Saturday Morning Laundromat Vibes
Posted on November 1, 2026 by Ching under Health, Life.
Wesley told us during my pre-op on October 13 that we needed to sleep in clean sheets the day before surgery which was on October 20. Our current comforter hadn’t been washed in months and was completely covered in Saki fur. Not only that, we found out later that she had puked on it and we didn’t even realize it. I told Brian we must be nose-blind! We didn’t find it until after the first wash cycle.
Anyway, I already knew we weren’t going to get that comforter cleaned in time so I just ordered a replacement and, thanks to Amazon, it arrived October 16, within plenty of time for the eve of my surgery.
I told Brian that we needed to make a trip to the laundromat to clean the other comforter. He’s insisted that we had washed it at home before. So I crammed it in the washer and then crammed it in the drier. When we pulled it out, it smelled bad. I was thinking maybe the drier didn’t dry it completely and it smelled musty because of this but, upon closer inspection, we found the source of the awful smell was Saki’s puke spot. Not only did the washing machine not agitate the comforter successfully, but it had somehow spread the puke smell because, I promise you, the comforter didn’t smell that bad at the start.
In it goes for another wash and dry cycle. I asked Brian if it was dry-dry and he assured me that he ran it through multiple cycles. Guess what. It still smelled bad. I think because it’s crammed in the washer, it’s not getting agitated, and the soap isn’t penetrating. I was like, “I told you we should have gone to the laundromat.”
Life stopped for a few days during and immediately after my surgery, but he finally agreed to take it to the laundromat. However, he said if we can’t get it cleaned then we’re going to have to just throw it away.
Fast forward to yesterday. Went to the laundromat for the first time in a long time. I was hoping you could do tap to pay but, alas, the machines at Spring Clean are still not that advanced. I was actually hopeful because they had these QR codes everywhere, but they want you to download an app and, even then, you still can’t pay as you go. They want you to load money in the app before you can actually use it. We were partway through the process, but stopped because we agreed that, unless Saki pukes on our current comforter, it’s going to be another year before we have to wash it. If you’re reading up to this point, you probably think we are gross but, while our sheets and pillowcases get washed weekly, we really don’t wash the comforter unless it gets soiled somehow.
We scrap the app idea and Brian’s just goes to the change machine instead. He gets $20 in quarters. Machine wants $14 so I’m feeding it in quarters and, OMG, it takes forever. Maybe we should have gone ahead with the app but we’re committed at this point. Two hours later (I’m exaggerating), we finally get all the coins loaded and start the wash cycle. There’s plenty of room in the commercial washer so we can actually see it tumbling around and getting agitated. It looks promising. The final test is the smell-test after it comes out of the dryer–success! We managed to save our comforter from the trash heap and it’s now stored at home as a backup.
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My Hysterectomy Story
Posted on October 29, 2026 by Ching under Health.
It’s story time, friends. Some of you who have been with me since the beginning of this blog know about my thyroidectomy about 14 years ago and know how what that journey was like. I was super reluctant to have surgery and so I continued to put it off until my thyroid had gotten so enlarged on one side that I really had no choice.
Fast forward to now, and I had a very similar journey with my hysterectomy. Problems started a few years ago, maybe around 2022-2023 time frame. Up until this point, I had very regular, predictable, normal periods. I never had any issues with cramps or anything like that. My period would come every month like clockwork. I would bleed for 3-4 days, maybe 5 at most, and then it would be over. And then a few years ago, my monthly cycle became highly irregular and I started suffering from really bad period cramps. They were so bad, I actually bought a heated pad to help soothe my abdominal cramps. There were months I wouldn’t have my period and those were great but then there were months I would bleed for two weeks straight and be completely miserable the entire time. I’d never taken so many pain killers my entire life. Even when I had my thyroidectomy, I took two Tylenol pills and that was about it. Now I’d started popping ibuprofen and NSAIDs like my life depended on it.
When I finally had enough, I talked to my doctor (at Center for Women’s Health at the time) about options. We talked about hysterectomy, which I wasn’t quite ready for; ablation, which also seemed invasive to me; and finally, birth control. I hadn’t taken birth control pills in years at this point. We just didn’t need any type of contraceptives. So here I am, taking birth control pills in my 40s–not for contraception, but to help with my issues.
