Halloween in the "sac"

This year all the families in the cul-de-sac gathered in Dave & Gael's driveway for our 4th annual Halloween extravaganza. I made a huge pot of chili & pumpkin cupcakes while everyone brought a little something to share with the group. We all handed out candy to the trick-o-treaters and had so much fun checking out all the cute little kids and their costumes.

It ended up being a bit cooler this year than last but we had the fire-pit with a nice fire going and Gael's hot chocolate to keep us warm. As well as hot chili and a few beverages :)

It was another fun evening shared with the neighbors and we are all looking forward to our upcoming annual holiday progressive dinner in the next couple of months!

Hope everyone else had a fun & safe Halloween :)

Girlz Day Out

Today I met the neighborhood girls out for a day of lunch & shopping. We all gathered at Spin! Pizza where everyone enjoyed pizza/salads & much fun catching up.

Next stop was the highly anticipated event of the year that I SO look forward to - Holiday Mart! This has been a yearly tradition of mine for awhile now & I was so excited to get to share it with the girls from the neighborhood. Holiday Mart is put on by the Junior League of KC. It features over 200 speciality retailers from around the area & attracts over 22,000 shoppers. Proceeds from Holiday Mart benefit the Jr. League of Kansas City, its volunteers and financial commitment to children's literacy. So basically it is shopping for a good cause :)

When we first walked in, everyone agreed that it was a bit overwhelming. There were so many vendors to see & they were all packed in the building like sardines. Once we figured out where to start, we enjoyed going up and down all the aisles shopping & checking out what everyone had to offer. I managed to help the economy out and buy a few things for myself but kept the spending under control :)

Once we were on our way home, we made a stop at Sheridan's Frozen Custard & treated ourselves to a Pumpkin Pie Concrete - think DQ blizzard with a piece of pumpkin pie mixed into it! It was oh so yummy and a perfect end to a great day!

OW - my eyes!

I was standing in the checkout at Kohl's today and I couldn't help but be blinded by the sight that was before me. I didn't think I could fully explain the pain & suffering my eyes were feeling at the time through words so I took out my cell phone & discreetly took a picture to truly show you what I mean:YES - that is horizontal stripes with plaid shorts and was it BRIGHT! What was this guy thinking when he left the house today? He can't seriously think this looks good together?!? Sorry, but I just had to share this "fashion-don't" with others with the hope that you don't let your husbands dress like this & leave the house :)

Game Plan for Millie

So after giving it much thought and spending an hour talking with Millie's vet, we have decided to delay the surgery for at least a month and start with putting Millie on a very strict diet to try and get her to lose some weight. Dr. Lineberger is very concerned about her recovery after surgery with all that extra weight on her. She is entirely way to obese and he would like to see a goal weight loss of 20 lbs by spring - may be an unrealistic goal for her but we are going to try our best! SO, we are going to start her on "Weight Watchers for Bullies" today and begin with a very strict diet and special diet food. I am to take her in for weekly weigh-ins to see how she is progressing.

She is going to remain on the pain and anti-inflammatory meds and as far as I can tell, she doesn't seem uncomfortable or hurting but she does struggle to walk & get around limping on that back leg. If she can at least lose 5 lbs in a month that would be awesome & then we will do the surgery - unless we see that she is in pain all the time and miserable then we will do it sooner. To us humans, losing 5 lbs doesn't seem like alot but Dr. Lineberger says you can compare it to a human losing 25 lbs so 5 lbs of weight-loss on Millie would be quite significant!

So for the next month, she has to stay confined to a small room, no stairs or slippery floors & we have to use a sling to hold up her back end when she walks outside to potty - which is easier said than done because she HATES it. Will probably keep her down in the family room and put a baby gate at the steps to the kitchen. It is going to be a rough month but it is what we have to do.

Thanks everyone for your concern and for all your well-wishes! Will keep you posted on our progress! Hugs to you all...

Disabled Bully :(

I have a bad feeling that Millie has torn her ACL in the left back leg :(

I came home from work Thursday & she was overly excited to see me for some reason. She got a case of the zoomies, raced down the stairs, ran smack into the couch and knocked herself over. I had to laugh at first because she looked like a "june bug" stuck on her back trying to wiggle herself back over. She appeared to be fine but when she came back inside from going potty she was pulling her left back leg up and not putting any weight on it. We crated her for the night and by morning it wasn't any better! I called & made an appt with the Orthopedic Vet and the soonest we can get her in is Monday morning. In the meantime, they prescribed her some Rimadyl (anti-inflammatory) and Tramadol (pain med) twice a day.

