Hallelujah, The Semester is Over

Grades for ISU are due today by 2:15pm and I had them done yesterday.   I had to submit DMACC grades yesterday so I made myself sit down and do the math for my ISU classes too.   I weight my grades for education-prep courses and the math is tedious.   I'm surprised I haven't heard from some students yet because the weighting process actually dropped their grade.   I'm sure they'll contact me after grades are officially released.    My advice to them...don't suck on the major assignments in class.

I'm basically off work now until January 3-4 but I do have tasks to work on so I'm not slammed with work at the start of the year.    I need to update some items for my graduate students, do some class prep for both ISU and DMACC, etc.   I'm just happy to be able to do it from home or in Waukon.    The heat in my office and the south side of the building is off or running really low.    I don't know how my co-worker works here lately as she has no body fat.  

I ran a buttload of errands yesterday and should have divided them up better so some were done today.   I was wiped out by 5pm.    I ran to the pharmacy in Ankeny that sells the supplements I need for the rest of my life so I could by a different flavor of calcium supplement.   I've been using an orange flavor for a couple weeks and my chewable multivitamin is also orange flavored.   I needed a change.   Thankfully they had strawberry on hand.    Elvira desperately needed a car wash too.   I had so much salt on it.    Everything else pertained to running to stores to buy things.   I was able to pop into Hy-Vee and bug Gavin while he was working which is always fun.   He's working a lot of hours in the next week.

Gavin and I went to a movie this past weekend and saw "Office Christmas Party".    It was pretty funny but another one of those comedies that shows a lot of the good parts in the previews.   We've been rather lax with the Netflix movies but have watched a few in the past weeks/months.

• I recently watched "11:14" which is a collection of stories in one movie that all relate to each other and yes, everything seems to happen at 11:14pm.  I forgot how many popular actors were in the movie.   I also forgot how sexual and violent the movie was but it was decent.   I hadn't watched a movie with Patrick Swayze in a long time.
• I've had Saturday Night Live DVDS coming for awhile that feature the musical acts.   I focused on the music from the 90s.   A lot of the performances are the reasons I started buying certain CDs so it was neat to see the acts again.
• I can't remember if I mentioned "Ex Machina" in a past post.   It is about an employee that wins the opportunity to spend time at a CEO's home.    The CEO has designed artificial intelligence and wants the employee to interact with her to see if she can actually pass as human.    The ending is very good.    One of the best movies I've seen in awhile.  

Now that work has slowed down, I can read for pleasure again.   I dove into "The Giver" last night and am already halfway through the book.   I'm not sure if I'll read a book for work next or if I'll read the next Harry Potter book.   The book related to work is about teaching sex education.   Woo!

I need to send out more Christmas cards too.   I shortened my list further for this year.  I have friends from high school that no longer send me a card so they get the boot.   It still balances out as I've added more people from work.     I'm slowing wrapping presents too.  Need to take advantage of Gavin being at school.   He's pretty oblivious though.   I've wrapped gifts for him with him in the apartment and living room.   Ha.    I had something made for Dan and I'm hoping he likes it.   It turned out better than I expected and it allowed me to shop local.   

Final thing to share---I start InvisAlign in January.   I had my final meeting about the process today and the order has been placed.    Thank you ISU for great medical and dental insurance.   I'll shrink some more in 2017 and fix my crooked front teeth!

Wishing Final's Week was Over

Greetings:

Day One of Final's Week is over.   Four more days to go.   I gave my only in-person exam today for my PE class.   All of my other exams are online which is handy.    I still have unit plans to grade for my health studies classes.   45 for one section and 12 for the other.   I'm diving into those tomorrow and Wednesday.   

After DMACC tonight, I decided to NOT grade for once and just do somethings around the house.  I got a few Christmas presents wrapped.  I thought I'd wrap more than I did but I immediately ran out of tape and lost motivation pretty quickly.  I chose to subscribe to Sirius radio in my Escape.   My free access ends in January.   Merry Christmas to me.   I'm also trying to make arrangements to start making car payments online since that fun part of life needs to restart again.  

The past weekend was decent.   I spent all of Saturday grading and it was very productive.   Sunday started off a little rough because I thought I had a plan but there was uncertainty with Dan joining me or the time he would be joining me.    Plus his ex wasn't on schedule with dropping off Jude and Dan needed to get him to his Grandma's.    I was quite irritated by noon.   Things worked out eventually and we were only a little late to the women's basketball game.   We killed time at my office after the game and before my work Christmas party.   It was actually a really fun party.   It was at the chairperson's house so it was casual.   I did well with the food choices.   I brought a crockpot of turkey meatballs in my usual BBQ + grape jelly sauce.    My coworker brought Jell-O too.    It was fairly easy to say "no" to the other goodies because I got fully easily on the foods I could eat.  

Dan participated in his first White Elephant gift exchange at the party.    I had my first gift taken from me but ended up with Halloween-like items for my office.    One is a pencil and paper-clip holder and I got a weird 'crazyhead' pencil.   Dan got a great gift that included expensive tea, a new coffee mug, and a small bottle of Korean wine.    I'll be drinking the wine in May or June when I can drink again.   It was a completely different experience having a 'date' with me.   It was nice to have someone with their arm around me, rubbing my back, etc.   Not entirely used to dating someone that is kosher with the public displays of affection.

I also made a cool realization on Sunday.   I decided to wear my zip-up ISU hoodie.     When I bought it a few years ago, I liked it but could never actually zip it up comfortably.   I gave it a go and it zipped up...with ease!    The number has stabilized on the scale which happened a little faster than I expected but I think I'm still losing inches/centimeters based on how my clothes fit.   I'm happy to not be giving myself blood thinner shots anymore and was able to start birth control again today.   It's still a pain to take meds since I cannot swallow them in their capsules.   I can start taking them normally the first week of January.   

I guess that's all I have for an update.   Hopefully my next entry will be boasting with completed grading tasks.  

Solid Food Never Tasted so Good!

I am currently waiting at the car dealership and should be grading but I did so for about the last hour.   I think I qualify for a break.   Plus it's difficult to concentrate in this environment.  

• Gavin and I got a Christmas tree this past weekend.    It is the first item I've ever bought on the Ankeny Buy and Sell portion of Facebook.   A family up by Madrid was selling it.   It worked out well to take the scenic route to Ames on Sunday to the women's basketball game and stopped at their home to get it.   It was technically free since Gavin and I drove to get it but I still gave them $20 since it was such a nice tree and it came with a storage bag.   Furthermore, it's not pre-lit!   Finding a used non pre-lit tree has been a challenge.   I looked to buy a new fake tree but the prices are outrageous.   We got it home and assembled and it's huge!    It's 7.5 feet and well built.   It took four sets of lights to cover it properly.   A neat side note about the process:   the neighbor's of the tree-giving people had zebras out to pasture.    Never knew that people could own zebras in Iowa.   I guess it's probably like owning horses.  

• I am now able to eat more foods.   I can eat poultry and fish.  The pouches of tuna have been wonderful.   If I eat chicken, I have to be sure it's very moist which is a bit different for me as  I like baking the hell out of chicken so it's a bit dry.    I'm going to throw some chicken breasts in the crock pot with extra broth and see if they are decent.   I can have yogurt now as long as it doesn't have added sugar or huge pieces of fruit in it.   Unsweetened applesauce is back on the diet too.    Hummus too!   I've been pretty happy eating eggs and cottage cheese too.   

• I have a meeting tomorrow with the surgeon.   They'll take our official post-surgery weight since swelling shouldn't be an issue anymore.    I've been weighing myself at home and you're not supposed to do it often.   But ya, I've been doing it everyday.   We'll get a new reading on our body composition too.   I had to cancel class tomorrow because of the meeting so I wasn't too happy about that.   I gave my students an online assignment to do instead.   

