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My First Time

So, this is my first blog from Michigan!! The move went well! I love Michigan. It is beautiful up here. My girl and I have been taking these four mile hikes to Baw Beese Lake so the dogs can swim. We have to walk about a half mile from the house to a trail that takes you to the lake. It's a really nice trail too so you bike ride it as well which we have done once. The dogs love swimming there so much though, we have been walking in order to take them. It's also just a beautiful lake! There are these amazing houses around the lake, parks, and a great golf course. it is one of my favorite places here so far.


On Saturday mornings we walk the three blocks down to the Hillsdale County Fairgrounds for the Farmers Market. I have been to farmers markets before. Lots of fresh produce from the local area. The farmers market here is much different though. They have the typical farmers market stuff but also a weekly auction of stuff and livestock. Chickens and rabbits can be found for sale in a barn. There were people giving away free puppies and kittens. (My girl wouldn't let me bring home this adorable kitten...boo on that.) I loved it! I love all the different things you can see. I am taking my camera next week to try and get some pictures to share with everyone. Oh, there is also a large Amish population here and they have fresh baked goods for sale! Yum!

My girl grew up in this town (in this exact house actually) and knows quite a few people here. Her best friend is one of the coolest people I have met in a long time. Our second day here she got us out on the lake tubing followed by a BBQ! That's my kind of welcome. Yesterday we took the Jet Ski's out again which was a blast. We enjoyed some drinks on the deck overlooking the lake while sharing old funny stories. As we are talking we notice just how bright that full moon was and decided to take the kayaks out. It was amazing! The water was like glass and it was so peaceful. We paddled around for a while and then sat in the middle of the lake just talking and enjoying the moment.


I have to say all of this has really been good for my soul. It feels so much like the small town world I grew up in yet so different. Don't get me wrong, I miss all the big city things I got so use to but I am really enjoying my new environment!

Michigander....

We are loading up the truck right now!! Well obviosly not "we" as I am sitting here typing this, but the truck is getting loaded right now! Once the truck is loaded we will be on the road from Kansas City to a small city close to Lansing, Michigan!!

I have never been that far north and am very excited about it. I will be taking pics of our lovely drive there and posting them for you all to see!! That is if my girl doesn't kill me for needing to stop 100 times to tinkle because I have the toddler bladder.

I really am excited. I am sure I will be offline for a couple of days till we get things turned on up there but will post as soon as I can.

Be good to each other.....see ya soon!!

Ambiem made me do it!!

Have you ever layed awake at night trying to get your brain to shut off. You keep thinking of the many things that may have you stressed out and can't sleep. This is how many of my nights go. I usually wind up blogging or catching up on other people's blogs.

I was once given a drug called Ambien to help me sleep. It had just come out and everyone was saying how great it was. No groggy feeling, 8 hours of sleep. Perfect!! When they give it to you they tell you to not take it until you are laying in bed. I kind of laugh, as it usually takes about an hour for medicine to kick into my system.

I go home. I take my shower and take the ambien. I got to bed and sleep well. I used it for a while and then my sleep patern improved so stopped.

Fast forward to this week.

I am stressed out and very worn down. I wasn't getting any sleep at all. So, I break out the ambien. I do my typical night routine and then head to the couch to settle in for the night. I then wake up in bed and it is the next morning. What?? How did I get to the bed from the couch?

I don't think a lot more about it until my girl wakes up. She rolls over and looks at me. I smile and tell her good morning. She says nothing. She glares at me and gets out of bed. Wow, someone got up on the wrong side of bed. She doesn't talk to me for a long time after she gets up.

I finally ask her why she is mad at me. She tells me I came downstairs and sat on the couch next to her. She was eating some cheeries and I asked for a few. She jokingly tells me she has one for me behind her ear. (She likes little kisses behind her ear.) She says the next thing she knew I was biting hard into her ear lobe. She coudn't get me to stop. I was locked on like a snapping turtle. She finally prys me off her ear and then I decide I want to go for a walk. At two in the morning in my pajamas. She tries to talk me out of it but I want to go. I then fall down the stairs. She tells me to get in bed and I once again try and go for a walk. I guess after an hour of fighting me I finally settle in the bedroom and get online. I appearantly emailed everyone on my friends list about how mean my girl is being for not letting me take a walk.

