Aargh!!!
One sister's phone is always busy, because her household uses a landline for their internet access and anytime someone's online, calls can't go through! The other sister doesn't delete messages from her machine for sentimental reasons, so you can't leave a message for her! The phone rings about twenty times and then you're told to enter the security code. . . Neither one uses her cell phone with enough regularity to be a reliable contact. Neither one checks email anytime other than at work during work hours . . . frustrating. Or smart? I suppose if people couldn't get ahold of me so darn easily, I wouldn't have spent the last 45 minutes answering the phone and emails. Grrr!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Time
It's after 10pm and I should be in bed. What happens to my sense of time during the school year? I'm trying to keep some balance and not be running frazzled all the time, but each day speeds by so quickly. I guess I should be thankful for all that DID get done today and not lament the growing "to do" list! I was able to walk the dog tonight, make chili for tomorrow's dinner (thanks to Nick's help), clear some papers off my desk, visit with some people at Eastgate about our Highpoint program, and clean off the kitchen counter. Yep, need to count my blessings!
But now I really need to get some sleep. And tomorrow will have enough of it's own worries. Time to pray and truly trust in the Lord! His promises endure.
But now I really need to get some sleep. And tomorrow will have enough of it's own worries. Time to pray and truly trust in the Lord! His promises endure.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Hawaii and Alaska
Remember playing the "license plate game" while traveling as a child? (Okay - some of us play it as adults, but you know what I mean.) I flipped out when I saw this Hawaii plate in a parking lot here in Minnesota a few weeks ago. It's only the second time in my life I've ever seen a Hawaii plate!
So then later that very same week, I was getting on the freeway and I saw an Alaska plate! Hawaii and Alaska in the same week - how crazy is that? Well, from the quality of this shot, it's obviously not as crazy as trying to use a camera while accelerating onto the freeway . . . No, my husband does not read my blog! Anyhow, I definitely do NOT recommend trying to take photos while going 60+ mph on 169. No crashes, fortunately, just a little extra heart-pounding.
I realize that the actual plate is illegible, so here's what Google images shows:
I've never been to either of these states, but I'd sure love to go! This was one of those fun, silly, serendipity moments.
Monday, April 7, 2008
I hate being crabby
It's 3:20 p.m. and I have had about a five minute lunch break today (after school was out) and everyone seems to need a piece of me and I'm getting crabby! I don't like it when I feel this way - it doesn't glorify God, it doesn't make me feel good, and it sure isn't pleasant for the people around me. It's so frustrating. Time for a walk, I think.
Okay. As always, the to-do list stretches farther than the clock allows me to go. Time to put on some uplifting music, get ready for tonight's parent event, and look to the most urgent priorities for tomorrow. I need to take walks more often. I can hear kids racing down the hall and it's 4:05 p.m. . . . Guess I ought to go be the responsible adult who tells them to behave.
Okay. As always, the to-do list stretches farther than the clock allows me to go. Time to put on some uplifting music, get ready for tonight's parent event, and look to the most urgent priorities for tomorrow. I need to take walks more often. I can hear kids racing down the hall and it's 4:05 p.m. . . . Guess I ought to go be the responsible adult who tells them to behave.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Time and tiredness
Never enough time! And yesterday's conferences wore me out. So today I have lots to do and no energy to do anything. . . I am trying to stay calm and just take one thing at a time, but I feel like I'm a day late and a dollar short. And it's so sad to see kids not doing what they need to do!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Alex is my hero!
Today when I opened up to iGoogle, it was only open for a few seconds before it autochanged to a site I had never seen before (http://sitesure.com). I hit my home button and the same thing happened again. Louie was busy fixing the dishwasher, so I asked Alex to help. (Even though I had told him earlier to study / do homework. . . ). He was wonderful! He checked my antivirus software, ran a scan on my computer, then hit the geek archives for info. Apparently, Firefox doesn't like the "This Day in History" widget on the iGoogle page. I was so glad that he solved the problem! I just wonder why it happened today, when I've had that widget on my page for a month or so. Oh well, problem solved and my computer's not infected with some hideous virus! Yeah! Now what nice thing can I do for that great kid?
Friday, February 15, 2008
Winter Blahs
Well, I'm trying to think of some fun and crazy thing to do to spice things up at work. Any ideas for me? I love my job; I've just been feeling lately that I'd rather stay home than go. I suppose it's a good thing that we have President's Day weekend! Three days of . . . I'm not sure yet. A date with my husband tonight (yay!) and no alarm clock tomorrow morning. Sounds like Heaven!
