Moving right along!

[katieblue]

Hey Wendy!! Like ArtFossil said, I definitely don't think colonoscopies mean you're old!! But I am really glad that your report has improved so much! Definitely not TMI, we all share quite a bit on here! Lol!

Larry sounds like a real sweetie. Sometimes you just need some pancakes! I think Dallas and Melissa would understand. After all, she does have her donuts that are "worth it" to her! I know I had a donut when I was in Maine and it was ssssoooo goooooood!

 

That pico de gallo is CHEAP at Trader Joe's! It's like 4.99 at my local food store for a pint of it!! I'm DEFINITELY going to have to stop there tomorrow!

I'll be smiling up a storm because I've had a dental implant in process since October and after tomorrow it will FINALLY be finished and I'll finally have a tooth where I've had a gap for six months!

 

The pork was really good, especially considering that there were only three ingredients and no chopping involved! But it was VERY salty - I'm glad I read a few recipes that said not to just shred it in the juices from the crock pot because the salt would have been off the charts! We only used maybe 1/4 of the juices that had come from it. 

The cauliflower side was also really fabulous, but I would probably make it without the coconut flour next time because it didn't help it get crispy, it just got mushy! But the flavoring was stellar, it tasted just like teriyaki sauce!

[Wendy and Frankie]

ArtFossil and katieblue,

     Thanks for the nice comments about my age. I was really just saying "I'm old," tongue in cheek, though.  I will be 51 next month, and I feel great.  I don't try to "hide" my age like some friends of mine about the same age.  I've earned my wrinkles and gray hairs, thanks to my own kids and my students!  Larry is always sweet when he says things to my daughters like, "Look at your mother. That's what you're going to look like when you're 50 IF you take care of yourself! So exercise and don't eat a bunch of crap!"

 

katieblue, I hope the dental implant gets finished to your liking.  That's exciting to be finally done!  And yes, I agree about the price of the pico at TJ's. It's also 4.99 at my usual grocery store, and it has a tiny amount of sugar, unlike TJ's.  I will warn you that the container at TJ's is smaller, though, but even if you buy 2 of them it's still cheaper than at the other store. 

 

Wendy

[katieblue]

I love your outlook on age so much! I think there is something absolutely beautiful about age, because it comes with wisdom and learning and self awareness and a whole bunch of amazing things that I hope to have someday.

I definitely think I would get along with Larry, he sounds like an awesome guy! Haha.

 

My implant is AWESOME, thank you!! It's so exciting to have a tooth there, even though I keep biting my tongue because I'm not used to it!! Lol!

Also, I have my Honda back as of today - she's all fixed!! So happy!

 

I was really in a bad mood this morning, I felt SO down on myself and so cranky. I'm having a hard time sleeping. I can't sleep past 5am anymore to save my life, no matter what time I go to bed. I think I really should look into that magnesium supplement!

[Wendy and Frankie]

Sounds like yesterday was a great day with finishing your tooth implant process and getting your baby back! 

 

For some reason, both times on the W30, I had a hard time sleeping.  This first time, I thought it was because I had bronchitis for most of it, and was having a hard time breathing.  The second time, I couldn't fall asleep at night, and would often wake up super early, too.  Is melatonin allowed? Larry takes that, but it has never helped me.  You might try Natural Calm.  (white powder you dissolve in water before bed).  I think I got mine at GNC years ago.  Hope your day goes well and the crankiness goes away.  I'm always cranky when I don't get enough sleep.  

 

Wendy

[katieblue]

Hmm, even though I'm not happy to hear you had a hard time sleeping, too, I'm glad it wasn't just me! Lol. I wonder if it's because of that tiger blood. Maybe there's just so much more energy once we become fat adapted.

I don't know about melatonin, but I did just buy some Natural Calm.  Reading the reviews made it seem like it could help me with a whole slew of anxiety-related issues, so I think it's worth paying 23 dollars to try it out and see if it helps.

