It's getting to the point whenever I check in at home, there is more bad news. This morning was a perfect example. First of all, my great uncle (the one diagnosed with leukemia last week) is having trouble with his PIC line this morning. He is pretty nervous, so he has asked my dad to come down while they are trying to figure out what the problem is. Yesterday, he finished his chemotherapy, so we now have to wait 2-3 weeks to find out if it worked. He has now completely lost his appetite and is very fatigued!
I also found out this morning that Jessica's (my sister) boyfriend Nick's dog Divot was hit by a car yesterday morning. Whoever did it didn't even stop and say anything!!! One of Divot's legs is banged up pretty bad and he won't walk on it. He sounds pretty miserable. I don't know what I would do if something like that happened to Izzy. It's so sad! I can't believe that nobody said anything...especially in a small town like Tekamah!
So that was the main "bad news" from home. Yesterday, there was an article in the Lincoln Journal Star. Click here to check out the article. One of my coworkers has a "connection" to this family, so she is organizing the bake sale for the Carnival fundraiser they are having for RJ & his family on April 5th. Most of us at work have volunteered to put our baking "skills" to good work and provide some items for the bake sale. It was a no-brainer to me to want to help, especially with the most recent cancer battle in our family in full throttle. We know how expensive medical treatment is, so if I can do a small part help I'm in. Maybe it will make a difference!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Here we go again!
In the last 7 years, I have had 3 family members diagnosed with some form of leukemia. The first was my aunt, Janna. She was diagnosed when she had her baby girl, Kayla, back in 2004. She had a stem-cell transplant and has recovered quite well. She still has the daily battles, but she is cancer-free!
The second was my great aunt, Suzanne. It took them a long time to diagnose her and once they did, she didn't last too long. The leukemia had progressed very quickly, and the treatment was too much for her. She was in her 70s at the time, so her body just couldn't handle the treatment.
The latest came just this week for my great uncle, Jack. He has been diagnosed with Acute Leukemia. He is 83 years old. They are now analyzing his bone marrow to determine exactly what they are dealing with and the best course of treatment. He is scheduled to check into UNMC in Omaha on Friday for an extended stay. We are hoping that the treatment they prescribe will be something he can handle and hopefully give him some more time without suffering too much.
At 25, it's very sad for me to have this much first-hand experience with leukemia. They said that leukemia is not hereditary, but I'm beginning to wonder. My grandpa died of it when he was in his early 50s, and now both his siblings...Suzanne & Jack have had it. Three out of three siblings...a coincidence? I must say the pessimistic side of me is wondering when my time (and my immediate family's time) will come to face this battle. There go the irrational fears again! Time for a gut check!
The second was my great aunt, Suzanne. It took them a long time to diagnose her and once they did, she didn't last too long. The leukemia had progressed very quickly, and the treatment was too much for her. She was in her 70s at the time, so her body just couldn't handle the treatment.
The latest came just this week for my great uncle, Jack. He has been diagnosed with Acute Leukemia. He is 83 years old. They are now analyzing his bone marrow to determine exactly what they are dealing with and the best course of treatment. He is scheduled to check into UNMC in Omaha on Friday for an extended stay. We are hoping that the treatment they prescribe will be something he can handle and hopefully give him some more time without suffering too much.
At 25, it's very sad for me to have this much first-hand experience with leukemia. They said that leukemia is not hereditary, but I'm beginning to wonder. My grandpa died of it when he was in his early 50s, and now both his siblings...Suzanne & Jack have had it. Three out of three siblings...a coincidence? I must say the pessimistic side of me is wondering when my time (and my immediate family's time) will come to face this battle. There go the irrational fears again! Time for a gut check!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Ouch!
Yesterday, I started the Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD workout. I had seen multiple raves about it online, so I thought for $9 I'd give it a whirl. I need something I can do in a short amount of time and is relatively inexpensive, and this seemed to fit the bill.
Each workout is about 20 minutes long and consists of 3 series of 6 minute ciruits (3 minutes>stength, 2 minutes>cardio, & 1 minute abs). There are 3 different levels/workouts on the DVD. I did the level one yesterday. It was hard!!! I'm sure feeling it today. Every time I move it hurts...in the strangest places! I honestly can't remember being this sore for quite some time. I'm amazed that a 20 minute workout can have this effect on me.
