Words aren't enough . . .
. . . to convey all that has gone on since I last posted. So much has happened, both good and bad. Life has been such a whirlwind that I haven't been able to stop and catch a breath, much less take the time to write a halfway coherent LJ entry. So here's a half-baked effort to summarize recent events--excuse bad grammar and uninspired phrasing as I am quite sleep deprived.
We last left off on July 26 with the launch of my bento website at Cooking Cute. Things have been going well on that front (although I'm a bit ticked that the site hasn't been indexed yet, but heck if I know what the standard time for indexing is). I have been cooking up a storm recently due to the hubs, as is described in more detail below, but I've been so tired that the bento lunches have been less cute than others (minus an alien here and there).
The hubs. Well, we think that we've finally discovered what has been ailing him all these years. The strange cause of his tingling and aching feet that sometimes travels up through his legs to his arms and sometimes his face. The tingling that sometimes is but a whisper in the morning but intensifies to a 14 on a pain scale of 1-10 after he eats. The tingling that no doctor has been able to diagnose or treat during the past five years. The hubs went to see a new doctor who first put him on a gluten-free diet thinking that many of his symptoms could be explained by celiac disease. His symptoms improved during the first week of the diet, but then worsened steadily during the second and third weeks, coincidentally as I got into the swing of cooking gluten-free and started baking him GF cookies, brownies, and other treats. After a re-examination by the doc, he determined that a yeast overgrowth in the intestines was the most likely culprit. The hubs was put on anti-fungal medication and a yeast-free diet, which basically means he can't eat anything but non-starchy vegetables, tofu, fish, and meat (no fermented foods, no vinegar, no sweetener of any kind, no fruit, no alcohol, no gluten-containing foods, no starchy vegetables, no white rice . . . the list goes on and on). The bad news is that the poor guy has lost over 15 lbs already (his co-workers jokingly refer to him as The Greyhound). The good news is that he has felt definite change in his symptoms, in the way his feet tingle, and his pain has improved overall. Not a whole lot, but enough that he can tell a difference. For the first time in 5 years, he is confident that he knows the cause of his pain. I am hopeful, but not confident yet. I just want him to get better.
We actually went to a couples counseling session. Of course, by the time we had time to go to the session, we had worked things out already. The hubs is definitely good at expressing himself and forcing me to express myself. We're back on common ground and it feels good. The shadow cast by the events of over a year ago have finally dissipated, and our relationship is stronger now than it ever has been. Which is good, considering it's time to think about starting a family I think. But that's a whole 'nother conversation!
Speaking of families, one of my bridesmaids is about to pop out her second baby in March, my sister-in-law is due in January, and one of our good friends' son weighs in at a whopping 25lbs and is only 5 months old! I can't keep track of all the babies anymore. I need to make a big list for myself or I'm bound to forget one of them come the holiday season.
On a much more sobering note . . . and I hesitate to even mention this here, as it really deserves its own entry. I just haven't recovered enough or had the heart to try to sit and write about it. I am still so heartbroken and devastated. I wrote about her a while back -- our friend who was diagnosed with brain cancer on her 30th birthday over a year ago. The disease finally claimed her, and she passed away during the second week in August. We flew up to NY for a long weekend and spent time with her husband and other mutual friends. The memorial service was one of the most difficult things I have ever been through. But I'll write more on this at a later point. I miss her.
The hubs had depositions scheduled in Miami for the week after the memorial service. He had already bought me a ticket to join him there for the weekend before we had heard of our friend's passing. As it was, while we were in NY, I mentioned something to our newly widowed friend about the upcoming weekend and his eyes lit up for the briefest of moments. On the spur of the moment, I invited him along. He came, as did another mutual friend. It was nice to spend the weekend in Miami with friends. To sit on the beach, toss a mini-football back and forth in the bathwater-posing-as-the-sea, and have drinks and Cuban coffees.
After getting back from Miami, we both got slammed with work. Neither of us has recovered yet. I was at the office until 10pm on Monday night, midnight last night, and will be here late tonight as well. The week before, I was up until 3am on 3 different nights. It's a hard life. I can't say I'm not paid well, but it definitely is blood money. I can't do this for much longer. I'm not sure what I'll end up doing, but it's got to be better than this. I have to be able to see my husband and future family for more than 1 awake hour per day. Maybe I will write a cookbook, or pitch a cooking show. More likely, I will open a little bento shop somewhere. :-)
What other odds 'n ends are happening? Let's see. My sister-in-law is due in January -- I'm going to be an aunt! First time ever! I am so excited. :-) My mother-in-law is going a bit senile I think. Either that or she has worried half her brain cells to death. We sent up a grocery list for items that the hubs will need to survive Labor Day weekend. She called and asked things like "is all that salmon for you?" (only 1lb., woman!), "can you grill salmon?" and "how do you pick a ripe avocado?" The woman has cooked, and cooked very well, for the past 40 years. I am positive that she knew the answers to these questions at one point in her life.
Oh! And we're finally redoing our bathrooms. Our bathrooms suck. No question about it (ask
meocat). Ugly tile, handmade vanities with ill-fitting drawers that aren't even on tracks, no medicine cabinets, tricky toilets, light fixtures consisting of big light bulbs screwed to a piece of plywood... You would have thought we'd have done something about this before now, but we've been so busy! We're sinking so much dough into this. It pains me to think about it. Supposedly we'll get it all back and then some though. We're redoing the wet bar area too, which currently is hidden in half of a large closet. I'll be sure to take before and after pictures. I think the work begins in October. :-)
I think that is most everything. Whew! Now I have to get back to work, which is a big game of hurry up and wait today. *sigh*
We last left off on July 26 with the launch of my bento website at Cooking Cute. Things have been going well on that front (although I'm a bit ticked that the site hasn't been indexed yet, but heck if I know what the standard time for indexing is). I have been cooking up a storm recently due to the hubs, as is described in more detail below, but I've been so tired that the bento lunches have been less cute than others (minus an alien here and there).
