Go Ahead and Set Me On FIRE!!

Tonight Pete and I sat on the couch together and watched FireProof the movie. What a great movie. Not that it had an all star cast...nope..just Kirk Cameron. Kirk did a fine job in this movie. If you have seen Facing the Giants, you kind of already know what to expect from this production group, however, FireProof delivers a few steps above in acting. The movie takes place in Albany, GA. It was cool having a movie set close to home...well sort of...at least in the same state! This time there werent any guest appearances made by Mark Richt, which is unfortunate. I thought it would be cool if they had worked him into the shot in the last scene.
Pete and I have decided that we are going to take on the "Love Dare" by Stephen and Alex Kendrick. It's what the movied is based upon. Its 40 days of study and dares to improve marriage based upon Christian teachings. I would encourage anyone that is dating or married to try it. I am very curious to see what effect it will have on our marriage. Pete and I dont have a bad marriage. We have our bumps and bruises over the years. Right now, I think things have begun to settle down a little and I am very thankful for that. I like nice and stable! I would also like loving, affectionate, a little romantic and fun!! :) I know, I dont ask for much!!! But I will take a good, stable, happy marriage over bumps and bruises any day!!! Oh and I dont mean literal bumps and bruises....Poor Pete!

Almost Friday

Well, its almost Friday again. I can't imagine where THIS week has gone! I think that hump day turned out to be such a crazy fiasco that it caused the week to fast forward into Friday!
When I got home tonight, Pete was walking Iris in the yard. Do you think she wanted to potty....nahhhh but she was scoping out the wild kitty trails around our house. And since we have about 8 more wild kitties left, there are still plenty o'trails. Again, I am not the least bit concerned if famine strikes our neighborhood...there are plenty of cats to live off for at least a year! ALF would be so set! And if you dont know who ALF is.....*tisk tisk*
Today marks 6 months that I have been with VI. It seems like it has been so much longer. But my PTO kicked in today. My mind goes wild imagining all the exotic locals that I can now visit! I think of the relaxing moments next to the pool and trails around lakes.....
Then I remember that I am a parent of two girls that will likely be sick 2 out of the 3 weeks that I have off....the rest of the time, I'll probably be sick with whatever the latest ick and ill there is being passed around the day care or at school! Ahhhh but wouldnt it be nice to be able to go to some fancy place and partake of the spa??? *Dont wake me just yet please....its been a while since I had a fantasy this good! :)
The housing market has got me all in a tizzy! On the main road of our neighborhood, I think there are 4-5 houses for sale. Some are for sale because the owners just want to sell. One house has never even been occupied for 2 years since its been built. One house is a foreclosure. I would love to find a house with more space than ours that the owner would want to trade for our house. Why is it when you buy a house that it gets filled with STUFF in no time...then you wish you had a bigger house? Life happens I guess. Im not one of those people that collects STUFF! Im always going through drawers and closets trying to find things to get rid of!! There is ALWAYS STUFF to get rid of!! If I had the patience for a yard sale, I might be able to afford and upgrade to another house!
Speaking of housing, I really dont understand this plan that Obama has to help out folks that are facing foreclosure. Truly, I have a hard time accepting that some people really over bought or got bad loans (variable rates and such) and now they are going to get a bail out. What about us ever faithful folks that pay our mortgages? And what about us that have been diligent and our houses are worth less than what we paid for them???? *sigh* Don't get me wrong, I dont like to see so many folks losing their homes......BUT
With time flying by so quickly, April will be here before I know it...that means that 36 will be here before I know it! When did that happen anyway? When I dream at night, I still dream that I am a teenager or a 20-something. When Im 50 will I dream Im a 30-something? What about when Im 80? Speaking of dreams, I dream in color. I don't know that everyone does. I have heard that some people dont. I dream in color and there are also vivid smells. Dreams are amazing! I guess before I know it, Ill be 40 and dreaming that Im in my early 30's....

100~!!!!!

