Puppies are So Cute

Hey I suck at posting! I haven't been to jury duty so I have no new insight to the judicial system, which is very upsetting. But. the good news is, my family brought home our new puppy! She's adorable! Her name is Eliza and she's tiny and fluffy. She doesn't know her name or anything, but it's okay. We think we're quite clever because we chose the names from My Fair Lady and their personalities kind of work that way. But anyway she wears a sparkly pink cat collar with a bell so we can find her/ not step on her. She's getting bigger and proving to be a pain, but since she's so cute you have to like her. She's been keeping me busy and thank goodness they let me off jury duty early with her around. Slowly Higgins is dealing with her (if not warming up) and has finally stopped moping after she was around for a week. Puppies are crazy though.

Unfortunately, I haven't been feeling great so the puppy is basically all my news for the past 2 weeks. I'm going to see a new doctor and hopefully get another opinion on my headaches and make more progress. Paperwork is my gig. And every doctor has the same paperwork in different forms so I'm pretty good at filling it out. The good news is I no longer drink Coke/Diet Coke and my sugar intake is way down, which is impressive for me. I'm going to have to work on baking and learning to cook so I can do it by myself. I have high hopes that I won't burn the house down. I went to Shelley's birthday party which was super fun and got me out of the house for an evening. Shelley's friends are super fun and chatty. Of course Downton Abbey is now over (booo) until they finish filming the 3rd season. I love it and am so happy after last night's conclusion (won't give anything away no worries). And of course all of my other shows have been wonderfully dramatic and provided me with entertainment while I sit with Eliza. Also, I found that the Amanda Show is still on tv (thank you Teen Nick) along with Zoey 101 and H2O, which everyone should watch. My tv obsession is unhealthy but what can you do when you don't feel well.

I also finished To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, and Of Mice and Men. The books for Suggie's book club are finished and I'll hopefully get that started soon. I've started Love in a Cold Climate, which is wonderful. It's the 2nd book in Nancy Mitford's series and just as good as Pursuit of Love with a slightly different flavor. All in all my reading has been proven to be very good and I have yet to be disappointed with any of the books I've read recently. Although all the books in my book club were depressing.

Anyway I best be off I have a work out soon! xoxo

Adventures in Jury Duty Days 1 and 2

Hello party people! What's new? Like my Super Bowl Review? Thought you would! Anyway I started jury duty yesterday and it's been super duper eventful. Not. On Monday, I got completely lost trying to park. As in I couldn't find the courthouse parking lot or the courthouse. Eventually, I found a parking lot a few blocks away that had a lovely attendant who gave me directions to another parking lot. At that parking lot, the attendant said I couldn't park but I was so flustered he took my money ($12) and let me go. I finally went in and went through security (not very thorough all things considered) and made my way up to the jury common room place. I checked in (still flustered because I was running 45 minutes late) and sat down to watch the informational video. Put together by the Ohio or Hamilton County Bar Association, it was relatively new and informative. Also not very cheesy. It was a pleasant surprise. After that, I sat in the room Pinteresting and playing solitaire until 1 when I was told I was no longer needed. So I left the courthouse, found food, and spent the rest of the day pondering why Ohio thought I was necessary. At 4, I checked online to see if I was needed the next day and I was. So I woke up this morning, found the right parking lot, was only running 15 minutes late, and after falling over some chairs, sat down. We spent most of our morning watching Judge Joe, Judge Judy, and all those other horrible judge tv shows that don't have juries, which was kinda ironic since that was the closest we got to a court room. Also it was "Bad Girls" day of Judge Joe. And there was a case between Mr. Beaver (not gay) and Mr. Cock (apparently gay and hit on the other guy a lot). It was very funny. The case itself was boring, but Judge Joe asked for their IDs because he thought they were kidding about their names. You can't make stuff like that up I guess. But, fortunately, as the Judge shows were winding down, 1 o'clock came and we were released. Basically, I do not understand jury duty. I kinda just wish I could be useful if I'm going to sit there I might as well decide if people have to pay fines or whatever. So that's jury duty so far. I'll keep you posted.

