Baby Shower Fun

To protect my family & friends, I won't be posting any photos of their whole faces. I haven't gotten permission for one and for two ... I just don't think they'd like to be on my blog! This is the first time I really got photo happy at R's baby shower. I figure this is number 4 ... I had a right to be photo happy. I don't think she got really frustrated about my flashing camera until the end. BUT, I got some really great shots that I can't wait to share with her. :o)

Let the present unwrapping begin.
This was "R" along with one of her munchkins pitching in to unwrap presents. How kind of him!That present was the one from Moi.



I arrived and the hostess and cake had already made it's presence. We laughed and chuckled for a good little bit over it's "itty bitty" size. Supposedly could feed 8 to 10 people. Yeah I suppose if the slices were REALLY ITTY BITTY. We joked about Cake Wrecks Blog and thank goodness she brought some really bright cupcakes. They provided some great photos of the kids.



I took a whole series of these next shots. This was the one that covered "K" the best. I loved shooting her. My favorite photos of the whole batch were "K" covering herself with the green bow. I was trying to get her with her face uncovered and every time the bow would fall, I would snap away. Well one time she said, "You got to snap a little faster. This bow keeps falling down."




Another favorite photo moment was when the kids enjoyed their cupcakes. Beautiful Pink Cupcakes for Miss K and Green for Mr. G


And just so Mr. N doesn't feel left out. Here is what he said about changing diapers. And he's not saying, "I'll do it." He's saying, "I pass this chore onto my sister and brother. I've done it twice now." Then he did a little "Yes" motion with his hands. :D

Post Picc Pics!

1. Take a nice long shower without a picc line cover *check*



2. Find a hot tub somewhere and enjoy it. *check*


3. Swim in a pool. *check*


4. Go Bowling. (soon?) :( Haven't done it yet, but hopefully have a trip planned with a friend or two (or 10) soon.

5. Walk on the beach *check*


6. Go to a Winterguard show! *check*

7. Spin a rifle. (Okay maybe not .. but it would be fun.) (uh yeah haven't done it and probably won't be doing it anytime soon, but do taking pictures of these count????)

Rifles at Fort Macon <>

8. Hug my friends without fear of being hurt (I seriously need to get better pics of this)


9. Sleep on my right side without hurting



What??? that's not me sleeping in my bed? Could have fooled me!?!?! It was one of my favorite photos that my husband took with our SLR camera. But yes I am sleeping on my right side again without pain.

Atlantic Beach

So the primary goal of going on this trip was to relax and get away. We accomplished just that. We arrived on Wednesday afternoon to our destination of the Sheraton. I highly recommend this hotel at Atlantic Beach (especially if you can get the suite with jacuzzi tub). It wasn't long after arrival that we made our way back out to find something to eat. Now the funniest thing happened on our way out. I don't know if I mentioned this when we went to Nags Head that we had the hardest time finding pizza places. Well, pizza places were a plenty at Atlantic Beach. Every few minutes there was another advertisement for pizza. I was starving and we finally landed at Dairy Queen just so we could get something fast.

We went back to the hotel and walked on the beach. We proceeded to take the first of many photographs. We began thinking about all the things we could do, but wound up not doing very many of the things we had "planned." Two things kept us from doing them. Mainly it was the weather, but the other was that it wouldn't have allowed for much relaxing (our main goal for the vacation). We really wanted to go visit Cape Lookout Lighthouse, but it was just too cold on the day we could have gone.

We saw dolphins from our hotel room balcony. We attempted to take many photographs, but only a few really showed them. Here were the best two photos. We went out on the pier the next night about the same time hoping to get some more photos, but they didn't come out to play the next night. These were taken off our balcony on Friday Night.

Dolphins swimming together

Dolphin swimming in the waves.

The main two things we did (other than swimming in the pool and lounging in the hot tub) was go to Fort Macon & the NC Aquarium. I may share pictures of those later on, but here's another one of me under the pier.

