Renal Colic

A few weeks ago I hurt my shoulder. I am not exactly sure what I did but I am sure the Pilates reformer had a little bit to do with it. Another week later my side started hurting next to my bra line. I thought it was just an extension of the shoulder pain. However, the pain gets better with heat and Lortab barely takes the edge off.

I went to the doctor yesterday & he suspects kidney stones.

Tuesday morning I had a CT scan of my kidney and abdomen. I am waiting to hear the results but it's 2:30 a.m. My whole side aches and is in spasms that have doubled me over. Hopefully the heating pad and pain meds will take the edge off and I will sleep again soon.

This whole episode has made me notice the impersonal nature of social networking (Facebook). Many of my friends do not know what is happening. I haven't known what to say. If you can't say anything nice, right? I have been staying home and missing a lot of things. I have started to tell people that I talk to because I am not my best self right now. I cannot remember what was said 30" ago. And I am tired.

I have been so touched by friends who have listened to me, texted encouragement, sent emails, picked up my kids, and fed me dinner. Thank you all for your prayers and love.

(Update:)
After not being able to get an appointment with my regular doctor & not receiving a phone call from the walk-in clinic where they sent me, I finally just walked in & demanded (politely) my CT results. Clear as mud but no kidney stones. I have an appointment with my regular doctor tomorrow afternoon at 3:45.

Last night, we had an adult session of stake conference. The evening session is my favorite every time!! There are very few kids (=it’s quiet!!) & not as many people.

We had a guest speaker who is a member of the quorum of the seventy. He stood up & said, “I am not going to give the talk that I prepared.” He then went on to give the most amazing, emotional, heartfelt talk that I have ever heard in my life. His subject was that there in nothing that presses on the soul that the atonement of Jesus Christ cannot cover. Sometimes, it’s easy to say, “Oh, they don’t know how bad my life is! They cannot possibly understand how horrible my life is.” He told experience after experience from his life & I realized that he knows. His wife accidentally backed the car over a son. His 14-year-old daughter ended up missing in New York City. His 17-year-old son walked away & said, “I want nothing to do with you or the church ever again.” Miracles happened and time passed and things eventually work themselves out.

And no atongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.

It was like that. So special. So emotional. So sacred. So filled with the Spirit of the Holy Ghost. I am so glad that we were there.

The Parable of the Mouse and the Frog

For his eighth birthday, Jared received a Pacman frog from his Florida cousins. Isn’t he cute and little? He was just about the same size as his water dish. He was cute and slimy and ate crickets quickly and unexpectedly. He would occasionally hop around his 5-gallon cage. WHen fishing season was over, the gas station (not The Little Cricket) did not carry crickets and suggested worms.

Pacman continued to grow. He is about the easiest pet possible. His bark stays cleaned - he’s water-bowl trained. However, he outgrew crickets and worms and moved on to live mice. We buy them at the pet store once a week and throw them in the cage and (usually) they’re digesting within thirty seconds.

Last week, the pet store was out of “hoppers” so I bought “fuzzies”. The fuzzies are tiny baby mice that have just a little bit of hair on them. They don’t move very much & Pacman was not very interested. They were starting to look sickly so I returned them back to the pet store and bought a hopper. He was the cutest and friendliest little mouse that we have ever brought home. He stood on Pacman’s back when we first put him in the cage. He even stood on two legs as if he was going to escape.

And so they co-existed for days and days. We put a spoon with peanut butter in the cage so that the mouse wouldn’t starve to death and gave him water so he would not die of thirst (ironic). I knew that inevitably he would be gone and I was kinda okay in the whole circle of life kinda way. Last night, I found the mouse sitting well within striking distance of a lazy frog. (He just wanted to be friends!) Pacman just sat still and watched and waited. After I took the boys to school this morning, the mouse was gone. Pacman is sitting fat and happy in his cage.

This picture is not today's mouse.

