Hmmm, where have I been?!?

Hmmm, yeah, I know, I promised to blog more, but life keeps getting in the way. I am here now and will try to explain where I have been and what exactly I have been doing, besides blogging.

Ok, to start with, I was told by the ol' Doc that I need to lose 90lbs ASAP or face diabetic consequences. SO he puts me on this diet, it is 800-1000 calories per day and most of it is liquid. He tells me, "It works and many people have kept their weight off for many years." Yeah, sure that is what all those diets say. Anyway, I purchase all the stuff, little white packets of powder and freeze dried veggies and a few meal replacement bars, which are yummy, but I can only have ONE per day. Okay, 5 packets and 1 regular(yeah right) meal per day. I can have a normal portion of meat and 3 portions of veggies, once a day or what they call the Lean and Green! Ok, so I started this adventure 8 weeks ago. I thought, "I am going to starve to death, I know I can't do this." But I have lost a whopping 32.5 pounds and have lost a total of 22 3/4 inches. I am so pumped about this. I have a personal health coach that calls me once per week to check and see how I am doing and I am actually exercising. I am now walking 3 miles every morning before work, yeah I work at like 8 am so I am up at the mmmm of dawn walking. I LOVE IT!! I feel so good, I cannot tell you how good I feel. I am totally NOT hungry, this is the BEST "diet" I have ever been on. It better be for what I have to pay for it, but it is totally worth every penny.

Ok, enough about me, my airman and her wonderful hubby are preparing for training to deploy to the sandbox in either, early July or early August. They don't know the date, yet! Jamie just finished ALS and it was a bear. She is not very studious and it was very tought for her. It was alot of puplic speaking and she is just a bit shy when it comes to that, so it was not good for her, but she passed with a 97%, so I am very proud of her. She now sews on her Ssgt stripe on May 1st, woohoo, it has been a long time coming. She tested for this stripe before she left Italy well over a year ago and is just getting to her number to sew it on. We(hubby and I) are going to visit Jamie and Alex in Virginia from June 29 throught July 6th(if they don't deploy the 2nd) I am so looking forward to that. I posted a couple new pics of the "kids" at the beginning of this blog. Jamie looks totally different in civies, than she does in uniform. Of course, she hates her blues!! Would much rather wear her ABUs.

Well, that is where I am right now. I am not going to promise to keep up with this blog, cause until I get through the rest of my schooling and am able to quit my stinkin' job and until my daughters' MIL gets better so that I don't have to watch my grandkids everyday I am off, I will still be very, very busy. So for now I may TTYL!!

Sue

Sorry :(

I am truly sorry I have not been blogging lately, but I to have caught the creeping crud that has everyone down in the dumps. I have had it now for 10 days and went to the doc only to be told, "This too shall pass." Doctors what do they know, doesn't he know I am dying. Ok so maybe not, but it sure as hell feels like it.
I have to go to work tomorrow, it is mandatory that everyone be there from 6am until who knows when for the dreaded yearly event, "INVENTORY", arghhhhhhhh!!
So I am getting ready to watch my only son play a game of broomball(for the chance to get into the championship game) via the MTU webcams. Then I am taking my Mucinex D and heading off to slumber land. I hope to be able to get a few hours sleep tonight. Last night and a few nights before that have been spent sleeping(or trying to) sitting up in the recliner, yuck! So gonna try one more time tonight and see what happens. Well all, I will talk at you soon, I hope!

I'm updating, happy :)

Ok I am updating now, LOL!! I am really terrible about this blogging thing so please don't give me a tongue lashing.
Ok, so I went to the doc on Thursday and guess what? WOOHOOOOOO, I got a clean bill of health, no infections, no cancer, nothing but a noncooperative uterus, LOL! Doc said from all the tests and stuff they did that the only thing he can figure out is that I wasn't really completely done with this process in my life. Evidently there was a partial build up of endometrium and because of the meds I take for my high blood pressure, one of which contains a blood thinner, all hell broke loose and as a result I thought I was going to die. He said that everything looks postmenopausal, YEAH and that it may or may not happen again. But if it does I will truly know what is going on and to give him a call and he has meds to speed up the process. Or he can go in and cauterize everything. He said he does not like to do a hysterectomy this late in the game unless it is really, really necessary. So there ya' go I am aokay, well at least that part of me is, LOL!
As far as my children, they are all getting over all their crud. Well, Jamie ended up in ER the other day, but she will survive. I tell ya' the military is not so good at keeping their people healthy. Jamie went to ER with 103 degree temperature, headache so bad that she couldn't keep her head up and a very bad pain in her neck and chest. The doc walked in and said there is nothing wrong with you go back to work. Everyone has this and it will be gone in a day or two. No tests, nothing. Gave her Motrin, the military cure all and started to send her on her way. She was so upset she stood up and demanded that they at least give her something for the cough and asked if they would sign her waiver for that evening for work. She said she told the doc, ok, I work outside and it is cold, and I carry a gun. I am not even comfortable doing that tonight. She said the doc told her she was sick of all you people coming in here looking for an excuse to not go to work. Jamie about lost it. She said, Look I have NEVER in my life called in or not gone in to work and I am really sick and do not think it is in the best interest of my fellow airman to be on duty tonight. The doc finally relented and gave her the night off, ugh! She tried earlier in the day to get into the clinic to see someone and they told her that she wasn't sick enough to be seen in the clinic that if she really thought it was necessary she may have to go to the ER, WHAT!!!!!! I swear with all the things that I have heard and witnessed first hand with this stuff I am fit to be tied. It just makes my blood boil. ok, off the soapbox, now.
On another note, Jamie and Alex will definately be deploying in August, I am so not a happy camper about that, but there is nothing that I can do. At least they know now that they will be deployed to the same place, where they don't know yet, but at least they will be together.
She really wants us to come in June to see her and I already told her we have vacation planned for then and that we will most definately be there. I don't care if they are living on the street, I will be there before they deploy.
Ok, one more military rant and I am done. Jamie went to the dentist for her 6 month check up. She has a small cavity that needs to be filled, no biggie, right, WRONG!! She cannot get it done at her base. She has to go to one of two other bases, nearby to get it done. Now I think that is just ridiculous!! Why can she not get it done on her base, you ask! Cause they only have dental assistants at her base and the "real" dentists are at the other bases, That is our military for ya'.
Enough ranting, time to get back to the studies and keep moving on. I think this is getting harder for me, my transcriptions are getting worse as far as format and stuff, I do not know what I am doing, maybe I am not really cut out to be a medical transcriptionist, I don't know but I really need to get this. I love doing the transcription, too. I don't know, I keep getting stupid things wrong, doing stupid things, too. Well, time to study so that I can do better, well my friends, I will TTYL! :)