PS. I've posted once today already so go down one to see my favorite photo of me from this trip.

I'm back!!!

Nothing much to say.

I went to Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. My husband and I relaxed. We had an enjoyable time of nothingness! I'll get a good post on the vacation in later.

We must have taken over 2500 pictures between two cameras.

My favorite picture of me:

Update

Going out to dinner to take away nerves: $50.00
1/2 a tank of gas $10.00
Hearing your grandfather say I love you: Priceless


After hemming and hawing since 11, I decided that it was important for me to go to the hospital whether it was a danger to my own health or not. I knew if something happened and I didn't go, it would eat away at me the rest of my life. So my previous post said that he has double pneumonia. That is pretty much all I knew before I went.

Once there, I learned the following:

1. He has double pneumonia ~ meaning pneumonia is in both of his lungs. He had just been discharged from the hospital yesterday from another stay where he had been having difficulty breathing. I am not sure whether he was being treated for Pneumonia already or whether this was something that popped up after he was discharged.

2. He is on Oxygen. He's already been on this at home with the nasal cannula, but he had on the mask. They say they are going to switch him over to another kind (i'm guessing nasal cannula) since his Oxygen levels are now stable to avoid drying out his lips and mouth with mask.

3. His blood pressure was really really low when they admitted him into the ER by ambulance. They began fluids right away and just the fluids alone have raised his blood pressure closer to normal. He's on an automatic blood pressure monitor that monitors him every 30 minutes or so. While I was there it was about 110 over 57.

4. His respiration were between 15 and 20 while I was there. Apparently this is good, but I don't know much about respiration rates.

5. The plan is for the pulmonologist (the lung doctor) to come visit in the morning to see about transferring him out of the Critical Care Unit to a regular hospital room. They want to keep him in the Critical Care Unit at least over night to keep a better monitor of his stats.

6. He was responsive to the nurses and to us while we were there. It was very difficult at first for me, but when he realized I was there he opened his eyes and talked to me briefly before going back to sleep.

7. How am I? Well it was very difficult not only because I hate to see my Grandfather in this condition, but b/c the last time I was at that hospital my Granny was literally on her death bed. She died before I could get there in time. Every spring, I get lonely for her. "It will get better in time" they say. But does it ever really? Yes & No. So today I was getting my heart ready for another heart ache. I am also worried about my own health because it was very dangerous for me to go there. BUT, I had to go. We were only allowed to go back 2 at a time. So I went back with my father. Then my father left me there alone and my uncle came back. Then my Uncle left and my brother came back. I then left to see if anyone else wanted to go back.

It was at that time I knew visiting hours would be over and there was nothing else to do but to come on home. Please continue to pray.


**** there were 3 messages posted on this day *****

This one, the initial one on my Grandfather and then the one about it being the one month anniversary of my picc line being removed. Ironic that on the day one month ago that I had my picc line removed that I head to the hospital to see all these IV tubes coming from my grandfather.

Another Winterguard Comp

On this past Saturday (2/28/09), I went to another Winterguard show. I had so much fun watching my "friends" perform. Still wishing I was out there, but yet glad I didn't have the pressure of catching every toss and running from one end of the gym to the other. I might be "well" comparatively, but I am most certainly not ready to pick up a flag, rifle or sabre (and what the heck is an air blade????).

I could not do this move:

I love the look of this photo below. This group of girls made me smile too. I believe they are from Kinston North Carolina. They did a show called "Chaotic Dreaming." It reminded me of Living the Lyme Life ~ my actual life, not the blog.



Here below, we have Assembly Line again. See the guy in the front (with the black pants & suspenders)? He remembers me from my early 90 shows when I performed in High School. He saw me talking to a friend. He raised his eyebrows trying to place me when he remembered the school I marched with and it was nice to have someone remember me from when I wasn't sick. And when doing the following move would have been a piece of cake.



And the last picture: Can you spot what is wrong in this photo?



