Hotty Toddy? What The Mess????

So today was a really nice day. And I'm surprised by that. Not that I'm in the habit of negative thinking, but a day of riding in the car and then riding bicycles isn't my idea of a good time. David suggested yesterday that we (me, him, and Raelynn) spend the day riding bikes at Sardis Lake. He sweetened the deal by saying we'd eat breakfast in Winona and then go to the Cracker Barrel in Batesville for lunch. Well, it worked. I hate to say that I'm a sucker for Cracker Barrel. But more about that later.


We left bright and early this morning and got on the road at a decent time. We made it to Winona in pretty good time and David decided to stop for breakfast at Waffle House. Yummy! We used to have a Waffle House here in Starkville, but like many eating establishments, it left, I think, in part due to bad service and management. Anyway, I got two eggs over medium, toast, sausage, and their famous hashbrowns that have everything on includeing the kitchen sink. I'm not kidding....I'm not sure of all the ingredients, but I know it did include: onions, green peppers, tomatoes, ham, cheese, jalapenos, chili, and white sausage gravy. You may think this sounds pretty gross, but for someone like me, it's joy on a plate.


We got back on the road and headed to Enid Lake. David had suggested that we check out the three lakes in the area: Enid Lake, Grenada Lake, and Sardis Lake. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice Enid Lake was. We rode our bikes around the dam and on the lower side where the spillway was. We stopped a couple of times to look at different stuff. The weather started cool that morning, but the temperature got up to seventy and it was breezy out. The wind was a little hard to ride through when it was pushing against us, but it was still pretty pleasant.


After Enid Lake, we drove over to Batesville for lunch. Cracker Barrel. Enough said. I don't know who thought of this place, but they were a genius. Good food, great atmosphere, and shopping to pass the time while you wait for a table. We were able to get right in without waiting so that was good. For lunch I had a meatloaf sandwich on sourdough bread with mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles. I also had a side of coleslaw and a side salad with buttermilk ranch dressing. Yummy. After we ate, we browsed the shop a little bit. I found a great gift for my mom for mother's day and David found something for his dad's birthday. I also found a great necklace and earring combination. I topped the shopping trip with the purchase of four peanut butter buckeyes. (Which I shared.)


After lunch we stopped by Sardis Lake. It looked sort of like Enid Lake, only bigger, older, and more crowded. We chose not to ride on the dam since it had traffic and it was really windy. Instead we took the bikes down to the lower lake. We rode around there awhile and stopped a few times. After a bit, we decided to head out to Oxford. Being that I live in Starkville, Ole Miss is our top rival. I've heard that the campus and city of Oxford were beautiful. I've never been there. We weren't too far away so we went.


David had visited the campus before and we rode around looking at stuff and found that we rode in circles a lot. MSU has a complicated road system and Ole Miss is no different there. They do have about 100 more stop signs than we do. Anyway, the campus was real pretty but it felt like everything was smushed together, so I think that MSU is nicer.


On our way back to the historic section of Oxford, we stopped at a dive called Phillip's Grocery that had a sign advertising the best hamburger in the country. It had lots of atmosphere and Raelynn enjoyed walking around the restaurant looking at all the stuff on the walls and everything. I had a cheeseburger plate with their seasoned fries. Raelynn had a burger too but she doesn't eat french fries so we got fried pickles instead. They were very yummy. (I don't think it was the best burger in the country though....) While we were there, I noticed that one of the waitresses had on a shirt that said "Hotty Toddy" on the back. I know that this is part of the fight song or something for Ole Miss but no one has been able to tell me what it means. I asked the waitress and she said she didn't know what it meant. It just was something they said when playing a team. She said she thought that it referred to a "Hot Toddy" which is a hot cocktail. Why would the name of a drink be a part of a fight song? Are the Ole Miss Rebels a bunch of drunks? I don't get it. After that, we drove through the historic section of Oxford and looked at the beautiful houses. So gorgeous. We went to the downtown area of Oxford and we walked around the town square. It was very pretty. It has a New Orleans feel to it. Lots of brick buildings with balconies and details in the iron. There were lots of restaurants and up scale boutiques. Again, very nice. A little too nice. The town was pretty, but I had the feeling it was sort of snotty and stuck up. Oxford looks like a place that thin, rich people live. I am neither, which is why I probably didn't feel comfortable there.


