instruments for subluxations, blood-pressure kit and a hanger for the car keys

well, i did it. i went to the chiropractor, and they took x-rays and used some equipment designed by NASA to detect heat spots in my spine-which indicate possible subluxations (pinched or irritated nerves). this particular day, i walked into the office, and there was no one there, except bradley-who, looks kinda' like big boy only with orange-ish hair. i hate to say it, but he kinda' drove me nuts.

main entrance-it's a fairly new practice

  when we were in the room where they pulled out the NASA equipment, it seemed like he was really trying to sell a used car. i said something that made him think of a joke, only it was from a stand-up comedian act, and when he tried to set it up and explain that part, then told the joke prefaced by "it was something like..." i should have known i would have to break out the fake smile and fake laugh. when he started to talk to me like a kid, i was really annoyed. he actually tried a CLOZE sentence with me, where he said something and trailed off at the end, leaning in to let me know i was supposed to fill in the blank. pretty sure he said: "so, if you know that it isn't helping, it's..._______" so i gave him my annoyed look and answered with my 'are you really doing this right now' voice: HARMING?. conversation didn't get better the longer he went on. finally the doctor came in to do the x-rays and she was normal.

what i noticed was that the appliques on the walls were slightly off centered or just 'not-quite straight' enough that a discerning eye would notice. not that i'm judging...but yes, i am kinda' judging. before i left, i was given the appointment card for the follow-up visit:

it's CRUCIAL to bring a spouse or a loved one! (not one of the three of us that showed up had a spouse or loved one with us...)

then i went back in to hear the recommendations and all goes along with that. it took a good 60-90 minutes. there were 3 other new patients, so the doc gave her introduction and like a powerpoint presentation of what chiropractic is, and how she got involved-her story, if you will. and then each person went back for the individual consultation. well...my x-rays showed what my body feels like, so i wasn't totally surprised.

i'd hoped that the back surgery a couple years back would've taken care of everything, but unfortunately during the past school year, my back has been getting progressively worse. 

all sorts of interesting stuff going on in there! anyhoo, she said i was a good candidate and thought they would really be able to help (of course, i am certain they say this to everyone). BUT at this point, i just need my body to agree with me. i think part of the reason i don't get out and do things i really enjoy is because my body has been working against me, and i've just resigned myself to that for too long. i have a pretty high threshold for pain, but it'd gotten to the point where bending over to put on socks or pick something up off the ground hurt- i'm too young for that-

i need to get back to doing the things i love again.

so i started to think about all of the things could have contributed to all of this...

• falling from the top of the tornado slide-kindergarten
• makeshift high jump in our backyard in teguc and i totally over-jumped the mat and landed flat on my back-wind knocked out of me. 
• various roller-blading spills
• 1 major car crash and 2 minor accidents (which messed up the cars)
• falling jumping from an 8 foot retaining wall on a rainy night and falling (first acl tear)
• missing my footing on a jump in a cave and falling on back from about 8-10 ft
• airlines-lifting, stacking heavy suitcases and trunks because no one can travel with bags lighter than the 50 lb limit...apparently
• being independent- getting a futon up to the 3rd floor alone, moving a love-seat down from the 3rd floor-and across the parking lot, rearranging/completely moving everything in the apt two times in two weeks when they did the floors...alone

i'm pretty sure there are other things i am missing, but that's probably a pretty good start. so i will be seeing the chiropractor regularly- it takes 20 minutes to get there, on a good day, and only 5 minutes for them to do their part...so yes, 40 minutes of travel for a 5 minute adjustment. worth it-the drive is relaxing for me.

so, they did the first adjustment the same day. the alternate doc was there, and he did the adjustment. he went in to ask dr. bri where the 'instrument' was. i'm sure this instrument has a name, but they just call it the instrument-i wonder if it just has a weird name, or they cannot pronounce it. i suppose if i were an inventor and could patent a device, i would call it something like the flickinbickenmcklickenspicken device...then people would always refer to it as 'THE DEVICE,' as well. 

so yeah, i did just look it up, and it's called the  impulse adjusting instrument ...anyhoo-hopefully the whole sock and tying the shoe thing gets better with the next few visits! 

new subject-bruno had his acl surgery! poor buddy...his leg looks like frankenstein's monster. he's doing pretty well. the good thing is that he is not a jumpy energetic one, so he's pretty good about lying down and resting, although there have been a couple of times that i've caught him contemplating a jump and stopped him. constant supervision. boys! so if i can't keep an eye on him, i have to cage him up. chaco may be a little jealous. "why can't i have a surgery?" "why can't i wear a cone?" i thought about going out and buying one for him so he doesn't feel so left out. not really, because that would be odd behavior...

tuesday is the final reveal for our secret pals at school-good times. it's been fun-i love doing stuff like this. there is something fun about giving. (only not when it's like giving taxes, or giving money to bruno's doctors)... 

and i decided to try the more minimalistic approach with dressing during the week for school. my own uniform, if you will. going with khaki/tan pants and black shirt. easy. so on monday, i found some pants that i really like the fit of at dress barn. unfortunately they only had one pair and they couldn't order online. so she checked some other stores in the metroplex and found a store with 2 pair, so they ordered them to be delivered. i then got in my car and went to walmart because the target had closed down and i wasn't aware. 

