I Remeber...

And I will never forget. I may be extremely busy and slightly worried about Ike's arrival but the memories of what happened 7 years ago are with me. I am thinking of all Americans, espcially New Yorkers, and all of those who lost loved ones. I love this Country and I will never forget. God bless the U.S.A.

IKE!

I do not like this! I am super busy preparing our house and trying to finish up some work before evacuations begin. GRRRRRR IKE!

Poozer Comes to Town

My niece came to visit this weekend. I hadn’t seen her in almost 2 months and I was very lonesome. She has changed so much! The first thing I noticed is that she has developed an adorable personality. She smiles constantly (unless you put a camera in her face!) and babbles more or more each day. She is calm but has a short temper. I quickly noticed how mobile she has become. She scrawls (a combination of a scoot and a crawl) everywhere and loves to run in her walker (ironically). My Mom and I took her on her first trip to Toy R Us. I think Mom and I were more excited than the Poozer. While we loaded a cart with fun, educational toys, Poozer was fascinated by the other children in the store. She smiled at every baby that passed by and tried to grab a few toddlers cruising on tricycles. Once we got home, she sat on the floor intrigued with each brightly colored, noise fun filled toy. She studied, tasted, and laughed at each of them. I enjoyed every second I spent with her.

Poozer’s tantrum free visit left me with a feeling I cannot allow myself to have for another 3 years. I must ignore this feeling! I desperately want this feeling to disappear. I need to remind myself that while I was having fun with Poozer my sister was catching up on sleep, something she hasn’t enjoyed since December 27, 2007 – the day Poozer was born. I need to focus on advancing my career, saving money, and supporting my husband through grad school. I need to stick with the plan and stay on track. I need to forget about that clean, sweet baby smell and the heart flutters I get when Poozer smiles at me or rests her head on my shoulder. I need to remember that it isn’t all fun and games; it is hard work. I do NOT need to be thinking how much sweeter it will be when it is our child smiling at me and grabbing at my heart. Our day will come. Right now, I need to get rid of this baby fever! Looking at these cute pictures is NOT helping!

Glad to have you on my team!

As I mentioned yesterday, I met with an orthopedist. My appointment went well, I didn’t tear anything and I don’t have arthritis or an infection. The frustrating part is that they can’t really explain why my knee swells like a balloon when I stand up, why it is hurts and why, after 10 days, it seems to be getting worse. My doctor prescribed a stronger anti-inflammatory and physical therapy 3 times a week for a month. I may not have any answers but I have a plan (that isn’t to just ice it and stay off of it) and that makes me feel somewhat better.

I haven’t been the most pleasant person to be around. I have been frustrated with my activity restrictions and scared of the diagnosis. When my knee hurts I am cranky and I am stubbornly independent so I won’t allow anyone to fetch me ice, water, etc. HB has been a trooper. He rubs my back when I am scared, reminds me to ice my knee when it starts to swell, and argued with the doctor about his “oh, you’re fine” attitude. He hasn’t received much reward for his support; I mean, I didn’t shave my legs for 7 days! I would like to use this post as a thank you to my husband.

Thank you HB, for your support. Thank you for loving me and my unshaved legs. Thank you for defending me and my swollen knee yesterday. Thank you for fielding phone calls from your Mom. Thank you for taking me to the doctor when my Mom was MIA. (Isn’t it funny how our Mom’s are total opposites?) Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for watching reality television with me. Thank you for being on my team. Thank you for being you. I LOVE YOU!

Did I Shave My Legs for This...

I had an appointment with an orthopedist today. My appointment was fine and my knee will remain attached to my leg. I also had a very funny and eye opening conversation with a friend today. It went something like this:

My cell phone rings:

Me: Hello

M of H: Hellloooo, what are you doing?

Me: Driving to work

M of H: Damn, it’s 10:00. I want your job!

Me: I know, I am late. I’m moving pretty slow because of my knee and I had to shave my leg because I have a doctor’s appointment.

M of H: Leg? As in 1 leg?

Me: Yes, I shaved the bum leg so I don't gross out the Doc.

M of H: I see. So, you will shave, ahem, ONE leg for a doctor but poor HB, only married a year and 3 months and he can't get both legs shaved for him.