So after that we made our way home. Nothing exciting there, which is good. That would have meant that we broke down or something. I spent a little time reading my new People magazine that had two interesting articles: one on Sandra Bullock and her cheating husband Jesse James and one on Miley Cyrus and how she's moving past playing Hannah Montana. Both of these sadden me. One: I've always been a fan of Sandra Bullock. It's too bad that her tattooed husband had to go and mess around with that crazy looking woman. I mean....come on....you're going to have explain to me why he would ditch his gorgeous and successful wife for that freak show. I don't get it. The other story....well.....I'm almost ashamed to admit that I like the Hannah Montana show and I purchased the Hannah Montana movie. I'm glad she's branching out, but it's going to be hard to imagine her as anything else. It's like Daniel Radcliffe and Harry Potter or Robert Pattison and Edward Cullen. Don't mess with a good thing.


Anyway, we made it home and I'm tired. It's been a long and full day. One I'm sure I'll remember for a long time. And if you can shed any light on this "Hotty Toddy" thing....I'd appreciate it. That's the only thing missing from an otherwise perfect day.

Life Is Too Short To Not Wear Glitter

I'm just going to start by saying that I came this close to not blogging tonight. As my regular readers (all 2 of you) know, I have STUPID DIAL UP at home. This is not out of choice, mind you. Apparently, I live in a black hole that doesn't get high speed Internet service through satellite or cable. I think we may be headed toward getting a cell phone that we can "tether" our computer to sometime soon. The incredibly slow speed at which I surf (more like limp) on the Internet keeps me from being able to download or upload anything. It's very frustrating. Anyway, I had a real good title for this post that would only work if I had the picture that I somehow managed to get at the top of this. Without it, it wouldn't work for me. And we both know, if it doesn't work for me, it doesn't work for you.

Having started like this on a tangent, let me apologize up front for this post. I have no idea where it will go. I've had lots of ideas for a post and none of them have "stuck." I just feel like blogging so I'm hoping that something will grab me and make for interesting reading. If it isn't interesting, lie to me.

I'm feeling better this week, and I ought to for all the doctors I've seen this week. Being a teacher means that you spend all of your vacation time getting to the doctor and dentist and taking care of all the business you normally can't get to because you have a classroom full of charges that can't be left alone. If you have a desk job somewhere, you can go get a cup of coffee or soda and go to the bathroom when you want. With my job, I can't do the first thing and the second thing can only be done if I take 24 people with me. So yes, I have a bladder of steel. I can hold it for hours. And it's only taken me 17 years to get there. My first year of teaching I had 5 urinary tract infections. In addition to that I also contracted strep throat five times. No lie. I now have an incredibly strong immune system. but I digress......

I've not been feeling well for the past while and over the break I went to a specialist and had some tests done. They didn't find any infection, no damage, no cancer, and no ulcers. He upped my current medication so I'm hoping that will do the trick. Next week will be the test....I tend to feel worse under stressful situations. And my job is stressful, even on a good day. So for those of you wondering, I'm good and the Lord is to be praised!

So what else have I been up to? Today, I went to a Rural Voices Radio selection committee meeting from around 10 until 2. When I came home, I checked in with David who was doing some much needed yard work at my parents' house. His dad, step-mother, and aunt had come up to visit, so I quickly went home and went to cleaning at light speed. I got lots done before they got here. When they left, I helped David sow some grass seed in our pasture and then I used the rake to smooth it all out. Talk about a workout. I came back in and cooked some supper (salad, mixed veggies, and Hamburger Helper) and then washed dishes. I hate washing dishes. I then enjoyed some of the extra special features on my new DVD, New Moon. Yes, I'm excited about that. I met a friend at Wal-Mart last night at midnight to get my copy. I was home by 12:25. If for nothing else, I'm glad I'll be able to watch the movie with subtitles. I think that movie makers should take into account that there are many movie lovers out there that have hearing disabilities. How much harder is it to provide subtitles that can be seen with special glasses? Or at the very least, provide a pair of headphones for those like me that need more assistance. It would be nice so that the people that go to the movies with me wouldn't have to answer my questions of "What did they say?" or "What? Huh?" Anyway....no one asked me, but I'm just saying is all.......

