August plan

My plantar fasciitis has been doing a bit better lately. I don’t hobble as much in the morning. I am happy about this because (obviously) it is nice to not be in pain and because I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to do the Hartford Marathon Relay with friends. The event is October 15th with 5 legs: 10K, 5 miles, 5K, 10K or 5.7 miles. I don’t want to be the person that does the 5K- because in my crazy mind it will look to others like the biggest person on the relay team is running the shortest distance because I can't physically handle long runs). That means that I have to get up and start running NOW so that I can be ready to run 5-6 miles by mid-October (aaaaaaand hopefully not be the slowest person out there).

I ended up running two slow miles yesterday. I didn't want to push too hard on my first run since June 5th. It felt nice to get out there and I didn't have any heel pain. Sadly, that was my first run IN ALMOST A YEAR without heel pain. Hopefully the pain will stay away. If it doesn't....well...I ran an entire half marathon training program and race with the pain so I will just run through it again. (Clearly that would NOT be ideal, but what can you do?)

Currently my worry is shin splints that literally just started to hurt this week. I have been doing a ton of walking with the dogs and I must not be wearing shoes that give me enough support because walking should be LOW IMPACT. I have had shin splints before- both in high school and college when playing tennis. They aren’t fun, but they are probably something that I can run through if need be. I will just start to ice and pop Advil when necessary.

But I have even more of an exercise plan in mind. Not only am I going to be starting up my running again, but I also have a recent Groupon for 30 days of unlimited yoga at a nearby studio! My plan is to go yoga-crazy the month of August because the pool at my gym is closed for two weeks anyway. With the plantar fasciitis and the shin splints, maybe I do need to spend more time stretching. And if I am getting back into running, I will need to do even MORE stretching.

I’m pretty excited and hope that I can follow through with a yoga class at least three times a week. Couple that with running and hopefully I will also have lost a few pounds before the two weddings we have to attend in early September!

Are you starting a new exercise program in August?

Male egos

Last week I downloaded Pitbull's new album from iTunes. While listening to my new album, I came across this ditty:



"Come N Go" featuring Enrique Inglesias.

This song has a catchy beat, but the thing that made me snort was the lyrics. "I make the girls come, I make the girls go" with some woman in the background singing like she was in an opera (i.e. having an orgasm).

Now I realize that this is just a song, but the balls that these guys have to have to put out a song like this....proclaiming that they are god's gift to women in the bedroom...well, it just makes me laugh.

Have you ever had a guy come up to you with a pick up line to the same effect? Thankfully I have not but I would laugh right in his face. I was never interested in egotistical guys so right off the bat I would write the guy off. But it's not only that. What makes some guy think that I would be willing to even let him TRY to rock my world? I was not a one-night stand kind of girl- at most I would drunkenly kiss strangers. So the fact that he thought that he would be able to get into my pants just because he said that he was good in bed? HA HA HA HA HA HA.

I'm not quite sure why this song inspired me to write an entire post about it, but while admiring the cajones it took to write, perform and put this song on his album, I also have to laugh.

Do you have a reaction to this song?

Almost Wordless Wednesday

I keep forgetting to post these pictures! They were taken Fourth of July weekend at the watering hole by a guy that was once on Dogs 101 (an Animal Planet tv show about various dog breeds). He has two Leonbergers- HUGE dogs that love water. We met him July 4th when Buster and his puppy had a great time playing with each other (despite a huge weight difference). He offered to bring his bad-a** camera the next day to take pictures while the puppies were playing. Luckily I happened to be taking the next day off so we got some GREAT shots of Buster that day.

The swimming picture of Buster in the caramel color water I posted here almost became the cover for the latest Dog Naturally magazine! Buster would have been famous! Ha ha. :-)

Buster and this Leonberger puppy are the exact same age- yet the other puppy is about twice Buster's size (and will probably end up being about 180 pounds!).

Buster taking a break from playing

Shaking off the water

Eyeing his prey (ha ha)







Running after his puppy friend

My favorite shot of them all- what a great tongue shot!

Dinner club

Sunday night CP and I started a new tradition here in CT- a dinner club. Hopefully we can keep it going for a while!

A few ladies from the newcomer’s club decided at an event that we wanted to start going to dinner together (outside of club events). We started out with four of us going once a month, just the ladies, to a local restaurant. Some wine, good food and good conversation. A nice chance to spend some time with girl friends and for two of them, a break from kids.

At last month’s dinner I brought up the fact that in law school, we used to do a monthly cook-off with friends. We would decide on a theme (appetizer, soup, make something with beer, Indian, dessert, etc.), meet at someone’s house to eat and rate each other’s food. (One half of each couple was in law school- we are the epitome of competitive people.) We had comment cards and everything. It was always a great time and someone was crowned a winner at the end of the night.

