Category Archives: The Kids & The Girls

Yet another doctor…

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Happy Wednesday Reader’s!

One boy working, one boy watching.

One boy working, one boy watching.

Yesterday was a busy day. I had two morning conference calls, worked on a financial plan, did some trading and got cleaned up and ready for my doctor’s appointment. My Man worked from home and around 1pm we went to pick up The Boy from school. We knew there was no way we would be back from my appointment, which was at 2:30pm, to pick him up at the bus stop (2:55pm). So we brought him with us.

My appointment was at Emory’s campus location in Decatur at the Winship location. We all met with Dr. Higgins and she was very nice. More on the Dr. Read end of the spectrum then Dr. Pickens. She explained why it would be a good idea to have radiation and the possible side effects. I ended up getting blood drawn there and on Friday I must have yet another CT scan to map out where they will zap me. Then I have a chest X-ray and a follow-up appointment with Dr.Pickens. Looks like I will be spending all day at the hospital. I will be starting my radiation on December 3rd and will have it everyday (give or take a few), five days a week for about five or six weeks. The actual time it will take from when I get to the hospital, check in, get zapped and leave will be around 20 minutes. Less time then it will take me to get to the hospital from my house! She did tell me that they will pay for my car to be valet parked. Should I ask for money for gas?

I wasn’t feeling all that great when we left. Not sure if it is getting off of the pain med’s, being tired, being tired of all this bullshit, the idea of driving five days a week to get zapped or all of it combined. On our way home we stopped to eat dinner and then came home. I went to bed before 10pm and woke up to My Man snoring. I couldn’t fall back asleep since My Man would not stop snoring, so I went in and got in bed with The Boy. He moved over and then used me as a pillow. The Boy likes to wrap his whole body around his pillow! I finally fell back to sleep and the next thing I knew My Man was waking us up. We had overslept a bit but we were able to get up and ready for school in time.

Will they ever get along?

Will they ever get along?

Thanksgiving is almost a week away. What are your plans? Going out-of-town? Having friends and family over to your home? Let us know!

One Wing Flapping…

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Reader’s! It’s cold out there! The ATL was super chilly last night. Temperatures drop to the high 20’s last night. Thankfully The Girls were locked up tight and seemed fine this morning. I figured by now that they would be Pro’s at strutting up and down their plank. Now I am not too sure. It could have been she was still kinda of sleepy or that the chill in the air got to her but Poppy has not mastered the plank. Not. At. All. When I slid open the door, Poppy was the first to show up with Turbo closely behind her and I swear she had a bag of popcorn with her. She stood back and watched as Poppy did her best to try to get down the plank without falling off of it.

Pickles!

Pickles!

Her wing was flapping! Her feet slipping! Is she going to fall? Steady Poppy Steady!

Stop pressuring me.

Stop pressuring me!

“Pass me some popcorn Turbo.”

“Squawk!”

Oh No!

Oh No!

“Son of a Bitc….. I’m ok! I’m ok! I got this.” Flap, Flap, Flap.

Focus. Focus. Focus.

Focus! Focus! Go! Go!

Towards the end of Poppy’s journey, she just leaped off the end of the plank, her one wing flapping in the wind. It was a sight to be seen. You could tell she was pleased to still be alive. She had made it through another morning.

Turbo's turn.

Turbo’s turn.

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Focused and determined.

Turbo seems to have mastered walking down the plank. She walks fast and determined. There is a reason why she is the head hen. By the way, she does not share her popcorn.

Update

I am happy to say that I getting better everyday. I am not feeling as worn out and getting up out of the bed is getting a little bit easier. However, there is one area below my arm pit that is causing me some discomfort. In fact, it is down right painful. This morning I was trying to wake up, still very sleepy and I moved my right arm slightly and son of a bitch! OMG. It felt like I was being stabbed with a white-hot knife. I was fully awake after that. Then I tried to put some deodorant on. No! No! No! Not going to happen. AAHHHH!

