Amanda Waxes Philosophic

I went back to work today, the first time since 10/13. Even though everyone is envious of me for having such a nice, long break from work, I still felt like it was too soon. Not too soon as in "I haven't healed enough to go back" but too soon like "ahhh, I hate going there!"

If you don't know this about me, I am a planner. My dad's a planner, my brother's are planners and I am a planner (although therapy has helped some in the fact that when my plans don't go the way I envisioned, I'm pretty OK with that:). Here's an example about how uber-obsessed Chow's are with planning. We went to Gallapolis (I still don't know if I am spelling that right) and three weeks before, my dad says to my mom, "So, when we go to Gallapolis, you can pick me up at work and we'll drive my car down and leave yours in the lot." To which my mom probably screamed and said, "That's three weeks away!"

So, I forgot to plan past my surgery. I have been so sick for so long (I know I say that, but it was only four months, and I know people have a it A LOT worse than me). Anyway, I only planned in my mind to the surgery. I counted down. I had to wait 21 days! But now that it is over, I kind of don't know how to get jump-started back into life again.

Hmmm. Just jump in feet first I guess and get used to the fact that I'm well again. (Once the pain from the surgery goes away of course!) I even have to force myself to eat when I am alone. With friends, it's no problem, but when I am alone I have to say to myself, "You're not sick anymore, you should eat something." Weird, huh?

I think since I had four months of sickness, I'll give myself four months to get used to feeling well:) No sense in rushing things, right?

Amanda Gives a Shout Out to Hospitals

I think that hospitals get a bad rap. Right now, crazy as it seems, I kind of miss being in the hospital. Who says that? Am I mentally ill? Here is how I look at the hospital; see if you agree that is a kind of nice place to be.

1.You have a bed that you can lay down in or sit up in.
2. You have a TV right above your head
3. You can fall asleep any time you want to.
4. You can push a button, and someone will bring you a Popsicle
5. If you feel strange, you push a button and tell a nurse and she will give you drugs to help you.
6. Every 8 hours or so you get to make a new friend when the new nurse comes on shift.

Now besides feeling like your stomach was flattened by a steamroller, wheeling your IV pole every where you go (and bumping it into every single object that comes within three feet of you), throwing up in a tiny pink plastic container, and having to measure your pee, does this not sound like a great place to be?

I'm serious; I miss it.

Amanda Unabashedly Sings Her Praises (after eating a popsicle)

Guess what?! Right now, I'm feeling pretty proud of myself and darn cool. Last week, I had surgery, was lying in a hospital bed feeling like I got run over by a truck souped up on major drugs. Today, I took only one pain pill and I walked twice around my neighborhood. I felt a real hunger pang this afternoon (you cannot believe how long it has been since I had an appetite) and I can lay on my right side without too much discomfort!

Now, I completely believe that the bulk of this is God working through all of your prayers for me, but I also am really psyched at how much a positive attitude can carry you through. My roommate for four (long) days had the EXACT same procedure as me (liver and pancreatic ducts slit open, scraped out, and stents placed in to hold the new-improved shape) but her attitude stunk big time. (I am pretty sure she had additional issues if you know what I mean). Even though we had the same things done on the same days, I would bet that I am further along in my healing . . . so . . . today's lesson is "believe it and you can achieve it" (or some such dorky-cliche saying). It's true!

Amanda Comes Clean

Sorry I have been an absent author for so long. I have been in the hospital trying to get my stomach sickness cured. I had two blocked blie ducts, the one from my liver and the one from my pancreas (no wonder I was so sick)! On Tuesday, I had surgery to clean them out cut them so that they are wider and then they put stents in (to hold them open.) I stayed in the hospital through Wednesday and had a second procedure to remove the stents on Thursday. I had to stay one more night because I couldn't keep solid foods down:( Then I came home on Friday afternoon.

Since then, I have been sleeping and sleeping and sleeping. But today I went to church and lunch with my family. But I was pooped afterwards.

I may write more about my experiences when I am not so drugged:)

Amanda Visited Bob Evans

This Friday, Andrew, Vanessa and I drove to Gallapolis (sp?) to stay at her Mom's house and visit the Bob Evans Farm Festival. It was a lot of fun to do something different on a Friday night and to see where Vanessa grew up.

The festival was CROWDED, and who knew that the 11th of October would be so hot? We saw crafts, I ate bean soup with cornbread (yum!) and we watched a lumberjack show. It was very nice.

Then we went back to Vanessa's mom's house (my mom and dad joined us at the festival) and ate a nice dinner.

That was my Bob Evans weekend!

Amanda Isn't the Best at Math

I just wrote the title, "Amanda Sings in Her 10th Show," but then I confused myself with the math. OK, I joined Columbus Chorus Sweet Adelines in January of 1998 and had my first show that fall. Does that make this my 10th show or my 11th? When I count on my fingers, they tell me 11. This is why I teach music. When I went to pre-college advising, he said, "Oh, it says here that your teachers recommend you for calculus," and then I laughed at him and said, "Silly man, I'm never taking math again!" Or something like that:)

But, yes, I am old, I just sang in my 10/11 sweet adeline show. My first show was the chorus' 40th anniversary and this year we had the 50th. (Doesn't that just make you think the number 10? 10 shows?)

10 (or 11) down, ? to go?:)

Amanda Finds A Lot to Say When She Doesn't Have Anything to Say

Hmm . . . I haven't written in a while because nothing is really new with me. Same old stuff, different day. I think that was in a Stephen King novel called Dreamcatcher. I loooove Stephen King novels.

I went to see the Lion King with my mom on Saturday. That was super cool. If you haven't seen it, the costuming and staging creativity is amazing. Great kid singers too:) I wish I could take all my kids to see it.

Also, Harley (the cat) is recovering from another bladder issue. This time, he was blocked, which is a deadly condition if not treated. I woke up early Saturday morning and saw him squatting in a corner like he was when he had his last bladder infection. I had just taken him in to the vet a few days before for his follow-up appointment. So, I called the vet as soon as they opened and got him in. I'm sure I seemed like a heartless mom because I was kind of shocked into silence when they told me that they would have to keep him for the weekend. I guess I couldn't deal (at least not at 9:00 on a Saturday morning!) So, he is back at home. I had to isolate him in the bathroom for a day because he is still "leaking" a little. Oh, I hated it! He finally gets home and I go and lock him up again. And if you never met Harley, he is very vocal. He cried and cried and I wanted to cry too:) (By the way, Harley "sings." He hums when he is contented and I swear that one time I was doing an analysis at my computer for my music classes and Harley was humming along with me in the same key! Either he got it from me, which would be amazing, or I was humming in his key, not so amazing, but either way, pretty funny that I would even realize that my cat and I were humming in the same key! I'm a dork!)