LeslieDigs

Comfort Zone

2012-02-06T18:52:00.000-05:00

So I decided to break out of my comfort zone today and take an aqua aerobics class at the gym. Things that made this uncomfortable for me:
1. I had to be in a bathing suit.
2. I'm 7 months pregnant in a bathing suit.
3. I'm 7 months pregnant in a bathing suit in front of people!
4. Thought I could keep my hair dry. ha ha.

Things that made it glorious:
1. I was weightless.
2. The stretching was awesome.
3. The other pregnant ladies were really nice.

More Nursery Projects

2012-02-05T10:18:00.000-05:00

Over the last couple of weeks I have been working on some more nursery DIY projects. All of these I got inspiration from the internet for them. And I love how they are turning out.

First, we have the mobile. I took two different ideas and combined them into one.
Flowers Elephants

Mine

Then I found this really cute art piece on Etsy. For about 1/3 of the cost I duplicated it with some minor modifications. I used the same paper on this that I used in the mobile, so they match!

Etsy version

Mine

And last, I wanted to do something with either Elsa's name or her initial. I found these letters and decided to just do one initial.

Etsy Version

Mine

Slowly but surely things are coming together. Can't wait to have it all put together!

I might be overestimating my abilities

2012-02-02T21:22:00.000-05:00

We had our first event in a series of 3 for February at work tonight. I started it early at 5:30 so it could end at 7:30. I am really exhausted after a full 12 hour day. I'm wondering how on earth I am going to make it through the Valentine's Dinner event that ends at 9pm, and even more Passport! I'm supposed to leave that one at 9pm and I will be 8 months pregnant, I just hope I make it that long.

How old is too old to have a baby?

2012-01-29T10:43:00.000-05:00

I watched an episode of Dr. OZ last week. I have ever actually watched it before, and my overall opinion is that a. it's not very organized and b. he cuts people off in a rude way. But besides that the topic was "When Are You Too Old to Have a Baby?"
Being that I have been described as "advanced maternal age" I stayed on the channel to watch it and see what they had to say. Mostly they were referring to women 40 and up. But they tried to dissect a couple of theories like "women can have it all" and Dr.s don't really talk about the consequences of having babies that can occur from fertility treatments.

The first theory of "women can have it all" is a stigma that modern women have to address when planing a family. I get this. I had a series of things that needed to be accomplished prior to starting a family, college, find the right guy and get the right job. I didn't think it would take as long as it did, and I did have a lot of anxiety about my biological clock ticking away. Some of the opinions on the show were that the women weren't worried about the biological clock. This did bother me. It was as if they thought their eggs would last forever. They were kind of naive in their belief that it didn't matter how old they were. There definitely was a lack of realization that it could be hard, very emotional, cost a lot of money and may not work in the end.

The theory about the Dr's not fully disclosing the consequences and safety issues of fertility treatments and having babies at an advance age, was quite interesting. I hadn't really thought about that. Having gone through fertility treatments I could relate to this. By the time I had to go to a fertility dr it was an emotional decision not a logical one. Logically with any other medical treatment, you would weigh the pros and cons and then make a decision. But having a baby of your own really does become an emotional one and I think most women get to the point of "whatever I have to do." So I can see where Dr's probably say things, but some women will ignore it. The drugs can cause things like cancer, chances of down's is 1 and 12 at age 45, and the older you get the higher chance of your health overall could fail before your children are grown. No matter how healthy you are, your eggs still age.

Overall they presented some interesting statistics, but again it was very unorganized and they did not actually address the emotional decision vs. a logical decision that I think comes into play.

Link to the show: http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/when-are-you-too-old-have-baby

Mmmmmm...Cookies

2012-01-27T10:50:00.000-05:00

I LOVE the cakey cookies that publix sells. You know the ones that come in a ring platter, thick icing, yummy sprinkles? I could eat the whole thing if I didn't have a tiny bit of self control.
Well they now have them all in chocolate! I'm in Heaven!!!! I had to buy it. It's a good icky Friday to share them with my co-workers.

This is a weird experience

2012-01-18T19:31:00.000-05:00

I often say to Steve that being pregnant is so weird. His response is "well this is what we wanted." He is so right, it is. Two years of trying and we finally have we want. But it's still weird. To have this little thing inside me growing, knowing that in a couple of months we will have this little thing in our arms is surreal. It is one of the most natural things on earth. I have seen so many women in my life have babies, but this time it's me. I'm in constant wonderment in what our bodies do biologically, perpetuating our species.

I can't wait to see her. To compare her facial features to that of Steve and I. And look at those little feet and hands and knees and elbows that spend most of the day poking me from the inside. April needs to come faster!!

Nursery Projects

2012-01-08T18:08:00.001-05:00

Spent this weekend working on some nursery projects. I am loving seeing things come together, albeit slowly. We had already painted the walls a pale yellow last weekend. And right now I am praying all of this matches the bedding, which I have only seen online.

My first project was to add a little pizzaz to a mirror I bought at the Just Between Friends sale. I got it for $8! I saw this photo on pinterest.com and loved the subtle hint of teal on the edges of the bunk bed railing.

It gave me a great idea to do that to my mirror.

Before

After

I saw this lamp online and really wanted it. I talked about this in an earlier post. It was at target, but I couldn't find it. Then they finally got it in. But it cost about $50 with the lamp and lampshade.

So I scored an old lamp from my mother-in-law that had a great shape to it. It was pretty dated, and was forest green and brass. With a little bit of spray paint I ended up with the a new painted lamp.

Before

After

And I made my own lamp shade out of an old one we had, plus some matching ribbon I picked up at Michaels.

Before

And the finished product

After

Also got some ideas for the mobile while I was at Michaels. But that is a project for another day.

Yes I CAN cook

2012-01-05T19:45:00.000-05:00

Those that know me well, know that I hate to cook. I never took to it as a kid. There were a few meals my mom cooked from scratch that I really enjoyed, but there were also a lot of meals cooked from the Betty Crocker Microwave Cookbook.

During the holidays the kitchens were too small for all of the women to be in there cooking. I was the youngest so I stayed out of their way and watched football.

I like the idea of food just appearing in front of me. One minute it's not there, the next it is. Viola! It's a beautiful thing. I love that Steve cooks for me. I can't say he likes to cook for me, but he does. I take care of the dishes after all is said and done. This is how we roll.

We picked some meals to cook for the next 2 weeks. I decided for the recipes I picked out I would cook them. So tonight I made a Cheesy Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce. We ate it over tortellini, and it was tasty. So yes, I can cook. But it doesn't mean I have to enjoy it.

What to do in case of fire...works.

2011-12-31T21:24:00.000-05:00

First you must huff and bark and be generally annoying to your owners.
Then, maybe your momma will put a Thunder Shirt on you in hopes it calms you down. Silly momma.
Next, stare at dad intently until he pays attention to you.

Finally, jump up on the couch and crawl into dad's lap.

Hopefully, this will protect you from those mean loud fireworks.

Why I Love My Husband

2011-12-31T09:00:00.001-05:00

I feel like I need to take a moment to be thankful for the life I have worked so hard for, waited so long for, and am enjoying as best possible.

I waited and waited for "Mr. Right." I was 33 when I got married and that was not my original plan. I had the "Just Add Man Plan" when I was younger. I would be married by about 24-25 years old, have my first kid by 27 (wanted to have a couple of years for myself and my husband to bond as a married couple), and have my last kid by 32 (leaving about 3 years and potty training completed before #2). Sounds perfect right? Well the problem with this plan...the right man. You don't expect to not find the right one until you are 30 years old. Sure it caused me lots of anxiety. The older I got and the further I got detoured from the plan the more anxiety I had.

But alas, I did find him, and he is wonderful. Patience is a virtue, and when I think of who I could have been with for the plan I shudder. I am now able to look back and say everything happens the way it should. I can't imagine being with anyone else for the rest of my life, and I couldn't imagine having anyone else be the father of my soon to arrive child.

This doesn't explain why I love him so much though.
Steve makes me laugh. All the time, whether it is with him or at him. I love to laugh.
Steve cooks for me. I HATE cooking. Really, I abhor it.
Steve fills my car with gas on the weekends. He doesn't have to do this, but he does.
Steve gets up with the animals in the mornings so I can sleep. (And yes, I know this will change with the baby, but I will enjoy it for a couple more months).
Steve cuddles with me before he gets up in the mornings.
Steve offers me the extra gator basketball ticket (offered to us on occasion) even though I will always let him go over me.
Steve supports my dreams.
Steve puts up with: my tech addiction, OCD behavior, my work schedule, my many bed pillows, my home improvement needs, and I could go on here. And I will note he may put up with it, but he isn't always silent about it. ;-)

So that's why I love him. There are many more reasons, but this a good list thus far.

Why it doesn't feel like Christmas

2011-12-20T18:08:00.000-05:00

I see the inordinate amount of holiday sales commercials, I hear the holiday music, and I see the Christmas lights all over the neighborhood. Yet, it doesn't feel like Christmas yet. Here is why:

1. It's Florida, and it is currently 72 degrees outside. I'm wearing a tank top, capris and flip flops.

2. Our house is for sale, so we can't decorate. No lights and no tree (no room for tree without rearranging the house which would make it look "crowded" and "smaller"). We do have a pretty wreath on the door. I felt like that was harmless enough.

3. I haven't started wrapping the gifts for which I just bought yesterday (a mere 6 days prior to Christmas).

We won't be home for Christmas, so it isn't terrible that we didn't decorate. Next year when Elsa is here you better believe I will go all out. A couple of years of pent up Christmas creativity will throw up all over our house. And hopefully no animals will get hurt in the process. Haha.

Birthday Painting

2011-12-13T21:54:00.000-05:00

On Saturday night group of great gals and I got together at Corks and Colors Studio to do some painting. We had a blast and got some good art out of it. I choose to alter the painting colors to match Elsa's bedding. I really love how it came out!

New Traditions

2011-12-03T09:07:00.000-05:00

With Elsa coming it has really made me think about traditions. I have to say there aren't many that are related to my heritage (Swedish) that we have with our family. So I have decided that Steve and I need to start some new traditions of our own. Some of the things I want to do include having a signature dish we cook for the holidays and learning about and using traditions from both our heritages.
One thing that we did do in our family was make yummy rosettes. This is a Swedish tradition and I want to start making them this year. My mom has all of our original irons, but a local store sells them as well, so I may purchase a set of my own.

Last night we went to Haile Village Center for their Light the Village festivities. Andreas' mom Marianne owns a store in the Village called European Essentials. And of course (since she is Swedish) she carries tons of Scandinavian items. Including Swedish ornaments. So we started our collection, and got these adorable ones:

So let the traditions begin!!

Just Between Friends sale

2011-11-30T21:56:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I'm back and it was awesome. They have staggered check in so earlier today any volunteers and consignors, tonight was the first time mom's (could be your fist time every going) night. Then tomorrow it opens to the public.

They had everything!!

So for $104 I got the following:
3 burp cloths
a boppy pillow
a summer digital video monitor (big score!)
a nursing cover
a mirror for the nursery
8 outfits
1 cherrios bib
a hooded towel and washcloth
an Eddie Bauer head thingy for the carrier/car seat

All in pretty good to excellent condition. They also had tons of toys, play centers, strollers, high chairs, swings, bouncers, tons of baby crib bedding sets, nursery decorations, clothes clothes clothes, shoes, breast pumps, bathtubs, I could go on. Tons of stuff.

