Things I hate: my mouth, this year

Did any of my teeth fall out naturally as a kid? No. Either my parents or dentist pulled them all.

Have I had any cavities? My teeth were riddled with them as a kid, and I have a few small fillings in my adult teeth as well.

Did I have braces? Yes. For 3 years.

Do I have my wisdom teeth? No. Those came out over Christmas break of my Freshman year of college.

Have I had any other oral surgeries? Yes. Yes I have.

By junior high I still had my baby canine teeth... they weren't going anywhere, which was a problem because my adult canines wanted to come down. The fix? Pull two molars to make room for the grown up canines, cut the roof of my mouth open, attach brackets with chains to the impacted canines, attach the other end of the chain to the wire on my braces, close up the roof of my mouth....and then every month go to the orthodontist so they could pull the chain down 1mm and sloooowly and incredibly painfully guide the teeth into place. It. was. awful.

If you're curious to see what this looks like, do a Google search of "surgical exposure of impacted canine" and check out the images. I did not post it here because I know some of you (myself included) get sick looking at that kind of stuff.

So why the history lesson of my mouth? Because today I went to the dentist for the first time in 11 years. I know I know... but for most of those years I haven't had dental insurance, and I haven't had a dentist, and I just didn't really want to go because I knew I had a problem and I didn't want them to make it official. Well, now it's official.

Referral to a periodontist :-(

The gum line on one tooth (apparently it's tooth #25) has really receded, and my referral is to talk about options for a skin graft on my gums. I knew that was going to have to happen at some point, but COME ON! I just had knee surgery... now oral surgery too? And haven't I paid my dues in the dental department with all the stuff I've already gone through? Now I have to do more???

I hate my mouth. I hate 2013.

I feel totally crushed, but in my miserable attempt to try to be positive here's what I'm grasping to...
- I didn't have any cavities. After 11 years, I feel like that's amazing.
- When my mouth is packed full of bloody gauze and I can't eat because the roof of my mouth is raw from where they'll harvest the tissue, I might finally lose weight.
- .... .... ..... that's all I've got.

WHHHYYYYYYY?!!???!?!?!?!

Weekend Wrap Up

It must be summer because the festivals have started. There is pretty much a festival every weekend here - and since there's not much else to do around here, we make a point to go to a lot of them.

Friday after work, Andy, Ran, Anna, Bipul, Lisa, Ben, and two other people from the orchestra that I don't know all that well hit up the Greek Festival.

Little Greek Dancers

There's really not a whole lot to do at the Greek Fest besides eat greek food. We all tried to get different dishes so we could try a little of everything.

Opa!

The food was good. What was not good was the temperature. It was 90 degrees outside, then sitting under a tent... eating hot food.... We were DRIPPING in sweat. Andy earned big points when he started fanning everyone with cafeteria trays.

Apparently the technique is all in the wrist

Even though it was miserably hot, the Greek Fest was still a success. After that I headed over to Alyssa's house for some "girls night" action. She, somehow, had never seen the movie "Mean Girls" so I brought that and we watched it with Katie, Kristin, and Lisa Shaw. I've seen the movie many times, but somehow it just never gets old!

Saturday I worked Job #2 in the morning. Once my shift was over I went to get my hair highlighted and trimmed. I love getting my hair done, not only because it looks nice afterwards, but because I really like my hairdresser. She is getting married in August so we talked A LOT about weddings. I'm very excited that she will be doing my hair for my wedding. :)

That night was the final concert of the season for the orchestra. I might have skipped the first half... sorry Leonardo Colafelice, but I just wasn't that interested in listening to a piano concerto. However, I was very excited for the second half because they played "The Rite of Spring." We studied that piece quite a bit in college, and this was actually the first time I've ever heard it live. It also didn't hurt that Andy had a few solos, which he played beautifully. After the concert there was an end of season reception - so that was fun to talk to people and eat desserts, even though it was disgustingly hot in that space too. I'm definitely not used to 90 degree days in May/June.

This morning Ran left. He was a very good house guest. :-) Then Andy and I met Will, Rose, and Ben for brunch. We braved sitting out on the patio even though it looked like it would rain at any second.

