Snarky Post

Because we all like to other people complain, I will tell you about the Monday to beat all Mondays in recent memory.

7:35am - have boys, day care supplies, workout clothes, laptop, brief case, coffee, lunch, snacks, etc. all loaded in car, headed to work a few minutes early so I can be at my 8am meeting on time.

7:36am - car will not start.

7:37am - phone husband to come back home to retrieve us.

7:38am - call boss for ride (I'm on her way), but she has already arrived at office.

7:39am - call VP for ride (I'm on his way), but he forgot his cell phone at home and was running late.

8:05am - arrive at work after hubby came back to get me, we both dropped off boys. VP pulls in right behind us.

12:15pm - ride home with boss during her lunch hour, tell her I'll work from home this afternoon while I wait for a tow truck.

1:00pm - call for tow truck.

3:00pm - tow truck still has not arrived. Call for update. Driver supposedly ran out of fuel and had to return to base. I was next.

4:00pm - tow truck still has not arrived. Call to complain. They had two trucks down, they've been behind. He's on his way to me.

4:50pm - tow truck still has not arrived. Call to complain louder. Driver is stuck in traffic nowhere near my house.

5:40pm - tow truck still has not arrived. Call to complain and demand free service, but tow truck pulls up outside, so I hang up while on hold. Truck driver was NOT apologetic, but I did not take my frustrations out on him.

I complained to two people at auto dealer about the tow truck company they use/recommended. They cut my diagnostic charges in half. And I didn't even finish complaining to the tow truck company before she offered to refund the charges. And my car was just flooded. A fluke in the design of my car, caused by my husband moving it on Sunday. In total, I think I'll be out $40 which is nice. But my Monday was pretty much shot.

So, for anyone in customer service, what might have the dispatch clerk have done differently?

Perhaps she could have told me they were running behind, it would be hours before they got to me, so I could go back to work, do something else, etc. etc. etc.

Maybe she could have told me they wouldn't get my car to the dealership before it closed - which they didn't - so I could call another tow company for faster service.

But she didn't do any of these things, so I wasted half a day at home, frustrated and waiting for a tow truck.

Oh, and because they didn't get my car in to the shop on time, it wasn't diagnosed yesterday so I had to take a cab to the airport to catch my flight to Dallas this morning. And so I had to listen to my concert promoter / speed skater cab driver for $30 worth of a ride at 5:15am. And he was 5 minutes late, but because he tried so hard to be chatty I tipped him anyway.

BUT - other than skipping the exercise, I was good and didn't eat any bad carbs or fat. And so, the scale was kind to me overnight. Although ... pizza would have REALLY hit the spot. So woudl chocolate chip cookies!

The Best 90 Minutes of the Day

What is it you ask? What are the best, yet fastest passing 90 minutes of the day? Well, not every day, but some days, its NAPTIME!!!!!

Diet is going well. I have worked out everyday. I have eaten right. I have lost 5 pounds. Yay me! The really sick thought is that I've dieted so well I've started spotting. Not unhealthy. I'm eating plenty. Don't worry. But every time I start dieting, reducing carbs especially, I start spotting.

Have not heard from the doctor yet after I got the scan results over a week ago. So, I guess I need to call tomorrow to prompt someone to do something or tell me something, right?

Busy week ahead. I'm headed to Dallas Tues/Wed, road trip on Thurs, plus all the working out and cooking healthy food and planning ahead so I have the right things. And on top of that, getting our foster care license renewed, or at least the home visit part finished up on Thursday night. Seriously, we've had zero placements, and I really doubt we'll ever use it, but its easier to renew than start over if we ever need to in the future.

My in laws are idiots. We showed up for lunch today and YET AGAIN they are sitting there waiting, with CHAIRS for the boys. No booster seats. No high chairs. Just wooden adult-sized chairs. Oh, and crayons. Yes, 9-month olds use crayons. Sure! I'm so sure. Why does it anger me so much? I'm not sure but they're just so freaking worthless when it comes to the kids. W.O.R.T.H.L.E.S.S.

Random thought of the day: I am a grudge holder. There are people who did small petty things to me in high school for which I have never forgiven them, and so I will not accept their friend requests on facebook. And then I realize its been over 20 years. Like seriously. Who holds onto the time when MS told everyone at a slumber party that I buy my shampoo at Walmart for 20 FREAKING YEARS? Well, apparently, I do. Should I just buy into the nostalgia of 'hey, we went to the same high school, its great to catch up?' or just ignore them? I'm just leaning toward ignoring. Not just leaning toward. That's actually what I've been doing. Because I am a grudge holder.

