I know, I suck. Let’s move on. Time for updates!

• Things have been so busy lately! Work is nuts — lots of big stuff happening. But, as always, it’s pretty fantastic. Aside from work, I’ve been spending a lot of time with friends, trying out some new (for me) restaurants and such. And the weather has been so wonderful that I’ve been trying to spend as much time as humanly possible outside.
  
  
  
  A few Sundays ago, my roommates hosted brunch for 35ish people and we ended up sipping champagne and eating cupcakes on the roof in the most glorious weather ever seen by mankind. The champagne didn’t help, either.
  
  
• A few weeks ago, I had a Saturday off — for no reason! No weddings, travel plans, showers, surgeries…nothing! So I took serious advantage and squeezed every Saturday activity I could think of into one day.
  
  
  
  Step one: Up early and hop on the metro. This was actually exciting because I rarely take the metro anywhere — one of the perks of living downtown.
  
  
  
  
  
  Step two: Brunch at Ted’s Bulletin with Wendy, David and Jeff. If you live in D.C. and haven’t been to Ted’s, GO NOW!!! Run, don’t walk. It was absolutely amazing! They’re known for their homemade pop-tarts. Now, I wasn’t super excited about this before we went — I just really like brunch. But oh em gee, they were delicious. My favorite was the peanut butter & bacon pop-tart. They also had “adult” milkshakes — I had the Bailey’s Caramel Machiatto. For an entree, I went with my gut and got the Walk of Shame Burrito and it definitely didn’t disappoint. Overall, the perfect brunch.
  
  
  
  Step four: Hirshhorn Museum for the Suprasensorial exhibit. I’d been hearing great things about this exhibit, which focuses on the senses, since it opened, so I was really happy to find the time to check it out.
  
  
  
  Step five: Nats game with Kristen. It was a gorgeous day to be at the ballpark and the Nats won, which is always good for Washington.
  
  Step six: Dinner and drinks with Kristen and friends.
  
  Step seven: Crash on the couch, exhausted, and catch up on Community. The perfect Saturday.
  
  
• I’ve had the opportunity to work on some incredible projects at work recently, including one that analyzes the use of forensic analysis in criminal cases and the misuse of evidence in trials. The story focuses mainly on two men, both of whom spent substantial amounts of time in prison after FBI agents misused forensic evidence in their trials. I worked on the project for about four weeks, which is nothing compared to the reporter, editors and multimedia folks, but I was incredibly humbled to have even a small role in the process, especially after seeing how the story impacted the lives of the main players.
• I went to visit R1 a couple of weekends ago and it was PERFECT! We had such an amazing weekend and it was the first time that I had been to Chicago to visit her since college. We had a serious schedule to stick to and, not to brag, but we were the most organized people ever. We even had time for naps. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
  
  
  
  Me & Rach
  
  
  
  Stop one, after getting into Chicago around 8 a.m. on Friday, was brunch, of course. After that, we got manis and pedis next to Rachel’s apartment.
  
  
  
  Friday afternoon, we braved the freezing weather for a Cubs game. It was my first time at Wrigley and, even as a Cardinals fan, I must say it’s an experience I’m glad I had.
  
  
  
  But it was freezing. We made it through 7 innings, after spending $49 on a Cubs blanket.
  
  
  
  Then we went to the most amazing pizza place I’ve ever visited. Toppings included macaroni & cheese. Enough said.
  
  
  
  Friday night on the town.
  
  
  
  Saturday, we met up with my good friends, Matt & Mattie, to watch the Little 500 bike race at Kirkwoods. I would explain what Little 5 is, but if you’re reading this, you should already know. And if you don’t, then we probably aren’t friends.
  
  Saturday afternoon was spent napping and prepping for Saturday night, when we…
  
  wait for it…
  
  went to a double feature! The Lucky One (aka that movie starring Zac Efron’s abs) and Titanic in 3D. It. Was. Amazing.
  
  
  
  Sunday morning, we headed to brunch at Bongo Room where Rachel was shocked by her Caramel White Chocolate Pretzel Pancakes. Not kidding.
  
  
  
  Then we spent the day shopping on Michigan Avenue, where I picked up these adorable wedges. And then it was all over and I was sad. So was my bank account.
  
