the president and prophet of the LDS church, Gordon B Hinckley, died yesterday. i don't have the eloquent words many others do -- i will just say that i loved him, and he will be missed.
on the complete other side of things --
i got an appointment at the diamond headache clinic in chicago! i'm very excited, and pleased that i'm able to be seen at the end of february!! feb. 28th is my appointment. there is much planning to be done, but i'm looking forward to it.
i have a 3 1/2 hour evaluation with the associate director. after that they will probably put me inpatient at the hospital. they have classes for me to take while i'm there, to learn more about headaches and migraines.
i just HOPE that this is the beginning of the end for me. i hope and pray we'll be able to find a way to make these headaches either less or frequent, or less painful. hey, both would be great! i would definitely love both!
Labels: happiness, headaches, life, pain issues, sadness
we're sitting together on a lazy boy recliner at my sister's house. i am babysitting, and crocheting. as i work, little T watches.
after a while, she says, 'that looks pretty easy to me'.
'well', i say, 'it's not too hard.'
then she pauses, and in a i-hate-to-be-the-one-to-have-to-tell-you-this tone, says, 'it's full of holes.'
like, i can see that you're working hard on this.....but it is obviously flawed. look at all those holes!
i tell her that's how crocheted and knitted items are: i make knots, and the holes are just the space between the knots.
she thinks i'm deluding myself.
Labels: crocheting projects, kids
you can see why i might like it.
i've read it once before, it was a good read. then when i figured i was going to want to read it again, and possibly loan it to friends.....you know. decided i should probably just buy it.
headache friends, if you haven't read this, get it from the library. it was fabulous to read about someone else's experiences who mirrored my own so closely.
other friends (and family), if you're interested in knowing more about my life -- this would be an ideal read. i'm not much of a writer, but Paula Kamen is.
Labels: books, headaches, pain
and i thought exactly what she did when she saw it...... FREE BLOG FODDER!!!
without further ado - -
Name one person who made you laugh last night.
my husband. of course.
What were you doing at 8:00?
this morning? sleeping.
What were you doing thirty minutes ago?
showering.
What happened to you in 2006?
hard to remember. ... let's see. i had migraines every day all year long. i think that about covers it.
What was the last thing that you said out loud?
good night, I love you.
How many beverages did you have today?
loads of water, and 1/2 glass of horchata
What color is your hairbrush?
brown; a wood or some kind of faux wood handle.
What was the last thing that you paid for?
dinner at Costa Vida - we got a burrito and a salad and shared.
Where were you last night?
home most of the night; my husband took me out to dinner and we had great food.
What color is your front door?
white
Where do you keep your change?
mostly in the little change purse attached to my wallet.
What's the weather like today?
snow - cold - we ended up getting 10 or so inches.
What's the best ice cream flavor?
Moose Tracks. WHICH i can't eat anymore b/c of the chocolate. so my new favorite is
What excites you?
new clothes, SHOES
Do you want to cut your hair?
eh, probably not. i just cut it a week ago...pictures still forthcoming....
Are you over the age of 25?
Yep, barely.
Do you talk a lot?
eh, probably yes. but often i'm uninterested in talking on the phone. when my head hurts a lot, it's hard for me to figure out what to say, and i feel like an idiot most of the time.
Do you watch The O.C?
No. not even interested.
Do you know anyone named Steven?
eh, not in real life.
Do you make up your own words?
once in a while. my favorite is deslicious. it means super extra yummy.
Are you a jealous person?
sometimes.
Name a friend whose name starts with the letter A.
uhhh......wow. i don't know if i have one anymore.
Name a friend whose name starts with the letter K.
Katie. my sister.
Who is the first person on your received call list?
my friend Janell.
What does the last text message you received say?
Mystery Solved. i found a couple of Christmas presents that were lost.
Do you chew on your straw?
No.
Do you have curly hair?
not really. it's wavy-ish. mostly kinky and frizzy.
Where's the next place you are gonna go?
lunch with my friends!
Who's the rudest person in your life?
probably me. :)
What was the last thing you ate?
honey nut cheerios.
Will you get married in the future?
no, i'm planning on marriage being a one-time deal. already got married.
