Bri & Me

Another weekend come and gone...they are never long enough. I spent Saturday in the pool at mom's house. It was me, mom, Brianna and Cheyanna, dad joined us after he finished playin golf...it was a nice day. After we got out of the pool I realized I got a bit too much sun, I got a bit sun-burned. Brianna decided it would be cute to do my hair. Cheyanna, who is 5 yrs old, thought it was the cutest hair style ever. At first I thought it would be okay, I like it when people play w/ my hair, it relaxes me...how bad could it be right? Boy was I wrong, I think my eyes are still a little bit slanted after two days, she pulled so tight...Ouch!

Let's go Pistons!!!

I have always liked sports, and during football season you can't get me away from the TV, but I am not a huge fan of basketball, I think the game has changed so much in the last 10 years...But ever since Mish was out here I have watched every game the Pistons have been in. Justin says that I am like a guy watching the games, yelling at the TV, "Where's the foul?", "Come on, traveling...How many steps is Ginobli gonna take", hoping Duncan will choke at the foul line. I had hoped that it would have been the Suns & Pistons in the Finals, maybe next year. Don't get me wrong though, just because I live in Phoenix, doesn't mean that I would have been rooting for the Suns, I am a Michigan girl, a Detroit Fan no matter what sport and I always will be. I read an article this morning that said the Pistons, in their past 10 games with a chance to eliminate an opponent, are 10-0...LET"S GO PISTONS!!! Don't call me after 6:00, I will be busy!

My Slump...

I have always had this obsession about my weight. I guess it’s because I used to be fat…I swear I will never look like that again. And what you see on TV doesn’t help…the media portrays the message that happiness and success come in this thin little body. I don’t want to be too thin, just loose the 20 lbs that I have put on since last October and get back into my size 6’s. Okay, now mom, when you read this, don’t freak out! It’s really hard to get motivated right now. I feel like I am in this slump, I’m not happy. I feel gloomy, like I am tired all the time, I could sleep all day. Maybe I am going through a mild depression. I know that one of the major side effects for Lexapro, the anxiety medication that I take, is tiredness. Another major side affect is weight gain, but that comes with just about any anti-anxiety med that you take…maybe I should think about switching meds. There are other side effects from my meds that I have notice too, but nothing so severe that have made me want to switch. For now I am going to start taking my Lexapro at night to see if that helps with the tiredness at all, and I have scheduled an appt to see my doctor, did I mention how cute he is?

It's Gettin' Hot...

Today it is supposed to get up to 108ْ
But it’s a dry heat…First let me say that regardless of how dry it is anything over 105 is hot! On average we have about 90 days of 100ْ or higher, the hottest day ever recorded was on June 26th 1990, it was 122ْ …Thank God we didn't get to AZ until July 4th 1990!

You know you're in Arizona when ...
*You no longer associate bridges (or rivers) with water.
*You can say 110 degrees without fainting.
*You eat hot chilies to cool your mouth off.
*You can make instant sun tea.
*You learn that a seat belt makes a pretty good branding iron.
*The temperature drops below 95, you feel a bit chilly.
*You discover that in July, it takes only 2 fingers to drive your car.
*Sunscreen is sold year round, kept right at the checkout counter.
*You put on fresh sunscreen just to go check the mail box.
*You discover that you can get a sunburn through your car window.
*You notice the best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.
*Hot water now comes out of both taps.
*It's noon in July, kids are on summer vacation, and not one person is out on the streets.
*You actually burn your hand opening the car door.
*No one would dream of putting vinyl upholstery in a car or not having air conditioning.
*You know better than to get into a car with leather seats if you're wearing shorts.
*You notice your car overheating before you drive it.
*You think someone driving wearing oven mitts is clever.
*You know a swamp cooler is not a happy hour drink.
*You can say "Hohokam" and people don't think you're laughing funny
*You can pronounce"Saguaro", "Tempe", "San Xavier", "Canyon de Chelly", "Mogollon Rim", and "Cholla"
*You hear people say "but it's a DRY heat!"
*You buy salsa by the gallon.
*You think a red light is merely a suggestion.
*Most of the restaurants in town have the first name "El" or "Los."
*You think 60 tons of crushed red rock makes a beautiful yard.
*Vehicles with open windows have the right-of-way in the summer.
*Your biggest bicycle wreck fear is, "What if I get knocked out and end up lying on the pavement and cook to death?"

