Author Archive for Karla Neese

I miss you - my blogging friends. I miss reading your blogs, chatting with you on IM, emailing nonsense back and forth and feeling your presence in my life.

I miss you - my daily blogging duties. Some days I miss writing every day. I miss Five Friday Favorites and tidbits about things in my life. Yet at the same time, it feels good to be rid of that “duty” of writing every day.

I miss you - my long hair. Why did I ever feel the need to cut you off and throw you away? I shouldn’t have been so daring and rebellious. I should have stuck to my new hairstyle and been happy, rather than being antsy and willing to shed you in a moment of beauty-inspired weakness.

I miss you - teacups and teapots and all things lovely. I haven’t taken the time lately to sit and just sip a pot of tea.

With work taking so much of my time, attention and energy, I’ve neglected so many areas of my life. Don’t get me wrong, I really like my job. I don’t have any intentions of quitting, but getting used to being back in the real workforce has taken me longer to get used to than I expected. Priorities are having to be re-defined. Leisure is at a premium these days.

Thank you all for being so kind and understanding. I’ll try to pop in more often and will try and start adding some blog reading to my time regularly. I’ll also be re-growing my hair out because I really do miss it being long.

Hope things are going well for you all! Until next time…

I am Autumn. 

I am brisk, cool mornings, pleasant days and chilly nights.

I am scented with the smells of wood and leaves, pumpkins and spice, soup and cornbread.

I am clothed in warm colors and the mist of early morning fog is my veil.

I am a beacon, a symbol, a sign that nature’s winter respite is near.

I am calm; telling everyone to slow down, huddle in close together, and enjoy the beauty of nature.

I am football and turkey and families gathering to give thanks.

I am awe-inspiring and beautiful.

I am but one sign of God’s handiwork.

I am Autumn.

**This morning as I drove to work and saw the edges of leaves turning yellow and saw the mist hanging over one of the tall buildings near work, I was reminded at how much I love Autumn. Actually, Autumn is our family’s favorite season. It is the season that brings memories of romance for Brad and I. It causes Sarah to get much too giddy at the idea of sweaters and soup and football and all things comforting and warm. 

Today is National One-Hit Wonder Day. I thought I’d share my favorite one-hit wonder. The video is “great” and I suppose there is a two-fold reason why I like this song so much. First, I won a bet concerning who sings this song. Years ago Brad and I were listening to the song and I said I thought Devo sang it. He thought I was wrong. I won. That doesn’t happen very often.

Second, Devo is just so odd that you can’t help but like them. It’s a silliness that is just infectious I suppose. So without further ado, enjoy my favorite one-hit wonder!

I paid a visit to my doctor’s office yesterday for a follow-up appointment to go over the results of my heart scan and discuss a possible treatment plan for my high cholesterol levels.

My heart scan came back as zero. At first I wasn’t sure if that meant I simply don’t have a heart anymore or what (just kidding). The doctor said a zero is the best you can have. He said that the heart scans are 90% accurate most of the time but there are a rare few people who have plaque build-up that hasn’t calcified yet. He didn’t think that was the case with me, so that’s good. 

Because my LDL (lousy) and C-Reactive Protein numbers are high and my HDL (good) are too low, he is putting me on cholesterol medicine. I’m starting out with the generic version of the statin drug Pravachol. The doctor was very good about going over potential health risks and side effects. I’ll go back in December to get my cholesterol re-tested and when I do, they’ll also check my liver enzymes to ensure that no damage is being done to my liver from the medication. The doctor acted like this would not necessarily be a long term thing, but just something to bring my levels down to a healthy range and then try to maintain them with a healthier lifestyle.

He did say one of the side effects could be memory loss. I told him that my memory is so faulty these days that I’m not sure I would notice a difference at all.

So that’s the update. Thanks to all of you who have prayed for me and sent encouraging words my way. I appreciate you beyond words.

For all those who have left such kind wishes and promises of prayer, thank you. I still don’t know the results of my heart scan, but I hope to find out tomorrow at my follow-up doctor appointment. I am fairly certain he will put me on some type of cholesterol medication as my C-Reactive Protein is rather high and my cholesterol is elevated, although not as bad as originally thought. My total cholesterol is 266, my LDL and triglycerides are in the 150-200 range and my HDL is low at only around 50. I will let you all know what I find out tomorrow.

And now onto something a bit happier. Sarah came in just a little while ago and said that our Pug Sam inspired her to write a new song, to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. It goes like this:

Wrinkle, wrinkle on the skin

Underneath my Puggy’s chin

And all over his little face

Patterns his body like a maze.

Wrinkle, wrinkle on the skin,

Underneath my Puggy’s chin.

