Shaken...Not Stirred

When you have a herniated disc, it probably isn't the best idea to ride in a truck without good suspension for 4 hours. I went with hubby last night to take his truck to be serviced. I've never ridden in one of his work trucks before so had no idea what I was in for. Let me tell you, I will not be riding in another one any time soon. Every little bump sent me flying off my seat, a good 4 inches into the air! Who knew that I needed to wear a sports bra to ride in one of his trucks either! Ouch!

The trip back home wasn't as bad. I guess either that side of the highway wasn't as bumpy or I was just getting better at absorbing the shock myself. Regardless, I was very glad to get home. This morning I'm so sore I feel like someone took a ball bat to me. Not fun. I'm hoping a good long time in the pool this afternoon, floating and just relaxing, will help a lot. If not then look out tonight because many, many mojitos will be on my menu.

Attack of the Frogs

When I was a little girl, I was a true tom boy. I played in the dirt, jumped ramps on my bike, played hoops and just did things that it wasn't common to see a little girl do. I also liked to explore the woods by our house and would almost always come home with a toad or two that I'd found in the creek.

Fast forward to my teen years and adulthood: I really outgrew the tom boy stage. Probably about the time I discovered that boys weren't as icky as I'd thought they were. I started wearing makeup, fixing my hair, stopped playing in the dirt, jumping my bike or shooting hoops and I definitely quit collecting toads, bugs, etc. Actually, I started acting the part of the girl who was afraid of them! Not my true self at all...or so I thought.

A couple of nights ago, my husband and I were in the pool, just enjoying a nice relaxing evening, when all of a sudden I see a tree frog peek out from underneath the pool ledge. I immediately got OUT of the pool. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind frogs. I just don't want to be as close to them as I used to be. The tree frog decided to serenade us with a song, but the weird thing was that when he started singing another frog peeked out from the ledge, then another frog, then another frog. I'd never seen anything like it.

Next day, my daughter and I decide to hop in the pool again. I knew the frogs might still be there, but the heat won out and I got in anyway. My daughter is just like I was when I was younger. She'll pick up a frog, praying mantis, bugs of any sort, no problem. She decided to check under the ledge and see if the frogs were just up under there hiding, staying out of the sunshine. Sure enough she found one and decided to catch it with the net we use to clean the leaves out of the pool. I told her not to, but she didn't listen, saying the frog would just jump into the net and she'd toss him out into the tree row. Let me just say that my daughter was not my favorite person that day. She cornered that frog and he jumped, but not into the net. No, he jumped into the pool! I immediately grabbed the legs of my swim shorts because you know the first thought I had was that the stupid frog would swim up into them and go exploring! Thankfully he didn't, but I must have made a pretty funny sight because my daughter busted out laughing. She was laughing so hard that she couldn't concentrate on finding the darn frog, which only made me more paranoid. After what seemed like hours, she finally calmed down and did find the frog, caught him and tossed him into the tree row. She said she'd look for others, but I forbid her from doing that. Needless to say, I had a hard time relaxing in the pool that day.

Yesterday, we decided to swim again, but this time my daughter got in first and took all the froggies out so I didn't have to deal with them. Like I said, I don't mind them, but I do NOT want to swim with them at all.

Damn It!!!!

Just went out to check the pool cover to see if all the water had been drained off only to find out that we have no water INSIDE the darn pool now! Seems that we had what the pool supply company is calling "the bathtub effect" take place. In other words, as the water on the cover got heavier, it pushed the water inside the pool up and under the top rail, between the walls and out onto the ground.....all.....winter.....long. Now waiting on the water hauling service we used last year to call me back with a price quote. I know it's going to be way more expensive this year since the cost of fuel has gone up so much. What do you do though? I bought that pool to swim in during the summer, I'm not going to just let it sit there.

EDIT: $35 per load plus $65 per hour, averaging 3 hours per load. That is the quote from the water hauler. I know when he first filled the pool, it took 4 loads. I figure this time will take at least 3 loads. That is going to come to around $690! It only cost us $500 to fill it completely last year!

It's Over Already?