In other news, I've decided to wear glitter everyday. I used to wear it just on Fridays as a way to celebrate the end of the week, but now I'm thinking that life is too short to wait for my fun on Friday. I will still continue to wear it full out, no holds barred on Friday. For every other day, I'm going to go on the understated glitter in my eyeshadow and liquid eyeliner. I'll wear just enough to make people wonder...."Is she wearing glitter or is she just naturally sparkly?" It makes me feel good and I'm hoping that it reflects light that won't show my wrinkles. Again, if you don't like it, lie to me.

Anyway, looking back over this post, I can see that it's all over the place. Please hang in there with me while I get back into my groove of blogging. It's been awhile. I'm hoping it'll get better with time. If it doesn't, lie to me.

The Latest On Me and My Weird Conditions......

So here's the latest.......


I went to the doctor yesterday morning at 6:30 AM. Yes, it was that early. To top it off, it takes about 40 minutes to get to this doctor from where I live, so I was up and out by 5:30. YAWN! My mother took Raelynn the night before since I'm sure she didn't want to woken up at the literal crack of dawn that morning.



David drove me to the doctor's office. This particular procedure is done in their outpatient facility and if I had had it done in Starkville, I would have had to go to the local hospital. And I would have had to wait. And wait. And wait.


Once inside, they had me put on the hospital gown and get into the hospital bed. There are two things that I liked....one....they let me keep on my clothes minus my shirt. Undergarments, pants, socks.....that was a relief. The second thing....the sheets and gown were soft. Really soft. Softness counts with me. They put the needle in my arm for the drip I was to get later. They gave me some really good sleep meds because the next thing I knew, David was in the recovery room with me. Outside of a sore throat, I felt fine.


According to Dr. Williams, everything looked normal. No obvious cancer, no ulcers, no damage to the esophagus. He did take a couple of biopsies of the lining to check to see if there were any infections within the folds of the lining. He said this was a normal procedure. He tends to think that some of my constant vomiting is due to sinus issues. He did find a hiatal hernia but that it wasn't bad. He increased the acid medication I am currently taking once a day to twice a day and wants me to come back in a couple of weeks.


So good news, of sorts. It still makes me think......what is causing the constant coughing and vomiting? I need some answers. And yes, I know that losing weight would help many of my conditions.....I just wish that it was something I could tackle and be successful at. Any ideas?

An Update--Of Sorts

Hi Everyone.


It's been too long. This I know. I hate with things get so hectic that I can't do the little things that bring me joy, like blogging and sleeping. Life has been busy, as it always is. You'd think that by now I'd be able to manage it all. But I'm thinking that's what life is all about. Learning how to manage things. Big things. Little things. Important things. The not-so-important things. I know I've been away for awhile, and I've missed blogging. I'll get you up to date on things in my life. The big things. The little things. And all the stuff in between.


1) School has been busy. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were starting this school year. This time of year is rough. Everyone is ready for the year to be over and the breaks away from school are few and far between. I know how the kids feel. I'm right in there with them. We are currently on spring break and I'm hoping to live it up. And by that I mean sleeping and getting caught up on school work.


2) David is feeling better. A few weeks ago he was in serious back pain. I've never seen anything like it before. He missed a whole week of school, which for either of us, is huge. We never miss school. I think his back is feeling a little better and he's up and moving around again. It was a long week. I love my husband and miss him when he's not around. I made sure I told him that when he came back to the land of the living.


3) Although David is feeling better, he's now behind the 8 ball with school work. He needs the computer so I haven't had much time to check facebook or blog. Someday I hope to have high speed Internet.


4) I'm going to have some medical tests done this week. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I'm not feeling well. A year or so ago, I was diagnosed with Acid Reflux disease. For anyone that doesn't know what this is, in most people it's basically regular heartburn. With me, it's been bad. For the past several months, I've had really bad acid reflux. I cough constantly and then the gag reflex catches and I end up vomiting or dry heaving. This happens several times a day. After one particularly bad school day of wretching over and over, I made an appointment with my doctor. This of course was after much research via the Internet. I'm convinced that I have a hiatal hernia. This means that part of my stomach has bulged (I hate that word) about the valve that closes things off and I have a constant flow of acid up and down my throat. For the past I don't know how long, I've sounded like I've been smoking several packs of cigarettes a day. My voice is shot. The doctor put me in touch with some specialists and suggested that I have a scope done. This is when they stick a camera down my throat and into my stomach. I'm not sure I want to know what they are looking for. After that visit, I went to my ENT doctor for a sinus infection and he was surprised at the test that was going to be done. I get the feeling they're looking for early signs of cancer. I'm not sure what the solution is since I'm already taking several acid reducing medications. There is a surgery to help this condition, but I've not met anyone yet that thinks that is a good idea. I'm putting it all in God's hands and letting Him take care of it. Your thoughts and prayers during all of this would be appreciated.


