Happy Anniversary Baby...

I am lucky to be able to do a bit of traveling in my job & usually get the opportunity to attend one, maybe two conferences a year and in October I had the chance to go to Indianapolis, IN. On the second day of the conference, as a colleague and I were getting on the elevator to go to our next meeting, my cell phone rang. It was Eli and he had just one question for me, "Have you used up all your vacation time visiting Suzy?" I let him know that I still had about three weeks worth of vacation time because I was able to use sick leave when I visited Suzy and didn't think any more of the conversation. You see, Eli was trying to surprise me by booking a Hawaiian cruise for our 20th anniversary which was coming in May. When he hung up the phone after talking to me he explained to the boys what he was up too, and Tanner told him he would never be able to keep the secret.

Well...Tanner was right! After booking the cruise, Eli was having so much fun looking at the different excursions and things there were to do on the different islands that he had to share his excitement with me.

In November while we were down at Norm & Toni's for Thanksgiving, we made arrangements to have dad spend the two weeks during the cruise with them. Then we started booking our excursions and dreaming about fun it was going to be.

The cruise was booked with Princess Cruise Line and the ship that was home for two weeks was the Golden Princess. We boarded at about 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27th and headed for Hawaii at about 5:30. It takes the ship 4 1/2 days to get to Hawaii, but we had plenty to do during that time. There were workshops, movies, games and street entertainment during the day and wonderful meals and shows in the evenings.

For our dinner option we chose "Open Dining", which meant we could go to dinner any time after 5:30 and would be seated with other couples at the same table. What a wonderful opportunity to meet some great people! It was kind of fun to then run into them at other functions later. There were two of the couples we ended up running into pretty regularly...Dick & Lee from Gulf Shores, Alabama and Rusty & Cheryl from Mesa, Arizona. Not only was it fun getting to know them, but both couples were great examples to us as good Christians. They are all very active volunteering...it actually made Eli and I excited to put a few more years behind us and be able to devote more time in service to the Lord and others.

The first port we visited was in Hilo on the big island. While we were there it was cloudy and cool, but we didn't mind because the excursion we had planned was a hike through the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden near Onomea Bay. Some of the climbs were kinda steep and I don't think we would have enjoyed it as much if the weather had been hot and sunny. The gardens are a museum of living plants on 40-acres. It was wonderful to hike the nature trails meandering through a true tropical rainforest, crossing bubbling streams, passing several beautiful waterfalls and winding down to the beautiful ocean vistas along the rugged Pacific coast.

That evening while we dined and slept, the ship sailed for Honolulu on the island of Oahu. We knew we would be there the whole day, so Eli & I had gone online a reserved tickets & a shuttle to the Polynesian Cultural Center on the other side of the island in Laie. One of the shuttle stops we could choose was at Aloha Tower, which is right by the pier where we were to dock, so we chose it. We got off the ship at 8:30 and didn't need to be at our shuttle stop until 10:00, so we decided we would find the hotel where the shuttle was scheduled to stop then get some breakfast. As we were walking toward Aloha Tower we came upon some cabbies and stopped to ask how far the hotel was...turns out it is nowhere near Aloha Tower, but was 2 1/2 miles away. We figured we could walk it, but the cabbie then told us that it's a $12 ride to the hotel or a $100 ride to the PCC if we miss the shuttle. We opted for the cab ride over, then found breakfast near the hotel. The shuttle was about 10 minutes early and as we were waiting for other passengers we told the bus driver about how messed up the online directions had been, then asked if he thought we would be able to get back to Pier 2 by 10:30 that night. Right then he got on the phone & called dispatch to get permission to make a stop at the pier before going to his first stop. YAY! Now we could go and have fun and not worry about being late for the ship!

The PCC was so much fun. I had been there in 1979 the summer after I graduated, but Eli had never been before. Learning the traditions and beliefs of all the Polynesian cultures was fun...seeing the pride that the people in the shows had for their culture was heartwarming. The shows in the villages were all very entertaining. Then we attended a luau with lots of tasty food and entertainment.

We were invited up to the stage with everyone else that was celebrating an anniversary because they said they had a gift...the gift was an anniversary dance!

After dinner we got to have a backstage tour before the big show began. How interesting to see all that goes in to putting on their production "Ha: Breath of Life" It was like a roadshow on steroids!

The evening sky after the show was absolutely gorgeous!

