WOW 2013 already!

I can't believe that it is 2013 already. So much has happened since I last blogged. Let's start with Ron and I......this year 2013 will be three years that we have been married (wow that long already?!) and we like most couples have some ups and down but the ups have out weighed the downs by far. I have had diabetes II for over 15 years now and things have slowly started to change. I have been diagnosed with Diabetic Kidney disease which I will need to be on a low protein diet----no big deal for me since I have already changed my eating habits. Have to monitor my sugar levels more closely and exercise more. Well since the days seem to be getting nicer out already no biggie there. In fact I have already lost 28.4 lbs since August. I put on a dress that I bought over two years ago and even then it was a snug fit but not to bad and now it is a little bit big on me so I was doing a happy dance yesterday and got many complements on my dress. YEAH ME! Ron had broken a tooth which led to a root canal and soon a cap on that tooth and the funny thing about it is that he broke it when he was sleeping. DOH! Steven started Radford University in August last year and really loves it there. After he came home for winter break he got back to school and was offered an Resident Assistant job at the school. He had to change dorms but when you are as easy going and people gravitate towards you it not a bad thing. He has since been asked to continue being an RA next year so Yeah me again since it will be less money for me. His dog is so lost without him and now that he is home for Spring Break she will not leave his side. She loves him so much. Steven has met some really nice people at school and I am glad that he is so easy going, he should not have any problems having friends no matter what dorm he lives in. Shawn is a senior in High School and this past fall played his last year of football and he won the Unsung Hero award from the coaches as he played where ever they needed him to without complaining. He was the manager for the girls basketball team again (this was his third year) and at last nights dinner they honored him with a picture collage and all the girls stated what their favorite memory was of Shawn and they all love him so much and he was a vital part of their team. He is also taking a dance class this year and at the fall concert he was given a standing ovation for one of his performances. They took part in the Howard County Dance Festival and they had a great time, the week after that the dance company got to go to Florida for a few days and learn from the Disney crew and perform there as well. They will be having a Spring Dance Concert on May 9th and 10th so I can't wait to see that. Shawn has started playing Lacrosse this year and so far loving it. Back in August Shawn signed up for delayed entry into the US Marine Corp. and he has progressed maturely and physically since joining. I will miss by baby when he leaves for boot camp on July 15, 2013. He will be graduating from high school this may and I am still in shock that my baby is going to be 18 on May 22nd. WOW where did all the time go, wasn't he just learning to walk the other day? Not to mention that Steven will be turning 21 this year on November 5th. I am not going to be a good empty nester. This June Ron and I are planning on going to Las Vegas to see his nephew graduate from High School. I am looking forward to it since I have NEVER been out west before (or for that matter off the East Coast)and am getting more excited by the day. I plan on trying to blog more this year, but no promises though. Have a great and blessed year everyone.

I'm Back!

So much has happened since I last blogged. Shawn's leg has healed quite nicely and now he has to wear a shin guard on that leg whenever he plays sports.

Steven started his second year of college and is now getting ready to go to London and Normandy for his WWII study abroad class. He is so excited and hopes that they will be able to go to Gordon Ramsay's restaurant while in London. Next he plans on applying for a Disney internship and if that does not pan out he will be applying to Radford College to study Parks and Rec management/sports.

We got a puppy this past summer and she is the most adorable thing. Her name is Mikayla and she is part beagle and part daschund and is VERY VERY spoiled.

Ron and I will be celebrating our two year anniversary on April 9. It has been an interesting two years with ups and downs of combining our family together.

I had some issues with my health and they are starting to turn around just need to keep the faith and keep on trucking.

So this year for Christmas we took the boys on a cruise and we had such a great time. They asked before we even got off the boat when can we go again. LOL. Hopefully this summer we will be able to go away for a week and just relax and next year we plan on going on another cruise again. I can't wait til we decide where we are going to go. Either Mexico or the Virgin Islands.

Shaw will be a senior this coming fall and I am getting a little sad because my babies are growing up and I wanted them to stay little for ever. LE SIGH!

Til next time keep your faith and pray everyday. GOD is so GOOD!

Not Again!

So Friday night we were at the Varsity Lacrosse game and it was not a pretty game. The referee's were making bad calls and the other team was playing dirty. There are certain rules that need to be followed in all sports and one of them in lacrosse is that you can't slash at someone or hit them in the legs. WELL.....My Shawn was going for a ground ball and the other team #17 slashed him in the legs and it sounded like a gun shot going off. He it Shawn in the leg with his stick and down he went screaming. I jumped off the bleachers and was on the field before you could say boo!
Now he has a broken leg where he was hit on the shin so hard that it broke in pieces.