  
• I (finally) started watching Mad Men. I’ve run out of TV shows and it was on Netflix, so I took the plunge. And I love it! It makes me SO FRICKIN’ MAD 90% of the time, but it’s such an intriguing time. And it makes me want to wear nipped-wasted dresses all the time.
• I’m headed to Taste of the South tonight for the first time. It’s a black tie affair at the DAR’s Constitution Hall and features food and beverages from 13 southern states. Barbecue and men in tuxes? Sign me up.
• Remember when I wrote about falling down a few posts ago? Well, as soon as those bruises were almost gone, this happened…
  
  
  
  My friend, Terri, can attest to the fact that I was literally just walking down the sidewalk and, bam, down I go. This time, I twisted my ankle and got this lovely mark on my knee. Clumsiness, 2. Katie, 0.
• I’ve “invented” some really delicious recipes recently! I say “invented” because I’m sure someone else in history has made these things, but I didn’t follow a recipe when I made them. So I win.
  
  
  
  I wanted to make brownies for a primary night, but I wanted to jazz them up a bit. So, I made my favorite brownie recipe, then a few minutes before they were done, I threw a mixture of marshmallows, chocolate chips and walnuts on top. When they came out of the oven, I drizzled chocolate genache and homemade caramel sauce on top. And then, Rocky Road Brownies were born. Our managing editor, Liz, sent me an email saying they saved her day, so I think this recipe goes in the “win” pile.
  
  
  
  
  This little basket of joy was inspired from a picture on Pinterest. Shocking! Take an avocado (my latest obsession), cut it in half, scoop a little goodness out, crack an egg into the hole, bake for 15ish minutes, sprinkle with some cheese and seasoning, throw a few cherry tomatoes on for good measure, and you have an amazing, gooey breakfast!
  
  
  
  
  This has been my go-to breakfast for a while now. It’s sort of a breakfast pizza. Naan flatbread, cheddar cheese, a sliced avocado and a fried egg. Seriously, it doesn’t get any better than this.
  
  
• Next week is Kate’s wedding! Which means that on Thursday, I’m heading to Indiana. Wedding festivities will be all day Friday and Saturday, then I’m hanging out with my family on Sunday before catching a flight back to DC.
• My vacation with Momma Myrick is coming up! Under a month, now. I cannot wait for some mom/beach/spa/birthday/food/pool/Harry Potter World (!) time. It’s going to be GLORIOUS.
• Speaking of Momma Myrick, she wrote a book! A romance novel, to be exact. I think I’ve blogged about this before, but it is finally available on the Kindle! Buy it here. Do it NOW!!!
• I’ve been getting lots of questions about how the surgery recovery is going, and I am happy to report, everything is going well! I have a running list of foods that don’t really work with my gallbladderless stomach, but my energy is finally back and the incision sites seem to be fine. So, overall, things are good and I’m happy that whole thing is over!
• Finally, I would just like to take this opportunity to formally thank Rachel Skybetter for introducing me to so many song that inspire random dance parties whenever they come on. Or whenever I put them on so I can dance around in my PJs in the morning. Including this song…

You know how they say, “When it rains, it pours?” First, it’s true. Not sure who to blame that one on, but that person is a serious turd. Secondly, I hate it when someone says that. Ummm, hello? I’m well aware of the fact that things suck right now. You don’t really need to remind me that things could just keep getting worse.

Sorry for that side rant. Anywhoo…

Regardless, the rain has been coming down recently. That’s no secret.

But, for once, that stupid, stupid saying…actually means something good.

Have you ever had something happen at the EXACT MOMENT you needed it to? Something you didn’t expect to happen? Or even something you did?

A trip to see a dear friend? A random email reminding you that not everything is terrible? The opportunity to do something amazing? Getting some great news?

Well, I’m humbled and thankful and happy to say that all of those things happened to me in the last 24 hours. And they could not have come at a better time.

Some subjects will be expanded on later. Some, probably not. But regardless, I’m happy to be part of a cliche tonight.

Sidenote: I really hope that reads more like “Inspiration” than “Perspiration” or “Thinspiration.” Cause that would be awkward.

Do you “Pin”? If you have no clue what I’m talking about, Google “Pinterest.” I’m a wee-bit addicted to the most recent social media fad, as anyone who’s ever spoken to me can tell you. It makes sense, though.

