Not Me Monday

I had so much fun with Not Me! Monday last week that I thought I would give it another shot. So here goes it:

I did not spend the entire week thinking about things I was doing that I could work into Not Me Monday. I mean it would be really silly to be going about ones day and thinking about Not Me Monday. I have too much to do to waste time being that silly. Nope, not me.

I did not put a dirty white shirt in the dryer with a couple dryer sheets so that I could wear it and it would smell like it was clean. It would be really gross to wear a dirty shirt just because there was nothing else clean to wear. Nope, not me.

I did not spend an entire week picking clean clothes out of a laundry basket because I was too lazy to fold it all. And I did not secretly wish that my poor aching husband would get tired of it and decide to fold some of it. And then he did not actually spend time folding all those clothes, even though he is supposed to be taking it easy. That would be so horrible and make me a terrible wife. That is why that did not happen. Nope, not in my house.

I did not spend 25 minutes straightening Samantha's beautiful curly hair. It would be silly to use a straightening iron on an 8 year olds naturally curly hair. And then I did not do it a second time because she likes it straight. That would be a huge waste of time. Nope, not me.

I did not start listening to Christmas music in the car a week before Thanksgiving. I am not that obsessed with Christmas. I did not go to the Dollar Store to buy decorations for my desk at work. And I did not immediately decorate my desk the day after Thanksgiving. Nope, not me.

I did not grab a garbage bag and fill it full of stuff from Samantha's room because she would not pick up. And I did not contemplate just throwing it all away so that I wouldn't have to deal with it anymore. I certainly do not have dozens of other stories just like this. Nope, not me.

And now hopefully some of you will add some of your "Not Me's" in the comments.

Until next time,

Jaime

Deck the Halls

with boughs of holly. Fa la la la la la la la la.

I spent the weekend decorating and tonight we finally got the tree decorated. I am so super crazy about how the tree has to be decorated that I don't let the girls put many ornaments on the tree. I have certain places that I like certain ornaments. I know it sounds nutty but it is true. My tree tells a story. It has ornaments from every year that has some sort of significance for that year. Like Sam's soccer ornament and her Brownie Girl Scout ornament. Megan's tent camping ornament and her Nemo ornament. I have several ornaments from my childhood and Rick has his clocks. There is also a very special angel ornament that is on the very front of the tree. When I put up the Christmas tree it reminds me of the past.

Until next time,

Jaime

MRI

Rick had his MRI done this morning. It didn't take as long as we thought it would so we went shopping afterwards. He said it was hard to lay that still but the tech said he got some good pictures. We should hear from the doctor at the beginning of the week. He is in a substantial amount of pain today. I wish he didn't have to deal with this too. I feel so bad for him. He is my hero!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. And I want to say how very thankful I am for all the wonderful support we have received from all our wonderful family and friends. And especially from people that we have never met, namely Erin and Dawn. I don't know what I would do without you two and your advice and support.

Some of the many things I am thankful for this year:
1. Rick's parents for helping us get to Mayo.
2. My parents for all the support they have given us.
3. My Grandma for always being there for me.
4. My Sister for being more than just a sister, for being my friend.
5. Samantha and Megan, of course.
6. My blog friends, what would I do without my blog?
7. Medical insurance, that goes without saying really.
8. My job.
9. Rick's job. Everyone there is so understanding and supportive.
10. And of course my wonderful husband Rick.

Of course that is not everything, but it is like a top 10 I guess.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with their family. Stuff your face and loosen your belt buckles.

Until next time,
Jaime

Doctor says...

I think I am going to start a new game. Instead of Simon Says it is going to be Doctor Says. And so the Doctor Says get an MRI. That is scheduled for saturday. I didn't know Inland Imaging was open on saturdays but apparently they are. The thinking is that the back pain and leg numbness is due to a herniated disc in his lower lumbar spine. An MRI will give a clear picture and let us know if this really is the case.