It was while the mouse was sitting inches away from his eventual demise that the analogy of avoiding temptation came to me. Standing back, we all knew that the mouse would be eaten if he stayed inside the cage. Just as I know from past experience that the mouse was going to be eaten, I know that there is grave danger in drugs and alcohol, pornography, and adultery. This analogy could extend to dishonesty, reckless driving, and other dangerous behaviors. I know that this analogy could be further developed but I think you get the picture. :)

When I am trying to lose weight, I do not buy French fries and cheesecake to keep in the fridge just in case. If you are not going to drink alcohol or do drugs, you are not going to spend the majority of your time with people who are involved with drugs and alcohol. If you do not want to commit adultery, you will not spend time alone or share confidences with a member of the opposite sex. If you do not want to get caught in the trap of p*rnography, you are not going to try just once.

We put the mouse into the bad situation. He did not have a choice in the matter. We always have a choice. I have always loved the talk “Spiritual Crocodiles” by Boyd K. Packer. He says what I am trying to say very eloquently. You can read the address here. Let me know what you think.

Three Things Thursday

Before

After

Shiny gold flecks

After towards refrigerator

Even some blues and olives

Not necessarily in the order of importance or impact for our lives…

After ONE YEAR (twelve months) of searching & hunting & thinking & pondering, we picked out granite. And today it was installed. After giving so much thought to a decision, it didn't even cross my mind that I would not LOVE IT at first. When I walked in from running car-related errands & saw the new stone, I was just a wee bit disappointed. Disappointed isn't really the right word - I guess I don't deal with change very well. Our old kitchen had darker avocado-green laminate counters. It was nice but dark. Now, our kitchen is light & bright & feels much bigger. The next steps are painting, backsplash, & selling the white appliances.






Cross country practice & meets continue to dominate this season of our lives. Ryan runs on Wednesday & Saturdays, Chris runs on Tuesdays. Their times have stayed pretty consistent between 20:00 & 21:00. Saturday's meet is supposed to be flat & fast so hopefully we'll see some PR's. (PR: personal record) I do not have pictures of Chris on Tuesday's meet because I left my camera battery at home on the charger. (It never runs out so I forget, but I was certain it was getting low. Both meets were insanely hot & both meets had people pass out from the heat.

Jared tried to. He started to complain about his stomach hurting & then he said he couldn't see & then he was okay again.

Oh yeah, and did we mention that Scott's car was in a minor fender bender last week?? Chris was driving & rear-ended our friend's pickup truck. Luckily, everyone was okay except the friend's bumper & Scott's car. He has LOVED this car so much - it has been reliable, fast, with leather seats & a good stereo. There was so much damage that the insurance company declared it a total loss. Although we truly wanted to salvage the car, it would not have made sense financially with all of the damages that needed to be repaired. :( A sad day!

In related news, I have been running around A LOT!! I put gas in the van & it is already gone. I have been driving hours & hours & hours getting kids where they need to be. Luckily people from church & cross country have been helping me a lot! Our plan is to get a cheap learner car plus a nice car for Scott. (But please don't contact me if you're a car dealer.)

Abbeville XC Meet

Yesterday, Chris had a meet in Abbeville. His school is in a league with schools that are literally an hour in every direction. It is rough to make it there. In fact, yesterday we got VERY lost as we followed an address and directions to the middle of nowhere. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth and finally we found the only 10-story building in the county. We were late - usually not a problem - but the boys ran first!!

We saw Chris running around the fence line on the first lap.



He held a good pace & finished at 21:23. He was a little disappointed with his time, but his hip has been bothering him.

Oh Shoot - Shutter Speed

The kids are back in school & have lots of activities going on. I am super dooper busy & with plenty to do. However, every single picture I've taken at the cross country meets have been blurry, overexposed, etc. & I signed up for an online photography class at jessicasprague.com.

One of the first lessons I learned in the class was about shutter speed. The shutter speed controls how fast the picture is taken. I want to take pictures of the kids jumping on the trampoline (didn't buy one yet) or into the pool (it's too cold!) or just in the air (they're at school). Here are some pictures from the archives & their shutter speeds. I have MILLIONS more that are blurry because everything was wrong.

I heard the hum of the ceiling fan & decided to take a picture & see what happened. Kinda cool.

Sick stinks!

I almost dislike being kinda sick more than being really sick. If I was really, really sick then I could go to the doctor & get fixed. Just being kinda sick stinks because they poo-poo me away & tell me that I am okay. Totally & thoroughly ready to feel better.