I’m a visual person. I’m a bit hyperactive. Teeny-bit OCD. Internet obsessed. Lover of all things design related. Better at baking than my actual job.

All of these things add up to one thing…

Pinterest Superuser.

It’s the perfect place to organize all of my Internet wanderings into neat little virtual pin-boards. And I LOVE to organize.

Most of the pins on my account can be categorized three ways: recipes, design (graphic, interior or fashion) and what I call Life Lessons. The recipes have inspired countless meals. The design boards — countless outfits, purchases and color schemes.

But the “Life Lessons” board — that’s the one that I find myself revisiting the most.

You may or may not know this, but I tend to analyze things. Sometimes over and over and over again. Good things, bad things, unavoidable things, mistakes…for better or for worse, they stick in my head until I feel like I understand them.

This is where the Life Lessons board comes in. Some of the lessons I pin here are serious, some are ridiculous, some are meant as reminders, and some are meant to make me laugh. But all of them have one purpose — to get me out of my own head.

Some of my favorites…

Note: I’m trying to ignore the fact that “catastrophy” should be spelled “catastrophe.” It’s not easy.

I am the designer of my own catastrophe.

This one is a recent addition. At first glance, I thought, “…but my life isn’t catastrophic.” But on second thought, it made sense. “I am the designer of my own catastrophe.” Own up to your own mistakes. It’s part of being an independent adult. Yes, life might suck at times, but it’s your own life to control. So do it.

You know all those things you’ve wanted to do? You should go do them.

Always a good reminder. Daily life can get in the way of dreams if you let it.

No one looks back on their life and remembers the nights they had plenty of sleep.

Not saying that you need to go crazy every night in order to lead a full life. And I love to sleep, so take this with a grain of salt. But sometimes I need to be reminded to live a life outside of work. Like most of the people employed by The Washington Post, I work a lot. And it’s exhausting. So I could easily crash every night and be perfectly content waking up the next morning and going back to work. But do I really just want to be content with life? No. I want to make memories. And those don’t happen in your sleep.

Beautiful things don’t just happen. If you want something marvelous, you’ve got to make something marvelous.

I have a lot of pins that revolve around this same idea. As a kid, I always heard, “Good things come to those who wait.” I’m guessing people were trying to tell me something about my patience level. But as an adult, I feel like we sometimes fall back on this idea of “waiting” for good things to come our way. So many sayings…Patience is a virtue. If it’s meant to be, it will be.

But you can’t live your life in idle, waiting for good things to cross your path. You’ve got to take an active role in finding the good in life.

Move fast and break things.

Do a little research and you’ll find that this would be the top pin on Facebook’s Pinterest profile. It’s one of the top philosophies at their headquarters. And in my professional life of deadlines and chaos and eight layers of management and a million people waiting for a mistake and countless opinions…well, it’s easy to get caught up in fear. And a bit of fear never hurt anyone. I think it’s healthy, in fact. But you should never be afraid to step out of your comfort zome and try something new. Even if you think someone will reject your ideas, the worst that can happen is they say no, and you move on.

The first year that I designed A1 at the Post, it was all about figuring out what the bosses wanted and doing that perfectly. And that’s still a huge part of my job. But now, my main focus is not “making the bosses happy.” It’s finding a solution. Hopefully, that solution lines up with the goals that the bosses have, but even if it doesn’t, we’re a step closer to progress.

Love; it will not betray you, dismay you, or enslave you. It will set you free.

I love me some Mumford & Sons. This isn’t even close to being my favorite song from this band, but it’s one of my favorite lines from any song…ever. It’s incredibly hard to remember this sometimes. Because who hasn’t felt a little betrayed by love at some point in their lives? But love in it’s fiercest form will never let you down.

Adventure is out there.

I love to travel. It’s a passion that I hope to never outgrow. And it’s pretty easy to have an adventure when you’re traveling. The hard part is remembering that waking up every morning is the start of a new adventure.

Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes.

I have a thing about honesty. In case this blog hasn’t proven this already, I like to be honest. And I like people to be honest with me. Because without it, we’ll never really know one another.

But I’ve never been good at the other side of truth — the truth that goes against someone else’s truth. I tend to care too much about how others view me or having the right answer to everything. So my voice remains silent, even when I think something is wrong or I have a different opinion. But why?

