Getting to know me - Have I ever?

Have you ever...?

• Eaten an entire box of Oreos Yuck no.
• Thought about eating an entire box of Oreos No
• Baked a cake Yes!
• Cooked Thanksgiving Dinner for a group Yep.
• Eaten sushi Ew no!
• Been on stage Yes
• Gone skating Yes
• Made homemade cookies Yes
• Gone skinny dipping Maybe?? Can't quite remember for sure
• Dyed your hair No
• Broken a bone Yes
• Been hospitalized overnight Yes
• Had your name appear in the newspaper Yes
• Published a story, poem, novel... Yes
• Played a game that required removal of clothing Yes
• Gotten drunk or extremely intoxicated No
• Been arrested No 
• Changed your name Only my last name 
• Changed your "look" Not really
• Changed who you were to fit in Not really
• Traveled outside the country Yes

Getting to know me - my creative outlets

Creative outlets: Do you...

• Paint or draw Not nearly as much as I'd like
• Sculpt, do pottery, mold clay... No
• Build scale models No 
• Collect... (what?) Not really
• Write (what?) Yes. I write what I need to write. My posts here, fiction, writing to express something I need to get out.
• Compose music No
• Choreograph dances LOLno.
• Dance I wish
• Develop software Not a chance. That's a language I don't understand.
• Meditate I don't think I'm capable. 
• Daydream All the time.

Getting to know me - leisure time activities

Leisure Time: Do you like to...

• Read Oh my goodness, yes
• Go out, anywhere! Sometimes
• Go dancing I used to - not so much now
• See a show can be fun, at times
• Rent a video Does anyone do this anymore? Netflix family here :)
• Listen to music Certainly yes
• Go for a walk Definitely
• Watch television Yep. Favorites are Sherlock (BBC version), Doctor Who, Sherlock, The Blacklist, Sherlock, Castle, Supernatural, Bones, and I can't forget Sherlock.  O, and Arrow, and Orange is the New Black. 
• Surf the web um... duh! 
  
• Chat with friends online Yes. Great way to keep in touch with long distance friends!
• Meet people for coffee and conversation Not nearly as often as I'd like!
• Go to a party Do kids' birthday parties count?
• Stay home Of course.
• ...? I'm guessing this is for what else I do for leisure? Write. Play The Sims (or more accurately, build amazing houses and then never play the families). Do yard work (yes, I enjoy it). 

Frustration.

I'm at the frustrating part of my recovery. Yesterday, I had my post-op checkup and my staples removed. Then I stopped by a kids' consignment store and finished up Sophie's fall & winter wardrobe, visited my husband at his office, and then to Target next to his office for some ointment because my skin's reaction to the adhesive tape was worse than the incision itself and I was going crazy with the itching. Since it was my first day out and around, and driving independently, since my surgery, I ended up spending an hour in Target. Then, I visited with a coworker and had another errand to run before picking Sophie up, then picking up my oldest from school and taking her to work. I ended up being gone for over 7 hours. And I felt GREAT all day long.

Then, I went to bed. I fell asleep rather quickly, but woke several times overnight with my muscles aching and spasming, from my back to my toes. And this morning was just as miserable. I took a muscle relaxer to help, but it didn't. I was hurting, and so lethargic I couldn't even hold my kindle to read. Finally Sophie woke up and brought me the glass of iced coffee I had in the fridge and I took my pain pill. We snuggled in my bed for another hour and a half before I was able to get up for the day.

Then, grocery shopping. I couldn't even make it through the store without stopping to rest in one of the chairs at the pharmacy. I know I did too much yesterday, but I felt great all day! The limitations in what I can do is so very frustrating to me.

Thankfully, the actual back pain is GONE. The surgery was a success. I know it will take time for my body to recover - I mean, the surgeon operated on my spine! I just am impatient to get back to normal again. I've felt useless for too long.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Princess Sophie has a fun day

Once upon a time, Princess Sophie and her big sister, Princess Emma, decided to spend a fun day together, since it was summertime and school was out. They started out by playing with their dogs, Sir Angus and Sir Tucker, in the garden. Then, they took the dogs to the park.