The ladies LOVED the idea- except we wouldn’t make it a competition (booooo). So I offered to host the first one on Sunday. CP and I had been thinking about making lobster tamales recently so we went with a Mexican theme. One couple took appetizers, one couple took the side dish, CP and I made lobster tamales and fish tacos and another woman made margarita cake (the fifth friend couldn’t make it this month). CP and I also broke out our Margaritavilla machine to make mango daiquiris. Yum!

Everything was delicious! We had a few mishaps when CP ran out of gas on the grill to cook the fish and the mangoes for the drinks were a little too frozen in the beginning….but overall it went great. The puppies settled down quickly, the AC cooled the house down enough to keep the house comfortable, and everyone had a good time.

Unfortunately people are out of town in August so we are going to have to wait until September for our next “Dinner Club” but the theme is “Farm Fresh/New England” and CP has already offered to make clam chowder. He makes a mean clam chowder so I can’t wait!

Once again it was a nice reminder of how I am growing to love living here. It is still not out west but it is 10 MILLION BAJILLION TIMES BETTER than the small town we were living in up until a year ago.

Do you have potluck dinners or other events centered around eating with your friends?

Friendship

So after a fairly crappy day in the office on Friday where I once again huddled in a heavy sweater and froze my a** off despite the 109 heat index outside, I came home to two panting dogs because our power was off.

Fan-f*cking-tastic. I called our provider who estimated it would take about three hours to restore power.

The only place I could think to take them was a swimming hole about 25 minutes away to cool them off. Fuzzy Britches was estastic and immediately jumped in to start stealing toys and sticks from other dogs (lucky the other dog owners there are very nice). Buster was a bit more cautious, but for the second time I got him in the water and swimming for a bit. WIN. His "technique" is adorable- more vertical than horizontal but he will learn. Buster also got to play with a Leonberger puppy that we have seen a couple of times.

When I got home with the two wet dogs the power was still not on (grrrr) and CP was nowhere to be found. Turns out when he arrived home to no power he headed outside to weed (???? I don't know why either) when one of our friends drove by. Once our friend found out that we didn't have any power he invited us over for the night to bask in their AC, drink some beer and have dinner.

I fed the dogs, opened up the basement door for them and headed over to our friend's house (they have two cats so the dogs couldn't come). I kept calling the power company throughout the night....7pm turned into 10pm, 10pm turned into 12am, 12am turned into 2:30am. Meanwhile CP and I are enjoying the AC, food, alcohol and conversation/laughter.

We finally made our way home around 12:30am with still no power. We headed down to the basement which was a little cooler but still not comfortable. CP immediately started snoring and I couldn't sleep on the hot leather couch. I was estatic when the power came back on at 1am! I ran upstairs to kick on the AC in our bedroom and get some sleep.

Needless to say, I love that we have friends nearby. It was great to spend an unexpected night with them. :-)

How did you survive the heat wave this past week?

Hot and bothered

Maybe because the heat index makes it feel like 109 degrees out today. Maybe I didn’t get enough sleep last night. Whatever it is I am a bit annoyed.

It’s invasive and somewhat weird to have to talk to people about wanting to have kids. They get all excited for you but it’s because they don’t know that you have been unsuccessful in the venture for a year. They think that you and your husband just started to have discussions about the idea. But you don’t want to make them feel bad about getting excited so you don’t say anything.

When I went to the orthodontist we had the conversation about when I could get pregnant and still have the oral surgery. When CP and I went to get long term disability and life insurance we had to tell our representative that we wanted kids in the future. When my dentist wanted to prescribe me special toothpaste to combat the possible cavity growing between my teeth, he asked about pregnancy and I had to tell him that we were trying (and therefore couldn’t use the special toothpaste).

I can’t match these random people’s excitement over the prospect of having kids. It’s hard to get my hopes up these days. I wonder if they think that I am weird because I don’t get excited when talking about it?

Either way I am slightly b*tchy and/or cranky about the subject these days. One of my coworkers ran into me in the hallway and said, “how’s it going mommy?” She meant how was it going with the puppy, but I told her that she needed to say “puppy mommy” next time. I don’t need rumors floating around the office. I can’t imagine getting questions about that while not even being pregnant.

The other annoying thing lately is all of the mothers in the office that say things to me like, “don’t have kids for a while” or how I “will find out soon enough about kids.” I get that kids aren’t sunshine and rainbows. But no, I may never find out what is like to have a kid. And I do want a kid right now- I am going to be 33 in December.

None of these people have any idea what is going on with me- I haven’t told anyone at the office that we are even trying. So I certainly don’t snap at them or say anything. But it is still frustrating……

TGIF.

