Hmmm...makes ya think.

Check out this interesting article I found.

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/foods-unsafe-doctors-eat.html?smid=FBPLG-FBS-ART

AHH! I did it!

I just thought I'd share that yesterday I spoke with the Dr.'s office and have a tentative surgery date set for March 2nd.  HOLY COW!  That's like tomorrow! 

I'm actually glad and feel relieved that I at least took the first step.  

My friend Amanda and I joked that my new superhero name will be:

 BIONIC STORM...she's "hip"!    

haha...I definitely need a tee-shirt! 

The next steps are blood tests, pre-operative classes, and figuring out how to use a wheel chair/walker/crutches...I'm excited about the great parking that I will get (only kidding! kind of)... Where's my lollipop?

I Mean, Seriously.

  Check out my husband's blog.  He kicks ass!

http://theunreasonableartist.blogspot.com/

Romeo & Kekoa need this shirt!

My "children" Romeo (the yorkie) & Kekoa (the toy manchester terrier) have a decent-sized wardrobe, but this t-shirt would make them verrry happy! :) I think the character on the doggy t-shirt even looks like my boy Kekoa! Too cute!

Cafe Press Downward Dog Dog T-shirt

Fearless

This past weekend, during Yoga Teacher Training, I found out that we all had to present a 15-20 minute class.  Apparently, everyone knew and I didn't get the memo.  I was scheduled to go on Sunday.  This was the very first time that we actually had to teach each other.  All of the ladies are very skilled yoginis and I couldn't help but feel inferior and limited due to my hip issues (hip meaning the physical body part--not me being cool or uncool).  Needless to say...I was a nervous wreck!  I had two days to prepare and I had nothing!  I plotted it out in my head Saturday evening, then I woke up super early Sunday morning to roll out my mat and prepare my "class".  The feeling in my stomach felt familiar--It felt like the feeling I had in the pit of my stomach before I went to an audition (in case you didn't know, I was once a theatre major).  I put together a simple vinyasa flow and decided to test it out on the hubby.  Allan has some yoga experience so he was able to give me some helpful constructive criticism.  Although, I don't think he was taking it too seriously as he was passing gas and laughing part of the time. (sigh) Men...

I pretty much had it done, made myself some notes, and decided I wasn't going to do it again before I had to so that I could keep it somewhat unscripted and fresh.
When I arrived to YTT that day, I had the grin of fear on my face.  I mean, I've taught friends and family before, but for some reason teaching a room full of yogis that were training to be teachers scared the #$%! out of me!  I guess its just the fact that they were really going to catch it if I did something wrong.  I don't know? I know they would laugh if they heard me say these things...
You see, I've become really close with my yoga sisters that are taking the training with me.  We began this journey in October and are "graduating" in April, but I feel like I've known many of them forever. They will forever be part of my life.  These women are strong and amazing, and have endured some seriously incredible things in their lives.  Each one of them have inspired me in so many ways.

Okay, anyways...yeah, the class...So here I am Sunday morning, and I was the 3rd person up that day.  Everyone before me did such an amazing job!  I felt like the odds were against me.  I mean someone has to screw it all up, right?  I went up in front of the 13 or so bright-eyed ladies, put a smile on my face, and began my class.  Before I knew it, I was in a zone.  I just went through it, and honestly couldn't remember some of the things I said.  I tried my best to create a good atmosphere, set my ego aside, and just go with the "flow".
Phew...those 15 minutes went by pretty fast.  I was pleasantly surprised.  When I was done, there was the critiquing.  I was dreading that! I am definitely a person who can take constructive criticism, but I was bracing myself for the worst.  To my surprise, apparently, I did a good job.  I mean, during my feedback I actually moved people to tears (and it wasn't from some sort of suffering), which moved me to tears. Me??? Woooow.  I had no clue I could do that?  My critiques were painless, and it all gave me an all new boost of confidence.  My mentor and yoga teacher, Jennifer, said some of the kindest most touching things that I have ever heard.  I was flattered.  It reassured me that I am in the right place, and that I should stay right where I am.  I had one foot out the door as far as teaching yoga was concerned, but the feeling I had on Sunday was irreplaceable.  I can't give up now. I know that this is still a very long journey and I'm not there yet but, hip surgery or not, I'm sticking with this.  Its already burnished in my heart.