after pulling in, i got out of my car and was walking away and remembered i needed something from the trunk. so i reached for my keys to open the trunk...they weren't there. nope, once again-story of my life-locked them in my car! WHAT IN THE WORLD??! so of course, i had to stay with my car while i waited for the man to come and break into my car. it took him 45 minutes to get there and all of 1 minute and 42 seconds (approx) to unlock my door. boo. so i watched carefully and i think if i got myself a blood pressure kit, i could do the same thing. pump that sucker up, give myself the space to get a hanger in there and pop the lock! no problem-i could TOTALLY do it! they don't call me mcgeyver for nothing.

right there. there they are. just on the other side of that glass. just sittin there. STUPID KEYS!!!!

so i did use my time well-i took loose carts to the corral, and offered to take carts from people who were nearby to pass the time. when i wasn't being useful, i was leaning against the car trying to look cool. new trend-hanging out by your car at walmart-it's "IN." just ask the cool kids. so there was that. i got home much later than i had planned that night. double-boo. 

and i said i was going to try the whole liquid-water color paints- i decided to go with neutral shades...yes i do need to adjust the pics with a level. i was too lazy. like the peeps at the chiropractor office (only i don't have to unpeel these from the wall).

from my favorite song on the GARDEN STATE soundtrack

i made it through field day yesterday. i cannot believe i didn't get any pics! it was brutal. we did hockey shots in the gym. the pre-k kids had never held a stick, so it was a great little motor-skills event for them. i had on my fake smile and enthusiasm all day long... and that was exhausting!! BUT the kids had a blast, and that's what really matters! 

this thursday, it's off to berkeley, ca for our little teamsfest, teaching channel escapade! it should be really good for us- lots of valuable information and ideas for next steps and how to be really successful implementing this more personalized pd next year in a way that really benefits all of our staff. THAT is what i am looking forward to.

alright, enjoy your memorial day weekend, take time to honor those who have served and given their lives for our freedom-heroes.

julie

field day-the race that turned into the eternal relay, new chacos and 2X proud alumna!

You know that it's the end of the year when field day comes around! and you know you've been a part of field day when your eyelids and every other part of your body feel sticky-dirty. so yesterday was field day and it was perfect weather! not too hot, no rain and a slight breeze-couldn't have prayed for better weather! my first group was third grade-they went fairly smoothly and without incident. we found that 10 minutes was way too long for spoon races...and so we had to manipulate the event and turn it into the never-ending relay: keep going! the winner is the student who is the most tired when time is up!

then came kindergarten. i kinda' gave up with them...no matter how many times i said, "no holding the tennis ball!" it faded in the breeze. kindergarteners aren't into rules. little cheaters.

then came prek and second grade and we were so ready to be done! i think they had fun, although they weren't out for very long (per grade-level). one of the teachers said it wasn't long enough, so i responded that if we'd had actual volunteers to help run the events, we might have been able to have more events, but when no one is willing to step up, whatcha get is whatcha get...sorry. maybe talk to your parents about volunteering next year instead of just standing around watching. just sayin....

i had so much stuff, and i didn't want to take it all inside..but i forgot my car keys. so i left my chair and cooler by the car, hoping that no one would walk off with it. when i got back out after school, i'd almost forgotten that i'd left these out there! most of the other cars were gone, but there were my belongings intact!

who knew?!

 we found out that our school was one of the 8 chosen for the exploratory phase of the Personalized Learning program! WOOHOO!! this basically means that we will have this next year to work with a team from the district to plan, visit and glean as much knowledge and vision as possible to prepare for next year, when the PL teams will be implementing personalized learning on their campuses. it is an exciting time, and i cannot wait to learn more and for our teachers to learn more!

it is especially exciting because the middle school that our students will feed into was accepted into this 'incubation period' as well! this means that we will be working closely with them, which will be really good for our students!!

so today i went to rei because of the memorial day sales...and i got 20% off! i needed to get a new pair of chacos. i have a pair that i need to send in to get re-soled, but i don't know if i will get them back before my trip. so these were exactly what i needed.

as you can see, the tread has been worn down on my first pair. they even have a long crack across the bottom. i'm excited to get them back, because they are my simple black.

today i was excited to watch a video of my high school (this one is partially in spanish), as it is their 60th anniversary. there is not enough i could say about EIS to do it justice..i learned so much there, and not a day goes by that i don't think about this beautiful campus nestled at the foot of the mountain, and friendships that continue to this day.  i also just saw a blog post by The Heritage Foundation about my college; although it is a small college, it is huge with heart! it is one of those campuses that is so beautiful and unforgettable! the first moment i stepped onto the campus, i was in love. and truthfully, i was blessed beyond measure with the friendships that i made there! humble, genuine and simply put: just what i needed! -SO PROUD TO HAVE BEEN A PART OF BOTH OF THEM!!!!!