Did I really have a 3 day weekend? It sure doesn't feel like it. Maybe it's because my back was out for 2 of those 3 days and I didn't get to enjoy the time off work like I'd wanted. Yeah, you read that right. My darn back was out. It started bugging me Saturday, but not enough that it stopped me from doing laundry and other chores. No, it waited until I got up Sunday morning, the day of my brother's picnic, to really kick in. I was able to take vicodin and at least get up to my brothers, eat lunch and visit with family a little, but I was so spacey that I didn't really enjoy myself. We ended up leaving early and coming back home. I thought that rest would help me feel better, but by the time Sunday evening got here I was to the point that I just wanted someone to shoot me. I couldn't stand up. I couldn't sit down. I couldn't move without my back sending shooting pain up my back and down my legs. I finally just took another vicodin and a celebrex and went to bed, hoping that I felt better Monday morning. No such luck though.

When I got up Monday, I "thought" I was feeling better, but then I bent over to pick up a pair of pants and my back completely went out and I ended up on the floor. Talk about painful! I don't know how long I laid there before I finally just told myself that I had to get up. I managed to pull myself over to the bed and lug my big ol' butt up off the floor that way. I spent most of yesterday on the couch, sipping banana rum and watching tv. I didn't move a lot at all because every movement sent sharp pains in all directions.

Thinking that a hot bath might help, I had hubby help me into the tub later that evening. It felt good while I was in there, but then I had the fun of trying to get back out. Major mistake on my part. It took several minutes to even haul myself up to a kneeling position, then to standing. I had to have hubby physically lift me over the side of the tub because I couldn't get my leg up high enough without pain. Talk about embarrassing! It's one thing to have your husband sweep you lovingly into his arms, but to have to haul your naked butt out of the tub because you can't move, well, let's just say it isn't the most romantic thing.

Later that evening when I went to bed, I decided to seek a bit of help from the man upstairs. I wasn't looking for a huge miracle cure, just enough help to get me moving again. I have a doctor's appointment next week. I can deal with the type of pain I'd been having in the one leg (numbness, some throbbing, etc), but I just could not deal with the inability to move and do my daily things. I just kept repeating over and over until I fell asleep that I needed help.

When I woke up this morning, I really didn't figure I'd feel any different and when I first rolled over to shut the alarm off I did still feel twinges in my lower back. But, I got up and slowly made my way to the bathroom...no problem. I got dressed...no problem. I walked out to the living room...still no problem. I think it is safe to say that I got my little miracle. I still have pain in the right leg and it is still tingling and sort of numb, but the pain in my left hip/lower back is pretty much gone today! I'm taking it easy and not over doing, for fear that I'll mess it up again, but at least I'm able to walk out to the car, even if it is slowly. I was able to drive into town, get some work done online, etc. I hope beyond hope that it stays this way....at least until my doctor's appointment next Friday.

EDIT: Got a phone call from the neurologist this afternoon to let me know that the doctor wasn't going to be in next Friday. I thought, "great, how much longer am I going to have to wait now", but I was pleasantly surprised to hear that they wanted me to come in this coming Monday, the 2nd, instead. Yay! Less time to wait in pain. I'm very very happy.

You've GOT to be Kidding!

A sore back and sciatic nerve problems I can handle. Falling on my knee and banging it up also I can handle too. My kids both having knee problems, again, doable. But yesterday, when my son said his neck popped and he couldn't move, that wasn't so manageable.

Actually, it scared the shit out of me! Waking up to the words, "Mom, Matt is crying. He said his neck popped and he can't move" isn't the most enjoyable way to start out a Monday morning. We are still befuddled as to how he did it because all he said he did was reach out to turn off his alarm clock. He said he felt something tear in his neck then it popped and he couldn't move from the pain. His first thought was that he'd broken his neck. Thank God that didn't happen! We called the ambulance though for fear of taking him in my car that it might do more harm then good. He was in the ER from 7:30am until almost 1:30pm and was diagnosed with a cervical strain, similar to whiplash. Again, no idea how he did it, but we're all relieved that it wasn't worse.

However, how much more can my poor family take? What's next? Every single person in this house has something physically wrong with them. It's getting to be just a tad bit ridiculous. I just hope this is it. Let us all heal and get back to normal around here.

Trying to Join the Club

As you know from my last couple of posts, my kids are having problems with their knees. Both kids, one left knee, one right knee. I was joking with my daughter yesterday about how I felt left out of her and my son's exclusive "knee club". She told me that I couldn't join unless I hurt my knee, my back hurting wasn't enough of a qualification. We chuckled about it and then went on about our day. Who would have thought that later that afternoon I'd almost qualify to join the "club" after all.

