Cleanse - Part 2

I am trying another cleanse...don't worry, it's not going to be like the first time I tried a cleanse.  This came about in part because of the ADHD issues I've been having.  I know diet is a part of those issues, and I have been eating so poorly lately, not exercising at all.  So, I am going to try & eat healthier; not so many sweets, more veggies, etc.  To kick it off, I wanted to do a longer (but healthier) cleanse.  I went to Sprouts & got a bunch of really good creamy soups

a container of Odwalla Superfood (which I love)

and some fruits to make juices.

My goal is to keep it liquid for the next 3 days & then from there, eat healthier meals & little to no sweets!


On top of this, I did find a supplement I am going to try out called "Attend".  After some research, I found out that going to a psychiatrist and getting ADHD medication is going to be EXPENSIVE!  So, I am going to try taking this for a few months, along with other vitamins, better foods, and exercise, and hope it works!

UPDATE: Well, I made it almost two days, but my headache got so bad on day 2, that I had to have a grilled chicken salad for dinner.  I do feel much better though & am going to definitely limit sugar, alcohol & eat healthier to see if it helps!

ADHD

I am having a severe ADD day….which in reality I think (according to Dr. Google), is actually ADHD.  I have never been formally diagnosed with this & have never even seen anyone about it, but I’m 99% sure this is what I have.  I am finally going to take the steps to see if I can get on some medication to help, because it is really starting to affect my productivity at work, and in life.  That sounded deep.  Anything with the word “life” to me sounds deep, unless you are talking about the cereal, and then, not so much.  I would like to start keeping track of some of the ways ADHD has made me feel as though I’m insane, and then maybe also keep track of how these things change on meds….if I go on meds….and if it changes things.  I do understand this is exposing a lot of my carefully hidden “crazy” to the world…or the 2 people that might read this including my mom.


First off, mostly because it’s the 1st thing that popped into my head…and I did in fact just stop typing for a second to laugh that popped looks like it has the word poop in it… ANYWAY, I’m going to talk about how me + church + ADHD = extreme frustration.


CHURCH


Every Sunday at church, a war goes on, it’s me vs. my brain…and my brain usually wins.  I’m all good until the priest gets up to do the homily, which for all the non-Catholics, is the talk given by the priest, that ties in to the readings for that day.  When the homily is going on, this is a rough summary of what goes on in my head (warning: if run-on sentences bother you, you might want to stop here).

Ok, he is starting the homily, you can do this, and you can pay attention the WHOLE time!  It’s going to be easy, just listen & don’t think about anything else. Oh crap, I already missed the beginning, what did I miss?  If I start off missing the very 1st words, I will have failed at hearing it all. Oh, did I just say crap at church? I don’t think that’s a good thing to do, well, it was in my head & not out loud. STILL, that’s not what I should be thinking in church…but really, how much trouble would I be in for saying crap, I mean, I don’t think I’m going to die & standing at the pearly gates being told “remember that time you thought the word crap in church….sorry sinner…no entry for you”.  Crap is not even that bad of a word, it’s not like I said shit…SHIT, I said shit…and I’m saying it again.  Dammit. Ah, now I’ve said like 3 bad words multiple times, I’m really not getting into heaven now. Stop saying bad words, no more bad words…only good words like kittens and puppies…ah puppies….like Ellie, she’s a puppy.  Ellie is so cute; I should take her on a walk later.  Unless I come home & something has happened to her, like she chocked on something.  She might have, she does tend to eat anything she can get into her mouth. That’s going to be so sad if she dies while I was at church.  I wonder if my boss will be mad if I don’t go into work tomorrow because my dog died.  I wonder how many days you get off if your dog dies.  Oh man, I’m missing the whole homily. I’m lost, what is he talking about? Ah, everyone is looking at me; they know I have no clue what he’s been saying. I’ll look over & smile at my mom, give her a look like “he’s so right, I agree with everything he’s been saying”.  I don’t think she’ll know I was just thinking about dead puppies. Why is that baby crying? Was he talking about something that makes babies cry? Please take the child outside, I can’t hear over the crying.  Oh, please stop the crying…stop…crying…stop…crying...seriously…stop…crying!  Why is the baby not in the church nursery, don’t the parents know the crying is driving everyone crazy. Or maybe it’s just driving me crazy; no one else seems bothered by the crying except me.  Oh why does that baby hate me, WHY WON’T IT STOP? It stopped, IT STOPPED! Yay, now I can listen to what Fr. James is talking about. Oh wait, he’s wrapping up, oh no, I didn’t hear anything he said. I have no idea what he talked about. Crap! Ah!!

