One of the Coolest Doc's I ever Knew...

PFLAUM DR BRADFORD D D O
April 30, 2007
Of Waterford, died suddenly April 27, 2007 at 44 years of age. Loving husband of Heidi, whom he married on August 8, 1998. Loving and devoted father of Sydney, Ashley, Nicholas and Hailey. Loving son of Beth Pflaum. Preceded in death by his father, Dr. Byron C. Pflaum. Dear brother of Dr. Byron (Sue) Pflaum, Hilde (Dennis) Dilley and Barb Pflaum. Son-in-law of Rich and Jenny Fedorczyk. Brother-in-law of Rich Fedorczyk, Jody Fedorczyk and Michael Fedorcyzk. Also survived by nieces and nephews: Adrienna, Jason, Liz, Bri, Taylor, Jody, Jr., Austin, Ian, Christopher, Anna, Carter and Kaitlin. Best friend of Mark Vento and Dr. Dave Yangouyian. Brad was a graduate of North Muskegon High School and Michigan State University. He earned his doctorate at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. He did is internship at Garden City Hospital and his residency at Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital. Brad was Board Certified in Emergency Medicine. He was the Director of Emergency Medicine at Oakwood Heritage Hospital. Brad loved and adored his family and enjoyed golfing, boating and snowmobiling. Funeral Service will be Wednesday, May 2, 2007 11 a.m. at COATS FUNERAL HOME, Waterford. The family will receive friends Tuesday 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to a Trust Fund for his children's education. To send a private condolence to the family select guestbook at www.coatsfuneralhome.com

Happy Wothers Day!

Yesterday I went to Greg's School for Mommy Time. It was WONDERFUL. We went to the multi-purpose room where they sang to us. Then the children went with a teacher to watch a movie, while we were escorted to the Library where we watched a DVD made by the teacher. I loved every minute of it. After the video was done, the children came back to us and presented us with the items shown above. The plate has a drawing of Greg and I standing next to a tree. It is in my curio cabinet and will be cherished forever.

Mommy Time

Greg is FRONT and CENTER in Red White and Blue Flowered Shirt.

Amen!

This was sent to me by a friend. I LOVE it! As you can see.

Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as they see fit.
In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test,
which I have no problem with. What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test. Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to
get a welfare check, because I have to pass one to earn it for them?
Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on
their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sit on
their butt. Could you imagine how much money the state would save if people
had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check. I can totally agree.

Did I tell you?

I could swear in an earlier edition, I said something about finishing antibiotics. Didn't I? Sorry, I'm feeling a little hypoxic. That would be because I never finished my antibiotics from my sinusitis I had in March. I guess I'll finish them this time... until then, if you haven't seen her blog, you must read The Pioneer Woman's blog. I laughed hysterically and coughed to the point of passing out at the same time.

On the forefront... we went to the Tiger Game yesterday with Kraig and Katrina. It was awesome!!! When Markus Thames hit that homerun, it landed about 3 feet in front of us. We were on TV! Anyone want an autograph, lol. It was a beautiful day and I'm so glad we could go. I have the savage farmer tan to boot.

Yes... He Did It Again...

Greg and I ran to Meijer this morning. As we are walking down the main aisle in the grocery section, I notice this man. Mid 30's, acting like he's shopping, but not doing a very good job of it. You know the type... Department 10 - AKA Security. I start chuckling to myself because "I" know exactly who he is, but he doesn't know I know. I hadn't said a word to Greg and suddenly...it is at this precise moment that my beautiful child, fruit of my womb, love of my life, blurts out,

"WE'RE SHOPLIFTING!"

I have NO idea where this came from, and why he said it, but I AM grateful that I was wearing a slimming tee shirt, jeans and birkenstocks. Plus carrying my tiny spring purse. For that... I had no where to put anything, even if I wanted to.... except in to the mouth of the babe.

Test Pilots Wanted...

I told you it sounded freakish. I'm fairly willing to take control over my health, but to actually read what that does to your body just flips me out. Katrina?? Any takers on this?

Looking for Briget

Briget,

I can not find your email address to write you back. Email me at PlacesToSea@comcast.net.

Valerie

Test Pilots Wanted...

