As I'm sitting here reminiscing the old times(I've been burning copies of the Angels Aware video from 1988). I can't help but think of things to come. I have several things in the works that I'm really excited about. So, in no particular order, here they are...
1. The Garza Family Reunion - I love spending time with family and I am so excited that we get to incorporate a vacation into doing so. I'm particularly excited to see family that I haven't seen in a really long time. Good times are ready to be had.
2. Sunday evening Bible study - I've been wanting to be involved in a Bible study for a long time. I found out that some of my friends from church have been wanting to be involved in one too, but for some reason we just haven't found the right one. Well, starting next Sunday evening at 5:30pm we're meeting at Becca's house to get one started. We're going to be meeting every other Sunday evening. I'm so excited! Dave has graciously accepted the role of head guy in charge. He's putting together some ground rules and getting us started on the right path. I don't think I can thank him enough. I know we're going to have some great discussions, learn some great things that we haven't thought about before and have some really great BBQ's or potlucks. Thanks guys!
3. Watching the Lakers vs. Magic game on Saturday with Dave. I really love hanging out with Maren and her parents. They make me think in a whole new way. I love how accepting they are and know they love me as much as I love them.
4. Heading down to Grandma's to help Aunt Kathy and the fam do some much needed house/yard work in July. Normally I wouldn't be so eager to jump in and help out with cleaning gutters and such, but Grandma's house is one of my favorite places to go. It is so peaceful there. Not to mention helping Grandma will be rewarding. I hope someday I have children and grandchildren that will help me out when I need it.
5. Spinning class with Molly. I am so grateful to have a friend that is helping me get jump started with working out. Luckily I have a membership to the same gym chain as Molly. She's been going to spinning classes for 2 weeks now and has inspired me to get a move on. I hope I can keep up!
It seems as though there are a lot more things I'm looking forward to, but for some reason they are slipping my mind. I think that's enough things to keep me happy and looking ahead for awhile at least. I hope you all have things that you are eagerly anticipating as well.
Have a great week!
Love,
~Amy
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Not feeling well
So, I figured I'd give you all an update, or the whole story rather, so here goes...
One night in March I suddenly had severe pain at the top of my stomach around the base of my sternum. Craig loaded up Cooper and I and drove us to the Group Health Urgent Care facility here in Bellevue. The ran a bunch of tests, took an x-ray, and told me I had GERD(GURD?). Basically, severe acid reflux.
They gave me some medicine, Omeprazole, that is a preventative medicine for acid reflux. I took it for a couple of weeks with no futher instances of the pain. I stopped taking the medicine because I thought that maybe the time in March was just a one time thing. I didn't want to take medicine forever if I didn't really need it.
I was fine until a couple of weeks ago. I started having some symptoms so I started taking the medicine again. I ran out and asked for a refill. I didn't get the refill until Tuesday. That ended up being too late. Starting on Monday night I had the severe pain again. I've been waking up at 11am every night this week with pain and not being able to get back to sleep until around 2 or 3am.
I finally decided last night that the pain was too much to bear and told Craig I was taking myself to urgent care again. I wanted him to stay home with Cooper so that we didn't have to disturb him.
When I got to urgent care I told them that I was having some chest pain in addition to the pain that I was having. Turns out you get seen a whole lot faster if you tell them you're having chest pain. Anyway, they did an EKG - it was fine. They took some blood - the tests came out fine. They suggested that I possibly have something wrong with my gall bladder, such as gall stones. I have an ultra sound scheduled on Monday morning. They gave me some generic Vicodin to handle the pain until something more can be done.
I did a small bit of research on gall stones and they can be caused by inherited body chemistry, body weight, diet, or the increase of the hormone estrogen due to pregnancy or birth control pills. Hmm, It seems that I could fall into any one of those categories.
In a way, I hope that I do have gall stones, as they can fix that and I would possibly never have to feel this pain again.
I'll keep you updated as I am.
Have a great day!
Love, Amy
One night in March I suddenly had severe pain at the top of my stomach around the base of my sternum. Craig loaded up Cooper and I and drove us to the Group Health Urgent Care facility here in Bellevue. The ran a bunch of tests, took an x-ray, and told me I had GERD(GURD?). Basically, severe acid reflux.
They gave me some medicine, Omeprazole, that is a preventative medicine for acid reflux. I took it for a couple of weeks with no futher instances of the pain. I stopped taking the medicine because I thought that maybe the time in March was just a one time thing. I didn't want to take medicine forever if I didn't really need it.
I was fine until a couple of weeks ago. I started having some symptoms so I started taking the medicine again. I ran out and asked for a refill. I didn't get the refill until Tuesday. That ended up being too late. Starting on Monday night I had the severe pain again. I've been waking up at 11am every night this week with pain and not being able to get back to sleep until around 2 or 3am.
