Acupuncture at Church!?

All weekend long I had a horrible migraine.  Not even a full fledged one - just the aura and twinges of pain with the stupidity that comes with it.  I couldn't shake it no matter how hard I tried.  I did everything I knew how.  I was still feeling pretty bad Sunday morning but thought I could survive the Church meetings.  By the end of Sacrament I was in agony and knew I couldn't go on.  I told Clyde he would have to take me home as soon I lined someone to cover for me.  As I walked out of the chapel, I reached to hug a sister I visit teach.  She is a psychiatrist but also a licensed acupuncturist.  I told her I had wasn't feeling good.  She said, "Let me see if I have needles with me."  She did and we went into the Mother's Lounge and she propped me up, covered me up with a blanket and stuck a needle in the top of my head, the bridge of my nose, between the thumb and forefinger of each hand and my big toe and the next toe of each foot.  I then sat in the semi-dark room and breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth very slowly for all of Sunday School.  Heidi came and checked on me several times throughout.  By the time she came back and took the needles out, the pain was completely gone, the aura was gone and I have had no more hangover problems since.  I was a little bit tired yesterday but able to function.  It has been interesting how in the last few weeks little miracles have been popping up in my life.  I can claim them to be nothing less.  I am grateful for them.  I am very grateful for Heidi and her help yesterday.  I wasn't looking forward to a couple of more days of dull aching pain - and that is what I was facing.

Two Special Birthdays Today!

Today in our family we have two birthdays.  It is Dane Davis' first birthday and his Uncle Carl Pfiester's birthday.  We are all tickled that they share a special day.  Carl has a very special place in all of our hearts.  When we were discussing this last summer, several of Carl's nieces and nephews wished they were as lucky as Dane.  So happy birthday you two.  Hope you have a fabulous day and a wonderful year!

Personal Trainer

Yesterday I met for the first time with my personal trainer, Karen King.  She is person that helped my lose my weight 5 years ago at Healthy Inspirations.  She became a personal trainer at Sedona, so I rarely saw her and she was always with someone that was paying her big bucks to help them.  I didn't have her as my cheerleader anymore.  Then Sedona closed and I lost her and incentive. 

Last week a sister in our ward invited Clyde and me to attend her sons' art show at their school.  I walked in and saw Karen standing behind the reception desk.  We literally ran into each others arms.  I told her she was an answer to prayers.  We exchanged information and yesterday she came for my first meeting.  She isn't cheap but she is exactly what I need to get me ready for the mission we plan on to go on in 2013.  I need her to help my get into shape so I can even put my papers in.  Right now, as I read over the papers, they wouldn't let me go.  But Karen and I are confident that by January when Clyde and I plan to apply, all will be well.

The thing I always loved about Karen is she never took it as a personal affront if I gained a few pounds but she also didn't make me feel like a failure.  We would just go over my food journal and evaluate what had happened and where my weak times were and what was tripping me up.  As we went over my journal yesterday, we determined I am not getting enough carbohydrates now that I am not eating wheat.  I need to find a way to get some grains into my diet other than the occasional rice dish.  I also need to be exercising more.

I am excited about Karen.  We will see what the next two months bring.  She will also be checking up on me every morning to see how I am progressing.  Karen has been a good friend for years.  It is good to have her back in my corner.

Pedicures

My daughters have gotten me hooked on pedicures.  I usually wait and have them when I visit one of them.  Then we go enmasse and have a mother, daughter(s), granddaughter(s) day and get our toes done.  This last week as I looked at my tired toes with the remnants of the pedicure from last Christmas (I know - pure laziness on my part), I decided to go and get a pedicure at the salon where I get my haircut.  I had won a year's free haircuts anyway - so I was just transferring the money I would have spent from one to the other.  I am so glad I did.  Jen is also a licensed reflexologist.  I usually get up from the station and cannot move - I am so stiff from my arthritis.  I got up from this station and was invigorated.  I have gotten so much done this morning - it is unbelievable.  My knees don't hurt either and there is a front coming in.  My toes look nice with their pale pink polish.  There may not be any nail art on them but they will go with anything I put on until I get them redone.  It was also only the second time I have gotten a pedicure where I could converse with the technician.  We had a wonderful visit.  She was very sensitive to my needs with my ticklish feet and in fact - she saw no need to go where I was particularly ticklish.  It was by far the best experience I have ever had.  After today, I have decided that pedicures are not a frivolous expenditure but a worthwhile investment in health and well being.  Besides for some reason, I have always been vain about my feet and pretty toes are just fun to look at.  (I am vain about so little about myself - it is nice to look at pretty feet.)

Interesting Observations

I haven't blogged for so long and have so much to say that I just don't do it.  So today is just a bunch of observations and short posts - all in one.  Maybe I will get better at this again.

Last Sunday in the car, Clyde and I saw a seagull hovering in the wind.  It looked like it was  a mobile the way it was just floating there.  We watched it for over 5 minutes because of the attitude he was hovering and how we were coming up to him on the bridge.  It was neat.

On Saint Patrick's Day there is a parade here.  It is kind of big deal around here.  Clyde and I were grocery shopping and getting ready for the Sabbath.  I was walking out of our equivalent of Sam's or Costco here locally and spoke with the gentleman that checks your receipts.  He told me to have a great day and enjoy the parade.  I smiled and told him to have a great day.  Then this woman behind me said, "I never miss the parade.  Where is it?"  I know I heard her right because the gentleman at the door looked at me with a very puzzled expression on his face.  I left before I burst out laughing.

We are in a drought.  For the last 2 weeks we  have been under fire warnings.  Those of us from out west, just shake our heads when these red flag warnings come up for high winds and fire because no one around here really knows what a severe drought is until you have seen cracks in the earth 18 inches wide and several feet deep.  That is a drought.  We have had 4 inches of rain in the last 2 days and people are still truly concerned about our drought conditions.  I marvel.  Granted for this area of the country it is a drought but for somewhere like Utah or Texas - there be a concern for flooding if that much rain fell in 12 hours.  Interesting how different the weather needs are in different areas.