Do we have owls in the Valley? I mean, I'm sure we have them in the foothills or "country." But Kingsburg? The other night while I was lying in bed waiting for sleep to come, I heard a distinctive "Who, Who, Who" outside my window for a few minutes. A bit of me wanted to look out my window and try to find the bird, but decided to stay in my warm bed instead. I have never heard or seen an owl in Kburg. I thought it was kinda cool - but I just want to make sure it wasn't my sleepy imagination!

And on a completely different note, yesterday I was in court (ALL DAY) for a client and on my lunch break got in my car to head off to find some lunch and heard Christmas music on the radio. I thought it might be a special lunch hour thing but it was not, as it was still there while I was driving home last night. I love Christmas music, but I will probably need to restrain from listening to it until Thanksgiving as I get sick of it fairly quickly - the radio stations here seem to play the same songs over and over and over. It was a fun little treat yesterday though...:-)

Next time I blog I am hoping to catch you up on my life a bit more! Haven't written on that in a while. Happy Thursday! I am off to get ready to go walking - and then have another long and busy work day ahead of me!!

First, happy 1st birthday to Jersey-kitty!

Second, check this out:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/huntleybrown.asp

It is an AMAZING read and this man basically wrote all my thoughts. I promise after this post I won't post anything more political!! Tuesday is almost upon us and whether or not "my guy" wins it is time to move forward and leave the divisiveness behind us.

I am copying and reposting this from a friend's blog. I have not checked the facts (although she claims they are legit). Also, I am sure my preferred candidate has some skeletons in his closet to be displayed as well. That being said, this is MY blog written by me, a Republican, and I am free to post this. Therefore I am not going to apologize for the following which I'm sure will piss off the Democrat readers of my blog. But this is def food for thought...

Body count in the last six months:
292 killed (murdered) in Chicago ;
221 killed in Iraq .
Chicago.... Who Runs it:

Senators: Barack Obama & Dick Durbin
Rep: Jesse Jackson Jr.,
Illinois Gov: Rod Blogojevich,
Illinois House leader: Mike Madigan,
Illinois Atty. Gen.: Lisa Madigan (daughter of Mike),
Chicago Mayor: Richard M. Daley (son of Mayor Richard J.Daley)

.....our leadership in Illinois .....all Democrats.

Thank you for the combat zone in Chicago .
Of course, they're all blaming each other!
Can't blame Republicans; there aren't any!

State pension fund $44 Billion in debt, worst in country.
Cook County ( Chicago ) sales tax 10.25% highest in country. (Look 'em up if you want to).
Chicago school system rated one of the worst in the country.

This is the political culture that Obama comes from in Illinois . And he's gonna 'fix' Washington politics for us? Wake Up America !

On a slightly different note, I will be so glad when this election is over. I am so tired of all the commercials, all the mail in my mailbox (how many trees have they killed and trash have they produced by those crappy fliers??), and calls on my answering machine. Plus, I hate debating politics with people. It is so divisive and I would almost rather not know where people stand (and I'm sure they feel that way about me). Because, if I don't agree with them, my opinion of them changes...and I hate that!! I don't want to be that person.

I have shared that I don't really care for either candidate. I am choosing who is the lesser of two evils (for lack of a better term) in my opinion. I do hope that whomever becomes president, that we as a people bond together and respect him and pray for him. It is a big job - a job I know I would not want. And while I'm sure both are in it for just as much fame and glory as a true desire to lead our country forward - they ARE putting their lives on the line.

So many places are going out of business. Mervyns, Linens N Things, Geoffrey Beene, and now...

Mother's Cookies!!!

Oh, how I will miss you, my little circus animal friends.

Today was a good "money" day!

1) I got a raise!! And, I found out it is retro active back to my one year anniversary, which was in August. PTL! I am going to use the extra $$ in this paycheck to pay off my moving loan from NJ to CA. FINALLY!

2) Gas is now starting in the twos. I remember joking with my friend Jerelyn saying we would throw a party when it was down in the threes. Now it is really time to party! Remember when we were close to five in the summer? Crazy!

:-)

Check out my brother's team (shown after the cheesy commercial...) :-)http://www.cbs47.tv/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=87877@video.cbs47.tv

Yesterday I had to go into Fresno and work at VTR's annual fundraiser. It is a fashion show/silent and live auction/social luncheon held at Parnini's. It was very nice and while I was bitter that the FFA and Adoption agency were only mentioned in one sentence (the group home is favored SO MUCH) I still think that it was a hit. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it.