His pain today was pretty bad. It looks like this will be the case for a while if it is a herniated disc.

Thats where we stand tonight.

Until next time,
Jaime

Doctor appointment time again

It's funny how suddenly there seems to be appointments galore. Today Rick had an appointment with his gastroenterologist. This was just a normal check up. But today also included scheduling a colonoscopy. Yup, it's about that time. And as much fun as it sounds it really does need to be done. It has been four years and since there isn't a lot of data to show progress of Crohn's disease combined with PSC, we felt it was time to check on things. Rick has only had 2 ERCP's this year so we might as well go for that third procedure. Thank God for medical insurance.

In the morning Rick has an appointment with his rheumatologist about the back pain and leg numbness. It sounds like they want an MRI done. We are really hoping they will be able to find someone with an opening for an MRI so he doesn't have to wait any longer to find out what the problem is and hopefully do something about it. It could be a number of things but because his arthritis affects his spine it is a good idea to check stuff out.

That is where we are at right now. Please keep Rick in your prayers as he pushes through the pain and continues to work.

Until next time,
Jaime

Not Me Monday

On the My Charming Kids blog mckmama does this thing called "Not Me Monday". I have been reading it for a while and thinking about making one myself. I decided this would be the week I try it out. So here it goes:

I did not pick a pair of dirty socks off the floor to wear again because there wasn't any other socks to match my work clothes. Nope, not me, that would be disgusting. Who would do such a thing? I would never.

I did not spit clean Sam's face when dropping her off at school because I forgot to wash her face before we left the house. Nope, not me. Sam wasn't embarrassed, and she doesn't totally hate that. I mean who would do such a thing to a third grader?

I did not have a 55 minute conference with Megan's kindergarten teacher. My kid is not the one that can't sit still and follow directions in class. Nope, not my kid. She is always so good and attentive at home that I couldn't imagine she would be any other way. And I am certainly not being sarcastic right now. Nope, not me.

Geesh, this is harder than it seems. And more embarrassing too. So maybe you can counteract my embarrassment by adding a little bit of yours in my comments. I say that but hardly anybody does so I definitely won't keep my hope up and check my blog a few times a day to see if anyone commented. Nope, not me.

Until next time,

Jaime

P.S. Rick is still just as sore, and still going to work. He just sits around at home in pain and sleeps on a heating pad but feels the need to go to work and work his butt off. I can't convince him how important it is to take it easy. That was even doctor's orders, but whatever.

Fryday Contest

I have been reading the most incredible blog for the past few months. My Charming Kids is written by mckmama, an amazing christian mom. She has four beautiful children. The most incredible miracle is her newborn son Stellan. He is truly a miracle from God and it warms my heart to see God's work.

I am posting this as an entry into one of mckmama's contests. I am so into photography right now and mckmama is a fantastic photographer. If I win she has photography stuff to give away. So keep your fingers crossed for me.

Anyway, if you have a chance you should check out her blog. It is FANTASTIC!

Until next time,
Jaime

Hurtin part 2

I finally got a call back from the doctor's office around 3 this afternoon. The doctor is especially concerned about the numbness in the legs. Unfortunately they are "uber booked" according to the nurse and he can't get in until wednesday. And after the appointment they want an MRI, but they won't schedule it or have it done until after the appointment. So Rick will have to suffer through a few more days. He can't take ibuprofen because of the crohn's and tylenol doesn't help. It looks like Rick will be sitting on the heating pad for a few more days until we get this figured out.

I feel really bad for him. It sucks to have to watch him suffer. I wish there was something I could do for him. Just when something good happens, something bad has to happen to remind me that it isn't all good.

Until next time,
Jaime

Hurtin *(Updated)

*I have left a message at the doctor's office and have still not heard back. I would think that having your leg be numb from the pain is not a good thing and I was hoping to hear back before I went to work. I will probably be calling again since it has been over 3 hours since I left the first message.


