Headaches

Most of my family has suffered with allergies all of their life. I thought that I had escaped it all. I've always had my share of headaches, but that's normal for my family. More recently though, I have found that I have actually developed allergies.

Last Summer I was hanging yard sale signs when I stepped right on top of an ant hill without knowing. I got bit nearly two dozen times on my foot and leg. An hour later, I was swollen, breaking out into hives, and heading to the emergency room. I had been bit by ants before, but evidently somewhere along the line I became allergic to insect bites. I now have to carry Benadryl around with me, especially in the Summer time.

This will is the first Spring that I can recall feeling this horrible and stuffy with. I know that alot of people get watery, itchy eyes; runny noses, and headaches during Spring. I never used to, until this Spring. I don't like it, and it is especially strange since I have never suffered from this type of stuff before. I guess that I should be taking some kind of a medicine to help ease all of this, but I hate medicine and will only take Tylenol to relieve a headache. I think that in alot of ways, medications can ruin our immune system which sucks when you are in a serious state and you need an antibiotic to help. My brother had Bacterial Menigitis a couple of years ago, and was at the door of death. Had he been given alot of antibiotics when he was a child, the antibiotics probably wouldn't have worked and he would have died. Thank God, my Mom knew what she was doing when she was giving us Tylenol instead of rushing us to the Doctor's office at the first sign of a runny nose.

Anyway, so I've been suffering from headaches, runny nose, and feeling like my sinuses are about to pop out from eye balls. I can't wait until Summer. Spring is nice, but Summer is better.

Twitter & Other Random Thoughts...

Yesterday I finally joined the Twitter network, or whatever you wanna call it. I was trying to hold out on it all, until I saw that my Dad and my Mom both had Twitter accounts. Well, I'm not sure I like Twitter much. I don't think that I have alot of friends on Twitter yet, so I suppose that I'll keep it for a while. I remember that when I first joined Facebook, I hated it. It took me a while to get used to it and figure things out. Now, I rarely use my Myspace, the "social networking site" that got all of this craziness started! Oh well, if you have a Twitter...look me up by clicking here & then stalk me, or follow me...which ever you prefer.

Which brings me to my next point. Americans are all about having their privacy, yet we join these "social networking sites" and allow the whole world to come into our own little world. We are strange people, us Americans.

Anyway...moving on to the South Carolina weather patterns. For years local forecasters have said we are in a drought. I don't understand this at all. For the past three days it has done nothing but rain, and rain, and rain! In fact, for the past six months there has been more rain than sun. Still, somehow...we are "so and so inches" under the normal rainfall we are supposed to have. What is normal? I don't think anyone knows what normal is. We are not in drought. I have a river in my front yard to prove it!

Random question: What keeps the windshield wipers from flying off of their hinges when they are wiping at full speed? This has always baffled me.

The Zoo

Paul and I wanted to do something fun this past weekend, so we decided that we would take Bree to the zoo. Since Sunday was the only day out of the weekend that wouldn't be cold or cloudy, we headed to Riverbanks Zoo that morning. I think that I may have been more excited than Bree was, but Bree kept asking in her favored phrase, "What we doin?". I am sure I repeated "The zoo" 10 million times during the hour and a half drive, and when we finally rolled into the parking lot I was glad.

As I pulled Bree from her car seat, I discovered that her blue jeans were completely soaked through. For some reason the Pampers decided to give out, and all of the Apple Juice she had devoured that morning was now in her blue jeans and car seat. Thank God I brought an extra change of clothes. Paul got the stroller out of the trunk as I changed Bree's diaper, and jeans, and soon we were ready to see the animals! We didn't even have to wait in line to get our tickets. We more or less walked right in.

We started out with the boring stuff first. We looked at the birds, reptiles, and fish in the aquarium. I don't think that Bree found any of this fascinating, except for the penguins. You could see them swimming underwater through the glass wall. It was very cool. After we left the aquarium, we headed for the elephants which you could smell before you even got to them. It's a bad smell. We also saw giraffes, alligators, zebras, and ostriches before we decided to eat.


Food at the zoo always costs more than a monthly mortgage, and tastes worse than a crap sandwich, but when you're hungry and have been walking around in the sun for two hours...anything will do. You wouldn't believe the rudeness of people though. Not just in the food court, but around the entire zoo. They all had the "Me-First" attitude, and didn't care that they were hogging the view of the giraffes, or the ape. And, if by some chance, I was able to get a good view...I was more or less booted from my position. By the end of the day I was just running over people with the stroller. My patience, and generosity had been lost somewhere in the area of the Baboons.

