Apple Fest Fun

Despite the back problems I was able to make it home for my annual visit to the Apple Festival. My home town has his festival every year and I always enjoy coming to see it. I had a full week of activities to enjoy which actually started with a trip to St. Louis to see a Cardinals game with my cousins, my uncle and my mom. It was great fun. We got really nice seats behind home plate but way up high. It was wonderful because we could see really well and we were in the shade for the entire game. Unfortunately the Cardinals lost the game but it was a fun day at the ball park for all of us. After the game my mom and I headed over to one of the casino's _ Lumiere Place It was fun. I think it is one of the best casino's in St. Louis. I did not win that night but I only lost 10 dollars so that's not too bad. Here are some photos from the game:

The view from our seats:


The crew getting ready to enjoy the game:



After enjoying the cardinals game I headed to Southern Illinois to spend the week at my parents house and enjoy the Fest. It started on Wednesday night and my mom, sister and I made sure to take my great Nephew to the fun fair so he could ride the rides. He was as excited as could be running around to ride as many rides as he could fit in. We all enjoyed typical festival food including funnel cakes, corn dogs and for the little one some cotton candy.

Here is a photo of him enjoying the rides:


Next on the agenda was something right up my alley......an 80's party!!! A friend from high school was turning 40 and decided to make it an 80s theme it worked out perfect that I was in town at just the right time so me and a friend made sure to dress the part and enjoy the fun. Boy we had a great time! I even tried to dance for a while (later on I determined that this was a mistake - may back did not approve). It was really a great time.

Here is a photo of me and Monica looking totally awesome:



Today was the big Apple Festival Parade. Everyone usually comes to my mom's house to park as we are just one block away and we can usually find a seat. Luckily we were able to get a seat but boy just by the seat of our pants. This year people were putting chairs out two and three days before the parade. It was Nuts!! My friends and family all showed up and we had room for all thank goodness. The kids especially enjoy it as there is lots of candy being thrown out. It is almost as good as halloween! Here are some pics of the parade:





It has been a great week filled with fun and I am really glad I was able to do it all even though I am still having the back pain. But I am headed home tomorrow and I think I might be ready for the rest :-)

Still here

I haven't had as much to post about these days with the back problems. I can't get out and do quite as much as usual. I am having some improvement from treatment I am receiving but it hasn't been consistent. I am not yet sure what my outcome will be but hoping for the best.

I did have some fun this past labor weekend as my parents showed up for just two nights. They had been on a trip to Niagara Falls and decided to stop by my house on the way back home. Thankfully I was scheduled for a steroid shot right when they got here which allowed me to actually enjoy going places with them. On Saturday we headed out for a day of food, museum and shopping. We started at a local history museum so my dad could find something interesting in the day. Mostly he just gathered information about the way they do things so he can take ideas back to his hobbies at the historical society. Then we decided to have some lunch at a nearby Irish Pub. Here are some pics:

Mom and dad at the pub:


me at the Pub:


My poor husband had to work and could not join us. We enjoyed the food and then headed out for some shopping. We even dropped my dad off at the movie theater so he wouldn't be bored. Mom and I headed to Geneva IL for some shopping. I introduced her to the Life is Good store we have there and I think she is a fan for life. If you have never heard of Life is Good you have to check it out. They have some the the cutest shirts and other stuff I have seen with all there products focusing on the positive things in life. Also the story of how they got started is really something. Click here to check out Life is Good if you want to know more.

After a day of shopping movies and museums we headed out for some yummy Italian dinner. I was so glad I could do all this because lately standing, walking and even sitting can be challenging. Lets hope I keep on feeling improvement!

Some improvement, but not out of the woods yet....

