Coffee - my only vice

As I sit here with a headache, I fear that I have gotten myself addicted to caffeine again. For those of you who don't know, and maybe don't care, I gave up caffeine several years ago. Because, caffeine is not good for you. It makes you retain excess weight. It peps your nervous system up, needlessly. We have a lawyer in our office who drinks energy drinks all day -- Red Bull, Monster, 5 Hour Energy. He acts just like the energizer bunny. I don't know how he affords to drink those or why his heart doesn't explode. This is the same person who brings me Starbuck's Espresso Double Shots -- and he knows that I am trying to live a decaffeinated life. Back to topic, so I gave it up and was only having caffeinated drinks once every blue moon. I turned to decaf coffee. Over the last year with all my stomach problems, I got out of the habit of decaf too and went straight to herbal tea. When I complained to my doctor she said it was o.k. for me to drink coffee with caffeine if I drank the low acidity kind (also know as $10.00+ per lb coffee) in moderation. Well, I drank caffeinated coffee last week and switched back this week. Right now my head is about to pop. So either I am addicted to caffeine again or I have a brain tumor. Gotta run, WebMD awaits me!!

Sunday Get-a-away

We woke up Sunday and decided to go hiking. So we loaded up the car and headed to Blanchard Springs.


The hike comes to close as daddy carries the boy out of the woods.










Issac is baffled by the "Ole-timey" phone.

Long time coming

Terry and I took a short trip to Florida a couple of weeks ago so I could attend the first class at FISHTREE. We also spent time shopping and on the beach. Below you will find a great sign advertising a bakery and caterie.
I could not resist taking a picture of this sign because Forrest Gump is probably one of my all time favorite movies. For those of you who don't know, Bayou La Batre was the place Bubba was raised.

Me on the beach. We stated in Navarre, Florida. It was beautiful. But the water was infested with jellyfish and pieces of jellyfish. Not just the little clear jellyfish but great big ones with red 4 leaf cloverleaf designs in the center. Lots and lots of them. We couldn't get in the water. Terry and Bryan are back there this week and they say the jellyfish are all gone.

Finally, the whole purpose of going to Florida. The first class at FishTree Yoga. Here we are below. I only wish I could have gotten Jan, our teacher, to be in the photo. The studio is not finished yet but it was an awesome class. The heating system wasn't installed in the studio yet so we didn't have a "hot" yoga class. However, the windows were open and a breeze was blowing through the building and I could hear the birds outside. It was very, very nice. I recommend Jan to anyone who is visiting in Pensacola. Jan is an awesome teacher!

It has been a very long time since I have been able to write. After Mike published his book, I made a plan to start blogging in a serious manner. But life interfered. Over the past few weeks I have been very busy. First, I have been forced to adjust my diet to rid myself of gluten. Since I have done so I have felt so much better. Second, my oldest boy had a seizure and we have been very concerned. Third, everyone in my office is sick. We recently have been taken over by the swine flu. My investigator had back surgery. But by far the worst thing is my secretary and very good friend, who is younger than me, has cancer. It has really forced me to put my life in perspective.

Well, off to the jail to visit some clients! Have a glorious day!!

I hear the train a coming.......

We love trains!!

More pictures....

Our Trip to Virginia.

The next couple of entries will be dedicated to our trip to Virginia. Iz and I traveled to Virginia a few weeks ago. Sadly, there is no longer a direct flight from Memphis to Tri-cities. So we were had to fly south to go north. Our choices were Atlanta or Charlotte. I choose Charlotte. Even if I am stranded there, I can rent a car and be at my parent's in less than 3 hours. On the way there we barely made it to our connection in Charlotte. Iz loves to fly. He sat in his car seat and looked out the window. We even were allowed to go in the cockpit on the way back and meet the pilots. It was so cool! The flight from Bristol to Charlotte was not cool. It was a flight filled with steadfast prayer to deliver me alive. Iz didn't notice. I tried not to react to keep him from freaking out. You know its scary when you look at the flight attendant's face and it is pale as a ghosts.

The photos are as follows; 1. Holston Dam. 2. Golf 3. Bupa's cats

Bupa's cats are interesting because he, Bupa, claims that they are not his cats. But they seem to be there every time I am there. They also have food bowls on the back porch. Plus, Bupa keeps a hardy stock of Fancy Feast and Cat treats in his kitchen. Here Iz is feeding the cats that aren't Bupa's. This seems to be clear and convincing evidence that these cats are his.

Food Allergies

This year I have been feeling really lousy. I have been back and forth to doctor's, specialist, C/T scans, ultra-sounds, scopes of all kinds -- I have maxed out my co-insurance deductible. I found out on Monday that my problem is more than likely a food allergy. The culprit has a name and it is GLUTEN. Now if you don't know where gluten is found, it is in wheat, rye, oats, barley..... its very hard to avoid gluten. I was happy to have the diagnosis because now I know what is wrong with me and I can do something about it. Since Monday, I have been gluten-free and I have felt so much better. There are other things my doctor is making me cut out of my diet: processed foods, SPLENDA, skim milk, canned fruit and veggies. It is amazing how much better I have felt. We shall see. It is going to take about a year for my digestive system to heal from all the damage that has been done. I have always had stomach problems. They would come and go, sometimes severe, but I never knew why.

At lunch I traveled to the local gluten free store and purchased brownie mix, rice flour, rice bread and gluten free pasta. MMMMMMM! This weekend the gluten free experiment begins!!

Note to family:: The sensitivity runs in the family.

So next time you see me, bring me a gluten free cake.