I finally decided last night that the pain was too much to bear and told Craig I was taking myself to urgent care again. I wanted him to stay home with Cooper so that we didn't have to disturb him.
When I got to urgent care I told them that I was having some chest pain in addition to the pain that I was having. Turns out you get seen a whole lot faster if you tell them you're having chest pain. Anyway, they did an EKG - it was fine. They took some blood - the tests came out fine. They suggested that I possibly have something wrong with my gall bladder, such as gall stones. I have an ultra sound scheduled on Monday morning. They gave me some generic Vicodin to handle the pain until something more can be done.
I did a small bit of research on gall stones and they can be caused by inherited body chemistry, body weight, diet, or the increase of the hormone estrogen due to pregnancy or birth control pills. Hmm, It seems that I could fall into any one of those categories.
In a way, I hope that I do have gall stones, as they can fix that and I would possibly never have to feel this pain again.
I'll keep you updated as I am.
Have a great day!
Love, Amy
Kobe vs. LeBron
I think I may have missed my calling when it comes to career dreams (then again, don't we all?) I feel like I could discuss sports all day. I don't even listen to radio stations that play music anymore, unless Amy and I are going somewhere where I can't find a sports radio station. Sadly, Othello, WA, which is Amy's hometown that we visit often, fits this category.
But, when I listen to the stations we get in Seattle, used to be one station, now two despite the fact that we lost the Sonics, I get the distinct feeling that the guys that talk about sports on the radio are no different than me, except for a couple of key differences.
1) They never played sports, and usually get paired up with an athelete that never "went to class" in college and therefore the uninitiated guy plays off the jock.
2) All they did, in many cases, is intern at a radio station making coffee, running dry cleaning around and hitting switches on a sound board.
All of that being said, I'm very torn about these NBA playoffs. On the one hand, the NBA and the rest of the world for that matter, want Kobe vs. Lebron. I'm not so sure that I don't either. It would be a marketing dream, already is for NIKE, but I think it would regress the league, like fighting in th 90's did.
Personally, which may be redundant to say in a blog, I would like to see a return to "team" basketball like the Celtics and Lakers used to play in the 80's. I really like how the Magic are playing right now. They seem to be the only team that doesn't have the "1 on 5" offense. They actually pass the ball and run actual plays. Granted, this is probably the last team that Darth Vader, excuse me I meant David Stern, wants in the Finals, but it's looking inevitable.
And I for one would welcome it.
Mahalo.
But, when I listen to the stations we get in Seattle, used to be one station, now two despite the fact that we lost the Sonics, I get the distinct feeling that the guys that talk about sports on the radio are no different than me, except for a couple of key differences.
1) They never played sports, and usually get paired up with an athelete that never "went to class" in college and therefore the uninitiated guy plays off the jock.
2) All they did, in many cases, is intern at a radio station making coffee, running dry cleaning around and hitting switches on a sound board.
All of that being said, I'm very torn about these NBA playoffs. On the one hand, the NBA and the rest of the world for that matter, want Kobe vs. Lebron. I'm not so sure that I don't either. It would be a marketing dream, already is for NIKE, but I think it would regress the league, like fighting in th 90's did.
Personally, which may be redundant to say in a blog, I would like to see a return to "team" basketball like the Celtics and Lakers used to play in the 80's. I really like how the Magic are playing right now. They seem to be the only team that doesn't have the "1 on 5" offense. They actually pass the ball and run actual plays. Granted, this is probably the last team that Darth Vader, excuse me I meant David Stern, wants in the Finals, but it's looking inevitable.
And I for one would welcome it.
Mahalo.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Working 9 to 5.....NOT!!!
You would think that in the deep recession that we are in that work would be cut in half and we would be sitting at our desks all day playing minesweeper. Yet, I work harder now than a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest. I yearn to have a work related injury just debilitating enough to keep me from being able to go into the office and "thinking too hard".
While we are on the subject of work, I often ponder the following question. How did things get done back in the pre-computer/copy machine days? For example; I'll draw up a contract (1 week with the help of lawyers), I'll mail it to you (3-5 business days), you read and review it (1 week with the help of lawyers), revise it and mail it back (1 week with lawyers) and I'll read it and agree to it (1 week with lawyers), mail it (3-5 days) and you sign it. The same scenario now takes what a few hours or 1 day? Yet, we have never been busier or worked longer hours. I wish I could go back to 1955 and work 8 hours, have a secretary that does all the busy work, take 2 hour lunches, drink at work and get nothing done.
The new show Mad Men has ruined it for everyone working in this generation.
