Saturday, October 30, 2010

the results are in...

This morning was kind of crazy since my alarm didn't go off. I ended up being about 20 minutes late to my appointment because I didn't wake up until 9am.

It worked out though and the salon/stylist were great about it. If I were going to be in town after December I would definitely go back considering how friendly and talented the stylist was. The place has a great concept. It's not just a salon, it's a day spa, salon and boutique! It's the type of place you could go to and get a complete head to toe makeover, which is always exciting. I've always wanted to do something like that.

Anyway, without further delay, here is the new 'do!

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I ended going with a bit of a combo of numbers 1 and 3 and I love it! The picture isn't that great (what photo taken in a bathroom ever is?) but you can see how it frames my face and just sort of has a bit more personality than before.

Thanks for all the input and get ready.... I'm just a few motnhs shy of chopping it all off to donate and I'll need input on which short look to go with. :)

Friday, October 29, 2010

VOTE!

I have an appointment tomorrow to get my hair cut - just a trim really - at the salon down the road. My only issue is, I still haven't figured out what style I want.

Right now my hair is long and boring. Seriously, it has no personality. Just straight, brown, and full of potential. I'm trying to grow it out long enough to donate and it's pretty close. I could probably go ahead and chop it all off now and still have enough length to not look crazy, but I kind of want to wait until I get to Atlanta. Call me dramatic, but I want the hair change to happen when all of the other exciting changes happen. However, I'd like at least a tiny bit of style worked in there for the next two months.

So... here are my top three options. Please leave a comment with your vote!

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Option 1 - face framing layers with versatility

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Option 2 - simplicity and traditional bangs

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Option 3 - sort of a mix of the two

My appointment is at 9am tomorrow so vote while you can and I'll post a picture of the new 'do this weekend!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

little things

This morning I went in and had my bloodwork done. The good news is, I should have some answers from that tomorrow. The unpleasant news is that getting the bloodwork done required me to spend the morning in the hospital (waiting, getting my veins stabbed....etc.) which completely creeped me out. I hate hospitals. They're creepy and they scare me.

It sort of started my day off on a weird note. So, in an effort to brighten my own day, I picked the puppy up from daycare (he spent the night with his friends last night), picked up some incredibly cute fabric at Joanne's to make my friend's baby quilt, and gave myself a manicure!

I bought a dark purple a while ago on a whim and never used it. I never had the guts to rock such a dark color... no matter how much I really love it. Today is the day I chose to take the plunge. For those who are curious, here is a picture of the color - midnight in moscow.
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(note, these are not my hands)

I think I'll add it to my toes too since it's Halloween.

Also, for those interested in celebrating along with Steve and I, Steve will be officially smoke free for a year on Halloween! I plan to make lasagna and something really good for dessert to reward him. He gets major props!

Monday, October 25, 2010

nice suprises

The last time Steve and I went shopping I found this great skirt. It was cut beautifully and the fabric was perfect for fall and winter. It was the perfect length and I could imagine wearing it with a million different things. It was also on sale, so I bought it.

However, since bringing it home I haven't been able to put together an outfit I like. I couldn't find the right shoes or the right top. I didn't want to wear this great skirt until I knew I could do it some justice.

The day has come my friends. I was looking through some old pictures yesterday and noticed a pair of shoes I had forgotten I had. I looked in the closet this morning and was incredibly happy to find that they survived the mass Goodwill donation when we moved. They work perfectly with my skirt and the outfit I'm rocking today makes me feel fabulous.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

playing the waiting game

I'm not so good with the keeping up with things anymore. This translates into being a bad blogger. Sorry.

I promise, it isn't just the blog either. I've noticed lately that I'm getting pretty forgetful in all aspects of my life. I'm just going to blame that issue on stress.

My doctor and I discussed my issues, both new and old, and we have come up with a game plan. I've got to go in and have some bloodwork done and have a colonoscopy (potentially an endoscopy as well), but for now that's it. I'm not thrilled about being sedated and prodded during the colonoscopy, but it's a necessary tool in figuring out how to help me feel better so I'm going to deal.

The situation has me a bit stressed. Between all of this mess, work mess, and the craziness that is school right now, I'm just trying to take it one day at a time. I'm at a point where all I can really do is head in for the tests, wait for results and pray for a good outcome.

In other news:
The puppy has learned several new commands including wait, leave it, and spin. Some of those are more useful than others. :)

Also, I ahve been accepted to Georgia State for the spring semester! Woohoo! Looks like some parts of my life are abotu to become awesome.

**woudl anyone else like to join in on the positive news bandwagon? I would love to hear some. :)

Monday, October 18, 2010

weird issues

This weekend I made some beautiful, vegan blueberry muffins. I had one yesterday and loved it... even Steve was a fan. This mornign I went to grab one for breakfast and as I opened the storage tupperware I caught a whiff of them and almost immediately gagged. Like... ran to the sink because I didn't think I'd make it to the bathroom type of gagging.

Sadly, this is becoming sort of a new routine for me. The whole gagging at things that never bothered me before and random waves of nausea. It's awesome. (notice the sarcasm).

That new issue is bad enough, but it's not the only one.

This weekend I went for a run. Just my usual route, pace and distance. Not 5 minutes in I had to stop because there were sharp pains in my stomach. Not crampy type pains, stabbing pain. This is not normal. I decided to walk it out for a bit and see if they went away if I toned down the workout and they did for the most part. I ended up stopping after 1.5 miles because I still got them suddenly and randomly all over my stomach area and didn't want to make anything worse by pushing too hard. I was still winded and sweaty like I'd just done my normal run though which I thought was weird.

Both of these new issues, on top of the digestive issues I've had since freshman year of college, are really annoying.

