Happy Birthday to me...

Yesterday was my 33rd Birthday. Wow, seriously? 33? I'm not really one of those people who gets overly concerned with age - it's just a number - but when you think about it, 33 sure as hell isn't 23. ;) I can tell you for sure that I am more aware of my age since I've hit my "30's" than I ever was before. A few things I've noticed over the past few years that are telling of my age:

1. Hangovers last more than one day and are straight up not worth the "fun" that causes them.
2. My metabolism went on a permanent vacation I think around the time I turned 30, maybe 31. If you see Mr. Metabolism, please send him back my way.
3. There's no shame in coloring your own hair... If you don't screw it up, no one knows it came out of a damn box.
4. I don't feel like there's any reason to stay up later than 9 (or 9:30 on nights when things get crazy... like when there's laundry to do or extra dishes to be done).
5. I've found a new appreciation for the "staycation". No packing, no cabs or airplanes, and just relaxing at home with no worries is sweet.
6. When we have our next baby, I might be in the "high risk" category because I'll be fast approaching 35 when the little one is born.
7. Professional athletes are starting to look like teenagers to me.
8. When someone drives down our street too fast, I mumble, "Man, slow down already, there are kids on this street."
9. Sometimes I prefer talk radio to music when driving (well, when I could drive).
10. I love waking up early so that I can have coffee with Jake and watch the weather forecast with him. :)

All in all, 33 isn't half bad. My day yesterday was a great one... my great friend Jaimie came to get me in the a.m. and drove me to Target to pick up a few things I've been meaning to get as a gift for my friend's nephew. After that, she took me for a super awesome lunch, and then home for my nap. The nap was very much needed and I slept hard. Then, Jaimie, her husband Jason and their little one Mason came back with pizza for my Birthday dinner! Yummm! Honestly, is there a better pizza than Papa Murphy's?? Layla and Mason played great together and Layla was beat after the Schultz family left.

I did discover last night that there are still limitations to the things I can do in one day since surgery. I need to be napping more and doing less. I ended up with a pretty severe migraine last night, one that was so bad I couldn't move and it eventually lead to tears. :( I ended up finally finding a bit of comfort after I put a few ice packs on my head and taking a few Benadryl to help me sleep (yep, I okayed that with the pharmacist who knows all the other meds I'm on).

Today will be spent doing a whole lot of sleeping. Then, off to the doctor for blood tests and, to get my staples out!!! VERY excited about that. Thanks in advance to my friend Jenny who will be my driver for the day.

Thanks to everyone for all the amazing Birthday wishes!!!

Flying solo - Day 1

Today is my first day since the afternoon of 10/19 being solo. Well, I'm not sure you can really count this as being solo when I have my big helper dog Hudson at my side, but you catch my drift. This morning our friend and neighbor, Lori, was the chauffeur for daycare, and my day is filled with lots of exciting and crazy events - sleeping and making more doctor's appointments. I know, it's going to be just like a party!

I'm pretty sure most of my day will be spent napping, as I'm tired already. Not sure how that's possible but I suppose I'll blame it on the surgery and daylight savings. Anyone else feel like hunting down the person who thought up this daylight savings scam and scaring the life out of him until he takes it all back and just lets it be whatever the hell time it is forever?? Layla sure doesn't give a hoot that when she's up at 5:00 it's really still 6:00. Last night though, she did fall asleep on my lap on the couch and didn't really wake up even when Jake picked her up and carried her off to bed. So maybe her bedtime will be a bit earlier for a little while?

Nothing exciting to report today besides my oh so exciting to do list. Not that I'm asking for a larger list or more responsibility at this point. The thought of that overwhelms me and I'm very thankful for the fact that I have this time to rest and recover. I'm sure I'll be fine, but sometimes I find myself wondering if I should have one of those necklace thingies that has a, "Help! I've fallen, and I can't get up!" button on it. ;)

Tomorrow is my 33rd Birthday... my slogan for this year: "33 and tumor free!" Maybe I should make a shirt? The Schultz's are coming over for a Bday visit with some dinner, so I know we'll have a good time and that Layla will have a blast with their little Mason Man!

Happy Monday to ya'll!

Thank You Tee

12:02 on Saturday... Sitting next to energy ball (aka: Layla) while she eats her lunch and making an attempt at providing an update to ya'll. We'll see how long this lasts. Her favorite thing to do when I'm on the computer is grab my arms and pull them off the keyboard and say, "Mommy! Be done!" I think this little one is getting sick of my mug around here, that's for sure. What she really needs is some fresh air, so hopefully after we both get our nap in I can get her out and get some wind in her face.