We strategically sat under 3 umbrellas

Amazingly it didn't really rain at all, and by the time we were done most of the clouds had blown over. Since the temperature was much more manageable, Rose suggested we take a trip out to the Lake (she hadn't been there yet). Good idea Rose!

Testing the water

We walked around and eventually got ice cream. :-) Remember... the weight loss competition doesn't start until next weekend, haha. It was great to spend some time outside with friends. 

And now I'm getting things ready for the week ahead. Laundry is in the dryer... dishes are in the dishwasher... which means I should probably head out to the grocery store. Andy and I ate out a lot this week with having a house guest and all of the fun extra things we did so we both are actually looking forward to eating some normal foods at home for a change. We can use this week to remember what it's like to be healthy before we go for our first weigh in at Fleet Feet. I can't wait!!!

Food Truck Rodeo

Hey everyone. How excited are you that I'm blogging two days in a row!

Last night was the first Food Truck Rodeo of the summer - 23 food trucks gather at the public market for a night of fun. Andy, Ran (our friend from Eastman who's staying with us this week), Rose, Will, and I decided to check it out. Rose did a little investigating and decided the "Hello Arepa" truck was the place to go. We stood in line, for a long time... ... ... We were all so hungry that while we waited in line, we sent people off to other lines to get food and bring it back to the arepa line so we could eat it... hope that makes sense.

Will got a carrot slider - like a hamburger, only the patty was made out of carrots. Andy and I went to an Indian food truck and got samosas and chaana. Ran took the prize when he brought back a waffle topped with chocolate, carmel, strawberries, bananas, whipped cream, etc.

Ran with the awesome waffle

Finally after 90 minutes it was our turn to order.

Will and Rose FINALLY ordering

Well, another 20 minutes or so later, we finally got our food. Thank goodness it was good! I had never had an arepa before. What is it you ask? According to their website, "it's a grilled then baked corn flour patty, stuffed with tastiness." Hmm, still need a little more info? Wikipedia describes it as a flatbread made of corn dough, split and used to make sandwiches - at least that's what they do with it in Venezuela. I ordered one stuffed with black beans, cheese, pico de gallo, and avocado.

Arepa de Domino

Everyone seemed to like theirs.

Andy and his Carnivore Arepa

Rose and Will digging in

By the time we got our food, the Food Truck Rodeo was actually closed - that's why it looks dead in the background, but trust me it was packed earlier! So that was that. It was super fun and even though it wasn't the least bit healthy, I'm glad we went.

Today I worked, which included throwing a reception for a group of 7th grade girls and their families who came to the concert tonight. Then... I treated myself to a facial! Hey... I've got a wedding to get beautiful for here people. It was a really nice way to end the day.

Mark your calendars!!!

We have a date! Which means we have a venue!!!

After several site visits and conversations about finances etc, I finally got my way! Haha, jk (sort of). Let's just say Andy would be happy not having a wedding at all, but thankfully he understands that I would not be happy with that, so.... let the wedding plans really begin!

I'll spare you all the details of every place we went - ok except one... if you ever are in charge of a wedding venue, make sure vending machines aren't visible from the ceremony space... oh and also prison/summer camp toilets in the bathroom are unacceptable. Ok, but anyway, our last stop was at Wagner Vineyards. Andy's parents were able to meet us there, and I'm actually really glad they were able to see it because... that's where it's going to be!!!

I talked to my dad right before he called to book the place, and he said, "Are you saying yes to the place?" You know... like "are you saying yes to the dress?" Haha, good one Dad!

View of ceremony and reception site

The ceremony is on the lawn - you have to rent your own chairs/decorations so we can customize it. The vineyards are right in front of the ceremony site... pretty view!

Close up of ceremony zone

What you can see in real life (just not in this picture) is a big lake on the other side of the vineyard! Woot woot! Love me some water.

The reception actually takes place in the restaurant rather than the winery. It's called "The Ginny Lee" which unfortunately reminds me of the girl in Forrest Gump. Booooo. But the inside is clean and best of all, neutral! Plus all of the wood - especially the ceiling - reminds me of the pacific northwest, which of course I love.

