Diverticuwhat?is

I don't usually enjoy this time of year especially going into winter. I do appreciate that Halloween is over and the time has changed. I am looking forward to renewing my morning exercise sessions. I am looking forward to being more healthy & energetic. This past week has laid me low though. I came home from work Monday with pain in my abdomen and chills and fever. My left side was in pain. I slept it off and went to work Tuesday, had my hair done in IF, then came back home to experience the same thing only this time I didn't sleep it off. Stayed home Wednesday and Thursday. I was figuring I had some kind of intestinal flu but this was getting ridiculous. I felt well enough to go to work Friday but went into chills and fever again that evening. Saturday I went to Community Care. I had an elevated white count (infection) but they couldn't see anything in the intestines with an x-ray such as that I was constipated, etc. They sent me to the hospital for a CT scan. It showed that I have diverticulitis. Now I know what is causing the cramps and pain I've suffered all week.
Jenny had this and had to have part of her intestine removed. I asked how bad mine is and the PA said the guy who read the scan said it wasn't pretty. Since it came on so fast, I can't see how mine can be so bad as to need surgery. It is usually pretty treatable with antibiotics and diet and exercise. One more reason to get back to exercising.
I have to back today to see if my white count is down and then I see a surgeon tomorrow about doing a colonoscopy...something I've never gotten around to doing for the past 2 years.
Once you get as miserable as this disease makes you, you'll do anything fast if you think it will help. I'm definitely looking forward to feeling better.

O Canada!

Canada was the overall popular choice of vacation for us this summer. It even won over an Alaskan cruise. Actually, it was a desperate decision made by me to get us out of town to somewhere that wasn't too hot and within driving distance in a week's time. Vancouver was the lucky metropolis to receive our tourist interest (and money). The Olympics will be held there in 2010 and I'm sure had they known they were in the running for the McGarry 08 vacation, we would have been solicited much like they do the Olympic committee.





(I am so not good with this blogging thing. How did I get italics and how do I get rid of them? The typical ways are not working! You get to be the guinea pigs as I try new options and they don't work out the best as you will attest to in this collage.)

Click on these pictures to see whales, the Vancouver skyline, the Vancouver aquarium, and Granville Island.





We were not that impressed with Vancouver. It was a huge cultural difference. Tons of people, mostly pedestrians or cyclists who cost you much travel time as you yielded to them over and over. By the time we sort of figured out how to have a better time, it was time to head to Victoria Island which will be featured in the next blog.

As for vacationing with your 2 teenage sons for the last big vacation together, it wasn't all that I envisioned. When I wasn't watching the spectacular scenery, I was reading "The Secret Life of Bees" out loud to the patient chauffeur while Brandon and Logan put their earphones on, took motion sickness pills or migraine headache pills and mostly slept through the traveling. Can't say how much they enjoyed the trip, but Dad and I really enjoyed it as far as getting away from home and relaxing. After about 3 days out, we were all pretty ready to return home to the States. I guess we're just not the vacationing type. We either need to do it more often to learn how to do it better, or just give it up.

Satisfaction

Tasty ripe Alberta peaches fresh from Broulims, $16.95 a box. Take that box, add mother and 2 determined daughters, and you get.....

Sorry to say that during my canning years, I never taught my girls how to process food. They may have helped, but they never really learned how to. It's probably been 10 years since I canned. The last time I did, half the jars didn't seal. That was a lot of work not to mention money, so I got discouraged and haven't tried it since. Then last week I was talking to someone who had a similar experience and she asked me what kind of lids I used. I told her they were Kerr, the kind my mom always used. She said her lids were Kerr lids too and she wrote the company about the problem. She changed to using Ball lids and hasn't had a problem. So far, the 14 jars we did Saturday all sealed and hopefully that will happen again tonight. We're pretty ambitious now. We think we're going to do some mustard pickles and some salsa. It's really actually enjoyable when there are 3 people doing the work instead of just one.

