Thursday, December 31, 2015

16 for '16

1. Be more present. I even got a bracelet to remind me of it.

2. Get another certification this year.

3. Read 35 books.

4. Not feel like I overate too much over the holidays when next year's NYE rolls around.

5. Do a yoga workshop.

6. Run two half marathons.

7. Expand my garden, especially tomatoes.

8. Leave the country, at least once.

9. Redo our guest room.

10. Help Owen learn the alphabet.

11. Do a no buy for the month of June.

12. Pay off the student loan and not have to finance anything for Adam's MBA.

13. Save some of my yoga money this year.

14. Start attacking the 4Runner payment.

15. Stay within the monthly budget every single month and use overage for travel.

16. Fully fund Christmas by October 31st.

2015 Year In Review

1. What did you do in 2015 that you'd never done before?
left Owen for 9 days and left the country without taking him with us, took Owen out of the country with us, did a bootcamp certification, bought a car all by myself (!!!! that one was really fun and empowering), had my eyes lazered. 

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't do resolutions but I do set goals and come up with a to do list each year. I did marginally ok on last year's list.  Oops. 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
YES! lots of people did. I feel like I made approx 20 meals for people having babies this year, which was awesome. 

4. Did anyone close to you die?
I didn't attend a funeral this year so I consider myself to be incredibly lucky. (same as last year, woot!) 

5. What countries did you visit?
Mexico! Ireland! 

6. What would you like to have in 2016 that you didn't have in 2015?
more money in savings, I cleaned up my financial habits so, so, so, so, so much this year. I am hoping to rock that again this year and be able to save even more. 

7. What dates from 2014 will be etched upon your memory, and why?
Feb 20-23: 41 of us went to Playa del Carmen, Mexico to celebrate my Grandpa's 90th birthday. I hope that when I'm 90, I want to party it up in Mexico.  Grandpa stayed out later than all of us "kids" gambling at the casino.  He rocks. 
May 2: Owen's 2nd birthday party.  It was so great.
Dec 5: my birthday was a Saturday this year. Can it be a Saturday every year? No? Lame. I highly recommend having your birthday on a Saturday. 
Nov 6: We left for Ireland, which was such a trip of a lifetime and a totally unexpected addition to our year. I don't even have the words to describe just how amazing the trip was. 

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?
I feel like 4 years in is really where I'm coming into my own as a yoga instructor.  I felt like classes were easier and more fun for me this year.  I teach at places that are full of amazing people that want to be there and bring me so much energy and joy.  It is the BEST job ever and I really live this totally killer life. 

9. What was your biggest failure?
Parenting. I totally suck at it. Being a mom to a two year old is really hard, y'all.  

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing major this year! WOO HOO! 

11. What was the best thing you bought?
A trip to Ireland. 

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Adam, as always. He's a rock star dad and the hardest working human I know. He makes it possible for Owen and I to have all our fun. 

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Basically anyone and everyone who is running for president. They all appall me and the situation is utterly depressing. 

14. Where did most your money go?
Savings, rent, the child, travel, a new 4Runner

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
my garden, Owen's school programs and watching him becoming a little boy, all of our trips

16. What song will always remind you of 2015?
Lay It All On Me by Rudimental, feat. Ed Sheeran.  They played it approx every hour while we were driving all over Ireland. I will always think of the countryside and our adventure whenever I hear it. 

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) happier
b) probably a titch fatter than last year, BOO. 
c) richer, I learned how to spend less this year. Yay budgets! 

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
walks around the neighborhood, time at the Arboretum

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
watching it rain. It rained way too much this year (we set basically every rain record ever)

20. How did you spend Christmas?
At home, we had the same Bernardi/Breda crew and our tamale party was out of this world this year. It was warm out and we had people all over the house and yard. Christmas Eve was such an awesome day.