Monday, January 28, 2008
My Exciting Medical Adventure
Wed. 1/23/08
Around 11ish, I suddenly felt kind of crummy. I felt light-headed and heavy-hearted. I tried to ignore it, thinking it was just one of those weird "things." But after about ten minutes, I decided to lay down in the dark studio. That didn't help Sara said I looked pale and suggested I go to the nurse to check my blood pressure. I felt like such a geek, but I went to the school nurse and asked her if she would take my blood pressure since I wasn't feeling very well. It was 210/110 and I think that kind of freaked her out. I asked if that could be the cause of my not feeling well and she gave me a "Duh!" look. She said, "You should call your doctor. Now." So I did. The only openings were at 2:15 and 3:15, so I knew I'd miss the end of the school day and the staff meeting (I wanted to share the "I Love to Read" month stuff!). I made the earlier appointment and left early (because I really felt crummy). On the drive home, I called Louie and asked him to come home and go to the doctor with me.
Wed. afternoon
My wonderful husband came home early and sat with me. He asked if I'd taken aspirin. "No." So he gave me two and I just wanted my doctor appointment to come. We went together (I asked him to come with me) and I went through all the usual questions. It was so weird because my only symptoms were a slight chest pain (more of an ache, dead center) and feeling light-headed. Oh, and my blood pressure was still pretty darn high. All of the other questions were "No. No. No." Then my doctor said she wanted me to go to the ER to get some blood work done. The clinic can't get lab results very quickly. So off we went!
Later Wed. at Burnsville's Fairview Ridges
The ER didn't seem busy to me, but lots of the medical people commented throughout the day about the busy-ness. I guess when you come in with chest pain, you get to go to the front of the line. The ER receptionist asked me to fill out a form with my full name and my social security number. While I waited at the desk for her to return, I saw that someone else's form was sitting on her desk face up. When she got back, I asked her not to leave mine where anyone could see it. She gave me a funny look and made some comment about how they don't leave the forms visible. I pointed out to her that I could have stolen the identity of the woman whose form was on her desk - full name and social security number in full view. She looked at me like I was crazy, but it made me mad that she was so casual with information that could be used so easily to commit identity theft! I suppose I ought to write a letter to the hospital administrator or something. It just made me so mad that she didn't take it seriously. Grr. Okay, so they ran a bunch more tests - EKG, blood draw, questions, etc. Since I'm writing this over a week later, some of the details are getting kind of vague. But it was definitely an afternoon of firsts - first chest x-ray, first nitroglycerin, first morphine, first EKG, first echocardiogram (just like an ultrasound, but on my chest instead of my belly), etc. It was surreal. At one point, I suggested that I felt better, so could I please just go home. When they got the blood lab results, my cardiac enzymes were not good. My troponin level, which should have been in the range of 0.000 - 0.034, was actually at 0.192 and the doctor was alarmed. He told me they would admit me to cardiac ICU. "You've got to be kidding!" was my reaction. But no, he was serious.
Wednesday evening
I had Louie call Nick and tell him to find an alternate ride to church. We asked him not to say anything about where we were - at that point, we weren't sure what was happening and I didn't want people to be all freaked out and worried. In retrospect, that was probably not a great idea. Some people were upset with me that they didn't know I'd been hospitalized until after I was out. I definitely thought about asking people to pray for me, but I went from feeling crummy to really awful. In cardiac ICU, I had the electrodes connected for the heart monitor, they put on additional electrodes for every EKG (periodic throughout the next few days), I had one IV with two ports in my right arm (inner elbow) and then another IV with two ports in the back of my hand. They were giving me shots and pills and nothing to eat or drink. The plan was for me to have a stress test on Thursday morning. I talked with Jenifer that night (returning her call on another matter) and told her at the end of our call, "Um, Jeni. This is kind of weird, but I just need to tell you where I am or you'll be mad at me later." She got kind of upset when I told her that I was in the hospital. It was kind of weird - I hadn't been hospitalized since Nick was born sixteen years ago. And I almost always feel healthy and strong, rarely getting sick.
