How are you "guys" today?

Ok everyone.... issue of mild controversy here. I've been having an argument with the hubbs about the social acceptability of referring to a mixed group of people as "guys," particularly by restaurant staff to the table they're serving/seating/etc. My personal opinion, largely gained from the years of influence from the matriarchs of my family (often referred to by myself as "we Dobbins ladies"), is that it's rude. And while I recognize that it is a common practice, especially in the midwest, north (maybe?) and nowhere-land of Northern VA, I think it's lazy, informal, and far too personal for a group of people you don't know, especially not on a first name basis. The worst offense, to me, is when a waiter comes up to a group of all females and says, "How are you guys doing today?" At that point, I'm ready for a clobber fest. And seriously, don't even get my grandmother started. I've seen her almost walk out of a restaurant for such an offense.

Hubbs on the other hand, thinks it's absolutely proper because that's just what everyone does. It's accepted as common practice, so there's no reason to change it! No really, we argue about this. He retorts to me that I'm saying it's WRONG to do so. No, I'm not saying it's wrong, I'm saying it's all the things I mentioned before. But we can get into a discussion of right versus wrong later. You just say the word.

So, I've been doing a little research on the topic and honestly not much can be easily found, much to my disappointment. However, my mom found a very thought provoking blog/article on the subject back from 2007 that I enjoyed reading. I thought about pasting the whole darned thing here for you to read, but I've decided I'm lazy, so instead, here's the link. Please click over and read the article. And if you don't often comment, please do so here!!! I want some feedback on this topic! Thanks, kids!

I'll be serving you guys this evening...

What Exactly IS Free?

So I've been reading a lot of what people have been saying today on Facebook in regards to Independence Day. Some have some good things to say, some people are being just plain asinine - like one kid who commented "Happy white people's Independence Day." As if the wars that have been fought for this country's freedom over the years, starting with the Revolutionary War couldn't possibly in any way affect a black kid in the DC area. I guess that's a big F-you to the Tuskegee Airmen too. Way to go, genius.

I'm really tempted to go into a rant about how much a lot of black people piss me off with that kind of attitude, and how disgusted I am that now history books are being rewritten to apologize for slavery and to equate it to the Jewish Holocaust, but I'll just leave my opinion with that sentence for now and maybe I'll go off about it at a later date. Suffice to say, racism goes in ALL directions, and if you want everyone to be equal, you have to actually treat EVERYONE as, oh, I don't know, EQUAL??? You are me and I am you, and that's the only way we can thrive in this world.

What I really want to focus on today is the fact that we all have to remember that freedom isn't really free, and we've all had a hand in fighting to keep it over the decades - black, white, red, yellow, green with purple polka-dots..... If not for the wars that have been waged, we wouldn't have freedom, we wouldn't have a chance for it at all. So, as much as war sucks while it's going on, I'm grateful for it. This is hardly a platform for or against the war we are currently in, I'm not going there. But Revolutionary War, Civil War, World Wars I & II, etc... they all had a REASON for being fought. There was something to be gained or protected and most of the time, it came back to why Thomas Jefferson wrote his Declaration in the first place. We must remember that, no matter what. If you lose sight of what's at the core of our freedoms, you lose sight of being able to even come close to understanding what it means to be an American.

Reader, I want to challenge you to something today... it's something that impacted me profoundly at the beginning of 2008 and started my journey to where I am today... a better wife, someone who can be a good mother, a better friend, daughter, listener, and leader and follower when the situation calls for either. Declare your independence. I can't tell you what it's from, only you can say what it is. For me, it was declaring independence from myself. And it was the hardest thing I've ever done. I still fight it every day.

But in order to REALLY grasp what this means, you need to completely get what those men did back in 1776. They were wealthy, intelligent, popular, powerful men. And they signed it all away. They found a problem that was worthy of their entire lives, families, fortunes, comforts (I think that's the most important one for us to grasp today), and material possessions. They knew, COMPLETELY, that signing that document was the beginning of the end for them. But it didn't matter because they knew in their hearts what was coming after. Because freedom, TRUE freedom, is worth any cost. It's worth death. It's worth losing everything. And I believe that mentality comes directly from Matthew 16:26 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?"