In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure. ~Bill Cosby

I'm addicted!

To KALE.  Yes, kale.  The green leafy stuff.  Its in season and readily available at all grocery stores.  It a great source of  Protein, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Iron and Magnesium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.  This is my new favorite way to make it; you HAVE to try it!  Its sooo fantastic and very addicting--you actually forget that its healthy! The recipe is from Whole Foods Market website, but I like to make it my own by using different spices, like garlic powder and red pepper flakes, curry powder and salt, cajun seasoning, or sometimes only using a little sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper.  When you bake it, the kale becomes crunchy, almost like salty chips minus the complex carbs.  Any way you make it is sooooo good!  :)  Trust me. Try it and tell me what you think!

Oven Roasted Kale - Whole Foods Market Recipe

~Oven Roasted Kale~

(Serves 4 as a side dish)

Ingredients

2 bunches kale 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

2 to 3 large cloves garlic, minced 

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Method

Preheat oven to 375°F. Rinse kale and pat dry thoroughly. Remove and discard thick ribs and roughly chop leaves. Pat leaves dry again. Toss with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread on a large rimmed baking sheet. Kale does not need to be in a single layer, as it will shrink in volume as it cooks. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so, until leaves are tender, crisp on edges and slightly browned. Sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.

Nutrition

Per serving (About 3oz/83g-wt.): 100 calories (80 from fat), 9g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 3g protein, 5g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 0g sugar), 0mg cholesterol, 160mg sodium

So we went to Baltimore...

Okay, so today we went to Johns Hopkins, Good Samaritan Hospital and met with Dr. Valaik. I came out of there feeling a little confused, sad, and hopeful...

I asked the Dr. plenty of questions, but I still feel like I have a huge question mark over head. Now, I am home trying to sort out my thoughts (Allan just made me a martini. Maybe that will help? hahaha...).

Dr. Valaik was very helpful and I asked him questions about teaching/doing yoga, recovery time, types of replacements, risks, having a child...oh, my brain is spinning. His answers were mostly clear, with the only vague answer being the big question, "Should I do this or not?" He basically said that this is an elective surgery, and that if I am suffering from so much pain, then--its up to me. Wow, it's up to ME??? Can't you just tell me, "Yes, Mischelle, you need this NOW". Or, "No, sweet child, I'd wait a while for technology to speed up. Lets give it a year or two and then we'll talk". He did say that yes, I am young--this is a serious surgery, and if I was 60 he would be signing me up right away. My x-rays showed obvious deterioration and he said its clear that I should suffer from major pain. He seemed pretty shocked when I told him that I don't take any type of pain medication. It was probably a little too "woo-woo" for me to tell him that I count on breathing techniques, meditation, and yoga--so I didn't.

I did ask him one powerful question, "If I were your daughter, would you want me to go through this?" I didn't know at this time that he has 3 daughters of his own. It seemed to me that I caught him a little off guard when asking this. Dr. Valaik told to me that it really all depends on the pain that I have and if it was taking away from my quality of life. He said that its inevitable that I'd be having this surgery either now, or in a few years, and it all depends on when I want to have this done. No matter what, I will have to have at LEAST one more hip replacement in my lifetime just to maintain. (Apparently, these bad boys don't last forever.)

I have a lot of pros and cons to weigh. I'm sort of an emotional mess right now. I came out of there trembling. I shed a few tears, which was expected--I'm scared. They gave me a binder full of information to look over and we watched a 5 minute video that Dr. Valaik made with some valuable information. His secretary/coordinator lady, Berny, told me about an orientation that we can go to before I make any major decisions. I can guarantee that we will be there for that. There seems to be no question in Allan's mind that I should go ahead and get this done. I just want to know, for myself, that this is the right time.