You will probably recall that my last post included information about my cholesterol level. After getting my cholesterol tested at a clinic and finding out that it’s WAY too high (314), I made an appointment with my primary care physician. He took a blood test as well and after reviewing the clinic numbers has had me schedule myself for a heart scan. I go in next Wednesday, September 11. Once my doctor has the results of the bloodwork and the heart scan we’ll see where we go from there. If the numbers are moderately bad, he’s going to likely schedule me for an exercise stress test. If they are okay, we’ll just watch it and try to lower the cholesterol. At this point, I don’t know if I’ll be put on meds or just use diet and exercise to try and bring things into a healthier level.

In the meantime, I’ll go to my Trekkie appointment and get scanned. I’ll be sure to let you all know what I find out.

Brad’s off to Vegas tomorrow for PhotoShop World. I think he’s excited. I’m jealous and glad I’m not going all at the same time. I’ll definitely miss him, that’s for sure. After 16 years of marriage it just feels like life isn’t right when we’re not together. But I’ll survive. He’ll be back on Saturday.

Hope you all are doing great!

I’m still alive, although today I feel as if I’m on the verge of knowing what it’s like not to be. I had my cholesterol levels tested at a clinic yesterday after church. It was very very high. Enough to really scare me. I know you want to know, so here are the numbers: overall cholesterols was 314. HDL (good) level was only 30. LDL (bad) was way up at 244. My triglycerides are at 200. Very very bad.

I have a lot of people in my family, grandparents, aunts, uncles, my dad, who have had or do have heart problems and stroke issues. I’ve made an appointment to see my primary care physician and will be going in on Monday of next week to talk about how serious this is or isn’t. The nurse practitioner that drew my blood and tested it said that if it wasn’t for the fact that I have really good blood pressure (115/87 which is right on track for me) and that most of my family history is not early aged heart problems, I have the potential to have a heart attack by 40. Boy, that’ll stop you in your tracks.

Have you had your cholesterol tested? There are usually several places around that do free screenings throughout the year. I was lucky enough to get a postcard in the mail. It came just as I was thinking about having it done. And being free, it’s really what got me in.

Get tested! I’ll keep you all updated on what I find out from the doctor next week. In the meantime, I’m doing what I should have been doing for a long time which is gettings some exercise, reading about living healthier, planning and eating healthier meals and learning to deal with stress. It’s only been one day, but the idea of it all has sobered me enough that I’m determined to lower my cholesterol, drop a few pounds and hopefully feel better.

You all probably thought I’d dropped off the planet, didn’t you? Hooray for those of you are glad I didn’t. Sorry to disappoint for those of you who wish I had. Seriously, the past two weeks have been quite challenging, stressful and downright energy-zapping. The sales rep I work for has been on vacation for two weeks and I’ve been handling all his clients by myself when he normally has me to assist him. And of course, just as Murphy would predict, all of the strange and “this won’t happen until I get back” clients came out of the woodwork, on top of a HUGE project that spanned the entire two weeks and just about had us all in tears at one point. Thankfully our manager/owner stepped in when he realized that project was just too much for me (I think the tears and crying clued him in). Needless to say, there hasn’t been any mental energy left to blog these past couple of weeks and I’m so far behind on reading blogs that I have no idea what anyone is up to. Hopefully I can get back to that starting tomorrow. So as a way to say thanks for not forgetting me, I’m stealing this meme that Brad stole from Brit-Gal Sarah.

• Sport: Football
• Game: Tri-Bond
• Color: Cabbage Rose Pink
• Movie: The Sound of Music
  
• Broadway/West End Musical I have seen: Wicked
• Song: Can’t decide, but I know it’s bound to be by Bon Jovi
• American city I have visited: Virginia Beach, VA
• Foreign city I have visited: Cozumel, Mexico (I haven’t ventured out much)
• Book: Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
• Children’s Book: Nancy Drew Series or Little House on the Prairie Series
  
• Classic television show: Little House on the Prairie
  
• Recent TV Show: Boston Legal
• Actor: Denzel Washington
• Actress: Susan Sarandon
• Food: Chocolate
• Dessert: My homemade New York Cheesecake
• Chain Restaurant: Cheeseburger in Paradise
• Local Restaurant: Red Rock Canyon Grill
• Car: Silver Mercedes or Lexus Sport Convertible
• Condiment: Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
• Kitchen Appliance: Oven
• Home Appliance: HDTV
• Food Network show: Barefoot Contessa
• Male Songwriter: Bon Jovi
• Female Songwriter: Not sure
• Holiday: Thanksgiving
• Disney character: The crab from Little Mermaid
• Flower: Rose
• Alcoholic drink: Hurricane Bob from Cheeseburger in Paradise
• Non-Alcoholic drink: Vanilla Coke from Sonic
• Animated movie: Finding Nemo
• Television network miniseries: John Adams
  
• Season: Fall
• Male vocalist: Jon Bon Jovi
• Female vocalist: Pink
• Day of the week: Saturday
• Household Chore: Laundry, except for ironing
• Ice Cream: Chocolate Almond
• Candy: Minstrels from England
• Quotation: Behind all this, some great happiness is hiding. -Yehuda Amichai

I had intended, and even attempted, to post something on Thursday, and then on Friday but things kept interrupting me and it never got done.