What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

Fear is such a tricky thing. So is failure. And for me, they go hand-in-hand a lot of the time. Certainly, there are tangible things that I’m afraid of (ehem, whales, ehem), but those aren’t the things that hinder my life. Because from birth, I’ve been taught to succeed. The thought of failing at something terrifies me. And I can’t put into words exactly why. But that fear can cripple an otherwise healthy life. And that’s what scares me the most.

My daily routine: get up, be amazing, go back to bed.

This one is my favorite. Because like I said, I tend to (over)analyze things, and this one is the perfect reminder that life — while terrifying and stressful and filled with emotions and heartache and pain and chaos — is amazing. And as much as I bury myself in my mind, I’m an okay person. At least that’s what they keep telling me.

Today is not only Sunday on the actual calendar, but it’s Sunday on my work calendar, too! So, I’m celebrating by napping, cleaning and giving you lovelies a glimpse into my (somewhat) scattered brain.

• This happened.
  
  
  
  How did that happen, you ask? I’ll tell you. I was walking and talking on the phone. That’s about the whole story. I missed a curb and fell straight to my knees. Now, not only can I not straighten my legs completely, I can’t bend them to a 90 degree angle, either. Yaaay…
• I spent 16ish hours yesterday doing my maid-of-honor duties with Miss Kate. It was an exhausting/awesome girl’s day. Lots of good food (and beverages), a successful bridal shower and wedding dress fitting, and a relaxing dinner. Minus the rain and the previously mentioned tumble, I’d put it in the successful category.
• I love to shop. I love finding a good deal even more. And, recently, thanks to hitting a certain big number in terms of weight loss/health, I’ve been able to purchase a few new things. Including…
  
  
  
  this adorable pink lace skirt and linen blouse,
  
  
  
  
  a new pencil skirt and silk blouse,
  
  
  
  
  this amazing Shoshanna shift dress and statement necklace,
  
  
  
  
  and a lovely silk summer dress. There were quite a few more purchases thrown in, but I’ll spare you the details.
• That last post made me realize I should make my bed more often. And put my shoes away when I come home.
• It was fun watching the Hoosiers in the NCAA tournament! Although it was incredibly sad to watch their run end (I hate, HATE, hate Kentucky) but it was such a huge season for them. Seeing them in the Sweet Sixteen almost erased those four years of “basketball” I watched in college. Almost.
• I just logged onto Pinterest to see if there was anything inspiring on there to write about. But then I got distracted and just pinned things for a while.
• And then I ran out of things to say. So I’ll just leave you with the view outside my window.
  
  
  
  As much as I miss Indiana, I do love the sounds of the city. Hm…
  
  

Welp, I did it. I made it through my first shift! It felt so great to be back in the chair. A bit overwhelming at times (hey, it wouldn’t be fair if they gave me an easy shift on my first day back!), but still absolutely amazing.

I had to take a couple of pauses, but overall, I had no real problems in terms of my energy or gallbladderless stomach. And, the weather was once again glorious, so I just made a quick loop around the block and everything was fine!

Everyone was so incredibly supportive which, once again, made all the difference in the world. I really am incredibly fortunate!

At the end of the night, I came home and crashed for a solid ten hours. But, let’s face it, that’s not super unusual.

The final result of a day’s work:

Not my best work, but probably not my worst, either. So we’ll call it a win.

Well, I’ve been off work for 18 days now. Eighteen days. Seriously? I’m amazed by that number.

All I have to say is…

Thank God I go back to work tomorrow. It’s just time.

Don’t get me wrong — the two weeks I’ve had since coming home from the hospital have been incredibly beneficial. As I initially wrote, I thought I would go crazy after one week. But that was not the case. For that first week, I had visitors stopping by every few hours and was able to take short trips outside every day with different friends. Even if it was just two blocks to Starbucks for some iced chai (thank the Lord I can still have that), it was incredibly beneficial to my physical and mental health to enjoy some of the glorious weather we’ve been enjoying and have some contact with the outside world.

Week two was more about getting my energy back. As has been briefly discussed, the reaction I had to the ChloraPrep (kind of like Iodine — used during presurgery) was intense and painful. But by last Monday, it was finally on the mend and I was able to move comfortably. The incisions healed pretty well, minus the bellybutton one, and the pain was manageable. As was confirmed by my surgeon during my post-op appointment, the reaction lengthened my recovery substantially. The infection that built up drained me of all the energy I needed to recover, so what could have been a simple, pain-free recovery turned into this drawn out process.