Now you would think that if a child is screaming his head off that one would call 911 when asked if he could move and he replies no it's broken. I then told the trainer to call 911 and she continued to try to move Shawn. I again told her to call 911 and she asked you want me to call 911? I just looked at her and said "isn't that what I just said twice??" So off we go to the hospital again for another broken bone. Mind you he has already broken his shoulder, separated his shoulder and broken his two forearm bones in his right arm. He gets some drugs to make the pain more bearable, off we go to x-ray and all I can hear is Shawn screaming and crying while the technician is x-raying his leg. It was all I could do to not burst into the room and smack someone.

Back to the ER and his leg gets put in a splint and we are told to call an orthopedic Dr., well since we already have one it was a no brainer on whom to call. son in the mean time the Bishop shows up and one of Shawn's good friends who is doing all he can not to cry in front of Shawn. Darien considers Shawn a little brother, so I was not surprised to see him at the ER. We get Shawn a blessing and then the coaches show up to help us get him home.

On Saturday through out the day all the boys on the lacrosse team stop by to see how he is doing. I found out that one of the players got kicked out of the game for sticking up for Shawn and also from the next game as well. I can see why they call each other lax bros as they all look out for one another.

We got in to see Dr. Dreese on Monday and now he is in a cast from the bottom of his toes all the way up to his thigh. He will be in this type of cast for at least 3 months. We have to go back to Dr. Dreese on Monday to get more x-rays done to make sure the bones have not moved. If they have then that will require surgery and we do not want that to happen. We are thinking he needs to have a bone density test to see if he is missing something since this is his third break in 1 1/2 years.

Please keep Shawn in your prayers that he does not have to have surgery and he can continue to play sports.

Curiosity gets me.

I have been curious about this for some time now and for the life of can't seem to figure it out. People complain all the time that they can't make friends no matter what. The way I look at it, if you scowl at the world then the world will scowl at you. I have heard this saying before that to have a friend you need to be friendly to others around you then you will have friends. Sometimes I feel like i don't have any friends but then I look back at what has happened to me and who I have done things with in the past and know that I have friends.

What also makes me curious is the people who say they are Christians yet they do not show up for church or any church activities. I used to be that way a long time ago but realized that when I did not attend church (even before I became LDS) that when I did not attend church regularly that life was difficult and yucky most of the time. But when I did attend church and actually participate in worship and practiced what I was taught that my life was rosy.

I am curious at how the teenage mind work sometimes as well. For instance my son did not want to play Varsity Lacrosse and was quite happy to be on the JV team for another year. Now that they pulled him up to Varsity he was quite happy on Saturday, but come Sunday he had doubts as to whether he was good enough or experienced enough to be on Varsity. He wants to make a deal with the coaches. I told him obviously they feel you are good enough to be on Varsity so just do it. I think he is afraid that he won't play a lot or that he will get hurt again. I suggested he pray about it and let God give him the answer. We will have to see how it goes today after he talks with his coaches.

I finally found it!

If any of you have heard me talk about my cruise then you know that they served this wonderful dessert called Chocolate Molten Lava Cake. Well, my husband fell in love with this dessert and I have been trying to find a recipe that is exactly like the one from the cruise. I have seen so many different ones and tried a few but last night I found one that is just like the one on the cruise and he was in heaven. My youngest son liked it but had to have a glass of milk with it because it was so chocolaty. I have not gotten my oldest sons take on it yet so I am sure he will like it as well.

One of those days, weeks, months or years

The last few weeks have been tremendously hectic and crazy not only at work but at home too. You know the saying when it rains it pours? Well it is pouring in my life right now and soon to be flooding me out. I think I may be on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Work is and always has been crazy but it seems to be getting more so. But that is typical of a service industry that I work in so no big deal.

Home life is just insane with two kids that don't seem to want to do what they need to, i.e. chores, picking up after themselves, general up keep of their rooms. I have one who thinks he can do whatever he wants and gets angry when he gets caught and then things get taken away from him. He is not making good or right choices in life and I don't know how to help him. He hates seminary, church and life in general. We give him a little freedom and he goes hog wild. One thinks that he can just do as he pleases because in the eye of the law he is an adult but he is living in my home and can't seem to understand that when you live in someone else house you need to abide by their rules and regulations especially when you are not paying room and board. How do I get them to understand my perspective on things and not have an anxiety attack that I am on the verge of having???

