Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Until We Meet Again...

This will be my last blog post for a while.

I feel like I have lots of things I want to tackle right now, and blogging is just not really fitting in to that picture. It's a hard to explain type of feeling that basically boils down to the following statement: It's just not getting me where I want to be. Perhaps I'll make an appearance every now and then or maybe I'll be back blogging in a week. But for now, I guess this is goodbye. :) I will keep my blog open should I choose to resume writing in the future...because I really like the url... :)

I hope this finds you all well and no worries, dear friends, I shall keep up with you and your blogs. :) Until then...

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Happy *LATE* Birthday, Val!

On Friday night, we celebrated Val's birthday. We had yummy Dewey's Pizza and listened to songs of yore and perhaps had a winterwear fashion show and dance performances. Our evenings never cease to be random, but very very fun! Here is the gift that I made Val. I put a note inside that said that I felt like the year before our wedding got lost in the details and became a big blur, so hopefully with this scrapbook/journal, that won't happen to her!

Here's the gift. I included a bag of embellishments and tags for her to use wherever she sees fit. :)

Thursday, January 15, 2009

I've been a bad blogger.

I disappeared briefly.

Unlike others, I will make no promises that I will be back soon and post often. :) I've just not been feelin' it. I guess we all go through our spells.

I don't have much to say, but I will fill out this thing...

1. What is your occupation right now? Social Work

2. What color are your socks right now? White...AND, they match. That seriously never happens.

3. What are you listening to right now? The wisdom of Judge Greg Mathis

4. What was the last thing that you ate? a delicious but maybe a bit heavy on the spiciness burrito from chipotle.

5. Can you drive a stick shift? My jeep was a stick shift... I didn't know how to drive it off the lot. Katie had to do it for me :) And she then taught me everything I knew about driving a stick shift!

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My better half.

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes and I think that a craft evening NEEDS to happen with said person! (and of course anyone else interested!)

8. How old are you today? 26 for about 2 more weeks- my birthday is on the same day as the superbowl, HOW FUN!

9. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Football by far :)

10. What is your favorite drink? Today: Sugar-Free Hawaiian Punch because it TASTES so sugary! But I also love a good fountain pepsi & shirley temples (which kind of makes me a 7 year old, and I'm ok with that).

11. Have you ever dyed your hair? On a regular basis and am in fact now due.

12. Favorite food? Sooooo depends. I really like most italian food and some mexican and well...most things.

13. What is the last movie you watched? Theatre- Role Models, very very funny! In our casa- The Strangers. ... And, well, not so much.

14. Favorite day of the year? Christmas, Thanksgiving & My Birthday!

15. How do you vent anger? Yell, cry, do things harshly ie walking with a stomp in my step.

16. What was your favorite toy as a child? My cabbage patch doll, I can't remember her name, but I like to think it was Brenda.

17. What is your favorite season? Fall, its so beautiful! But I'm kind of anxious for spring or at least a really great snowstorm that leaves us stuck in our house for a few days!

18. Cherries or Blueberries? Kind of pass on both, but if I'm being forcefed, cherries.
19. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? A simple blog post would do.

20. Who is the most likely to respond? I hate this question.

21. Who is least likely to respond? Ginger because she's already done it.

22. Living arrangements? With my husband in our house with our two little bundles of joy (aka Sugar and Biscuit).

23. When was the last time you cried? A few days ago, and there was definetely a hormonal influence.

24. What is on the floor of your closet? It's an abyss. I haven't seen the bottom of it since we moved in.

25. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending to? Since there is no sending, I'll think of my readers, and that would probably be Mrs. Katie Evans or Ms. Laura Stoller.

26. What did you do last night ? Shopped for supplies for my boss' birthday, ate hamburgers that Scott cooked and unfortunately hated, watched one of my new fave shoes- studio 60 and then American Idol.

27. What are you most afraid of ? Snakes. It physically pains me to type that word, let alone post it on my blog.

28. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Hamburgers in general = a good time.