 

I feel a LOT better today, and I also finally went to the gym this morning and I could feel my bad mood slipping away. It's crazy what an impact exercising has and how important it is! I'm like a different person today!

 

Does anyone have any awesome plans for the holiday weekend?

[galaxigrl]

Hi ladies.  I wrote up a response a couple of days ago, and then my computer crashed unexpectedly.  Katie, glad you're implant is working out well!  Did you make it to Trader Joe's?  I had to have a root canal on Monday,  It went a lot better than I expected.  I was super nervous about it.  My tooth isn't even in that much pain anymore, and it's only been 3 days!  I did want to share this recipe with you.  I made it Monday night, and it was soooo good!  My plans for the holiday weekend are to go to a wedding in Bath, NC for my husband's cousin's daughter.  It will be good to see family, but we're staying with my MIL for three days again.  Hopefully having the wedding and others around will diffuse!  Wish me luck!  What are you doing for the holiday?

[katieblue]

Hey, Colleen! That used to happen to me all the time with my old laptop (I've hijacked Rob's Mac now and been using that). It's so frustrating and you never want to go back and redo what you spent time typing out already! Lol!

I did not make it to Trader Joe's, because the implant process was actually pretty long and detailed (although not painful, thankfully!) I'm glad your root canal went well and your tooth felt better. I can DEFINITELY relate to that; I had one done when I was twelve where I was so wound up and scared that the Novocain just wasn't taking and everything hurt me so bad. I've had terrible anxiety and terror of the dentist since then, even though the one I have now is great (hence why I'll drive 45 minutes to see him). But I'm really happy yours went well, I've heard they aren't nearly the procedures they used to be!

 

Thank you for the recipe, that looks SO good!! Literally everything in it is something amazing! Haha. You guys know how I feel about sweet potatoes, but combining them with salsa and beef? *drool*. If I show that to Rob, I'm pretty sure we'll be making it ASAP! And thankfully it looks simple! Is there a trick to dicing mango? I always have such a hard time cutting them and I feel like there must be a trick that I'm missing.

 

You and your family sure do get to travel a lot! I'm so jealous! And that you get to travel in such gorgeous Southern areas. I'm sorry you have to deal with your MIL AGAIN! I love Rob's family, but we only see them 2-3 times a year, even though they only live like twenty minutes away. I hope that your visit goes smoothly and she isn't TOO passive aggressive. Especially since it's a wedding; they're supposed to be fun times, not stressful or dramatic (says the girl who has yet to go through the process). I'll be thinking of you!

One of the things one of our friends has suggested for getting through stressful situations is to have a passive-aggressive counter, and to just keep a tally between the two of you of how many times the person in question crosses the line. I've done it when visiting with my mother, and Rob and I just give each other a pointed look (or we used a code word once, which was also funny!) and kept a silent tally which we shared at the end of the night after she had left. It made it more entertaining and fun rather than just sitting there getting angry about it.

 

We're hosting a BBQ on Sunday, and since I'm Whole30ing I decided to make a bunch of sides. We'll have burgers and dogs (the dogs are out for me, but burgers are fine!), and I'll make a green salad, potato salad, pineapple slaw, and cucumber-tomato salad. My friend actually asked me how I was going to manage a BBQ while on Whole30, and I was like, "It's actually easy, I just don't eat dessert!" It's funny how straightforward it has become; I'm actually halfway through today!!

We have a volleyball net set up and Rob has been working on making Lawn Jenga, which is just a life-sized version of the small tabletop game. He's so proud of it and it should be a good time!

I'm getting kind of irritated though because we invited about twenty people and only two of them have offered to bring anything so far. I know my friends are younger than Rob's friends (he's sixteen years older than me) so they don't necessarily understand these things yet, but we're in our mid-twenties now and I think they should have an idea that when you go to someone's house for a food event, you always offer to bring something! And I have too much pride to just ASK them; I feel like that's equally rude! Lol.