Nursery Design

2011-11-27T20:31:00.002-05:00

I have begun to start to explore designing the nursery. We picked out the Layla bedding:

After visiting a few stores today and looking for items, I got a little worried that I wouldn't be able to find things that I like in this color scheme. But a little bit of internet inspiration, and I think I might be on a roll.

The wall color will be a nice soft, soothing butter color:

I decided to pull the green from the bedding for the area rug. A nice soft shag rug:

I found this lamp, however, I think it is discontinued. But that doesn't mean I can't paint a lamp!!

And I heart these hooks!!

The only problem I am having right now is what color curtains to get: (feel free to comment for a vote)

And lastly, I think I will make the mobile. I went on Etsy and got some inspiration from this one:

So all in all, I think this can work! Just needed to get my creative juices flowing.

Thanksgiving and thoughts about how life is going to change...

2011-11-25T08:35:00.000-05:00

That's a long title for a post. But it sums this up.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and as every year we head up to Hiram Georgia to Steve's parents house to spend it with his family. Although my family has grown, adding Todd and Tim's kids, it doesn't get nearly as big as the Ladendorf-Goelz clan. Being that our family has always been somewhat small in comparison, I tend to get slightly overwhelmed after a little while. I always need about 30-45 minute downtime. Add to the fact that last night I had a migraine, and that a pregnant woman should NEVER eat that much food in one sitting and I had to crash for a little bit. I can't wait until Christmas eve to spend with the Corlew's and enjoy the anticipation of things to come.

Next year, life will be so different for Steve and I. We will have the newest family member Elsa Anna joining us. I think about what all that will mean, how much it will change our lives and what new traditions we will create with her. It makes me excited and makes me even more impatient than I already am. Hurry up and get here already!!

Registering...a Racket!

2011-11-20T09:44:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we travelled to Jacksonville to start our baby registry. We had to go up there because Gainesville is lacking in baby items overall. Sure there are some cute boutiques, and Target and WalMart like places that have things. But the quantity is dismal. I wanted to be able to look at stuff, read the packaging, etc.

We went to Babies R Us. The lady who was setting us up told us we needed to register for 150 to 200 items. Yeah right!! Nice strategy for sales I suppose. But we couldn't possibly need that much stuff.
Steve had fun using the gun. When we registered for the wedding a lady went around with us and she wouldn't let him use the gun. So I think he loved that. It took us about 2 1/2 hours, and wore us out. It was so exhausting. Courtney was a trooper and did the whole thing with us.

Afterwards, I compared prices online with Target and moved items around to register for the best price between the two places. Goal accomplished!!

And we wonder why America is obese...

2011-11-13T13:53:00.000-05:00

You here all the time about how America is obese, and that it is an epidemic. But it's no wonder why when fast food restaurants keep upsizing everything. Yes, we all have our own responsibility to eat in moderation and eat healthy, but seriously do we need to upsize the following??

KFC Mashed Potato Chicken Bowl: Now with BACON. I love bacon, but really did the heart attack in a bowl need more heart attack? Without bacon 680 Calories and 2130mgs in sodium!!!!

Taco Bell Triple Steak Stack: Triple, more, more, more! 3x more! 690 calories and 1950 mgs in sodium.

Burger King buy one get one free Original Chicken Sandwich: The cashiers don't know how to process the order if you only want one. "But you get the other one for FREE." So what! For BOTH sandwiches: 1260 calories and 2780mgs in sodium. I don't need 2, I really don't need one. I just happen to really like them.

Color Psychology

2011-11-05T12:41:00.005-04:00

Steve and I have been stuck on what color scheme to use for the baby's nursery. I really wanted yellow, and Brittany said that I should look into the psychology of color So I did and I found a great article: http://www.creative-baby-nursery-rooms.com/color-psychology.html

Warm Color Psychology

Warm colors include the red, orange, and yellow sections of the color spectrum.

They will make a large room appear smaller and cozy and they elicit feelings of happiness,comfort and relaxation. However, intense shades tend to be stimulating and excitingand can result in the buildup of too much energy - not what you need for smooth nap times!

Red
While reds add a sense of warmth they can be over stimulating. If you want the warmth of red in your baby's room try toning it down from a bright, vivid red to a more earthy terracotta tone. Also avoid using it on all the walls. Maybe use it on a focus wall and balance it out with a more neutral shade in the rest of the room.

Bright, bold red has been associated with headaches and aggression. However, it is a great accent color. Use it to add a burst of energy and fun to a neutral palette.

Orange
Orange is less intense than red and still very warm. Only the most intense of oranges will result in over stimulation while the softer tones will create a place of homely comfort and vitality.

Orange rooms can tend to feel cramped though, so make sure there is an abundance of light before using this color.

Yellow
Yellow is a bright, sunny color promoting feelings of happiness. It's great for brightening a dim room. However, bold yellows are associated with increased intellectual and muscle activity and if over used can be disturbing - babies have been found to cry more in yellow rooms.

Therefore, bold yellows should be kept to a minimum and used only as an accent color to add sparkle to your nursery design. Soft yellows are calming, however, and are a lovely sunny choice for your baby nursery.

My Picks:
Red Yellow

Cool Color Psychology

Cool baby nursery colors include theblue and green sections of the color spectrum.

Lighter shades will make a smallbaby nursery appear spacious and airy and they are calming and soothing. However, darker shades tend to be depressing and cold so be careful when introducing these.

Blue
Blue is a wonderful color forpromotion of baby rest times - a key component to a new mom's sanity! It slows down the human nervous system and produces a calming effect that prepares the body for sleep.

As mentioned above, dark blues can be cold and depressing and can zap your baby's energy leaving him listless. However, used sparingly as accent colors in your baby's room, dark blues can have a very striking effect.

Green
Green is a calm, tranquil nursery color promoting feelings of peace and well-being. It is also a refreshing color that can lend vibrancy to an otherwise dim room.

Green can result in a complacent feeling, however, and is best counter-balanced with hot shades of red and orange to inject some energy into the nursery room.

My Picks:
Blue

Green

Neutral Color Psychology

Neutral baby nursery colors include brown, beige, cream, ivory and white.

Neutral shades have a warm, relaxing, grounding effect. They enhance the size of the room, unify and tone down bolder colors and go with anything.

Neutral shades are an excellent choice for your baby room making a wonderful anchor for splashes of other bright, fun colors.

My Pick:

And the winner is.......

Productive Day Off!

2011-11-01T20:17:00.000-04:00

Steve and I took the day off to get some things done. First and foremost, we had our 2nd ultrasound for the Quad Screen. They measured everything from the length of the arm and leg bones, the abdomen, the skull, the heart chambers, the bladder and kidneys. They made a dvd for us, so we can watch the whole process in real time. Which is super cool. We can see her cough, move around, kick and open and close her hands. Oh yeah, and it's a GIRL!!

Um, still not sure how appropriate it is to show this photo. It shows her hoo ha, and well is that bad? :-)

We also applied for additional life insurance today. UF cut back our life insurance policies about 2 years ago, so we had to get more. Still have to get the exams, but I feel better now that the process is underway.

And we toured a daycare center. The place was nice. A co-worker has her baby there and another old co-worker had her baby there. So it comes with good recommendations. But Im still not crazy about the idea of having to go back to work after she is born, and having to put her into daycare. We also have an appointment with a home daycare late in Nov. This lady has come highly recommended, so we'll see how it goes.

So all in all a productive day!

And we think she is a smart aleck already. Is she giving us the finger?

And one last one....

Art Festivals

2011-10-30T21:44:00.000-04:00

I had such a great day with Courtney at the Micanopy Art Festival. It has grown so much since the last time I had been there. It was almost 2 full streets, both sides. We were originally just strolling our way through, looking at just about every booth. When we realized how big it was we had to step it up, and move along. We saw some goofy stuff, pretty stuff, unique stuff, and typical stuff.

Courtney got some fun stain glasses, a box office door bank, and some Cross Creek Honey. I picked up 2 outfits for Lando. I love them. And the lady had so much more I totally wanted to buy.
Check it out!

First baby dream

2011-10-29T09:47:00.000-04:00

I have had dreams about being pregnant. Not many but some. But last night I had a dream about giving birth and what the gender was. In the dream we gave birth at home because the baby came too fast for us to get to the hospital. Not something I would want of course. But everything turned out fine. And it was a ......GIRL! So I wonder if this is premonition of sorts. Until now I have had no "feeling" of the gender whatsoever. But now I'm thinking it might be a girl. Hmmmm....we find out next Tues (Nov 1) so stay tuned!!!

Clarification

2011-10-26T21:35:00.002-04:00

Why do they call it morning sickness? It's really any time of the day sickness. Yuck!

Bad Flip Flop!

2011-10-24T11:39:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting in the living room relaxing today, watching some tv. I hear one of the cats (pretty sure it was this one:

)

Meowing like crazy. Going nuts. I'm meowing at her and she's meowing back. Or so I thought. Later I get up and walk towards the bedroom and see this in the middle of the hallway:

Apparently, she drug it out of the bedroom, and then proceeded to attack it. And that was what all the racket was about.

Travel with baby

2011-10-16T21:55:00.000-04:00

Oh my gosh, I just realized that our car may not be big enough to take on a trip with an infant. They have so much stuff to take! Our first trip with Lando* will be for July 4th. Lando will be about 3 months old. Therefore s/he will need the following: portable play yard with bassinet, stroller, bathtub (unless we opt for the sink), portable swing, and s/he's luggage including bottles, diapers, wipes, etc.

*Lando is just a nickname of the unborn child, until we find out the gender on Nov 1st. Just wanted to make that clear. :-)

Lando has a bed!

2011-10-15T16:32:00.000-04:00

On a whim one evening this past week Steve and I went to a local boutique baby store. They had a beautiful crib. And surprise, we BOTH agreed on it! The best part, it was on sale 50% off. So we bought the crib and a matching dresser. The dresser is a little big, and may work better for Steve then for baby. The crib is a lifetime one, so it will grow with the kid all the way to a full bed.

Pregnancy Vocabulary

2011-10-13T21:28:00.000-04:00

Some words dealing with pregnancy are just awkward to me.

Pregnant: the "ant" portion bothers me. Saying I'm preggers is much more comfortable, yet so unsophisticated.

Quickening: this word sounds so icky. It is the moment when the baby will start to move in the uterus for the first time. They couldn't come up with a better word? Really?

The Ladendorf Baby Naming Method

2011-10-13T21:12:00.000-04:00

So really only one of us is offering up names, and I have gotten a series of consistent answers from papa to be. So I started a spreadsheet with the standard answers as the rating system. As I call out something he gives me the answer and I plug the name into it.

The standard answers are as follows:

Love it: Nothing yet
Like it: 1 name
Like it, but don't love it: 5
Meh: 2
No: 3

This is going to be a long process!

Ambitions

2011-10-09T16:22:00.000-04:00

I have a blog. So what does that mean? Well I guess it means I should come up with something witty to write at least 3 to 4 times a week. Ambitions! But sometimes life is just boring. I wish I could look at each day and find one thing of wonderment to write about like Randall. I like Anna's new 365 project. I might have to steal that. And Carmen's biking around Jacksonville project is pretty cool, but there is no way I will bike everywhere in Gainesville and write about it. So not bike friendly. Oh wait, I don't own a bike either.

I feel like I can't write about my animals everyday, although they do really silly stuff. And are pretty darn cute I might add.

Pregnancy is well...pregnancy. I have good days and bad days. Not much is going on right now. Don't have another appointment until October 17th. So until then, Lando is just cooking in the oven. At some point I'm sure I will have more to write about that as I can start to feel stuff, and start freaking out about giving birth, and making sure we have everything we need and and and... Mostly, I only have minor physical inconveniences to complain about, nothing blog worthy.

