Residency

I applied for the Amtrak Residency program last night, and now I'm nervous! I don't feel like I'm good enough to get it, but at least I put my work in the hat, right? To apply, you had to submit a writing sample. I didn't want to use any of my previous work, which was on the darker side, but I had a vague idea of a story forming in my noggin, so I sat down to write anew and the words just poured out of my head onto the screen. The story wrote itself while I sat there and watched. It was an amazing feeling, just watching what my fingers had to type while my brain formulated all these incredible words. Almost like an out-of-body experience...almost. Time for tea! I'm up before everyone else to make sure the Boy got on the bus, and now it's just quiet writing and internet time. I <3 this time of day the best!

I Just Joined Smiley360

Thought everyone should know ... I Just Joined Smiley360 ...



I like to get free things in the mail, and really, just mail in general. It's sort of like Freeflys, and it's a new site but is getting good reviews. Check it out.

And some good news ....

Went to the doctor this morning and found out my recent mammogram and subsequent ultrasound were normal, which a breast examination also mirrored today. The doctor literally said "I don't know why you're having pain; no one knows what causes breast pain." Seriously? I call fake on that one. He told me to take ibuprofen if it hurts and try to avoid caffeine. This makes no sense. This has been three years in a row that I've been having this pain in the same spot, and all I get is "I don't know"? Sigh. I didn't need a doctor to tell me no one knows what's going on. It's getting so frustrating! Now I guess I need to have my hormone levels checked with my family doctor. And if those are low, then what? Someone else telling me they don't know why the levels are low and just deal with it?

PMS

The weather has been a bitch lately, like Mother Nature is having premenstrual mood swings or something. The other day it was 74 degrees outside! Windows open, shorts on, playing football outside with the boy ... and it snowed last night and the heat got turned on because it was 27 this morning. My arthritic bones can't keep this up much longer! Old age is totally gonna suck. Another day of desperately looking for jobs to get us out of this situation and back on our feet. We've even contemplated going to a shelter for the time being, but that was vetoed due to lack of vehicle. Stuck, that's all we are. Stuck with no resources, and this game is getting old.

Is spring finally here?

I've had a stomach bug or something for the last week or so and I'm finally starting to get over it...another five pounds gone, though! This makes a total of 25, and I'm super happy! Still have to get used to drinking water again after being sick, but now I'm allowing myself a soda every now and then and I don't feel like it's going to be an addiction again. Soda used to be my thang, and I felt like I couldn't live or function without at least one a day. When we moved to Minnesota I kinda weaned myself off it, and was like that for almost two months! Then I had a soda when Nick and I went out to eat last month and it was like nirvana in my mouth. I've been having one every week or so, and now I don't really feel good about it at all. Does this mean I'm growing up?

Amazon

I review products and buy a lot of things from Amazon, so here's something worth checking out:
Shop Amazon - Spring Outlet Event

My raspberry ketones came from there, as did another weight loss supplement I just purchased. If you have any ideas for weight loss supplements or low fat meals, let me know!

Is this death?

I have gastroenteritis, and it feels like the end is nigh. Fever, stomach and abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea ... all of the finer things in life, combined into one convenient disease. So far today I've had a cookie and a cup of tea, one green bean and a bite of chicken. None of which fared well. I'm hungry but can't eat, and almost threw up in the bath yesterday because the motion of the water made me sick! Why can't this go away?! I suppose it's a good way to lose weight, if you're trying to be optimistic ... but I'm not at the moment.

When I do feel better, I've got some raspberry ketones to try that I got for free from a company called NutraH3. Don't really know what they're for other than a dietary supplement, but they smell good and come in a capsule that looks like I can swallow it without issue.

At least I can get some writing done during all this down time!

Issues

I had my gallbladder removed in July 2013, due to multiple stones that were aggravating the heck out of me. The problem I've been having since is constant diarrhea and stomach cramping. Is this normal? When I mentioned it to my doctor a couple of times, he told me that it's to be expected and there's nothing that can be done about it except wait it out. However, I've heard that the symptoms can last for several years before stopping! This can't be true, right? If that's the case, I would rather have my gallbladder back and deal with the stones that this!

In fact, in today's technological age, why can't they just make a disease-free gallbladder and put it back in? I know experts say that we don't actually need a gallbladder to function, but I don't recall having these symptoms with a gallbladder, right? This makes no sense! I've lost 20 pounds since my surgery, though, which isn't a lot (because I'm still festively fat), so I guess that could be seen as a plus. I'll start using the Leslie Sansone walking DVD pretty soon, though, as soon as my bones can handle the movement.

Time to Revive!

All right, folks, it's been WAY too long since the last update so let's get this party started again! So much has happened in the last YEAR that we're not going to pick up where we left off but rather start over in a sense.

We moved to Minnesota December of 2013; unfortunately, it didn't last long and we were back in Kentucky by January 2nd of this year. Along the way, I managed to lose about 20 pounds! Go me! I'm currently practicing a restricted diet and moderating my liquid intake - lots of water, not so much soda anymore. I had gallbladder surgery last July and am still suffering from the side effects of having it gone, but overall I'm feeling a lot healthier about myself and ... well, life in general. I'm ready to move forward!