It took a few months but it actually did work. My monthly cycle became more predictable. The cramps were few and manageable. While I had some other issues (mainly knee problems), for the first time in a really long time, my period cramps weren’t causing me problems. 2024 was mostly okay but then my blood pressure started running high. Center for Women’s Health had closed so I was with my new doctor at Associates in Women’s Health. I have always had unusually low blood pressure so it was strange that I suddenly had high blood pressure. (SIDE NOTE: September 2024 is when Brian got diagnosed with cancer, which shifted my routines so I’m sure it wasn’t all because of the birth control pills. I had become far less active during those months.)
We took me off the birth control pills, which didn’t really change anything; so shortly after, our GP prescribed me blood pressure medication. I started it this year and it’s actually help normalize my blood pressure a ton. In the meantime, almost as soon as I stopped the birth control, my period issues came back.
During our Alaska cruise last year, I went through three boxes of tampons because I was bleeding the entire time. I brought tampons for the trip but used them all up and had to buy two more boxes and used them all before we got home. This summer I got very anemic to the point that Brian had to pick me up from work and take me to the ER where they gave me a blood transfusion. For our solar eclipse cruise in August, I made sure to pack a ton of tampons so I wouldn’t have to buy expensive boxes during the trip. I went through all of those because I pretty much bled almost the entire time (again) and I had a couple of days of miserable cramps.
I’ve known for a while that a hysterectomy is the solution but my ambivalence was fueled by my fear of having surgery (despite having survived one already all those years ago) and also periods (pun intended) of normalcy. There were times when my periods were normal, and actually some months when I didn’t have one. During those times I felt like surgery wasn’t necessary. However, the miserable times make me wish that I had gotten my hysterectomy yesterday. Because I was wavering between these feelings and also I didn’t really want to be cut off from my normal routines (I wouldn’t be able to play pickleball or do Zumba) during recovery so I continued to put it off until my last gyno appointment. It was a follow up after my ER trip. It was then that we decided that I would finally have my hysterectomy this year. My doctor was out on maternity leave following the birth of her third child and we were traveling in August so we agreed to regroup at my well-woman exam on October 8. We also turned that visit into my pre-op appointment.
I didn’t have a surgery date yet but I tried to keep my schedule open. I didn’t sign up for any tournaments from October to the end of the year. However, I did RSVP for a couple of things that I was bummed about missing but you can only put your life on hold so much. I rolled the dice that I would be able to attend and lady luck wasn’t on my side.
October 8–doctor got my surgery date set for Tuesday, October 20. Things happened so quickly after my pre-op. Wesley Hospital asked me to come in for their on pre-op visit on Tuesday, October 13, exactly one week before surgery. But they called me before that. On Friday, October 9, someone from Wesley spoke to me on the phone to confirm my October 13 appointment but also asked me a bunch of questions about my medical history and medications.
I asked the lady on the phone with me exactly what I would be coming in for on the 13th since she seemed to be getting all the information already over the phone. She explained they have go over all the information with me in person, get some labs done, and they’re also giving me a “goody bag.” She sensed that I perked up at hearing “goody bag” and told me that she probably shouldn’t have called it that because it’s not that kind of “goody bag.” LOL.
October 13–Brian and I carpooled to work that day so he could take me to my 7:30 AM pre-op appointment at Wesley. Here’s a pic of us waiting at the hospital.
Here’s a picture of my “goody bag,” which contained pre-op instructions, informational pamphlets, a breathing exercise device, a bottle of Ensure pre-surgery drink, and a couple of antiseptic wipes.
October 20–surgery day. Brian helped me prepare our bed the night before. They instructed me to sleep on clean sheets. They also said no pets in the bed with us, but that wasn’t happening. LOL. We love Saki too much to push her away. We followed the instructions about the clean sheets, though.
They told me to shower but not apply any kind of lotions or products. Instead I was to wipe my entire body with the cloths that were provided. My body needed to be completely clean prior to surgery to reduce the risk of infection.
I also wasn’t allowed to eat anything at all that day except for the Ensure drink that they gave me, which I was supposed to drink before going to the hospital. Check in was at 11:00 AM and surgery was scheduled for 1:00 PM.
Here’s a picture of the “ready” room. I don’t think it’s actually called that but that’s what I’m calling it because this is where they got me ready for surgery.
Brian stayed and worked from the hospital that day. He did walk across the street to grab some lunch but came back and waited until I was ready to go home.
I was thinking I would be released by 4:00 PM but the schedule didn’t quite work out that way. First, the doctor was running late so we didn’t have my surgery at 1:00 PM as planned. Surgery started later than planned and, while the surgery itself only took a couple of hours or so, it took me almost an hour to wake up from the anesthesia. I woke up starving because I hadn’t eaten anything since 8:00 PM the night before. The nurse gave me Mott’s applesauce. I’ve never been a fan of applesauce but, that day, at that moment, it tasted delicious.
