7.18.2008

Toot Toot

I'm tooting my own horn here, don't mind me. 

The girls over at Elizabeth Anne Designs named this the blog of the week! I got a little shout out on a post and I'm even on their left hand column....and I'm not even a wedding blog [maybe I blur the line a bit, but I'm conquering my wedding addiction quite well lately.]

The only other virtual award I ever received was when Wedding Bee named my two bios as Knottie Bios of the Week. Which reminds me....anyone want to fix my bios for me? I don't even remember how to log on over on The Knot to do that, nor do I want to remember. I seriously think they expired. 

7.17.2008

Boob Is Fine

I had my second opinion appointment this afternoon and I got my peace of mind.

The new 'specialized' nurse practitioner at the 'specialized' breast center asked me all kind of questions, felt me up sufficiently, and received a gold star for saying, "You really don't have much breast tissue." I'm sure she studied for years in medical school to make that astute observation. Good job, nurse practitioner! After reviewing my previous mammogram and ultrasound films, she also stated "Your breasts are as dense as rocks." TOO COOL! I have dense, small ta-tas. Does that mean I'm special?

I was told this appointment would last a full hour [gasp! the luxury of having 60 minutes of their unsolicited time?] and yet, I got about 20 minutes. Then I was whisked away to another ultrasound where the nurse practitioner, doctor, and sonographer all stared at the demon screen. Again, to me it screamed "Creepy cancerous tissue everywhere" but apparently I'm not certified in reading ultrasounds. Who knew? 

The NP wrapped things up by declaring my boob perfectly normal. Small, and dense, but normal. The thickening that we feel is simply fibrous breast tissue that just so happens to be a little more prominent on my right side. I told her that I felt a change since my last tests, in that the suspect area feels a little bit smaller. Just like I figured, cancer does not shrink away in a few weeks. If anything, it gets bigger and harder and worse---which makes me feel even more assured at my 'normal' diagnosis. 

I wouldn't be a stellar Type A hypochondriac if I didn't ask for a few more minutes of her time, just as she was pushing to end our visit. I could tell she was ready to usher me out to the front when I whipped out my note card full of questions. Yes, I was that patient with The List, bombarding my health care practitioner until my mind was at ease. Hey, I'm sure I'll get a hellified bill for her time.....might as well make the most of it, right? 

I asked if caffeine intake had anything to do with my fibrous boobs. The verdict? I don't have to slit my wrists while I give up black coffee. Thank the Lord! I asked if I needed to follow up in 6 months or a year just to be sure. She said I just need to 'get to know my breasts' and keep track of how they change throughout my cycle. Sounds like me and my girls have a shower date complete with a paper trail. Each month I'm going to jot down anything different about my thickening to see if there is a pattern. And no, I don't have to come back until I'm 35 for my next mammogram [since I do have a family history--otherwise it'd be 40] unless I feel changes. 

She did not recommend a biopsy and unlike the last time, I felt very good about this decision---especially since the little bugger has been mellowing out lately. If it was getting bigger or even staying the same I think I'd push a little harder for the needle biopsy. But why push and invasive procedure if it's not necessary?

Overall it was a good visit. I feel satisfied with my care, happy that these specialists aren't concerned about my thickening, and ready to move forward with my life. I plan on getting really good at breast self exams and YOU SHOULD, TOO. Don't be scared---have the courage to take charge of your girls. What you don't know can hurt you. And now I'll step off my soapbox and let you enjoy your night, like I plan to do with mine:)
 

7.15.2008

Fab Five

[Now that I received pictures I can do a proper post:)]

There once was a group of five lovely ladies who had a sense of humor all their own. They decided to call themselves the "Fab Five" because it was perfectly ridiculous. These women met when they were naive little freshmen in college, almost ten years ago [gasp!].They grew up together. They cried together. They did lots of laughing together. They laid around on couches for obscene amounts of time together, analyzing the world/boys/school/life. They shared their wardrobes, dreams, fears, and goals in life---all while sharing their bedrooms, too. And of course, they took an absurd number of pictures together through the years, to document their friendship.

Then something crazy happened: they started wearing diamonds on their ring fingers, changing their names, and dressing up in bridesmaid dresses. The Fab Five transitioned into life's next phase slowly but surely.