After work today when I let her out to potty she seemed to be "toe-tapping" with that back left leg but she is hardly putting any weight on it. I can tell she is in pain & I feel so bad. It is so sad to watch her hobble around and grunt in pain :( She'll stand at the bottom of the stairs & whine because it hurts her to go up them. Poor baby!

I pray it isn't an ACL because I would hate for her to have to go through another big, painful surgery (she had her luxating patella fixed on the right back leg 2 years ago) but I have a strong feeling that is what it is. Bulldogs are prone to getting ACL tears due to their short legs & bulky bodies - & as you know, she is a bit chunkier than most :) I'm surprised we have gone this long without any ACL problems from either one of them! Whatever the vet says, we are prepared to do whatever needs to be done to get things fixed so that she is not in anymore pain.

I will post an update again on Monday after the visit to the vet. Wish us luck...

I Told You So - Day 2

Valium & Icy Hot are my new best friends :)

Took Valium before bed last night and slathered Icy Hot all over my back and I slept great! I felt SO much better when I awoke this morning. My back is still really sore but I am able to bend over a bit and sit without much trouble. Haven't had anymore spasms - thank God! Going to stay off the pain pills today and keep applying the Icy Hot and start alternating ice & warm packs. May take a pain pill before bed...will see how I feel. I am going to try and return to work tomorrow.

I'm off to take a shower and see if I can't get in the car and run to the store. 1st stop - Bed, Bath & Beyond to buy pet stairs for the bed :) My mother will be happy!

I Told You So - Day 1

It was bound to happen sooner or later. My mother has warned me several times and I hate to say that she was right but she was. It was only a matter of time before the "incident" would happen.

It was 5:30am and I had gotten up to go to the bathroom. As I returned, I see Bentley on the floor wanting up in the bed. So, as I have done so many days and so many nights, I lifted him up in the bed. And that's when the "incident" happened...I felt a zing in my lower back and I was frozen. I literally couldn't move. I dropped Bentley and felt my back start to spasm. Now I had thought I had a pretty high threshold for pain but I have never felt pain like I did at that moment. If labor is anything like that kind of pain then I am SCREWED! I started to BAWL! The pain was SO intense that I was instantly nauseous & I swore I was going to throw up.

Poor Shane...he stood there not knowing what to do to help me. And then the distant memory of his dirt bike accident with his back injury came back to haunt him and he went into "nurse mode" and told me exactly what to do. I was SO proud of him for knowing what to do to help me. He remained relaxed and didn't panic at all which really helped. He is going to be a great birthing coach if I ever get the chance to go into labor :)

He finally got me back into bed reminding me to breathe and relax. For some reason I start doing Lamaze breathing which helped me tons and I just sucked it up through the muscle spasms. Once I got back into bed I felt like I couldn't move. As soon as I laid down I had this instant strong urge of having to go the bathroom. It wasn't going to wait so I had Shane help me out of bed to the bathroom.

I was amazed at all the ways you use your back muscles. I couldn't sit up by myself without having a back spasm. Couldn't bring myself to sit down on the toilet without having a spasm. Couldn't stand up without a spasm. By this point I started to see stars and felt like I was going to pass out. Shane finally got me back into bed and I was there for the next 6 hours! Shane had leftover Valium & pain pills from his accident so I took a Valium & ibuprofen, put an ice pack under my back and slept. It was the best 6 hours of sleep I think I have ever had :)

So the rest of the day has been nothing but Darvocet, ibuprofen, Icy Hot, ice packs and rest. By this evening I managed to feel a bit better and hadn't had any back spasms since this morning. Hopefully I will get a good nights rest...bring on the Valium :)

Visiting Deanna

Today I made my way down to the Plaza to meet up with some girlfriends and to see my dear friend Deanna. She is back in town from Austin, TX visiting family & friends and introducing everyone to the "new" boyfriend! They have been together for 8 months now so I guess he isn't so "new" but he is new to all her friends! I kind of think she was looking for our "approval" as well - which he definitely got! We all loved him :)

Here is half of the Vegas crew back together again: Deanna, Kari, HK & HT :)

Brad & Deanna - don't they make a cute couple?