21. Did you fall in love in 2015?
yes, I fell in love with JoJo Moyes. I read a bunch of her stuff this year and she's such a fun author. (runner up: Liane Moriarty) 

22. What was your favorite TV program?
Unsolved Mysteries. We cut our cable this year but I discovered that it airs every day at 2:00 and marathons on Thursday night on one of the free channels. 

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No.

24. What was the best book you read?
Me Before You. Sob festival of goodness. 

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Spotify's Discover Weekly, they give me a playlist every week based on my previous selections

26. What did you want and get?
International travel, eyeballs that are fixed! 

27. What did you want and not get?
Nothing. I continue to be a spoiled brat. 

28. What was your favorite film of 2014?
ha. I don't really watch movies. We got old school Disney Robin Hood for Owen for Christmas and that movie is so funny. Highly recommend.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
34 was awesome. Saturday birthdays are such winners!  I taught a class, did a spin class, got my nails done, went downtown to take Owen to Neiman Marcus for Santa, went to the Klyde Warren Park tree lighting, went to a crazy bar for a big birthday party with lots of friends. It was such a great day! 

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
nothing! I feel pretty satisfied with the way things went. 

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2015?
yoga wear and leggings for life! 

32. What kept you sane?
Adam, yoga, learning how to save money and not being stressed about it

33. What political issue stirred you the most?
I am so happy with the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage.  I'm 99% happy about it because it brings so many people happiness but the other 1% is ecstatic in a spiteful way because it makes hateful people mad. I realize this probably makes me a bad person but I do love infuriating evangelicals who have bastardized Christianity. 

34. Who did you miss?
friends that live too far away. my grandmother. 

35. Who was the best new person you met?

I knew her before this last year but I have a friend with an only child daughter who is Owen's age and we got to bond a lot and had a really good time this year becoming close friends. 

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2015.

How to budget! For reals, this was a game changer. Every Dollar is my boyfriend. 

Sunday, July 19, 2015

LASIK

I've had a couple of people ask about my experience getting Lasik done and I also figured I'd put it down here for posterity so I can look back.  In terms of incredibly odd experiences, it almost ranks up there with Owen's birth story although, praise be that this one took approximately 1.5 hours from check in to being sent home instead of a marathon of 19 hours of hellacious Pitocin labor.

Anyhoo, the back story is such:  I first started having trouble with my vision at the end of second grade but I think my teachers were dense so they just moved me to the front of the classroom instead of, you know, telling my parents and/or encouraging me to see an eye doctor.  I think it was only about a week into the third grade when I really couldn't see the chalkboard anymore so I got my first pair of (hideous, late '80s, pink) glasses when I was the ripe old age of 9.  I think I was 12 when I started wearing contact lenses.  I've always worn soft lenses and rarely have I had any issues with them.  My prescription was the same from probably ages 15-30 (always -8, both eyes).  Recently, my eyes got a titch worse (-9 and -9.5) but since this past February, I started having major issues with my contacts.  I was getting dry eye in both eyes.  This involves the day starting out normally but by lunch time, experiencing a little cloudiness in my vision and by evening, not really being able to see well out of whatever eye was experiencing the dry eye that day.  Rewetting drops helped but I started dreading the dry eye because when I would lay down to go to sleep, my eye would start making tears in overdrive (tears do not really help a dry eye, unfortunately) and then my whole face would run in response and I'd have to lay down for a few minutes, experience a ton of sinus pressure, sit up, wipe my eyes, blow my nose, try to lay down again and so on until I fell asleep an hour or so later.  It was NOT GOOD.  I believe that perhaps I got a bad box of contacts because all of this started happening after I went to the cheapy eye doctor.  (IDIOT.)

