Just getting settled in from a "turtley awesome" vacation! π’ After a pretty tumultuous year concerning Gary's job situation and adjusting to working myself, boy was I happy to get to go on an actual vacation!! πΊπ΄π⛅
Friday, July 12, 2013
Life's a beach!
Love, Staci at 10:54 PM 3 comments
Friday, June 28, 2013
Slacking again
So it's been two months since my last post! I'm doing well and enjoying my summer off! Sleeping a lot and having busy moments too. So far this summer, the girls and I have been swimming quite a bit!
Love, Staci at 12:41 AM 0 comments
Monday, May 27, 2013
Pretty memorable Memorial Day!
Well, my three day weekend came to a close and it was pretty relaxing but busy day! I stayed up kinda late last night reading, and when I woke up 6 hours later, I cleaned the house a bit and then the girls and I went to the water park with my mom! It was very crowded but we had a good time!
Love, Staci at 10:14 PM 0 comments
My life is so different now!
So here I am, writing in my old blog, inspired to write again because I saw a coworkers daughter write in her own blog!
Love, Staci at 12:40 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Oh the weather outside was frightful...and other stuff...
Well...my area of the deserts of West Texas has gotten record snowfall here! We had a white Christmas for the first time since 1997, and then two days ago, we had a winter snow storm blow in and WOW! And people here aren't accustomed to snow and so you can imagine all the wrecks that happened! I worked the day that it started to snow, but I stayed home the rest of the day! I kept my oldest daughter home from school and of course, they played out in it for about 30 minutes and then came in and asked for hot chocolate, which I made, but they forgot about - haha!
And here is a picture I took while we were picking our daughter up early before the snow got really bad!
Imagine all this after the summer we had! We had a brutally dry and hot summer, and all these scary grass fires, and put on water restrictions and then a few months later, we get buried in snow! That's crazy Texas weather for you! I don't know how the Northerners deal with heavy snow all the time, but I am tired of it! :)
Today also marks 3 years since I left Odessa to head to Dallas for my surgery. My surgery was on the 15th, but I had to go a little early to do some last minute pre-op procedures. It was definitely a memorable trip down there and I think about it a lot, but especially every January 10th that comes and goes. I remember on the way to Dallas, I called and texted people to tell them I loved them just in case something happened. I remember pulling away from my Nana's house where I had just dropped off my girls, when I had to say goodbye to them - THAT was SOOOO hard. I was very confident in my surgery to come, but you still never know when something could happen. Leaving them there was the hardest thing ever...But thats all history and here I am today!
I know so many people have surgeries and its no biggie...but when you have a surgery of this magnitude, a lot of emotions come with it. Psychologically scars you in good ways, and some bad. Kinda like our lives were split with 9/11...."Oh this happened to me before 9/11, this happened a couple years after 9/11", same thing here. There was life before my surgery and after my surgery. Crazy!
My 3 year anniversary is 5 days away...
Love, Staci at 8:01 PM 1 comments
Friday, January 6, 2012
New Year
6 days into the new year, and nothing horrible has happened, so maybe that means that this will be a good year! 2011 wasn't too shabby either! (:
I got an email yesterday from someone who also had my surgeon, Dr. Shelokov, that changed her life as well. I can't tell you how much I enjoy hearing from people who was one of his patients, or just dealing with scoliosis, surgery or not! I lived with a crooked spine for nearly 16 years and it wasn't fun. So I can relate to non-surgery patients, and ones who have had the surgery. So if you're reading this, please don't hesitate to contact me, all the info is in my profile!!
I am still loving my job as a Mothers Day Out teacher. I work with the older two's, they love me and I love them! And I love the ladies I work with. Very blessed in that aspect!
Our Christmas was great, and my girls made a killing with all the stuff they got! Even did something different than the other 30 Christmases I've had. Since I've been born, we always stayed the night at my Nana's on Christmas Eve. Well my oldest daughter wanted to stay at our home for Christmas. I think she will find out the truth about Santa soon, and I wanted her to have at least one experience with Santa coming here rather than going to Nana's. But deep down, I was sad and knew I would feel out of place being at home. And plus, my husband was working overnight, and it was just my kids and I! So we decided we would spend the evening over at her house and come home at bedtime. But the night before Christmas Eve, it snowed, A LOT, like 5 inches. Well, we in the desert are not accustomed to driving in snow, and I am terrified of driving in it, especially since I've had my back operated on. Its not so much MY driving, its other people I worry about. So then I was thinking we couldn't go to Nana's at all that night. But I started crying just thinking about not seeing my grandparents on Christmas Eve and so my mom came and got me and drove us! It was fun...then we went home.
