the hocus focus photo blog

In My Best Carrie Bradshaw Voice

Hello, Luvah! 

I hope everyone is having a terrific Valentine's Day with their sweethearts!  My celebration started yesterday when some of the moms at Rilee's preschool brought an entire dinner and dessert for me.  It was such a thoughtful thing to do and the food was absolutely devine.  The girls and I enjoyed it while Chris was at work and even saved him a few leftovers.

Then today I celebrated with all three of my Valentines -The Baldy, The Blondie and The Babe.  And the day couldn't have been any sweeter.  Mr. Clean came home from work this morning with dozens of the most beautiful pink roses for me, flowers and balloons for the girls and then we gave them some little gifts from us.  Roo got a pink and white soccer ball, The Lu got a black and pink basketball and of course, we added to the Morrow movie collection.  This holiday it was Disney movies - The Game Plan starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, which we all loved (and thankfully so because if Chris or I had to watch High School Musical 2 one more time we'd be fighting over which one of us got to use the meat pounder on our own head first.  You know it's bad when I call the firehouse and I can hear him singing HSM songs in the background AND THEY'RE NOT EVEN WATCHING THE MOVIE.  He just can't get them out of his head!)  And we also snatched up the Original Cinderella before they put that puppy back in the vault. 

Add carry out from Pei Wei and some chocolate mint ice cream followed by some serious family snuggling and you've got the perfect Valentine's Day for us.  Some years Chris and I really look forward to going out by ourselves for Valentine's Day, but this year we wouldn't have done it any other way.  It's not where we go, what we eat, how dressed up we get....it's WHO we're with.  And this year we're with the ones that make us a family.  Our little sweethearts!  And we love 'em!

I've been spoiled all day with love and gifts, but I wanted to show off what I bought Mr. Clean.  THE MOST AWESOME GIFT.  I grabbed the Keurig B70 Coffee Maker and he LOVES it!  I had it all setup and ready to go when he walked in the door this morning and the goof ball was so busy scurrying around he didn't even notice it until I pointed it out.  I will admit it was a bit of a selfish gift because I'll get quite a bit of use out of it, too, but that's all good.  He does love it.  And this things ROCKS - It spits out a 12 ounce cup of gourmet coffee in less than 60 seconds!  Did somebody say Hello, Luvah?

Oh, and when I thought the day couldn't get any better Beth stopped by and surprised me with homemade chocolate chip cookies and some chocolate candy.  Talk about being a superhero!  Bell's Palsy has stripped my sense of taste except for the far, back, left corner of my mouth and there are only a few things that actually taste good...lucky for me chocolate is one of them.   And she brought LOTS!  (Thanks, Bethy!)

Hope you and your Valentines have a terrific day filled with love and laughter.   Mine was (but some of that could be because of the Vicodin/Flexeril/Ambien cocktail I just had and if none of this makes any sense, that's definitely to blame!)  Hee!  Hee!

Much love and a Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours,
H

The Fabulous Leslie

So I finally got around to narrowing down the Molly Jayne's images for the Trendsetter section of Her Life Magazine and boy was it tough?  Leslie rocked every single one of those Molly Jayne's outfits.  With every click of the shutter I kept saying, "How can it get any better than this?"  Bit it just did.  Leslie was amazing to work with and hopefully we're get to shoot again soon. 

Until then, enjoy!





 

An Overdue Update

Hi, all!  I'm finally chiming in wih an update.  The weekend was a bit rough, having to cancel a couple of shoots (one of them would have been a major milestone in my career), but I'm keeping my chin up.  Thanks to my wonderful husband, lots of amazing friends and doctors and even complete strangers, I know that I WILL get through this. 

