SF galore

Been spending a substantial amount of time in the city:

Thursday
Had an appointment in the morning, then went into the city. Parked at 5th Street & Mission and ate lunch at Hana Zen. We found that restaurant in our SF city guide. It got excellent reviews and was fairly inexpensive. I had donburi for the first time in my life. It was delightful, so I was pleased. Apparently, I was really hungry, because I finished it before Franny was done with half of his entree. We also had shrimp tempura.

We high-tailed it out of the restaurant, so we could walk to LaBelle Spa, which was about 7 blocks away. Noel/Arlene/Brady gave me a spafinder gift certificate for my birthday last April, so I decided to use it in SF. It was actually Franny's idea.

                              

The spa was impressive. From the changing room to the lounge to the treatment to the ambiance...they were all heaven. The ambiance was very warm, with dark brown wood and a european theme. The lounge had a fireplace which invoked a sense of tranquility. On the center table, there was a platter filled with an assortment of fresh fruit, cheese, and crackers for guests to nibble on. As I waited to be called into my treatment room, I was given a warm compress that smelled of lavender and mint to relax my neck and shoulders. A lady came up to me with a large silver bowl and asked me if I would like a foot soak. Of course I obliged and it felt absolutely wonderful. Finally, I had the massage and it was as relaxing as expected. The whole treatment lasted 1.5 hours. I just love getting pampered.

Franny had slept in the lobby during my treatment but left before I was done to go shopping. He bought a belt at Banana Republic. We both felt a little worn out so we went back to the W Hotel and just pooped out on the bed. When we woke up, we decided to hang out at SF Center. We had a snack at Rubios and I went make-up shopping at Nordstrom. I bought a ton of stuff from Stila, but I am seriously considering returning all of it. They claimed that their gel eyeliner and mascara were smudgeproof and waterproof...but I have "proof" it isn't. Suckers.

Anyways, we had planned to eat dinner at Cicolo, but couldn't resist watching our favorite realty TV series, bb5, so we walked back to the W and ordered room service from XYZ (the restaurant on the main floor) instead. Being the health-conscious freak that I am, I had to ask if the veggies and meat were organic, and surprisingly, they all were. Very impressive. The overall service at the W was awesome.

Friday
We woke up early, wrote a letter to the D.D.A for the Loida Cruz trial, and had breakfast at a cafe on market street. I had an accupuncture appointment in Bezerkley. I don't really remember what I did on this day. Oh yes, had chiropractic appointment as well. Dr. K says that I'm moving extremely well now, so I will be cutting my appointments down starting in two weeks. Had roast chicken for dinner and then went to Ron's dense party with AC. Guess where it was? Yup, in the city. Saw Jimmy, Lani, and of course, Ron, there. It was nice to dance and have fun for a change. Haven't done that in awhile. But it was a total alcohol free night. I arrived home at 1am, but it felt like 5am or something. Man, i'm getting old.

                      
                      

Saturday
Woke up at 7am. I have no idea why. Went back to sleep and then got ready for Elijah's first birthday. He's getting so big. He is Ellis' mini-me. They look totally alike. We didn't really stay there long because we did some errands and then went to the guys picnic at Lake Elizabeth. There was good food and everyone played volleyball or dodgeball. The guys did their usual "rap*ing" session. It was funny. I took some good photos.

Tomorrow
Franny and I are going back to you know where...the c - i - t - y. Franny has been itching to go to the Museum of Modern Art. Poor guy hasn't been able to go since we have been so busy. But we are finally making it in there tomorrow. We also get to watch the musical. Yay!

Okay, I am to tired to continue this. I need some quality sleep. Nite, nite...
- just me, Jo @ 10:01:00 PM

 
Can anyone say "tired"...

I just arrived home from an eventful day in SF. It was grueling. In the morning, we had chiropractor and accupuncture appointments in Bezerkley. Then we went to Jack London Square, left our car in the JLS parking garage, and had lunch at Tony Romas. Hopped on the Oakland-Alameda Ferry to SF. It was a gorgeous, sunny day...just perfect for a ferry ride. We arrived after 20 minutes and window shopped around Embarcadero. Then walked a few blocks to Franny's work. I just waited in Starbucks and read my book. It was fun. I got about 30 pages in.