If you see me, stand on my left. I will smell nice and fresh. The right side, not so much.

The bruises have almost faded away. They look better than the one on my wrist from the IV in my artery. That thing still looks like a mess and is sore. I am taking Hydrocodone for my pain. I think that being mixed with the chemo that is still in my body, the anesthetic, and all the other medications they have given me are mixing together. This in return has caused me to be a bit fuzzy at time. My brain gets fuzzy, I am still hairless. It is kind of like being on a roller coaster. I feel fine on minute and the next, my heart is racing and I can’t focus. Back and forth, back and forth. Up and down, up and down. I guess it is a good thing I am not driving. Breathing is getting easier. The coughing not as painful.

I called Dr. P’s office yesterday and I go in next Friday for a follow-up appointment and to get my stitches out. I sure hope by then, the left armpit pain has gone away. I will also get an X-Ray taken. I emailed Dr. Read today asking if they have gotten any word on if the tumor is dead or not. Hopefully I will hear something soon.

Shout Out!

Let's Bloom!

Let’s Bloom!

Judi R.- I just got the flowers! They are so pretty. Thank you so much. Now I have to keep Simon away from them. Thank you!

I know it is snowing out there in some places, so stay warm and be safe Readers!

Dirt Bath

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Good Day Reader’s!

How was your Friday? Mine was good. I went into the office to do a few hours of work and then met My Man for a late lunch at a new restaurant called Common Quarter. I had their fish sandwich which was good but I would have liked a little more sauce on it. My Man had the hamburger with homemade chips. When we got there, there was a table full of ladies that were so loud. As in it hurt my ears loud! Even our waiter mentioned it. Over all the food was good, our waiter was nice and the place was pleasant (especially of the table of ladies left). We will go back and try it for dinner soon.

Go away...sleeping.

Go away…sleeping.

Last night we chilled in front of the TV waiting for the season premiere of Grim. We have been watching it since it first aired. The Boy got into it to, so we watch it as a family. There is a lot of “close your eyes!” moments and a few times, he has left the room because it was to scary for him. I am glad he knows when it is too much for him.  It is funny, he remembered everything that happened last season but can’t remember what he did at school that day. I guess he has his priorities!

First Fire of the season

First Fire of the season

We had a fire for the first time this season. Simon was all over that. He loves to sit in front of the fire and get all toasty. Timber wasn’t all that interested but to be honest, I think Grim was to scary for him!

Saturday

The Boy had piano/guitar this morning, so while he was getting his rock on, I went to Lowes to pick up a few things. I wanted to make a dirt bath for the girls and read on Pinerest that a mixture of sand, dirt and DE was great for hens. I had already ordered the DE so all I needed to do was get some sand and dirt.

Supplies for dirt bath

Supplies for dirt bath

Already?

Already?

I mixed all three items together in an old, used one time, cat litter box I found in storage. I put it under the plank where the run roof is covered so it won’t get rained on. I picked up Turbo and put her in it and she promptly hopped out. Oh well. I hope they check it out.

Ready for some hens!

Ready for some hens!

I also picked up three bales of pine straw to put around the coop and the area where the old coop use to be. I am never sure how many bales to get or how much will fit in my car. Turns out I could use another three bales and could have fit two more in my car. Maybe tomorrow.

I think someone is trying to hide.

I think someone is trying to hide.

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Almost time for me to get my college football on. RTR!! Have a wonderful day Reader’s!!

Happy Friday!

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Happy Friday Reader’s!

Puppy and one of his many balls.

Puppy and one of his many balls.

So happy today is Friday. It is my favorite day of the week! I love knowing that I have two whole days where I am in charge of what I am doing, when I am getting up, when and what I will do. It is a chilly day here in the ATL. The sun is out but it is cold. I just got in playing ball with Timber and my hands are freezing. Timber loves to play ball. He loves to jump in the air and catch the ball. He loves to try to catch the ball before it hits the ground. One thing he doesn’t really love however, is giving you the ball back. He loves that dam ball. Due to this, I have to use at least two balls when I play with him. That way I always have one I can get and throw to him. Today I used four. I had that puppy running his little heart out!

