That's Mr. Stiers, To You

I'm still waiting. But that's not what I want to write about. Oh, and thanks so much for all the encouraging comments (wonder woman - I like that (see mama self's comment on my last post!)

Remember awhile back, I mentioned that weird coincidences seemed to happen to me? I've also recently written about Star Trek: The Next Generation. This post combines the two. You can't wait, can you?

Last Thursday evening, my husband put in his Star Trek tape that has about 6 episodes that we taped years ago. I never know what episode is going to play because we've never written down what exactly is on them. The episode that first played is the one that guest stars David Ogden Stiers as a scientist from another planet. He boards the ship to conduct an experiment on his planet's star with the help of the Enterprise. I like this episode because I like this actor so I was glad to be able to watch it. I remember Mr. Stiers mostly from the comedy M*A*S*H, where he played Charles Winchester III, the blue-blooded tent mate of Hawkeye (Alan Alda) and BJ. Do you remember who I'm talking about? Of course, he's done lots of other screen and TV work but this is what I'm most familiar with.


Anyway, the very next morning, I went into the kitchen where my sweet husband was unloading the dishwasher (nothing more beautiful to see in the a.m!) He had the radio on and said, "David Ogden Stiers is being interviewed on the radio." I didn't hear him right at first. Then it dawned on me that it really was this actor, being interviewed on our local (small town) radio station. I was amazed! After listening to the interview, which I enjoyed, we heard that he was going to be at our local theatre, participating in a musical program. I was still amazed! I found out that he lives about 3 hours south of here, on the coast. I thought that was so cool! I thought, "Wow, I get to see this guy in person, right here in our little town!"

But wait, Todd has to work. It's kind of spendy. It's not going to happen. O.k. I decided that it was enough just to hear the interview and know that he was here. I did find out that he guest conducts for the Newport Symphony Orchestra (Newport is 3 hours south of us on the coast), the next time being this January, so I might be able to go to that. Maybe.

And wouldn't you know it. The ICU unit at the hospital was closed (meaning they had no patients) - they called about 5:00 p.m. to tell Todd not to come in. Bummer. The concert had started at 4:00 p.m. It just wasn't meant to be. But that's o.k. It was just one of those wonderful coincidences that happen in my life, I suppose, to give me something to ponder.

I Hate Waiting

Here's another question ... How do you handle stress? (Warning - The following is a boring post about my present medical situation. Feel free to move on to another blog that makes you laugh!)

My friend, Cristina at jugglingpaynes, sweetly asked how I was feeling (thanks for thinking of me!). Amazingly, since my weird injured stomach muscle diagnosis, I've only had a few days of bothersome symptoms. My husband said that this is just the way I will be now - it's my future. Get used to it. Sigh. For awhile, when it was really bad (a few weeks ago) I felt like I'd never recover. I was so scared at each doctor visit, since I didn't know what was wrong. And I was terrified of what it might be. Having a diagnosis was a relief - at least I knew which direction to go to help myself. Even if there is not much I can do, I think I can manage it. I am so thankful to have days when I feel like nothing is wrong. I've learned how to isolate this central muscle and not use it, or at least to pull it in instead of letting it push out. And on the days I have symptoms, I try not to get uptight. Just manage it. My blood tests have all come back normal (super normal, in fact - hooray!) My nurse-husband gets annoyed when I press him for information, like "How can I make my blood levels even more super normal?" I am, however, wretchedly awaiting results from my abdominal ultrasound I had a week ago. (This was to rule out any other problems that might be present.) The (stinkin') radiology department said that they had sent the results to my doc but they hadn't. I might hear from him tomorrow or it could be another week. It's upsetting that I can't even read my own results. I'm paying for the darn thing, after all! So, that is still stressful but I am trying to think "Don't worry unless there is something to worry about".

To the average person, this would be logical. But I was born and raised by a sweet, loving, major-worrying Mom who looked for the worse-case scenario in everything. How can such a nice lady be such a worry wort? Worry is something that has been with me all my life, keeping me busy praying and trying to give up my woes to the Lord. I try. Really. But I let Him down all the time. He is able to carry my burden if I would only give it to him.

So, I'll await the final test result. I'll try not to think about it. Worry only if there's something to worry about. I'll let you know.