The hubs. Well, we think that we've finally discovered what has been ailing him all these years. The strange cause of his tingling and aching feet that sometimes travels up through his legs to his arms and sometimes his face. The tingling that sometimes is but a whisper in the morning but intensifies to a 14 on a pain scale of 1-10 after he eats. The tingling that no doctor has been able to diagnose or treat during the past five years. The hubs went to see a new doctor who first put him on a gluten-free diet thinking that many of his symptoms could be explained by celiac disease. His symptoms improved during the first week of the diet, but then worsened steadily during the second and third weeks, coincidentally as I got into the swing of cooking gluten-free and started baking him GF cookies, brownies, and other treats. After a re-examination by the doc, he determined that a yeast overgrowth in the intestines was the most likely culprit. The hubs was put on anti-fungal medication and a yeast-free diet, which basically means he can't eat anything but non-starchy vegetables, tofu, fish, and meat (no fermented foods, no vinegar, no sweetener of any kind, no fruit, no alcohol, no gluten-containing foods, no starchy vegetables, no white rice . . . the list goes on and on). The bad news is that the poor guy has lost over 15 lbs already (his co-workers jokingly refer to him as The Greyhound). The good news is that he has felt definite change in his symptoms, in the way his feet tingle, and his pain has improved overall. Not a whole lot, but enough that he can tell a difference. For the first time in 5 years, he is confident that he knows the cause of his pain. I am hopeful, but not confident yet. I just want him to get better.
We actually went to a couples counseling session. Of course, by the time we had time to go to the session, we had worked things out already. The hubs is definitely good at expressing himself and forcing me to express myself. We're back on common ground and it feels good. The shadow cast by the events of over a year ago have finally dissipated, and our relationship is stronger now than it ever has been. Which is good, considering it's time to think about starting a family I think. But that's a whole 'nother conversation!
Speaking of families, one of my bridesmaids is about to pop out her second baby in March, my sister-in-law is due in January, and one of our good friends' son weighs in at a whopping 25lbs and is only 5 months old! I can't keep track of all the babies anymore. I need to make a big list for myself or I'm bound to forget one of them come the holiday season.
On a much more sobering note . . . and I hesitate to even mention this here, as it really deserves its own entry. I just haven't recovered enough or had the heart to try to sit and write about it. I am still so heartbroken and devastated. I wrote about her a while back -- our friend who was diagnosed with brain cancer on her 30th birthday over a year ago. The disease finally claimed her, and she passed away during the second week in August. We flew up to NY for a long weekend and spent time with her husband and other mutual friends. The memorial service was one of the most difficult things I have ever been through. But I'll write more on this at a later point. I miss her.
The hubs had depositions scheduled in Miami for the week after the memorial service. He had already bought me a ticket to join him there for the weekend before we had heard of our friend's passing. As it was, while we were in NY, I mentioned something to our newly widowed friend about the upcoming weekend and his eyes lit up for the briefest of moments. On the spur of the moment, I invited him along. He came, as did another mutual friend. It was nice to spend the weekend in Miami with friends. To sit on the beach, toss a mini-football back and forth in the bathwater-posing-as-the-sea, and have drinks and Cuban coffees.
After getting back from Miami, we both got slammed with work. Neither of us has recovered yet. I was at the office until 10pm on Monday night, midnight last night, and will be here late tonight as well. The week before, I was up until 3am on 3 different nights. It's a hard life. I can't say I'm not paid well, but it definitely is blood money. I can't do this for much longer. I'm not sure what I'll end up doing, but it's got to be better than this. I have to be able to see my husband and future family for more than 1 awake hour per day. Maybe I will write a cookbook, or pitch a cooking show. More likely, I will open a little bento shop somewhere. :-)
What other odds 'n ends are happening? Let's see. My sister-in-law is due in January -- I'm going to be an aunt! First time ever! I am so excited. :-) My mother-in-law is going a bit senile I think. Either that or she has worried half her brain cells to death. We sent up a grocery list for items that the hubs will need to survive Labor Day weekend. She called and asked things like "is all that salmon for you?" (only 1lb., woman!), "can you grill salmon?" and "how do you pick a ripe avocado?" The woman has cooked, and cooked very well, for the past 40 years. I am positive that she knew the answers to these questions at one point in her life.
Oh! And we're finally redoing our bathrooms. Our bathrooms suck. No question about it (ask
meocat). Ugly tile, handmade vanities with ill-fitting drawers that aren't even on tracks, no medicine cabinets, tricky toilets, light fixtures consisting of big light bulbs screwed to a piece of plywood... You would have thought we'd have done something about this before now, but we've been so busy! We're sinking so much dough into this. It pains me to think about it. Supposedly we'll get it all back and then some though. We're redoing the wet bar area too, which currently is hidden in half of a large closet. I'll be sure to take before and after pictures. I think the work begins in October. :-)
I think that is most everything. Whew! Now I have to get back to work, which is a big game of hurry up and wait today. *sigh*