Awwwwww Yeah!

My favorite Scranton Branch employee, Dwight Schrute, comes back tonight on The Office!!!!!

So.....

Will Pam and Jim finally become a couple?

Will Michael get the job at Corporate?

Will Pam leave the office for a more fulfilling career???

I can't wait to find out! Actually, I can wait. But what I can't wait for is more Dwight Schrute comedy! This guy is beyond hilarious!!!!

From the desk of Dr's Confino and Clinton

I spoke with both my Reproductive Endocrinologist and my OB/Gyn this week about my FSH levels. They are both very happy with my decreasing levels!

I inquired if my level can give a false number and they said that if I don't do the test on exactly the third day of my cycle, then it will get higher the later I do it. So that's encouraging! Very, very encouraging!

They both agreed that I can discontinue my monthly testing until after the holidays. Yay! Once Brian and I decide to take the plunge and try for a baby, then they want me to start the process again to monitor the levels.

For now, no more early wake up calls on Sundays!

As a public service announcement, I encourage ALL women out there who are thinking about having a baby to get their levels checked. It was an eye opening experience to find out that our bodies kill off HUNDREDS, yes HUNDREDS, of eggs a month. Of course, you would THINK that it's one egg a month, right? The ovary pops it out and it travels down the fallopian tube and if it's not fertilized in a certain amount of time, then the body sheds it in the form of a period (sorry, guys). We learned that in the 5th grade, right? So who would have thought that it's really hundreds of eggs per month??

Get your levels checked!!!

Gooooooooooooo LOW!!!!

WOOOOO HOOOOO!

I just got my results back from my blood work yesterday and my FSH level was the lowest yet......an 8.9! This is not high, not even borderline high, it's NORMAL!!!

Of course, my doc has told me even if it dips into the normal stages it doesn't mean that I'm good to go. They always look at the highest level no matter what and use that as the measuring.

Doesn't matter to me, though. It has been consistently getting lower since I stopped taking birth control, so I am happy happy happy!!!! :)

Sunday morning fun

I had to go back to the doc's office this morning for my 3rd FSH test. It was tough getting up after an evening of dinner and drinks with friends, but I survived.

Since the lab at Northwestern allows such a generous window of time on the weekends (8:00 am to 8:30 am), I arrived in the office promptly at 8:03 to pick up my paperwork to take to the lab. What I found was a bit of a surprise and that was 11 people in front of me waiting in line. Yes, ELEVEN people waiting at the counter of the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility office at 8 am on a Sunday morning.

Is it just me or is that sorta sad? For the woman behind the counter, this was just another day.

"What do you need, ma'am?"
"Ultrasound"
Handing her a paper, "Here you go. 2nd door on the right down the hall."
"Ma'am, what can I do for you?"
"IVF"
"Have a seat in the lobby and we'll call you."
"Sir?"
He bashfully holds a cup in his hand and makes eye contact with her. Obviously, words are not needed.
"Down the hall to the 3rd door on the left."
"Ma'am?"
"Labwork".
"Take this to the other side of the hall and take a number."

Wow. I mean, WOW! It was definitely an eye-opening experience for me. Last time I had to go in on a Sunday I arrived around 8:20 and there were only a few people there. I guess all the excitement happens promptly at 8 am when the joint opens. I left the office having a heavy heart and a glimpse of hope at the same time. I guess I felt happy that I was probably the youngest one in that office and I am going through the recommended steps to not be in their shoes one day. But then, I was sad for those men and women. You know they've felt heart ache as they've tried to conceive unsuccessfully. You know they've felt desperate at times and have wondered if "it" will ever happen. Aside from the disappointment and undoubted pain they've experienced, it was easy to see one thing in their eyes. Hope. I could see that they were not ready to give up. I could see that they were hoping that THIS trip to the doctor's office might do the trick.

Tonight, I will say a little prayer for those people in the reproductive office today. I will also say a little prayer that I don't have to walk a mile in their shoes.

Keep your fingers crossed for a low FSH level when my results come back tomorrow!

Progress!

Since the wedding is only 7 months away, Brian and I finally decided to move the planning into fifth gear. Yes, we are slackers. But that's why we're so perfect for each other, right?

Last night we picked our Save the Date cards. Yay!

