C-PAP...C-CRAP!!!!!!!!!

For a machine that is supposed to HELP me sleep, the C-Pap is sure doing a poor job at it. (see "Snore No More" post about my sleep apnea disorder)

I received it (the C-Pap) on Friday and have not been able to catch a wink of sleep since.

Friday- toss and turn all night, total of 3 hours of sleep. Wake up in the morning with bloody nose and dried out crispy nostrils.

Saturday- Same story…maybe 4 hours of sleep, wake up with nose in such pain, that I had to get up and put lotion on it. Wake up in the morning with EXTREMELY sore nose, bloody and crispy.

Sunday- Got a magical lanolin ointment from my friend Elise. This DEFINITELY seemed to help the sore, crusty, bloody nose issue. However, I still tossed and turned all night, and woke up this morning so very very groggy and lethargic.

Tonight- If I’m sleepy enough, I’m going to start the battle around 9:30. This will give me good “toss and turn” time before desperately needing to fall asleep. Because, see, I have this womens bible study that I go to on Tuesday mornings and it STARTS at 6am. So, I have to get up around 4:30 am.


I MUST MUST MUST GET SOME SLEEP!!!!!!!!

PS. Oh, don’t worry, pictures of me IN THIS CONTRAPTION are coming soon.

Our dog INDIANA JONES...she's just a mess!!!

TUNE IN TOKYO??

As you may well know...our dog Indiana broker her leg around Thanksgiving time. This picture was taken about a week before she got her cast off. Notice how she's chewed on her cast???...yah, thats the 3rd one. And, notice how she's chewed on her "lamp shade"...yah, she had actually JUST ripped it off. We had to position it back on her for the duration of her photo shoot. Silly Dog....

QUESTION OF THE DAY...

When I brush my teeth, I go (side to side...up and down...)...

Give me back my high "C"...or even "B" !!!

Have I ever told you that I have a degree in vocal music performance? Yep...I sang my way through college. I'm a classicaly trained lyric soprano. (that means...I sing really really high with "opera type" stuff) But...I also did a lot of jazz in college. When I sing jazz or the blues, I sound like a soulful women that is reaching down low and hitting notes only a man should be able to hit. Needless to say (and really, I'm not trying to be proud or boastful) I'm blessed with a really wide range.

...BUT....

Last night was the first night of rehearsals for the "Master Choral" that I'm now a part of. This choir will give me the oppurtunity to sing classic art pieces again. ...a chance to sing the beautiful soprano lines again. ...possibly a chance to do a lead aria solo again. I miss this stuff SO SO SO MUCH!!!!! But...last night...it was SO VERY HARD for me to reach a high C, or even a B. Whoah nelly...this was usually like smooth silk for me. I could just float right up there and hang out for awhile. But last night was so tuff! I've really got to work my voice back to where it was 5 years ago. I'm really out of "voice shape".

We're doing Carmina Burana which, as you might know, is very punching, heart wrenching, pounding, high music. I'm so excited! But...I've got to work on my voice.

To give you an idea of how much I've missed this style of singing...I listened to a cd of myself the other day and just sat there and BAWLED MY EYES OUT! I'm so excited to be back into it. The concert is April 22nd and 23rd...I hope you can make it.

Ps. Sarah ( www.greeneyedview.blogspot.com ) and Dave ( www.davehamrick.blogspot.com ) are also singing in the choir with me. Dave has a degree in voice as well...and well...Sarah, just rocks.

Crack Cocaine Makes You Skinny...well...sort of!

These are some of my closest girlfriends from college. We all lived in the same dorm together and were all VERY involved with our on campus ministry “Campus Christian Fellowship”…or CCF.

We were all in Tulsa this last weekend to celebrate the impending birth of Leslie’s (front middle pregnant girl) little boy. I can’t wait to see him!!!! Unfortunately, there are 3 girls missing from the picture. 2 of whom were just late to the party. (Vanessa and Holly…SHOUT OUT HOMIES!!!!!)…the other one is Shannon who is currently in the mission field of India with her husband.

Anyway…I want to talk about Christine. She is the girl in the front row with long “blondish” hair, black shirt, faded jeans, and a long necklace. 1 ½ years ago…Christine was double the size she is in this picture. She has lost 130 pounds!!!!! I could NOT believe it when I saw her.

We were all giggling, jumping around, being dorks and laughing…when I noticed a girl just standing there looking at us. I looked at her for a minute and then she smiled. I thought to myself “this girl looks SO familiar, but I can’t remember her name”. And then it DAWNED ON ME….HOLY POO…THAT’S CHRISTINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I about DIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really could not believe what I was seeing.