What are you enslaved by today that you need to declare freedom from? For me it was my constant criticism of myself, holding myself back, doubting my abilities and capabilities. Declare your independence today and step forward into a future of your own creation. Remember: "All truth comes in three stages. First, it is mocked, then it is violently opposed, and finally it is self-evident."

One Good Mechanic Can Make a Difference

Ok, in all fairness, I need to give you an update on how things ended with the Jiffy Lube fiasco. The short answer is: MUCH better than I expected it to. Things were not nearly as bad as I originally suspected. Praise God!!!!! Now for the story...

So, I called JL again this morning around 9:30, to be told they hadn't even checked their voice mails yet. Sorry, what?! So, when does that kind of thing generally happen? After you close for the week? Anyhoo... so I told the guy on the phone the story again, he went back and looked at the video, and sent someone from the Woodbridge store down to check out what was going on with my car. They arrived, and found that my engine was TOO full of oil! See, as it turns out, 10:30 at night with no flashlight and bad lighting from streetlamps and headlights still don't do much for you. My darling hubby checked the wrong dipstick and thought my oil was empty, when he was really looking at the transmission fluid which is barely visible at night. I'll spare him the embarassment and just say simply, he doesn't know Hondas very well. *wink*

The JL manager from Woodbridge was very understanding, completely getting why we would have made that mistake, and took the time to check everything else to see what the problem was. Turned out, the engine light came on because of a tube that connects the engine to the air filter (or something like that). When they finished my service, a supervisor went back and inspected all the work, and checked off on it.... but the cap was sitting there, unhooked for all the world to see! That means my engine was taking in extra air which, while not mechanically fatal, wasn't good either. It was basically one of those stupid careless mistakes that take your math test grade from an A to a B+ because you just weren't paying attention. Plus, they didn't wash my exterior windows like they said they did, which kind of annoyed me, but either way...

So, at the end of the day, my car was drained of the extra oil, which was put back into the bottles to be used at a later date, the hose-thingy was reconnected, and my engine light was reset so everything is now good to go. I got an apology from BOTH store managers for the error, the supervisor who signed off on my car was "taken care of" (whatever that means), and I got a card for a free oil change next time I go in! I still kinda feel like the Burke store should be doing something extra, since they're the ones who half-assed the job in the first place, but I think I'll let it go, just to be a nice person.

Sunday Night Twofer

Ok, so apparently I unintentionally lied. I didn't repost yesterday. Sooooo, here's a little double whammy for you tonight! And please, stay tuned for the second part of this post. It's a REEEAL doozy.

BABY HEALTH UPDATE

Ok, so I realized I hadn't kept you updated on how things went for me after my 3-hour glucose test. Honestly, it's because after I heard back about the results, there wasn't a whole lot to tell. My levels were as follows: Fasting (94), Hour One (148), Hour Two (146), Hour Three (98). Translation, I really only technically failed one of the 3 sugar tests, BUT the way the sugars processed means something was still a little off. I drew my own conclusions on what this meant, but still waited the 2 weeks to see my doctor and get her final thoughts on it. Turned out she agreed with me completely. Yay! I'm smart!!!

My final and official diagnosis, which in all fairness I just got on Wednesday, is that I have a Glucose Intolerance. I had just been referring to it as "Borderline" Gestational Diabetes. All it means is that my body is currently not processing sugars as quickly as it's supposed to, so I have to watch my sugar and carb intake, drink lots of water, and keep exercising (aka, walking dogs). This has been mostly pretty easy for me, though, especially since figuring out that if I get a sweets craving, I can chow down on some fresh fruit and it completely takes care of the craving! Besides, it's a way better and healthier way to munch. Ta-dah!

Baby is still developing very nicely, and they are very happy with the way she seems to be coming along. I'm more convinced than ever that she's been transverse this entire time, but it's starting to feel like she might be turning and getting into her final birthing position. Gosh, I hope so!!! I can't wait to meet my little gummy bear!!!!

STUPIDITY REALLY HAS NO LIMITS!!!

So I went to Jiffy Lube today to get an oil change. I've heard some sketchy things about some locations, but I've never had a bad experience myself, so I guess fair's fair either way. But, what happened to me today was absolutely BEYOND insane. Ok.... so, here's the pop quiz of the day... when you go to get an oil change what is THE most obvious thing that needs to be done? Hint: it's so blatently obvious that you're probably sitting there saying to yourself, "no, that can't be it, that's just too easy!" I'll give you three guesses. I promise you won't get it.

