HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 2007!!!!

ROCKY! ROCKY! ROCKY!

I just got back from seeing Rocky Balboa with a group of friends. There was pretty much an entire row of us. I am pleased to annouce that I liked the movie. I was a little nervous at first because I thought the movie would be unbelievable, but it was very good. I loved it!!! And Tony didn't wet his pants!! Right now I'm really looking forward to seeing Transformers and Harry Potter. But I have to wait all the way till July! 7 and half more months for crying out loud!!
I'm glad they did a Rocky 6! It well made up for the piece of shit that was Rocky 5.
No one, not even Rocky fans liked that sorry excuse for a film! Rocky Balboa (rocky 6) gets 2 chocolate and butter covered thumbs up!! ( I like eating M&M's and popcorn in the same mouth full! Like chocolate covered popcorn!:)

updates

I've been pretty bad on the updates. But it's not like I'm doing much sitting at home! My knee is healing though it looks like there is still some swelling in it. The doc my have to stick a needle in there and drain it he said. Not looking forward to that. I feel like I've been through enough already this year! We haven't done a lot at all since I'm stuck at home. I updated my MYSPACE page. Oh boy! hee hee. Actually I like it a lot more than I did before. I think it's pretty off the hook now! Don't hate!
We had people over for the OSU/Michigan game! I can't believe that the Buckeyes are going to be playing my cousins Gators. I'm thinking of sending her a Gator Hunter T-shirt with Jim Tressel on it! Ah, i would be worth it I think! Nothing too much going on. Brian's cousin Jen got married this weekend. It was nice ceremony! We have been waiting for awhile for Pedro to get his visa. Now he is finally our family. What else is there? Nikya stayed for 3 days and drove me up a wall. I love her, but she is a non-stop machine always asking things over and over in hopes that she will wear you down and you will give in. The problem was was that I didn't give in so I got to be driven mad! I have to send the rest of our cards out. After that, that is it! Christmas is almost here. My favorite time of the year! Merry Christmas everyone! ANd Happy New Year!!!

my knee

I had surgery on my knee finally. They took the hamstring tendon and used it to repair the ACL that was torn.. Also they had to "shave" down the medial menicus. The doctor poked holes in the menicus to get it to bleed. They said it clotted and that tissue would end up becoming a healed menicus. Kind of strange, but cool I guess.
I woke up and felt like shit! They did a femoral block but for some reason it was hurting. Really painful. My oxygen levels kept going down to the low 80's. Usually it's suppose to be in the upper 90's to 100. I started to throw up quite a bit. So I ended up staying. Which I'm glad that I was staying. I don't think I would've been very good at home. I'm posting some post-op pics. Kind of gross, but cool! Frank, my best friend, took some pics at the doctors office after the doc took off my dressings. Then he took me over to rehab... I did exercises and iced it. I liked the compression ice device. It felt great!

Surgery

I'll be having knee surgery on November 2nd for my torn ACL, medial meniscus and tibial plateau fracture. Actually I won't need surgery for the fracture. Just the other 2.
I'll be out of work for 8-9 weeks. *sigh* Maybe it is God's way of saying I need a break! I'll just look at it that way. If anyone is bored and has free time in the next 2 months, come and visit me! I'll be at home, or at rehad, trying to get better and stronger!

Health update!

AUGGGGGGGGGH!!!!!!! I just had to immediately get that out! So Brian and I are 2 weeks away from in vitro.. 2 weeks away from more than likely becoming pregnant. Then I get the MRI results. I didn't actually go to the doctor. I had a PA look up my MRI's with me. The report next the images were not good. I don't know how to read MRI's. I was more curious about that report. The report said: Ruptured ACL, nondisplaced lateral tibial plateau fracture, probably tear of the postierior horn of the medial meniscus. And some other stuff that said another probable tear that was not acute. In other words, something that may have happened a long time ago, just never had caused me pain.
I am going to see both doctors tomorrow. I'm more than likely going to have to have knee surgery and I'm going to have to put the IVF on hold. Which breaks my heart! But I'll find out more tomorrow about how much I need surgery for me knee. I have been reading up on it and it looks like a lot of people regret putting it off, only to find out their knees got worse. I just am heartbroken because I will have to put off IVF.
I'm just so frustrated because of all the things that have happened this year.
Trying to get pregnant..
Spraining my ankle and wrist at work
Spraining my right knee
F-ing up my left knee
My mom finding out that she has colon cancer, which is just in the diagnosis phase.
Possible needing surgery now for my own knee.
Being so close to IVF.
More time off of work.
My grandpa dying.
My aunt dying.
2 of my favorite patients dying.
1 of my former patients not doing so well.
2 of my patients right now aren't doing so great!