9 month pics

My babies are 9 months and 1 week old tomorrow. We got their 9-month pictures taken today. I'm including a couple so you can see how much they've grown. I picked the one of Jack clapping, because he seems to have taught himself this all on his own. If I clap, he claps. If daddy claps, he claps. Very cute. Since we noticed this, we've tried teaching Will to no avail.

My diet is going well. I've exercised every single day since Wednesday. Okay, that's like 4 days, but still, 4 more days than I went to the Y last week. If the South Beach recipe I make is icky, then I try to eat something else good but I don't beat myself up if it has some sugar, carbs, etc. About half of the recipes I make turn out okay.

Got my body scan results in the mail. I think its bad news, but maybe not horrible news. I guess I won't know until the doctor calls. They saw some 'abnormal' uptake in my throat in the same place as the first scan in July - only this time, smaller and less intense. Thought about freaking out when I read it, but am choosing to believe that maybe it will just mean one more round of radiation. Thinking I'll take a vacation this time, instead of having no fun in the basement.

That's all I got.

Back down I-131

Well, I got my I-131 radioactive iodine pill this morning, and will have to be away from the babies until Sunday. The dose is lower this time, so I don't have to suffer through any hospital time, but I still have to avoid holding or hugging Will & Jack since their tiny little thyroids are so sensitive.

I'm probably a little overkill on this, but I'm trying to maintain a 5 foot radius, if not more, especially this first day when there is so much of it in my system.

I hate to admit it, but I'm kind of enjoying the break. I can run errands without worrying about taking them, not taking them, leaving them in a "good mental state" (i.e. fed, changed, well rested) with their daddy, etc. etc. etc. In my defense, it's already killing me not to be able to comfort them when they cry - my DH's tolerance for fussing is a lot higher than mine - but I'll make it.

I was hoping to travel Monday and Tuesday of next week for work. Missed traveling this week b/c of appointments. But not sure I want to now since Sunday will be the first day I can hold them. How could I leave them so soon after that?

Still suffering from a head cold, so no dieting or exercising yet. I found my old prescription for the salivation glands, so I can *hopefully* avoid losing my sense of taste this time. Plus, I am pushing fluids, and laxatives, and sucking on hard candy. It's like I've done this before....

Me Time

Will is asleep. Jack and his daddy are playing in the living room. I just took two Tylenol PM and am hoping to be asleep soon.

So far, the new me looks and acts a lot like the old me.

I've had a rough start to my new healthier lifestyle. But instead of working through lunch b/c I'm busy, I've been working thru lunch to make up for lost time due to medical appointments.

I had my regularly scheduled follow up with my endocrinologist on Monday. He did the ultrasound of my neck himself, to check my lymph nodes in that area for any unusual growth. None found. Yay. And he scheduled a follow up visit for this summer. And then the body scan I thought I would be having in April, he scheduled for THIS FRIDAY. So, I had to have an injection yesterday, and another today. I take my radioactive iodine pill tomorrow. Nothing Thursday. Body scan and thyroglobulin blood test on Friday. A hectic schedule, but the lovely injections mean I don't have to do that AWFUL low iodine diet this time around. And it means I get to hear even sooner whether or not last summer's radiation treatment worked. I feel like it did, but what do I know?

They are oh so apologetic at that office about the injections. But as you're all aware, after any medicated cycle the needle thing is just nothing. Want my blood? May I suggest a vein? Wanna inject me in the bum? I'm pretty sure I could handle that myself. So, at least I have that going for me.

Sadly, they weighed me at the endocrinologist's office, and let's just say, I have to do something about this weight! Scary high! More than my husband and he's 6'2" (I'm 5'4"). He recommended low glycemic (guess I could have seen that coming since he also specializes in treating diabetics!). So, back to South Beach for me starting Saturday (grocery day). It's worked before for me, so I know it will work again. It's just those initial two weeks that I dread. Look for self-pity from me next week.

Work is really weird right now. I feel like I'm in limbo. I have my job. I have this job within our company I think I want in TX, and I get to work in TX whenever I want kind of doing that job, but in a more advisory role rather than actually having the responsibility or authority. And I have this other job at another division in our company that I will be offered that I probably don't want. But at the same time, if I don't get the TX job I'm pretty sure I want a different job, so why not take the one in KC? And at the same time, I can't really say which job I prefer - I need to keep my cards close to my chest until I get an official offer from someone. And the two men offering me the jobs, are my friends and colleagues who I talk to about other things every day. And who know about each other's offers. And who talk to each other every day, as well. A very weird, yet open, dynamic. And all at the same time, I kind of need to focus on my job here in KS again and start gearing that back up in case I get a budget come April.