It's the famous "Heather-Sandwich"

It was such a great afternoon catching up and getting to know Deanna's boyfriend. I SO wish she still lived here in KC :( She is such a great friend and I miss her tons! Oh well - I will just have to wait to see her until our next gathering this spring!

Seriously???

I am not embarrassed to say that I SO want a leopard print Snuggie! I see them in the stores everywhere and think to myself how nice it would be to be able to watch TV all bundled up and not have to pull your hands out from underneath the blanket to change the channels...or maybe it's because I am lazy?! They are kind of ridiculous but for some reason I feel I could use one!

As I was in Wal-Mart today, I walked past the Snuggies and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw this:

WHAT.....THE.....HELL???

Seriously? Snuggies for dogs? WOW - I'm at a loss for words (and that doesn't happen very often)!

Movie-Night

This evening the girls gathered at Keri's house for our monthly game-night. I always look forward to these evenings getting together with the girls, eating good food and relaxing with a glass of wine. As usual, everyone brought a great spread and we were all impressed with Keri's baking skills as she had made a dee-lish pumpkin cheesecake for the group! My little "Domestic-Diva-in-training" is definitely on her way to becoming a grand DD! It was very yummy!

After we had dined on great food, we all decided to forgo the usual game and head to a late movie instead. We had discussed scary movies earlier in the evening and I had mentioned that I wanted to see Paranormal Activity. Everyone agreed that it looked like a good, scary movie so we checked and found out that it was playing in KC so off we went - with a bottle of wine to drink while watching the movie :)

The movie started off slow but as it went along it started to hold my attention and it ended up creeping me out. I have always believed in haunted spirits & ghosts and this movie made me not want to ever go to sleep again! I caught myself grabbing my friend Erinn several times (sorry Erinn) throughout the movie and freaking out at certain parts. I must say it wasn't worth the $10 we paid for the late showing but it was worth it watching it on the big screen.

After the movie, we headed back to Keri's to finish the wine and then we headed over to the Hideout for a nightcap. Keri's husband Ken had never been there before so we introduced him to this infamous Spring Hill hole-in-the-wall bar! It ended up being a very late but definitely great evening once again! I can always count on these girls for a fun night!

Art of Racing in the Rain

4 hours....that is the time it took for me to read this page-turner from front to back. I bought it Sunday afternoon and spent the early evening on the patio reading! It was such a good book that I got through more than 1/2 of it the first day. I finished the book Monday night!

The Art of Racing in the Rain is about a dog named Enzo and the story of his life with his family - told by him, the family dog in his own words. From the first chapter I was hooked and had already shed a tear. While reading this book there were times when I laughed out loud as well as silently sat while my emotions got the best of me.

I found it quite interesting reading what a dog might think about or why they possibly do the crazy things they do and what they might say if they could speak. It is of course all fiction, but it is comforting to me knowing that my 3 dogs might just "get me" and "understand me" and that they just might have a soul like a human. The book also taught me that when they have lived a long good life with you and it is time to let them go, they understand and are willing. And even though we are so very sad at the time - it is the best gift we as owners can give them - to rid them of their pain & suffering.

If you are a dog lover, I highly recommend reading this book. Anyone who would like to borrow it please let me know! I promise you won't be disappointed :)

FINALLY :)

Graduation day 5/95 with 1.5 degrees: $25,000 +

Monthly payments to Sallie Mae for 14 years: $235

Feeling of sending the LAST payment in: PRICELESS

WOO HOO - just sent in the very last payment to Sallie Mae and my school loans are now PAID OFF! What a great feeling! It only took 14 years but that's because I managed to pay only the minimum payment.

Bye Bye Sallie Mae - this is one relationship I am happy to see end!

PSA

*stepping up to the podium*

Today kicks off Breast Cancer Awareness Month - an annual campaign with a goal to increase awareness about the importance of detecting breast cancer in its early stages.

This is a gentle reminder to all the women who read my blog to get their mammograms and/or make sure you do your monthly breast exams regularly.

Thank-you!

*stepping down from podium*