I forgot to mention at the beginning of the month that I'm planning on running 50 miles again this month. I'm mostly doing it to combat holiday eating, but also because I've not been running as much as I should, so I'm trying to get more miles worked into my weekly routine.
I'm giving up on trying to map my miles, as most all of our subdivision is not mapped on any online program. Instead, I'm taking my slow average (12 minute miles) and backing into the mileage based upon time. So, thus far, I have 7.5 miles in. Unfortunately, I wasn't thinking when I planned this, since I'm not supposed to run for two weeks following my surgery. I'm hoping Jeremy will clear me for running after my next follow-up exam, else I'm going to have a couple really busy weeks at the end of the month!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
I can see, I can see!!!
So, the surgery went really well last week. It was amazingly fast -- I think we were in and out in about an hour. My only complaint is that you have to stay awake for the procedure. I'm not good with anything that I would call "being fussed with" (like blood draws or anything involving a needle). The two Valium they had me take weren't exactly enough to keep my nerves at bay (even though Jeremy had promised me that I wouldn't care about anything once I took them). I did pretty well with the first eye, but he did have to stop lasering for a moment on the second eye because I was squirming too much. I think the 2nd eye was worse, because I knew what was coming. And, of course, I almost passed out afterwards just from sheer nerves. I really didn't feel anything during the procedure, though it was weird to be able to see them lifting my cornea off my eye.
I did have A LOT of discomfort by the time we got home (which took a while, because the Valium caused me to get a bad case of the munchies -- I wanted just about every junk food available). My eyes burned really badly, much like the time I got jalapeno juice on my contacts. I took a 45 minute nap (which was all the longer I could rest, even with a third Valium in me) and felt a little better, but was MAJORLY sensitive to light. The kids and Jeremy were down the street at John & Betty's, so I headed down there. Of course, there are a lot of Christmas lights up, which I rather loudly cursed as I tried to walk with my eyes closed down the street. And then, abruptly, about 30 minutes later I felt better. And the light sensitivity got a lot better. And it has been really good since then. I've had some problems with dry eye, but that is normal. The first several days I needed to lie down in the afternoon just to shut my eyes and rest them, but that has passed, too.
I should also mention that I could see rather well, though not perfectly, right after the surgery. By the next morning my vision was fabulous. I'm 100% pleased with the surgery and would do it again in a heartbeat (though, I would ask for a stronger sedative).
I did have A LOT of discomfort by the time we got home (which took a while, because the Valium caused me to get a bad case of the munchies -- I wanted just about every junk food available). My eyes burned really badly, much like the time I got jalapeno juice on my contacts. I took a 45 minute nap (which was all the longer I could rest, even with a third Valium in me) and felt a little better, but was MAJORLY sensitive to light. The kids and Jeremy were down the street at John & Betty's, so I headed down there. Of course, there are a lot of Christmas lights up, which I rather loudly cursed as I tried to walk with my eyes closed down the street. And then, abruptly, about 30 minutes later I felt better. And the light sensitivity got a lot better. And it has been really good since then. I've had some problems with dry eye, but that is normal. The first several days I needed to lie down in the afternoon just to shut my eyes and rest them, but that has passed, too.
I should also mention that I could see rather well, though not perfectly, right after the surgery. By the next morning my vision was fabulous. I'm 100% pleased with the surgery and would do it again in a heartbeat (though, I would ask for a stronger sedative).
Thursday, December 3, 2009
I'm getting fried today!
That is, I'm getting Lasik this afternoon. And I'm REALLY excited. I've been wearing glasses since either the 1st or 2nd grade (do you remember, Mom?) and contact lenses since the 7th (I believe, though it could have been the 8th). I can't see ANYTHING without corrective lenses -- I would never ever misplace my glasses because I couldn't get far enough away from them in the first place. So, wish me luck!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
A great weekend!
So, we had a really really nice weekend with Hannah and my parents here for Thanksgiving. I was shocked, once again, to realize how tall Hannah is getting. Here is a photo just to give you some perspective:
Your kids aren't supposed to get that much taller than you, are they?
We, of course, spent Thursday having the big Thanksgiving dinner. I love to cook and thoroughly enjoyed the chance to dust off all my holiday recipes and specialty gadgets.
We were even brave enough to attempt a family picture. This was the best we got:
And I tried something completely new this year -- we made a gingerbread house. And, no, it wasn't from a kit. It was quite the interesting process and I have lots of ideas on how to make it go smoother next year. The dough rolling was quite the process (there was just a little cussing involved -- luckily, only Hannah was participating in that part). The directions said to roll the dough out on parchment paper. Do you know how hard that is? The paper just slides around on the counter (and, yes, I could have taped it down, but I was also trying to turn it every couple of strokes). And then once I got the pieces cut out I couldn't transfer them to the cookie sheet without stretching them out. I finally discovered that I could cut them out on the parchment paper and then just transfer the parchment paper to the cookie sheet. It went much smoother from that point. The assembly was much much easier than I thought it would be. And, of course, the kids loved the decorating part best. Here are a few shots of the process and the final product:
(This is Ross being dramatic about the noise the mixer makes.)
