Things that made me smile on my walk today...

So i recently discovered a bike/walking trail behind my house. It stretches all the way to Vancouver Lake to Mill Plain... I think it's called Discovery Trail. Anyway today I walked 7 miles of it and really enjoyed it. I really regret not having brought my camera, because it was beautiful. Some of the things that made me smile were...

* a dove
* a bunny
* bridges
* creek
* the smell of wildflowers
* a yellow goldfinch
* chickens... dozens of them
* a pair of geese
* wild roses
* brown dog
* black dog

Next time I'll bring my camera. I hope I see the dove & yellow gold finch again, I love love love doves. And even though the yellow gold finch is our state bird, I NEVER see it around. Ugh... I am sore! That's the most I've walked since my surgery, but it felt great.

Chloe the Calico Cat

Here's my one of my cat's for Wordless Wednesday. Oops, I'm not supposed to use words. Ha.

The Hysterectomy Chronicles

It has been 11 days since my complete abdominal hysterectomy and things are going pretty well.
Before the surgery the nurse totally botched my IV (see picture) and hit a valve in my vein. It was amusing to say the least. The surgery it self went okay but afterward I kept losing consciousness and not breathing. My heart rate was extremely rapid and instead of being in recovering for an hour and a half, I was in there for close to four hours. All I remember is the nurse saying "She's still tacky" to the surgeon in a stressed voice. Oh and them replacing my catheter with another non-latex one (I have a latex allergy). While they were doing this I was unfortunately without the benefit of pain medication. Good think I don't have a life threatening allergy to latex. Goobers.

I was in the hospital for a couple days and on oxygen for one of those days. My staples were taken out a couple days later. I decided since they would let me keep my ovary (Otis) I was going to keep my staples. (Yeah, I know, weird.) The are in the picture to the right. Since they were removed I feel a lot better and move around more easily. I still have limitations because my abdominal muscles will not recover for a couple more weeks. I'm really hoping this will take care of my Endometriosis problems and pain. Thanks to all for your loving thoughts and prayers!

Easter Tiime

I just wanted to say Happy Easter. I hope you all have a great holiday weekend and eat mad amounts of Peeps! I'm so excited about Easter. It's my favorite holiday after Thanksgiving. And the fact that I'm having my hysterectomy the next day is pretty funny. I get to pork out before fasting, lol. But seriously, how weird is it that Easter is about new beginnings and often symbolized by an egg and I'm getting my ovary taken out?! No eggs for Meredith! That's alright, I'll get my chickens another way.
Oh man, my neighbor is drumming again. Sheesh, being in the hospital will be a vacation compared to listening to her lack of "skills". Time to pack! Have a fabulous Good Friday.

Wordless Wednesday - Some of my favorite photographers

The Last House on the Left

I love horror movies, so last night at 10:30 I talked my dad into going to see The Last House on the Left. I like the original from 1972, but it is a bit on the hokier side. The remake delivered! It was scary, gory and the acting was pretty good. However the rape scene was pretty graphic and brought back some bad memories of my own. Aside from that though, I give it a thumps up!! If you are a fan of gore and realistic horror movies, check this one out. Next on my list is the remake of Friday the 13th!

The Sleep Eater

Boy do I know to head into the doctor. I've been eating in my sleep more frequently. I woke up this morning when my dad was using the garbage disposal. I was sitting up in my bed, stuffing my face with peanuts, scared awake by the sound. No wonder I am having trouble losing weight!! Sheesh. Ever since my precancerous thyroid was removed 2.5 years ago I eat salty foods in my sleep. I usually find the evidence of it in little crumbs. It's like a mouse is following me everywhere! One time I even got dressed, walked down to the gas station and bought chips in my sleep. The next day I went in to get gas and the cashier was like, "Girl, you were trashed last night!" Confused, I explained that I didn't drink the night before, nor was I in her store. She disagreed, pointing out the chips I had purchased. They were a type I never bought, and I told her that. But she was insistent that I was there. I went home and looked in my trash can. Low and behold, there was the bloody chip bag she said I had bought. I was horribly embarrassed and returned to apologize. Since then we've gotten an alarm system. Ha. Anyway, I saw a program on Discovery Health about sleep eaters and my doctor said that after my surgery we can try some medication to hamper it. In the meantime I'm investing in a padlock for my pantry. Or handcuffs... hmmmm....