Our Week - The One with Labor Day, the Start of Golf, and an MRI

Last week was another week full of dizziness, and it was pretty busy, too, so that made for quite a chaotic week for me.  Let’s get to the recap.

Monday, September 4

Monday was Labor Day, so Brian and the kids were off of work and school.  We slept in, had breakfast, and lounged around for some of the morning.  Mid-morning, we got ready and headed out to get some outdoor time before it got too hot.  The kids have been dying to go to a particular playground at a big church here in town, and we hadn’t been since before Covid, so we took them there. 

We ended up staying for a long time because there weren’t too many people there.  They have a super long zipline that the kids love, so they played on that most of the time, and Brian and Jacob also played some ping pong.  We ended up staying until well into lunchtime, and the kids didn’t want to leave.  I thought we were going to have to drag them out of there.  Haha.

We headed to Chick-Fil-A for lunch after that, and we tried their new Caramel Crumble milkshakes… they are really yummy and very fall-ish, so I highly recommend!

Once we were done there, we headed back home, and I worked in my office for a bit while the kids played video games.  Late in the afternoon, I headed downstairs to get everything ready for Tuesday, and I also baked a loaf of pumpkin bread.

We did hot dogs and leftover sides for dinner because I hadn’t gone to the grocery store, and then I got outside for a walk after dinner.  I was super dizzy and having tons of neck and head strain on Monday, so my walk was a struggle, but it did feel good to get out and do what I could.  I also got in an arms workout.

 

When I got home, I got showered and into PJs, and then we all finished America’s Got Talent from the previous week before getting the kids in bed.  B and I ended the evening with an episode of Nine Perfect Strangers, and then we headed to bed, too.

 

Tuesday, September 5

Tuesday morning, I had a Home and School Advisory Board meeting first thing, so I hung around after I dropped the kids off and waited for that to start.  Once that was done, I went straight to Walmart to grab groceries for the week, and then I went home to put those away and work for the rest of the day.

At 3, I grabbed the kids from school and then we all headed home.  They had just enough time to get snacks, finish homework, and read for a bit before it was time to take Olivia to dance.  After dropping Olivia, Jacob and I swung by Publix to grab all of the stuff I couldn’t get at Walmart, and then we got that home and put away. 

Jacob had a makeup piano lesson Tuesday evening at 6, so he and I headed there next for his lesson, and then we headed back home to get dinner started right as B was heading out to pick up Olivia from dance. 

I had intended to make mini pizzas on biscuit dough for dinner since it’s quick, but the brand new bag of mozzarella cheese I’d bought tasted awful (must have been spoiled), so I had to throw that out and make a frozen pizza instead.  Such a bummer.

When B and Olivia got home, we all ate dinner together, and then I headed out for a late walk/run.  I had been dizzy a lot of the day Tuesday, but it had decreased a bit throughout the day, so it was a better walk/jog than Monday’s.  I ended up getting in 2.38 miles, and I could have gone longer, but it was almost dark by the time I got home.

By the time I got home, the kids were just finishing up with their showers, so I got my shower, too, and then we got them in the bed.  B and I started an episode of Nine Perfect Strangers and then we headed to bed, too.  It was a busy day!

Wednesday, September 6

Wednesday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then headed back home for a couple of hours to work before I had to go back to the school to meet with Olivia’s fourth grade teachers to discuss all of the class parties and events that I’ll be helping with as the room parent for the year.  We have some fun stuff planned, and I’m excited for a great year!  I truly love being able to volunteer there, and I’m so grateful to have the opportunity now that I don’t work full-time outside the home anymore.

While I was there, Olivia was at specials, so I wasn’t able to see her, but I did leave a little note on her desk to tell her I love her.  She was so excited about it when I picked her up later in the day, and she ended up writing a little note back to me on the same piece of paper and bringing it home to me so I could have it.  <3

I headed back home after that and had just gotten settled in to organize my notes for the upcoming school-wide tailgate when my Momma called to ask if I could come get her and my dad since they started having car troubles and they were stranded.

On the way to pick them up, another one of the room parents from middle school called me to discuss items and quantities needed for the middle school tailgate, so we got that all organized and settled, and when I got home, I worked on the Sign-Up Genius for Olivia’s class for the items needed for the fourth grade tailgate.

The rest of the afternoon was spent working on blog stuff, catching up on emails, and calling all around to find out who sells coffee in large quantities.  I’m planning Grandparent’s Day at the kids’ school, so we needed a lot.  It was a struggle to get anyone on the phone at many of the places, and apparently online orders for that are not a thing, so I was unsuccessful at placing the order.  Sigh.