Rick is hurtin. That is what he put on his myspace page. And it is very true tonight. It started yesterday and has been getting worse. I believe it has something to do with the arthritis. The pain is in his lower back and he said that when he woke up his leg was numb. So I am thinking that I will be making a call to the rheumatologist in the morning. I feel really bad for him. He is still going to work but when he is at home he is popping the tylenol, sitting on the heating pad, and loading up on IcyHot. I hate the smell of that stuff!!

I will update more on how he is feeling and what the doctor has to say. So if you could please just keep him in your prayers that this gets resolved quickly.

And while your praying if you could also say a prayer for our fellow liver friend Geoff who is still number one on the transplant list and anxiously waiting for the call.

Until next time,
Jaime

Working for a living

I had an excellent day at work today. Today was my 90 day evaluation. My boss said that he doesn't normally score anyone above "meets expectations" because he said that is what an employee is supposed to do. He made a big point about how he doesn't ever say "exceeds expectations". But guess who got several "exceeds expectations"?????

ME!!!!!!!!

And that meant a bigger raise than what he normally gives at 90 days.

So you might be wondering why I am making such a big deal about this. Well, as some of you know, Rick works a lot of jobs to help make ends meet. And lately it feels like the ends just are not meeting. I have been praying about it and not knowing what to do. I felt like there was just no way to bring in any more money. And then today I get a big raise.

This was such an answer to my prayer. I will admit that sometimes I don't notice the way God is working in my life, but today He showed me in a big way.

And I will be honest, this is just a start. We have a long way to go to get better financially. But this is the step in the right direction that I needed to prove that it is not hopeless.

So today I am actually feeling pretty good. Except when it comes to parenting, but that is a whole other can of worms. Maybe if I keep praying about that God will show me the way there too.

Until next time,
Jaime

Go Zags!!!

I just have to say how VERY HAPPY I am that it is Gonzaga Basketball time again. I LOVE watching the Zags! I don't really like watching sports on TV with this one MAJOR exception. And whats really funny is that my grandma is an even bigger Zags fan than me. She really enjoys watching, so much so that you dare not call during a game. But calling afterwards to talk about the game is acceptable.

So I am looking forward to a great season and watching my favorite boys play basketball.

Until next time,
Jaime

This is God....

I got this off of my friend Heather's blog. It is perfect for me and I need to try to remember to put my worries and stress in God's hands. I can't change the cards that Rick has been dealt but I can try to focus on the present instead of what may happen in the future.


This is God. Today I will be handling ALL of your problems for you. I do NOT need your help. So, have a nice day.

I love you.

P.S. And, remember . . .
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do NOT attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.


Now, you have a nice day.

God


I know that this really spoke to me and hopefully it will speak to you in someway too.

Until next time,
Jaime

Please Pray

I have a very important prayer request tonight. My friend Erin's husband Geoff is #1 on the liver transplant list in Texas. Geoff has been on the list waiting for a long time and he has finally made it to #1. I am asking you to please take a moment and say a prayer that he receives the gift of life this weekend. You can follow their journey on Erin's blog Liverwait 08.

I got tears in my eyes when I popped over to her blog and saw that Geoff is #1. Erin has been so supportive of me and Rick and I am so glad to have a friend like that whom I have never met. I am praying that this is the weekend that Geoff gets his liver. Please join me.

