...And a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

Oh, what a week! In the last 7 days, I have been to work once. Why, you ask? Well it all started Sunday, the day we went to the Chief's game. (Sprint provided us with some wonderful box seats, inside a heated room 'n all!) I had had the sniffles for a few days, but nothing really alarming. I went to bed that night with a box of Kleenex by the bed, thinking nothing of it. Well then somehow, 4am rolls and around the next morning, and I wake up feeling like I am on my deathbed. For real. I got up and walked around, moaning and groaning, trying to figure out if this "feeling" is the real thing. Well, it was. I called in sick to work thinking, "ok, I'll stay home today to kick this nasty bug, then I'll be all ready for work tomorrow." Well it turns out that my next night of sleep was even worse. I tossed, coughed, turned, sat up to cough some more, turned, took a drink of water, tossed again to make my head feel more comfortable...and so on, and so forth, all night long. So turns out work didn't work out again. Well then I had the last 3 days off anyway, so I've been able to recover all week long. I am, though, working the next 3 days, starting tomorrow, so I have a feeling that 5am tomorrow is going to be a rather rude awakening. But I'm ready. Ready to get it over with. Ready to go home for Christmas. Ready to get through this winter sick season. (Ready to be done with my job, really. Wait, did I say that out loud??!!)

Anyway, on a more positive note, I am feeling wonders better. This was my first URI (upper respiratory infection) in probably over a year. That is amazing, if you know how often I was sick before! And I recovered from this one in record time, too. Usually these bouts would go on for weeks-forget a couple days! Although I still suffer from headaches, anxiety, asthma and allergies, I think the way my body has handled these illness' has changed drastically. Let's hope that this is a sign that all my hard earned cash that I'm shoveling into making myself well again is helping. I think now I'm onto changing my lifestyle to help my body-namely, my career. I love nursing, don't get me wrong, but I think my job is really taking a toll on my body. So I am on a mission to fix it. In whatever way that may be. Wish me luck.

So I bought a Christmas tree this year. It's a 6 1/2 footer from Wal-Mart; pre-lit too! It's a little bare in some spots, but I suppose that's what you get for buying a 35 dollar tree from Wally World. But it will do.

I think I've got most of the Christmas shopping done, just a few odds and ends yet to get. I think I'll make a stop at Kohl's today-they're having a 2 [or 3] day sale. I'm tellin ya, shopping for Christmas in a big city is so much easier than when you live in a small town. This way you don't have to drive miles and miles to get to your nearest Christmas-present-outlet. Although, the crowds are ridiculous. That's what's nice about having days off during the week, though.
Alright, must go. I've a got a few things I need to do today, including trying to finish the book Marley and Me. Movie comes out Christmas Day! Who's excited for that?!! Merry Christmas everyone!

Post-Thanksgiving Woes

Well the turkey holiday is over and everyone is back to work, except for me of course. I've got one more day of rest before I'm back to the grind. I had an exceptionally wonderful Thanksgiving this year. I got canceled on Thanksgiving day (as I had ever-so-anxiously hoped for) and got to head home that morning and join in with the fam for the traditional lunch time feast. Everyone was so shocked to see me, and I was so glad to be home. I joined Alex after lunch to visit with his family for awhile and then we both made our way back over to the Holthus' for a fun evening of Catch Phrase and Engergizer bunny-like stories from my dear cousin Henry. We really did have a good time.

The rest of the weekend ended up being pretty laid back. Friday night was spent watching movies at the Koehn house. Then after a yummy breakfast at Neighbor's Cafe with gramps, Alex took me out shooting (a gun, that is) for my first time. We went out to the ol' pasture out by the farm (of course) and shot at some pop cans and hedgeapples. I must say I did pretty good for my first time, although as expected I came out with a nice big bruise on my arm the next day, as well as one giant body ache. I've been told that shooting the 12-guage may have had a little less kick-back then the 20-guage. Oh well, we had fun and it was a decent day to be out on the range.

Saturday night we went out to dinner with my parents and then out with some friends. Alex loves to hang out with the boys and play pool when we're home. I think we're both pretty content with our back road, country-singin, football-watchin, beer-drinkin friends. We might live in the big city, but we are country people at heart :)

Anyway, we had one more Thanksgiving meal yesterday with Alex's parents and grandparents. I think secretly Jana felt bad that I couldn't make it to their family Thanksgiving, so she whipped up one just for me. Or maybe it was that she couldn't get enough of all the wonderful food, so we had to eat it again. Either way, it was delicious. It did make for the drive home to Kansas City a little tiring, but the food was greatly appreciated.

Alex is going back to McPherson yet again next weekend to help at his grandma's house. I guess they have to crawl underneath the house and do some repairs. Sounds like a good time to me, but I'll be working on Saturday.