…Now, Christine, Kim (the tall girl with glasses) and I were always the “chubby ones” in our group. (but the funniest ones I might add…) We were always able to share clothes…talk about dieting…and sit on the sidelines while the rest of the girls went out on dates.

…but NOW…NOW CHRISTINE IS ONE OF THEM!!!!!!!!! ONE OF THE SKINNY ONES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The funny thing is…she TOTALLY still has her sense of humor. She told everyone that the reason she lost weight is “that crack cocaine…it rocks!”…then would follow up with the truth, which is diet and excersise.

Well, Christine…I’M GONNA JOIN YA SISTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WATCH OUT!

GOTTA PEE LIKE A RACEHORSE...

So, I'm on day 4 of my official start of "Operation Life Change 2006". So far so good...but man, I gotta tell you...when you go from 1 glass of water a day to 8 OF THEM...YOU'RE GONNA PEE LIKE SOMETHING FIERCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well...I think its 8 glasses. I'm drinking 2 full "Nalgenes" a day. 1 nalgene bottle is 32 and a few ounces. So...I'm taking in at LEAST 64.

But...I'm only peeing out about half I think. So...I feel a little swolen. Is this normal to retain so much water when you start out? I guess so...

This is what I've been doing:
2 Nalgenes a day of water
breakfast: lots of fiber from somewhere
lunch: lean cuisine or healthy choice meal
dinner: small portion healthy homecooked meals.

KEEP ON PRAYIN' FOLKS...I'VE GOT THE REST OF MY LIFE TO LOOK FORWARD TO.

My Death Sentence...

Dieting is NOT my favorite thing in the world….but neither is being fat. So, it HAS to happen.

Lately, I’ve been having these “dreams” or “visions” or “whatever you want to call them” that I’m going to be an overweight mom. I DO NOT WANT THAT TO HAPPEN!!!!!!!!

I love my mother, but she did not do much in the ways of teaching my sister and I good eating habits…or excersizing habits…or house cleaning habits…or a lot of other things…but you get my point. She always had food on the table, and it was GOOD food. Very fattening and very large portions. My mother also has high blood pressure and is over weight. Hmmm…that sounds like me. THANKS MOM!!!!!!!

No…but seriously, I know I can’t blame my mother for the way I am NOW…but, the habits that I was indulged in as a child have now caught up with my butt, mid-driff, and arms. Somehow, my sister Christi ended up SUPER skinny and real cutesy…what the heck happened here?????

So…the inevitable is upon me: YOU’RE MORBIDLY OVERWEIGHT. I’m literally a “100 pounds +” overweight. I technically qualify for one of those stomach shrinking surgeries.

OH MY GOSH!!!!! HOW DID I GET HERE???? WHO AM I??????????? WHY DO I HAVE TWO CHINS?????? WHY DO I HAVE TO SHOP IN THE PLUS SIZE SECTION????????????

If I don’t loose weight now…I’ll NEVER do it. So…friends…I’m calling on you to be a person that I hate!!!!!!!!!! The person that says “Shelli, are you supposed to be eating that?” Sarah and Justin…I know that this will be the hardest for you two, but you HAVE to do this for me. Its my health we’re talking about here.

I don’t want to die young…unless its Gods will.

BUT I DON’T WANT TO!!!!!!!!

SNORE NO MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As many of you already know, I am an extreme snorer. If snoring was an olympic event, I would have atleast 27 gold metals...one for each year of my life that I've snored. According to my parents and sister, this has been going on since birth. And...if you take a gander at my husbands blog, www.rockstarjones.com you'll see that I'm starting to cause him to have even WORSE insomnia than he did before marrying me. Sorry Babe...I love you.

Well...have no fear, the C-PAP is here (well...in February it will be)!!!!!! I guess I have this thing called "sleep apnea" that causes my airways to close up and be restricted at night, thus making a horrible rattle noise at the back of my throat...causing "snoring". Also, this causes me to STOP breathing and wake up on average 5-6 times an hour. (my dad averages 20...YIKES!) Also, sleep apnea is linked to high blood pressure and has a direct link with obesity, diabetes, and they are doing research to proove that this is the main cause for S.I.D.S. (or "sudden infant death syndrom") I had to take a sleep study (twice) in a strange room with people monitoring me while I sleep...but, they discovered that I do INDEED have this "sleep apnea" and that I need a breathing machine for night time. BUT... THIS IS WHAT I'LL LOOK LIKE WHEN I SLEEP, and thats not even showing the long tube that runs from my head to a bulky machine next to my bed!!!!!!!! OH GEEZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!