Me: Honey... honey... HONEY!
Tom: [Snorts] Huh?
Me: Roll over, please.
Tom: [Silence]
Me: Roll over!
Tom: Why?
Me: Because you're snoring...
Tom: [after another minute of just laying there]
I don't think so...
Now why on earth would I wake you up in the middle of the night and demand you roll over if you aren't snoring?!!! He finally did roll over, but then the snoring level reached a new depth and level.
Ugghh!
August 22, 2008
August 7, 2008
I fell off the wagon...
Hello.
My name is Tracy, and I'm a saltaholic...
Several months ago, I was diagnosed with having Meniere’s Disease, an inner ear problem which causes bouts of severe vertigo, nausea, tinnitus, and a feeling of pressure in the ear such as when you’re driving over a mountain pass, but you can NEVER get it clear.
Basically, the inner ear is made up of canals that are filled with endolymphatic fluid, which is a fluid made up of sodium. Movement of the endolymph in the balance canals creates and sends messages to the brain about the position and movement of your body. When you have Meniere's, for whatever reason, your body doesn't regulate the body's sodium like it should, so it builds up in the endolymph fluid, causing the fluid to build up so the canals swell and don't work right, causing the wonderful symptoms I mentioned before. It's like a trip to Lagoon without the steep entrance cost! Even better, you never really know when a spell is going to hit you, so that helps add suspense and excitement... NOT.
I started having symptoms a year ago this month with it really kicking into high gear in January, but I didn't get a diagnosis until April of this year. So, now that we know what it is finally, problem solved, right? Ummm... not so much! Doctors don't really know what causes Meniere's to happen in some people and not in others. And there's also not really a cure, but it can be "managed."
Great - sign me up! But here's where the saltaholic thing comes in. To help control symptoms, along with a diuretic, they recommend that you limit your salt intake to 1000-1500 milligrams of salt PER DAY. Are you kidding me? I have never been one to use a lot of salt in cooking, but given the choice between chocolate or a salty snack, I'll choose salt any day. For those of you not in the know (like me until this!), 1500 mg is only 3/4 teaspoon of salt a day. That means I can have all the fruits and veggies I want, but don't even think about dressing. This for the woman who uses veggies, salad, french fries, steak, etc. etc. as a vehicle for ranch dressing... Dill pickles (which I love) - a whopping 833 mg. for 1medium. Quick bowl of ramen noodles? Over 700. Cooking has really become a challenge: as a working mom, we were eating a lot of packaged food like pasta roni side dishes, baked beans, etc. - all full of salt.
But I digress... I've been doing pretty well. I no longer use salt in cooking, I've cut out or drastically down on the packaged food, found a lot of low-sodium or no-sodium foods, found a GREAT balsamic dressing that's really low in sodium (Lighthouse brand, I highly recommend it!), and I've given up my morning egg & cheese burritos from Taco Maker (** sigh **), and I rarely eat out.
However, every weekend when I drive to the local Wal-Mart (or as Braden puts it, hell on earth, but that's a blog for another day) I have to pass by one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, El Toro's, which has the GREATEST salsa verde that has ever been tasted this side of heaven. Before Meniere's I would frequently stop and buy a large cup-full, which we'd all devour before the end of the night. I have taken to turning my head when we drive by, because the memories are just too painful ;-)
Friday, I lost my struggle. At Wal-Mart, I made a totally premeditated beeline for the tortilla chip aisle, I power-walked into the restaurant, grabbed my brown paper sack with the wonderful salsa (I honestly considered chugging it), and returned home to devour it. I told myself I'd just have "2 tablespoons." But like any saltaholic, that was just the start. As I made dinner, I ate chips and salsa. My reward for eating all my dinner? More chips and salsa. I deserved SOMETHING for not going garage-sale-ing on Saturday. Yeah, you know what it was. Pretty soon, it was ALL gone. To be fair, I did share a little bit with the kids (actually, Savannah has mentioned something about dirty looks and having to pry it away from me to get her ONE chip, but hey, I didn't have to let her have any!). Sunday I woke up feeling extremely swimmy, and my ears have literally been screeching at me ever since, especially at night, but it was SOOOO worth it!
