Happy Birthday Joshua

As I had previously written in Rebekah's birthday post..I must have thousands of pictures of my kids and can't locate the ones that I want at the time I want. I found these of Josh and was transported back in time so I think they will do

Joshua was born on Good Friday April 8, 1977. I was not prepared to be a mom. I didn't know if I would even like the job.... that was until he made his entry into the world and I fell in love with a red squalling 9lb5oz potato. He was a good baby and I couldn't imagine wanting to be anything else but a mom.We lived in an apartment complex called the English Cove Apt's. in Gulf Breeze, Florida. Our apartment was right beside the pool. Joshua loved the pool as a baby and would spend hours in or near the water. He is just over a year in this picture. One of my favorite 'Josh" stories is when he got up(under the age of 2) went downstairs got the oil and eggs out. I found him sitting on the floor with the frying pan between his legs filled to the brim with oil smashing eggs into the oil singing " making 'bekest' for mommy, making 'bekest' for mommy" Why oh why didn't I take a picture of that it would have been a classic. Like my niece Carrie pointed out(and I laughed when I read it...sorry) the picture will always be on my heart. I had saved my money for professional pictures when he was 2 and 1/2 and just prior to the picture event i realized he had cut his hair. I had to cancel. Made a new appointment and the weekend before kept looking at him. He just didn't look right. Sitting in McDonalds (Heckdonalds as he used to say) I looked at his face and loudly said " oh my God" he had shaved most of his left eyebrow off. "To be like mommy" because I used to shave the stray hairs off my eyebrows instead of plucking. I again had to cancel and the photographer asked me if I was really watching him. I should have canceled and got someone else but he was the 'best'.

This next picture is a first day of school for he and Becky. He went to Brazos Christian School and Becky was at Kinder Care. He has never changed. He really looks the same from the day he was born till now. He LOVED the camera and the camera loved him.

Joshua went thru a period of time when he was lost. I know that without his grandma "Lucky" and his sister Rebekah he might never have found his way back home again. My mom prayed for him every day. She prayed angels around him to protect him and gave him over to God. He would call his sister and she was his 'touchstone'. When I would be sleepless from worry, Becky would let me know that he was alright. He and his sister formed a bond during that time that remains to this day. Grandma Lucky was there the first 3 weeks of his life so that I could go back to work. She used to call him her little Toad Frog because his feet touched heel to heel when he was born.... that gave him a near perfect turn out for 5th ballet position.He now is 31 years of age and with his partner Desiree Doucet own a dance school and a non-profit theater I have not said anything about his dancing in this post for a reason. Too often he is defined by his dancing and his talent. He is so much more. He is passionate and hot tempered. He is gentle and often cries when I cry. He is happy and can make us laugh till we have tears streaming down our faces. He can be ruthless when he wants something and then terribly saddened if he has hurt someone along the way. He loves what he does and is hurt often because he cares so very much for each of his students. He often has the attention span of a gnat but we know and accept that about him and adjust ourselves to accommodate him. He has turned out to be a savvy businessman and can think on his feet... and we have to catch up to him. In passing he can throw out incredible ideas and leaves us to figure out how to make them work. He has a gentle heart, and is a faithful friend. He has a personal relationship with Jesus and isn't afraid to tell you. He is my first born. He is known as 'bubba to his stepfather Stan and sister Rebekah. His father Steve and step mom Peggy live in Iowa and with them he has 2 other sisters, Carissa, and Chelsea and 2 brothers, Brian and Brandon. He is complex and simple. He is very smart and can be completely oblivious. I am better because of him. I thank God each day that he is in my life. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSHUA!!!!!!

