OUCH!

This is me.  After the most excruciating pain of my life.  I've birthed 3 little humans and that was nothing compared to what I experienced yesterday.  If you haven't experienced it you might not get it and you might think I'm being a tad dramatic.  But seriously.  Worst. Pain. Ever.

Kidney stone.

Yep, a teeny tiny little thing can be the cause of enormous pain.

I was sitting at work feeling fine when all of a sudden my stomach started getting upset and then wham.  Felt like a ton of bricks just slammed into my back.  It was radiating to the front within an hour.  I booked on out of work and barely drove to my chiropractor.  I really don't know how I made the 30 minute drive.  I could hardly shift  because my leg was on the side of the stone! Somehow I made it there without passing out.  Larry met me there and she said get to the emergency room!  So we headed out immediately.

I could not get comfortable at all in the car.  I ended up in the fetal position just praying we would get there soon.

Thankfully, they got me back into a room and into a cat scan pretty quickly.  Sure enough I had a kidney stone.  It was about to enter my bladder so they said no surgery, just wait for it to pass. 

I had initially declined any medication.  I never take any meds.  Not even a tylenol.  Ever.  I'm a hippy-dippy, diy, essential oils can cure anything kind of girl.

But after about an hour in the hospital, I said- Give me the drugs!

Immediately, ahhhhhh sweet relief!

Rest of the day I was laid up on the couch, feeling like I'd been beat up in a street fight.

I wouldn't wish one of these on anyone!  I pray I never experience it again!

How about yall?  Anyone experience this kind of agony before??

Tips for Travelling

I absolutely love to travel!  I've had the privilege to go to lots of places but my favorite is Europe!

I've been to Ireland, England, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania,  and Moscow!   And that's just in Europe!  I've gotten to go visit around 30 countries so far. According to the Visited App, I've seen 13% of the world!

I have a friend that is planning a six week tour of Europe this summer and I just get so excited thinking about her trip!

I know that these kind of trips are so eye opening.  They expand your horizons.  They broaden your thinking.  You learn so much history.  You see some spectacular things.  And your love of travel will deepen.  The more you see, the more you will want to see!

So, what's my biggest tips on travelling overseas?

Before you go & packing:

Packing cubes -  These are absolutely essential for packing!  They keep everything nice and organized and you can fit so many more things in your bag.  As you go through the trip, you can keep your dirty clothes separated too.  Love using these!

Pack light - Europe has lots of cobble stone roads and a lot of stairs! You don't want to be wheeling around a big suitcase with those obstacles!  It's much easier to take a backpack. Or at least a small carry on suitcase and a backpack. Pre trip- I usually get everything I think I want to take and dump it in a pile about a week before I go.  Then a few days later, I go through it all again and take out about of third of it.  If you "might" need it then don't take it.  You more than likely won't wear it.  Don't take anything that you won't wear at least twice. Plan on wearing things multiple times. Take more tops than bottoms. Definitely take 2 pairs good walking shoes because there will be tons of walking.

While you are there:

Journal - One of my favorite things after a trip is looking back at my journals.  It's hard to remember all the things I did so a journal is the way to go!  While I'm travelling, I will take my journal and sit at a cafe, drink some lovely coffee and write down the things we did that day.  It's a great way to memorialize the trip and also rest my tired feet and people watch!

Money belt- So I carry a day pack for walking around during the day.  Some sort of cross body bag that I can throw in a water bottle, wallet, my journal, maybe a few snacks.  I also will wear a money belt under my clothes.  This only has emergency credit card and extra cash in it.  If for some reason my bag gets stolen (and thankfully I've never had that happen) I can have some extra cash and a card. On this same note, keep a photocopy of your passport and cards in you luggage and with your family at home. That way if anything happens, you will have the information to cancel cards or go to the consulate for passport. You do not need to carry your passport around during the day- just keep everything safely locked up at the hotel.

Money out of atms - I've found the best way to get money exchanged is to just get it out of the ATMs there.  It's a pretty good exchange rate and it's very convenient.  Just make sure and tell your bank before you go that you'll be travelling and the dates.  There is sometimes a foreign transaction fee but it's no more than a couple dollars usually. ATMs are everywhere there- mostly on the streets and most places take cash over cards.