I had to run to the post office to get stamps for this month's billing to be sent out. On my way out to the garage, I was walking in front of my daughter's car when my foot, for some reason, decided not to lift high enough to step over the bag of grass seed that was laying there. Lo and behold, down I went....on my right knee, full body force into the concrete. Pain shot down my leg, up my back, through my kneecap. I thought I was down for the count. After taking several deep breaths however, and realizing that our walls must be extremely sound proof since nobody was coming to my aid even though I did my fair amount of screaming and yelling, I pulled myself up, wiped the dirt off my pants legs and went ahead and got in my car. I figured as long as I could walk that I wasn't hurt bad enough to go back inside. Besides, I really needed those stamps.

All the way into town, my knee was throbbing. It burned and stung so I knew I'd scraped it up pretty good, but I wasn't going to give in to my curiousity and look at how badly it was hurt. Not until I got home was I going to pull that pants leg up and investigate. I got my stamps and even went to the gas station and fueled up my car then headed home. As soon as I got inside, my daughter asked if I'd yelled for her when I left. All kinds of smart ass remarks came to mind, but I kept them to myself and instead told her that yes, I had indeed yelled for her, but when she didn't answer I just kept on going. She asked what I'd needed and when I told her what I'd done she just smirked and said that I'd do pretty much anything to get into that club, wouldn't I? Smart ass!:)

Anyway, to make a very long story much shorter (sorry), I fell on my knee, didn't do much damage to it, it's scraped up and black and blue, kind of stiff, but not too bad. It'll be fine in a week. I still didn't get into the club either. My daughter said that they already had a rightie (her), and since that's the knee I hurt there just wasn't an opening for me. She said if I hurt both knees then they'd think about letting me join. I think I'll pass.

Did You Know?

Today is Organize Your Home Office Day. Did you know that? Neither did I. I wonder where they come up with some of these "holidays"? According to this website I found, Holidays for Everyday , today is also Casey Jones birthday, Albert Einsteins birthday, National Preschooler's Day, National Children's Craft Day, Celebrate Scientists, Learn about Butterflies, Save a Spider and National Potato Chip Day. Whichever one you decide to celebrate, have fun and enjoy your day!!!

Does This Mean He's Addicted?

I love my hubby dearly. He's sweet, kind, funny, all the good stuff. However, there is one characteristic that I'm not overly fond of and that is that he is addicted, yes I said addicted, to pizza! I'm not kidding. He could eat pizza 3 meals a day, 7 days a week and never get tired of it. He's been like this forever so it's not a surprise to me. At least once a week since we've been married, he has had pizza for a meal. He also has an all-time favorite restaurant (Chicago's Pizza) that we go to once a month, if not more. The kids and I are constantly joking with him and saying that he is addicted to their pizza. We were JOKING, but apparently we were closer to the truth then we knew.

Two weeks ago, we were going to go to Chicago's Pizza to eat dinner and when we got there, they had a sign on the front doors saying they were out of business. No reason, just that they weren't there anymore. My dear hubby was heart broken. He loved their pizza...it was delicious and cheap...When he saw that the restaurant was no longer open, it was almost like he'd lost his best friend. He moped around the remainder of the weekend, but eventually said that he would find another pizza place to know and love.

We all thought he'd gotten over the loss of his dear friend, but last night proved us wrong. When hubby came home from work, he said that he wanted to go out for dinner. I am not one to pass up a night of not having to cook so I told the kids to get ready and then we were off. I thought we'd just go to one of our favorite places in town since we all had to get up early the next day either for work or school. When hubby drove out of town, I thought that he was wanting to hit one of the restaurants in the next town over instead. They have a few more popular chains over there then we do here in our little town. So, we're driving along on the interstate when the exit comes up. Hubby, however, is not slowing down. He drives right past. Ok, so maybe we're going to the other side of town. There's an exit there too and several restaurants so I say nothing and go along for the ride. Second exit comes up and he's in the wrong lane and isn't slowing down and we bypass that one too. Hmm, now I'm wondering so I ask "Where in the world are we going?".

