Crayons, Playdoh & Wax

Wow, wasn’t it just yesterday that we were saying good-bye to 2006? I remember looking on 2007 with so much hope. and ‘POOF’ it seems to have just disappeared. I am not saying it was a bad year, but then again, I can remember many better ones. I am praying that 2008 is a much better year.

Granted, there have been a lot of good things this year. I got to go to the Dominican Republic in January, our nephew D was born in February. My brother Joel, nephew TJ and niece Heather all graduated from High School. I actually got a diagnosis after 5+ years of sleeping. (do you have any idea how wonderful it feels to know there really is something wrong and I am not just crazy… or worse, lazy!!) Oh, and after almost a year of counseling, I think our marriage is on solid ground again. (or at least pretty close).

Maybe that is part of the problem, having the year START with all that hanging over my head, and then ending the year loosing my FIL. Dealing with all of K’s testing and doctor visits (not that I wouldn’t have done it, just that they started getting tedious, and I won’t even start on the apparent incompetence of the Speech therapist). Again, the good news is, we do have a diagnosis… multiple of them, but still a diagnosis. I did find out that I am a lot more capable than I thought I was when it comes to exercise… proof of that by earning my purple belt!!  

I have a picture of me at my very top weight from my nieces 1st birthday party, tomorrow she will be 4, I think it will be interesting to take a picture and put the 2 side by side to see if there is a difference in the last 3 years I need to put a link to my better me flickr pictures on here Yes, that does start me thinking about my New Years resolutions… which most people don’t keep up… but it is a good way to start the new year. My weightloss email list always gets a bunch of new people at the beginning of the year, but then they trickle off…

Tonight is the night that we remember the night our savior was born!! I hope that you and your family have wonderful Christmas. Oh, and for those who have the little ones, don’t forget that Norad tracks Santa every year!!! 

                    
From our family to yours!Merry CHRISTmas!! 

Ok, I had to in buy a new belt for the vacuum, and while I was there, I decided to look at the hand held ones. They had one by Black & Decker that is supposed to be for pet hair. I was a whole lot skeptical, because nothing ever works as good as it says, and for the price, I decided to give it a try. This vacuum is the best $30 I have ever spent! There is so much power. I don’t think our floor has been this clean since we moved in! Oh, and I forgot to mention in the middle of all this, I got the wrong belt!

Yay!! Dh came up with the idea, but I am totally behind that one all the way. We are going to clean out and rearrange our bedroom. I will do the before and after pictures!! The weirdest part is that he is planning on switching the side of the bed. For me it is no big deal, but we have been on our sides of the bed for 18+ Years!!!Anyway, I am off to clean and do more laundry!! I think I will be throwing our bed sheets in next while he is off buying a new book shelf for the bedroom… I’ll show you why!  
Anyway, I am off to clean. I have been playing on the computer with my addressbook almost the whole time Ken has been gone… but then again, I am not the only one in this house that makes a mess, I shouldn’t have to clean it all by myself either!!

Yes, I decided that I am going to start doing some of the fun memes again :) 

 I say… and you think…?

1. Health :: medical
2. Tacky :: clothes
3. Heels :: high
4. Yay! :: happy
5. Model :: Skinny
6. Gather :: group
7. Best gift ever :: bracelet
8. Clients :: sick
9. Stomp :: cool music
10. Clothing :: too big

Go Play…

I spent Tuesday night and ALL day Wednesday at the sleep lab. I don’t know the results yet, but I am pretty sure that on top of the sleep apnea, that the Narcolepsy and Restless Leg were both confirmed. Both new diagnosis since my last sleep study in March. Yah, we had a real issue trying to figure out if insurance would pay for another one in the same year, but since we now know why Leslie has spent the last 5 years ASLEEP, life is much better. Granted, I think taking my meds before bed after being off them for 6 days was not a good idea, since it isn’t even 6 am and I am awake. At least I decided to get up and do something productive rather than laying in bed staring at the ceiling. 