5) I've seen a movie or two lately. (This is the part of this post about the not-so-important stuff.) I hate this time of year because there are no really good movies. The main seasons for big movies are summer and Christmas. I may have mentioned this before, but I've worked a few times at a movie theater. I loved it. Best job I've had so far. This spring break I will be watching my Netflix movies and wait patiently for the DVD release of New Moon. Last year when Twilight was released on DVD, I waited for my copy at midnight of the release date at Sam Goody's. This year, Sam Goody's is out of business. I see that Wal-Mart has signs advertising the release of this movie. Do I go at midnight? I'm not sure. I can tell you that I'm looking forward to it. I'm rereading the series again to get in the mood.


6) I went grocery shopping today at the evil Wal-Mart. I was surprised to find that they are now carrying the foaming dish soap again. They had this stuff and we used it all the time and wouldn't you know....they stopped carrying it. They've also started carrying the 100 calorie packs of yogurt covered pretzels too. This made me happy. This is not the case for the fat free hot dogs, Welch's Dark Berry powder drink mix, and now my black forest ham is gone. What's with that? I get very frustrated that I can't get all the stuff I need at the same place.


7) I'm not sleeping in as much as I'd like this break. It doesn't help that we had to observe Day Light Savings (or are we returning to the correct time? I don't know which is which...) All I know is that I LOST an hour of sleep. This does not bode well with me. Of course being the break, I'm staying up later than I should so I guess that's the vicious cycle of it all.


8) I have lots of cleaning goals for the break. Clothes need hanging, folding, and then putting away. Clutter needs organizing. Sigh......this seems like one thing that I may not be able to accomplish. After all, I'll be trying to get caught up on my sleep, right?


Well, I"m sure there are other things that are going on right now, but most of them are things that I would share with you because they would bore you. Now that I think about, the above list may do that anyway.


Gee.....now that I look at it, it seems like my life isn't too busy. But trust me, it is. I'll write again soon when I have some news. And if no news comes by, I'll just make something up.

Hello, world....Remember me?

Yes, I'm still alive.


Yes, lots has been going on.


Yes, my life has been crazy.


And finally......


Yes, you should hang in there with me....spring break is next week and I'll get caught up on my blogging.


Side note....please be in prayer for me...I go to have some tests run next week to see if I may have esophageal and or gastro-intestinal cancer.

Another Weird Condition

I feel like blogging. I feel like sleeping. I feel like running away and then alternating blogging and sleeping. Okay, I feel better now that I've gotten that off my chest.


You've probably been wondering about what I've been up to. I'd like to say that there's something interesting going on, but now that I think about it....sometimes something interesting is also stressful. So right now....no new and interesting stresses in my life. Just the same old stresses.


This is a sign that I'm getting old, but I must complain a little about my ailments.....

As you may or may not be aware, I am currently living with Meniere's disease. Basically, I have hearing loss and continual ringing in my left ear. I went and checked a little while back to see if I'd be able to get a hearing aid. It seems that MS has this program where they will pay for your hearing aids if it helps you work. Since I can't hear the kids, I figure that I'd be the perfect candidate, right? Wrong! Apparently, it's one of those situations in that I'm not "sick" enough to require help. Great. So the solution is to just ask people to repeat themselves. I've found that smiling and nodding gets you into trouble if you don't know what people are talking about. It seems that people expect you to listen when they talk. But that's not the latest complaint....