Until next time,
Jaime

Wordless Wednesday

Tagged Again

It seems I was tagged again, this time by my friend Heather. So here is a little Q&A.

wine OR beer
wine, most definatly wine. Beer is gross

coffee OR tea
coffee, starbucks rules!!

night gown OR pajamas
pajamas, really comfy pajamas

bath OR shower
shower, I love baths but my tub is too small

lefty OR righty
righty

cake OR pie
pie

pumpkin pie OR pecan pie
pumpkin pie, my sister makes an incredible pumpkin pie.

one story OR two story
one

dog OR cat
dog, I love Jack, he is a great little dog.

early bird OR night owl
night owl, I am most definatly not an early bird.

sport utility OR car
minivan

vanilla OR chocolate
chocolate

scrambled OR over-easy
I actually prefer my eggs in an omelet with ham, green peppers and onions

dress OR pants
jeans

mustard OR ketchup
both, but I do like ketchup a little better

red OR green
it's a toss up, but together it is christmas and I love christmas.

laptop OR desktop
laptop

coke OR pepsi
cherry pepsi

flats OR high heels
flats, I hate high heels. I really can't walk in them.

fiction OR non-fiction
mostly fiction but I do have a good non-fiction book that I love.

pulp OR no pulp
NO pulp

hugs OR kisses
hugs, unless it is Rick and then I like kisses

will YOU play along OR won't you?
will

Now if you have a blog and you are reading this consider yourself tagged. I think it is fun to read these about other people. It is fun to learn things about others that I might not have known.

Until next time,
Jaime

Soccer Saturday and a little frustration

I don't have any pictures to post today of Sam's last soccer game of the fall because it was raining and I didn't want to risk harming my camera. Rick was the coach of today's game because their coach is enjoying a vacation in Mexico. He was tired of yelling by the end of the game. The girls would rather talk to each other than play position today, but I guess that is the attention span of an 8 year old. I did see a change in Sam's abilities over the past two months. I am proud of how she has grown as a goalie. It really is genetic.

I am also quite frustrated today. Both girls have been fairly disrespectful lately. Megan has decided to write on furniture and the walls and Sam has gotten really sassy. And then to top it off their rooms have gotten out of control. I don't know how to handle things lately. So today I started to clean out their rooms myself. I took two big bags of garbage and three bags of toys out of Megan's room. I started in Sam's room but I couldn't take it anymore so Rick took me out to dinner. I will finish Sam's room in the morning. That is not exactly how I wanted to spend my sunday but it looks like I don't have a choice. Especially when Sam says she is too tired to help me and would rather have me take away her toys than help me pick them up. Help!! I don't know what to do.

I know that I have given them too much over the years and now it has turned around to bite me in the ass. It made me happy to give them stuff but now I am suffering the consequences. I don't know what I should get rid of and what I should keep. And because of this mess they have also lost the privilege of having a nice big playroom in the basement. Rick has decided to move things around downstairs and they will now have the smallest room in the basement as their playroom. I am okay with that because they can't even clean up their bedrooms, let alone the playroom. They will be losing a lot of things as a consequence of their disrespect for us and the house.

Any advice on this subject would be fantastic. I am struggling a bit with this decision, even though I am sure it is the right thing to do. Whoever said being a parent was easy? Anyone?

Until next time,
Jaime

A Very Special Guest

Today I had the honor of being the first person to babysit Mady. Yippee!! I got her all to myself for a couple hours. I had to have a clean house for my special guest. The neatest part was seeing Mady wearing one of my favorite outfits that my girls wore. I had to take a couple pictures of my sweet little niece in the outfit that reminded me of when my girls were babies.

She looks so much like her mommy. I just adore this little girl. Just look at her, how could you not just want to hold her all day long. I got to feed her and I even enjoyed changing her diaper. It was a fantastic afternoon.

Until next time,

Jaime

A Clean House.....finally

Rick and I teamed up tonight and cleaned the house. It has been very neglected lately and it could actually still use some more cleaning, but at least it is not embarrassing anymore.

The reason we teamed up to clean after Rick worked a 15 1/2 hour day will be answered tomorrow. We are having a very special guest come over and I will let you know all about it tomorrow.

Until next time,
Jaime
(sitting in a dust-free living room)

Tagged Rick

I tagged Rick and this is what he came up with.

Here are Rick's seven random things:

1. I love classic cars. Late 60's to early 70's. Big cubic inch, low gas mileage, lines. My dream car would be a 68 Shelby GT 500 KR Fastback. And I would actually drive it. None of that trailering it to car shows. Cars are meant to be driven.