After that I met my mom and did some shopping at Costco and Target. We also went and saw Fireproof. I had heard a lot of favorable reviews and was really excited to see it for myself. And, I must say that it was a decent movie. The beginning was a bit cheesy and then it got a lot better. I would recommend that you go and see it. I LOVED how they emphasized that we cannot trust our feelings and that we have to "lead our hearts." So, so true!! My only complaint on this movie would be that they do not have the wife becoming accountable for her actions at the end of the movie, but in the final scenes you assume that she has. I worry that this movie is preaching to the choir (as it was very easy to tell that the audience was full of Believers by their comments and actions) but if that is indeed true, many Christians are struggling in their marriages too and God might choose to use this film to speak to them. It is our job to join with that cast and crew and pray that Non-Believers who need to see it happen to see it as well. Am I claiming this movie will cure marital problems? Not at all. I do believe, though, that God will use it to help a lot of marriages to ultimately bring glory to Him.

When the movie was over my mom and I went to Chick-Fil-A for dinner. There is now one in Riverpark - where the old Krispy Kreme used to be. I was so THRILLED when I noticed that a Chick-Fil-A was coming to town. Having lived on the EC for three years, Chick-Fil-A had become one of my fave choices if I had to eat fast food for a meal. I was always bummed we didn't have one here in the valley (or any on the WC that I knew of). Now that we have Panera and Chick-Fil-A I am one happy camper!!

Here are two fun pics from this weekend:

Sullivan (26 mos) showing off the lipstick MiMi allowed her to apply herself. This was taken at Ryan's football game on Friday night against Chowchilla (and the Cavs won). She sure is a cutie.


On Friday night I was getting ready to go to bed and I couldn't find Jersey. I then found him in Jerelyn's bathroom - in her sink. I have seen him get in my sink sometimes and take naps. I always thought he did it because it was nice and cool there in the summer...but it would annoy me to no end because I don't want my cat in my sink! Anyway, thought it was funny and took a pic. He will be one on Nov. 1. Sometimes that cat gets on my last nerve, but he is a funny one too.
Tonight I am going to the Amy Grant concert in Visalia. I still love Amy Grant's music after all these years. They bring back great memories from growing up...especially her Christmas album. It will be a fun night and a great way to start off the week!

http://gmy.news.yahoo.com/v/10223306

What a nice story to start my day off with...

Since I do not have children of my own (yet) I am getting an extra special kick out of my niece, Sullivan. Yesterday when I played "kitchen" with her after our walk she had me cracking up. Some highlights:

-When she pulled a plastic green bell pepper out of the little food basket I said, "Oh! Pepper!" She gave me a knowing look and then went and placed it on the ledge of her play kitchen, right next to her plastic pepper shaker. She then proudly announced, "Two peppers!" I laughed and told her that yes, they are the same name, but different peppers. I don't think she understood but I was so proud of her making the name association.

-She put a pot on the stove, put her hand on her hip, and told me to "wait." Then when her little timer went off she said, "Done!" and served me a very delicious dish of plastic spaghetti.

-I yawned a few times and she gave me a disappointed look and said, "No! No home Ash!"

I just read this on my SIL's blog ----->"...yesterday Aunt Ashley was on her way over for an evening walk and Sulli said, 'Ash happy see me, all da time'... to which I responded, 'Oh, does she smile and kiss you when she sees you?'. She said, 'Yessss, and hug too!'"

She's right, I do love the time I get with her! She is precious, and I am glad she isn't mad at me for putting her in time out over the weekend for spilling dog food on the floor purposely. :-)

Too funny, and makes fun of ALL sides!

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My surgery was set for Monday at 1:15. I was told to be there at 11:15 and therefore got there even earlier as I had to take a pregnancy test before my surgery (they wouldn't believe me when I told them it would have had to have been an immaculate conception:-)). I went in and paid hundreds of dollars off my HSA towards my ginormous deductible to appease them (I am on the crappiest insurance ever) and then went over to the lab. The lab was exceptionally busy and after waiting for an hour I was told that I needed to go upstairs and check in with surgery first. What a waste of time. So I went upstairs and checked in, and then went back downstairs to pee in a cup and have them confirm that (shocker) I am not pregnant. (Sidenote, the lab technician started telling me about her recent gall bladder surgery with the same doctor who was to perform mine and how HORRIBLE it was and how she ended up in the ER two days later due to complications. At that point my anxiety tripled.)