Failure to Blog

I have been chided this week by a co-worker who has recently started blogging about my failure to blog. I haven't posted anything since January. So, I thought I'd get brave and try to be more patient with the picture downloading time and do better. I decided to use the HP to see if it's faster than the laptop. I found the cords to connect the camera. Check. I took some pictures for a new blog. Check. I connected the cords to the computer and camera and downloaded the pictures I wanted, there were 4. Check. I logged onto my blog and had to change the snowflake background. Check. I started a new blog. Check. I previewed the blog. Check. I decided it wasn't exactly right. It needed a different picture so I went back and downloaded another picture. Uncheck. It wouldn't go in the file I wanted it to go. Uncheck. I made a new file and it seemed fine. Check. I went back to the blog but it looked like I had lost the entire blog. Uncheck. I started it over again. Check. Saved it this time so I wouldn't lose it. Check. Lost it. Uncheck. Started over again. Check. Lost it, but this time I found the other two (you have to look in drafts). Check. Chose one to edit. Deleted the picture I didn't want. Check. Tried to import the better picture. Error message--lost internet connection. Uncheck. Tried again. Same thing. Uncheck. Decided to try different browser. Check. Tried again. Same error message but in a different format. Uncheck. Tried again. Uncheck. I am bound and determined to update by blog. Decided against rebooting the computer since that has its hazards. Uncheck. So here it is. My first blog since September. No pictures. Just words. Just checking. No worries. I'll try again next week when I have an extra 3 hours to waste on my failures to blog!

Two Eighteen Year Olds

Every year between August 14 and September, Brandon and Logan are the same age. This year is year number 18. It's unbelievable! They have officially reached adulthood. It is hard to boss an 18 year old around. But what am I saying? It's been hard to boss them since they turned about 15!!! As they blow the candles out on their birthday cakes, I have to say that I could add several wishes of my own for their futures. I hope they all come true.

Holy Hero

It is with tears in my eyes and an ache in my heart that express my feelings at the passing of our dear prophet, President Hinckley. He is truly a Holy Hero in my life. He was 97 years old but I selfishly would have loved to keep him here to 107. What a joyous reunion he is having with his dear wife! I am happy for him and know there was not a better prepared man to leave this mortal life. He was a great man, a leader who endeared himself to members of the church and those outside of the church. He was a great example. I appreciated how positive he was. I loved the wisdom he shared with us in his conference talks. He was able to motivate through love and example and we as a church responded to that love and leadership. I personally loved his sense of humor and how he could laugh at himself. He was so personable. We will truly miss him and the classy way he was able to move the church forward into worldwide recognition and respect.

Next year for sure!

Lacey said it best in her comment to Kliss about seeing the lights on Temple Square. "Next year for sure." So here's my list of Next Year for Sure things:
1. Have the tree(s) up ready to light on Thanksgiving night.
2. Decorate 2 trees. One in the addition and a new white one in the front room in front of the window for all the people to see as they drive by and to help me remember it's Christmas because I don't go out in the addition that much.
3. For sure I'll have any gifts that are Christmas-y ready to give early so they can be enjoyed through the weeks before Christmas and not just on Christmas Eve. This means any decorations and/or neighbor gifts.
4. Have all gifts bought and wrapped by Thanksgiving so I can distribute them at Thanksgiving to save mailing them if that turns out to be a plan. If not, I'll still have them bought and wrapped and ready to go so I can sit back and smugly tell people that I have my shopping and wrapping done.
5. Post my list of "ever-so-clever-and-quite-cheesy" neighbor gifts in October so others can have plenty of time to get them ready to give to their neighbors.
6. Come up with a new neighbor gift idea that isn't lame so I don't feel stupid when I receive a bag with a loaf of homemade bread, a bag of Mission tortilla chips, a jar of homemade salsa (ummm---so good!) and chocolate raspberry bars that are wonderful and the recipe is from Weight Watchers. Accompanying that gift was another gift bag containing a mirror with the nativity etched on it. A small easel was included to hold the mirror. This from one neighbor. Another neighbor gift was paper products wrapped up in cellophane giving me a night off from doing dishes. This was accompanied by a big red popcorn bowl filled with a lightly sweetened mix of popcorn and nuts. Or, the huge, oversized bowl heaping with caramel popcorn and wrapped with yards of cellophane to cover all of it. My little $2 bottle of Mayo seemed downright cheap in the trading.
7. Make it to Utah to see the lights on Temple Square and visit our Utah families.
8. Enjoy the month of December instead of wondering if we had a month of December.
9. Get really, really organized for Christmas at the end of September. That means making lists, shopping, and planning. (This year I started my list before Thanksgiving and might as well have not even had one for all that seemed to not get done until the last minute anyway.
10. Next year for sure I will enjoy Christmas!