Give up? Well, here's a thought, after you've drained the oil out and put in a new filter, AND replugged the opening, how about putting the NEW OIL in my car?!?!?!?!?! Seriously!!! And here's the best part... I drove from Burke, where I had my oil changed, all the way up to Potomac Falls (Great Falls side of Sterling) for a friend's party this afternoon, and then back down to Lorton to see my hubby at work. All the while, I was completely unaware that my car had absolutely NO oil in it!!! As I'm leaving the restaurant around 10:30, my "Malfunction Indicator Light" comes on. Now, admittedly, I'm no mechanical genius, but I know a lot of the lights that come on in your car for different reasons. I've never seen this one before.

Sooo, I turn around and park again in front of the restaurant, get my husband to turn around before he's too far gone, and he comes back and checks on my car for me. We double check the gas cap and all other caps, etc, as recommended in my Owner's Manual. Everything checks out just fine. Then, Scott pulls my dipstick out of the oil reserve. Bone. Effing. Dry. Seriously. Are you kidding me?! You mean I just drove over 55 miles with NO oil in my car?! Thank GOD my engine didn't completely sieze up on me!

Let's just say... whatever poor sap is opening up Jiffy Lube in the morning is really in for quite the voice mail message. If I don't have a phone call by the time I wake up in the morning, they're getting another phone call. Plus, I expect a full refund, a re-embursement of the money I had to pay for NEW oil, AND, if there's any lasting damage to my car, they're paying for all the repairs. I almost hope I need a new engine. And boy, oh boy, they'd better not try to pin this on me. This is too big an error to pass off on the customer. Heads will roll, baby. Just you wait.

Summer Chill and Downloads

I am realizing, dear friends, that I have not been holding up my end of the deal and keeping you updated with things! I'm sorry! I've been a little out of it lately, and this week I've been battling an unfortunate head and chest cold that's got me all sinusy and hacking up a lung. This afternoon, I'm SUPPOSED to be going to the annual company picnic for my Dog Walking job, but I'm thinking infecting people and their young children with my untreated germs probably isn't the best way to spend my afternoon. Plus, yesterday didn't turn out so well for me.

Imagine if you will, this lovely combo: 88 degree weather with what felt like 80% humidity. Eight months pregnant, massive summer cold, and out walking dogs/doing pet sits, driving around town for say... 5 hours in and out of the car in all that heat. My stomach was hurting all day because of (1) I swear I have a knee shoved in there lately, (2) all the coughing and (3) drainage. By 4:00, I had reached my limit and had to rush home from my neighbor's house to get back to my A/C and almost throw up in the kitchen sink. (This of course was really not helped by the smell of eggs from breakfast that had not been cleaned up yet... ugh!!)

Translation, I was much busier yesterday than my body could handle and I paid dearly for it. That pretty well solidified my choice to stay away from the party today. I just don't especially want to have a repeat performance. I'm much more content staying home and watching movies on my laptop... while scanning and cleaning up my computer from a Trojan Virus I accidentally downloaded last night. Frick!!! I should have known better - I DID know better - and I went against my better judgment and didn't scan the blasted file before running it. Genius, I know.

For the sake of keeping this post reasonibly short, I'll end here and save the rest of my info for a later post. And yes, I promise I will post later today. See you soon, lovelies!

Sugar: To Eat or Not to Eat

It really is kind of a tough question! Since last Thursday, I've been facing the possibility of having Gestational Diabetes. Wednesday, June 3, I took my standard one-hour glucose tolerance test. It was a bad day, which pretty well screwed me up for the rest of the week because I never really got a good chance to recover from the initial experience. I failed pretty badly. To give you an idea, a person taking a GTT has a normal reading if showing 95-140 in their blood sugar levels. My blood sugar was at 180. Not good. Especially considering that while not required, I fasted because it was just easier for me than trying to figure out what I could or couldn't eat the morning of my test. I had a small glass of milk, which would have had SOME effect on my levels, but certainly not THAT much.