Wednesday night
The night nurse didn't want me to get out of bed at all because my troponin levels went up and up with every blood test. After using a bedpan a few times (nasty & uncomfortable!), I finally asked if my doctor's orders specifically said I couldn't use the bedside commode. I don't think she was very happy with me, and she warned me of all the dangers, but she finally let me sit up to go to the bathroom (around 4ish in the morning). My doctor, Dr. Weiler had come to see me in the evening. She was wonderful, but things kept getting more & more uncomfortable throughout the night.
Thursday 1/24
By morning, they said that my condition precluded the wisdom of doing a stress test. So the new plan was to send me to Fairview Southdale via ambulance for an angiogram. By now, I was feeling truly awful. I had been cared for by numerous health care professionals, didn't really know why my chest still ached, had nitroglycerin headaches (quick & nasty, plus it really stings under your tongue. The nurse said it might "tingle" - I don't think she's ever had nitro in her mouth. Ouch!) The EMTs were very fun and funny as they prepped me for transport. Louie took the day off work and stayed with me. He was totally wonderful. What an excellent husband! The ambulance ride was icky. I felt worse and worse throughout the ride, thinking I might develop the nausea they kept asking me about.
Thursday @ Fairview
They admitted me directly to the cardiac ICU - same place my mom stayed after her heart attack. Then they prepped me for the angiogram. Joy. Thankfully, I slept through the procedure. The gals down in the cath lab were great - clearly enjoying their job and very efficient at it. When the cardiologist talked to me about the possible dangers, I understood that they were minimal, but I had to think, "I could potentially die. Am I ready?" The first thing that popped into my mind was, "No! I don't want to leave Louie and the boys." Then I thought, "What a terrible reaction. Since I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I believe that my soul will go to Heaven to dwell with God eternally. Why isn't my first thought of the joy of eternity with Him?" I am so glad for God's grace! He knows my heart and loves me anyhow! The angiogram went fine (I found out afterward) and my cardiac arteries were nice and clear. I have pictures! It was a relief to find out that I wouldn't have to have a stent and that clogging of arteries was not one of my problems. My cholesterol levels were also good - that was nice, but not surprising.
Thursday night
Jenifer and Louie were both there for me, giving lots of love! I felt pretty dopey and out of it, and I had had a little pity party that neither Nick nor Al had come to the hospital to see me (and in my view, didn't seem very concerned about their mother) and that Morgan probably didn't even know that I was *in* the hospital! (Until I called him Saturday from home). My dad, mom, and Louise came by the hospital to see me. It felt good to be loved, but I was still pretty dopey. Ann came later, prepared to stay the night and look after me. What a sweetie! She left little love notes for me (and the nursing staff) after I convinced her that I was doing better. I truly felt better. It's weird - it almost seemed as though the angio itself made me feel better. . . Anyhow, I had to stay overnight in the cardiac ICU.
Friday 1/25
This is getting long . . . so on Friday, I got to leave. Louie took me home. I have blood pressure medication now. I need to exercise and get healthy. I need to decrease salt and caffeine! Eek.
Around 11ish, I suddenly felt kind of crummy. I felt light-headed and heavy-hearted. I tried to ignore it, thinking it was just one of those weird "things." But after about ten minutes, I decided to lay down in the dark studio. That didn't help Sara said I looked pale and suggested I go to the nurse to check my blood pressure. I felt like such a geek, but I went to the school nurse and asked her if she would take my blood pressure since I wasn't feeling very well. It was 210/110 and I think that kind of freaked her out. I asked if that could be the cause of my not feeling well and she gave me a "Duh!" look. She said, "You should call your doctor. Now." So I did. The only openings were at 2:15 and 3:15, so I knew I'd miss the end of the school day and the staff meeting (I wanted to share the "I Love to Read" month stuff!). I made the earlier appointment and left early (because I really felt crummy). On the drive home, I called Louie and asked him to come home and go to the doctor with me.
Wed. afternoon
My wonderful husband came home early and sat with me. He asked if I'd taken aspirin. "No." So he gave me two and I just wanted my doctor appointment to come. We went together (I asked him to come with me) and I went through all the usual questions. It was so weird because my only symptoms were a slight chest pain (more of an ache, dead center) and feeling light-headed. Oh, and my blood pressure was still pretty darn high. All of the other questions were "No. No. No." Then my doctor said she wanted me to go to the ER to get some blood work done. The clinic can't get lab results very quickly. So off we went!
