My "Baby" Turns 10!

In celebration of Dylan's 10th birthday, we held a swimming party at the house in his honor. He enjoyed lots of friends, cookie cake, presents (the boy racked up on the cash!), and more. Me & WD bought him the iPod Touch which he has quickly mastered. The party was a success even in the 100+ degree weather! We even had a little excitement when the neighbor drove his riding lawn mower into the lake... like good neighbors all the dads at the party helped rescue the lawn mower by wading into the water (jeans, party clothes, no matter). The party was very enjoyable for all! I'm so amazed at how quickly time has past. I guess Dylan's no "baby" anymore!(Wayne, Blane, & Rhett soaking wet, walking back to the party after rescuing neighbor.)

(Sweat rings on the shirt is a good indication of just how hot it was outside; I know, "Ugh that's yucky!" but the good news is that we all were sweating so it didn't matter ;-)

Idina Menzel

I suppose everyone knows my absolute love of music? Well today, further confirmed it. After stepping it up & working it out at a morning Jazzercise session this morning, the instructor had the group do a cool-down routine to an absolutely beautiful song. I've discovered another very talented musical artist by the name of Idina Menzel. I figured out who she was in a roundabout way, though. After the cool-down, I asked a fellow "jazzerciser" if they knew the name of the song. It's called "Hope". I didn't think to ask who the artist was... I was just going to use my iPhone to search for it in iTunes. I had no luck with that... there are a ton of songs called, "Hope"... some are spiritual/gospel as to be expected... I even ran across an atrocious rap song called "Hope"... I couldn't give up though. I googled "Jazzercise", thinking perhaps they would have a work-out video with the song on it. When I got to the site I found a cool listing of all the current songs used for workout routines at all Jazzercise locations. That's where I found it! I used the artist's name to search in iTunes, and voila'! Listen to the song by clicking the play arrow on the player below. Now to find other songs from Idina Menzel to enjoy. She's apparently in the Broadway hit, "Wicked", too. If ever in NYC, I'll be sure to get a ticket to the show so that I can experience this talent in real life.

Father's Day Surprises

We had a fabulous Father's Day! Saturday morning I dropped WD's truck off at the car stereo place & had a really cool Pioneer stereo installed... it has CD, iPod connection, HD radio, Bluetooth hands free phone, satellite radio, the works! It is really, really fantastic. I wouldn't mind having one in my next vehicle, but I wouldn't waste the money on putting one in my cruiser (heck, I still have a Cassette/CD combo radio in my car!). WD hopped in his truck Saturday evening after he got home, and was so thrilled with his gift from me & the kids. But that wasn't all... I just love surprises... Sunday he had to work, but afterwards we took him to dinner... Texas Roadhouse (it's nothing fancy, but it is his favorite). Erin & Dylan excitedly carried in a couple of more gifts into the restaurant. WD has been on this "antique shaving" kick lately, so we ordered an old-fashioned straight blade razor with lavendar shaving soap & a sampler pack of blades. Of course a man can never have enough Levis so we picked up a pair & a comfy Nike t-shirt just for him. It was a great evening, hanging out with the kids, and with our most favorite man in the world.

Prayers for Avery

Please pray for Avery Malatesta... she's a very sick little girl . She's at OLOL fighting for her life. Doctor's are in the process of removing one of her lungs this afternoon. Please pray that God directs their skills to save her. Avery's family has created a site for updates & details here: Avery Malatesta

It is H-O-T!!!

One of my typical daily activities is reading the news online. While eating my lunch at my desk, I get the scoop on Baton Rouge "going-ons". My source of choice is 2theadvocate.com. I can read news, get news alerts via my iPhone/email, read a little entertainment info, obits, and of course check out the weather. After this weekend, I was curious as to when it would rain again... my lawn has turned brown, my hubby is battling cholorine deficiencies in the pool, my kids are sunburned, and I'm sweating/cranky. Well the good news is that 2theadvocate posted the weather, the bad news is, is that it is going to remain hot, hot, hot with no rain in sight! Can't we have a "weather day" where we get sent home from work for more than just snow in Louisiana?!?

Medical Update

I've decided to go for a second opinion, after months of playing the waiting game with the doctor's at BR Clinic. As most of you know, I've been trying to figure out what's going on with me physically for over a year now. I have what I refer to as my "episodes" everyday and it seems that they've gotten more frequent lately. Over a period of about 2-3 minutes (occurring 6-7 times per day; typically worse in afternoon/evening), I get a very full feeling in my head, I see black spots/blurry spots, can't speak fluently, and feel as though I'm going to faint. I've been to my internist, ENT, neurologist, rhuematologist, ophthalmologist, cardiologist, gynecologist, herbalist (or whatever you call a "natural" doctor), endocrinologist, and back to some of these again & again, paying outrageous co-pays, but not getting any answers for my "episodes". It was discovered that I have an auto-immune disease which has caused my thyroid to enlarge to 2x it's normal size (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis), I have severe B12 & D deficiencies, & I have enlarged water sacs in my brain, & I failed a tilt-table test. I've lost 40 pounds, changed my diet, added large amounts of exercise, take B12 injections monthly, & a handful of vitamin supplements by mouth daily, only to still have episodes get worse. All this said, in the past, I was terrified of offending my "medical team" at BR Clinic, so I wouldn't get a second opinion. I've decided that I have to get to the bottom of this so I've sought the help of other doctors at the NeuroMedical Center. The neurologist there has run a few other tests, EEG, some type of galvanized-shock test, & now another MRI today. I have to say, they handle things quickly, so hopefully diagnosis/treatment will come quickly too! They are suggesting that I may have an issue with my autonomic system, or maybe seizures, or other neuro issue... they are checking it out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed while I wait for test results now. If any of you readers are medical experts or have similar stories, please, please, please share/advise.

Resident Scout Camp

It was an exciting day for all of us... dropping Dylan off at the resident scout camp at Camp Avondale in Clinton, LA. I was excited for him, but also very nervous. There was a group of 5 boys going from our den. The thought that I was going to leave my 9 year old boy to sleep with a "buddy" in a tent was nerve-racking... would he remember where his supplies were, would he keep himself clean, would he keep track of his money & time. I know around the house if his head weren't attached he would lose it, so I had reason to worry. I did snap a few photos, and then reluctantly drove the 1 & 1/2 hour distance home. I'll report on how he did this weekend when I go back to pick him up.

Daughtry Does It AGAIN!

The other day, WD surprised me with a new release on iTunes (did you know you can "gift" a song to a friend?). Chris Daughtry has come out with a wonderful new song called, "No Surprise". I have it on my iPhone & have listened to it over 50 times since he gave it to me! Yes, it's that good. I just LOVE his voice... a little rough/grovelly (is that a word?), but very rocker. Watch the video & hear the music here!