[Wendy and Frankie]

Colleen,

     Good luck with the wedding and the time with MIL!  I love katieblue's idea of having a passive-aggressive counter, to keep track in a fun way instead of letting the anger brew.  Does your husband side with you and agree she is passive-aggressive?  The recipe you posted certainly looks interesting...not flavors I would think of combining, but I think it would be right up Larry's alley since he loves sweet potatoes and pineapple with anything.  

 

      katieblue,

        Good luck with your BBQ tomorrow.  I get so annoyed when we have a bunch of people over, and no one offers to bring anything over.  My stepson is 28, and he NEVER brings anything, which annoys me to no end.  My stepdaughter is 25, and she always at least offers, and usually helps once she is here get things ready.  

   Unfortunately, Larry has to work all weekend, (3 12-hour shifts in a row), so I don't have any plans for the 4th.  He won't get home until 8:00 tonight, tomorrow, and Monday, but at least we can go to the fireworks on the 4th together.  I'll just do some cleaning, take some walks, and catch up on laundry and grocery shopping.  Maybe sit on the deck and read and enjoy the peace and quiet.  I know, sounds really exciting, huh?

 

Wendy

[katieblue]

Ooh, good point, Wendy - it's always harder if your SO doesn't agree about their parents being difficult! I hope that your husband totally sides with you, Colleen. It seems pretty obvious that she is just a difficult human being, but I know that sometimes men are just mommy's boys.

 

Thanks for the well wishes! So far it's coming together well; I got the food shopping done and have been alternating food prep and homework. So far, the potato salad is done, which is the most work of everything because I add hard-boiled eggs to it so there are multiple steps. Now it's just throwing together cole slaw, a green salad, and cucumber-tomato salad, the latter two which I will make tomorrow. And of course there is a ton of cleaning to get done.
It is SO rude when people don't offer to bring things!! Luckily, a few people have asked last-minute (I'm such a proactive person I sometimes forget that people operate on a last-minute basis - I can't even fathom being comfortable running out to the store today without a plan). A few people are trying to bring gluten-free desserts and things so I can eat them, which is really sweet, but they don't understand that I'm on a Whole30 and I can't eat them! They just keep going, "but I thought that was only 30 days" or "but you can have this because it's gluten free!" Sigh. Rob's friend Joe is bringing some pulled pork from his smoker, I will have to snag some and pop it in the freezer before it gets gobbled up so I can have some when my 30 days are up!!

 

Sorry to hear that Larry has to work! But it's good that you guys get to go see fireworks together. And hey, I know we've talked about the value of that peace and quiet time! It might not be what you want to do with the whole weekend but there is definitely some value in it! Also, if you get bored, I'll trade you - you can write my paper for me!

[Wendy and Frankie]

katieblue,

    I hope the BBQ goes well today, and that you still have time to work on your paper (or are you doing that tomorrow?)  I actually wouldn't mind doing the paper, during my master's and studies to get my reading endorsement, I think I mastered the art of BS'ing during paper writing.    But I'm sure you'll do an awesome job.  I sure wish we were closer geographically.  I feel like we would be great friends (not that we aren't already friends, but it sure would be nice to see each other in person). You, too, Colleen! 

     I hope everyone who used to post here is ok!  I miss hearing from some of them. Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend.  

 

Wendy

[katieblue]

Hey Wendy! I worked on my paper yesterday AND today (god, does my brain hurt - it's a budget exercise that is seven pages already and I'm only 1/3 done... gah!). I always thought I had mastered the BS as well, but sometimes one will throw me for a loop that I just can't BS because I don't get it! Like this case, because numbers are involved. And Excel. God, I hate Excel. But Rob sat down and helped me out and I'm just exhausted now so I'm taking a break before moving on to different assignments! Lol.

 

You are SO right, I wish we could hang out in person, too!! I feel like we have so much in common and it would be so fun to have Whole30 gatherings. And all the other lovely ladies on here, too, of course, because I agree, I do miss them all! I totally understand that life happens and an Internet forum isn't always the most important thing, of course. But our little group has been so fabulous!