Your kids aren't supposed to get that much taller than you, are they?We, of course, spent Thursday having the big Thanksgiving dinner. I love to cook and thoroughly enjoyed the chance to dust off all my holiday recipes and specialty gadgets.
We were even brave enough to attempt a family picture. This was the best we got:
And I tried something completely new this year -- we made a gingerbread house. And, no, it wasn't from a kit. It was quite the interesting process and I have lots of ideas on how to make it go smoother next year. The dough rolling was quite the process (there was just a little cussing involved -- luckily, only Hannah was participating in that part). The directions said to roll the dough out on parchment paper. Do you know how hard that is? The paper just slides around on the counter (and, yes, I could have taped it down, but I was also trying to turn it every couple of strokes). And then once I got the pieces cut out I couldn't transfer them to the cookie sheet without stretching them out. I finally discovered that I could cut them out on the parchment paper and then just transfer the parchment paper to the cookie sheet. It went much smoother from that point. The assembly was much much easier than I thought it would be. And, of course, the kids loved the decorating part best. Here are a few shots of the process and the final product:
(This is Ross being dramatic about the noise the mixer makes.)
As usual, the weekend with Hannah went entirely too fast. I'm glad that we'll be seeing her again in just three short weeks to celebrate Christmas. I can't wait (though I am totally not ready for the trip -- lots to do)!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy happy Thanksgiving to everyone! We are, obviously, especially thankful this year to have Jeremy here -- the kids for their beloved daddy and me for my very best friend.
As I was preparing dinner today, it really got me to thinking about all the history and memories that are embedded into this tradition and how they reflect the life of our family. I've often wondered how we ended up here (in North Carolina in the military, not something we ever planned for when we married). Today, though, I'm very thankful for all the places we've been and the people we've met.
The stuffing made me smile as I thought of my friend Kathryn, a friend and co-worker at Battelle, who gave me the recipe, which made me think of all my other dear Columbus friends....Rona and Jess (who introduced me to scrapbooking), Jim (a truly nice guy, though he always acted the grump), Casey (who inspired me to try the herb crusted turkey), Ann Louise (who was always great to chat with), Rachel (who inspired me to dress better), Rena (who taught me to knit) and so many others that I can't condense them into this post. And thinking of my Battelle friends made me think of my Noron friends from Toledo...Norb (who so very much reminded me of my Grandpa R.), Kevin, Mark & Mike (all three who were just plain fun to work with), Becky (who I still miss chatting with), Jim (who always said what he was thinking), Trevor (whose wife gave me the best darn cookie recipe ever), Rick (who was just the sweetest guy with a great laugh) and many many more. I'm so very glad my life took me in a path that ran alongside, however briefly, with the paths of these people.
The rolls were made from a recipe my Great Aunt Marilyn gave me. Making the rolls made me think of all the family gathering over the years, but especially of my Grandma M. And we sat down to eat at the table that resided in my Grandma M.'s house for as long as I can remember. And thinking of Grandma always makes me wish I could have met my Grandpa. And it makes me miss my Aunt Deb & Uncle Thomas and my cousins, Aaron & Casey. I miss the noisiness of our family gatherings. And I'm thankful for all the times we've had together and the times we will have in the future. I'm thankful for the humor and fun that has always infused our gatherings.
The cranberry fluff was made from a recipe my mother in law gave me. I'm so very very thankful of what Jeremy has brought to my life, and into the life of our family, with his family. I missed having all of them with us today. I missed our post-dinner game of Trivial Pursuit, but am very grateful for the ones we've had. I'm thankful for the times that Judson & Johnna have brought me to tears with laughter (Chinese anyone? How about some key-lime disease, er, pie, i mean?). I'm thankful for in-laws that I love. I'm thankful for the help they've given, which has in turn let me get to know them better.
I set my table with silverware that belonged to my Great Grandma N, who was my Grandma R.'s mother. I thought of my Grandma & Grandpa R. and the times we gathered at their home. I thought of my aunts and uncles and cousins. I thought of Christmas parties at Aunt Jane & Uncle Ralph's house. I thought of card games and laughter. And I am so very thankful for all these things...for happy memories and people to love.