I now think I can sympathize more with alcoholics. There was very little self control, and it was all I could think of... Oh, how the mighty have fallen! :) I wonder if there's a support group for this?
My name is Tracy, and I'm a saltaholic...
Several months ago, I was diagnosed with having Meniere’s Disease, an inner ear problem which causes bouts of severe vertigo, nausea, tinnitus, and a feeling of pressure in the ear such as when you’re driving over a mountain pass, but you can NEVER get it clear.
Basically, the inner ear is made up of canals that are filled with endolymphatic fluid, which is a fluid made up of sodium. Movement of the endolymph in the balance canals creates and sends messages to the brain about the position and movement of your body. When you have Meniere's, for whatever reason, your body doesn't regulate the body's sodium like it should, so it builds up in the endolymph fluid, causing the fluid to build up so the canals swell and don't work right, causing the wonderful symptoms I mentioned before. It's like a trip to Lagoon without the steep entrance cost! Even better, you never really know when a spell is going to hit you, so that helps add suspense and excitement... NOT.
I started having symptoms a year ago this month with it really kicking into high gear in January, but I didn't get a diagnosis until April of this year. So, now that we know what it is finally, problem solved, right? Ummm... not so much! Doctors don't really know what causes Meniere's to happen in some people and not in others. And there's also not really a cure, but it can be "managed."
Great - sign me up! But here's where the saltaholic thing comes in. To help control symptoms, along with a diuretic, they recommend that you limit your salt intake to 1000-1500 milligrams of salt PER DAY. Are you kidding me? I have never been one to use a lot of salt in cooking, but given the choice between chocolate or a salty snack, I'll choose salt any day. For those of you not in the know (like me until this!), 1500 mg is only 3/4 teaspoon of salt a day. That means I can have all the fruits and veggies I want, but don't even think about dressing. This for the woman who uses veggies, salad, french fries, steak, etc. etc. as a vehicle for ranch dressing... Dill pickles (which I love) - a whopping 833 mg. for 1medium. Quick bowl of ramen noodles? Over 700. Cooking has really become a challenge: as a working mom, we were eating a lot of packaged food like pasta roni side dishes, baked beans, etc. - all full of salt.
But I digress... I've been doing pretty well. I no longer use salt in cooking, I've cut out or drastically down on the packaged food, found a lot of low-sodium or no-sodium foods, found a GREAT balsamic dressing that's really low in sodium (Lighthouse brand, I highly recommend it!), and I've given up my morning egg & cheese burritos from Taco Maker (** sigh **), and I rarely eat out.
However, every weekend when I drive to the local Wal-Mart (or as Braden puts it, hell on earth, but that's a blog for another day) I have to pass by one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, El Toro's, which has the GREATEST salsa verde that has ever been tasted this side of heaven. Before Meniere's I would frequently stop and buy a large cup-full, which we'd all devour before the end of the night. I have taken to turning my head when we drive by, because the memories are just too painful ;-)
Friday, I lost my struggle. At Wal-Mart, I made a totally premeditated beeline for the tortilla chip aisle, I power-walked into the restaurant, grabbed my brown paper sack with the wonderful salsa (I honestly considered chugging it), and returned home to devour it. I told myself I'd just have "2 tablespoons." But like any saltaholic, that was just the start. As I made dinner, I ate chips and salsa. My reward for eating all my dinner? More chips and salsa. I deserved SOMETHING for not going garage-sale-ing on Saturday. Yeah, you know what it was. Pretty soon, it was ALL gone. To be fair, I did share a little bit with the kids (actually, Savannah has mentioned something about dirty looks and having to pry it away from me to get her ONE chip, but hey, I didn't have to let her have any!). Sunday I woke up feeling extremely swimmy, and my ears have literally been screeching at me ever since, especially at night, but it was SOOOO worth it!