While we are on the subject of work, I often ponder the following question. How did things get done back in the pre-computer/copy machine days? For example; I'll draw up a contract (1 week with the help of lawyers), I'll mail it to you (3-5 business days), you read and review it (1 week with the help of lawyers), revise it and mail it back (1 week with lawyers) and I'll read it and agree to it (1 week with lawyers), mail it (3-5 days) and you sign it. The same scenario now takes what a few hours or 1 day? Yet, we have never been busier or worked longer hours. I wish I could go back to 1955 and work 8 hours, have a secretary that does all the busy work, take 2 hour lunches, drink at work and get nothing done.
The new show Mad Men has ruined it for everyone working in this generation.
Angels Aware
This is the 1st 3 minutes of the Angels Aware program that we performed at the Othello Assembly of God for Christmas in 1988. I'm the one that Harold leans to and asks why we're they were all asked to gather. Aren't I cute?
If you want the whole video and the program that we performed in 1989 I can make you a copy on DVD. Just let me know.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Memorial Day
Well, the weekend is coming to a close. I'm so thankful for having such a nice long weekend. Taking Friday off of work was a great idea. It gave me time to visit family in Othello and still spend time at home with my wonderful husband. We accomplished a lot today. We rearranged the furniture in three rooms of the house. We now have room for all of Cooper's toys and room for him to start moving around easier. Now all he has to do is figure out how to crawl forward instead of backward or start walking. I'm not sure if I'm ready for either of those, but I'll adjust. Now I'm off to bed for what I hope is going to be a good night's sleep so I can start the week fresh. Have a great week everyone!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Read between the lines.
I've already informed Amy that I would be a distant observer to this program at least initially. But I also told her that I would most likely warm to the notion very quickly. Well, someone threw me in the microwave, because not even 24 hours later I have something new to say.
Now, I have to admit this whole concept seems to me a bit like putting your diary out there for the world (and God forbid, someday my children) to see. So with that in mind I was very apprehensive about choosing my words in the last post, even though it was very brief and cursory in nature. As I get into topics that I feeel passsionately about (at least at the moment I'm posting them) or events that I feel the need to comment about, I worry that my momentary ramblings will carry the weight of a constitutional amendment that I will have to stand by and defend for the rest of my life.
Maybe I'm lending a little too much gravitas to the situation, but now that I'm a father, I think about these things a lot more. At least because Amy tells me I should. That being said, one of my favorite quotes is from Casey Kasem of America's Top 40 (when radio was still pertinent) "... and now, on with the countdown." which for our purposes means, I'll get to my point.
Another Internet application Amy introduced me to was Facebook. For the uninitiated it is basically a social networking site that you can find your friends, from all over the world and at all "different times" in your life. For example, I get hit with people from my past, both recent and long ago that send me a "friend request." Most are people that I want to stay in touch with, at the great distance that the internet allows for. But.....some unfortunately are not.
And there's the rub (Hamlet, I believe), many of these people were merely acquaintances, or tangential friends that I knew by proximity or by association from another friend. Yet, here they are on facebook asking me to be their "friend." Why now? Why not back then? How do I respond to that? Facebook allows you to accept or ignore those friend requests. America is the land of Freedom of Choice, so I say we add some other catergories to choose to reject friend requests from like; "Sheepishly look the other way and pretend to forget your request" or "You were, and are now, offensive to me" or "Didn't you get the hint 5/10/15 years ago when we didn't speak?"
I know that I am probably forgoing many uninteresting, forced and contrived e-mails, posts and (God forbid) phone calls with potentially changed people from my past...
But, I can live with that.
Now, I have to admit this whole concept seems to me a bit like putting your diary out there for the world (and God forbid, someday my children) to see. So with that in mind I was very apprehensive about choosing my words in the last post, even though it was very brief and cursory in nature. As I get into topics that I feeel passsionately about (at least at the moment I'm posting them) or events that I feel the need to comment about, I worry that my momentary ramblings will carry the weight of a constitutional amendment that I will have to stand by and defend for the rest of my life.
Maybe I'm lending a little too much gravitas to the situation, but now that I'm a father, I think about these things a lot more. At least because Amy tells me I should. That being said, one of my favorite quotes is from Casey Kasem of America's Top 40 (when radio was still pertinent) "... and now, on with the countdown." which for our purposes means, I'll get to my point.
Another Internet application Amy introduced me to was Facebook. For the uninitiated it is basically a social networking site that you can find your friends, from all over the world and at all "different times" in your life. For example, I get hit with people from my past, both recent and long ago that send me a "friend request." Most are people that I want to stay in touch with, at the great distance that the internet allows for. But.....some unfortunately are not.
And there's the rub (Hamlet, I believe), many of these people were merely acquaintances, or tangential friends that I knew by proximity or by association from another friend. Yet, here they are on facebook asking me to be their "friend." Why now? Why not back then? How do I respond to that? Facebook allows you to accept or ignore those friend requests. America is the land of Freedom of Choice, so I say we add some other catergories to choose to reject friend requests from like; "Sheepishly look the other way and pretend to forget your request" or "You were, and are now, offensive to me" or "Didn't you get the hint 5/10/15 years ago when we didn't speak?"