• I only have two more days of blood thinning shots left.   The process really hasn't been too bad.  You don't even feel the injection.   I thought it would be more difficult with my hatred of needles.   Taking my other two meds is still a bear in the morning.    I can take one med with a spoonful of sugar-free pudding but it still tastes like battery acid since it has to be dumped out of the capsule.   The other one is a little easier since I can dump the capsule in the back of my throat.   It doesn't taste bad unless I chomp down on one of the little beads of medicine.   In a couple more weeks I can just swallow the capsules like normal and I'll be adding B12 and iron supplements.   I need to make a chart for my bathroom and kitchen for my supplement regimen.    I'm going to make them all pretty so I can laminate them.   

• I found out in a previous meeting that it's common for some hair loss in the months after surgery and yup, I'm losing some hair.   I actually got a significant hair cut recently to prepare for the hair loss.   I had six inches cut off and I think it looks better in general.   I can notice though when I brush my hair and wash it, I have a lot more falling out.   By month six, it should cease because my body will be used to all the change and I should be getting plenty of protein by that point.    I've had people ask if I dyed  my hair because the hair cut took off most of my very blonde high lights.   My real hair color is very dark blonde/light brown so I do look a bit different.   

That's enough for now.   Back to the grind.

First Blog with an Altered Stomach

First and foremost, my surgery went very well and my recovery has been great too.   I didn't get much sleep on the night of November 21 but it wasn't because of nerves.  I was excited.    We had to report to registration at 5:30am which wasn't a problem.   I was the first one on the agenda for the day.    My surgery was delayed for a bit because someone had an emergency appendectomy and my anesthesiologist was used for the procedure.   A lot of the pre-surgery prep was the same that I went through with my scope on November 10.   I was happy the nurse was able to get my IV set on the first try.    I also got a sticker-like patch put behind one of my ears as it was to help with post-surgery nausea.   I can't remember what time they took me back, I think it was around 8:30am.   All I remember is laying back on the table and talking with the anesthesiologist.   He told me he put a little something into my IV and that it would burn and BAM I was out.    I woke up in a recovery area thankfully not in pain but feeling pretty sick to my stomach.    They treated me for a bit for that issue and I was eventually moved to my room on the fourth floor.  

The first day wasn't very eventful.   They had me up and walking pretty quickly which wasn't bad at all.   It was tiring but not painful.    I found out that having a catheter gives you the sensation that you constantly have to pee really bad.   When I was first making sense of things, I kept worrying I was going to pee the bed because of the sensation.    They had my on a lot of IV fluids so the pee collection process was consistent.   I wasn't sad to have the catheter removed on Wednesday.    I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything on Tuesday.   If my mouth got dry, I had to use a moistened sponge to wet it down and that was it.   I was given a button to deliver a narcotic when I felt I needed it.   I got props from my nurses because I wasn't using it much.    I was pretty impressed with the lack of pain.    It didn't feel great but my incisions were just generally sore, that's it.   I have five incisions on my chest and torso.   One is right at the bottom of my sternum and it was a site for my gallbladder removal too.   They made a pretty large incision using my belly button too (also used for my gallbladder).   The other three are between those two sites.   My steri strips  are starting to come off on their own too.    I only have two left.   My belly button has been a bit angry as I've stressed those sutures.

On Wednesday I started receiving meals.    I was also allowed to drink water.   The main tool was the little medicine cup you usually get with cough medicine.   I was supposed to try and drink a medicine cup of water every 15 minutes.   For each meal I was given a coffee cup of broth and a cup of gelatin.   I usually ate a spoonful or two of Jell-o and a few sips of broth.   Dan left on this day since he had to work but Gavin and Alissa were able to visit.     (The flowers are still alive!)    I basically relaxed, did some walking, read my book, etc.   My catheter was removed halleluiah.   And I was able to shower!
On Thursday Dan's mom and her husband came to visit.  I was actually surprised by this as I didn't know they were coming.   I was antsy at this point because I wanted to be discharged but had to wait until 2pm since that seems to be the magic time for the process to start.   The surgeon came and checked my incisions was happy with everything.    His residents had come and checked me the previous days.   They were finally able to take my IV out prior to being discharged.   It really hurt on Thursday.    They gave me my prescriptions and I was on my way Thursday.   I filled all my prescriptions but really didn't need to.   I haven't needed my narcotic or my nausea medicine.   I've been giving myself a shot each morning to prevent blood clots.  Despite not liking needles, the shots have been pretty simple to do and not painful.   I also have a prescription for omeprazole which is supposed to prevent stomach lining discomfort and heart burn.  

Today was the first post-surgery meeting with a dietician and I received good news about how my diet gets to progress week-by-week.  I get to add cottage cheese, eggs, and protein drinks this week.  Next week I get to add non-red meat and hummus.    It will be nice to have texture again in foods.   I also start a portion of my vitamin regimen this week too.   I take a chewable multivitamin in the morning and another at night.    I also take calcium citrate three times a day (morning, lunch, and evening).   At week six I will add B12 in the evening (a drop under my tongue) and an iron pill right before bed.   It has to be separated from calcium citrate.

I think that's enough of an update.   I've been meaning to blog for days but I've still been in a mental fog.   Anesthesia totally messes with your brain as well as your lungs.   I finally felt pretty normal today at work but still get winded easily.    

I Need to Borrow Alissa's Shirt

I have definitely been a roller coaster of emotion in the past week.   Some major events have sparked emotional Jenny.

1)   Getting used to the non-solid food diet.  Around day 3 I had a melt down in the sense I felt like I was withdrawing.   I was really missing some certain foods.

2)  I got a phone call from Dad about his concern with surgery.   I wish I had heard from him sooner.   It lead to an argument with Dan because I needed to vent about it and didn't get much of a response from him.   There has been a lot of stress with Dan's kids and ex lately and I feel that gets a lot of attention.    When I have an issue pop up, it feels odd to get attention or help.   I'm grateful I don't have drama or issues often but it would be nice to feel important when things happen.

3) I had a guy hit the back of Elvira today when I was running errands.   I've calmed down a lot but I'm still pretty disgruntled.   The fact he thought I reversed into him was infuriating.   The claim has been submitted to State Farm and luckily the dealership is an approved body shop.   The damage is minimal but it's a new SUV, I don't want it looking rough yet.

The non-solid diet has been OK.  I've developed a renewed appreciation for oatmeal.   It's been a saving grace for lunch at work.    I am struggling a bit with the soup because I'm used to putting A LOT of crackers in tomato soup.     Eating it plain has been meh.   I'm not a big chicken soup person but I've been using chicken bouillon and Lipton soup mix to make broth.   I'm not eating yogurt as much as I should be but it hasn't seemed as appealing.

I need to crank out a lot of grading this weekend so I'm in a good place to not work for part of next week.  I am going to do some at home and some at ISU.   On Sunday, Gavin has his football banquet.  I feel dumb because I paid for Dan and I and I can't eat the meal I paid for.   I'm sure Gavin and Dan will help the food disappear.   I have the fun process of ingesting magnesium citrate after the banquet so I can start "cleaning out my system".   Ideally I should be taking it on Monday night but I need to teach my DMACC class.    It wouldn't be professional to run out of the classroom continually to use the bathroom.  

I thought I'd be more nervous by now but I'm sure that will change as Tuesday approaches.   Found out that I'll need to report to the hospital at 5:30am.   I didn't realize that being first in line meant going in THAT early.

Swim & Gym ended on Thursday and like usual I was ready for it to end.    It was an interesting session since all my employees were new.    Some are being invited back and some are not.   Parents were patient with the construction issues thank goodness.    The next session starts February 7th and I'll be excited for it by then.

I don't know if it's because of surgery or my approaching birthday but I did decide to treat myself to a manicure and pedicure the other day.   I also bought a new rug for the apartment today.   (Side note:  I feel very adult-like thinking a new rug is a treat.)