Rick Steve's books - I can't tell you enough how helpful these books are!  He has all kinds of tips on seeing things on the cheap, where to stay, how to get tickets for attractions, very helpful maps.  He has some great self- walking tours, must see things in each city, etc.  Just find the book for the place you are going and read it / highlight it as you are travelling there for your must sees!  His website is also super helpful!

Ride metros - Every major city will have a metro.  Get to know them!  They are usually a great way to get from place to place.  You will see the locals and experience the culture!

City tourist cards - In a lot of the places, you can buy a City Pass card.  These cards will offer several of the big tourist attractions at one discounted price.  Most include a hop on/off bus too!

Take lots of pictures - It goes without saying, but take lots of pictures!  Don't forget to get yourself in them too!  I have several framed photos on my walls at home, great memories!

Ditch the souvenirs - The first time I went overseas, I brought everyone back a souvenir, well it turns out people don't really want them.  A better option is to buy postcards wherever you are.  You can mail them home of just put them in your bag (plus- they don't take up any room!)

Tours vs On your own

I've done it both ways, tours and on my own.  There are pros and cons to both.

Pros of a tour:
You don't have to plan where you are staying and what you are seeing.  There is free time too.  Most of the dinners and breakfasts are included.  Sometimes tours can be less expensive because it's a package deal. Here's where we've done most of our tours.  We did this one to Ireland.

Pros of on your own:
You can plan your trip how you want.  You are flexible if things change. You can stop as long as you want at places.

Also-- I've only in the last few years started bringing my hula hoop!  It's totally do-able and I love hooping at cool landmarks and pretty places!  I've got a hoop that you can Twist & Go and also a snap together one!  Check them out! Made by the lovely Geri!


So, where will you be going on your next adventure??

Steppin it up

I love my Fitbit.  I've been using it now for about 4 years-ever since I got a desk job and my life suddenly became very sedentary. 

I had read all the articles about sitting is the new smoking etc.  I went from raising 3 rambunctious  kids and being very active. I then switched to a retail job and was constantly on my feet.  But then I got an office job and whoa....  I got very very stationary. And so about 4 years ago, I decided to count my steps and see how much I really was moving.

I'm real goal oriented so I like the idea of "getting all my steps in" during the day.

But at first I just wanted to see how much I moved.  So I wore my Fitbit and went about my day as normal.

Turned out I was walking about 5000 steps a day.  So I set my first goal at 7000.  It was do-able and I didn't want to get too discouraged by not meeting my goal every day.  Then after several months of meeting this goal, I upped it by 1000. And as time went on, I gradually increased so that my goal now is 11,000.

Even in my office job, where I sit most of the day, I can reach this goal. It does take a little preparation though. 

So, how do I incorporate this movement during the day?  Well, here's just a few things: 

I walk during lunch. After I eat, I use the rest of my lunch hour for walking.  If it's nice, I walk outside. If it's hot, or rainy, I'll walk in the grocery store, or Walmart or Target.  Just up and down the aisles for at least 30 minutes.

I get up a lot during the day.  At least every hour, I'm up.  Any excuse to get up and move around.  I'll get up to take something to someone's desk.  I'll get up to walk down the hall.  I'll get up to go up and down the stairs.  Just any reason really.  I just don't sit at my desk for longer than an hour at a time.

I always go on a walk after work with hubby.  It's a great time to spend together time.  We love hiking trails or just walking to a restaurant or walking around the mall.  It's a great way to encourage each other and enjoy each other's company.

Even at home, if we are we are watching tv, I'll walk up and back and up and back the entire show.

If I'm on the phone, that's a great time to walk around and around.

I park a long way from the entrance of a store on purpose! 

My hula hooping is also a great way to work up some steps!!  Especially to a live concert! I get loads of steps then!

I also like to have little mini goals throughout the day.  1000 steps before work.  2500 before lunch.  5500 after lunch.  6500 before I leave from work.  Little goals to help me reach my daily 11,000 goal.

So it is possible, even with a desk bound job.