Evidently this is my 100th post...I cant believe that I had 100 things to ramble about...anyone still out there reading? I bet a lost a few along the way...that's ok though...That just means that I can be much more descriptive and talk more about disgusting nursey things! WOOHOOO
So we got a new doggie named Iris. I found her on Craigslist. She is a terrier mix. The title of her add said something like "Sweet girl looking for a forever home". So I wrote to the owner. Evidently the owner had been fostering her for about a year and a half. She found Iris, her mother and some siblings in the middle of the road...about to get squished. So she took them in, nurtured them and found homes for all of them...except Iris.
When I emailed the foster mom and talked to her on the phone, I had lots of questions. I needed to find a dog that was calm, good with kids, non destructive, fixed and generally well behaved. And she said that Iris was all of these things. Sure sure....Well we met Iris on Saturday afternoon. She is a white, fuzzy terrier mix with no undercoat (which means she can get cold easily) and a tuft of hair that hangs in her eyes. She is a shy girl too. She literally tried to hide behind her foster mom's legs. It was like meeting a 1 year old child..just in puppy form.
After a bit of an adventure when Iris escaped out of our fenced back yard and we had to hunt her down for 2 hours.....
We got her back in the house. We soon found out that Iris is well behaved. She is so well behaved that she acts like she is on a constant run of Xanax. She doesn't bark. She doesn't growl. She doesn't wag her tail much. She doesn't eat much. She doesn't really do much at all. Evidently, last year the foster mom tried to adopt her out but Iris got returned after a couple of days because she was "too calm". I think I can agree with that statement. I joked with the owner that it seemed like she had drugged Iris with Benedryl...when it wore off was she going to go nuts?? Nope!
Don't get me wrong, I really like the dog. I didn't really much care for having to walk her tonight for about 30 minutes only to have her pee and not poo. I guess Ill have to do another marathon walk before I got to bed. I did see two shooting stars tonight in our crystal clear Madison County sky. It was so pretty out. After a while of star gazing, standing in the cold night air with wet hair (after my bath), I was really over the whole appreciating the wild thing. I went stomping back in the house with my lower lip poked out! Iris instantly went and sat next to Pete on the couch.
Iris is about as sweet as an animal can be. She definitely would win any contest PAWS DOWN for the least active pup around! I'm thinking of giving her coffee just to get her just a little excited. I know that Pete doesn't believe me, but after everyone else was in bed last night, Iris began playing tug o war with me and her stuffed dog. She even chased after the thing as I threw it across our hard wood floored living room! She scooped that dog up and slide about 3 feet each time! It was great fun! But once that game was over....back to Benedryl doggie. Its really quite strange.
Anyway, all is well in the hood. My neighbor Kitty is now moved to a nice rental house. Her house has a for sale sign in the front but we don't know how much they are asking. I am praying that we get nice neighbors that love children! Hopefully we wont get any pedophiles that REALLY love children. How awful that we have to think about such things. But we do...and we do...and we will! Kitty was such a good neighbor for the girls. They LOVED her and she LOVED them. They miss her already! Fortunately for us, we get to see her at church and around town. Its not like Comer is a huge metropolis that you might not ever run into anyone...just visit the Dollar General....that's like the Great Mall of Comer! No doubt that any time you visit that store, you are bound to run into someone you know!
I think its about time to start planning a good vacation for the year! I'm so ready! I want to get away for a few days....without children...I know...BAD MAMA!! But a few days to just not fuss or muss or deal with whining children that are constantly begging for food and drinks..and worrying me about the other one touching them and screaming in the back seat of the car......
YEA, I'M READY FOR A BREAK!!!

The Week Goes On...dadidadadi

Its uterally unbelieavable that another week has gone by! This was one heck of a week! We are so busy at work! Who would have ever thought that so many people had problems with veins! Young, old and some what vein folks have been pouring in! I dont blame them. Bad veins in the legs can be so uncomfortable. I inherited spider veins from my mom. We think that bad veins mostly come from our parents. Thanks MOM AND DAD!! I hope I get the high blood pressure and thyroid problems too!! I already have a bad memory!
Tonight...I am ashamed to say, Pete and I went to Walmart. Yea...thats the first time in MONTHS that I have been in there. Im still mad that they kept 5 of my Ambien and then tried to make it seem like I was a sleeping pill fiend! Jerks! Dont they know that doctors have (had) samples! Its the prinicple of the whole thing. Anyway, we had to buy Lila and Lyndi some new tennis shoes. We found some cute $5 tennis shoes...probably from China made from woven lead fibers. But did I mention how cheap they were and how cute they were too?!!! Our good deal still didnt stop me from feeling dirty the minute I walked through the door. I felt like I was seriously violating some sort of moral code or something. Im telling you, they really made me very mad over this prescription thing. AND the general manager never even called me back!!! Remember, if you use a Walmart pharmacy, you better count your pills out...RIGHT THERE ON THE COUNTER BEFORE YOU LEAVE...they will rip you off in a heart beat!
My boss David met Bill last night...had his picture taken with him and every thing!! Yea...I mean Bill Clinton. Evidently he was at some fund raiser in Atlanta that David and his wife Beth were at. They both had their picture made with him...the old lady was not in tow. What a shame.....OH I SHOULD HAVE ASKED DAVID IF HE ASKED BILL ABOUT MONICA? How could you not meet him and NOT ask? "So Bill, have you talked to Monica lately? And how's Chelsea?" Wonder what they did talk about? I didnt even ask. I had work to do!! But it is a shame that one of the most outstanding thoughts I have about our ex president is about an affair that he had instead of over seas affairs or business affairs. Too bad indeed!
Well, its time to put this week to rest! Good night!

The Electric Slide....