We had a few late passengers on the bus going back & were a little worried when the bus that was chartered by Princess for cruise members (we saved $200 by booking separately) left 10 minutes before us, but our wonderful bus driver Moe was able to make up the time & we arrived at the pier at the same time...Good thing! Princess will leave you if you are late getting back from an excursion that was not booked through them.

After such a busy day we went right to bed and woke up in Nawiliwili on Kaua'i.

We did a little shopping in the morning and then went snorkeling at noon. WOW! It was all so BEAUTIFUL! The colors of the fish were so vibrant, and there were so many different kinds in the little cove where we were. We also saw some sea turtles that had come in to the rocks to feed.

Our tour guide also caught an octopus, which I opted not to hold!

We had so much fun snorkeling that we have decided to get our own gear and make it a new hobby.

That night while we slept the ship sailed for Lahaina on Maui.

We signed up to go on a submarine tour while in Lahaina. A boat took us out to where the submarine was submerged. When it surfaced we traded places with the people from the previous tour. The seating on the sub was arranged in a way that each person had their own port hole to look out. We went down to 194 ft. below sea level. It was fun to do, but the fish weren't nearly as beautiful as the ones we saw snorkeling. The fish are so far from sunlight that all their beautiful colors look grey. The only color we could see that deep was yellow. We did get to see a shark though...it was too fast to get a picture.

My picture of the yellow fish didn't turn out, so this is from the Atlantis website.

Four islands in four days! It was so much fun though. The islands are all so different from each other that visting each one brought new scenery, vegetation and weather.

The four days from Hawaii to Encinada were very relaxing! The ship docked in Encinada for 1/2 a day before returning to Las Angeles...it needed to dock in a foreign port in order to run the casino. After being so busy with all our excursions, it was nice to relax. One of the perks that Princess offers is having breakfast brought to your stateroom every morning, but on the way back we chose to sleep in instead. We spent lazy days visiting with the friends we made and there was still plenty of entertainment in the evenings.

There were a few more formal evenings on the ship. It was a lot of fun to get dressed up and have our pictures taken.

Rusty & Cheryl Foster

It just so happened that one of the formal nights was on our new friend Rusty's 65th birthday and another was on he and his wife Cheryl's 45th wedding anniversary and we were lucky enough to celebrate with them. The last night of the cruise was our 20th anniversary, so even though it wasn't a formal night they got dressed up with us to celebrate. What a fun evening enjoying the company of our new friends!

Michelle & Eli, Robert & Janet, Rusty & Cheryl

Lee & Dick

What a wonderful way to celebrate 20 years together!

It's funny...at our wedding reception someone told me, "Congratulations! We just hope it lasts!" I wasn't sure whether to say thanks or what. Anyway, it hasn't always been easy. We have started down several roads and found we needed to go back to the beginning and start again, but we are truly best friends and there is no one else I would rather be going through this life with as my eternal partner!

Listening to the Universe...

This was taken after they removed the IV's...Eli was trying to straighten out the wires so he could sleep without getting tangled up and ended up making a bigger mess! It was so funny I had to get a picture.

Eli ended up in the hospital from January 17th through the 21st. His blood sugar was so high that they wanted to bring it down slowly, so that his body wouldn't be shocked again. They stopped the IV insulin on the 19th and began trying to figure out just how much insulin he was going to need to inject daily. We also received a bunch of Diabetic training to help us understand what is going on with Eli's body and to learn how to control the diabetes.

They thought that it would take a few days to figure out the insulin dosage Eli would need, but they had it figured out the first day off the IV's. We had hoped that would mean he could come home Thursday, but you can't be released right from the ICU. They needed to transfer him to another room on another floor first and watch him for another day.

After getting his blood sugar down to a normal level, it stayed there pretty consistently and Eli wasn't needing to inject much insulin. They gave him a target range for his blood sugar and after he tested he was to inject the amount of insulin needed to get him to the target level. Then at meal time he needed to count the carbs in the meal he was going to eat, check his sugar levels, and inject the needed amount of insulin to compensate for the carbs turning to sugar once they were digested. The thing was...he was pretty consistently right where he needed to be.

Just before Eli was released a Diabetes Nurse came by to make sure we had all the supplies we needed and to answer any questions we might have. When Eli explained where his levels were and how things were going, she mentioned he should keep track and follow-up with his doctor. She suggested that the doctor may decide not to treat him with insulin if it looked like his body was actually still manufacturing it.