Just had to make a quick report on the back situation. I did have a second opinion and they suggested that maybe I try at least one epidural steriod injection to see what that would do for me. However, they also said that based on my case they might not recommend the typical three injection round since I have apparently had this for sometime now. I did get that treatment and I am having some relief but I still can't walk far. It is just so frustrating. You truly can't imagine what you take for granted until you can't do it. I am not someone who typically just sits/lays around and in the past two weeks I have had to do a lot of it. It makes you a little nuts. I stare at all the things in the house that need to be done and can't stay upright long enough to do them. The good news is I can actually sit much longer now so I am finally going back to work. I am going to see how long I can make it with this last treatment and if it doesn't help I might still have to consider surgery. That is still such a schocking thought to me. I could never have imagined I would need that. Granted I have had back problems for many years but I always thought I would just have to keep up with basic treatment for it and be okay. I guess you never know. I know it could be much worse because the surgery I might need is minor compared to some but it is still scary to even think about it.

I will keep you posted as to what happens!

Oh how life can change in the blink of an eye

Some unexpected changes have cropped up in my life recently. I hurt my back earlier in the week. I have hurt my back many times in my life and usually recover in a few days, no biggie. This was different. I have never felt so much pain before, ever. I had to go the ER as I could not walk, sit or stand. It didnt matter if I put weight on my body or not it hurt to the point of tears. The ER was not much help but shipped me out with pain meds and strict orders to follow up with my primary. As if I wouldnt be following up? Anyway, I did follow up with my primary who stated that I need to see an ortho doctor right away. I was able to get in quite quickly(amazing what phone calls from doctors can do to get you in) and they promptly had me go for an MRI. Let me step back in my story for one moment. Back in Feb I also had unusual back problems - numbness in my leg and foot. I had an MRI then and tried to follow up with an ortho doc but due to lenghty wait times for an appt and scheduling problems by the time I could see someone, I had no symptoms. I figured, whats the point? and I did not follow up further. Additionally I was having stomach issues that seemed much more pressing at the time. Back to the current story. The doctor I met with on Tues reviewed my Prior MRI and shocked me by saying "just by looking at this you were a candidate for surgery at that time" What??? I was surprised. He stated that I have a herniated disc and he suspects it is much worse now. So today I met with him to go over the results of the new MRI and as expected my case is worse. He noted all options but there are no guarantees. In fact the option with the best possible outcome is in fact surgery. Now I just have to decide. It was has been a tough year for me medically to say the least. I will seek a second opinion and make a decision as to what I will do. Honestly it seems that the options are limited mostly to surgery as currently i can't walk or stand barely at all and sitting usually hurts after just 15-30 min. Can't live or work like that.....not at my job anyway as I sit all day.

So, I say again, how how life can change in the blink of an eye......

a Trip to the Wisonsin Dells

Hubby and I made a quick, unplanned trip to the Wisonsin Dells. We fingured out he had a couple days off in a row and I felt like I could use a vacation so it seemed like the perfect time. We only went for one night but we fit in lots of fun.

As we arrived in the Dells we ate lunch at the MooseJaw Microbrewery. It was a fun place. Maybe not the best food I have had but we didn't actually have their specialty so I wouldn't rule it out. Then we headed to our hotel. We chose to stay at the hotel with the largest amount of waterparks in the entire dells area - The Wilderness Territory Let me tell you this place is amazing. It is not cheap but it has 6 total waterpark area so when you pay for your room you get them all. It is DEFINITELY kid oriented but for me that is never a problem because I am just barely an adult in heart and soul :-)So we headed straight to the waterparks when we got there. We spend some time relaxing then I left hubby to rest while I went to check out every single waterpark. I was able to try out everything I could handle (I can't ride some of the pitch black water rides) and we both had a great time. After a full day and evening of swimming we cleaned up and headed out for dinner. We ate at Sarento's Restaurant. Hubby ordered the better meal than me so we mostly ate his - ha! - he had an eggplant dish with a combo of goat cheese and marinara sauce over pasta. Man was it good. To end the night we decided to fit in some gambling at their local Casino - Ho Chunk. There are a couple of slot games that I really enjoy and one of them was good to me. We stayed there for a while and I only lost 5 bucks, not bad!!

