Tuesday, May 10, 2011

A Major Pain in My Kidney!

Well the last couple of days have been so much fun for the O’Donohue clan. Two separate trips to the emergency room, and a hospital suite.  Over the last couple of months I have had tons of trouble - turns out I have had a kidney stone for over three months.

The major pain hit Saturday evening after Paul and I had a wonderful evening on our patio enjoying our delicious salmon entrĂ©e and my favorite new wine. After a couple of twinges “small shooting pains” the pain became constant,  to the level where I acted like a major wiggle worm and couldn’t breath or stop crying due to the pain. Thank goodness for Paul’s skillful driving skills we arrived to the emergency room just in time! After a CT scan, turns out I had a kidney stone in my right kidney. I was sent home with pain medicine and told to contact my doctor on Monday.

Skip over to Monday, I am at work – had already called my doctor and made an appointment and boom the pain hit me! The pain was excruciating. My guardian angels came to my rescue and drove me to the hospital. After waiting in the emergency room for only 20 minutes (Paul is amazed at how efficient our health care system really is) I was taken back to meet my favorite nurse of the day – Melissa! After two rounds of morphine, a shot of Zofran, Dilantin, Benadryl (morphine made me itch),  an ultrasound and another CT scan it turns out my stone was causing back-up into my kidney and the stone was in my ureter and didn’t want to come out. I was kept overnight and Paul was great and stayed with me the whole time! I was even nice and shared my bed with him!

This morning I discharged and was sent home to try and pass the stone on my own, I have until Thursday morning at 6:15 to get this stone out or they are going in after it!

So, my –so-called marching orders are rest, stay on top of my pain medicine, drink beer and Paul swears if I would do jumping jacks it might just knock loose!

Cheers to a beer and a painful kidney stone!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Thank you for your prayers

A quick update on my doctor's visit - Paul was super husband today and came with me. This is a big deal. He hates doctor’s offices and above all hospitals. My new doctor was wonderful; he lived up to his reputation. He was methodical, detailed and gave me hope!
The good news is he doesn’t think I have IC, but an over active bladder. I always thought of over active bladder as a condition that made you have to use the restroom all the time. I never knew it came with pain and major discomfort. Next steps are a trial of a new medication, then a re-visit in four weeks. We are hoping this is the cure otherwise the next steps do not sound much fun.


Thanks for all the prayers!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Prayers for Wednesday

Okay, I realize that I have abandoned my blog for over an entire month now. I am so sorry. I have been super busy and dealing with a lot lately. I have decided to share some of the details not for sympathy, but for prayers! I need all the prayers!

It all started in February when I came down with a urinary tract infection. After two rounds of different antibiotics and four different doctors I found my self sitting at a Urology Office. I have suffered now for two months with painful symptoms, learning what a catheter feels like twice, had CT scan, crazy medicine that offers no relief just terrible side effects. This Wednesday I have another appointment with a second Urologist who specializes in Cystitis and Interstitial Cystitis. I am hoping for a great outcome!

I will update you on Wednesday evening!

I hope everyone had a great Easter; I will post photos and share the details about our great weekend and Paul’s first sermon at church!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

New Hair Do!

On Saturday I made a special trip to one of my favorite places in Charlotte, the Re Salon and Med Spa. I discovered Re a couple of month’s ago and I am in love! Their salon is in the old fire house building off South Blvd. Everyone is super friendly and the salon is so posh! The best part is they serve wine! I am in love with the exposed brick walls and the white shell salon stations. Elizabeth is amazing and my go to expert on my brows and skin, and Andrew is fabulous in the salon. Not to mention they sell Obagi, Jane Iredale, and carry the Phyto line.

Re Salon and Med Spa

Jane Iredale, Obagi Nu-Derm, & Phyto
I have been toying with the thought of changing my hair. I love my length, so I decide to add some color. This was a big decision for me; I have only added color to my hair three times in my entire life. So I stopped in to see Andrew on Thursday for a consult and he suggested two options. One was ombre. This is the new rage in Hollywood with the celebrities; they have dark roots and lighter ends. The second option was to highlight a section just underneath the top of my first layer. This way the color would show through, but my roots would not be apparent. I chose option two! I like the change. It is not super obvious. It shows up more when my hair is curly rather than straight.  Maybe next time I will go with a little color on top. What do you think?

