My Latest Update....

I’m so horrible at this blogging thing. I go in spells so forgive me if I don’t write everyday or even every week.

Here’s a update on the Hall’s and Benton =)

Ken and I took the girls to Holden Beach for a week (week of July 6). We spent several days out on the beach, we played putt-putt, shopped and managed to rest a little while down there. On that Friday we took a day trip to Wilmington to tour the Battleship, neither of the girls had been. I packed a picnic lunch so we could eat when we got there. When we arrived we noticed a filming crew. We made our way to the picnic tables without anyone stopping us, although they were keeping an eye out. We were maybe 50 yards from the filming and come to find out it was One Tree Hill. I’ve never seen the show but I might check it out since we did get to see them film an episode. That evening we met up with my best friend growing up. We had dinner on the beach with her family. She has 2 girls too, younger than ours but they had a ball. The four girls sat at a table and the adults sat at a different table, that was nice.

We returned to reality on the 13th. That week I had my endoscopy. The doctor found my stomach and lining were very irritated due to the amount of ibuprofen I take. Which by the way I was taking under the advise of my OB/GYN and family doctor. I’ve heard of it messing up your stomach but I’ve never known anyone that it really happened to, well now I do, me. I’m not suppose to take anything with ibuprofen or any NSAIDS, it’s Tylenol for me. He also found acid reflux scaring and other minor stuff but all in all it turned out good. By stopping the ibuprofen, my stomach should heal itself. He also told me to cut back on my Fiber One bars and salads or at least eat salads with spinach instead of lettuce. I’ve done everything he has suggested and I do feel better. Some days are worse than others depending on what and how much I eat but I’m working on controlling myself, not overeating and not eating what I know will upset my stomach. My follow up appointment is in 2 weeks, I’ll find out then if the biopsy found anything.

M stared 5th grade this past Monday! I cannot believe it. This is her last year in elementary school, middle school next year. Lord help me!! For the first four weeks they don’t have school on Fridays. The county schools are closed for 9 Fridays (to conserve and save money) so our first four fall into that. It’s a nice way to ease back into the school year but then they have to make it up during their fall and winter intercessions which won’t be fun then. I think M had a pretty good summer. She spent 3 out of her 5 weeks at the beach, one week at camp and the other week with her grandparents. She starts tennis lessons tonight and hopefully next month horse back riding lessons.

Let’s see what else: Ken has been promoted to Master Patrol Officer, next up Sergeant. We’re both enjoying his new motorcycle. We have a charity ride next month that the police department puts together for the Special Olympics. This year they’re expecting around 200 motorcycles. We ride from Pinehurst to above Greensboro, where Hooters will provide lunch for everyone then back to the Harley dealership in Asheboro. R is doing good, like always. She’s such a good and content child no matter what is going on. E has been in a transportation class through the college this summer so we haven’t seen much of him. He goes to DC with the class next week. It was a great opportunity so I’m thankful he got to participate. Heidi turned 7 yesterday and Sam we have found out isn’t right. Just kidding. He’s a sweet dog but kind of dumb and forgetful. He gets a spanking every now and then. He doesn’t understand, not everything in his path or reach is his. They have a huge basket of toys, which they pull out all the toys and play with them everyday but don’t leave a flip-flop, Barbie, towel, etc. within his reach or it’ll be chewed on. Although he is teaching the kids (and us) not to leave anything lying around.

Maybe my next update won't be a month away.

