Smile on Monday!

It's Monday, and it's been a helluva day.
in fact, it's been a helluva month!

I'm tired, always tired, but that happens
when there is so much going on.

Sometimes we all just need to take a
"time out" away from it all and
do nothing.

That's what Mondays are for me.
I take my time in the shower,
using the smelly soaps and shampoo,
taking the time to do the little things
that don't get done during a busy week.

That, and Antiques Roadshow are
my "go to" things on a Monday.

And I'll do it all with a smile,
because I have a lot to be thankful for!

Busy with Nothings

Life has been crazy lately.  Yesterday a huge haboob - dust storm with high winds and low visibility - swept through the Valley of the Sun, wreaking its havoc on trees, and leaving a general mess everywhere.  About twenty more palm fronds fell into the yard, and I spent the morning (after working, or course) cleaning up the back yard.

However, the haboob also blew in
some morning clouds for our sunrise!

I've been diligent about spraying for bugs, but they seem really bad this year, and I'm not sure why.  I changed bug spray brand, thinking that might do the trick, and it's helping a little bit more, but I'm calling out the big guns:  Orkin.  Not that I want to pay for a service every month, but I'm wanting a termite inspection done at the same time.  It's been more than five years, and .... I guess it's just a gut feeling.

One of the bugs that happened to get caught in the spraying was curled up in a ball the next morning.  Upon closer inspection, yep, a black widow spider.  YICK!  They're not a pretty sight at all, and I'm glad it .... is no more.

I'm also spending a little bit of time, using up tidbits of leftovers and stuff, spray painting and decorating vases for what might be an upcoming wedding.  If not... I guess I can donate them somewhere.  Mint green doesn't suit my home much.   *lol*   But, it's fun to be creative!!

Wedding Fever!

O.M.G.  I have a little bit of "Wedding Fever" ..... they're the most fun to plan and think about all the little decorations and crafty things you can do before hand to prep for a really special day!

But, no, it's not mine!  (Thank Goodness!!!)

My daughter is engaged.   It happened back in December, and we've talked briefly off and on about a wedding.  I'm sure she's looked at things and thought "How can anyone afford all this?"   Well, no one can if you're looking at Bridal magazines, haute couture, and all the other things that A-list-ers want as part of their special day.   But that's dreamin'.  

We're just ordinary folk without a lot of excess cash -- in fact, probably more time than money on plates, so to speak.  So how do you do a wedding without all the hoopla and yet still make it memorable??

As I was talking with my two kids, I was thinking back on my own weddings (yeah, I know, there were three of them.  Ugh )   But in reality, do I remember them?   My first wedding, well, there were issues and I wasn't sure I even wanted to go through with it right up until the last moment!  So do I remember much of the ceremony or the reception?  Nope. There are only two things in my memory about the reception that I remember;  the receiving line where I smiled at people I didn't know, and having a "wedding party boys vs girls" contest to see which side could open and then chug the contents of a bottle of champagne.  (The girls won, of course!)  I don't recall dancing, or any of the people there.  I know it was years ago, but shouldn't something that important stand out??


My second was very informal, held at my mother's house on Thanksgiving -- as long as the whole family was going to be there to eat, why not have a little something extra??  It was ... pleasant, but nothing spectacular.  No special dresses, no bridesmaids, none of that.

My third wedding was informal and more fun.  I planned out nearly every detail, sewed my own dress.  Our kids (3 boys, 3 girls) were our attendants.  I made vests for the boys and tank tops for the girls in matching fabric.  Family made all the food stuffs, and it was buffet style.  The ceremony was held in the back yard, and we played our own CD's for dance tunes.  (This was back before digital music and playlists).   But we had a good time :)   Our neighbor's gift to us was a pony keg of beer, and we had wine coolers for the ladies.  Yep, backyard fun times!