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The last couple of weeks have been super busy!
The girls (Nola and Molly) and I designed our first Easter wreath!
I love the way it turned out! I used all the eggs and almost all the glue! I promise the eggs are not falling off anytime soon.


My Little Helper, Nola


Paul and I put in an electric fence for the kiddos. They keep running into our neighbor’s yard to meet and greet, so last Sunday Dad got mad and tried to put an end to this issue.They both got shocked and I screamed when it happened to Molly. She did a back flip and landed in the neighbor’s yard. It was awful. Thank goodness Paul came to her rescue and removed the collar. They both survived, but are skittish of the collars and will hardly step off the patio when wearing them.

We had a quite St. Patrick’s Day this year. We joined a kickball team with all of our friends from college! We lost and Paul couldn’t make it due to work, but it was a blast and I now look forward to our Thursday night games! Molly had a fun St. Patrick’s Day evening and even got in the spirit her self.
Kiss Me I am Irish

Friday, March 11, 2011

I am so ready for this weekend! It is suppose to be sunny and decently warm.

Plans include the following:
1. Putting our house back together. We recently got hardwoods floors downstairs and I have to felt the bottom of all our chairs and tables. Also I have to put the rubber mats under our rugs.

Speaking of rugs, I can’t find exactly what I want. The problem is I have an internal battle going on, do I want contemporary or do I stay with my traditional theme. Paul likes our new rug, thank you Lowe’s, but I really want something simple but with a splash of contemporary. If you know of any great places, please let me know.

2. Blinds – We are putting up new faux wood blinds downstairs so we can avoid all pepping Toms. Paul has this constant freak-ish feeling that people can see in our house. When we sit down for dinner, he closes all the curtains to make sure no one can see him eat. It’s the same in the bedroom, it’s hilarious. I take advantage of making him feel exposed every moment I get. I love to open all the windows to let the natural sunlight in! My favorite is opening the windows in the bedroom while he is in the shower; get’s him going every time!

3. Car Services, my poor brakes need updating! Thank goodness for my maintenance package!

4. Making Easter Decorations! Last week while scouting out Michael’s I came across their Easter section and got a burst of creativity! I am going to tackle it this weekend by making an Easter wreath for my front door! Here are a couple photos of inspiration.
Via Delish
Via Souther~Charmz

5. Reconstructing my favorite new drink! Last weekend while out celebrating Paul’s birthday I discovered an organic agave nectar margarita! It is delicious.

Via PF Chang's Bar
• 2 oz or Patron
• 1.5 oz fresh lime juice
• 1 oz Copas Agave Nectar
• Salt rim glass. Combine all ingredients in a martini shaker. Shake and strain in to glass. Add a wedge of lime!

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Happy Birthday to My Amazing Husband


Happy Birthday Hubby!

Just think only a couple more weeks of tax season and then we can relax and day dream of somewhere warm like PC.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Something New and Blue for my office

I am so excited to share with you all a photo of my new office addition! I have been patiently waiting a whole week. Drum Roll………………………………………………………

My New Custom Fit Balance Ball Chair from Gaiam!

I have always thought of myself as somewhat active, Paul may say otherwise, but since I have been working a desk job for the last three years, every night I leave noticing my poor posture, tense shoulders, and that my backside continues to grow/flatten. I am going down hill quick. I am worried I will start to look like the little elderly lady with the hump back in no time.

At my previous employment I was always up and down the stairs or running around a race track, so I was able to be active. Now my daily activities include getting up to go to the printer, bathroom, or the lunchroom! The only true activity I get when working is when I am going through the airport security and running to catch my flight.

After researching and sitting in another colleague’s balance ball chair I decided that I too would make the transition. Thanks to my great friend at Gaiam, I am now the proud mother to my very own Gaiam Custom Fit Balance Ball Chair!

I do admit that I have had to change the way I sit completely, but so far I love it! I can tell a big difference in my posture. It forces you to sit straight, the correct way. The chair will help relieve stress on the spine, prevents health issue related to poor posture, and has little exercises you can do while in your office. I am also hoping the chair will help prevent me from growing an office butt (where your butt starts to spread wide and looses all resemblance to J-Lo or Kim Kardashian).