It is funny, how these little details of the day, which seem insignificant in many ways, have so much substance to them. No the stuffing and silverware aren't REALLY important as a physical object. But the memories and history they bring with them are important (at least for me -- a physical reminder to recall things that sometimes get shoved to the back of the brain in the business of everyday life).
And so, most important of all, I'm thankful for where I am now. I'm thankful to be who I am (faults and all) and to have the people in my life that I do. I'm thankful for the ability to be content with what I have, while still being able to look forward to what will come with the next bend in the road.
As I was preparing dinner today, it really got me to thinking about all the history and memories that are embedded into this tradition and how they reflect the life of our family. I've often wondered how we ended up here (in North Carolina in the military, not something we ever planned for when we married). Today, though, I'm very thankful for all the places we've been and the people we've met.
The stuffing made me smile as I thought of my friend Kathryn, a friend and co-worker at Battelle, who gave me the recipe, which made me think of all my other dear Columbus friends....Rona and Jess (who introduced me to scrapbooking), Jim (a truly nice guy, though he always acted the grump), Casey (who inspired me to try the herb crusted turkey), Ann Louise (who was always great to chat with), Rachel (who inspired me to dress better), Rena (who taught me to knit) and so many others that I can't condense them into this post. And thinking of my Battelle friends made me think of my Noron friends from Toledo...Norb (who so very much reminded me of my Grandpa R.), Kevin, Mark & Mike (all three who were just plain fun to work with), Becky (who I still miss chatting with), Jim (who always said what he was thinking), Trevor (whose wife gave me the best darn cookie recipe ever), Rick (who was just the sweetest guy with a great laugh) and many many more. I'm so very glad my life took me in a path that ran alongside, however briefly, with the paths of these people.
The rolls were made from a recipe my Great Aunt Marilyn gave me. Making the rolls made me think of all the family gathering over the years, but especially of my Grandma M. And we sat down to eat at the table that resided in my Grandma M.'s house for as long as I can remember. And thinking of Grandma always makes me wish I could have met my Grandpa. And it makes me miss my Aunt Deb & Uncle Thomas and my cousins, Aaron & Casey. I miss the noisiness of our family gatherings. And I'm thankful for all the times we've had together and the times we will have in the future. I'm thankful for the humor and fun that has always infused our gatherings.
The cranberry fluff was made from a recipe my mother in law gave me. I'm so very very thankful of what Jeremy has brought to my life, and into the life of our family, with his family. I missed having all of them with us today. I missed our post-dinner game of Trivial Pursuit, but am very grateful for the ones we've had. I'm thankful for the times that Judson & Johnna have brought me to tears with laughter (Chinese anyone? How about some key-lime disease, er, pie, i mean?). I'm thankful for in-laws that I love. I'm thankful for the help they've given, which has in turn let me get to know them better.
I set my table with silverware that belonged to my Great Grandma N, who was my Grandma R.'s mother. I thought of my Grandma & Grandpa R. and the times we gathered at their home. I thought of my aunts and uncles and cousins. I thought of Christmas parties at Aunt Jane & Uncle Ralph's house. I thought of card games and laughter. And I am so very thankful for all these things...for happy memories and people to love.
It is funny, how these little details of the day, which seem insignificant in many ways, have so much substance to them. No the stuffing and silverware aren't REALLY important as a physical object. But the memories and history they bring with them are important (at least for me -- a physical reminder to recall things that sometimes get shoved to the back of the brain in the business of everyday life).
And so, most important of all, I'm thankful for where I am now. I'm thankful to be who I am (faults and all) and to have the people in my life that I do. I'm thankful for the ability to be content with what I have, while still being able to look forward to what will come with the next bend in the road.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Getting excited for the Holidays!
I can't believe how quickly the last few weeks have flown by. I am so ready for the Holiday season this year. Honestly, the last year seems more and more like it never happened -- perhaps simply because I am suppressing bad memories. It just seems like I missed the Holiday's last year.
I've spent the last several days prepping for tomorrow. My parents are coming down and bringing Hannah with them, so I'm getting to host (which I love to do). I'm trying a new item this year -- sweet potato pie. Actually, to be specific, it is a maple-bourbon sweet potato pie. It smells divine and I can't wait to try it. Of course, I also have a batch of my Aunt Marilyn's refrigerator rolls ready to go (which are the absolute best yeast rolls EVER), as well as all the other traditional fixings (well, except cranberry sauce, which is something I've never had -- maybe next year I'll try that). I love cooking and baking, so I'm pretty much in heaven this week!