…M of H is one of my funnier friends and we had a good laugh about the silliness of my only shaving one leg. Usually I am very good about leg shaving but I have let it slide since my knee injury. So, I came home tonight, shaved my other leg, put on my cute night dress, and pinned my hair back instead of throwing it into a sloppy ponytail. I actually look like a lady tonight instead of the grumpy mess I have been for the past week and a half. But sadly, I am a lonely lady tonight. HB is meeting with his group tonight so they can prepare for their presentation tomorrow. And now I have Deana Cater’s, Did I Shave My Legs for This song in my head. Only, HB is probably the one feeling neglected this week.

Politics Aside

I assure you, this is not a political post. I do not care to reveal that I am a Democrat or Republican, nor will I discuss the issues. This is a post about a 17 year old girl being harshly criticized because she is not married and pregnant, oh, and her Mom is John McCain’s running mate. In a Society that has recently said it’s okay to be young and pregnant without a husband (hello Jessica Alba, Bridget Moynahan, Jamie Lynn Spears, Chrissy from Storked) why are Palin and her daughter under fire? Just last night on 90210 (which I loved, btw!) it was revealed that the adored Kelly Taylor has a child without a husband and no one seemed to care. The media is sending the message that if you are a celebrity or if you are wealthy, it is okay to be husbandless and pregnant BUT if you are the child of a political figure we will slam you. Young Palin’s pregnancy has received more news coverage than the recent hurricane that hit Louisiana. I am disgusted.

I feel as though the Palin family criticism is much harsher than that of Obama or Biden. Everyone was appalled when Michelle Obama said, “This is the first time I have ever been proud of my Country,” and yes, Biden’s son’s hedge fund scandal is equally appalling but they barely made the news and both were quickly forgiven. Since the news of young Palin’s pregnancy it has been sheer ciaos and nothing but a smear campaign on a 17 YEAR OLD! I am still disgusted with the media for calling Chelsea an “Ugly Duckling” when President Clinton went into office. And when George W. came into office the media made the twins out to be alcoholics because they enjoyed margaritas with their college friends – what college freshman doesn’t participate in a little fun with their friends?

In these times it is understood that Liberal reporters are going to be biased against conservatives and conservatives are going to be biased against liberals. But shouldn’t a reporter report the news and not their opinion? Isn’t that their job? Shouldn’t they report facts, not speculation? Is it just me or is the media out of control? The Washington Post covered the Brittany & Paris sagas and now US Weekly is smearing Palin’s family – what is going on here? Is this what the news has become? Do reporters have any character? Any limits? If I were a reporter I would be ashamed of my industry and its culture.

Overall, I think the children of celebrities, political figures or anyone famous for the matter, should be off limits. These children did not choose to be in limelight. Adolescence is hard enough without the criticism of your Country. These children are not running for the Presidency. I want to hear where these candidates stand on the issues. What is Sarah Palin’s economic policy? Will she raise my taxes? Does she want to pull out of Iraq? I want these “reporters” to write about the economy in Alaska. What has she done there? Are the residents there happy with her? I don’t care if her daughter is pregnant. I don’t care if her son and husband are registered as Independents. Talk about the issues. Talk about HER not her family. The same goes for Obama and Biden – leave their families out of it.

Bum Knee

My long weekend was spent in bed, nursing a sore, swollen knee. I wish I had a daring stunt gone wrong tale to explain my injury but there is no explanation. I have no idea why my knee aches and swells up every time I stand up. I have an appointment with an Orthopedist on Thursday but until then I will be icing it every 30 minutes and catching up with my favorite Soap, The Young and the Restless – oh the drama!

As I sit in bed with ice packs, my laptop and daytime television, I should be worried about what is ailing my knee but instead, I am worried about not being able to exercise. Lately, I have been doing so well with my exercise routine and diet. Due to my injury, I completely fell off the wagon this weekend, indulging in burgers, cookies and ice cream - yes, I am blaming my poor eating habits on my knee. With exercise being out of the questions at the moment I am worried that this down time will ruin my healthy lifestyle momentum. The worst part is, when I get bored, I get cranky and usually end up eating to make myself feel better. What am I going to do?!?