    

He finally came back and we got a chocholate chip cookie at some bakery, a wheatgrass shot at Jamba Juice, and then walked a few more blocks to North Beach. Passed by Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi Church. It's a beautiful church. We lit a few candles. We quickly walked through Chinatown and went into an Asian bookstore. Franny bought a book and a Qi Gong (sp?) video.

We had dinner at an authentic italian restaurant in North Beach. It was romantic.

We walked back to the Ferry Building and it was getting dark. We got a little worried because when we got there, there was no one in sight. Luckily, we called and the next ferry was scheduled to arrive in 20 minutes. And now finally got home.

Tomorrow we're kicking it in SF again and staying at the W Hotel downtown SF for two nights. Franny is suggesting that I go to a spa somewhere in downtown for some serious R&R. Do I have the best hubby or what? We're also heading back up to SF on sunday to watch a play/musical with Alvin & Kathleen. Good times.
- just me, Jo @ 9:02:00 PM

 

Woke up early today even though I slept really late last night. I think I just heard the hubby pull up on the driveway. He's coming home late today. By the way, someone teepee'd our house on saturday night. We thought it was Jimmy and Rich, but Jimmy's denying it. Funny guy.

We have an appointment this afternoon, but other than that, our day is open. Francis will probably sleep the rest of the day. Although, tomorrow is a completely different story. We'll start off by going to Bezerkeley, then Oakland, then spend the whole day in SF and back to Oakland. I think we might watch a baseball game at PacBell. Or we might go window shopping in downtown. Our plans are tentative thus far. We're going to SF on thursday, too. There was a possiblity that we would stay at the W hotel in downtown SF thursday night, but we don't want to leave the dogs alone overnight, so that plan is not likely to occur.

I went to Borders yesterday and got a book called "Conversations with God", by Neale Donald Walsh. So far the dialogue is engaging. My mom gave me the book, "The Purpose Driven Life", and although it seems interesting, I just can't read it. It seems dull. Maybe I'll give it a try after CWG.

I also went to Newpark to buy a present at Macys for Eli's bday. After, I met up with AC and we got wheatgrass shots at Jamba Juice. The 2 ounce shots. Tasty.

I uploaded some photos last night and early this morning:

Kennifer shower photos:



Noel's Birthday photos:




Arlene's parents (Espinosa) Retirement photos:




Franny is home. I better go downstairs and make him breakfast before he beats me. J/P. That is just a joke. The hubby does not beat me. I repeat...he does not beat me.

Great. He just came upstairs and told me that he would make breakfast. I'm such a lucky woman. =)

- just me, Jo @ 9:00:00 AM

 
Mom's Retirement Party Favors

I'm working on the CD favors and I'm not quite sure I'm ready to mass produce the labels yet. Here are the snapshots that I have so far...




Kinda sucks because I didn't download or find the songs myself for the CD and the quality is crappy. Especially the "Shalala" song. I think Mom got it from a friend. I'm trying to make the cover look nice though. I can't believe the event is only two weeks away. It's also on Brady's 3rd bday.

Franny will be starting work soon. I hope we can take advantage of some of his free time before he starts. We were planning to go to Oakland and take a ferry to SF and also go to a game. Oh, and next weekend we are going out with Alvin and Kathleen to watch a play/musical in SF. I can't wait. I really want to go to that.

Unfortunately, we have a change of plans and we are not going to Las Vegas anymore. Franny's new job kind of forces us to re-evaluate our plans and priorities. Maybe we'll go next year.
- just me, Jo @ 11:55:00 PM

 
All in a day...

Franny's cleaning up a lot of stuff at the moment. He has to work tonight. It's been weird because we hardly see each other since he's been working an extra two nights a week, mainly because he sleeps during the day. Because he got the new job, he will be back on a regular schedule soon. He's been quite jovial about the new position, almost A.D.D. like, and it appears this is a job he will enjoy doing. Hey, working with little kiddies doesn't sound so bad.

