November Update

Hi everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts.... part of me has been trying to decide whether I should delete my blog all together (since I rarely update anymore, yet I still follow all the blogs on my sidebar and it's the easiest way to see which have been updated :) or go ahead and switch my blog over to a new site, since this blog is the only thing left associated with my old hotmail email address. (I can't for the life of me figure out how to add my google account...it won't let me, and when I try to comment on other blogs, it's a nuisance to log out of google/into this account, etc.) So anywho...that would explain why I'm rarely on here! Perhaps I'll make a new blog instead, keep up with it for 2 months, then slowly dissapear again :)

As for Ross & I, we are doing well! The house is slowly coming along. There is always a project to be done, but the list is never-ending so I try not to fret about it and just enjoy it. I'm finally hanging pictures to make our home feel more personalized and I'm also finishing up a painting for our dining room that I can't wait to share. I'm on the fence about it, I may need to go back and fix a few things, but I love the colors in it, so it'll have to work! I'm also back to my craigslist obsession and scoring a few great deals for random pieces of furniture that I feel we need (but don't feel the need to buy brand new!). I've recently scored 4 barstools (for our kitchen island) for $75! They were brand new in the packaging and she lived in Cranberry so it was a great find! She said the return shipping would've cost too much and they didn't quite match the color of her wood floors. Score! Ross & I can finally relax at our kitchen island while waiting for dinner to cook while sharing a glass wine :)

As for Ross, I feel awful about how stressed he's been for the past month. Since he's started his recruiting position at work, he's been working 14-hour days (sometimes more) plus weekends. And he's STILL behind. It's no wonder....the company used to have the 16 HR people recruit for their own sites, but now with the restructure, they have only Ross & his 1 coworker doing ALL the recruiting for all these sites. Something has to change soon. He's still job searching, but that in and of itself is a full-time job and he doesn't have much spare time to apply for jobs. I'm hoping for the best! He just can't catch a break. But he's hanging in there, even though he's close to being burnt out. Pray for him that he will hear back from either of the 2 jobs he's recently applied to!

As for myself, I've picked up a new hobby....Hot Yoga! O boy! I'm still dealing with daily back pain, and once Michelle asked me to join her for hot yoga last week, I thought 'Sure! Why not?!' I've tried almost everything else and am willing to keep trying until I finally find a cure for back. (And trust me....you CAN cure a bulging disc without surgery!) Sure, I know I can get around fine on a day-to-day basis, but that just isn't good enough for me. I'm determined to get back to 100%, and not live the rest of my life at only 80%, 90% on a good day. So hot yoga it is! I've gone twice this week, and so far I love it! I've also read a ton of research about how good yoga is for your lower back, so I can't wait to see if it makes a difference. From what I can tell, since my hamstrings are so tight (since I'm extremely inflexible), those muscles are apparently pulling on my lower back muscles, causing a lot of stress. So I figure if I can gain some flexibility (and strength) with yoga, surely it will help. And my chiropractor agrees :) The classes are a bit expensive but I tell myself that it has to be cheaper than surgery!! (er, maybe ....we do have awesome insurance and low deductibles, but that is beside the point! --Surgery is just not an option for me!).

Lastly, Ross & I have still been following our Fresh20 subscription. I'm really beginning to enjoy their menus and ideas for dinner, and I get so excited knowing that the dinners are healthy! Of course, some weeks I just can't fathom eating something on their menu, so I'll sub something instead, but for the most part, we've been following it to a 'T'. This week's menu includes a side of brussel sprouts (o boy...even Ross has never tried one! I'm nervous to say the least). But I promised myself to try everything before determining that I hate it. I've discovered a few new foods that I like that I wouldn't have dreamed of eating in the past :) And with this, Ross & I have slowly been making better food choices for ourselves overall so it's been a great change for us. Although he claims I'm 'forcing' him to eat healthy. (I came home with nutritous peanut butter yesterday and he cried...."what are you trying to do to me?!?!" HA!)

Anyway, that was a pretty long update...so I apologize. I'll figure out what to do with my blog soon, then maybe update more often :)

And that has me thinking.... I can't wait to get started on my Christmas letter! Too soon?!

Slow Down! I can't walk that fast....

So here's the latest update about my problem with my back. Last Thursday I was so hopeful that it was healing and that I would be in brand-spanking-new shape in no time. I was feeling great.

Wrong.

Friday and Saturday I was still so sore, and staying on pain meds. Sunday I got a shooting pain down my left leg, some tingling, and my left foot going numb, on and off. Quite annoying. Especially when one tries to walk. It IS interesting, I must say, to walk on a numb foot. Humph.

So on Monday, I came into work, b/c I'm such a good sport about being a good employee *:)* even though my leg was still throbbing and my foot kept going numb. I called my doctor and scheduled an appt. for that afternoon. I even had mom drive me, b/c I was so uncomfortable. After 40 minutes (!) of waiting for the doctor (another annoyance I can't quite understand....I mean, I had an appt....why can't they seem to make it on time?!), she finally came in to give me a look over.