We spent about four hours at the zoo, and I know that Bree had a great time. We hadn't even gotten on the interstate before she was passed out in the back seat and slept all the way home! I was glad that we were able to take her to the zoo, because even if she wasn't able to grasp the concept of the different animals, she was happy to be doing with something her Mommy and Daddy. That is worth a million dollars to a child. I know, because I remember.

Random

I don't have anything interesting really going on in my life right now. It's sad, I know. Today's post will be random. So random that you may have to read this twice to even begin to understand how my mind works...

Today on my way home from my Grandmother's house, I was sitting in traffic. It was around three o'clock in the afternoon, and everyone around me, in their cars', were yawning. The girl behind me in the Toyota 4 Runner was yawning. The guy beside me in the Toyota Yaris was yawning. The old lady in the Buick was yawning, and then here I am in my Honda Civic...yawning. Yawning must really be contagious.

We ordered a coffee table, and two side tables a month ago. The company told us that it could be 3 to 4 weeks before it will be available for pick up. Yesterday, when four weeks had passed and no phone call saying that we could pick up our furniture...Paul called them. Evidently, we're on back order, and it'll be another month before our furniture will be here. That's two freakin' months without a coffee table! I'm using my dining room chairs as end tables, and I have nothing to prop my feet up on! When Paul asked the lady if this happens often, she replied with "No, this is the first time it's ever happeed." Well, of coarse it is!! I ordered it, and crap like this ALWAYS happens to me.

I ordered a pair of Boyfriend capris from American Eagle the other day. I got them yesterday. They're HUGE. It says they are a size 6, but I think that I could definitely wear 2 sizes smaller. Maybe it's the cut of the jean, but I'm definitely taking them back and getting a smaller size. I don't like the fact that I have to pull them up past my belly button for them to fit right. Weird.

I think that's all of the randomness I can manage at the moment. That'll hafta do for today's post =)

Wordless Wednesday - The Beach

Hips & Boobs

I have never been more obsessed with my weight than I became after I had Bree. I went from wearing a size 4, which was the smallest I have ever been, to wearing a 14 when I came home from the hospital with Bree. At first, the weight didn't bother me because I thought it would be easy to drop it all off and before no time...I'd be back in my old jeans. No one ever told me that losing weight was so hard, and that when I finally did drop some pounds, my tummy would still be flabby.

I used to be pretty confident with myself, and now...I am lacking serious confidence. I worry that my husband won't find me as pretty as he used to, and not because of my appearance, but more so for my lack of confidence. I have come a long way since I gave birth to Bree a year and a half ago. I've gone from a 14 jean, to a size 6, and have gone from 155 pounds at my 2 week check up to 134 pounds. I am naturally curvy, and wide. A long time ago, that was considered sexy. Today? Flat tummy, thin as rail, and "rectangle" body types seem to be "in style".

For some reason, I think that I should look like Heidi Klum or Nicole Kidman, or some flat tummied model. I wasn't made that way, and the sooner I realize that, the better off I am. I just want to be happy with my body, and myself. I am making myself miserable when there is nothing to be miserable about. I exercise and eat healthy, and I guess that's all a person can do.

So, how do I gain my confidence back? I have no clue! I want to feel beautiful again. I know that feeling more confident has to start from within. I have got to help myself, and stop telling myself that I am fat. Pray for me, because I have had enough of feeling this way and putting my husband down in the process. I want my confidence back. I want to like my wide hips and huge boobs.

Snap, Crackle, Pop!

This morning we drove up to North Carolina to visit a chiropractor. Paul's neck has been giving him nothing but pain, and causing headaches. His Mom suggested we go see her chiropractor just to put Paul back in line (he needs more than just a chiropractor to do that). We got up to North Carolina, and I watched as Paul got adjusted. She worked on him for about an hour, and just when I thought we were going to get to leave...she wants to work on my back.

I was in a bad car accident three years ago. A Ford F150 hit me from behind, going 55 miles per hour. I've had a bad back ever since that horrific day.