Granite decision - mostly final!

Finally, after a year, an internet vote, & a lot of stress, we picked out granite. The color is Delicatus White.

The guy is going to come measure & make templates on Wednesday!! The decision finally came down to light. I want a light & bright kitchen. The green has been too dark & almost everything else is too middle-of-the-road & golden. The prettiest choice would have probably been the Labrador Antiqua (dark brown with blue sparkles), but I am absolutely delighted that we’re choosing for us & not for someone else.

I especially love the travertine-colored swatches that run throughout the stone. And there are chunks of quartzite (?) that are clear & glass-like.

Finished kitchen pictures soon & little lady in blue not included.

Providence Wendy's Invitational - Charlotte, North Carolina

Yesterday, Ryan had a cross-country meet in Charlotte. It is a long way to drive, but it is great for the kids to see what kind of talent is in the region & hopefully spur them on to greatness. On the drive north we saw bands of clouds from Hurricane Irene. The weather was hot & weirdly windy but nothing strong enough to affect the race. (effect?)

There were A LOT of runners!!! (over 1300 in four races - varsity girls, varsity boys, JV girls, JV boys). The fastest runners are incredible - just over 5 minute miles for a race through forests, meadows, and one big ugly hill. Mauldin took 1.5 buses of kids.

Ryan started at the back of the pack (not going out too fast) & ran a great race.

There was a huge hill in the first mile. The blurred background looks cool on this picture, but my camera is misbehaving & I didn’t like it on many of the remaining shots.

He almost went into a drainage ditch when he ran the inside corner & got elbowed by #1540.

However, he turned on the afterburners & sped to the finish line. His official time was 20:06.

Here's a link to the official news report for the school: http://gomavs.net/content/section/team_189_news/mhs-xc-stampedes-at-providence/

Conflicts

The kids have been back in school for a few weeks now. It seems like every.single.solitary.night there is something back-to-school and wonderful. :) The hardest part has been figuring out my new driving schedule.

Chris has his license so he can drive himself to seminary & go pick up pizza for date night. We are still hunting for a car for him to use. We were going to buy our friend’s car but the transmission exploded on the freeway a few days before we were going to take ownership. He is a senior in high school. Last week, we had his senior portraits taken, and I am just amazed at how fast the time has gone!! He is taking a college history class plus a full load (art, English, probability & stats, senior project, etc.). Before school (6:10 a..m) he takes seminary (church class) & after school he runs cross country.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23003765@N05/6081306374/in/set-72157627394972931/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23003765@N05/6081306024/in/set-72157627394972931/lightbox/
Ryan is busy with middle school. When I went to back-to-school night, I was overwhelmed with the amount of homework that the teachers were assigning. I pick Ryan up at after school, bring him home for 15”, & then drive him to the high school where he runs cross country. The coach is amazing - hilarious sense of humor but very serious at the same time. (A few examples: “My favorite food after the meets is Mexican food - and I drive the bus so it’s the kids’ favorite food too.” and “Zach, did you write this with your left foot?” (horrible handwriting)) Cross country goes until 5:45-ISH & then on two afternoons he has baseball from 5-7. Meets are the same day as baseball practice & baseball tourneys. Somehow it will all work but so far it’s a little complicated.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23003765@N05/6081306646/in/set-72157627394972931/lightbox/
Jared is loving elementary school. He gets to ride the bus home every day - the stop is variable though depending on what time I catch up with the bus. The district changed the route so they drive past our stop, make three stops in the neighboring neighborhood & then one more in our stop before coming to our entrance. It’s pretty ridiculous but does give me plenty of chances to catch up. :) He spends lots & lots of time in the bus & the car. It’s too bad he is not a big reader so he could have something productive to do with all of his riding time.

I read THE FUNNIEST notice to the public education system. It is here: http://beautopotamus.blogspot.com/2011/08/beautopotamus-family-disclosure.html . I truly admire teachers and the work that they do, but sometimes there are unrealistic demands placed on the family & I get what she was trying to say. She has TEN kids so everything is magnified a little, but the principles are still the same. I wanted to stand up & cheer when one of Ryan’s teachers announced that he would not be assigning projects. As I said in the past, projects are Mom-Work instead of homework. Happy to have at least one educator on my side.