Another update

Ok, ok, I know I haven't been real good about keeping this updated so here goes.
I don't know anything knew about my medical problems, I do have an appointment on Thursday morning and will update as soon as I know anything new. I do know that I am not going to just keep trying things to keep this organ in this old body. It is not good for anything anymore. I mean I am almost 52 years old and DO NOT plan on having any more kids, God Forbid!!! My baby will be 22 in March so no plans for another, LOL!!
Speaking of my baby, I feel so helpless. My son very rarely gets sick, I mean, like almost never. So when he does he does it up real good. I talked to him this weekend. He called to check on Mom and see how I was doing(how sweet). He sounded like crap. I asked him if he was ok. He said he just had a bad cold and that he was planning on sitting around and doing nothing. A bit more prodding and he admitted to running a fever, chills, body aches, coughing, stuffy head and tightness in his chest. Poor baby. I suggested some soup and warm liquids, perhaps some mint tea and lots and lots of fluids. James, go to the store and get some Tylenol, gatorade and some soup, NOW!! I know mom, I know, but I just feel so awful. Now the truth comes out. I hung up from talking to him and called his roommate, who by the way is feeling just about as bad as he is, so I called their RA and asked him to check on the boys and get back to me. About an hour later Chad called and let me know that the boys were sleeping and that he had made a run to the local market for them and stocked up on Tylenol, chicken soup, mint tea and gatorade for them, thanks Chad. How cool is that!
I talked to James again later that night and he and Alex had slept all day. He was feeling a bit better, the tea and gatorade gave them both renewed strength. I am happy! Yesterday when I called him he sounded stuffy but oh so much better. I hate having my kids so very far away from me. James is 10 hours north, Jamie and her hubby are 10 hours southeast, boo hoo! At least the other two are in town, even though I barely see them, hehe! That is a good thing, means they are busy with their lives.
Our oldest is doing very well. She has just been promoted and has been seeing her new beau for a few months now. I really like her new guy. He is perfect for her and she for him. I have a funny feeling that maybe in the next year there may be another Turley wedding, :) Jodi bought a new car, all by herself. I am so proud. She got herself a 2007 G6 and picks it up on Wednesday. She is excited. This will be her very first new car. She has always had to settle for junk because she couldn't afford anything else. You go, Jo!!!
Jen, my #2 is doing the best that she can with the job she has. She has had numerous interviews with the company for Asst. Manager positions and nothing has come of it. She is a Key manager right now and is at top pay so their is no where else to go. On a good note she has been going through the interview process to become a 911 dispatcher. More money, steady schedule, better benefits. I am keeping my fingers crossed for her. She has been going through this process for the past 3 month, all the testing, the interview and the psych stuff. She is not telling her boss that this is going on because she wants to keep all her options open. Jobs are scarce in Michigan and any time you have one you don't want to lose it just to pursue other avenues. There are over 100 people trying to get this dispatcher job(actually 4 openings). Her hubby is also trying to get hired in at the factory that my husband works at. He has a fairly decent job but it involves very long hours and not a lot of compensation for it. So we will keep our fingers crossed that the two of them can move on to bigger and better things.
Just made reservations at the casino up by our son. We have to pick him up from school on the 2nd of May and move him back home for the summer. I searched every hotel within a 50 mile radius and could not find one room available. I was beginning to get a bit discouraged. Well, about an hour from our son is a casino. Just a small place, but really nice and not that expensive. I called them today and got a room. One more thing off my mind for now. YEAH! So the plan will be to head out of here real early in the morning(5am) and head to Houghton(10 hours away). Stop at the casino and get our room. Head up to school and load up James and then back down to spend the night at the casino. Do a bit of gambling, have a relaxing night and then head on home. The casino is very small and I love going there. They even have penny slots. We always have a good time when we stop there. So I am happy.
Jen just called and told me they are cutting hours at work, again. In case you forgot, I work with my daughter. I did have 3 days this week, 18 hours. Now I am down to 2 days 12 hours. Oh well, just gives me more time for studying.
Speaking of which, I was not a happy camper when I received my last transcription grade. I got my worst grade ever. Granted it was a 96.45% but it is not good enough for me. I want all 98% or better. I am so hard on myself when it comes to this. Somedays I just don't think I am ever gonna get it and others I fly through the material. My GPA is still pretty good and Cheryl(my instructor) is very encouraging, she even telephoned me and went through my exam with me and gave me a pep talk. So it is onward. I guess that is all for now, I need to get to studying if I am ever going to finish this course. So my dear friends, I will TTYL! :)

