Excedrin Migraine- best medicine ever?

Unfortunately for me, I began suffering from migraines when I was in college. I get a few of them a year, and usually they are triggered by stress or exhaustion (or the tiniest amount of red wine- sad.) I feel really lucky that mine aren't as severe as they could be (I've only had to seek emergency care for one once), but they still aren't a picnic; for me, its the sensitivity to light and sound that are just killers. I can't do much but lay in my bed, completely immobile, just waiting for them to pass. I used to take Midrin, which made me a little nauseous and woozy, and when I went for a refill, a complete angel-disguised-as-doctor said, "I'll write you an Rx, but you should really try the Excedrin Migraine they've recently put out there. It's over the counter, cheap, and I'm hearing good things." I was skeptical (I mean, it's basically a combo of aspirin, Tylenol and caffeine- could that seriously handle my headaches?) but I figured it was better than paying for the Rx.

And OMG. ZOMG, even. That stuff is like a tiny piece of heaven, sent down to keep migraine sufferers alive when all they want is to die so the pain/light/noise/nausea will stop.

Yesterday I had a major migraine; it required 2 doses of Excedrin, but darn it, that Excedrin got me through the day and able to get through a 45 minute presentation that evening. Celebrations. I am so grateful to Excedrin Migraine. It has gotten me through many a rough time, and I will never be able to repay the makers for creating such a simple product. I love it. Love it like I would name my kid Excedrin Migraine if that wouldn't be the worst name ever. I hope I don't have to meet its acquaintance again anytime soon, but if I do, I look forward to knowing its got my back.

The Chance at Another Tomorrow

Today would have been the birthday of someone I went to high school with, Kirby Dean. I knew of her more than I knew her (I think we might have had 3 or 4 conversations in all of high school, but she was a talented member of our dance team that practiced right next to the choir room where I spent a decent amount of time), but she always seemed to be a nice person and was always pleasant. She passed away a couple of years ago after an ATV accident, leaving behind a little girl. I hadn't talked to her since we graduated and found out she had passed away when her parents set up a memorial Facebook account for her, but she always serves as a reminder to me that nothing is guaranteed in life, including tomorrow. So on her birthday, I want to honor her a little bit by thanking her for reminding me and the many people that her life and death touched that we should live each day well and live it with love. It's such an obvious thing- you never know when your life will be over and so you should live it well. But it's such an easy thing to forget with all that we do each day. I'm in the midst of a huge project for class right now, the house is a mess, I have about 100 things going through my head- in the midst of these responsibilities, I forget how vitally important it is to kiss my husband, to snuggle my puppy, to be sure I'm keeping in touch with my friends and family. So I'm grateful for the frequent reminders that I should treasure each day and live it the best I can.

So today, I'm grateful that I woke up, that I've gotten to snuggle with a sleeping puppy, talk and laugh with and hug and kiss my husband, and that it's a beautiful day. Thanks, Kirby, for making me grateful. And happy birthday- I hope it's a good day of memories for your family.

Duckies!

Definite highlight of today was the semesterly occurrence of mommy duck and baby duckies swimming in the campus fountain. I LOVE THE DUCKIES.

I forgot to take a picture, but this adorable shot by Kristi Hines (from here) is just about what it looked like!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obviously we can all agree that baby animal are cute, and ducklings are no exception. But what made me grateful about the appearance of the duckies (who show up once a semester like clockwork) was that almost my whole office came outside together to go see. It was a great midday moment of just hanging out and appreciating the cuteness of baby animals and their mommies. (We think it was 2 mommies and their duckies on a playdate, but it could have been a duck lesbian couple and their babies who had their eggs artificially inseminated- I guess we'll never know.) So I'm grateful for the break and bonding time they provided amongst the people I work with. And I'm grateful I got to watch something that cute for a few minutes today. Love ya, duckies, see you this fall! =)

Caffeine: The Only Thing Keeping Me Functional

OK, quick recap if you aren't a regular (all, um, 1 of you)- I work full time and am still in transition to a new position, and I'm in grad school. I'm also married, and my husband and I are planning on buying a house this fall. I'm also terrible at sleeping, and I'm a hardcore procrastinator. This is important to know given today's topic.