So, in the end, that second week was when I was able to get my feet on the ground again. By Sunday, I knew it was time to start building up my energy level. I stopped taking naps (so sad) and made it a point to stay up later and later each night, trying to get back to my regular schedule. By 5 o’clock on Sunday night, I was exhausted. I hadn’t even done that much! I walked to lunch with friends (only two blocks), took a break, then got a pedicure with another friend. But by the time I’d gotten home, you would have thought I had just run a marathon. I collapsed on the couch and literally did not move for two hours. It was pathetic. But I stayed awake for a few more hours, so that’s something.

The rest of the week, I continued to get out of the house for long periods of time. It helped that the weather was absolutely gorgeous. I took walks to the store, to lunch, to the Mall (the National Mall, not the shopping mall — because, let’s face it, I’m going to be paying medical bills for a while), to CVS — anything that made it so I could be outside. And when it was time to rest, I sat on the roof with a snack and a magazine, seriously soaking in the early spring sunshine.

The days got easier and easier, thankfully. Monday was a pretty big test — Kate and I spent the day running wedding errands and driving around DC, Maryland and Virginia. We got a lot accomplished and it felt good to do something so normal. Monday and Tuesday nights we spent getting her wedding invitations ready to send and watching Bridesmaids.

But Thursday was my first real test. I went to lunch with a friend, then spent the rest of the day with a couple of work friends watching basketball. All day — outside. Eight hours. It was glorious. My goal was to stay out until the 9:45 IU tipoff, but that did not happen. By about 8:30, I was fading fast. So, I didn’t meet my goal completely, but I tried really hard. But no worries — the Hoosiers kicked ass TWICE and are headed to the Sweet Sixteen to play Kentucky. Sidenote — I could not be more excited about this. I hate Kentucky.

I had a few other things to keep me occupied as well. I’ve been trying to get my mom’s book ready to publish for e-readers, which, in case you’re like me an thought it would be a breeze, is not easy. Between dealing with the formatting and coding and designing a cover, I’ve spend a lot of time with Daddy Mac. And those invitations I mentioned…well, let’s just say they were not as easy as we thought they were going to be. By the end, we had a pile of mess-ups that we deemed to be “Katie’s invites” because we couldn’t send them to anyone but me. I also worked on a set of business cards for a good friend. So all good things to get me back into design mode.

Saturday was another good test. I spent the morning on design stuff, but I headed to Bethesda in the afternoon to run errands with Kate and her fiancee, Kevin. Even though it was St. Patrick’s Day, Kate and I had our priorities straight. IU played VCU that night at 7:45, so while we were sporting green, our loyalties were with the Hoosiers, so we sported some classic “Kiss Me, I’m a Hoosier” shirts. And yes, we did go out in public all day matching.

That evening, we headed to an Irish pub with Kevin’s family to eat some good food and watch some incredible Irish jigs. Now, here’s the thing. I’m not Irish. I’ve never known St. Pattie’s Day to be a big deal. And I don’t know if it’s like this in every big city. But EVERYONE was celebrating Saturday night. It was like being back at school during Little 5. Entertaining to say the least :) Just like the guy who photobombed Kate and I.

That brings us to today and, more specifically, tomorrow. It’s time to head back to work. I’m not gonna lie, I’m nervous! I feel like it’s the first day of school all over again. I’m so incredibly fortunate to have gotten all of the support from my coworkers that I did, so I have that on my side. But I don’t know! It’s been a long time since I’ve had such an extended illness. The surgeries in high school left me with very similar anxieties.

But I know it will all be fine. And, more importantly, I know that it’s just time. It really, really is. It’s been interesting — not being on a schedule and doing what I want to do when I want to do it. And having my only serious focus being my recovery. But I’ve missed so much — most notably, Super Tuesday. And I’ve just missed my job! I love my job. And I’m so fortunate to have it. And everything that happened — it’s just confirmed all of that. The Post was my dream. It was what I worked for and what I always planned to strive for. And this has certainly proved to be a reminder that I am exactly where I am supposed to be.