You guys are nuts... I googled the recipe to see if I could find it only because the one I have here on paper is quite extensive. This is the one I found that seems quite close to the one I have. I am a too big of a chicken to try it. So ya'll have at it and let me know how things "come out", lol. Make sure you have some Propel Water or Gatorade on hand in case you throw your acid base balance off. http://home.bluegrass.net/~jclark/liver_cleanse.htm I will be standing by with an IV needle in hand. :)

What They Don't Tell You...

I met an interesting woman last week. It was Friday at Emily's softball practice. Her daughter is on the same team. Last week's topic of discussion... Liver & Gall Bladder cleansing done at home.

I was totally enthralled in this discussion. I find it shocking that with the right "recipe", you can get your gallbladder and liver to purge nasty stones and other "stuff". At the same time, it sounds horrifyingly scary. I took this new information to work with me on Saturday and spoke to one of the doc's. It was a GREAT conversation and once again, makes me so happy to work where I do. You get sound medical advice, in a very casual atmosphere w/o making an appointment. Dr. Steffan's advice? Be careful of your electrolytes and send me the recipe.

Today she brought me the recipe for it. It sounds actually fairly easy, but sounds like it takes your body through a wild ride. I'm almost too afraid to do it, but am interested to see what my liver and gall bladder may be holding on to. The woman has the most pure skin I have EVER seen. It is absolutely radiant. It is so fair, and clean. Just looking at her, you know she has it together. Not to mention that she does "healing energy work" (Today's conversation topic).

The entire conversation started after Kim and I were discussing my new job. The woman overheard us talking. When she came to talk with me, she said that she is a patient of one of one of the doc's in our group. He is fully aware of her gallbladder cleanse, in fact, he knew exactly which recipe she was going to use, as he too is into holistic healing. This is the part that they don't tell you...

We have been going to Silver Pine Family Physicians since 2000. We see Dr. Kotsonis who is a D.O. He is now my boss. He is the only D.O. in the group. I chose him because of his medical degree. A D.O is a Doctor of Osteopathic medicine. They like to use other methods of healing rather than to hand out pills fist over cuff. He has been awesome in this capacity, even doing my neck and back adjustments periodically. Dr. Thibault (pronounced Teebow) is the woman's doctor. He is the one that likes holistic remedies. Never... in all the years that I have known these physicians, have I EVER known them to be into alternative therapies. Yet now that I work there... I am "learning". One physican in particular injured his finger, causing him to get a nail fungus. He firmly believes that taking Lamisil for the recommended period of time, absolutely leaves a little "something" behind in your liver. Hmmm I wonder if that could be "cleansed" out???

The moral to my story? Don't be so quick to jump into a pill bottle. When you have a little something going on, ask your doctor what "other" remedies they think would work prior to popping the pills. Plus hit the internet for some "tips". As always do what your Doc tells you to, but you may be surprised... what they don't tell you is that they too are all about natural cures when warranted.

Please Pass the Xanax

Today Dennis and I went to Lowes to get ideas for our kitchen. Our wheels ARE turning. First off, let me update and tell you that the laundry room will be staying upstairs. After a lot of consideration and advice from people (including our trusty realtor, Debbie), we have decided to keep it upstairs. It is just going to be reconfigured. No big deal. In fact today I realized that my friend Genevieve's laundry room is almost exactly like mine. The exception is that her washer and dryer are both under the window. Plus she has a bigger window than I do. With her laundry room like this, it looks quite big.

Anyway, we went looking today. Cabinets... he wants white, I want maple. I want some glass doors, he doesn't. And so it starts. We did pick up a couple of books to look through and so far we have come up with a couple ideas, however the one thing we both agree on is that we need someone to "design" it for us. So we're going to be looking for the "free" design services of local companies.

I'm sure we will have our bumps along this road, but I am very glad that we have decided to do this now. We have no intentions on moving anytime soon. At this moment, I can visualize Emily and Greg both graduating out of this house. Now if I can just keep Dennis from ripping out the kitchen before it's time.

On a lighter note... Katrina turned me on to this blog. http://thepioneerwoman.com/ I read some of it yesterday. The woman is a total scream. I highly recommend it for your reading pleasure. Plus her photographs are stunning.

