No news is good news, right?

Yesterday I called the heart clinic to which my insurance referred me so that I could make an appointment to have my ticker evaluated. To my surprise, they had openings this morning. I dropped the kids off at school and headed to the doctor's office.

My fellow waiting room-ers were all well over the age of 70. I chatted with them while we waited. They all assumed I was there with/for my parents. hee!

After filling out the equivalent of a book or two of paperwork - seriously - why do they keep asking the same questions over and over on different forms? Annoying. It's almost as bad as closing a mortgage up in there.  But after I finished filling out forms, they processed me (read: entered my info into the computer. I hope they had to type my name, address, and insurance information as many times as I had to write it) and took me back to the exam room.

In the exam room, there was an ultrasound machine, a bed, and a treadmill and other assorted things that didn't register with me because, well, it didn't look important. I would not make a good partner for Jason Bourne today, that's for damn sure. I made a crack to the technician about borrowing the treadmill when we finished since I was at this appointment instead of being at the gym. She was was not amused.

"Get undressed from the waist up and put on this gown (more like a vest, actually) with the opening in the front."

Umm, okay. I guess we are doing this together then.

I hesitated for a second and she asked tiredly, "do you want me to leave the room? I can leave if you aren't comfortable."

Lemme think about this for a second.....
 1) the vest will be opening in front, so she's going to see everything anyway - and it's not like my chest is dipped in gold.
 2) the blinds are open, so anyone strolling around outside could see in if they really wanted to whether or not I'm in this room alone.
 3) time is money, people. Well, okay, not so much for me - but definitely for them.
 4) to be the size I am, I'm pretty comfortable in my own skin, and pretty comfortable with being uncovered as long as it doesn't involve jumping or jiggling my fat around for the mirth of others - so it's not going to bother me to undress around someone especially after some of my German life experiences. (Read about a really good one here.)
 5) I'm pretty doggone confident I don't have anything that she hasn't already seen before like 20,000 times.

"No, it's okay."

And I stripped from the waist up, put on the vest, and hopped onto the bed.

Once on the bed, she had me turn onto my left side with my left arm sticking straight out in front of me. Then she took my blood pressure - putting the cuff around my left arm. Just a guess, but I'm thinking since my body weight was bearing down on my left arm that it might make the reading high. Indeed, it was high. She didn't seem the least bit concerned. Neither my heart or brain exploded, which was awesome, but since I was in a heart specialty office within a hospital, I felt pretty confident someone close by could help if something was majorly wrong. At the very least, someone in the office should know CPR, right?

So began the echo doppler ultrasound. Gotta say, it was seriously cool even though I had no idea at all what I was looking at. I got to hear the blood flowing through the different chambers of my heart and I could actually hear the heart murmur. Or what I thought was the heart murmur. I'm not sure if that's good or bad, though. The echo ultrasound only took about 20 minutes start to finish. It was totally worth having to lie half naked on a table by a window with open blinds in a hunched but also slightly twisted position. Next time I have one of these, I'm totally wearing pasties with tassles, just for fun.

This afternoon, the doctor's office called - twice - wanting information for my primary care manager's (aka regular doctor's) office so they could send the results over. That worried me a little, but no one called and told me to report ASAP to the hospital or other medical facility, so I figure no news is good news.

Workout Wednesday

PROGRESS! On Saturday, R and I headed to the gym for a little stress relief. It was busy and I really wasn't in the mood to plod along on a machine. I decided to test myself. There's a very small track that runs around the outside of the cardio equipment. Time to trog (trot + jog = trog) along. So! My plan was to walk a lap, trog a lap. I ended up following this pattern for a mile, which means that technically, I trogged a half a mile.

::Fist pump:: YES!

I was breathing heavily by the end, but not heaving or gasping. I can't even begin to remember the last time I know I made it half a mile in anything above a walk. The fact that R made it over two miles on the treadmill to my one mile on the track didn't bother me at all. After all, he runs for a living. Sort of.