So that's what's going on in a nutshell. If you have any clever ideas that I can write about let me know. :-)

Colds and Apps

2011-09-28T10:29:00.001-04:00

Colds
Well I had a great time at FAM, but I brought back a nasty cold. As did Brittany. Our travel companion Leeann somehow escaped getting the cold. Very jealous over that. Being pregnant means I am very limited in what I can take. Sudafed is ok now that I am in my second trimester. But no nyquil. And really that's what I need, a really good nights sleep. Hot compresses to the face are awesome. And netti pot has been suggested numerous times, but honestly they freak me out. I wish I could get over the fact that pouring water in my nose would probably not drown me. :-) I have tried to go to work everyday, until today. Sometimes it takes a little to figure out I just need to stay home and rest, and hopefully get better faster.

Apps
I thought weddings were big business. I now think babies may be even more of a big business! Nuts what's out there. Including iPhone apps for everything. I now have two apps to track the baby's growth: Sprout Light and Baby Bump.

Sprout Light is a free version of a paid app, it shows a drawing of a developing baby, you can name your baby in it, set our due date, it has an organizer that includes to do lists and a Dr visit planner among some other things. It also includes some tools like a kick counter (for later), a weight tracker, and a contraction timer.

Baby Bump Free is also a free version of a paid app. It includes a mom's journal you can take notes in, forums and groups of others you can chat with, you can add photos of yourself at various weeks to compare to the images they provide. This one is a little more customizable and community friendly than Sprout. Sprout is more a planning tool. Like them both.

I also have a baby names app, which I have been underwhelmed with from American Baby. Still need to find a good baby name app I like.
Medala breast pumps has an app to track breastfeeding called iBreastfeed. Don't need that one yet, but it came highly recommended!

One app I wish was out there is a Target Baby registry app. Being able to track your registry from my phone wold be awesome! Maybe I need to write to them to suggest that! :-)

FAM and DNA

2011-09-23T20:04:00.000-04:00

Today was a great week. Attended the Florida Association of Museums conference in Tampa. It is always great to see my fellow colleagues and friends. It also gives me great ideas to take back to the museum. I get reinvigorated about what I do. All in all, it is not only a treat, but a great learning experience. This year I presented a session called "Fundraising is Everyone's Business." And I moderated the Membership forum. It was fun, and they got a lot of good responses.

We also got the call about our first genetic screening. I went from the chances of the baby having Downs from 1 in 183 (based on my age), to 1 in 3000. And the Trisomy 18 is now 1 in 5000. Very happy. Still have some more screenings to go. But it's all looking good so far!!

Big news!

2011-09-19T15:36:00.000-04:00

I haven't blogging much lately, because I have been journaling instead. I started a pregnancy journal, so I can write down all my thoughts, feelings, and physical changes so I can look back on it years from now.
And I need a pregnancy journal because I am preggers!! Yay!!

After 2 years and thousands of dollars, we finally are expecting a little Lando/a due April 2. And we did it naturally. It was a no stress month, and everything worked.

Today was a big day. First we got to hear the heartbeat for the first time. Then we went for some genetic screenings that included another ultrasound. Score! An extra picture for us!! Yay!

Let's watch the progression of all of ultrasounds:
August 8, 2011- little sesame seed.

August 22, 2011- bigger nondescript blob

Sept 19, 2011- It actually looks like a baby!!

So exciting to see things like it's head, nose, arms and hands. Pretty cool!! The tech said s/he was asleep, so it wasn't moving around. She poked at it a little bit and then it started squirming. It was wild. It must have been mad, because it preceded to moon us.

This is an exciting time, and I will be updating as often as I can.

Love,

Leslie

Sometimes Nothing is Going On

2011-08-30T19:38:00.000-04:00

And sometimes, I can be a nosey neighbor. On Sunday afternoon, Steve and I were just hanging at the abode. We had our front room curtains wide open, enjoying the beautiful sunlight coming through. The house across the street is for sale and currently vacant. Late in the afternoon I see the last tenants pull up in their explorer with a very large trailer, they back up to the front door. At this point, I'm curious and wondering what the heck they are doing. They open the front door using the pin code door lock, and proceed to load up the over-the-stove microwave, the fridge, and the washer and dryer. And maybe the dishwasher.
While this is going on someone who appears to be a realtor with a couple come to see the house for sale. Now I'm thinking its about to get messy. But no, they just load up and leave. Awkward!
The only thing I could think of to do was tell my realtor. Who then in turn contacted the agency for the house.
I will probably never know if they had made some deal with the owners to buy the appliances, or if they were stealing them.
I hope it was a deal, because they seemed like really nice people.

Catching up

2011-08-19T18:37:00.000-04:00

I read a couple of my old posts and noticed that I promised some photos. So here we go.

Ashleigh's Baby Shower a la Anna!

And some photos from our trip to the mountains:

My Relationship with Caffeine

2011-08-09T21:37:00.000-04:00

Over my lifetime I have jumped on and off the caffeine wagon. As a child my mom never let me have soda, and it wasn't until high school that I became addicted. It was so readily available in the drink machines in the courtyard at Buchholz High School. It always gave me that jolt of energy to get through my afternoon which included classes, 2 hours of cheerleading practice and about a 2 mile + run when I got home.
I experience withdraw when I try to stop it. And withdraw for me is severe migraines. Terrible terrible migraines. So my only chance to ever quit it was when I was sick. Thanks to my once annual sinus infections, I was able to use how terrible I felt to hide the withdraw symptoms from caffeine. I would do good for a few months. Then I would just crave one and think "Just one can't hurt." Then I was done. Back on that caffeine wagon. Evil!

A few years ago I decided that I needed to cut some calories out of my diet so I opted for Diet Pepsi. I always thought diet sodas were disgusting. I loved the tasty syrupy flavor of regular sodas. It took a while to adjust, now it's the opposite regular soda tastes disgusting.

I feel I may never truly beat caffeine, but I can at least use it in moderation. I have limited myself to one can a day, and drink water for the rest of the day. Maybe I will get to a point where I won't need that sweet refreshing thirst quenching morning caffeine shot. That would be nice.

Buy this mousepad and many other related items at: Cafe Press

Free Tibet

2011-07-25T10:35:00.001-04:00

Today I was driving into work and there was a Nissan Versa in front of me with this free Tibet bumper sticker:

I wonder what the motivation of the driver is. I can understand putting a bumper sticker on a car to bring awareness to a cause, but I think it's more productive if said sticker also provides a way for people to get involved. Just having awareness seems semi-productive to me. Why not include a website address or in this new phase of technology a QR code? Something to promote action.

The negative nelly in me says this person did it to make themselves feel good.

Palm Beach County

2011-07-23T21:37:00.000-04:00

I've been spending some time this weekend in Palm Beach County. Spending to 2 nights at the Hotel De Bessell. The accommodations are acceptable, the bell hop a little slow, eateries very satisfactory. And I get to play with the little one, aka Samantha. She is adorable. It's been fun hanging out with Ian and Alyse and seeing their new home.

Tomorrow I head to Jupiter for Ashleigh's baby shower. It will be great to see her, it's been awhile. And I haven't seen one picture of her preggers yet.

Hopefully next post I will have some photos!

Would they help?

2011-07-14T13:46:00.000-04:00

I've been trying to keep up with all of the budget talks and keep informed as much as my average sized brain can handle. But I read an article about a lobbyist who believes in: "small government, lower taxes and limited government services."
Ok, there needs to be support services, and churches (all religions) really did pick up the slack for the poor in the communities in days of yore. The rich donated to churches and then they in-turn filled that niche. Then slowly government started picking up the tab for those services. I guess, and I am making an assumption, taxes went up and donations to churches went down. Non-profits sprung up to help fill the holes, taking the place of churches since they couldn't do it anymore. Non-profits were very specialized to meet a specific need. Basically, money went from one organization to another to pay for these services. It's all a game of shifting money.
Now, if we reduce government assistance for the needy and poor, and cut taxes (specifically for the rich) will the rich go back to donating (and I don't care if it is to a non-profit or a church), so that those services can be provided? Will we as a society go back to helping our fellow man primarily through churches and non-profits, instead of paying the government to do it?

And, playing devils advocate, are non-profits and churches better equipped to decrease fraud in providing help for the needy and poor than the government is? I don't necessarily believe in big government or small government. I like the idea that whomever is more equipped to handle the task with as little corruption as possible should do it.

Things I think about.

Quote of the day

2011-07-11T12:11:00.000-04:00

Borrowing an idea from Anna. :-)

Whenever science makes a discovery, the devil grabs it while the angels are debating the best way to use it. ~Alan Valentine

I saw this quote while looking for quotes about discovery. And it struck me as being so true. No matter how good the intentions of the discoverers, there are good and bad ways to use everything.

Just Arrived

2011-07-01T21:21:00.000-04:00

We have just arrived at our July 4th vacation spot. We are in Blue Ridge, GA with Steve's parents, sister and brother in-law. The house, "Almost Heaven," is atop a little mountain and the view is spectacular. More on the cabin in a future post, need to get some photos first.
But until then, check out or view:

Photo Name

2011-06-23T20:00:00.000-04:00

So I'm on a hunt for something creative for my photo website. Unfortunately, L3 Photography is taken, and most variations of that. I do have Photography 3L, but it's too close to another local photographers business name. I could use my name but Leslie Ladendorf Photography is long, and actually hard to spell for those that aren't familiar with it. Leslie Lee Photography is already taken
:-(.

I have come up with a few options, please see the poll to the right. If you choose "Other" please post a comment to this blog entry and let me know any ideas you have.

Other things to throw out there:
Ginger (but as Anna pointed out, this could be seen as derogatory).
Favorite color is blue.

Camera Bags for us ladies!

2011-05-30T10:27:00.004-04:00

Every time I travel I make sure I take my camera and my laptop. As a proclaimed "documenter" I love to take photos of everything, but traveling with my bulky bags can get a bit annoying. For planes, I put my Nikon bag and my laptop bag into a piece of carry on luggage. Going through the security checks is highly annoying, and I always feel like I' seriously holding up the line.
Pictures of my bags:

Most brand camera bags are much like my Nikon bag. Boring, manly but functional. Yawn! There have been a handful of women designers that have popped up selling camera bags for us ladies. They are super functional, yet highly fashionable. They don't look like camera bags, which is the beauty of it. You can carry your camera and no one would know. And several of them also have room for laptops! Score!

Here are some of my favorites:

Jill-e Bags

Epiphanie Bags

Kelly Moore Bags

*All Photos of bags from the respective designers pages. Please visit them, check them out. All designers had various bags that meet the many needs of the lady photographer at different price points.

2 thoughts

2011-05-29T18:49:00.000-04:00

1. They just referred to the Toddlers and Tiaras tv show kids as "sexy stars." And that gets right to the heart of the despicable nature of the show and those pageants.

2. On Extreme Couponing, a guy has 1000 boxes of toothpaste. Can't all be used by one family. Luckily this guy has donated $50,000 in products to charity. Thankfully!

Lemons!!

2011-05-28T15:42:00.000-04:00

Steve and I received a meyer lemon tree from his parents for Christmas a couple of years ago. We are very excited that finally it is producing some lemons!!

It bloomed, then we saw these little bud things. Since neither of us every had a lemon tree we weren't totally sure they were actual lemons. Steve's mom confirmed they were, and they have been growing fast! And it has bloomed again. I hope that means we have even more lemons coming. Steve thinks he might make a summer ale with the lemon zest once they are ready.