I'd love to raise my goal again.  I'll inch my way up so that I'm eventually at 15,000.  I unofficially have that as my weekend goal now!

A great book that really inspired me was this one by Katy Bowman. she talks about more than just exercising an hour a day but really focusing on the movements our bodies make throughout the day.  Check it out!

So what's stopping ya!  Let's get moving!

Father's Day

Father's Day is Sunday.

My dad and I have a lot of great memories together.  I get a lot of my nerd-iness from my dad- in a good way of course.

I like PBS shows because of my dad.  We grew up watching Nature and Nova and Masterpiece Theatre we were learning all kinds of things about the world. 

I like camping and being outdoors because of my dad.  Dad was always an outdoorsy guy and took us camping and to state parks.  I love that we had that as a family.

I love to work puzzles because of my dad.  Dad and I used to always have a puzzle going.  The more pieces the better.  One time we even flipped it over to the blank side and worked it that way!

I like music because of my dad.  Dad always had some kind of country or folk type music playing.  He knew all the words and could just belt them out.  Some of my favorite memories are singing songs in the car together on long trips.

I love to read because of my dad.  Dad was a big time reader.  Anytime he was sitting or laying down, he had a book in his hand.  I learned to love poetry, history, biographies, and the encyclopedia because of him.

My relationship now with my dad is drastically different.  Alzheimer's has taken him from us in so many ways.  He's still in there.  He still has his laugh and his smile.  I'm learning how to relate to him now.  Things are different but he will always be my dad.  And for that I am most grateful.

I am who I am today because of him.

For a glimpse of his writing--check out this book of his stories!

Happy Father's Day!

Marriage vows

I have 2 different co- workers that are getting married this year. Weddings are such sweet, romantic times and it got me to thinking of the marriage vows.

A vow is a solemn promise.

Larry and I will be married 29 years this year!  Twenty nine years ago we stood before a small group of friends and said our vows.

What did we vow all those many years ago.

To have and to hold from this day forward,
Ok, this is one I didn't fully understand when I got married.  Larry is definitely a cuddler.  His love language is touch.  That is far from my love language.  So I'm still working on this one.

for better, for worse,
The better--travelling, hiking, camping, geocaching, kids, babies, friends, kite flying, watching the moon rise, star gazing, laughing till my stomach hurts

The worse-fighting, raising teens at times, other stuff that nobody wants to remember or talk about and is way too personal to list here.  Yes, the bad stuff happens.  Sometimes it's so much worse than you could ever imagine or anticipate. 

for richer, for poorer,
I'll have to admit the richer is so much better.   But it was all those years of scrimping and saving and having an eat out limit of $2 each, that got us to this point.  Larry has always had a long term outlook.  We have always been pretty big cheapskates and that has allowed us the freedom now to spend a little more freely and bless others too.


in sickness and in health,
We've had our share of sicknesses and illnesses, broken bones and trips to the emergency room, surgeries,  strange swellings, rashes and other oddities

Otherwise we've been fairly healthy! Now that we are treating our whole bodies with nutrition and other natural methods, both of us rarely get sick any more.


to love and to cherish, 
When we first married, we had to define what love was.  We decided that it was first and foremost commitment, then there is friendship love, and then the "woozy woozy" love.  We might not always feel the woozy or the friendship, but the commitment is always there. 

Looking up the definition of cherish-- it means to hold something dear, to protect and care for lovingly.  Yes, Larry most definitely does this for me.


till death do us part,
We've been through the deaths of all my grandparents, Larry's dad, my mom, my niece.  Death is really hard.  It makes you realize how you want to live.  Death is something we will all experience.  I don't know what I'll do when Larry's gone.  I always joke I'll move to Fiji!  Maybe I will who knows! 

Contrary to popular belief today, vows do mean something.  It's not a one time deal.  I fail all the time.  Even after all these 29 years, I still have so much to work on.  But it's neat to see how far we've come.   It's even neater to see where we are going.

Back to Braces

When I was a kid I had terrible teeth.  Big overbite and pretty snaggle-y.  So braces it was.  I started braces in about 5th grade.  I was about 10.  I went on to wear them for a solid 4 years.  FOUR YEARS!  It was torture.  I was the girl in class with the awkward headgear.  Braces hurt physically but maybe even worse was the teasing from classmates.