Wedding #1: Kim married Mark on September 16, 2006. Her engagement overlapped Julia's and her wedding was emotional for all of us [okay, some more than others]:


Wedding #2: Julia married Nate on May 27, 2007. Her engagement overlapped Hannah's and her wedding yielded the creepiest of Fab Five pictures. It was a serious day:
Wedding #3: Hannah marries Michael on August 25, 2007. Julia learns that being a Matron of Honor requires significant amounts of Xanax because speeches are scary!
Wedding #4: Kristen will marry Will on May 2, 2009: engaged December 4, 2007.
Try to watch the following series without grinning ear-to-ear:






[of course she is on her cell phone IMMEDIATELY!]



Wedding #5: Lindsey will marry John, engaged July 12, 2008. No talks about The Date just yet, the girl has only been engaged a few days, people!

Again, I dare you to view these images without saying, "Awwwwww":He gave her a flip book, with pictures of him holding the signs " Will You Marry Me?"



He hired a photographer to catch this moment, but poor Lindsey had no clue. She went into the ugly cry and stole John's sunglasses to hide the evidence.

Then he tells her, "Oh yeah, we are being photographed right now."



And so, the story of continues. More laughter, memories, and pictures to follow their future transitions in life. Even if one of the ladies lives in The Great North, their friendship remains--- enhanced by emails, phone calls, and many gallons of expensive gasoline. And it's all worth it:)

Does anyone else have a core group of girls going through these transitions together? Isn't it fun?

7.14.2008

Miscellaneous Monday

It's been awhile, no? I suppose each of these items could be their own post but that is just boring.

  • I hesitated to post this but it's too powerful to ignore. Do you remember my post about Punk Rock Mommy's Andrea Collins-Smith? She had terminal inflammatory breast cancer and was a mother to six children. She passed away on July 5 and wrote this pre-written blog post for all to read. When I read it that Saturday, I couldn't let myself think about this too much. It was too much to bear. But then Andrea's husband, Kelly, posted this today. And I had to share, because it's something to put things into perspective. And who doesn't need a little bit of perspective at times? Please keep her family in your prayers, as I cannot imagine what they feel right now.


  • I'm sure some of you are wondering about MY breast issues. I have an appointment on Thursday at the 'reputable breast care center' in our area. I'm a little bit excited [just to put this all behind me!] and a little bit nervous. I don't even want to mention this, and jinx it, but I think the thickening MIGHT have shrunk a bit. Maybe it's just recoiling from the constant palpation but I really think it's smaller. Of course, I'm still going on Thursday to see what they say....so wish me luck!
  • Also, in more breast news, Keri is having a rough time with her 6th of 8 rounds of chemo. To use her verbiage, she feels like she got hit by a truck, and for Keri to admit that she feels less than 100% says a lot. Next Friday, July 25 , is her 27th birthday [and of course, it just so happens to be a chemo day]. So say a little prayer for our girl, especially on her birthday, that she can make it through the last rounds of chemo like a champ. If you haven't visited her journal in awhile you should [and maybe leave her a nice message, she loves that!] because she posted an adorable picture of her bald head! Tell me this isn't the cutest little head ever?!
  • In NON-breast care news: I went a little nuts on iTunes this weekend and it felt SO good! Purchases include: Katy Perry's album "One of the Boys," Paramore's album "Riot!", John Mayer's song "Free Fallin," and a whole bunch of new techno songs for my long runs. Not to mention that a few weeks ago we bought Coldplay's new album "Viva la Vida" and Death Cab for Cutie's "Narrow Stairs." So yeah, we are jamming out over here and I would recommend each and every album to you [sans the random techno songs, I know nobody else appreciates those.]
  • Speaking of random, I get tomorrow off! Completely unplanned and probably not something I SHOULD do [I don't have that much PTO you know] but my boss offered it to me and I pounced all over it. No real plans, except I should probably run the six miler tomorrow instead of Wednesday after work, but aren't those the best days?
  • This weekend we have to run 12 miles. From here on out this training is NO joke and I'm starting to get nervous. I wonder if I'm mentally tough enough sometimes. Such a head case!
  • Although I am anxiously awaiting proper visual documentation [ahem, I need pictures], one of my best friends Lindsey got engaged on Saturday!! She is the last one in the 'fab five' to get engaged and now we are officially old hags:) Obviously I'm losing my mind with excitement for her, and yet a twinge of sadness hits me, too. I wasn't there to see her bling in person that night and events like these make me miss my girlfriends badly.
Aren't we the epitome of beauty while sweating profusely? I agree.
  • Please guess where this lovely body of water lies:
Key West? The Bahamas? Somewhere tropical? NOPE. Try Milwaukee, suckers! I love it and I'm gloating about Lake Michigan right now. But isn't it pretty?