They wouldn’t release me until I was able to urinate. Once I finally did, I was free to go. I just wanted to go home and continue sleeping. I think it was 7:00 PM by the time we finally got home.
I haven’t spoken to my doctor since the surgery. Brian spoke to her and he said that the doctor told him it went really well. My four fibroids were bigger than expected but surgery went smoothly. I have to agree because I feel pretty good for only a week out. I am looking forward to my follow-up appointment next week to see if the doctor can release me to return to work. Hoping my recovery continues with no setbacks. Stay tuned!
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Tallgrass Film Festival 2026
Posted on October 26, 2026 by Ching under Community, Things to Do.
This is our first time back at Tallgrass Film Festival in a few years and my first time embracing it fully. In the past, when we’ve gotten Tallpasses from either my work on through Jenni, we’ve always just attended the VIP parties. This year, since it was the final weekend before my hysterectomy, I decided to take Friday off work and really immerse myself in the festival by watching multiple movies and attending as many of the activations as I could.
On the first day of the film fest, we attended the festival opening reception and open house at Wichita State University Shocker Studios. Shocker Studios didn’t exist when I attended Wichita State. The 50,000 square foot facility is located at the old Wichita Mall on East Harry. I guess the facility opened in 2017 but I never knew of its existence until recently. Here’s a video tour of the facility.
We watched our first festival movie, YO Love is a Rebellious Bird, in their large conference rooms. It’s a really interesting story about a friendship between two women who are decades apart in age. Here’s preview trailer.
Since opening night was on Thursday, we opted to skip the kickoff party at Hawk’s Nest. I was off the next day but Brian still had work.
On Friday I met Jenni at Reverie and filmed her first kouign-amann experience before the Crystal Cross screening at Boulevard Theatres. Boulevard at Old Town Square was the main hub for all the movies with a few exceptions–the opening night screening at WSU Shocker Studios and screenings at the Orpheum Theater on Saturday. Here’s the Crystal Cross movie trailer:
After the movie I went to check out the VIP lounge with Jenni where they had really cool themed rooms for people to take photos. We had to keep our lounge stop brief in order to make our next movie screening: Wood Street. Here’s a preview of the documentary:
I really wanted to watch another movie and hit popcorn happy hour in the Cargill Community Tent but Brian was getting off work and I was getting hungry. I decided to go home and pick up Brian for some dinner before our final movie of the day: Loves Company.
This movie was so weird. I’m not sure I would have watched it had it not been part of the film festival so I do appreciate Tallgrass Film Festival for the opportunity to watch something unique and different. There was a theme party at the Cargill Community Tent that night which we also skipped because Brian had an early drive down to Oklahoma to see his parents the next day. Here’s a highlight reel of my day at TFF on Friday.
I had extremely high hopes for watching a bunch of movies on Saturday but ended up sleeping in and getting a later start than I wanted. Despite this though, I’d still watched more movies this festival year than any other year I’ve attended. After a quick lunch at Kim’s Noodle down the street from our house, I met Jenni and Adam at EggCetera downtown and the three of us piled into my car to go to the Orpheum for the screening of Seized. It’s a documentary film about the police raid of the Marion County Record.
After that I went to get Brian at home and we met Adam and Jenni at Piatto for dinner before returning to the Orpheum for Copeland, which was mine and Brian’s favorite film of the festival.
Here are highlights from day 3 of the film festival.
The last day of the film festival kicked off with community breakfast and dance party in the middle of Old Town Square. It was kind of hard to decide what to watch after breakfast. We opted to go see Kansas Shorts, a collection of short films made by Kansas filmmakers.
These are the short films that were included in that block:
- Flooding Kaw Nation: Submerged Cities, Desecrated Graves, and Kaw Lake
- Safer Waters: Artist Stephen Towns on Paradise Park
- Rainbow Rider
- Hit-Woman
- It’s Nice to Finally Meet You
- We’re All Sorry Souls
I wanted to watch more films but it had been a long weekend already. Brian and I decided to take a midday nap break before meeting back up with Adam and Jenni for the awards ceremony and then dinner. We originally wanted to have dinner at Public but forgot that they’re closed on Sundays so we ended up having dinner at River City Brewering Co. instead.