You see...I think that Eli's blood sugar had started going up back in December when we were so busy with the remodel. Eli is one of those guys that when he is working on a project, he just wants to get it done. He will get up and start working without even eating breakfast and then keep working until the project is done. The problem was that we were all so involved that by the time we were ready to quit we were SO hungry and worn out, that instead of taking the time to prepare something here at home, we would go out to eat.

Then in January, when we thought Eli had a cold or the flu, that was his body telling him to slow down...but did he listen? Nope, he had things to get done, so he just kept pushing.

There were even other hints that we totally missed! Eli's eyeglasses were not quite doing the trick anymore and things were looking blurry even with them on, so about a week before he was admitted to the hospital Eli got new glasses...duh, poor vision is a side effect of uncontrolled Diabetes. Now that his blood sugar is under control the new prescription in his lenses is all wrong. Luckily the eyeglasses place is going to let him wait a month until things get to normal and then they will redo his glasses free.

Eli had also been needing to go to the bathroom a LOT more then usual. We just figured that it was due to the fact that he had been drinking more lately because while he was "sick" he just didn't feel like eating...frequent urination is another sign of uncontrolled Diabetes.

Yep, our bodies are a marvelous creation! The way all the parts communicate with each other and work together in unison is just amazing to me. The biggest lesson we have learned form all this is to slow down, take care of ourselves & listen.

Life...

Sometimes you can just be going along, living your life, doing the things you always do, and life sends you a curve ball telling you to slow down! Lately, we have had so much going on and have been trying to do so much, that we really haven't been taking the time to be taking care of ourselves. Well, yesterday it all caught up with Eli.

Eli was diagnosed with diabetes about six months ago. At the time the doctor told him he wouldn't need insulin, but would need to take medicine, watch his diet, and get lots of exercise. He was doing really well too and was beginning to lose weight and feel healthy...that is until we got off track during Christmas break.

Our poor boys hate when there is a break in school, because it usually means time to start a new project at the house to Eli & I. We like to take advantage of having the extra hands for a full days work...we do try to find time for fun too, but it's usually the hard work that is the lasting memory.

When we first bought "this old house" the floor plan was just wacky! When you came in the front door you were standing in my kitchen & the refrigerator was behind the open door. There were lots of things we wanted to change. But knowing it was all going to take time, I had Eli build a wall about three or four feet in front of the door to create a small entry.

After we moved the kitchen, we turned the old kitchen into an office area. We were also still looking at how we could open up that area to make the living room bigger, so our furniture didn't seem so crowded. Having the baby grand piano, it gets pretty tight, especially when we add a Christmas tree to the mix! Eli was looking at how much space would be added if we opened the entryway into the office area from the living room when I suggested we just take out the wall we had built. So that was the planned project for Christmas break...No big deal!?

What was so easily said, was not easily done. Back when we laid our hardwood floor I'd had this great idea that we should have the planks in the entryway going the opposite direction of the living room. Plus, the floor was put in after the wall had been built! This meant we needed to pull up and relay part of the floor, so it would match the rest of the room...thank Heaven's we still have lots of flooring.

Our days during the remodel were kept pretty busy. We had to knock down the old walls, rewire electric connections that had been in the now gone walls, pull up and relay portions of the flooring, add a support beam to the ceiling, put sheet-rock over the cinder-block wall that was in the old office area & other areas that had been exposed by taking out walls & rewiring, mud & tape, paint, and add molding. Simple, right?! We had figured out a schedule that would have it all completed a couple of days before the break was over, so that we could also do something fun as a family...yeah right!

Anyone that has ever started a home remodel project knows that there are always little things that turn into big things adding time to the project timeline. As the break was coming to an end we could see that we were not going to finish as scheduled. Since we wanted the boys to be able to celebrate New Year's and not spend their entire break working, we decided not to press it because we could finish up over the next few weekends.

Shortly after New Year's Eve Eli started feeling sick. It started out like a cold, but then seemed to turn to the flu. His whole body ached and he was just tired all the time. He spent a few days in bed and was taking some over-the-counter medicines...which is very rare for Eli. He never really started feeling better, but was just pushing himself to get up and finish the project. I would tell him he needed to go see his doctor and he kept telling me he had an appointment scheduled for later in the month.