Later Wed. at Burnsville's Fairview Ridges
The ER didn't seem busy to me, but lots of the medical people commented throughout the day about the busy-ness. I guess when you come in with chest pain, you get to go to the front of the line. The ER receptionist asked me to fill out a form with my full name and my social security number. While I waited at the desk for her to return, I saw that someone else's form was sitting on her desk face up. When she got back, I asked her not to leave mine where anyone could see it. She gave me a funny look and made some comment about how they don't leave the forms visible. I pointed out to her that I could have stolen the identity of the woman whose form was on her desk - full name and social security number in full view. She looked at me like I was crazy, but it made me mad that she was so casual with information that could be used so easily to commit identity theft! I suppose I ought to write a letter to the hospital administrator or something. It just made me so mad that she didn't take it seriously. Grr. Okay, so they ran a bunch more tests - EKG, blood draw, questions, etc. Since I'm writing this over a week later, some of the details are getting kind of vague. But it was definitely an afternoon of firsts - first chest x-ray, first nitroglycerin, first morphine, first EKG, first echocardiogram (just like an ultrasound, but on my chest instead of my belly), etc. It was surreal. At one point, I suggested that I felt better, so could I please just go home. When they got the blood lab results, my cardiac enzymes were not good. My troponin level, which should have been in the range of 0.000 - 0.034, was actually at 0.192 and the doctor was alarmed. He told me they would admit me to cardiac ICU. "You've got to be kidding!" was my reaction. But no, he was serious.
Wednesday evening
I had Louie call Nick and tell him to find an alternate ride to church. We asked him not to say anything about where we were - at that point, we weren't sure what was happening and I didn't want people to be all freaked out and worried. In retrospect, that was probably not a great idea. Some people were upset with me that they didn't know I'd been hospitalized until after I was out. I definitely thought about asking people to pray for me, but I went from feeling crummy to really awful. In cardiac ICU, I had the electrodes connected for the heart monitor, they put on additional electrodes for every EKG (periodic throughout the next few days), I had one IV with two ports in my right arm (inner elbow) and then another IV with two ports in the back of my hand. They were giving me shots and pills and nothing to eat or drink. The plan was for me to have a stress test on Thursday morning. I talked with Jenifer that night (returning her call on another matter) and told her at the end of our call, "Um, Jeni. This is kind of weird, but I just need to tell you where I am or you'll be mad at me later." She got kind of upset when I told her that I was in the hospital. It was kind of weird - I hadn't been hospitalized since Nick was born sixteen years ago. And I almost always feel healthy and strong, rarely getting sick.
Wednesday night
The night nurse didn't want me to get out of bed at all because my troponin levels went up and up with every blood test. After using a bedpan a few times (nasty & uncomfortable!), I finally asked if my doctor's orders specifically said I couldn't use the bedside commode. I don't think she was very happy with me, and she warned me of all the dangers, but she finally let me sit up to go to the bathroom (around 4ish in the morning). My doctor, Dr. Weiler had come to see me in the evening. She was wonderful, but things kept getting more & more uncomfortable throughout the night.
Thursday 1/24
By morning, they said that my condition precluded the wisdom of doing a stress test. So the new plan was to send me to Fairview Southdale via ambulance for an angiogram. By now, I was feeling truly awful. I had been cared for by numerous health care professionals, didn't really know why my chest still ached, had nitroglycerin headaches (quick & nasty, plus it really stings under your tongue. The nurse said it might "tingle" - I don't think she's ever had nitro in her mouth. Ouch!) The EMTs were very fun and funny as they prepped me for transport. Louie took the day off work and stayed with me. He was totally wonderful. What an excellent husband! The ambulance ride was icky. I felt worse and worse throughout the ride, thinking I might develop the nausea they kept asking me about.
Thursday @ Fairview
They admitted me directly to the cardiac ICU - same place my mom stayed after her heart attack. Then they prepped me for the angiogram. Joy. Thankfully, I slept through the procedure. The gals down in the cath lab were great - clearly enjoying their job and very efficient at it. When the cardiologist talked to me about the possible dangers, I understood that they were minimal, but I had to think, "I could potentially die. Am I ready?" The first thing that popped into my mind was, "No! I don't want to leave Louie and the boys." Then I thought, "What a terrible reaction. Since I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I believe that my soul will go to Heaven to dwell with God eternally. Why isn't my first thought of the joy of eternity with Him?" I am so glad for God's grace! He knows my heart and loves me anyhow! The angiogram went fine (I found out afterward) and my cardiac arteries were nice and clear. I have pictures! It was a relief to find out that I wouldn't have to have a stent and that clogging of arteries was not one of my problems. My cholesterol levels were also good - that was nice, but not surprising.