They walked the dogs in the park, but Sir Angus kept chasing the ducks! He chased them right into the lake! The girls laughed and laughed. Sir Angus ran back to the girls and jumped all over Princess Sophie, getting her all wet. Princess Emma laughed at her dripping wet sister, until Sir Angus turned and soaked her, too!

Since they were both already wet, Princess Emma called and asked a palace helper to bring them towels and dry clothes, then the girls tied the dogs to a tree to keep them from running away, and jumped in the lake themselves. They had fun swimming and playing in the water.

When they finished swimming, Princess Emma and Princess Sophie went for ice cream. It was so yummy. After eating their ice cream, they went to the library. Dogs were welcome in all buildings in their kingdom. Princess Sophie picked out four books to read, since she was four years old.

Princess Sophie and Princess Emma finally went back home to the palace, where they read books together. It was a very fun, happy day.

The end.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Princess Sophie has a party

I wanted to rush Sophie's bedtime story last night, so I told her I'd make up a story. Her reactions to each detail were so wonderful that the story kept continuing, and she has asked for more made-up stories. Here is the first Princess Sophie story.


Once upon a time, there was a little princess with red hair and blue eyes, named Sophie. She had a big sister, Princess Emma, and two faithful dogs, Sir Angus and Sir Tucker. She played with them in the palace garden, playing chase and fetch, and having a great time. The palace cook brought Princess Sophie her lunch in the garden, with enough to share with Sir Angus and Sir Tucker.



One day, Princess Emma was going to a ball. Sophie thought this was wonderful, and asked her sister if she could go to the ball also. "Don't be silly," Princess Emma said to her. "This ball is for grown-up princesses only!" Princess Sophie was not happy. "You're not a grownup either! I'm going to ask Mommy and Daddy!" So Princess Sophie asked the king and queen if she could go to the ball. Her mommy, the queen, told Sophie that the ball is for big princesses only, but Princess Sophie could have her own ball with her friends!



Princess Sophie was so excited. She got a beautiful new dress, a pretty pink ballgown with sparkly earrings and sparkly crown, and silver sparkly shoes. Her friends, Princess Addison, Princess Shanna, Princess Audriana, Princess Mia, Princess Jada, Princess Amaya, and allllll her princess friends all came over. They danced and danced, and had a tea party. They ate pink sparkly cookies, cupcakes and cakes with beautiful frosting, and had tea in pretty cups. The best part was that the king and queen outlawed artificial colors in the entire kingdom, so Princess Sophie could eat anything she wanted, without worrying.



When their party was over, the king and queen let Princess Sophie and all her friends make a giant pillow fort in the palace living room, with all kinds of fluffy pillows and cozy blankets, and they had a sleepover! The next morning, the palace cook made pancakes and bacon for the princesses for breakfast. Princess Sophie and her friends had such a good time, she wasn't sad at all that she couldn't go to the other ball with her big sister.



The end.

Forgive me while I rant a little.

I am so sick of all the hatred in social media lately! It's reached the point of ridiculousness. It's like our whole country is full of people trying to outdo each other with their "rightness" when the real world just isn't that simple.

Even the weather isn't safe. Yes, it's hot outside. But is it really necessary to share photos of blizzards with the caption "for everyone complaining about the heat?" The fact that it gets glacier-worthy cold in winter does not negate the fact that temperatures in the 90s with off-the-charts humidity is freaking HOT. Neither one is pleasant. Stop it.

Then a couple days ago I saw a photo shared on Facebook that had, on one side, a photo of Muslims praying at a mosque. The other side showed a football player kneeling on a field during a game. The caption said "why is this ok (praying at the mosque) but this isn't (football praying)?" Well, for starters, the two have nothing to do with each other. We live in America, land of religious freedom. That's why it is okay. It's okay for Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Sikhs, Native Americans,  Pagans, and everyone else to pray however they choose. Also, it's not okay for any of them to pray in the middle of a football game. That's just football. Nothing to do with religious freedoms at all. The only purpose of the image is to create hostility and portray an "attack" that isn't even happening.

