Out of My Head

Too Long Gone

My goodness! Where to start???
I was pretty darn sick there for a bit. Pneumonia kicked my booty BIG time! I was very, very fortunate to have caught it early on and did not have to be hospitalized. My immune system has been a bit compromised as a result...The same day I was to visit my doctor for a 'lung check' I woke up looking like a shar-pei puppy...folds and folds of swollen eyelids, puffy face, and itchy rash. In my attempts to save money on facial products/cosmetics, I bought the cheap stuff. I am extremely allergic to Oil of Olay and Neutrogena face creams. CT scan, bloodwork, allergy testing, steroid cream and high-powered anti-histamines later and I am good to go. But...then there was the reading of Harry Potter in two days, which very well  could have been the cause of severe low-back spasms and my first trip ever to a chiropractor. Truly...Without giving away any details, the book was THAT good. I am still sore and walking like the crooked lady in the crooked house.

If I've learned anything over the last few weeks it's 1. stress can make you very, very sick and 2. Listen to your mother when she says "It doesn't pay to buy cheap cosmetics!"  My attempt at frugality cost us dearly. 3. It's wise to practice restraint when reading a mondo book no matter how good it is.

Life in  general is better...marriage, kids, health...good and getting better. Big changes. Struggling to break old habbits and practice new. It's hard work. Baby steps. But...It's all good. I can feel a  positive shift.

My Natalie turned 10. She's 5'tall in flat feet. She has a mouth full of metal. She's getting her ears pierced at a special place in Carmel...a very, very big deal. She is stunningly beautiful. Strong. She has a 6-pack tummy...truly, the girl is 'ripped'...you can see it when she swims butterfly. She is playing guitar and flute this summer...Flute has progressed so qjuickly that I can accompany her on the piano for  flute solos. I can barely finish without getting goose-bumps and teary -eyed. Saying I am proud of her is an understatement.

Lauren has had 3 pieces of her art on display in the art studio gallery. She sees  colors that we take for granted, drawing detailed sunflowers shaded with yelows, golds and oranges. She swims with a smile on her face...Shocking upper body strength and legs that never end. It takes my breath away. She's played dollies for hours upon hours this summer...singing the  whole time. She is my pixie...a never-ending source of  sunshine. Love that baby.

There is no way to catch-up on all th at  has happened over the last few weeks. I have felt an overwhleming need to start 'new"  with my blog...to save this site for unpublished, personal rants and overall, periodic need to bitch about things...and begin another with a different focus.

So...if you don't mind my still being under construction...please click over to my new
blog, Wabi-Sabi

Welcome to what I hope to be a fresh start! Hope to see  you there!
Cyber hugs to all of  you...

Down for the count

Got the 'walking pneumonia and the boogie woogie blues.'  I didn't realize how sick I was until I woke up this morning..I am down for the count today. Codeine...wonderful stuff when you feel like your going to cough up a lung (how's that for descriptive journaling?)...but it makes me goofy headed and loopy. So...back to the recliner, hot tea and Jimmy Neutron re-runs.

Mucho on the brain

Addendum
Went to the doctor today for what I thought was a nagging ear infection, which I so brilliantly (insert sarcastic voice here) treated with Advil and Ciprodex without much luck. Bad news is I have a fever and pneumonia in  both lungs.. Good news is I won't be hospitalized if  " follow the rules"!  I didn't see this one coming at all! No pics today...I am headed to the family room to stake out a claim on the recliner.  But, in the spirit of this post, this I know is true...I am NOT a doctor!

Gawwwwlly!!!  (she says in her most Gomer of Mayberry voice) Lots of stuff going on in my head lately thanks so so many thought provoking posts in the blogs these days...Where to begin?!

1. Ali E's   blog post on Miksang photography...I watched the video link and was blown away. I'm always taking 'yadda yadda' pictures of the kids and misc. stuff, but this has shown me a way to see the world a bit differently. ...click on her blog link to the left.

2. A small phrase in Cathy Z's blog about discovering "what you are not "really struck home with me. Being clear about what you aren't sure leaves lots of room for all the things you ARE. I've over simplified it, but just hearing this from someone else say this is validating. Over the last year I have definitely lengthened the list  of things I am not...and it has made a huge difference in discovering what I know to be true about myself...kinda like cleaning house. Speaking of cleaning house...(how's that for  tacky segue?!)

3. A local scrapbook store is having a garage sale in August. The owner did this two years ago and it was a huge hit! Needless to say, I have so much scrap crap stashed away...mostly freebees from crops and left over CM stuff, but things I just don't use anymore as well (Sizzix, stamps...dare I say my Qwikutz thingy?). I spend a chunk of time over the weekend lightening the load so to speak...It feels good.

4. In Lain's blog (the link is bottom left), she posted about friends coming in and out of our lives...another 'hit a nerve'  kind of post. This has been a year of change, no doubt about that, but it's very evident within my circle of friends. I've become more tuned-in to the relationships that are nurturing and less responsive to those which aren't. A conversation with an old friend started this chain of events...She confided that hitting on married men in unhappy marriages while on business trips was 'ok' with her. Easy prey... big wine and dine expense accounts...no or little committment.
I got sick to my stomach hearing this...she was 'the other woman' and not in the least bit phased by it. I don't have room on my list of 'what I am' for this. This just a sample, but you get the idea.
It's been lonely out here at times, but at the same  time, it's opened doors to allow other relationships to develop. At my age I've become more focused on what works for me...what I want in my life...what feeds my spirit. Which brings me to tacky segue #2

5. I can't remember how we got in touch...but I've recently re-connected with a classmate dating back to elementary school. She married a fella who was good friend of mine (a lifeguard at the lake. We went to senior prom together as friends...and stayed penpals when we were in college.)
They married, moved to Michigan and  more recently to Colorado. To make a long story short, her brother lives just 20 mintes or so from here! She's coming to visit in a couple weeks and I can't wait!! We were best of buddies at age 10... we've shared a lot of  history! There's a quote somewhere that says "Keep your old friends close by...they're the ones who remember how you used to be."