Efforts are paying off

2011-05-25T14:40:00.000-04:00

I have been working on switching minor things in our diets. I have asked Steve to buy wheat bread, wheat buns, wheat pasta etc. He went to the store yesterday ad bought wheat Tostitos. :-) It's working, he chose the wheat ones over the traditional ones. Love that man!!

Granted it was a "junk" food, but wheat nonetheless.

The window of my soul

2011-05-24T19:36:00.000-04:00

I have always loved to look back into history. To try to get some idea of what it was like then, how the people dressed, what they were feeling. I do this with pictures. Pictures capture a moment in time that will never be lived again. I can go back and see what my grandmother looked like as a young woman.

I can see what it was like living on the family farm at the turn of the century. The Moon farm in Georgia (mom's side of the family) and the Campbell farm, now Rose Hill Winery, in Kentucky (dad's side of the family).

Moon Farm, Winder Georgia

Campbell Farm, Kentucky

I can look back and remember my fondness and desire to be Wonder Woman.

I can also look back and almost smell the old wicker couch we had when I was child, and see where I got my love of shelties from.

I could do this all day long.

I was always called the "documenter" because I always had a camera. No matter what we were doing, I was taking photos of it. Taking memories and storing them away on film. I would buy triple prints so I could share the photos with everyone. This was of course before the days of the internet when in seconds you could put a photo on the computer and send it around the world in an instant.

Every image was taken with such care. You didn't want to waste one shot, and sometimes you agonized over taking a photo of something in the fear that something cooler might come along. With the advent of digital photography, that all changed. You could take as many photos as your memory card could hold, which was way more than a roll of film could.

When I got married, I spent a small fortune to have photos taken by an amazing photographer. Steve thought I would never look them at again. Sometimes I wonder if this wonderful silly man in my life actually knows me. I look at ALL of my photos over and over again. Looking at the image, closing my eyes and recreating the scene in my head.

Photos are important, and everyone should take the time to capture special moments when they can. Someday, when that moment has passed, you don't want to find yourself wondering what color your hair was when you were itty bitty (or how dirty your feet were too)!

Happy shooting!!

Dear Vacation, you ended too soon.

2011-05-17T19:05:00.000-04:00

We took our first big trip since our honeymoon. We headed to Phoenix first to some of Steve's family including his grandparents. It was great to see everyone, and some furry friends in their yard!

We then took a drive through Sedona and Flagstaff on our way to Vegas. It was a beautiful ride!

Above: Chapel of the Holy Cross; Sedona, AZ; Coconino NF

Then we made it to Vegas!!! Where I met Mike Holmes from HGTV's Holmes on Homes...

We went to a show, La Reve...

And met up with Janice and Jason...

Saw some night life...

And relaxed at the Spa and Salon...

All in all a great trip!!

Operation Clear Skin

2011-05-01T18:28:00.000-04:00

I have waged war against my skin. In the last couple of years my skin has gone from amazing to crap. It's dry, irritated, spotty and splotchy, and my pores make me look like I have chickenpox. I have been to the dermatologist, they just give me steroidal cremes but no advice on how to fix the issue causing the problems. And the cremes have yet to really work.

I got a wonderful massage with a milk and honey body butter from Spa Royale this past Friday. It was amazing (thanks Shannon!). I also got some advice on how to treat my skin for the issues I have. She recommended some wonderful products!

First, she said I need to exfoliate. I have been bad at this, and didn't really know what method was best. Well, this is the most wonderful product for exfoliating: LaLicious Sugar Soufflé Scrub.
I got the Sugar Kiss. Smells a lot like cotton candy, a tiny bit overwhelming. I might go with different scent next time. But holy moly! In one treatment my skin felt A-Mazing!!!! The sugar granuals exfoliate then they melt away into a wonderful oil moisturizer. I hope to see the little bumps on my arms disappear over time. There is a noticeable difference already!

Second, my skin needs constant hydration. Shannon suggested Pure Fiji for the chickenpox pores. I got the Hydrating Body Lotion in mango. It smells sooooo yummy. It's nut based, so if you have nut allergies this probably isn't for you. The nut extract oils hydrate the skin and keeps it silky smooth.

Happy hydrating!!!

Choices

2011-04-24T10:51:00.000-04:00

I am a little embarrassed that I had 2 articles I was choosing to read on cnn.com.
One about a salmonella outbreak and the other about how website co's got their weird names (Etsy, eBay, Bing, Skype etc).

I chose to read about the website names first. Now I probably should have read the salmonella article first, because it may save my life.

Priorities. Ha ha.

Hummingbirds in my Garden

2011-04-17T09:10:00.000-04:00

So after doing some research 2 of my new plants attract hummingbirds! I am very excited about this. I need some more of those plants. We also picked up some variegated lariope that we planted under a big tree on the corner of the house. And used the grass we pulled up in one area for a bed, to spot sod some dry spots in the yard.
So at few picture of our handy work:
We picked up some more Bulbine (with the little orange flowers) for this bed, and it's planted with the Blue Eyed Grass:

To the left the African Bush Daisy and to the right the Brazilian Sage. In the middle our blueberry bush (which survived the winter!):

We planted the two yellow bells on either side of the driveway entrance:

Bee in my Garden

2011-04-15T23:37:00.000-04:00

With our house being on the market, I have been dying to up the curb appeal. We got the house painted in November. Now I want to work more on the landscaping!
So Steve and I picked out a bunch of plants at the Florida Museum of Natural History plant sale today. I am very excited. Two of them even are great for humming birds!! Yay!! Tomorrow we plant!

Blue Eyed Grass

Yellow Bells

African Bush Daisy

Brazilian Sage

Is Rick Scott the Devil?

2011-04-12T13:24:00.000-04:00

I'm going to say yes. Why you ask? Let me tell you.

Our Governor has stated he wants to create jobs in the State of Florida. However his proposed cuts to State employee benefits that would ultimately put many people out of work.
1. He wants to require state employees to put 5% (it's looking like it will end up being 3%) towards their own retirement. Effectively, reducing their annual income by 5%.
2. He wants to cap the premium coverage the State pays for employees to $5000. Currently premiums range from about $6000 for individuals to over $13,000 for family plans. If you have a family plan, and the cap is put at $5000 you will now be responsibile for $8000 of it. Effectively reducing your income by an additional $8000 a year.

I believe we should be responsible for some of our costs to the state. I don't want anyone to think I am asking for everything to be given to us or for a free ride. However, having said that there are some major issues with these plans.

Current employees are effectively taking HUGE pay cuts. So if you are a state employee making $25,000 annually, you have almost lost half of your take home pay. You now will be making $15,750. For a good chunk of the lower paid State Employees this will be impossible to bear. They will have to find work elsewhere if at all. The more you make, the less it will hurt.
For reference on how a cut to an employee making $25,000 would effect them check out the poverty guidelines:

**2011 HHS Poverty Guidelines**
Persons in Family	48 Contiguous States and D.C.	Alaska	Hawaii
1	$10,890	$13,600	$12,540
2	14,710	18,380	16,930
3	18,530	23,160	21,320
4	22,350	27,940	25,710
5	26,170	32,720	30,100
6	29,990	37,500	34,490
7	33,810	42,280	38,880
8	37,630	47,060	43,270
For each additional person, add	3,820	4,780	4,390

*Chart from http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/11poverty.shtml

New employees will have the power (I'm assuming) to add this loss to their hiring process when it comes to pay. So instead of asking for a salary of $25,000 they will ask for $34,000. But for those already employed, they are basically out of luck. Better to quit and get rehired I suppose.

Upon hearing this news, I was freaked out! We are in the process of selling our house to buy a bigger house (spuring on the economy) and now it looks like we will need to rethink this big time! It would make more sense to me to grandfather in those already in the state system, and for future hires let this information be upfront so they can decide if they can afford to take a job at the new pay rates. I'm even ok, with the retirement charges as long as they aren't doubled up with the insurance premium cap at the same time.

So to Rick Scott, way to put people OUT of jobs and halt economic growth for the state of Florida!

More information: http://www.politifact.com/florida/promises/scott-o-meter/promise/607/bring-state-employee-health-insurance-costs-in-lin/
http://saintpetersblog.com/2011/03/02/some-state-workers-unaware-of-looming-cuts-to-their-health-care-benefits/

How do we think of food?

2011-04-05T22:13:00.001-04:00

For 8 years I have worked for a very bureaucratic, yet impactful, organization. The Museum for all its wondrous interiors is still a state entity. It is, after all, THE State of Florida's natural history museum. For the last 5 years I am the one who plans events all year long. I approve menus, I proof invites, I order booze, I decide on decor and much to my annoyance I obey rules and fill out forms. Form after form after form. Everything has to be approved by a higher being living in a couple of different places on the campus of the University of Florida, legal, the Foundation and UF administration. What does that mean for me? My events cost a lot of money, I have little control on creativity when it comes to food, and I am constantly worried about liability.
I must use a caterer that 1. has at least $2 million in insurance and 2. a legal catering license. This eliminates many eateries in Gainesville. I must use licensed bartenders that fulfill the above criteria, plus they must be trained for safety reasons. I get all of this, but it also makes me sad.

I just watched Bizarre Foods, and I was amazed at 2 different segments they did on it. They were in San Francisco and they filmed Food Not Bombs. The get perfectly good, yet slightly bruised, food out of restaurant dumpsters around San Fran. Then they make dinner for the homeless with it every Thursday. Now this illegal of course, but the police looked the other way. People are starving all over the world and restaurants throw out dumpsters full of food every day. Orlando's leg of this organization have been getting the crack down from their police. I can't even reuse dishes for public consumption without having them washed in a commercial cleaner.
More info on this org: http://www.foodnotbombs.net/
More info on the City of Orlando vs. Food Not Bombs: http://blogs.orlandoweekly.com/index.php/2010/11/round-two-of-orlando-vs-food-not-bombs-set-for-february-of-next-year/

They also did a segment on Urban Foraging. yes, that is exactly what I wrote! People around San Fran forage for wild grown food, and then have a flash mob-esque restaurant. They charge $85 for a an 8 course meal, and text the location 2 hours prior to dinner. Again, this is illegal, because they aren't a licensed restaurant and it's not a house dinner party. They are amazing though. They find wild fennel, wild snails (cleaned of all toxins of course), wild boar and seaweed. Gourmet!!
A great article/interview with Iso Rabins, a mastermind behind the movement: http://www.thelocaldish.com/san-francisco/find-it-san-francisco/local-gone-wild-urban-foraging.html

How cool would it be to have a foraged catered meal for 60 or 70 people at the Museum, a natural history museum? What kind of impact could we make by spreading this message? Look at your environment, learn about your environment, use your environment!

I get the "rules," i understand wanting to protect our patrons (or more selfishly, protect the Museum and ultimately UF). But the legal necessity of our lives makes us miss out on so much!

Bon Appetite!

Trees

2011-03-31T21:51:00.000-04:00

I had a great conversation today about how I look at life. I continued to think about it and delve into it deeper.
I see life as a tree. And that we have the power of choice in a destiny sort of way. Let me explain.
As you come to a division of a branch of a tree, you can choose to go one way or the other. Once you choose the branch you immediately lose all other options that the other choice (or branch) had to offer. And you continue up the tree branch by branch, choice by choice. So you have free will to make choices, but those choices have a certain set of outcomes.
A second chance isn't really a second chance. You don't rewind and go back to that moment when you made the original choice and get the same outcomes that were provided then. You may get to make the choice again, but you will have a completely different set of outcomes available to you.
Take a look at this tree, look at all of the choices (branches) and outcomes there are. The possibilities are endless. So you really can do anything, as long as you make the right choices in life.