Anyways — anyone who sits at a desk all day, I highly recommend visiting the web and purchasing your own balance ball chair! Here is another photo via Barnes & Noble

Via Barnes & Noble


Monday, February 21, 2011

Sick

This week has not been any fun. I have been so sick. Hopefully with two different types of antibiotics I will be back to health very soon!

PS Chicago is freezing... I can't wait to get back to 70 degree weather!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Weekend Recap(s)

With June 1st around the corner and tax season in full swing, my husband has been MIA working and studying for the CFA. Although I enjoy the alone time to relax or clean house, I usually end up missing my playmate and calling him several times during the day just to chat. From now until June 1st I have made Saturday evenings, mandatory date night!  The last two weekends have been great.

Last weekend Paul got off work early – 4 to meet me at one of my favorite furniture stores in Charlotte to pick up our new bed. We have been in our house for over 3 years and still had not purchase a bed. We have our hearts set on this beauty from Ethan Allen, but a couple months ago I fell in love with fabric headboards. So last Saturday when I was window shopping I found a king size fabric/nail head headboard for the perfect price! Here is a photo after we set it up, I will update later with a finished picture of our Master Suite.




Thanks to Rodney at The Furniture Connector!

After relaxing Saturday night, we got started on dinner! A couple months ago we decided to introduce one vegetarian meal a week in our diet. While on my trip to SLC I came across a recipe for Egggplant Parmesan. What makes this recipe special is frying is not in the directions! We normally fry our eggplant, which makes it super unhealthy. It was very delicious and will more than likely become part of our monthly menu.




Recipe:
1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/4 in rounds
1/2 tea kosher salt (I used regular)
2 tea olive oil
3/4 cup of whole-wheat panko crumbs
6 tbsp of parmesan
3/4 tea garlic powder
1/2 tea dried basil
1/2 tea dried oregano
1/8 tea blk pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups of marinara sauce
2 ounces (1/2 cup) mozzarella



Slice eggplant, sprinkle with salt. Lay eggplant on paper towels and place your glass baking dish on top to draw out moisture. (let sit 30 minutes)
While eggplant is resting, heat olive oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add panko stirring often till golden. Transfer to smaller dish, cool for 5 minutes. Add 3 tbsp of parmesan and the rest of the spices and salts - toss. Arrange in separate bowls, egg white and flour. Preheat oven to 425. Take eggplant, brush off salt and blot with paper towel. Dredge slices on one side in first the flour (dust off excess), then egg white then crumbs. Place crumb-side up, on two foil-lined baking sheets. Spritz with cooking spray. Bake 15 minutes or until tender.
Spoon 1/4 cup of marinara over the bottom on an 8 in square pan. Add half the eggplant slices. Pour another 1/2 cup marinara over the eggplant; top with remaining 3 tbsp parmesan. Dot the final 1/2 cup marinara; sprinkle mozzarella over the top. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy with your favorite wine!

This weekend we were on the move. On Saturday, Mom and I went to Hickory to celebrate Valentine’s Day early with a pedicure. Paul got off work early and we took a quick trip to the mall to return some makeup. I recently purchased a wonderful foundation from Dior, but after a couple of weeks I notice that my skin started to get very irritated. After a quick trip to the Nordstrom Laura Mercier counter I learned the Dior foundation I had purchased was very hydrating – I have oily skin, so it wasn’t a good fit for me. So now I have a new foundation by Laura and I am super excited!



After the mall we met up with Casey and Blair for dinner in Gastonia. We decide to give Olive Garden a try, but with an hour and forty-five minute wait we moved on to the next option a new Italian restaurant. Our wine was delicious, but the meal not so much. Paul and Blair ordered a wedge salad! When it showed up at the table, I kid you not it was a half of head of iceberg lettuce, two slices of tomatoes on the side and that was it, no bacon, no cheese! We all had a good laugh and vowed never to return!

Sunday Paul and I skipped Church and Sunday school “we missed everyone though” to celebrate my grandmother’s 95th Birthday…yes 95. She looks absolutely amazing and hardly has a wrinkle on her face! We all met at K&W and celebrated her Birthday, so all of her friends could stop by for a visit. Here are two photos from the luncheon. 

Baby Hunter and Naomi

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Slacker!!