Speaking of which... those issues have developed some new trigger foods. We can officially add chocolate to the list along with red meat in any quantity, pork, anything with caffine, and dairy.

I'm headed to the doctor for more tests tomorrow morning. I have an idea of something to test for and I hope the doctor listens and gets me the necessary tests/screenings. More than anything else I just hope he can tell me something more than "It's just severe IBS and you'll have to find a way to deal with it". Any thoughts and prayers you could send my way would be much appreciated.

And just to get it out of the way for anyone thinking I drank the water around my friends lately.... no, I'm not pregnant. I can 100% garauntee that much. :)

Sunday, October 17, 2010

date night and dinner inspiration

Last night Steve and I met up with my friend/sorority sister/former roomate and her new husband for dinner while they were in town for their honeymoon (they were the ones we went to Atlanta for last weekend). We decided to try out a cute little Greek place on River Street called the Olympic Cafe and it ended up being a great choice!

The food was delicious, the restaurant had a very romantic atmosphere, and the service was better than many of the places Steve and I have been to in Savannah. I finally got to try Spanakopita (pretty good) and Steve was thrilled to be able to get a plate of feta cheese as an appetizer.

Interestingly enough, the star of the evening turned out to be the lemon potatoes served as a side dish with our dinners! They were these tender, lemony bits of heaven. I even asked our waitress for the recipe so I could attempt them at home! Unfortunately, they wouldn't share. So I hopped on google in an attempt to find something similar.

To our incredible excitement, the recipe was very easy to find. Apparently everyone loves these potatoes as much as we did! We decided to try it out tonight in combination with the lemon roast chicken dish I have made before with great success. The dish is currently roasting away in my red polka dot pan and making the house smell incredible. :)

Last night's dinner was great, but the evening continued and got even better after we left the restaurant and went our seperate ways. There is a little place in the city market downtown that sells gelato. Steve and I love this place.... they always have delicious home made flavors and the people who work there are so friendly.

We stopped in last night and ate our little bowls of the creamy goodness while people watching in the square. It was just the kind of casual, quiet, happy evening that ends up being effortlessly romantic. By the time we made it back to the car I was humming show tunes.

I'm so grateful to finally feel like I could be breaking out of this terrible funk I've been in for months. It's weird, nothing is really different except my perception. Clearly that makes all the difference in the world.

Friday, October 15, 2010

days like today

My medical issues are still acting up and today is one of the worst I've had to date. I'm suprised since Steve and I got such good news yesterday - the thing we've been hoping for - and on top of that it's a Friday. If my issues are being brought on and intensified by stress then today would probably be the least likely day for such terrible issues.

Yet another fact which makes me believe it isn't in my head and it isn't just because of stress. Hopefully my doctor will listen to me at my appointment on Tuesday, really look at the research I'm bringing him, and I'll get the tests necessary to figure out if somethign treatable is causing this nightmare.

Days like today are the ones when I wonder if it is practical to become a teacher. What will happen if all of the tests come back negative and they find that this truly is just severe IBS and I'll just have to "deal with it" for the rest of my life? What happens if, for the rest of my life, I'll have days or weeks at a time where I'm unable to eat because my nausea is so strong, or I'm unable to be away from the bathroom for longer than ten minutes.

I love the idea of teaching and being able to help students see material in new and interesting ways, but is that type of career something even remotely possible when my medical issues prevent me from properly functioning at my current job? At my job now I have the ability to run to the bathroom whenever I need to. When I need a minute to collect myself or take a break while the nausea passes I am able to do that without it interfering too much with my job. People I work with and for don't particularly like it, but it's possible. I don't think these things would be possible in a classroom. Especially if there isn't anythign I can do to prevent the symptoms from occuring.

It's frustrating to think this way, but I can't help thinking about how this pain and discomfort is going to effect me in the future. There are a lot of things I need to "just deal with" in the next few years and I really don't want these awful symptoms to become a part of that list.

I could deal when it was just a random stomach ache or the runs after eating a trigger food. There was a plan and I could at least do somethign to try and prevent it. For the last month I feel so out of control of my body that it's hard to function day-to-day. I'm so tired of it.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

I promise I'm not dead

Life has been strange lately. My IBS has not gotten much better and I'm just generally trying to adjust to what my doctor says is probably my new "normal" due to the fact that I can't really change any of the external factors which are causing my issues.

I've started going to therapy in an attempt to help me work through and find ways to deal with some of the most stressful aspects of my life right now.... to help me find coping strategies and vent my feelings in an impartial and safe place. It's going well. I like the therapist I'm working with and I feel that I'm already handling things better even if my medical issues aren't quite seeing results yet.

This whole process has left me exhausted.

What is particularly causing frustrations is my diet. If my food journal is anything to go by (which all involved medical professionals agree it is) red meat isn't the only food that is on my "do not eat" list anymore. In order to keep my IBS under control again I am going to have to cut out dairy and pretty much all meat besides organic chicken. It is a sad day. I'm beginning the search for delicious vegetarian foods that could make up for the fact that macaroni and cheese is no longer an option for me.

Monday, October 4, 2010

a mini-vacation and chocolate cake.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to meet up with my parents, my brothers and my sister-in-law at the beach for a much needed mini-vacation. I was only there for one night, but just the few hours by the ocean helped me get back to a good place.

My body is completely out of whack right now due to various factors so I am doing my best to find ways of relaxing and calming myself down in order to avoid major complications.

Tonight for example, I had an insane day at work so I grabbed a hot bath, put on my comfy clothes (chenille socks included), made some emergency chocolate cake and settled on the couch with the hubs and my favorite crazy dog.

Tomorrow said dog goes in to be neutered so please send some happy thoughts his way!