Eleven Days and Counting

I'm on day three of my pre-operation diet.   I have days of non-solid food ahead of me to prep my system and continue to shrink my stomach.   They want those of us having surgery on November 22nd to eat this way so we avoid having the "last supper"  event happen.    If the diet isn't restricted before surgery, it is common for a person to keep having a feast periodically since they feel they'll never have the food again or for a long time.   I can complete believe people would struggle with that...Lord knows I'd be doing it too.  I did have some "last suppers" prior to this new diet starting.   I know damn well I would have done that up to surgery too.  

I did a better job of grocery shopping today so I have the correct food on hand.    My main staples are:

• Sugar-Free Jell-O
• sugar free pudding
• Cream of Wheat, oatmeal, and/or Malt-o-Meal
• Carnation Instant Breakfast drinks
• Tomato soup (made with skim milk)
• Chicken broth
• Low-sugar yogurt
• One protein bar a day 
• skim chocolate milk 
• Protein powder

I'm grateful for the chocolate milk as I use it for my chocolate protein powders.    The hot cereal is nice too.   The one protein bar a day is supposed to give us something solid to eat but I'm already getting sick of the flavors I've purchased.   I will admit I'm struggling already because I'm craving other foods badly.    The good news is they are healthy cravings but I still can't eat the food.  (chicken breast, apples, peanut butter sandwiches, etc.)   

I had my GI scope yesterday which was an interesting experience.    I had the impression I would be out of commission for part of the morning and able to work in the afternoon but that didn't happen.    We got checked in on time but it took longer to get my IV started due to my issues with the process and veins blowing.   The nurse lady that stuck me wasn't very nice either, I could tell she was irritated with me but I did give her fair warning.   I don't remember being put under with my wisdom teeth back in 2000.   I don't remember with my gallbladder surgery either since it happened so quickly.    Being put under for my scope was interesting.   They sprayed stuff into the back of my mouth initially so it would numb up.   Horrible tasting stuff.    They then said I'd feel something burning in my IV site and that would be the indication my anesthesia being administered.   I remember making a comment about the burning feeling and then waking up in the pre-op room.   Odd feeling to know time passed without having a clue about the passage of time.   Before the procedure, I canceled my 12:40pm class and my 2:10 class.    I probably could have taught my 2:10 class so I regret cancelling it.   Better safe than sorry I guess.   I did show up to run Swim & Gym.   It made me realize I won't be functioning as well as I expected after surgery.   

I don't feel nervous about it yet.   I guess that is surprising and seems to be surprising people that know.   I honestly only get worried about the needles and IVs.    

I'm proud to say I've gotten some Christmas shopping done for Gavin.   He wants a personal laptop but he's not getting that this year.   He has a device from school to use and can use mine when he needs to so I don't see the logic of buying him another one.   We just put more money into his car too. He's just getting a collection of small stuff.   No clue about gifts for others.    I'll be shopping in December when I hate shopping but oh well.

It was nice to have a day up in NE Iowa for Luke's wedding.   It was nice to have a date that wanted to be there and actually dance.   I was exhausted when we got back to Ankeny.   So what will be the next wedding?   

I guess that's enough of an update.   I actually feel like hell.   I woke up with really bad joint pain and have been nauseated a lot today.   I actually had to leave work early because I couldn't focus and just wanted to rest.   It has felt like I've had a very unproductive week and I'm behind with grading.    I did some grading before this blog entry.   We'll see if I crank out more after this is finished.  

That's enough for now!

  

The Date is Set

Time to add a blog update.  It's been on my mind lately but the past two weeks have been nuts at work.   I've had extra meetings, a wrap-up for student teacher placements, and midterm grades were due this week.  I procrastinated a bit with some classes but got the grading taken care of so I could send out the handful of midterms.   I've been sleeping a lot better this semester so it did feel draining to stay up later the last couple nights.   I had to take a nap today which is something I really haven't been doing much lately.

The big news is that my surgery is officially scheduled for November 22nd.   I do not know the time until the day before but I'm supposedly the first on the list.  I have to go to an appointment on November 10 to get a scope of my esophagus and stomach to make sure there aren't anomalies with my anatomy.   On November 8 I have a pre-op meeting/class that reinforces what I have to do the weeks before the surgery.   I start a liquid based diet on that day too and can only eat certain foods prior to the surgery.   My usual protein shakes are on the list, soups, yogurt, etc.   Thankfully oatmeal and hot cereals are on the list.   It basically clears out my system and should make me lose more weight prior to the surgery.   They want a person's liver to shrink too so the stomach can easily be reached.   So I guess this is my way of saying that I am going through with surgery and taking that route.    I also need to schedule an appointment with my usual physician for approval to be under anesthesia.

On a related note, I'm sticking to my 1000-1400 calorie a day fairly well.   I've been surprised by how dedicated I've been to it.   I have a meeting with a dietician on October 19 and I really wanted to prove that I could stick to her recommendations since the previous visit was disappointing.   I am currently the lightest I've been since 2012 if not earlier.   I do have some days where it is super tempting to grab food from past places like Culver's or Taco John's.   I stop and think about how one meal at those places could be all my calories for one day if not more.    I will admit there has been some self-talk in regards to my current success with weight loss.   I do ask myself "why not just keep doing what I'm doing with activity and calorie intake and lose weight this way?"   I then come back to reality and remember that most of my attempts do start this way with mondo success but then something in life kicks in again whether it's my stress level, complacency, laziness, or cravings just overtaking my willpower.  I need to do something that helps my changes become permanent so I do the best I can with health in the remaining years of my 30s.  

The name for my new vehicle is Elvira.  I was motivated by the black color of the SUV.    It's been a nice change with the new vehicle.   No scary loud noises being emitted from under the hood.   No leaking oil.   Temperature controls that work well.  The gas mileage aspects are different which is a slight bummer.   It can actually take E-15 gas so that's supposed to help with efficiency.    Today was the first time I put that kind of gas into it because it's not the easiest to find but Kum & Go does have it.   It cannot take E-85 since it's a newer FlexFuel SUV.    They really promoted the fact that I get a free trial of Sirius Radio.   At first I wasn't super impressed but there is a Pearl Jam station that absolutely rocks.   If I'm not happy with my FM stations, I'm usually moving to that station.   I significantly doubt I'll keep the subscription when the free trial is over but for now it's a nice treat.

Last but not least...I'm super proud of my latest Halloween/fall decoration.  I'm a sucker for fall decorations.

In a Sunday Funk

Greetings on this October Day:

I am actually pretty happy it's October.   I recently put out my Halloween decorations.   The leaves ar changing.   And the temperatures have been fantastic lately.   It was great to shut off my AC and start sleeping with my patio door cracked open at night.

I've had a lot of solo time in the past days.   Gavin traveled with the football team to Council Bluffs on Friday for a football game.    I did not feel like traveling to Council Bluffs to watch it so I came home from work, took a little nap, and went to a movie.   I saw "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children".   I loved the book.   I need to read the other two books in the series.   It won't happen any time soon.    The movie was well made and had some scary parts.   They changed some parts of the story though, including the ending so that rubbed me the wrong way.

Gavin worked a lot yesterday and most of today.   I stayed home in the morning and did some work and cleaning.  I also made a huge grocery trip to stock up on the essentials.   We have a lot of protein in this apartment now.   I went over the Newton yesterday and played tennis with Dan.    We didn't play for as long as I wanted but at least we played.   We are up to playing about 1-2 times week now. I want to make good use of the time before the snow is flying.    I left Newton this morning in a pissy mood.   It relates to Dan's motivation plus a tinge of my PMS.   I am feeling like a broken record lately.   I always seem to be the motivator whether it be with him, at work, etc.   I wish it was more reciprocal in nature and God knows I'll need support and motivation in the future if I have the gastric sleeve surgery.   I'm also feeling like a nag and I don't like that role either.   I'm back in Ankeny now and did some prep work for DMACC.   I need to do some grading for ISU but am taking a break from work.    Figured I'd blog for a bit and go for a walk by the DMACC pond.   Sit in the sun.   Get some Vitamin D.   Hopefully fix my mood.

