Wednesday, March 14, 2012

She Might Be the Smart, Pretty, and More Successful One, But I Never Had a Bunion.

Want to know how much time was spent
taking pictures while my sister was here?

I know.
And I'm ashamed of myself.

We just never got around to it.
Lame.

Having my big sister spend three blissful days with me
was a true gift.
One I will always remember and
hold close to my heart.

Being my only sibling,
she is the only person, other than my father, 
that knows the me that I was,
that I am.

We spent hours just talking about everything.
Ailments.
Since we're both on the fast track to 50,
we had a few of those to discuss.
My failing eyesight
and her bunions.

And we talked about memories.
And the conversations went something like this.

Holly:  "Remember when I got that fish hook caught in my ear?"
Kelly:  "No, that was me."
Holly:  "I'm pretty sure that was me."
We'll never know.

Holly:  "See that Geode?  It came from Mimi's place in Arkansas."
Kelly:  "Mine came over on a covered wagon to Indiana."
We got the Geodes from the same place
but neither one of us knows which story is true.

And it turns out that my sister is brilliant.
Who knew?
She taught me many things while she was here.

My sister and I have both suffered from
some strange low blood sugar thing.
Every single morning,
after eating cereal or oatmeal,
we would get light headed and almost pass out.

It was Kelly that figured out what was going on.
Refined sugars and grains.
We can't do them.
No wheat products.
She's been doing Paleo for a while now
and feels so much better.
I figured I'd give it a shot while she was here.
And after one day,
ONE DAY,
of doing this, I felt really good.
I had no dizzy spells.
No drop in my blood sugar.
That was the first time in years that I hadn't had that
feeling that my body was shutting down.

So while I continue to believe that
Weight Watcher's is an amazing program,
and I've lost 20 lbs doing it,
I can no longer follow it.
My body just needs what it needs.
And it doesn't need processed foods.

I'm eating like a caveman.
Meat, fish, fruits, veggies, and nuts.
And I dropped another 4 lbs this week.
And I don't feel lightheaded.
And I don't have to carry crackers in my purse anymore.

My sister also taught me some Yoga.
She and I both have bulging lumbar discs
which causes left butt cheek pain.
The Yoga really helped me with that.

Probably the best thing she taught me
was how to keep my dog off my new couches.
Foil.

I took a long piece of foil out,
shook it at the dog which scared her
and then I placed it on the couch at night
before I went to bed and she stayed off it.

That is so much easier than
waking yourself up in the middle of the night
to sneak out into the living room
and catch your dog in the act
and shame her into getting back into her doggie bed.

We had some great down time.
Just relaxing.
While she drank wine out of a coffee cup
since I have no wine glasses.
She's proven herself to be adaptable.

We did some shopping with Sally,
my Daddy's wife.
That was a great day.
Sally showed me the most amazing
consignment clothing shop.
I can't wait to take Jo there.
The place was huge.
It had adorable clothes and the prices were very good.

I can't believe I didn't get pictures.
And she's on an airplane
heading east as I write this.
And I'm sad.
And I miss her.

Holly







20 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have to carry crackers, is this whats wrong with me????I'm so sorry to make this the high point of my reading your blog because i love to read about your sister but this paleo thing, its hit me like a hammer in the head,, you desribed ME, I'm like that,, wow.
Your sis is very smart, very smart, tin foil, who knew???
I did know abou the yoga though, it does work.

Tammy said...

I'm sorry she had to leave you. I totally understand. I'm glad you got to visit though. =)

Ann said...

Having your sister come to visit is such joy. I agree wholeheartedly that she is the only one that knows me as I was, exactly where I came from and who I am -- and fortunately, she loves me anyway. Glad you had such a great time. Blessings, Ann

RoeH said...

Now Hank would just look at you while you were shaking the foil at him....then get up on the couch and push the foil off...then curl up and go to sleep. Dogs take the hint. Cats? Not so much.

just call me jo said...

What is that stuff I need to eat? I get light headed too. Shakey. Maybe I'm just nuts. Could be.
She taught you tons. What a smart sister. I wish I had a sister to teach me things. Be my substitute sister and lets go to that store. Yippee! Love you!

Kris said...

