iPod Touch Giveaway from The Penny Hoarder

I just joined the iPod world a few months ago with a tiny iPod Nano, but I let my students use it when I take them to the fitness room twice a week, so I keep only middle school appropriate music on there.  I'd love to win an iPod Touch for myself!  You can have a chance to win too, by stopping by The Penny Hoarder's blog and entering!  It's a simple Rafflecopter giveaway, which I love!  Enter here:  http://www.thepennyhoarder.com/2012/01/the-penny-hoarders-ipod-touch-giveaway

Pinterest

Are you on Pinterest?  I had been hearing about it for a while, but had NO CLUE how addicting putting a bunch of pictures in different categories could be!  If you're on there, follow me :-)  I'd love some more friends on there!

gelcolor by Opi

I just opened an e-mail from the day spa by my house and saw an advertisement for this new gelcolor by Opi nail polish..  I had the Light Concept Nails done there for my wedding, and kept them on for a little while after, but at $50 every two weeks to maintain them, it was too expensive.  I love having polished nails, but for some reason, regular polish NEVER stays on my nails!  Any time I've had nail polish put directly on my real nails, it's smudged before I leave the nail salon.  I have been hesitant about getting the shellac because I heard it can damage your nails, so this seems like a great alternative!  The price is awesome too!  Only $25!  Have you tried it yet?

 

**Disclosure--I didn't receive anything for this post.  I am just curious to know if anyone has used gelcolor by Opi.**

It's been a while....

I haven't been here since the summer, and a lot has changed.  You all know my dad passed away in April, and that was rough.  It still is.  He was one of my best friends, and I still find myself wanting to pick up the phone to call him.  In September, I started teaching middle school, all subjects.  For the past five years, I've taught high school English, so it's been a huge change for me.  I love my students, and teaching is something I don't think I'll ever get tired of.  In December, almost 8 months to the day after losing my dad, my grandfather passed away.  It was just awful going back to the same funeral home, the same church, and burying him right next to my dad.  It was like losing my dad all over again.  I think I'm finally ready to come back to blogging, and hope to be updating regularly again from now on.

Rest in Peace, Daddy

I haven't been here in months.  As my last update said, my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer in October 2010.  We were told he would be ok, but really, he had Stage IV cancer and was not going to survive.  After losing faith in his original doctors and a month in a horrible hospital, we were able to bring him to one of the best hospitals in NYC.  Unfortunately, by then it was too late.  He lived another month in that hospital, and the staff there was absolutely amazing.  They allowed one family member to sleep there, so daddy could have a family member with him 24 hours a day....and for that month, me, my mom, two of my aunts and one uncle took turns spending every spare moment at the hospital with him.  It was heart breaking to hear the doctors ask, "What do you know about what's going on right now" and to watch him fight back tears and say, "I'm going to die."  He fought so hard, but six months after he was diagnosed, this world lost an amazing man.  I am still devastated.  We all are.  No matter how much pain he was in, he would make jokes with the nurses and tell them he understood if they couldn't bring his pain meds right away because they were busy.  He was such a sweet and loving person.  I don't know why God chose him to go through such a horrible disease or why he had to leave us after only 57 years on earth, but I know he'll be at the gates of heaven waiting for me when it's my time.

Rest in Peace, Daddy
12-12-53 ~ 04-07-11

My "baby" brother, the blogger!

My "baby" brother, who is now almost 20 and all grown up, has just started his own blog!  He's a HUGE sports fan, mostly basketball, so that's what his blog will be about.

Check out the FReSH BLoG now!

Win a VTech LS6325-3 3 Handset Cordless Phone at Little Yaya's!

My parents are probably the only people on the planet who still have corded phones in their house.  When I saw this review and giveaway for the VTech LS6325-3 three handset cordless phone over at Little Yaya's, I knew I had to try to win it for them!  Not only is it cordless, comes with 3 handsets AND a digital answering machine, it also has a push to talk intercom feature that would be perfect for the times my parents need my brother to help them.  This giveaway ends on January 14th, so click here now to enter!

