BUSTED LURKERS!!

Today has just been one of THOSE!! You know "those". I got up at 6 a.m. which is no small feat for me. I have never been a morning person and with this RA diagnosis I became even less of one. It typically takes me a little while to stretch out in the morning and start walking normally. My morning gait is similar to that of C3PO. My new med (Lyrica) seems to be helping in that category although it makes me sleepy and tad bit spaced out...OK maybe more than a tad bit. The night before last, after taking my medicine, I typed a pretty long email to a friend and sent it to myself....SPACE CADET!! Anyway, I had to be at the hospital early today for an abdominal ultrasound, but I'll get to that in a minute. As I'm getting ready, I run completely out of my favorite lipstick. You know how you dig down in the tube with a brush to get the very last little bit out...that proves it was a fave!! So I chunked it. Knowing that I didn't have a lipstick, I made a point to pick one up today. Here is what I came up with....

CoverGirl Outlast Lipstain...yeah, DON'T DO IT. They take that word STAIN seriously. It literally goes on like a magic marker and not the washable kind. It is now in the garbage with the empty tube. This stuff was a nightmare, and I was stuck wearing it all day. Unfortunately, I bought it at Walgreens and they do not take make up back. Did you know that CVS does? That's where I usually shop, but I was in a hurry to get to work because the hospital was running behind (go figure). Sephora will also take anything back if you get home and don't like it. The great thing about there is you can try pretty much everything out in the store.

OK, so abdominal ultrasound...I basically have morning sickness. I'll be driving along in the truck, everything is cool, and then, stop the press, pull over and bluaaaak....clean up and keep on going. Showering in the morning, bluaaaak. On the way home from dinner, pull over, bluaaak. No rhyme or reason....sooooo, everything checked out this morning. It was all good. Of course, there are kidney stones on both sides, but those little boogers are cool until they start moving. Right now, we have no movement, so it's all good. I started a beta blocker yesterday to slow this nutty heart rate down. It's been bouncing around from 100 to 130 since last Wednesday. The thyroid checked out fine (good news) so we are blaming it on steroids and stress.

I've decided to change my diet up a bit. Red meat leads to an inflammatory response in the body, so I quit eating it. I'd like to call myself more of a vegetarian, but I'm not quite there. Tonight for dinner I had this...

Do those count? They were good. Any of you lurkers vegetarians?? If you are share some info, anything...I'm a newbie.

I also had these...can you tell those are grapes? Those were yummy grapes!! I'm also back to writing myself notes on my hand. It seems to be the most foolproof way of remembering things. I've been so busy, yesterday the whole side of my hand was covered. I had written all the way from the bottom of my thumb all the way up across the back of my hand. BUT, I got everything I meant to done. Now lets talk about my wrist. This could possibly be controversial. That is a temporary tattoo. I've worn one on my wrist for the last two days ( I keep TONS of them at work for the kids that come in). I secretly (well not so secretly now) want a real one on the inside of my wrist. I think I want a tattoo. Shane (my artistic cousin) is working on a design for me in exchange for some repair work I am doing on a pair of his jeans. Jeff says I'm not the tattoo type. I think I am and since I'm so mad at him tonight I could spit nails, I'm not taking his opinion into consideration. I want Shane to draw one on there (henna) and let me "wear" it a few days. Red nail polish makes me NUTS so I have to make sure this won't bother me. Anyone who REALLY knows me, knows that I wear a TON of jewelry all the time. That in mind, it would hardly be noticeable. HUMMM, I'm not jumping into it, but I am thinking about it. MO, I wish you were around to draw on me!!! Maybe in your spare time (BAHAHAHAHA) you could work me up some designs...peace sign with wings...I love your hearts with wings but I'm not a heart girl.

Jeff took this picture of Tony and I sleeping. I found it on my camera tonight along with 124 pictures of someones house whose foundation is sinking. That's NOT a good thing, but Jeff can fix it. MAYBE, if he wasn't so busy being a jerk to me!!! Flowers Jeff, call the florist and MAYBE we can make up. It's just not looking good for you right now. Tony is my friend now. Ever since I took him to the vet when his paw was practically killing him. I guess he realizes I was helping him and now he loves me.

I'm really impressed with you braveheart lurkers. THANK YOU for introducing yourselves. All of you found me though MO which ultimately means you found me through Jake. What an amazing testimony to that child. I'm glad I make you all laugh. That isn't my intention but I gravitate toward people that make me laugh as well. Jake and his family had a dramatic impact on my life. I don't know if you all know the story, but I didn't know Jake or his family. I had followed his CaringBridge for a month or so at the encouragement of another St. Jude child I knew. I prayed for Jake everyday and sometimes more than once a day. I felt led to go meet his family and to do whatever I could to help them. I knew Hunter and Hayden were at the hospital and trying to kill each other with pool sticks. I thought maybe I could get them out of there for a bit and give Don and Staci a break. Jake was on a ventilator fighting a fungal infection. I walked into that hospital a total stranger and walked out after meeting Jake and spending time with him with his two older brothers. I brought them home with me that day and we went swimming and cooked out!! We had a blast and I took them back about 10 p.m. I made new friends for life. Jake never left St. Jude after we met that day until he went home for his remaining few days. I spent many nights and Saturdays or Sundays visiting with Jake or making jewelry with Mo or playing games with the boys or watching movies with Staci or just cleaning up the waiting room after all of that nights visitors left. Jake came off the vent and we got to "officially" meet. He was watching SpongeBob on a laptop and wasn't real into our "meeting". I was so happy to see him sitting up in bed, I wouldn't have cared if he stuck his tongue out at me. I was honored that Staci taught me how to wash my hands and let me visit with him in the ICU. Even when Jake was his sickest, she always took me to see him. She let me hold his hand and talk to him or sing to him or just pray over him. What an honor!!

SO, Suzi from New Baltimore MI, yes, I ran in the St. Jude Marathon two years. I broke my foot the second year and have since developed RA so I don't run anymore. Now my kids run for Jake. They met him, too. If you identify with my crazy life and have teenagers, for heavens sake, you should blog, too. Start one and try it. You might just like it. Feel free to lurk anytime you like. I promise, I'll never call you out on it again. Like I said, anonymity is powerful in some cases.

Kim in Spring Lake Park MN, I love Mo AND Jessi. I told Jessi if she ever wants to move further north, I'd hire her!! We all know Mo is the bomb, but Jessi rocks herself. She designed my banner for my blog. It's about time for a new one. I need to give her a shout. She also designed some stuff for my Etsy store that I have never gotten up and running. She did all that for me last summer right before we moved and since my craft room isn't functional yet....well, I haven't gotten to it.

Maria, if you want the deal that tracks who visits your blog...go HERE. Click on widgets and then choose what you want and click on Add to Blogger. It's easy. Call my cellular metal if you get confused.

Nice to hear from you again, Renee from South Louisiana. I don't consider you a lurker. You talk to me from time to time. Thanks for the love. I have several Louisiana folks that show up. Which town are you in?

Jonesboro? Is that you Jenny? I know you are in Arkansas, but I think Radstitches is, too. AND, who is in Jackson MS??????? Come out Come out whoever you are????!!!! If you are a FB'r, click on my link and be a fan of my AGENCY, PLEASE. If you do it by the end of the day Friday, you'll be in the drawing for some TShirts. I need to get to 100 fans!! I have just over 60 in the first 24 hours, NOT too bad.

Congratulations if you made it through this long post. You deserve a prize if you did. I guess these new meds make me wordy, too. They sure do make me feel better!! TG tomorrow is F!! Make it a good one.

SHINE,

Kacy