We were getting SO close to being done, that Eli just kept pushing himself. Monday was Martin Luther King Day & the boys had school off, so the plan was to try and take advantage of the long weekend and finish the project. Friday evening Eli ran out of steam pretty quickly, so mostly he just told the boys how to do stuff. On Saturday, he was able to come down to the couch, but just didn't have any energy and by Sunday he could barely make it down the stairs from our bedroom. He had stayed home from church, but tried to come down for something to eat when the boys I got home. He was so weak that it seemed like he could barely hold his head up, and he was very unsteady on his feet. I tried several times to get him to go to the ER with me, but he kept refusing because he already had a doctors appointment coming soon.

Monday morning I told Eli that I wasn't going to wait for this "doctor's appointment" to come any longer and called his doctor's office. Turns out his doctor was on maternity leave and his appointment was scheduled in three more weeks when she returned! I asked the girl on the phone if there was another doctor or Physician's Assistant that he could see today and we made an appointment for an hour later.

When it was Eli's turn, the nurse brought him back and proceeded to take his vitals. After trying to get his blood pressure and pulse a few times without any luck she asked if she could try the other arm, when that didn't work she went and got the PA. He came in and tried the first arm a few times with no luck and switched arms just like the nurse had done...still no luck. He then sent the nurse to get the EKG machine. When they hooked Eli up they found that his resting heart rate was 156! The PA said he could give Eli medicine to bring the heart rate down and send him home, but because they hadn't been able to find a pulse either he was sending him to the ER (which was across the parking lot) instead. He gave us a printout from the EKG and sent us on our way. When we got to the ER and showed them the test results they hurried us back to a bed and started taking blood and running more tests. While sitting there waiting for the next set of test results, Eli turned to me and said, "Good call."

A short time late, the test results came in and we realized how it was actually a "close call." Eli's blood sugar was off the charts! 1387! That is about 10 times above the normal level! They don't know if the high blood pressure aggravated the sugar or the other way around, but explained that when his heart was beating so fast his blood couldn't circulate like it should so his sugar kicked in to compensate. Then the elevated sugar made the heart rate increase, which then made the sugar increase...and on and on. I really think that if I hadn't made him go to the doctor's he would be in a diabetic coma today.

They have moved him to the Intensive Care Unit and have hooked him up to all kinds of IV's. Until they get his blood sugar down they want to control everything that goes into his body. Hopefully they will be able to get it into control in the next few days and he will be released.

Counting Our Blessings...

As I sit here at 2 o'clock in the morning contemplating the fact that another year has gone by, I realize that 2010 was a very good year for the Escamilla family!

Last year at tithing settlement our Bishop challenged us to read the Book of Mormon before the April General Conference, and promised us that if we did we would have miracles happen in our family. This year when we met with him again he asked if we had taken his challenge. Eli confessed that while we did begin to read the Book of Mormon as a family, we did not finish it prior to the goal of General Conference. He was then happy to report that although we were not able to complete the challenge, we did have miracles happen in our family.

In April of 2009 we moved dad up to Utah to live at Courtyard at Jamestown, an assisted living facility with an "enhanced care" unit that catered to people with memory loss. The move and transition to Jamestown went really well and dad thrived while he was living there. They had daily activities and went on weekly field-trips, plus the staff there really loved dad! It was the perfect place, except that dad was always lonely...When I would go pick him up in the evenings he would tell me how lonely it is to live alone. I would remind him of all the people he had around him and all the activities he was participating in, but at the end of the day when he would go to his room he would forget all about anything but the fact that there was no one there with him at the end of the day.

In February as we were finishing remodeling what would have been our master bedroom, we realized that it would be a good bedroom for dad. It had it's own bathroom, a walk-in closet, and a TV hook up and room for his recliner. It would be the perfect "guest" room. So, at the end of March, dad moved in with us.

Eli quit teaching at Provo Canyon School, which is a private school for troubled teens with three campuses in Utah County, in order to stay home with dad. This was the perfect plan. I would continue working, since I had better benefits at UVU and Eli would be the one to stay home with dad. This would also give Eli more time to finish up the projects we had around the house. That was the plan...

Plans change though. Tanner was a freshman at Provo High and was having some problems with bullying. Eli had gone to talk to the principal several times, but the issue was never really resolved. It's been so sad to see Tanner loose all interest in going to school and his grades began falling...even in the classes he used to love. We toughed it out with hopes that Tanner would be picked in the lottery at UCAS and would not need to go back to Provo High for 10th grade. But darn it! He wasn't picked until #89 on the waiting list. We really didn't want to send Tanner back to Provo High, so we started looking at other options.