Image: Gracey on the excellent free MorgueFile site

http://essentialscafe.com/forums/p/6928/24325.aspx

My next installment on commercials

2011-03-29T19:48:00.000-04:00

I normally get a kick out of commercials that make light of serious things. Got to have a sense of humor right? But lately, I have had issues with certain commercials. Last post I talked about the Highlander commercials, and how they are ridiculously snobby and teach kids to be snobby. I don't see the humor in that. In fact, it makes me NOT want to ever buy a Highlander.

The Staples commercial where the family gets robbed, but their computer is so old that the robbers leave it, bothers me ALOT! The family is so flippant about being robbed. I don't see the humor in that. A violation of your space, the fact that strangers were in their house and took their things, wasn't a big deal. But we need to get a new computer!

Pretentious

2011-03-28T20:36:00.000-04:00

I love my iPhone, I love my mac. I HATE the new iPhone commercial though. It is pretentious, if you don't have this ap, you don't have an iPhone...LOSER! Ugh, I want to to tell Apple to grow up.

And the Highlander ads with the kid, who mocks the kids whose parents do not have a Highlander. Really? What is wrong with our society where these commercials are acceptable. Way to teach our kids, aka the next generation to be spoiled pretentious little brats!!

Aaaaannnd Done!

2011-03-21T23:02:00.001-04:00

Another Passport is done. This year was a bit more difficult than most. I lost Karen to a fancy job in Atlanta, I had some negotiating to do regarding my awesome volunteers, and I was out for jury duty for 3 weeks right before it.
I am exhausted and sore, and ready for some time off. I had to go in on Monday, but I am off on Tuesday. Back to work on wed. The weekend can;t come fast enough.

This year was another success. People really dug the country theme. The band was good, the food was good, and we welcomed back the Ainsworths from Harmons Photos Ar' Nice. We will get some fun photos to share with our guests.

I will say I HATE HAY! That stuff is impossible to clean up. I did my darndest. And part of me being sore is because I spent hours vacuuming the entire museum. There is a lot of floor to cover. Crazy!

I may be getting too old to do this stuff....hmmmmm.

A fun little photo for you to enjoy. Handywork by Hollis.

Books I Read

2011-03-13T19:42:00.000-04:00

I've been doing a lot of reading lately. Not as much as others I am sure. 1 book a month is probably enough for me. But my Sony Reader is awesome and allows me to read more efficiently. I also have to read books for the Museum's Book Club. I'm reading interesting and thought provoking non-fiction. Would like to be able to add some fiction, but we have to be careful with that with our audience.

I have learned I actually hate holding actual books. I find it annoying. I don't like to put cracks in the spine, so to hold it without doing that makes reading a little bit more difficult. I guess it's just an OCD thing.

Well, back to reading!

Good Weekend

2011-03-06T20:27:00.001-05:00

I had an enjoyable weekend. Lt me tell you about it.

Saturday Morning I went over to the O'Dome to man the Gainesville Pet Rescue table at the Gainesville Home Show. This is always a rewarding experience. People love to tell us their stories, of their adoptions, their pets, the animals they are feeding at their door. Some stories are happy and some are sad. Many people left donations in our jar. More than I had gotten in previous times I had done this. Being able to tell people about the organization is always a positive!

Saturday afternoon was relaxing, did some laundry, started reading my book for the next book club, A Supremely Bad Idea: Three Mad Birders and Their Quest to See It All. Obviously this month's topic is birds. The book started out a little slow, so we will see how it goes.

Saturday afternoon (6ish) Carter and Brittany came over to watch the gators clinch the outright SEC championships. Steve heads off next weekend to the SEC tourney. After the win, we were sitting around watching some TOSH.0 and I had a brilliant idea to go to the airport to greet them back from Nashville. Brittany had never gone, so we thought it would be fun. Steve called Jeff to see if he knew when they were coming in and of course he had decided to go out there too. So we all went out there (sans Carter) and greeted the team. Billy Donovan was very grateful for our cheers and congrats, and the team looked tired! Brittany may have cried...we shall pick on her about this for about...forever.

Sunday I slept in and tried to enjoy the massive king size bed, which for a few hours I had all to myself. Keegan did not like this idea and barked at me a few times to get up. I begrudgingly did. We ran sme errands and settled in for some more reading.

Steve made a lovely dinner of tender steak, backed potatoes and broccoli. All in all a good weekend!

Swede in Me

2011-03-04T18:20:00.000-05:00

Jag vill lära sig svenska. I want to learn Swedish.

Thanks Google translator!

Positivity vs. Envy

2011-03-01T17:42:00.000-05:00

There are days when I m absolutely disappointed in myself. Today is one of those days. Sometimes when you want something so bad and you just can't seem to attain it, it can make you envious of those that can have it. No matter how easy or difficult it may have been for them to attain it, I believe that it was easier than my attempts. Silly, absurd, not a good quality for me. I don't wear it well.
Luckily, envy doesn't keep me from being happy for them. This would be a good trait in my I can be somewhat happy about I suppose.

So I have to turn my attention to being positive instead. Squash envy down low, tell envy I hate it, and be positive.

positive (ˈpɒzɪtɪv)
— *adj*

tending towards progress or improvement; moving in a beneficial direction

A beneficial direction!

Next Step

2011-01-29T15:54:00.000-05:00

Well at this point, I must say what is going on or nothing will make sense.
On Monday I found out that I have a half sister. My dad had no idea he had another daughter out there. The biological mom contacted my dad via Facebook to tell him and open the lines of communications between him and his other daughter. She was born before me, right after my dad joined the Marines in 1968. She was given up for adoption, and reconnected with her bio mom when she was 18. Until Facebook, they had been unable to locate my dad.

My emotions are a bit better since earlier in the week. Like I said in that post, I handled it badly at first. In private, but not in front of my dad. I didn't want to tarnish his excitement. It was a selfish reaction, one of not being the "only child" anymore. And that my dad has grandchildren. I am trying to transition into being happy and ok with all of this.

Terminology is really important, and I am still struggling with that. I am now a "sister" (even if it is a half). I am an "aunt." These are hard for me because although it is a perfectly acceptable term for the kinship, sister and aunt to me has to do with having a relationship, really knowing each other. That's the sister or aunt relationships I have been exposed to the most. So I almost feel like I am not allowed to use the terms sister or aunt until those relationships are formed. Her children I suppose will call me Leslie, then maybe in the future I will be Aunt Leslie.

My half-sister and I have been communicating through email for now. I think my dad wanted me to call her, but I am not ready for that yet. She is very smart, very insightful, and seems really nice. A person who would fit great into our family.

So that's what's up, and as I explore this new adventure, I will post more on it.

The beginning

2011-01-25T22:31:00.000-05:00

This is going to start out as a vague post. I apologize for that. As time passes, I will continue the theme of this post and as I feel comfortable I will provide more detail.
For now...

Sometimes you think you know certain facts (or assumption of facts) and you think you know how you would react to actions related to those facts. Let me just tell you, you don't.
Due to the things that are going on in my life at this very moment I reacted to something much more badly than I ever expected I would. If these actions happened to me, let's say, 5 years ago or 10 years ago, I think I would have reacted much differently. I probably would have jumped up and down with excitement. And in a way I should be excited. I'm attributing my bad reaction to selfishness. To the reality that I have lived for 35 years. And from this day forward it will be different. My existence, who I am, is being altered. The role I play in this world is altered. The chess pieces are being moved and a little faster then I may be ready for.

Let me clarify, this has nothing to do with my amazing husband, nor our life together (Aka future kids). Although it will affect our life in some ways, this is about me. He has already proven to be my rock, and I love him very much for that.

Like I said when I opened, as I feel comfortable I will provide more details, and this story will grow over time. Stay tuned....

Thoughts on aging...

2011-01-21T11:59:00.001-05:00

–noun

the state of being senile, esp. the weakness or mental infirmity of old age.

I've had a few encounters in the last few months with what I call senile individuals. Now I do not mean this in any disrespect! These are very nice individuals who have begun to spend a portion of their days in an alternate reality. One where their reality is not true to the rest of us, but only to them. I feel that these encounters bring on an air of sadness for me. It also makes me realize that in my own time I will start to live in my own alternate reality. Steve would say I already am at times, but I beg to differ!

Trying to convince an individual that their reality is not of course the real thing, is next to impossible. Even if they realized that it is incorrect, and that they may have a problem with their memories, the fear of old age will probably prevent them from accepting or admitting to it. They will always be right. So how do we in the "real" world cope with this? At times we feel that the facts can be laid out and stated, and they should accept it and move on, but this is not the case. The worse thing I hear is someone saying "Don't you remember? I told you the other day." or "No don't forget, you forget sometimes." One, the person does not remember and by asking "Don't you remember?" you only point out to the individual that they have forgotten and they still don't remember, so it just makes them sad and maybe a little afraid. Saying "Don't forget" won't help. They typically at this age have no power over what their minds will retain as memories, it's just condescending at that point.

One of the encounters was with someone who I had no real affiliation with through my work, but the signs were there. Defensiveness when I presented the correct answer, denial of that information, insistence on policies that never existed. How do we identify that senility is probably the issue, and not just rudeness?

I have no answer to my own questions of how we deal with it. What are the appropriate responses and reactions? What would make them feel better without us feeling like a failure for not proving the reality as fact? I struggle with this. If anyone has insight, please let me know!

That book...NO! That book..oh it's the same book!

2011-01-06T20:47:00.000-05:00

Why do publishers feel the need to update the covers of their books? Now I know some answers might include modernization. I get that, but why for a book that is newer and has a pretty contemporary cover to begin with?

Here is the original one:

Here's the one I picked up:

And this one, I have no idea about:

Check your facts sir or madam!

2011-01-04T09:01:00.001-05:00

I have recently been the victim of an onslaught of emails that claim that our government is being devious and throwing out the constitution with the bath water. Most of them I ignore and just delete. But somedays I get fired up. Today is one of those days. The lack of fact checking before forwarding said emails and taking some cyber stranger's word as gospel irritates me to no end. It's as if we have no brains to think for ourselves, if so, I got a bridge I can sell ya!

I try to be a good steward of the internet and when something important needs to be passed on I am obliged to help. I also try to quash horrid false emails in my own way (by deleting). I may even get fired up enough to respond (if I can I "Reply All" so not just the sender but all those that received this erroneous email get the truth) with links to the correct information.

The latest was an email I have gotten twice about the proposed 28th Amendment. I looked it up, and factcheck.org debunked most of what the email said. Do the authors of said emails do it for fun to see how stupid the average American is? Or do the authors really believe the junk they write?

So my motto for today....check your facts sir or madam!
Two good websites:
snopes.com (for all urban legend type stuff)
factcheck.org (for governmental related issues)

Post Script:
Today I got my first text message hoax forwarded to me. AAAGGGHHHH!!!!

My Grandad

2010-12-28T20:32:00.000-05:00

This is my Grandad, Robert Lee Campbell.
He was always a formidable strong man, who commanded respect and a slight tinge of fear from most people. He is my grandad; Lovable, adoring, and always laughing. He lives in North Carolina, far from us in Florida, and visits are very few and far between. When we do visit an hour is about all he can really take, really concentrate and focus. I have been with my husband for 5 years, and this winter he met my grandad for the first time. He was unable to come to our wedding, too frail to travel, so we made him his own wedding book with photos. His wife, Nadine, says he showed it off to the nurses and others when he was ill in the hospital. Nadine takes great care of him and we couldn't appreciate that more.

