I want to go back to 41.....

You guessed it! This picture is worth 1000 words.

Turned 42 last Friday. 

Gardened in the yard all day Saturday.

metal sunflower sculpture in Jacksonville, Oregon

Woke up at about 3 a.m. having a bad dream of swallowing razor blades.

Wasn't a bad dream. It was real!!! (well, I didn't have actual razors in there) But man, oh, man my throat was in bad shape. 

Why is it that germs always attack at night, while you sleep?

Bank - Jacksonville, Oregon

Haven't had a really bad sore throat since I was a kid. Used to get them ALL the time. I missed so much grade school, I'm surprised I'm learnt. LOL

My mom took me to what seemed like all the doctors in town to try and convince one of them to remove my tonsils. They would get so red and inflamed all the time. They were HUGE! 

Finally, after the final straw of not being able to hardly swallow, she found one. Dr. Mills, I think it was. 

I was 12. We were living in Ridgecrest, CA (little military town in the middle of the Mojave desert).

I remember everyone telling me how much Jell-O and Ice Cream I was going to get to eat.

Yeah, maybe that's how they convince the little 5 and 6-year olds that surgery isn't scary.

Little kids bronze sculpture - Jacksonville, Oregon

Let me tell you, the surgery was a cake-walk. It was the "after-surgery" part that was a nightmare!!!

 I remember puking up blood once I woke up. (sorry, but just in case you ever have to have this type of surgery, I just want you to be prepared. No one told me. I wasn't prepared. As a matter of fact, it scared the hell out of me!!!)

Once the anesthesia wore off, I was in so much pain.

I couldn't even swallow a sip of water, it hurt SO bad. For days!!!

 Drinking Fountain - Jacksonville, Oregon

My mom commented to me, "Tina Marie, if you can't even handle this little bit of pain, how in the world will you ever birth kids? You have NO pain tolerance!"

(Well, three natural childbirths later, I'm here to tell you, I'd rather birth kids!)

Pre-surgery. Age 12. 118 pounds. (Yeah, and I thought I was fat!!!)

FATSO wood burning stove display - Jacksonville, Oregon

TWO weeks, post-surgery. 108 pounds. (Yeah, I was skinny enough to wear a hot pink summer jumper. Man, was I the bomb in that little hand-me-down jumper that I could never fit into before then. Yeah, I was real attractive - my stomach was sunk-in and my hip bones stuck out! The bomb, I tell you! ICK!)

I finally healed and learned to eat again. I got back up to 118. Got married. (wait that was 5 years later!)

Birthed those three boys of mine.

Gained some more....

Old-Fashion Scale - Jacksonville, Oregon

Now, I'm 42 and I've been under-the-weather for a week. 

Sore throat.

Sneezing.

Runny nose.

Cough.

Chest cold.

Head cold.

Head aches.

Lost my voice for a couple of days.

(no comments from the Peanut Gallery, please.....)

Been drinking a TON of water and tea with honey.

Bee molded soap

Finally got a prescription yesterday.

 Side effects are:

Jitters.

Restlessness.

Sleeplessness.

May make you more hungry than usual.

Harris Beach - Oregon Coast

GREAT!!! More pounds.

I want to go back to being 41. 

The day before my birthday celebrating with friends - Jacksonville, Oregon

So far 42 hasn't been so good!!!