I now think I can sympathize more with alcoholics. There was very little self control, and it was all I could think of... Oh, how the mighty have fallen! :) I wonder if there's a support group for this?
August 4, 2008
How much are these photos worth? Priceless!
As promised, here are a few pictures from our recent camping trip up at Temple Flats near Bear Lake. The road to get there is HORRIBLE, but the views once you get there are all worth it, and because it's so bumpy, there weren't that many other campers, so we were able to be choosy in picking our camp site. The weather was absolutely perfect all 4 days, and we did lots of riding the trails on the 4-wheeler, and I was able to relax and do lots of reading, crossword puzzles, and working on a latch-hook kit that Braden got for his birthday (I promised not to do it all - I'm just "helping.")
As a mom permanently attached to the camera, some of my favorite shots to take are those that can be used for future blackmail opportunities. On this trip, I was able to take some doozies... When the boys were younger, I always knew that one day, far in the future, they would become interested in girls and I would need this material. Finally, all that hard work is about to pay off! Savannah just turned 9, but I figure it's never too soon to start. And, if you're lucky enough to get a great shot of your dear hubby, it's all just a bonus!
First thing in the morning, Tom serenades Savannah... Oh wait, I just caught him mid-yawn!
As a baby, Braden always wiggled, snuffled, and spread out. Some things never change - now he's just bigger, and the feet are more toxic. :)
This photo of Evan defies description... and may actually be a little disturbing! :)
July 28, 2008
Birthdays, Burgers, and Buckets
June and July are crazy months in our family, both immediate and extended, because of a plethora of birthdays, holidays, and Tom's and my anniversary. July especially gets hectic with 4 birthdays spread from the 9th through the 22nd. It has become much easier to just hold one big gathering rather than trying to celebrate each one separately. Maybe it's just because Lois and I, mothers of the two birthday children, are just too tired to plan better! This year we didn't even bother to try and come up with a fun outing such as swimming, a playland, movie, etc. - we just settled for a backyard barbecue for the family. I have to say, out of the past several years, this was my favorite birthday party yet!
My parents have an irrigation canal that runs through their backyard, which is conveniently located next door to my cousin and his wife's house, also with the canal. The kids (from ages 5 up to 15) started off with water guns, trying to soak each other. It soon turned into a full-blown melee' with buckets and super soakers, and Evan and Braden eventually ended up wrestling in the ditch. After completely soaking each other, as if on cue, they climbed out and came towards me, giving me a great big wet group hug. Just when you think you cannot bear to live through however many years you have left with teenagers, they do something like this which makes you remember how much you love them, and how fun they can be. Although at times I can't wait until they're grown up, and some days I swear that none of us will live through it, moments like these give me such hope and help me to see what fine young men they really are becoming.
One of the birthday's we celebrated was my very own - 27 again! Tom and the boys each picked me out one of those "talking" birthday cards. Their choices were hysterical (Tom's was Gilda Radner, one of my favorite comedians, and the boys' was a lesson in saying "I love you," which I will never hear the same way from them again). I have to share what Tom wrote on the envelope of his:
"Help wanted: Female, frequent shopper, firm, trim, (no gray hair - x'ed out), slight gray hair, patient, kind, dizziness okay, loves to read. Must be no older than 27 with 10 years experience. Please apply.
P.S. - comes with children
I thought that was so cute :)
.
Finally, I'm including a great photo I took on our camping trip this last weekend (which is at the top of the post now because I can't seem to make this program place photos where I want them - still learning!). I'm forever trying to perfect the art of taking close-ups of wildflowers, and I think this is my closest attempt yet! I'll write more and include more pictures of the trip another day...
July 11, 2008
How much for that doggy in the window?
This is Annie, the newest member of the family: 3/4 Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and 1/4 Shih-tzu. We've had her since February, but I swear that she gets cuter every day!