Watched Dance Moms. Lots of drama. So glad Brooke is back. Considering how little I care about Kendall, her mom is super annoying.

Tomorrow I'll probably do a post about biofeedback, a technique I use to help with my headaches, since I don't have jury duty (I know so sad). Well I'm about to fall asleep so xoxo!

Lisa Frank Coloring Books are Still the Bomb

So Super Bowl Sunday is always uneventful for me because I don't understand football. Although I'm kinda watching the game right now. Jay and my Mom are there sitting in one of the end zones so that's cool. I wasn't invited, which is for the best anyway. I always enjoy the commercials and I was a fan of Madonna. Mostly, though, I've spent the Super Bowl coloring a picture of Lisa Frank break dancers. It's quite detailed so it's taken a lot of concentration and I'm taking a Pinterest and blogging break. I start Jury Duty tomorrow morning so hopefully that will provide hours of entertainment. Although I hear that it provides the opposite.

This weekend has proved to be entertaining. I went to dinner with Aunt P and Uncle R on Friday at the Club where there was a magician. He was super good and made us all laugh. He did some card tricks and tricks with a rubber band that I had never seen before. On Saturday, I went to Shelley's 26th birthday party 9 ;). It was so much fun and I met a bunch of new people. The food was yummy and I could eat most of it (sweet) and the music was pumping a little too loud for Shelley's mom (sorry for partying). I made Aunt P get up early this morning and wait in line at Target to get the Jason Wu for Target clothes. She was a very good sport and we got some great stuff and, because we were up so early, got the parking place right in front of the Echo. And I finished To Kill a Mockingbird. An all around good weekend.

Last Monday I totally forgot to tell everyone about visiting our new puppy! Her name is Eliza and she is a cavapoo (king charles spaniel/toy poodle?). My mom and I drove to the breeder in Dayton to see her. She was about 5 weeks old and about as long as my hand. She's fluffy and black with some white spots and we're best friends. Her mom also likes me. We're very excited and Maddie and I are probably going to pick her up next weekend. But it was very exciting.

Anyway I won't bother you Super Bowl celebrators any longer today. Adventures of Jury Duty part 1 awaits soon! xoxo

An Ode to Nancy and Higgins

Oh Higgins! He's not doing anything very interesting. But he's just very cute. And I thought I would call attention to it. Since we've been talking about our new puppy, I believe Higgins has become jealous, so we're all working to inflate his ego. So please send your love to Higgins through the universe or in the comments. I talked to Nancy yesterday and, as always, she was wonderful. Has anyone ever told you how amazing Nancy is? If they have not, I'd be surprised. She is just simply delightful. And always knows how to cheer you up and can fill you in on all the awards shows that I forget to watch. Which is very handy because people talk about them and Nancy is the only reason people still talk to me because she'll inform me of the important wins and loses of the evening. Anyway, we caught up after a few weeks and it was great. Thank you Nancy. And Higgins.

Today I went to tutor with Jay and Suggie at ICYO. It was rather fun because I got to color after the kid I was tutoring ditched me. I helped him with his homework and, once he was finished, decided I was not interesting enough to talk to and went to hang out with his friends. A low blow. But I colored a picture of a giraffe that someone else thought was very nice. Granted I colored the giraffe blue so it could have been that. I made Kyle come hang out with me Monday, which he probably regretted because Suggie made him watch Pretty Little Liars. Kyle was not a fan. Not a surprise. I should probably write down what I do because my memory isn't very good.