Passed Out Puppy

Passed Out Puppy

The past few days I have been working on financial plans for work. I have been busy but I feel good about the amount of work I got done. I went into the office today and had two conference calls, finished a financial plan and caught up with my assistant. We ordered Christmas cards today! Christmas cards!! It is coming up fast.

Me and My Man in Quebec City.

Me and My Man in Quebec City.

I have heard from a lot of people about the great attitude I have had during the cluster f@*k I have been going through. Well, yesterday I broke a bit. I was a depressed. I am tired. Tired of being bloated and bald. Tired of being tired. What set me off was when I went to the gym to work out with SK. I was in the locker room getting ready and I saw my reflection in the mirror. You know how you feel you look like one way and then there is how you actually look? Yeah, well I did not like how I looked in the mirror yesterday. I have written before how I forget that I am bald and bloated. When I saw myself, I got really depressed. Thank goodness for SK. I told her how I was feeling and what did she do? She basically told me she was happy to se me depressed (she was getting worried I wasn’t human) and that it was ok to feel depressed. She reminded me that I will grow my hair back. I will lose these extra pounds I have packed on. She then made me hurt and sweat. It was great. I did feel a little better after the work out. But I am ready to be done with all this shit. I can’t even remember the last few months. Where did the summer go? The last thing I remember, I was in Quebec City with My Man. We had such a good time. That being said, we are already looking at places to stay when we go back next year. Yes. We are going back. We are looking to stay in a condo this time. I love going on VRBO and looking rental homes. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy and forget everything else going on. I have found a few places I love and am going to e-mail the owner about pricing and availability.

Condo In Quebec City

Condo In Quebec City

Condo In Quebec City

Condo In Quebec City

Question: What is your favorite day of they week and why?

Canoe

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My Man

My Man

For the last month My Man has been working from home while his office is being renovated. It has been kinda of nice having him at home during the day. He makes the coffee in the morning after dropping off to the boy to school and take breaks and does some cleaning or laundry. Tomorrow will be the last day before he heads back to his office north of us. Today we went to one of his favorite restaurants, Canoe, for lunch. We have eaten dinner there many times but never lunch.

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We ordered two appetizers to share, Shrimp Spring Rolls with Cilantro and Yuzu and Canoe’s House Smoked Salmon on a Crispy Potato Cake with Vermont Goat’s Cheese. The Smoked Salmon was soooo good. I think I could have eaten two of them all by myself. The Spring Rolls were also very good but the salmon was my favorite.

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For lunch both My Man and I ordered Crispy George’s Bank Cod Fish Sandwich with House Made Tartar Sauce. The sandwich was very tasty. The cod is fresh not frozen and you could tell the difference. The french fries were so good I had to force myself to stop eating them or I would have eaten all of them!

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It was really nice having lunch with My Man. It is such a pretty day today and we had a good time. It is too bad he doesn’t work closer to home. We could meet for lunch much more!

Little Puppy

Little Puppy

What’s Going On

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What’s Going On

Hey Reader’s! Here is a little of what has been going on here at Hotel Yorba.

  • The Boy is taking the GA standardized tests this week at school. You know what that means? No homework for a week! I am so EXCITED!

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  • I am happy to announce that Turbo and Poppy are now walking the plank up to the coop with no supervision from me! Woot! So proud of My Girls. I also read that some chickens like pumpkin puree (also good at fighting worms), so I gave The Girls some left over that I had. Well, my hens are NOT part of the chickens who like it. Turbo took one bite was like “No Thank You”. Poppy didn’t even try it.
The Girls are not a fan.

The Girls are not a fan.