Every other Christmas, we had to actually wake the kids up to come and see what Santa had brought them! Well since we were at home, they were too excited and woke us up at 4:45!!!! But admittedly, it was nice spending Christmas morning at our home. We then got ready and drove to Nana's to see the rest of the family. I love my family so much and am soooooo blessed to have them!!!
This year, and from now on, I have decided to stop being around people who bring me down, are drama queens, who rob me of my joy...I am too good for that! I am starting to finally come to grips with the fact that I can't please everyone, and to stop apologizing so much! I say I am sorry all the time about things, and I also am constantly asking others if they are mad at me. I hate for people to be mad at me!! I always try to treat others like I want to be treated, but have now realized, some people just don't care how they treat you or the ones that you love.
Anyways, just wanted to write some, and also another resolution, I am gonna start writing in here more! (: Have a blessed day!!
Love, Staci at 2:18 PM 0 comments
Monday, September 26, 2011
Depression
I don't have anything specific to write about, no special witty comments or anything.
I haven't written because I fell into a deep depression. Yes, I suffer from clinical depression. I have to take medicine for it, or else it gets really bad. I have been going to these doctors who are just general MDs and they wouldn't take me or my symptoms seriously, so I started seeing an actual therapist.
The medicine I am currently taking just doesn't seem to be working like it used to, and so the doctor gave me another antidepressant to take along with it, and so far so good. I hate being reliant on medicine, but such is life.
Clinical depression runs in my family. Its not the same as just feeling blue for a day or two. This last bout, I had gotten to where I didn't want to see anyone, go anywhere, do anything. I wasn't suicidal, but I would go to bed wishing I just wouldn't wake up the next morning. I hate feeling that way. And you can't just "snap out of it", like some people like to say when they hear someone is depressed.
I, and millions of others, need medication for the actual chemical imbalance in our brains. Depression is a silent disease and needs treated just like a diabetic needs insulin.
Today was ok though..
Love, Staci at 3:51 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Here is the church, here is the steeple...
I have been doing so good about getting up on time and having fairly productive days (as much as a stay at home mom can have) but I get hit everyday around 4PM with pure sleepiness. But I can't take a nap because:
1.) My schedule would be thrown off and,
B.) The little people insist I take care of their every needs.
Anyways, today I have been going since 6:30 and around 6:00 PM, I was sitting here paying bills online and balancing my non-existent money, and I knew church was about to start in an hour, but the girls had already changed clothes and their hair was falling out of their ponytails and I was like, "Ugh - do NOT feel like messing with them", but at 6:30, I told them to get ready because we were gonna go to church!
I have so many times on Sundays and Wednesdays where I do not feel like going to church. Who doesn't want to sleep in on Sunday mornings? But 9 times out of 10, when I go, I am so happy I went.
Today was one of those days...
One of my favorite things - and proof that Jesus still works in everyday life today - is when I will be in a crabby patty mood on a Sunday morning, not wanting to go to church, but then I go and my mood just lifts and I am happy and just glad I went to church. I love that.
Well, a new class was started for young adults at our church. I was apprehensive about going. I have never really fit in at church. As a child, I was too quiet. As a teen, I was not cool enough. As an adult, life kept getting in the way and I didn't always go to church like I should, so therefore I wasn't plugged in or contributing to the church at all. UGH! I really like this class though, and I like what it represents, and getting to know the people in there has been fun too.
This might actually work!
Matt and Kylie New came up with this awesome idea and I hope to see it take off and make an impact on so many people. I admire people who come up with things like this. I am more of a follower, not a leader. So yeah...
I've already been inviting people to come with me :) This means you too, whoever is reading this, if you live here in my area ;)
God is good, all the time, and I am so thankful for being His child.
Ok well I am going to bed now, haha!
Love, Staci at 9:44 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
I just realized...
That the post I just made, is similar to the one I made in March - haha...That's what happens when you don't keep up with stuff! So yeah, sorry about the repeat info :))
Love, Staci at 11:09 AM 0 comments
I am so bad...