it's a great night to be content!
julie

time to change the flapper! (good thing i don't have to say that very often)

two days at school and i got my last grades in, as well as filling out the cumulative folders-what a joy to be done with that! every year i end up not getting around to it until the last day when everyone else is finishing their room or playing cards, i sit laboring on those darned folders! boo.

and friday was field day, so i started the day off with the kids outside, "helping" with the events for about 2 hours, then i pulled out the gimp-card, and went up to my classroom to lay down on my carpeting and relax my back. that helped a ton (although my room was frigid, and i really could've used a blanket!)

this morning i took the boys to petsmart (they haven't gone with me in ages), so they were very excited and they loved the attention! until the old italian lady who didn't speak english saw them and rushed over and tried to go after chaco..he ran behind me to hide and did his little growl thing...so she went for bruno, who kind of backed up and looked at her with pleading eyes, but she picked him up anyway-without even asking. who does that??

i had to get dog food for them because i ran out and was resorting to the old prescription liver-food that i had leftover for when chaco was younger. so i got the big bag. i did look at the weight of the bag...it was a 15 lb bag, so i kinda' slid it into the cart and then from the cart to the car.

then i headed to the only arby's i'm aware of on midway because i've been craving their philly cheesesteak sandwich! well, sadly when i got there, it was boarded up and they have apparently closed down. so i went to the next thing i've been craving...

love their burgers and fries!!

when i got home, i did the responsible thing. i scooped out a bunch of the dog food into a plastic bag and brought that up so that i could feed them, and that way the bag would be about 10 lbs-my max-and i could bring it up later.

dropped some kibbles on the ground...leaving a trail...just a snack for others who are walking their dogs in the parking lot.

when i got upstairs, at some point i had to flush the toilet, but the water kept running. good thing i'm handy...i took off the toilet back and the flapper was practically disintegrated, so i had to run out and purchase a new one. i wish i'd realized this when mom and dad were here, because it would have been one more thing to keep him busy!

anyhoo, i wasn't sure what the part was called that i needed, so i looked it up and found this really cool website that shows how a toilet works...it is interactive and you can push the button to make the toilet flush...

i may or may not have flushed the online toilet several times...

then i headed off to the hardware store to buy me a flapper!

fixed!

i guess i could've called the apt. office and have the maintenance men do it, but i'm sure they have bigger fish to fry, and i'm not patient enough to wait!

hmm...what do you do if your toilet is running? GO CATCH IT!!! good to have a recycled joke once and awhile.
happy memorial day weekend!
julie

flowers, student cards and new shoes!

definitely went to the original pancake house today and LOVED it! best bacon...EVER! (even better than kamp!) poached eggs, bacon and 2 buttermilk pancakes! yummo! mom's banana/pecan crepe looked really good as well. and we finished up and got out probably before most of the kids at school finished their breakfasts!

I LOVE BACON!!!

then i decided to run by school so that i could try to get a few things done so that when i go back it won't be crazy times! i got a couple of things done, and had to stop in to ask maria about a couple of things (which was when ms. johnson and ms. sowe brought down some flowers and a card-what a great team!) they were beautiful-i should have surgeries more often..it's the only time i get flowers! smile.

i had to strap them in! safety first, safety last and safety in between!

i also got some sweet cards from the students. some are very basic, others are rather interesting!

isn't this a great package! so inviting!

i don't know if he thought i was on a vacation to hawaii, or what...(gigi)

are there actually horses at the zoo?

apparently this student understands the basics of back surgery!

i'm glad that i'm not considered hairy.

when i got home, i took a power nap and when i was woken up by the pzizz man, i decided that i needed 2 power naps! and then i went and got some new chacos for the summer because they were on sale! they will certainly get used! this year i hope to come away from summer with a chaco tan! (speaking of the shoes, not my pup)

excited to break them in!

and i just got the call from benefits that i have been cleared to come back to work! just in time for field day. (no exclamation point). what was i thinking...i should've stuck with her suggestion of next tuesday. oh well, less pressure to finish things.

back to the grind...nothing like the end of the school-year!!
julie

field day is overrated

field day is over. God is good because it was overcast and slightly breezy much of the time. no one got hurt and no one got their feelings hurt (i don't think my kids really cared one way or the other). in fact, most of the kids just wanted to chase each other around and go over to buy snacks...so i propose that next year instead of field day we just have snack day with freeze tag.

i told the boys that today was field day at school. when i explained what it was, bruno wanted to play tug-o-war.

chaco, on the other hand, was going around the room with a sharpie asking everyone to sign his shirt. and when i say everyone, i mean me. "chaco, you don't even have a shirt on." "so, you're not going to sign? mama! at least pretend to sign so that if the neighbors are looking from across the way they'll think i'm cool." "little love, they are never going to think you're cool...just cute. put the marker away."

yes, sometimes chaco's name is little love and bruno's (immediately following so he doesn't get jealous) is big love-
...well, i just realized when i said it the other day that it makes bruno sound like he's married to many women and has fathered many children...and leads a cult. none of which is true. perhaps i'll have to change that. (the nickname, not the cult part)

so glad today is over-i do not find field day fun. not in the slightest.
julie