 

Our BBQ did go well, thank you! Our friend Joe smoked a pork shoulder and several racks of ribs and brought them. I couldn't eat the pulled pork because of the BBQ sauce he used (it had sugar, soy, and wheat in it - I can see the sugar, but why do you need soy and wheat in a BBQ sauce?!). However, he wanted to glaze the ribs on our grill, so he had all the racks dry without any sauce! So I was able to have some ribs because he left half a rack unglazed for me. Which was awesomeee!! I've been making ribs in the oven but there is just no comparison to slow-smoked ribs. And then he left a whole dry rack behind, so we have leftovers for tonight and tomorrow! As well as a ton of side dishes and an entire watermelon!! Lol! We certainly won't be going hungry, that's for sure. I'm gonna try to pass some of the less healthy dips and maybe half the watermelon off to my dad and stepmom because my stepbrothers will probably eat them.

 

How has your weekend been going? Are you going to see fireworks tonight?

[Wendy and Frankie]

katieblue,

     I'm glad the BBQ went well, and that you got to have some ribs. Yum!  I made one of our favorite W30 recipes last night (even though we're not on the W30 right now)-the spaghetti squash with tomato meat sauce.  Larry and I really like that one, and it always provides a lot of leftovers since I double the recipe.  

    This morning, my youngest daughter (who will be a freshman in HS! Yikes!) marched in the 4th of July parade, which was fun.  Then I took my daughters out to lunch afterwards, then just kind of chilled all afternoon.  We are planning on going to see the fireworks tonight unless it rains.  

 

     Good luck on the rest of your paper.  I hate excel, and anything having to do with a spreadsheet.  And numbers!  

 

Wendy

[katieblue]

Ahh I love the tomato meat sauce and spaghetti squash!! I feel like it's JUST as good as regular pasta because really, the magic is in the sauce, not the noodles/"noodles" themselves. And definitely smart to double the recipe, I think I double everything I make now just so we can stockpile and not have to cook as much! But we have tons of leftover burgers right now so we will be grilling burgers for weeks! Lol!

 

Ooh, is your daughter in the band or anything, or did she just march for fun? I hope you got to see the fireworks!

 

Thanks for sharing my pain with the excel and numbers. It really is terrible! I'm STILL exhausted from it, and I'm only 1/3 of the way done!! Ugh!

[Wendy and Frankie]

katieblue,

    Yes, I agree about the sauce-it makes the recipe, but I had never had spaghetti squash before doing the W30, and I really love it!  SO much better than that cheap pasta noodles I used to buy, with no nutritional value!  And I do try to double almost everything, because Larry is a big eater, and we both love having leftovers to take for lunch, and to make weeknight planning/preparing easier.  It's nice to know that 1 or 2 meals during the week is already taken care of if I cook double over the weekend.

 

    Yes, my daughter is a freshman in the HS marching band.  My oldest son was in the marching band as well, as was I WAY back when.  Most of my happy memories from HS were involving the band or my band friends, so I hope she likes it as much as I did.

 

    And yes, the rain held off, so we got to go see the fireworks, which was fun.  I was hoping to go to the zoo today, but so far I am the only one up at my house.  Larry worked 3 consecutive 12 hour shifts over the weekend, so I am letting him sleep as late as he wants.  And of course the teenagers aren't up yet!  

 

Wendy

[katieblue]

Wendy, your talk about the sauce has totally inspired me, I've decided that it will be our Sunday dinner! We have a homemade marinara sauce from our friend that is up in the closet in a mason jar that we have been saving for a special occasion, but I'm not sure if they made it with sugar, so I think I'll make the meat sauce and probably some turkey meatballs! I'd like another veggie in addition to the squash, though - does spaghetti squash count as a starchy veg or should I add some starchy veggies?