We created a wedding website to give wedding info and travel arrangements to our guests. Yay!

Most importantly, we are THIS or should I say this close to securing the resort in Mexico. We should have the location picked out this week.......how ya like them apples?

Now I just have to go get everyone's addresses. Not Yay!

Does this many ANY sense?

I recruit in the food industry so I get a lot of publications and newsletters via email. THIS little survey crossed my desk today and I just keep scratching my head when I read it.

"Eating at home more" tops reasons that people bypass restaurants.

I get the other factors: price of gasoline, financial situation, too high in calories. So if you aren't eating at a restaurant, then you are eating at home, right??

WELL NO SHIT!!!!! THANKS FOR THE TIDBIT!

Next thing ya know they'll be publishing a report that reads, "#1 reason people don't go in the rain is to avoid getting wet". Kindly let me know when you want to share some REAL news with me, thankyouverymuch.

Muncie???

Happy Monday to ya!

Brian and I headed back to my hometown of Cleveland this weekend for a wedding. We had a great time and everything was beautifully done and totally classy. The groom is a friend of mine from childhood; our parents were good friends and I used to babysit his little sisters. Talk about feeling old! These two little girls are now grown adults.....and I used to change their diapers!

We had some time to stop and visit my Grandma and also crashed my cousin's son's 3rd Birthday Party. It was nice to see some of the fam!

So while we were home, one of my family members probed Brian and I about our upcoming wedding in Mexico. The question was asked, "Why Mexico? Why not Chicago or Cleveland?" Brian responded to the question very politely by explaining that aside from both us wanting a beach wedding, it doesn't seem fair to one family to have it in one town, while the other family has to travel (He's from Chicago, I'm from Cleveland). This way, both families will be jumping on a plane for a quick 3 hour flight to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.

Secondly, if we got married in Chicago, we'd be looking at costs that would easily be 10x what we'll spend in Mexico. Thirdly, destination weddings are much easier. I don't have to worry about 75% of the details of the planning until we arrive that week.

Then the second question came from the same family member: "Why not do it in the middle? Like in Muncie, Indiana?" While my blood started to boil, I simply explained that I was not interested in getting married in Indiana.

But what I WANTED TO SAY was (yeah, you know this was coming):

"Have you met me? Do I SEEM like the kind of person who would get married in Muncie? (no offense to the city of Muncie, of course). Here's a newsflash: we are not getting married in Muncie, because this is OUR wedding. Getting married in Mexico is what WE want to do. We WANT to get married on a beach by the ocean. We are getting married for US, not for YOU. If we got married in Indiana, then it would be YOUR wedding, not OURS. If you would like to join us in Mexico, then we'd love to have you. If not, then we completely understand and you can CHOOSE not to come and celebrate with us and we'll gladly send you pictures."

It might seem selfish, but honestly, this is about Brian and me. This is not, "Let's bend over backwards for our family and friends and do what they want us to do to make it easier on them. " Sorry. It's about US and what makes US happy. And by the way, we are paying for our entire wedding; we are not asking either family for help foot the bill. If we did, then maybe they'd have some say in this. We are inviting over 135 people and are expecting about 50-60 in Mexico. There is absolutely NO way possible to please everyone and we are okay with that.

Go Figure

After my rant below saying that American's will die at a young age if we don't fight obesity, THIS report comes out hours later.

I stand corrected. American's are, in fact, living LONGER. This age, 78, is actually a record high.

The "Biggest Loser" is right!

Over the past two years, I've become entranced by the show, The Biggest Loser. It's a reality show in which contestants compete to see who can lose the most weight. I love it because no matter what, the contestants are constantly doing one of two things: crying about being fat or sweating it out in an effort to get thin and hating every minute of it.

This show really boils my blood sometimes. Last night, for instance, upon arrival to their desert location, the host tells them, "When you see your coach over yonder (and points out in the desert), you need to run as fast as you can to get to them. The first two people who cross the finish line will be a Team Captain and will each pick 5 members to join their team for the season. The rest of you, will go home tonight". Immediately, the look of defeat swept all of their faces simultaneously.

So when they take off to run, is it surprising that one female runs for maybe 30 seconds and then walks the rest of the way? Keep in mind her chances of being on the show are depending on it. So no, it's not surprising. Of course she complains and cries the entire time that if she gets kicked off she can't lose the weight alone, she needs this, yada yada yada.

