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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

It's a bullet kind of day...

  • I had a health exam on Saturday and it looks like I'm pretty healthy.  I went to a free clinic so I didn't see someone who knew much about the Lap-band, but they were duly impressed with my progress.  When he palpated my stomach, I had to explain what he was feeling when he came across the port.  It was kind of funny.  My blood pressure was 122/76 which is about as perfect as you can get!  He did say my potassium was slightly low so I'm wondering if any of you have knowledge about that.  I've done some internet research (read: I now know the worse-case scenario for low potassium) and one thing that stood out to me was that it was associated with WLS and could be due to malnutrition.  It can also cause lethargy and I'd have to say that if there was any one thing that I'd complain about health-wise, it is that I am practically always tired even though I get plenty of sleep. Also there were ketones present in my urine which he said is related to dramatic weight-loss.  So please tell me what you guys know about this stuff. 
  • My sister/co-worker might be moving away.  Her husband is being aggressively recruited by a company that wants to pay him $40,000 a year MORE than he's making now plus better benefits and a housing allowance.  The catch is they'd have to move to different cities for jobs that last 10 months to a year.  So they're looking at renting out their house and taking their kids out of school.  It is weird to think about them not being here.  Our lives are so intertwined.  I really cannot even imagine it.  I think it would be a great opportunity for them, but it would be very sad for me.
  • I really need to figure out what I'm doing with my roof.  I do not usually have issues with indecision and getting things done, but I'm having trouble getting a plan going.  The question is if I should just hire someone to repair the damaged places (basically one half of the roof) or if I should try to do the entire job.  I have a few people who I think would help, but I need to talk to them.  I hate asking people to do things for me.
  • It is SUNNY!!  After weeks and weeks of grey skies and rain every day, (Seriously - it rained EVERY single day in March.  They wrote about it in the newspaper.  You must know that when they are writing articles about rain in OREGON, it is really, really wet.) we are now enjoying blue skies and sun for at least the next several days.  I'm really affected by the weather, mood-wise and am SO HAPPY to see the sun!  I just wish it would warm up 'cuz it is COLD!  Our low was 38 F. (3 C.) and the high is just 58 F. (14 C.). 
  • I feel really disconnected from Blogland these days.
  • I weigh-in on Wednesday and I don't know what to expect.  I've been eating fine, but the scale has been so random the last couple of months that I am afraid of what I'll see there.
  • My daughter had a sleep-over birthday party Saturday night and we had eight extra little girls in the house.  I don't feel like I had much of a weekend.
  • Easter is Sunday.  This is Holy Week.  We'll be at church A LOT this week.
  • My fella and I are going to sneak off to the beach on Sunday night.  I love where we live.  We are one hour from the Pacific Ocean, one hour from several ski resorts, 20 minutes from several great forest-y places for hiking, 5 minutes from the Willamette River.  Oregon is a beautiful place (other than the months and months of rain)!
  • That last point has inspired me to include some pictures of Eugene, Oregon so you can get a feel for our city. 

Autzen Stadium - The home field of the University of Oregon Ducks.  I can see the outside of Autzen stadium from one of my two offices.


The Matthew Knight arena (Why yes, Nike founder Phil Knight does contribute a lot of money to UO athletics.  Why do you ask?).  This is where the basketball teams play.  My campus office is right across the street from this arena.



My girls on the bridge over the Willamette River


My kids meeting a harbor seal in Florence, Oregon

9 comments:

Stephanie M. said...

I love, love, love Eugene! It is one of my very favorite places in the world. My dear friend Ally has a gorgeous organic farm there (check them out - http://store.letitgrowfarm.com/). My favorite author, Laurie Notaro, lives there too. The scenery is just beautiful and it's sooo easy to get healthy food there! I live way too far away from Eugene...I think I left my heart there when I visited.

~Lisa~ said...

Great photos!! Thank you for sharing!!

Heather said...

Isn't it just wonderful to live so close to so many wonderful things. I love outdoor experiences, they are cheap (always a necessity with us) and so much fun. I also think that the kids cherish that type of stuff more than a themepark.

Cat said...

I absolutely love your pictures. Your girls are just beautiful! I'm sorry to report, I don't know much about potassium, though I know each day when I log my food, I notice that it's constantly harping that my potassium is too low as well. Also, congrats on surviving 8 girls! Did they freeze bras or tell ghost stories? I don't even know what slumber party activities are these days!

I'm so glad for you about your sunny days. High 50s - low 60s are my absolute favorite temperatures. I wish your rain hadn't traveled east though. We've had rain late last week and over the weekend as well as forecasted all this week.

Finally thanks for the encouragement about my calories on my blog. I really appreciate your knowledge and wisdom.

♥ Drazil ♥ said...

Aww - you're not disconnected. I loved your comments on my blog this week. That's so bittersweet about your sister...I'll say a prayer everything goes as it should.

MB said...

I love the pics. The seal pic is super cute.

MLM said...

great pics..I love the bullet points...lets you cover a lot and vent all in one post. I often feel disconnected too (and have lately) but the nice part is that you can always come back...

Dizzy Girl said...

The pics are great! I love Oregon too- so so so beautiful up there. And nothing beats having the ocean right at your fingertips.

Good luck with your sister situation; my sister and I were super close for a long time and even though we're still close now, it's different now that she lives like, 5 states over. But it's also comforting to know we'll never really separate our little connection we have. I know it's tough but you will hopefully still stay close.

xoxoxo-

D

Unknown said...

first off, HUGS!!!! And HALLELUJAH for the SUN!!! I don't know if you remember, but I have the same issue with the weather. I'm sad about the possibility of S & D moving too. But, I also know what a great opportunity this is for them. My head says yay for them, my heart is in disbelief. BUT you shouldn't be TOO sad... ya wanna know why?? BECAUSE YOU STILL GOT ME!! hehehee... sorry... that probably made things worse, huh? <3 ya!

I'm glad to hear you are healthy. Potassium is found in bananas.. I've heard that's a really good source of it. If you find out more can you please post on here, so you can educate all of us. WTG getting through a 10 little girl household!! Did the fella help out much?

Keep your chin up, remember how great you've done, and how AWESOME YOU ARE!!! I keep thinking that I'm gonna drop in on ya one day for lunch.. but then I remember that I don't have your schedule! lol