30. Favorite day of the week? Agreed...Saturday, or Friday after 4:30 :), but I also love sweatpants Sundays minus the plaguing thought that the weekend is nearing its end.

31. How many states have you lived in? 2- Indiana and Ohio and I lived in Belize for 2 months :)

32. Diamonds or pearls? Agreed with Ginger. Diamonds (but I do think pearls look oh so classy!)

33. What is your favorite flower? Daisies and/or roses and my wedding bouquet that I wish I could've kept in its exact form for-e-ver.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Wedding Pictures Are In!

We got our pictures back yesterday and are so excited to share them!
Here are some of our favorites, lots more will be posted so keep checking in. :)





Friday, January 2, 2009

It's that time, again.

At risk of telling readers of my blog tmi...

Well, here goes.

I'm in the midst of "that time" again. For me, about 10-14 days before my period comes, I experience what I classify as "hell of the mind." For as long as I can remember, this time has been completely overwhelming to me in a very, very negative way. When I was younger, I would find myself extremely depressed/lonely/miserable to the point that I didn't understand why I was alive or why I should keep going. The mood now manifests itself as extreme irritability/depression/anxiety (and poor Scott definetely gets the brunt of it. After I start feeling better, I always am amazed by his patience with me during that "rocky" time of our lives together). It is such a weird feeling and I'm sure anyone who has experienced any sort of depression can agree with me that it just doesn't feel like I'm "me" during that time. I'm usually upbeat and happy but during those days, I feel like I enter a pitch-black cave. I've experienced these mood changes for a very, very long time. Just last year I finally mustered the courage to talk to my doctor about it after being on the brink of tears for days at a time once a month for years and years. He quickly diagnosed me with PMDD and the diagnosis, in my opinion, couldn't be more fitting.

PMDD symptoms begin sometime after the middle of a monthly cycle (after ovulation), usually get worse during the week before menses, and then usually disappear within a few days of the start of menses. The symptoms follow this pattern every month or almost every month.

Here are the symptoms that make up the diagnosis of PMDD. All of the symptoms do not need to be present, and they may vary from month to month. At least 5 are required to make the diagnosis, including at least one of the first four.*

Very depressed mood, feeling hopeless
Marked anxiety, tension, edginess
Sudden mood shifts (crying easily, extreme sensitivity)
Persistent, marked irritability, anger, increased conflicts
Loss of interest in usual activities (work, school, socializing, etc.)
Difficulty concentrating and staying focused
Fatigue, tiredness, loss of energy
Marked appetite change, overeating, food cravings
Insomnia (difficulty sleeping) or sleeping too much
Feeling out of control or overwhelmed
Physical symptoms such as weight gain, bloating, breast tenderness or swelling, headache, and muscle or joint aches and pains
*Adapted from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision, 2000, with permission from the American Psychiatric Association

PMDD symptoms are not always present. Symptoms disappear during or by the end of menses, and return at about the same time during following cycles. If symptoms are present every day, then they are unlikely to be due to PMDD.

To be considered PMDD, symptoms must be severe enough to really disrupt a woman's life -- interfere with work, school, social activities or interpersonal relationships



I am so glad that I talked to my doctor about it and started taking medication for it (zoloft, which has done wonders). Scott will tell you that I still freak out every month because I don't want to take the medication (even though I know it will help me). I grew up in a family that didn't totally understand mental illness and even though psychology was my college major and I firmly believe that mental illness is caused (not always) by a chemical imbalance, I still find it hard to take medication because of the stigma associated with doing so. So I often just try to "make it through" on my own, but I always "fail" in doing so. I reach the point where I'm totally overwhelmed which is when I realize that my body and brain desperately need chemical stabilization. I take zoloft...and I feel immensely better. The other "saving grace" in my opinion is that I don't have to take the medication every day, just during the period when the mood change is taking place. I hate that this is a battle I have to fight, but I'm thankful that I only experience it once a month for a few days rather than on a daily basis. I'm thankful that modern medicene has come a long way and can treat me when I feel like I'm losing my mind.

Just thought I would share my run-in with this disorder.