The final straw was on Father's Day.  I had this epic battle royale with my stupid contact in my left eye and could not get it in.  I must have dropped it at least ten times and into the sink a couple of times.  I was cleaning it constantly with contact solution but I somehow introduced some bacteria in my eye and got an infection.  I was ok for the rest of Sunday but by Monday night, I couldn't hold my eye open and my entire face was again running in response to the massive amount of tears being made by my infected eye.  I found a legit MD eye doctor (no more cheapy quack shack) and went to get treated.  The infection went away but I had to go for a week with no contacts.  They mentioned Lasik to me while I was there, but I just brushed it aside as I've done for the 20 years that people have been mentioning it to me.  Lasers in my eyes, no thanks!

On the way home from my appointment, I decided to call them back and just see if I'd even be a candidate for Lasik.  Turns out to do the first appointment, you have to be without contact lenses for a week (HOW CONVENIENT) and if my infection cleared up, I could do the consult at the same time as my follow up appointment.  A week later, I did the initial testing and found out that my corneal thickness was satisfactory and I'd make a great candidate.  My appointment with the cornea specialist was scheduled for two weeks later (you have to be without contacts for that same time period- GAH) and Lasik for the end of that next week.  It all happened so fast that I just didn't really think about it.  I also was so over the constant dry eye, the infection and the battles I was having with my contact lenses.  Enough was enough.

The only thing about the pre-operative work was that I was unprepared to have my eyes dilated and do the stupid eye tests ("Jennifer, which is more clear, 1 or 2? 2 or 6? 6 or 4?" SON OF A B.) several times and ended up with a million headaches.  The pre-op testing was tedious and frustrating but I get why there is so much of it. A freaking laser cut my eye and then another one reshaped it, the entire thing was bananas.  The morning that I met the surgeon, I was hideously nervous and nauseated.  I almost threw up.  I did actually get sick the day before my procedure.  I was incredibly anxious.  They told me at the pre-op that if I needed it, they would give me some Valium (spoiler alert: they must have decided I didn't need it).

The morning of my Lasik, Adam took me to my appointment.  I was nervous/excited/scared/overwhelmed by the whole thing.  The nurses were wonderful, they put a hairnet on me and started me on the numbing eyedrops.  We chatted for a bit and the patient before me was getting Lasik done so I was able to hear what the machines sound like and hear that it only takes less than a minute for each part for each eye.  They walked me in the room and laid me on the bed.  I think that this point, I realized that I wasn't going to be put in a straightjacket (ha!) and I felt a little less freaked out.  They handed me a squeeze ball and I know I was tense and stiff as a board.  My doctor was wonderful and he and the main nurse talked me through every single step.  The first part is where the laser cuts a flap in your cornea.  Beforehand, they said that would be the worst part (it totally wasn't! so easy!).  The doctor puts a ring over your eye that applies pressure so at some point you lose eyesight.  For me, that made this part incredibly easy.  I just laid there, my eye that wasn't being cut was taped shut and I just saw stars in the other eye, basically.  It was peaceful and that is the part that is shorter, closer to 30 seconds per eye, maybe.  They did the right eye and then moved on to my left eye.  I was tense but mainly because I didn't know what was to come and deep down I think I still had doubts that it would actually work!

The second part was, by far, the worst, because you have sight for the entire part.  The doctor first takes the flap and lifts it, cleans the eye (I assume? all I know is that there was a crapton of eye drops put into my eye at this point), gets it to where you cannot blink and then sets you up for the laser.  I was just starting into a blinking orange light that was surrounded by black.  At this point the laser lowers and starts.  It sounds like guns going off and I could see purple in my peripheral vision.  I was too scared to do anything, moving-wise, and my doctor held my head in place.  The main nurse had a countdown going and the doctor just soothingly held me and told me nice things and reminded me to look at the target and hold my head still and so on and so forth.  It was creepy, I could see the orange light coming into better focus but before I knew it, that eye was done and they taped it up to start on my left eye.  I started to briefly panic at that point because I knew what was to come for my second eye.  One thing that I had read beforehand and was worried about was the smell, the second laser that reshapes the eye smells kind of funny and I expected to be more overwhelmed by it but it was really a non-issue for me.  So again, I think each eye with the second laser was 58 seconds each so it was all over incredibly fast.  Next thing I knew, the nurse took the blanket off of me and sat me up and told me I could open my eyes.