Update on my life

I haven't been around much in a while, but I hope to change that.  I had an absolutely fabulous cruise wedding on August 19th and married my soulmate.  We had a beautiful ceremony and reception, and went on an 8 day cruise to Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and Grand Turk.  We were blessed to have a group of 19 of us on the cruise, including my parents and brother. who hadn't been on a vacation in 16 years.  My brother is only 19, so he didn't even remember ever going on a vacation.  Soon after we returned, in early October, my dad was sent to the emergency room in severe pain.  Just a few days later, he was diagnosed with colon cancer.  It had already spread to his liver by that time.  His doctors couldn't understand why it wasn't caught sooner.  He has ulcerative colitis, so he goes for regular colonoscopies.  Everything happens for a reason though, and we thank God that he was healthy and able to enjoy my wedding and the cruise vacation before being diagnosed.  Dad spent 3 weeks in the hospital, had surgery to remove the tumor in his colon and is now home undergoing chemotherapy every other week.  His doctors are optimistic, and we are praying and keeping his spirits up.

My mom hasn't been feeling well lately, and since diabetes runs in our family (her dad and brother both had it, and she had gestational diabetes when she was pregnant with my brother), the doctor told her to check her blood sugar 3 times a day.  It has been running high, and she will probably have to go for glucose test after seeing the doctor on Monday.  I'm still dealing with migraines and vasovagal syncope, and hoping to find some kind of natural remedy for them so I can get some relief without having to stay on the meds I'm on.  My husband and I want to have kids, and I'll have to go off of the meds completely before we can even start trying.

It's all frustrating and exhausting, but I know God wouldn't give us more than we can handle.  We're a strong family, and we'll get through it.

Here's some pics from our wedding!

 

Win a George Foreman Evolve Grill from Latina on a Mission!

I seem to have passed my love of shoes and cooking on to my little brother.  The shoe obsession isn't so great for my parents, but they love that he has taken an interest in cooking.  It started when our dad was diagnosed with cancer in October.  He spent 3 weeks in the hospital, and when he came home, he wasn't able to do as much as he could before.  Our mom works full time, and it turned out to be a blessing that my brother had taken time off of college.  He wasn't too happy about having to learn how to cook, but to everyone's surprise, including himself, he began to enjoy it!  He's now thinking of going to school for cooking!  When I saw this giveaway at Latina on a Mission, I knew I had to try to win it for my brother.  He would LOVE this grill!  It does so much!  Enter to win the George Foreman Evolve Grill from Latina on a Mission by clicking on this link.  Giveaway ends on January 8th!

Win a $75 Gift Certificate to CSN Stores from A Hen's Nest!

My parents really need a new microwave.  REALLY!  The big one they had was slowly dying for months before they got rid of it.  It was so bad they were using a pen cap to hold the button down to keep it working!  The one they have now is small, and old too.  That one needs to go!  My parents don't like to buy new things for themselves, so if I win this $75 Gift Certificate to CSN Stores from A Hen's Nest, I'm going to use it towards a new microwave for them!  The giveaway ends tomorrow, December 31st, so hurry on over there for your chance to win!

Tweet and get $5 for Amazon Video on Demand!

My husband and I have different work schedules, and he works weekends, so we don't go out much.  My parents bought us the Roku player last year for Christmas, and we love it.  We get much more use out of our Netflix subscription and can even rent and buy movies from Amazon Video on Demand.  From now until January 1, 2011, at 11:59 PM PST, you can receive a $5 credit for Amazon Video on Demand just by sending one tweet!  All you have to do is go here and follow the simple directions.  You'll need to log onto your Amazon account before tweeting in order to receive credit for your tweet.

***Disclosure:  I received no compensation for this posting.  I posted it solely for the benefit of my readers, and all opinions are my own***

Ipod Shuffle 1000 Follower Giveaway at Me and Bella!

My hubby and I have had gym memberships for a while now, but don't really use them.  Our work schedules don't allow us to go together, so I need something else to motivate me.  A new Ipod would definitely help!  I have an old mp3 player from a few years ago, but I'd love to have the Ipod shuffle because I could just clip it to my clothes while working out.  Courtney at Me and Bella has purchased one to give away to one of her readers when she hits 1000 followers OR on December 26th, whichever comes first.  Isn't that soooo generous of her?!  Go check out her blog and the giveaway!