While I'm over half way through my second round of steroids I've seen no improvement in my symptoms.  And my vision has gotten worse.  (And I don't need to tell you how important vision is to a photographer.)  I was lucky enough to get an appointment with one of the best ophthalmologists in the city over the weekend.  Dr. David Lyon of the Sabates Eye Centers saw me Saturday and assured me that there had been no permanent damage to my eye, which is wonderful news.  Because I'm not able to close my right eye completely it cannot stay hydrated on it's own.  I'm having to use artificial tears during the day and gel at night while I tape my eye shut.  And don't get me started on how annoying this is.  (You know I really could 'roid rage at any given moment.)  I was so excited to see Dr. Lyon.  Being that he specializes in eye muscle disorders I had such high hopes that he'd have some miracle cure for me.  (What was I thinking?)  Unfortunately, that was not the case.  I've since learned that the steroids only relieve the inflammation of the nerve and that the symptoms of Bell's Palsy will only go away as the nerve begins to regenerate itself.   I'll see Dr. Lyon again in two weeks and will likely continue on that schedule until my vision is better.  He simply wants to be sure that no permanent damage is occurring as a result of not being able to close the eye.  He's very thorough and I'm grateful to have been able to see him on such short notice.  I guess I was just hoping for a little miracle and was completely shocked and felt so deflated when I heard that nothing could be done. 

Saturday and Sunday Chris and I did quite a bit of research on Bell's Palsy and found that lots of people are using acupuncture to help regenerate the nerve.  After having another appointment with my NP today I've decided to give it a try.  I've been referred to a couple of acupuncturists, but would love to hear from anyone who has experience with it.  While I know it may or may not work for me, I'm willing to give it a try.

Chris bought me a card the other day that read, "It's times like these we can remind ourselves...there's nothing some nice lipstick and a fabulous pair of shoes can't cure!"  I consider myself half way there.  Because I can't really sit and read magazines or be on the computer much and too much TV causes headaches I decided I would get out and walk.  Yes, walk.  I know.  I know.  Me?  One foot in front of the other.  Exercise.  (Kathy, don't fall out of your chair...you might drop your Thin Mints and that would be such a waste.)  Believe it or not I used to do it all the time.  Before I had kids.  Before my spare time was filled with photography.  Walking used to be so therapeutic to me.  It was the one thing I could do to relax and clear my head.  So what did I do?  I made Chris take me to the mall and by me a new pair of shoes.  And rather than a cute pair of heels or a sassy pair of boots I got a sweet pair of Nikes.  Pink ones.  With Shox. 

And I'm now a walkin' fool!  I have to say that the cold weather really sucks, but it's been nice to get out of the house and clear my head.   Now all I need is some new lipstick.  :o)

I'll keep you posted on that one. 

Until next time, thank you all so much for your love and support.  Much love,
H

An Extra Happy Birthday

She invites friends and family to Thanksgiving dinner via email. 
She's been known to pull an all-nighter playing Nintendo Golf.
She can strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere, anytime.
She's got no enemies.
She's always got an extra hug just waiting for you.  And they're the best hugs I've ever had.
She's not afraid to sit your butt on the garage step to give you an attitude adjustment.  (Whether your 3 or 33.  I've been there - and it works.)
She ALWAYS tells it like it is.  ALWAYS.
She always tells me I sound great when I play the piano. (Okay so sometimes she doesn't exactly tell it like it is, but I won't hold that one against her.)
She's competitive.
She's one of the most kick-ass Slugbug players I know.  (And we've played a lot of Slugbug in my days.)
She loves when I aggravate her. 
She's a killer garage sale shopper.
She's got a quick wit and an amazing sense of humor. 
She loves to play jokes on people.
She has an infectious laugh. 
She's tough as nails.  Maybe even tougher. 
She's the world's best listener.
She's the hardest worker.
She somehow always seems to understand and be able to fix all my problems. 
She's magical.
She's beautiful. 
She's beloved.
She's my grandma.
She's my best friend. 
She's simply THE BEST.
She makes me want to be a better wife.
She makes me want to be a better mom. 
She makes me excited to someday be a grandma.
And I know that I couldn't have made it this far in life without her.

Happy EIghty-Sixth Birthday, Ma! 
I love you with all my heart!

Here she is with the girls last summer. 

And they adore her just as much as I do!