The next day we started with Breakfast at a local restaurant - The Cheese Factory Restaurant. Okay, I can't believe I can say this but I had one of the best Breakfast meals I have had in years there. It was called Pegs Eggs. It had onions, red peppers, capers and goat cheese all sauteed together with fried eggs on top and served on a toasted croisant. I don't know what they did it it but it was sooooo good. We noticed while we were there that even Rachel Ray had been there and will be doing a show about them having one of the top five best grilled cheese sandiwiches in the nation! So if you in the Dells, I would eat there, you will be glad you did. After breakfast we headed out for a fun game of Mini-golf at the Pirates Cove Mini Golf course. It is really nice as it sits on a high cliff and there are waterfalls everywhere so you can enjoy beautiful sites and water while playing. We also hadn't played in years and had some good laughs. Next we headed to the downtown area of the Dells to check out the shops and take the Riverwalk. The Riverwalk is a nice relaxign view of the dells so if you aren't tired of walking then I recommend it. To end our day we headed to the Outlet Mall for some light shopping.

I think it is fair to say we were able to fit in ALOT of activities for only a two day trip and it was great! Here is a slideshow of our personal photos. Enjoy!

Camping

This weekend I got to enjoy one of my favorite pastimes for the first time in.....I can't even remember when! I went camping! Very few people I know these days really enjoy camping in a tent anymore so it is really hard to find someone to go with you. My husband has never done it and won't even try. But a friend of mine at work has been wanting to camp with someone as well and when her church group rented out a campsite she asked me to come. I jumped at the chance! When I was a child/teenager I spent every summer at my local girl scout camp. I had the best time and some of my fondest memories are from all those summers at camp. My friend always enjoyed camping too so off we went.

I planned most of the meals and we made sure to make some of them "cook on the fire" meals. We only stayed one night( both of us had to work late on Friday :-( ) but we made the most of it. We arrived in the morning to set up our tents. We did decide to make our lunch easy so we could enjoy the day and just had sandwiches. After lunch, we headed to the swimming area and enjoyed a nice swim. It was great! The remainder of the afternoon we chatted with others. Then it was time to get started on dinner because I made ground beef and veggies on the fire. Just like I learned in girl scouts, we cooked it on the coals and it turned out great! They had a kind of potluck dinner so we brought that and most everyone who tried it said they liked it. To end the night we of course had S'mores and good conversation.

This morning we woke up and I got right to making the fire because we were having biscuits cooked over the fire. You just wrap them on a stick and when they are done slide them off on put some butter inside - yum! We also had scrambled eggs and good camp coffee. I really enjoyed it! After breakfast everyone pretty much packed up to head home but it was a nice time.

Now if I can just find more people I know who like camping maybe I can do it more often!!

Sometimes generic is just not the same

I am back home and back to all the responsibilities that come with it. I have been running around getting things done all weekend. In my haste, I unfortunately cut my finger. Not bad, no need to be alarmed. However I realized something as I was putting on my bandage.....I didn't buy Bandaid brand and so far I have gone through numerous bandaids. I don't remember that happening when I buy Bandaid brand. Please know that I am not employed by Bandaid but I have to say there are some things that just can't be "generic" when you buy them. Right? I think I have things I can think of that I have to get the original or its just not the same. Here is a short list for entertainment:

Coke: Not to say I NEVER buy generic soda but boy can I tell the difference so really I prefer plain ole Coke

Quaker Chocolate Chunk Granola Bars: Again, I have bought Generic lots of times but I almost always wish I hadn't after I eat one. These days I stick to the brand name and spend more time enjoying my granoloa bar.

Tide: I used other brands of Detergent for years and then decided to try tide. Its really all I use now. I think part of it might be the way it smells!!

Aquafresh: This one is big to me. My teeth must be pretty sensitive because I think most other toothpastes are to strong and feel like they burn to much. I never feel that way with Aquafresh so its the only toothpaste in my cart.

I am sure there are a few more but that's all I can think of tonight. I really wish generic stuff was always the same because I am not fond of spending the extra money but hey somtimes you just gotta get what you like!!!