Need a hint? My friends in this guard are the only two without a blue flag. You see the one up front "flying" a plane. The other? She's SUPPOSED to have a flag. Ooops. Guess she dropped it. See all those peeps in the back of the gym? All of them are perfomers. While I was there, I ran into an old college friend. Always nice to see old friends.

I was so in my element and yet felt so out of place. I was on the wrong side of things, missing thing ... wanting to pick up a flag, rifle, sabre .. and yes even one of those really cool air blade things.

Cutting out four years

So today I cut out four years worth of hair. The last time I really got my hair cut was in 2005. I've had it trimmed since, but never a "real big" hair cut. So I took in a photo of me from 2005 and said that I needed a "new me" to go with the "new health." The reason I've not had my hair really cut since 2005 is because it stopped growing. In the last year, it has grown in major spurts.

So for your viewing pleasure: Pictures of the before and after. Sorry for the blurry before photo, but I was the only one able to take the picture and this was the best I could do.

Very Nervous (this was on Sunday afternoon .. photo courtesy of Missy)

Thursday February 26, 2009 5 am

Four years worth of torment in the floor. Look a small dog!



The Big Reveal!

And in getting rid of four years worth of hair ... I got rid of the ONE Antibiotic that knocked me on my Hind Parts. Just opening up the bottle brought back Nausea and almost made me vomit. So it is with pleasure I bring you a photo of me pouring it out! Good Bye Septra!

WGI

So for those that don't know: I used to be in the Color Guard. In the fall, Color Guard members perform in the Marching Band. In the winter, we perform inside in the gym. Well it is appropriately enough called Winter Guard. My pictures aren't that great because in Winter Guard you aren't allowed to use flash photography for two reasons: It messes up the performers and it distracts the adjudicators (aka judges). I've been on the other end of flash photography and every time I took a picture I made sure the flash was OFF.

So I went to a Winter Guard show yesterday. On one hand, I had a blast. It was so relaxing sitting over here:

It was also nice to talk to old guard friends. I ran into so many people that I knew from when I was marching. It made me a bit sad that they were either still marching OR coaching. By sitting in the stands, it made me sad that I was unable to do this:

Tossing Sabres:

Spinning Flags:
BTW: This guard is called Assembly Line. They are a group of people that have graduated high school. This group has been "Assembled" since 1986. One member has marched every single year. I just love her. She's so sweet & funny. We got to talk at length yesterday. Another member is my best friend's sister. I could join if I wanted I'm sure, but with all my health problems over the last year it has been impossible. I sure do miss it though.



Tossing a Rifle:



Getting on the floor and dancing like this:


I even missed setting up and being asked "Is the Guard ready?"

I've been to several guard shows as a spectator and every time it gets a little easier, but how I just stare at the rifles and want to pick it up. How I really want to wear a cute and vibrant uniform and get in front of the crowd ... So much so that I almost put on THIS ... walk into the school and say "I'm here for the Chattahoochie Winterguard. Can you tell me where they are setting up?" just to see what the ladies at the front door would say!

Assembly Line's show last night courtesy of Greta Patterson

Going to WGI

If you can't be with the one you love on Valentine's Day, Go do something you love! That's my philosophy. So I am going to go watch something I loved for a decade in the 80's/90's. I'm going to a Winterguard competition. And for your viewing pleasure .... a picture of me with my crazy blue eyes! I'm thinking about doing something with my crazy hair soon. It's getting too difficult to wash, dry and straighten. Any ideas?

Spousal Compromise

So one day I wanted to do Wii Fit and my husband wanted to watch Football. Here is how we solved THAT bit of drama ...

my sock drawer

So a few weeks ago in this post, I mention my "lack" of sock drawer obsession. Well after many requests by Kellie ... Here it is in all it's glory. You see that "lack" of something in part of the drawer ... that's where my bolder holder sits, but I chose to remove that for the blog!