I did watch a movie while I was working on DMACC stuff.   It was called "Black or White".  It features Kevin Costner and is a somewhat true story about a grandfather fighting for custody of his granddaughter after a death in the family.   Racial aspects are brought up.   It's actually pretty good.

I finally saw the new "Mad Max" movie last week.    The DVD sat around for awhile so I figured I better get it watched.   I should have seen it in the theater but it was pretty decent for being a big car chase for most of the movie.    Charlize Theron was very good as a key actress.

I have a busy week coming up due to extra meetings.    I'm on a policy board for Story County (Monday) and on an appeal committee for ISU (Thursday).    I need to visit a student teacher on Tuesday morning and another on Wednesday morning too.    Sigh.   I guess I can't complain about having too much idle time.

The change with diet is going pretty well.   I even ate at Olive Garden and did OK with my calories (ate one too many breadsticks).    I'm usually at 1100-1400 by the end of the day.    Dan and I met with the surgeon last week and the appointment was more pleasant than I expected.   He was very blunt.   The first thing he said to me was "Say good-bye to the foods you love.    You cannot have them anymore."    I got a kick out of the list of food he provided because 95% of the things he listed, I don't like anyway.   But it was another wake-up call for portion-control.   I've done a good job of thinking and reflecting before I eat so I'm sure I'm physically hungry and not bored hungry, emotional hungry,  etc.   I've had a few moments of being upset or stressed and I've wanted pretty unhealthy foods.   If it's after work, I just keep driving home because I know I have better choices to cook.    Most mornings I'm making a toaster waffle and eating that (plain) as I get dressed and ready for work.   I do a protein shake in the morning too.   Lunch has been salad or a sandwich, usually with another protein shake.   Supper has been a variety of things.   Gavin and I have some fish to eat this week and I have frozen chicken breasts to work with too.

Ok, that's enough of an update.

Caloric Restriction = Success So Far

Last week's nutritionist appointment left me confused and disgruntled.   I sat down at my appointment and was asked for calorie tracking and also asked if I had significantly reduced my calories.    Umm...I had nothing like that written in my notes from my first appointment that told me to track calories and nothing to reduce my calorie intake.    So the appointment didn't go well because they had expected weight loss.  The good news is that I maintained, it's not like I gained.   I had some major changes to make after the appointment though.    They want me eating 1200-1400 calories a day.    That is a BIG change for me.   The good news?   It's actually been pretty easy the past five days.    Things that have made the process easier:

• V8 single serve cans
• Malt-o-Meal and Cream of Wheat (I can add protein powder to them)
• Turkey lunch meat (sandwiches are my saving grace)
• Protein shakes
• I have a chocolate type and some fruit flavored types
• Eggs
• Fresh veggies

I've been eating a lot of the same things so at some point I need to add some more variety.    

I went to the dealership on Saturday with the purpose of buying a Ford Escape.    It didn't happen on Saturday but may happen on Wednesday or Friday this week.    Turns out the model I really wanted was a 2017.    I cannot afford it.    They don't have many 2016 models.    They are supposed to be getting more later this week, hence the wait.   Needless to say I was rather bummed on Saturday evening.    It was a risk but Dan and I had a date night and went to Red Lobster.    There was a lot of self-talk going on as we drove to Ames.    I was bummed, slightly pissed, etc. and I was wanting to cope with food.    I was envisioning the cheddar biscuits, a large portion of food, etc.    Thankfully, I calmed down and talked some sense into myself before we arrived.    I got a meal off the 'lighter fare' menu which didn't screw up my calorie intake.    I only had two cheddar biscuits.   Only drank water. It was actually a really good test.   

Dan and I meet with the surgeon tomorrow.   I'm a smidge nervous and I expected it to be worse.    Maybe I'll feel different tomorrow.    I still haven't officially said 'yes' yet but I'm getting very close to a point where I need to make a choice.     

Gavin was tested at work this weekend (mystery shopper) and passed with flying colors.   He was awarded with a free lunch.   

I was actually fairly productive this weekend which is a good change.   Being that I thought I was trading in my Fusion, I cleaned it out completely.    I did a lot of grading and prep work for both institutions.    I planned to do some organizing with my ISU email today---lots of things I can delete or file properly.    I thought I'd spend an hour on the task and I ended up spending four hours on it.   And I barely made a dent.   The only thing I didn't accomplish was decorating for Halloween.   Oh well.

Updates!

Greetings:

Even though I should be grading some quizzes at the moment, I've decided to stop working for the day (It is almost 11pm already) and do a blog update.   

Here we go in no particular order:

• I had a recent physical for general health, updating birth control, and getting clearance for gastric sleeve surgery.    At the appointment earlier in September, we decided to start whittling down the amount of medication I am taking.   I am now only taking birth control and fluoxetine (generic Prozac) at the lowest dosage.   She removed buproprion from my regimen and I adjusted well.   Ideally, I'd like to be off the fluoxetine too so that may happen in the next year too.  
• In regards to clearance for surgery, I'm making good headway.    At this point, all of my medical tests are done (x-rays, bloodwork, digestive checks, etc.).   I also have received my psychological clearance too.    I have one more meeting with a dietician on Wednesday and meet with the surgeon on Monday.   We'll see when things get officially scheduled.
• I had another major meeting last week related to diet and exercise.    I learned a lot of great information about picking protein products whether for shakes or when picking out bars.   I've been incorporating a lot more protein in my diet and it's helped curb my hunger.   I keep pre-made shakes in my office fridge as well as Qwest protein bars.   I've been stocking up on yogurt too.  
• Gavin had the game of his life last Thursday.   He was basically running the offense the whole JV game and scored all the touchdowns.   Very nice to see him playing so well.  
• Work has been pretty overwhelming.   At first I was able to work ahead as the semester started but now that I have grading and other things popping up, yikes.   I'm already behind with grading especially with my Team Sports class.   I do admit things would be easier if I didn't have the extra, in-person DMACC class.   
• Furthermore, Swim & Gym has been difficult.   I had to rehire ALL positions this semester and it is a mess when everyone is brand new.    I only had one PE major step up and apply too so most employees are not in the PE program but have experience with kids in some capacity.   It still makes me uncomfortable to step away from things.   I also had a handful of life guards quit right before we started on September 13 so that threw off things in the pool.   Sigh.   
• We needed to take Dan's necklace in last week because the clasp kept opening.   He's almost lost it more than once and I bought a protection plan for it.   They replaced it for free.   While we were there, I re-pierced my second holes in my ears.   They actually only needed to re-pierce one because the other was still open so that made it cheaper.   I doubt I'm going to re-open my third set of holes or any of my cartilage piercings but I wanted to redo the second ones for awhile now.
• Our new crop of teaching assistants/grad students are so needy!!  Another reason I am often behind with my own work is because I'm constantly helping grad students with their classes.   If some of them would just READ emails I send out, they'd be fine.   There is so much hand-holding with the development of their classes and the policies they need to follow.   
• I was able to go see Bridget Jones' Baby with some pals on Friday.   One of my past students lives in Ankeny and we've been doing things together.   She was non-traditional.  She's actually older than me and from England.    She lives very close to me too.  It was nice to see that movie (it's good) and do something with ladies.   The previews for upcoming movies looked quite good too.    
• I also got good news today as my pal Nicole and her husband want to come down this way at the end of October for a visit.   Being it would be right before Halloween, I'm hoping we can hit up some haunted houses or mazes.    They just got back from their European honeymoon.    

I guess that's enough of an update for now!   Enjoy this hilarious video.    I didn't realize that playing your recorder while waiting for traffic was the "in" thing to do.  