When my daughter was here last weekend, I asked her about wedding plans, and she seemed so disheartened, resolved that it was too much money, too much work, and maybe city hall would be the thing to do.  We got to talking about places she'd been up here; there's a park with beautiful vistas around a lake with small waterfalls, a great wooden bridge, lots of trees and green.  There's a spot that you can reserve, it's a 50foot circle of bricks, makes for a gorgeous wedding.  We dashed over and checked it out.  It rents for $25/hour.  Now that's not bad!   I'm hoping that after a little convo and some thinking, she's coming around to the idea of having a wedding here, it would be so pretty.  And I'm sure after checking around, finding a community center to rent, bring in some food and some dancing for the rest of the evening.  Would be great fun!


I think that's the key to a good, memorable wedding.  Not what's traditional, unless that's the foundation for the couple's relationship.  Using key events in their courtship and engagement would be the thing that make it the most fun!  

Now if only I can get her to confess a few of her little secrets..... hahaha

Woo Hoo

WOO HOO!
That about covers it!

I saw my doc today and this nodule on my lung has

• 1. been there for some time. 
• 2. he can see calcium in it 
• 3. he believes its scar tissue from Valley Fever. 

The plan of action for now is taking an Xray, and then repeating it in three months along with a follow up visit to see if there's any changes.  He doesn't expect to have any, but to be on the safe side.... :)

I can honestly say that I'm glad the stress is gone. There's nothing worse than imagining the worst case scenario when your doctor's office calls with a referral to another doctor.  

As for the rest, the usual doctor questions, asking if I remembered having Valley Fever a few years back.  I laughed, because I'm old, I can barely remember a few WEEKS ago, let alone years!  hahaha

Heat!

Excessive heat warnings throughout Arizona for the next week or so.... ugh!   Yes, I choose to live here, and most times the heat doesn't last for such a long stretch.  The early morning hours are absolutely beautiful.  I was up and sitting in my chair in the backyard at 5am, watching the sun come up as I got started reading my book.  Sadie lay at my feet, watching for any stray birds who were brave enough to venture into the yard.  It was even cool enough that I opened all the windows and let in some fresh air.  It didn't start warming up until I got back from a walk with Sadie -- about 8:30.


But after that, the day dragged on and on... and on.

This heat is like winter for everyone else.  Going out is too much of an effort, so we stay holed up in our AC'd places of business, or at home, without making extra trips anywhere.  I wanted to take myself out for dinner, but there wasn't any way to justify getting into the hot car and driving somewhere.  It was cooler to just soak a t-shirt and stay at home.  haha

Stay cool

Stay hydrated

Stay Informed.

Healthy Living

Finally Friday.... Ahhhhhhhhhh

It's a relief to have it here.
There's something about knowing it's Friday.
Even though I'm not typical with weekends off
working retail in a supervisory roll means
you're the one who fills in
when a part of your team is off.

That's how it's been for the past 10 weeks.  I haven't had my days off, and the toll is showing ... or is it that I'm feeling it more than showing it?  Maybe that's it.   My health has been an issue since back in April.  I thought I'd pulled a muscle at the gym. You know when you have a bad cough, and the cough clears up, your core muscles are sore from being over-used?  That's how it started.  I assumed it would clear up.  Maybe some un-healthy eating added to the problem.  I'm still convinced I passed some kind of liver stone that caused me to have the intense muscle spasm-like pains when I walked.  According to all the research I could find, I seemed to fit right in with the symptoms of others.

OK.  I can deal with that.

But after those pains passed, I was feeling well - but only when I ate small meals that consisted of bland foods.  I usually keep detailed accounts of the foods I eat (because it helps with my life-changing eating plans) but I was skipping those days, so I don't know if my carbs/protein/fats ratios were still the same as they had been.  Or even if they're better now.  I'll need to keep track better.

However, the dull ache that I have in my right side is back.  I ate lasagna for dinner Weds night and boy that didn't sit well with me at  all.  Too much fat?  Too spicy?  Too much?  I was miserable all night long, and far into Thursday.   Back to square one eating my small meals, having a fruit smoothie every day, along with my cup of apple juice.  You know the old saying ... An apple a day keeps the doctor away!