Theresa left this morning, after spending 4 nights here completely catering to our every need. And not just my needs... Layla's too. If Layla had to potty, Tee was on it. Needed her p.j.'s on, Tee got it. Had laundry to be cleaned (and man, Layla had a lot of laundry this week because she had 3 accidents at nap time at daycare which means we're sent home w/ pee soaked stuff), needed a snack, a meal, some snuggling... You name it, Tee was on it. She pretty much hung up her mommy name tag at home before leaving Osceola, and put mine on when she walked in the door. Girl, you are amazing. On top of all the mommy duties she took over for me, she was our chauffeur for the week. While she multi-tasked on work calls, she drove Layla and I to the doctor, took me out for coffee (yes, she monitored my intake and only let me have on caffeine blast a day), AND took me for a full on deluxe mani / pedi. We were lucky enough to get the timing to work out for our friend Jenny too, and the 3 of us hit a late lunch after our spa treatment! What a day. By about 3:30 that afternoon though, I was beyond spent. Theresa literally put me to bed that afternoon, folded some more of Layla's laundry and went and picked her up from school for me.

I feel so blessed to have you in my life Theresa. Seems like just yesterday our wolverine husbands introduced us and we partied like rock stars in your old school apartment. I can't wait to make the next trip to the Meyer ranch and nuzzle the boys and see the rest of the Meyer crew. Thank you for everything. I love you!!!

Let the insomnia begin...

Hmmm... turns out the meds they have me on are not ones that are willing to let me get any real rest. I thought for sure at least the pain meds I'm on would push me into sleep land a bit. No such luck. I've been noticing over the last few nights that I am just wound tight at bedtime and cannot settle down this brain of mine (ironic, isn't it?). Originally, I was told the seizure meds I'm on will make me drowsy, but they don't. They make me dizzy and disoriented, but not drowsy. Plop a few steroids throughout the day on top of that and you've got one tweaked out A-Train. It constantly feels like I'm on edge with a little bit of tired dashed on top. I am able to "rest" (meaning snuggle up with a cozy blanket and veg a bit), but not actually sleep. Oh, another added bonus, the seizure meds make me itch, and sweat. So let me tell you, I am one hot piece of mama to be sleeping next to for Jake. I'm wiggly, itchy and seriously breaking out in hot flash night sweats. Now that's hot.

The last time I looked at the clock last night was midnight, and I tossed and turned from there. I gave up and came out to watch a DVR'd episode of "Desperate Housewives" at 3:00 a.m., and here I sit now, watching some trashy "Extra" episode and wondering if I should have some toast.

You guys... Is this blogging thing annoying? For me, it's sort of therapeutic, but sometimes I wonder if it's too much. You know, sort of like when you get trapped in a conversation with one of those people who just won't shut the hell up about themselves?? That is so flipping obnoxious. I'm hoping that the fact that you cannot read up on the updates without pursuing the site yourself saves you from some of the "in your faceness" of it all, but please know that if you keep coming out here for more meaningful posts only to be disappointed, I'll understand fully if you want to take a break from my recovery for a while. :)

Ooohhh... I should really go. There's an extended preview of the new movie, "Burlesque" with Cher and Christina Aguilara on Extra... KIDDING. Not a Christina fan in the least. If I saw her on the street I'd give her a high five for being a diva, but I wouldn't go see this movie if you paid me. Ick.

Happy Wednesday! Oh, and a quick follow-up to my last post... Theresa made it here without a hitch last night, and as I walked down our sidewalk to her car to greet her, I saw the tears well up in her eyes. She grabbed me so tight I thought my head might pop off, shook me and said, "Don't you ever do that to me again! You scared the shit out of me!" I told her I wouldn't, and we proceeded to cry it out in the driveway. I knew that would happen. My "Tee Dawg", to the rescue.

Is it sinking in?

It's hard to believe it's been two full weeks since this whirlwind all started. October 19th is when I went down like a ton of bricks in our bathroom, and was woken by our champion dog Hudson, who literally had my head cradled in his arms and was blowing in my face to wake me up. A few procedures, a ton of pokes and prods and tests and a brain surgery later, I keep finding myself asking whether this is all real. Every night I have the oddest dreams (probably drug induced) and each morning, I have woken up wondering if this all really happened.

For some odd reason, today seems like things are starting to sink in with everything that has happened. A few times, I've found myself with tears welling up, overwhelmed with the emotion of it all, thanking God that I'm here in my home, breathing this air and looking forward to driving (in the passenger seat) to daycare with Jake in just a few minutes to see our little blondie running across the playground at us. Not for a millisecond of my lifetime will I ever take another thing for granted. I won't take the playground runs for granted, the moments I spend trying to get Layla to "stand straight" when I'm putting her overnight pull-up on, not even the times when she's fighting me because she "needs to stretch" more in the morning before getting ready for school. Jake is coming out of this whole ordeal pretty set too... I told him last night that I'm fairly certain we will not be fighting about anything ever again. Now, one might argue that again, that statement could be a side effect of my drugs, but people, I'm really not that doped up. I'm only on anti-seizure meds, steroids and codeine. Whoopi di doo. All I really want to do at any given moment is wrap my arms around my lumber jack and tell him how much I love him and how thankful I am that he's my husband.