My Stomach - I Have So Many Issues

My parents came to town for dinner, yummy grilled bbq chicken, potato salad, garden salad and bbq bread followed by strawberry ice cream. I ate a lot but not nearly as much as I wanted to or that I have in the past. Since losing 7 pounds I don’t eat as much anymore, thank goodness. When I went to bed Saturday night my stomach was making all kinds of sounds, I took a couple Correctol’s (I had other issues going on as well). I didn’t sleep hardly any, I tossed and turned all night long. At 6am I was up and pacing the floors, my stomach hurt so bad and was extended so much (I looked like I was 7 months pregnant and weighed 8 lbs more than I did the Friday before!). I was cold and clammy, I could go to the bathroom, I couldn’t lie down, couldn’t sit for long, I was vomiting off and on (nothing but clear stuff). Ken decided at 6:30 I was going to the ER. They got me back pretty quick. I told the ER doc I’d had this happen before, even been to the ER before but in the past few years it’s never this bad. Its gastritis, just give me something for the pain and I’ll be on my way. Well, they got the IV started. They gave me some good stuff for the nausea and pain, they did a full urinalysis and metabolic panel (blood work). They even did a pregnancy test which I assured them was not even possible, I even told the nurse if it was positive it would be a miracle child from God! They sent me for x-rays and CT scans. So after all this the doctor said you do have gastritis, I’m sending you home with meds, follow up with a GI doc next week. We left the ER 4 hours later with a $6,000.00 bill!! They charged $40 for the pregnancy test!! I think I was more nauseated after seeing the bill than I was when I got there!!! I’m still having issues, my stomach cramps up and I get nausea all the time. I’m still taking the meds for that and I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow to see a GI doc. Thankfully my stomach isn’t as bloated, it still is some but I’m back down to what I weighed last Friday. I guess, I hope anyway, I’ll know more tomorrow after my appointment.

We leave for vacation on Sunday. I don’t want to be miserable the whole week so I’m praying the GI doctor can give me something that helps.

Happy Fourth of July to everyone! M and I will be in Lumberton to celebrate my dad’s b-day and do some shopping at Sam’s for vacation stuff. Ken is working and his kids will be with their mom. We’ll round the girls up on Sunday and head for the beach when Ken gets off work. E isn’t going with us, he has a class he’s taking through UNCP so it’s Ken, me and the girls! I can’t wait!!

My Weight Issue(s)

I think I have weight issues! I've lost almost 7 lbs in the past month which is what I wanted and said I would do. I even said that amount would be enough but every time I get to my goal I want to lose more. I haven't lost any since last week and it really annoys me. I want to lose a few more pounds, actually 5 would be nice but I'm kidding myself if I think I can do that and maintain it, nope not going to happen but I am shooting for a few more pounds and for it to stay off. My husband says I look good and I believe him but I also know what he thought when I gained the weight after we got married. He'd prefer for me to be small (I can since it) so I'm trying my best for him. Which is a good thing, at least he'll keep me in check. But that leads me again to the fact that I'm stuck at the same weight I was last Thursday! The weekends are what get me. I'm really good through the week: Fiber One Bar for breakfast (2 pts), Turkey Sandwich and Reduced Fat Chips or Popcorn for lunch (5 1/2 pts), Grilled Chicken and Salad for dinner (most nights) (3-4 pts) then some kind of Weight Watchers snack in the evening. Yes, I'm counting points and it's worked so far. I can have around 19 pts a day. I've got it down pat during the week but the weeknds comes along and we have dinner with friends, b-day parties, the kids want ice cream, etc. I have no will power. Thank goodness I earn points when I work out so that helps offset let's say that brownie I had Monday. That's enough rambling for me right now, I do have work to do. More on this topic later.

The Hall World - My World

I have a few friends who don’t have blogs but read mine every so often to keep up with what’s going on in the Hall world (my world) so I thought I would do a semi-play-by-play of the past week or so.

On Sat. June 13 the girls and I hung out at the pool while Ken and E did some yard work but don’t worry they did join us when they got done. That evening we (me, Ken, M & R) went over to a friend’s house to cookout. Together they have 5 kids! So they have us beat, ha, ha. E wasn’t there and one of their’s wasn’t either but in-laws and a nephew were so in total we had 6 adults and 7 kids! The adults had yummy steaks and salad while the kids had cheeseburgers / hamburgers, cheestos and fruit (had to make it a little healthy). On that Sunday we all slept in! I wanted to go to the pool but the girls decided they had had enough on Saturday, poor things had red noses and cheeks.