And the political divisiveness is off the charts insane. I seriously worry about the future of our country, not because of either Right-wing or Left-wing extremists "winning" anything, but because of the fact that each side thinks they are absolutely right and the other is absolutely wrong. In actuality, both sides are right on some things, wrong on others, but neither one is willing to compromise. The all-or-nothing attitude is going to lead to disaster.

This isn't even the tip of the iceberg. Our society is so hate-centric lately that I could list examples all day long, but for my own sanity I won't. Just please, be a little more respectful of our fellow humans! It doesn't compromise your beliefs in any way to treat others with politeness and empathy.

Getting to know me - what do I prefer?

I skipped yesterday; it was not a day of feeling well. Friday afternoon my mom, Sophie, and I went to the grocery store. We desperately needed groceries, and I wanted out of the house. My discharge paperwork said I can go out as I feel like it, I just can't drive. Also, the gas station attached with the grocery store has 30 cents off per gallon on Fridays and my car was in dire need of a fill up. I walked slowly, and didn't lift anything heavy. My teen daughter works there, and Friday afternoon she was working as courtesy clerk instead of cashiering, so she was able to put the dog food in my cart, and take the bags to the car for us. But the outing was still a bit much, and I spent most of yesterday recovering from it. 

Do you prefer

• Traveling I love to travel! We did a lot of it when I was growing up, and I still love traveling and seeing new places.
• Staying home Sometimes I definitely prefer to stay home and hide. I need regular alone time to decompress. 
• Going out It can be fun, definitely. 
• Cooking Eh, cooking is neutral for me. Sometimes I enjoy it, I rarely dislike it, but it's one of those things that must be done. 
• Eating out Once in a while. I wouldn't want to eat out every day.
• Entertaining at home Not really. I get too stressed about it.
• Large parties Someone else's large party would be fun to attend. I don't particularly want to host one.
• Small parties where you know everyone Yes! This is definitely my preference.
• Quiet evenings with a few friends An evening with friends is never quiet. And it's great.
• Being alone Sometimes it's necessary. 

Getting to know me - Do I?

Do you...?

• Have any tattoos (where?) Nope
• Have any piercings (where?) Just my ears
• Have any scars Oh yes. Lots. I scar easily.
• Get along with your parents? Most definitely!
• Get motion sickness Sometimes
• Think you're a health nut Not really
• Type with your fingers on the right keys Mostly
• Play an instrument Yes
• Play an instrument well No
• Sleep with a stuffed animals Nope
• Have a significant other Yes!
• Have a dream that keeps coming back Several
• Believe there is life on other planets I have no idea
• Read the newspaper The online version
• Read the comics No
• Read the sports pages Not a chance.
• Check the weather forecast Yes
• Go to restaurants alone Yes
• Consider yourself tolerant of others Definitely
• Like the taste of alcohol Not at all
• Drink Everyone drinks, or we'd get dehydrated and die. I drink water, tea, coffee, soda, juices
• Smoke No
• Swear Sometimes
• Sing Not well
• Sing in public Not at all
• Sing in the shower No
• Laugh Of course!
• Joke A bit
• Read Constantly! 
• Exercise Occasionally
• Diet No. I prefer overall healthier eating
• Cook I have to!
• Believe in astrology No
• Read your horoscope No
• Believe in magic Not really
• Believe in miracles Yes
• Go to church Yes
• Have any secrets Doesn't everyone?
• Have any pets Oh yes. These two dogs... and my oldest daughter has two firebelly toads and a gerbil
• Have any children Yep! E and S, the twins born 12 years apart 
• Have any brothers or sisters Not biological, but yes
• Work Yes, both outside the home and at home
• Have a college degree (or go to or plan to go to college I have an associate degree. Eventually I'll finish. Hopefully
• Chat to strangers who instant message you No
• Talk to strangers on the bus I don't take the bus, but theoretically, yes
• Wear hats No
• Like yourself Most of the time
• Wish on stars No
• Like your handwriting No
• Trust others easily Sometimes
• Like puns Eh, sometimes
• Have a good sense of humor Yes
• Take walks in the rain No way.