Anyway I watched Project Runway and Dance Moms tonight. Both wonderful. As always. I don't want to ruin anything. I really want Brooke to come back to Abbey Lee and that other older girl to kinda go away but she doesn't really make a difference to me. A lot of my shows are not having new episodes and I'm a little upset. Thank goodness for Lifetime. I've been trying to knock out To Kill a Mocking Bird and have made good progress. I've enjoyed it but at the same time am waiting for everything to go down. We'll see. I'm getting tutoring advice from my friend James who's doing a program while he's at school. While his is more legit than my book club, he feigns enough interest. I told him that it was very important for him to get all the girls to fall in love with him and to wink at them as much as possible. As someone who has seen many tutors and had crushes on a fair share, I find this very entertaining. And tutors are pretty innocent (or they better be). And eventually I learned math whether or not they decided I was as pretty as they were handsome. As you can tell, those romances did not work out. It was for the best.

Hopefully I'll write more about this week soon (since I don't remember anything right now) but I have to go to bed. xoxo

"Lover Come Back!" Was Not a Musical

Which was so sad. All the other Doris Day movies my mom has made me watch were musicals. And her hats were ugly. More on that later though. I feel like I've been busy although I can't remember anything I've done so that's pretty cool. Most of my time is spent running around and attempting to be productive, which I accomplished this week! I'm working on my book club for Suggie and her friends (need names. Please leave suggestions in the comments) and got some help from Mrs. Hoar at SHS. So that's going to be good. And I've been working on reading the books since I finished my last one today (awesome). We're going to read To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, and Of Mice and Men. I think. I'm really excited to do it and Suggie doesn't hate me for making her read yet so it's a win-win situation right now. Mimi, my mom's mom, was in town for the weekend. She's very funny and kept us all laughing. She has lots of funny stories and decided she loved Kyle so now poor Kyle is going to have my grandmother in the stands of his baseball game. Kyle was nice enough to put up with my crazy family for a little bit after giving me advice on all the fun things I can put on my blog (which I will) and making fun of me. All around lots of fun.

Anyway "Lover Come Back" is a movie in our "Doris Day and Rock Hudson Collection" of movies. There are 3. I think I saw one but Mom said I was thinking of a different one. Basically there is a mistaken identity taken too far they fall in love all that super great stuff but there were a few very stand out points in this movie. 1. They make a candy that is basically candy alcohol. Great idea. And it's more concentrated. And it comes in different flavors. 2. The hats were terrible. Like so terrible. But other than that the costumes are very good. As are the interiors. 3. There is one song where she talks about "giving into her desire" or whatever but it turns out to be anti-climatic. and 4. Rock and Doris get hitched in Jersey drunk on the candy (called Vip), they get divorced, she gets pregnant and doesn't tell him, her secretary calls him and Rock shows up as Doris is going into the delivery room and there is a priest to marry them. I call that cutting it short. So it was almost scandalous.

Lastly I finished In the Garden of Beasts and it was amazing. Highly suggest it. I don't know if you guys want me to review the books I read or whatever but I'll give you some information. Basically, it takes place in the early 30's when Dodd, the US ambassador to Germany, moves to Berlin as Hitler and his party rise to power. The story centers around Dodd and his daughter, Martha, who has a lot of lovers (slut?). It is very informative and interesting. It is early in Hitler's rule before he is president so it is interesting to see how quickly and how much Germany changes in the 4 or 5 years Dodd is there. Totally recommend it. If you want to know more about all the other books I've read this month (5 good ones promise) or this one, let me know. Downton Abbey time! xoxo love youuuu

Wife Swap Was a Great TV Show

Suggie and I watched 2 episodes of Wife Swap. It was better than I remembered if only because it was sillier than I remembered. And there were chickens. Anyway Higgins and I have not been up to much good. Mainly causing a ruckus. Which is what we're good at. That and taking naps. I'm working on starting a book club for students from my grade school (yeah Villaaa) who are going to Seven Hills. There were a few books they read in middle school there that we didn't read in junior high that they talked about all the time in high school and, instead of using that time to zone out like Maddie and I did, I thought Suggie and her friends might actually want to know what was going on. So that's exciting. And the teachers at the Villa are excited too yayyyy!

