I'm not stupid! I'm just a blonde!

I am so so so frustrated. Lately for some odd reason, whenever I set something down I lose it. My address book, an important paper, my sunglasses, oh and the TV remote. I swear I just had all of those items and my apartment isn't that big. Now where did they all go? Who knows?

I finally had time to pick up my apartment Wednesday evening. No previous commitments or things that just had to be done. So, I turned on the Wings game (with the remote) and set to work. As my schedule has been abnormally busy the last 2 weeks, just picking up was going to be a major undertaking. Lately I had come in late, thrown whatever was in my hands down, did my exercise, showered and collapsed into a coma for 4 hours before the alarms (I have 4, but that's another story) wake me up to start running again.

By the middle of the second period of the hockey game, I had made a good size dent into the chaos. The books were stacked, the papers sorted, the mail gone through. So after the 2nd period draws to a close, (Wings down 1-2 at this point) I decide to take a quick break and flip the channel over to the weather station to see what I should wear for the following day. Normally, I keep my remotes (TV, stereo, DVD player, etc...) on the edge of the coffee table. Only this time, the TV remote is gone.

Where did the stupid thing go? I had it in my hand a second ago. So, I abandoned my cleaning endeavor. (It's not like the stuffs going anywhere) I searched and searched, but still cant find the remote. I looked under the couch, in the kitchen, in my room, and even the bathroom. I moved the entertainment center and dumped out the bag of trash, but it wasn't there. I even went as far to check the dishwasher as maybe just maybe I dropped it in there while loading and running the unit. (In case you were wondering, the Wings had tied up the game in the 3rd period and had won the game in a shoot out.)

So now, it's a day later and I still cant find the dang thing. It will turn up weeks from now and I'll groan and tell myself how stupid I was for putting it there. (Wherever there is.) But, for now I'll just be frustrated and grumble each time I have to get up to change the channel. It's a good thing that I don't watch too much TV on a whole.

I'm really not stupid. My IQ was measured at 140. Which is why I think I'm so frustrated. I should have placed the remote back in its designated spot and I wouldn't have this problem. But I've come to the conclusion that really smart people do really dumb things sometimes. Such as losing the remote, or scrubbing the pine pitch off the Lincoln with a steel wool scrubber. (I didn't do the Lincoln one, my Dr. did.) We're all human and therefore make mistakes. And as a blonde, I make my fair share of them.

Hopefully I'll find the remote soon. Talk at y'all later, but till then I'll be searching for it and my sanity.

"YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY!

Happy Birthday to my niece Leah. Congrats on turning the big 2 years old today. May this year be even better for you than the the last one was. You're a beautiful, intelligent, funny little girl and I'm honored to be your aunt! I eagerly look forward to every moment that we will spend together for the rest of your life. Please know that you are loved always and forever!

I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. My very first thought when I saw you for the first time was that you looked exactly like your mom. A second later, I thought what a miracle that you were. That you were a perfect little angel sent to us from Heaven. Watching as you've mastered new experiences and skills has amazed me. Each day I look forward to see/hear the new things that you have mastered. You melted my heart with your first smile and wrapped me around your finger the first time you said "Luv you Jo Jo."

As you grow and mature, please know that I will always be there for you. If ever you need someone to talk to, someone to cry with, someone to laugh with, or someone to be your designated driver, please give me a call. Regardless of the day or the time, I'll drop what I'm doing and be there.

Happy Birthday Sweetie! I love you,

Auntie Jo Jo

Celiac Disease Awareness Month

Ok, think back... What did you eat today? Did you have Cheerios for breakfast? A slice of pizza for lunch? Sweet and sour chicken from the local chinese resturant for dinner? Or maybe you were good and had a can of slimfast for breakfast, a chicken wrap for lunch, or a salad for dinner with low caloried cookies for dessert.

If you have Celiac disease, all of those foods I just listed could kill you. Celiac disease is an autoimmune digestive disease that damages the villi of the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. What does this mean? Put simply, that the body is attacking itself!