And as a BONUS:

Now .. this next thing someone just needs to nominate me for "What Not To Wear" because .. well .. here it is:

Those shirts go in ONE Drawer. I have another drawer with just as many shirts!

Let's Celebrate!

There is reason to CELEBRATE!!! Stay Tuned for more information ...

Celebrate good times, come on
(Let's celebrate)
Celebrate good times, come on
(Let's celebrate)

There's a party goin' on right here
A celebration to last throughout the years
So bring your good times
And your laughter too
We gonna celebrate your party with you

Come on now

(Celebration)
Let's all celebrate and have a good time
(Celebration)
We gonna celebrate and have a good time

It's time to come together
It's up to you
What's your pleasure

Everyone around the world
Come on

(Yahoo) It's a celebration
(Yahoo)

Celebrate good times, come on
It's a celebration
Celebrate good times, come on
Let's celebrate

We're gonna have a good time tonight
Let's celebrate, it's all right
We're gonna have a good time tonight
Let's celebrate, it's all right

Baby

We're gonna have a good time tonight
(Ce-le-bra-tion)
Let's celebrate, it's all right
We're gonna have a good time tonight
(Ce-le-bra-tion)
Let's celebrate, it's all right

(Yahoo)
(Yahoo)

Celebrate good times, come on
(Let's celebrate)
Celebrate good times, come on
It's a celebration
Celebrate good times, come on
(Let's celebrate)

(Ad lib)

Come on and celebrate, good times, tonight
(Celebrate good times, come on)
'Cause everything's gonna be all right
Let's celebrate
(Celebrate good times, come on)
(Let's celebrate)...

Laughter Heals

Here is a small clue about the hilarity that ensued for one of my "Not Me Mondays." When 2007 turned into 2008, I promised myself that I would smile every day and make one other person smile as well. Laughter counted for the "Smile" because can you laugh without a smile? Well on Saturday January 31st, I laughed so hard that it make others look. Of course in turn they tried to look away, but started laughing a bit when they saw what I had in my hands. You'll have to wait until tomorrow for the "full story" on the funniness, but here is a partial view of one of the many pictures my husband took once we brought home the item that caused a melt down of laughter in Target. I am still laughing just thinking about it! :o) Can you guess what they are? AND MISSY .. NO GUESSING FOR YOU. You've heard the story & seen the pictures! :o) If I've told you the story ... don't guess. that wouldn't be fair to my 15 readers that don't get to talk to me on a daily basis. :o) You can click on it to make it a tiny bit bigger.

What you don't know about me!

25 things that you don't know about me (well Missy & Kellie probably does, but the rest of you ... maybe or maybe not).

1. I don't have my ears pierced currently.

2. I had my ears pierced for a very short time in like the 3rd grade. I hated it.

3. I played the Flute in Middle & High School and I would practice on the way home by rolling down the windows and sticking the end part OUT of the window.

4. I marched Color Guard & Winter Guard in Middle, High School & one semester of College and much to the chagrin of my mother I would practice twirling the rifle IN the house. :o)

5. I also learned how to spin a sabre my senior year of High School.

6. I had my first and only solo in Winter Guard my very last show of the season.

7. In 8th grade, I did a duet during the Winterguard season. It was awesome! :-)

8. My ballet instructor in Elementary School was a nice lady and she was a funeral home director's wife. My ballet instructor in Middle/High School wasn't so nice. She was a pastor's wife. Isn't it ironic?

9. I have my Bachelor's degree in Social Work.

10. I have an obsession with the time 1:27. If I'm in the car when it hits the time 1:27 and I realize it's 1:27, I smile a lot.

11. I worked for one summer at a Camp for the Blind. It was the most rewarding thing I had ever done. I met amazing campers and counselors.

12. My most treasured item is a T-shirt that my Granny gave me. It is a signed T-shirt by the starters of the Carolina basketball team when the 1993 team won the championship.

