Surgery

Day 179

Well, I hate to be the type to air my dirty laundry in public, but I think tonight I will go ahead and share what is going on in my world. Today I learned that I will be going in for laproscopic surgery and a D and C on Tuesday morning. I'm sick, and sad, and terrified. I really wish I could just run away, but that would solve nothing because my problems are contained within me. If only there were a way to detach from my body for a day, go have a nice, long lunch and catch a matinee of some funny movie while my body just deals with all this pain, and fear. I guess that's what anaesthesia is for?

*sigh* I'm scared.

Janet

Magazine

Day 178

Lately I keep finding myself in situations that tap into every emotion I own, and it has been a little too open. Too raw. But today I was reminded of how important it is to be in that vulnerable place sometimes. How boring would it be to live in the page of a magazine, where everything is constant and staged? There's never any progression. Nothing to look forward to.

Our bodies become stronger by being ripped apart. Resistance is a result of illness, and muscles are built only after they've been torn. So it's only natural that everything else follow the same rule. I am finally beginning to understand that when something really sucky happens, there truly is a point and if we're lucky, we'll get to find out what that point is and actually learn from it.

Janet

Bathtub

Day 177 (Friday, July 22)

Today I learned that when life gives you lemons, you buy a better tub.

I also learned my way around Home Depot and all about the tools necessary to do a complete overhaul on your bathroom. We had a couple pipes burst last Sunday and this has been a whirlwind week full of destruction and mayhem. I can think of a few other things I'd rather spend that money on, but that's the joy of owning a home. One major upside to this whole mess is that I got the deepest soaking tub Home Depot had to offer. I have also learned this week who my true friends are, how much our families rock, and the power of staying positive.

Here is where the ceiling once was in our garage...

This is where some of it is now...

And this is the beginning of our NEW bathroom.

*Sigh* Wish us luck.

Janet

Losing the Last 10 Pounds

Day 176

I don't know about this...

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/loveyourbody/why-you-cant-lose-those-last-10-pounds-1964849/

Janet

Home

Day 175

Today I was reminded of how comforting it is to go back to my parents' house. We haven't had water at our house the past couple days because of plumbing issues so I packed the kids up and spent some quality time with my Mom. I visit my Mom and Dad all the time, but there is something so wonderful about taking a shower in the home you grew up in, with the same warm towels that smell the way they always did. And to nap on her couch, under quilts you grew up snuggling under, and eat a dinner she prepared. I feel so relaxed right now. Nightie-night.

Janet

In Spite of it All

Day 174

Today I learned to appreciate and enjoy life when it's good, and not take a life that is running smoothly for granted. And to save for a rainy day, and not completely lose it when things go bad. But above every other frustrating lesson I've learned today, the most important is to be grateful for my blessings. It is impossible to feel hopeless when you've got your family cuddled in your arms, safe and healthy.

Janet

Cherries

Day 173

Tonight my sisters and I were eating some of the sweetest, yummiest cherries I think I've ever tasted. Shannon commented on how thankful she is that they have pits in them or she'd pop several in her mouth at once, get too much sugar, and not truly enjoy the juicy, cool sensation of eating a cherry.

I got to thinking about all the other pits or "speed bumps" I have in my life and how without them, I would miss out on so much. Some of it I wouldn't mind missing, but how boring would the rest of it be without those things forcing me to s.l.o.w...d.o.w.n...and taste the cherries, I mean, smell the roses.

Janet

Random Interesting Facts

Day 172

I won't say that I've verified any of these "facts", but they're fun nonetheless. If they are true, that means I've learned 44 new things today! Well, I actually knew some of them already. This trivia is very back-of-the-cereal-box-esque. Enjoy appearing well rounded at your next party, campfire, or game of Trivial Pursuit.

http://www.interesting-facts.biz/

Janet

Link

Day 171

http://www.learnsomethingeveryday.co.uk/.

Janet

Coconut Curry Soup

Day 170
Lately we have been enjoying the most heavenly rainstorms in the afternoons. It has been cooling the earth just enough that I decided to make my new favorite soup. I found the recipe in Gourmet Magazine and made it the other day, but I decided to change a couple things and share it with you. It's my new "cuddle-in-bed-with-a-good-movie-during-a-rainstorm" soup. Enjoy!

Thai Curry Coconut Soup

1 white onion-diced
1 bunch fresh cilantro-chopped
1 can sliced water chest-nuts
1 can sliced mushrooms
2 cups of fresh snap peas
1 large chicken breast
2 large sweet potatoes
Rice noodles or spaghetti
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
1 can coconut milk
3 Tbs curry seasoning
2 chopped cloves of garlic
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1/2 jalapeno
2 Tbs fish sauce
1 lime

Saute the onions, garlic, and jalapeno in the garlic. Add stock, water, and coconut and bring to a boil. Add the juice of the lime, chicken, fish sauce, and curry seasoning and let simmer until chicken is cooked though. Cube the peeled sweet potatoes and boil them until fork tender. Boil noodles and add to broth. Add the potatoes, peas, water chestnuts, mushrooms and cilantro to the broth as well and simmer on low for about 10 minutes before serving.

