My Secret Admirer

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm wondering if anyone received an email today from their secret admirer. I did. I don't usually open emails that have subject lines about a "secret admirer" or "someone is looking for you" or "someone loves you" or "we're going to send you $1M and then you send it back to us." Especially that last one.

But today I knew the sender of my "secret admirer" email. I get emails from this person regularly. My admirer included a picture of himself. He's an older man, but looks young. He has great skin, but he could stand to lose some of the fat around his middle. And he could really use a good tan. I've heard that he tastes delicious covered in butter.

Did anyone else get the same email?

I have a feeling that I'm not the only one with this secret admirer.

My secret admirer has a way of getting around.

Anyone else who has subscribed to the Pillsbury newsletter may have gotten the same email from the same secret admirer.

One Solution

Since injuring my back, I have been using a lumbar roll when driving. I got this Tempurpedic one below. This $50 Tempurpedic one.

I feel like it does help. It forces me to sit up and puts that arch in my back. Did I mention that it cost $50? My kids call it my "peanut" because of the shape.

I like to leave it in the car so that I don't forget it when I go out. But recently we've been hit with some extreme cold temperatures here in the Pacific northwest. It was 30 degrees when I woke up this morning! And the grass was covered in frost. I just wanted to put that out there for all of you who are enjoying the negative degree temps through out the rest of the country. I'm not bragging, just rubbing it in a little mentioning it. (Please keep in mind that if you live in Miami, Hawaii or Southern California, your comments may be accidentally deleted. It is my blog after all.)

My pillow was frozen when I got in the car this morning. It was more like a rock than a pillow! Maybe I should bring it in the house overnight. For a while I would bring the pillow in the house with me each time I came home. Then my kids started using my pillow as a very expensive indoor football.

I believe the term "indoor football" is an oxymoron. Not only did I enjoy watching my pillow be tossed around and barely miss knocking over the TV or landing on the stove while I was cooking dinner, I also never could find it when I was ready to go somewhere. So I went back to leaving it in the car.

This morning it was frozen solid.

I have a solution. I will be moving to Aruba next week.

Et tu, Brute?

I have been feeling a little old lately. I had to walk with a cane when I ruptured the disc in my back. I had to go to therapy at a nursing home to help with my back. I was taking more medications than everyone at Seattle Grace Medical Center combined! Okay, I may be exaggerating a little on that last one, but not the others.

And now this??

I came down with bronchitis over the weekend and the pharmacist filled my prescription into one of those bottles with the big lids. The big lids for certain people who have trouble opening lids. The big lids that make it easy for old people (like me apparently) to open their medication.

Et tu Brute pharmacist?

My husband is still laughing.

You Can't Lose

My kids (ages 7 and 8) were so excited about the Super Bowl. I'm still not really sure why. We live in Seattle, and we're not Packers fans or Steelers fans. This year we didn't even have any big plans for the game, no Super Bowl party to attend.
We did watch the game yesterday. My 8 year old had decided he wanted the Packers to win. My 7 year old copies everything the 8 year old does, so he also wanted the Packers to win. My husband thought the Steelers had more of a chance to win, so he took their side.About halfway through the third quarter my 7 year old starting cheering, "Go Pittsburgh! Go Pittsburgh!" over and over again. I said, "I thought you were cheering for the Packers."
The look on his face said it all. He was cheering for the Packers. You know, the Pittsburgh Packers. My husband and I laughed at how he had all of his bases covered.
My 7 year old thinks he knows everything. Last week he came home from school and told me that winter is almost over because the ground hog didn't see his shadow. "That's right," I said. He replied very proudly, "only 6 more days of winter left." So mark your calendars everyone and get your sandals and sunglasses ready!

Merry Christmas

I know it's been a while since I've blogged. I don't like to blog when I have nothing positive to say. I went through a really difficult, really dark time.

I ruptured a disk in my spine. I didn't do anything specific to rupture it. I wish I had a great story about how I was climbing a mountain in the Alps and then when I tried to save one of my fellow climbers my back snapped and I had ruptured a disk. But that wasn't the case. I wasn't doing anything and all of a sudden I couldn't stand up. The pain in my leg was unbearable. I couldn't sit. I could do anything but scream in pain.