How long do you find your leftover spaghetti squash will keep? Have you ever tried it with zoodles?

 

Aww, what does your daughter play? And what did you play?!

I was in the HS band, too! I was the tiny girl carrying the big bass drum in all the parades.

 

I forgot that you get to have the whole summer off - that is so amazing! I'm going to live vicariously through you as you sleep in and go to the zoo and see fireworks. Haha. What does Larry do that he's working such crazy hours?

[katieblue]

I'm having a really hard time, it's Day 22 of my third Whole30 and I feel worse than I have in a long time.

 

I got virtually no sleep again last night... my mind was racing and I couldn't fall asleep. Finally I just got up and moved to the couch. But then I tossed and turned the rest of the night.

Maybe I need to increase the amount of Natural Calm that I take (I've been doing the minimum dose for only three days so far), or just give it some more time... not really sure how it works. But my anxiety is just so bad, I just keep thinking of all the things I have to get done, all the homework and housework and cooking planning and stuff with the accident is still going on and I just am so overwhelmed. I want a day off so badly, but there just isn't time. I don't know how people survive working full-time and going to school... even dropping down to one less class and part-time status with grad school is killing me. I feel like all I do is homework in all my spare time!

 

Also feeling really depressed. Even the gym didn't help me this morning. I feel uncomfortable and enormous and like all I keep doing is gaining weight in spite of my best efforts to take care of myself. I bought new pants for my birthday, thinking, okay, maybe I just don't fit in my old ones anymore because this is the way that my body wants to be, maybe it wants to have a little more weight on it. I was okay with that. But that was in May, and already those pants are too small on me. All of my clothes are so tight I'm uncomfortable and all I can focus on is how badly they're squeezing me and how big I feel.

 

So frustrating.

[Wendy and Frankie]

katieblue,

    I'm so sorry you are feeling depressed and low.  I remember many nights on both W30's being wide awake lying there thinking of all the things I needed to do. In some ways, it was easier to do the W30 during the school year when I wasn't home all day and tempted to snack, but on the other hand I'm a lot more stressed during the school year with all the lesson planning, paperwork, grading, etc.  (Plus disrespectful students at times).  I don't know if it was the "Tiger blood" giving me more energy and not needing as much sleep.  It must be really hard juggling all that you are doing with little sleep.  I feel for you! 

 

    About the spaghetti squash, I would definitely think it would count as a starchy vegetable.  I think it will keep for several days.  I made it on Sunday night, and we are going to finish it off this evening. I haven't tried it with zoodles yet, but I don't see why that wouldn't work.  I love zoodles!

 

     Larry works as a respiratory therapist at the University Hospital, so he has to do 3 12-hour shifts a week (not usually 3 days in a row, though).  It works out great that he works for the University, so our kids get 50% off tuition. (it doesn't apply to grad school, just undergrad, but it has really helped!!).  

    My daughter plays the trumpet in the band, just like her older brother did.  I was a clarinet player.  I bet you looked adorable carrying the big bass drum!

 

     The zoo was fun, though we didn't stay as long as I would have liked since everyone else slept in.  I got to see the bonobos, my favorite zoo animal.  We got there too late to see the new baby polar bear, however.  Don't be too jealous of my summer hours, it is all coming to an end too soon when I'll be up by 6:00am every day and bringing home work every day and on the weekends.  But I am enjoying it while it lasts!  

 

Wendy

[galaxigrl]