Labor Day Weekend Done = Sadness

Greetings:

It's 10:23pm on Monday and I'm regretting my choice to not use my weekend more wisely.    I didn't get much cleaning done around the apartment.   I wanted to get that all done before people arrived at the end of the week for Gavin's football game.   Sigh.

We went to Adventureland on Saturday and the weather was fantastic.   I went with the expectation not to ride much assuming I wouldn't fit but I did ride on quite a few things.   I didn't bother riding the Outlaw and the Tornado because I remember the seats are tiny.   It worked out well because Jude didn't want to ride on everything or he wasn't big enough to ride on certain things.    I was more than happy to sit with him while the others went on rides.    I was anxious to ride the Monster but had a gut feeling I wouldn't fit.   Dan went on it and assured me I would fit because of the new style of seating on it.   However, when it came to time to getting on the coaster, reality kicked in and nope, I didn't fit.    I wasn't shocked but I was bummed.    Hopefully I can ride everything next year so that's a major goal for me.   I'm grateful I didn't try the Monster until the end of the day because it really ruined my mood.   Dan felt bad asking me to go on it so I got many apologies.    I should have put my foot down from the get-go and said no from the start.

Things with work are going well for both institutions.   My only worry is Swim & Gym.   I'm in this weird limbo area where students don't have to take it yet as a class.   By next fall, I should have at least ten students each semester that have to take it as a class.    No one signed up to take it this semester and when it came to hiring I had ONE PE major apply.   I had to open up hiring to the overall university to try and find enough staff.    Sigh.   I have the orientation for the program on Thursday.

Other random pieces of information:

• I bought a mattress pad for my bed and WOW.  It's like sleeping on a cloud.  I've always liked the one Mom put on the bed in my old bedroom at home.   My mattress isn't the best (it's gotten lumpy) so the addition of this mattress pad has really made the sleeping surface more even and comfy.   
• I need to start car/SUV shopping.   I should have done that this past weekend too to start test driving various models.    The vehicles I am looking at:
• Ford Edge
• Chevy Traverse
• Buick Enclave
• GMC Arcadia 
• Now that work is back in full force, I'm not reading for pleasure.   I'm usually so tired at the end of the day it's hard to grab a book to read.   I need to work on that.   
• I hope I'm not jinxing it but my leg feels better today.    I still don't fully understand what the issue is but the swelling is down significantly and I have a lot less pain.  Something had been very rigid in the back of my knee.   I never figured out if it was a blood vessel, ligament, or muscle tissue.   

I guess that's it for now!  

The Semester Has Started!!

The semester started Monday for ISU and today for DMACC.   ISU started off very well.    I'm teaching HS 275 (health methods for elementary ed students) for what feels like the millionth time.   I only have one section but I have 45 students in it.  And we aren't in a very large classroom.   It will be tricky to do a lot of my activities during the semester.    I'm teaching HS 375 too (health methods for middle/high school teachers).   I only have thirteen students this semester when I'd prefer 20.   I also have KIN 232 (fundamentals of team sport) for PE majors.   I have 29 students.  It's a new format for the class as it now includes both indoor and outdoor team sports.  In past decades, the class was divided and one class was offered for indoor sports and a separate class was offered for outdoor sports.  

I am overseeing the grad students that teach this semester.   It will be my sixth year supervising that population.   I'm not overly thrilled with the new crop of students.   Holy cow they are needy.   I have one grad student that was stumped when it came to creating an attendance sheet for his classes.   I tried verbally explaining how I do it in Word document (just create a table) and he was dumbfounded.  I tried explaining how to do it in Excel.   More confusion.   Here is someone working toward their Master's degree and needs help with one of the easiest tasks.   We also have some language barriers with some students too.  

Swim & Gym is scheduled to start September 13.   I'm still hiring employees and registering families.  I'm basically needing to hire brand new employees this semester because most others are student teaching.  

I'm also supervising student teachers which usually doesn't happen in the fall.   I have two to supervise until mid-October and one to supervise the second half of the semester.    Not my favorite part of the job but oh well.

I have two online classes for DMACC.   Sports Diversity and Personal Health (high school students) started today.    I teach an evening class on Monday nights.   It's also Personal Health but for college students.   I haven't taught that class in a classroom in two years (I think).  

Gavin started school today.   I feel like I should be shocked that he's a junior but I'm really not.   Considering all the big changes over the summer with getting a job and driving his own car, I accepted that he's almost done with high school.   I think next year will be a bigger shock.    He made an odd announcement tonight about a possible career.   He mentioned becoming a chiropractor.   I wasn't expecting that.   He needs to rethink some classes he wants to take next year if he wants a healthcare career.    We'll see if it sticks.

Gavin is taking chemistry, honor's math (algebra II), Spanish IV, AP English Composition, Classical Film (eye roll), weight lifting PE, and history.   He has a study hall too which is nice.   He's now transitioned to only working weekends for Hy-Vee.   Some weekends he'll work both Saturday and Sunday.   Some he'll only work one day.

The other BIG news is that I've become more public about my consideration for gastric sleeve surgery.   I'm still not 100%.   I'm working through the steps of being eligible.   I have dietitian meetings coming up as well as a consultation with the surgeon in September.   I also have a psych evaluation.  On Monday I had chest xrays completed.   I have to have an EKG and some labs done next month.    I may have the opportunity to have the procedure done the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week.   Or it could happen in December when my jobs slow down at ISU and DMACC.   I wasn't planning on it happening until spring break in 2017.    I'm not 100% with the expedited timeline.  I've voiced that a lot with the personnel.  

I guess that's enough of an update for now!

Back to the Grind...

Today is my last day of vacation and I'm back on contract tomorrow.    Sigh.   The week should be pretty straightforward since I designed the agenda but I do have a lot of meetings being added to most days.   Good news is that my syllabi are done for my ISU classes.    I haven't done anything yet for DMACC.   I'm slotted to teach three classes but one of them has low enrollment.   It's the class that would actually meet in person if it goes.   DMACC doesn't start until August 25 so I have plenty of time to make the syllabi and get my online information ready.

The past weekend was spent with a trip to Cedar Falls to see Alissa graduate from Allen College.   It seems odd that we are all done with our post-secondary education.    (Yes, LeAnn  I know you're working on your masters but we're all done with the first phase.)   I'm hoping and confident she will pass her boards when she takes them later in the month.   Dan was able to go with me to the event so that was nice.   He's rarely been around family so I'm hoping he can join me more often.   He's planning to come to Czech Days on Saturday.

After the semester starts, I'm beginning the process for Invisalign.   I did my homework with the insurance company.    Today I'm feeling more passionate about it because my front teeth hurt.    They hurt more often lately and it's irritating and concerning.  

I'm not making great headway into "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire".   We are still making good progress through Netflix though.

"American Sniper"--much better than I expected and a very sad ending.   I didn't expect to like the story but it was very good.  

"The Maze Runner"--I was surprised with how scary the movie and story was as it unfolded.    I'd like to read the series some day.  

"Fifty Shades of Grey"--no worries.   I watched this while Gavin was at work.   It was OK.    I like the lead male actor's depiction but did not care for the lead female's acting.  

I currently have "Beloved" waiting to be watched.   I'm not sure I'll watch that today or later in the week.    Gavin and I want to go and see "Anthropoid" in the theater due to it's WW II connection.   I think it has a Czech connection too.    I was hoping to see "Sausage Party" with Dan too.  

I'm actually OK with a new semester starting.   It will be nice to get regular paychecks again.   My new financial-related goals are:  getting a different vehicle by October, buying new bedding for my room as I'm sick with how uncomfortable my bed has been this summer, and starting the process with braces.   I'm also excited to build up my savings further.  

Braces...Again!?!?