I dug my china out this afternoon, which I did not use at all while Jeremy was gone. It was weird, because I totally forgot about a lot of the stuff I have (or don't have, for that matter). In fact, I was talking to Jeremy as I was pulling things out and mentioned that I would really like to have a set of silver some day so that I don't have to use my beat up stainless with my good china, when I pulled open a drawer and found my Great-Grandma's silver set (well, silver plated anyway, which is close enough for me). Duh! I had totally forgotten that my mother had given it to me and that I was supposed to be looking for replacement pieces to fill in the service pieces. Talk about being forgetful!!!
And now to go finish prepping what I can yet tonight...
I've spent the last several days prepping for tomorrow. My parents are coming down and bringing Hannah with them, so I'm getting to host (which I love to do). I'm trying a new item this year -- sweet potato pie. Actually, to be specific, it is a maple-bourbon sweet potato pie. It smells divine and I can't wait to try it. Of course, I also have a batch of my Aunt Marilyn's refrigerator rolls ready to go (which are the absolute best yeast rolls EVER), as well as all the other traditional fixings (well, except cranberry sauce, which is something I've never had -- maybe next year I'll try that). I love cooking and baking, so I'm pretty much in heaven this week!
I dug my china out this afternoon, which I did not use at all while Jeremy was gone. It was weird, because I totally forgot about a lot of the stuff I have (or don't have, for that matter). In fact, I was talking to Jeremy as I was pulling things out and mentioned that I would really like to have a set of silver some day so that I don't have to use my beat up stainless with my good china, when I pulled open a drawer and found my Great-Grandma's silver set (well, silver plated anyway, which is close enough for me). Duh! I had totally forgotten that my mother had given it to me and that I was supposed to be looking for replacement pieces to fill in the service pieces. Talk about being forgetful!!!
And now to go finish prepping what I can yet tonight...
Thursday, November 12, 2009
We're adjusting....
...and I'd say we're adjusting very well to having Jeremy home again. The last week has flown by and somehow (and I can't believe I'm saying this) his deployment already seems, in many ways, like a distant memory (or perhaps nightmare is a better word for it). For the most part, we've fallen back into our old roles. Jeremy's jet-lag and complete exhaustion from his trip have been the biggest challenge.
The kids have done amazingly well. Lucy has been reluctant to let Jeremy put her to bed, but other than that you'd never know that they've spent most of her life apart. And Jeremy has been just fabulous at stepping back into his role as daddy. The first morning he was home he popped right up with the kids and made waffles for them before I could even stumble out of bed.
We haven't done too much other than to enjoy spending time together. Jeremy is still on 1/2 days at work, so we've been playing each day by ear doing whatever it is that catches our interest. We're being mostly reclusive right now, so emails and phone calls aren't always being answered, which I'm hoping most everyone can understand. Family time is our #1 priority right now.
We did make a trip to the zoo on Sunday with some good friends of ours. We got the news just a few days before Jeremy came home that our friend would be deploying in a few short weeks. On a very selfish level, this upset me because I had really been looking forward to spending time with them as a couple (I'm way overdue for a few good games of euchre). And on a more serious level, I'm sad that my girl friend is just starting this horrible journey that I'm ending. So, that has been the one dark spot in our otherwise sunny lives. I suppose this is life in the military...
And I'd like to take this opportunity to say thanks to everyone who supported us for the last years -- whether through prayers, cheerful thoughts or a helping hand, we've really appreciated everything! I owe a special HUGE thanks to my in-laws, who did absolutely everything under the sun to keep things running smoothly here at home. It is an understatement to say that I would not have been able to survive the last year without them.
The kids have done amazingly well. Lucy has been reluctant to let Jeremy put her to bed, but other than that you'd never know that they've spent most of her life apart. And Jeremy has been just fabulous at stepping back into his role as daddy. The first morning he was home he popped right up with the kids and made waffles for them before I could even stumble out of bed.
We haven't done too much other than to enjoy spending time together. Jeremy is still on 1/2 days at work, so we've been playing each day by ear doing whatever it is that catches our interest. We're being mostly reclusive right now, so emails and phone calls aren't always being answered, which I'm hoping most everyone can understand. Family time is our #1 priority right now.
We did make a trip to the zoo on Sunday with some good friends of ours. We got the news just a few days before Jeremy came home that our friend would be deploying in a few short weeks. On a very selfish level, this upset me because I had really been looking forward to spending time with them as a couple (I'm way overdue for a few good games of euchre). And on a more serious level, I'm sad that my girl friend is just starting this horrible journey that I'm ending. So, that has been the one dark spot in our otherwise sunny lives. I suppose this is life in the military...
And I'd like to take this opportunity to say thanks to everyone who supported us for the last years -- whether through prayers, cheerful thoughts or a helping hand, we've really appreciated everything! I owe a special HUGE thanks to my in-laws, who did absolutely everything under the sun to keep things running smoothly here at home. It is an understatement to say that I would not have been able to survive the last year without them.
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