She put me on this bed, face down, and began pushing on the spots that hurt the most. I couldn't help but let out a "yelp". It hurt! She tells me to relax, and breathe. I'm never relaxed, and sometimes I forget to breathe, so even this was a task for me. I felt like she was going to break me, and then suddenly she grabs me neck, tells me to breathe, and then YANK! She popped my neck. SNAP. I CAN'T STAND to have my neck popped, because the noise that it makes KILLS my ears. After she does that, she takes her forearms, and starts pushing down really hard on different parts of my body. She more or less was punching me with her forearms. CRACKLE. Then she turns me over on my sides and starts twisting me whole entire body. I started freaking about because I thought that she was about to throw me off of the table. She assured me that she was not going to let me fall of the table. Finally, I feel my back start to POP, and it's good because it's in a place that I have been trying to POP for weeks now. So, she turns me over on my other side and starts twisting me again. POP! The other side of my back does the same thing.

After it was all over and done with it, I actually felt better, but now that it's been a few hours later. I'm sore. My neck kinda hurts, I feel a headache coming on, and I'm kind of achy. It was an exhausting day, with just a little too much snap, crackle, pop!

Cold, Hard French Fries

After waiting in the line of the drive thru at the local McDonalds, the employee finally hands you the bag of food that you ordered. Before you even get out of the drive thru, you have already shoved and devoured two hand-fulls of french fries. Unknowlingly, a french fry slips from your greasy, salty fingers, and falls to the carpeted floor of your car. Days, months, and years go by until you finally find the time (and the money) to have your car cleaned. In a desperate attempt to clean all of the toys, stray Goldfish crackers, and other random things from your vehicle...you stumble upon that french fry that you dropped. Now it's cold, and hard and not in the least bit appetizing.

These cold, hard french fries gross me out and drive me crazy. As I was writing out my deposit slip at the bank today, I happened to notice a cold, hard french fry lying in the floor board of the passenger side of my car. I picked it up like I was picking up a dirty diaper, between the tips of my pointer finger and thumb, rolled down my window and threw it out. I haven't figured out why these things completely gross me out and make me feel all icky, but they do.

So next time you find one of these cold, hard french fries in the floor of your vehicle, think about me and smile. Then, pick it up by the tips of your pointer finger and thumb, and throw it out the window!

'Cause You Had a Bad Day

"Good Days", for me, never last long at all. In fact, I'm fortunate if a "Good Day" even stays around for an entire day before the "Bad Day" takes over. If I weren't a Christian, I would truly believe that the whole friggin' universe is against me, which...I'm not so sure that it is not. I just think that my life in general, sucks. Now, I know that there are people out there who have it alot worse than I do, but those people aren't married with controlling, butt holes for in-laws. Paul and I would never fight if it weren't for those people. It's not just them though, it's the fact that even shopping has become a task for me and I am beginning to dislike it. I can't believe I just said that, but it's true.

Yesterday I went shopping for some Spring/Summer clothes. I bought some really cute tops, took them home, tried them on...and because of my HUGE boobs that God so graciously graced me with, I looked as though I gained 10 pounds just by putting that shirt on. Clothes used to never be a problem for me. I used to look okay in anything, but now...I have to buy certain types of clothes. Maybe, back then, I used to think that I looked okay in what I had on, and am now just more self conscience about it. I think I'm getting old. I was watching "What Not To Wear" the other day, and they told this 23 year old girl to stop shopping in the Juniors department. I'm 21, does that mean I have to stop shopping in the Juniors department?? I'm not sure I like that.

Sometimes I wish I had Bree's body.

Through Someone Else's Eyes...

Have you ever wondered what you look like through someone else's eyes? How they see you as a person? What they think of you when someone mentions your name? If they talk about you (good or bad) when you're not around? Have you ever wondered what someone's first impression of you was? Have you ever wondered if people think you are pretty, ugly, fat, skinny, have a big nose, have small lips, have bad hair?

I think that I have become obsessed with the way people look at me. I wonder how people see me. I know how I see other people, but I don't know what they think of me.

I always thought it would be nice to read minds or hear other peoples thoughts. Of coarse that ability would need to come with an on and off switch, because I am pretty sure that hearing more than one voice in my head would get aggravating. Nevertheless, I'd like to hear an honest answer of what someone is thinking about me.

God didn't give us the ability to read minds, and that is probably a good thing. We would all hate each other if we knew EVERYTHING someone thought about us. Still, it's one of those things that I can't help but wonder about.

