Hair Scare

When I woke up this morning, my hair looked like the picture on the left. Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh! It was crazy and huge, and I was very scared of it. So, inspired by today's 70-degree weather, I went and got a spring haircut (see picture on the right). Don't worry--my hair isn't really that shiny--it was still a little wet when I took this photo. It's a tad shorter than I wanted, but it's certainly better than it was this morning, and I think it will get increasingly cute as it grows. Short hair is sooooooo much easier to deal with than longer hair. The dogs liked my haircut--at least they were wagging their little tails when they saw me, and Lily likes to smell my new hairdo. Greg has not seen it yet because he had like seven funerals today, but hopefully he will like it too. Tomorrow we are off to Iowa to visit his grandparents for a couple of days which should be very fun.

A Hint of Spring

I stand corrected about some information I shared on my Casimir Pulaski Day post--it's not a state-wide holiday :-( Because the Springfield and Athens schools were out for the day, I assumed that would be the case for all schools in Illinois. But unfortunately down in Charleston they still had school, and I later found out that even in the nearby town of Mason City they still had school. So I guess it was just a Springfield-Athens-Chicago holiday.

Today we enjoyed a wonderful hint of spring weather--it got up to 50 degrees! It was sunny and beautiful outside, so when Greg got home from work we took the dogs to the park and played basketball together for a little while. It was so much fun! Tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer, and the temps will be up into the high 60's by this weekend. Unfortunately it is going to snow again next week :-( I was surprised to hear that even Sarah, Joel, and Eliza got some winter snow in South Carolina! Crazy weather.

Yesterday I went to the Athens library to help our friend Alice with the history of the Athens Rotary Club she is putting together for the special collections room. The special collections ladies are so funny and cute. They love to chat. Alice and I are planning to go over there again tomorrow.

I am currently on a diet--not a real diet though. I call it the "Fear Diet." I am afraid to eat anything because it might set off another gallbladder attack. I have been eating a lot of fruit and veggies, so that has been good. I can also eat pasta, yogurt, and tortillas. Though I am also afraid of having surgery, it will be nice not to be afraid of eating anymore. I have decided that in order to keep myself from being scared when I go in for surgery next week, I will just think about the new Domino's Pizza American Legends pizzas which look incredibly delicious--and which I will be able to eat soon.

Happy Casimir Pulaski Day!

Today is an Illinois state holiday: Casimir Pulaski Day! I guess it's kind of like Pioneer Day in Utah--if you're from out-of-state, you don't even know it's a holiday until you get stuck in parade traffic. All of the schools here are closed today to honor Casimir Pulaski who was a Revolutionary War hero. He was originally from Poland but was recruited to come to America by George Washington's friend Marquis de Lafayette. During the Revolutionary War he played a large part in training American troops, and he is also known as the "Father of the American Cavalry" for successfully leading a group of mounted cavalrymen named Pulaski's Legion. He took part in the Battle of Brandywine, the Siege of Charleston, and the Battle of Savannah. Unfortunately he was wounded at the Battle of Savannah and died two days later. He is honored in Illinois because of the large Polish-American population here--especially in Chicago. So happy Casimir Pulaski Day!

Lily has been a little naughty lately. I wondered if, in cat years converted to people years, she was entering either her terrible two's or her terrible teens. However, by using a cat years conversion calculator I found out that at just over six months old, she is the cat equivalent of a seven-year-old child. Hmmmmm. One of her favorite places to hang out is in the bathtub, and she never caused any problems in there . . . until we discovered the other day that she had shredded the shower curtain liner. But when I go to get mad at her, she rolls over on her back and looks up at me with those big kitty eyes--and I end up just scratching her tummy. I need to work on my pet parenting skills.

Quarantine

Everybody's been sick around here. Even Lily got sick to her stomach last night :-( We need to put one of those signs in our front yard that says "Quarantine" and has a skull and crossbones on it. Actually, we're doing a bit better than we were. We basically lived at the doctor's office this week though. Greg was very sick at the beginning of the week, and it turned out that he had an ear infection. Then I got sick shortly thereafter, and the doctor thought it was strep throat, but it turned out to just be a chest cold. So everyone is on antibiotics, then I had another gallstone attack yesterday. This one wasn't as bad as the others but still bad enough. Greg and I went and met with the surgeon yesterday afternoon, and he thinks it would be best if I had surgery. The earliest they can operate is March 12, so I'll still have to deal with the gallstones for a few more weeks. He gave us a list of foods that aggravate the gallstones, and it is quite extensive. Basically, I can't eat anything. Just kidding--I can still eat, but when I saw that cornbread, ice cream, anything made with coconut oil (which includes my beloved Fruity Pebbles!), and hot chocolate were on the list, I was very sad. At least I can still eat yogurt, bread, and fruit.

And the Verdict Is . . .

GALLSTONES! This isn't actually a picture of my gallbladder ultrasound, but it shows what gallstones look like in an ultrasound photograph. Yesterday Greg and I went to the medical clinic for the ultrasound, and the nurse who helped me was a little grouchy. I thought she would laugh when I asked her if it was a boy or girl, but she didn't laugh very much. They sent the ultrasound results to our doctor, and she called today to tell me that I have gallstones :-( But, at least that explains the stomach attacks I've been having, and there is a solution--surgery. Supposedly gallstone surgery isn't too bad these days--it's typically an out-patient orthoscopic surgery, so that's good. I am scheduled for a consultation with the surgeon next Thursday. So now I just need to watch my diet and not eat anything fatty until the gallstone is gone. Greg and I are getting set to watch a show on the History Channel called "Stealing Lincoln's Body." I am very excited.