New Kid on the Block

We woke up today to find a new kid on the block. It appears the Bunny & Squirrel are sharing quite nicely. Too bad Pumpkin wants to eat them.

The Glass is FULL

When I was little and heard the phrases regarding the glass being half full or half empty, it really got me thinking. People make up these things, but not a lot of people stop to think of "What does it REALLY mean?" I decided at that moment that I was going to be a "half full" type of person. I still am to this day and I take pride in it. In the grand scheme of things, things can be a whole hell of a lot worse. Count your blessings.

Yesterday I decided that I am incredibly lucky to work at the Urgent Care. I wanted it so badly. Even way back in the early days when the property was just a field, and the hint of a building being erected, floated through the departments at the hospital. We were all a buzz hoping and wishing for an Urgent Care to be built on that spot. How ironic that not only would I get my wish, but my very own physician would be the one opening it. Even more ironic that he would ask me personally to come work there.

Let me tell you... I LOOOOOOVVVVEEEE my job. I can't believe I actually get paid to work there. I've decided that having lunch & dinner brought to us every day is really a huge perk. Especially since it's from all our favorite restaurants! I try to make wise food choices, but when they brought in Andiamos, all bets were off! So not only do I get paid to work there, I save money by having my meals provided, PLUS they bring in such an abundance of food, that last week alone, I didn't have to cook dinner on 2 different days! We have great conversations, lots of laughs and with spring break... it has been so slow that I actually got paid to watch Grey's Anatomy last night.

Officer Charles in Charge...

Greg FINALLY stopped puking today. Actually this morning. I think that it was a hypoglycemic episode. For those who have it... you know how bad that sucks when you are vomiting from the flu? I was ready to plug the kid into a D5W IV drip. (Sugar water).

So today, after Emily's piano lesson, we had to get out of here. I absolutely felt like the walls were closing in on me. I can't imagine why. Maybe it's because from 6 - 8 am this morning, I had to do 2 loads of laundry and clean the living room carpeting. (note to self - next time sick child is in living room, make sure bucket is handy).

So once we got little boy blue's sugar adjusted and he got some rest, he was READY to go. She finished her piano lesson and off we went! We picked up Subway, and went to the fire station to visit Dennis, who has been there since Monday morning. I must add that he is ALWAYS gone when the kids or I get sick. So I would like to take this moment to thank ALL of those who have bailed me out with Propel water, and other items that we just could not live without - at moments when I absolutely could not leave the house. I am forever in your debt.

After eating lunch with Dennis, the kids and their Daddy jumped into the ambulance to check it out. They then started preparing the truck for the next run. "This is where Greg gets to 5 finger discount some gloves and Daddy gives him a couple syringes (w/o needles) to play with.

After getting out of the truck, we noticed a sheriffs car out on the driveway. Greg went NUTS!!! He took off like a shot running through the fire department to see the officer who was standing inside. Greg zeroed in on the gun. He was totally in awe of this deputy. Greg then proceeded to ask the officer how many bullets he had in his extra clips. "Do you have a strip of 40 bullets?" (I think we need to lock out the military channel on the TV). The officer was more than nice in answering all of Greg's questions. He actually couldn't get over Greg and how he was not shy at all. Considering he had us all calling him Officer Charles last summer, you can imagine he was just a little excited.

The officer then asked Greg if he would like to see the patrol car. Are you kidding? Someone please pass the child a paper bag to hyperventilate into. We went outside where Greg promptly took his place in the front seat. He looked over everything even grabbing hold of the steering wheel. He asked lots of questions including "Why is there a cage in the backseat?" The officer said it was for the "thugs". This is where Mommy steps in and kindly reminds Greg to AVOID the back seat at all cost or he will suffer a wrath unlike any other... from his mother.

Greg gets out of the car and starts checking out the officer again. Out come the hand-cups (as Greg calls them). 2.2 seconds later, he has Emily's hands pinned behind her back and is asking for the cuffs. Emily was a great sport through it all. The officer showed the cuffs and said that next time he will give Greg a lesson in "speed cuffing". Great. Just make sure you have the key.