UPDATE

Ok, so I don't really know anymore than I did before the surgery. I know now that my uterus is full of holes, looks like swiss cheese. that one of my ovaries is dead, the other is enlarged and looks active but had fibroids, which doc removed. The edometrium was thick on one side and not existant on the other. Doc is not sure what to think. He said he thinks from everything he knows and from all his experiences that it is not cancer. But now we need to figure out what it is. It could be hormone imbalance, infection of some sort, or many other things that he will go over with me on Thursday. He wants to get all the test results back before he heads into a diagnosis. I do feel pretty good today after all that yesterday. I am just a bit crampy, but not bad at all.
Hubby and I went out for a very good fish and chips dinner and then came right back home. I am suppose to stay off my feet as much as possible for the next 3 days. That is alright though I have lots to do with my schooling. I did five transcriptions this morning and need to study for an exam and finish the rest of the transcriptions in this section. I think I am doing ok on this. I am still waiting for my grade on my last transcriotion, it should be pretty good. I hope anyway.
On another note, I missed Hallie and her blog today. She had to have a colonoscopy today and haven't heard how that went, I hope she is ok. I really do miss not reading her blog. She is so witty and funny sometimes. Thank goodness CJ is almost done with his training. He should be at Hulburt Field real soon. What a trooper he is.
Jamie called me the other day and told me her and her husband are now in the deployment bucket together, they don't know if they will be going to the same place or not, but they will be going at the same time. Probably sometime in August. Jamie will have a busy spring and summer. We may have to put off going to see them and that saddens me cause I definately want to see them before they deploy.
Well, need to stretch out on the couch for a bit, been sitting in this chair for over 2 hours now. I had to watch my son play broomball up at school. It is so cool to be able to click on the webcams up there and watch him play. For those of you that love to look at snow check out this site. www.mtu.edu and on the left hand side click on webcams. then when the webcams pop up choose one and click on it. You can take a look around campus and see a couple of the snow sculptures they are working on for winter carnival next week, they are awesome. You can see some of the kids playing broomball, you can see all the snow, it is really cool, check it out.
Well, I will TTYL! See ya soon.

Long Night

It has been an awfully long night. I probably should have gotten up and written in this cause I did not sleep very well. I am having surgery today at 2 pm. These docs don't mess around. I am having a hysteroscopy and a fractional D&C for diagnosis. Doc said he doesn't like what he sees and we need to get an accurate diagnosis before proceeding. He doesn't want to wait 2 weeks for a pap to come back so in for the surgery this afternoon. I hate anesthesia, but I do not want to be awake, LOL! I know everything will be ok, it is just that the last time I had to be put under I was under for 11 hours and it took me days to wake up fully from that. I know that I will not be under that long this time but I still don't like it.
Doc said I have 4 of the 5 criteria for uterine cancer but that only 1-2% of women who have post-menopausal bleeding have uterine cancer so who knows. If it is I will have a hysterectomy next week sometime. He said if it is it has been caught early and everything should be ok. Should be? It WILL BE OK! I already know it will be ok, cause I said so, LOL!
The worst part of this whole thing, I cannot have my COFFEE this morning or anything else for that matter. Mind you my surgery isn't until 2pm, but I could not eat or drink anything after midnight last night. I can have very small sips of water and that is it. I am gonna go nuts without my coffee this morning. I almost got up and made a pot just out of habit, LOL. Oh well, I guess I can survive not having my coffee, but I am gonna be one hungry lady by the time I get out of the OR tomorrow.
Well, gotta go take a antibacterial shower with this special soap they gave me, must be something new cause I never had to do this before. This soap doesn't smell bad, it will most likely dry my skin out and then I will complain about itchy skin, haha, never satisfied. Oh well, I guess, my firends I will try and update here tonight, maybe tomorrow depending on how things go, so I will TTYL!

Appointment on Wednesday, meanwhile....

Ok, I went to work today, I was feeling alright until about 1/2 way through the day, then I started getting lightheaded and dizzy. I sat for a bit then felt better, managed to make it through. I do not work for the next 2 days so that is good, as long as I stay off my feet I am doing ok.
I have an appt. with the gyn specialist on Wednesday Morning, at 8:45 am. I am looking forward to seeing them. They have already warned me they will be doing a biopsy when I get there. The one doc said that she has my ultrasound and has taken a look and is not happy with what she sees. I guess my white count was up just a bit, my iron was very low. She wants me to start on iron supplements. So I went and got them today. Horsepills, they are sooo big. I will try and take it easy for the next few days. I called my sis who has gone through something similar and talked to her. She had uterine cancer and everything she is telling me is the same so it may be, but I am not going to get worked up. My sis came through with flying colors and it has been over 3 years since her hysterectomy, so I can do the same. I am sure this was caught in good time so it is not like it is advanced. I will be fine.
Speaking of fine. I got my last transcription exam, the first submission back. I am extremely pleased I only had 3 errors. I think I got the ones fixed I needed to and sent it back tonight. I cannot believe out of 4 pages of transcription I only missed 4 things. I don't think any of them were major errors(I could be wrong) but they were fairly simple to fix.
I hope I get the exam back soon I am so curious to see what my grade will be on this one.
I am doing the exercises for the Urinary System, tonight and tomorrow and will take that quiz some time this week. I will most likely start the transcription practice for this section this weekend, I hope. I do not want my illness to put me behind, I am going to keep plugging away. When I get tired I will rest. I am at least not on my feet.
Hey, BTW Hallie from Wonderful World of Weiners is having a contest and giving away a beautiful necklace(hand made) The woman that makes the necklaces site is http://www.vlajoiejewelry.com/bracelets.htm go on over and check it out. Her stuff is awesome and very inexpensive for handmade jewelry. Thanks Hallie for sending this site my way, my girls love jewelry and my granddaughter just may need a little bit of bling to adorn her wrist, LOL! Anyway do go and check out the site it is so cool.

Well, time to take a break, grab a cup of tea and head on into the books, so my friends, say a little pray that all will be fine with my plumbing(LOL) and I will TTYL!