While we’ve skipped most of the parties this year, we did attend the festival wrap party at Velvet Tiger–mostly curiosity. I’d never heard of the Velvet Tiger before. I guess it’s because they haven’t officially opened yet. It’s going to be a pretty hip hot spot (think “upscale dive bar”) on S. Hydraulic, which isn’t really the best part of town but, with the new Goldfinch coffee shop down the street, I’m hopeful that the area will begin to flourish.
Anyway, I’m really glad that TFF weekend happened before my surgery because I don’t know if I would have felt up to sitting through all these movies after my hysterectomy. The only thing that would have been better is if it was actually even earlier because I couldn’t drink alcohol three days before surgery and Brian, who is so strict about following instructions, cut me off on Saturday. They had all that free booze at the events and all I could drink was Pepsi.
Oh, well. Hopefully Jenni will hook us up with passes again next year.
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Bally Bash and Bartlesville
Posted on October 25, 2026 by Ching under Pickleball, Travel.
We packed a lot of stuff in one of my final weekends before surgery. Since I didn’t know how I would feel after, I really wanted to make the most of the last days of freedom. LOL.
I teamed up with my friend Donnie Lesperance for my final Friday Night Fiesta. The next day we attended our first Bally Bash. We’ve always been invited since having met the Ballys through pickleball a few years ago but we’d never been able to make it until this year because we are either out of town or have some other commitment. Last year we missed it due to my birthday getaway to St. Charles. Usually they have Bally Bash later in the month of October so it always falls around either my birthday or Halloween. This year they held it much earlier, which was a good thing too because, not only did the weekend work out well for us this year, but also, had it been later in the month, it would have fallen after my surgery and I probably wouldn’t have felt up to going.
On Sunday, the girls and I had a fun little day trip to Bartlesville so they could check out the new Aught2 Pickleball facility. Brian and I came down on their grand opening weekend so I had been there before but I was excited to show the other ladies. Megan, Gwen, and I rode down with Susie. Ashley and Michelle came from Emporia and met us down there. I made a fun little highlight reel of our trip.
Deana brought together a fabulous group of ladies to play with us, plus Kumar. It was so much fun! You can find some of our game footage in my pickleball YouTube channel. A bunch of us had a nice lunch at La Fiesta after playing. It’s Deana’s favorite Mexican restaurant.
Kumar’s favorite restaurant is Senor Salsa. He had dinner plans there that evening so he did not join us for lunch. He didn’t want to eat Mexican food twice in the same day. I never understood why Kumar and Deana had different favorite Mexican restaurants until this trip.
Apparently, good looking international students (soccer players) at Oklahoma Wesleyan University tend to get part time jobs at La Fiesta as servers. Every semester brings a new batch. The food quality being equal, I finally understood why Deana preferred La Fiesta. LOL.
We had a great time at lunch and even got a group picture with our server Alejandro and his friend and fellow soccer player Mateja in our photo. Mateja was helping a different section but he got in the photo.
The trip down and back was uneventful and didn’t even seem to take that long. Susie is a great driver and the four of us had fun catching up on the trip down. Gwen and Megan slept on the way back while I kept Susie company. Gwen needed to be back by 4 PM and Susie made up a lot of time on the way back. We were back at her house shortly after 4 PM where Brian was waiting, despite an initial ETA of 4:30 PM. I am so grateful to the ladies for making this trip happen. This was the best little road trip before my surgery.
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Glampgrounds at Chicken N Pickle
Posted on October 21, 2026 by Ching under Things to Do.
Fall is my favorite time of year. Not just because of the mild temperatures but because it means Glampgrounds are back at Chicken N Pickle.
Last year, we went later in the season. I don’t believe I did it intentionally, but I booked on my actual birthday. I think it’s just the way our schedules lined up that year. This year we had the opportunity to preview it before reservations opened to the public.
Glampgrounds opened to the public on October 8 and I originally chose my date as October 6 because it fell on mom’s birthday but she actually already had plans that day. I ended up inviting our friends instead so as not to let the reservation go to waste. Mom was actually super busy throughout the last couple of weeks that we didn’t get a chance to give her birthday presents to her until last Sunday.
I joked to Jenni that we should get birthday cake and celebrate mom’s birthday without her but she was busy with Tallgrass Film Festival preparations that she couldn’t make it. We still made the most of our Glampgrounds reservation, though.
Glampgrounds are available through November 28. S’more for your group are free with every reservation. You can make your reservation here.
FULL DISCLOSURE: Chicken N Pickle comped our reservation and great outdoors platter ($48) for this preview visit. However, we did pay for a second great outdoors platter and all of our drinks. Even without the perks, I highly recommend this experience. Have you done it? Let us know your thoughts.
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