My "sentimental" weekend

When it comes to family I'm sentimental, especially when it involves my cousins. Tiff labeled me sentimental when I mentioned to her how I love it when we all get together and how I like to reminisce about the fun we had when we were kids and how I wish we all lived near each other so we could still get together and blah, blah, blah. I can't help it if I love my family.

So anyway, imagine how great I must have felt when I got to hang out with my cousins for the WHOLE THREE DAYS OF THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. It was great.

Saturday
I went to Weight Watchers in the morning and had lost 4.2 pounds. Yippee! (Ok, this has nothing to do with my cousins but I had to sneak this in anyway.)

That evening Tiff and her husband Roz had an old fashioned house party (there were even red lights on in the basement!). I had a great time dancing the night away with my cousins Kim, Erica, and Tamika (I hadn't seen Tamika in years!). Tiff was the perfect hostess while Roz rocked the house with his DJ debut. A good time was had by ALL 50 or so of us who were in attendance.

Hey, Tiff, loved the open bar and tell Roz he can DJ a party for me anytime! It was a great Saturday.

Sunday
I woke up with a major hangover (which hasn't happened in YEARS), but after popping a couple of Advil I was all good. Later I headed over to Darnell and Olga's house (my cousin and his wife) to see their son and new baby and to hang out with Kim and Erica, who were staying there for the weekend. Tiff joined us soon thereafter and we headed to Arundel Mills to go shopping.

Ok, this is where things get really interesting. They wanted to go to H&M. I didn't say anything, but secretly I was dreading this trip. I like H&M clothes as much as the next person, but since I'm heavier than my cousins (and was much heavier just a few months ago) I thought me getting into H&M clothes would be impossible. So imagine my shock when I slid on a pair of size 16 structured (not floaty) linen pants and they FIT! I went into H&M convinced that I couldn't wear anything and came out with two shirts (size Large) and the linen pants. I was happily and secretly cheesing to myself for the rest of the day. Thanks Weight Watchers! :-D

Later, we returned to Darnell and Olga's house to watch a movie ("Something New"...Go Sanaa!) and talk and talk and talk about every topic imaginable (with a few heated debates thrown in...but it was all good, we wouldn't be family without them). It was a great Sunday.

Monday
I headed back over to Darnell and Olga's house (with coolers and beer this time) to eat crabs and shrimp with the cousins. I played with the baby (she's sooo adorable) and talked to my cousins until they left to go back home. It was a great Monday.

Tuesday?
Nothing great about Tuesday. The cousins went home and took all the fun with them and I had to go back to work...and back to reality. Sigh...

Sizing down

During a conversation with my friend Kelli yesterday regarding my need to buy more jeans, I was reminded of the bin that I have in my closet where all of my "skinny" clothes reside (from when I lost 50 pounds a few years ago). I was all set to buy a new pair of jeans for my cousin's upcoming party on Saturday when I thought, "Hey, I wonder if I can wear those size 14 jeans that I was sporting 3 years ago." Guess what? I CAN! They fit like a glove.

In fact, I pulled out about 4 pair of jeans from the bin that I can now wear. So now I have no need to buy more jeans. Yippee! I still have a lot of losing to do to get into one other pair, but I'm really happy to see such significant progress.

Ever since I started the new Weight Watchers program, I haven't been doing well with keeping track of my points. I've been maintaining but not really losing. I'm hoping getting into these jeans will get me re-energized and motivated to get cracking on tracking points once again. Wish me luck!

Dinner with daddy

I was feeling very domestic yesterday, so I spent part of the day spot cleaning the carpet, washing and folding 3 loads of laundry, and cleaning the grill and patio. Everything was looking nice and presentable (I can be a bit of a slob sometimes), so I decided to invite my dad (who's been home alone for more than a week since my mom left with my sister and her family to help them get settled in to their new house in Atlanta) over for a little barbecue. Dinner consisted of grilled steaks, grilled shrimp on skewers, loaded sweet potatoes, salad, and warm sourdough bread (um...Weight Watchers who?). YUM!