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To Fart or Not to Fart

I really don't want to offend anyone so take note this more than likely is a R rated post as I am going to discuss a personal body function so if you are easily offended you really need to stop here. What has been placed upon my heart to discuss is farts. Call it what you want...gas, stinkers, farts, bubbles, toots, nose burners WHATEVER, it amounts to the same thing flatulence or flatus. Flatus is the unpleasant odor of gas passing thru the intestinal tract. This unpleasant odor is made up of such gasses as indole, skatole, and most commonly hydrogen sulfide. (My children will swear that flatus is made up of digested White Castles) It has become apparent that during my 30 years as an ER nurse that a high majority of stomach pain that presents to the ER (minus a fever) is caused by GAS. I am constantly amazed that people just don't stay home and deal with it on their own. Instead they come to the ER, spend a thousand bucks for the visit, the x-ray and the professional cost of the ER MD to tell them that they have gas. It came to me that most probably these poor suffering people don't have a clue how to rid themselves of excess bubbles. So my two faithful readers this is your lucky day!!!I am going to share with you my years of knowledge in dealing with the pain of excess gas. First of all, if at all possible, use your head. If you are going to sit down to a meal of cabbage, broccoli, and navy bean soup, do the world a favor and buy some Gas-X or Bean-o and take as directed. But sometimes a food just up and gives you the worst cramps ever created and you walk around groaning just wishing you could let it rip. STOP WALKING and get on the floor on your knees with your butt in the air and your face on the carpet. Gas rises. Pretty soon all that trapped gas will just bubble to the surface and relief is but a toot away. Now given that some people have larger butts than other people take note that you may need to grasp each buttock and 'spread your cheeks' to obtain OGE or optimum gas expulsion. When my kids were little and complained of gas, I would upend them and it just worked like a little charm.
Recently I had a large visitor to the ER with gas. She weighed in at about 400lbs but admitted to only 250. She waltzed in in Daisy Duke shorts and a latex top. The shorts were completely unzipped so that I was gifted with the picture of her HUGE overhanging belly. I mentioned to her about getting your butt higher than your head and when I walked by her room she was on the stretcher with her butt facing the door. She had her butt up in the air with her face pressed into the stretcher. I opened the door to pull the curtain across the window and she informed me that it wasn't working. I decided not to tell her the method of OGE(see above) because I didn't think she could manage to get her arms around her buttocks to assume the position without smothering herself.
You remember when you first started dating a new guy how you would rather blow up than pass gas. Truth be known if you were like most girls, you didn't eat or use the bathroom while in the presence of your boyfriend, at least until you got the engagement ring. Guys usually didn't have the same misgivings about bodily functions and would fart and indeed think it was just the funniest thing especially if in the presence of their friends. I dated a guy in college who used to light his farts. He would bend over and hold a lighter to his butt and expel gas. He did have other redeeming qualities but it was touch and go for the dating after the first time I saw him do that. I had a friend who dated this guy who thought it was totally cool for him to stop and say to all of us.."Listen to this" and he would bend over and expel gas swearing that it sounded just like a goose honking. Maybe it was just guys from Ohio in the 70's that did this stuff but I have heard other women in the south discuss the same thing.
It's always a good idea if you have a chronic gas problem to own a pet. You can pass off any silent-but-deadly expulsions as a pet problem unless of course the dog jumps up and takes one whiff of your back end and gags.
Last piece of advice to women. It really isn't ladylike or fair to fart in bed and wave the covers just because he didn't take the trash out. (it's not fair but it sure is funny!!)
Have a good day.

Hair Puzzle Solved

The past couple of weeks I have been waking up with the worst 'bed head' with matted hair that looks like I took an eggbeater to the top. It only happens on my 2 days off and not when I sleep during the day. I sort of figured that it was because I was sleeping harder at night then during daylight. Last night the mystery was solved. Let me preface by saying that Stanley has been out of town for the past few weeks on my 2 days off so I have had to sleep with the Baby Elizabeth. She is used to sleeping with her 'daddy' and has to spend part of the day in the crate so I get she and Bentley out when I get home and then they get to sleep with me( Demi is my day time sleep partner).
I was having the best dream last night that I was getting my head massaged and woke up to Elizabeth sucking on a strand of my hair while kneading my head with her front paws. Her eyes were closed and she was sound asleep. This explains why my hair was wet in sections in the morning. I thought that I was sweating. Yeccccht!!!!!! Elizabeth was bottle fed as a puppy and when we got her she would suck on a section of your arm and knead with her front paws when she was going to sleep.. we thought it was so cute. It sort of loses its' cuteness with her sucking on my hair. When I told Stanley this morning he was predictably charmed.
Have a good day
Deb

