This won't hurt a bit.....

"You want some of this?"

Saw Dr. Kim (my acupuncturist) yesterday and I made the mistake of telling him that I had a little back pain. So, face down I go on the table, face in the donut hole. He starts sticking the needles in my back and OMG! WTH! I was thisclose to coming off the table and running out the door!

Dr. Kim: "Did that hurt?"

Me: "yeeessss!" sniff sniff

Dr. Kim: "Are you crying?"

Me: "yeeessss." sniff sniff (nose running...not good when you're face down)

Dr. Kim: "You have inflammation." "It will hurt little but then o.k."

Me: "It hurt A LOT." sniff sniff

And yes, a few more needles did hurt (almost as bad) but after he hooked up the electrodes it did start to feel better.

Dr. Kim is Korean and is probably one of those "he has a calm exterior but could totally take you out with one karate chop" kind of guys but if he does that again, I'll have to Bruce Lee his ass!

Who is that?!

Went through my Aunt's photo's and found this one that I had sent to my Grandma back in 1994. I was 25 years old and having Glamour Shots photos taken was the big thing to do. The Husband just snickers when he sees this picture. Doesn't care for the BIG HAIR. =D For those of you not familiar with the Glamour Shot experience, they poof your hair, apply 2 inches of stage make-up, wrap you in some sequined jacket that could have been used on the set of the t.v. show "Dynasty" and ask you to strike a sexy pose.........how glamorous!

This is about as "sexy" as it gets.

The picture where I was really trying to look sexy just made

me look like I was confused....definitely not sexy.

Some quick pics...

Little Man and I took a quick trip back to OK to see the Grand-Parents and spread my Aunt's ashes....here are some pics from the trip.

The flight attendants asked Little Man to hand out peanuts to all the passengers.

It was great!

He got to get out of his seat, run up and down the aisle and high five people.

I, of course, germ-x'd the heck out of his hands when he sat back down. =D

Went to Incredible Pizza with

Grandma M & Grandpa D.

Little Man wasn't really tall enough to get the hang of ski ball

so Grandpa D let him do it his way.

Little Man loved the kids bowling!

This picture cracks me up!

You can see Little Man's little head with a big smile on his face!

I was driving so fast we were a blur! Put me behind the wheel of a race car and the competitive spirit kicks in! We were right next to a 10 yr old kid who says to me, "You're not going to pass me!" So I'm thinking! (OOooooooo! You're mess'n with the wrong woman!) Of course I have to try and pass him! Well, I passed him and he rammed my car (sore loser!) so they cut the power to the cars, we got in trouble because of the "no bumping rule", they turned the power back on and everyone else passed us! At least L, Grandpa D's grand-daughter, won the race!

The kid's family gave me the stink-eye afterwards! WHATEVER! If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen! =D Hmmmm.......Does that make me a mean person?

Shake Your Money Maker

At first I wasn't going to post this on my blog for fear of some nasty pervert checking out my kid but I think it will be okay...not like he's naked or anything. I'll probably take this one down by tomorrow night....just to be on the safe side.

Back Story:

Little Man and I love to surf YouTube.com for funny videos. After seeing a baby dancing to "All the Single Ladies" on a family members Facebook page, I found it on YouTube.com and played it for Little Man.

If he doesn't get a college scholarship for grades, he can pay his way through as a male dancer! Hello Chippendales?! =D

In Memory of Aunt Kitty

Guelda "Kathleen" Brown

(Kitty to her friends)

1930 - 2009

My Aunt Kitty passed away on Monday, Sept. 7th, 2009 after a short battle with cancer.

We happened to be in town Labor Day weekend so Jaden and I went to visit her in the hospital that Friday before. So glad we did. Jaden is too young to really understand what was going on other than Aunt Kitty was sick. Eventually Mom took him outside so I could say good-bye. So much you want to say in that moment but all I could do was hug her, tell her how much I loved her and kiss her on her cheek. Mom later shared that Aunt Kitty told her that she was so happy to see Jaden and I and finally felt at peace.

Aunt Kitty was an artist who loved to paint, sculpt, carve wood, etc. She always doted on my brother and I (mostly me), always talked to us like we were adults even when we were little and I loved spending time with her. Aunt Kitty always joked about being the "black sheep" of the family....I just think she was one of a kind and always did her own thing. She was eccentric and cool in my eyes! When I was a teenager, I went through a phase where I didn't want to listen to my parents (who doesn't) so I'd go to her house to paint or sketch while she enjoyed a glass of wine, listened to Julio Iglesias, and pet her teacup poodle.

Years later, on 2 different occasions, she took care of my Grandmother. I remember spending a summer up there helping her redo the window screens on grandma's rent houses, painting the interiors and whatever else she would let me help her with. She always made me feel like I could do anything. 2 years ago my grandma passed away so last year Aunt Kitty moved closer to my mom and dad, it's sad that she didn't have more time with my mom...I know they missed each.