Follow up

So yesterday I had a follow up meeting with my orthodontist to find out the specifics of what I need done after she took molds, pictures, etc. of my mouth. She said that I am somewhat of a mystery as my jaw realigning isn’t simply because of my grinding. They can also see “pitting” in my teeth- which is usually because of acid in the mouth. I let them know that I had been taking medicine for acid reflux, but realized that I didn’t want to take anything for the rest of my life, so I quit a year ago and just take charcoal pills whenever I have a problem (about once a month or so).

So the final verdict? A year and a half of braces. No teeth need to be removed (YAY! I don’t have to look like a hillbilly for a few months!) but both of my jaws need to be reset (aka broken). That requires a one night stay at a hospital, heavy drugs for at least 3-4 days and out of work for at least a week or two.

The problem of course is the fact that we are trying to get pregnant. I can’t and won’t have surgery with Xrays, anesthesia, heavy drugs, etc. if I am pregnant. They would generally put the braces on and then after 12 months I would have the surgery. The final 5-6 months of braces would just be finishing the final alignment. My doctor said that she could move the surgery up to possibly the 8 month mark.

It all depends on when I finally get the braces on. The next step is to meet with the oral surgeon who then has to ask my insurance for permission to do the surgery. I would think that with an open bite, only two teeth making contact, a lisp and TWO BROKEN TEETH they would deem the surgery medically necessary….but we’ll see. It will take at least a month for the insurance company to get back. If they approve, I just want to get this process over with as soon as possible and I will get the braces put on (at this point that would probably be around Oct). If the pre-approval is denied, then we have to appeal which would add on a few more months.

So CP and I need to seriously hurry up and get pregnant or else a few months into my braces we need to go into prevention mode (ha ha ha ha what a joke). I really can’t imagine having jaw surgery and being out of it with a new baby but if I am truly only out of it for a week one of our mothers could come and help out. CP’s mom is basically retired at this point anyway. Not ideal but a baby is more important than this surgery.

We have our appointment to discuss IUIs on the first of August. My appointment with the oral surgeon is not until August 31st.

So yeah. I can say let’s hurry up and get pregnant but we know only too well that nothing in that area has gone well.

*sigh*

Tests

When CP and I applied for life insurance and long term disability, the company had a woman come to our house to draw blood and ask us medical questions. Prior to our appointment we had received an email from CP’s dad talking about cholesterol and how most of his family must be on medication in order to keep their cholesterol in check. No one in his family is overweight- in fact his sister runs half marathons, eats organic foods, etc. But yet his dad, mom, sister and uncle all are on medication.

So we were a little worried to find out CP’s test results. Then after joking with him about his probable test results, I worried that because we weren’t worried about MY test results that I would suddenly have something pop up in my results.

Well, the worrying was for naught. CP’s cholesterol test came back at 192, just barely in the normal range, but still normal. That is FANTASTIC news because this year we have been eating quite a bit of beef (albeit grass-fed and organic) through our CSA.

My cholesterol came back at 137 which is lower than normal (140-200). Amazing considering I eat at least 6 eggs a week (and not just egg whites), eat beef, etc.

All of our other tests came back perfectly normal too.

So even though we are infertile, at least we are otherwise healthy….The nurse that came to take our blood told us about a guy that seemed healthy but found out through the blood test that his kidneys were not functioning correctly. That led to finding out that he had cancer which they caught very early because of the blood test!

Monday afternoon bullets

• CP and I finally saw Black Swan last night. Man that movie was weird. We both didn’t think that it lived up to the hype. According to CP, every interview that he has seen with Natalie Portman makes her seem boring and kind of an ice queen. If that is true then it wasn’t too much of a stretch to play her character in the movie- let alone grab an Oscar for the performance. Ultimately we were disappointed in the movie.

• CP has been working really long hours at his job. Right now he is commuting into MA so he has a three hour commute every day. I feel bad for him now, but this is only for a few months. After the project is over he will go right back to working from home five days a week….so you can’t feel too bad for the guy. But the long commute = a cranky CP. He has even started to spend Wednesday nights in MA so that he can stay at work longer and not have to make the drive Thursday morning. I’m ready for this job to be over for him so that a more well-rested and good-humored CP comes back.

• My job search isn’t going well. I did apply to one job today but I’m not even sure it was still an active job because it was posted June 12th. The posting was still up, but who knows? I sent my cover letter and resume anyway because it would be a pretty awesome job if I got it. Otherwise, the market here in CT is not generally geared towards my background so it’s hard finding jobs to apply to. I guess I just have to keep looking….

• Our sugar snap peas have been coming in nicely along with the start of our yellow cherry tomatoes. CP keeps admonishing me not to pick the veggies right off the plant and eat them because otherwise we can’t save up to put them on a salad. They are just SO TASTY right off the plant- it’s hard not to pop them in your mouth as a delicious snack!

