MRI

I had an MRI on Monday and they determined that I have a bulging and torn disc....which basically means no more heavy, repetitive lifting at Costco. Don't know if or what they will have me do now. That still remains to be seen.

The good news is, the back can heal. The bad news is that it could take months/years for it to fully heal, and I still have osteo-arthritis which will always be a slight issue. Man, I hate getting old!

Old Age and Over-Worked Back Issues

About 2 weeks ago, on my lovely day off, I bent over to tie my shoes and something slipped in my back. It has happened before (several times). I always rest and in a day or two I am feeling much better. Well, I ended up going to the Chiropractor (twice), the doctor, the hospital (for x-rays, nothing serious), and finally a physical therapist. The x-rays show Osteo-arthritis and a possible herniated disk. I have been told to take it easy on my exercise (which is frustrating to say the least, when I am in the middle of a weight reduction battle!! 17 lbs. and counting) and I have been placed on FMLA from work.

I was able to move about fairly normally after 4 or 5 days, but am not allowed to lift more than 5-10 lbs. and "no bending, stooping or pulling" which basically means everything! And definitely not stocking shelves at COSTCO! There isn't anything there that only weighs 5-10 lbs.

I went back in to the doctor today, for some more paperwork for Costco and now he wants to do an MRI. They asked if I was claustrophobic....which I am. Not looking forward to that test....but what I am looking forward to is a more specific diagnosis, or prognosis. How long is this going to take? Will I be able to return to work and exercise the way I want to? Am I going to have pain for the rest of my life? Hopefully not!! I think probably attitude is at least 50% of the battle, right? Now if the stress-/frustration-/angry- EATING would stop, I'd be ok!! :)

Thoughts on Ear Piercing and Parenting...

My girls have all gotten their ears pierced for their 8th birthday. Katie just turned 8 and couldn't wait for the big event! Kelsey will be 6 in February and really wanted her ears pierced, too. So, being the worn-out mother that I am, I figured "what the heck" and I let them BOTH get their ears pierced. You know, kind of a 2 for 1 deal....1 trip to the mall, 1-6 week stint of applying ear solution and twisting earrings. I guess am just getting old and tired! Well, you should have heard some of my other girls complain about it (who, of course, all had to wait until they were 8 for the blessed event...you would have thought I had just committed some major injustice!). Well, all I have to say is....."Get used to it, girls!" I am old, I am tired and if it's the easy thing to do I will probably do it again! ;)

I am finding that I say yes more easily and more often...which benefits all of them! I am still trying to be a diligent parent, but some of my hard and fast rules have become soft and slow!! Hopefully it is not only because I am old and tired, but because I have learned a little something about parenting that I didn't know before and discovering not everything I thought in the beginning of my life as a parent was accurate!! good or true. Here's to always trying to improve and hoping to someday get it right!

Happy 19th Lauren!

Last week we had yet another birthday!! Lauren turned 19 on Thursday. Happy Birthday, cutie! I am so proud of her. She just graduated from Evans School of Cosmetology yesterday, too! She has been plugging away now for just over a year. She gets up and gets herself off every morning, no complaints, no sleeping in, she just gets up and gets it done! She is a hard working gal, too. She has been working part-time for most of the time that she has been in school....and they love her, because she really knows how to work! She is a beautiful, fun loving, tender-hearted sweetheart and we are so happy to have her be a part of our family! Love you Lauren! Hope you had a good day. Good luck with the exams in the next couple of weeks. (Just when I thought we were finished with birthdays until after Christmas, I learned that Lauren's boyfriend, Chris (pictured above) has a birthday on Dec. 11.....I told him he couldn't marry Lauren as we already have too many pre-Christmas birthdays.) :)

Grandma Sally's funeral

My grandma Sally, aka Clara, passed away last Tuesday morning and was buried on Saturday, November 15. She married my grandpa, Howard Oliver in 1980, and has been the only grandma Oliver most of my siblings and I have known. Our grandma passed away in 1970 when I was a young girl.

Sally always had the energy of someone half her age and she was always up for an adventure. I remember her loading us into the car and hauling us around shopping all day, or for a quick trip across the border to do a little Mexican shopping, or site seeing all over the place. We would get worn out, she was still raring to go! She loved getting in her car and driving...anywhere. No place was too far, it was just a little jaunt for her.

She was very generous and forgiving and genuinely concerned for every one's well-being. She joined our family almost 30 years ago and from the very beginning has made me feel like I really belonged to her. I never felt like I was a step-grandchild. I just always knew that she loved me. She accepted and loved us all just like we were her own. I'm going to miss her.

Katie Bug's Birthday

Aaaah! Missed a birthday posting. November 7th was Kaitlyn's 8th birthday. She is getting soooo big! Smart, fun, sassy, usually silly, busy, busy, busy...and she looks a lot like the jack-o-lantern she carved for Halloween too! She is missing a whole lotta teeth! Look carefully and you will see them....or NOT see them, I mean!

Yearbook Yourself

Oh, my gosh....how funny. Some of these could be out of my real yearbook! Like the first picture is supposed to be 1984....I looked just like that!!! Too much fun! Of course, some of these were from before I was even born! The site is called Yearbook Yourself....check it out!

Happy Birthday, Kelli!

These next two months are non-stop birthdays for our family! Happy Birthday, Kelli! Kelli is my one and only daughter-in-law and WE LOVE HER!! She is so sweet, and kind, and thoughtful, and cute, and funny, and talented, and creative....and I could go on and on and on. I am so glad to have her be part of our family, she is one of my girls! Matt and Kelli are also celebrating their 2nd anniversary this month-Congratulations, you two! Kelli manages/works at Seven Salon here in American Fork and does a terrific job as a stylist. She is in my card group and makes darling cards. She is an immaculate housekeeper, a great substitute mom for my little gals, a good friend to me and her sis-in-laws, and just a lot of fun all the way around! Love you, Kelli!

Happy Birthday, Todd!

It was my man Todd's 48th birthday yesterday! Happy Birthday, honey. We have been married for 26 years and I love him more every day. He is my best friend and I can't imagine life without him. He is a very intelligent, can do anything, and does! He works hard and long hours and hardly ever complains (I do enough for both of us!). He is a perfectionist in all he does. He's a great father, sweetheart, friend and grandpa. He has a great sense of humor and makes everyone around him laugh.....often. He helps out around the house, or maybe it's me helping him around the house, who can tell these days??? He makes me feel safe and secure and although he makes me crazy sometimes with his "attention to detail", I am so grateful to have him in my life. Here's to at least 48 more!! Love you to pieces.

AGING

This is in honor of my birthday last week and my partner and best friend telling me that I am ALMOST 50! I'm fighting it with everything I have, but I love this!! He has nailed it right on the head.



George Carlin's Views on Aging
Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.
'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five!

That's the key! You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead. 'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . You become 21. Even the words sound like a cere mony . YOU BECOME 21 YESSSS!!!

But then y ou turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed? You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone. But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60. You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!
You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30 ; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST 92.'

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!'

May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!