Greetings:

Yes, I got the dreaded recommendation to get braces or Invisalign.   I've had a crooked tooth for years (my own fault for not continuing to wear my retainers at night).   It's moved more and I've actually had some pain with it so I mentioned it yesterday at our sixth month check-up.   Turns out they are concerned about bone loss in that part of my jaw and the teeth around that problematic tooth are a little loose.   I had never noticed they were loose until the dentist had her fingers in mouth and were examining things.   FYI, it's not like they are super loose but they are moving WAY more than they should be.   I am going to contact my dental insurance tomorrow and start making a plan of action.    Invisalign is only like 7K...looks like I need to turn in my pop cans for some money.  

I've started reading "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire".   Thanks to LeAnn I have some decent books to read.   I did read "The Bridges of Madison County".   It only took a few days.   It's a very short book.  I'm actually glad I saw the movie first in this case because the book was quite romantic but a little boring.  I'm sure I would have stuck it out and completed it since it was so short but it was nice to know how the story ends before touching the book.  

I'm actually watching the Swedish version of "The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo" at the moment.   My coworker owns the trilogy and swears the Swedish version is better than the American version with Daniel Craig.   I'll be the judge of that.   So far it's pretty good but it requires the reading of sub-titles.

This year I am feeling much more prepared for Gavin to start school.  Usually I'm rushing to get his athletic physical done, pay the registration fee, etc.   Other than a couple school supplies, he's ready to go.   I need to attend an open house type of event on August 17 so I can pay for his school pictures.  Ankeny has them taken before school starts.   They are also assigning them Chromebooks this year for the first time.   I won't have to share my laptop with him anymore, in theory.

I had to go into work today for a meeting related to student teaching supervision.   I felt really out of place as I was the youngest one in attendance.   Most supervisors are retired teachers.   And most of them were pretty unhappy after today's meeting.    We are now using a database system for the student teaching process and the training for it was horribly organized.   I know how to use it (somewhat) because I played around with it in the spring.   I have to go in tomorrow to help a new grad student.   I'm not going to rant on here but she's going to hear about how unhappy I am to come in tomorrow.    She has to miss all of the new grad student orientation so she's panicking about some things.   And she should be.

We have a hog roast to attend this weekend for football.   It's for juniors and seniors only.    All families are introduced and the coaches are going to speak to everyone about the mission, expectations, etc.   We were asked to go to Sioux City this weekend with Dan and his family but I didn't want to miss the football event.   It's Dan's birthday on Saturday too.   He's the big 4-2.  My gift to him was a ticket to see Jim Gaffigan.   It was a funny show.  

Guess that's enough of an update for now.

The End of Summer

I am now enjoying day one of my two week vacation from work.   (Technically it's not a full vacation as I still need to complete grading for both ISU and DMACC by the end of next week and turn in grades.)    ISU Summer Youth Fitness ended on Thursday.    It was a nice closure.    We didn't have any major illness or injury this year.   We did have some major behavioral issues but things got worked out whether the kid was dropped from the program or they shaped up and got better.

The Family Night event was OK.   Due to some major construction in the building, there was some navigation confusion with parents but everything worked out in the end.   (Side note--why don't people read signs?)   I had taken time to put up pretty simplistic and straightforward signs and parents seemed to ignore them.   My grad assistant has already asked to assist me again next year if it works with his contract.   That is a nice load off my shoulders because it's become more difficult to find a grad student that wants to work with kids and be present on a regular basis.   A lot of my undergrad employees are graduating in the next year so I'm going to have to hire a lot of new people for the 2017 session.    Bleh.

My summer DMACC class is ending next week.   Participation has been pitiful in the last two weeks.   It's online so it's not like I can see them face-to-face and tell them to do the work.    All I can do is send class announcements or direct emails.   They have a major assignment due on Monday.   I'm curious to see who turns it in.   My second independent study ends next week too for ISU.  I had a couple undergrads that needed to participate in health methods as they student teach in the fall.   It worked out well as they were able to practice teaching with the kids in Summer Youth Fitness.   They too need to turn in a major assignment next week on Wednesday.

I do plan on going in 1-2 times next week to clean my office.   It's a drag to do during vacation but it needs to be done.   I also have to attend a meeting for supervising student teachers on Thursday.   My next event of excitement will be seeing Jim Gaffigan on Sunday.   I bought tickets months ago and it's Dan's birthday present.   It will be my third time seeing the comedian.   Beyond that, seeing family for Alissa's graduation and going to Czech Days are the next big agenda items.  I'm trying to figure out if I can bop up to Waukon next week too.  Gavin having a car and being self-sufficient will help with my ability to leave.

After finishing "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", I haven't picked up another book.   I hope to read "The Bridges of Madison County" and "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" in the next couple days as the books are both short.   I've only watched one Netflix movie too and it was "Girl with the Pearl Earring" featuring Scarlet Johanssen and Colin Firth.   It's fiction based on an actual painting by the artist depicted in the movie.   I can't remember his name.    I have "The Maze Runner" and "Waitress" waiting to be watched at the moment.   I've seen "Waitress" twice already.   An odd but good movie about a woman dealing with domestic violence.  

Dan and I have passed our year anniversary.   We didn't do anything too special because we are both rather broke right now.   He's trying to work a lot lately because he's not getting enough hours because of low census at the hospital.   If someone needs a day off, he typically takes the shift.   It wasn't a big deal when I was so busy with ISU but bums me out a bit that I may not see him much during my "vacation".   I am also not thrilled about how he's been treated lately by the 13-year old son.   His ex had her boyfriend move in and Taylor also got a new X-box and he's chosen not to stay with Dan on Dan's assigned days.   The younger one doesn't want to do as much either it seems.   I hate how much the kids are dependent on technology and only equate technology with fun.   End of rant.

I guess that's it for now.  

I'm Ready for August

Yes, I'm ready for August and I know that's blasphemy because it means more summer passing by but I'm ready for the ISU summer program to be done.   We've had major issues with getting approval for our t-shirts.   It is ridiculous to not have the t-shirts at this point of the program.   Some rules changed with use of the phrase 'Iowa State University' as well as the use of ISU colors.   Factor in the issue that the director of marketing has been traveling and not checking approvals and appeals.   When I called the office last week and to check on progress they were irritated I was calling but they were sitting on a decision for two weeks.  I also found issues with our accounting, primarily the amount paid for benefits for my employees.    Someone had coded some employees incorrectly in our system and they weren't listed as current students.   It makes a huge difference with the amount of benefits they receive...sigh.   I'm not sure who made the error because it's someone above me on the totem pole.   I am hoping for answers early this week as well as t-shirts being ready.

I wasn't 100% satisfied with the trip to Dubuque last weekend.   It could have been worse, and it could have been better.   I just don't feel equipped to deal with Dan's kids.   I am still toeing the line between what I can and cannot do with his kids.   I almost did lose my temper when on vacation but it didn't happen.   I'm just uneasy about things if we ever decide to progress and move in together.  I feel bad for Dan right now because he found out his ex had a man move in (unemployed) so he feels she's using his child support to support an adult.   I admit that passed through my mind too as that's another person eating food, using water, using electricity, etc.

I finished my Memoirs of a Geisha book and it was quite good.   I'm glad I randomly pulled it off my bookshelf and gave it a go.  I decided to try The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo one last time and I did progress further into the book.   I got past some of the more boring parts and now I'm into the main mystery.   I understand why the beginning is structured so blah-like as they need to set up three different story lines.   I'm just happy to finally get into the series as I've held off from seeing the movie.

It was nice to have LeAnn visit yesterday.   We went to the farmer's market in Des Moines (first time this year).   I was happy to get some cucumbers.   Yes, they have already been eaten.   We got some kohlrabi for Gavin too.   My ability to cut up kohlrabi sucks though as I cut myself trying to peel it and slice it for him.   I'm sure we'll go at least one more time this summer.   I was happy to see one Corgi too.   It was nice to play some tennis too.   I'm not happy with how sunburned I am despite wearing sunscreen.  