I went to pamf to get a test done and then I went to get my accupuncture done in Bezerkly. Dr. Rakela told me that ABC news called her yesterday evening about doing a special about a certain topic with Peter Jennings. They asked her if she could suggest any patients for the special. Well, she asked me! I was floored. At first, I thought "sure", but then I thought about how everyone in the world will know my issues. Not like they don't know already since I blog in this thing! But yeah, that would be crazy. It's going to air the first week of August on ABC News for seven days. I told her I would mull it over and of course, I had to ask Franny about what he thought about having the public intrude in on our lives for 7 days. And I instantly thought, our house isn't ready for national TV. Hey, maybe it's the closest we'll get to reality TV. LOL. Ha, I am cracking myself up right now.

For the most part, accupuncture was uneventful. I wanted her to induce my cycle and I think she accomplished it. Tomorrow we have an early appointment with my doc. I just hope Franny makes it in time to come with me.

I was thinking about something really exciting the other day. My endo doc emailed me about something I brought up in my last appointment. I do a lot of proactive research about a ton of medical topics and I brought up this particular procedure that has been very successful in removing endometriomas. Well, he told me he would research it in the national medical library (only docs can get it). About a week later he emailed me, and told me to call him when I got a chance. Well, when we spoke on the phone, he was very helpful in going over all the studies done in regards to this procedure. I only knew of one clinic in the US that specializes in it (I was actually thinking of flying out of state to get this procedure done), but apparently there is a lot of research listed all over the world...Japan, Italy, Cairo, etc... To sum it up, he said that in many cases, it has helped completely remove the endometrioma, and it definitely doesn't hurt the ovary. That's great and all, but what I thought was really remarkable was that he is thinking of offering this procedure at his clinic now. Wow. I just felt like in some small way, I am touching someone else's life. Someone else can benefit from what I did. Anyway, I really like my endo doc. He did a really great job on my surgery and seems like he really cares about each of his patients progress and well-being.

Franny's vacuuming the stairs. I'm so glad I don't ever have to do that. That seems so strenous. Anyhow, I worked out today with the stepper and total gym. Did a few reps and worked out mainly my triceps, calves, biceps, shoulders, and thighs. No ab workouts for the next few weeks =(

We have a hectic next few days. Jenn's shower is this weekend and it's a hawaiian theme. Should be fun. Oh and they sent out an email about their wedding website today. I love Franny's photo in the wedding entourage page. He looks like a midget. Hilarious.

Franny's not working tomorrow, so I am demanding he take me out on a date. Yes, that's right, I said "demand". =)
- just me, Jo @ 9:17:00 PM

 

Okay, no more decisions. We made them last night and hopefully they are the right ones. Had a pretty fast-moving day today. Went to the Newark Hilton with Mom and Verna for lunch to go over the plans with the hotel coordinator for Mom's retirement party. We ate buffet food and it looks like we've selected chicken for the entrees. And we picked lavender napkins since the motif will be purple. We looked at the ballroom that will be hosting the event. The whole meeting today reminded me of mine and Franny's wedding. Flashback to five years ago. Anyhow, it seems like most of everything is under control.

Came home and worked diligently on the CD cover designs and created the inserts for the favors. I think it looks fairly appealing. The last detail is picking a picture of mom on it that is decent quality. All our photos are side angles and it doesn't suit the cover. The music on the CD is different. It's traditional line dancing music. The majority of it is latin.

Oh, had a chiro appointment this afternoon, too. I was a little to lethargic to make dinner, so I made something really quick. And I got another stupid positive today on a different test. Something funny is going on cause I know I'm not. Luckily, I decided last month that I was not going to FR seriously anymore. It's just odd how a different brand is giving me the same results. I suppose I have to stop testing completely now...and that is perfecting fine with me.
- just me, Jo @ 11:02:00 PM

 

Franny and I have to make some big decisions today and it's not fun. He's sleeping right now, and I'm contemplating what to cook for lunch. I don't feel like cooking though. My head is spinning...to much to do. I'm still waiting for calls, too. We have an ENT appointment at 3:30pm. Maybe we'll just get food before. Oh, just got a call. It's Mandy for Franny. Hmm, wonder what she's saying to him. I want to work out but unfortunately physically, I can't. Oh well, wait...Franny's screaming downstairs. Let me check what's up...