13. My home was broken into on Homecoming my senior year of High School. The thief only took a few things, but broke a lifetime of memories when they shattered my little red piggy bank that had belonged to my father when he was a boy. It was a cute little piggy too. It had a cork for a snout. Now you tell me, if they wanted money .. couldn't they just take the snout out and get it that way. That piggy bank had about 7 dollars in it ~ all silver dollars and 50 cent pieces, but I had always had that piggy. They must have not been a UNC fan because my prized T-shirt wasn't touched.

14. My favorite dessert when I was a child was banana pudding (with Nilla wafers) from this little restaurant in Rich Square. (I think it was Rich Square; it could have been Conway)

15. I have lived in North Carolina my whole life and I say ya'll and sometimes when I visit WCU I say yuins when I get back.

16. It was my dream to get married in a church with a steeple. I did not care where, but the only requirements were that I had to get married in a Steepled Church and it had to have a center aisle! I just could see me as a child clasping my hands together and saying, "Here is the church and here is the steeple; open the doors and see all the people." I wanted to open the doors and see all the people!

17. I only had one adult female attendant on my side in the wedding. This is the ONLY wedding related decision I regret. I wish I had chosen my other best friend to be in the wedding. I did not because he was a he and I thought that a he couldn't stand up for me. That was a huge mistake that I will regret for a life time.

18. I thought I was sexy in my Army Green Colored Corduroy Overalls in the early 90's. (eeks)

19. I have an obsession with a neat sock drawer.

20. My Dad really wanted me to play the Oboe.

21. Most of my family are musicians. My cousin misheard the word musician when he was born and became a magician instead! Actually he's a musician too, but he is an excellent magician.

22. I am terrified of needles. I can't look when others get IV's and before Priscilla (my name for my PICC line) I couldn't look when I got my own IV's inserted. I cough every time I get a heparin shot in my PICC line.

23. I was extremely shy in Middle & High School. I did not date a single person that attended my High School. The only guys I dated did not go to my school because the one experience I had with dating a guy at the school was extremely embarrassing. To lessen teen angst, I had a rule to not date a guy from my school ever again. Of course this guy moved that I had been dating and I dated him off and on through HS, but that doesn't count now does it since technically he did not go to my school anymore.

24. I dated 5 guys in one semester of college. I went from being the anti-dater to the dater extraordinaire. Of course 3 of 5 of the guys were major A-holes. One of the guys was from the previous semester/summer and the 5th guy was a very sweet guy that just wasn't right for me. He lasted from the dating semester through the summer through part of the next semester. Two days after we broke up, I started dating my husband (who ~ did not go to my school ~ I decided maybe it was time to reinstate the not date a guy from my school ever again rule).

25. When I was in college, I did a presentation on a disorder that I actually had been diagnosed with my second semester of college. I just "accepted" the diagnosis and never really looked into it. During one of my last classes, I had to pull a "social/personality" disorder out of a hat and do a presentation on it. After the presentation, I realized my diagnosis was full of pooey and I most certainly did NOT have it after I realized I did not meet the DSM IV guideline requirements for the disorder. I want to go to every single doctor that ever diagnosed me and give them a good kick in the rear for not listening to me when I knew there was something wrong. Of course I bet you all know that. Instead I pray that their next patient got more compassion than I received and that maybe they learned a bit about tick borne illness that manifests itself in a psychological/physiological/Cognitive way.

A wee bit of fun

Tomorrow after my dressing change, I am going to be hanging out with an old friend of mine.

I am so excited because I really rarely every hang out with friends and this friend is coming a good 3 hours to visit! I really am not quite sure what is on the agenda, but whatever it is we will have fun. We always do! :-)

Yah for Missy! Her birthday was 10 days ago and she's going to get some part of her ear pierced. She wants me to take PHOTOS. *gasp* Yes I know what you guys are saying: Jennifer you have an IV permanently in your arm and you can't even think about watching someone get their ears pierced .... Isn't that messed up? I don't even want to think about it. I'm so squeamish! So sorry Missy you may not be able to get a photo of your new hole cause I may not be able to stomach watching!