Okay, I feel terrible! I have been such a slacker with my blog. Since my last posting I come home every night with the best of intention of updating my blog and I fail. I am back and promise to try harder.

Since I am several weeks behind I will just cover the January highlights.

Let is Snow!
This winter has been very unusual. We have had tons of cold weather and more snow than we have had in years. This last snow was the biggest / deepest thus far. It snowed all day Monday and then we had freezing rain that night. We ended up snowed in for two days, it was great! We tried to make a snow man, but the snow was too dry and we gave up after five minutes, because Paul was using his bare hands; at least he had a coat, toboggan and scarf. And Molly and Nola love the snow! Molly sticks her whole head in the snow and digs like crazy. It is hilarious!





Grab your dancing Shoes
Over the holiday season we received the fantastic news that our friends Chris and Emily got engaged! I think I speak for all of our friends to say, it’s about time and YAY! Emily’s roommates threw her a wonderful engagement party with her friends. I am so excited for Emily and Chris’s big day.




Baby Boy
Over next big event was a baby shower for Christi and baby Langdon. Kellen, Lauren and I hosted the fantastic shower. Actually Kellen and Lauren did most of the work! The shower turned out super cute! And Kellen’s decorations were adorable; she gets the prize in my opinion.





SLC & All the Wanna Be’s
I work in the Sporting Goods Industry and each year, twice a year I travel to Salt Lake City. The best part is of the show is every day at 4:30 the major booths have parties! These parties often include swag give aways, plus free beer, wine or champaign. Here a couple of photos from the show parties. One is from the Columbia Booth and their fashion show. The other is of Tom at the IceBreaker party with the underwear models. Tom, he is a writer and lives in NYC with his fabulous wife Rhonda and their adorable dog Trixi! The other best part of the winter show is the Airport and seeing all the Hollywood Wanna Be’s fly into town for the film festival in Park City. I didn’t make it into town this year, but next year I am staying an extra night and catching a couple of films!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Party for Baby R

This past weekend we attended a couples baby shower for our friends Christi and Bobby. They are expecting their first baby... it's a boy and the best part is Christi's due date is on St. Patrick's Day.

We along with all of our friends are so excited for Christi and Bobby - the first baby of our group and can't wait for the arrival of baby Langdon. Paul has already promised to bring Bobby beer to the hospital to toast another Irish Holiday. Below are some photos from the Shower that Carolina threw.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Our Christmas Vacation

This year Paul and I both took the week before and after Christmas off, it was a perfect vacation! We caught up on our sleep and were completely lazy the first two days, not leaving the house or getting out of our pj's. We had lots of time for our annual house projects, party and Christmas card. This year we, I mean Paul, painted our guest bedfroom and our little bathroom. He refuses to let me paint for some reason, and I don't complain!

We held our second annual Ginger Bread Making Party with some of our friends. This year did not disappoint, except for I didn't have a working camera for the party, so I don't have many photos to share.






The last three years Paul and I started a Christmas ritual. We wake up and do our gift exchange, drink our coffee with the fire place lit and just enjoy each other before getting ready for our big day of festivities... this year was no different.





Christmas morning we went to Paul's parents to celebrate Christmas with the O'Donohues and have breakfast! This year was special, because we also were celebrating the engagement of Brian and Jessica (Paul's brother). We are so excited and I am happy to have another girl in the O'Donohue clan! Once all the gifts had been blasted open and I had ate all the bacon we were off to visit my parents!


We had a quick visit at mom and dads before we left for lunch at Aunt Cindy and Uncle Larry's house! By this time it was snowing to beat the bandit! It was beautiful and I was like a giddy kid for my first white Christmas!

We had a delicious lunch with the whole family and watched Nanny and Da open their presents as the snow kept coming down. We made it home safe in sound thanks to Paul's truck and the 4x4. We ended Christmas Day on our couch enjoying our new Roku box, that Paul is obsessed with!
Hope Everyone Had a Great Christmas!
 


Thursday, January 6, 2011

The First of Many

After six months of enjoying the blog o' sphere of friends and family and with encouragement from Paul, I have decide to start a blog of my own about our fabulous, but sometimes normal life. This way our friends and family all over the world can keep in touch! I am excited about this new adventure!