Yes I am still here and I re-read a lot of my posts from time to time, but I haven't posted like I should.
So many things have gone on since the surgery and WOW! I'd like to think that I am a much stronger person than I've ever been, but I would like to erase a lot of the last few years and have a DO-OVER!! But that doesn't happen in life so yeah...
I am just gonna put it all out there. My husband and I seperated, twice, in 2010. What a tremendously difficult time for me, my girls and Gary. I feel a lot of guilt over how crappy things got and what things were said and done. We reconciled and separating is not an option, ever agan. We are in a better place now, and stronger than ever.
I held so much resentment inside because of so many things that weren't even Gary's fault. My crooked spine, my chronic pain, my hearing loss, my low self esteem. I hated feeling like a freak, looking like one, crying because of the pain, and on and on. So my expectations of Gary were WAY high. I know that now, looking back. Granted, and he will admit, that he did a lot of wrong too. But we were never in sync with each other. Now I am happy to say that we are finally on the same page whereas before, we weren't even in the same book!
I went for my 2 year check up in March. Had a fun little trip to Plano, just Gary and I. My check-up went great, the fusion has totally healed, I am still properly screwed ;)I go back in 2012 (which is right around the corner now!) for my three year check-up. So all is well!
As for pain, well, I still have it. I knew going in that I was NOT going to be pain free after the surgery, ever. So I am not like surprised at all. I just write about it in case someone else feels the pain too! The pain I feel now is in my lower back, the discs that weren't fused. But luckily, this pain is MUCH more manageable. I can take regular OTC ibuprofen, rest a little, and I am good. I do have to be careful and not overdo things. Because that does make my back hurt, and at night when I am laying in bed, my entire spine just throbs. With each throbbing pulsing feeling, its like my back is saying, "Shouldn't have done this, that and the other!" Haha..So yeah. I still say today, that if I had to do it over again, I would. That's how happy I am that I did it.
Another positive point is that since I can't bend my spine, I can't paint my toenails, therefore, I have the perfect excuse to get my toes done at a nail salon! :)
I am about to start working again at Mothers Day Out with some incredible ladies and awesome kiddos! I am so excited about that.
Hmm..what else? Oh yes. We added to the family. A four legged baby we named Molly. We adopted her from the SPCA. She had been rescued from an animal hoarder, who had 20 other dogs in a little abandoned trailer. She is a blonde haired, Poodle/Cocker Spaniel mix...don't know what Gary was thinking getting another blonde haired girl ;) Anyways, we love her and she is a very good dog!
Life is going good because God is always good <3
Love, Staci at 10:34 AM 1 comments
Saturday, March 12, 2011
I'm still alive and kickin'!
Its been nearly a year and a half since I have updated my blog! I feel so bad about that!
There have been so many changes that have happened in my life, some good, some not so good, but the good news is: I AM SO HAPPY WITH MY LIFE AS OF NOW!
My husband and I endured two separations during the last two years. Those were awful, emotionally trying times...but we made it through, and are stronger than ever.
My girls are growing like a weed. Kaci is going to be NINE in June, and Miss Lanie just turned 4 in December.
I just went to my two year post-op check-up for my back surgery, and everything looks wonderful. My fusion has totally healed and everything is as it should be! That is great news for me :]
Its getting to get warmer outside and that means that I get to wear tank tops and cute shirts that show my scar off!
My daughters love for Justin Bieber has rubbed off on me and I catch myself listening to him even when she isn't with me hahahaha :] I also recently got a new tattoo on my foot. Its of flowers. April, September and Decembers flowers (representing our birthdays and our anniversary)...I got it on top of my foot and oh my goodness! It hurt WAYYY bad! But I am soooo happy that I did it!
No more tattooes after that fiasco lol.
Gary is working as a driller still, but his rig is close to the house so that he can be home more often. That was a lot of our issues, him being gone all the time.
My back pain is still pretty minimal if you compare it to my pre-surgery days. I have good days and bad days, mostly good days. The bad days are just results of me over-exerting myself on house chores or something.
Anyways, I am gonna sign off now...gonna try to keep this blog up from now on...
Love, Staci at 9:29 PM 0 comments
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Workin' woman!
I noticed I am averaging about one post a month now! I need to get on the ball!