She is 6 1/2 months old, and just started into heat for the first time... Who knew dogs could hit puberty that young?!!! There is currently a slight disagreement about whether or not to try to breed her, so until then, I'm back to diapering... I don't know which of us hates it more. She has become quite adept at being able to wriggle out of it. Each time she does, I have gone hunting for it and put it right back on. Smart little thing that she is, she has started chewing them to shreds afterward. You can almost see the little glint in her eye as she thinks to herself: "Ha! Put that back on me!"
July 9, 2008
With Apologies to Anne
One of the many things that I love about my husband is that he wakes up EVERY morning with what we've jokingly refer to as his "song of the day." It doesn't matter how tired he is, or what's going on in our lives, but he always has something that he wakes up singing. In 13 years of marriage (Yay Us!) I don't remember them ever repeating either. Anyway, he always wakes up with a song in his heart. Some days I appreciate this, and some, not so much! There are many times that I will end up with some annoying little ditty looping non-stop through my brain. :-)
Today, for one of the first times, I woke up with a song of my own.
Back in the early '80's, Anne Murray (I know, not exactly one of the hit makers for someone who came of age in the 80's, but I still think she has one of the prettiest voices around) had a hit song called "A Little Good News," which I've had running through my head all day. Since I could only remember the main line: "We sure could use a little good news today," after about the 376th time, I decided to give my brain a break and look up the rest of the lyrics. It's amazing how much this song, written 25 years ago, still applies, almost word for word, to things happening around us now. I know that I'm not alone with getting depressed when I look at the world around us, and I'm almost to the point that I don't want to read a newspaper or watch the news on TV. Sometimes I think that ignorance would truly be bliss.
The last few days in our family have been crazy also, with many highs and lows... It's funny how life can make such rapid turns. You're cruising along, and things may even be dull, and then all of a sudden some small thing happens that changes everything.
As I wrote before, Josh had been at home for the last week and a half. We really enjoyed this visit home and did a lot of things together as a family. He left bright and early on Monday morning (on the road by 6:00 a.m. - ugghh!). By 7:00 a.m., I had a phone call from him. He had stopped at the scenic overlook near Bear Lake to take pictures and apparently two of our kittens had climbed under the hood of his car, unbeknownst to any of us. One of them sadly didn't make it, and managed to do quite a bit of damage under the hood. Because of this, he ended up spending a day and a half in Kemmerer, Wyoming getting repairs. The other kitty was crouched on his battery, and was NOT a happy camper. Josh has ended up keeping the kitty, which has yet to be named: sparky, lucky, and AC Delco are all in the running. I wish I could have taken a picture of him showing up for his first official assignment as a Special Forces guy with his little kitty in tow... We're just glad that he made it safely and are so impressed with how well he has rolled with the punches.
Tuesday evening my dad had another health scare. For those of you who don't know, he has been a diabetic for many years, and has spent the last several years undergoing dialysis to keep his kidneys functioning. He and my mom have had the rare opportunity to do a home dialysis program which they do 6 days a week. That evening he started having some heart problems, something that he's had several times here lately. Mom decided that she'd better get him up to the hospital. However, when she started to put him into his wheelchair to load in the car, he passed out and gave us all a huge scare. He has atrial fibrillation and will need an ablation procedure, which is where they go in and try to kill up the specific area of the heart that is misfiring. He should be coming home tomorrow, but will need to schedule this surgery. Please keep him in your prayers and prayers for my mom too...
On a brighter note, Evan and Braden have been at World Changers in Salt Lake City since Saturday, a program our church participates in where they volunteer on a work crew to help do housing repairs for low income, elderly, and disabled people. They'll be home this coming Saturday. There are 200 youth working there this week from all over the U.S., and we are so glad that our boys get to be a part of it. I have been checking the World Changers blog each day (http://www.slcworldchangers.blogspot.com/) and was surprised and tickled to see Evan's smiling (but extremely grimy!) face as one of the photos for Tuesday. He managed to call home for a few minutes tonight, and was raving about how wonderful an experience they're having. They were also featured on Fox News (http://www.myfoxutah.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=959F438FC49DE500B9578FFAFC2F0364?contentId=6932507&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1). Check it out! I'm hoping, in the days to come, to catch glimpses of Braden too, who is apparently on a different work crew than Evan.