I know that I am probably forgoing many uninteresting, forced and contrived e-mails, posts and (God forbid) phone calls with potentially changed people from my past...
But, I can live with that.
Blank Stare...
Well, once again Amy has dragged me into the future by getting me set up to post Blogs. I'd like to go back in time to say 1987 when I was in high school and have someone explain the concept of blogging to me.
Friend- "You just type your comments on this typewriter box type thing and people all over the world can look at your thoughts on their little boxes."
Me- Blank stare.... Followed by,"Why would someone in Fiji care what I, the NFL MVP, has to say? And also, these boxes talk one another, explain that to me."
Friend- Head shaking....
So, here I am a new husband and a new father, and from this bully pulpit all I can really speak intelligently about is sports, Mafia Wars on facebook and the Adam Carolla Podcast. So if you are a fan of any of these three things, check in occasionally and I will post some semi-lucid drivel about these topics, among others.
At the bare minimum you can expect me to use some uncommon language and references from the deepest darkest corners of my thesaurus and dictionary. It's how I exercise my brain.
Mahalo...
Friend- "You just type your comments on this typewriter box type thing and people all over the world can look at your thoughts on their little boxes."
Me- Blank stare.... Followed by,"Why would someone in Fiji care what I, the NFL MVP, has to say? And also, these boxes talk one another, explain that to me."
Friend- Head shaking....
So, here I am a new husband and a new father, and from this bully pulpit all I can really speak intelligently about is sports, Mafia Wars on facebook and the Adam Carolla Podcast. So if you are a fan of any of these three things, check in occasionally and I will post some semi-lucid drivel about these topics, among others.
At the bare minimum you can expect me to use some uncommon language and references from the deepest darkest corners of my thesaurus and dictionary. It's how I exercise my brain.
Mahalo...
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
You know what really grinds my gears...
Parking. Specifically, paying to park. I absolutely detest having to pay to park. I pay $75 a month to park at this new downtown office building where Expedia decided to move their HQ. There is so much more that I could do with that $75 than pay for my car to sit in a tiny space next to a bunch of other cars. Not only do I have to pay this amount, but if I'm not at the office before 7am I have to park really far underneath the building. Expedians have to park starting at level C. If I don't get here before 7 am I have to go to Level D. I have had, on several occasions, to park as far down as Level F. It then takes 5 minutes just to get out of the parking lot. I only live 10 minutes from work so an extra 50% commute is added just for parking. Why is this necessary? If an employer wants you to work for them, they should make it easy for you to do so.
Not only do I have to pay to park at work, but almost any time we go downtown Seattle to do anything fun, we have to pay at least $10 to park. So frustrating! Even if we are going to do something free, it's not really free because of parking. You also have to build in extra time to whatever you do just to find a parking space. Aaargh. This is the number 1 reason I don't like living in a big city.
Not only do I have to pay to park at work, but almost any time we go downtown Seattle to do anything fun, we have to pay at least $10 to park. So frustrating! Even if we are going to do something free, it's not really free because of parking. You also have to build in extra time to whatever you do just to find a parking space. Aaargh. This is the number 1 reason I don't like living in a big city.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Evasive Mucous
Cooper has reverted to his childhood ways. Technically, since he's still a child I guess I should say he's reverted to his newborn ways. Sleeping is not a long occurence in our nighttime regimen these days. I'm sure it's due to the fact that he is having trouble breathing. He has such a runny/stuffy nose. I try my hardest to suck out all of the mucous with a nasal aspirator, but it's hiding from me. Just when I think I've gotten it all and have put away all of the necessary booger extracting tools, he takes a breath and I hear the mucous that I've missed. Not only is the mucous hiding from me, but the nasal aspirator is doing a good job of it as well. We have 2 of them. I searched the house from top to bottom yesterday morning and couldn't find either one. I ended up driving to Fred Meyer at 7am to buy yet another one. All I want is for my poor little guy to be able to breath properly, but no luck. I'm just sure that this runny nose is being caused by his teething. He has no other symptoms other than his gums being extremely swollen. Having a baby is such a frustrating guessing game. Hopefully Cooper will come out none the worse for wear.
Hello
So...I'm gonna start out by saying hello and then letting you all know that I'm not much of a story teller. I've followed other bloggers and I've finally decided to give in and try this thing out. I love reading other people's blogs, as it is a way to help me keep in touch with them even if I'm far away. I'm hoping that is how you will view my blog. Hopefully you aren't super judgemental and will just appreciate knowing a little bit more about the day to day events in the life of the Crandell family.
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