7.13.2008

Storytime part I

I have been known to tell a story or two. Possibly throwing in some 'embellishments' every now and then but what good is a story without some pizazz, right? Before my life was forever immortalized through the almighty blogosphere [sounds pretty hard core, right?] I did, in fact, have interesting occurrences to report. Ah, if only I'd had a blog back in college---now THEN I'd have some killer stories to share. High school, not so much---it would've been pretty lame and full of sports and stupid drama---but college tales would have made you laugh out loud.

Then I had a light bulb moment [it's scary when that happens to me]: who says I can't blog about the past funnies in my life right this instant? Would the blogging gods strike me down or would my readers protest some good old fashioned entertainment? I think not. I think I'm going to bring it. If these turn out to be one of those you-had-to-be-there types of things, please put me out of my misery early on, mmmkay?

Today's story is not from college. I'm still trying to narrow down the blog-worthy tales there. Please enjoy, thanks:

The Day My Life Flashed Before My Eyes [otherwise known as When Dogs Attack]

The location? St. Louis, MO. The suburbs. In a 'melting pot neighborhood' of sorts, full of interesting combinations of citizens.

The time? One week before my wedding. Late spring. A time when some brides *might* lose their minds even without extra drama. Especially us psycho brides:)

It was a nice evening and I felt like going for a jog with my designer doggy. In hindsight suppose we both looked like easy targets: me with my blaring headphones, Henry with his white fluffiness. Not exactly what I'd call "Tough" but whatever. A bride needs to jog away her worries, so sue me.

We completed our 3 mile run and started walking up our driveway, fully content with life in general. Out of nowhere I see a flash of brown enter my peripheral vision...a flash that came complete with ivory fangs and four legs. This sketchy lab mix of a dog lunged right for my baby, right for little Henry, before I could utter a cuss word. Henry was still on his leash and my initial reaction was to yank the leash up so hard that his little body left the ground in short intervals, like a doggy yo-yo gone wrong. He was holding his own but the idiot lab was big, as in about 80 pounds big, an my little 25 pound canine didn't stand a chance. Lots of growling, yelping, and then my cussing intertwined with my overwhelming sense of anxiety. And that's when I started throwing punches into the ribs of this monster. We were not going down without a fight. Didn't this dog know I was preparing for the biggest day of my life in a matter of hours?! The nerve!

"Whose BLEEPING dog is this? Get him the BLEEP away! Help! Stop you BLEEPING bastard!"

Then the heavens parted and the angels started to sing. My neighbor, who we lovingly referred to as Shower Cap Man, lugged his bag of bones across the street. This is the same honorable gentleman who would bar-b-que in the dead of winter, wearing nothing but a shower cap and a Hefner robe. He is also the one who drives a certified 'child molester van' which boasts a duct taped boombox to the drivers seat. No joke, I couldn't make this up.

As SCM sprinted over to our rescue he said, "Git. Git outta here, you." And just like that devil dog sprinted away. At this point I was near tears, Henry was panting but seemed okay, and I gazed down to find my battle wounds: red scratches on my arms, probably full of rabies and bacteria and every disease known to mankind. SCM kindly stated, "Man, that ain't the first time I seen dat dog do dat. He attacked another one a while back and he almost didn't make it." OH HOW AWESOME. Thank you for that piece of information. I couldn't even speak I was shaking so hard, and I ran inside to inspect my pup.

Henry was okay, just a little freaked out, but okay. I on the other hand, was not okay. I was furious as I called Nate and informed him that we nearly died, in between sobs of course. He immediately said, "Call the cops right now. I'll be there soon." I really love him sometimes:)

So I called the cops while noticing that one of my other neighbors, the one we called White Trash Lady, stepped outside looking for her 5 year old son and her dog. Yes, that is her dog---it's all coming back to me now. The boy came back with the runaway monster and his mother screamed at him, "What did you do? Did Kujo just attack that lady? Why weren't you watching him?" [oh, and his name wasn't really Kujo but you know I love my embellies].

So WTL was verbally abusing her son because he didn't 'watch' the dog? Come on, lady, take some responsibility. And with that I was running out the front door.

Me: "Is that your dog?"