Thoughts on running today...

I feel like I have missed a whole summer of workouts. The kids were very busy all summer & scheduling was very difficult. While we were in Utah & Idaho & Florida (posts to come), I went on some walks & hikes & a little running. I even rode the StarTrac spin bike in Bountiful. However, I did not exercise good judgment in eating & I am bloated & fluffy & ready to feel healthy & strong again.

Scott took the day off work last Friday & we went to TR to run 7.5 miles. The first mile was a little tough. The second mile was tougher. And by 2.5 miles I was whining & crying & writhing on the ground saying, "I can't do this any more!!!" ... a little exaggerated but exactly what I wished I was doing. Scott was so nice - he just stuck with me as I ran when I could & walked when I couldn't. Finally, we came to a mutual agreement that I would be delighted to walk the remaining miles back to the car & he would be delighted to run an alternative, longer route back to the car. WIN-WIN works. I felt very defeated but realized that I was just having an off day.

I am training for a half marathon. Luckily, the exact race is still a mystery because of the cross country schedules, but in about 18 weeks I will have completed a tough training program. I have the book Run Less, Run Faster by the people at Furman University in Greenville. Last night I completed my first cross training workout – 45-60” of fast spinning & light resistance. My feet were happy to have a break. This morning I went running with my neighbor – we went a slow 3.1 miles but we did it! I took the kids to school & then went to the gym to run track repeats on the treadmill.

Track repeats consist of trying to run a distance (400m – once around the track - 0.25 miles) in a certain time (fast!). I decided to do the workout on the treadmill. I ran 2” at 7.0 mph, then walked 1.5” @ 3.5 mph & repeated this 11-12 times. Why “11-12”? Because I lost track! Once I started feeling pukey (about 35” into a 52” workout), I couldn't keep track of times for a few minutes. When I was done, I knew that I had completed a very difficult workout, even if it was not one bit fun. I usually pass time by listening to music & counting down from 15-1. (15-14-13...) Today, I was living one small moment at a time & counting by 5s again & again & again. When I was finished, I had completed almost five miles.

No pictures yet – haven't figured out how to incorporate them into blog posts with my new Mac. Suggestions appreciated.

Three Things Thursday -

Chris is now a licensed driver! He was able to experience the test at two different D MV test proctors – the city (hard & grouchy) & the country (easy & forgiving). We were so thrilled for him. On his first full day with his license, he drove himself to work, went to the hair salon & got his hair cut, & drove himself home. (Cue choirs of angels!) His friend Christian is moving back to Germany & we are going to buy his car so that Chris will be able to drive himself to & from school. (I am secretly plotting what to do with extra hours every day.)
On Tuesday, July 26th, Chris will get his braces taken off. He will be able to remember them for the next ten years because that’s when he will renew his license and we will be able to finish paying for the rest of his dental work. He still has a bunch of dental stuff to happen in his mouth but getting his teeth in the right place is a great start!

Babies are the best thing ever! One of my good friends had a baby on Sunday morning. I was able to go to the hospital later that day & spend time talking to her & holding her sweet baby. There was a special spirit there in the room as I met someone so fresh from Heavenly Father. Her feet were frequently folded up above her belly button – just like she was squished in her mom’s tummy. She was the newest baby that I ever remember seeing besides my own – and then I was in a daze after pregnancy, childbirth, & delivery. I can see the appeal of being a grandmother. (More on that ahead…)
Her mom was AMAZING & ran several miles several times a week until the day before she delivered. She is a rock star!!