2. I have a fascination with trains. Model trains or steam locomotives or electric trains, it doesn't matter. It is just something I have always had a fascination with since I was a child, just ask my mom.

3. I do not like multiple generation welfare users. Society has accepted the free handout. It urks me that I work as hard as I do and some lazy slob makes more money than me because he has found a loophole in the system so the government gives him money for sitting around and watching cable TV.

4. I can swallow a handful of pills in one gulp.

5. I like to sleep in on my day off. I don't care if people think that is a waste of a morning. I have a lot of sleep to catch up on.

6. I start projects and don't finish them, just ask my wife.

7. I should have been a Canadian. I love hockey, Rush (the band, not Limbaugh), Ice Road Truckers, and cold weather.

He did a good job, don't ya think?

Until next time,
Jaime

Tagged

I have been tagged by my friend Erin. Here are seven random things about me.

1. I love photography. I have been having fun playing with different angles and taking pictures of things besides people. I am getting really tired of the same posed pictures all the time. I have decided to start mixing it up and looking at things and events from a different perspective. I think it has made a difference in my photos.

2. I used to play the flute. I started in the 5th grade and played until my junior year of high school. I tried the oboe in the 7th grade, big mistake! And I played the piccolo during marching band my junior year. I became a drummer my senior year. I am a total band nerd.

3. My favorite season is summer. I enjoy the warm weather and lazy days at the lake. I love the way the air smells and the long hours of daylight. I think I was born in the wrong state. I wish I lived somewhere that was much warmer all year round.

4. I suck at math. I have to use a calculator more often than I should. It was always my worst subject in school. And yes I am embarrassed by this fact.

5. I hate laundry. I really hate laundry. I hate trying to match up socks and fold underwear. I hate trying to keep up with the insane amount of laundry 4 people produce. I would rather clean the toilet. I wish I could pay someone else to do my laundry for me.

6. I hate hospitals. Hospitals didn't use to bother me until lately. Ever since Rick got sick and had to go to the hospital for tests I have developed a hatred with the hospital. My stomach turns whenever I have to go to a hospital, even if it is to see a new baby.

7. My dream vacation would be to go to Italy. I would love to travel the entire coastline and visit the beautiful vineyards in Tuscany. I truly hope to travel there someday.

Now I am tagging:

Jackie

Colleen

Heather C.

Jenny L.

Lighthousegal

Rick

Dawn

Post seven random things about yourself and link back to your tagger (me). Please leave me a message so I now you have posted your seven things. Now go and have fun. This was my first tagging and I thought it was fun. I hope to get to read yours soon. And if you don't have a blog but would like to tell me your seven things go ahead and leave it in the comments under this post. Comon' people, I know you are out there, don't be shy about signing.

Until next time,

Jaime

Soccer Saturday and My 100th Post

Finally another Soccer Saturday post. Samantha had a couple good games the last two weekends that Rick and I missed because of marching band. Today was a good day too. Sam has really become a good little goalie. And that last picture is of Rick being the goalie coach and Megan helping out. Next weekend is the final game of the fall season. Rick will be the coach of the team because Coach Ron will be enjoying the sun in Mexico, lucky bastard. He said that he will have a drink for Rick. (And if you have been following along you know that Rick can't drink) Oh I would love to go somewhere warm. Okay I have gotten off track here.

Anyway, this is also my 100th post. If you have been following from the first post or just happened upon the blog I would really like to know who is reading. If you don't want to sign in I will understand but I would really love to see how many people read my little blog.

Thank you to everyone that has been reading and supporting us. Sometimes it may seem as if everything is going good since I don't always post about Rick's health. It just gets a little cumbersome always posting about the little stuff that still lingers everyday. And it means a lot to know that there are people out there thinking about us and praying for us. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

Until next time,
Jaime