Feeling better

For those of you that were worried, I am feeling much better today. I even accomplished something! I cleaned my living room and did laundry! Amazing how much stuff accumulates around when you aren't feeling good.

Hung out with the hubby and the cuz'n today at the mall. I was reminded that many of my flaws are just due to heredity.

Happy Birthday MISSY

My friend Missy had a birthday January 6th. :)

Other than Carolina Blue and all things Tarheel related, her favorite color is purple.

So here for her viewing pleasure is a Lava Lamp (remember when I gave you one years and years ago?) with the color purple and some crazy music.





Next up 3 little cute guys that are ORANGE. Apparently your LEAST favorite color. :D

Merry Christmas

Today is the anniversary of a day that holds some wonderful memories for me. Every year on Christmas morning, I would smell bacon & Livermush (and other breakfast delights) being cooked in the kitchen of my grandparent's house. I would hear a "HO HO HO" or two from my Dad and the night before was the night where my brother & I could not go to sleep no matter how hard we tried. I imagine it was in the 15 minutes or so that we did go to sleep that Santa visited b/c we'd take turns going out to the living room to find out if Santa had visited. NOPE. Finally we'd see the tremendous amounts of treasures Santa brought. Some of my favorite gifts over the years were a Cabbage Patch Doll, a grey monkey that I named Jacho, a doll house, and a baby doll that I just loved. I believe I still have Jacho & that baby doll in the closet. I carried Jacho everywhere and until this moment I never even thought that Jacho might need to have a spelling. :o)

Of course my favorite gift ever in my whole life came from my Grandparents. Those of you that know me .. know that the Tarheels rule. They rock my world. Well in 1993, my grandparents gave me a signed T-shirt from the UNC basketball team (the 1993 championship team no less with Eric Montross' signature on it).

So UNC has become an integral part of my Christmas' since forever ago. This year I was surprised with a new UNC shirt and a UNC blanket. Even more surprising, I pretty much awoke to the smell of bacon cooking in the kitchen. It is amazing how far back this smell is taking me.

Gift gifts are great. I love them, but I got two really wonderful gifts this year that are priceless. The first is that of my health. I have been so sick for the last three years that I have little memory of the past few years. So this year I was blessed with better health. The other is that of old dear friends. I have found so many friends this year from the past. Those gifts are just priceless.

I am an idiot

I went to Crabtree Valley Mall two days before Christmas. Yes, I finished my present shopping weeks ago and yet I found myself at the mall. I think it took me longer to get into the actual mall and out of the mall than it did for the eating and walking around that I did inside the mall.

*smacks forehead* What idiot does this you ask?

The Lymie that wants to hang out with her other internet Lymie friend when she's in town for her LLMD appointment. I had a great time with Melisa and it really wasn't that bad inside the mall. BUT I need to pull my head out of the sand because when did 1987 come back in style? I so saw some things that teens would have worn in the mid to late 80's. I wanted to tap one girl on the shoulder and say "Hey the 80's called and they want their skirt back." *gasp* But instead I snickered and showed Melisa & Angi. Then I remembered, "Were they even born in 1987?" UH the answer is a resounding no.

no longer miserable

So this picture right here: got me to thinking. Hold that thought. First I must explain that this was in a series of shots that my coworker and I took. This was the third shot and at this point we were laughing quite hard. Now back to my thinking which won't be a very long thought at all. The words to describe said actual thinking will be longer than the actual thought itself. :)

In the past I cried almost every day. I rarely laughed and I certainly didn't do anything silly. I have come to realize that in the last year ... I have come to laugh more, smile more and I am truly happy. :0) Just thought I'd share.

What's more ... I keep finding old friends that I just absolutely love. :o) Can't believe they remember me. I wonder if they remember me as Sad Jennifer .. Just Jennifer .. or Happy Jennifer. Hopefully a wonderful combination of the above. Best Christmas present ever is finding my friends from Elementary School. :o)