Life – Page 51

Categories: Life

It’s Been A While

I didn’t mean for my break from blogging to last as long as it did, but I must say I’m glad to be back. I needed to get away from my blog and writing for a while, away from a rigid three-day-a-week or five-day-a-week schedule to figure out where I want my blog to go. I feel more secure now.

A lot has happened in the past three weeks.

I ran my sixth 5K the Thursday before Halloween. Since I was only on Week 3 of Couch to 5K, I wasn’t expecting a great PR. I just hoped to run and enjoy my time there. I did that. I didn’t set a new personal record. In fact, my time was the exact same time as my previous personal record, which I got from my 5K in April. 44:54. How I managed that, I’ll never know. But since it beats the time of my 5K in September, I’ll take it! I’m signed up for a trail run on November 21st and ready to smash that 44:54.
My blog has changed. I was growing sick of my current design and needed a change. I contacted Designer Blogs about one of their premades and it was installed within a week! Check them out if you want a design. They do custom orders! I added a little race section to my sidebar, which includes my PRs (which are not all that impressive, but they are mine), as well as my upcoming races.
I received a lovely letter from a blog friend that uplifted my spirits and made me realize why I have a blog. She mentioned some key facts that have helped me to figure out where I want my blog to go. She said all the things I had been thinking in the back of my mind but was too afraid to voice.
I registered for my last semester ever this past week. Well, as an undergrad, although I’m 80% sure I’m not going to attempt grad school. The semester should be an easy one, a fun one, with very little stress. I’m taking Spanish II and Senior Seminar, which are both required. I also signed up for Twentieth Century Literature for my exit course (another required course) and Form and Technique of Fiction, which was the filler course I needed to keep my scholarship. I’m super excited about those last two classes. I think they’re going to be fun!
I decided to quit my internship. There were a lot of factors leading to this decision but suffice it to say, I’m at peace with it and it was something I had to do. I’ve only been working there for 3 hours on Wednesdays. My last day there will be November 17 and it will definitely be a bittersweet day.
I recently became a contributing writer for the website, Blissfully Domestic. It’s a fun little writing gig and allows me to let some creative juices flow. It also gives me a place to have my name in print online, which is always a plus. Check out my first article here, where I talk about writing.
I have discovered that it’s OK to spend a day or two without checking my Google Reader. The world won’t end and the bloggers won’t hate me. Sometimes, sanity is more important than popularity. That being said, I love reading blogs and there is so much I derive from your stories, tips, and inspiring notes. And I am never fully away from the blog world. It has captured me.
I have oodles and oodles of blog post ideas floating through my head. I can’t wait to share my recent epiphanies, funny stories, and moments. The break was much needed, but I also realized my blog is also much needed.

Categories: Life

The End of an Era

Saturday was a monumental day for my mom.

For the past 9 years, she has been sleeping on a bed more fit for a house guest who visits twice a year than a woman working two jobs, going to school, raising teenagers, and training for a marathon. When she split from my dad, she took my brother and me and moved back with her parents. She didn’t bring her bed, although that wasn’t much to talk about anyway. For the next four years, she either slept on the floor or on a couch. While my brother and I had our own rooms with our comfy beds, her bedroom was our living room.

In 2001, my mom purchased a daybed. It seemed like the best option, being affordable, and being able to sit in the living room and not look too out of place. Since then, it has been her bed. It moved from apartment to apartment, finally getting its place in a real bedroom in September 2005. It’s been a place my mom and I watch TV and have late-night or early-morning conversations.

And for the past few years, my mom has quietly dreamed of having a real bed. Her dream? A sleigh bed. My brother and I have looked into buying one for her for Christmas. My brother works at a furniture store, so he could get a great deal on a bed. But it was the mattress and box spring that held us back. We could buy the frame, but not the whole bed set.

Last weekend, my mom and I went furniture shopping. First, we went into a mattress store advertising amazing sale prices (70% off!!). And it was a total wash after my mom was looking for a specific mattress. And they showed her a great mattress. The only problem was the price – over $2,300! That was a bit out of our price range so we went to a furniture store.

And there, we found my mom’s dream bed – a sleigh bed. A beautiful, cherry oak sleigh bed priced at only $200. Two hundred dollars! For a sleigh bed! Folks, that is a really good deal, especially at the furniture store we were in. We then tested out their mattresses, which has to be the most fun thing to do regarding shopping ever. Ever. We found very reasonably priced mattresses, the highest price being $1,200.

Of course, my mom being who she is, had to think it over. (Sleep on it?) We came back the next day, assured of our purchase. My mom bought the sleigh bed and a queen-sized mattress and box spring (and the price was reduced by $100 since that mattress was being discontinued and they would have to give us their floor model). And to make this deal even sweeter, this furniture store was offering a free frame for purchasing a mattress. My mom still wanted her sleigh bed, so I was given the frame! (Yay, me!) Unfortunately, now I need a queen-size mattress since my full one doesn’t exactly fit. (And looks kinda weird.) The price? Under $1,200. (If you were paying attention, that means it’s half the price we would have paid for just the mattress at the mattress store!)