WTL: "Um, yeah."

Me: "He just attacked me and my dog and I called the cops. If I have rabies I'm SO going to sue you." [again, I didn't really say that last line but I wish I would have]

WTL: "Well, my son was supposed to be watching him. " pause.....wait for the apology.....nope, nothing.

Me: "You mean your son who is about five years old? Yeah, that makes a ton of sense. He's totally to blame, you idiot." And I stormed back into the house to wait for the cops with steam pouring out of my ears.

Turns out that the cops were very sympathetic, probably because they could smell the crazy on me. Or maybe it was because my eyes were bulging out of my skull when I told my story, but regardless.....they were nice. They told me to call with anymore problems and then scolded WTL, while her poor son sobbed in the front yard. You and me both, kid. Wanna split a beer?

And so, my doves, the lesson is this: always be on guard when entering public spaces. Or at least carry a baseball bat 'just in case.' And continue to feel disdain for irresponsible pet owners/mothers---it isn't the dog/kid's fault. It's the idiotic WTLs of the world.

Anyone else live to tell the tale of a dog attack?

And sorry this wasn't the aforementioned 'funny story' of the past. I'll make it funnier next time:)

7.12.2008

Quotes by Nate

"I don't care about freaking Oprah. She has, like, 8 trillion dollars and probably paid for the best trainer ever. We use the free training program on the internet." [valid point.]

"This just isn't fun anymore." [when I informed Nate that we are no longer running 4 miles during our max weekday runs, but have bumped up to 6 miles instead.]

"I need to find something to eat that doesn't make me feel like total dog hole. Maybe a peanut butter and honey sandwich about 30 minutes prior to the run. And a butt load of water. And possibly steroids." [yes, he did use the term 'dog hole' folks.]

"The morning of the marathon I'm going to wake up at 4 a.m. and just start eating. Then have non-stop poo all day long." [definitely TMI, but thanks for that info, Nate.]

"Do you realize that we are going to run for 26.2 miles?" [It's just hitting him now?]

"Look at those little pimpers just BRINGING it over there!" [referring to fireworks off to the side of the main exhibit. He gets really into fireworks.]

"I am perfect. I'm like that one stone statue, the guy with the discus. What's his name? Nike or something? Yeah, that's me--the statue that's perfect." [Losing his mind! Just call him 'Nike']
[as a side note, I did my monthly blog lift about a month behind schedule. Come out from Google Reader and inspect!]

7.10.2008

Found me!

Do you want to know which terms are used to find my blog? Sometimes people search for the most hilarious topics and I hope they weren't TOO disappointed when they stumbled upon my little blog:

We have the standard "julia transition to married life blog" types of searches, which leads me to believe that many of my readers don't bookmark me or use google reader. Shame on you guys! :)

But then we get really random with these:

"bald girl" [hmmmm, Keri?]

"browers photography julia and nate" [why would they come here and not to the Browers site?]

"real people wearing raquel welch wigs" [maybe from my hairy situation post?]

"broken wrists" [no clue]

"j crew model" "real world" [yep, it is her!]

gaslamp restaurant "we ate at" [interesting usage of quotes here]

"heart disease blog"

"how to wear nike running shorts inner liner under or over underwear" [woah, don't wear the liner UNDER underwear!]

"julia+blog+keri" [aw, I like this one]

"lacy underwear, chafing" [I guess a lot of people have these issues?]

"martha stewart polyurethaning techniques" [I am the MS of polyurethane:)]

"motown tress katie wig" [huh?]

"natural hair in transition" [not quite my blog's title, but close]

"photoshop wet pants" [best ever!]

"st. louis botb" [totally not me, go somewhere else!]

"sunburn foot st. louis" [luckily my feet have been saved]

"techno song be in my life my life" [don't know that one, sorry.]

"vajayjay lime twist" [I hope this is a drink?]

"do lacy underwear chafe?" [yes, if you run 10 miles in them]

"what is the coolest beach in san diego california" [I'm no expert here but I hope you enjoyed my pictures!]

" I peed my pants mom" [hello to you, my friend!]

"henry says it's vinyl that looks just like ceramic tile" [you mean our kitchen floors? henry said that?]

"style of the 80's leotard" [I hope I don't have anything that applies to this!]

It's interesting because I never used to have traffic sources from search engines leading to my blog, just direct traffic and referrals from other sites. And now it's like the search engines have gone wild! I love Google Analytics:)