Getting Groceries, Physical Therapy, and Wedding Update

I worked last night and it was a breeze. I think we had 2 patients all night and three nurses. I had time to do several crossword puzzles.USA Today and Universal crosswords are my favorite. To those who don't do puzzles, those two are fairly hard. After several years of doing nothing but reading and doing crosswords, I am an expert of sorts and have a plethora of useless facts floating around in my head that I can bring up at a moments notice. I used to crochet but haven't been able to for the past 3 years because of my hands and wrists.(more on that later) I joined a puzzle club for 20 bucks a year and have over 70,000 crossword puzzles at the click of my mouse. Doing any kind of puzzles that stimulate the mind is supposed to help your memory or so I have been told. So I diligently work my puzzles without the answer sheet and feel ever so proud of myself keeping the spider webs dusted from my gray matter as I finish 90% of most that I set out to do.I just know that each puzzle I do is preserving and even enhancing my memory. Then something happens that brings me back to reality for instance this morning shopping for groceries. I went to the store without my list. I got EVERYTHING without a hitch. I even remembered the green scrapey things for the pots and pans. I was feeling good about me. I scanned my own groceries and bagged them. I went back to the front of the line to swipe my debit card, got my cart and walked to my car. I popped the trunk and reached around to get my bags to find that I had left them all in the store in the bagging section. I had to walk back into the store and the checkout girl is watching me. I just told her that I had gone to the car to make sure I had enough room for the groceries. Thank goodness she had the sense of a potato because she said " that's a good idea, I never would have thought of that." I got my groceries and left.
I got evaluated for physical therapy on my hands which have developed fairly bad trigger fingers and overall tendonitis. I can't open cans, or unlock a door or brush my teeth without a high degree of pain. The therapist evaluated my back, neck, arms and hands. When I tell you that it felt wonderful to have him squeeze and punch around on those areas I am not lying. After doing my neck and back I told him that I wasn't sure that 15 minutes was enough time to truly do a thorough evaluation. I felt that he should have spent at least and hour on the shoulders and neck. The good news is that I get ultrasounded, massaged and my hands and wrists creamed twice a week for two weeks then three times a week till I am better. WOOOOHOOO I bet it's going to take a while till I feel good again!!! All joking aside the therapist did say that he felt he could help me because I really don't want to have surgery.
Wedding update: We have a dress and it is beautiful. I was going to post a picture of the 'tryons' but decided that it's best to have it a surprise. We also have picked out invitations. Becky and I went one day and had a few that we liked, sort of. I called Frances ( Shane's mama) and asked her to meet us the next day and give her opinion. She looked over our selections and looked at a few more and found the one we are using. Becky and I love it. It's simple, elegant and cheap. Frances.... you are simply the best. My daughter is getting the best in laws. Shane's in laws aren't too shabby either.
Well my faithful two readers it's time for me to get Demi the boxer and go to bed. She is the best bed partner.She curls up next to me and sometimes rests her head across my neck. She lets me know if ANYONE comes in the house. When I am home alone during the day she makes me feel safe. I can sleep if Stan is home as well even though he doesn't growl if someone is outside.
Hugs to all