Last week M was gone to visit her dad’s parents and Ken’s kids stayed at their mom’s all week for VBS. Do you know what that means…we were alone for a whole week!! I missed the kids but it was really nice not having to keep up with who was where, what who was wearing and if it was clean and what we were having to eat, heck I didn’t even worry about keeping food in the frig. Monday night Ken found a motorcycle he liked. On Wednesday night we went to see it and we both liked it right away then on Thursday we bought it! And yes, I’ve already rode it, twice! I said I wouldn’t till he had time to ride awhile and get comfortable but I couldn’t help it, I had too. Just a couple quick trips around the neighborhood. I liked it but it is a little scary. At one point I told him to slow down and he promptly told me he was only going 25 (the posted speed limit), I said oh, well slow down anyway! The turns are what get to me the most but in time I’ll get more comfortable with it. Hopefully by August 15, we have a charity bike ride. Our police department does one every year for Special Olympics. We ride from Pinehurst to Greensboro, eat lunch and ride back to Cox Harley in Asheboro then home. It’s for a good cause, it’s Ken’s employer and we have a motorcycle now so I thought we’d participate this year.

I got to leave work a little early on Friday. I went home to spend some time with Ken before he went to work at 7pm. That was really nice. Usually we sort of pass one another coming and going when he’s on night shift.

On Saturday my mom and aunt came for a visit. I took them into the Village of Pinehurst where we shopped and ate lunch then we headed to downtown Southern Pines for more shopping. I say shopping but what I mean is we looked around mostly. I’m saving what little bit I can for vacation next month. We even did the Bed, Bath & Beyond, Petsmart, etc. (strip mall) before the heat just took over and we headed back to the house. Saturday evening a friend had her son’s b-day party at the park so I was there from 5 till 8, thank goodness I had booked the picnic shelter, shade! Total in attendance, with adults and children, were 25, we went through 36 bottles of water AND 36 bottles of Gatorade!! Also, pizza, cookies and cake, yum-o.

Sunday was Father’s Day. Happy Father’s Day my sweet husband. Ken had some comp time so he took Sunday night off which was great since we rounded up all the kids in the afternoon. We were suppose to get his around 2:30 then M would be home and we would have a big cookout, well to say the least we didn’t get R & E till after 4 (no surprise but I won’t dwell on that) so I took Ken out for lunch. When we got home R helped me bake brownies for Ken and when M got home the kids gave him his cards and horseshoes. He’s been wanting some, even looked at them one day white at Wal-Mart so I thought they would make a great Father’s Day gift not to mention the big motorcycle that’s in the garage, LOL. I also gave him a card and black jelly bellies (our favorite). Ken and I rented Gran Torino last night, good movie by the way, so all and all I think he had a pretty good Father’s Day. I wish I could have made it to Lumberton to see my dad but I didn’t want to leave Ken alone. He’s been so sweet to me over the past couple years on Mother’s Day I wanted to do the same for him.

Monday morning I dropped the girls off at camp. They are going to a half day camp right in our back yard at the First Health Fitness Center. I picked them up on my lunch hour, took them home, had lunch then back to work. They said they had a great time at camp and can’t wait to go back. R doesn’t like getting up at 7 on her summer vaca but M (surprisingly) said she’d rather do that than sit at home watching TV. Yes I was blown away by that statement. She’s always saying things to surprise me.

I think that pretty much catches everyone up on what’s going on in my world. Not really exciting but life isn’t always exciting, which is a good thing, sometimes we need down time.

Doctor's Orders

First of all the doc said my breathing is good, stay on the Flovent (preventative inhaler) which I found out is now only $30 with my prescription card, thank goodness, follow up in a year.

Since I was there I thought I would tell him about my Shred experience. His response “well, you’re not going to do that workout again are you”. I said yes, I want to but after checking out my legs he said that wasn’t the workout for me. He told me he has heard about people hurting themselves doing this workout and if I think I must continue, to be very careful and to listen to my body, don’t push too hard. He also said I’m in great health and shape and that I don’t need to do that kind of workout unless I want abs, etc. that come along with it. I said not really, I just want to lose a few more pounds. He said that wasn’t necessary either but if that’s what I want then add a couple more walking workouts and runs into my schedule. I usually do 3 to 5 a week (on a good week), he said to increase that to 5 to 6 every week. I’m still debating this. I did walk last night, a nice slow walk after the doctor told me to take 800mg of ibuprofen every 4 hours to help with the pain. So my plan is to do my walking workout DVD tonight or run, depends on the weather. Then after a few days of this, maybe and I stress the word maybe, I’ll try Shred again. We’ll see what happens.

