Catching Up

There are so many things I have not had the time (or computer availability) to blog about, so I think I'm going to use the ol' reliable "bullet points" to summarize.

• Beginning last Sunday, we had Walt and Lauren over for another splendid outdoor bbq time together and hang out. They've been dating (officially) for a couple of months now, and what a great couple. Poor Walt had one busy day, he spoke at all three services in front of the church at CCF Sunday (it brought tears to my eyes) and later emcee'd and delivered a different message at CCF that night. In light of all of that, we were rather honored that he made us a priority on such a busy day to hang out with. Pictures to come soon - they are on John's camera and my computer has reached its storage limit, so it's time to download my pics to a hard drive, and pick a couple of shots from John's computer once he downloads his camera to that.
  

• On Tuesday, I attempted another 60 minute cardio workout on the elliptical. And.....guess what? No overheating!!! It was very strange for me as this overheating thing has been very consistent since the middle of March - and when I got home, there was (strangely) not a blotchy red face staring back at me in the mirror. Again, on Thursday, I repeated the workout and had the same results. The key difference? My bet is on the "Tramadol" that I have stopped taking. It is a medicine that was prescribed to me last December that I take daily in the mornings to "distract" my pain receptors from responding to the daily triggers for headaches. This also makes sense as the blood test results showed NOTHING.... honestly, on paper, based on those results, I'm looking like one healthy individual. (This, is, of course, a huge praise - but also shows just how huge God has moved in my life regarding my previous anxieties regarding health issues. Eight years ago, I would have probably lost a lot of sleep worrying over what was wrong with me, whereas now, I really had very little anxiety about the whole issue). So, long story short, based on my doctor and I's suspicions, the Tramadol is what led to the overheating (Travis had a similar response to a different medicine he at one time took for his headaches as well....). But, now that I'm off of it, I'm starting to realize that it actually helped in a way I hadn't really been aware of. In the late afternoon, I take a medicine called Flexeril that is a muscle relaxant. It makes a person very sleepy - so I've learned to take it around 5, so that the "hangover" will be gone by 6am or so the next morning. However, now I'm sensing the lack of morning sleepiness, might have had more to do with the taking of the Tramadol which tends to cause a little "energy burst". This would explain, why, this week, while not taking the Tramadol, I've been desperately in need of naps - especially around 10am. On the drive to the zoo and even Safari Sams - even with company in the car - I was doing the Starbucks drive-through for a Mocha Coconut Frappacino. (I'm not a coffee drinker, so I have to disguise the caffeine with lots of fluff - not to mention the cold wakes me up a bit). This is not helping the waistline. (Even when I ask for nonfat). So, now, I'm eliminating the Flexeril too. I think I'll have to see how things pan out after a week or two of having everything out of my system - and when I don't have a sore throat and cough adding to the issue. But, as for today - I was still sleepy-tired even after sleeping well last night. Kindly, Michele snapped this picture of me while napping - which is SO SAD. THIS is why I have indented wrinkles in my forehead upon waking every morning and have invested much time recently reading about "Deep Wrinkle Therapy" lotions. Yes, that's my face responding to muscle pain while sleeping, something Flexeril did help alleviate. Long, long, long story short (so sorry - didn't mean to turn this particular bullet point into a novel) - I'm a mess, but not really. According to my doc, and even my mom at our last visit - I'm doing really good. So many folks with so much bigger issues than me......

• On Wednesday, we had Will and Aaron over for another bbq. It also included more s'mores. (S'mores and Coconut Frappacinos not good.....but, oh, so yummmy!!!!). This is the last time we'll probably see Aaron before he gets married on July 15th and then moves to the east coast. As for Will, we'll catch him at the wedding as well, and we hope he ends up back in Eugene come fall, but he's a college graduate now with the world at his feet. Travis and Steph joined us, as the four of those guys have been a part of an accountability group for a couple of years now. Kaela ended up stopping by with gifts for the boys as well - it was really a great evening.

• Happy Birthday Ellie! Today was her official birthday - so I tried to wake myself up enough to sing with the rest of the family.... =)