Baby Proof the Baby Clothes

One would think that these companies who make baby clothes, could baby proof them a bit better. A little clasp that buttons over a zipper on a footie can barely be counted as "baby proofed", because my baby has figured out how to slip her finger up under the clasp and unzip the footie. From there, she proceeds to remove her diaper and somehow or another it ends up around her left ankle in the leg of the footie.
At first, this was cute, but now it is becoming a bit of a pain. "Just put a onsie on her.", you say. Nope, doesn't work either. She has also figured out how to unbutton her onsie, slip it over her head, and remove her diaper. This ALWAYS results in a mess. A mess that I am so tired of cleaning. If I wanted to scoop poop, and wipe up pee all day long...I'd go work at a zoo. Perhaps I do work at zoo. Bree very much resembles a monkey.

Nevertheless, I think that I'll write "Carters" and "OshKosh" a letter requesting that they put more thought into their clothing. They should know that once a child is nearing age two, when they're already starting that bratty stage, and when they're getting into EVERYTHING that they're not supposed to be getting into, their clothes need to be just as baby proofed as the electrical outlets, toilet seats, and kitchen cabinets are!

Maybe I'll just put her in a straight jacket. Let's see her get out of that one!

Wordless Wednesday

Slackness

I've been slack. I'll be the first to admit it, but I haven't really had the time to sit down and blog. Why? Well, this past weekend was just one chain of events after another.

Saturday
Paul and I were planning to make a day trip to Charleston for our anniversary. The local forecasters had predicted rain, and lots of it, but who actually believes the weatherman? So, we ventured out early Saturday morning, dropping Bree off with my Parents for the day and hitting the interstate. I hate the interstate by the way. It had been raining hard, but I thought that the further south we would go, it would begin to let up. About two and a half hours down the road, the rain still had not let up...and I am pretty sure it was just getting worse. I'm not exactly sure how far out of Charleston we were, but we turned around and headed back to Columbia (our State Capital). We decided that instead of the beach, we would settle for the State Museum. So, that's what we did, and we enjoyed our day at the Museum. We had alot of fun just being together without Bree. I didn't miss Bree as much as I thought I would. I think that means that I desperately needed a day away from her.

Saturday Evening
We got back to Greenville around six o'clock or so, and Paul wanted to take me out to eat for supper. So we did, and that's when Paul thought about the new puppy that we were supposed to be picking up Sunday. He called up the lady and we ended up going to get Tucker, the new family pet. We had thought that we would call him Dupree, but with further thought we decided it would be very hard to say Dupree when calling him. Nevertheless, we thought that we would surprise Bree with him when we went to pick her up from Parents. I was excited, and I couldn't wait to see the look on Bree's face when she saw the puppy! Well, all of my hopes were shattered when I showed Bree the puppy and she walked directly past me...more or less ignoring me. I'm not real sure what that was all about, but she eventually began to pay the puppy some attention, and then quickly became jealous of any interactions between me and the dog.

Sunday
It was still raining cats and dogs outside when Sunday rolled around, and evidently the local weathermen were calling for snow and lots of it. This isn't the first time this Winter that they've called for snow, and we hadn't seen any of the "white stuff" yet. So, needless to say...I didn't believe them. There was one thing for sure though. It was cold, and it was getting colder and I was more afraid of ice than I was snow. So me, Paul, and Bree all piled into the car and headed to the grocery store. I thought that maybe the grocery store would be FULL of people like it usually is when the weatherman calls for snow, but there was hardly anyone there. Evidently, they didn't believe the weatherman any more than I did. We got our groceries & headed home as I battled "lazy hunger". Around five o'clock though, it began snowing. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was coming down fast, and heavy and it was actually sticking to the ground! We waited a couple of hours, and then took Bree out to play in it a bit.


Monday
I was pretty upset when Paul still had to go to work, even when his car door was frozen shut. One of his co-workers came and picked him up in big truck. I guess it wasn't going to have any problems with the icy roads. It didn't, seeing as Paul got to work safely. I dressed Bree up in a Columbia fleece body suit, blue jeans with a cloth lining in it, and thick jacket. She couldn't walk, and she couldn't put her arms down. It was hilarious. She didn't know what to think of the snow once we got out there. I think she was wondering why I carried her out there, stuck her in the snow, and we just stood there in the cold. Finally she started to walk around a little bit, and then just when she was getting used to it all...she toppled completely forward and face planted the snow. I couldn't stop laughing.


I guess things have gone back to normal, but I can honestly that was one hell of a weekend. It was completely random, but we made it through and I don't guess things were all that bad. But honestly, through all of that...when would have I had time to blog?