I hope he is proud of me. I think he is, and I think he is proud of my dad and the man he has become. I know it is hard for my dad to se his father wither away before our eyes, but I know he appreciates the time he gets to spend with him. We wish he were closer so we could have more hour long visits with him. But alas, I think this is where he will stay until the end.

To my grandad, I love you!!

Christmas Spirit

2010-12-19T18:10:00.000-05:00

This is the first year in many that I think I have felt what one might call the "Christmas Spirit." I have no real reason to have not felt this feeling in the last few years. I feel like there has been some selfishness on my part causing me to not respond to holiday cheer, but instead to focus on me and probably Steven. I spent eons focusing on others, with not too much in return. I admit I have felt under-appreciated at times, but not neglected in any way.
So to have this feeling crop up this year feels good.
A study was conducted in 2007 on developing a way to measure Christmas spirit. Full article here: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/promo/xmas/a_measure.pdf.
"Ultimately, people with strong, positive feelings and judgements about Christmas would have a high level of Christmas spirit that influences the conduct of Christmas activities in a happy and cheerful manner."

I am not religious and therefore, do not celebrate Christmas in that manner. I do however, embrace the idea of good will towards man, and that Christmas sees an increase in this goodwill.
I have increased my tipping at restaurants, wanting to provide some additional funds for wait staff at this time of year, bought magazines by those door to door saleskids (sucker I know), and bought little trinkets in an effort to say "thank you for all you have done this year." It has made me feel good, and increased my holiday outlook. I define my holiday outlook as, the world is a better place, and will continue to be a better place as long as people "pay it forward" in their Christmas spirit. Spreading Christmas like a virus I suppose.

So Merry Christmas to all, or Happy Holidays, whichever your prefer!

Mark Zuckerberg TIME person of the year for 2010

2010-12-15T13:04:00.000-05:00

The title says it all, the article says it better. I have new insight into who Mark Zuckerberg is, which was falsely portrayed by The Social Network, and how his quirky thought process, is much like most science minded individuals, who don't always see things like the majority of people. I deal with this a lot at the Museum.
But this quote from the article stuck out and I wanted to share it:
"However much more authentic the selves we present on Facebook are than they were in the anonymous Internet wilderness that came before it, they still fall far short of our true selves, and confusing our Facebook profiles with who we really are would be a terrible mistake. We are running our social lives over the Internet, an infrastructure that was not designed for that purpose, and we must be aware of the distortions it creates or we will be distorted by them." ~Lev Grossman

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2036683_2037183_2037185-1,00.html

Leslie's Favorite Things

2010-12-14T22:40:00.000-05:00

Watched an always funny How I met Your Mother and Barney mocks the Oprah's favorite Things. Barney's Favorite Things are given out to McClaren's bar attendees. Made me think, what would my favorite things be?
Well let me tell you...in no specific order, and I don't necessarily have these things...

Tiffany's Knot ring:

Apple iPad

Adobe Lightroom

The Keurig coffee maker. Ok so I don't even like coffee, but it makes hot water. Could I make hot water in the microwave, yes, on the stove, yes. But I need the gadget. :-)

Wii Black.. I think this might be coming for Christmas (fingers crossed)

Beautiful venetian champagne flutes...from NapaStyle

Ann Taylor Knit Endless Metallic Scarf (Infinity Scarf) I am horrible at wrapping my scarves, this would fix that!

Well, that's all for now. I think it is enough don't you?

The DMV aka HELL!

2010-12-06T16:03:00.000-05:00

Why I hate the DMV:
This morning, I tried to log onto the DMV's website to renew my drivers license online. It responded with a statement that the last time I renewed I did it online, therefore I had to go into the office to get a new license. First problem, this was not true, exactly. I did renew in 2005 online, however, I had come in person to change my name in 2009. So I learned the system does not take into account if you had been in person any other time, just the time you renewed. FAIL!

They do not automatically renew your license when you get a new one, it does not change the expiration date. I got a whole new id with a new name. FAIL!

Procedure at the office: go in, wait in line for an hour to get your documents checked and get a number to wait some more to meet the actual person who will check your documents again and scan them (Note: do not use sensitive information as your verification for address (mail)). And ultimately get your license.

I thought I had all my paperwork, (DL, birth certificate, marriage license, 2 pieces of mail, SS card) waited an hour in line to realize my SS card was NOT in my wallet like I had assumed. Lesson, assume NOTHING. Double check. You must go to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200. Sucka! I will say that the wretched lady at the desk laughed! Laughed! when she took my number away.

The DMV is highly inefficient. While standing in line I saw about 50% of the people turned away do to incorrect or insufficient paperwork. They only have 1 person checking documents and giving numbers yet about 8 stations to process the licenses. The longest line is the initial check in. There should be at minimum 2 people at the front desk for this. Once you get past the front desk it's pretty fast and unnecessary to have that many people in the back. By shifting resources they could be more customer friendly.
Waiting in line for an hour, and then told you don't have something right, (b/c it's always changing), and they wonder why people get so mad. Hello? You just made them wait for a 2 minute interaction that ended up in them being sent away, just to have to come back and oh...stand in line again! You should get credit somehow for standing in line the first time. There is no sense of urgency, and the lady was ridiculously slow. She definitely wasn't concerned with how long people were waiting. She could have cared less. No business would survive if they ran like the DMV. People would not go there b/c of such horrible customer service. I hate that government agencies are allowed to ignor industry standards for queueing and customer service. FAIL!

Some of things that I saw people turned away for:
An out of country student turned away b/c he had an international drivers license instead of one issued by his home country (India). Not valid, go away sir!

A teenager with his mom who didn't have any mail with their physical home address and his or her name on it. They had a PO Box and all of their mail goes there. But you can't use a po box. Go away kid!

A woman whose name had already been changed via marriage, and she had her birth certificate, which didn't match by name of course to every other piece of documentation. She did not bring her marriage certificate. They sent her away. On the form list it says if you are changing your name bring the certificate or court decree, not after you have changed your name you still have to bring it. Luckily I was wary and brought my certificate. She also had her passport with her new name, which would have sufficed if it hadn't already expired. Not good enough. Go away lady!

A college student from Atlanta had lost his ID and needed to get a duplicate. He didn't have his birth certificate. You still have to have all of the documents to get a duplicate (although he could have probably done that online). His parent(s) have all of his documentation in Atlanta. So sorry...fed ex it here. Go away college student!
It is easier to get a duplicate SS card than it is to get a duplicate DL. Crazy!

How much is it worth?

2010-11-26T07:55:00.000-05:00

This morning we are watching the news and they are showing all the people waiting in the lines at the big box stores for Black Friday. One dad and son said they had gotten in line at Best Buy on wednesday for a.....XBox 360. That's it? Was it worth missing your Thanksgiving dinner with family to stand in line to save $50? I was discussing with Amy (my sister in law) and she and I agreed, you would have to save over $1000 to make camping out at a store on the holiday worth it. And even then I don't know if I would do it.

So to all those shoppers, good luck, and buy me something good!
:-)

Football is all a game of smoke and mirrors...

2010-11-17T12:54:00.001-05:00

NPR made me mad this morning. This rarely happens, but Frank Deford's editorial on the Driscoll Middle School's fake play was ludicrous! Saying that it was "child abuse" to have the kids run a fake play. He also said that adult athletes are only trying to outsmart the refs/umps, um hello? Puntrooskie, fumblerooskie, fake handoffs etc are all designed to trick the other team (not the ref's or umps). The offense is always trying to run plays in the hopes the defense has no clue what they are doing. That's a major component of the game.
Frank, you must not be a true sports fan or you would understand that! (And you have an awful hair cut!)
http://www.npr.org/2010/11/16/131358322/trickery-on-the-football-field-like-child-abuse

Laziness at its best

2010-11-12T23:19:00.002-05:00

How come when we own a dvd movie, we never watch it, but love when that exact movie comes on tv?
It has commercials! Why not just watch it commercial free?

Do they Last?

2010-11-09T21:57:00.000-05:00

Tonight I was on my way home from a Gainesville Pet Rescue board meeting, and I heard on the radio that Justin Timberlake opened a restaurant in NYC called "Southern Hospitality." The first thing I thought was, "Nice, way to rep in the big city." Then I thought "What southern foods do they serve and will weight conscious New Yorkers actually frequent it?" Then the biggest question of all came to me..."How many celebrity owned restaurants actually make it?"

Lo and behold there is actually a website dedicated to celebrity eateries!
http://headlinerdiners.com/default.aspx

One particular link on it "Notable Restaurants Now Closed." It lists the place, who owned it and when it closed.
And celebrity eateries in the movies! This site is pretty cool and has lots of information.

Notably, "Southern Hospitality" is not J Tim's first foray into being a restauranteur. His first place "Chi" in NYC closed in 2005. And he has one still open called "Destino's" in NYC.

Operation New House

2010-10-31T22:24:00.002-04:00

We are selling our house. So we have a loooooong list of to dos to get it ready to be on the market. I'm going to put that list up here so I can cross it off as we complete them. Giving me a sense of accomplishment that I need! As things come up, I may add more to the list. Everyday I see something else that needs to be fixed or tweaked.

To Storage: Goal:
~~-Desk~~
~~-Coffee Table~~
~~-Laundry Room~~
~~-Back BR Closet~~
~~-Walk in Closet~~
~~-Cat Condo~~
~~-Hallway Closets~~
~~-Pantry~~
~~-Kitchen items~~
~~-Blankets/sheets~~

GoodWill
~~-CD Stands~~
~~-Clothes~~
~~-Vases~~
~~-More Clothes~~
~~-photo frames~~

Spare Bedroom
~~-Storage~~
~~-Repaint~~
~~-Stage~~

Miscellaneous
-Paint exterior
-Replace Bathroom door: bought door and hinges need to refinish and hang
-Paint Front door interior: bought wood putty
~~-New knobs for spare br closet doors~~
~~-De-Personalize~~
~~-Frame art photos and hang~~
-Fix electrical outlets
~~-Tile Floor in Laundry Room~~
~~-Re hang trim in kitchen~~
-~~Grout master bath~~
-Get crates: got 1
-~~Hang spare bathroom mirror~~
-~~replace countertop in spare bathroom~~
-Curb appeal: plants, etc.

Crappy Thought of the Day.....

2010-10-19T13:06:00.001-04:00

I hate when I sit down on the workout machine, go to put the "seat belt" on and I have to dramatically increase it's length to fit around my middle section. I HATE the person who was on the machine before me!!

But persevere I will!

If you want to know why I am a Democrat....

2010-10-11T09:41:00.003-04:00

"Under Democratic presidents," Bartels writes, "poor families did slightly better than richer families (at least in proportional terms), producing a modest net decrease in income inequality; under Republican presidents, rich families did vastly better than poorer families, producing a considerable net increase in income inequality."

Progress

2010-09-08T22:09:00.001-04:00

"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." ~George Bernard Shaw

I have been thinking a lot about my career choice lately. What is it that I do? Is it what I want to do? Do I enjoy it? and What am I doing it for?

Well I went to school to get my Masters in Museology (yes it's a real degree). I really enjoy arts administration, but those jobs are few and far between. In the meantime I work in development at a museum. And I do enjoy it, even though it isn't exactly what I want to be doing. Mostly, I do it because I know the end product of my work could change lives. Museums changed my life way back when I was in 5th grade.

Not every organization is perfect, and the museum I work for is no different. But it is an amazing organization with mostly amazing people working there. The potential I see in it is immense. I have been there for 8 years and I have seen it change a lot, some stuff good some not so good. But I still feel very positive in the progress that we can make, and in the difference we can make in people's lives.
Progress can only be achieved if:

1. People let go of their preconceived ideas of what/who we are and what we do. In this day and economic climate we cannot be museum purists.