Dad had a good time and enjoyed himself, despite the fact that apparently my throw rug in the entryway needs to be replaced and my wilted plant needs some attention (some things my dad just HAD to mention upon entering my house. Thanks, Dad!). This is a maddening game that he likes to play when he comes over. It's called the What-can-I-find-wrong-in-Dee's-house game. Can't you just tell how I love it? The last time he came over, he had to mention how my sofa was covered in clothes, which I kind of knew since I had put them there to fold while doing laundry, but you know HE has to point that out to me because I guess HE thinks I didn't know that. Anyway, THIS TIME I spent all day cleaning and straightening up my house to prepare for his arrival. I thought I would pass inspection this time, but NOPE. Apparently my entryway rug is just a little too ratty for his taste and I don't have a green thumb ("Imagine that!"...quote courtesy of Jade, ANTM).

Anyway, despite my dad's pickiness, I really had a great time and will invite him over again for dinner soon. Just for laughs, I'll keep my ratty rug and wilted plant out on display. I'm sure they'll be perfectly acceptable the next go around, but I'm sure he'll spot a crooked picture or messy drawer that he'll just have to bring to my attention. He wouldn't be my dad if he didn't.

You're jiggling, baby

Most people can't eat when they're not feeling well? Me? I eat. Over the past 2 weeks my attitude towards Weight Watchers has been "Weight Watchers who?" I've pretty much been eating whatever I want. For example, over the past week I've eaten Pop tarts, sweet and sour chicken, chicken nuggets, and french fries (amongst other high fat things). So how I managed to LOSE 2 ounces this week is beyond me, but I did.

Anyway I'm feeling better now, so I'm recommitting myself AGAIN to Weight Watchers. I have to. Today when I was getting dressed in front of the mirror, I was assaulted by the sight of my arm fat jiggling like a bowl full of jelly.

It wasn't pretty.

Two steps forward, two steps back

Just when I think that I'm all better and I can start looking forward to pain free days again, the pain comes back. I was feeling pretty good all day yesterday and figured that my problems were behind me. I had visited the doctor who performed a pelvic exam and told me that the pain was most likely subsiding because the Lupron shot was finally kicking in. I was finally happy, but then at about 7 p.m. the pain came back. At first it was a low dull throbbing pain that I thought I could just wish away. By 7:30 p.m. I was on my bed rolling around tossing and turning, moaning and groaning in complete and utter PAIN. I took my last Percocet and tried sitting in a tub full of hot water to relax the cramping but it didn't get any better. When I got out of the tub, instead of using the hot water bottle I tried an ice pack. I don't know where I got this idea from but it was AWESOME. Why hadn't I thought of it earlier?! The coolness numbed the area and brought a great deal of relief. Although it didn't get rid of the pain entirely, it did allow me to focus on something other than the pain.

Now, as I sit hear typing this post, I have an ice pack on my abdomen. Since I'm out of Percocet, I'm now taking the Tylenol 3 (with Codeine) instead. I'm feeling better, but I'll be so much happier when I don't have to be drugged up or carry around an ice pack to get some relief. I'll also be happier when I can start writing about something other than PAINFUL CRAMPS. This topic is getting so boring. :-(

No weigh in today

The pain didn't wear off until about 1:3o p.m., so I had to skip the morning weigh in today. No sense weighing in when while hunched over and moaning in pain. I don't feel bad about missing it though. From my home scale it appears that I either stayed the same or gained a pound and who wants to record that? Anyway, I'll try to weigh in at another meeting or just wait until next week. Maybe when the pain is gone for good, I'll concentrate more on weight loss.

Paying respects

In a drug induced state, I managed to make it to Mr. Grabisch's memorial service today. I was glad that the pain eased off enough for me to go and pay my respects. There was a nice turnout and I saw people I haven't seen since high school. From the service, I learned that Mr. Grabisch left an indelible mark on a lot of people's lives, not only students, but parents and teachers as well. I realize now how lucky I am to have known him.

The first rule of Percocet: You do not skip a dose of Percocet

Ugh... Why???!!!!

I should have set the alarm clock for 4:00 a.m. so I could take a Percocet pill. Instead I wake up at 4:30 a.m. to the most horrible pain imaginable. I'm going crazy. This is now 5 DAYS of torture. This has never happened to me before. I've now taken 2 Percocets (something I'm not supposed to do) and I can still feel pain.

Why is God torturing me?!

Oxycodone (AKA Percocet) is my new best friend

Well the saga continues. I awoke this morning in a little bit of pain and an hour later it was full scale torture. It was so bad that I called my girl Kelli to come and get me to take me to the hospital. Unfortunately, she couldn't (I understand, girl). So I started to get ready to take myself to the hospital when Derrick called from work to check up on me. I told him that I had to get to the hospital and he immediately left work (at least 30 minutes away) to come and take me. I love him.