Pre-Blog Life

Here's a question: What did you do with your time, prior to the Internet? Before you learned about blogging and got the nerve to start your own blog? For some of you, it's been a long time so you might have to really think about this.

For me, personally, I was pretty much knee-deep in young kids so my evenings (which is when I blog) were filled with getting the kids down for the night (baths, snacks, stories, etc.) Now, with just one child still needing me, I have more time in the evening - unless she's dragging her feet which has been the case lately. It's amazing ... just 10 minutes or so after I get her to bed, suddenly I feel relaxed and have more energy, even when I'm exhausted prior. I asked my husband about this and he said it's because I'm still on duty until she's in bed. And he's right - until Carmen says goodnight, I'm still "at work".

When I first started blogging, it was kind of addictive. I couldn't wait to sit down and write and/or read/comment. I'm glad to say that now I choose when I blog and it's not so compelling. For me, that's a good thing. There's nothing wrong with blogging every day but there are days I would rather read more or whatever. And things have changed here due to Todd's schedule. When he's home, I barely touch the computer, which explains why a week goes by before I post again. Yeah, it's getting kind of slow here at "Three's A Crowd", but I'm sure no one minds! But only having Todd home 4 nights a week makes our time together more important. Just sitting with him alone is a treat (even if he's watching a Star Trek video!) It's even more of a treat when we watch "As Time Goes By" (which is my favorite.)

Speaking of Star Trek (were we speaking of Star Trek - o.k. just pretend we were) ... Did you know that the character "Data", who is the android on the starship, doesn't use contractions when he speaks? He does later on in the movies but in the "Next Generation" TV series, he is programmed not to use contractions. The reason I'm bringing this up is I have noticed that I do not use contractions when I blog. I often go back over my writing and use contractions where I can in an effort to shorten a comment or to make my writing flow better. And every time I do this, I am reminded of Data. Darned annoying!

You know, tonight I felt like writing but couldn't come up with a topic. Funny how one can fill a page with nothing to say!

Starting To Surface

Thank you so much for your prayers. I don't always think to ask for prayer for myself but, like duh! I need it just as much as the next guy. Thank you again, I really appreciate it. And God answered quickly.

I made a visit to a new (to me) female doctor for my female issues and boy am I glad to have that visit done! It's been 4 years so I was overdue. But this lady doctor was really, really great - it wasn't the average doctor visit. For starters, she has set up practice on her own now and runs the whole show (answers the phone, etc.) She used to be at our local hospital but moved to Portland and can't yet afford to have any office staff. So it was just me and the doc for 1-1/2 hours. Like visiting a friend. And she knew my husband and my primary physician, which was also beneficial. It was tiring to drive 2 hours there and 2 hours back but I'm so glad I did.

So the diagnosis? (Drum roll, please ...) Mild diastasis of the rectus abdominus muscle. I can almost say it now. In layman's terms, this means the muscle that goes down the front of my belly, from my belly button on down, is split. Mildly. Ugh. This happens with pregnancy, as the belly expands rapidly and the muscle is stretched. This is an important muscle and holds up a lot of organs, from what I can see in diagrams. Apparently, I have had this damage for at least 7 years (since my last baby) but have recently done more damage to it. Which has caused several problems that seemed to me to be muscular in nature but I couldn't figure out why. Now I know. And the reason I am writing all this is in the hopes that one of you have heard of this and might know what I can do for it. There are exercises to help repair the problem but I am finding it difficult to get more information. There is a book somewhere but I can't find it yet. In the meantime, I am trying to be more careful with my stomach muscles and have better posture, which helps.

And this is interesting ... in all the info I have come across, one message is clear, "Do NOT do sit ups or crunches!!" I have been meaning to start doing sit-ups for about a month or more but just never did them - now I know why! I believe God was keeping me from doing them. I really do! He knows these things, obviously, before we do. I am thankful!

And my doctor said I was "fit"! I've never been told that! It really made me feel good - isn't that silly? My husband says I look great and I've been told I was thin, but to be told I was "fit" ... I don't know, it just rang pleasantly in my ear. Even if my insurance doesn't cover the cost of my office visit, it was all worth it!

Finally ... today we had a beautiful day. I even sat on the deck this evening, reading, with the sun shining on me. It felt wonderful. Yes, I had on sunscreen. But it still felt wonderful.