Inside of reception space

There's also a deck that wraps around the reception space, so that will be neat to provide some indoor/outdoor spaces for people. And the windows look out onto a great view of the lake. I think with my mom's creativity we can come up with some decorations that look really nice in that space.

8/16/2014! Mark it down! Unless you're some random person that's found your way to my blog... sorry you are probably not going to be invited. :) Gotta watch that budget!

Ok what else. I had PT this morning. It went well but was a little sad. He was hoping to have me start jogging, so he had me walk a mile on the treadmill. I was still feeling some fairly obvious pain, so no running yet. He wants me to walk a mile every other day, so I'll do that - shouldn't be too hard since the weather has gotten nice. I can even do that at lunch time during Job #1.

Zen Club has also been going well. Anna got Lisa and I these cool "weekly to do" sheets that hang on your fridge.

Once again I'm doing pretty well on all of my goals except one. I'm sure you can guess. ;) Thankfully the Fleet Feet Weight Loss program starts soon!! I think that will really help me find the motivation I need. But I've been getting things done at work, keeping the apartment a little cleaner, and taking better care of my appearance (aka showering daily), so Zen Club is definitely a positive thing for me to keep doing.

I guess that's all for now. Oh except one more thing.... HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHEENA!!!! This video's for you. ;)

Zen Life Club

Hello friends! I'm so sorry I went MIA for so long. I've been here the whole time, doing things like work and trying to learn how to walk again. Sure there's been stuff to write about, but there's also been a game called Candy Crush that has managed to occupy all of my free time. I will try not to abandon my blog in the future.

A special celebration that you all missed: My mom's birthday! She's also Candy Crushing up a storm on her new iPad!

Work has been nutso. This time of year is always sort of like the "final push" for us here at Job #1. Last week alone I had 7 concerts to organize. All for little kids. There were lots of little kids...

That's Schnoodle the Alien - he was a big hit

We also had a concert on Sunday, which means I'm getting to work two weeks in a row without a break. Thank goodness Memorial Day is around the corner!

I'm back at Job #2. It's ok. I really liked not having to go to a second job for awhile. But the money is needed, and I like the people I work with. Plus the free membership. Looks like I'll be sticking it out there for awhile longer (although that first day back was tough).

Now time for my knee update... it's been exactly 4 weeks from today that I had my surgery. I am finally walking without crutches, and for the most part am limp-free, although I have to go much slower than normal. The bandages are off - the incisions are small and surprisingly don't gross me out too much. I've been cleared to use the bike and elliptical (although only for about 5-10 minutes at a time). And my PT appointments have spread out from 2 times a week to once every 2 weeks. Progress for sure! Bending my knee and stairs are still my most obvious challenges.

And now onto the bigger topic of "life." I've been pretty down lately to tell you the truth. Three whole weeks of being on crutches really zapped my motivation for life. It was hard to get around, hard to clean up, hard to make meals, hard to shower, etc. Since those things were hard, I honestly stopped doing them for the most part. I felt dirty all the time, I felt like I was living in squalor, and I ate whatever was convenient - which is typically not healthy. I was in major need of a reboot.

Enter Zen Life Club! Anna, Lisa, and I decided to get together and talk about what we needed in our daily lives to feel good/happy, and then made specific plans for accomplishing those things. I must give credit here to both Rebecca and Sheena for providing inspiration for Zen Life Club.

Lisa and Anna

First Zen Club meeting!

This is day two of "Zen Club." How am I doing? I'm doing GREAT in all categories, except "food." Big shocker there huh? And honestly I am not doing horribly, but I've just gained so much weight since my knee pain started back around Christmas... I know the key is sticking with it, that things can change slowly over time, but, ugh. I'd like to go to sleep and wake up in a month with 5 pounds gone, and THEN I could take over. This is the heaviest I've ever been in my life. It's hard to find clothes that fit and don't look terrible (especially since it has been super hot here and I refuse to show my arms). But I am very thankful for Zen Club. I think it'll help me get back on track. It's probably silly for me to think I'd get it all perfectly on day one. I will keep trying.