And, once again, most importantly, this has taught me how amazing my support system is. This whole thing — two+ weeks of being off work — could have literally driven me crazy. It could have turned out so much worse than it did. But I have some amazing friends who would never let anything bad happen to me. So, in some respect, my gallbladder breaking up with me is a blessing in disguise — a very painful, annoying, lengthy, unfortunate disguise.

Exactly one week ago, I was being released from the hospital. Just one week! I was pretty sure that by today, I’d be going insane. But, surprisingly, the week has gone by quickly — between all the visits and goodies and messages, I haven’t felt too “alone” for too long.

Unfortunately, I also thought I’d feel better by now. I was fairly confident that by today, I’d be back to my old self, ready to tackle the world.

That…is not the case.

I know, I know. Major stomach surgery and a few days in a few hospitals — I shouldn’t put so much pressure on my recovery. But, what bothers me the most, is that it’s not necessarily the surgery that’s still bothering me. Yes, there is still quite a bit of pain and swelling left over from the surgery site and my diet is still somewhat restricted. But that wasn’t the biggest problem this week. I feel like I could have dealt with that, no problem.

But the addition of a severe allergic reaction to the iodine/betadine used during surgery has been the biggest problem this week. Thankfully, the bulk of the reaction seems to be gone, but I feel like it probably lengthened this recovery process substantially. I’ve pretty much been living on Benadryl and ice packs for a week now.

But, all of those things aside, I know I need to give my body the time it needs and not try to rush back into my normal life. And, I pinky promise, I’m trying my hardest to remember that.

Good news though! Today, for the first time, I feel somewhat like a normal person! The pain seems to finally be manageable and a lot of the swelling and surgery unpleasantness has gone down substantially.

The next week is definitely going to be interesting. The plan is to go back to work the 19th — so I still have over a week of staying home. But, this will make things a lot easier, hopefully…

That’s right. By the end of the week, it’s supposed to be 80 degrees. Unreal.

A few people have asked what I’m waiting for, in terms of going back to work. Not that anyone thinks I’m taking things too slowly. I guess they want to know what level the bar is set at before I’ll be comfortable going back.

In all honesty, I want to be as close to back to normal as possible. I would like to be back on a regular sleep schedule (that means no naps!), back on a regular eating schedule (and have a firm understanding of what I can and cannot eat), pretty pain-free, regular workout schedule, and able to stay up all day (doing stuff, not just watching Grey’s Anatomy) without feeling exhausted.

My main concern is that I’ll rush back, only to realize it’s too soon. I know myself enough to know that it doesn’t take much for a setback. And, as guilty as I feel knowing that my wonderful coworkers at the Post are having to fill my shifts, I would feel way more guilty if I said I was ready to be back when I really wasn’t.

However, I do plan on making a giant batch of “Thank You!!!” cupcakes to take in sometime this week. Cause, let’s face it, if I can’t even bake cupcakes, then what good am I to anyone?

Well, by now, most of the people reading this blog know what happened over the past few days: I went to the ER Wednesday night with intense pain in my stomach — a pain I’ve been having for about 5 weeks every time I ate fatty foods, but this night, it was more intense than I could have imagined.

After a few tests and a small fight with my insurance company, I was admitted into the hospital at 3:30 a.m. on Thursday. I was told my gallbladder needed to be removed and they would take care of it Thursday and I would get to go home Friday or Saturday. My scheduled surgery time of 3:00 p.m. came and went and was finally told that my insurance company was refusing to pay for the surgery if I had it at this specific hospital.

So, instead of having the surgery, I was transferred to another hospital, where my surgery was scheduled for Friday afternoon. There were about ten more roller coaster rides of emotions thrown in, but I’ll spare you the details. Instead, here are a few things I’ve learned since my gallbladder decided to break up with me.

