What a Difference a Day Makes

Totally turned around.  My mood.  What a difference one day makes.

I woke up this morning and noticed that the bedroom felt slightly cooler than usual.  Now that I'm having constant hot flashes, it being cooler isn't much an issue with me, so I paid it not a lot of attention and headed downstairs to make coffee.  On my way downstairs, I glanced at the thermostat.  62.  Sixty-Two.

Oh.My.Gosh.  Did I do that?  Did I turn it down to 62 last night when I was having a meltdown?  I giggled to myself.

As I was pouring myself a cup of coffee, my husband came downstairs and said, "Did you know the thermostat was set on 62?"

ME:  "Really?"  (inner giggle)

JFD:  "No wonder I froze my ass off last night!"

ME:  "Coffee's ready."

Guys have it too easy.  Cold?  Put on more clothes.  Pile on more blankets.  Hey, I'm woman.  I have issues.

Two hours later I'm dressed and headed for the gym.  I invited him.  He declined. Of course he did.  My workout was finally back up to par.  The last couple of weeks my energy has been in the toilet and my appetite out the roof.  I'd lost focus over the holidays, and it seemed I was finally getting my mojo back.

As I was finishing up, my clothes and gym towel soaked with sweat, I could smell a yummy aroma coming from The Grill.  I know!  I want a Power Pizza!  It had been months since I'd had Power Pizza.  It's made with whole wheat crust with only a bit of olive oil, lean chicken, fresh veggies and sauce.  It's aMAYzing.  I placed my order and asked them to have it ready in 45 mins, long enough to go home, have my post workout protein, shower, and then head back to the gym for my long-awaited post workout meal.

On my way from picking up the pizza, I stopped at the convenience store on the way back home and grabbed a diet A&W root beer to have with my pizza...and a six pack of Samuel Adams for my husband.  I decided to surprise him with a new brew, one he hadn't tried before.  Latitude 48 IPA.

Back home, I chowed on my two slices of power pizza with my root beer.  Mercy.  SO delicious.

And then I decided to try the SA beer.

Ugh.  Bad choice.  Way too stout for my tastes.  After three sips, I handed it to him.

ME:  Here.  You wanna try this?

JFD:  You don't want it?

ME:  I don't like it.  It's too...uh, strong?  Stout?  No.  I can't drink this.  Here (handing).

JFD:  You drink it.  I don't want a beer right now.

ME:  Oh, come on.  Drink it.  Don't you want a beer while you're watching the football game?  Ummmm!

JFD:  FOOTBALL game?  Are you serious?

ME:  (Glancing at the TV)  Oh.  I mean, uh, the basketball game.

JFD:  (Shaking his head laughing)

ME:  Hey, I'm not paying attention to the game.  I don't even know who's playing.  I don't CARE!

JFD:  Drink it.  You can drink it.  Go ahead.

ME:  I don't like it....(pause)...hey, do you think they'll let me take the 5-pack back and exchange it for another kind?

JFD:  (laughing)  Oh, I'm sure they wouldn't mind.  '...uh, excuse me, ma'am, uh, I don't like this beer, and uh, I was wondering if, uh, you'd let me bring this back and switch it out for another 5-pack, you know, kind of an even trade thing...?'

ME:  (laughing harder)  Yeah!  Whadaya think?  Should I give it a shot?

JFD:  (taking a sip of my beer)  What I think is that we need to see if anyone wants this beer.  I don't know.  It's okay for the right moment.  Maybe like when you're sitting out by the fire on a cold night.  This is the kind of beer for that occasion.

ME:   No.  Not even then.  Not for me.  

Oh, well.  It was the thought that counts, right?  I wanted to surprise you with some new beer.  I guess I should stick to what I know.  

JFD:  That was nice of you to think of me.  

ME:  I know.  I'm nice like that.  (Sexy smirk)  Your turn...

A New Year, A New Home

We traveled to PA on New Year's Eve morning.

We were on a mission...

(Before)

              A totally fun way to spend New Year’s.

A diversion. 

A happy place to be, doing happy things.

Crap -- I was so busy gettin’ it done, 

I forgot to take “after” pics.  

Fodder for another blog post…

What's in a LIFEstyle?

This is a collage of my stuff in my office.

All the fundamental stuff that surrounds me

day after day.

It's been my LIFEstyle

Monday through Friday

for the last 30+ years.

My fringe-y bling lamp balances everything out

and just screams 

prissy

eccentric

because 

every office

needs

a certain amount

of

style

It's the first thing I do every morning

when I enter the office.

I reach over and switch on my little fringe-y bling lamp 

and its soft amber light smiles at me

making everything right with my little world.

Winter is really starting to get to me.

This year worse than last.

And last year worse than the year before.

I think that means I'm getting old(er).

And it makes me wanna switch gears.

Time for a NEW lifestyle...?

Feeling smothered here.

I gotta snap out of it.

I was listening to a very cool song on my way to work  this morning,

"Stars Fell On Alabama,"

by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong.

Now THAT'S style.

Classically awesome.

It flipped my mood to happy instantly.

Today is Friday.

I'm gonna sneak out early

and play around with my new camera.

My dumpy little point-n-shoot finally died.

Its replacement isn't top of the line by a long shot,

but I got a fabulous deal on it

and I'm having fun.

It allows me to be somewhat more creative

as I experiment.

Some day when I have a lot more time and money

I'll buy a nicer, more versatile camera.

Exploring, capturing,

it will become another facet of my new LIFEstyle.

For now, I'll just practice...

and dream a little.