That said, caffeine is my best friend (after the pup and E.) I'm so grateful for caffeine. I'm basically a Red Bull addict, although I recently went more than a month without having one; I crave it and I honestly feel like I function better when I have one (Hi, my name is K, and I have an addiction.) I also have discovered ways to drink coffee, even though I don't love it. And I'll drink tea. I have a feeling that if someone told me mud had caffeine in it, I'd be the first one scooping up some dirt. I don't know what I'll do when it's pregnancy time someday and I can't have caffeine- ugh, I can't even think of it, let's move on.

So today, I salute you, BFF Caffeine. I am so grateful for your existence- you get me moving in the morning, you keep me from falling asleep on a keyboard, you help me survive tedious presentations and lectures. If I didn't have you, I would probably be considered a constantly late, very rude and possibly narcoleptic person. Cheers to you and thank you for existing. For one more year of school, we are BFFs; I hope you're up for the ride.

Back to basics

Remember when you were a kid, and a friend would start to tell you a secret, and then they'd say, "Never mind"? And how it was the most annoying thing ever? I hated that. So I hope I'm not engaging in that activity when I ask that whoever glances upon this post takes just a second to pray for my immediate family and I don't elaborate on my request. Suffice to say that prayers/good feelings/sending love would be appreciated, and I'll talk about it when I have a better idea of what can be said and how I feel about saying it.

So on that note, these are some basic gratefuls. I'm grateful for my husband who loves me and comforts me. I'm grateful that I have my dog as a snugglebuddy (who I have learned is completely devoid of the desire to make her mommy feel better when she is sad, that heartless little minx). I'm grateful that I have a mind that is functional enough to slog through all the tasks grad school is painfully putting it through, that all three of us (E and me and the pup) have a safe place to sleep at night, and that my husband and I are both gainfully employed. I call these basic gratefuls, but they're actually pretty big- they give me the life I am so grateful I have, full of love and creature comforts and only high-class problems right now. So I'm grateful for them, and today, that is enough.

I'm also grateful that the Bloggess wrote this post today. I love her, and she made me laugh even when I was feeling much less than humorous. She's awesome like that, and you should check her out (those who are easily offended or small minded need not click.) I hope she doesn't mind me posting, but I figure if I'm having a bad day, someone else probably is, too, and talking about hamster jet lag and Viagra helps us with that. =)

"love you"

My family is really affectionate. We are big on hugs, exhibitions of our love and pride in one another (cough cough we're the embarrassing people at my cousin's soccer tourneys cough) and we live to say, "I love you."

It used to really get on my nerves that every single day, my dad would ask me if he'd told me that day that he loved me. The answer was always yes, and it got on my nerves because it felt like it must be a daily ritual for him instead of a heartfelt sentiment. Of course he loved me; why did he have to make such a point of reminding me every day?

The answer is so obvious to me now, years later: he wanted me to know he loved me, and for me to never have a split second of doubt that I was loved and treasured by him. He wanted to be sure I had that certainty, and that certainty has helped me be a strong and opinionated person- I know that those who love me don't hold that love conditionally. I love my father for those constant "I love yous", and I love that my family is all so open about how much we love each other. None of us will ever have to feel horribly alone and unloved; we are told constantly how much we're cherished, and I'm so grateful that we feel that love for each other and express it freely.

This post was brought on by my cousin; he and my brother and his brother and their friend just left to go to a soccer game, and as they walked out, the 18 yr old young man that he has become yelled, "Love you!" that's a pretty great compliment from an 18 yr old. Love you, too, buddy. Love you and the rest of our family every day and always. :)

It's been a long day today, so it's time for a...

Random List of 9 Things I'm Grateful for Today:
1. My toenails are painted sparkly pale pink, one of my very favorite shades.
2. My long phone conversation today with my long distance cousin.
3. The fact that my feet are currently resting on a sleeping puppy.
4. Today some work stuff came to fruition when my new boss called the data I'd accumulated and my analysis "important." WIN.
5. I've gotten to spend extra time with my cousins and brother this week since they've been house-sitting in Houston.
6. Big Brother premiered tonight, and basically DOMINATED. So beyond excited about it.
7. I got to sip on my favorite wine tonight.
8. My husband made dinner, and it was YUMMY.
9. Today was my Monday since I've been off all week, and tomorrow is my Friday. =) Win.