More "getting to know me" and a post-surgery update

I didn't realize quite how long this "Getting to know me" thing was when I started it, and now I'm very glad I decided to do a section a day!

Yesterday I had my back surgery. Monday afternoon I received a call from the hospital bumping up my surgery by half an hour to 4 pm. It was still almost 6 before I got to go back for my surgery; apparently the one in front of mine was longer than anticipated. I woke up in recovery at 9 pm, and was home by 11 last night. What a long day! It went well, with no complications thank goodness. The surgeon told my husband that the disc was even worse than he could tell from my MRI and that I was one tough lady - he couldn't believe I'd been working and walking and functioning semi-normally this whole time. Now I'm at home for the next two weeks recuperating. The numbness in my leg and foot have already gone, which is a big relief! It had actually gotten painful to walk on my left foot; the numbness made it feel like I was constantly stepping on a marble. I'll be so glad when the surgery site has healed and I can be back to normal again finally.

Now, for the fun stuff:

Who Would You Like To...

• Hear From My "sisters" - but we keep in touch with Facebook and other social media .The distance makes normal communication difficult.
• Never Hear From Again Oh, I'm sure there is someone, but I can't think of anyone at the moment.
• Look Like My 18-year-old self
• Be Like Myself
• Meet The cast of Sherlock, David Tennant, Peter Capaldi, Nathan Fillion, John Barrowman
• Get to Know Livia and Johanna Liv <3
• Learn from / Study With I'm constantly learning from other people.
• Impress Everyone! Haha. No really, I have no idea.
• Teach My daughters

Getting to know me - my preferences

Like I could ever make up my mind...

• Cola or Other Other - preferably iced tea. Sweet, of course.
• Coke or Pepsi Coke
• Fried, Scrambled, or Poached Scrambled or omelet. Fried and poached are gross!
• Pancakes or Waffles Either one, they're basically the same thing!
• Dogs or Cats Dogs!! No doubt. 

  

  Our two boys, Tucker and Angus

• Coffee or Tea Both
• Iced or Hot Again, either.
• Looking out the window or into the room Window
• One Pillow or Two  One
• Chocolate or Vanilla Either one, again
• High Achiever or Easy-Going Easy going, as if that's not obvious by this post
• Single or Taken Very taken! Married almost 17 years.
• Pen or Pencil Pen
• Gloves or Mittens Gloves
• Planned or Spontaneous Both!
• Food or Candy Food
• Matches or a Lighter Lighter
• Typed or Handwritten Handwritten
• Walk or Run Walk
• Elevator or Stairs Stairs for 2 flights and under, elevator for 3 flights or more. Going down? Stairs all the way.
• Walk or Drive Depends on the distance and how much I have to carry!
• Facing into the restaurant or away from the other people Facing into. Although I really don't care either way. 
• Eating alone, with one friend, or with lots of friends Whichever fits
• Home or "Out" Home
• Alone, with one friend, or with a group? I'm happy either way.

Getting to know me - my favorites

This should be fun!

Your favorite

• Music Oh goodness, so much! REM is my long-time favorite. 
• Cartoon Umm... No idea. Cartoons in our house right now consist of Clone Wars, My Little Pony, Care Bears, Barbie, and Lego Friends. I used to love Daria and The Tick when I was in college, do they count?
• Font Do people seriously have favorite fonts?? Wow.
• Color Red
• Song Oh man. Not sure. I love a lot of songs.
• Flavor Flavor of what? Dark chocolate, Nutella, peppermint for gum, cherry or orange for Starburst and Skittles and popsicles, and there is no way I could choose a favorite flavor of ice cream. There are way too many.
• Scent Orange, vanilla, cinnamon, clean baby, my husband, the flowering bush in my yard that I have no idea what it is, chocolate chip cookies
• Magazine Working Mother, Real Simple, Glamour
• TV Show Sherlock!! Followed by Doctor Who, Castle, Bones, Orphan Black, The Blacklist
• Book That's like asking someone to pick their favorite child! Top choices are The Great Gatsby, The Moonstone, Millennium trilogy (The Girl Who... books)
• Movie The Whole Nine Yards
• Language I love languages. 
• Food I'm not so sure anymore. My mom's lasagna and potato salad (not together of course), creamy garlic pasta, quinoa, broccoli
• Beverage Sweet tea, iced coffee
• Fruit Cherries, fresh peaches
• Vegetable Broccoli and carrots 
• Season Autumn
• Subject in School Reading (go figure), literature
• Weekend Activity Reading, napping, playing, going to the park, family time in any form.
• Ice Cream Flavor Impossible to choose! Chocolate, cookie dough, chocolate chip mint, choc chip cherry, cherry vanilla, peppermint, coffee, caramel...
• Pizza toppings Broccoli, mushroom, garlic, Parmesan, and mozzarella.