Anyway, when I got to the hospital I was an absolute mess. Yes, I was that person moaning and groaning and shivering and crying in the waiting room in obvious distress. I was in so much pain that I wasn't even aware of the stares from the other people in the waiting room. At that point I didn't care who was looking at or hearing me. When I got into the actual emergency room, it was more of the same. I know everyone could hear me. I couldn't keep the screams and moans from coming out of my mouth. I was steadily chanting: "Oh God"; "Help me, Jesus"; "Lord, make it go away"; "I can't take this, Jesus"; "Why, Lord"; etc. It's amazing how intense pain and distress bring out the religion in me.

After waiting in the room for about 30 minutes (of agony) the nurse came in, took some blood, prepared me for a CAT scan (the doctor thought the pain could be from kidney stones or possibly a rupturing appendix), and then put me on a morphine and motrin drip. I was supposed to feel immediate COMPLETE relief, but I didn't. Although the pain did dissipate somewhat, I was more high and loopy than pain free.

The nurse told me that she had heard of some women having extreme pain during their menstrual cycle but that she had never actually witnessed anyone suffering from it. Well guess what lady, what you've read in your fucking textbooks is TRUE!!! I'm living proof of it. I think I scared her a little bit, especially when the pain started to come back before I was even ready to leave the hospital. She thought the morphine would do the job.

Their tests revealed that I have ovarian cysts (duh!). There wasn't much they could do other than pain management and giving me a referral to see my gynecologist. I was sent home with a prescription for Percocet (or Oxycodone). Why didn't they just give me this when I first entered the hospital?!!! Percocet is a fucking miracle drug. Within 2 to 3 minutes, the pain was GONE. I mean kaput, not there, nothing, nada. I love this drug. I can honestly see how people get addicted to it. I'm so happy that I'm feeling normal again.

Now I guess I can start catching up on all the work I wasn't able to do this week. Fun. Fun.

Still suffering

The Lupron shot didn't work. Well...that's not true. It probably will work next month but apparently unlike what I posted earlier, it has no effect on the pain that I've been experiencing (and continue to experience) over the past 3 days. I'm in PAIN, people!!! It's horrible.

I'm looking at another day off from work and I have A LOT of work to do. Funny, huh? The week I am actually busy at work is the week that I'm in so much pain I can barely do anything. It's so not fair.

Anyway, the doctor prescribed Tylenol 3 (with codeine) to alleviate the pain but I'm still feeling it, and although it's not quite as bad as it was, it's still pretty bad. Pray for me, peeps, because the next step for me is the hospital. Unfortunately, this is not the first time I've had to visit the hospital because of this mess.

It's times like these that I really wish I wasn't born a woman. Men never seem to have these problems.

Give me the shot, doc

I finally gave in and got the Lupron Depot shot that my doctor suggested months ago to relieve the killer fibroids. I had to do it. This cycle was the worst that I've probably ever had. I'm always prepared for at least one day and night of extreme pain, but it's been THREE DAYS!!! There's no way to prepare for that.

Anyway, I ended up having to leave work early yesterday because the monstrous pain returned. I was writhing in pain all night. Then I woke up this morning and the pain was there again. So, I decided enough was enough and that it was time to see the doctor.

I have been dragging my feet on getting the shot because I really didn't want to mess with my ability to reproduce. While on the drug, getting pregnant is highly discouraged as it can cause birth defects. I'm 34 years old and would love to get pregnant now if I could (someone's not ready...sigh) but this last bout of pain encouraged me to put any baby ideas on the back burner and concentrate on just relieving the pain.

So, anyway, I got the shot today (right in the tush!) and within an hour the pain was pretty much gone. I only feel a twinge from time to time. Another benefit of this shot, aside from no more monthly pain, is that Aunt Flo won't be visiting me for the next 6 months. I can't believe I waited this long.

Return of the killer fibroids

As I type this post, my eyes are barely open. I'm exhausted because last night I got another visit from the killer fibroids. I don't know what's going on but this new onslaught was particularly ugly. I was almost home from work when the pain hit me. Here I am driving in my car, minding my own business, and then the worst cramps that you can imagine start pounding away in my uterus. UGH! The torture.