And now, here you go. My mom’s brand-new queen-sized sleigh bed. Her first bed in 15+ years. Something she undoubtedly deserves.

Tell me: what kind of bed do you sleep on? Do you love it, or are you saving up for something you really want?

Categories: Life

REVIEW: CSN Stores Sauder Orchard Hills Open Computer Desk

A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to review a product for CSN Stores. To say I was excited was putting it mildly and it took me forever to find something I wanted. I searched. And searched. And searched. There is so much to choose from! I looked at dressers and bookshelves and mixers and pet supplies and purses and shoes and patio furniture and knick-knacks. It was incredibly fun!

But I knew what I really wanted to purchase. You see, I’ve been living the past year without a desk. When my mom and I moved last September, my old desk basically fell apart after trying to move it from my room to my brother’s truck. I bought it at Wal-Mart quite a few years ago and it was never good quality. It also didn’t give me a lot of writing space. For the next 6 months or so, I had to do all my schoolwork and blogging either on my bed or on the couch. (Oh yeah, we didn’t have a kitchen table either!) In any event, it wasn’t very comfortable or conducive to schoolwork. Remember, this was the semester I had to design an 18-page magazine! In the Spring, my brother brought over his kitchen table for us to house for a while and I was super happy – it meant I would have some workspace!

But I still wanted a desk. Something for me. Something to have in my room where I could house my ginormous printer, school supplies, and laptop. Plus, it would give me a stable environment to work in my room! I’ve had my printer sitting on the floor of my room since I moved and it gets really annoying to print things since it’s quite a process!

Lo and behold, I found a desk through CSN Stores. In fact, I found a variety of desks at great prices! I slept on the idea for a few nights but couldn’t get the idea out of my head. I needed a desk. So I purchased this one. Simple and clean design. No fussing with shelving and looked pretty easy to put together.

I ordered it on Sunday morning and it arrived at my doorstep Friday afternoon. I commissioned my brother to come and help me put it together – since he basically puts furniture together as his job. I knew it would be relatively easy for him. And it was. It took him a little over an hour, mainly because a few screws weren’t cooperating. I just sat around, looking pretty, and helping whenever he asked for it.

He was able to easily put it in my room and I went to work, organizing my printer, desk organizer, and laptop on it. While there’s not a ton of room to work with after all that, it’s the perfect size for me. I don’t really require a lot of room. Everything fits perfectly on it and I just really love the clean design of it. I plan on adding a few shelves above it to house schoolbooks and other knick-knacks, but I am really, really pleased with this purchase. The wood feels smooth and strong and it’s the perfect height for me.

I would definitely recommend checking out CSN Stores for your next purchase, especially if it involves furniture! They have such a huge array of choices, in almost every style you can think of. My next big purchase for my room is a dresser and you can be sure I’ll be scouring their site in the near future for one!

Disclaimer: CSN Stores gifted me with a certificate to put towards this purchase, although I did have to pay some money out of pocket. They did not ask me for a good review, but rather a fair and honest one.

Categories: Life

Odds and Ends: Cancer Free!

First and foremost, as you can probably read from my title today, my grandma is cancer-free! Her colonoscopy came back completely clean and healthy, not even a polyp! I was at work when my mom texted me and had just taken a bite of breakfast when I looked down at my phone and saw, “Grandma is cancer free.” You guys, I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of emotion I was feeling at that moment. Utter elation and ecstasy. I cried tears of joy and I’m still pretty emotional about it. She will have to have more PET scans, just to be sure the cancer doesn’t come back. I’m not sure how long, but I want to say 6 months. Don’t quote me on it. She’s also taking a pill that is supposed to help with keeping the cancer away. I have never felt a pressing need to find a cure for cancer more than I have during these past few years.
I got my hospital bill. It’s not pretty. I almost cried about it. In case you’re wondering, the price of an ER visit, 3 x-rays of your thumb, and a doctor giving you 3 stitches comes to $2,400. I’m going to punch the next person who complains about insurance. Be happy you have it. Because many people don’t and live in constant fear that they’re going to get sick. I couldn’t imagine what an overnight stay or actual surgery would cost!
Tomorrow, I’m covering a 5K event. One of the courses I’m taking is Sports Journalism and to be quite honest, it’s not my favorite. I contemplate dropping it multiple times a week. But I’m sticking through it. I had no idea what to do for my first assignment. The last thing I wanted to do was hang out at a high school football game and interview the players. Intimidation, much? (Sure, I’m 4-6 years older than them, but I’m smaller than them and look like I’m 15.) I found this 5K through active.com and it’s raising awareness for ovarian cancer. I have been in touch with the race organizers and an ovarian cancer survivor who is competing in the race. I’m actually really excited about this opportunity and will be waking up super early tomorrow to attend the race, talk to some of the runners, and get an overall feel of the people.
Tonight, my nephew is coming over. He’s turning two next week. WHEN did that happen? I feel like it was yesterday that Mark was telling me Jenny was pregnant. And now he’s this walking, talking, bilingual, funny, adorable toddler. He’s absolutely scrumptious.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking (and doing) about healthy living. I think I’m realizing that I don’t want my life to be measured by points or calories. I want it to be measured by feeling good. It’s a work in progress and I have a post coming about it, but I find it’s helping me not to give up so easily. I bounce back quicker onto the healthy living bandwagon. But I would love some motivational buddies, someone to talk to about what I’m eating and the challenges I’m facing, and someone who will do the same. Maybe someone who’s also on the same journey or someone who has been through this and could give me advice. Any takers?
I’ve decided, after talking about how I need to run more consistently, that I have to give up running until I can purchase new shoes. On my last few runs, they’ve been killing my feet. I’ve been dealing with a pulled muscle in my calf all week from my 5K on Sunday. And my left foot/left ankle have gotten numb from running. I’ve never experienced this and I have to think it has to deal with my shoes. They are literally falling apart. I wear them for work and exercise and I’ve had them for over a year, so yeah, I definitely need new ones! I’m planning on writing a story on why you need proper running shoes, and also going to a running store to get fitted properly for one as part of “research”. I can’t wait!
And Whitney won Master Chef! She’s the sweetest, most humble, most adorable cook ever. I’m so happy she won. This little 22-year-old spitfire took down all the cocky chefs. I’m totally going to buy her a cookbook when it comes out.