Make a Wish

January 7, 1964

Happy Birthday,

Nicholas Cage

Ramblings and Rumblings

I was greeted at the door by Chessie as I juggled the groceries I had grabbed on the way home from work.  The temps had dropped to 6 degrees by the time I had arrived home, and I welcomed the warm rush of air as I entered.  Simple pleasures and ushered thanksgiving.  

After putting the groceries away, I made a pot of coffee.  My coffee cup in hand, I eagerly made my way to the sofa, snuggled into my favorite blanket, a velvety red-and-black plaid microfleece , and blissfully sipped my coffee while channel surfing.  The perfect night to snuggle.  Watching TV felt strange.  I rarely watch TV, but tonight I was eager to hear the weather report on the local news.  They call this a Polar Vortex.  Crazy cold!  How cold will it get…?  Thankful that I had nowhere to go, nothing to do.  Winter had arrived. 

I’d gotten an email earlier in the day while in court from Zach announcing that his Christmas package had finally arrived.  I giggled when I paused between hearings to read his email from my cell phone: 

“Package arrived finally.  Yes, you read that right.  It's here."

I quickly emailed back:  “SWEEEEET!  Talk to you tonight on Skype.”

Around 8:30 p.m. I set up my laptop by the Christmas tree that I’d intentionally left decorated for Zach so that it would feel more festive opening his gifts.  We Skyped with him for about 45 mins, watching him open his gifts from us as he chomped on the Christmas candies and goodies I’d attempted to vacuum pack (thankfully) to preserve their freshness in transit.  I’m sure if they tasted bad or stale, he would never have mentioned it.  He seemed eager to devour treats – the good stuff-- from home.  

Pour guy.   Japan’s idea of “candy” is rather obnoxious and unappetizing.  He’d sent our family a tray of gourmet candy from one of the local shops there.  Nasty stuff.  Maybe it has to grow on you?  Not sure.  There were two pieces that looked like dried oysters.  And a couple others that were green-tea flavored??? Nah.  I think I’ll stick to America’s version of “sugar plums.” Butterfinger Santas.... Russell Stover chocolate-covered marshmallow Santas... chocolate truffles.   Zach has lost weight (of course he has!) since he first arrived in Japan in August, and he’d asked for new dress khaki’s and a new belt, two sizes smaller.  He seemed appreciative of his new clothes and planned on wearing them that morning to work.

  

After signing off with him, I announced to my husband that it was time to do our push-ups and planks.  I had informed him yesterday morning that we were going to start doing this P&P routine three times a week, with a progressive approach.  It was the very least he could do if he wasn’t going to make an effort to go to the gym with Colton or me.  Of course, he wiggled loose, coming up with a lame excuse to get out of joining me in the family room floor.  Rather than waste my breath in protest, I completed a few sets of pushups and weighted planks on my own and then headed to bed – frustrated. 

Will he ever give a shit?  

As I was leaving for work this morning, he came downstairs to get my approval on a new shirt I’d gotten him for Christmas.  I wasn’t going to lie to him just to make him feel good.  It looked nice, but it was too snug.  He agreed, announcing that rather than buy bigger shirts, he was going to “lose this weight.”  I told him – for the umpteenth time – that it would be far easier to lose the weight if he’d start lifting weights and spend 30 mins a day 3 or 4 times a week doing some form of exercise.  He flinched and whined and didn’t want to hear it, but at the same time he agreed that he was going to “try.”

My mind toggled to an article from last Sunday’s Parade, “Going the Distance,” about a 94-year-old retired school teacher, who, at 77, entered her first “masters” track and field competition.  The article was so incredibly inspiring, I read it at least twice through and have archived it.  Quoting from the article.

“We think longevity is probably about 70 to 75 percent lifestyle,” says Angela Brooks-Wilson, Ph.D., a geneticist in the Genome Sciences Centre at the B.C. Cancer Agency in Vancouver.  That means just a quarter of healthy aging is about the protection you inherited, and up to three-quarters is determined by how you play the hand you were dealt.

In the last six years+, health and fitness has become an inseparable part of what defines who I am as a human being.  It is quite possibly my single biggest passion.  At the risk of coming across as a relentless bitch, I cannot back down.  Maybe I’ll never get through to him, but I won’t stop trying.  I won’t quit.  Quitting isn’t part of my vocabulary.  We have to take responsibility for our health and well being.  We aren't getting any younger, and this is no longer rehearsal.  It is about quality of life.  It's time to take things seriously.

We owe it to ourselves.  And to each other.  

Where Words Fail

Where words fail, music speaks.

– Hans Christian Andersen

Beautiful

Christmas Memories 2013

“Christmas, my child, is love in action.

Every time we love, every time we give, it’s

Christmas.”

~ Dale Evans Rogers

Me & Big G

Walks by the pond while babysitting Phelan.

The silver lining.

Packing Zach's gifts -- that he STILL has not received!

Making room in my house heart for Phelan.

Colton's first winter formal

He and five other couples were catered dinner at one of the young men's home before the dance.  The couples were then escorted to the dance, and then back again to hang out at their lovely home and celebrate friendships

on this special occasion.

Sharing a glass of wine by the fire with our neighbors

while stringing lights.

Gavin comes home for Christmas!!!

Gavin & Lis just before Candlelight Service

Phelan persistently pursuing Chessie's friendship.

The nativity at Candlelight Service

What's Christmas without red velvet cake?

Laughter at the dinner table

(I'm so bummed that we didn't get a single family photo of all of us!)

And just WHAT is so funny?

That smile that melts my heart

And Chessie, with Zach's squeaky toy gift to her.  She missed him too.