I get home around 6:00 p.m., take a couple Advil (a total of 6 for the day) and then sit down to watch some TV. The pain subsided a little and I thought it was easing up for good, but that wasn't to be the case. The pain returned full blast and I went upstairs to my room to lay on the bed with my hot water bottle. I was moaning and groaning, tossing and turning ALL NIGHT. The heat from the hot water bottle was a little soothing but the weight and pressure of the bottle was not. I couldn't get any relief. I ended up taking two more Advils (now a total of 8...I know I'm killing my liver) and still no relief and barely any sleep.

The pain didn't end until about 4:30 a.m. this morning. My alarm clock is set for 5:00 a.m., so what's that, like a half hour of pain-free sleep? No wonder I'm exhausted. I just want to put my head down on my desk and go to sleep, or go home early today.

Oh yeah, and one more thing. I totally trashed my diet already today. I started out good by eating an apple, toast, and half a yogurt for a total of 3.5 pts. Then I got the munchies on the way to work and went to Mickey D's and got a sausage biscuit combo with OJ! I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. I'm just a sleepy oinker today.

I think the cramp attack last night fried my brain. :-(

What would you have done?

I got braids yesterday (kinky twists to be specific) at a new braid shop. After sitting for about 5 or 6 hours, I was in the final stages, when the braider took out a lighter and began to burn the braids throughout my hair to give it a sleeker look (for those who don't know, this is pretty typical). What wasn't typical was that the flame was pretty large and I ended up getting burned when the flame lit an errant braid, which landed on my chest. OUCH!!!!!!

As you would suspect, I was VERY upset about the incident and a little shocked as this has never happened before. The braider apologized, but I couldn't get over the fact that I got burned (it will probably leave a scar) in the process of getting braids. (Oh, by the way, the twists look fabulous, probably the best I've ever gotten.)

Anyway, as I was sitting there getting my faculties together and trying not to look at the burn (other customers and braiders kept peeking at me to see what I was going to do), I considered 1) making a scene (AKA hissy fit), 2) talking to the manager, 3) demanding money off the service, 4) not paying for the service at all, 5) punching the girl in the face (but I'm non-violent so I had to put that feeling away), and 6) not tipping her.

Anyway, I sucked it up and paid full price for the service (I'm so disgustingly non-confrontational), but I didn't tip the braider, which I usually do and well. My girlfriend, Kelli, was with me and she was just as shocked as I was. She told me she probably would have talked to the manager and demanded to get the service done for free.

Ok, I know what I did and I know what Kelli would have done, but what would YOU have done? The curiosity is killing me.

It's official: I'm back on Weight Watchers

At the time I stopped attending the Weight Watchers at Work meetings in April, my official weight loss was 23.6 pounds. Today, I joined a new Weight Watchers group and I am down another 3.8 pounds, so my new weight loss total is 27.4, almost a 30 pound loss. I'm beyond ecstatic. The fact that I went 3 weeks without Weight Watchers and still managed to lose almost 4 pounds is great, especially since I haven't been sticking to the points system as much as I should. I'm now recommitting myself and setting a new 10% target goal. If I follow the same course as I did to get to this point, I should reach my target in September. However, I'm hoping to get there before then. I really need to focus on exercise. It's the only thing that will get me there faster.

On another note, I've been watching reruns of Good Times all day on TV Land's 48-hour marathon. I never realized how often the characters wore the same clothes or how good Thelma looked. I guess I always focused on how annoying her whining was. Anyway, if my body could look even close to hers I would be happy.

Remembering Mr. Grabisch

I was reading last week's Laurel Leader this morning before work (it always takes me a while to get to the city's weekly paper), and came across a death notice in the obituary section for my high school basketball coach and teacher Mr. Grabisch. I had to do a double take. I hadn't heard anything prior to reading the paper of Mr. Grabisch's death and it came as a huge shock. Mr. Grabisch was 57.

Mr. Grabisch always reminded me of a young Al Pacino. He was high strung, loud (he was a screamer, people), and just had that "thing" that let you know immediately that he was a straight to the point, take-no-sh*t New Yorker. Although he was mostly friendly, he was also annoying, and at times, I flat out couldn't stand him. During my last season with the team, we bumped heads so many times I thought neither one of us would survive the season. It's funny thinking about that now because at the season's year end award celebration he presented with me a team certificate, "The Team's Screamer Award". (I guess I could scream too.) I couldn't be mad with him after that. The man had a crazy sense of humor. :-)

After I graduated from high school, I lost touch with Mr. Grabisch. Occasionally I see one of his sons or his daughter, and even his ex-wife in town, but it's been over 10 years since I've last seen Mr. Grabisch. Although I'm really sad about his passing, I'm grateful for having known him. To me, he'll always be remembered as the tough, demanding, high strung, LOUD, annoying, yet loveable Mr. Grabisch. He will be missed.