At 3, I picked up the kids from school and we dropped Olivia off at dance.  She squeezed in some study time in the car while we were waiting for dance to start, and Jacob was kind enough to quiz her with her flashcards. 

Jacob and I headed home after that so he could tackle homework, and I prepped everything for dinner.  Brian usually picks Olivia up from dance but he had a tennis match Wednesday evening, so Jacob and I had to go back out to grab Olivia, and then we finally came home for good after that.  I cooked dinner – beef and rice skillet filled with lots of veggies and tortilla chips (plus fruit for the kids) – and the kids and I ate together. 

By the time dinner was over, it was time for the kids to get showered and ready for bed, and while they did that, I jumped on the stair stepper for a quick workout.

Brian got home from tennis just in time to get the kids into bed, and then he and I ended the day with another episode of Nine Perfect Strangers.  We were both hooked on that show, y’all.

Thursday, September 7

Thursday morning, I dropped the kids at school, headed home to work on blog stuff for an hour, and then I headed back to the kids’ school to attend Mass with Olivia.  She was selected to do the first reading during Mass, and I wasn’t going to miss that!  Her reading was long, but she read beautifully, and I’m just so proud of her.  It amazes me how comfortable she is getting up in front of hundreds of people like that.  That is a hard pass for me.

After Mass, I headed back home to work some more, and then I had to run over to my orthodontist’s office because a rubberband had come loose off of my bracket the night before when I was flossing and brushing my teeth.  I was literally in and out in four minutes, and then I headed back home yet again to have lunch and finish up with blog work before I had to be back at the school to pick up the kids.

Olivia had voice lessons at 3:30, so we headed straight to the music school after school pickup.  Jacob usually has piano lessons at the same time, but he had his first golf match that day, so we had moved his piano lesson, and Brian met us at the music school to grab Jacob and take him to golf.

Olivia and I headed home after voice lessons and I sat down and studied with her a bit for her word work test and her science test on moon phases, and then we spent some time trying on her Barbie costume that had arrived in the mail.  It was seriously the cutest thing everrrr – just look at it! – but Olivia ultimately decided that she likes her Skating Barbie costume better, so we’re returning this one.

We all sat down and had dinner together when Brian and Jacob got home (fettuccine alfredo with chicken, steamed broccoli, and garlic cheese bread), and Jacob told us all about his match.  He had shot his personal best score ever – a 42! – and he’d had three double bogeys and six bogeys.  He was happy to be back at it after a long hiatus even though it was blazing hot Thursday evening.

After dinner, B and I cleaned up the kitchen and then I set out to walk/jog, but my dizziness kicked in high gear when I got out there, and it was a struggle to get in my 2.55 miles.  Sigh.  In addition to the dizziness, I was also having lightheadedness, and my vision was weird… I kept seeing black spots and I was still veering off to the right (really hard) when I walked.  I’m so ready to be back to normal, y’all.  Every single morning I wake up and I have no idea what to expect because every day is different. 

By the time I got home, the kids were ready for bed, so we watched some of America’s Got Talent before tucking them in, and then I got showered and ready for bed, too.  After a meditation, I headed downstairs, and B and I watched another episode of Nine Perfect Strangers before calling it a night.

Friday, September 8

Friday was another busy day.  I had my MRI bright and early at 8 AM, so Brian and I dropped the kids off at school and headed straight there.  I opted to do the MRI at a third party place rather than a hospital because I’d been advised that I would be able to get in quicker, the process would be faster, and it would be less expensive. 

Sure enough, we were in and out in less than an hour, and most of that time was spent in the tube doing the actual MRI.  They did two separate ones – one of my brain and brain stem, and one of my neck – but they combined them into one long time, so I was laying in there for approximately 30 minutes. 

That was actually the third (I think??) time I’ve had an MRI, so I knew exactly what to expect.  The only thing I wasn’t expecting was that when they do an MRI of your head, they put your head in a box in addition to being in the tube.  Yeesh.  I wasn’t expecting that at all, so that took some getting used to.  Thankfully, I was able to close my eyes, and it was all good.  I do have a tendency to get claustrophobic in some circumstances, but MRIs have surprisingly never bothered me.  The worst part is just having to lay still for such a long period of time on that hard plastic.  My left SI joint and my butt were killing me by the time I got out of there.

The tech said that it would have taken less time if I hadn’t had my braces.  Metal can interfere with the imaging, so I had to stay in there a little longer than I would have if I didn’t have the braces.  The whole process was super quick over all, though – I was able to wear my own clothes – but I did have to take off everything that had metal in it – earrings, necklace, watch, etc.