• Oh, how things can change in just one week. This time last week, I was at work, prepping for last Tuesday’s primary. This evening, I’m lying on the couch, sipping Sprite, with ice packs on either side of my tummy. As for work, I’ve been told that I won’t be seeing the newsroom for two weeks, but that’s not going to work for me. How about one?
• If you have intense pain in your stomach (more specifically, immediately under the right side of your rib cage) every time you eat, DO. NOT. IGNORE. IT. Because of the whole weight loss/extreme diet change thing, I assumed that this pain was from eating things that my body was no longer used to eating. It started while I was at a conference in Syracuse, and the food was not exactly what I’d call healthy. The alcohol probably didn’t help either. But, turns out, that was my gallbladder’s way of telling me it was unhappy with our current relationship.
• Think long and hard before you pick your insurance company. I chose mine because I was told it made sense for me — I was a 23 year old single, recent college grad, so they didn’t see a lot of medical emergencies in my future. And while my medical insurance has been great for pre-planned problems, I was incredibly frustrated with the way this whole situation was handled. We’ll see how I feel when the bills start coming…
• Don’t let your laundry build up for weeks at a time. I worked some long hours last week, which left no time for chores. I came home really early Wednesday evening after working an early shift, and I was literally dreaming about all the things I was going to accomplish on my day off Thursday. Let’s just say that did not happen. Instead, my mom (who drove out here on Saturday to take me home from the hospital) got to spend the last two days cleaning my room and doing laundry while I slept.
• I am INCREDIBLY lucky to work where I work. My bosses (and the entire newsroom, for that matter) have been so understanding. Let’s just say this was not the week I needed to get sick. But, instead of scolding me, my coworkers have literally been spoiling me with goodies, including this gorgeous card.
  
  
  
  Have you ever seen Comic Sans look more beautiful?
• I’m allergic to iodine. Didn’t know that until now.
• Riding in an ambulance is not fun. And they won’t turn on the lights and sounds if it’s not an actual emergency. But the drivers do find it entertaining when you make your own sounds…
  
  
  
  
• When your surgery time keeps getting moved, so does the time when you’ll be allowed to eat. For instance, I went without food for 60 hours. And when you go without food for that long, everything in the world sounds delicious to you. You can confirm this with my friend, Wendy, but every single thing that came on TV sounded like the most amazing meal of all time. Most common requests: meatball sub, brownies, M&Ms. Instead, my first meal looked like this:
  
  
  
  Nom, nom, nom.
• Similarly, when you spend 72 hours on a combination of Morphine and antibiotics WITHOUT food, you say some pretty funny and honest things. Whoopsies.
• Hospital stays are not as glamorous as they appear on Grey’s Anatomy. You have to ask permission every time you want to stand up and good luck begging for a shower. And, if you’re as lucky as I was, the fourth room you stay in will come with a really cranky roommate who spends all night yelling, “NURSE! NURSE! I’m in paaaaaaain!” Believe me, I completely understand the urgency, but PUSH THE CALL BUTTON!!!! THAT’S WHAT IT’S THERE FOR!!!!!
• Finally, and this is by far the most important thing I’ve learned in the past few days…I have the most amazing support system in the world. My wonderful friend, Wendy, not only met me at the ER on Wednesday, but stayed with me until I was admitted and met me at the new hospital the next night and stayed with me until I went into surgery. She slept in a chair in the corner of my room. The lovely Kate sat at the foot of my bed at both hospitals and brought some gorgeous roses to brighten up the rather dreary rooms. Bridget, my good friend and bosses wife, spent hours upon hours sitting in the first hospital room, keeping me calm while they explained that I wouldn’t be having surgery and why the transfer was taking so long. Jeff, Jon, Kristen, and Terri kept me company and brought some of the most amazing “get well” gifts I’ve ever seen. R1 even sent her parents over to provide some much needed moral support — seriously above and beyond. And, of course, having my mom drive all the way from Indiana was amazing. She got me home from the hospital and went into intense mom mode — cleaning the apartment, doing laundry, getting groceries, filling prescriptions, reminding me that I have to sit up every once in a while, no matter how hard it sucks. It made the days since coming home so much easier and less stressful.
  
  
  
  Flowers from Kate and a homemade card from the adorable Mia
  
  
  
  
  Jeff knows me too well. You can bet that the room was decorated with Justin Bieber and Taylor Lautner posters minutes after I got this goody bag.
  
  The number of supportive emails and texts and phone calls I recieved were completely overwhelming. As corny as this sounds, knowing how many people were thinking about me and pulling for my recovery made the time in the hospital bearable. I cannot stress that enough — it meant the world to me.

Well, I think that’s all for this edition of “Things I’ve learned…” Thank you so much for all the support and well-wishes. They’ve made all the difference in the world!

Technically, it’s not Monday. But it is my Monday. And it’s my blog. So there.