  • I am going to see the Thoracic Surgeon on October 29th, 2013. The last time I saw this doctor, we will call him Dr.P., it was not a positive exerpance. In fact, he wasted our time and money and basically pissed both me and My Man off.  Things that better happen this time: Dr. P. better be positive! Better not waste my time and money (parking lot fee). Better have a date in mind to get the little (shrinking) F-ing tumor out of me!
  • I have a Instagram account for all those Instagram users out there. Follow me! I am sghamer. When we go out of town for Thanksgiving, this where I will posting my pictures. I will take my laptop so I will be able to write posts but since it is my work laptop, I won’t be able to post pictures until we come back home. So follow me!
Lifetime Fish Oil

Lifetime Fish Oil

  • I fell of the exercise bike wagon. Ok, this is what is up. Six months after I had my leg amputated in 2002, I fell and shattered my left knee and femur. Thanks to a wonderful surgeon and some luck, they were able to patch it back together. However, it is on borrowed time. About five or six years ago I had to get injections into my knee due to intense pain. These have worked but I would still have bad days.  About a year ago I started taking fish oil pills daily and I noticed a major difference. My knee felt wonderful. I would still have bad days if I over worked it but they were few and far between. I only use one type of fish oil pills that I get from my gym. They are peppermint flavored and have no after taste what so ever. I will never change. I have taken different ones before and the after taste is DISGUSTING! Well, about a little over month ago I ran out of pills and just got a new bottle on last Thursday. My knee has been hurting for about a week now. Some days are worse than others but I am scared to do any major exercising till it starts to feel better. I am hoping the fish oil pills and the joint maintenance pills I got, will get me back in shape. Instead of biking I will hit the yoga mat! 
  • Breaking News! The Girls have not been using their roosting bars in their coop to sleep on at night. This has been bothering me since I think it would be cool if they did! Plus it is in their nature to want to sleep up high. So last night I went out there when it was dark and woke them up. I put Poppy up on one of the bars and I could tell she was freaked out. She soon jumped off. So I grabbed Turbo and after three tries I got her on the bar. She seemed unsure but was still on it when I locked them all up for the night. This morning I went out to open the plank door and Turbo was still up on the roosting bar! I am so proud of her! She seemed to like it up there. The only thing bad about it is that I am not sure if Poppy can jump up there due to the fact she has only one wing. I have seen her catch air in the past, so I have my fingers crossed that like walking the plank, it may take a few tires for her to get it.

What do you think? Will Poppy start roosting soon???

Pinterest, finally on it!

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Happy Sunday Readers. How has your weekend been? Mine has been good so far. It rained in the ATL on Saturday but that is ok. The new landscaping her at Hotel Yorba needs the rain. Great news! For the last three nights The Girls have strutted their little chicken butts up the plank and into the coop all on their own! I am one proud mama!

Shout Out!

Last Saturday our friends, Calanit and Alan, held their wedding reception (they got married in Israel in June) here in Atlanta. SInce I had just gotten out of the hospital a few days earlier, so we were not able to go. I just found out that in lieu of party favors, they donated money to the Sarcroma Foundation of America in my honor!?!!! How cool is that!?! Thank you guys!

How cool is that?

How cool is that?

Pictures from this week

Sleeping Panny

Sleeping Panny

Simon hanging out in the tent.

Simon hanging out in the tent.

What the H@!#??????

What the H@!#??????

What? I can't hear you....

What? I can’t hear you….

First Fall Spa Dip!

First Fall Spa Dip!

I want to come in!

I want to come in!

Reader’s! I have finally joined Pinterest. I know! I know! I am like 5 years behind but hey, I finally did it! If you are on Pinterest, please go follow me. Please understand, I have no idea what I am doing. I am just “pining” everything I like. I am making “boards” but have no idea why…organization? I am under as Shay Hamer or my email, myhotelyorba@gmail.com. I am not sure how you search for someone. So far I have two boards, “Chickens” and “Health”. I have read some interesting articles on chickens and urban chickens. Pretty cool. If you have any suggestions on what I should look at or how to get myhotelyorba.com out there, let me know!