Okay, I'm back. He got the job. Yippee! We're not gonna starve! LOL. He starts in September. And we decided we're getting mexican food for lunch so we're leaving here at 2pm. Now I have to figure out how to forward the home line to our cell. Never done that before. Anyhow, he went back to sleep.

I still have the dilema with my hair. What to do, what to do.
- just me, Jo @ 12:20:00 PM

 

No title today. Can't think of one. I had a entertaining day though. Went to church at St. Anne's this morning and saw both moms and dads, and a few aunts and uncles. Went home and Franny prepared our lunch from our leftover chicken from the previous night. Both parents wanted to go out to eat with us, but we have so many leftovers and new groceries that need to be cooked. Franny took a nap while I watched "Heather Locklear: True Hollywood Story" on E. Then AC called and we decided to catch a flick, "Before Sunset", in Palo Alto. It was really good. Mostly dialogue, but it was engaging. I liked it. He let me drive the Mercedes on the way home. Exciting! I even convinced him to go to Jamba Juice with me to get Wheatgrass shots. He didn't want one, but he drank it anyway. That's what best friends are for I guess! He said he didn't like it, but I could tell it wasn't that bad. It doesn't even taste gross at all.

When I got home, I rearranged some paperwork downstairs and then worked out for about an hour while Franny slept. I am loving our Total Gym. I do so many reps for my triceps and calves, the two areas I really need to work on. I know everyone says not to work out when you're trying to get pregnant and all I got to say it "screw it". If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen no matter what I'm doing. And all this working out stuff will ultimately help me remain healthy and fit in the long run, so I'm not to worried about it either way. A part of me doesn't even want to think about trying to get pregnant. This trying to get pregnant business is tiring. I am burnt out emotionally and physically and need a break. I'm so glad I'll be on bcps soon. Speaking of pregnancy, I can't believe I got another positive pregnancy test this morning. It's so deceiving. I got a positive last month and it didn't keep or it was a faulty test. I don't think this time is any different.

One of the uncles that I saw at church today said this to me..."you're going to have twins". I was like "okay". If only he knew what I have been through. You know, I don't mind not being pregnant. Really. Right now, I adore my little world with Francis. It has taken awhile to get this way, but it is actually at a really beautiful place. We have grown so much closer in the past year. The fact that I have been dealing with the endo pain and not getting pregnant is not the worst of it all. I can deal with that, but I can't keep dealing with it over and over again. And I have to when I see a pregnant woman, or a women holding their baby or toddler, or when I find out it only took 2 seconds for someone to get pregnant...because it's just a constant reminder that I may never have that. Or when I'm at a party and everyone is talking about babies this and babies that. I have nothing to contribute since I have never had a child and have no idea how it feels to be pregnant for a long period of time. That's the difficult part. Group conversations are especially hard to deal with since everyone knows the subject for me is just a sad one...which makes it not only uncomfortable for me, but awkward for everyone else as well. So, that is the worst part of this whole situation. Everyone is pregnant in my family. Okay, not everyone, but it sure is feels that way. And I am so happy for them. My sadness doesn't correlate to not being happy for them, because I am. I really am. I'm also happy that they won't ever have to experience what Franny and I have. It's one of the most challenging and frustrating experiences you could ever encounter. Most people at this road are labeled as "pessimests" or "irrational". People say we just have to "trust", "have faith", "believe". Do people actually think we haven't been doing that? We have been. Even now, our faith in each other and God is stronger than ever. But at the same time, the longer this occurs the more we feel let down, lost, and left behind. Yes, it is a contradiction, but life isn't always so clear. It's not that we want to be this way, it's what we have been conditioned to be. Because let me tell you, those who have never experienced this heartbreaking situation, will NEVER have a clue how this really affects someone. Really.