Wanting to love my new floors

Later in the day after I posted "Let the renovations (finally) begin", I received a call from my cousin, Tiffanie - who uses Hawk's services and reads my blog - warning me to make sure I review Hawk's work carefully because lately she thinks his work is getting a little sloppy (thanks, Tif, a little late but appreciated). Anyway, I'm glad she gave me a heads up because I noticed a couple of quality issues that I might have overlooked without her warning.

Overall I like my new floors, but I don't love them. For starters, the grout that I picked out is darker than I anticipated. That's not Hawk's fault of course, but I'm hoping there's some trick out there he or I can use to lighten the grout (Clorox bleach pen maybe?) without ruining my new floors. Unfortunately, there are other quality issues that appear to be Hawk's fault and I'm hoping he can correct them since I shelled out a pretty penny (or what I consider a pretty penny...I AM rather cheap) to get the floors done. Derrick noticed a crack in one of the tiles under the toilet. I'm sure I would have overlooked it had he not pointed it out. I had to look twice before I noticed it and when I finally did I realized that it actually was very noticeable. I think it's time to get my eyes re-checked. Anyway, I'm thinking the tile cracked when Hawk placed the toilet on top of the tile. That tile needs to be replaced. Also, now the door to the bathroom sticks a little bit when you close it because the new floor sits up a little high. That also needs to be fixed, adjusted, or whatever, as well.

I'm not mad about it...yet, but if I get the run around or some crazy excuse as to why these issues are not his fault or not easily fixable, I'm going to have a fit. I'm already getting a little irritated that I called him this morning, left a message, and so far he hasn't returned my call (which he usually does right away!!!). What a difference a day makes. Sigh...

********************
UPDATE
Hawk finally called and told me that he would fix the cracked tile and shave the bottom of the door down a little to keep the bathroom door from rubbing against the floor. He also told me that he had noticed the crack after he put the toilet on the tile and thought about fixing it yesterday but didn't want to leave me without a toilet on the second floor (Thanks Hawk, I appreciate that...someone must have told him about my bathroom issues). Anyway, I also told him that I wasn't particularly ecstatic about the dark grout but he told me that the grout was actually a lot darker (like chocolate) before he mixed it. Lightening it may make it too white, so I guess I can live with the sandy beige that it's supposed to be.

I'm feeling a little better now.

Let the renovations (finally) begin

Remember back in February when I mentioned that I wanted to install new flooring in my bathrooms? Well Mr. Hawkins (or "Hawk" for short), the carpenter, is at my house right now as I type this starting the work on my floors. I couldn't be more happy. Throughout the week, Hawk will be busy installing new ceramic tile in my 3 bathrooms, installing new wood baseboards in the bathrooms, replacing the rotted wood trim on the exterior of my house, and then repainting the entire exterior trim. The best thing about this is that I DON'T HAVE TO DO ANY OF IT. I don't have to talk about it anymore and drive my boyfriend, friends, and family crazy because IT WILL ALREADY BE DONE. I'm so starved for new home improvements that I'm actually sitting here at work counting the minutes before I can get out of this office and get home to see what's been done.

I'm hoping that this is just the start of a brand new home transformation because after these projects, I need to get a new refrigerator (the freezer door is broken), powerwash and stain my deck and fence, plant new plants in my garden, and...oh yeah... um...possibly repaint the bathroom...AGAIN!. Yeah...um...I guess I neglected to update you on the status of my bathroom paint job. I HATE the new color. It was supposed to be a nice light greyish blue color but instead came out a sickly baby blue. Yuck! If the new ceramic tile doesn't make the walls look better (and why would it?), I'm going to repaint it a warm color like burgundy. If you have any other suggestions, please comment. I don't trust myself to pick out paint colors anymore. I officially have problems because I've painted the bathroom twice now and I've hated both choices of colors. But I must say both colors were huge improvements over the Pepto Bismol pink that was originally in the bathroom when I bought the place (CRAZY EX-HOMEOWNERS).

I'm hoping that after I get all the repair stuff out of the way, I can treat myself to a new bedroom and living room set. I'll probably be broke by the end of the summer but my house will look FABULOUS!

Anyway, did I tell you I'm getting new ceramic tile in my bathrooms?! I'm so excited.