Movie-wise, we haven't watched much of our Netflix.   The following movies are from the past weeks:

"Focus"--it features Will Smith.   He's a con man.  He trains someone to help him (female) but ends up parting ways with her.    They find each other again in the future and it messes up another con he's working on.    It was decent.

"The Pianist"--it features Adrian Brody.   I'm actually shocked I haven't seen this movie before as it's similar to "Schindler's List".   It follows a man and his family.    He's a musician (hence the title of the movie).   It's a true story too so they tried to follow the man's story closely when making the movie.   Tough to watch, just like "Schindler's List".  It will likely be added to my Christmas list as it's a movie I'd like to own.    I told Gavin it solidified the fact we need to take a trip to Europe at some point and learn more about the war and Holocaust.

"The Reader"--features Kate Winslet.   A young woman seduces a younger boy/man but then suddenly disappears and suddenly ends the relationship.    He finds her years later when he's in law school as she's on trial for war crimes in WWII due to her involvement with the Nazi party.   She was a guard for a concentration camp.   The movie shows how they reconnect after her sentence.    I do want to read the book too.

"The Edge of Tomorrow"---features Tom Cruise.  It's a futuristic movie about an alien invasion.  I'm not usually a Tom Cruise fan but he did OK in this movie.   Due to exposure to a certain kind of alien, Tom Cruise cannot die but when is killed, he restarts his life again at the same spot.   After redoing the same time frame over and over again, he does figure out how the aliens can be beaten so he works toward that goal.   He finds someone else that has experienced the same non-dying issue too and she helps him.  

I guess that's enough of a update for now!

Downhill Slide

Now that we've entered July, it is the downhill slide for SYF.   The program ends on July 28th.   It's been decent so far but has it's usual behavioral issues pop up.   We are having issues with ordering our t-shirts too due to some rule changes with ISU colors.   I need to start organizing the Family Night event on July 27.   I want to change the schedule for the evening so things flow better but I'm not sure much can be adjusted. 

I spent most of the morning finalizing my schedule for the graduate student orientation I hold from August 15-19.   I need a couple people to confirm their availability to speak to the students but it is set for the most part.    I hope to send it to the new and returning grad students tomorrow so they have early notice on what to expect for that week.  I am color-coding the agenda this time to make it easier for the students.    Some events/meetings only need to be attended by the new students, or those that only teach, or everyone, etc.   I didn't think past versions were too difficult to read but confusion has occurred.    (And these students are getting master's degrees or their Ph.D)

I've been reading a lot lately and it's glorious.   I finished the third Harry Potter book so I'll be obtaining the fourth book soon.   I actually meant to grab it before I left Mom and Dad's this weekend and forgot.   I also read "Darkspaces".   It another book by the author that wrote "Gone Girl".    It was funny that Dad was raving about his book "Gone Girl" when I was reading her other novel.   "Darkspaces" was pretty decent.   It definitely keeps you guessing since it's a murder mystery.

I am currently reading "Memoirs of a Geisha".   I remember hearing about the book years ago and I found it at a book sale in Des Moines.   I think I paid $0.25 for it and it was well worth the quarter.   The author actually sat down with the lady and recorded her verbal recollection of her years as a geisha.   It's an interesting perspective about the social ranks and societal norms.  I think I'll try to read "The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo" for the last time after this book. 

I was able to attend Nicole's wedding reception on Saturday.   It was a very fancy affair but the set-up of the event fit the two of them well.   I was happy that Mom could go with me.    I heard from Nicole on Monday with a thank-you for their gift.    It wasn't much but then again, they didn't really have a gift registry since they recently combined households.    We have tentative plans to see ourselves in October when they return from their honeymoon. 

I was able to spend Sunday in Waukon too and it was lazy for the most part.   I was able to join the Smith breakfast and then we went to Riceville later in the day to have dinner with Tony and LeAnn.   Good food, some physical activity, and I got to pet a cool dog.   Not too shabby.   I am wicked sunburnt but luckily it never hurt too badly.  

Dan and I are taking his boys to Dubuque on Friday-Sunday for a mini-vacation.    I'm excited to go somewhere that focuses on swimming.   The indoor water park looks pretty cool.   I need to start my list for packing.   I want to bring snacks with so we aren't spending money on overpriced food at the resort.   Gavin has to work and has a football obligation too.   Saddness.

I guess that's all I have for my update.   I'll likely blog after the vacation this weekend.

Am I Becoming a Homebody?

Greetings:

I had a really good day.    I helped out further with the cleaning process in the building as the second phase of construction started.   It's much easier to exercise when it is helping with a means to an end.   I spent three hours carrying things, usually heavy things, to a dumpster.   And I was focused so I made a decent dent in our cleaning process and finished emptying a closet.   The construction company is still rather pissed though because they don't have full access to all needed areas.   I had one guy get lippy with me and I told him to talk to the building supervisor.  I halfway feel bad for the building supervisor but I'm also halfway irritated.   He and I differ quite a bit with organization and priorities.   The areas of concern could have been cleaned out in May.   But he waits to start the week before construction starts and didn't share necessary dates with me so I didn't know until last week either.   Oh well.

The summer program continues to go well.   I did have to remove a child from the program.   We aren't equipped to deal with him.   He needs a one-on-one aid to be with him at all times.   He's not diagnosed yet but he certainly shows symptoms of ODD.   Hopefully he can find a different program that meets his needs.    I was supposed to participate in a conference call today but I caught maybe 15 minutes of it.  I had a naughty kid brought in and had to arrange for him to go home for the day.    I had a group forget that a child needed to leave early and had to hunt them down.   We had a funky smell develop in the pool (thanks construction) and I had to check that out.   I hope Risk Management doesn't quiz me on the call.

I was able to spend a nice evening at home and for most of the time I was alone.   I caught up on laundry and cleaned the kitchen.   It was nice to hose off too and take a solid shower.   I felt so gross most of the day.    I should take a second set of clothes with me to work in the event my morning activities make me gross.   I had sweat through my clothes by 11am.   I don't think they are messing with the faculty locker room so in theory I should be able to shower at work.   Part of me wants to get out and do more, especially with it being summer.   But it's also nice to stay at home, watch a preferred TV show, and catch up with the domestic stuff.    I'm hoping the apartment is in order by the weekend because it would be nice to go to the pool on Saturday.   I would like to take the boys.   Dan isn't a huge pool person but come on man, it's summer.

Speaking of Dan, it was 11 months of togetherness this past weekend.   Time has flown.   We are celebrating next month when it's a year by attending the Jim Gaffigan show at the end of July.   A good band is coming to Des Moines in November too and we plan to attend that.    The last time a boyfriend attended a concert with me, it was Michael.  He and I went to Incubus when they played at Hilton Coliseum in Ames.   It was probably back in 2003.   It was early because he was in good health at the time.

I read an awesome book this week.   Yes, this week.   It only took me two days because it held my attention so well.   I read "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children".   LeAnn gave it to Gavin as a gift.   Christmas a year or two ago?   He's now reading it.   I like the inclusion of relevant history (World War II) but it's actually fiction/fantasy.   The author did a great job of giving information about the grandfather before he passed away and he also did a great job explaining the main character.    The fictional aspect caught me off guard at first but hooked me.   I read 209 pages the first night and finished it last night.  I do plan on reading the next book in the series.   I hope the Ankeny library has it. I'm on to the second Harry Potter book now.   I have had a stack of books on my nightstand and some books have been there since I moved into this apartment.   I want to read them all before the fall semester starts.  I have to squeeze in a couple books for professional development too.

I also recently watched the movie "Reality Bites".  It features Winona Rider and Ethan Hawke.   The true epitome of a 90s movie.   It's a twisted love story and the end is deemed controversial by some.   She has to pick between Ethan Hawke's character (he's a dick) and Ben Stiller's character (nice guy).   For those that have seen it, most complain about her choice.   The movie will be on my Christmas list as I'd like to own the DVD.   It's a decent soundtrack too.   It was the first thing to feature the song "Stay" by Lisa Loeb.  