The 6 people that were not picked to be on either team were secretly taken away to a remote location to work out for two weeks and will come back to compete as a third team.

So while these people were getting weighed in for the first time, almost all said, "Well, I don't know what I weigh because I avoid the scale. I'm afraid of what it will tell me". The next painful 10 minutes showed them tipping the scale at 400 pounds and mumbling through their tears, "How did I get this way? How did I let this happen?"

I just wanted to scream at these people and shake them fiercely and yell in their faces, "HELLOOOO!!!!!!! Let's see.......if you just eat and eat and continue to live your sedentary lifestyle, do you think you'll stay the same weight?!? You MIGHT want to think about getting on the scale once in a while to monitor your weight and when you HAVE gained a few pounds then MAYBE, just MAYBE you can eat a bit less and maybe take a walk?!?!"

I have a newsflash for these people: YES, YOU CAN DO THIS ALONE! It's called "Get some self control and take responsibility for YOUR health because your LIFE depends on it!!!" The absolute WORST part was almost ALL of these people were parents. Great! Just great! You know THEY aren't teaching their kids diddly-squat about healthy eating, cooking healthy, portion control or physical activity.

I know what you are saying. "Well, Deanna, you were in the military and it was instilled in you at an early age". Yep, you are absolutely-freakin' right. It was INSTILLED in me. And THAT is the responsibility of every single parent out there! They should be instilling a healthy mindset into their children's lifestyle. Go out for a bike ride with your kids. Go for a walk. Throw a football around. Take them to the neighborhood pool and swim. Go rollerblading. Take the dog for a run. AND STOP GOING THROUGH THE MCDONALD'S DRIVE THRU!

Diet's do not work, people. Reality shows that last for 3 months will NOT make you thinner and most importantly, HEALTHY, for the rest of your life. YOU need to take control of YOUR life and change your LIFESTYLE! It's a LIFESTYLE people! And if you don't want to change your eating and fitness habits then you WILL gain weight and you WILL die young. It's that simple!

America is the fattest country in the world and unless we start to take REAL responsibility for our actions, then we are going to be the youngest country in the world, to boot. I guess it's a real life Battle of the Fittest. Those who lose, will die. And those who win will be left to continue on.

Gettin' Jiggy Wid It

Oh Madonna, we never knew you swung THIS way!

Let's Give Thanks

I started a women's networking group 2 and a half years ago and it's grown to a lovely group of about 65 women. We get together once a month and do fun things in the city.....wine tastings, purse making parties, boat tours, sex toy parties, jewelry making, etc. Smetimes we put on a more serious face and do charity work or have seminars on real estate, finance and life, in general.

On Friday night, a small group of the girl's from 2nd Wednesdays (that's the name of the group) got together and invited me out to dinner. I found out ahead of time that this dinner was to sort of honor me {blushing}. They wanted to thank me for hosting and planning meeting after meeting (I finally wised up after 24 meetings and delegated and now everyone helps out).

Can I just tell you how nice it was to have these girls do this? They took me out to a very nice restaurant called Flatwater that was right on the river. We dined on the river and enjoyed a few bottles of wine. One of my friends, Jen, actually wrote a poem for the occasion that was hilarious and uber-sweet. They all pitched in and even got me a bottle of Sex and the City perfume because they say I remind them of Carrie from SITC. How freakin' nice was all of this? VERY FREAKIN' NICE! I am so lucky to have people like this in my life and it served as a good reminder that I need to thank those people in my life who go above and beyond more often because it feels damn good.

The group comes with it's share of headaches {I mean, 65 women equals 130 opinions, right?} but in the end, I adore the women involved and I'm completely grateful for the deep bonds that have been created between us. And, hey, we have a ton of fun!!

Girls, if you are reading this....YOU ROCK! You really, really do!! :)

Here is Jen's poem, in case you wanna chuckle:

The time was January of 2005
When a brilliant idea started coming alive.

Our heroine Deanna said “I know so many girls who are great,”
“Let’s all get together. We just need to pick a date”

Of course you know that 2nd Wednesdays was born
Although of her free time, Deanna began to mourn.