Oh, and what is an MSLT? Yah, basically it is a sleep study, with not AS many wires as the night time one…  but I got to hang out at the hospital, and every 2 hours I got to take a nap… for 20 minutes. Yah, it totally SUCKED (and I don’t use that word mildly around here!!)  (and even though it was less wires than the night time one… it was more on the face and head than the night study) After being off my meds, and not sleeping well the night before, I had to STAY awake the whole day except during the 20 minute naps. The interesting part is, I did learn more about narcolepsy. Granted the video was REALLY dated, (1970’s) but it did show me how bad it could be… and I am praising God that I don’t have it that bad (the part where you fall asleep/collapse in an elevator… that is what I always picture when I hear narcolepsy.) I always compare it to turrets, TV always shows worse case scenario, most people that have turrets don’t run around swearing, they just have a tick. Well with narcolepsy, not everyone falls sleep while standing, granted, it is a pretty definite diagnosis, but for those of us who don’t, it says that it can take 5-6 doctors and up to 15 years to get diagnosed, so I do feel fortunate that it only took me 5 years (and about 4 doctors) to figure it out. I do still have sleep apnea, and I probably do have Fibromyalgia, although I will say since treating the narcolepsy, that has gotten MUCH better. (and I am sure that the karate has helped too… exercise is good for Fibro) And since sleep disorders are symptoms of Fibro, mine is just probably multiple sleep disorders I just wish my Mom would stay on her meds. Oh, did I mention that with me getting diagnosed, that we also figured out what is up with my Mom? yah, she will fall asleep while talking to you on the phone. It is crazy. She has more of the cataplexy symptoms than I do, but I really am not sure if she believes me or not. She has been switching insurances with Dad being put on disability, so I don’t know if she is just hanging out til January 1 or if she just doesn’t want to deal with it? I really think she could get off some of her pain meds if she were to take her narc meds. But then again, as dh likes to remind me, I don’t have an MD behind my name. (he likes to dismiss the 15+ years of medical experience that I have!!!)

Anyway, not sure if I am going to keep Better Me going, although I think if I update the pictures, people will notice a difference I will have to take the time to figure out if I can find what is broke. I have posted, but they come up blank. I think it is from when I upgraded word press, but this one worked and I upgraded that one the same way… go figure.

Oh, and the part I didn’t share… K and I got our purple belts on Friday!! I have some really nasty war wounds from it…   Yah, it has been a week and I still have the mat burns, but I knew once I got done with ‘Mopping the floor’ I was in good shape. I have been impressed with all the medical stuff I have going on, that I have not only been able to do it, but that I have passed the physical exam!! (Let me tell you, seeing me doing the rolling summersaults from our squatting position is probably not a lot of fun for the instructors but there is a lot less of me now than there was when I started in August!!) I think the biggest accomplishment of this whole thing was when I got BACK into my jeans that I haven’t worn in at least 5 years. Ken harassed me when we moved why I was keeping them, and I told him I was going to get back in them. Since losing, it has been kind of like Christmas, cuz I have all different sizes of pants in the closet… and I went through a couple of weeks ago and found some pants that I forgot I had in there, and not only do they fit, but they are almost a little loose!! YAY!! Just need to get pass the holidays, and back on track. My goals for this year is to get to Green (which is testing for blue & green) before next Christmas. and I am wanting to start the cardio kickboxing. I will have to really be devoted though, cuz they moved the Friday class from 5:30 pm to 8 am, so I will miss 15 minutes, but can walk to work. The other class is on my day off at 9:30, so that is better.

So my MIL gave Ken her Mac… and he decided to set it up for K and I to try out to see if we like a Mac… before he buys me a new computer. So, I am learning how to do a Mac… as well as trying to figure out what all I need as far as programs… since I have always been a Publisher gal. It isn’t as big of a deal now since I am not doing newsletters and websites like I use to do. The good news, this is in our bedroom, so that means I can update here more often!!

I have to be off my meds for 5 days before my sleep study. I am having the worst time staying awake. I think Ken and I have our schedules backwards, cuz since I have been on my meds, We have had a horrible time getting him up. Today, he was up at 9:30 and I was still asleep. The other thing I have noticed is that I am shaking and hurting more since I have been off my meds, all my fibro symptems are back, which makes of wonder if the 2 are related! Only 2 more days!

This is our last week of school before ‘Winter Break’ Can you believe that??? I think that the people who planned out breaks are completely INSANE!!! I could have understood maybe starting next Wednesday, but come on… it would have been so much better having the time AFTER Christmas… when you have all your new toys to play with. Instead, we get a whole week to sit around and be board… yah, cuz being a mom, it isn’t like I am taking the dd shopping with me!

And then to top it off, we have a SNOW DAY today. So, I get to sit home and veg in the house… at least it is warm!!! Picture of the Peak should be pretty in the side bar though… providing you can see it… and the camera isn’t covered in snow!

As I was replying to a friends email tonight asking if we were ok, it was them that I realized, If we had gone to church this morning, we most likely would have been driving by New Life right about the time the shootings happened. We almost always drive by about 12:45 on our way home. We drive by there on our way to and from church and on our way to and from taking Ken to work. I hope the roads are open in the morning.