Bueller, Bueller, Bueller.

WHEW!

So I had my quarterly visit to my endocrinologist Dr. Argento (who I love to pieces) and it was a fantastic visit. My blood sugars are where they should be in fact they are just about where they are supposed to be for a normal person. YEAH ME! The only thing is that I need to up my vitamin D for a few months as it is a 27 and they want it to be between a 30-60 range, but with the winter months it is not uncommon for anyone to have low vitamin D levels. I guess that is why I have been a little depressed lately, I NEED the sun. I can not wait until spring and summer to be able to be outside again. My A1C was a 6 which is great for someone with diabetes anything above a 7 is bad it shows that your liver and pancreas is not functioning as they should. I have been seeing Dr. Argento for about 2 years now and my health has improved so much since seeing him. I decided that I needed to be more active in getting rid of this disease within my body and have started reading the book The Diabetes DTOUR Diet. I will let you know how it progresses.

Wonderings

I am amazed at how many people seem to have "good" friends that they can talk to be with and do things with. I feel that I really don't have one of those friends. I also wonder why people feel that they have to post every little aspect of their life on Facebook. I am going to put a post on my FB page saying that I am going to take a 30 day sabbatical from it. Maybe that is why I don't feel any spirituality in my life right now. I thought by going away with my husband and just the two of us being with each other would help me regain my spirituality but I was wrong. Don't get me wrong we had a great time and are planning on another trip. I need to get back to the basics of life and reflex on what really matters to me. I may be posting on what I am currently reading in my scriptures and how it is affecting my daily life. I am going to just open the scriptures and where ever it falls open is where I will start my reading for the day. Does anyone else have these feelings or wondering's or is it just me?

Rejuvenation

Well, I have talked my friends to death about our leaving on a cruise to the Bahamas and it has finally come to fruition. We leave tomorrow morning. I just hope that I don't forget anything (I do obsess about these things overly much), I know make a list but then I forget what I did with the list. Yikes! But we need this mini vacation to rejuvenate ourselves and the stress of having a ready made family and to get away from the boys who can at times stretch us to our limits. I think they need to be away from us too so they can see that yes my parents do a lot for me and I did not realize how much.

We leave at 10:05 AM on Thursday February 10, 2011 to arrive in Jacksonville, Fl at 12:00 PM. We are then supposed to go to the baggage area and look for our Carnival Cruise Guide to take us to the ship. We then set sail at 4:00 PM to arrive in Freeport, Bahamas at 12:00 Pm on Friday. We will be in port until 7:00 PM then onward to Nassau, Bahamas to arrive at 12:00 PM on Saturday where we have until 10:00 PM to explore the island. Then on Sunday we have a fun day at sea to arrive back in Jacksonville at 8:00 AM on Monday to board the next plane at 2:00 PM to arrive back in cold Baltimore at 4:00 PM Valentines day.

I will expound on my travels and fun when I return and hopefully have pictures to share as well. Until we meet again TTFN!

Disappointment

Each year I like to go to the Temple Visitors Center and see the Lights I think they are fabulous and I like to go inside to see all the Christmas trees and displays. But for the last two or three years I have not gone due to my family not wanting to go. So I made a promise to myself that this year I will be going if I have to go by myself or not. It give me a renewed sense of peace within myself and another testament as to why I joined the church in the first place. I also made a promise to myself that I will put my needs ahead of my families for the first time in my life and do what I have to do to make myself happy. I have not been to happy in the past few years due to the fact that I have always put their needs first. My boys are big enough to make do for themselves once in a while.

We are going on a cruise in about a month and my boys think they are going to be staying home alone, but they have another think coming if they think I am going to allow that. I do trust them to a point but to be home alone for 5 days I DON'T THINK SO! So I will have to find someone to keep an eye on them for me. Any volunteers???

Sadness ;o(

On Saturday it would have been my dad's 72nd birthday. I tried not to think about it to much but couldn't help but do so and realize how much I miss him. Even though there were a few years that we did not have a relationship I still loved him because he was my dad. I can still remember his stupid, silly jokes and sayings and they still make me laugh today. He was a great cook and he loved to garden as well.