Seminars, movie nights, and “toy” parties, too
Sending emails, writing recaps – it’s so much to do!

Deanna, we want you to know how thankful we are
For all that you do, you’re really a star.

At meetings you host, everything’s so nicely made
(And on top of it all, this girl can throw a grenade!)

Honestly, without you, where would we be?
(Thinking we meet on Tuesdays, that’s what I see!)

This group would not exist and we would truly be off-kilter
If not for our friend - the girl without a filter.

It's too late to apologize...

This song hits home for me right now.

"A friend is someone who is there for you when he'd rather be anywhere else."
- Len Wein

Geriatrics?

So the first time I went into my new Primary Care Physican's office at Northwestern, I was a bit creeped out. When he walked in he made some polite converstion, asked a few questions about my medical history and then asked me if I had a regular ob/gyn followed by, "Do you need a pap smear or are you current?" Oh, did i mention he's 6'5" and not a day over 30??

"I'm current!", I practically shouted with my legs tightly crossed. I mean, who wants a guy down there younger than me poking around? No, thank you! I'd prefer a 60 year old man or woman who have seen at least a million va-jay-jay's before mine....not some kid right out of college who is still getting his {ahem} speculum wet (pun intended).

So the other day when I was waiting in Dr. Lavery's office I decided to peruse the little bio that was printed and hanging on the wall about him.

Turns out my new PCP specializes in Geriatric Medicine.

Grrrrreat. Just my luck. How in the hell did I miss this the first time?

So can someone please share with me why he asked if I needed a Pap smear? Ummm, wait. On second thought, let's not speculate.

Hide and Seek

I don't know if I'm extraordinarily brilliant or royally moronic for doing this but I've taught our dog how to play Hide and Seek. Seriously.

He follows me around the house no matter where I go, so if I want to play H-n-S, I tell him "Stay". Then I run upstairs and hide in one of the bedrooms, closets, showers, bathtubs or laundry room. I yell out "Doodle" (that's his nickname) and he comes a runnin' and sniffin' to find me. Once he finds me, we celebrate with lots of "Yay!!!!! You found Mommy!!!" and he jumps around with his tongue hanging out, proud as can be. Then I walk over to the steps and say "Go Downstairs" and he runs to the bottom of the stairs and sits and waits. I hide again, call him and he comes to find me once more.

We did this about 6 times last night and the funny part is that he won't check the places where he's already found me unless I'm in a REALLY good spot and he can't find me. But last night we played after I got home from the gym, so seeing as he's a hunting dog, he could probably smell me pretty easily (I know, eww).

So you be the judge. Brilliant or moronic?

Ouch

Well I'm back to work today after spending the past 3 days on my couch. I went to the doctor yesterday and he told me I had a viral infection so there aren't any drugs that can make me better. Even though my throat is still killing me, I came into work today. I probably would have stayed home if our cleaning people weren't going to be there all day.... the thought of trying to nap with a vacuum running isn't very inviting.

So speaking of "Ouches"....... it seems that there are 2 people very close to us that are either pregnant or trying to get pregnant. One person is on Brian's side and he stood up in her wedding last year and one is on my side and I stood up in her wedding a few months ago. So what's the big deal?

Well first, let me say that I'm thrilled that my friend is pregnant and I'm so happy for them. After all, her husband is already almost 40 and I understand their timing. Doesn't make sense to wait. I'm a little less thrilled that her due date is 3 weeks before our wedding and she was supposed to be a bridesmaid, but I'm sure they'll be with us in spirit.

What I don't understand even more is the person on Brian's side. Our wedding is just over 8 months away, so it would seem that if someone is trying to get pregnant now, then they clearly have no intention of trying to make it our wedding in Mexico.

I guess it's kinda selfish to feel a little hurt, but we both are. We feel like our wedding is basically insignificant to some and considering that "some" are immediate family, it hurts even more. It's almost like, "Hey, thanks for standing up in our wedding, now we are going to get pregnant and we probably won't be at yours. No big deal, right?"

Wrong. It is a big deal. For us, at least.

Summer colds...

...suck.

I've had a horrible sore throat and achy body since yesterday and it's only gotten worse.

I hope the rest of you Internets were able to enjoy the gorgeous holiday weekend. :(