13 April 2012

Rainy Days and Monday's

...never get me down. I love the rain. Today we had thunderstorms most of the day. I have a scheduled four day weekend from work (today being day one). I have plenty to do, but ended up being violently sick so the plenty to do ended up on the back burner for now. There's an issue I have relating to my monthly cycle that occurs every few months. I thought that's what I was dealing with this morning, but it evolved into so much more.

The "normal" symptoms are dizzyness, diarrhea (I know, I know: TMI) and cold sweats. When it started this morning, I thought it was good timing since I have the day off work. However, during one of my trips to the couch to deal with the dizzyness & cold sweats, I started feeling nauseated. I don't throw up. Other than last month, when I had food poisoning, I haven't thrown up in years. So, when the wave started, I did what I always do and focused on my breathing. This usually causes the feeling to pass and then I'm fine. Alas, that was not to be this time. I made it back to the bathroom just in time to "flush" my system of my breakfast from three hours earlier.

Therefore, I realized, this is not the normal event I had been having. Welcome back food poisoning. Last month it was from a trip to Mongolian Barbeque. This time it was from eating in the cafeteria at work yesterday. I ended up falling asleep on the couch from around 12:30 - 14:15. The Cubbies was supposed to be on, but had an hour-and-a-half rain delay. I ended up waking up just as the fourth run was scored in the first inning. They did not disappoint today! However, my abdomen was still pretty jacked up from the violence of the morning. Skip lunch!

I just finished supper. My abdomen is a little tender, but everything seems to be staying put. In light of this second bout of regurgitation in as many months, it seems my "iron stomach" is becoming less strong as I grow older. Ya gotta love age!

Have a blessed weekend! I plan to be back...

01 July 2010

My Take on Independence Day from a Patriot

When was the last time you really took the time to focus on the true meaning of Independence Day? I think about it more and more as the years go on...having a relationship with GOD my Father, the Creator of the Universe, I am reminded that my true freedom is always found in HIM. This is the same thing believed by our Founding Fathers.

King George III was taking away more and more liberties. Samuel Adams wrote, "For government is an ordinance of Heaven, design'd by the all-benevolent Creator, for the general happiness of his rational creature, man." Many people in the colonies were becoming discontented. Taxation without representation. I hear people say that today and they have no real concept of what it means.

So what happened? War. During which, after much struggle and debate:

"In Congress, 4 July 1776. A DECLARATION By the REPRESENTATIVES of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, in GENERAL CONGRESS assembled."

(better known as the Declaration of Independence)

was written, agreed to and signed.

"When in the Course of human Events...

"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness...

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

When the document was signed on 2 August 1776, there were some who were not present. Knowing the ramifications, they still chose to sign. Fifty-six men.

In November of 1777, Congress agreed to the Articles of Confederation. It wasn't until 1781 that all states agreed to and signed them. Realizing the many defects of the Federal Government, George Washington pushed for a resolution. Finally, on the second Monday in May 1787, delegates came together in Philadelphia in order to revise the Articles. All were quick to realize that the Articles were so defective that they could not work. Therefore, they set out to create a new Constitution.

On 12 September 1787, the Constitution was sent to the several states for the states to review for ratification. Here's a thought: why isn't that done today? "You'll have to pass the bill to find out what's in it." Sound familiar? If not, you're not paying attention.

In 1814, during the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key wrote a little poem. "Defence at Fort McHenry." This poem was later set to music and renamed "The Star-Spangled Banner." You may recognize it as the National Anthem. There is a phrase during a musical crescendo that says, "...and the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there." Now, if you know me well, you know that many things tear me up. Every time I sing our National Anthem, it brings tears to my eyes.

Think of the ramifications of that phrase...Francis Scott Key was watching WAR. He may have thought, "I'm watching my friends be killed during this battle! Nobody can survive this bloody battle!" He was listening to the bombs of war. He was seeing the flashes of light from the rockets shooting into the Fort. He was hearing the gun fire and canons booming.

I have never been in war. However, I never watch the fireworks on Independence Day without tears streaming down my face while thanking GOD for the men and women who have fought in wars to obtain and preserve the freedom I enjoy in the United States of America. Still the greatest country in the world.