But, if you really want to see it from someone else's point of view, watch this (sound needed):
open arms

Everyone says "you're young" and "don't worry". Yes, you all are well-meaning individuals, but the honest truth is that it doesn't make us feel any better. We are young, but it doesn't change the reality of our situation. We need a miracle to happen. We have gone through so much more than couples 10 years older have gone through. We started off building a marriage, bought a nice house, saving to the point we were ready for a family and then this tsunami hits and challenges us in a myraid of ways...medically, emotionally, financially, spiritually. But through it all, we continue to survive in our love for each other and God.

Okay, enough of this gloomy topic. I don't know why I just wrote all that stuff. I'm not even emotional or sad right now. Despite this struggle, I am really happy and having tons of fun every day. I can't believe I am, but I am. Life is truely funny that way I guess. I'm trying to live in the moment, because plans have a way of not falling through and instead of being upset, you need to learn how to adjust instead. That has been a lesson that has been always difficult for me, but one I am slowly grasping. I'm trying to live more in the present. There's always going to be changes in the world and sometimes it's hard to keep up, but we have to make sure that we do our best to be as happy as much as we can. That's the only thing we really can do.
- just me, Jo @ 8:30:00 PM

 
TGIF

I worked on my website late last night and so I slept in a bit this morning. Working on my website, helps me to get my mind off of things. I rarely even update my site anymore, but I still enjoy working on it. I kind of feel like I have lost motivation for it, but it does help relieve some of the weight on my shoulders. I didn't update new photos, but I added some new things and changed some old things around. Some of the photos were really bad quality and I tried to enhance them. They're still not great, but at least it looks more appealing to the eye now.

Peruse if you dare:
our wedding
how we met
home

Gosh, looking back at those photos really make me laugh. Franny and I look so different! We were just kids back then and look at us now. For our pseudo anniversary (our wedding anniversary is actually 10/9), Franny surprised me with tickets for a play that I have been itching to watch in SF. Alvin and Kathleen are going to go with us in the first week of August. We're also going to check out a restaurant called Circulo.

I have a real dilema about my hair. I am very conflicted about it and I just don't know what to do. Should I have the highlights grow out and look horrible as the color changes, or re-do the highlights even though I don't want anymore highlights. I can't just highlight it black or dark brown because the blond I have in it now might not change back correctly. That's what my stylist said. I just want my dark brown hair back! But this middle stage is definitely not cutting it.

Talked to Jenn earlier today. She was making me laugh. LOL. So funny. Her wedding shower/housewarming is coming up next week...already. Time is flying fast. I can't believe the wedding is exactly 3 months away. Exciting.

Franny's company dinner was held at H's Lordships in Bezerkly this evening. The food was just okay. Franny and I both had prime rib. It was tasty, but there was so much fat on it. Kinda gross. They gave out some awards and then cleared the dinner tables for some dancing and gambling. There was a pretty big turn out. It was fun getting all dressed up for a change. My hubby looked hot! We walked around near the water after dinner. The sky had a beautiful blue-orange tint to it as the sun went down. We didn't stay that long, but I got to meet some of Franny's co-workers.

Earlier today I had a chiro appointment and an appointment with my endo doc. First, let's talk about the endo appt. He suggested that we go to the best clinic in Denver, but Franny and I are hesistant. And then he said if worse comes to worse, he wants me to go on a drug called aromatose inhibitor or something like that which is only reserved for a small percentage of endo sufferers. It is such an honor that I qualify for that...not! The drug is not as bad as Lupron (which messes up your mind among other things), but is still an obnoxious little sucker. Doc says it messes with your bone density and gives you hot flashes and mood swings, etc. Anyhow, I am suppossed to take this for 3-6 months. Honestly, I doubt I will accept this solution. I still have a few things up my sleeve...

As far as my chiro appointment, that went extremely well. I'm adjusting quite well now and I don't get the usual soreness side effects. And I don't have much back strain anymore. I've also been working out pretty religiously, so I don't know if that's helping with that or not.