Categories: Life

Sliced

If I believed in it, I would think my family has been cursed. How so? About a week before my mom’s accident, my 14-year-old cousin was in the hospital with road rash. Then my mom got hit by a car. Then my uncle (my cousin’s dad, by the way) was admitted to the hospital with chest pains and a high pulse rate (they diagnosed him with stress, and put him on blood pressure medication). On Sunday night, my nephew was taken to the emergency room with a fever of 104. (He’s fine, just has a bad virus.) And yesterday, it was my turn.

It all happened a little after 2pm. I was washing the dishes and while rinsing off a glass, it slipped and broke another glass in the sink. No biggie. I took all the pieces and just put it on the counter, to clean up later. Once I finished with the dishes, I took a kitchen towel, picked up the glass, and on my way to the garbage, it slipped and sliced me on the inside of my thumb. Ouch.

The cut was pretty deep and was bleeding pretty steadily. I grabbed a towel and started applying as much pressure as possible. I called my mom and was pretty calm about the whole thing. Just your average, “Hi, Mom. I’m at home. Everything is OK, but I cut my finger pretty bad. It’s bleeding a lot and OH, MY GOD, I CAN’T GET IT TO STOP. ARE YOU THERE? MO-OOOM?!”

I’m pretty much a pro at panicking and thinking of the worst case scenario very quickly. I knew I would have to go to the ER. I was fairly sure I would be getting my first stitches I’ve ever had. The fact that I have no health insurance weighed on my mind a lot.

My mom had a friend drop her off at our apartment, and then my grandpa arrived. It was no less than 10 minutes after the initial call, but felt more like 30. My grandpa drove us to the hospital, since my mom is still in a sling and I’m, you know, still gushing blood from my thumb. On the ride there, I was thinking I probably burst a vein or a blood vessel and would require surgery. And that’s why it was still bleeding. Yes. I jump to the worst conclusions rather quickly.

I didn’t have to wait too long to be seen, 15 minutes tops. The doctor, we can call him Dr. McDreamy, although I would say he was 10x cuter than Patrick Dempsey, saw me and calmed me down. He said all it would take was a few stitches and that’s it. Oh. Just a few stitches? I can handle stitches.

They did have to give an an x-ray to make sure I didn’t have any remaining glass in my cut, which I didn’t. And then he stitched me up. He numbed me up pretty good, which didn’t hurt all too bad, and then stitching part was easy breezy. I didn’t feel a thing.

So there you have it. My first ER visit since 1999, my first x-rays in a billion years, and my first stitches. I only got 3 stitches so, in essence, my mom wins. (She got 17.) I would show you my stitches but I have them wrapped up and really, it’s not all that exciting. I would rather show you a picture of Dr. McDreamy and I, but alas, I did not take one.

I don’t know what is going on with my family. We are not accident-prone at all. I’ve been in the hospital 3 times total: when I was born, to get my tonsils removed at 4, and to get a tetanus shot after I had been bit by a dog. I can only remember my mom being in the hospital twice: once for hurting her arm when I was in middle school and then for her thyroid surgery 2 years ago.

I’m very nervous to see how much the hospital bill is going to be, especially with the 3 x-rays. And I have to find a place to get my stitches out. We have no student health center at my campus, and the cheapest we’ve found is $150. So if you ever want to have a debate on why I think a country-wide health insurance plan is a good idea, I will win.

Tell me, have you ever had to get stitches? And/or, when was your last ER visit?