2. People realize that change is inevitable, and although you may be uncomfortable with it you have to do what's best for the museum.

3. People stop whining and complaining that they don't have enough of whatever resource they need. Figure it out, people have done more with less, we can too!

So even in the face of adversity, in a time of waning state support, we can make a difference. Progress is attainable, and I will continue to have hope!

Red Heads Rock!

2010-09-01T16:25:00.001-04:00

I had an interesting discussion today while on an errand with some co-workers. Would you want your kid to be a red head, aka. a "Ginger?"
A little scientific information:
Red hair is made up of a combination of high levels of the reddish pigment pheomelanin and relatively low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin.

Being that I have red hair I think it is always assumed that if I had a kid it will without a doubt be a red head.
However, red heads are actually a genetic mutation in the MC1R protein (let the jokes commence) of a recessive gene on chromosone 16. Only 1 to 2% of the worlds population is red headed. And that percentage increases in certain parts of the world, with Scotland having the highest at 16%.
To have red hair both Steve and I would have to provide this recessive red head gene to our kid. SO it is very likely I will not have a red head. If my MC1R gene is rr and Steve's is RR, no red head kids. If Steve is Rr, then we have a higher chance of having a red head.A great example of this, and how it can skip generations. (from http://www.thetech.org/genetics/ask.php?id=245)

Now since we are so rare, remember only 1-2% of the world's population, it causes me to get very angry at famous red heads when they change their hair color to blonde or brown or whatever. There are few red headed role models. As kids we growing up we get ridiculed for being different, called names some not to savory. If all of the famous people out there change their hair color, they perpetuate the myth that having red hair is ugly. Even if they just wanted a change from their regular "look."

Examples of pretty red heads:
Julianne Moore

Amy Adams
Lindsey Lohan (she really is a beautiful girl, tragic though)
Rose McGowan
Geri Haliwell (Ginger Spice)
Nicole Kidman
Alyson Hannigan

You get the idea.

Calling All Famous Red Heads! Don't change your hair color and be a representative of the Ginger Kids! (I'm sure that is copyrighted by South Park creators). Whatevs.

Oh and to answer my original question "Would you want your kid to be a red head, aka. a 'Ginger?'"
Yes and no. I would love to have little mini-mes with blue eyes and red hair, but I do not wish on my children the ridicule that I grew up with. Maybe times have changed and being made of for having red hair isn't as bad, but I doubt it. Hopefully, they will appreciate their hair color as much as I do. (Although I do lighten mine to Strawberry Blonde like ti was when I was real little.)

Migraines: My Adventure

2010-08-18T21:06:00.001-04:00

So I wouldn't necessarily call my life with migraines an adventure, more like a trek, uphill both ways, in the snow, with no shoes, on a rocky road. It's been a lifetime of learning about how the body works, what medications can do , and how to find better ways to manage the pain without the aid of medications.
I write this as a guide to friends who may be starting their trek. If I can provide some direction, some insight, some guidance, and some support, it will be worth it. It is long, so bear with me. It is chock full of information and links to great articles on migraine treatment.

One of the first things any doctor should tell you is that migraines are not spontaneous things without a cause. Any good doctor should tell you that treating the symptoms, without exploring potential causes will only make you reliant on medications, and in the end continue the suffering that you are seeking to get away from.

So what should you do? Not every person is the same, women get migraines for different reasons than men do, and every individual has their own triggers. You need to start to find out what those triggers are.

Keep a migraine journal.
Write down the date, what you ate or drank prior to the migraine. How were you feeling? Did you have eye pain, back pain, neck pain, sinus pressure? Was there a storm that day or low pressure front? For women where were you in your menstrual cycle? All these will provide clues as to the causes of your migraines.
Then track what medications you took to relieve that migraine. Typically I would start with 2 excedrine (and a side note: Excedrine and Excedrine Migraine are exactly the same. Excedrine was allowed to add "Migraine" to their packaging after studies showed this was one of the best medications to treat a migraine.) Then if in 45 minutes to an hour I still had one I would take one or maybe 2 more. Tracking your attempts at relief will also provide isight to your doctor on what works and what doesn't.
Armed with this will help you have a productive conversation with your doctor and hopefully find relief quickly and easily.

My History: the early years
I started getting migraines when I was 13 years old. About the time I started getting my menstrual cycle. I spent 5 years with only over-the-counter medications, massages, and lots of hiding in a dark room trying to not vomit from the pain.

When I was nineteen I started working for a doctors office and one of the doctors was open to exploring the causes of my migraines. I had a bad cheerleading accident in 1993 that I had no idea in later years would cause me so much grief. I hurt my back and I was constantly in pain. The first thing she had me do was see a chiropractor. At that stage in my life I thought it was a bunch of BS. My mom had gone for years and never had relief. But I agreed and found a chiropractor that was amazing. Having my back adjusted released pressure that was causing me to have neck pain causing headaches that would become migraines. That alone made me realize I could take care of this. There was hope.

I did a migraine journal, and found that I really didn't have food triggers. But I did notice that during my period (sorry guys) I would get really bad migraines. This was a clue to my doctor. She decided to try putting me on birth control pills (not that I shouldn't have been on it anyways) to see what would happen. The first one was a triphasil. Holy cow did I hate that. We then went to a monophasil and that made a world of difference. It cut out a ton of migraines during the month. But when I took the placebos and had my period they were still really bad.

During this time I was on a myriad of medications.
Midrin: drunk like side effects and I developed a resistance to it within 6 months.
Ibuprofen: didn't do anything.
Pain killers: lets take a nap.
Phenergan: for the nausea and vomiting.
Excedrine: Only if I caught it in time.
Propanolol: preventative med, with nightmares as a side effect, no thanks!

My History: Recent Years
Several years ago my current doctor gave me a prescription for Imitrex. I call this the wonder drug. For the first time I could take a medication, and within 45 minutes I was migraine free AND functional. The nausea subsided over the years while I was on it, it actually seemed to make the migraines less potent. Then the big bad insurance company limited the Imitrex and had the nerve to say to me that I needed to find the cause of my migraines and work on that instead. Excuse me? Have you dealt with migraines for what seems like eons, and do you have any idea what I've been through to find out what the issues are? I was so angry, and I was back to getting pain killers and phenergan. Yay!
Out of frustration I tried to find another preventative medication. Studies were coming out that an epilepsy rug could also prevent migraines. Sign me up! Even my cursory research did not uncover the extent of the side effects of that med, and I would later learn that this is something you just don't want. I'll cover more of that later.
There a came a point in my life where I needed to come off all medications. And I started to panic that I was going to regress into miserable migraines that caused me to miss out on so many important things in my life. I did not want to go through that again.
So I started looking into holistic remedies. I started acupuncture and although I didn't hold out much hope, it has changed my life. I'm off all meds, and I'm virtually migraine free. I get them very rarely now and I can live life to the fullest without worrying if I will get a migraine.

My Thoughts on Current Treatments:
Food and Drink
So many people have food triggers. Wine is a BIG one. It has tannins in it that cause migraines and headaches.
An interesting article on tannins and migraines: http://www.wineintro.com/glossary/t/tannins.html
And one on food triggers: http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/features/avoiding-food-related-headaches

Medications
Topamax: The evilest of them all.
Like I said before this medication is approved for epilepsy, but can also be used for migraine treatment. This med keeps the chemicals in your nervous system and brain calm thus preventing migraines. In epileptic patients it does the same thing to prevent seizures. BUT! and it is a big but,
the side effects are long lasting and disturbing.
It causes: short term memory loss, word recall issues, speech impediments. All of which I have experienced. I was on the medication for 2 years, and I have been off it for over a year and I still have the side effects. They have not lessened one bit.
Yes it worked for preventing migraines, but it didn't solve the issue and caused long term issues.
How Topamax works: http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4676086_topamax-work.html
Article on the side effects: http://www.relieve-migraine-headache.com/topamax-side-effects.html

Imitrex and Treximet:
Narrows the blood vessels and stops the pain signals from being sent to the brain.
More information: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000102
The only real side effect I have ever had is a slight stinging in my fingers and toes when i put them in hot water.

Birth Control Pills:
This is take it or leave it thing. Some women take them and GET migraines. Others find relief by taking them. Earlier I mentioned I was first on a triphasil. This is where the dose starts out low, then in week 2 it goes to a higher dose, in week 3 it goes back down, then week 4 is placebo. Each change in hormone level was brutal and agonizing. Many women get migraines, because they have hormonal fluctuations. These fluctuations can trigger migraines. I switched to a monophasil and it evened out those hormonal fluctuations. This may not work for all, testing various BCP's and figuring out if any cause more or less migraines is the best course of action.

Other medications:
An article from the Mayo Clinic breaking down all the types of migraine medication treatments.

Acupuncture
This is a treatment I discovered when I had no other alternatives. I had to come off all medications, no ifs ands or buts about it.
Within 2 months of treatment the number of migraines are virtually nil. I may get 1 a month, they aren't very severe, and I can usually take excedrine and knock it out right away. I will admit that I was a skeptic, but I was at a breaking point. I am now a believer!
Article on acupuncture for migraines: http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/headachemigraine/a/AcupunctureMigr.htm

So, I will leave it at this for now...I wish all my migraine sufferers luck in their treks!

Doggie Dreams

2010-08-05T19:33:00.001-04:00

On occasion while lying in bed waiting to fall asleep, I will hear this little noise coming from somewhere in the room. Brisco, our 5 year old mix breed, is the culprit of the noise. He makes these funny sounds while he is sleeping and dreaming. He doesn't do a full out bark, but he does his little bouf, bouf, wimper wimper. I wonder what he is dreaming about. Is he chasing a squirrel? Maybe a cat? Is he being chased? His life is somewhat boring, so I can't begin to understand what he might dream about at night. But it makes me giggle every time, and I try to be quiet so I don't wake him from his dreams.

Sweet dreams puppy!

From Pets: Dogs and Cats

Dreams

2010-07-18T20:53:00.001-04:00

For the last few days I have been having crazy dreams that make absolutely no sense. The strange thing is how much detail I am remembering about them. Amazing detail. I used to have this dream book. It would tell you what different elements meant in the dream. I bet there is a website like that now....let me check....yep! Tons as a matter of fact.

Hmmm, maybe I will try to decipher them now. It probably means nothing, but it's kind of fun.

Major Geek Out

2010-07-03T17:07:00.001-04:00

My trip to Rhode Island was fun and it was great to spend time with Janice and Jason. We saw some cool museums (Culinary Arts and Lizzie Borden), went to see a fire show on the river, ate good food and took 2 trips to the Apple store.
The trips to Apple are just a symptom of a great addiction. (I have many random addictions I think). Steve could not be happy about the ideas that were planted in my head via the geek out of 2010 that Jason and I had.
Janice and Jason should have stock in Apple, and maybe me too, soon anyways. They have the following:
1. Mac Mini: to watch tv shows and movies on
2. Mac Airport Express: that is the wireless internet, that allows printer hookup and they can also hook it up to a stereo with an aux output that then gets music from their iTunes transmitted through it. (AWESOME!)
3. iPhones: have 3G's but ordered iPhone 4's while I was there. Jealous!
4. MacBooks: Pro and Air.

Ok so what do I want? In order of importance:
1. Airport Extreme (I want to also be able to hook up a hard drive to it as a server).
2. iPhone 4: but I want to wait for the 2nd generation of the 4th generation phone.
3. Mac Mini: I so want to store movies on it, I never watch my DVD's, too much work. Having it on the mac mini would be soooooo convenient.
4. A new MackBook, Pro!