My dear friend, Theresa (aka: "Tee Dawg", "Tee Money", "Theres'a") is on the road from the far West side of Sconnie as we speak to come stay with me until Saturday. A five hour drive for her... bless her heart. I had a dream last night that when she got here, I cried my eyes out. I have a feeling that dream will see itself to fruition. Poor girl was so worried about me on the day of surgery that she told Jake she fell down at one point, and, made coffee without adding any water.

Recovery is going well. Still slow, and tired, but how's that really any different that before? ;) I'm lucky to be enjoying the comfort of my home, and have been able to rest comfortably in between medicine doses (man, you should see my arsenal... it looks like a nursing home here).

Stay tuned... We are off to get blondie and I promised her ice cream before school today. You thought she had me around her little finger before!!!

Live life to its fullest my friends!!!

Trick-or-treat!!!

Whooo hooo!! I'm a sassy bumble bee queen!!! She was so pumped to be rockin' this outfit!!!

Dingin doorbells with Meggie and Trey Dawg.

Let's go daddy!!!

Let's see how much of this candy we can get away with eating in one sitting Trey.

I got two pumpkin candy holders here, just in case (and dudes, she used them both).

Yesterday was a biiiig day. Mommy got to make the big walk around the block with Layla and daddy and some of our friends so that Layla could trick-or-treat. We brought the wagon, for me. But, I didn't need to use it! Aren't you proud? I had to make a few stops here and there to get my balance and take a few deep breaths, but I made it home thank goodness. I was super tired afterwards and decided that I should give it some time before making another trip around the block anytime soon. Honestly, it felt like I went to Disneyland for the entire day after that walk!

Today is going to be a great day of R&R, thank goodness. Layla is back at daycare and Jake is here to help, as always. Things have been a bit nuts with visitors and our door hasn't stopped spinning since I got home, so I think I'll be taking advantage of some serious quiet time today to get some zzz's in.

:)

My Wells Fargo Family

So I mentioned in my last post that I owed my Wells Fargo Family a huge thank you post for the amazing support they've given me since this whole thing has started. I feel so blessed to have the job that I do as I actually get to write for a living, which is what I like doing, although sometimes I'd prefer to be writing about traveling, wine, or other more social activities instead of planning for retirement, but someones got to teach the world to save their pennies so they can do all of that fun stuff when they do quit working, right? On top of enjoying what I do on a daily basis, I am also lucky enough to work with an amazing group of people, who, from day one treated me like a friend or family member, not just your run of the mill coworker. I started with this group just before I had Layla girl (before that I was with Wells, but working in a slightly different division). One thing I remember clearly when interviewing for this position was that the girls on my team were all very adorable and trendy. Is that shallow? I just thought, "Oh, look at her hair cut! It's so cute" (Christine), and, "My gosh, her skin is perfect and she has the best jewelry" (Christy), and, "This one must be super smart because she is a cute little young one with very pretty, shiny hair" (Heather). I know... this is all very weird. But I'm weird. So it shouldn't come as a surprise. I also remember that when I went in for the interview I was hugely pregnant and sort of kept that little gem in my pocket because I wasn't sure if it was something I should spring on the group before they met me. One of my bosses, Jennifer, greeted me at the interview and was just so nice about everything. She was congratulating me and smiling, all the while I'm thinking, "This girl has style too! What is this, the 'style division' of Wells?!"

Anyway, enough of the total background on my immediate team at Wells. If you'd like to know their blood types I can probably get those for you if you need. ;) So let's get back to when this all started. The day it happened, I decided it would be a good idea to go into work because I had an important meeting at 9:00 that day (Drew, you know what I'm talking about). ;) As soon as a few of my coworkers got wind that I had "fainted" that a.m., concerned eyes started bulging and I proceeded to follow their advice and made a doctor's appointment. From then on, my team was nothing but supportive. Keeping in touch via phone / texts, etc. My poor friend Heather was the one who had to take the first teary / scared phone call from me the following day when they admitted me into St. Luke's. She's so sweet. She just told me to stay calm (that's Heather, she's our rock) and that she would let everyone know and would only be a call away. My boss, Drew, was amazing as well, helping me get things set up for my leave and being very understanding with everything.

In the short time that there was for everyone at work to absorb this, my immediate team and others that I work with across the country rallied for me and helped contribute to an amazingly generous and thoughtful care package that Christine, a tiny peanut of a girl, delivered to me in all but a hurricane at the hospital. Awesome magazines, movies, the Sex and the City box DVD set, The Sopranos, adorable Old Navy slipper boots, Victoria's Secret jammies and socks, trident layers (Paul, was that you?) ;), and more, more, more. I was so touched. Thank you Wells, you really brought a smile to my face and continue to do so as I squirm my way through recovery.

Today seems like I'm feeling a bit better. Still slow as a snail and can't do much at all before I feel like I need to do heavy breathing exercises and take a nap, but at least I'm home and with my family. We'll be taking Layla trick-or-treating today (she'll be a bumble bee) so I hope to be able to post some pics later. I will try to avoid landing in any of them... I think I'll be in a wheel chair, which is funny and embarrassing at the same time.

Happy Halloween!!! And, THANK YOU WELLS!!