I then went back upstairs and waited for about 30 mins to get called in. When I was called in I put on the gown that makes you feel super vulnerable and was assigned a bed to wait in. While I was waiting a surgical nurse came over and told me he was going to start my IV. At this point it was 1ish - we were right on time. He tried pumping up my veins in my hands but then figured he should just do the IV in my arm (which I was hoping for anyway). He first prepared an injection to numb the area and right after he gave me the shot he put in the IV. The numbing had not taken effect yet, I don't know why he didn't wait a bit, but it didn't matter as I have become an expert in getting blood drawn and IVs in that particular vein so it was as expected and I was mentally ready for it. My dad then came back and sat with me and at 1:20 another surgical nurse came back and told me that my doctor was running behind with a patient, and that while I was next in line, I would just have to wait it out.

And wait I did. My parents took turns sitting back in the room with me as we all watched the clock. About every hour I had to get up, grab my IV, and shuffle to the bathroom while holding my gown shut in the back (that IV made me have to pee sooooo much!!). Another patient came in and I discovered that she was to go in after me. (I felt bad for her having to wait too.) We waited until we were the last ones in pre-op. They ended up closing pre-op (around 5 PM) and rolled us over to post-op. I was beyond annoyed about having to wait so long and literally do nothing but get more and more anxious but what are you going to do? It could have been worse - I could have been a part of that family who had been waiting on the surgery before me to finish like it should have hours ago and wondering what the heck was going on.

In post-op I began to see people being rolled out of surgery performed by other doctors. They were still sleeping and they looked terrible - very white and one had his tongue hanging out of his mouth. This only made me even MORE nervous.

Finally at 7:15 I was wheeled into surgery. My doctor was tired but still up for performing it. I was praying the whole time that I would be brave but really all I wanted to do was run away. When they wheeled me into the operating room the first thing I saw was a nurse cleaning the longest surgical tool I had ever seen. I began to silently freak out. They had me get on the other bed and they began to strap my legs down and strap my arms out to the side. They told me they were giving me medicine to make me less nervous and the last thing I remember is the nurse coming over and holding my hand. They never had me count backwards and never told me I was going to sleep. They just did it.

I remember dreaming and feeling my legs go up and down (with these special leg balloon things to prevent blood clots) and shivering, but I didn't come all the way around until I was in the recovery room. Every few mins a chime would go off and a nurse would yell at me to take a deep breath. I had heard them do this with other patients in recovery before I had my surgery so I knew the worst part was over.

For the next hour I tried to wake myself up but all I wanted to do was sleep. I would open my eyes for a bit then sleep some more. Finally the nurse came by and asked me what my pain was. I told him I was in pain and he gave me some meds through my IV. Then he let me rest some more and my dad was allowed in to visit me.

When my dad was sent to the pharmacy I was told to get dressed and get ready to go. I couldn't believe I was being told that. I could barely keep my eyes open, I had just had an organ yanked out and I was in extreme pain, and I was told to get up and get dressed all by myself. I did my best though. I sat up slowly and began to put one foot on the floor. Then a rush of nausea came over me and the nurse came running in with some smelling stuff that didn't help at ALL, it just made me wretch (as he called it) all the more.

Finally after sitting up I was able to get myself together and get dressed. I couldn't bend over and put my shoes on but I managed to put my tshirt and sweats on. At that point I was exhausted and laid back down on the bed. The nurse came in with, oh the joy, another injection of meds. But since he had taken my IV out (before he told me to get dressed) he decided to give me the shot in...my thigh. That was my first experience getting a shot in the thigh and I wouldn't recommend it.

Oh, and did I mention that my throat hurt and I could barely speak as a result of having the tube down my throat during the operation? NO FUN!

OK, this is getting really long so I will try to speed it up. The ride home to Kingsburg was fine, I slept through a lot of it. I was able to eat a few crackers and drink some apple juice which was nice since it had been over 24 hours since I last ate. We got home and I was put to bed. I slept well but had to get up several times to pee as that IV was still working its way through me. I woke up the next morning and was able to hobble hunched over out to the living room. I was able to eat eggs and toast for breakfast and take a shower. I noticed I had three bandages on my stomach. The largest one (which also hurts the most) is the one in my belly button.

In the days that have passed all the bandages have come off except that belly button one. The incisions still hurt but not nearly as much as previously and the past two nights I have been able to go back to sleeping on my stomach (even though it does hurt a bit). I am just careful with bending and what I put against my stomach. Overall I have simply been resting and each day has been better. Today I am getting out of Kingsburg for the first time in close to a week. I can eat normal food and walk fairly well. I plan on going back to work on Monday.