Hi ladies!  There is always so much to catch up on when I finally have a chance to read our blog.  I really need to start checking in more often!  The wedding weekend went better than expected, probably because I had less interaction with my MIL than I expected to.  Woo hoo!  It was great hanging out with the rest of Drew's family.  He has a ton of cousins and second cousins, and I like most of them.  His sweet aunt, Maryanna, stayed in the house we rented (I didn't realize she was staying with us, but it was a nice surprise!), so she diffused some from the MIL.  And, to answer your question, no, Drew is not on my side about my feelings about his MIL.  He thinks she's awesome.  There are times when she's done things, and he doesn't agree with him, but, overall, he's kind of a mama's boy.  So, no emapthy from him.  Ha ha.  On July 4th, when we drove home from NC, we stopped in Murrells Inlet to see my mom and Bill.  They had come down to do more work on their new condo.  It was really good to have dinner with them!  They're coming to our house later today, and then we're going back to Murrells Inlet to spend the day with them tomorrow.  Then they head back to PA on Sunday.  It's been so great seeing them more often.  Before they bought the condo, I would maybe see them twice/year, since it's about an 11 hour drive from Charleston to where they live in PA, but now we're seeing them so much more.  It's my mom's husband's birthday today, so I ordered him a cake from Whole Foods.  I don't know if you've ever had a Whole Foods cake, but they're extraordinary!  I'm not even a big fan of cake, but I love theirs.  And we're taking him out to this semi-nice pizza place for dinner, because he loves pizza (as do I!).  

 

On the spaghetti squash/zoodles topic, I made zoodles with meat sauce for dinner on Tuesday, and I might even like the zoodles more than the spaghetti squash.  I like spaghetti squash, but it has a bit of a sweet taste to me, and I'd prefer non-sweet.  I've also made this zoodle recipe a few times.  It's really good and really easy/quick!  

 

katie, I'm so, so sorry that you had a tough day yesterday.  I hope you feel better today!  Have you talked to your doctor about how you're gaining weight on Whole30?  That seems really strange.  I didn't lose a ton of weight, but I think it's odd that you've gained weight.  Or have you checked this forum to find out why that might be happening?  I could definitely see getting down about that when you're trying so hard to eat better!  I also feel for your busyness.  Sometimes that gets me down, too, since I work a full-time job and take care of a toddler with a husband who works long hours.  It's very tiring!  I think you just need to take one day/one thing at a time.  I know that's not the easiest thing to do, but that's what I try to tell myself.  You can only do one thing at any given time.  

 

Wendy, it sounds like you had a nice July 4th weekend!  I need to take my son to the zoo soon.  We went to a small zoo in PA with my friends in November, and he really liked the animals.  And he loves the aquarium we have here.  I heard there's a cool zoo in Columbia, which is less than 2 hours from here.  And that's awesome that your kids get half price tuition!  Do you have any kids in college yet?  How many kids total do you have?

 

Hope y'all have a good weekend!

[Wendy and Frankie]

Colleen,

    Good to hear from you, and glad that the wedding weekend went well with minimal MIL issues! Sorry no empathy from Drew. 

 

Thanks for posting the zoodle recipe-I've already pinned it, and look forward to trying it out!  I agree that the spaghetti squash does have a sweet taste.  We are very fortunate to have such an awesome zoo here in Columbus, I guess it is known to be one of the best.  What kind of cake do you get at Whole Foods?  My birthday is in about a week, and maybe I'll request a Whole Foods cake!  

     Larry and I have 7 kids total (2 from him, 5 from me!).  However, 4 of them are already out of college now, (or chose not to finish).  So, we have 2 OSU graduates, (one of them is in grad school now), and 3 left to put through school.  My son who just graduated HS this year is starting at the community college in the fall, with plans to transfer to OSU later, and the 2 youngest are still in HS.  

 

katieblue,

    I hope today was a better day for you!  I agree with Colleen, maybe you should talk to your doctor about how/why you're gaining weight on the W30.  Especially since you've done it several times now.  I would also look around on the forum for some answers.  And like Colleen said, "One day at a time."  I remind myself of that whenever I am super stressed about school, paperwork, household chores, getting everyone to their activities, etc.  