Not doin' so hot

Ok, I am not doing so hot. I spent 4 hours in the emergency room yesterday and I am really not doing so great today. Right now I am no closer to answers for my problem than I was before I went to the ER. They gave me Vicoden, whoopee, I took that for so long with my back(yeah, I told them) that it doesn't even phase me. Heck when I was down for my back I was taking percocet and vicoden and still had pain. So a little vicoden is not gonna help this new and truly horrendous pain. The only thing I can share here is is that it is a female problem. I went through menopause and that part of me has been done for over 2 years, that is until the other day. Now I can barely leave the house. They did an internal ultrasound, that was not fun. and the ER doc thinks there is a mass in utero, that is what is causing the problems. I feel like I am in labor, yuck! I have to make an appointment with a gyno specialist on Monday, it just so happens to be the doc that delivered my last three kids and now they(husband and wife team) only do specialty stuff. Infertility, cancer, endometriosis, etc. The ER doc told me he didn't want to frighten me but that I had all the signs and symptoms of uterine cancer, but if that is what I have, it was caught early and should not be a problem(at least for him, LOL) No sense in getting worked up until I found out for sure and even if it is, cure rate is extremely high, so I am not real worried. They did alot of tests last night and seemed very, very concerned so we shall see what we shall see. I just know I cannot keep living like this, this is horrible. Well, need to go get back to my heating pad, maybe watch some tv then off to try and sleep for a couple hours. So my friends, keep me in your prayers and I will update as I find out anything.
ps. I have never had an ER doc call me at home, but he did, I was so shocked. I answered the phone this afternoon and it was the doc that I had seen last night. He said he was concerned and wanted to check on me to see if anything had changed, I told him it had not and that the vicoden was barely cutting the pain. He reminded me to make an appt as soon as possible and that if I needed anything he was there all weekend and don't hesitate to come back in. I told him thanks and he hung up, wow! That was a first and it was very nice to see that he actually "saw" me.
Well, heating pad is calling so my friends, I will TTYL!

It's me again :)

Hey look I am posting again, woohoo!!
Well, I submitted my Digestion exam. I took another quick look at it tonight and closed my eyes and submitted it. It is now out of my hands and into the caring hands of my wonderful instructor, ;), Cheryl!! I know she will provide me with gentle feedback to help me achieve the highest grade possible on this exam. I always shoot for the moon, don't always get it, but can't fault me for trying. I really don't think I am doing to awful bad on the transcribing part. I can usually figure out all the words. Even when it sounds like the dictator is saying "hair in his nose", I figured out, with not alot of effort that he was saying "Heberden nodes". Sometimes, I amaze myself, LOL! I started these classes not fully understanding the whole concept of Medical Transcription. I do not have a medical background(unless being a "candy striper" in my much younger year, counts). I just needed a job where I could get off my feet and either sit in an office or work from home, preferably work from home. Cheryl(from the AF moms and dads site) gave me info about this wonderful company that she has worked for for years and she helped me get the ball rolling. I do not for one minute regret my decision. I cannot wait to start this as a career. I see myself being an instructor someday. I would love to help others learn this career and be able to have the freedom to work from home. I just cannot say enough about TRS Institute, their instructors, the curriculum and their family atmosphere, they are wonderful. Woa! Sorry bought the commercial there, LOL!! I really didn't start out that way, but hey it is the truth.
On another note, Jamie called again last night. She said she is in the next bucket to be deployed, now before you get all sentimental on me she said their next deployment will be to Moreno, Spain. I said, "WHAT!" She said isn't that cool! She would be deployed to Spain for 6 months. Now how bad is that. Better than some of the other places they could be. Right now all of them out of her base are being deployed to Bucca as convoy security, so I am counting my blessings she is not in any of those buckets. Her hubby said if they were to try and send her to Bucca, she wouldn't be going, she would be pregnant first and he is really not ready to be a daddy yet, but if it came down to her going or him being a daddy, he would rather be a daddy. Whoa, he really doesn't want her to go to Iraq, at least not without him. I am so happy he looks out for her.
Jamie starts ALS on Monday and will be sewing on Ssgt very soon. I am so proud of her. They even had a little ceremony in her squadron to present her with her AF achievement medal she received from Aviano, Italy. How cool! I want pics, but noone took any, :( I am sad. Oh well, I guess I will get over it.
Well, time to hit the books again for another hour or so, then off to bed. My mommy has to have some minor surgery tomorrow and I am going to go sit and wait for her so that I can take her home. I can read a bit while I am waiting.
So my friends, I guess I will TTYL

HOWDY!!