As we all know, Christmas is only a few mere weekends away. I still have Christmas shopping to do and decorations to put up. Well, actually I need to buy a tree, too. I was gonna buy one last year but just never did. But this year it's for sure. If I could only find a way to keep the dad gom dogs from chewing up the ornaments....

Alright well that is all for now. I hope all the families made it safely back to their respected parts of the country. We returned back to Kansas City only to find a fairly thick blanket of snow! Anyway, Happy Holidays and thanks for stoppin by!

Another Day, Another Dollar

After much hounding from friends and family about not posting, I suppose I'll give a quick update.

Really not a whole lot of new and/or exciting things having been going on in this neck of the woods. Alex's house is coming along very slowly, to say the least. And I must say, Hannah, the repairs that you guys are doing to your new abode is nothin compared to Alex's house. Not that this a contest or anything, but just in case I've never filled you in on the list of needed repairs, here it is:

-New wiring throughout the house
-In need of garbage disposal and dishwasher (including the wiring as well)
-No air ducts/vents to the bedrooms
-All walls need painted (Can't do that until the wiring is done)
-Wood paneling needs "work" to say the least
-Nasty, awful carpet in kitchen needs pulled up and replaced with tile, or something of the sort
-Front living room has no molding around windows, doors, etc
-Need new kitchen countertops
-All doors need to be sanded down to fit door jams
-2 car-garage; one opener needs replaced
-Bathroom needs completely re-done
-At least 2 windows need replaced due to some rottage

And this is only a general list. I guess the thought of a nice, big fenced backyard and a lovely 2-car garage was overwhelmingly appealing at the time of deciding to buy the house. And yes, all of the above repairs are very fixable and Alex has many friends that are very willing and able to help out, but one must have 2 things: 1. Time and 2. Money. Neither of which Alex has. So needless to say, the house is coming along very slowly.

In other news, the hospital I work at has seen some tough days lately with the closing of 2 units and a total of 68 people being laid off within the hospital system due to budget cuts. Sadly, one of those laid off was one of our full-time social workers who was very good and always busy. I guess you just never know who really has job security in times like this.

Work has been same-ole same ole, with one exception to my normal routine last week. (Wait, is my work ever a normal routine?) Last Friday, I had a patient of mine pass away about 3/4 of the way through my shift. She was a "do not resuscitate" and "do not intubate" (DNI/DNI) patient and was refusing to take any of her meds or eat, so it was something that was bound to happen in her situation. There was nothing I could do for her and was only able to make her as comfortable as possible. Oh and by the way, it was also my 4th day of work and I was already exhausted. So needless to say a death was the last thing that I really wanted to handle, but in my profession, it's something that unfortunately was going to happen eventually. So anyway I learned the death process, including paperwork and preparing the body, so I guess all in all it was a good learning experience.

It's cold here, and obviously it will only get colder. I think a little bit of the traditional winter depression has already set in on my body. It's so easy to tell how much my body appreciates sunglight when I don't get it. I bought some stronger light bulbs for the lamps, though, in hopes to make my days a little brighter :)

Well, must go. Appointments to go to and errands to run. Hope all is well! And yes, I'll be home for the holidays-I'm working Thanksgiving day but am thankful to be able to return home either that evening or the next morning and be able to spend the rest of the weekend with family. Can't wait to see everyone!

Changes are in the air...

Remember my new plan? Well, I did it. I joined the 24 Hour Fitness down the road and have already attended a few times. I must say that going to the gym was the very last thing I wanted to do after work, but in the end I felt so much better about myself. And even though I only spent 25 minutes working out after work, that 25 minutes really did me wonders. So far my plan is working! And since my plan started mid-week last week, this week will be the first week I will be able to fully "go at it." My goal is to go Monday thru Thursday, leaving my weekends free.

In other news, I got canceled from work yesterday-only the most glorious feeling ever! It was nice to be able to enjoy my Sunday by watching the race and doing laundry, a weekly tradition for Alex and I. We also got to take the dogs on a walk in the beautiful 70-degree weather.

And the leaves...oh the leaves. They're all shades of yellow and orange and brown, so gorgeous. But I must say they are everywhere! The dogs just love romping through them and hearing them crackle and wushh..and they love chasing the squirrels that seem to scurry through them as well.

Alex's house is still ever-so-slowly coming along. In the last couple weeks we've gotten the garbage disposal in, the carpets cleaned, a doorbell and motion-sensor light installed and the garage door opener is almost ready for use. Yesterday Alex unpacked more boxes and hung a picture in the living room to cover some of it's current "ugliness." Jana, my mom and I got curtains hung over the front window and re-arranged some of the furniture to open up the living room space a little more. So all in all, things really are coming along nicely.

No pictures to post, I've been bad at bringing the camera anywhere lately.

