Life...

• I have been alive almost 45 years.
• I have been married almost 25 of those years.
• I cannot remember much of my life.
• Time tends to blur things.
• I really do not like politics.
• They are all liars.
• Republicans and Democrats alike. 
• I am selfish.
• Sometimes I want to be alone with no children and no husband and no pets.
• If I knew then what I know now, things would be different.
• I would never choose to parent a mentally challenged child.  
• Because I am selfish.
• As I get older, and closer to death, I think more about me instead of others.
• What have I done with my life? Is it everything I want?
• Because I am selfish.
• But being selfish isn't a bad thing to me.  Not anymore.
• I need to be me.  
• Being me makes me happy.
• For 18 years I was Olaf's wife.
• Now I am Misty.
• Strong.
• Independent.
• Self sufficient.
• Funny.
• Authentic.
• Yes...transparent and authentic.

Posting from my phone

Who would have thought that I would be posting a blog with my phone? Not only that, it is correcting my one thumb typing. (my other arm is around Simon. And I spelled half if those words wrong, including simon. But my awesome phone corrected it.)

Not a lot to say today. I mowed, mower broke again, I drank Jameson, Olaf took Josiah to Cub Scouts, and here I sit. Pretty typical day. Caleb has had diarrhea for almost 2 weeks. Fun. Not.

Hey there, Hi there, Ho there...

You're as welcome as can be.  M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E! 

HEE!  I am so silly.  Does anyone remember the Original Mickey Mouse Club?  I used to watch it all the time as a kid.  Annette, Darlene, Bobby...  Black and white.  My favorite.  It was destiny to be a Disney fanatic.  I grew up so poor, I thought I would NEVER see Disney. Then I joined the Air Force and was stationed at George AFB, CA (Victorville) and guess what?  I went to Disneyland at least four times from 1988 to 1991.  I cannot wait to head BACK to Disneyland in January.  I am sure it has changed A LOT from 1991, and I cannot wait to take my children.  We will spend three days there and then fly to Hawaii for our 25th wedding anniversary.  Yep, the Disney Aulani Resort!  I hope Caleb does OK.  I am worried about that. 

Caleb has had, what I think is, the rotavirus for almost two weeks now.  It started like a normal stomach virus and then progressed to this awful diarrhea that just will not stop.  He has missed so much school.  If it doesn't stop in the next few days, I need to get a stool sample in. It started October 4th and here it is the 15th and he still has diarrhea!

My birthday is November 9th.  I think I am going to hang out at the Alamo for a few hours to celebrate with my friends.  If you are local and want to come, PLEASE DO!  It should be a lot of fun.  I'll be there about 9 pm.  You can buy me a drink. :0)

HA!

I actually blogged, but never published it.  Weird.  So, you get two blog posts back to back.  Isn't that special...

First of all, let me say that I cannot believe people still come here to check on my blog.  I don't know who you are, but I am glad you are interested in my life.

We leave Saturday bright and early for a few days at Disney World.  We will be back Tuesday.  I am so lucky to have found a great house/pet sitter while we are away.  Especially with Kidani.  Things will be tricky for awhile until she is fully trained.  She is a spoiled, spoiled dog.  We all love her so much.  (so much that we special order dog food that you cannot buy locally!) 

So, update on the children.  Caleb is at Newnan High School and is adjusting nicely.  He goes skating every week and to Target etc.  As usual, he rides the bus and loves it.  Camille (who prefers to be called Cami) is almost done with high school although this is only her junior year.  She has Advanced Math, Physics, American Government, Spanish 2, and I think one other course to take before she will graduate.  She takes the SAT on December 1st at Newnan High School.  This will give us an idea what she will need to improve on to enter college.  Her plans are for West Georgia for a semester so she can apply for the Disney College Program.  At least that is the plan right now. She loves to travel, so who knows...Grace is a Cadette in Girl Scouts and likes it.  All the girls are in the seventh grade except Grace.  Fortunately for me, most of them are dorky and brainy and not the "typical" seventh grade girl.  Josiah is in Cub Scouts too.  He doesn't like school, but tolerates it.  Simon is five and there is NO WAY he could be in Kindergarten this year.  He is slightly autistic I think.  There are a few issues anyway.  I try to do school in a sneaky way, but if we sit down to do something formal, he melts down.  He is an enigma, but I am glad I had him later in life or I would be freaking out right now. 

Olaf is now on a Fentanyl Patch for pain.  It doesn't get much stronger than that.  I hope he never needs pain meds in the hospital because they will have to put him in a coma to relieve the pain.  The only thing stronger is Dilaudid.  As for me, well I am just taking things one day at a time.  My children drive me batty some days and I wonder WHY I home school.  It sure would be nice to have the break.  Then some days I am truly grateful for the extra time I have with them.  If I died today, I would have had so much more time with my children than most women.  Hmmm...let me do some quick calculating.  If a child is in school for 30 hours a week (roughly) starting at age five, then I have had an extra 550 DAYS with Camille so far.  That is a year and a half! I'll take it.