Granted, I am so out of shape and more than likely weigh more than I ever had, so it's no wonder this is hard and hurts. I'm really going to try to do it at least every other day until I get a little less sore, and then try to do it almost every day. I'm trying to keep my goals and expectations realistic, so we'll see.
I also bought a scale this week. I have not had a scale in my house/apartment in over 6 years. I typically try to gauge how I'm doing based on how my clothes fit. My clothes now are getting smaller and smaller all the time, so I thought I might need the numbers on the scale as added motivation. I'm going to keep track of my weight while I'm trying this new process, and we'll see if it makes a difference.
Each workout is about 20 minutes long and consists of 3 series of 6 minute ciruits (3 minutes>stength, 2 minutes>cardio, & 1 minute abs). There are 3 different levels/workouts on the DVD. I did the level one yesterday. It was hard!!! I'm sure feeling it today. Every time I move it hurts...in the strangest places! I honestly can't remember being this sore for quite some time. I'm amazed that a 20 minute workout can have this effect on me.
Granted, I am so out of shape and more than likely weigh more than I ever had, so it's no wonder this is hard and hurts. I'm really going to try to do it at least every other day until I get a little less sore, and then try to do it almost every day. I'm trying to keep my goals and expectations realistic, so we'll see.
I also bought a scale this week. I have not had a scale in my house/apartment in over 6 years. I typically try to gauge how I'm doing based on how my clothes fit. My clothes now are getting smaller and smaller all the time, so I thought I might need the numbers on the scale as added motivation. I'm going to keep track of my weight while I'm trying this new process, and we'll see if it makes a difference.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Who knew a video game could hurt?
So, we broke down and got the Wii we've been talking about for months on Tuesday. After two nights of playing...we are both pretty sore. The longer I'm awake today, the worse it gets. It's so crazy that a video game can do this! It's great!
Craig also has an xBox 360, which I absolutely despise. I don't play it, and I hate it when he does. I've never understood his "passion" for Halo...who just sits there for hours and hours playing a game. The Wii is a great compromise...it's something we can do together and have fun while doing it and it's not just lying on the couch watching TV (although we still do enough of that)!
I'm hoping we'll be adding to our game collection soon...it looks like there are lots of fun options to choose from!
Craig also has an xBox 360, which I absolutely despise. I don't play it, and I hate it when he does. I've never understood his "passion" for Halo...who just sits there for hours and hours playing a game. The Wii is a great compromise...it's something we can do together and have fun while doing it and it's not just lying on the couch watching TV (although we still do enough of that)!
I'm hoping we'll be adding to our game collection soon...it looks like there are lots of fun options to choose from!
Monday, February 16, 2009
A productive weekend
We started of the big Valentine's Day Weekend with some friends with dinner and the Chocolate Lover's Fantasy Friday night at Embassy Suites. It was a lot of fun and there was some super yummy chocolates to sample. Good times all around!
Saturday we slept in...awesome...and then got up and around and headed out to run some errands. First, we had lunch at Red Robin...so good! Then, we stopped by U-Stop to pick up some newspapers so Craig could see the last part of his gift...a hilarious "Love-Line" in the LJS. Then, we stopped by Petsmart to get Izzy a Valentine. Then, the best part of the trip out came when we went to Bed, Bath, & Beyond...I had seen a painting there last week for our living room, so Craig said that if he liked it that would be my gift. Long story short, we walked out of there with 6 different wall hangings. The best part was that we got a killer deal on all of them. After that, we ran out to the Home & Garden Show for a while. That's always fun to get ideas for the house...maybe someday we'll actually be able to do some of it! On the way home, we stopped at Hy-Vee to get the goodies for our awesome Valentine's dinner at home.
While I was getting things ready for dinner, Craig hung up all the paintings. They all look so good and a majority of my naked walls are covered! Awesome!
We had lemon chicken, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, and chocolate silk pie for dinner. It was so so so good! Best part, we had leftovers!
Yesterday, we spent the day cleaning the house and doing laundry...both of which seriously needed to be done! We capped off the weekend with some wings from Buffalo Wild Wings!
All and all it was a very good weekend, and I seriously didn't want to go to work today!