I recently went through her things with my mom, organizing what was to be donated and things to be given to family. Such a hard thing to do, so many memories, you really just want to sit and look around you and reminisce. Hard to believe she's gone.

She wanted to be cremated and told my mom "just scatter me someplace" so during my visit, Jaden, Mom and I took her to her daughter's (my cousin Terri who died when I was 4) grave site and and spread her ashes around the headstone. I think she would have liked that.

Miss you Aunt Kitty!

Love,

Little One

Frankenbaby?

I had another acupuncture appointment yesterday and we did some electrical stimulation! Woo Hoo! As soon as I walked in the door, Dr. Kim says, "Hello June!" (grinning ear to ear), then says, "Or is it May?" (still grinning at his own lame-o Dr. humor). "Hello Dr. Kim!", I said and smiled, (mentally shaking my head). Guess I could have thrown him a bone and laughed a little bit like I've NEVER heard that joke before but I just wasn't up to making the effort. =]

Didn't take any pictures this time as I was laying on my stomach with my face in one of those massage table donut things with a BUNCH of needles in my lower back, shoulders and back of my neck. When Dr. Kim flipped the switch, I about jumped off the bed! Scared the crap out of me! Didn't really hurt...just startled me! After he adjusted the voltage, he turned on a relaxing CD, turned off the lights and said "Goodnight" and left me there for 1/2 an hour. I actually fell asleep this time!

Dr. said that it would improve circulation to my ovaries which in turn helps promote better egg quality during ovulation. Hmmmm. All I could think of was that my eggs were getting shocked and that The Husband and I were going to end up with a Frankenbaby! Green with bolts coming out of it's neck and instead of my OBGYN saying "It's a boy/girl", she would be yelling, "It's alive, it's alive!" Mmmmmwwwwwaaaaaa. <------ attempt at typing an evil laugh.....oh well....

We'll see if all of this pays off.

Thud! Ouch!

That's the sound of me falling off the caffeine-free wagon!

Date Night went well...no caffeine. Sunday was great even though they do have Starbucks in the Cafe at church....I resisted! Today I caved! Jaden and I were running errands and he wanted pumpkin loaf so really...IT'S JADEN'S FAULT! Yeh! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. But seriously, I can't have any tomorrow because I see my acupuncturist again and I REALLY don't want to see that disappointed look on his face when he asks me if I've had coffee that morning!

Now, after all that, I've decided that I'll only periodically post how the wagon ride is going because all this "trying to stop drinking coffee" business just isn't interesting blogger fodder! So from this point on you can count on me to post intellectually stimulating information! Like farting cockroaches! (see Sept. 18th post) =D

Let's try this again.....Day One without Starbucks!

So far so good but it's date night and we ALWAYS stop at Starbucks at some point during the date. I'll have an updated post of the evenings events by tomorrow! =D

Day One without Starbucks.....

Ahhhhh....Starbucks...you seducer you!

Day One without Starbucks:

Day started out pretty well! Only had one absent-minded caffeine withdrawal moment in the car when I missed my turn that I make all the time. But I feel the pressure in my head coming on.....or maybe my sinuses are acting up? (denial?) The lovely green awnings of 2 different Starbucks caught my eye as Jaden and I were out running around but the force is strong within me......must... resist... the dark brewed side. ;D

John called me on his way into work and asked how my morning was going...Going Well! I said...half surprised at my answer. "Good, Good", he says. "You know, the Dr. told me this morning that I needed to quit drinking caffeine too!" Then I hear him muttering to himself, "Hmmm, I thought there was a Starbucks down here." What did he say?!?!?!? I explained that if we both had to give it up, and I hadn't had any today, then he shouldn't either! He says, "Well, I thought I'd start tomorrow." Right, Right, traitor.

After lunch I put Jaden down for his nap and I found myself googling and checking youtube.com for pics and/or videos relating to craving coffee, Starbucks addiction, etc., for this blog. Seriously?! What a waste of time! But I did find this really cool vid on youtube.com! 2 teens going through the Starbucks drive-thru and they do this rap. So funny! Really! It is! Go to YouTube.com and search for Starbucks Rap. For some reason my caffeine deprived brain could not figure out how to download it from YouTube.com to my blog. {{{{heavy sigh}}}}} It's going to be a LONG weekend.

Correction made at 5:01 p.m.:

Sadly as of 4:12pm, Jaden and I hit the Starbucks drive thru. {{GASP}}}

Jaden was in the back seat screaming, "I want my pumpkin loaf now!" so that didn't help my headache! He was only faking the tantrum because as soon as he said it, I started laughing which got him laughing and because he made me laugh, he kept repeating it until we got up to the drive thru girl.

