The Itch That Won't Go Away

I've been suffering from a mysterious rash for over a month now. It started after I had been tanning. My doctor diagnosed it as "heat rash" and gave me predisone about 2 weeks ago. It cleared up everywhere except on my left arm and around my neck. I went back yesterday and she said she still thinks it's from an allergic reaction to laundry detergent. She gave me a shot in the butt of steroids. I guess it looks better this morning. Looks like it's drying up a little. Last night I was still itching especially my chest and neck.

I also suffer from severe seasonal allergies. I thought this all stemmed from my horrible hayfever. One night I was at a track meet until 1000 at night and the next day red and itching til it drove me crazy! I still think the rash is related. I am just hoping it goes away this time! If it doesn't I have an appointment with a dermatologist in Fort Dodge in 2 weeks.

As far as overall health goes, I'm still losing weight. I have lost almost 4 pant sizes since a year ago without exercising. I have been taking supplements from GNC. I think I have finally discovered just the right combination that works with my body to shed the pounds. Instead of taking just one kind, I take like one of each of about 3 or 4 kinds. It's working. I've also discovered how amino acids aid in weight loss. It's amazing. I have been down to the size I am for about 2 years. I know I need to exercise to tone it all up now, especially my legs! I'm definitely not bikini ready yet! Maybe bikini top while covering up the bottom half! I haven't felt comfortable about wearing shorts for quite a while. However, I see really heavy women wearing them and think, "What am I worried about?" It's very interesting seeing what some people chose to wear!

20 Years in the Making

In a couple of weeks, on June 1st, my husband Jeff and I will have been married 20 years! Wow, that doesn't seen possible at all! Time has really flown by! It's so hard to believe that I've been married 20 years, I'm going to be 43 shortly and I have a daughter who is almost 18 and will be a senior next year! I've almost lived and used up half of my life! My mom is 72! Unbelievable! Where does the time go?

The last 20 years have been full of ups and downs. We've had two children, gone through about 3 dogs and three cats, and have moved three times. Eleven years ago we almost lost Jeff to cancer. That was one of the toughest things I've dealt with. Two years ago I suffered a mid-life crisis when I lost my full-time job. But, we've managed to muddle through it all. Thank God for that! We just keep moving forward and try not to look back.

I look at the future and I really want to start a career that I never have been able to somehow. I want to make good money so that we can pay things off and save to go on trips It's so hard choosing what to be when you grow up, especially now  that I'm grown up and still don't know what to be. I've always been a go-with-the-flow kind of person. I think that has been part of my downfall. Looking back, I think I was the happiest job wise when I was managing a clothing store here in Carroll. I only did it for a year because I had to work a lot of weekends. I really enjoyed what I did though and wish I could get it back. Hopefully I can find another manager job somewhere around here. If my boss at GNC would ever leave, I could see myself managing it. I'd rather do clothing though. I guess I just need to start looking around. Open my eyes a little to what is available. 20 years ago I graduated from Buena Vista College in Storm Lake with BAs in English and Journalism, and intended on a writing career that never happened.

I do believe that God has a plan for us and everything does happen for a reason. You may not know the reason now, but somewhere down the road it all becomes clear why things happened. I'm looking forward to celebrating many more years with Jeff, and watching our children become adults and hopefully making good decisions with their lives. We only get one life and it is precious, as is time.

New Addition to Our Family

Rocky 3 months old

Yesterday we got an addition to our family, a baby boy sheltie puppy.  We had a sheltie that we had to put to sleep two years ago.  We loved Tiger very much and he was a great dog.  We had him for 9 years.  After Tiger we had a Mini American Eskimo dog we named Chloe.  We had to give her away because she couldn't be potty trained.



Our Beloved Tiger RIP

 My son and I drove from a basketball tournament in Des Moines to Bloomfield, Iowa to pick out the puppy.  It took us about 2 hours to get there.  It is located 52 miles from the Iowa - Missouri border.  Bloomfield has a Amish community.  The people with the puppies were Amish.  The didnt' have a phone at their house.  They had a community phone that they used.  On the way there we saw horses and buggies with people dressed in traditional Amish clothing.  There were a lot of Amish businesses.  When we got there the dog people were dressed traditionally Amish.  They lived on a farm off of a dirt road and up a little gravel path.  They had a lot of dogs.  I had told him that we wanted to male puppy, so they had four male puppies in a cage waiting for us.  There were three reddish colored ones and one that stuck out to us because he looked exactly like our old dog Tiger.  The prices ranged from $175 to $250.  It just so happened that the one we picked was the most expensive, but we knew it was the one, no matter what.


The puppy did really well on the 3 hour drive home.  He didn't throw up, poop or pee!  He sat on Dalton's lap the whole time, even though we had brought a box to put him in.  Dalton just couldn't put him down.  He's so soft and adorable who could blame him!  Now that we have him home, we are working on potty training him.  He has had several accidents.  I know it takes patience.  We are very glad to have him as a part of our family. :)