My grandmother, Mema, came to visit us this afternoon while she was in town and that was wonderful, as always. There is nothing like getting attention from your grandmother. They always are so happy to listen to everything about your life and think it's awesome (or at least pretend). AND PI PHI GOT A LILLY PRINT SO EXCITING!!! (btw I'm a Pi Beta Phi at Villanova. And we are wonderful.) My friend Kyle is back in Cincy for the week and we went to the Seven Hills v. Summit basketball game. Seven Hills, unfortunately, lost. Kyle actually watched the game while I sometimes cheered when everyone else did. Which is what usually happens at sporting events. Best friends :) I'm sorry to say I have no more interesting health news but my book, In the Garden of Beasts, is super good. I'm on page 80 I think but it's so good. I'm probably going to do a post a mini review of the books I've read recently because I spent at least 50% of my time reading and have read a lot of good books recently. And watched Dance Moms. That too. Anyway I have to go bathe in epsom salt xoxo.

So I Spit Into Tubes Today

Yeah so that's what I did today. My doctor had me spit into these little tubes 4 times today and then I send them away to get my hormone levels tested. Honestly, it sucked. A. I couldn't use chapstick and of course my lips were super dry. B. Because I wasn't allowed to consume anything or whatever until I filled the first bottle I couldn't brush my teeth until after a different doctors appointment. C. I suck at spitting. If you are ever in a spitting contest, I will make posters, but don't ask me to be on your team. And finally D. I just don't totally get it. But hey it's all good. All the little bottles are filled, I got to brush my teeth, and this was not the grossest heath test thing I've ever had to do. But now I'll weirdly aware of spit in my mouth. And this is getting gross.

Anyway I saw my neurologist today to discuss the Botox I got last month. Botox has been clinically proven to help migraines (WebMD article below) and so did my first round. It was terribly painful and I cannot believe people do that for wrinkles but then again my head already hurt. I got injections in my forehead, temples, back of my neck, and shoulders. I won't notice any relief for a few more months, but we know the Botox is working because I can't wrinkle my forehead and make angry faces. The first day I couldn't raise my eyebrows or blink. It was all very funny because I felt like one of those plastic moms from a sitcom who can't show emotion. I just can't use my forehead area. And it's really fun to tell people I got Botox because they're like "WHAT?!". However, it's a rather common treatment in the headache world that's been in use for at least 6 years, even in the FDA only approved it for migraines recently. So that was exciting. I get my next injection at the end of March, so fingers crossed we see some improvement!

So yeah it was a rather unexciting weekend and I won't bore you with the details but my family is thinking about getting a new dog! Thoughts? Apparently I have to train it by the way. I'm a push over when it comes to cute and fluffy things, so we'll see. Plus I love Higgins sooo much. Also beat Maddie and Mom at euchre with Kevin as my partner. Always fun. And of course Downton Abbey. I hope you all watch it because I'm not going to tell you what it happening. And Bryan wanted to know how my book ended and I'm sad to say she died in childbirth and her lover died in a Nazi prison camp and her cousin adopted their child. This book became really depressing on the last page. Like literally the last page said this. Like you knew her lover was a spy or something but you didn't know how legit. And it seemed unfair that the baby should lose both his parents. Anyway Higgins and I need to go to bed so xoxo!

http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/news/20101018/fda-approves-botox-to-treat-chronic-migraines

My Book Is Finally Dry

It's finally dry guys. I'm pretty excited. I haven't read it yet but I'll tell you how it ends. Hopefully with a wedding. I love weddings. I've been busy not doing anything, which is what happens when you don't feel well. You feel overwhelmed with the number of things to not do. Like not work out. I worked out everyday this week and today I was like ehh no. So I slept til 2. Or something. And I fell asleep early last night. After watching the Office, Portlandia, and 30 Rock. Basically the last few days have been uneventful. But I watched some Downton Abbey which was amazing. As usual. I would tell you about my dreams but I can't remember them. I think some of my medicines cause me to remember more of my dreams though. Isn't that interesting? I think yes. I have an appointment with my neurologist on Monday so hopefully I have some interesting medical stuff to tell you. Until then, have an exciting weekend!

