The first large snowstorm of 2010

The storm started late on the 5th of February. Continued into late on the 6th.

This is our back yard. Zuki is the second car from the right.

Snow up to my "snow" window clings!

What happened when we opened the front door! The stoop is like 6 inches below this.

I just think the solid snow pack looks neat.

There is a subaru car under there!

The view from the garage.

Back of our neighbor's house. You can see the drifting from the wind. Yikes!

Josh being silly.

What a great husband shoveling (even though we PAY someone to do that).

I brought him beer to go with his shovel. It made it more enjoyable for him!

It's like a winter wonderland.

If you have an AWD car it's like MANDATORY to drive in the snow.

Until you get stuck like we did here. It's okay, we are experienced and got it out.

(Although we were passed by two plow trucks and then OMG a police car and I was afraid he would stop and yell at us. Dude didn't even stop to HELP us. Whatever.)

It looks so funny with all the SNOW in our yards.

Thankfully we enjoy driving in the snow and made a trip out on Saturday night and found frozen bread. Although I totally wussed out on trying it - a big thanks to my awesome cooking blog friend Uncanny and her bread making loveliness. I linked her blog in my previous post. I do want to make the bread, but I got scared I would totally screw it up and then have nothing to take to the SUPER BOWL parties we attended. Another thanks to my friend RockThis who gave me the idea for the pizza bites - which I did use.

We did end up at two Super Bowl parties. I had a great time. I tried to have a little alcohol at the first one. It made me sick. One of my friend's sons asked everyone who went to the bathroom if they pooped. It made me laugh until I hurt (which doesn't take tooo much). We also taught him to fist bump. WITH fireworks. SCORE!!

Then we almost got into an accident when Zuki came out of 4 wheel drive. Weeeee... Josh is a good driver though, so almost just means he lost a little traction, but we were fine.

I was really tired at the second one. So we left early. *sigh*

Guess what is happening right now?

MORE SNOW on it's way.

Awesome. I STILL can't sled ride. Boo.

Oh well.

*hugs and kisses*

mj

Time for a three week update.

Three weeks already? Who I am kidding? This feels like the LONGEST three weeks EVER.

The difference between last week and this week are crazy though. This time last week I was a blubbering, crying, inconsolable mess. This week. Eh. I would say I am about 70% back to my normal. Give or take a couple percents.

Physically things hurt less. I'm still having some breathing issues, I have a little trouble occasionally when I eat (it seems I can't swallow food, which feels stuck, which makes me feel like my chest is ripping apart, which makes me panic, which makes me feel like I'm dying), and my shoulders and ribcage are still tender.

Mentally I am processing everything better. I am not so forlorn and lost. Things are starting to look up.

Emotionally I have stopped crying every day. I have it down to like once every 2-3 days.

I think that last 30% is going to take a while. I wish it wouldn't, but it's just a feeling I have. Which is not cool because I KNOW that healing is mind over matter and my mind is just not into it.

Grrrr.

Oh, and did you know that we are having SNOW?!?! Yes it is SNOWING. I have to capitalize SNOW because everyone is all worked up about the SNOW. Lololol.

I took this photo at 4:30ish. It had just started.

There is supposedly 22 total inches on the way for here. Maybe? Who knows.

I couldn't get a picture of the snow tonight because it was too dark out. So I took this photo of ME at 9PM.

I love Oscar. And my Halloween skull PJ pants. Oh baby!

And I haven't mentioned the upcoming Super Bowl yet because so much ELSE is going on. So about that Super Bowl. With those teams playing. Who I have NO idea who they are. Yeah...

People wigging out have ruined my Super Bowl food making plans. I wanted to make pizza roll. I need frozen bread. THE GROCERY STORE WAS OUT OF FROZEN BREAD. Seriously?? I HATE being that person at the store, but I was so annoyed. So I might be making pizza bites instead. Or I may use my friend's pizza dough recipe found HERE. She has an awesome cooking blog.

We aren't hosting this year and have two parties to attend. I'm kind of excited as long as snow doesn't freak too many people out.

So that is my three week wrap up.

Maybe I will get out tomorrow and take some SNOW pictures.

I haven't used my camera in almost a MONTH. BOOOOOOO.

*hugs and kisses*

mj

Super Bowl and Snacking

Pot luck parties are amazing.  Not only do you get to make food you normally don't get to eat, but other people bring even more food that normally doesn't get made.  It is like a smorgasbord of artery clogging goodness.  I haven't really been able to enjoy one of these foodgasm inducing events in so long it's almost shameful.  I have all the food at my finger tips and after a few tiny tastes, my body goes into shock that I would be so idiotic to place such deliciouness in it that it makes me miserable and I end up sick all night.  Last night at the Super Bowl was just another reminder that I can not enjoy good food (well, good in the sense of taste overload, maybe not good in the healthy sense...).

We had oodles of mouth watering food.  Our kitchen table (with leaf) was full, our sideboard was full, we had a friends card table - full, and all available counter space and stove top were full.Here is some proof:

 

 

There were 22 people here total and I enviously drooled at all their plates full of food.  My only saving grace was that in now less than two weeks hopefully all that will change!  My stomach may be smaller, but it hopefully won't hate me when I try to indulge every once in a while.  So yeah for the first big party in the new place.  Yeah for all the friends that came and helped us watch the game.  And yeah for the Steelers winning!  

So let's do a little background on my stomach today.  In high school I had some heartburn issues.  Nothing a few Rolaids couldn't cure.  Once I got to college and started drinking and eating late night pizza, my few Rolaids turned into handfuls often.  Post college the food intake got better and the alcohol intake decreased.  The heartburn got worse and at this point was now considering buying stock in the Rolaid company.  I tried all the other over the counter acid reducers, but even while taking those I was still popping Rolaids at night to sleep.

Off to the doctors I went.  Now, the first doctor was in a practice that was slightly larger.  He listened to my concerns, asked me to keep a food diary for a month and sent me on my way with a Nexium prescription.  The diary was well documented, but the Nexium only lasted about a week (I had horrible nausea from it).  I go in again and he hadn't glanced at my chart and asked what I was in for today. I say heartburn and pain.  Then the conversation went something like this *note: this was almost 5 years ago and my memory is not that good.  Gist wise we are on par, actual words spoken are hazy at best.

Me: Ummm... I'm coming back to discuss the burning in the throat and the right arm paralyzing pain you had me do a food diary for??  

Dr. : Oh wow, you have arm pain from it?  Have you had your gall bladder checked?

Me: No, you didn't say anything about my gall bladder, but here is my food diary.

Dr. : For what?

Me: Ummm... I don't know, you asked me to keep one.

Dr. : Okay, let's get an ultrasound on your gall bladder and keep track of the food you are eating when you get the pain and I'll see you in a month or so.

Me : Wait, I did keep track of my food, it's right here.  I'll get the ultrasound, but I'd like to see you sooner than a month.

Dr. : *shrugs* Whatever works with your schedule.

Would you believe I actually went back after having my gall bladder checked?  *sigh*  They found nothing and we had a similar conversation to the one above.  

At this point I got a recommendation from a friend and started going to a different practice.  My new doctor (who is a PA) is AMAZING and I pink puffy heart her a lot.  I'll refer to her as SK from here on and I may say I pph (pink puffy heart) her often.  I'll apologize now for it and get it out of the way.

Next time I will delve into the inner workings of my and SK's relationship and explain how she got me to where I am today.  For now the kitchen is calling, as well as the living room, bathroom, bedrooms, etc.  I need to clean this mess of the party aftermath.

*hugs and kisses*

mj