Join me this Sunday ~ wherever you are ~ in remembering our freedom. Thanking GOD for where HE has placed us.

I personally thank you all who have served or are serving my country defending it's borders and preserving my liberties from tyranny. Thank you to your families for letting you go. What you do, your sacrifice, is immeasurable. Thank you.

On this date, 1Jul10,
Lisa G. Fiedler

23 June 2010

Home Stretch

The motivation this week has been amazing. The words keep falling onto the pages of my novel. I'm loving where the story is going. Writing has always been a journey for me. It's better than reading a novel. When I read a novel, I always figure out where it's going early on. While I always knew the "general" end of my story, watching it come together is even better than I had thought. I look forward to the outcome of the story. The goal of finishing this week is certainly going to be realized. It's Wednesday.

I actually think I'll finish by Friday. That will give me Saturday to check content and add page numbers. I'm pretty excited right now! This quick blog post was my, I'm wiped out for the day so I'm saying good night to my Facebook friends and dropping a note on my blog.

What I look forward to even more is selling it and being a published fiction writer. Soon!

22 June 2010

Get 'er Done

I will finish writing my first novel this week. I've taken some time over the last several weeks to go through it from the beginning and tweak it here and there. I will be able to send it out to publishers by the first of next week. I'm looking forward to what's on the horizon for me. I've always loved writing. I've written poetry, song lyrics, music, short stories and auto-biographical works. This is my first novel.

I actually started writing it over 15 years ago. I used to travel for the company I worked for then. So, while I was sitting alone in hotel rooms or at a table in a restaurant somewhere, I worked on the novel. Life got in the way and it was set aside for a long time. I picked it up again a couple of years ago, but just played around with it. Over the last few months, I've had some good inspiration for it. Plus, in the middle of the night not long ago, I came up with a synopsis for another novel.

Both novels (and the sequel to the first novel, which I've already started) are mystery books. The important distinction for my work is that I write from a Christian perspective. That's not just "Christian" in name, but in full belief in the Truth found in God's Word. I love mystery's and suspense (not horror) stories, but all that I read tend to use foul language and inappropriate intimate scenes which are not necessary. I decided that mine would be intense, but without the things that don't belong. They can be marketed to the Christian reader as well as to the world.

I do not hide my love of the Lord on the pages. It's out there boldly, just as God has made me. "...and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador...: that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." Ephesians 6:19

I look forward expectantly to what God has planned for me in the Unstoppable Future!

15 June 2010

Pet Meds

I order Scully's medications online because of the high cost they are from the vet. I've been good at scheduling her appointments with enough time to order her meds before she runs out. When she is off the med for her cauda equina syndrome her ability to use her back legs is much worse. My recent experience with this was a bit of a nightmare. Her appointment was on the 3rd. The vet called back with her blood results on the 4th letting me know she would need another med for a liver problem. As always, I requested he fax ME the prescription so I could shop it and order it online. I also requested he send the updated script for her anti-inflammatory. He assured this was no problem.

The next day I still hadn't received them. I called the office again. The assistant said she would fax those over no problem. They still didn't come. It was now Saturday night. I called again on Monday. The lady I spoke with this time said they didn't have forms to send to company I had used the first time for the meds. I explained I didn't want them automatically sent there. I wanted them sent to me so I could shop them and order from the best price store. I emphasized that this was the reason I reconfirmed they had MY fax number every time. She finally got it and faxed ONE of the scripts over.

Since the online pharmacies always confirm with the vet, I decided not having her original script wasn't an issue since I had a bottle and knew what it was. I found both at the same place with the lowest price and placed the order. This was the 7th. On the 10th I received an email saying they still hadn't received an approval from the vet. I called the vet first. They confirmed they sent it. I got the fax number where they sent it and asked her to resend it. I then called the online store and confirmed the fax number matched, advised them it had been sent on Tuesday and that it was being resent as we spoke. The CSR assured me she would call the vet at that moment to confirm and everything would be fine.