ADHD affects many more aspects of my life; this is just one of them.  For instance, I just wrote all of this at work, so yeah, it affects work A LOT.  More on that later.

Puppy Makeover

Ellie got her every other month (or 3rd month this time) grooming tonight & she looks so cute!  There are pros & cons to her getting groomed....


Cons:
- She hates it, I mean really hates it.  We walk in the front door of PetsMart & she starts shaking & tries to flatten herself on the floor.  It's sad to have to drop her off when she is so scared.
- It's pricey, hence the reason she had to wait 3 months to get groomed this last time around.
- It takes a long time, usually 3 hours, and I don't really like being home without her, it always feels like there's something missing.  Not to mention I can't really plan anything else during that time because she could be ready earlier.


Pros:
- She smells so good when I pick her up.....like soap & flowers.
- She looks very stinkin' cute after! (See below for a visual)


BEFORE

AFTER

Pros win over cons :)

Friday Five

I'm trying to post on here more often, so I decorated this blog & am trying new things such as Wordless Wednesday & Friday Five (5 random questions on Friday), to help.  I don't really like the questions for today, so I'm using last week's questions...

1. What are the coolest and ugliest tattoos you've ever seen?

- The coolest would have to be the rosary tattoos I've seen where it wraps around the wrist or ankle.  I think those are really pretty.  The ugliest are anything on the face or neck....not cool.

2. Have you ever had a meal in which squid ink was an ingredient? How was it?

- Ummm, no. I might have had squid sushi, I know I've had octopus sushi, it wasn't very good.

3. Are you one of those people who has a favorite pen, or one of those people who just uses whatever’s at hand? What’re your favorite pens like?

- I have certain favorite pens.  The ones I like the best are from places I like to remember such as The Girl & The Fig restaurant in Sonoma & Taurus Training (Puppy Play Day) in Austin.  I usually like ball point pens that write fat lines vs. thin lines.

4. There’s a box of colored markers on the table, and someone tells everyone assembled to grab one. If you have first pick, what do you take?

- Dark Purple

5. Have you ever written on a wall in a public place?

- I think I etched my name on the wall in the dressing room at The Gap when I worked there in High School, other than that, no.

Wordless Wednesday

Clearwater Beach, Florida ~ August 2007

Ahhhh Fall

It’s been pouring rain today, making the temperature drop a little & start to feel like fall. I love fall….and spring, both are neither too hot nor too cold, but in Texas, neither last very long. This summer hasn’t been too bad, last summer was brutal – 100+ almost 2 months straight, but we’ve only had a few days over 100 degrees this summer. I was driving home today thinking of a few things I love about fall (besides the weather)…


- Honeycrisp apples (usually I start seeing these mid-late September – soon! They are huge & the name pretty much describes the apple, very crisp & a sweet hint of honey taste)


- Pumpkin lattes at Starbucks (I think I heard these are already available - hope the soy milk version of these taste as good)


- Peppermint blizzards at Dairy Queen (I don’t think they have these until December, they are the best if you add hot fudge)


- College football (I have to admit I don’t watch a lot of college football, but I love to tailgate & am hoping the Aggies do better this year!)

Here, There & Everywhere

About 2 1/2 months ago, I began the RCIA process at St. Thomas More in Austin. RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) is a process in which a non-catholic person becomes catholic. That’s the much shortened version. In reality, there is a lot more to it, and it will go on for almost a year. It’s been a great experience & every week after I have my RCIA class, I know even more so that it’s right path for me. This coming Sunday I will go through the “Rite of Acceptance” which will take place in front of the whole parish during mass. I am excited, but also nervous. It’s a big step & to do it in front of everyone? I just hope I don’t trip walking to the front of the church.


I have also gotten involved at St. Thomas More in a group called Life Teen. This is where all the High Schoolers get together for “Life Nights” after mass & also do retreats, events, bible studies, and many other things. I am going to be a Core Team member for Life Teen this year & am so excited about it! We had our retreat last weekend & I can’t wait until things kick off next month. It’s going to be a very busy year!