So I fell off the wagon! I went a whole 2 days with out the Effexor and I could NOT get through the second night! After I wrote my blog, I tried to go to bed.....the ZAPS got the best of me! I would be laying there trying to go to sleep and that dang buzzer would go off in my head! ZZZZZZ I was totally weak and the med won out! I had to take one of the 37.5 mg Effexors! But I emailed my doctor today and asked him about it. I am going to make an appointment to see him. He said that the Effexor was definitely causing this and its not depression that I felt, its just the withdrawal. How great to have a doctor that actually took the time to write back!!
I spoke to a pharmacist today that said that she TOO is taking Effexor. Effexor is a great drug for treating depression and anxiety...and it has two other great uses: treating hot flashes (we used it for this a lot at the cancer place) and it helps stop teeth grinding! She said that she had a terrible problem with both and the second of the two, it helped.
She also told me what I already knew, that Effexor is extremely hard to stop taking. She said that her own doctor was saying that he was not sure what he would do for her when it came time to try to stop. After some discussion, we figured that I could start taking an SSRI along with the low dose Effexor and just slowly transition to that drug that would be easier to discontinue. BUT WE SHALL SEE! I am going to make and appointment with my doctor to see what he suggests. He is a head doctor so I figure he should know! And I will be curious to know if he thinks I SHOULD ABSOLUTELY continue taking and antidepressant.
AM I DEPRESSED? I don't really think that I am. I don't sit here and ruminate over things. I don't think the world is crashing down around me. I love myself enough. I haven't been irritable....other than when Pete says something to get me going...he likes doing that! I don't even feel like I'm out of control with my children...and every one knows how hard it is to raise a 2 year old and a 7 year old! But I can not walk around a boo hooing, snotting idiot! So again, I guess this is something that I will have to wait and see about.
For now, I am just so thankful that the buzzer has been removed from my brain! Hopefully it will stay gone for a while!
As a side note...a testament to God's love....I got off the phone with a family member last night and felt as though I should just go dunk my head in a bucket of water and never come up for air. The conversation was so full of dooms day stuff that I felt miserable and irritated that I had to listen to that stuff! Well, God has IMPECCABLE timing!! No sooner did I get off the phone with my family member, that my friend Vanessa called with very exciting news and conversation about what God was doing in her life. Not only did we talk about what blessings God had given her but also, the gift of truth and life that he offers all of us. What a huge blessing to be rescued from my previous conversation! Thank you God!

ZIP! ZAP! ZING!

I feel like I am living in a comic book right now. I am currently day two without Effexor (an antidepressant). Other than being a little more teary at the slightest little sentiment...I'm fine emotion wise....its the "brain zaps" that are really irritating me. Anyone that has ever tried to come off of an antidepressant knows all too well the feeling that I am talking about! Evidently Effexor is the hardest of all the antidepressants to stop taking. I did exactly what I was supposed to do, by weaning down from my dose to the lowest dose possible which is 37.5 mg. But that did not prevent the weird sensations that I have had to deal with today!
This afternoon, we went on an 8.9 mile bike ride with Lila on her new mountain bike and Lyndi in her little bike trailer. Pete pulled Lyndi. The ride was great and helped me to stop thinking about my brain boggle that I had been dealing with.
When we got home, I looked up on the internet,"Effexor Withdrawal". My goodness, the problems people complained of were not very encouraging. I think that as long as I can deal with the zaps I'll be ok. Some people say that this sensation lasts for one week up to months after stopping the med. I really hope that I am blessed with the one week!
I decided to go off of this medication in the first place because my cardiologist suggested that it could be effecting my heart rate and blood pressure. Effexor effects the Norepinephrine in our bodies (flight or fight hormone). My doctor thinks that since he ablated my heart, my heart rate could still be running a little higher due to the medication. And I began taking the Effexor to help me deal with anxiety. I also took it for post partum depression. Since Im not post partum anymore and I feel emotionally stable, I thought that I would try to stop taking it. I haven't been anxious much since I had the ablation. I am able to recognize now that my heart rate was really making me feel tense.
As a point of praise, I discovered while riding today that I did not feel winded or tachycardic more than usual. I did not have the same old pressure in my neck, causing me to feel short of breath while riding. For years, before my ablation, I always found it more difficult to work out. I would get exhausted easily. NOT TODAY! I felt great...well, other than the brain ZAPS and dizziness! GOOD GRIEF!
So I am asking that if you read my blog, please pray for me. Pray that my body adjusts quickly and positively to not taking the Effexor. Please pray that I dont have to take any other antidepressants at all! I really picked a hard week to decide to stop taking this med....I crashed and hurt myself yesterday (when I stopped taking the Effexor). I really had a lot of pain from falling off of our pull behind trailer while helping a friend move. And this is also the MOST hormonal week for me.....WHAT THE HECK WAS I THINKING???!! :) Pray for my family too!
If anyone has any suggestions, I would certainly be open to hear what you think. Otherwise, please PRAY PRAY PRAY for me! :)