Fast forward almost 30 years.  My teeth are crazy again!  I hardly wore my retainer as a kid since it was just such an awful time and my teeth really paid the price.  I've been thinking of venturing back into the world of braces for years but could hardly bring myself to endure the pain.  So I started thinking of Invisalign.  I thought it would be a better option as an adult.  So I researched, and thought, and thought some more.  It's actually been a few years now, and I finally decided to go for it!

So after all the pesky details and months of getting all my broken fillings fixed and getting my teeth cleaned, it was time to do the scan!  Pretty cool too! The one thing I was dreading was the making of the mold of my mouth.  But with the aligners they take a machine and scan all your teeth and make a 3D model!  They can project out and show you what the finished project will look like!

So week one was just getting used to the aligners.  Taking them in and out every single time I eat.  Brushing every time.  I have to leave them in at least 22 hours a day so that leaves little time to eat or snack.

Week 2 they put these little attachments all over my teeth in key spots.  They are tooth colored so people don't notice too much but it helps holding the aligners in place and getting the pressure right so my teeth will move!  So it was a little more of an adjustment taking them in and out.  But I'm getting used to it.

So we are week 3 now.  I change the aligners every week. I get 6 weeks at a time from the dentist when I go in to see him.

I've got about a year to go with this process.

I'm sure I will like the ending but it's the getting there that's hard.  Taking them out to eat.  Brushing my teeth 4 times a day.  Not really being able to snack because it's such a pain to take them out and brush. Teeth that are painful.  These are just a few of the inconveniences at the moment but sometimes things worth doing are hard.

So here's to the next year!

On nagging and trusting

So, I like to control things.  I like to micromanage.  I like to "make sure" it gets done "right".  Well, I should say, that is my tendency.  That's what my default is.  That's what I struggle against.

My way is not always the right way.  My timing is not always the best timing.  Even though I think it might be...other people have other ways of doing things.

This especially comes into view with my husband. He is completely and totally opposite of me.  He's spontaneous.  He's loud and gregarious.  He thinks outside of the box (does he even have a box??)  He's unscheduled and un-traditional.  Completely unconventional in a lot of ways.

So many times in our marriage I've had to bite my tongue and let him do it "his way".  Well, it didn't start off that way.  But I have learned that nagging ...(cough**telling**cough) him what to do is pretty much never the way to get things done.  In fact, if I am the boss and directing him, then I'm not really trusting him am I? 

Hubby has worked contract jobs for years and with contract it's feast or famine.  When he comes home to tell me "I've got good news and bad news".  My heart gets to pounding, my brain starts to worrying.  How will we survive without a job?  What will happen?  But I know now to just trust him to take care of us.  I don't need to "check" in on him and see how any resumes he has sent out or how many calls he has made today.  I trust him.  I believe he wants the best for me and our family.  I trust that he has prepared a backup plan for different scenarios.  Nagging does not do a thing.

I recently read an excellent book called The Empowered Wife.  In it she lists 4 questions that really help in these situations where I want or "need" to say something.  It basically all boils down to fear.

1. What am I afraid of?
2. Is my fear realistic?
3. Can I actually control the situation?
4. Is it worth the intimacy it would cost to control it?

It's that fourth one that gets me.  Is it worth the intimacy?  Do I want to become his mom in telling him how and when to do things?  Probably not.

Now I 'm not saying we can't talk about things and he doesn't reassure me with the plan in different situations.  We do talk.  We come up with ideas together.  He loves my input and my ideas!  We work as a team for sure.  But I trust him to be the leader.  I trust his decisions.  Just as he trusts me.

These questions work wonders not only for husband and wife relationships but for any relationship really!  Relationships with my grown up kids is a great example! Friendships, other family relationships, you name it..if I'm worried about something or thing I need to nag or control..I can always go back to those questions.

Proverbs 2:19 "Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife." 

Proverbs 21:9 "Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife."

I want to be a joy to my husband, friends, & kids!  Nobody wants to hang around a nagging quarrelsome person.