Giving Back...

Do you make contributions to several charities throughout the year, and then have to go through a ton of files to find the tax receipts at the end of the year?  Stephen Paletta, the winner of Oprah’s Big Give, has developed a website making it so much easier to keep track of donations AND earn money for donations through online shopping!  This website, GiveBack.org, was built to make everyone a big giver.

Registration is easy and takes only a minute or two.  You can either log into your facebook account to register, or you can create a username and password.  The verification e-mail comes right away, and your account is created!  You even start out with $5.00 for the charity of your choice!  Searching for a charity is simple.  I chose the Colon Cancer Alliance, because my father was recently diagnosed with colon cancer.  You will soon be able to create your own charity for raising money, which would be great for local charities.  You can add your own money to your account, others can add money to your account or you can use the SHOPPING feature to have money added to your account.  I love to shop online, so this is one of my favorite features.  There are over 400 participating merchants right now, and I'm sure more will be added.  You can earn up to 15% cash back on your purchases, though most merchants offer 2-4% cash back.  For more information about the site, watch this video:

There are so many worthy charities out there who need our donations to keep running.  I hope you'll check out GiveBack and donate to a charity that means something to you.

*I received no compensation for this post.  I learned of GiveBack.org through my membership with One2One Network.*

Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce Winners

Random.org chose the following two comments out of 93 total comments as the winners in the Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce giveaway:

#3

Carie said...

I follow via google.

4:05 PM, February 10, 2010

 #42

Lois S said...

2 I blogged http://ljsin2win.blogspot.com/2010/02/enter-to-win-country-bobs-all-purpose.html

9:19 PM, February 21, 2010

Congratulations!  You've been e-mailed and have 48 hours to claim your prize.  Thanks for reading my blog!

FINALLY....a diagnosis!

I had a tilt table test on Monday, and it was positive.  It was a HORRIBLE experience.  I've never passed out, so that made the experience even worse.  The electrophysiologist said I was feeling the symptoms before they even registered on the monitors, and that's why I haven't passed out, except during the test.  She diagnosed me with vasovagal syncope, also known as neurocardiogenic syncope (NCS).   My blood pressure drops and my heart rate increases when I stand for too long or when I do any kind of physical activity, even walking up the stairs.  The EP put me on Toprol XL, a beta blocker, and told me to stay hydrated and increase my salt intake.  I already drink at least 64 ounces of water daily, but increasing salt is proving to be a challenge because I don't really like the taste of it.  I also had an EMG at the neurologist's office yesterday, because my feet get pins and needles and numbness.  It was painful, but showed no nerve damage.  The neurologist and the EP both said vasovagal syncope can cause circulation problems, so it's probably from that.  I'm hoping the Toprol starts to work soon, because I am constantly feeling lightheaded and can't stand for more than a few minutes at a time at work.  I take the bus to work and have to stop at my parents house on my way home if I have to stand because they live halfway between my job and my house and I can't make it all the way home.  I haven't been able to sleep through the night in 2 weeks, and keep waking up with palpitations.  I'm exhausted all the time and hope things will return to normal soon, or at least semi-normal!  I am extremely grateful for my amazing doctors who were determined to find out what was causing me to feel this way.  My primary doctor told me he was going to keep ordering tests until they found something.  He even called the cardiologist when the first set of tests came back normal and told him to keep testing until something comes up.

I am off to take a nap now....I will pick the winners for the Country Bob's giveaway this weekend, I promise!

Health Update

I posted here that I had I've been having tests done at the cardiologist and neurologist.  So far, I've had two ekg's, an echocardiogram, an exercise stress test, a 24 hour holter monitor, a brain MRI, a brain MRA, a VNG, BAER test and an EEG.  I'm scheduled for a tilt table test and an EMG for the first week of March.  The EP specialist at the cardiology center seems to think it's vasovagal syncope.  The symptoms of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome also match what I've been experiencing.  I'm hoping I'll have an answer to all of this very soon!  I am exhausted, and I'm starting to get stressed about not knowing what's going on with my health.  I'm getting married exactly 6 months from yesterday, so I want this under control as soon as possible so I can enjoy our 8 day cruise celebration!