We got home just after 9 and I enjoyed a piece of pumpkin bread with some hot cinnamon tea while I worked for a couple of hours, and then Brian and I ate a quick lunch before I had to be at my therapist appointment at 12:15. 

I was talking to my therapist about how I’ve always had a ton of inflammation in my body.  My ankles almost always look like sausages, my fingers swell so bad when I run that they ache for about an hour after I finish my workout, my head always feels like it’s going to explode when I’m doing yoga (or anything where I have to have my head downward) and I always have a lot of pain in general (headaches, joint pain, terrible period pain, etc.).  My bloodwork showed that I had super high inflammation in my body when I got it checked a couple of months ago, and I’ve been swelling more than usual lately, so I have been wondering if this vertigo and dizziness is somehow stemming from the inflammation since inflammation wreaks havoc on your whole body. 

Well, she highly recommended that I go grab some turmeric and start taking it right away because she knows so many people who swear by it, including herself.  So, after my appointment, I ran to Publix to grab some, and then I headed home where I had about 25 minutes to wrap up work before I had to leave to pick up the kids from school.  I did start taking the turmeric Friday night, and so far, I haven’t noticed a huge difference, but according to the internet, it can take weeks to notice the benefits.

When we got home, I finished unloading the dishwasher, and then I got the whole house photographed for my fall home tour yesterday.  I had enough time to get in a Bible study when I was done, and then I also finished my book that I’d been reading.  It was a productive and relaxing day.

Brian picked up barbecue from our favorite local place for dinner, and then afterward, we had a family movie night, and we watched the new Super Mario Brothers movie.  The kids loved it, but I wasn’t super impressed.  I ended up choosing to doze off about halfway through.

After the kids went to bed, B and I watched the final episode of season one of Nine Perfect Strangers and then we called it a night, too.  I know we are late to the game, and that most of you have probably seen it already, but if you haven’t, you must watch it.  It was SO good.  We both enjoyed it tremendously.

Saturday, September 9

Saturday morning, we got up and I made homemade waffles for breakfast as I usually do, and then we watched ESPN College GameDay.  I got off the couch around 10:30 to start some laundry and get in a mixed cardio workout, and by the time that was done, it was after 12, and it was time to watch the Georgia game.  We have season tickets, but we sold our tickets for the first few games because it’s way too hot to go this time of year.  We’re hoping to make it to three games later this season when it’s cooler and when we’re playing more challenging opponents. 

We played a cupcake team on Saturday, so it ended up being a beating.  Since I didn’t have to give my full attention to the game, I took the time to get my planner organized for the week ahead while we watched.  This week is B-O-N-K-E-R-S, so I wanted to be prepared.

Once the game ended, I spent a few minutes in my office getting some stuff done, and then it was time to get showered and ready for church. 

Church was at 5:30, and then we went out to eat Mexican with my parents afterward.  Dairy Queen had released their fall Blizzards, so we swung by there to get those for B and the kids after that, and then we headed home to watch football for the rest of the night.  I still can’t believe Texas beat Bama in their own stadium.  Crazy.

 

Sunday, September 10

Sunday morning, Jacob had golf practice at 9, so we all had a quick breakfast, and Brian and Jacob were out the door by 8:30.  Olivia and I spent the whole morning crafting… she wanted to work on a Halloween craft she’d seen on Epic at school, and I pretty much just watched her because she’s so old now that she doesn’t need my help.  Look how cute it turned out!

After that was done, we played the longest game of Chutes and Ladders known to man.  Haha.  Both of us made it to the top of the board multiple times and ended up having to slide down the big chute all the way to the bottom so it kept going on and on and on. 

 

After we finished our game, she turned on the TV for a bit while I did a yoga workout, and I also listened to my sermon that I listen to every Sunday morning while I worked out.

Brian and Jacob got home just in time for everyone to get showered and ready for the day, and then we headed to my MIL and step-FIL’s house for lunch.  My mother-in-law’s sister and her husband joined us on Sunday, so we ended up staying longer than usual chatting in the dining room all afternoon and catching up with them.  The kids played Clue with their cousins all afternoon.

By the time we got home, we had just enough time for me to finish a blog post for Monday and get everything ready for the week ahead, and the kids showered and then played video games for a bit.

We headed to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner at 6, and my Momma made her famous spaghetti – always and forever one of my favorites.  We all sat around the table all evening chatting and catching up and eating, and it was a great way to end the week!

When we got home, we got the kids in the bed, and B and I watched an episode of the new season of Only Murders in the Building, and then we headed to bed early.

Happy Tuesday, y’all!