He passed away about 9 years ago and I still remember the day because I had just moved into a new apartment and he was admitted into the hospital so my sister and I decided that we would go up to see him. We did not even get to start on our way before he passed. We ended up going and helping with the funeral and all. It was a very nice service and I got to see a lot of my relatives that I had not seen in a long time.

I will always have fond memories of my dad and have forgotten the bad ones. I miss you daddy and I love you always.

State Champions

Well it has been since 1997 since we were Football Class 3A State Champions! The football team did an amazing job last night beating the Franklin Indians from Reisterstown, MD 21-14. The boys were so excited after the game with tears of joy running down their tired and exhausted faces. It was a rough season going into the play offs with an 8-3 record, but we persevered to beat Atholoton Raiders, then on to beat Riverhill Hawks whom both had great seasons with only 1 or 2 losses each. Then onward to VICTORY against the Damascus Hornets with a 21-14 win to the #1 one team in the 3A division with a 12-0 record. After that game our wonderful Wilde Cats knew they could win states with the positive attitude they had going into all the games. In the end they did what everyone thought they could not do, Wilde Lake was and always has been considered the underdog in football for the past few years, but now they are back on top. Coach Harrison deserves a great pat on the back for believing in his team that they could do what they needed to do to win the Championship game. My hats are off to the boys and their well deserved win. GO CATS!

WOW--what changes

Well, since my major melt down a few weeks ago things have changed around my home for the better to. The boys have been doing better with picking things up and putting stuff away. Although they have not improved on doing their chores on their own but they are starting to get the hint that I am not their maid.

I was hoping that football was going to be over when we played against Atholton but nope we won that game. Then when we were slated to play River Hill I just knew that since we had not beat them in years that we would surely lose-----Nope we beat them too. So when we were facing the #1 team in the 3A East conference I knew (since we lost to them big time about 3 years ago) that there was no way that we were going to beat Damascus High School. But that was the third strike and I lost that bet too. So now we are on to the State Championship Playoffs on Thursday December 2, 2010. The last time we were there was in 2007 when Steven was a sophomore at Wilde Lake now that Shawn is a sophomore at Wilde Lake we are going again. I hope we win that would be amazing since this is our Varsity Coaches 2nd year as Head Coach. I will keep you updated.

Ron and I have been attending marriage classes taught by a great couple in our ward that the church is encouraging people to attend and I for one can say that it has improved our relationship a lot since we started this class. We are communicating better and able to control our anger towards each other better as well. I can see the changes in our home life as well as our relationship with each other as well. I guess I just needed a kick in the butt to realize what I needed to work on as much as what we each needed to work on.

Well, I will try to post more on the changes that are happening in our family as we go on this path of life. Here's to starting the CHRISTmas season with a good feeling and lots of love to all my friends and family.

Major Melt Down

So last night I got home and once again no one had done anything to help around the house but yet they were all watching TV, playing video games or on the computer. I left the house at 5:30 and did not go home until 9:30 PM took my insulin shot, got ready for bed and have not spoken to anyone since 5:30 PM the night before. I am still mad about how lazy everyone has gotten in my house. I work hard and for them not to help out is just not right. I may have to run away from home for a few days just to get my sanity back.

Teenagers

UUGGHH! I am having so many difficulties with my youngest son right now that I just want to SCREAM! He is pushing his limits with me to the very end of a short rope right now. I have gotten so many emails and phone calls from teachers about his performance or lack of in class, or his clowning around in class, not doing homework, making inappropriate comments or just being disruptive. What am I going to do??? He hates seminary, church, boy scouts, school, me, his life. I know that each child is different and we need to treat them as so, but why was Steven so easy and Shawn so difficult? He talks to me as if he is annoyed that I even have the audacity to speak to him. He has not respect for anyone but himself, he is very chauvinistic in his thoughts and actions (where he picked this up from I haven't a clue), it is beneath him to do anything that I ask and he feels that I should be his maid, chef and whatever else he deems beneath him to do. What can I do, say, what? When I tell people about it they are shocked that Shawn would be like that and I tell them you only see what he wants you to see. I am at my wits end with this child.

Rainy Days and Mondays Always Gets Me Down!

Well to start off this was a MONDAY and it was Raining. Then someone hit my car and I find out that a "High School Coach" was not man enough to tell my son something to his face that he had to have some of his peers tell him. What kind of person does that? In my opinion it is someone who is not coaching material. All due respect to my son I will not confront this person about his mistake in handling something that should have been done in private or just kept his mouth quiet about it until that season had come about. I don't think that I want my son playing for that type of coach. Any suggestions?