And that's it for tonight.  Perhaps I will be back shortly.  Leave a comment if you stop by.  I'd like to know who is reading.  

I love Jameson Irish Whiskey and Bombay Sapphire Martinis, but I am trying to lose weight and alcohol impedes my weight loss.  I still love my Visalus shakes, but I just re-read a book called "Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It" which advocates a low carb lifestyle.  Now, I have done low carb before and I absolutely LOVE eating that way.  The problem is my body doesn't respond with weight loss.  I track my carbs and limit them to 20 (or less) a day and still do not lose a lot of weight.  The weight melts off most people, but not Misty.  Thankfully my shakes are low carb so I can still have one for breakfast or a snack if I want to, but honestly the great thing about low carb eating is you can eat and not feel hungry. For what it's worth, the book is really interesting and great reading.  Then again, so are all the vegan books I love like "The China Study" and "Forks Over Knives."

So happy that fall TV is starting back.  Once Upon A Time started last night.  We love that show.  The other shows we watch are The Middle and Modern Family.  Raising Hope is also a fun show but we always forget to watch it.  We need to set the DVR.  

We still have boxes in the house and we have lived here since-May!  I'm too lazy to unpack I suppose.  It sure is nice having all this room though.  Oh, and we just adopted a new puppy two weeks ago.  She is part mastiff so she will be huge.  Someone cropped her ears when she was just a baby with scissors.  This is a link to a video of her story.  She is such a smart dog and we love her so much. We have renamed her Kidani which means necklace in Swahili and is also our home Disney Resort at Animal Kingdom.  As soon as we changed her name, she knew it instantly.  It's almost as if it was destiny.  

I really need to blog more often...

Today is Caleb's 17th birthday!  Seventeen years ago, Jennifer (Caleb's birth mother) gave birth to a baby boy and made me a mother.  I will always and forever think about her on this day.  How brave and selfless she was to allow Olaf and I to parent her baby.  Jennifer, if you happen upon my blog...thank you.  Thank you just doesn't even do justice for the gift you have given us.  Caleb is happy, healthy, and loved by six people in our family.  He has many friends, plays baseball, and loves us unconditionally.  And I will always think about you today...

ten secrets

I don't even think I have ten secrets. I am an authentic person and there is no facade with me. What you see, is what you get, BABY! But, I'll try. Not like anyone reads this blog anyway.

1. I love, love, love giving gifts. Especially to people who don't expect them. I also spoil my Pure Romance Hostesses like crazy.

2. I don't like children. I like my own children, but I don't like other people's children. And I am a Girl Scout leader!

3. I am lazy. I don't like to do housework or homeschooling. Moving is going to KILL me!

4. I am finally ready for Olaf to have a vasectomy!

5. I am an unfundamentalist christian. www.johnshore.com is one of my favorite blogs.

6. I had a breast lift in 2009. So glad I did it! Wish I would have gotten implants at the same time.

7. I hate pedicures. They tickle. But I do it because I need it.

8. I want a big huge diamond ring from Olaf, but we cannot afford it. Therefore I would be mad if he bought one for me. I would return it! (and I'm talking gorgeous huge!)

9. I have NO problem being truthful and living authentically. Not really a secret, is it...

10. I have no attachment to my siblings. They are strangers to me.

Whew, that was tough!

Finally

I think I am on the upswing. Days 5-8 were bad. I was in a lot of pain. But today, I am feeling better.

Olaf and Josiah are building a soap box derby car for Boy Scouts. Well, Olaf is building and yelling at Josiah. I'm sure that will be a happy memory. I am in no shape (or mood) to go referee. I can barely speak and still feel weak. I guess I'm thankful tomorrow is Monday and he goes back to work. The children go back to school tomorrow as well. Cami needs to get busy with her Algebra 2 and Chemistry.

Time to get back to healthy eating as soon as my throat is better.

Yep-the pain gets worse

It's true! Yesterday my tongue was killing me and I was certain it was thrush. I took a Diflucan yesterday and my tongue is feeling better today. That said, good golly my throat hurts!! The morning is the absolute worst. Until I eat and drink and get Lortab in me, it sucks really bad. My follow up appointment with Dr. H is tomorrow at 2:00. I am going to make Olaf drive me because I still feel loopy when I am on my feet. I must say, having surgery and being waited on hand and foot is really nice. I could get used to this.

Post Op Day 4

Still doing good. I kind of feel like my entire mouth is coated in thrush, but I think it's just my tonsillectomy. Still laying in bed because Olaf took today off since he wasn't feeling well himself. Tomorrow will be the test when Olaf goes back to work and I have to be the mommy again.