After I went to my appt, we went to whole foods for groceries and then had lunch at Mom and Dad's with Brady and Arlene. Brady was playing hide and seek with dad. He kept saying "where's wowo (lolo)". Now that's cute.
- just me, Jo @ 10:22:00 PM

 

It's our pseudo 10 yr. anniversary (7/14/94) today and my bro's bday. Happy Bday Noel. Had a very overwhelming day yesterday. We ended up eating at this place called "Citizen Cake" in SF for a very late dinner. Pretty expensive, but the food was delicious. I had duck and franny had the pork chops. The desserts were yummy, too. We wanted to go to Hukilau, but it was closed and we just happened to pass this restaurant by.

Franny irritated me on the way home though. I never feel comfortable in a car with him because he has such bad road rage. I would say at least 4 out 5 times, he will cut some one off, race them, tailgate, or just plain give them a finger...all of which are unsettling because once he raises his stress level, my stress level goes up as well. He doesn't care if they come back and shoot our asses, but I do. You never know about anyone these days, and why would you want to even take that chance? Especially when the easiest thing to do is just ignore the crazy drivers and stay away from them. When someone gets righteous and trys to to teach these drivers a lesson, it just make the road even scarier for other people. There is absolutely no good that can come out of it, except helping the pride of the person who got cut off. I don't know why it's so hard to let this go. He says he won't do it anymore, but I catch him doing it almost 75% of the time I'm in a car with him. I know I can't get through to his hard-headed self, so I decided to just remain quiet the rest of the way home. That's one drawback that I sometimes don't like in the hubby. He's not really good at being cautious. Yesterday, he emailed his boss and his blog web address just happened to be on the bottom. He forgot that he had vented about his coworkers and wrote their names on his blog. She could have easily saw that and he would have gotten in trouble. Fortunately I brought it to his attention.

I really need to clean up the house today. I want to wet vacuum the whole upstairs and get ready to bring stuff to St. Vincent De Paul. Franny will be away most of the day, but we will have an anniversary dinner here at home tonight. I have to get ready for my chiro appointment. Also going to target to buy some gifts.
- just me, Jo @ 9:20:00 AM

 
I love you

Those 3 words brought a whole lot of sunshine to my life for one moment. I was talking to my little nephew, Brady, on the phone yesterday and he uttered those loving words to me in his cute little voice. I felt extremely touched since he said it all on his own, and according to my sister, he hasn't done that to anyone outside of grandparents. Very cute. It was such a little thing, but it was a big thing to me.

Today, I went to Dr. Kun and he adjusted me. He's actually a really pleasant doc. He seems genuinely concerned about getting people to their health potential. His office always makes me relaxed, too. It doesn't seem like I'm going to a dr.'s appointment, it feels like I'm at a spa!

When I got home, I got a call from Dr. Martines and he told me my x-rays were back. I went to Campbell to retrieve them and we talked. He says the problem is totally fixable, but if left untreated could lead to what my dad has. Oh, scary. He said it would take 4-5 months to fix the subluxations in my lower back, and a little over 6 months to fix my straight neck. Who would have ever thought I would have a straight neck? Found out L & R have curved necks, but in the opposite direction. I don't know which is worse. He said these things are not noticeable to the novice's eye and only trained docs can tell the subtle difference.

Dr. Cook also called me after he received my 6 month follow up review from the surgery, where I explained the findings of the procedure I had done a month ago. Obviously, he was surprised that it was back in such a short time span, and insisted that I come in to see him to discuss tx plans. I was initially hesitant, but agreed to a meeting next week. I don't want to go on any tx plans and I doubt he can change my mind.

Talked to the girlies today and it looks like everything is set. Fun times ahead.

Right now, I'm watching GH and Franny is cooking. Thanks to the hubby! It feels so good not to have to cook dinner tonight. He's roasting a whole fryer that we got at Whole Foods. Oh, and it was so nice of Franny to get groceries.