I feel guilty for giving into my cravings and the drive of shame back to the house was a downer......WHO AM I KIDDING?! I was in heaven, sipping my Iced Tall Latte and sharing my chocolate chip banana coffee cake with the boy! (they were out of pumpkin loaf and cream cheese pumpkin muffins!) =D

Here's our conversation:

April: Mmmmm? (after handing the boy some cake)

Jaden: Mmmmmm Mmmmm MMMMMMMM! (smacking away with chocolate on his face)

April: Mmmmm Mmmm (in agreement)

Jaden: Let me hold it! (real meaning: give it to me, and when you do it's mine and I will eat all of it).

Better luck going cold turkey tomorrow huh?!

Relax?!?!?!

Today I had an acupuncture appointment! 3 years ago I was getting acupuncture treatments once a week to aid in getting pregnant....it worked after only 3 months! John and I are ready to try again for #2 starting next month so I wanted to get started with the one thing I know really helped us conceive Jaden. But I must say that going to a new Dr. was a little intimidating....I mean...you don't want just anybody sticking you with needles! So upon a recommendation from the pilates instructor from our health club; I called Dr. Kim and set up the appointment.

So we sit down in the treatment room, go over my history and he tells me that I have to quit eating sugar and cut out caffeine. WHAT?!?!?! I went in to get help and he wants to kill me! So I ask him, "does my husband have to cut that out of his diet too?"...thinking to myself that if I have to be denied the goodies and suffer....I'm taking John down with me. Doc says...."No". ......greeeaaaaat.........Thank goodness I already had my Starbucks fix that morning!

Then the treatment began! Before the first one went in, the doc says to me, "I have to use the long needles for your pelvis area". And I say....."How long are we talking here?" And he holds his hands up about a foot apart, "About this big" and laughs. He laughs! Not sure that the length of a needle is something to joke about but I gave him a weak/fake laugh....just to be nice. After he worked on my stomach, he says "Pin cushion!" and snickers.....I had to laugh at that one because I did look like a pin cushion or a porcupine! I had AT LEAST 20 needles stuck in me! (Man I wish I had thought to bring my camera with me to take a picture!)

Once he was finished sticking me, he turned on the heat lamps, turned down the lights and said to relax for 30 minutes. Hmmmmm. Problem is, when I start to fall asleep, I twitch! Annoying habit that drives John crazy but there it is. So I got nice and cozy under the heat lamps, I started to doze off and in turn start twitching which moved the needles which then immediately woke me up because it hurt like #$$$! So I just laid there thinking about how much I wanted to put up the Halloween decorations, how hungry I was, where should I eat lunch.....blah, blah, blah. Not real relaxing huh? But it was nice to just lie there and do nothing which is so not like me. I'm usually GO GO GO GO GO! Hmmmm. I'm sure that has nothing to do with my caffeine intake! =D

But seriously....it's all worth it. John and I want to have another baby so we'll be trying through the end of this year. We'll keep you posted!

Farting Cockroaches?!

Recently we went home for my husband's grandfather's 80th Birthday party and had the opportunity to visit with family and friends that we don't get to see very often. It was great!

One evening, Aunt Kathi, Uncle Lonnie and I were discussing different ways to kill outdoor pests. Example: Slugs like beer, just stick a can outside and they'll crawl in and drown or pour salt on them and they'll dissolve. And all of a sudden the discussion takes a very intellectual turn!

April: I saw a GIGANTIC cockroach outside the other day! (everything is gigantic in TX, you should see the mosquitos!)

Uncle Lonnie: (smirking) Just pour baking soda on the ground. They'll eat it and die because the sodium bicarbonate causes a build up of gas and cockroaches can't fart so they explode.

April: (pause) Are you serious? (starting to laugh) They just go boom! (laughing now)

Uncle Lonnie: (laughing) Yes they explode!

April: You know this is great material for my blog. No seriously! I'm going to blog about this! =D

So I Googled "Do cockroaches fart?"! Here is what I found on one site: "Cockroaches are among the biggest contributors to global warming, since they break wind every fifteen minutes. Furthermore, they continue to release methane gas for eighteen hours after they die."

And on another site: “Insect flatulence may account for one-fifth of all the methane emissions on this planet. (Termites are also prodigious farters; indeed, dogs trained to sniff out termites are actually following their farts.) Cockroaches are among the biggest contributors to global warming, since they break wind every fifteen minutes. Furthermore, they continue to release methane gas for eighteen hours after they die.”

Seriously?!?!?!

How do people know that cockroaches fart?! Do they put their ears right up to the little suckers backsides and listen for one?! Eww Eww Eww!

So I guess Uncle Lonnie was wrong! I guess you just have to step on them!

Save the planet! Kill a farting cockroach!