What was the best movie you have seen in the past two weeks?
the pursuit of happyness. great movie.
Is there anyone you like right now?
oh yes. #1 would be my husband....then all my family , then friends. i like lots of people.
When was the last time you did the dishes?
a loooong time, luckily my husband did them all today.
Are you currently depressed?
no, i get down sometimes, but always end up back where i am now; kind of ok with things, trying to do the best i can.
Did you cry today?
No, and i don't plan on it.
all right, friends, if you're interested......join in! let me know in comments if you play on your blog.
hopefully some real content coming soon!
also i want to take this chance to push you to visit both these lovely ladies; i love their sites.
so i've done this before, it's going to be interesting trying to think of more weird facts about me. ha! just kidding. i could go on all day. ;-)
The Rules -
- Link to the person who tagged you and leave a comment on their blog so that their readers can visit yours.
- Post the rules on your blog.
- Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.
- Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, linking to their blogs.
- Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
So here we go...
- i got my hair cut and colored on wednesday. can you believe i haven't posted pictures yet? i sure can't. pictures to come along shortly.
- i love painting my toenails. even through the dead of winter, when no one but me sees them, i like to have them painted. it makes me happy.
- my favorite flavor of gum is extra peppermint. i don't like spearmint.
- if people tell me they admire me, i feel embarrassed. it's difficult for me to accept compliments on my personality. on my appearance, for some reason i have no problem accepting compliments. maybe b/c i feel like i've worked on my appearance to make it pleasant?...buying clothes, putting on makeup, etc.? i have no idea.
- i like to shout made up curse words at other drivers. a habit i picked up from my mother. ex. - you ninny, watch where you're going! .....you get the idea.
- i LOVE watching funny movies w/my husband because his laugh makes me laugh even more.
- speaking of funny movies, my favorite chase scene is in 'What's Up, Doc?' as they are going all around San Francisco on bikes and ars and a VW Beetle. it is hilarious.
1 -Mary at Fireflies & Frogs
2 -Melanie at Don't Try This at Home
3 -Marilee at Adventures in Threeland
4 -Karen at Simply...a Musing Blog
5 -Steph at The Mommiverse
6 -Grandi at Grandi's Grazings
7 - Grim Reality Girl at The Grim Reality
OR if you're reading this and wanting to play along, feel free! let me know in comments so i can come visit.
i hope you've had a perfectly lovely monday. i got to spend a good deal of it with my mom and my sister (and my sister's kids, and my littlest sister!), so i couldn't be better. i'm tired, of course, but we had lots of fun.
i thought i would tell you all about one of my most favorite Christmas gifts (there were many favorites) -- it's a wedge pillow.
here we go; they say a picture is worth a thousand words....
it's that. a wedge-shaped pillow. and not only can you use it like that, but when you're awake and resting in bed, you can sit up and lean against the long edge of it. like this:
you see what i mean ?
anyways, it's great. it'd be a great gift idea if you know someone who has to spend a lot of time in bed resting, or a great present for those migraineurs to give themselves. :)
it is *way* more comfortable than trying to stack pillows around.
p.s. - i know you've never seen such high quality images. what can i say, i'm just that good. or amazon is. one of the two.
Labels: migraines, pain, randomness
my favorite kind, though, is the burt's bees. peppermint, people!! love it.
any other lip balm addicts out there? what's your favorite kind?
Labels: randomness
well, today we are waiting anxiously for shoes to arrive....i will tell you all about them. i'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will FIT -- ordering shoes online, you just never know.
so, they are flat, black, knee length boots....can't figure out how to get the picture here, so we'll have to wait till i have the physical boots to take pictures of. here they are. mmm. i'm excited.
anyone else buy new shoes lately? now is the time for buying boots, you know!
EDITED TO ADD: they came!!! and they fit! here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure:
we went to a wedding reception last night, downtown. and i just trekked right along in these babies -- no problems w/snow getting in my shoes, no problems w/teetering on heels, it was GREAT. the only change i'd make next time is to wear some hose so that the 2 inches between my skirt and boots doesn't freeze. :)also, for any shoe-buying people -- i recommend piperlime. they were great. and when i checked back on the boots a few days after i'd ordered them, the price had dropped by $18. so i emailed them, saying will you match the price for my order? my color and size were still in stock. the SAME DAY they emailed back, saying the credit had been added to my account. same day, people! awesome.