The next day I received another email stating the same problem. I called again. After some research, the CSR confirmed the info WAS rec'd from the vet and the order would ship. Today, after getting home from the park, there was a message on my machine informing me that they still didn't have vet approval. Okay, suffice it to say I was ticked off! I dialed the number and spoke with a CSR. I let her know right off how long this had been going on and that I was extremely upset. Scully would only have enough meds for today and tomorrow now. While she had me on hold researching, I called the vet on my other phone. She confirmed everything was sent and they had the fax confirmation to show for it.

After about ten minutes of around and around with the store, she finally said, "We have the authorization for 30 tablets, but you only ordered 20." I explained this was due to the timing of Scully's next vet appointment and not needing more than that in case it was discovered that the med was what was causing the liver issue. NOTE: the anti-inflammatory is non-steroidal, however, in some cases it can be the cause of hightened enzymes. She said they would have to get approval for only twenty to which I explained that they had approval for 30 and 20 is less than 30 so they technically already had the okay. (IT TAKES A GENIUS. . . ) She said, "Well, you'll only have a refill of 10 then." I said that was fine. She finally agreed they could ship, and I helped her understand they needed to ship them express so Scully wouldn't run out. She scheduled them to ship today via 2nd day air AT THEIR EXPENSE. This will be perfect. We should get them on Thursday which is the day she'll need them.

Drives me nutty! The new medication is on back order and will ship later in the week. I figure I'll make her appointment for after she's been on that for ten days or so. That way I'll still have enough of the original med in case she gets left on it and will still be using the new med if it works for her. I'm glad for the insight into both the online store and the vet office.

One of my affiliate partners is a pet med store, but their prices were quite higher. I'm going to check with them next time about price matching. Since the contracting corporation has such high standards, hopefully they will be much easier to work with next time.

14 June 2010

It's Been a While

I've been mostly using Facebook for my regular posts. The formatting of the site drives me a bit nutty. Especially trying to read the tiny print that they use for the comments feed. It doesn't like when I copy/paste text. Sometimes, it's so behind me in the typing that it leaves out letters and words. I put up a photo album the other day. It had 47 pictures in it when I started. When FB was done with it, it had 119. I had to go thru and figure out what the duplicates were and delete them. That was LOADS of fun and took NO TIME at all. ARGH! When I finished I had 42 photos. By the time I was done, I didn't care what I had missed.

What I have appreciated about the site is the getting to know family that I've never met before now. I am connected with relatives that I never knew I had. I'm loving that! I'm so thankful for this season of life that God has lead me through. What a great God we have!

Aside from FB, I've been spending my walking time memorizing God's Word. It's been years (many, many) that I have done scripture memorization. In the four weeks that I've been working on it, I've learned thirteen passages containing a total of twenty-five verses. I'm loving being filled up with God's Word! For a long time I struggled with remembering the references to verses. Now I have both the verses and the references. It's an exciting time for me!

Scully has gone thru some medical challenges which is attempting to drain me financially as well as emotionally. The other day, a friend at the park said, "Just get another dog." Most people don't seem to understand the concept of being single and your dog being part of your family. Scully is NOT replaceable! I still take her on a "slow-ride" walk on Friday's. We go at her pace. When she wants to stop and stand a while, we do (except when we're in the street on the way to/from the park). At the park we just walk around the lower soccer field. All at her pace. She sniffs everything, does her business (even though I have her go before we leave the house) and stares at everyone walking by on the path.

I recently picked up an inexpensive digital camera so I could take more pictures. This is her "enough already with the camera" look. She's quite content in her life with the exception of me leaving her every day to go on my walk without her.

We have new landlords who put up bug zapper black lights by their house. They freak her out so she either goes to bed really early or I have to close the front door to get her to hang out with me until it's my bedtime.

02 February 2010

Smaller and Smaller

Since I mostly use FB now I haven't been good about updating my blog. However, once in a while I get an email from Lesli with a new pic of her. This week the pic came with an old one so I'm posting the before and after pics today. Her email said as of this week her total loss has been 205#. She currently weighs 205#. Therefore, she's lost herself. Her goal weight is 150#. It's amazing what somebody can do once they admit they have a problem to resolve.





She didn't give a date of the before pic, but she started her weight loss the summer before last. This after pic was taken at a wedding in November. I'm so proud of the work she's done!