Vacation coverage continues!

Welcome back! This is in Shore Acres park on the Oregon Coast. Here was my favorite part of the park, there were calla lilies growing around this pond. These are my favorite flower, I used them for my wedding. So graceful!

In that same pond was this lovely set of sculptures. Ibis? I don’t know. But they are lovely.

And in the same pond (sorry) were these amazing water lilies – so PINK!

Now, it’s kind of hard to see her, but my Muum is seriously checking out this tree, trying to discern its name. But from this angle, I thought it looked an awful lot like she was holding it up. She didn’t even know I took it – oh snap!

Here is the coast at the Shore Acres park – beautiful. There were sea lions, but I didn’t want any pictures of them.

And here’s another view. Beautiful.

This was at a grocery store in Oregon. I was a little…taken aback? By this blatant generic take on Dr. Pepper.

Apparently Safeway’s. Whaaaat? More coverage to come. 

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how about an update?

It’s been long enough, right? I can’t find my camera, so no pictures.

But the main news is that my back is still giving me lots of trouble. It’s been more than a month now acting up. So I started going to physical therapy again, it’s not working nearly as well this time as it did in January.

My physical therapist recommended that I see an orthopaedic doctor – someone in the same building who specializes in backs. In the back. In any case, that guy is (of course) booked out till mid-June. Such a familiar and depressing dance. I told Spencer I felt like we were starting that same chronic HA thing over again. What’s funny is that this has been going on (with my back) for years before – 14 years or so. But for so long it’s been really well under control.And I don’t know why this pain is back, it’s frustrating to be doing all these physical therapy appointments and getting no where. Frustrating to have *another* major set of pain symptoms to deal with.

I’m still hoping that this is all going to get wrapped up soon. That this will just have been a quick detour on my path. My path back towards normal life – and away from migraines!

On the migraine front, I’m seeing the Utah headache specialist on Monday for the first time in about a year. I liked her a lot, but her schedule is insanely busy. She said come back in 3 months! And I went out to schedule and she was booked 6 months out. So I wanted to see her for a 2nd opinion on how things are going w/me and my doc in Chicago. I’ll also see if she can fit me in any better – if she could fit me in for 3 month intervals.

Blech.

In other news, Spencer got his Master’s degree! That was fun, when I find my camera, I’ll put up some pictures (maybe just one picture?) of the festivities. He is still on his way towards a PhD, but this was a great chance to celebrate his accomplishments thus far. His parents flew in to celebrate, so that was really great. We got to spend time with the majority of Spencer’s family, and then had a joint picnic with both our families after the convocation! What a beautiful life we have.

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A meme from my MIL

I have so little news these days – just trying to ride out the headaches. I did make my appointment for the headache clinic in Chicago – for March 5th. I’m going all in one day again. It seems like traveling is really hard on my migraines (not surprising), and so getting it all over with in one day is better than having two miserable days in a row.  

I’m in emails with my doctor (@ the headache clinic) to find out whether we’ll stay at this higher level of Tegretol and Baclofen. I had some blood tests recently – so we shall see!

It is also worth mentioning that the phlebotomist who took my blood got it in ONE STICK. This is like a miracle. It was pleasant. Onto the meme!

Four, Four, Four, Four…

A) Four places that I go to over and over

Smith’s (grocery store), church, the library, and Sam’s Club (my pharmacy!)

Let me know in the comments if you join in!   

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Books I have known and read in 2008

To follow is a very long list of books I read in 2008. One thing about this Headache, I have much more time for reading than I used to  — probably more time than most folks. I’m still not a *huge* reader, but I am sure enjoying it more than I used to! By making this list, I figure I can get a sense of what I tend towards, what I should read more of. Some of these books I wrote short reviews of on GoodReads. All in all, though, if I could recommend only a few books from this year, they would be The Life of Pi, The Secret Life of Bees, and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

If you want to read my opinion on these and many other books, why not add me as a friend on GoodReads? If I know you from the blog, or even if I don’t, introduce yourself and I’d love to see what you’re reading. 

1. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain
2. The Problem of Pain
3. Cheaper by the Dozen
4. The Other Queen
5. The Book Thief
6. A Circle of Quiet (Crosswicks Journals, Book 1)
7. Everything is Illuminated
8. The Secret Life of Bees
9. Cat’s Cradle
10. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
11. All in my Head: An Epic Quest to Cure an Unrelenting, Totally Unreasonable, And Only Slightly Enlightening Headache
12. LIfe Disrupted: Getting Real About Chronic Illness in Your Twenties and Thirties
13. The Last Great Dance on Earth
14. Daughter of Fortune
15. Schoolgirls: Young Women, Self Esteem, and the Confidence Gap
16. Notwithstanding My Weakness
17. The Plague of Doves
18. A Love for Larkspur
19. Islands in the Stream
20. Living Well with Migraine Disease and Headaches: What Your Doctor Doesn’t Tell you… That You  Need to Know.
21. The Host
22. Love in the Time of Cholera
23. Blindsided: Lifting a Life Above Illness: A Reluctant Memoir
24. The Widow of the South
25. Whom the Lord Loveth: The Journey of Discipleship
26. The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: And Other Small Acts of Liberation
27. Middlesex
28. My Name is Asher Lev
29. A Thousand Splendid Suns
30. New Moon
31. Myst: The Book of Ti’Ana
32. The Book of Atrus
33. Twilight
34. Snow Falling on Cedars (reread)
35. Nurse Matilda Goes to Town
36. The Poisonwood Bible
37. The Other Boelyn Girl
38. The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine
39. The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood
40. The Constant Princess
41. Wideacre
42. The Favored Child
43. Mistress of the Sun
44. Earthly Joys
45. Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe
46. Breaking Dawn
47. The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music
48. I Want That!: How We All Became Shoppers
49. The Girl of His Dreams
50. The Book of D’ni
51. The Diagnosis
52. Meridon
53. Shoe Addicts Anonymous
54. Eclipse
55. Never Let Me Go
56. Judge Me Dear Reader
57. Water for Elephants
58. Reading Lolita in Tehran
59. The Five People You Meet in Heaven
60. Nurse Matilda
61. The Kite Runner
62. Life of Pi
63. The Summer of the Great-Grandmother (Crosswicks Journals Book 2)

There it is, my friends — what have you read that you like this year?

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apparently everyone loves bacon.

here’s a late footwear friday for you all. these are my fake crocs.

i like to think they’re cuter than regular crocs (or, heaven forbid, high heel crocs). but let’s be honest with ourselves, here. they’re still rubber shoes.

i kind of like the mary jane action.

i mainly like to wear them with socks; thin, black argyle socks. what say ye? are all crocs evil? fake crocs?

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Happy Birthday to Me!

it’s my birthday!

happy birthday to me! i’m 27 today. the funny thing is, i feel much older. something about going to doctor after doctor, them not being able to figure out why i’m in pain all the time….

no, seriously, this is a happy entry. i’m out having a great time — lunch with my sister (fingers crossed that she can find a babysitter) and two of my good friends, and then to gardner village to shop and window shop. this is all courtesy of some mondo meds that i’m allowed only once in a blue moon.

then tonight my honey is taking me out to dinner and then we’re going to check out an art exhibit at the utah museum of fine art. they call it monet to picasso…there’s got to be something in there for everyone, right?

so here’s where you come in. i would LOVE to hear from you – most especially anyone who is out there who i’ve not heard from before. if you read here — tell me what you’d want for your birthday in the comments.

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