Learning to Ice Skate

Just because we live in Arizona and it's 100' outside doesn't mean we can't ice skate. This was Cheyanna's first time on ice skates. Poor Cheyanna, Amy and I were laughing about it, but we don't remember it being this hard. Growing up in Michigan everyone knew how to ice skate. My brothers taught me. They decided they needed a goalie...so the strapped some skates on me, pushed me out on the ice, and said...now skate.

Learning to Ice Skate

It took Cheyanna a little while, but she finally got up the courage to let go of the side rail and her Mom and Aunt Kristen and was doing pretty good by herself. I had to keep reminding Amy that she would be okay if she fell. She only fell a few times, more than anything she didn't like the coldness of the ice on her hands. We had a good time and decided that we should go more often. What a way to beat the heat...

Dog Bite

We have had Kenny for about 9 years and Titus is just over 2 years old. I was dog sitting for Derek's Nephew, he has a golden lab puppy named Norm. Norm and Titus love to play together. Suddenly Kenny and Titus began having territorial issues. They got into a couple of pretty bad fights, Titus got bit just above his eye, it was bleeding pretty bad, and of course I completely freaked out. After Norm went home I thought everything was okay, like maybe it was a jealousy thing, but apparently not. They got into another fight and wouldn't stop. Instead of grabbing the hose that was just a couple of feet away from me I tried to break it up...What in world was I thinking?? Trust me, I have heard from everyone about what a dipshit I was for sticking my hand in there. Typically dog bites do not get stitched, but my bites were pretty deep and I had to have 3 whole stitches.

We have put our dogs in obedience training and go to group classes on Saturdays. They are doing much better, but we are not able to leave them alone together. Our trainer says that Kenny is the one who is posturing, aka throwing gang signs, at other dogs. He wants to be the alpha dog.

I live w/ all males, you'd think they'd have it figured out by now that I am the Alpha!!!

A Little Anxiety Anyone?

Everyone experiences some for of stress, anxiety, fear. For me anxiety has created havoc. Anxiety is the most common "disorder". There are 7 major categories of anxiety disorders: Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Phobia, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Specific Phobia, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. It has been estimated that more then 25,000,000 Americans suffer from anxiety…thank god I am not the only crazy one! Knowing that I am not alone and am not the only person who suffers from anxiety/panic attacks has helped me to cope with them. Being able to talk to friends and family has helped me a great deal.

I suffer from Panic Disorder, meaning I have panic attacks. A panic attack is a period of paralyzing intense fear...If you have never had a panic attack I would not recommend it, nor would I wish it on my worst enemy. The attacks can last anywhere from a minute to 10 minutes and during this time, I am sure that I will die. Here is some of what I experience while having a panic attack: Irregular, rapid or pounding heartbeat, Severe perspiration, A sense of choking, suffocation, or shortness of breath, Light-headedness, Feeling a sense of detachment from myself, Hot/Cold flashes, Fear that I will die, Nausea or upset stomach, Jitteriness and trembling, Thoughts of going insane or completely losing control, and I have fainted on more than one occasion.

Different things trigger my attacks. I avoid long lines, and I do not do well in crowds. I don’t like to drive in a lot of traffic, and I avoid driving on certain freeways.

Because I have fainted due to my panic attacks I find that I worry when the next one will come. Will happen when I am alone at the Mall, at work, or while I am driving? I am currently taking medication for this and have not suffered from a full blown panic attack in months.

Me & Titus

This is me and my baby...Titus. When my boyfriend, Derek, and I had talked about getting a dog, I said I wanted a lap dog. Derek insisted on getting a boxer. Titus is 2 years old and he is my baby. Even though he weighs 70 lbs. he still tried to be my lap dog.