Labels: boots, Footwear Friday, shoes
amazing. i never thought this site would have so many visitors. thanks for reading, and commenting. you guys are the best!
but coming away from it, i find myself disappointed, frustrated and sad. frustrated is mostly b/c i now have *another* doctor to see; they want me to see their in-house psychologist. blech. i saw one of their psychologists last year, and she felt like she had taught me all she could, etc....
but i think that i'm frustrated and sad for reasons i don't entirely understand. do i still subconsciously think that the doctors are going to FIX this whole thing one day? that i'll go to an appointment and they'll have figured it all out? i don't know. it's the kind of thing you hope for, but know that it's probably unreasonable. my doctors seem to feel like any improvements we see are going to be incremental. i think my pain clinic doc may feel like i need to learn to deal with my pain better, as it may be around the rest of my life.
i just have got to believe that we will cut down on the frequency....
to all my migraine and headache friends out there: have any of you been to the diamond headache clinic (in chicago?) if so, tell me all about it.
Labels: doctors, migraines, pain, pain clinic
i thought i'd share with you the mitten project.
i made my sister's kids some mittens and two of them hats. H, the oldest, is going to try and make her own hat. (when i typed that just now, i typed, H is going to try and make her own hate.) goodness. these are all crochet, i don't know how to knit.
so here we go: these red ones are for H, the oldest.
and this pink set is for T, the middlin'
and the manly gray set is for E, the youngest.... kind of hard to see them in this picture.
and then, just cause i love my nieces and nephews, here they are on --H the oldest --
sweet T --
and lastly, E. when i took this picture, we put them on, and i said, ok, now look at me! put your hands up by your face! he is thinking, aunt emily, you are one craaaaazy lady. but ok.
probably he's down with it b/c i gave him the sucker he's eating.and the pattern....can be found here if you're interested!
ah, and P.S.? if you're dying to see more of these cuties, and hear what their mama has to say (she's a fabulous writer), clicky here.
Labels: crocheting projects, kids
today, i have moved all* my blogs to Google reader. ah, what a beautiful thing. i've been meaning to do this for...about a year now. something ridiculous like that. have not gotten around to it.
it makes me so happy. seriously, it is beautiful.
that's all.
*some of your blogs are inexplicably not found by google. that's sad.
Labels: computer know-how, randomness
there was a crowd of HS cheerleaders eating dinner together, in their full cheerleader apparel. as they're leaving, throwing away their trash right behind us, one says,
'so how can we lose some weight besides going anorexic?'
i just about fell off my chairs, ya'll. apparently they couldn't see that they were all TEENY! none of them needed to lose weight -- far from it!
is it possible to teach our daughters (i speak of mine in the theoretical sense) to love their bodies in this world, in our society? or even to feel that it's one small part of who they are, not their defining characteristic?
console me.
Labels: body image, sadness
welcome 2008. i just got home from a neurologist appointment. the funny thing is, i'm in Pennsylvania. Sooooo this was a one-time appointment. i was hoping for an outside perspective, and was happy with how it went.
he (the doctor) did a full neurological exam, and we went over the entire history of my headaches. then he said, 'you have a complicated problem, and there is no easy answer.'
i'm getting better at hearing that, and didn't start crying. impressive, right?
he said that if i were his daughter, he'd send me to a headache clinic. that i'd be able to have behavioral therapies there, including biofeedback and such, and they are equipped to handle this kind of thing.
so while i'm not one for making resolutions at the new year (i'd rather make changes as i see i need them, not all at once), my hope is for a turnaround with pain this year. even if things just start heading the other direction, that would be great.
it is hard to imagine spending so much money on this kind of thing - that has no guarantees of working. but i need to remind myself of HOW MUCH i want to be better. and if money will get that done, then so be it.
any new year's resolutions you'd like to share?
Labels: doctors, headaches, migraines, New Year, pain