It was so funny earlier...we were upstairs and we went through some old boxes. There were photos and cards, and some funny stuff. There was even a poem that I had written for Franny about 7 or 8 years ago. AND a story (with photos of me and family/friends) of a princess who falls in love with her prince (him). He wrote it after we got engaged. It is hilarious and awfully touching. Wow, we even saw old cards from friends...funny, funny, funny!
- just me, Jo @ 7:25:00 PM

 
3 in a row

It's my third entry today. Well, technically it's a new day since it's 1:00am. I've catching up on some blogs/sites on the internet. After my chiro appointment, I washed dishes and cooked pasta for dinner. I made a very light olive oil sauce with garlic, pine nuts, apple turkey sausages, and lots of leafy greens. I used all organic ingredients of course...and brown rice pasta. It was good and Franny seemed to enjoy it.

We watched a Simple Life 2 and then played scrabble. I won again, with almost a 100 point lead. Franny's really good in scrabble. He played this game a lot when he was younger. It's one of his mom's favorite games. I think I have just gotten used to playing it so often in the past month or so, and that's why I've been winning so much lately.

After, the hubby gave me a foot massage. It felt SO good. He gave me one yesterday, too. I am lovin' it.

Tomorrow we have a busy day:

Cook breakfast, don't know what yet.
Y-dan exercise in the early morning.
Hiking with Franny and the dogs at Tilden Park.
Accupuncture appointment.
Eat lunch somewhere in Bezerkly.
Scope out area where Franny will be interviewing.
Get more groceries at Whole Foods (we eat alot!).
Pick up mom at work.
Go home and clean the house...big time.
Write affirmations. LOL.
- just me, Jo @ 12:56:00 AM

 
Affirmations?

Was in need of finding a new chiropractor since I am not ecstatic about my current one. Just when I was about to check out a clinic in Newark, Franny comes home and tells me that a new chiro place has opened up about 5 blocks away. AND the place looks sophisticated, modern, and relaxing inside. Sounds like my type of chiropractic office! A-woo-hoo! I called them up immediately and luckily they take my insurance. Yay! Booked an appointment with him for today.

When I went in for my initial exam this afternoon, he kind of put me in shock...emotionally. Besides the fact that he has a chinese last name and he's not a chinese doctor (he's as white as snow), he was very direct and kept telling me that I need to put a handle on things. Eww. Gross. I wanted to smack him across the room. And he cracked so many parts of me, I thought I was gonna die. Surprisingly, I feel really good right now. He is definitely more aggressive than my other two docs. He kept telling me I was a beautiful, healthy woman that just needed to focus on the situation with my back. Duh, I was there, wasn't I??? It's not like I was playing football or something. Then he started talking about endo this and that, and how stress plays an extreme roll in the disease. Blah, blah, blah...knew that already. I swear, he spoke to me about an hour about decreasing my stress level. I was just nodding politely saying "yes, uh-huh, right..." And he kept telling me that he could tell that I was a bright woman, but he repeated talked to me in a condescending nature. You know, he asks a question in a rhetorical, irritating type of way but doesn't really expect you to answer it and then after there's a slight pause he will answer it for you...and so on and so on.

Anyway, he continued on by saying that I have to align myself with positive people and that western medicine will not help me. Okay, I'll elaborate. The second part he discusses how western doctors only fix situations with surgery or drugs. They don't do preventative work and they only fix the symptom, not the cause. Knew that already. He insists that I stop all western medicine and procedures. Obviously this doc is holistically driven. And the first part, he wanted me to think more positively about everything. I mean everything. He told me to write down 25 affirmations and go through them everyday. I kind of chuckled when he said this. I do believe in thinking positively, but I don't think you should put this way of thinking onto someone else. He seemed a bit forceful, but still in a nice, considerate way. I'm not saying I don't like this doctor at all. In many ways, it was refreshing to be around such postiveness. It was enlightening, but irritating at the same time. I suppose it's something I need to get used to. Will I try the affirmation thing? Maybe, just maybe.
- just me, Jo @ 6:38:00 PM

 
I'm tired

Franny worked last night and then he had a work meeting the majority of this morning. He's still not back yet. Was pleased to see that Waste Manangement picked up our bulky waste finally. Those suckers have been screwing us around for 2 weeks. I called them yesterday and demanded to speak to a surpervisor. What happens when we came home that evening? It was still there. Well, then I left the supervisor a very "aggressive" voice mail and this morning when I woke up, it was gone. Good. I was all ready to leave another nasty voicemail.