But I think what's bothering me is the not knowing.  This nodule they found on my lung, I'm assuming its on my right side, and that its bothering me in some way.  Is it in a position where it rubs when I'm active?  Or that I can feel it when I'm laying on my right side?   There's power in knowledge.  If I know, then I can deal.  Not knowing makes me crazy.  I'll have to make do until Monday afternoon when I see a pulmonary doctor.  But why is waiting so hard?

In the meantime, I'm thinking positive thoughts.  And doing positive things, like taking my supplements, and a daily walk with Sadie.

A good song that comes to mind in that regard is "Let Your Soul be Your Pilot" by Sting.

When you're down and they're counting

When your secrets all found out

When your troubles take to mounting

When the map you have leads you to doubt

When there's no information

And the compass turns to nowhere that you know well

Let your soul be your pilot

Let your soul guide you

He'll guide you well

A Little Bit of Freakin'

So after my CT scan, my doc called me on Tuesday.  While the gastro stuff was found to be OK (I am still convinced I passed a liver stone..)  he said the CT scan found a nodule on my lung.  *blink*  Yep, that caused my heart to fall into my stomach, blood pressure to rise, and a little bit of breathlessness, as in panic attack kind.   No one wants to hear that there's something wrong on the inside.   :/

He referred me to a pulmonary doctor, and after some attempts to make contact, I have an appointment to see him on Monday, which can't come soon enough now!

A little research to ease my worries just a tad, from LiveStrong.com

• One out of every 500 to 1,000 chest x-rays reveals an unexpected lung nodule. The chance of finding a lung nodule is even higher with CT scans because they detect smaller lesions not seen on chest x-ray. Benign lung nodules are caused by a variety of infections and noncancerous growths.
• 
  
• Size and Appearance
• The size of benign lung nodules typically varies from 3 to 20 millimeters or more. To put this size into perspective, 1 millimeter is roughly the thickness of a dime, and 20 millimeters is roughly the width of a penny. When it comes to lung nodules, size predicts whether the lesion is likely benign or cancerous. The smaller the nodule, the more likely it is benign. 

At the moment, I am crossing my fingers and toes, and hoping it all goes well.
More on this soon!

Touch Someone

Every day we come across people - at work, school, walking down the street.  And the reality is we never really know how something we do or say touches another, or even changes a life.

I'm not the kind who makes a whole lot of friends (and that's perfectly fine with me) but when I was in Ohio, there was a 2-3 year period where I grew very close with some women I worked with.  And even though we're now hundreds of miles apart, and it's been 7 years since I left Ohio, I still miss those women I called "my sisters".  They touched me in ways that I can't describe well.  They were my "family" when my own was so very far away.  We did silly things, normal things, work related things, and fun things too!

Once a week we took a walk around the local park.  Anyone was free to join us, but the core was the four of us.  On days where work issues had us hanging around longer than we wanted to be there, we would make lunchtime fun with an insane game of Candyland!  (or something equally silly!)  When things were dreary while working an overnight shift, we would often break into song, all of us singing together.  Or one would change the lyrics to fit the mood or topic of the night.

Gosh.  Good times!

Those women were my rock, and they touched me in many ways.
But I like to think - and hope - that I did the same for them :)

I miss my "sisters" and think of them often :)

Hey Girls---- "Just make a decision!" 

*private joke, but cracks me up every time!!

So as you move through your day,
remember that your words, your actions,
could be influencing someone.
Make it count.

Gym-tastic!

Tuesday - and it's Day 2 at the gym.
Setting little goals works the best for me.

1. Go to the gym every day this week for 1 mile Elliptical

That's it, the whole goal.

And if I do it right, I can get that mile done in about 15 minutes.

Monday's trek was for 20 minutes.
Today when I reached the 15 minute mile, I told myself I would just 'cool down' for 5 minutes, take it easy but still get some cardio.  Then a good song came on my player.. and I was off and going again!  I ended up with 22 minutes, and am happy with myself for doing it!

Step tracker Monday = 9,500 steps
Step tracker Tuesday = 10,500 steps

My "Daily Challenge" text from work said to write a sentence and replace the word "should".

So I changed "I should go to the gym" to  "I will go to the gym!"

And I did!

How Gym-tastic is that???