I have been a little busy bee lately. For starters, I work at a church at their Mothers Day Out as a teacher on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Then, recently, I began babysitting a WONDERFUL little boy on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays! He goes to Mothers Day Out, and I am helping his parents out, and so he also goes to work with me on the days I go to work. Then I took on this job at the church nursery, which is approximately 10 hours a week...so for sure Sundays, and Wednesday nights, and then on Mondays when they have Ladies Bible study. And whenever else they need me, I guess. So I just realized that Saturday will be my only day to stay at home!
But I am sooooo happy that I am getting to do all this, and be involved with other people and actually feel like I am doing something, rather than sitting at home with a bad back and in pain all the time.
Since I have stopped taking all medication, I have finally gotten to the point where I fall asleep at night because I am actually tired and not because I had to take some pill to get me all loopy! This feels great!! And no wonder I am tired! :0)
Anyways, just wanted to share what was going on in my little neck of the woods ;)
Love, Staci at 3:18 PM 0 comments
Friday, October 9, 2009
Awesome day!
I was supposed to go to my pain management doctor today for another check-up and to see about getting my meds and all that, but guess what?? I feel GREAT and don't even need to go to him! Let me tell you, I am so sick of taking pills and am doing so great that I don't need any medicine other than the occasional Ibuprofen or something. And coming from 16 years of hurting, that is a huge deal to me.
In my last post I had talked about my upper neck/shoulder area hurting..especially after working. Well...Lanie got moved into the 3 year olds room, and so I don't have her in my class, umm, bugging the crap out of me! While she was in my class, she didn't understand that I was the teacher...to her I was her MOMMY! She could have/do/say whatever she wanted. She wanted juice, I should give it to her, just like I do at home...anyways, so it was kinda hard. And she wouldn't listen to the other teacher, because her MOMMY was in there! And we know how kids act when their parents are around lol. At lunch, she'd be asking for bites of my lunch, then the other kids would want bites of my lunch..it was like being surrounded by little baby seagulls and I was a piece of bread lol. So anyways, she moves to the other room, and I get through the whole day without hurting AT ALL...Just an occasional ache here and there, but not the burning sensation I was having. My side doesn't even hurt anymore...I am soooooo happy about all this.
Again, I have to say that I am so glad that there are people who are reading this blog! I met an awesome woman who is about to have the big surgery in November. Her daughter had found my blog and we started emailing back and forth. I met her the other evening to just talk about the surgery and the recovery and all of that. I showed her the Medieval looking brace, showed her how to wear it...I imagine people were driving by wondering what we were doing lol. We had a very good talk and I showed her pictures and tried to answer any questions she had, we laughed, we even cried a little. I remember what its like to be so close to having this surgery, the emotions you feel and stuff, and my heart just goes out to her. She is not scared, she is ready, which is AWESOME! Thats how I was too towards the end. I wish her the absolute best!!
Well, I need to get off here and get some housework done...adios!!
Love, Staci at 1:23 PM 0 comments
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Something cool I found out!
Two things I found out, but one of them I can't speak of until she decides to tell the rest of the world. Meg. Hahahaha...I'll write about her little revelation later on :]
But the other is that my mother took a new job at this place called Maximus, apparently they handle Medicaid and other state programs...anyways, she said there was a guy at work with her that had a scar all the way up into the back of his head, down his neck, and pretty sure down into his back too. Well, curiosity got the best of her, and she asked him about it. (So nosey! lol)
He went on to tell her that he had what most people call a "humpback/hunchback"...which is technically called Kyphosis...and she told him about how I had scoliosis surgery, that I had it really bad, and that they totally fixed it...then started talking about how my surgeon had passed away back in August :[ And he said something like, "Dr. Shelokov??" (I wasn't there for this convo lol) and she said "Yes!"...he said that was HIS surgeon also!! He had the operation back in 1999-2001(?) Isn't that awesome? Dr. S's patients are just scattered all over the place. But he is the 4th in this area that I have heard about...I am sure there are more, but I haven't learned about them! Anyways, I just think its totally cool, and she told him about my blog, but since my Mom is kinda technically challenged (love you mom!!) she told him my blog was lifeiscrooked.com. Hahaha. Well, she came pretty close, so maybe he will find it if he looks for it. Adam, if you are reading this, then HELLO! And I would love to meet you!!
