lunch + fabric

Mia wanted some mom time. and it was only fair. Ryan gets more of my attention because she demands it. To be fair, I brought Chipotles to Ryan and ate with her in the cafeteria then joined her for recess (at the tetherball) for a bit. Then Mia and I went to lunch. She wanted spaghetti but she also wanted to buy some fabric for a new school bag - so we ended up at Rico's on Broadway. We had lunch over talk of sillybands and art class. She didn't love Rico's spaghetti - but helped me eat 1/2 of my smothered calzone. (yum) Then hit the fabric store and back to school by 2.

practicing

I practiced relaxing tonight. TOY STORY THREE

11.11.10

So nice to have the girls out of school for Veterans Day. An extra day to spend with my little ladies. We started the morning with Bagel Deli - I think we had a party of 18 at 9AM. We were only missing Molly/Steve and family who were home sniffily. After oatmeal and a few bites of eggs that Ryan barely shared we were off to get my hair done. Yes - Cassie squeezed me in for one more highlight before my surgery since they say I can't get my hair done for 6-8 weeks. (eek) The girls sat patiently and waited and when I was done they got high pigtails. Then we headed straight to Jumpstreet so the girls could jump for an hour. And we ended the day with soup from grandma and fresh-juice. (5 oranges, 4 carrots and 2 apples between the 3 of us)

the weather changed

The weather changed on tuesday, I knew it was coming. Of course i can feel a change in the weather by the pressure in my head. I don't think that is something that any doctor or neurosurgeon has ever admitted as a symptom - but it is very true and real.

Regardless, I am feeling well. Today I went to see Arial again. (the Energy Healer) I was so pleased to hear that all of my energy was flowing and flowing well. I had energy thru my feet, arms and crown as well as my soul was inside of me. (something you can't assume - since the first time I went I could tell I was very tenative and fearful) It was a pretty calm and relaxing session, nothing earth shattering.

Near the end of my session she left me with some very powerful energy and images to think of

She said that she saw me happy and healing. She said my soul and body is so ready for this surgery that I am already healing. I am skipping, laughing, giggling, playing and running after the surgery. And at very last she began to sing which turned into a chant. She said that an angel entered my body with blue healing light. The angel asked to stay with me thru the surgery and hospital stay and will leave my body when they are unplugging things, and the doctors and nurses are smiling and happy that everything was a success.

Alright now - that sounds a bit hokey - but for me - I am a believer. Arial has made me ready for this surgery that no medication or no nurse/doctor could do. I believe in positive energy, positive thinking and healing.

i better learn to love NOV 16th.

Presurgery appointment - done. Surgery date - SET (in stone). Actually the date was set a couple weeks ago, but i had convinced myself that there were better dates available and that if I asked the right person, they could switch me with someone else. HA! Not the case. I loved 11.11 for the obvious reasons, 11.23 because I could be in the hospital for thanksgiving while family was with friends/family celebrating. But, there is no changing this. NOV. 16th is my date. I was met at the door with a packet of paper with the date written in permanent marker. They have laid out all of my post surgery appt.s from now until January 12th, 2011 when I get an MRI to find out if the decompression fixed me (and my syrnix is gone) So positive thoughts for the next 9 weeks.

At my appt. I had blood taken, pee'd in a cup, got an EKG, practiced my autograph a few dozen times while pre-registering at the hospital and got a little tour of where to go and what to expect. It was a good appointment and it helped for me to get my mind in the game. I feel ready. As ready as I am going to be. As long as I can hang on and stay healthy with this huge weather change coming TODAY. I have to be healthy next tuesday, I hope i am not jinxing myself. I did go and get a flu-shot last night so that is something prevenative and I am off right now to juice. 3 apples and 5 carrots.

counting - 9 days away

I have been here before - 9 days away from surgery. The same things are running thru my head as they were a month ago, yet it has been a very different count down. I was pretty fixated on the date. 10.12.10 and said it over and over again in my head. I looked at in on the calendar, planned things around that date - calculated to figure out when i may feel better, when i could drive again - and dye my hair. (yes, i have to wait 6-8wks - you might all figure out my hair is really dark dark brown) So, I clung to the list of pre-surgery things to do and not to do and followed it like a bible. This time - not so much. I mean, don't get my wrong, I have re-read it and I am trying to get my head in the game to be strict enough to drink those 8 glasses of water - BUT it feels different. Clearly I am not allowing myself to really honestly accept that I am having surgery in 9 days.

Tomorrow morning I have a pre-op appointment (physical/blood/etc) and I will be talking to Kimberly then. I hope to either sneak in another room and change the schedule (swapping 11.16 for 11.23) OR - i hope to get some really solid signs that Dr. Oro is indeed ready and moving forward. Being his first one back is also weighing on this uncertainty in my head. I guess stay tuned, I will let you know what tomorrow brings.

a full weekend

Friday, one for the record books. First, lunch with Cindy and even though my chicken sandwich was good - I should have gone with the burger. It was nice to get out for lunch. Then off to buy some good (i.e. expensive) shoes for my aching back/etc. By the time the girls were out of school I was pooped. (housework + shoe shopping and lunch is hard) It was 75 degrees and sunny and Kathryn, Alice and I sat on the hill and chatted. We then went to the park - kids and a dog in tow and after the park ended up at Anthonys. Party of... 20. THAT is how to spend a friday. Nothing planned - but everything falling in the place just at the right time.

Saturday- another beautiful day. But a busy one. Donuts, Val, Mall (more walking shoes?), birthday gift, Costco. Then - John got Ryan off to a birthday party and he and Mia hit the record store. I rushed to JoAnns, then to a pampered chef party and off to Fancy Tiger for class number three! Pieced Pillow. Ok. This one was challenging. I wanted to do a bigger pillow and wow - that may have been a mistake. It was really hard to work big. 3 hours later I didn't have a finished pillow. UGH. My people were still downtown so we ended up next door at the Sputnik (with a shitty waiter) The food was ok - the company was great. Of course I had to run to JoAnns for what I needed to finish my pillow and came home to sew. While I was sewing - barely keeping my head up, but bound and determined to finish - Mia pulled Ryans tooth. her FIRST lost tooth. WooHoo!

Mias first trip to the record store - Blondie record purchased.

Pictures to share of course - Pillow which i finished about 11PM and new smile for Ryan.

Sunday. Sunday was frustrating. The leaves are pilling up and I am not able to rake. I could rake for a bit, but can't bend over to bag them. That is frustrating. I also needed to move the garage around so I can put my car away. I was in the process of working on that when John came out and forbid me to do anything. No raking, No garage rearranging - no nothing. instead - i am at his mercy. True - he wants to do all of this for me, but there are not enough hour in the day. I don't want him HAVING to pick up my slack. I hate that "taking it easy" = being lazy and unproductive. I am not good at wanting something to be done - that I can't do. It made for an unsettled day. John ended up raking and bagging 7 bags of leaves only for us to come home 2 hours later and find that the wind had blown down 14 bags worth of leaves. I think I will have to find someone on craigslist. With me off the leaf raking team - we will never keep up.

This will be round two of leaf raking