Hubby gets a wicked gleam in his eye and says "It's a surprise" and keeps on driving. All of a sudden, it hits me. We're going almost to INDIANAPOLIS because there is another Chicago's Pizza there. OMG! Who in their right mind drives for over an hour to get pizza? Apparently, my hubby does. I asked him if he had possibly called ahead to make sure they were open. Since our Chicago's had closed, I thought it might be a big possibility that the entire chain went under. No, he hadn't called. He knew in his heart that they would be open. I made the comment that I really hoped we didn't drive all that way to find them closed. He just smiled. I asked if he knew their hours and he assured me that they were open until 10pm.

So, at 8:01pm, we pull into their parking lot. There are about 7 cars there so hubby parks and we all get out of the car, stretch our weary legs and start to walk up to the front door...only to be greeted with the restaurant personnel SHUTTING OFF THE LIGHTS!!! My hubby was so mad. He went on up to the door. The kids and I got back in the car (Hey, it was cold:) He knocked and one of the waitresses came and opened the door. I guess he asked if they were closed for the night and she said yes, it had been slow so they were closing early. He told her that we'd driven all the way from ILLINOIS to get their pizza, couldn't they please stay open for us? She obviously said no and I truthfully didn't blame her. She'd probably been itching to get out of there and go home all evening. Needless to say, hubby was peeved.

The drive back home was very quiet although I remember hearing a few snickers from the back seat where our kids were trying not to laugh. We ended up eating at Applebee's, which was very good, but you could tell that hubby was not happy. The moral of this long, drawn out post? If you are craving food from a restaurant that is in a town almost 100 miles away, call before you drive all that way. You never know when the restaurant will close early.

Bah Humbug!

I have NEVER had a problem ordering stuff online. That is until now. Found out today that one of the websites that I ordered a gift for hubby from has been known to charge your credit card or whatever and then NEVER send your merchandise. Great. I feel like an idiot, but they really fooled me. They had the little lock in the bottom corner of the order page, it was an https website, etc. After checking my order status though, I'm thinking that it is a scam. And after checking my charge card, well, the order came to $88.18, but the total taken off my card was $97.54. Hmm, doesn't sound right, does it? So, I called their 800#. This is what I heard: "Hi, you've reached our customer service center. Our customer service hours are from 8am-10pm Mon-Fri. Please hold for the next available customer service representative" I hold for a couple of minutes when this chipper little voice comes back on the line and says, "We're sorry, there's nobody here right now. Please leave a message and we'll call you back." Ok, I have never gotten through to any customer service that wants you to leave a message. Stay on hold for hours on end, yes, but leave a message and they'll call you back? No, can't say that I've ever done that before. I didn't leave a message. I hung up. I did call back though. Four more times, to be exact and got the same message each time. Wonderful customer service...NOT! I did call the credit card company and they said that I can get my money back, but I'll have to go through their fraud section and it might take awhile to do, but at least I'll get my cash back. I know it could have been worse, but it is still frustrating. I had to make a mad dash to find the dvd's that I'd ordered from this place and now hope, hope, hope that they get here in time for Christmas. Some people are just real jerks!

PageRank Changed Again

I'm so confused on this whole google pagerank thing. When I first started my blog, it was ranked a PR3 then it dropped to a PR1. I know why it dropped then. I pretty much quit writing and lost a lot of readers. Anyway, I started writing again and last month got it back up to a PR3. But, I logged on this morning and it is now showing that it's dropped to a PR2. Argh! I've not done anything different so no idea why it dropped. I guess I'll just go with the flow. It would be nice if it would stay at a consistent number, but I don't know how to do that so will just go along for the ride. I just hope it doesn't drop any lower.

What is your body worth?

Ok, this is kind of gross, but I found this website that actually calculates what your body would be worth to the science community if you passed away. I thought, what the heck, and gave it a try. This is what I came up with:

$5525.00The Cadaver Calculator - Find out how much your body is worth

Mingle² - Online Dating

If you want to calculate your body's worth, just visit cadaver calculator to find out.

Sunburn

OMG! First sunburn of the summer and boy does it hurt! I totally screwed up today when I went out to the pool by not taking the suntan lotion out with me. Normally, I take it out with me and reapply after I've been in the pool for an hour or so, but for some reason today I didn't. I guess I just wasn't thinking. That'll teach me. My arms and shoulders and upper back are pretty red as are my cheeks and nose. I've put aloe on this evening and taken a couple of ibuprofen for the swelling/pain and hopefully I'll feel just fine tomorrow.