 

Wendy

[katieblue]

Hey ladies, thank you again so much, as always, for all the support and positivity. I really just need to vent sometimes and get it out because it gets SO frustrating!! I actually have an appointment with an endocrinologist next month to get checked out because my doctor can’t find anything wrong with me. I mean, I haven’t had my period or anything close to a sex drive (sorry if tmi!) in well over two years at this point, but all my blood work always comes back normal and nothing seems to be out of the ordinary besides that. Their idea of fixing it was to put me on birth control, but I don’t think that taking a daily medication is the way to go… that’s’ why I was trying the Whole30. I don’t want to just create a dependency on something else to put a band-aid on my problems and pretend it’s not there. I want to fix the root cause of it, which I suspect was my chronic under-eating for so long. But we did our first Whole30 in February, which means we’ve had six months of eating this way, and I haven’t gone back to restricting in between! But I guess it could take longer… 

 

Which zoo did you go to, Wendy? I love zoos and I feel like I’ve been to all of the ones around me, so we keep an eye out for when we go away. And bonobos are an interesting choice for a favorite animal! Haha. They’re definitely really cool, though!

And a baby polar bear!? They are like, THE cutest animals ever!

Also, before I switched to the drums, I played clarinet, too! Trumpet is challenging, with all the lip-buzzing and whatnot, I definitely respect the trumpet players!

And Larry’s job giving you guys the tuition discount is amazing, I feel like that much money would be worth doing a few long shifts!

 

Colleen, so happy that the wedding went well!! I’m glad that you really like the rest of Drew’s family and it’s just your MIL who stresses you out. It would be so hard if you had to put up with that passive-aggressive garbage from all of them!  AND it’s great that you get to see your own family so much more now… sounds like overall you’ve got a pretty good situation going on!

Except, of course, with Drew being the mama’s boy… sorry about that! Well, we will definitely give you some empathy when he doesn’t!

I did have a Whole Foods cake once, because they do make some gluten free, and it was awesome! I bet the regular ones are even better. What kind did you get for him? I think cake will always be my weakness, no matter how healthfully I eat regularly! I hope you guys have a blast at the pizza place!

And thank you for the zoodle recipe!! You have shared so many delicious recipes! I’ve been too busy to do much cooking lately; we just keep grilling burgers and making ribs or something that I can stick in the oven for hours and walk away from, and that will give us leftovers for a few days after. I haven’t really felt the energy to try something new. But we’re doing spaghetti squash and meatballs tomorrow, after all this talk about them! Haha.

 

Overall, I’m definitely feeling a little better. I had a good cry on Thursday which helped a lot! I always get so busy I forget to actually feel my emotions because I don’t have time for them – but then they grow and grow and I’m so anxious and stressed that I’m snapping all over the place! So it was good to get it out and get kind of refreshed. J

[Wendy and Frankie]

katieblue,

   So glad to hear you're feeling better.  A good cry is always helpful! Glad to hear you are going to the endocrinologist next month, hopefully he/she will have some answers (and solutions!) for you.  Don't worry about TMI here, we've all shared a lot!  I can relate about some of your issues, but I thought it was my age, as I've already had menopause. So, at your age, it seems like something you should definitely get checked out.  It sounds like you are being very pro-active about your health, which is awesome!

 

   We live only about 15 minutes from the Columbus Zoo. I always feel guilty that we only make it there a few times a year, when it's so close and membership is not that expensive.  If you're ever in Columbus, Ohio area, you really should visit our zoo (AND ME!!) haha  I know bonobos are an interesting choice for favorite zoo animal.  Do you know they share 99% of the same DNA as humans?  (More than any other animal).  I've always enjoyed watching them at the zoo, but my interest in them really peaked when I happened across a PBS special once that was all about bonobos.  