Basically, it comes down to the fact that she thinks I have a herniated disc. Whoopie. So she scheduled me for an MRI on Wednesday, and dosed me up again with a 2nd round of steriods, and more pain killers. Me Like Drugs :)

I haven't seen the results for the MRI yet, but even so, it's not like they can do anything about this, besides Physical Therapy. It all comes down to my spine healing on its on, and the disc going back into place. I feel great today, although I just took a horse-sized pain pill. I'm over trying to be 'holistic' and dealing with the pain on my own. Not worth it.

So I hope that this heals soon. And once it does, I'm all revved up to take better care of myself. More exercise, less sitting during work, drinking more water, etc. All things that are huge contributors to having less back pain.

Go Me! Wrecking my back at the age of 24. Whoot. Whoot.

Couch Potato

Leave it to me to actually injure myself and have no clue how I managed to do so! And I'm embarrased to even admit as to how I hurt myself.

On one hand, I think 'ok, it could sound awesome' ....like so.... "I was working out last week, and because I'm so awesome and athletic, I strived so hard and pushed myself so much that I actually hurt myself while working out. What a workout! Burn calories...BURN!"

Or on the other hand, I sound like the biggest fattest couch potato that ever existed.... like so.... "I finally started working out again, but b/c I'm such an uncoordinated and out of shape lard-a**, the simplest workout was too much for this gal to handle."

Hm...I think I'll go with story #1. Makes me sound awesome :) But aside from that, I did in fact hurt myself. And since I have done nothing physical for the past week, besides working out, I've come to the conclusion that that must have been what did it.

But back to the story. Last Friday, I had noticed my back was hurting. No big deal. I have those 'off' days. But saturday, it was getting bad. I was so uncomfortable. Walking was becoming difficult. Sitting hurt too. And on Sunday, Ross threatened to divorce me after seeing what our future may look like together when we're near 80 years old. Me -- unable to walk or sit, or move. I hobbled around, wincing in pain at every slightest movement, so Ross replies, "I want out. Now. Before you get any older!" ha! Oh dear. I don't blame him.

So on Monday morning, I went straight to the chiropractor, thinking I just needed an early adjustment. No big deal. I went in to work late, and sat there for an unbearable hour, until I finally had to call it quits and go home early. My mother-in-law (who is a nurse) advised me that I should go to a doctor since the pain pills she had given me the night before did not help.

So I headed to MedExpress on my way home from work at 11:00 am. The doctor there told me she thinks that one of my discs could've slipped.

WHA?! How the heck did I even accomplish such a thing?? At such a young age?? Oh boy.

So off I go to the pharmacy with my 3 newly written prescriptions. One for steriods. One for painkillers (Vicodin!). And one for a muscle relaxer.

I finally head home in extreme bouts of pain. Driving hurts the worst. I guess my Chevy Cobalt is not ergonomically designed! And headed straight to bed with all my new meds.

Tuesday comes and goes. I can't possibly go to work when it hurts just to sit up. Wednesday, I again work from home. The doctor writes me an excuse for work, but says I should be good to go back to work on Thursday. She told me that I need to continue walking to keep my spine loose. And I'm happy to say that she was right. As I sit here, on my first day to work this week, I can say that it helps to walk around. So I keep making excuses to get up and walk to the xerox machine, or wherever. But I can def. tell it's getting better. And my back is starting to hurt less. You go Spine!!

And I had another adjustment at the chiro. yesterday, hoping that would also help.

All in all, I'm getting better. I waddle a bit less now when I walk.

I still look distorted, with one hip raised higher than the other. But it should go back to normal soon.

How I managed to throw my back out at 24?? No clue. I can't wait to see what I'm like at 50+!

Kristin's Working Out? Says who?!?!

Yup...you read it right. For the first time in my life, I'm actually considering joining a gym. I think it's official that I've finally hit that age where my metabolism has slowed quite dramatically, or maybe I'm just eating too many cheese fries and greasy pizza (*yum*).

Alas, don't be worried though, that was not my main reason for thinking about joining the gym here at Westinghouse. I'm actually desperate....desperate for something to do during my lunch break! As most of you know, I work with colleagues who like to take "working lunches" almost everyday, and eat at their desks. THIS is not ok with me.... I'm going stir-crazy sitting at my desk 8.5 hrs. everyday. I used to enjoy reading a book during my lunch break, at my last job, but here...it's different. There's nowhere I can really go to not feel like a social outcast by sitting alone on my lunchbreak....ha! So, I've been dragged down to taking a "working lunch" as well. BUT NO MORE! Not me! I need to get away for a bit!

So why not join the gym and try out a few of their classes they offer during lunchtime?! Why, that's not a bad idea. Of course, the pure thought of even being present in a gym scares the bigeesus outta me. But I need to get over that fear....especially since I can't even fit in my wedding dress from only 2 years ago! Eek! Of course, Ross had to point out that I'll be all stinky and sweaty after working out, but their locker room is very nice. Nice showers, supplied with shampoo, soap, and even towels. SO, I think I'll face that fear too and get a quick shower after working out. Unless I'm only mildly stinky...then maybe I can opt out :P

Anyways, tomorrow is my first day of my week-free trial basis. After that, I can get the rest of June for free if I sign up for 6 months...quite a commitment! So, wish me luck. Tomorrow is Spinning class.....geesh, just kill me now....