Home life is good. I wish my husband and I could take a vacation without the kids. Not because I don't want them with us, but just so we can rest. Just lay in the sun, read fiction, and hold hands. For hours. And perhaps have an umbrella drink. But I can't imagine leaving them with ANYONE overnight. No one. I can't see it. Let alone DAYS or God forbid a WEEK! But I do daydream about it. And as soon as the boys are old enough to enjoy something other than chewing on everything in sight, then we will be headed south for a little family vacation.

And that's all I have the patience for tonight. Funny story about why. On Dec 22, my backspace key fell off my laptop for no apparent reason. So, I plugged in my 10-key and used that backspace key at work that week. And I hadn't been back to the corporate office until yesterday. Today, I found the backspace key in my coat pocket, and had an IT guy replace it for me. And he did. But its kind of crooked now and doesn't work. So, for every single typo (and trust me, I have a lot of those!) I have to use the shift and arrow keys to highlight the errant letters and then hit the delete key. Pain! Requesting new keyboard tomorrow.....

New Year, New Me

I'm Back! Well, at least for today. I'm hoping to get back in the blogging habit. Julie and Julia has got me motivated!

Has it seriously been since October since I updated my blog? Can I even call this a blog if I don't write for months at a time?

Yes, I'm still IF. And DH and I are trying to decide whether or not to defrost our two totsicles or a summer IUI (I'd like any siblings to be about 2 years apart)...but what I really want to focus on right now is achieving a healthier weight and lifestyle. I've been self-medicating with food for months now, and letting work take over my life, and I'm taking control again. And I mean it!

So, here's what's been going on in my absence:

1 - Work. This is a biggie. My company bought another company in Texas and so I've been traveling there weekly. DH and I had a deal - I could be gone 3 nights a week, though I preferred 2 and I usually kept it to 1 or less. But, in general, it was stressful. When I was away, I got to relive my youth, drinking with coworkers and eating out on the company dime. It was like a hedonistic little mini vaca every week. I ate and drank whatever I wanted, and stayed up late. It was fun. But it got old. And I missed my boys. So, goal 1: less travel!

2 - Work. It's so big. It deserves two points. I have been so bored at work, with all of the layoffs and budget cuts, I've had no opportunity to do "my" job. And I feel so left out of everything at the office, because I travel all the time. I miss having a "partner" who I work with toward common goals day in and day out. Plus, I want more money, so I expressed some of my concerns to my boss and a few friends. And, as a result, I have been negotiating two job offers this spring. The first in KC, for comparable pay but a move closer to my family in IA. The second in TX, a lot bigger pay but further from the fam. I'm leaning toward TX, but still waiting for the final offer which could be anytime between now and June. Impatient me needs a distraction in the meantime... but Goal 2: new job!

3 - Balance. With the two previous work items, I have been letting myself go. Really. I had already gained 10 pounds of the baby weight back with my thyroid-ectomy. And with the indulgent lifestyle I've been leading, I've added another 5 or 7. I joined the Y months ago and have been like 3 times. I planned to exercise on my lunch hour, but ended up working through lunch and usually just hitting a drive thru and getting back to work or running Christmas shopping errands. So, I need to commit to a goal of 'never let your head hit the pillow without 20 minutes of exercise" and "more water" and "lean protein." Plus, I have an appointment with my endocrinologist tomorrow, so I'm going to ask him if he has any diet tips for someone without a thyroid. I know there will be no magic pill, but perhaps there is a certain tactic that works better given my current metabolic limitations. Plus, I don't want to do anything that would increase the risk of my cancer coming back (assuming its gone away). My health seems okay. I still sometimes say the wrong word (like I'll see you back at the garage, when I mean to say house). And my scar continues to lighten. Trying to decide whether or not to buy another round of the scar treatment at the dermatologist, or switch to Mederma....

4 - The twins. They are now about 8 1/2 months old. They roll over, army crawl, sit up, eat solids (if pureed baby food counts as a solid), smile, laugh, and get into trouble. They started swim lessons in November, and are really good natured little dudes. Will had his first earache over Christmas in Iowa. It was our first stressful trip with them, just a lot of action with all of the family around, they were overstimulated and so were we. DH and I were wise, oh so wise, to return home on Friday so we had this weekend to settle back at the house, get the Christmas decorations down, the laundry done, etc. etc. etc. Whew! Travel is so much work with kids! But they tolerated the car trip really well. Pic above is of them in their 'girlie' Christmas outfits my mom sent them. I don't normally think they look alike, but as they get older, I'm starting to think they do.

Ok, need to make lunch.