Considering my laptop (MacBook) is finally filled up with tons of photos, I need the Airport Extreme so I can have the server. I do believe that will be sooner than later. Then I can check it off the list and move right along.

All photos (c) Apple.com

Bad tattoos should be outlawed

2010-06-24T08:44:00.000-04:00

I have officially arrived in Rhode Island. My trip was exceptionally uneventful. The usual wait in line here, check your bag, boarding pass, wait in another even longer line for security, then wait at the gate. All went smoothly, yet long at Orlando International. The only real intriguing thing was the insipid girls who were waiting for my same flight. Maybe intriguing is the wrong word, train wrecks might be more appropriate. One was loud, obnoxious, high pitched giggly, the other was just somewhat sad. (I know I doth judge too much, but the reasoning will soon become clear as to why on this occasion it was ok, or was it?)
both were returning home from what appeared to be a Florida vacation. The sad one was slightly sunburned, messy hair, and a very unfortunate dress. The other also in a quite unfortunate dress herself, was constantly announcing random celebrity facts in her very loud voice.

So why should bad tattoos be outlawed you ask? Well loud obnoxious girl had a fresh tattoo on her foot that read "Mischief Managed." And the sad girl had "I solemnly swear I am up to no good" huge across her upper back. I now know that both of those are Harry Potter quotes, ok, so you tried to have some meaning to your tattoos, maybe a C for effort. But they were terrible! Hideous, poor artwork, just plain ol' bad. And both were large!! Someday they will either have them removed or they will have to get a more experienced artist to fix them.

Hope you had a great vacation, here's your ugly tattoo! Thank you and have a nice flight.

CNN, news or addiction?

2010-06-21T21:10:00.001-04:00

So everyday I read CNN.com. Ok so I don't read everything, but I peruse the entire sight, and pick and choose what news I desire to "hear" about that day. Some days I just want mindless entertainment news, which inevitably leads me to a story that links to People.com. Then there are days when horrifying tragedies catch my attention. A child missing (which always makes my heart ache and which I never have faith that the child will be found alive but hold out hope nonetheless), a plane crash, murders (like the recent Joran VanderSloot story, which makes me mad b/c until this guy came along I LOVED the name Joran), etc.
But I always find it hard to read anything about politics. Warning!! I am NOT looking for a political discussion here. I find it annoying that republicans nor democrats can seem to agree on anything. I heard a great idea on NPR recently that primaries should be dissolved, because primaries require the potential nominee to be decidedly right or left, and there is no room for a moderate in the middle. So people who would be best at making decisions and compromising are left out in the cold or have to become independents, and how often do independents really win? Bi-partisanship BAH!
I digress, CNN.com is a wealth of information that occupies much needed down time, although I think I would appreciate seeing happier stories more often. Also, their video content has increased dramatically, great you made a news segment a video, but add a transcription of the story.

Ooh! A story on how e-reader price war erupts. Must read that now!

TV's, sofas, and lots of money

2010-05-30T22:44:00.003-04:00

Today I got a text from Brittany that Rooms To Go had a sale if you buy a room you get a free 50" plasma HDTV. What? Seriously? To the internet I went. Well yes indeed this is true. So I showed Steve and waited for him to say "Are you kidding?" Then he didn't. He said Hmmmm. And he actually wanted to go look. Holy crap, did my husband get stolen and replaced with this imposter?
Off we went to the local Rooms To Go and looked at all the packages picked out the pieces we wanted, and then I thought "ok now he's going to pull the plug...game over...go home." But he didn't. We got it. All of it, sofa, chair, cocktail ottoman, end table, lamp, TV console and.....a 50" TV. I guess the world cup in HD was just too tempting!

House Hunting

2010-05-22T13:39:00.003-04:00

The million dollar question: do we want a new house and do we want it now? I guess it depends on who you ask. Me? Yes, absolutely lets do this! Steve? Mmmmm, maybe, yes, eventually, etc.

The latest issue: do we spend more now, build and get everything we want? Or spend less up front, get something that needs remodeling, and spend the money over time to make it what we want?
I;m all about efficiency and being happy in my surroundings. So I say pay up front get what we want. How long will this process take? Only time will tell.

New Camera!!

2009-12-03T13:59:00.002-05:00

So a dear friend of mine decided to sell his Nikon D200. It had all kinds of goodies with it, including a battery grip! DH and discussed it and he agreed I could buy IF I could sell my Nikon D40. My D40 has been such a wonderful camera, and I definitely wanted it to go to someone who would really appreciate it. And it did, the proud new owner is one of my friends at work.
I was free to buy the D200. I LOVE it!! It's amazing.
I also learned something new: Kinetics. Kinetics is an experimental photographic technique in which the photographer uses movement resulting from physics to create an image. I attempted this by zooming in to the object during a long exposure. I had fun trying it out. My object was my silver jewelry box with my engagement ring in the center, and the box was on black satin place mats. The first version came out looking like an x-ray, pretty cool. But then I amped up the blacks and the contrast and got this eye catching image:

SO fun!!

The Ritz

2009-09-26T14:35:00.005-04:00

I stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Sarasota for a conference this past week. Their grounds were beautiful. I took a few minutes one morning to walk around and take some photos. This is one of my favorites.

Honeymoon

2009-08-29T22:59:00.004-04:00

Steve and I were married on April 18, 2009. On April 20, 2009 we set off for our honeymoon to Mexico. It was my first time leaving the country and I had a great time documenting it. The sunsets were amazing. I wish we could be there now.

Been a while!

2009-07-11T18:59:00.004-04:00

So It's been a while since my last post...a year? Whew. My wedding took precedence over everything else in my life. Although I was taking photos it was mostly of my wedding projects Probably only interesting to to me. Ha ha. So I may throw up a couple of shots for this post instead of one.

My first one comes from a wedding of good friends that occurred two weeks after my own wedding. Andrea, the bride, made a beautiful cupcake stand (in lieu of cake) and I took this photo as the sun was setting.

This next one was taken on a trip to Boston to visit my besties Janice and Jason. This is a long case with Chinese scrolls that is lit up. Taken with no flash inside, I just love how it turned out.

Antique Water Faucet

2008-06-01T11:05:00.005-04:00

I have my first photo that I want to print and frame! I absolutely love this photo!! I have started to volunteer at the Matheson Museum, helping Jess with some administrative stuff that with her incredibly busy schedule she just can't get to. I went up there on Saturday to work on some things, and while I waited for her to get settled I decided to take some photos of the Tison Tool Barn and the Matheson House. I came early and had about 45 minutes to kill. I got some great shots, including some of this antique water faucet.

Once at home I put them into the Mac and started to play with it in photoshop. I was originally trying to make variations of it to try out a technique called "HDR" which I was unsuccessful at. And one of the variations was this photo. I amped the contrast all the way up and added some brightness. That was all. And the color was amazing. It just popped, and became so vivid. Check it out:

As you can see I have also started adding my signature "lesliedigs" to my photos. This lends some sort of copyright function to them. I try to make it blend in as much as possible without taking away or becoming distracting from the photo.

(400x266.4)

Playing with Photoshop

2008-05-04T10:32:00.004-04:00

This week I went to a BBQ at Jess and Andrews house. I took the opportunity to bring my camera , because they have a FABULOUS backyard!! (Thanks Maggie and Jerry!) It comes with rolling green grass, bamboo clumps, bushes, rose bushes, stepping stones, and unique sculptures. One of those sculptures is a squatting sumo wrestler figure that I just love. I took some pictures with and without the flash and was using a polarizing filter to decrease the glare. The non-flash picture turned out the best, since it was dusk.

Once I got home I decided I would play with it in photoshop and see what cool effects I could come up with. First I adjusted the Brightness/Contrast, Highlight/Shadow, and then amped up the green red and yellow. Next I cropped it to focus on the sculpture more. Then I applied a diffused glow filter. I had to play with the various levels with that until I got it just how I liked it. Once that was set, I added a layer and applied a glowing edge style. Again I had to play around with that until I had it how I wanted it. Once that was done I flattened the image and saved it. All done!

Let me know what you think. :-)

A Beautiful Day on Campus

2008-04-27T17:32:00.003-04:00

Today I spent a couple of hours tooling around campus with my camera. My main goal was to go take pictures of the french fries, or "Alachua" as it is professionally known, for a photography site called Digital Photography School (digital-photography-school.com/blog). It is a website that has really helped me learn how to open my mind to viewing the world through the lens. Each week there is a different assignment to do. This week was "angles" hence the thought to take some shots of the french fries.

Even though my initial idea was to use the french fries as my example of angles, I actually came away with a much better shot of the architecture of the Marston Science Library. I looked up, and saw some fascinating elements created from the windows of some offices, the brick pillars/walls, and the windows of the roof. After I got home and loaded the images to my computer, I thought it was very happy with how it turned it out. So here it is....

The last image I posted got chopped off on the right side. I hope it doesn't happen to this one too. If so, just click on the image and it will take you to flickr to see the full image, and you can see it in large format in full detail. You can also see some additional photos from that day including, an alligator, the french fries, and century tower.

All in all it was a peaceful day on campus.

First Post

2008-04-25T21:09:00.003-04:00

Welcome to my blog...I'm new here too. Generally I will use this to post my favorite pictures of the week that I take, ones I am really excited about. Tell stupid stories that are pointless and possibly entertaining only to me. And maybe you will comment and give me insight. Enjoy!

Today my favorite picture is from Matt and Ashleigh's wedding. The object is a chandelier candelabra from Ashleigh's dance instructor, Jen. It is hanging from a tree since the wedding was outside. The lighting was perfect and I didn't have to make any adjustments in photoshop. Sweet!

LeslieDigs

Comfort Zone

More Nursery Projects

I might be overestimating my abilities

How old is too old to have a baby?

Mmmmmm...Cookies

This is a weird experience

Nursery Projects

Yes I CAN cook

What to do in case of fire...works.

Why I Love My Husband

Why it doesn't feel like Christmas

Birthday Painting

New Traditions

Just Between Friends sale

Nursery Design

Thanksgiving and thoughts about how life is going to change...

Registering...a Racket!

And we wonder why America is obese...

Color Psychology

Warm Color Psychology

Cool Color Psychology

Neutral Color Psychology

Productive Day Off!

Art Festivals

First baby dream

Clarification

Bad Flip Flop!

Travel with baby

Lando has a bed!

Pregnancy Vocabulary

The Ladendorf Baby Naming Method

Ambitions

Colds and Apps

FAM and DNA

Big news!

Sometimes Nothing is Going On

Catching up

My Relationship with Caffeine

Free Tibet

Palm Beach County

Would they help?

Quote of the day

Just Arrived

Photo Name

Camera Bags for us ladies!

2 thoughts

Lemons!!

Efforts are paying off

The window of my soul

Dear Vacation, you ended too soon.

Operation Clear Skin

Choices

Hummingbirds in my Garden

Bee in my Garden

Is Rick Scott the Devil?

How do we think of food?

Trees

My next installment on commercials

Pretentious

Aaaaannnd Done!

Books I Read

Good Weekend

Swede in Me

Positivity vs. Envy

Next Step

The beginning

Thoughts on aging...

se·nil·i·ty

That book...NO! That book..oh it's the same book!

Check your facts sir or madam!

My Grandad

Christmas Spirit

Mark Zuckerberg TIME person of the year for 2010

Leslie's Favorite Things

The DMV aka HELL!

How much is it worth?

Football is all a game of smoke and mirrors...

Laziness at its best

Do they Last?