When you fail the first test you are required to go back into the doctor to take a more involved 3-hour test. Mine was yesterday. This time, I was required to fast before hand. I arrived just after 9:00am, already feeling a little queasy because my stomach had been empty for over 12 hours. They drew my blood to find my fasting blood sugar, and then I had to drink a bottle of orange flavored glucose (100g concentrated). YUM!! *twitch* FYI, the bottle I drank for the 1-hour test was 50g of glucose.

After only half an hour, I was ready to die. I was dizzy, nauseous, and pretty much just wanted to kill the obnoxious family yacking away sitting on the other side of the waiting room from me. They wouldn't go away!!!!! Tell me, really, who the heck needs to take the entire family with you - old parents, sister, and little girl - just to go have your yearly checkup?! Good gravy!

Fortunately, the staff at my doctor's office is really sweet and accomidating and they checked one me to see how I was doing - I'm pretty sure one of the front desk girls saw me getting up to move to another seat (after the Clampets left, we took over their station right by a plug so Scott and I could watch a movie on his laptop) and she had a nurse come see how I was feeling. I lasted in the waiting room for the remainder of my first hour, and then they took me back into my own private exam room to sit out the remainder of the test. Then, they sent Scott back after my second blood draw of the day. He finished the movie, I slept. Believe me, being able to lie down and fall asleep made the entire experience a LOT more endurable. After some napping, and two more blood draws, we went home and I was feeling quite a bit more recovered than after the last ordeal. That could be a good or it could mean nothing. At this juncture, I feel like my body IS processing the sugars, just a lot more slowly than it really should.

So now I wait... and while I've been waiting, I've been doing my research. Call me a little bit of a data freak if you want. I'm a researcher. I like to be able to understand what my body is doing, what it's going through, and when family or friends of mine get conditions I don't understand as well as I'd like to (Chronic Lyme's Disease, Celiac, Diabetes), I do some research so I can have a better picture of what they're dealing with. So I Googled. I found a great article on the American Diabetes Association website that gave me some good information for what I may be potentially facing. Follow the link for more info, but here are the basics:

Gestational Diabetes affects about 4% of pregnant women, about 135,000 cases each year. So, while it's not a common problem to have, it's common enough that they certainly don't want to make the mistake of overlooking it. GD works in your body similarly to the way that Type 2 Diabetes would affect you. Because of the hormones in your body as a result of the placenta feeding and growing your baby, the insulin the pancreas is creating isn't able to adequately do its job to break down sugars. This is a pregnant woman's special version of Insulin Resistance. Since it's happening as a direct result of the pregnancy, it will go away after delivery and BS levels should return to normal. Occasionally, having GD can uncover Type 1 or 2 Diabetes in the mom, although it's not very common for that to happen. What IS common, however, is for mom to get GD in subsequent pregnancies (about 75% chance), and of developing Type 2 years down the road.

The biggest concern of GD is how it affects your developing baby. Most commonly, when not treated properly, GD will result in Macrosomia, or "fat baby." Since the placenta is absorbing nutrients from you to feed and develop baby, if you have access sugars in your body, so does your baby. You both have a pancreas going into overdrive trying to combat the excess sugars, causing abnormal weight gain. Babies with Macrosomia are much more likely to have heart problems, weight problems, etc,. later in life. What's good to know, however, is that large baby doesn't necessarily mean GD. It just means it's one possible cause. Big babies are born all the time to perfectly healthy moms with no complications to speak of.

So there you have it, now we're both a little more educated, and I've beaten a little more time while waiting to hear from the doctor or not, about how my blood test turned out. If I don't hear from them, we're good!! I'll keep you posted. ;-)

Hold My Heart

Ok, so yes, I do generally try to steer clear of downer posts... I know, no one REALLY wants to read about that, even if you are my friends and care about how I'm doing. For that, I'm very grateful. Suffice to say, this is just kind of where I am in my life right now, and today's been especially tough. No specifics needed, those who need to know already do. For the rest of you, I appreciate your good thoughts and prayers. In the meantime, here's a fan-made music video of a song that pretty well speaks to where I am these days. Lyrics (though not 100% correct) are in the vid. Enjoy, perhaps it'll speak to you as well.



And a special thanks to Jen at Cake Wrecks. I saved up reading posts from the last few weeks and well worth it. I was in need of some extra laughs today. Thanks!!