Saturday we slept in...awesome...and then got up and around and headed out to run some errands. First, we had lunch at Red Robin...so good! Then, we stopped by U-Stop to pick up some newspapers so Craig could see the last part of his gift...a hilarious "Love-Line" in the LJS. Then, we stopped by Petsmart to get Izzy a Valentine. Then, the best part of the trip out came when we went to Bed, Bath, & Beyond...I had seen a painting there last week for our living room, so Craig said that if he liked it that would be my gift. Long story short, we walked out of there with 6 different wall hangings. The best part was that we got a killer deal on all of them. After that, we ran out to the Home & Garden Show for a while. That's always fun to get ideas for the house...maybe someday we'll actually be able to do some of it! On the way home, we stopped at Hy-Vee to get the goodies for our awesome Valentine's dinner at home.
While I was getting things ready for dinner, Craig hung up all the paintings. They all look so good and a majority of my naked walls are covered! Awesome!
We had lemon chicken, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, and chocolate silk pie for dinner. It was so so so good! Best part, we had leftovers!
Yesterday, we spent the day cleaning the house and doing laundry...both of which seriously needed to be done! We capped off the weekend with some wings from Buffalo Wild Wings!
All and all it was a very good weekend, and I seriously didn't want to go to work today!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The End of an Era
Over the weekend, Craig and I moved some our best friends from Lincoln to Gretna. This was bittersweet for me. On one hand, I am so happy for them...they have a beautiful new house and exciting new opportunities for them in Gretna. On the other hand, it is the first time in my entire life I won't be in the same city as Amanda...I'm sad. I know Gretna isn't that far away, but you know how life is...busy, and things get in the way. I know we won't see them nearly enough. Just last night at our usual Monday night dinner gathering, it just wasn't the same without them there.
I guess that's what getting older is all about. Everyone goes their own ways to follow whatever it is they are following. It's sort of a weird time in life I guess...suddenly, we are at an age for buying houses, talking about kids, and "stable" jobs. When did this happen? Just a couple years ago, we were all in school, eating ramen noodles, and barely getting by. Maybe getting older isn't so bad. Good thing we have had so much fun along the way!
I guess that's what getting older is all about. Everyone goes their own ways to follow whatever it is they are following. It's sort of a weird time in life I guess...suddenly, we are at an age for buying houses, talking about kids, and "stable" jobs. When did this happen? Just a couple years ago, we were all in school, eating ramen noodles, and barely getting by. Maybe getting older isn't so bad. Good thing we have had so much fun along the way!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Lost in Thought
Do you ever find yourself lost in thought? Consumed by your own crazy worries? I do occasionally, and when it happens it freaks me out. I come from a long line of worriers, so it doesn't shock me that I worry about things. However, sometimes it just gets to me. Usually there's a catalyst that sets me off...a crazy show on TV, a story on the news, a weird sound late at night that I hadn't heard before, etc.
It usually happens when I'm really tired and trying to sleep. Something crazy will creep into my head and wham...I'm swimming in my own paranoia for hours, and the pattern can go on for days. Some are realistic worries, and some are just plain crazy. I'm not quite sure if this is healthy, but it drives me crazy when it happens. I'm grateful it doesn't happen that often.
I also think my job has a little to do with it sometimes. I work with life insurance day in and day out, so death and mortality are constantly in the forefront. It gets very morbid sometimes, so I try to not think about the end result of what I do. Sometimes, I just can't help myself.
I think I need something to occupy my time. Something good to think about when I need to, so all the bad thoughts/worries in the back of my mind don't get so bad. I must sound totally crazy! Yikes!
It usually happens when I'm really tired and trying to sleep. Something crazy will creep into my head and wham...I'm swimming in my own paranoia for hours, and the pattern can go on for days. Some are realistic worries, and some are just plain crazy. I'm not quite sure if this is healthy, but it drives me crazy when it happens. I'm grateful it doesn't happen that often.
I also think my job has a little to do with it sometimes. I work with life insurance day in and day out, so death and mortality are constantly in the forefront. It gets very morbid sometimes, so I try to not think about the end result of what I do. Sometimes, I just can't help myself.
I think I need something to occupy my time. Something good to think about when I need to, so all the bad thoughts/worries in the back of my mind don't get so bad. I must sound totally crazy! Yikes!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)