When Tanner didn't get in to UCAS Eli went to meet with the Academic Adviser, that would have been over him, to find out what Tanner needed to be doing in school this year in order to be ready to enter UCAS as a Junior. Although they have a high rate of interest, after the first year at UCAS there are usually several students that opt to return to their neighborhood high school, so if Tanner is ready he may be able to attend UCAS next year. This was good news, but it didn't really help us with what to do for 10th grade.

To start getting up to the level he needed to be at in math, Tanner took an Algebra class at UVU during the summer and did very well...he aced the class! It was good to see him enjoying school again! He was going into the Math Lab at UVU and studying with other students and was able to build some healthy relationships with some of them. It was refreshing to have him in a learning environment where everyone was just there to learn and no one needed to feed their ego by picking on the "little guy." This too was a good opportunity, but it still didn't help with what to do for 10th grade.

During our quest to find the right place for Tanner, Eli remembered a program called eSchool that was used at one of the high schools where he had subbed. It was the high school that is connected to the youth detention center here in Provo, and when Eli checked into it he found out that it is usually used as an option for kids that have been expelled from several traditional high schools. We also found out that in order to participate you have to be referred by your regular high school.

Our plan changed and we decided to transfer Tanner to Independence High, where he would be enrolled in some on campus classes and some eSchool classes, but have him continue with math at UVU through concurrent enrollment. Independence High School is Provo School District’s alternative school for secondary students. Students who attend Independence do so by referral from either middle school or their regular high school, usually because of behavior, attendance or credit issues. Even though most people think the students at Independence are typically the "bad kids" we felt good about sending Tanner there, because the class size is purposely kept low in order to keep up the standard of educational services for struggling students. They also assured us that students that are deemed "unsafe" at their regular high school would also be deemed unsafe at Independence, and bullying was never tolerated. When we discussed this option with Tanner and he was okay with it. At first he really wanted to be able to continue with his Jr ROTC that he was taking at Provo High, but he also liked the idea of taking more classes at UVU.

When Eli went to meet with the principal at Provo High to get the referral, of course he was surprised and wanted to know what they could do chance our minds and keep Tanner there...I'm sure he was truly concerned for Tanner and not considering the tax money he would be losing. Eli reminded him that he had been in to visit with him several times during the year with concerns about Tanner being bullied, so they already knew what could be done. It was just that they hadn't done anything! The principal even invited Tanner's counselor into the meeting, and when Eli mentioned that we also wanted Tanner to take his math classes at UVU she said that Tanner's math score did not support a recommendation for that. It was so nice for Eli to be able to tell her that actually Tanner had already completed an Algebra class there and earned an A!...it is amazing how well a student can do when the teacher they have teaching math actually loves the subject. The principal asked us to give him a week in order to meet with "his team" and come up with a plan.

The plan "the team" came up with was keeping Tanner at Provo High for three electives and Seminary, having him take three eSchool classes, and continuing his math through UVU. Tanner really liked this option, because now he would be able to continue with his Jr ROTC class, so we decide to go with this plan.

It has worked out well, for the most part. Tanner is enjoying Jr ROTC, and was made Flight Commander of his flight. Jr ROTC has been good for him too, he is learning discipline and the added leadership role has helped him learn to deal with other students that may not want to be doing what is on the agenda for the day. The administration at the school are also now very aware of who Tanner is and are regularly checking in with him to make sure he fells safe and is not being bullied.

eSchool however, has not turned out quite like we expected. During the summer they switched the program they use, so this class gets to be the guinea pigs and work out all the kinks. The lessons are very broad-based and poorly written, making it hard to tell what it is they are trying to get across. The tests and quizzes are also poorly written. They also seem designed to "trick" the student. After reading the question instead of giving several good options for answers, they have answers that are almost verbatim from the text, but with one small word change that might go unnoticed. Due to how bad eSchool is put together, Eli has been going through and reading the lessons, then taking the quizzes (and not always getting above a 70, because the questions are SO bad!), and then teaching the lessons to Tanner once he has figured out what the concept is they are trying to teach and figures out the logic of the questions. Then Tanner takes the tests. It's been way more time-consuming then we had anticipated. Needless to say, we probably won't do eSchool again; but through it all, Tanner has been getting much better grades, learning some good study habits, and regaining his self-esteem.