Is a Clean Bowel really Important

I have been on a health kick the past month or so mainly because I am having so many problems with my hands that I feel are the result of the Arimedex that I take for cancer prevention. ( that was a huge run-on sentence... so deal with it) I am back on sugar busters( with that week break that I mentioned) because sugar is toxic for your body and I feel much better when I follow the diet. I have also been reading about having a clean bowel. You have no idea how many on line things you can get into about cleansing your bowel tract from the everyday toxins. One place a herbal medicine shop even has the most gaggy pictures I have ever seen. These nuts take the herbal bowel preparation and then after they produce the results... they use the hook provided in their kit to hoist that...ummmm product of digestion..... out of the toilet so that they can take a picture to send into the company who then puts it on-line. Excluding them there is alot of stuff out there about poo. I decided after much deliberation after reading pros and cons to err on the side of the pooees and sent off for my first of 3 bowel cleansing kits.... paid 50.00 for the bitch and didn't shit for a week. I then got talked into another radio infomercial brand called Colon Cleanse... I think that was about 35.oo and again did not achieve nirvana from a dirty duodenum. My ER doc tells me that for 10 bucks he could have given me a prescription for go-lytly and I would have crapped for a week. You see though, I don't think the cheap stuff works. I think you have to pay more money to really make it work and have a squeaky clean colon. So I tried my third thing and still did not do the job so to speak. I must have the worlds most resistant intestines to medication because swallow a mouth full of spinach and I am in the bathroom 6 times. So I am still on the quest for something that will empty my body of the toxins that I have been ingesting low these many years and that will greatly improve my quality of life that doesn't involve putting 5 liters of fluid up my behind like one homeopathic doctor suggested. The thought that has occurred to me is that all this stuff that I have been taking will suddenly let loose, all at once, at some place that would be totally inappropriate. You all will be able to tell if it works because I will be wildly healthy looking, , will have abounding energy, will have the glow of well being, and my skin will be alight from the inside, I will lose at least 20 pounds of belly fat, and I think my hair will grow too.

Talking Stoves, New Years Resolutions and Missing Teeth

Here it is the end of January and I have yet to enter an obvious blog.. one concerning my New Years Resolutions. Have you ever really thought about how many people ASK you what your resolutions are. This really is not their business and I felt that I could tell the asking party that not telling was my resolution. That didn't work and got very confusing to all.
Example
Ms. X: okay Debbie what is your New Years Resolution this year?
Me: My resolution is not to tell anyone what my resolutions are.
Ms. X; what a good idea, so , now what are they?
Me: I am not telling
Ms. X: Well why on earth not??
Me: Well, its my New Years Resolution.
Ms. X: what is???
Me: Not telling
Ms. X: Not telling what??
My resolution for the three of you that read this is to lose weight and to save money for the wedding. I am not doing well with either one. I must admit though that I gave up on Nutrisystem.. not because it didn't work because it did BUT, I can't afford it. So I started sugar busters again. I am also being faithful to the gym and Joshua is helping me even though I try his patience at every turn. I had a cheating week when I really ate a lot of milkshakes because I had a tooth pulled. My dentist the wonderful Dr. Huff, in Lafayette, pulled one of my back teeth out because it was too far gone to save without a root canal and that was going to set me back 2000.00 bucks. I called Stan because I wanted confirmation that it was the best thing to do. I was hysterical, not because of losing the tooth but because I am terrified of pain. When I was a child my mother took us to a dentist in Columbus, Ohio named Dr. Sparks. That nasty, mean, cruel man pulled a molar from my mouth that was abscessed. I was about 6 and he didn't use an Novocaine. He said bad little girls didn't get any. I felt like an idiot in Dr. Huffs chair. He is an awesome dentist and has caused me no pain but its the POTENTIAL that gets to me... and I cried like a baby. I had snot dripping down my nose and had a death grip on his assistant, Joey's, hand. It came out and I was still alive and still hiccuping from the tears. I drank a lot of milkshakes and fell off the diet wagon. I am still thinking the wedding is a year away... I nearly poopooed when someone pointed out that it was going to be here in 7-8 months. I really have to get on the ball.

I was sitting having my diet breakfast the other morning and Stan tells me the stove is talking in French or some other language. I didn't bat an eye because I have a stove that lets you know by readout if you need to do something. I had noticed that I couldn't read it the other day and was profoundly greatful to Stan that he pointed out it was in another language. I really thought that I was having cognitive problems. So today in exercise I tell Joshua that the stove is talking to me in French and does he know anything about that? To which he says to me "so what is zee stove saying to you madam...queek, queek, zee toast it is burning" and on and on... he just kept it up, it was really funny but you had to be there... he had me laughing till my side hurt.