Getting to know me - what was I doing then?

What were you doing

• 1 hour ago General work-related stuff
• 1 day ago Same as above :) Also, pre-op testing, final work preparations for my absence. 
• 1 week ago Working, grocery shopping (I can't wait until I can shop alone again!), wrapping my head around the reality of my spine being operated on...
• 1 month ago Likely laying in bed, recovering from a day at work. 
• 1 year ago Thanks to Facebook, I can see exactly what I was doing a year ago! And it seems we're just days after the one year anniversary of my mom having a heart attack on an airplane, and the surgery afterward, while she and my dad were flying home from my aunt's funeral. This time last year was very emotional! Luckily, the plane hadn't yet taken off and my mom is still here <3
• 5 years ago Five years ago we were expecting Sophie, and according to my Facebook timeline this day back then my regular jeans were getting tight, and I was still suffering from "morning" sickness. 

  

  Five years ago :)

• 10 years ago Hmm, August 2004. Emma was six, and in first grade. I bet this is around the time I was bitten by the spider and found out I was allergic to them, since she hadn't been in school very long. Hard to believe she's a junior now! I worked at JC Penney, and it was the only time I've been summoned for Jury Duty. I was dismissed early, and went to a walk-in clinic to get my spider bite checked out.

Getting to know me - What am I doing?

What are you...

• Thinking of Everything I need to get done at work before my back surgery and two-week absence
• Feeling Sad that my daughter is sick, tired, frustrated at lack of puppy-training time, in pain because I forgot to take my medication when it was due
• Remembering that my medication was due an hour ago... 
• 
  
• Doing the boring part of my job (and lunchbreak blogging, of course!)
• Planning a mental to-do list for the upcoming days. The correct contact information to the correct people at work, waiting for paperwork from HR, pondering freezer meals and lunch prep for after my surgery.

Getting to know me part 3: "right now"

Right Now

• Current mood Neutral - is that a mood? I'm fine. Not unhappy, not thrilled to be at work either (lunch break blogging FTW!) I could use a nap and an ice pack on my back, though.
• Current music My iPod is on shuffle. Current song: 

• Current taste The mint of my gum, to cover up the garlic of the hummus in the wrap I just ate for lunch.
• Current hair Started out in a cute style, but didn't stay there (see day 1), so now it's in a bun.
• Current clothes Purple sweater from Target, grey pants from JC Penney, necklace was my grandmother's. 

  

  I am too tall for selfies! And no idea what's in the box.

• Current annoyance Back pain and paperwork
• Current smell 

  

  It's amber vanilla or something like that.

• Current longing Nap, big comfy chair and a good book, winning lottery ticket
• Current desktop picture Factory preset, boring. Haven't taken time to change it yet.
• Current fingernail color Naked. Nail polish doesn't last long on my fingers. Toenails are hot pink.
• Current likes Books, tea, coffee, music, Netflix, happy people, compassionate people, laughter, good food, lipstick, art
• Current dislikes Tomatoes, avocados, peppers, hatefulness, political arguing, internet news story commenters, mean people, small-mindedness, cutesy things
• Current favorite article of clothing  Not a good photo of my favorite top, but here is the link to it. 

• 

  This is the only pic of me in this shirt! 

• Current time you wake up in the morning Ugh. 6:30-7ish. The past couple mornings the dogs have woken me up between 4:30-5 though. Bad doggies! 
• Current favorite word Seriously?