The only good things this year.. Italy and france, New Orleans with Brian. Our anniversary weekend get away! And the weddings this year, Nicole and Sanjay, Jen and Greg, Sue and Dave, Rachel and Jason, Alessa and Nick, Matt and Christine. Those are good things!

Now I'm really upset because I want to do something special for Brian's birthday and we really don't have the means right now. AUGH!!! I"m just so stressed! I'm going to go nap!

Team Photo

Even though I'm not playing football anymore, we got a team photo together at one of Mike's last games.

Here are the Super Scrubs.

I got a pug on my lap

Kootie decided to sit on my lap while I blog. He is so cute! He is wanting some attention . He wants to type and say hi to everyone! He keep placing his paw on the keyboard and is trying to read the screen like he is the writer!! I can't take how cute this little guy is!
Anyway, I am offically 30. A little scary I know! But it will be what I make of it right! We went to dinner at Johnny Mango's on the night of my birthday. But the next night we met our families out for dinner at the Melting Pot. It was alright! Overrated and overpriced I think! But it was still a good birthday!
Brian ran in the Columbus Marathon today! His time was...... 2:59.38. I am so proud of him! Of course his first sub 3 comes when I can't be there! I wish I could've seen him! I am so happy for him! He has worked long and hard for that and he did it!!!!!
He is napping right now because he has to go into work tonight to start up everything. I'm so happy I have off tomorrow. It will be busy, but I'm not at work!:) I will be going to a few doctor appointments. I have to get an MRI tomorrow to finally see if I tore a ligament in my knee. It is still in pain and it is about damn time too! Maybe I can get that resolved. I have some fertility doc stuff to tomorrow too. It will be a busy day. In fact I'm going to go to bed here real soon!
NIGHT!!!

Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?

So for weeks now.. more like months.. Brian has told me that he had a surprise for my upcoming 30th birthday. We were going somewhere but he wouldn't tell me where. So this past weekend I found out where we were going.:) We packed up and headed for my favorite city, New Orleans. I was so excited about going back. I was there last year before the Hurricane Katrina. But I was wanting to go back to show support to my favorite city. The city that I have so many found memories in. We arrived there and headed to our favorite watering whole, Pat O'Brien's. But not before we stopped and ate some beingets at Cafe Du Monde. Well, we arrive at Pat O's and I ordered my favorite drink, The Rainstorm. Brian and I are drinking and I'm getting this warm fuzzy feeling. It was like I was home, since I've been there so many times. I was so relaxed but at the same time a little sad to see it had changed somewhat. Our taxi driver took us through an area that was affected by the flood. Not to a huge degree, but a lot of places were boarded up and the houses were spray painted with the sign that has come to be part of all the pictures of houses on the Gulf Coast. But the city still had a sense of " we're fighting back!" People were back in the city and trying to move on in their lives. While at Pat O's I looked across the patio and I saw a man looking at me, smiling, headed my way with my favorite drink in his hand. I turn to Brian and said, "Is that Frank Kitchen?" (for those who don't know him, he is my guy best friend, my brother. ) I was stunned, but then noticed this little blonde girl ducking behind him peeking around him. It was my best friend Michelle, who lives in North Carolina! They both made the trip down to surprise me. I see Frank all the time, but to see him down in New Orleans, was great! It was also great to spend time with Michelle since I never get to see her as much as I would like. I have been bugging her and Frank forever to come down to New Orleans with me. I was so excited! Brian went through so much work to surprise me!! And he totally did! I am the luckiest girl alive to have such a wonderful and caring husband! He is the world to me ! I'm so grateful for getting to share my life with my best friend. :)
Anyway, I was in shock to see Michelle and Frank! That in itself was the best birthday present ever! To be surrounded by my best friends and my husband in a city that I love! It was so amazing! We had dinner at Emeril's place, NOLA. I love that place, if only because the service is the best I've ever had and the garlic bisque soup is the best I've ever had! And it doesn't hurt to mention that the last night we were there, we went to the casino and I won $1600 on the slot machine!! Can you believe it!!!??? I did need the money bad! And the whole story is a good one in itself. When I walked in the door, I go to this slot machine to see if it was a .25 cent one. As I look at it, the guy next to me just won the big jackpot of $1250. I thought to myself, "Man ! Stuff like that never happens to me!" That was the first time I witnessed someone with a jackpot on a slot! So we explore the area and I quickly lose $20 on one machine. I decided I was done. Michelle has never been to a casino before, so she tries a penny machine. I'm sitting next to her while Frank and Brian are at another machine. I keep looking over at these 2 slot machines. $1 slots. I tell Michelle, "Man, one of those machines is calling my name. I'm going to do only $10 more bucks. " I immediately win $10 on my first spin. I max bet each time $2 max bet. So I quickly get down to $2 left. I hit the max bet botton... and I WON!!! $1600 beans on my last $2 !!! As I wait for an attendant, people congratulate me. Even this guy 2 machines from me shakes my hand. The attendant comes up and her name is the same as my sister who passed away, Melissa. I wondered if it was a sign that my sister was looking down on me. She leaves to get some paper work processed. I wait at the machine like I was told to do. This is the first jackpot I've ever won, not to mention the 2nd I witnessed in 1 night. I've never seen any before. About 15 minutes later, I'm still waiting for my money when the guy that shook my hand, hit a jackpot. He won $10,000. The 3rd of the night and I witnessed it! He yelled over to me, "I just won 10,000, can you believe it!? " To think, I've never even witnessed 1 let alone had one myself and witnessed 2 of 2 people right next to me! Michelle returns from playing a Star Wars slot and she won $200 herself. Her first time ever in a casino!! I felt luck was on our side that night! People around me were winning! Too bad Brian didn't want to gamble that night!:) It was just a great time! I was so tired! I'm so tired now! But it's a good reason to be tired!