In my heart, I feel like I trust this doctor. It was by chance that I came to him, and I feel like there is some strange reason why this has all been paved out the way it has. The ride home from Baltimore seemed long. I just sat in the quiet car while the rows of barren trees seemed to speed by me a million miles an hour. The snow flurries hypnotized me while I recapped all that happened in our meeting in my head. I trust that God will help me make the right decisions, and be strong and come out of this with a better, fulfilled life (without pain).

I thank my lucky stars for the amazing support that I have from my friends and family. I'd like to specifically thank Allan, Mom, Jon, Loui, Christina, my In-laws, Kori, Amy, my yoga sisters in YTT...without you, I don't know how strong I could be. I love you all!

Pray for me. xo

Namasté.

2010!!!

Yay! So, the new year is here and I'm ready to conquer it! Not in a big, new year resolution kind of way, but I do have a lot of things going on right now.

I am currently working on a documentary (currently titled, "Heart of the Matter") for my yoga teacher training practicum. Yup, all by myself. Well, ok, not really. Allan is helping me film and I am interviewing lots of interesting people and basically directing it all. We will be following my journey during my yoga teacher training along with all of the mess that I am having to deal with about my hip, weight loss, being away from family, etc. Tomorrow is our first day of filming, AND it is my first "official" appointment in Baltimore (about a 2hr drive) with an orthopedic Dr. at Johns Hopkins. So much has been going on, and since the last post, I found out that I will more than likely need to get a hip replacement (yeah, I know, bad news). We have decided to go to the best possible doctor on the East coast. I did some research, and this is where it has led me--Dr. Valaik. I'm really counting on this guy. I hope we have a connection and I like him. We'll see (apparently, he's an ex Navy Seal, so that encourages me to think that he'll at least be a meticulous, and I'm assuming, an anal person) haha!

My yoga teacher training seems to be at a halt right now due to all of this "new news". I really don't want to let it stop me, but I am going to talk to the Dr. tomorrow and see what kind of advice he has to offer. For now, I am trying my best to stay positive. Maybe he will let me film some of the appointment, I don't know?

I am vowing to blog more about this whole experience...more or less just to get it off my chest. Its a great outlet for me to just let it all out. I also want to start incorporating some new things to my blog (school related). In case some of you don't know, I am going to school studying holistic nutrition (Complementary Alternative Medicine), and would love to start posting some of my recipes, holistic remedies, nutritional facts and findings, etc...

I have resorted back to my strictly Vegetarian lifestyle, bordering Vegan. Crazy, I KNOW! I mean, I am from TEXAS! I was practically raised on BBQ'd meats, and brisket. I've been a vegetarian for the past 5 years, and only in this last year have I been cheating and sneaking a filet mignon, or turkey burger or two...I know, BAD! hahaha! Hey, I am human, and now, (sigh) I know what I need to do. Plus, no lie, it makes me feel so much better...from the inside, out.

Being a veg is the only way I can guarantee the health and nutrition that I need to:

1. Keep my weight down, for the sake of this damn hip!

2. Ensure that I am putting the healthiest, cleanest foods possible into my body

3. Keep my cholesterol in check (yeah, an unfortunate genetic blessing that I have inherited...yay.)

My last blood test showed that my cholesterol went back up after I had incorporated meat back into my diet (yes, even lean meat...No, I wasn't noshing on bacon.) Believe me. I LOVE the stuff, I just know that it doesn't work with my system. I'm finding it a great challenge to cook amazing meals that don't make me miss the meat at all.

I will start adding some of my favorites to this blog. Try them out, you may even like them too! ;)

Tonight--since football is on (GO COWBOYS!), we are making vegan "bacon cheddar burgers" (a la 'Five Guys' style) and oven baked fries. Yummmtastic! :)

Peace out, and Happy New Year!!! xo