My husband took me to the ER where they gave some pain meds and did an MRI and said to go see a surgeon the next day. I got shoved around by the medical system for a few weeks. I was repeatedly told that my condition was nonsurgical and that it would get better with time. Finally one doctor said to go see another surgeon for a second opinion (really it would be about the 10th opinion!). This surgeon said that my symptoms were straightforward and that he would do surgery in 10 days. He said that surgery would take about 1.5 hours and that I would spend one night in the hospital.

My husband waited for 6 hours while I was in surgery and recovery. The surgery took 2.5 hours and I ended up spending 2 nights in the hospital.

Yesterday I went to my post-op check up. All the bandages and surgical tape was removed. I'm able to walk again. (I had to use a cane for 8 weeks). I'm still restricted in bending, twisting and lifting. But I feel so much better.

Here's my Christmas card to you:

May your Christmas be filled with brotherly love.

I Want to Wear High Heels and Dance!

Or at least be able to sit in a chair for more than 5 minutes.

I hurt my back... again. No accident, no fall or anything. My back just started hurting. To the point where I couldn't stand or sit. My husband had to take me to the ER. It's been over two weeks and I still can't sit upright for more than a few minutes at a time and that's on a good day. I've been to all kinds of specialists and tried all kinds of drugs. I'm anxious for this to be over so that I can wear high heels and dance. That's my goal.

I don't usually like to "complain" on my blog. I prefer to share the happy things. So hopefully you'll see a picture of me wearing high heels soon! Until then, I'll be on the couch.

A Busy Day

Today was a busy day with the usual chores and errands. I paid some bills, did laundry, did the dishes, mowed the lawn etc. Then after lunch I went to the craft store to look for some Halloween ideas. I stopped at the mailbox on the way home and picked my kids up at the bus stop. The busy day didn't end there. Then it was time to get homework done and then a neighborhood kid came over to play. Tonight my 6 year old had soccer practice. My friend has a son on the same team and we alternate weeks to take the boys to practice. Tonight was my turn to drive.

I pulled into their driveway and said "Hi" to my friend. Then I opened the car door to help her son hop into the backseat. I saw a small postcard on the ground. I picked it up. It was a reminder from my OBGYN that I need to schedule an appointment.

Classy, I know.

I'm very glad that it was my friend who was in the driveway with me and not her husband! I was so embarrassed. So I'm no longer going to be able to put the mail on the seat in the car again. Ever.

A New Boyfriend

Friday my 6 year old came home from school and told me, "Mom, Anne (name changed) has a new boyfriend!"

"Oh really? Who is it?" I asked.

"Tommy" he replied smiling (name changed again).

My 6 year couldn't stop giggling. So I asked, "Does Tommy know about this?"

He replied, "I don't think so."

Then I couldn't stop giggling.

What Bumper Stickers and Cell Phones Have in Common

This morning as I was leaving the gym I noticed a bumper sticker on the back of a car that said, "Where's the Birth Certificate." It was written in big black letters and that's all it said. It made me pause and read it again. I guess I was looking for a clue.

I drove away still wondering what it meant. Then I thought, that's funny. I should take a picture and post it on my blog.

So I drove back around and leaned out of my car window with my camera phone and took a picture.

Do you like the picture?

You can't see it, right? Well, not only do I not understand bumper stickers but I also don't understand camera phones. I can't find the picture anywhere on my phone.

Just last night my husband said, "We've had our phones for a year now. The contract is up and we should get new phones."

"No," I said. "I still haven't figured out how to work this phone, if I get a new one, I'll have to start all over again!"

So what do bumper stickers and cell phones have in common? They can both stump Cookie.

What's A Hippie Anyway?

Tonight I was doing a puzzle with my 8 year old son. We were joking around and he teasingly called me a "hippie." I laughed and asked, "do you even know what a hippie is?"

He said, "Isn't it the same as a hobo?"

"No," I replied. "A hippie is person from the 70's who is all about love and peace. Someone from my mom's generation."

He said, "Really?! I didn't think your mom was like that."

Good thing my mom doesn't read my blog.