Jobs

I officially quit my job as a substitute teacher today.  It was time to admit that I realistically do not have the energy or health to work outside of my home anymore.  Heck, I can barely work inside it.  It was depressing to write my resignation letter.  I actually liked subbing and working with the kids and other teachers.  I loved the excuse to be where my girls were during the day--check in on them a bit, you know?  I think that I was pretty good at it, too.  Maybe someday I can go back.  We'll see.

And, speaking of jobs--Did you know that if you stack your clean clothes in a pile under your bed, instead of put them away like you are supposed to, they are easily accessible, without the added bother of drawers and hangers?  Easy-peasy.  And your mom may not know about it for several days.  Six, to be exact.  Nice, huh?

NJHS Inductee and Morning With Mom

Love these girls!!!!  (And their handsome Daddy!)

Come Again?

So, I have this friend who has the same type of headaches as I have.  Only maybe hers are worse.  Anyway, we joke about how we want to wear our sunglasses all of the time because the light bugs us, and how we wish we had earplugs at church because it's too loud, and how we are druggies and stuff like that.  She's a great friend and someone who understands how I feel, and I don't know what I would do without her.  (No one wants to be a druggie alone, right?) ;)

She has been using ear plugs around her home the last little while.  It's something I have been saying I was going to try for some time now.  Friday, we went  to the store and she helped me pick some out.  And, they are AWESOME.

I wore them all of Friday evening when the movie was too loud for my headache.  And all of Saturday morning when the whining about doing chores was too loud for my headache.  And all of Saturday afternoon when the laughing and playing was too loud for my headache.  And, oh, how I wish I had worn them to church.  But, I didn't.  And then my headache won and I had to leave church early and sleep the rest of the day.  Ugh.

But, I did get out of bed for dinner.  And I wore my ear plugs.  It was heavenly.  And the dinner conversation went something like this:

King:  (Speaking of a ward he visits as the High Councilor) There are seven kids in their Primary.

Me:  What?  I thought it was a big Primary.  Only seven kids?

K:  No, there is one family with seven kids in the Primary.

Me:  Oh.  Whoa.  That's amazing.

K:  Yep.  They're a cute family.

Snow White:  Oh, Mom, we're supposed to bring flowers on our field trip after school Thursday.

Me:  What?  What for?  Why flowers?

SW:  No, Mom, dinner.  We're supposed to bring dinners on our field trip.

Me:  Oh.  Yes, I remember that.  Okay, we'll pack something.  What would you like?

Sleeping Beauty:  Hot muffins.

Me:  Honey, we can't keep them hot.  But I can make some.

SB:  No, not muffins.  I don't want any.  I'm sick of them.

King: Do you have ear plugs in?  Maybe you should take them out if we're going to talk.

So, I took them out.  And a few minutes later, I said,

"Can everyone try to be quieter?  Maybe don't let your fork touch your plate?  Or just not talk?  You're too loud.  My head hurts."

And then everyone agreed it's nice when I wear my ear plugs.  They're awesome.  And, next week, I am totally wearing them to church.  Can't wait to hear what my mind thinks the speakers are saying.

A Nutshell

Remember a month ago when my sister drove 12 hours with her four children to come and visit us?  And remember how I said I would tell you about it soon?  And then my mother-in-law came for a visit, and I was supposed to tell you about those adventures?  Then remember how I went out of town and got cured informed and still, somehow, I haven't really been able to get back on top of normal life again?

Well, this is my attempt at catching up a bit.  Baby steps, you know.

So, my sister and her cute kids came to visit.  She was great to have around, as she cooked dinner lots and started me on a project I'd been wanting to do for years--refinishing my cabinets.  But, mostly, we just hung out.  My girls were in school most of the time, but we did pull them out for a couple of hours, so as to have plenty of time to snuggle that cute little Buttercup cousin of theirs.  

We also visited the park, did a little shopping, visited the twins for lunch at their school, saw the girls' choir concert, and went to Lowe's and Hobby Lobby a few times.  The kids loved this.  (And by loved, I mean it nearly killed them.  Those are their least favorite stores.  Probably because they know it means we'll be ignoring them at home for a while, using the treasures we find there.)  We also tried our best to get a nice cousin picture.  Here is the result:

But I actually like these a little better:

And this last picture, I just have to add because this little guy (we call him Lucky around the blogosphere) is nearly impossible to get a smile out of, and he was so happy to be helping his sister stop crying here, that he couldn't hide it from me. (Too bad I cut off half his head.  I'm just a good photographer like that.)

There you have it--their visit in a nutshell.  It was much nuttier and more fun than this post makes it sound.  Trust me.  

p.s.--Come back soon!

Things That Might Make You Go, "Hmmmm"

I am not kidding when I say that I overheard these words at my house this weekend:

"You really need to take responsibility of your own boobs!"

I laughed so hard.  But, I cannot bring myself to tell you the whole story. 

I do not think I can do this three teenage girls thing.  Help!!!

Rambling

The girls are playing basketball with daddy.  They just got back from a long bike ride.  We (yes, I helped a little, too--shocking) did yard work and mowed the lawn.  I just love Spring weather.  For some reason, this year's Spring just seems so needed.  So refreshing. 