Sorry I know that's not the most thrilling post. But I must add one last thing... HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICOLE!!! I hope you have a wonderful day!!!!!

I'm so excited!

Am I excited because I can shower normally?  No, I still have to sit on a crate and use a cup.

Is it because I feel beautiful? No, this season's allergies are destroying my eyes causing me to wear glasses 24/7. And my nose is not much better off...

Is it because I'm back at work? HAHAHAHAHA. No, definitely not.

Is it because I'm walking? Ok maybe a little... I'm not walking on my own yet, but as of Monday I am down to using only one crutch! Hooray!! That's made a big difference because now I have a free hand and can carry things!

Is it because of Physical Therapy? No... I'm not exactly excited for it, except that it is nice to see the progress I make. Plus they gave me a stretchy band to do my newest exercises that I've been assigned. Who doesn't want a free stretchy band!?

Then why am I excited?

Because in my email today I saw this!!!

GET FIT. HAVE FUN. LOSE WEIGHT.

I'm going to do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's like the universe knew I needed help getting my butt in gear. It's been so long since I've really exercised - thankfully this program starts in a month, and by then I hope to be a lot more mobile than I am now, so hopefully I can fully participate! As soon as I saw it I mentioned it briefly to Andy and he said he'd do it too. I hope he was being serious. I already have visions of us leading a healthy happy summer makings salads and going for walks, haha.

What else... not a whole lot to report. I'm going back to Job #2 this Saturday. I've REALLY liked not having to work there. :-(  Right now is a very very brief calm before the storm for Job #1 - things are about to get "cra cra" starting Thursday and won't stop until May 21st. Yuck. At least being busy will mean the time will fly - and my weight loss adventures with Fleet Feet can begin!

Making Progress

Slowly but surely I think I'm actually getting better.

This morning I had my second physical therapy appointment. They seemed really pleased at the progress I've made with the crutches and the strength in my quad... they said if I keep practicing we could talk about moving to one crutch on Monday. I sure hope they give me the green light!! For now I'm still on two crutches, but getting around pretty well - I'm just slow.

My PT Place

They had me do the exercises I've been doing at home, added two new ones (one I raise my leg up and down - very hard...the other I use a strap to stretch the back of my leg). And then... I got to go on the exercise bike!!! Now I can't actually pedal for real - my knee won't bend enough. But they had me do "arcs" where I would push the pedal with my good foot in one direction as far as I could tolerate it, and then back in the other direction... sort of like making a half circle with the pedals back and forth. I did that for 10 minutes! Although it was boring, I could tell my knee was bending more at the end of the 10 minutes than when I started. Progress!!! After that they had me back up on the table - they put some electric pads around my knee and zapped me for 15 minutes while they also iced my knee. Supposedly the electricity helps with the inflammation. It was really weird, but if they say it'll help, I say turn it up!!

Now I'm at work - which I drove myself to! It was my first time driving since the surgery. Driving isn't so bad but getting in/out of the car is challenging, and then the "walk" is tough because I don't have a handicapped sticker so I can't exactly park in the most convenient place. They should really give you a handicapped sticker as you leave surgery...

Today isn't my first day back at work. I came in for 2 hours on Tuesday, and have been to one rehearsal and two concerts since then. My entire leg is much happier when I'm not at work. It's hard to elevate/ice it while I'm here, but I do still try...

Icing at work

I must also send a massive huge shout out THANK YOU to all of my friends. You've texted/emailed/called/cooked for me/washed my clothes/encouraged me/listened to me whine... I'm positive I have the world's best friends. Ever. And of course a massive thank you to Andy. I can tell he's getting tired of it all, but he still helps me put on my shoes and will do anything I ask.

I wish that's all I had to report for my week, but yesterday Andy and I made a trip out near Niagara Falls for his grandmother's funeral. Very sad. I didn't know her that well at all, but she attended several Brown family functions and was always very pleasant to be around. Turns out she led quite the busy life and helped many many people along the way. Please take the time to read her obituary - you will see how remarkable she truly was!