I, Heather Morrow, Do Solemnly Swear to Blog on Tuesday

Hi, all!  It's been a long, difficult weekend filled with so many emotions that I can't seem to find the words for right now.  Please know that your thoughts, prayers, emails and phone calls have kept me going and that I'll be blogging tomorrow.  I might even throw a few pictures at you....no worries, though, Roid Rage Heather will be retiring soon.  YEE! HAW!

Until tomorrow,

Much love,
H

The New Me?

Hey, all!  Just a quick update for those who have called and emailed, which I truly appreciate.  I had a follow up with my NP yesterday.  None of my symptoms were any better, which is not uncommon.  It's only been a week since I was diagnosed, but because of my vision problems I was given a second round of steroids at a much higher dose.  So, this could be me in the near future.

YEAH, RIGHT!  And Monkeys will fly out of my butt right after hell freezes over and I give up chocolate.

If my vision isn't improving with this new dose of steroids I'll be seeing an ophthalmologist on Friday.  The other symptoms I can deal with, but the vision part of it really just SUCKS!  It's the one aspect I hope to get under control quickly.  As of right now I'm not able to schedule any shoots and driving isn't exactly safe.  (Not to worry - I'm staying off the road for now!)

Again, thank you to everyone who has expressed their concern and offered to help.  Luckily, I have an amazing husband who always takes great care of me.  And of course, two little monkeys, er, uh - angels, who like to help him out.  :o)

Stay tuned.  Hopefully I'll have good news in the near future.  In the meantime, please be patient with me as I try to stay on top of emails and phone calls.  If you need to reach me right away, phone will likely be a better option as my time on the computer is very limited. 

Much love,
H

Nighty Night

This eye not closing thing is a real pain in the ass, but I found something to help.  I'm having to tape my eye shut at night (and don't even ask for a picture of that - I'm all for sharing with my readers but that, my friends, is NEVER GONNA HAPPEN!)  Even though I'm taping the silly thing shut it still doesn't close all the way so to block any light from coming in (and to stop Chris from making fun of me) I bought this adorable little sleep mask from Bath and Body Works.  It blocks the light and keeps him and kids from seeing me look all creepy with tape over my eye.

I have an appointment tomorrow with my nurse practitioner and I'm  eager to find out more.  I finished the last of my anti-viral drugs tonight and have three more days of the steroids, but there are no signs of improvement, which could be totally normal for all I know.  I'm not sure how long it takes from those to kick in and I've heard that some people go through multiple rounds of the drugs, but I'm mostly concerned about my vision right now.  That's what's giving me the most trouble.  And obviously as a photographer I kinda need to be able to see. 

I'm going to hold off on scheduling any sessions for now, but will keep you all posted as to when I'll open up the calendar.   Thank you again, for your patience and well wishes.  I'm seriously overwhelmed by the amount of support I'm receiving from everyone.  It's just amazing to me!

Nighty Night!
H

Top Ten

Things About Bell's Palsy That Suck

10.  You can't wink at hot guys when your "winking eye" won't close.
9.    Try putting lip liner on lips you can't feel.
8.    The loss of taste makes for a real waste of sushi.
7.    Brushing your teeth is soooo not graceful when you can't feel your mouth. 
6.    One word.  Spitting.  (NOT EVEN FUNNY! - STOP LAUGHING.)
5.    Who the hell drinks a hot, caramel latte through a straw?
4.    The instructions, "Limit your use of alcohol.  It increases the risk of stomach ulcers when taken with this medication."
3.    Roid rage is so 1992.
2.    No matter how many of Victoria's Secrets you have it's hard to look sexy with one eye taped shut.
1.    Nobody wants to make out with a sloppy kisser.  (Well, except Chris...he loves me anyway.)

Words cannot express my gratitude for all of the phone calls, emails and comments I've received since I posted about being diagnosed with Bell's Palsy.  I'm amazed by the kindness of my fellow photographers, clients and even complete strangers.  I've been having some trouble with the vision in my right eye and can't spend too much time on the computer, but I wanted to thank everyone who has reached out to me.  Your support means the world to me.  I'm hoping this will pass quickly.  I follow up with my regular doctor Tuesday and and I'll keep you all posted.

Much love and many thanks,
H