I don't think I was prepared for that moment, I didn't realize how instantaneous the change would be.  I could see the nurse!  Before I went in, I had to walk up to my doctor and get in his face before I could recognize him.  Now I could see.  I shed a few tears, they gave me some goggles (that I get to sleep in for a week) and more instructions and sent me on my merry way.  They warned me to only use my eyes to get to the car and then again from the car to my bed and then go straight to sleep.  I was unprepared for how bad my head would hurt when it was over.  My eyes were making tears (such a constant theme here) and my nose was running again.  It took me awhile to get to sleep because of all the pressure in my head.  It said on the post-op paperwork that I could have requested some better meds than OTC painkillers so that is really my only regret with the entire thing.

I woke up from my nap and things were cloudy (kind of like a mild dry eye, so nothing I wasn't used to) for the rest of the day but for the most part, I could see well enough to watch TV but not play on the phone for more than a couple of minutes.  The next morning, other than having the sleep goggles on, I woke up feeling like a normal person.  48+ hours later, I feel normal and I keep forgetting I even had it done.  I was not expecting how fast the change would be.  At my follow up 24 hours later, I was seeing 20/15.  I kind of feel like I experienced a miracle.

But as I said on instagram, for the entire actual procedure the main thoughts running through my head were:

- Who the hell came up with this idea?
- Who were the guinea pigs for the first Lasik procedures?

I really felt like it was this out of body, freak of nature experience.  I still can't believe that I had it done! I still don't know that I would have ever considered it without the major issues I was having.  The dry eye had gotten to the point where it was really affecting my life, especially driving at night or teaching my evening class.  If my contacts were still agreeing with me, I'd still be wearing them.  Lasik was scary and most definitely not covered by insurance.  But if you're having issues or considering it, I highly recommend!

Friday, January 2, 2015

2014

The annual Sundry year-in-review

1. What did you do in 2014 that you'd never done before?
threw Owen a first birthday party! went to Las Vegas with Adam. 

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I did ok on my to do list and obviously updated it for this next year.  

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
yes, this year was hard, there were happy births and there were terrible things that involved friends not getting to take home their baby.  we also had friends get the call that their adoptive son was about to be born.  it was highest highs and lowest lows. 

4. Did anyone close to you die?
I didn't attend a funeral this year so I consider myself to be incredibly lucky.

5. What countries did you visit?
no foreign countries, boo. I think every trip I made was a repeat to a previous visit but I had some excellent travels in 2014, nonetheless. 

6. What would you like to have in 2015 that you didn't have in 2014?
this is a very tough question for me this year, I really felt a lot of balance in my life in 2014.  I could always say that I would like to have a house that we own and/or a better kitchen but I know that the next two years will involve more of the same.  Happily, I've completely made my peace with this road that we're on and it's going to make the big move we have in the summer of '17 all the more sweet when it happens. 

7. What dates from 2014 will be etched upon your memory, and why?
April 26th was Owen's first birthday party.  March 19th was the day that my friend delivered the baby she lost.  My birthday, 12/5, was exceptional this year.  September 5th was Owen's first day at Mother's Day Out. 

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?
going back-ish to work! It was a totally unexpected thing and a huge blessing in my life.  I felt sort of human and grown up again, yet at the same time, since I work with a ton of college students and young twentysomethings, I still feel young.  It rocks. 

9. What was your biggest failure?
My parenting has been a failure at times.  "Put down phone and play with the child" should be my 2015 motto. 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I missed the Cowtown Half Marathon due to an unfortunate bout with fasciitis in Feb.  

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Hands down, easiest answer.  The FitBit.  

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Adam, as always.  He's a better parent than I could ever dream of being. He's so fully present when he's home.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Appalled is a strong word but I have way too many family members who totally depress me with their crummy life choices and then the endless complaining about said life choices.  