I wish my swim on Sunday had gone as well. :( I didn't finish the entire sixteen laps, but my form and my speed are improving. In all honestly, Saturday was such a crazy day that I was just flat out tired, and I'm pretty sure that was 80% of my problem. A big inhale of water combined with having to share a swim lane accounted for the other 20%. I had forgotten how much it burns to inhale water. Blech! I also apparently do not share a swim lane well. Even though I was sharing with R, it threw off my rhythm and swim mojo. Which translated means that I was being a big ol' baby about being crowded. And being left in the dust by R and his aquatic awesomeness. coughshowoffcough

Monday, I let S sleep in, so I didn't workout until the afternoon Zumba class. It was so crowded! Zumba is a good workout, but I wasn't feeling into all the bouncing on Monday and felt like I didn't get a good enough workout  - which is hilarious to me since two years ago, I honestly considered climbing a couple flights of stairs a 'good' workout. These days, I want lots of sweat and heavy breathing and exertion from a workout. As a result, I skipped the cool down and walked just under a mile around the track at the Y.

Since T was home sick from school yesterday, I couldn't take him to the Y. I had a PTO committee meeting last night so I couldn't go to Zumba. That meant I didn't get a workout in at all. Scratch that. That meant I didn't make the time for a workout yesterday.This morning, though, I got an hour and 30 minutes of cardio in - 35 minutes and 3.5 miles on the elliptical, 25 minutes and 1 mile on the arc trainer, and 30 minutes and a little over 6 miles on the bike. Not too shabby.

Thankful Tuesday

This week, I'm mostly thankful for.....everything.

Thankful I'm here, thankful my kids are healthy and happy. Well, happy most of the time.

Thankful that S had a wonderful fourth birthday and we had family and friends here to share it with us.

I'm thankful that I didn't have shovel snow even though it snowed Friday and Saturday.

I'm thankful that people I worked with 7 years ago not only remember me, but are willing to give me glowing references - for a volunteer position.

I'm thankful that my Dad and I have a much better relationship these days.

I'm thankful I've been able to let go of some serious long term grudges.

I'm thankful that the people I love have love around them as well.

I'm thankful for my husband in too many ways to list here.

I'm thankful for tax refunds.

I'm thankful for all the men and women who, past, present, and future, have put their lives on the line for our freedom and our country. I'm thankful to their families for their sacrifices too.

I'm thankful for Extra dessert flavored gum - seriously? It's heavenly.

I'm thankful for my fellow bloggers. Your writing blows me away.

I'm thankful for sweatpants. Ironic as this is, sometimes my fat layer needs a little help keeping me warm. Especially when I forget to turn the heat back on.

I'm thankful for friends and much needed, overdue chats.

I'm thankful for all the luxuries it's easy to take for granted - clean, abundant drinking water, ample food (sometimes too ample), clothing, transportation, medical care, heat and air conditioning on demand, and a roof over my head.

I'm thankful God forgives our sins as plentiful and repetitive as they may be.

News flash - I'm boring. Oh well...

This morning, T climbed into bed with me around 6am and promptly went back to sleep. I'm not crazy about the idea of the kids sleeping in our bed - mostly because we've spent most of the winter being sick in one form or another. And by 'we've' I really mean me. This state has horrible wellness juju. Horrible. But if he went right back to sleep, I was okay with letting him stay there. I, however, got up not long after I realized he was still in our bed. It just doesn't start my day off well to have either of my adorable little munchkins coughing or sneezing in my face.

Last week, Mom and Richard were here. For the sake of laziness and because I also think it's clever, let's just call them Brichard from here on out. You know, like Brangelina or Bennifer. heh. Mid visit, as expected, they both got sick. Sigh. Of course it went from 80 and serious sunshine to freezing, high winds, and snow in the course of 4 days....so it wasn't totally unexpected. Richard has a horrible cough - a sounds like you are coughing up your lung cough - that Mom tells me he's had for weeks.  Great. Bring it on over!

By Sunday night, both of the kids are coughing away. ::defeated sigh:: This morning, T comes downstairs and curls up next to me on the couch and he coughs and coughs and coughs and coughs and coughs. Then he starts to gasp/wheeze when he breathes in. Then he says he doesn't feel good and asks if he can stay home from school. T never, ever wants to stay home from school. Mostly, he tells me, because I'm boring. ::snort!::

I call and make him an appointment to see a doctor today. He's ready and willing to go. He MUST be sick! We take S to school, do some errands, pick her up and head to the doctor's office.