Thursday night
Jenifer and Louie were both there for me, giving lots of love! I felt pretty dopey and out of it, and I had had a little pity party that neither Nick nor Al had come to the hospital to see me (and in my view, didn't seem very concerned about their mother) and that Morgan probably didn't even know that I was *in* the hospital! (Until I called him Saturday from home). My dad, mom, and Louise came by the hospital to see me. It felt good to be loved, but I was still pretty dopey. Ann came later, prepared to stay the night and look after me. What a sweetie! She left little love notes for me (and the nursing staff) after I convinced her that I was doing better. I truly felt better. It's weird - it almost seemed as though the angio itself made me feel better. . . Anyhow, I had to stay overnight in the cardiac ICU.
Friday 1/25
This is getting long . . . so on Friday, I got to leave. Louie took me home. I have blood pressure medication now. I need to exercise and get healthy. I need to decrease salt and caffeine! Eek.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Weekends are too fleeting
I love weekends! I love sitting by the fireplace, relaxed and warm. I love spending time with my family and giving my dog belly rubs. I love not having to set my alarm clock on Saturday and setting it for two hours later than usual on Sunday. I love having time to quilt, do laundry, make phone calls, and putter around the house.
It was nice to have Tyler and Sarah over today, though they couldn't stay very long. This week is going to be insanely busy, so I need to be really prayerful about my choices!
It was nice to have Tyler and Sarah over today, though they couldn't stay very long. This week is going to be insanely busy, so I need to be really prayerful about my choices!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Salad Rules
We play this goofy card game my mom taught me called Salad. When we look online for rules, we only find versions of "Canadian Salad" which are much more involved (12+ hands, more rules, etc.). So this is our current rule standard for the LaMoore family. We were up at my sister-in-law's lake place and didn't have the rules with, so we punted. It worked out okay, but I thought putting it in my blog might help for future events. Here they are! The Salad Card Game Rules. (I couldn't upload my pdf, so here they are in full form.)
On 7/11/16, I updated some info to clarify questions that came up in comments. When I originally posted this on 1/2/08, it was so I could access it anywhere I had internet connectivity. It's gratifying that so many others have enjoyed it!
Dealer is determined by cut (1st hand only).
1st hand No Tricks - 5 pts / trick
7th hand 8s and Solitaire (see points below)
Person with highest points loses.
On 7/11/16, I updated some info to clarify questions that came up in comments. When I originally posted this on 1/2/08, it was so I could access it anywhere I had internet connectivity. It's gratifying that so many others have enjoyed it!
Salad (4, 5, 6, or 7 players)
4 players – full deck
5 players – remove 2 of diamonds and 2 of clubs
6 players – remove all 2s
7 players – remove 2s of diamonds, clubs, and spades
(Actually, we’ve played with 8 people, 2 decks, and it worked fine. . . )
Dealer is determined by cut (1st hand only).
Play clockwise to left.
When all cards have been dealt, each player selects three to “slough” to the player on their left. First player leads whatever they want. Highest card in original suit played takes the hand. Keep track of points each hand – this gets interesting!
1st hand No Tricks - 5 pts / trick
2nd hand No Hearts - 5 pts / heart
3rd hand No Queens - 25 pts / queen
4th hand No Kings - 50 pts / king
5th hand Last Trick - 75 pts for last trick
6th hand All of the Above pts as above
7th hand 8s and Solitaire (see points below)
Points for 7th hand:
1st done = -100 points
2nd done = -75 points
3rd done = -50 points (unless 4 or 5 players, then 0 points)
4th done = +50 points
5th done = +75
6th done = +100
On Solitaire hand, 8s must be played first. Aces are high. A player puts an eight on the table. If the next player has an eight in a different suit, or a 7 or 9 of the suit already played, they can play one of those cards. If they do not have any cards that can be played, they must "pass." If someone can play a card, they must play it. (They cannot pass just to hold off other players.) Play continues around until players have played all their cards. (From the eights in the middle, cards will extend from each side seven through two and nine through ace.)
Person with highest points loses.
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