My friends have been fabulous and brought dinner for us. I am so blessed with great friends. Renee, Becky, Robin, and another Renee have brought us dinner so far. That has helped our family so much.

I am still taking Lortab every four hours. I would love to take Motrin, but Dr. H said not to. I spilled a bottle of my Lortab, so I may not enough to make it through the pain. I have a post op appointment on Friday, so if I need more I will ask him then.

Sleeping has not been a problem for me as long as I am on my side. I cannot exhale when I am on my back. I love Mayfield Snow Cream Popsicles! Oh my word. They are terrific!

Post Op Day 2

Today hurts a little more than yesterday, however it is still very bearable. I cannot talk as easily and the sides of my tongue seem to hurt worse than my throat. I am plowing through the Lortab and will probably need another refill before it's all said and done. I have not lost any weight because I am able to eat pretty well. Sitting in bed and eating = gaining weight. That sucks because I was counting on losing some weight during this process. Cold things still feel much better than warm things on my throat. Ice water, popsicles, Italian Ice, etc. I am wearing an ice pack on my throat a couple times a day still. I am running the humidifier day and night. Everything in my room is wet. I know it is helping me a lot though as when I wake up my throat doesn't hurt any worse than normal. I started taking Zithromax today. Since I am already on Benadryl and steroids, who knows if I am having an allergic reaction to it. Overall, I am doing quite well. Very manageable at this point and much less pain so far than I anticipated.

Post Op-Day 1

I guess this is my first day post-op! I am doing remarkably well today and still waiting for that horrific pain to set in that everyone assures me will come. I am still taking Lortab every four hours. Today I added in my antibiotic, Keflex, which I had an allergic reaction to. So they called in Amoxicillan, and guess what? My face got hot, red, and puffy. Tomorrow is New Year's Day and they will call in a Z-Pack to Walgreens as my Publix pharmacy is not open. I am now taking 50 mg of Benedryl every six hours and 20 mg of Prednisone per day for four days to fight the allergic reaction to the antibiotic. Fun! Other than that little set back, all is good. I have eaten lots of that rice casserole, Italian Ice, Popsicles, Gellato, and pudding. I am drinking ice water still. Anything cold is still preferable to anything warm at this point. I also ate a scrambled egg this morning, but I didn't really enjoy it. It wasn't hard to eat though. So things that I did today:

• eat, eat, and drink.
• wore my neck ice pack about three times today
• took Lortab every four hours like clockwork
• watched Netflix and stayed in bed

Hopefully, tomorrow night's update will be as good as this one. Those online forums are telling me the ball WILL drop (hey, tonight's New Years Eve and the ball really will drop!) and I AM going to have a lot of pain. I'm just waiting for it.

Adult Tonsillectomy-Day of surgery

I had my surgery this morning about 10 am. I think I left the outpatient surgery center around noon. Dr. Heindel did find a constriction in my esophagus, right behind my voice box, due to acid reflux. He "stretched it" (however you do that) and told me I must take Zantac twice a day regularly in order to keep it open. So, now I have my very first "needed" medicine. I have never taken an Rx before because I "had" to. That is weird for me. Anyway, I felt pretty good today. As the day wears on, my pain is increasing. I know that day three and beyond will be a lot worse than I am right now. So my stats today look like this:

• I am eating and drinking a lot. I have eaten 6 snack pack puddings, 4 Italian Ice, 2 bowls of a rice casserole a friend brought over for dinner, one slice of homemade pound cake, half a milkshake from Chick-Fil-A, and lots of water. Cold drinks feel much better than warm things. I am also chewing ice which feels really good when I swallow.
• I have been sitting in bed and letting everyone wait on me hand and foot. I think rest is probably essential to healing.
• I have used an ice pack on my neck a few times. It feels good and I think it might be helping with swelling.
• I am taking my Lortab every 4 hours without fail. I watch the clock the last hour, because I really want to take it. The pain is not unbearable, but it sits at a 7 or so. It goes down to a 3 or 4 with Lortab for a few hours.
• There is a cool mist humidifier running non-stop in my bedroom where I am holed up. I love it.
• My tonsils are already beginning to scab. I can feel it. I know the pain will get a lot worse before it gets better.

This is me right now! Pretty.

Adult Tonsillectomy

Yeah, I titled that on purpose so that if someone should use that term in a Google search, my blog might show up. The fact is, I am getting a tonsillectomy tomorrow. I am a 44 year old female and have been all over the web reading horror story after horror story about the recovery from this elective surgery. I am scared, but ready. I am more frightened at the thought of vomiting than the pain at this point, but that might change once I feel how awful the pain is. :0) So, keep coming back for updates on the healing process (and photos...be warned.) I doubt I will post tomorrow in my anesthesia fog, but hopefully on New Years Day there will be a post. Here's to weight loss, liquid lortab, and streaming Netflix.