After Greg unhands Emily, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out... the syringe! The officer looks down and says, "Oh what is this? Drug paraphernalia?". Dennis promptly lost color and his eyes were like baseballs. Literally. It was hysterical. We explained where it came from, but it still pretty much floored us. Greg almost got a little ride in the cage to the Hackel Hilton for some Prime Rib, which is apparently what they serve there... according to Greg.

5.2 seconds....

We spent Easter at Tim & Stacey's new home in Troy. Their home is absolutely stunning and now has us incredibly motivated to make some "changes". Their home is so tastefully decorated, and so "dooable" for people like Den and I. 5.2 seconds is about how long we were in our door before Dennis was standing in the laundry room with a measuring tape in hand. Our wheels are turning, however, I am still pushing for laundry in the basement. My theory is this... People that live in a colonial, who have first floor laundry are the same as people who live in a ranch that have laundry in the basement. It's no big deal to me. I AM the one that does the laundry around here, so I would prefer it down there. It is a royal pain in the hoohaa to walk around drying racks all the time.

So with that, we are "thinking".

This was a WONDERFUL Easter. We had the best time. Uncle Don has been doing a lot of cooking in his retirement. He made 2 GREAT hams, a HUGE bowl of Potato Salad, weighing approximately 200 pounds, which was awesome, plus 3 different cakes! YUM!!! Stacey made baked beans (Vinnie put cinnamon on his, so I followed suit for a change and liked it quite a bit). We also had Salad (which I will post the recipe for) and rolls. We all took home left overs. The company was fun. We had a lot of laughs, a lot of coffee, and just visited. Chuckie has lost too much weight. I told him that if he didn't start a maintenance "plan" that he would start to "click" as he walked from his bones knocking together.

Tim & Stacey were wonderful hosts. Their kids are a riot. Maddie was pretty bent out of shape when her Grandma (Aunt Margie) put her coat on. Maddie promptly went and got her shoes and coat and thought she was going to the Fwaiwer (Trailer - aka Aunt Margie's & Uncle Don's camper out at the lake). Forget the fact that the trailer is covered in snow and ice!

It was such a great time. We are already looking forward to next year. Now where's that hammer????

Dog in Pool...smartest dog in the world

I LOVE this!

The Sweetest Recipe I ever got... How Much Cinnamon?

F.F.F.F FREEEZZZINN!!!!

HOLY smokes it was cold yesterday! Yes.. I know, many of you will say, "It was nice out". It was, but our seats for opening day were DIRECTLY underneath the scoreboard. Literally. When I looked up, I saw the dead bottom of the board. We couldn't even see what was on the board. So, for the first 2.5 hours of the game, we were freezing our kahonies off. I thought I had dressed appropriately, but I guess not.

It was a lot of fun. Where else can you go and tie one on at 11am and be dead sober by 4? The bathroom was a little scary, so we quit drinking immediately after entering the park. For some odd reason, (I'm chalking this up to the 44,000 + fans)there were lines everywhere.

It almost makes us sad for the days when the Tigers sucked. You could buy a nose bleeder seat and then move down to sit right by First Base... (we actually did this when Bobby Higginson was still on the team). Now that they are hot, the fair weather fans are out in full force.

I look forward to the day where we will be sitting in our regularly scheduled seating.

On another note... this week is FLYING by! Good lord! It is Wednesday tomorrow!!! I have a lot to accomplish before the kids get out of school on Thursday. That includes a return to the vet for Booster. I will keep you posted on him. Until then...

Have a Wonderful Easter!

Section 146, Row KK, Seat 11

That will be my location tomorrow for TIGERS OPENING DAY BABY!!! I am very excited about this coming year. ESPN is saying that the Tigers will probably go to the World Series again this year and if they do... THEY WILL WIN IT!

Vamanos Le Tigres!!! For our spanish speaking friends....

For those who want to know... we are not sitting in our "normal" seats for opening day. Our regular seats will once again be Section 150, Row A, with NO ONE but the visiting team's pitchers sitting in front of us. We have a quite a few games we can not attend, so if you are interested in scoring some tickets in stellar seats... shoot us an Email. We are not scalpers. We only want what we paid for them. And yes... if they make the playoffs, I WILL be going.

Vamanos Le Tigres!!!