• Friday gave me more ammunition in why I need to leave my current job. We had people in for a presentation on Friday about our office. The directors each had a presentation to give that they first edited before my boss (aka control freak) had to edit it. First she wouldn’t let them edit the electronic version themselves because she wanted total control. She printed the presentation out, they made pen edits and then the presentations were given to me for edits (thus rendering me an Admin person despite my LAW DEGREE). What a complete waste of my time. But then, despite the fact that my boss made edits herself and thus knew the substance of each presentation, she arbitrarily decided when directors were taking too long in giving their presentations. When SHE decided their time was up, she gave them the stink eye, rested her elbow on the table with her forearm in the air and used her long fingernail to tap her watch- repeatedly. Not just a few times to try to be discreet. She went on for a good three minutes at one point (click click click click) during two different presentations. It was rude and ridiculous.
  

*sigh*

Big decision

This weekend CP and I made a big decision. We decided that we are going to see a fertility doctor about possibly having an IUI treatment.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t a long conversation. I thought that I would have to convince CP to even go in for an appointment to talk to a doctor. But no. I’m not completely sure why he was suddenly fine with it, but didn’t want to push for an answer. :-) I just accepted it and made the appointment.

We will be meeting with a doctor on August 1st to talk about the procedure. I’m cautiously optimistic going into the procedure, even after reading on the internet that IUIs are about 10-20% successful. Maybe inserting the sperm directly into my uterus will help the little buggers out on their journey….

The good news is that my insurance pays for most of the procedure. I can have up to three total under my plan. So that at least helps us with the cost.

Here’s hoping this gets us pregnant!

Still lost

Yesterday CP and I went to his latest doctor appointment. Unfortunately, we didn't get any answers.

CP got poked and pulled a bit more, along with a probe that he was not too fond of (that *might* have made up for my HSG test). The doctor proclaimed him fit and healthy with no need for surgery to fix a varicocele.

In other words, we have no answers as to why CP has a normal amount of sperm, but just a lower amount of "good" sperm.

CP is going to start taking a multivitamin which could help according to the Mayo Clinic.

We now have to discuss whether we are interested in finding out more about the IUI procedure. From what I know about it, CP would give a sperm sample. That sample would be put into a centrifuge where the seminal fluid would be separated from the sperm. Sperm would then be injected into the uterus via a syringe.

I wouldn't have to take any fertility drugs, but will the procedure be too artificial for us? At this point I am willing to give it a chance, but I am not sure that CP is. We were putting off discussing it until after the appointment, but with no new answers it looks like it is time to figure out what we are willing to do.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

I might, just might slow down on the pictures of the puppies but it is REALLY HARD because they are so darn cute!!

Buster with the puppy head tilt. I like to say things to him in weird voices or make funny sounds. So adorable.

This weekend is was pretty hot. Koda is in heaven while in a nearby brook.

According to CP it took Koda a while to like to swim. Buster was out and swimming on his first day in the water. Check out the tongue!

Wet Buster after his swim.

The still wet snuggling puppies. Every once in a while Koda isn't annoyed by Buster....and the result melts your heart.

Hope everyone had a great and safe holiday weekend!

The State of NSC- June 2011

A monthly take on my world.

First off, I can’t believe that it is already JULY. Where has 2011 gone? Oh yeah it is been a crappy year so bring on 2012!!

Weight: 198

Current Feeling: Overall? Blah. I was a little shocked to see 198 on the scale this morning because other than walking the dogs, I haven’t been doing ANYTHING exercise-wise since the half marathon. I guess I have been eating healthy enough to lose a pound since last month. I’ll take it!

Running Stats in June
Total Miles Run: 16.3
Time Spent Running: 3 hours, 3 minutes, 35 seconds
Longest Single Run: 13.1 miles

Current aches and pains: Still having some plantar fasciitis pain, but it is not as bad. I haven’t run since the half marathon and every time I see someone out and running it makes me sad. I really just want the pain to go away entirely before I start back up again.

Current Favorite Song: Britney Spears, “Till the World Ends” (Hey if I have to get braces I might as well continue listening to teeny bopper music!)

Looking forward to: The long weekend. I feel like I have taken a bunch of time off of work lately and it is still not helping with my mood. Next week we have a doctor appt for CP so maybe we will get some answers and maybe some sort of path?

Annoyed about: Having to get braces. My job situation. I’m still having problems figuring out how to take one or more of my interests and turn it into a good paying job.

Proud about: Finishing the half marathon in my goal time. That our garden is doing so well. That Buster is doing better with strangers.

How are you feeling with the start of this new month?