Snow White said, "Why can't it be this weather, like, all of the time?"  King said, "It can, if you move somewhere else--Arizona or California, or Southern Utah or something.  Have fun. Good luck finding a good job."  She decided not to go.  I'm glad.

Cinderella has been writing a song.  "Right, Wrong, or Just Plain Stupid."  I think it's cute.  Look out Taylor Swift.

I went to a bridal shower this morning.  It made me feel old.  I am old.  We've been married for almost 17 years.  I am so glad I am in this place, instead of at the beginning.  It's nice to have figured the marriage thing out a bit.  Except for the whole new dishes and new towels and new cute quilt thing.  I need a bridal shower desperately.  I think you should have one if you make it to 20 years of marriage without killing your spouse or children, don't you?   

Sleeping Beauty loves shopping.  I wish I had the energy to take her more.  She talks to me when we shop, and it's fun.  She loves holding and touching things in the store, except for towels.  She has an unexplained towel phobia.  And old-t-shirt phobia.  And tights-with-a-line-on-the-toe phobia. 

Well, that's enough rambling for tonight.  I must bring the girls in and force them to shower so that we don't smell up the church pew in the morning.  (Sometimes I wish General Conference were every weekend.  I love church in pajamas.)   

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety-Jig

Well, I got to come home early from the Mayo Clinic.  Which is great.  I did have to miss seeing my cousin and spending more time with my friend, but I needed to be home.  After three long days of appointments and careful examination, the Mayo Clinic had done all they could for me, so there was no reason to stay.  I missed my family, and they (incredibly) missed me.

So, the sum-up?  Well...

They know what is causing my headaches.  It is the condition that I am genetically pre-disposed to and can do nothing about.  It is the way my brain and my pain sensors work, combined with environmental factors within my body, and the way my condition presents itself.  The condition causing the headaches is migraine.  Which is a condition in and of itself (bet you didn't know that), and has nothing to do with what I eat, wear, do, or say.  It's just there, and it is not going away.  In some ways, I understand it very well, and in others (the scientific-y ways) I don't.

But, what I do know is that they are right.  They know what they are doing.  I am perfectly healthy in every other way;  I just have a chronic illness: Chronicized Migraine.  So, either I will (probably) have a headache every day for the rest of my life, or I will deal with the side effects of medications that may help me.  (Much like someone with diabetes will take insulin and watch their diet, or live with the consequences of not doing so.)  The good news is, if I never find a medication to help me, I'm not going to die or anything, I'll just be in pain.  And, they did give me some ideas of medications that could help me--including some I have tried, but maybe in different doses or at different intervals.  I need to be on a medication for at least six months before deciding if it is effective or not.  So, the trials to find something livable may take a while.  But, we can do it.

So, the basic sum-up, and all you really need to know is this:  the Mayo Clinic is great.  They are so incredibly nice there.  They were very thorough and helpful, and found out what was wrong with me.  There is hope that I can get better, but it will take a year (or a few years) to get there.  And I'll be okay.  Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. 

It was a good visit.  I could never repay Kristy for her thoughtful care and all of the delicious food she found for me there in Rochester.  The cinnamon French toast we had at our hotel for Easter Breakfast was to die for.  And, as luck would have it, we found the yummiest plum sticky toffee pudding the last day we were there.  Delicious, and so good, if I had stayed longer, I would have come home a fat pig.

The end.

To market, to market, to buy a plum bun, 

Home again, home again, market is done.

Mayo So Far

I suppose since I have a little time, I will post about my Mayo experience so far.  We are having a good time.  My friend, Kristy, is taking very good care of me, bless her heart.  Good food and great company.  She even had warm cookies and cold milk delivered to our room while we watched a movie.  And she's been so patient and long-suffering with lots of time sitting in the waiting room this week.  Just now, she's off visiting her cousin while I have been sleeping and resting, and this afternoon she is busting me out of this town and hotel room and taking me to the Spam Museum.  If that is not true friendship, I don't know what is.  To pay her back for her generosity and attentiveness, I took her bra shopping,  Wasn't that nice of me?  You know how much I love it.

As far as the whole Mayo Clinic thing goes, my over-all impression and experience has been good.  They are very organized, and very efficient.  Everyone is very, very nice and helpful.  I took out a map while sitting at the shopping center adjacent to our hotel and the clinic, and I had two people (a man with a Mayo Clinic name tag--everyone has one on around this place, and the lady busing tables) stop and ask me if they could help me find anything.

I had my original appointment Thursday.  The doctor was very nice and asked me about my head for about an hour.  I didn't even cry very much--I was very proud of myself.  After a thorough exam, he then sent me for blood work and imaging, and set an appointment up with neurology.  So, I have that appointment and a follow-up with him on Monday.  We'll see where they send me after that.    

Today and tomorrow, we will relax, watch General Conference, visit my friend Sarah and her darling family, and eat Spam.

(Just kidding--blech.)

p.s.  I bought a cute blue Mayo Clinic T-shirt.  I plan to wear it with pride, should they cure me, and burn it if they don't. :)