It felt good being in the city despite all the suffering that had been in the city. It isn't quite back to itself. They need more tourist. It wasn't as busy as I was use to. The Riverwalk mall that I loved going to made me realize how much as changed in the city. Most the shops in the mall were closed and it was a dead place. Usually the Riverwalk and Spanish plaza are filled with people, but it wasn't this time. I actually thought the mall was closed. The food court there is usually huge with at least 15 places to eat if not more. There were only 3 places open. And really 2 with one place for beverages open. That showed me the effects of the hurricane. I couldn't walk near the Convention Center knowing people had died there just a year earlier. It broke my heart. Someday I will though. The city is coming back and if you ever get the chance, I suggest you go there. It is an amazing place! The pic above of me outside the hotel was at 6 am and we are leaving to the airport. I didn't get to bed till 3 am, so I just went in my pajamas.

Our 1st anniversary!

Sept. 24th was our first anniversary! We went down to Hocking Hills and stayed in the Pleasant Valley Cabins. My original hope was to go hiking in that area. Due to my knee injury, we weren't able to. But we were able to go to one park, Ash Cave, that had a trail for the physically challenged. We also spent a few hours at Ohio University where Brian went to college. The cabin was amazing and clean! The couple that owns the cabins offers a food service for an extra fee. They give you a menu to choose from. We chose cornish game hen. The food was fantastic! In the morning we had eggs benedict and peacan camermal french toast! It was so delicious! We also received a couple's massage from Blue Valley Massages. It was great and definately what we needed. They came to our cabin and everything! It was so relaxing!
Here are the pictures from our trip! Since I love photography we took some extra pics at the park! (I am thinking of finding a photography class on Monday's instead of playing football!:)

A regular Grace Kelly

So I hurt my knee again. This time playing football and it really is worse than it was before. I still don't understand though why I can't get an MRI at the ER I go to. Instead I have to go to the Ortho doc today and see if he will order one. I'm the biggest klutz in the world. After this injury, I have reached the injury limit for a 2 years now. So I'm done!!! At least for 2 more years, but hopefully no more injuries after this!

Light the Night and Nikya's first Indian's game

Every year there is something called Light the Night. It is an event to help raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It also happened on the same day as an Indians game so we decided to take Nikya to her first Indians game. She even got to run the bases.
We did the walk for Page. I also did the walk for my friend John who is fighting hard and in memory of Angela and Gary.