Good things about being house bound:
-Catch up on sleep.
-Get to find out what it is like being in your house at, say, 2 PM on a Wed. afternoon.
-Watch movies (such as John Adams, Baby Mama, crap on TV such as the Brideszilla marathon, and Office season one).
-Catch up on blogs.

Bad things about being housebound:
-You begin to feel sorry for yourself and get angry about the friends and family who don't call/send cards/flowers, and/or volunteer to come over to visit and/or help you.
-Boredom.
-No exercise.
-Feel like you are wasting your time.

Next time I go to the hospital I hope it is for something like a baby! I was told that gall bladder pains and surgery are very comparable, if not worse, then labor and a C-section so I guess I am all set!

BTW, I did not have stones (as ruled as inconclusive by the $700 ultra sound). Just a defective gallbladder with scar tissue that was going kaput. So, I do feel vindicated in that the right decision was made and the surgery and recovery, while hard, was the right and brave thing to do!!:-)

Here are some updated pics for you! I am home and recovering from my surgery - that is a whole separate post! For now here are some bits and pieces to what I have been up to:

While Tammy was in town we had an ADX alum picnic. It was fun seeing the girls (and their husbands and kids) who showed up. Due to this blog being public I am not going to post any of the pics of the kiddos (you can see them on my private Facebook if you'd like) but know we had a super fun time (as we always do!).

Last Saturday Jerelyn and I went to Laguna Hills (which made for a very long day) to see Cindy get married. It was fun to have the roomies reunited again! It was a nice` day. Jerelyn is now a roomie again until she gets married in Dec!

And I know I wrote about SF with Amy in a previous post but here are some pics from the trip...:-) Good times!

Be sure to check out my Facebook album(s) as there are many more updated pics of my life on that site!

Such bad timing, but I need to just get it over with... I am having my gall bladder surgery on Monday. It is very angry and is beating up my liver. It is time for it to go bye-bye. I will be out of commission for at least two weeks. I get bored easily...please come and visit me!

The sad thing is that I am super busy at work and have plans on the weekends coming up that I now have to cancel. Boo to that! Stupid surgery!!! (But oh how I love knowing I will feel much better!!)

Need to get back to work...

Just a quick update...

Went in to see my primary physician this morning. Hep A, B, and C tests came back negative. (No surprise there, hello!, I'm not a prostitute, drug user, nor an alcoholic.) She said it could be shingles but since I don't have a rash it probably isn't. She said it might be mono (which I highly doubt). Anyway, guess who got to have her blood taken again? Yup, that would be me. That's now four times in the last four days. She said if worse come to worse I will have to have a liver biopsy (EW!) but hopefully we can find out what is causing the infection in my liver before then.

In the meantime I am being referred to a surgical doctor for a second opinion about my gall bladder. The ER doctor told me that a polyp can act like a stone and be what is giving me the attacks but my primary physician disagreed. Regardless, I know I cannot stand any more "attacks" so someone better figure someway to fix it ASAP!! I have been doing some research online and it looks like some stones can be smaller then sand or some can be in the ducts...so maybe that is what is going on? I don't know, I'm not to expert.

I am waiting for the blood test results from this morning and I am hoping to get in and get that second opinion ASAP. For now I am back to work and praying that I can make it through the day w/o getting sick. I am keeping my meds near me and I am taking it easy.

I'll (again) keep you posted. Thanks for thinking of and praying for me! I appreciate all you friends who have contacted me and care!! It means a LOT!

I have had a crazy past couple of days. On Monday night I had one of my "attacks" come on. (This was my fourth attack. They come on unexpectedly and can last anywhere from 15 mins to 2 hours or so. My attack usually consists of intense pain and cramping on my right side and upper back, nausea and vomiting, shortness of breath, faintness, etc.) This attack was so much more worse then normal and I ended up going into the ER where they gave me a Morphine IV and took some blood. They said I probably had gall bladder stones, which after having done some research from my previous "attacks," I knew was probably right.

Yesterday I was sent in for more blood work and an ultrasound. I was then sent to the ER to have a doctor there read them as the tests were sent as "STAT." Anyway, after a 7 hour wait (RIDICULOUS) the doctor told me that I have a polyp in my gall bladder and an infection in my liver. He then took more blood!! (I have become a pin cushion.) What infection exactly I have we don't know - he says possibly hepatitis but that is impossible - I go back into the doctor tomorrow morning. The polyp, on the other hand, is probably acting like a stone (it is actually in my gall bladder) which is maybe why I get so violently sick so quickly).