I remember NONE of this. I remeber taking medicine and then heading to the couch, then waking up in bed. I have been banned from ever taking it again. I was shocked I had such a weird reaction to it, so I googled it. This is what I found:

If you suffer from insomnia, and millions of people do, then the prescription drug Zolpidem, commonly called Ambien, might just give you the relief you need. A lot of people are already taking the drug. According to the latest survey, more than 23 million prescriptions for Ambien were written last year, and the number is growing.
It's the most popular drug for the treatment of insomnia, but it can have some strange side effects, especially if you don't take it properly,.

Drugs.com lists the following possible side effects:

allergic reaction including difficulty breathing
hallucinations
abnormal behavior
severe confusion
Other less serious side effects include headache, nausea, depression, muscle pain, vivid dreams, temporary amnesia, and others.

Drugs.com also mentions rebound insomnia. This sometimes occurs when you stop taking a sleep medication, and usually subsides in a night or two.

KEYC television reporter Amy Stone spoke with Keith Matos who is taking Ambien for insomnia. The instructions for the medication include the admonition to take the medication and immediately go to bed.

Matos decided to stay up and make a few phone calls. Later he couldn't remember making the calls, found out he'd said things that made no sense, and had done things around the house that he didn't recall doing. This is known as temporary amnesia.

What the hell?? How on earth can a drug like this still be on the market?? I found other forums on the drug as well and one woman even had sex with her neighbor while asleep!

You know some poor insomniac is going to kill their spouse and their defense will be, "Ambien made me do it!"

Diets Suck!!

I am on a diet.

That sentence stands alone, all by itself, for the pain it inflicts on me. I hate to diet. I hate to exercise when it's a hundred degrees outside. I also hate being fat. So something has to change.

First I am cursed with more boob than one person could ever need or want. When you gain weight it seems to make them even bigger. Big boobs alone make it hard to fit in those rides where the harness comes down over your head to keep you from flying out. It's not a pretty sight when I have to squeeze and mash them in there. And after the ride, as you pull back up to the station, you look like you have three boobs because part of them have squeezed out the sides but some was trying to escape in the middle. Beautiful right?

Eating in public when you are overweight is miserable. I love to dip my french fries in my frosty at Wendy's. LOVE IT! However, if you are a chunky butt like me and do this..people watch. As if they are the cops of what goes in my trap. What's great is they are usually sitting there eating a double cheeseburger themselves.

Water parks. I hate swimsuits in any fashion. Keeping your boobs in suit is a hard enough if they are of normal size. I cannot count the number of times I have flown down a slide just to realize my top bailed out on me half way down the slope. What's worse is I don't usually notice until my top floats by me and everyone is laughing.

So, I am on a diet. I have cut back on how much I eat and what I eat. I try and get a bike ride in a day and a walk. It's hot right now so have been doing it at night after the sun goes down but still getting it in. I also have been swimming as often as possible. Remember not a fan of the swimsuit so not as eager to do that one.

I have one serious weakness though. Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I love them. I don't get them very often. Usually if they are fresh at Wal-Mart. We don't go there very often so I am pretty safe. However the second I decided to go on this diet.....they are everywhere!! Did someone call ahead..."Alert Alert, Wendy is on her way in the store...place out all the doughnuts!" It's probably right after the announcement to put out the cart with the broken wheel and to get all the old people set up in my way.

I also wonder why you can't look a bit more flattering while working out. When I am riding my bike I am sure many think of an elephant on a tricycle. (Only I don't have a little bell) You would think there would be a way to look better as you work out so you weren't so scared to be seen doing it. Going to the gym is worse. Working out next to barbie and ken isn't helping me much. In fact last week I was sure I would start chewing on her leg if I thought there was any meat there.

So, hopefully by next summer(I know this summer isn't over yet, I have to be realistic here) I will be happy to get in a swimsuit. If not, invest in Krispy Kreme as they will still be making money off of me!