Meet Hunter

I guess I will come back to weddings because today I want to introduce you to my first of three grandsons :-)

Now I knew I would love being a Nana and love my grandchildren BUT Hunter taught me just how much I would love them.  He will be two in October and is quite a lil character!

The dramatic picture is when I asked him, "what do the babies on the bus say" and the bottom is his pleasure at doing such a good job showing me what they say.  He is very photogenic and quite the ham.

Hunter if full of wonder and curiosity - strong willed and full of adventure.  We had the pleasure of having the Glenn's at our house for 10 days before they left for London.  Hunter made good friends with our cat Sushi and calls us on his ipad and often just wants to see her.

How does a 2 year old get an ipad? Well if your  long distance Nana you buy him one so he will call you!  Which I did and he does.  Just this morning we visited while he was having lunch and I was having coffee.  Perfect way to start the day.

Stay tuned to meet my two other amazing grandsons!

Pam

Cancer

Don't you just hate the very word itself?  I do!

I originally talked to my Dr. about feeling bloated in early August.  She had recommended an MRI; which I thought was absurd - I was bloated for goodness sake just recommend lemon water or something.

I didn't think much about it and attended Lee & Jamie's wedding (look for that in a future blog).  My dress was two pieces and the skirt was super tight in the middle, but that is where I've always carried my weight.

On 9/29/11 I finally went for that MRI.  I had not been back at my desk for an hour when the phone rang.  It was my Dr. telling me I had a large (the size of your fist) tumor in my right kidney.  WWWHHHAAATTT?!?  She felt sure it was cancer.

I called my husband and informed him and then went back to work... ya I know but what was there to do really?

We went to the Dr the next day to get more information.  It appeared I had a kidney tumor and another tumor where the appendix and bowel are connected.  My surgery was scheduled for October 6th.

My daughter and her husband came.  It was nice to have her there - she even stayed in my room one night.

They took the kidney and the appendix and re-sectioned the bowel.  Good news - no chemo because the tumor had been encapsulated in the kidney - and the appendix/bowel tumor was benign.

Now my mid section wasn't pretty or sexy but it also wasn't shanked like it is now!  The worst was the fact that all my hard work to lose 75 lbs seemed to be for nothing :-(  I know it shouldn't have been my primary concern - but frankly I was pretty angry. 

I gained 45 lbs back.  Now, I've lost 25 of those and am working on the last 20 BUT damn it sucked!  It took 2 years for my body to reorganize my organs so that I could lose again.

Shortly after my surgery my husband was hit with several medical issues:  Gout, Pulmonary Embolism and Prostrate Cancer - yup you heard me right!  We handled the Gout with diet, The Embolism had him on blood thinners for a year (shots for a good portion of that) and the prostrate ws removed.

It was an ugly year for us both.

Glad it is over!!

Watch for better days next post as we review our two children's weddings!

Pam

Been a while...

Life ebbs and flows and there are times to blog and this season of life feels like one of blogging!

I am going to be blogging about how my husband of 35 years and I are enjoying empty nest life in Central WI!

Look for Grandsons - my outstanding spouse - crafts and up cycling - opinions and points of view.

Since I I last blogged, I was in the best shape of my life - and then ... I found out that Jesus is my redeemer and life got exponentially better. I Beat Cancer, helped LOML beat cancer. I welcomed a new SIL & DIL & 3 (yes) three amazing Grandsons. 

Let's start here and my next few posts will reveal 

A glimpse into finding the healthy me

The BEFORE is 7/07 but the After is actually 4/09 (my camera is wacked these days); those jeans are getting lose now :-)

Freaked Out

I can't figure out how to change where I live here. I will figure it out but at this moment I haven't.

I'm having a colonoscopy Tuesday and I'm a little freaked out! I have a high deductable so that is one concern. It is envasive and scary but normally a non event.

I have blood in my stool - not just a little..

hmmm

Hmmm

I don't come here often -- I have too many online places

My how life changes

When I moved to OH in 2003 I was wearing a size 10 -- working out every day and feeling good about life.

I moved because I was promoted. For the first 14 months I was there alone - my husband stayed behind so our daughter could graduate from the same school district she had always attended. He joined me when she graduated and went to college.

I gained 75 lbs in the five years we lived there - I was miserable, unhappy, unhealthy and a slug

I lost my job in Dec of 2007 - I started a nationwide search and started a new job in WI in late Jan 2008.

I've since lost 55lbs -- I am healthy, energetic, happy; life is so different.

Wake 5am
Go go the gym and workout
shower (sinus rinse, shave, wash)
kiss of sun on the legs
put the hair in velcro rollers
makeup
dress
blow dry the rollers for 5 minutes
run my fingers through the hair
add hair balm
jewlery

off to work - I am an HR Director so I face all kinds of adventures. I work for a great company that values associates and is the first true work/life balance I've every experienced.

Home a little after 5pm
take the makeup off
pull the hair back
hoop or do weights or yoga
dinner

and that's a day in my life

I am a Rotarian
I cook for The Ronald McDonald House twice a month
I am a Big Sister
I fund raise for CMN and United Way