Celiac disease is triggered by consumption of the protein called gluten, which is found in wheat, barley and rye. Researchers have determined that celiac disease is a genetic condition, meaning that it is inherited. Roughly one out of every 133 people have celiac disease, but 97% remain undiagnosed. This means that almost three million people have celiac disease and only about 100,000 know they have it. Left untreated, people with celiac disease can develop further complications such as other autoimmune diseases, osteoporosis, thyroid disease, and cancer.

Symptoms of celiac disease may include one or more of the following: gas,recurring abdominal bloating and pain,chronic diarrhea, constipation, weight loss/weight gain, fatigue, unexplained anemia (a low count of red blood cells causing fatigue,) bone or joint pain, behavioral changes, tingling numbness in the legs (from nerve damage)muscle cramps, seizures, infertility, recurrent miscarriage, delayed growth,pale sores inside the mouth, called aphthous ulcerstooth discoloration or loss of tooth enamel, itchy skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis

The only treatment for celiac disease is to follow a gluten-free diet. A gluten-free diet means not eating foods that contain wheat (including spelt, triticale, and kamut), rye, and barley. The foods and products made from these grains are also not allowed. In other words, a person with celiac disease should not eat most grain, pasta, cereal, and many processed foods. Despite these restrictions, people with celiac disease can eat a well-balanced diet with a variety of foods, including gluten-free bread and pasta. For example, people with celiac disease can use potato, rice, soy, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, or bean flour instead of wheat flour. They can buy gluten-free bread, pasta, and other products from stores that carry organic foods, or order products from special food companies. Gluten-free products are increasingly available from regular stores.

October is Celiac Disease Awareness month here in the USA. Celiac disease is one of the most missed diagnosis due to it's mimicking of other conditions like IBS. If you have any of the symptoms listed above, please ask your doctor to be tested for Celiac disease. I was diagnosed with Celiac 10 years ago. And since adapting to the gluten free diet, I've never been healtier.

Bring on the Deer!

Yesterday my parents and I hiked up to my mom's parents house. It's been a while since we'd seen the Grandparents and it's time to sight in our rifles for the upcoming whitetail season. Mom and Grandma worked on piecing together a baby quilt as we've had quite the baby boom in our family recently. And Grandpa, Dad, and myself went out to sight in our respective weapons.

Dad brought his 30-06 rifle that he's used forever but recently added a new stock too. I brought my 30 30 (similar to the one seen in the picture.) And Grandpa hauled out his mega binoculars. Grandpa's been a gun dealer for years and already had his weapon ready to go.

We trapezed out to the back acres of Grandpa's property and hung up our target board. The board was about 3 feet of plywood painted white with 6 black "targets" artistically drawn onto it in various locations. We marched about 75 yards away and set to work. As I was the only "lady" in the bunch, I went first. I'm happy to report that I hit the target 4 out of 4 times. A little high and to the left, but all 4 shots hit the target. Dad went next, but wasn't able to actually fire his rifle. Since he had replaced the stock recently, the bolt isn't striking correctly. Good thing we went out early and still have time to get that fixed.) Grandpa then fired my rifle once to see if he thought my sights were off since everything was going a little to the left. And then I went again at a closer distance since most of the shots that I'll have from my blind are going to be less than 75 yards. (Stupid brush gets in the way.) So, in all I hit the target 6 out of 7 shots that I took. I'm sporting a nice bruise though. I didn't have my weapon exactly the right way on my shoulder and it kicked back into my bicep. Dad worked on his weapon a bit more and will have to take it somewhere to get it worked on again.

I've been asked how I could hunt. "It's cruel to shoot innocent animals" I've been told. Well, I'd rather have the animal die a quick relatively painless death with my rifle than either be hit by a car (which I assure you is a lot more painful than being shot,) dieing from tuberculosis or other various illnesses, or starving to death. Plus, I enjoy spending the time out in the woods. Usually at that point, most of the things I'm allergic to have died off (other than the mold.) The sunrises and sunsets are incredible. And, I get to spend some quality time with my dad, brother, uncle, and occasionally my sister in law that I dont normally get to during the rest of the year. And, take a couple of vacation days from work which in itself is a bonus. And, we eat all the meat that we get. We don't hunt just for huntings sake.

Well gang, here's to happy hunting for everyone who hunts. Hope you all had a good day or a good one tomorrow. And as Elmer Fudd says... "Be very very quiet, I'm hunting Whitetail!"