Awhile back, my ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) doctor diagnosed me with Acid Reflux. I've been taking medication for that since then. For the most part, it worked. And then something happened sometime last fall. I started coughing with the acid coming up and vomiting several times a day. It's gotten a little better now and then, but lately things are getting too much to handle. It's a horrible thing when you have to stop teaching, grab the trash can, and run into the hall to vomit. Mostly, it's either dry heaves or mucus. (Can I just insert here that I'm not a good vomiter? It always feels like I'm choking. And when the vomiting session is over, I look like I've been choked by someone.) I spoke to a friend that had similar symptoms and she said it sounded like her diagnosis....hiatal hernia. Basically this means that part of my stomach has bulged above the sphincter that separates the stomach from the esophagus. I tried to get into the local Gastrointestinal doctor in town, but found that they wouldn't give me an appointment unless I had been referred by my regular physician.(I read this as one of the doctors needs to make a car payment....) And to top that they told me that the Gastrointestinal doctor was on vacation for three weeks. So, to get the ball rolling, I made an appointment, saw my regular doctor, and got little information that I didn't already know. (Apparently if I lost weight, it would help. My question...what won't losing weight help? And if I could lose weight, wouldn't I have already done it?) He recommended that I make an appointment in Columbus with doctors there since the procedure I'll need to have could be done there at their outpatient office. The procedure is basically where they sedate me (not totally asleep but more or less awake and comatose) and them inserting a scope down my throat to look at my stomach and esophagus. There is a surgery to correct the hernia but as it turns out, it is rarely done. I'm not sure what I'll need since they mostly treat this with medication and I'm already taking some. So in the meantime, I'm just vomiting several time a day. The good news is that I can feel when it's coming. Just know that if you see me holding a trash can nearby, you should stay away. Especially if you have a weak stomach.


Anyway, I'm sure this isn't the post you were hoping to read, but you have to take the good with the bad....and I'm sure this is a bad post. That means that the next one will be better. Thanks for sticking in there with me. In the meantime, your prayers are appreciated.

It's Like Looking in a Mirror

Hi Friends....

I know, it's been awhile. I'd love to blog more so if you want me do that....send money. I guess I'm going to have to be independently wealthy before I'll have time to blog daily....Oh well...I can dream.


Today's post is about a dear friend of mine....Kamille. I met Kamille a couple of years ago at an Open House event. All I can tell you about that meeting, other than it was predestined, was that neither of us forgot that night. In the spring, our district hosts an open house for the upcoming grade(s) to see the school they will be at next year. (Side note....our district has one school for grades K-2, one for third that will join my school next year, one for fourth and fifth, one for sixth, and so on.....) Well, most teachers don't like those evenings when you feel like you're being put out on a meat market, but I find that I really enjoyed them. It always felt like I was in an E.F. Hutton commercial...I'd answer someone's question, and everyone would stop and listen to my response. This is a huge boost for those of us that like being in the center of attention. In case you didn't know....that's totally what I'm about.


Well, after it's over, some of the teachers will compare experiences to judge how things went. I relayed the questions asked of me by potential parents (especially from Kamille) and found that no one had the same questions that I had. Especially from Kamille. It's not like she asked me anything really personal, but her questions were nothing like "How much homework do you give?" or "How do you differentiate your instruction?" Those are common questions. No....Kamille was more concerned with me. What kind of person I was.....What I believed in.....I remembered her name and had a feeling that we'd be seeing each other again. And I was so right.


By God's divine wisdom, her child was placed in my fourth grade classroom. Her child is a gem...the kind you wish you had more of. The kind of kid that you look at and feel like you were the same type of kid when you were that age...... Also by God's divine wisdom...I looped with this group of students so I have this wonderful child again.


Ah....so many memories. Kamille was the first parent that I remember calling me on my cell phone. She was the first parent that I programmed in my phone. I vividly recall her calling me one day as I was shopping in Wal-Mart. I pulled over to the side and we talked for a long time. That's huge for me because being stuck in Wal-Mart when I don't have to be isn't my idea of a great time.


As I've gotten to know Kamille, I've really connected with her. She and I are so similar in many ways. We have the same sense of humor and find the same things funny. (Side note here...she introduced me to Bon Qui Qui and I'll never be the same.) She is like me in that she also has just one child. People with only one kid are different kind of parents than those that have more than one. You see....we have all of our "eggs" in one basket. We can't afford to let things get messed up. After all, we're talking about the person responsible for putting us in a home when we're older. But anyway, she gets me and I get her.


I've spent some time with her in the last few months and I thoroughly enjoy myself. We always have lots to talk about. Kamille is one of those people that is bigger than life. She lives life with such passion. I'd like to think that I'm the same way. When she loves, she does it with her whole being whether we're talking about friends, family, or food. Her laugh is infectious and beckons you in. She's just so down to earth....she's good, solid people.


I'm sort of sad though....at the end of this year, her child will move to another grade and another school. Their lives will go on and I'm sure that we won't spend nearly as much time together. I'd like to think that I'll still be in her heart....I know she'll be in mine.


I love you Kamille! Thanks for all that you do and all that you are.....I'm so blessed to know you!