I know, wow, I am posting to my blog 2 days in a row, it is a miracle, LOL! No I just have some things to say and thought I would jot them down here.
FIrst, I did my transcription exam for the digestion section today. I am holding off on submitting it though. I want to take another look at it to see if there is anything I can change or need to fix, before submitting it. I know this is my rough draft but I like it to be as accurate as possible, too. I am a bit anal that way. Oh well, when you need to strive to get 98% on everything it is hard. Anyway, while I am holding off on submitting this transcription exam, I started the next section, it is the Urinary System, yeah! I though I had enought of bodily fluids with the Degestive system, noooo now it is the Urinary system. Actually this is more about the kidneys and their function, shoudl be interesting, I think.
Jamie called tonight and said that even though she has been in touch with the woman that wants to rent them her house for over a month and they have talked at length about them renting, etc. She called jamie and told her their is another couple in the mix and she has to decide who is more qualified. Jamie was upset. The other couple are Officers in the USAF, so they not only outrank Jamie and Alex, but they also make more money. Jamie is hoping that maybe their credit report is bad or something, cause Jamie and Alex's is very, very good. She really wants this place. I want it for her. She really loves it, already. I hope they get it, but if they don't there are alot of other places around that are(maybe not right on the bay)for rent and some are just as cute as this one. So it is not like she won't be near the water at all. She loved the other because they are on the water. Fingers crossed for them.
Hubby and I both had the day off today. He asked me to take today off cause he had it off. I figured he had something planned or maybe we would be going somewhere or something, NOT!! I could have worked, we sat around all day, never once left the house. I could have worked, he never even got out of his sweats today. I was so bored!! Next time he can sit at home by himself and stare at the walls, LOL!!
Anyway, I was really bored and when I get bored I cook, I made enough food today to feed an army, LOL!! I made a homemade tomato-basil-sweet italian sausage sauce, cooked up some angel hair pasta, and made some homemade breadsticks. I also made cherry turnovers. This morning I made him some yummy cinnamon rolls, too! I have a ton of food left over that I packed away in the fridge and told hubby he better take to work to feed his crew. They love it when I overcook, hehe.
Yesterday I tried a new recipe, I made Mushroom and potato stew. It was really yummy and very warming. It has been so cold here. Yesterday was -20 windchill. Today I think it actually got to 10 degrees so the soup has been really good. Tomorrow night I am making broccoli cheddar soup. I love soup, I am sure I have mentioned this before, hehe.
Well, I have to work tomorrow, so my friends, I will TTYL :)

MOVING ON

Ok I am moving right along with my school work, I kicked some butt in the digestion system, I received 100% on all of the exercises and the quiz. I finished the practice transcriptions tonight and will start the digestion transcription exam tomorrow, then it is on to the Urinary System, oh yeah!! Not much longer and I will be studying for the final exam and then be in the professional development stage, then internship and working MT, have I told you before how excited I am about this career! hehe
Well, I talked to Jamie the other day. Her and her hubby are looking for a new place. They want to move closer to the base and they want to live on Chesepeake Bay. Jamie found an absolutely awesome condo for rent(actually the lady was trying to sell it, but hasn't had a bite, so now has decided to rent). It is so beautiful. It is right on the Bay with a shared private beach, close to the boardwalk and all kinds of cute little shops. It has a completely remodeled loft kitchen, that overlooks the living room and the gas fireplace. All new stainless appliances, including built in microwave and washer and dryer in the fully finished basement. It has beautiful hard wood floors, ceramic tile in the kitchen and baths. It has 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms and is just so pretty and cute. It has a huge deck off the living room that overlooks the water and a 1 car garage and she said they have just enough grass for Roxi(their rat terrier to turn around on, hehe!! This condo was being sold for 490,000 dollars, but their rent is only (I say only but for around there it is cheap) 1700.00 per month, utilities run about 150.00. They are paying far more than that for the place in town they have now and have to drive alot farther to get to work. The Bay is only 20 minutes from the base. I hope they get it. Hubby and I are planning a trip to see them in July, I am excited to see the sites around DC, we have never been there.
My oldest must still be hanging out with the new beau, cause I haven't seen her since they got back from Florida. I guess that is a good thing, I would kinda like for her to drop by once in a while and let me know she is alive, LOL! Oh well, not gonna push the issue, kept teasing her about spending all her free time with her parents, so can't tell her she needs to see us more, huh?
Son is freezing in the great white north, not really, though he loves it. It is freezing here though, today was -12 windchill, brrrrrrrr!
Well, need to go take a listen to my transcription exam, I like to listen to them first before I start typing, kinda get a feel for what I am in for before putting on the puter.
So my friends TTYL :)

HELLO :)

Hey, I know I have been sherking my duties to my blog, but I am going to update now, k.
Okay, the son left on Saturday to go back to the great white north. He is happy, he loves it up there and they are getting even more snow, which makes him even happier.
Really haven't been to exciting around here. Hubby and I went to the party on Saturday night and we actually stayed out until 3:30 in the morning. I could not believe it. After going to the bar to celebrate our friends 40th birthday we were all invited over to another friends house for a wine tasting, yum. They have the best wines, they even have a wine cellar. How cool is that? My fav wine that we drank was called Red Cat, it is from New York, Hazlitt Winery. It is sooooo good, it is sweet, very mellow and just plain yummy!I told Georgie and her hubby John they need to do this tasting thing right and have it at a descent hour so that us old people don't get so pooped, hehe. We also listend to some of Georgies' fav records, yes I said records. My hubby spun the old vinyl and we did the sing-along-thing. It was way too much fun. We listened to some old Monkees, Jimmy Dean, The Platters, AC/DC, Three Dog Night, quite a collection of old albums.
Sunday, hubby and I just basically jelled in front of the tv, I am really not sure what we even watched, I think our eyes were closed most of the day. I did get up long enough to put a pot roast, potatoes and carrots in the oven and set out some rolls to rise. I even made a not-from-scratch cherry pie, had to cheat, hubby wanted pie but I didn't have the ambition.
Well, we ate a late dinner and then I think both of us ended up falling asleep until it was time to go to bed, LOL!! We old farts just can't handle those late-late nights. Usually when we go out we are home by 11, that was reminiscent of our much younger days(before birthing babies, lol)
Well, the AF girl is on line and wanting to chat so my fiends TTYL

Weird Day

This is my son with his long hair, he grows it long every time he goes to school, he says it helps keep him warm. What a character!