My legs, my poor, poor legs!

Yes, I am still in pain from that stupid Shred DVD! By the end of the day yesterday I could barley walk!! I was in tears trying to sit in the bath tub to soak in some warm water, hoping that would help. By the way it didn’t really help but felt good at the time. Needless to say I could not workout last night. I will try tonight though. My legs are still killing me but I know I must push through or it’ll be like this every time I start and stop, start and stop. UGH!! I am not looking forward to this. When we we’re doing the DVD the other night, Ken mentioned I was going really fast. He told me to slow down. Tonight I will take that advise and go real, real slow, that is if I can even do any of it. I might have to go back to my other workout DVD to build myself back up. It had been a week since I did any type of workout. We’ll see.

I have a doctor’s appointment today for a follow up breathing test. Since I started on my daily preventive, Flovent, I’ve felt so much better and have only used my emergency inhaler twice in a month. That’s so much better than using it 5 or 6 times a week. The down side is it cost $60 a prescription, once a month plus M’s is the same price. Both of our preventive’s are at the top or my prescription card tear, just my luck and right now $120 a month is a lot for me. Of course M will have hers but I’m going to talk to the doc about mine. Maybe there is some kind of alternative.

A quick update on my wonderful husband. He got his motorcycle endorsement last month. At the time I said there was no way he was getting a motorcycle, he could ride the one the police department gives him to ride when the time comes, probably in August, they have Harley’s by the way. Well guess what…we’re looking for a motorcycle. Practically bought one last week but when the guy showed up with the title it was a year older than what he told us and he wouldn’t come off his price any so we said no thanks. Now Ken is on the hunt for another. Bless his heart. Somebody asked me why I changed my mind, I said because I’m sure there will come a day when I want something and he can’t say no but that’s really not the truth. The truth is, he deserves it. He works so hard, not only at his paid job but around the house. He has done so much for me in the 2 years we’ve been together there was no way I could tell him no. Speaking of working hard…he has the laundry room almost done. He’s going to paint the ceiling and put up a new light fixture and it’ll be complete, I bought the ceiling paint and light fixture last night. He painted it a very pretty shade of green and the cabinets white with brushed nickel knobs. It looks so good. We’re trying it out in the laundry room before moving onto the kitchen. So far these colors look like a winner. Ok so that wasn’t a quick update, I can’t help myself, I’m so proud of him and love him to death!

I’ll probably have more to write tomorrow after the doctor today and my attempt at working out again tonight..........

SHRED

I received my Shred DVD in the mail on Monday and tried it last night. I stress the word TRIED. Oh my goodness…my legs, upper thighs in particular, hurt so bad today that when I get up from my desk I want to cry!! I had been doing my walking/workout video and walking/running outside but had not done anything in a week when I jumped on this DVD. I started with Level 1, if I had not I would not be typing today, I would probably be hospitalized. Ken even did it with me and he said he hurt more from that than when he runs 2 plus miles everyday. Of course his body is used to the running so this was new to him too. I started out with 5 lb weights, that lasted all of a few movements. They were quickly passed off to Ken. I will be hitting Wal-Mart after work today for 2 or 3 lb weights. I will do my best to get in another workout tonight, if my poor legs will allow me, they might just refuse! You can rest assure I will be on Level 1 for awhile! In fact this probably won’t be a 30 day Shred for me, more like a 60 day Shred. I can’t even begin to imagine Level 3! God help me if/when I make it that far. My poor legs, everything else is fine. Let’s see how I feel tomorrow. I'm hoping this will help me lose a few more pounds. I've lost 5 in the last 3 weeks so maybe this will help me with that additional 3 to 5 I want to get rid of. Then I'll need the help maintaining it but we'll deal with that when the time comes. I'll write more tomorrow, if I make it through another night of Shred hell - that's what I'll be referring to it as - Shred Hell but if it works I might change the name, I doubt it but who knows.