This type of story was just what I needed after the hard week we've had, and a great reminder that there ARE still good things going on around us. Tonight, rather than Anne Murray's timely words, I'm going to make an effort to go to sleep with the words from an ancient song, but one that is ALWAYS true, Psalm 23.
Today, for one of the first times, I woke up with a song of my own.
Back in the early '80's, Anne Murray (I know, not exactly one of the hit makers for someone who came of age in the 80's, but I still think she has one of the prettiest voices around) had a hit song called "A Little Good News," which I've had running through my head all day. Since I could only remember the main line: "We sure could use a little good news today," after about the 376th time, I decided to give my brain a break and look up the rest of the lyrics. It's amazing how much this song, written 25 years ago, still applies, almost word for word, to things happening around us now. I know that I'm not alone with getting depressed when I look at the world around us, and I'm almost to the point that I don't want to read a newspaper or watch the news on TV. Sometimes I think that ignorance would truly be bliss.
The last few days in our family have been crazy also, with many highs and lows... It's funny how life can make such rapid turns. You're cruising along, and things may even be dull, and then all of a sudden some small thing happens that changes everything.
As I wrote before, Josh had been at home for the last week and a half. We really enjoyed this visit home and did a lot of things together as a family. He left bright and early on Monday morning (on the road by 6:00 a.m. - ugghh!). By 7:00 a.m., I had a phone call from him. He had stopped at the scenic overlook near Bear Lake to take pictures and apparently two of our kittens had climbed under the hood of his car, unbeknownst to any of us. One of them sadly didn't make it, and managed to do quite a bit of damage under the hood. Because of this, he ended up spending a day and a half in Kemmerer, Wyoming getting repairs. The other kitty was crouched on his battery, and was NOT a happy camper. Josh has ended up keeping the kitty, which has yet to be named: sparky, lucky, and AC Delco are all in the running. I wish I could have taken a picture of him showing up for his first official assignment as a Special Forces guy with his little kitty in tow... We're just glad that he made it safely and are so impressed with how well he has rolled with the punches.
Tuesday evening my dad had another health scare. For those of you who don't know, he has been a diabetic for many years, and has spent the last several years undergoing dialysis to keep his kidneys functioning. He and my mom have had the rare opportunity to do a home dialysis program which they do 6 days a week. That evening he started having some heart problems, something that he's had several times here lately. Mom decided that she'd better get him up to the hospital. However, when she started to put him into his wheelchair to load in the car, he passed out and gave us all a huge scare. He has atrial fibrillation and will need an ablation procedure, which is where they go in and try to kill up the specific area of the heart that is misfiring. He should be coming home tomorrow, but will need to schedule this surgery. Please keep him in your prayers and prayers for my mom too...
On a brighter note, Evan and Braden have been at World Changers in Salt Lake City since Saturday, a program our church participates in where they volunteer on a work crew to help do housing repairs for low income, elderly, and disabled people. They'll be home this coming Saturday. There are 200 youth working there this week from all over the U.S., and we are so glad that our boys get to be a part of it. I have been checking the World Changers blog each day (http://www.slcworldchangers.blogspot.com/) and was surprised and tickled to see Evan's smiling (but extremely grimy!) face as one of the photos for Tuesday. He managed to call home for a few minutes tonight, and was raving about how wonderful an experience they're having. They were also featured on Fox News (http://www.myfoxutah.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=959F438FC49DE500B9578FFAFC2F0364?contentId=6932507&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1). Check it out! I'm hoping, in the days to come, to catch glimpses of Braden too, who is apparently on a different work crew than Evan.
This type of story was just what I needed after the hard week we've had, and a great reminder that there ARE still good things going on around us. Tonight, rather than Anne Murray's timely words, I'm going to make an effort to go to sleep with the words from an ancient song, but one that is ALWAYS true, Psalm 23.
July 1, 2008
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