The fog has begun to lift. Literally.

Sigh

Due to my present circumstances, I am experiencing total blog burn-out. If it appears that I've dropped out of sight this week, technically I have.

Minor health issues ... stress from said m. h. issues ... and this stinkin' weather.

All this could lead to a fit of depression.

Sorry. I'll return when I resurface. Might be sooner, or possibly later.

God bless.

P.S. Guess I was wrong about turning 45 - it really does stink, at least at the moment.

Your Opinion Matters

In the Sunday paper today, I read an article in "Parade" magazine that talked about the homeschooling issue going on in California right now. And the magazine wanted people to go to their website and vote on the following: Should parents need teaching credentials to homeschool their kids?

I went to parade.com and voted where indicated. I voted "no" because I know very well that parents do NOT need teaching credentials to teach their kids. I want to encourage those of you who homeschool or support homeschooling to go to parade.com and vote your opinion. As of 10:45 pm, over 15,000 votes have been tallied and it's 90% - no and 10% - yes. I was thrilled! On their website, under the heading "What's New", click on the article entitled "Taught At Home".

I really can't stand to see anything that puts homeschooling in a negative light when I know so many, many families that homeschool successfully, including my own (in my opinion). Enough said.

Matt

After reading a friend's post the other day, I was reminded of a man that I hadn't thought about in awhile. His name is Matt and he was a major influence in my life, from the time I was about 14 until I got married. My sister married a man named Jeff (another major influence in my life) and Jeff's sister is Cindy. Cindy is married to Matt, who is a pastor. You know how the saying goes, you don't just marry the person, you marry the family? In our case, my family and Jeff's family spent a bit more time together than most families related by marriage. I was in my sister's wedding and Matt officiated. I spent time at my sister's home, where Jeff's family often visited and we'd have these great spiritual discussions that went long into the evening (all of these people are Christians and I was a new believer) - I learned a lot. At that time, Matt was the Associate Pastor at a church in Long Beach, CA, and I sometimes went there with my sister.

Later in my teen years, I rebelled and went my own way. My sister and her husband, Jeff, didn't approve of my boyfriend so I stopped spending time at their home (I was SO stupid!) After 4 years of this, I was in bad shape. I didn't want to end the relationship but I didn't want to go on with it. So, one day, I went to see Matt at church. We talked. He knew all about my boyfriend and I told him how I was feeling. He made it very plain - he said, "This guy is making you sick and you can't get well until he is out of your life". Straight talk that I needed to hear - you'd think I could figure out something that simple on my own but sometimes you need someone from the outside to wake you up. I pondered this for a short time and even began to pray about it. The Lord spoke plainly to me as well. A few months later, the situation presented itself and I was ready to end the relationship. I cried for a week. But then, I went to church for the first time in a long time and I couldn't wait to tell Matt - I remember running up to him and saying, "Matt, it's over! I can get well now!" Please believe me, if this sounds weird, it wasn't - it's just what happened!

I continued going to church and became part of the college group. There was one time that I got myself into some mild trouble and Matt actually drove around one Sunday night and found me with friends outside a local restaurant after church. He said, "I want to see you in my office in 10 minutes!" Oh, man! It was worse than facing my own father! He and the college pastor were both there and they talked with me for awhile, giving me some stern advice. It was horrible, I knew I had let Matt down and I decided right then and there to get my act together. He never mentioned it again. I was so relieved and I knew he had forgiven me.

Then my dad died. My dad had a lot of respect for Matt. Matt officiated at my dad's funeral. And he read the words I had written and had hoped to say but couldn't, out of grief. I was so thankful to have a pastor that was personally involved with our family perform the funeral service - I know Dad approved!

A year later, I met the man I would marry at that same church in Long Beach. We had marriage counseling with, who else, Matt. And, of course, Matt performed our wedding ceremony. It was a perfect day for me. How cool it was to have my brother-in-law, Jeff (in place of my Dad), walk me down the aisle to join my waiting husband-to-be and Matt. These three wonderful men in my life were there together - I loved it!

Two years later, Todd and I moved north. Strangely, enough, Matt went north as well, to become the Senior Pastor of a church in Washington. It's 2 hours east of us and we visited his church on his first Sunday there.

I am very thankful the Lord put Matt in my life. In my opinion, there is no one else like him.