We had a busy day yesterday. Had breakfast and then Franny and I did Y-dan exercise. It was fun and Franny actually said he felt the chi moving through him. Then we went to my chiropractic appointment, Costco, had lunch at a new vietnamese restaraunt in SL, and then headed down to Cupertino for Franny's Sleep care appointment. My hubby has bad sleep apnea to the point it can cause depression and fatigue. Hmm...very interesting. After the appointment, we went to Valley Fair and ate food. We were very hungry. We went to Macy's to look at the gift registry and it drove us nuts! We were there forever trying to find things and they never had anything we wanted to get. Zip. Nada. Zilch. After about an hour, we ended up getting nothing and decided to take our chances with Target. I slept on the way home. I was still tired, but ended up making dinner because I'm very picky abourt what I eat. Then we watched BB5. It was just okay.
- just me, Jo @ 1:14:00 PM

 
Let's play catch-up

Wednesday:
Ron came over and brought a DVD with him. I can't even remember the name. Franny and Ron played the game cube or playstation, or something like that while I made Fried Chicken, sauteed veggies with brown rice for dinner.

Thursday:
Chiropractic appointment in the am.
Made some really good fried rice with fire-roasted pepper sausages.
Headed to Daly City to get fitted for my bridesmaid's dress for Jenn's wedding.
Stuck in killer traffic for about an hour.
Had an acupuncture appointment in the pm.
Went to whole foods to pick up more veggies and fruits.
Then watched the Notebook with Ron in Emeryville. He LOVED it.

Friday:
Stayed in all day with my hubby.
Washed a few loads of laundry.
Worked out with my cardio DVDs.
Caught up on some of my soaps.
Ordered in from Pei-King Garden.
Got some great news from one of my girls.
Surprised how well I took it. Woo-hoo!
Finally talked to my best friend AC but only for a few minutes.

Today:
Got up early this morning and exercised for about an hour.
Had leftovers for breakfast/lunch.
Did more laundry.
Cleaned up the guest room: giving more stuff to St. Vincent De Paul, organized some clothes. Still need to get rid of papers and old magazines.
Went to Whole Foods to get meat, some snacks for Franny, and flour (for the pastries that I will be making). Yummy.
Made roast chicken with veggies.
Practiced using my dilator for about 2 mins. It's working though.
Found some old emails while cleaning up that Franny and I had written way back while we were in college. Can't believe he saved and printed them out. LOL.

Here's one email in particular that was written after a meaningless fight:

Date: Tue, Feb. 28, 1995 23:59:39 - 800
From: "Joanne Marie Lim"
To: fmendoza@uclink.berkeley.edu
Subject: you criminal you

Francis. Francis. Francis. Don't you know that chain letters are a violation of UC Berkeley policy, mister? Shame on you...

I still hate you...

YOU ARE A PUNK...

but, I'll forgive you. AGAIN.

Our 5th year wedding anniversary is coming up in 3 months, but technically we have been together for 11 years...minus the 1.5 years we took off so Franny could join the Peace Corps, a.k.a "when we were broken up". Wow, still a long freaking time. It just feels like yestersday when we had this email fight. =) Seriously, I'm glad I married that weirdo. But enough with the jokes already. My abdomen is not built to laugh that much.

As far as tomorrow, I think I'll make pancakes and turkey bacon for breakfast. I definitely want to cook Lasagna for dinner though. I don't know if we'll go to church in the am or pm. We don't have much planned for the day, except that we're entering Gilbey into the cutest dog contest at the festival in Foster City. I hope he wins. Anyone that has met him has to agree, he is a pretty darn handsome dog.

- just me, Jo @ 9:18:00 PM