I thought about you so many times. What a great visit for you both!!! So...paleo eh? Erika has done it, and loves it. But I could NEVER do it. Too restricting for me. I do try to stay away from processed foods, and I am watching my diet much more carefully, and Greg and I have begun our work out programs. I am so sore!!!! Good for you on the weight loss. I hope I can shed some too.
Love ya,
K

TARYTERRE said...

Paleo sounds interesting. Will have to check it out. Hearing all about you and your sister makes me wish I had one. Glad you had so much fun together. Take care.

larainydays said...

Paleo? Sounds good whatever it is? I'm glad you had so much fun with your sis

Linda said...

Gkad to hear you had fun with your sister...they can be lots of fun!!Foil...who knew??? Have a great day!!

Pat MacKenzie said...

There's nothing quite as special as a sister. When Wendy and I talk about our memories, it always amazes me that her take on them is different from mine. It seems the older we get the more we have in common.

I gave her a card once with this quote in it:

"I'm smiling because you're my sister;
I'm laughing because there's nothing you can do about it."

God bless sisters...by blood or by heart.

Anonymous said...

I forgive you for not taking photos because your conversations with your sister where MUCH more important. WOW, you learned so much! I'm truly amazed and happy for you.

Ah, to have a sister to share things with. Never did, never will. So when I hear of girls who's relationships are so sweet and dear, it brings a warm tug to my heart. How lucky you (and your sister) are.

Foil. Who knew? But the 'shame' thing made me laugh 'cuz you KNOW your doggie had you trained!!!

Consignment shop? Where? Can I come? I need some cute black shoes to put in my freezer!!!!!

Hugs sweet girl...you are a treasure.

J

Anonymous said...

I forgive you for not taking photos because your conversations with your sister where MUCH more important. WOW, you learned so much! I'm truly amazed and happy for you.

Ah, to have a sister to share things with. Never did, never will. So when I hear of girls who's relationships are so sweet and dear, it brings a warm tug to my heart. How lucky you (and your sister) are.

Foil. Who knew? But the 'shame' thing made me laugh 'cuz you KNOW your doggie had you trained!!!

Consignment shop? Where? Can I come? I need some cute black shoes to put in my freezer!!!!!

Hugs sweet girl...you are a treasure.

J

Sunny Simple Life said...

Well sounds like a good time. Your sister is smart. Can she come stay with me for a bit. I did not know weight watchers encourages processed foods. Yuck. I need to loose a few lbs. Sugar is my downfall.

Lynn said...

Sounds like you had a fun visit and congrats on getting the sugar thing figured out-that's great:@)

Genn said...

Hi Holly!
Glad you had a great visit with your sister.
She does sound like one smart lady. I want to hang out with ya both.
Way to go on losing four more pounds! 24 lbs down is so awesome.
How interesting how you both can't do the whole grains. I think paleo is a great way to stick to healthy foods.

ps- ya immersion blended anything lately? not me. I'm having withrawls.

life in red shoes said...

Oh Holly, you make me laugh! Do you read DOOCE? She's been doing the paleo thing for a while and feels great.
I'm so happy that you and your sister are so close. Mine? not so much :(

tainted with a positive view said...

I miss my sister who lives in Florida - I come from a family of 5 kids, but it is Gail that I miss the most. Probably because we shared a room our entire lives and she is 2 years older than me. I am so glad you were able to spend time with your sister! Sounds like you had a memorable 3 days! P.S. - we do the same thing with stories - we have heard them so many times, we don't always remember who they happened to. :)

Anonymous said...

And... my brother swears by the paleo diet. Good luck with that!

deb said...

I have that paleo book....hubby does a version...no carbs...thats why no more low blood sugar...it really works!!!!! but oh do I need my bread!

Anonymous said...

Good job Holly! Paleo can seem so intimidating but isn't amazing how good you feel? I always sleep better & feel better all around when I eat Paleo. On the Biggest Loser when they're at their peak & can't seem to lose anymore weight the nutritionists put them on Paleo.

I'm catching up on your blog & cracking up! Miss you!!

P.s. I hate Yoga too! It's dumb, & who has time to clear their thoughts & move slow? I got things to do!
XO
Erika