you very much). "It'll just feel like a bee sting" they say soothingly. Bee stings hurt!!! So what the doc wants to do is have someone who does these things all the time and shoot steriods into my back, just below my spinal cord. The cord isn't there but the nerves are. There is small chance (very small) that something could go wrong. Unfortunately for yours truely, I happen to slip into those small percentages almost every time. Ex- this only happens with 10 % of patients...I was one of that percentage. Even my doc has noticed I do this a lot. Not my fault, by any means, I am just odd like that. No comments from the peanut gallery please. Wish me luck, I probally have to call the doc on Monday and get the injection set up. Oh joy!

You're too young for this....

That's what everyone keeps telling me about my back. Well, apparently my body doesn't give a rat's tail about my age. I got my results from my MRI, if you hadn't figured it out by now. I have a herniated disk. The doctor wants me to see a neurosurgeon, and I tell my parents this and they both say "You're not having surgery!". Umm, I didn't know surgery was an option at this point. Way to freak me out, thanks. So now I'm scared b/c I don't know whats going to happen or how I'm supposed to get better. My Spring Break plans are gone; I can't go and do what I want b/c my stupid back. Great. Could somebody please invent a shot that cures everything and give it to me? When that is invented, let me know!