Today has been the weirdest day. I usually work on Fridays and I had today off. It was really strange, I felt like it was a Thursday or Saturday, all day. It was a good day though I got alot accomplished. I did alot of reading and 3 exercise and got all 100%, go me!! :) I got some housecleaning done, well dusted and vacuumed and ran the dishwasher, saving the bathroom for tomorrow. Had a really nice conversation with my son, he is so smart sometimes, he just scares me. His antisocial behavior is a bit worrisome but he has always been a loner and absolutely cannot tolerate crowds of people. No patience!We, hubby, son and I, along with #2 daughter Jen, her hubby Justin and my 2 adorable grandchildren, went to Applebee's for dinner. The kids wanted to see "Duncle Dim" again before he left, they just adore him. Ethan worships his "Duncle Dim". So we went to dinner. Hubby and son were having a fit cause they were taking forever to seat us. Hello, it is Friday night and it is 6pm. Finally we were seated and Ethan wanted to sit by grandma, so we snuggled together in a seat and he told me all about school and what Santa gave him for Christmas and how he likes fries and maybe he would eat some chicken. He wanted the little sword in Grandmas' drink, cause it looked like Jack Sparrows sword. So I gave it to him and he ate all his dinner with that little sword, too funny. His dad was totally mortified, but hey at least he ate, something he rarely does. It was alot of fun. After dinner we took the kids to the play area of the mall and let them run and play with the other kids, of course, as usual it was darn near impossible to get them to leave, but we finally managed with 2 sobbing children to leave the mall and plant them safely with their parents into their car for the quiet ride home. Those 2 were probably asleep before they hit the main drag in front of the mall, lol!
Tomorrow we are getting groceries as usual, except for one thing, it will be much later cause we will be hanging here until Jim leaves. He is suppose to leave around 11, that is when his ride will be here to pick him up. So hubby will make omelets in the am and feed our son before he heads off on his long trip back to school. Then we will get groceries, then home to put them away. Curt will get ready for his band rehearsal in the afternoon and I will return here to my office to hit the books once again. Tomorrow night we are suppose to go to a friends' birthday party, he will be 40 tomorrow, LOL!! 40 wow I wish I was 40! Well maybe not, I kinda like my age. 52 is no longer old to me, lol, maybe cause I am that, it is just that I don't feel like I thought I would at 52. I am really not sure what 52 is suppose to feel like but I was absolutely sure it wasn't how I feel now. Ok, ok I know todays' blog has been one long rambling session, lol. Must be the Perfect Margarita I had with dinner tonight! teehee. Oh well, time to go read for a bit then on to bed to start another day so my dear friends I will keep you and yours in my prayers and I will TTYL!! :)

Plugging along

Here I am plugging along. Today was sooooo boring at work. We were so darn slow. I just wanted to curl up and take a nap, LOL!! I didn't but I could have very easily. I mean you can only sweep and dust and sweep and dust so many times, right. Oh well, I made soup again tonight for dinner, yum. This time I made chicken and rice soup with homemade biscuits. It tasted so good. It has gotten cold here again. It was 33 today, such a drastic change from yesterdays 68 degrees. We are suppose to start getting some snow tonight and could see significant amounts by the weekend. I just hope it either moves through quickly or holds off until after my son gets back to school. He has a 10 hour drive ahead of him and it is straight north. Sometimes the roads can be really treacherous, especially the ones along Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. James leaves Saturday morning to head on back. I am glad, but sad. I am glad hubby and I can get back to our routine, but sad for hubby, cause his best bud is leaving again. They really enjoy each others company and have a miriad of things to talk about. They have so much in common and our son is actually living a dream his father had. So that makes them that much closer.

Jamie called tonight, she was attempting to cook again and needed some motherly advice. She was making Chicken Parmesan, yum! I hope it truned out well for her. She really wants to be a good cook and I keep telling her practice makes perfect, just keep trying. Her hubby is a very picky eater(well, so is she) So they pretty much eat alot of pasta and chicken. I am happy she is trying to cook now that she is married. She definately didn't have any interest in it when she was younger. Her older sisters did and they are both decent cooks. Jodi rarely cooks, cause she lives alone. But Jen cooks all the time for her little family, her hubby cooks too which is great, cause my hubby also is a decent cook.

Well, I got my cardio transcription exam back and I only had 8 points to ponder. LOL!! I was really surprised. I took sometime and changed the things I think needed to be changed then resubmitted it. I decided if I looked at it too much longer it would all be changed and I would end up doing an injustice to an otherwise good transcription. So I will now wait until it is graded and see how I do. My last one was a 99.3, so maybe I can do better? Who knows. I am hoping.

I started the digestive system and am about half-way through the reading and will most likely be doing the exercises and quiz this weekend. I am really whizzing through this. Not much longer, YEAH!!

I just want to mention a blogger friend, Hallie of Wonderful World of Weiners, her son CJ is in SERE training right now, it is very intense and he could use all the prayers he can get, so if you read this, send up a little prayer for CJ. Also, another AF mom who has been through it, Tonjia from One Step Forward, her daughter Bre is home right now after an ungodly amount of time at AF BMT, she is on Conleave and will be headed back to BMT to finish and move on with her AF career, this young lady has alot going for her and will do the AF proud(if they ever let her)so say a prayer for her continued success also.

Well, that is about it my friends, so I will TTYL!

Day off

Teri's "LuLu" saying Happy Birthday to her momma!

What a weird night it was around here. We had torrential rains and lightening and thunder and tornado warnings, with sirens going off and everything. We had high winds, no winds, hale, temps in the 60s. Way to weird, even for Michigan, LOL! Today was a bit quieter though. We had some pretty hard rain this morning, then it just sprinkled the rest of the day. I really want the snow to come back. We are suppose to start getting more snow tomorrow, right on through the weekend, YEAH!