Alex and I went on our first date since the day before my birthday on Saturday. We went out to dinner at this little Mexican restaurant in Brookside. It was a lively little joint and the food was pretty decent. I enjoy spending a little quality , one-on-one time with him every once in awhile! I told Alex at least once a quarter would be good for a date. I think it's just a matter of setting aside the time-that seems to be a tough task for both of us!

Must go get my day started. Thanks for reading!

Post-Mineral Treatment

As many of you know, I have been getting weekly allergy treatments with Dr. David. It really has been a roller coaster ride of experiences and new feelings, but this week was an especially big treatment. He treated me for minerals...this means all types minerals. From chlorine to molybdenum to phosphorous to potassium. Usually with these treatments, I have an "avoidance" period in which I have to avoid certain foods that contain what I was treated for, but this was one was especially tough. With minerals, I had to avoid all metal surfaces. It wasn't so much about what foods to avoid, but I was supposed to use rubber gloves all day to avoid touching anything metal. I was not even supposed to use metal cookware, utentsils, or even the zipper on my hoodie jacket. I really did the best I could, so I guess we'll see next week if I "cleared."

Since minerals is such a big treatment, I experienced a few side-effects yesterday and even today. Mainly I'm feeling fairly exhausted. I've done a few things this morning, including paying a bill and getting my ballot ready to mail, so I think I deserve a little rest before moving on with my day :)

So I've deviated a new plan regarding my workouts. This has been an ongoing battle since I started working 3-12 hour days over a year ago. I've always been a workout freak and still love it. But my work life has really put a damper on my regular Monday thru Friday schedule, so I have been trying to figure out what to do. Well a year and 3 months later, I've finally decided to try something new. I had a pep talk with a girl I work with about working out [she is a former gymnast] and have decided I just need to do it. I've found a 24 Hour Fitness that is very close by and they give discounts to Saint Luke's employees so the monthly price is very cheap. I've decided to go back to working out at least 4 days a week and forcing myself to squeeze in even a short work out after work. I've tried this before and it only exhausted me, but I also only did it a few times before I quit. I think this will make me feel better about myself and my health. I'm such a health and body conscious person that I think this is what I need to do for myself. So anyway, stay tuned on my progress.

Like my new blog page? I'm working on making it a little more exciting. We'll see how long that takes me.

Must go eat some vitamin c and lie down. My body is tired!

I Got an Interview!

So for those of you that have been following my blog at all, you know that my current job situation isn't exactly ideal. So I have been hunting and hunting and hunting for new job opportunities, and just recently applied for about 4 jobs in the last week or so. And today, just as I happened to be ranting and raving to my mom on the phone about my next schedule and the holiday scheduling, etcetera etcetera, I got a "beep," alerting me that I had another call. It was a number that I didn't recognize, meaning that A) it was someone calling about my car or B) someone calling about a job. So no quicker than I could say "Mom, I'll call ya back," I clicked over, and low and behold it was a recruiter from Truman Medical Center wanting to set up a job interview. I put on my happy face and dug out my most cheerful, friendly voice and set up the interview for Monday morning. If you can't tell, I'm more than just a little excited-but I really don't want to get my hopes up yet. But yet I am hoping, just a little :)

So anyway, I'll work my Saturday this upcoming weekend...and oh yeah, the Sunday, too, that I somehow got switched to unexpectedly. Wasn't that nice of them. And then come Monday morning, I will tote myself off to this interview with all the bounciness and loveable-ness that I got-and hopefully get myself out of this toxic job. Everybody cross your fingers!!! I'll keep you posted...

Arthritis and Cinnamon Rolls

Just a little note to update and blog about some of my recent encounters.

I continue to see Dr. David here in Kansas City for NAET, and I have had quite the time. So far, my symptoms are nothing like I could have ever imagined. In my second week of treatments, I began to feel the tremendous, overwhelming feeling of absolute exhaustion. The last time I remember feeling this way was in nursing school when it was all I could do to get through the day. This lasted about a week and a half, and then came on my next symptom which I have been experiencing for the last couple weeks.

Joint pain. Utter pain and throbbing throughout my whole body. It's in my fingers, my wrists, my shoulders, my CLAVICLES, my ankles, my toes....it's everywhere. I suppose this is what it's like to have arthritis. My question is if this means (which I assume it does) that my body is detoxing itself, is it safe to take some ibuprofen for pain and inflammation? Because it hurts. Bad. I came home from work last night and it was all I could do to just lay there. And throb. What can I do? Is this a natural thing to expect?

So Alex is made cinnamon rolls with orange flavored icing for breakfast and I put together a little fruit salad. Isn't that cute. He's quite the cook...at least one of us is a good cook!

Anyway, we're meeting up with a lot of friends tonight, so I suppose I better start getting ready. Besides, my fingers are starting to hurt.

Any comments are welcome!