It's funny how now looking back at some of the trials and hardships we have gone through in the past few years, I can see how the things we were going through brought us to this point to be able to help our son. If dad hadn't been so lonely at Jametown and moved in with us, Eli would not have been home during the day and taking classes through eSchool and UVU would not have been viable options. And looking back at the financial struggles we went through when Eli decided to go back to school to become a teacher, I see that in the grander scheme of things those struggles were SO worth it so that Eli had the skills to be able to help Tanner.

So yes, we have had miracles in our life this year!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

2010 has been a very good year at the Escamilla house. We have been truly blessed. It's amazing how you can be going through a trial...or what you think is a trial...only to look back at the end and see all the blessings you have been accumulating!

In March we finished remodeling our master bedroom. We added a bathroom and walk-in closet. Just as we were about done we realized that we could make the room dad's bedroom, so he moved in with us at the end of March. Having him with us has definitely been a change, but it's been a good move for all of us.

Eli resigned from his job teaching to stay home with dad. He is still very busy though...probably busier then when he was working. He is also home-schooling Tanner in three of his classes and of course is always in the middle of "the next phase" of remodeling our house.

Michelle is still working at UVU and loving it. Her job has changed a little and she has been working more with the Dean's office as an assistant to the Associate Dean. She also gets the chance to do a bit of traveling in her position with the Legal Studies Department for training and was just in Indianapolis in October and is now planning a trip to Denver in March.

Connor is continuing to take classes at UVU. He is hoping to be close to finishing his Bachelor's degree before his mission. He will turn 18 in March and the way time has been flying by will be filling out his mission papers before we know it!

Tanner has been very busy with school! He is definitely not your average student. He is taking three classes at Provo High, one of which is Jr. ROTC where is the Flight Commander of his group and loving it. He also has three online classes that Eli is home-schooling him on and is taking an Algebra class at UVU.

As this year comes to an end and we look back at all we have experienced and accomplished we realize how truly blessed we are.

Our wish at this time is that you may be enjoying the spirit of this season and find yourself surrounded by the love of family and friends.

Love,

Eli, Michelle, Connor, Tanner & Scotty

I'm not a pepper any more...

Anyone that knows me well knows that I love my Dr Pepper. I started drinking Dr. Pepper way back in 1979, before it was even popular.

I was working at the distribution center of Marci's, a clothing store for women, in El Cajon, CA. Stopping at 7/11 or Maverick for a fountain drink on the way to work wasn't an option, because they didn't have them. There was an old pop bottle machine that only had three choices, Fresca, Dr Pepper or Coke.


At first I chose not to get drinks at work because I didn't like Fresca, and since I didn't drink caffeinated drinks the other two were not options for me. I'm not exactly sure why, but one day at work I needed a drink. I had tasted Coke before and didn't like it, and I knew I didn't like Fresca...so my only option was Dr Pepper.

I remember that first bottle to this day...believe it or not, I didn't like it. Dr Pepper definitely is an aquired taste. A few days later I wanted a drink again, so I got another Dr Pepper. Soon I was getting one every day. There have even been times in my life where I was waking up in the middle of the night to get a sip of Dr Pepper from a bottle in the fridge...Sad, I know!

Over the years I have tried to quit several times. Twice I even quit for six or seven months. Both times after quitting, I ended up somewhere...a restaurant or hotel...where the only drink I liked on their list of choices was Dr Pepper. Each time I "just had one" then another one a few weeks later, which lead to my daily Dr Pepper.

One of the times I quit was just over a year ago. I had had surgery for a prolapsed bladder and the urologist suggested I quit drinking caffeinated drinks. Now I kick myself for starting up again, because it was very easy to quit that time. No cravings or headaches!

Now that I am almost 50 one of my doctors told me I should have a bone density scan to start monitoring any bone loss. The scan showed that I have Osteopenia. Osteopenia refers to bone mineral density (BMD) that is lower than normal peak BMD but not low enough to be classified as Osteoporosis. My doctor informed me that it is reversible with vitamin D therapy. He also asked if I drank any caffeinated beverages. Then he explained that coffee could help to improve it, but caffeinated sodas would make it worse because of the carbonation, and suggested I quit all carbonated beverages.

So...it's been three days since I've had a Dr Pepper. Keep your fingers crossed that this time it's for good!

I've Got a New Hat

I am a woman of many hats... nurse, taxi driver, head chef, housekeeper, gardener, teacher, confidant, personal shopper, finance manager...the list goes on. I now have another hat to wear...that of student. I have gone back to college to finish my degree. I was SO close when Eli & I got married, that I kick myself for not finishing then.