Today was a day off and I spent the majority of it studying the digestive system. I turned in my first submission of the cardio transcription exam yesterday, so while I am waiting for feedback from that I will stay busy and try and get a jump on the next chapter. I read all of Chapter 14 in the Medical Terminology, Chapter 11 in Human Disease, and have started on Chapter 8 of the Laboratory Tests book. FIrst I had to do some coloring in my Anatomy coloring book, I don't always do this but it gives me a chance for some down time in my studies, while still learning something. A couple weeks ago, Briget, the president of our chaper of the AHDI, gave me another study buddy, I sent her an email right away and have not heard anything from her. I wonder why? My other study buddy is doing real well and I enjoy helping her out whenever I can. I figure for every question she asks that helps me to learn and gives me reinforcement in my knowledge. I love helping the other students.

I made some soup for dinner, actually is was corn chowder with zucchini and potatoes and corn and spices and it was yummy. I also made some corn bread to go with it. It was a very good dinner, even the son enjoyed it. Of course he is a soup fanatic, he could eat soup every meal and not tire of it.

Oh, I almost forgot, I got my new keyboard, TODAY!! That was really fast. I ordered it on Saturday and got it today. I absolutely love this keyboard. It is easy to type on and it is quiet. My hands and wrists haven't even protested at all today. I am really pleased with this keyboard. I wish I would have gotten this one first. Oh well, live and learn. The other one was a Microsoft so I figured it was a good one, well I figured wrong. I had never heard of this brand, Adesso, but I read alot of good reviews about it. We will see how it stands up to all the typing that I do on a daily basis. It was really inexpensive for a split ergo keyboard. Some of them can run into the hundreds of dollars. This one was only $30. I am happy now.

I have to work for the next 2 days, in a row, wow, that is gonna be weird. I haven't worked 2 days in a row in a few weeks. I actually have 18 hours this week instead of 12. One of our key managers had to go in to have her gallbladder removed so she will be off work for a few weeks, which means that is 40 more hours for my manager to add to the rest of the schedule and divide amongst the rest of us. I figured that the returns would have died down by now, but no they haven't. It is like people just bought stuff for show and now they are returning everything. It is so weird. If it wasn't for the gift cards we sold over the holidays being redeemed we would be in a world of hurt right now. There are some days that the refunds are almost as much as the amount we sold that day, that is so sad. People just don't take the time to really know what they are buying, they just buy. Then return. Our return policies are getting stricter and stricter because of this trend. People seem to borrow stuff from the store and then when they are done return it for no reason. That will not happen anymore. Things are changing as far as what and when things can be returned and you absolutely MUST have your receipt!!

Well, time to go read a bit more before bedtime, so my friends I will TTYL!

ps. today was a good friends b-day, so I just wanna say HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TERI, Love ya'

Movie Date

Kimberly with her new doll baby!!

Today was a pretty good day. Started out as usual. Breakfast at hubby and my fav restaurant. Then on to the grocery store to stock up for the week. Back home, put groceries away. I studied for a bit and was in the process of doing some transcriptions when my keyboard DIED. I loved that keyboard and have not had it that long. I was pretty upset. Well anyway, I took to the internet to search out a new keyboard, decided that I didn't want to get the same one if it only lasts a few months. Do you know how hard it is to find an ergonomic split keyboard. No one in our town sells them. I finally found one with good reviews on the internet and it is really not that expensive. It is an Adesso, I hope it is a good one. The place I ordered it from has a 90 day return policy so if it doesn't work out I can return it, no questions asked. They will even pay return postage and send you a new box to put it in. That was a big plus in buying form this place. So now I am relegated to using a flat small keyboard, the one that came with my computer. I can already tell it is going to bother my hands typing on this keyboard. I really liked the split keyboard, my hand seemed so much more relaxed and I could type for hours. Yeah, my butt ached but my hands were good, LOL! For now my transcriptions are going just a bit slow. I should have my new keyboard by the end of the week. I will let you know how it goes.

My #2 daughter, her hubby and my grandkids will be here tomorrow, YEAH! I look forward to seeing the kids. They are coming for dinner. I am making lasagne and some homemade garlic breadsticks. Jen is bringing a big salad. I may make some broccoli for my granddaughter, she LOVES it. Should be a good time. If there is still some snow left, after all the rain we had today, then grandpa is taking the kids outside to play, I will try to get some pics. Well, time to start the last practice transcription in this section, then on to the transcription exam. WOOHOO, I am back on track and need to keep moving forward so that I can graduate from this course and start my new career!! I am getting more and more excited about this.

Well, my friends, TTYL! :)

ps. forgot, hubby and I went to a movie tonight. We went and saw I am Legend, it was really good, love Will Smith. It was nice to get out with just my man, no son tagging along, hehe! The kid didn't want to go cause we told him he would have to pay his own way, LOL! We knew if we told him that he would stay home and it worked, smart parents, we are ;)

Tagged

Ok, my friend Deb has tagged me for 7 random things, I will try and come up with 7 things.

1. I was once in the Air Force, ok, maybe not actually, but I did make it most of the way through BMT, before they booted me out.( There was only 1 female flight back then and we NEVER saw a male the entire time we were there).
2. I spent 4 weeks in Medhold at Lackland, YUCK!!
3. I am the oldest of 6 children.
4. I am an Air Force brat, my dad was career Air Force(25 years). I miss him terribly, he passed away, 4 years ago on Halloween. He was too sick to go see Jamie graduate from BMT, but she called him and he was sooooo happy. I believe he watches out for her now.
He was so very proud of her, he had 2 grandsons that were in and dishonorably discharged for drugs, so he was happy with her career choice.
5. I am a born again YOOPER!!!! For those of you that don't know, I live in MI, lower MI. I spent many years at an AFB in the upper peninsula(LOVED IT!!) Those that live above the bridge(Mackinaw Bridge) are called yoopers, those that live below the bridge are called Trolls. I should be considered a Trooper, transplanted yooper, but I wasn't born up there. So, because I want to move up there, I consider myself a born again YOOPER!! Yeah, I love the winter weather and the peace and solitude of the Great White North!
6. I can sew, made a suit for my daughters boyfriend once.
7. I consider myself a gourmet cook, even though I don't cook real exotic stuff, but I love to cook and have been told I am a good one. I would love to be a personal chef. That would be too cool, but I live in the wrong part of the country for that, LOL!