So, needless to say, this is not how I thought this week would go! I have been off from work but plan on going in tomorrow. Right now I should be at Young Life, but obviously if I don't go to work I shouldn't go to Club. I will miss seeing the kids and leaders. Being home today has been boring!

I will keep you updated on what my doctor says tomorrow. I am so thankful for modern medicine!!

I am sitting here in my parents' office on a Monday morning (FYI I will be here at my folks until the 30th). It feels weird to be here when I should be at work. I am home sick, but will be going into work this afternoon so that I don't have to take any sick hours. (I will make up the three I lost this morning some other way.) I actually am feeling better. I started feeling sick on Saturday morning. I woke up with a sore throat. That soon doubled with a stuffy/runny nose, fever, and a sinus headache and I was fairly certain I was getting a sinus infection. Yesterday I forced myself to go to church (because I had missed the week before) and then rested for the remainder of the day. Today I woke up w/o a sore throat. I have a small fever and sinus headache (which Advil should fix) and a stuffy nose. So, I feel like I am turning the corner and things are going to be OK much sooner then expected. And, w/o a costly trip to the doctor (I have crappy Kaiser insurance and a health savings account). PTL I am feeling better and expect to be near 100% tomorrow.:-)

Despite being sick I did have a good weekend! Amy and I went to San Francisco and had a fun time. She took me for my birthday. We stayed in Union Square (which is a great place to stay) and did all the usual SF things: shop, eat at Cheesecake Factory, ride the Cable Car, walk around Pier 39, see the CA sea lions, eat at Ghiradelli's, walk around and look at all the crazy people, take pictures, etc. The weather was beautiful and it was a fun girls' day out. Can't wait to go back! If Amy sends me her pics I will post them here!

I am super excited that Fall is here. My calendar is beginning to get very busy and I am looking forward to the fun things I have planned. I also can't wait to start decorating my house. These next few months are my most favorite time of the year!

Bye for now!

Yesterday, in one sitting at work, I read A Child Called It by David Peltzer. That book tore me up. I couldn't sleep last night because I was thinking about it so much. Today I am hoping to read a good part of The Lost Boy which is the sequel. These books are a must read for everyone. You will find that you just want to reach into those pages and pull that little boy out of his world and keep him safe in your arms. I don't know what happened to his mom (yet) but I hope she is suffering a cruel punishment. For real.

Need to go back and re-read this. Some good points, some points I don't agree with... Still processing...

http://edge.org/3rd_culture/haidt08/haidt08_index.html

And a WONDERFUL read from Relevant magazine. It's like my own thoughts!!





Some good quotes:

*"I've realized I cannot fully embrace either political party. Both sides of the aisle have some great ideas and goals. But both have areas where they simply get it wrong."

*"Many Christians traditionally have voted Republican because of their justifiable conviction to protect the lives of the unborn. Now, many younger Christians are voting Democrat because of their justifiable desire to see our nation, the most prosperous in the world, address issues of poverty, global aid and the environment. The problem is, many Christians vote these convictions, but that's largely where their personal involvement in the issues stops."

*Many Christians want to overturn Roe v. Wade, but I don't hear nearly as many leading the charge on a national adoption movement. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, where are all of those babies going to end up? Christians should be focused on personal action regardless of legislation, not just waiting for the right number of Supreme Court justices to come along."

AMEN!

I have been 30 for a week! While this has been a rough week (feeling sad about some friends who flaked on my party, email locking me out, getting trojan on work computer, swamped at work), my party did start the week off well and the week will definitely end on a good note as I am back in my email and have a fun game to look forward to tonight!

Thanks to all who came to my special celebration. It was a lovely day!! The lunch was better then expected and the weather was great. The company was even greater!! I also had some friends spend the night the evening before and it was so much fun to welcome in my 30's with them at midnight. I am blessed!

Pictures say a thousand words so above are some snapshots of some folks on the big day.:-)

HELP!!!

I have been locked out of my Yahoo! account for almost a week now. It must have been a glitch as I was in my email when it kicked me out. I have never had this problem before and it could not have come at a worse time. I have complied fully with requests Yahoo! has sent me, i.e. answering secret questions and sending them a fax with a copy of my license, and yet I am still getting the run around. I use this email so much and it is stressing me out that I can't get into it. It's like they don't believe me or something... I think if I were lying I would have given up by now. I have called four times, one of which I was on hold for TWO HOURS (I am so not joking), sent them two faxes, and emailed about 8 or so times. Any suggestions or connections on how to fix this problem? I am SO up a creek if I can't get in ASAP. I have even thought about legal help but I don't want to come across as threatening. I wish Yahoo! cared more....!!!