Janet

Death

Day 169

Trenton and I were having one of those fun little "What if" conversations and suddenly we found ourselves in the midst of one of the most depressing discussions I've ever had. What started out as a light-hearted, "What would you do if you had a million dollars?" boiled down to questions like, "What would you do if I suddenly became debilitated...or worse...died?" I learned a lot about my husband, and myself. I also learned just how many things I NEED to accomplish before I die. It lit a much needed fire seeing as how nobody knows when that will be. But I realized more than anything that the most important thing to me is being sure my loved ones know I love them. So- if by some freak chance I die tonight-know that I hold you dearer than anything else, and I love, love, love you.

Janet

DATE

Day 168
I had so much fun on my date tonight. I laughed hard enough to leave my sides aching. I felt like I did when I was 15. And believe it or not- he's the same guy that made me laugh when I was 15. Francis Bacon said, "It is impossible to love and be wise."

Well I'd rather be in love. Wouldn't you?

Janet

Eat Pray Love

167

Stress...is a very bad thing. I didn't just learn that today, but I'm certainly feeling its thunder. I did start reading the book, "Eat Pray Love," today and I'm mentally preparing for it to change my life. I hope it's as good as everyone says it is.

Janet

Bliss

Day 166 (Wednesday, July 7)

I took Emma to the zoo a few days ago and saw in her a true, unstifled, bliss just oozing from her little body. I watched as she ran around, smiling, pointing-little pony tails happily bouncing with her every excited movement. I decided to give that kind of zeal a try and see where I ended up. Well- I can tell you I ended up more relaxed, and happy. But what I wasn't prepared for was the amount of injuries that accompany unabashed joy. No wonder kids get hurt so much. They aren't looking ahead. They aren't cautious. They just deal with it as it comes. Yesterday I pulled my hair in 2...yes 2 pony tails (call me corny and see if I care), hopped on the bike and rode for 15 miles. I was so happy! Until I pulled a muscle in my back and couldn't move the rest of the day. You think that's going to stop me?

Janet

Peaches

Day 165
Today I read this quote by Jimmy Carter and it really caught my attention,

"Go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is."

When I was growing up we lived in a home resting on over an acre of land. We had horses, and lush green grass, and several apple and peach trees. I remember helping my mom pick the fruit and gently place them in organic brown shopping bags. I can still smell the subtle sweetness of ripe peaches as my mom peeled them to make pies, and ice-cream. But what is most memorable to me is that night, when my mom would spend an hour rubbing anti-biotic cream all over the scrapes and scratches I racked up from the branches. But I never once regretted harvesting those beautiful fruits, and viewed the scrapes as more of an earning statement than an injury. Instead of simply picking up the fruit that had already fallen, which would have been easier, we took the time to climb within the tree's branches and find those that had reached their natural prime. Carter is reminding us that very few things worthwhile or rewarding in life come easily, and they are even more rarely just settled on the side of the road waiting for us. If we want something truly extraordinary, we've got to depart from our "normal" and find it.

Janet

Birth Center- Part 2

Day 164

I woke up to the exciting news that my friend had her baby last night. I'm always cautious when entering the hospital room on labor and delivery- you just never know what you're going to walk into. Thankfully, as I slid through the door there was a genuinely glowing, happy Mommy and this tiny, pink, beautifully sleeping angel in her bassinet. I guess I am going to have to just accept that entering a birth center, with it's heavenly, fresh, absolutely intoxicating baby scent is always going to send me into this temporary "I-want-a-baby-again-right-now" insanity. And that's just what it is...insanity! I HAVE a baby right now! Anyway, I digress. In an attempt to curb this short-lived high that I was on after leaving the hospital, and do my best to avoid Trenton until it passed, I decided to get busy cleaning out the garage. That's kind of my equivalent of a cold shower. I was sorting through my food storage and found my Honey Vanilla Chamomile herbal tea by Celestial Seasonings. I was drawn to the illustrations on the box, but found the most darling poem on the back...and learned from it.

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I'd finger paint more, and point my finger less.
I would do less correcting, and more connecting.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields, and gaze at more stars.
I'd do more hugging and less tugging.
I'd see the oak tree in the acorn more often.
I would be firm less often and affirm more often.
I'd model less the love of power,
and more about the power of love.

-Diane Loomins


Janet

Seeing Stars

Day 163 (July 4th)

Today Trenton and I saw a Muslim woman, in a full Burka, driving the biggest Dodge Ram I've ever seen. THAT makes me proud to live in America. I was reacquainted with my patriotic heart today and I truly am proud (and mostly humbled) to enjoy the freedom that comes with being an American. Thank you, to all those who fight for that freedom. God Bless.

Janet

I'm Back

Days 159, 160, 161, 162

I don't really have an excuse for not keeping up these last few days. I was getting really burnt out, so I gave myself a break from it hoping that would be enough to keep me going in the long run. And it was...I'm feeling inspired again. So, today I learned how far I've come in a year physically. Last year on the 4th we went for a bike ride and I was so completely out of shape that I had to get off the bike and stroll the rest of the way (granted...I was almost 8 months pregnant.) Since then I have been working out regularly and pushing my physical boundaries harder than I have any other time in my life. I rode the same path today that I did a year ago, went 5 times the distance, and didn't even break a sweat. Ahhhh...sweet victory.

Oh yeah- I also learned and solidified which team I'm on.

Janet