I went to see my nurse practitioner, the awesome Amy Guidry who is with Dr. Wiltz in St. Martinville. I am off the prednisone and really don't want to take it anymore and she gave me some other pills to take. So today I feel pretty good and was able to exercise without crippling myself. Better living through chemistry and all that!!!. Alot of my aches and pains will be lessened when I shave off the pounds so if taking medication helps me do that then I will take the pills and quit bitching.
I really have a lot to share in the next few days. I am going to post about Josh and Desiree's new business location and I have before and after pics that are just stunning.
Becky and I went to see the decorator and planner for the wedding and that will be another blog... hummmm what else..... I guess I will keep the blog updated as to my exercise regime and weight loss it might keep me on target. Till later dear friends.

Christmas, Mardi Gras and the Apollo Ball

We had a great Christmas this year. I was of course on prednisone so I was everything to everyone, did it all, wrapped it all, cooked it all, manic over the top happy. I felt like one of those cartoon characters with the big buggy eyes. I think, honestly, that I slept only about 2 -3 hours a day for about 10 days. But boy-howdy did I get things done. I took off the night before our 'Christmas eve" on that Friday and was awake at 3 am and had all the casseroles and jello thingies put together before breakfast. I had the dishes done, cleaned the crystal, china and silver. I was zipping around like a maniac and really didn't think anything was wrong until I decided that I needed to cut my hair ala Brittany Spears..... and stopped myself...thank God. I then did the next dumb thing and got in the car and drove. You see folks to every good thing(the feeling wonderful and no pain of the prednisone) there is a potential down side(crazy manic behavior....whew)I did make it my salon and Laurie Lemelle cut my hair enough to make me happy. She must have thought I was crazy especially when the crying commenced.
At any rate the physical act of getting out of the house and doing something calmed me down enough that I made it home. I never did take a nap and by evening dinner I was in good form. I don't believe I acted stupid but I am telling you I got everything done. It is a somewhat false accomplishment but still I did it. We had 15 people dine with us and it was a delicious meal. I finished up the preparing the breakfast casseroles with help from Ginny and Taylor and bid them good bye about midnight. By 4am I was back up, lit the fire, lit the tree, finished the leftover dirty dishes, mopped the kitchen floor, put the casseroles in the oven, started the meat, beat the eggs and made the Mimosas, let the dogs out and made the coffee. I was READY. Christmas again was good. Shane and Becky came over at 630am and we ate and opened presents. It was a lovely time. Joshua said this was the best ever. Below is our family picture 2007.
Becky and Shane at the Apollo Ball

Next on to New Years Eve. Those of you not from around here may be unfamiliar with the Mardi Gras Season of huge parties prior to Lent starting. There are multiple social clubs called Krewes. Each krewe puts on a party and takes part in parades where you eat drink, be merry and catch beads. It really is a delightful part of the Lenten season. On New Years Eve The Krewe of Apollo put on their bash. We had a blast. This years theme was Gods, Goddesses, Kings and of course Queens. Apollo is the gay krewe and is the best fun to go to. This year you could come in costume or formal with a mask. Becky, Shane, Emile(Shane's friend) Becky's friend from work, Joshua, Desiree and her husband Patrick,Jeremy, Lisa, Lauren, Cory, and yours truly all sat at the same table. You all, did we have a good time...YES!!!!! Becky entered the costume contest, Joshua and Cory escorted Ted Viator(he went as Aphrodite) around the room in a chariot, throwing beads. We danced laughed, visited and drank champagne until midnight then went to breakfast. I haven't been out, really out since I can remember and this was the best time.
Look at my babies. Aren't they just the best!!

I am now off my Prednisone and am waiting to see if the pain in my hands and wrists return. I was able to do so much during the holidays that it will be a shame if I get 'stove' up again but I am feeling more normal now and was finally able to sleep 6 hours the other day and that is a true blessing.