Going Private

Hello Everyone--

I am going to make this blog private so if you want to be added to my list please let me know and I will add. I will make this effective in 2 weeks.

Thanks for understanding

Myths

There are some myths that go around about people with DII. One is that you can't eat anything with sugar in it----NOT SO! People with DII can eat anything that other people do but in moderation. I need can eat cake, cookies, chips, pumpkin bread and any other crazy thing I want, but I choose not to over indulge. DII people need to eat more fruits, vegetables and proteins than other people. We need to really watch our Carb intake that is what makes you have a spike in your sugar levels and is the main thing that produces to much insulin in your body.

Like the Health Care Providers are telling people you need to get back to the basics of life and eating a more well balanced diet is the truth. I can remember back when I was growing up we grew our own vegetables and canned them to last through out the winter months and they usually did. We would have frozen beans, corn, canned carrots, my mother even one year made her own ketchup which was spicy but it was good. Canning these days is almost a lost art. We didn't have cookies and cakes and chips every day available to us we had fresh fruits, vegetables the other stuff was for special occasions only. I had forgotten how much I love vegetables and fruit until I was diagnosed with DII and now am getting back to loving to eat these things. I wish I lived in a house with a large yard to be able to put in a garden.

So if you see me eating a cookie (although I mostly choose not to these days) don't sweat it it's OK to have it in MODERATION as with all things. I do need to start drinking more water though and am working on it but with lots of years with out forcing myself to drink it I have to retrain my body and mind.

The average persons blood sugar reading in the morning should be between 70 and 100. Mine was 110 which having DII is pretty darn good. Also, after you eat your sugar levels (if you eat properly) should only raise 20-30 points. Most days I do good but there are stress days that it doesn't. We will touch on that another time.

Changes

Well I decided to change up my blog a little bit. I have diabetes II and for the past two years I have been watching what I eat and exercising more than I have in the past. If you don't know what Diabetes II is it is also called Adult Onset Diabetes but even teenagers can get it as well. With DII (diabetes II) your body produces to much sugar and your liver and pancreas don't know what to do with it so it stays in your blood stream. You can become very drowsy and sleepy all the time, not much energy, have to go to the bathroom a lot and it even cause sleeplessness at night. It is not a fun disease to have. Most people think that only overweight people have it---NOT TRUE! I went to a diabetes education class and there were people of all shapes and sizes in the class. Some you wold look at and think they look like they could not have it at all, but it is a quiet disease and people you think might have it don't and people you think couldn't possible have it do. It is not picky about who it contracts itself with.

SO I have started working out at Curves after work three nights a week and I have lost 4.50 inches around my stomach and lost a few pounds (can't remember how much at this time) it is a gym for women only and I have met some amazing women there and they have told as well as showed me there weight losses and they are astounding. I feel better going there and my family notices that I am a happier person and they encourage me to keep on going. That alone is such a great affirmation to me that they want me to be happy and do what makes me smile.

In the new changes I will try to blog as much as possible about how my blood sugar reading are doing as well as my Curves workouts. They a great system there called Curves Smart where it tells you how well you are working your target areas and how many calories you burn during that session. So here's to wishing me luck!

Goodness

I am at my wits end on trying to get my 17 year-old to follow my directions. He thinks because he is a "High School Graduate" soon to be "College Student" that he can just come and go as he pleases and do what ever he wants. Well sorry son you can't and if you don't like it tough! I told him if he is living in my home he has to follow my rules---well that lasted all of one day. So I told him that when he turns 18 he can start paying room and board, move out on his own or follow my rules living in my house eating my food and using my utilities. That got him to thinking that he better settle down. I also told him that he needs to maintain a 3.0 average in College or he will have to pay for it for himself. It may seem that I am being overly strict and demanding, but I grew up with no boundaries in my life and feel that if I had some that I could have done better for myself. I lived on my own since I was 18 and I want better for my kids and more for them out of life than what I had. I love my boys with all of my heart and soul but all kids need boundaries in life.

The past few months have been a whirlwind of emotions, struggles and some accomplishments but it seems the accomplishments are getting farther and farther apart. I need to just purge all the junk from my home and life and I get more frustrated each and every day that I put it off. I am going to just have to stop procrastinating and bite the bullet and get rid of all the junk. As my friend the lovely mother of all children says "I choose" and I need to choose what is best for me. Thank you oh lovely Mother of All, love you to pieces.