I am still doing totally awesome as far as pain...it just seems to get a little less every single day. As long as I don't act like SuperWoman and try and get 1,845,924 things done in one day. The annoying pain in my side is easing up too! Its so encouraging to me! The only issue I really deal with now is that pain on top of my fusion, feels like tension, not sure what it is, but its like a bad burning and tight sensation and it just SUCKS! And like I said before, my back where the actual fusion took place is not hurting at all, just tender from the surgery...and I was wondering the other night..."What if it doesn't hurt because uhhhhh its still NUMB??"...if my back 'wakes up' and stuff, and hurts, then what? But I am thinking it would have started hurting before now. And a lot of it before was pain AND the feeling like I was totally scrunched up. I don't know...I am just rambling now. [What the blogs for, right?? :)] So anyways, now I am all excited about the pain being gone, the side pain being gone, but now have this upper shoulder region pain. I have an appointment with my pain doctor in October, so I shall ask him about that.
I was already gonna tell him that I really only need pain meds on the days that I work because of all the bending over and stuff, the end of the 6 hours, I am hurting pretty bad. I am off the muscle relaxers and the Ambien...so maybe he can work out yet another regimen with me as far as medicating me! :]
Oh and I am also happy that I am almost done with my Bone Growth Stimulator...December 15th will be my very last day to wear that thing! One month prior to my one year anniversary!
Also, the weather changing and stuff, is taking me to this time last year. As I was getting closer to the surgery, and doing all the pre-op procedures to get ready for this, I don't know...it just kinda makes me sad and I don't know why. The people who know my whole story might understand what I am talking about...I was in a very bad marriage, on top of dealing with getting ready for this surgery, I went through HELL to get to January 15, 2009 and its like I am reliving it all in my mind. I have been having nightmares of having to have the surgery again, or weird stuff like that. My mom got my hospital pictures developed and when I looked at them, although I am happy I had the surgery, looking at the pictures makes me feel...I don't know the right word for it...melancholy?
I am coming close to the anniversary of when I had my first pre-op procedure done (in November)...a discogram, which was not fun, it was scary and I hated every minute of it. Just things like that. Am I weird for feeling like this?
Well...I gots to go...will write again soon!
Love, Staci at 5:46 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
8 months ago today...
I was lying in my hospital bed, barely 12 hours outta surgery...my hand faithfully clutching my Morphine pump...hahaha. I really, really can't believe its already been 8 months. I remember my friend Meg coming to my hotel room the night before my surgery, and I was thinking how awesome she looked and she was 9 months out from having her scoliosis surgery. And here I am, where she was, nearly!
I am happy to report that I am totally off of all the muscle relaxers and Ambien, and the only time I take prescription pain killers are the 2 days a week that I work. Other than that, I just take OTC Ibuprofen. Actually, today I worked and I took the Ibuprofen throughout the day, and I did ok. So its kinda a big deal to me to be off all the medicine. For so long, I was either in pain with no remedy, or taking pills with no relief. So to say now that I can get through a day with just 2 Ibuprofen is a very big deal to me.
The days that I work are just hard on me because of the constant bending over, and handling the kids. And really its the top of my back, like where my neckbone is that hurts, and its like the muscles are so tight and stressed and thats what hurts. My spinal area doesn't hurt nearly at all. Its either pain above or below the fusion, which I knew would take place. But the difference in this pain and the pain before, is that I can actually control this pain with medicine and maybe a heating pad and just a little rest. Before, NOTHING I did would take the hurting away. I could take 5 pain pills, lay on my heating pad alllllll day and still hurt like the dickens. (Wow, my grandma is the one who says 'hurts like the dickens', I must be getting old!)
My granddad, who is like totally the most important man to me, my Dad is more like it...he is in the hospital right now having had a knee replacement yesterday morning. I went to see him yesterday and tonight, and its so hard to see him like that. For all of my life, even up until the day before he went in to have this surgery, he has been an ACTIVE part of my life. Always doing something...and to see him laid up, and in pain, and can't move...it's really hard. He looks so frail and helpess, which doesn't fit his name, we call him Bigdad (not BigDaddy, he's not a pimp lol) He has had a rough time the last several years with his foot issues, his shoulder and his knees, and I just pray that this surgery will bring him some relief. I am thankful though that all the stuff wrong with him are mild to severe AILMENTS and not anything life threatening.
Well, I am off to bed...I am beat!! Adios.
Love, Staci at 10:25 PM 1 comments