Overall, it's felt great to be more active.   Trying to eat better too.   We need to make a run to Fareway soon for protein.   They have fantastic potato-encrusted cod filets in the deli section FYI.   I get two for Gavin and I ever so often.    Until next time.

In honor of Dan...

I Want to Go Swimming!

The irony of my title is that we have a swimming pool in this building.   But the pool is very warm (water and air temperature) so it's not very appealing.   I wish I knew someone that owned a pool in Ankeny so I could go there some evenings and cool off.  The idea of going to the public pool isn't super desirable either and I don't know what the evening hours are anyway.   The Newton pool closes before 5pm most days!   Blah.

I've actually been working my ass off this week because of our department's prep for the next phase of construction.   I'm a little irritated because I'm only part time so hours of work this week don't get me anything.   We had to move all of our PE equipment out of it's storage closet and put the items in storage lockers that were recently delivered and assembled.   The department used some of my Summer Youth Fitness employees to help with the manual labor.   It still wasn't enough so I worked on the PE stuff.   We still have another closet downstairs to clean out but it's going to have to wait until Monday.  

The summer program is going well.   We have a couple troublesome kids and sadly they are in the same group.   It's really frustrating their group leaders.   I have been making a point to join the group often to help with the discipline.   The boys typically behave better when I'm present since I'm the "principal" of the program.   The employees are doing well and the first two weeks have gone by quickly.   A main issue has been the heat.   Even with having activities inside, it's still pretty warm and humid in the gyms.   I wish we could have June-like weather and save this heat for July.  

I have to work tomorrow evening (Friday) for DMACC and I'm not thrilled but I do need the income.   Not sure what is happening for the weekend besides Gavin working.   He said his job is kind of odd because his coworkers are adults and work full time.   I guess he's the only high school kid working in produce.   Most of his days involve waking up at 5:00am, going to football stuff (primarily lifting), coming home for awhile, and going to work.   Some days he goes out and hangs with friends.  I was a little jealous earlier in the week as they went to Big Creek to swim. 

I wish I had more to write about health and stuff but it's basically been sleep, sometimes sleep in, work, go to bed early, repeat.   I had hopes to play some tennis but it's just been too hot.   My main goal has been to stop eating earlier in the evening and eat breakfast.   Having an omelet in the morning has been pretty decent.   It's just tough to stop eating early in the evening.    Thankfully I don't watch a lot of TV so that helps with grazing. 

Time to go make the rounds!

Summer Camp 2016

Tomorrow is the start of the summer camp and I am both ready and not ready for it.   I'm ready for it to be June but I'm not ready for the drama and the parental interactions.   I feel OK about the staff I've hired too.   I only had one person flake out on me and tell me he quits but not showing up for mandatory meetings.   We'll see how the first days/first week goes and if I'm so calm and collect later in the week.  

I'm bummed about things starting tomorrow too because my foot hurts like hell.   It's hurt since the beginning of last week and it's ruined my plan to have fun this weekend.   I'll be on my feet constantly this week too so that's not going to help much either.    My prescription is not refillable for the pain med I have for the plantar faciiatis so I'll likely go back in and complain some more.

Dan was able to go up to Waukon over Memorial Day weekend and he met my parents.   He was nervous, it was cute.   It was very low key and it went well.   He was surprised by how low key it was but he needed that based on his usual schedule and fast paced life.   It would be nice if he could go to Czech Days too but I'm not sure it will work.    We'll see.  

Gavin is working more regularly at Hy-Vee too.    He did a full shift today in produce and said he really liked it.   He isn't a fan of bagging groceries but understands he'll need to help with that from time-to-time.  

I finished the book "Committed" by the chick that wrote "Eat, Pray, Love".   How long did I have that book LeAnn?  It was a good read.   I should have finished it sooner.   It makes me feel normal for not being married yet so how can I not like the book.   Educated women get married in life...go figure.  (If we get married at all)   I'm not sure what my next book will be yet.    I should be reading more than one by now since I have down time.

I am almost done teaching an independent study at ISU.   I'm training three PE majors to be Red Cross instructors because they have a conflict with the class offered in a typical semester.   They helped me train SYF employees last week since about half needed CPR and First Aid training.    I am teaching another one related to my health education methods class (elementary).    I need to start working on it because the students are expecting to start work this week.  

We haven't watched many movies.   Too much to do and too nice outside.    I watched "Shop Girl" recently.   It's on the dish a lot.    It features Claire Danes and Steve Martin.    It's odd to see them as a romantic couple.   I think Steve Martin wrote the screenplay.   I like it a lot and I don't know why.   I also watched Romeo and Juliet (Claire Danes and Leo DiCaprio).   I cannot remember when I last watched the movie.     I've always liked the soundtrack.

Ok, back to work.

Congratulations Alissa!

It's been a fairly eventful week but in a good way.   I've accomplished my two big cleaning projects.   I think I mentioned my desk re-organization in a past entry.   The other biggie was my closet.    I put my winter clothes away and pulled out my summer clothes.  I also went through my totes of clothes and thinned out the herd.   I had a couple totes I've kept for years with past clothing that ideally I'd want to wear again.   I took a more realistic view this time as I went through the clothing and reduced the quantity.    I have a bag of pants/jeans and a bag of tops for LeAnn and Alissa to look through if they are interested.    Depending on what's left over, I may try to take some things to the consignment in Ames since they accept Lane Bryant clothing.  My next project will be the coat closet by the laundry room.  

We took a day trip to Waverly to see Alissa walk across the stage and finish her time at Wartburg.  Good weather, nice ceremony, great family time.   We'll get to repeat again in August when she wraps up nursing school.   I'm a little disappointed that Dan couldn't join us.    I got a "Save the Date" today for Luke's wedding so I am going to drill that November date into Dan's brain so he can join us.  
I'm making decent progress with Summer Youth Fitness.   Assuming an interview goes well tomorrow, I will have all my group leaders hired for the program (2 for each group of kids).   Ideally I wanted a female and male leader for each group but Group 3 will have two females.   Not the end of the world and in a sense more acceptable than two males.   I am almost done hiring assistants for each group.   I need to hire 1-2 more and I still have the occasional application come through.   Parents are starting to send in the registration packets and my orientation meeting is set up for all employees on June 1st.   After doing this for several years, I'm starting to get the hang of it.   I should only have to drive up to Ames Monday-Wednesday this week and will work from home Thursday and Friday to save gas money.

Gavin did well at the state track meet.   He ran his personal best with the 200m.   (22 seconds) The team came in 18th out of 24th.   It was pretty exciting to see him do well in front of such a large crowd.    He's more excited about joining track next year than he's ever been in the past.    He has an administrative meeting on Wednesday for his job at Hy-Vee.   Payroll and such.   I'm hoping he can do a good job with scheduling shifts and not conflicting with football.   Now he needs to play catch-up with work he's missed at school due to track.  

After Gavin's track meet, Dan and I did sort of a date afternoon/evening.  We ran to Jordan Creek Mall as Dan wanted to look at the Nike Store.   He bought me shoes for tennis since he's concerned about my feet when we play.   It's nice to date someone that is actually concerned with my comfort and well-being.  We went to Scheel's which is always dangerous.   I bought a new tennis racket.    I was torn on buying a new one now and waiting until later in the summer when I see how I use my savings.   Technically this is the only thing I've bought myself with my tax return.   I've used it once and it did play well.   I should probably get a cover for it too since it needs to last for a long time.  We went out to eat at Cheesecake Factory.  I am done with cheesecake for awhile.   Between the rich piece I couldn't finish from the restaurant and the rich piece I couldn't finish at Wartburg, I am all cheescaked-out.   Based on my health goals, cheesecake shouldn't be a regular occurrence anyway.

I guess that's it for now...I wanted to get another entry done for the week.



Rim-shot!!