14. Where did most your money go?
Savings, rent, feeding the baby child.  Probably in that order, too. 

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Moving! It ended up being pretty awesome. Owen going to "school". 

16. What song will always remind you of 2014?
Jealous by Nick Jonas will always remind me of our Vegas trip

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) happier, this was a pretty alright year
b) thinner, than goodness
c) richer in savings, poorer in the fact that we now pay higher rent

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
traveled but that might always be my answer 

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
spent time on my phone, which is why I deleted the Twitter and Facebook apps

20. How did you spend Christmas?
We rocked our traditions! We did the family service at church, had an even better Tamale Party at our house after church for Christmas Eve, had a fabulous Christmas Day and Christmas dinner of BBQ.  We get better at it every year. 

21. Did you fall in love in 2014?
I think so! I fell in love with the idea that it might always be just the three of us.  I love our family the way it is now, it feels like our perfect. 

22. What was your favorite TV program?
HA. Always the same.  House People (HouseHunters), Dateline, Rehab Addict, pretty much anything with the Property Brothers, Fixer Upper.  We have cable for sports for Adam and HGTV for me. 

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No.

24. What was the best book you read?
The Fault in Our Stars, Eleanor and Park, Attachments

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I got a bunch of killer music from a fellow yoga teacher after a class in September, it all made many a playlist.

26. What did you want and get?
Everything I wanted and more.  My birthday/Christmas was ridiculous. 

27. What did you want and not get?

A better kitchen when we moved.  I sacrificed there for more family space.  It's going... Ok.  

28. What was your favorite film of 2014?
um.. I don't think I saw anything in the theater and I'm not even slightly sad about that.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 33 this year.  I accidentally ended up with the whole day off!  I took Owen to school and dropped off a huge car load of toys at the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center.  Nothing like a charity drop off to make you feel all warm and fuzzy on your b-day!  I went for a run on the Katy Trail.  I felt so good that my first mile was in 8 minutes flat!  I went to pilates that my friend Meredith taught.  I shopped for a bit and knocked out some Christmas list to-dos before meeting my friend Jennie for lunch at the brand new bar at Whole Foods Park Lane.  We drank delicious beers and ate even more delicious food, like cheese fries.  It was fantastic.  I went to pick up Owen and dropped him off at Christmas Camp at the YMCA.  I showered, got a manicure and finished up some more shopping at the mall.  The mall was in fantastic Friday afternoon of Christmas form.  There were piano players everywhere and I got a lot on my list accomplished on my solo trip.  Adam took off work early so we went to pick Owen up together.  He made us an ornament while he was at "camp".  We went and walked on the lake- it was AWESOME weather!  We ate dinner outside at Cane Rosso.  I seriously had the BEST day.  It was probably the best birthday I can remember. 

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
nothing, satisfaction could have been my key word this year.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2013?
yoga pants and running shorts.  I have a rad mom uniform.

32. What kept you sane?
yoga, having a job outside the home that did not stress me out, my husband 

33. What political issue stirred you the most?
exactly the same as the last 2 years
I have a list but most of it can be attributed to so-called "Christians" who use their "religion" to judge other people for their actions.
-Men who talk about abortion.  My thoughts are as such:  You have no uterus, you have no say.  I also don't understand why America constantly needs to argue an issue that is between a woman, her doctor, her beliefs and potentially her sexual partner.
-Anyone who is against gay marriage.  What harm does it cause to you?  Live and let live.
-Assault weapons.  I have yet to hear a good argument about why anyone needs one of these other than maybe our military.  Deer don't need to be shot with a semi-automatic rifle. 


34. Who did you miss?
always the same, my beloved Grandmother.  Grief catches me in the oddest moments, this year I had a really hard time at the 12 Days of Christmas at the Arboretum. 

35. Who was the best new person you met?

our new children's director at church

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014.

I have a lot more to learn but my husband is teaching me some really valuable life lessons about saving money and having discipline.