Well, there you have my 7 things, random, weird, interesting, I don't know you be the judge. Like I told Deb, I am not tagging anyone cause I do not have 7 people to tag, she took everyone I know that has a blog, LOL!
So until tomorrow, TTYL :)

COLD, Brrrrrr!

Because it is so cold and snowy, I decided to show all of you another of the son's pictures. This is a snow sculpture from last years Winter Carnival at my son's college. It was done by a fraternity and is the "Hanging Gardens of Babylon" It took 1st place last year. It was absolutely breathtaking. Each section was over 7 feet tall. The fountain in the front is about 8 foot tall. Cool, huh! The carnival starts in February. They actually start building the statues when they return to school, next week. My son has decided to help out this year, so I may have lots more pics to share.

Baby it is cold outside! I cannot get warm today. It feels as if this house is an icebox. I had to go out this evening and I nearly froze to death, LOL!
I went tonight and had my grandma hair colored and cut and I feel soooooo much better. I had not had anything done with it since before Thanksgiving andmy hair grows so darn fast. I know it looks bad when hubby asks, "When do you get your hair done again?" HAHA!!
I mostly studied today, did some transcriptions, bothered my instructor quite a bit and studied some more. Right now I am taking a break from my studies to do this then I am back at it for another hour or so, then on to dreamland, cause I gotta go to the "ugly" place tomorrow. I know I shouldn't complain about my job but I don't complain about too awful many things so I guess I just need to do that, LOL!
Spoke with my long lost Airman today. She was out running around on base with her hubby, picking up dry cleaning, taking her new blues to the tailor, getting groceries at the commissary and alot of other down day stuff. I asked her why she had to get new blues. She said she has to wear them to her ALS training and when she tried on her old blues they just about fell off her, LOL. She has not worn her blues since I made her put them on 2 years ago to get pro pictures taken. Now she has to wear them every day for 2 weeks, hehe. I told her I wanted a pic of her and hubby in their new BDUs so she said she would send one soon, YEAH!! I will share when she does. She just hates spending money on her blues, new stripes, nametag, etc. Tailor fees on and on. She said at least when she sews on Ssgt in February, her hubby can use the stripes, etc. for his new uniforms. She got in a bit of trouble, not bad but called out. She has been letting her hair grow(cause she can't find anyone she trusts to cut it, she is soooooo picky)and she has been wearing it in a pony tail, cause it is still too short and layered to wear in a bun, well one of her commanders stopped her the other day and told her she needs to do something different with her hair, it was touching her collar. So now she has to find someway to keep it in her ponytail, but shorter and still be able to put her beret on. Oh well, she will figure it out.
Tonight for dinner I made 1of hubby and sons fav fast meals. I made them a Taco Bake, it is like tacos ina casserole, or a glorified mac-n-cheese, it was yummy. They ate it all and hubby now has to have a pb & j for lunch tomorrow. He usually takes whatever is left over from dinner, but not tomorrow.
Son is still here on Christmas break, sometimes he is so much fun and other times he is so yuck. Today was one of his yuck days and I do not like him very much on those days, thank goodness they are very few and far between. I love having him here, but love it when he leaves, LOL!! I know that sounds bad but it is true. Hubby and I have a nice routine and we kinda enjoy being by ourselves, most of the time. That and the grocery bill skyrockets when he is home, LOL!! Still love him though!
Well, it is time for me to do a couple more transcriptions and then head off to bed. I also need my nightly, cup of tea! So my friends, I will TTYL :)

Feeling Lots Better

This is where my son goes to school, this is what it looked like before he left on the 21st. This is also real close to where I grew up. They now have about four times this much snow.

I have spent the last 4 days off work(scheduled days off) sick. This sinus stuff kicked my butt. I am feeling lots better today, of course I had to go back to work, too. They have cut our hours down to next to nothing for the next few weeks. I get to work a whopping 12 hours this week, yeah. I really don't care though cause that just gives me more time to study. I took an exam, tonight, on the respiratory section and aced it I was so happy. I also did 5 transcriptions, tonight. I was flying through my homework, tonight. I have tomorrow off and plan on spending the whole day studying.
Well, New Years Eve hubby and I went to dinner with his brother and his wife. I just love them dearly. We had a wonderful dinner. Lots and Lots of laughs. A couple drinks and then headed home. Hubby fell asleep on the sofa and I fell asleep in the recliner and about 11:55 we woke up watched the ball drop in Times Square and headed off to bed, HAPPY NEW YEAR to us, LOL!!
I haven't been up to cooking lately and my son is really disappointed. I promised him I would make my Swedish meatball soup for him this weekend and some home made bread, so he is happy. He will be here for another week, then it is back to school(10 hours away).
Hubby was off work for the holidays, he had 11 days off and had to return today, he wasn't happy about it either. He was enjoying spending time with our son and just being lazy, playing Guitar Hero and his other games on his Wii.
We are planning on taking the grandkids sledding this weekend, if the snow stays. It is suppose to get up into the 50s and rain this weekend, yuck. I would rather have the snow. I love the snow. I grew up where 250 inches per winter season was nothing and every house had a door on the second floor that had no stairs to it. Didn't need stairs, cause the snow was high enough and that was your only door in the winter. We plugged in our car so that it wouldn't freeze. We wore snowmobile suits and boots, etc. to school, everybody did. I loved it.
Well, enough rambling, LOL!! Need to get back to the studies. FIrst I think a nice hot cup of tea is in order then back to the books for a couple hours, then off to bed. So my friends I will TTYL!