Brad’s parents came this morning and picked up the girls for a trip to their house for a week. Nearly every summer the girls spend a week with Grandma and Grandpa before school starts. It gives Grandma and Grandpa a chance to spend some uninterrupted time with the girls and it gives the girls a chance to do something other than be at home (until this year it used to be at the office) all day long. Gideon, our Lhasa Apso gets to spend the week at Grandma’s too. He loves Brad’s parents Bichons, particularly their boy dog Obie (Okie Beau is his real name, which is abbreviated to O.B. which translates to Obie, so no he’s not named after Star Wars). So anyway, Brad and I have a week alone, except for the two pugs. You’d think this would be incredibly romantic and all, but after a few days, we usually miss the girls and can’t wait for them to come home. We enjoy our time alone together and usually go on a date or two, and even though we really love each other, we just somehow don’t feel complete without our girls here at home.

Yesterday Brad sent me a link to a really excellent article about how having more mess around you can mean less stress in your life. Wow, did it hit home. So often I struggle with feeling the “shoulds”. You know - I should get rid of all this clutter, I should have a perfectly clean house, I should have it all together, I should be the Martha Stewart of Edmond, Oklahoma. Somehow reading this article puts things in perspective for me. When I do tolerate the clutter and just ignore things a bit more, I do tend to be happier. That perfectionist monster gets put back in its cage and the stress seems to lessen. Hmmm, I think that’s the key, isn’t it? Enjoy the present, change what I can, learn to prioritize what is REALLY important and ignore the rest of the stuff that really won’t make the world end.

Speaking of things putting life in perspective. Did anyone else see the tv show called ManMade this morning on National Geographic? They had an episode about Living Small in a Big City, which featured houses and apartments in Tokyo. Wow, there was one apartment that is 200 sq. ft. and is one room, where they even have to share a toilet in the building and have to use a local sento (bath house) to bathe. The Asians are amazing innovators when it comes to space!

My friend Aisling’s daughter spent some time in Taiwan a couple of years ago. She posted some wonderful things about that time and some great photos that her daughter took. Take a look at The Quiet Country House, Aisling’s blog, and go through the archives if you’d like to see more about her daughter’s trip.

One thing I’ve always admired about the Japanese is how they take a small space and make it so efficient by using incredibly creative innovation. I mean take the Bento Box for example. Who would have thought you could fit so much food into such a small little package? If you’d like to learn more about Bento Boxes, check out one of my favorite food sites, Lunch In A Box.

I hope you all are doing well. Tomorrow I plan to skip church and stay home to hang out with Brad. I will probably wake up at my own leisure, fix frozen waffles for breakfast, mow the grass and then spend the day catching up on magazines and blogs.

My mind has been adrift lately, seemingly tossed by many waves and not knowing where the shore is. Work is going well, but next week the sales rep. I work for goes on vacation for 2 weeks and I’ll be honest, I’m scared to death of handling all of his clients by myself. The truth is, there will be others here who can help me tremendously, but inside my head it feels like I’m all alone. A silly myth that has caused my fears to get out of hand. Why do I still get myself so easily stressed even before I know the situation I truly face? 

This morning on the way to work I was listening to a favorite album by David Lanz. He’s a wonderful composer pianist that we all love to listen to. I’ve learned to play a couple of his songs and so has Ashley. We even have autographed books of his music. And this morning as I listened I realized how much I miss playing the piano. Momentarily, I thought, perhaps I can go back to piano lessons. I’d love that. BUT - I know it’s not practical time-wise. Because of my work schedule, I’m only home an hour that Brad isn’t home (some days not even that long) and the piano is in the living room where the television is, so practicing will be a real challenge. Not to mention the fact that I have felt overwhelmed even with what I’m doing now, so why would I even think to add another stress factor? My saner self said, you can start by going back to actually touching the piano once in awhile, then if you are faithful in a little (practicing) you can think further about going back to lessons. So that’s what I’ll do. I’ll try to get my house in order (Ha! Who am I kidding?), get on a routine that will help keep me sane and try to fit in playing for fun on the piano once in awhile.

I just recently checked out a book from the library about handmade journals that was absolutely fabulous if you are a journal keeper. It’s called Making Journals By Hand and is written by Jason Thompson who is a bookbinder and artist by trade. The ideas in the book are incredible. I’ve let my paper journaling go by the wayside, for the most part, since I’ve been blogging. But I think it might be time to pick one back up and start writing, and drawing and finding my creative self.

I hope you all are doing well. I’ve been reading snippets of blogs here and there as I have been able to. Thanks for being my faithful readers!