• I feel like the past two weeks have been insanely busy, but I seriously cannot pinpoint exactly why. I went to New York (more on that later) for a few days, and I feel like that kind of threw my whole life out of balance. Work has been…well, work, but nothing too huge. Overall, everything just seems a little off.
• Today, I hit the 33 pound mark on the whole weight-loss adventure! The number is great, but overall, I just feel a lot better in terms of my health and body image. I had to finally give in an buy a couple of new pairs of pants, because mine were getting embarrassing. But, a huge surprise, they were two sizes smaller than what I was previously purchasing. I’ll go ahead and pat myself on the back now, thanks.
• Work is definitely getting interesting — it’s going to be a super busy year. On top of the normal craziness (March Madness, local elections, midterms, yada yada) and breaking news, we have a ton of other pre-planned big news coming our way (mainly the Olympics and the election). Obviously, Washington Post — going to be covering every single aspect of the election. We also cover the Olympics heavily. Overall, it’s already shaping up to be a big year and I can’t wait for it all to get started!
• However, some bad news to come out of work — my husband, Tim, is leaving the Post :( I’ve already cried enough tears over this (fo realz) and I can’t imagine work without him, but I am also so, so, so excited for him! He’ll be moving to Atlanta to open his own design studio. Because he is that amazingly talented.
• Getting ready for Miss Kate’s wedding has been really fun recently! Everything seems to be really coming together and I’m so excited for the day to be here! Her bridal shower is next month and I’m working on picking out the perfect present for her and the future hubby. I’m also helping plan a joint bachelor/ette party, which, let’s face it, will be amazing. Knowing how Kate and I are (and knowing what I do about the bridal party) I think we’re in for a pretty epic night.
• Valentine’s Day was this week, obviously, which always makes for an interesting week :) I celebrated “Galentine’s Day — Ovaries before Brovaries” with my friend, Terri. Our bartender loved us and came up with some delicious concoctions for us to try. Kate and I also went ahead and joined what seemed like every other female in DC by seeing The Vow. We both cried…a few times…
• But, the best part was making some Valentine’s treats for my coworkers. I’m starting to think they’re spoiled ;)
  
  

I think that’s about it. Enjoy your Friday!

Everyone has a favorite pair of jeans. You know the ones —the perfect fit, maybe a couple of holes worn into the knees, split belt-loop from pulling them up too much, denim broken down into the softest, most comfortable fabric ever imagined.

Here I am, on January 31, 2012, in my favorite jeans.

So what? Why am I rambling on about a pair of jeans? Well, I’ll tell you. These jeans were my favorite…in high school. And I haven’t worn them…since 2006.

Don’t believe me? Number one, rude. You should know by now that I don’t lie on this blog. Number two, here’s proof.

That’s me in the summer of 2006, wearing those jeans. Still don’t believe me?

There I am again, surrounded by a few of my favorite people, sitting on a sidewalk in Lucerne. Once again, summer 2006. And while the fashions have changed a bit since then, I kept those jeans in the back of my closet, never willing to let go of that little piece of my past.

So, once again, why is this a big deal? Well, soon after these pictures were taken, I headed to IU, where I spent the next four years eating Mother Bear’s pizza and perfecting my Sink-the-Biz skills (for those of you who have not had the pleasure of frequenting Nick’s Pub, it’s a drinking game). The number on the scale slowly started creeping up, and some 5+ years later, I found myself overweight, prediabetic, and increasingly unhappy with my situation.

Now, I’m not one to brag usually, but when I slipped these jeans on earlier this evening on a whim, I did a little happy dance. While the numbers on the scale have slowly crept back down and my dependence on fried deliciousness has waned, nothing has meant more to me that what happened tonight. Silly? Maybe. Vain? Eh, possibly. But in all reality, it represents something huge for me. I NEVER thought I would be able to make this much progress in terms of my weight and overall health. But, against all the years of self-doubt and negativity, something has finally clicked.

This journey is nowhere near finished. I’m technically still 6 pounds from my heaviest “healthy” weight and even further from my goal weight. Although I’m over halfway there, the road ahead still makes me nervous. What if I can’t keep this up? What if I slip back into old habbits? What if I hit a plateau and can’t recover?

I can’t answer any of these questions. I don’t know what the future of this whole “journey” holds for me. But one thing is for sure — I’m doing my best to kick diabetes in the ass…while looking cute in my high school jeans :)