Random thoughts...

• My dog is ten years old now and has psychological problems. He will only poop on cement since having an impacted anal gland. This does not make me happy as this means he poops on the sidewalk leading to our house, or the front porch. I hate him.
• Simon really needs to sleep in his own bed so I can have sex with my husband.
• I cannot wait for the weight loss after my tonsillectomy. I hope to be 150 pounds by July.
• Right now I am drinking a Sam Adams Lager. No weight loss drinking like that.
• Cami is going to Valencia, Spain this summer on an exchange program. I want to be her.
• Josiah has a very small head and huge feet. He is almost 9 years old.
• Sometimes raising children feels like being pecked to death by a duck.
• Mark Zuckerberg could be the antichrist. Think about it.

Why don't I blog more often?

Mostly because I am on Facebook. I guess I think everyone is and therefore there is no need to blog here.

So...

Olaf's health is declining rapidly. We are actually talking about disability. It is horrible and I hate it for him. He is trying to get disability from the VA, but we haven't gotten approved or denied yet. He lives on painkillers and his tolerance is going up. It takes more medicine to take away the pain now. Never a good sign.

I am having a tonsillectomy on the 30th of this month. I am scared shitless. I have been to this site and I am even more scared. Basically it is to look down my throat to see why I am having trouble swallowing and since Dr. Heindel thinks my tonsils are part of the problem, he wants to yank them out. The great thing about the surgery is weight loss! I have lost over 30 pounds so far and am counting on another 10 after surgery.

I need to do a vlog, but I don't have any room on my computer for the video. I guess I need a new computer. Or figure out how to move this stuff somewhere else.

That's about it in a nutshell.

So much for those updates...

I suck. I juiced through Sunday and then ate something on Day 8. I am eating vegan right now for a lot of reasons. 1. It is easier to adjust to eating from fasting when you aren't putting crap into your body. 2. I watched the documentary called Forks Over Knives and was amazed at what this lifestyle can accomplish for your health. I really, really want to eat this way forever. I don't want to be all Gung Ho, then slip back into my standard american diet. I want to lose weight permanently and regain my health in the process. I'm not going to do that by eating pizza and fast food. I am committed and I will regain my health. Let's face it, someone needs to live long enough to raise these children. I am hoping Olaf joins me on this lifestyle, but I cannot force him. He truly is a junk food junkie and would eat pizza and ice cream every day of his life if he could. He says he will try, but only time will tell. Especially since we are going to Disney soon. That will be the ultimate test.

Day 3 of my juice fast

I am feeling fine. I want to eat, but I am not really hungry. Olaf started yesterday and had an awful day. He was so tired and felt like poo. He is feeling a little better today. My mornings consist of a concoction of fruit juice and then I drink mostly vegetable juice mixed with some fruit for the rest of the day. My favorite "green" recipe thus far is:

A couple of handfuls of spinach

2 romaine leaves

1 or 2 celery stalks

1 large carrot (or 2 regular size)

thumb nail size of ginger

half of a zucchini

one small green apple

one pear

I tried beets in my juice and about barfed. I am NOT a beet person. Olaf made a spicy juice that I couldn't tolerate either. Mostly because it had a beet in it. The jalepeno didn't bother me too much. Tonight we are going to try a tomato juice and heat it up. It has tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, red bell peppers, and 1/4 of a red onion. We will juice it and then heat it up to see if it tastes like soup. :0)

Maybe next time I'll vlog!

I started this thing

I started my juice fast today. A day earlier than I was going to. But I had some great produce here that was starting to go bad and I thought, "why not?" It is 3:35 pm and I am hungry, but I know in a few days that hunger will subside and I will feel great. I need to prepare myself for the next three days though. Low energy, headaches from caffeine withdraw, etc. Olaf is starting tomorrow, so we are making juice for the entire day tonight. There are a lot of recipes and great information at Join the Reboot! Let's DO this thang!!

Edited to add: My green juice today was spinach, celery, cucumber, carrots, green apple, and pear. My (breakfast) fruit juice was apple and pear. I bought a bunch of produce today at Sam's and I am looking forward to orange juice tomorrow morning. I also made a smoothie tonight with one ripe banana, a few frozen raspberries and about 1/2 cup of almond milk in the blender. I am not sure if the almond milk is "cheating" but it was good.

Let the juice fast begin

Olaf and I are starting a juice fast on Monday and I am so excited about it. I watched the movie Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead a couple of weeks ago. I hauled out my juicer (yes, I actually have one!) and started concocting juices and drinking them in addition to my Weight Watchers diet that I have been doing. But I really, really wanted to do a 10 day juice fast. To clean my system out and detoxify my body. If I lose weight in the process then that is fine by me. I will post here daily with my thoughts on the process. I'm sure the first few days will be rough, but I am super excited anyway. I'll post Monday night.