Ryan was attacked by a spider. Lesson learned? Mom really does know best. Ryan, Michael, & Jared were all outside playing basketball. Michael was the only one with any shoes on. I mentioned that the kids might want to get their shoes on because they could get bad infections (MRSA, etc.) from open wounds on their feet. “Yeah Mom, whatever!” Within the next five minutes, Ryan came running into the house, screaming & jumping up & down, & hollering that a spider bit him. He felt something on his foot & looked down to see a big grey & black spider on his foot. He shooed it away & it bit him. Wolf spider bites are VERY painful but not venomous. His toe quickly swelled up as big as his thumb. He sat & iced it & then we visited the pediatrician. The pediatrician’s visit was uneventful until the part where he said, “I guess you have learned that you need to listen to what your grandmother says!!!” OK, I might be 10-15 years older than the pediatrician, but I am not really old enough to be Ryan’s grandmother unless I had his mother at age 15 & she had him at age 15. I was so … humiliated? personally deflated? OLD? … that I made an appointment with my hairdresser & had my coloring & hair cut updated to look like I am Ryan’s mom instead of his grandmother.

We found this lovely black widow (red belly & all) in the backyard under the wheelbarrow a few months ago. Luckily, Ryan didn’t come in contact with her. Notice the ruler? She was ENORMOOUS!

Seriously?

Last November I brought home a shiny new scratch-and-dent refrigerator from Sears. 29.0 cubic feet & a bottom freezer drawer. The freezer drawer has had some issues & while I was on a cleaning frenzy last week I noticed that I have a one-year warranty. I called Sears & made an appointment – today from 1-5. I stayed home today – which isn’t all that unusual as a StaY-at-Home mom – but I wanted to get fresh South Carolina peaches from the peach stand, the boys wanted a new Risk game because lots of pieces are missing, & I wanted to deliver a couple of cute new dresses to my friend for her baby.

At 4:40 p.m. the repair service calls & says, “I probably don’t need to come out. I’ll just order the part for you.”

SERIOUSLY???

You could not have called me earlier in the day & let me know?

What if I took the day off of work?

My food has been out of the freezer drawer & in coolers for the last five hours waiting for you to show up & fix things.

And now it won’t even be fixed because you are only now going to order the part.

LAME.

… Update?

Yes, we realize that it was inconvenient for you to stay home & wait for us to call you to order the part. As a bonus, let’s just send you the wrong part!!! Still no resolution – “there was a glitch!” – another drawer ordered today. Hopefully, it will really come.

Wordless Wednesday (7-8-11)

Three Things Thursday (plus one)

I didn’t get around to my Three Things Thursday post so I’m posting one more thing and one day later. (It could reasonably be called Four Things Friday but I was trying to start something new last week. This could be similar to the new holiday traditions that get started & then fizzle out after one year for whatever reason.)

THING # 1: The boys really, really love to play basketball this year. They spend many hours every day shooting baskets & playing games (P-I-G & more). Our neighbor is NOT fond of them playing basketball (or parking in front of his house!) & makes frequent comments. Yesterday, he said, “Basketball season is over! You should be playing baseball!!” Jared quipped back, “Yea, but I like basketball!” He can’t growl at Jared in quite the same fashion as he does Ryan.

 

THING #2: We are trying to make progress in scouting over the summer. Chris has everything done for his Eagle project except putting the packet together & two partial merit badges. We went to the downtown library (with genealogy room) yesterday & looked up our ancestor who actually lived in Greenville county, South Carolina! While walking the stacks & perusing books, we found a book called Pocahontas’ Descendants. Jared is pondering why his name is not include in the book even though he IS related to Pocahontas.

THING #3: We have been spending some time at the pool each week. I have good friends who spend lots of time every day at the pool. I admire their tenacity but I just get hot & grouchy & sunburned when I spend too much time there. We went last week with our neighbor (Michael) & three kids from baseball (Kennedi, ALec, & Austin). We had a good time. I was trying to get the kids to do the Synchronized Running Leap pose but Ryan has decided that he’s too cool to be photographed & he quickly jumped in.

THING #4: In a series of exciting events, we have had several things go wrong in the last few months. You may remember the incident of the flying trampoline times two, the transmission that can never be properly repaired, the debit card that was skimmed, and the forever-at-Lake-Jocassee lost camera. Now, we have an air conditioner that spilled water onto the hardwood in the basement. Because we don’t live in the basement, it took 24-hours before we found it & it was quite a mess! Luckily we have an extra box of hardwood & nothing totally disastrous happened. However, it’s just ONE MORE THING!