Diagnosis: allergies and an ear infection that's minor enough that no antibiotics were prescribed - but I'm taking him back in a week to make sure everything is okay. I'm so glad it's nothing more serious. When he was coughing and wheezing this morning, I was really concerned.

And I don't think he'll be anxious to stay home from school again. He didn't get to do anything fun today. When he complained that he was bored and this was boring and I was boring I had the perfect answer ready for him.

Welcome to your sick day, sweet pea!

New Beginnings

Last week, I ended up in the doctor's office again. Testing for strep. Again. And of course I had it. Again.

I'm starting to think there's a stream-o-strep that everyone knows about and avoids walking through but me.

In the course of the exam, the doctor noticed an abnormality with my heart beat. My freshman year of college, I found out during a routine physical that I had a heart murmur. I asked Mom about it then and it turns out I've had it my whole life, but wasn't ever told about. Umm, alrighty then.

So, life continued on normally, and I usually only give it any thought when I have to go to a new dentist because I'm supposed to be on antibiotics when I have dental work done (this according to the last heart murmur related exam I had, oh, 11 years or so ago).

But now I'm having to think about it because the doctor who examined me decided I needed to have a closer look taken at my heart. I agree. If there's something wrong, especially if it's potentially serious, I'd rather know sooner rather than later.

I got the referral paperwork in the mail this weekend. I haven't called yet. The only reason? I'm terrified. But I'm dealing with it. Of course I'll call and schedule the appointment. I'm hoping that it's minor or easily fixable. Only one way to find out.

However, there is some good that's already come from this. It's become crystal clear that I worry about some unnecessary crap. That. Has. Ended.

Welcome, self, to the new evolution. Hang on.

Defining appropriate

Lately, my go-to word with the kids has been 'appropriate'.

As in:

No, T. You may not watch King of the Hill even though it's a cartoon. That's not an appropriate show for a six year old.

or

No, S. We can not listen to the trailer park girls go 'round the outside song (Eminem) right now because Mommy's version has language that is not appropriate for a three year old.

or

T, I realize that (fill in the blank) does, indeed, suck - but suck is not an appropriate word for you to use. Especially at church, school, or with Grammy.

and my favorite and most often uttered -

Kids! Please do not (fill in the blank) at dinner. That is not appropriate behavior. 
Here are our most common blank fillers -  a) burp b) fart c) lick the table d) put your mouth at plate/bowl level and shovel the food in e) use the words butt, poop, pee, or stupid in a sentence

Last night, after putting the kids to bed, I was downstairs attempting to watch a movie (R rated) when T comes downstairs to tell me he came untucked and needs me to tuck him back in.

I tell him to go back upstairs and that I'll be there in a minute to re-tuck him. He pauses for a second, looks at the TV and says in a disapproving voice, "Mom! You should not be watching that movie. You already say enough bad words and that? Is not appropriate."

Oh my - he is SO my child. God bless his little disadvantaged heart.

'do me

The last professional intervention my hair experienced was in December. It actually still looked decent other than the highlights that had grown out Carrie Bradshaw style. So, really, some attention was called for.

On a whim and since Mom is here this week, I made an appointment with a stylist at the same place I get all my waxing needs attended to.

Gotta admit it, I was a bit nervous. The lady that normally does my hair is soooo nice and did a good job, but I had to cancel an appointment in November and just never got around to rescheduling. Now it's been so long that I'm a bit embarrassed to go back. I know that's silly, but it's just how I am.

But you know? Everything turned out fine, as these things usually do. I decided to simply color my hair this time instead of just highlighting or highlighting and coloring.  It's darker than it's been in a long time, but I'm kinda digging it today. The cut seems pretty versatile, which is awesome. It's shorter than I've had in a long time, but I can deal.

I didn't do much to it this morning, and I had quite a long day, but as I sat down to write this, the ol' helmet head still looked fair to middlin'. Hard to complain about that, right?

Here's me goofing around right before I collapse into bed in 54 seconds.

Oh - and the bonus plan? This cut and color process was about $35 less than I expected to pay. Gotta love the awesomesauce surprises, right? Right!!

Ignore the crazy eyes, I'm trying to smile naturally ::snort!::

Whatchooo talkin' about Willis?!?

Who you callin' wild, child?!?