 

    Larry and I are going to a wine tasting tonight downtown with our daughter and her boyfriend. (It's a good thing I'm not doing a W30 right now). It's a super busy weekend, as our 16 yr.old is also in a musical this weekend, and after tomorrow's performance, she goes to choir camp for a week.  Then later this week, it's my birthday, and we have tickets to see Keith Urban (one of my all-time favorites) in Cincinnati that night.  I've had really good luck seeing great concerts on my birthday.  A few years ago, Elton John and Billy Joel played in Columbus on my birthday.  That show was awesome.  Then, I have our anniversary on the 22nd to look forward to, the same day we leave for vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC.  July is definitely my favorite month of the year!  I don't even want to think about August right now, and an end to my relaxation! Please don't hate me for having 2 months off, I work my tail off the other 10 months of the year, and bring work home almost every single night and weekend.  Larry always tells me he brags at work about me having all weekends off, holidays, and 2 months every summer.  Then his co-workers say, "I want her job!" Then he says, "She also has 28 seven and eight year-olds with her all day," Then they say, "I couldn't do that!"  lol

 

     Hope you ladies are enjoying your weekend!

 

Wendy

[katieblue]

I promise if I am ever in Columbus I will definitely visit both the zoo and you!! In fact you should show me around the zoo and educate me on bonobos! I had no idea that they were the most similar to humans as far as DNA is concerned - that's so fascinating! I know they look really human and I learned in a nonverbal communication class in my undergrad that they can show and feel emotion, which is something not many animals do. It's crazy to think that if things had gone a little differently, would bonobos be sitting here typing to each other instead of humans? Haha.

 

You guys do have so much going on, I'm all excited for you!! How was the wine tasting? And when is your birthday!? Keith Urban is an AMAZING birthday celebration, I'm so jealous!! I just got Ripcord and it is absolutely killer, Wasted Time is such a spectacular summer anthem!! And isn't he touring with Brett Eldridge this year?! I am so in love with him.

I bet Elton John and Billy Joel together was fantastic!! I am so very jealous of your concert-going experience around your birthday! But that's a perk of having a summer birthday, for sure. In May, I usually get a good superhero nerd movie that comes out for mine! Haha.

I definitely don't hate you for your job, just envy the time off! Lol! I would certainly not be able to do the work myself; young minds are great but in small doses. I think I'll be much better suited as a children's librarian, I admire your patience and persistence that it must take to deal with them constantly!

 

I worked my first Saturday as a circulation department member yesterday, and it wasn't bad. I now get comp time for 8 hours, which is great, because with homework and stuff time is SO valuable right now!!

Today I'm doing homework, but luckily I'm at a point where I can't do any more writing of papers or anything until I do some more reading, so I'm about to go move outside and do that in the sunshine!

[Wendy and Frankie]

Katie,

    I knew you were meant to be my daughter!  I already felt like you were, but when you said you love Keith Urban, that settled it!  haha  I LOVE Ripcord, I've been listening to it constantly on Spotify, and am going to buy the cd for myself for my birthday (which is the 14th).   The wine tasting was fun, though I may have overdone it a bit!  (Which I always tend to do when wine is involved)!  

    I will write more later, it's time to leave for the musical...

 

Wendy

[katieblue]

Aww, after all this time, I finally found my real mommy, and she has amazing taste in music!! Haha! Have fun at the musical!!

[Wendy and Frankie]

Katie,

    Now every time I hear "Wasted Time" I think of you!  It is such a great summertime song.  I can't wait to hear it live. Only 2 more days!!  The musical was fun, and even Larry liked it.  (He's not into what he calls "artsy" stuff).  Our daughter didn't have a main role, but was in the dance chorus.  The show was a comedy, and called "Urinetown."  (I know, gross title!)  Now she's at choir camp for the rest of this week.  

 

    Yesterday, I spent most of the day with my son at orientation at the community college he's attending this fall, and helping him register for classes.  I just hope he means what he says, and is actually going to make an effort and study. (He was NOT a very good student in HS).  You'd think as a teacher, my kids would all be go-getters when it comes to academics.  My daughters are all good students, but my sons seem to have gotten a lazy gene from their father (my ex) <sigh>

  I just don't understand it.  

 

   Hope your work week is going well, and that you got lots of reading done in the sunshine the other day.  That's one thing I love about summer, being able to sit out on the deck and read to my heart's content!