I Dropped My Book In The Tub.

I dropped my book in the tub. It was super upsetting. I have like 50 pages left and now it's all wet. Actually it should be dry now so hopefully I can read some before bed. I haven't felt well today but I talked to my friends Medha and Sara (here's your shout out/brush with fame if I ever become famous haha), which was of course wonderful. It's amazing how much talking to your friends makes you feel better. My doctors and therapists always tell us this and I'm sure there are studies on this but it's true. Also I think I read it in Real Simple and Oprah. Real Simple is my favorite magazine because of the repurposing section and all of its useful tips I've never used. Although I've told other people to use them. And I read you have to eat dark chocolate at least 2 times a week to get the health benefits. You're welcome for the excuse to eat chocolate more often. Anyway this post is mainly to thank the people who have actually read my blog (apparently people have) but also to remind everyone to talk to the people you care about. And I don't just mean bitch to them. But honestly call me if you want to complain because I think it's fascinating. Back on topic though people make their bodies better even if it's just for a little while if they talk or see or IM people they care about (I'm bringing IM back. Watch out). That's my health segment.

Anyway I dropped my book in my epsom salt bath and it was super depressing. I was getting to a really good part. I don't really know what was going on and they were about to tell me and then it fell. Or I dropped it. But whatever. And Miss Piggy was on Project Runway. The Muppets are the bomb.com. Maddie had an obsession with the Muppets in 8th grade and the new movie was awesome and I think I'll dedicate the time I was going to put into prepping for an Ironman into Muppet research. And I started In the Garden of Beasts which is about the American ambassador and his family in Germany leading up to WWII which will get stressful but right now is not. I just hope The Pursuit of Love (the book I dropped in the bath that is not stressful other than the fact that was wet) is dry. xoxo til tomorrow!

Gluten, Dairy, Sugar, and You (if you have a headache anyway)

Hey happy Wednesday! So I said I'd talk about my migraine treatments so I'll start with my diet. I've been put on a gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free (or at least low-sugar) and have been on it for about a month. It's hard at first (especially when you're kind of picky like me) but it gets easier. I've been dairy-free for 6 months and it has made a difference. Research has been done although the reasons allude us at the moment. Sugar is a more obvious one and is obviously not fun. Baking is one of my favorite things to do and trying to bake without gluten, dairy, and little sugar is difficult. But I've found lots of good things to eat don't worry. I also have a lot of friends who are migraine sufferers who have found success with diet change (maybe just gluten, etc). There are also a lot of "food triggers". About 20% of people who have migraines have a food trigger, which could basically be anything. The most common are dairy, MSG, nitrates, and nuts. And chocolate. But basically anything. It's a party.

Lots of Love to all of you who are reading! I'm watching the last episode of the fist season of Downton Abbey (OMG) so I better concentrate on that. I don't want to miss the costumes. Or any scandal. xoxo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiNXXM2mn9Y
http://migraine.com/blog/expert-featured-article/gluten-sensitivity-and-migraines/

Hey first post so exciting!

Heyy! I'm Bizzie! I'm 19 and living with the fam while taking the year off. I'm being treated for my migraines here by quite the collection of doctors and having so much fun. I love baking and watch terrible tv. And a lot of it. Oops. I have 3 siblings and a dog named Higgins who follows me around. He's quite stupid but cute so it balances out. So I made this blog to tell people about my life but also to talk about the treatments that are being used to help me while I'm home. I've tried and am trying a lot of things, so I might as well share. Like my gluen-free, dairy-free, sugar-free diet. Ick. But I won't bore all of you promise. I do something silly at least once a day and if not I trip. And now that I have a blog I'm obliged to share. Today I came up with a completely unoriginal blog name. And watched Dance Moms (one of my many tv shows). Dance Moms is the best reality show ever because the kids are actually talented. So when the parents argue you can be like "but they have their kids' best interests at heart" even if they don't.