Hello!
I've been a bit MIA lately...for a variety of reasons and while I have caught myself with a bit of "down time" - i thought it was a great opportunity to blog.
Ethan, my mom and I did enjoy a fall break trip, though the destination changed and we shortened it by one day. Because of the storm that was coming into Panama City Beach, we ended up going to Savannah, GA. We had only a little bit of rain there and it didn't hinder our plans, so all was good. We toured the city "up and down" it seems. We love the trolley tour they offer throughout the day and learned A LOT about the city. Ethan requested a Ghost Tour so we did that one evening and while fun, it was less than "stellar" as we didn't see ANYTHING ghost-like...no orbs, nothing. Bummer!
We did head out to Tybee Island one day to check it out and since the forecast wasn't so great for the beach, we didn't bother with our beach wear. Of course, as my luck would have it, it was beautiful so we camped out there for about an hour when at which point we could no longer tolerate the stifling humidity and heat. The (not-so) highlight of the trip was the $35 parking ticket I got while we were there. OK - in my defense, there was NO meter within short sight of where we parked...apparently they use those electronic meters that are set up every 10 car lengths or so. You pay, get your receipt and put it on your dashboard. #lessonlearned #thehardway
On our last day, we ventured over to Hilton Head and had a wonderful day at the beach...we spent a luxurious 4 hours there, with almost the entire beach to ourselves. We then enjoyed a great dinner at The Crazy Crab, where Ethan and I picked up matching shirts!! :)
For being on vacation, Ethan had more than his share of whiny/crabby moments of which drove me absolutely nuts. I swear 9 is 1000x more difficult than 4yo. He was so much more easy going back then (or didn't care). I've tried a variety of things in an attempt to curb his whinyness, but none seem to be working all that well. One morning last week, he woke for school and asked if I had my work computer at home, so he could stay home....um, what? No, you need to go to school...so when he didn't quit whining, I told him he lost the ipad for the day, which only caused MORE whining!!! Seriously! He's going to drive me to drink.
I've been slowly making my way through a few different books, but I will admit, my desire to read lately has been quite lacking....not entirely sure why.
Work has been very busy and I've been dealing with some other life drama stuff, which has kept me from blogging...so hopefully I'll be able to get back in the swing of things soon.
Monday, October 23, 2017
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts
Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things encountered during the week. **************************************************************************************
![Bossypants by [Fey, Tina]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41Q8HMpHFTL.jpg)
1) I'm currently reading Bossypants. I wasn't initially interested in reading it, though I thoroughly enjoyed Amy Poehler's "Yes Please" and while Bossypants is fairly enjoyable, I remember laughing a lot more while reading "Yes Please". To add to that, they are both rather similar, to the point where I sometimes think I'm reading Amy's book, vs. Tina's.
2) I'm also reading "And We're Off" which I received through the Book of the Month club a few months ago. It's an enjoyable book, but since it's a "real" book vs. e-book, I have limited opportunities to read it. Most of my reading is done in bed at night (with lights off) so I'm on my iPad. We have been enjoying some late summer weather and had some pool time on Sunday where I was able to enjoy a "real" book. If I don't finish it soon, I'll take it along to the beach for Fall Break in just 2 weeks. Woohoo!!
3) I'm in love with this table for my home library!
4) I've been having a lot of "is this all?" type thoughts lately...meaning, is this all my life is going to be? going to work in a cubicle in a corporate setting, racing home, taking E to his after school activities, racing back home and getting ready for the next day??? I just feel like there should be more to it than this, don't get me wrong, I don't want to be CEO or anything like that, but I feel like there's something bigger out there for me, but it continues to escape me. this is a super frustrating feeling. I love spending time with Ethan of course, but it constantly feels like it's not enough time and the time we have is spent rushing from one place to another. then there is the whole piece of "me-time" of which I have none, but I can leave that on the back burner for now, as I have for quite a few years now anyway. i also find myself longing to be an "expert" in something...I don't even know what that thing would be, but i feel like I only know a little about this and that, but not a lot about anything and that bothers me. is this what they would call a mid-life crisis? is this normal? have you ever felt this way?
5) On the brighter side, 7 more work days until some quality beach time with my mom and E. Good times.
6) We had a major air conditioning issue at our house over the past two weeks. talk about "freak accident"...we hung a few things on the living room wall and it is believed that in that process we hit the copper pipe to the AC which essentially "broke" the AC for upstairs. did I mention the unusually warm weather we have been having the past 10 days? it's been fun. our choices were to knock out the wall and find the hole/broken pipe, then have the AC company repair it and recharge the AC. We would repair the wall. this was also the (much) cheaper option. on saturday afternoon, when we were supossed to begin this crazy project, my husband decided that he just did not feel confident (or energetic) enough to deal with the wall issue and instead we went for the (unfortunately) more expensive option of running the pipe outside the house. the project was completed yesterday and while it's nice to have the AC back, i realized that i also enjoyed sleeping with the windows open and warmer air. it was freakishly quiet in the house when i went to bed last night.
7) This Friday I will have the RF Ablation done...I'm both excited and a bit freaked out. Thankful that I will be put into "twilight" status. lol!
8) I caved to the pressure and hype of The Handmaid's Tale and watched the whole 1st Season on Hulu last week. Around episode 8/9 I wasn't planning to continue with season 2, but then when I watched episode 10, I changed my mind. Whoa! Gonna be good!
9) Speaking of Hulu....the only reason I signed up for it in the first place was to watch The Mindy Project. I absolutely love her and the show...ok and I definitely loved Danny. I can't wait to see what happens during this last season. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't care who her baby daddy is...the fact that she isn't saying makes it that more intriguing. I secretly hope it's BJ Novak. They'd be so cute together.
1) I'm currently reading Bossypants. I wasn't initially interested in reading it, though I thoroughly enjoyed Amy Poehler's "Yes Please" and while Bossypants is fairly enjoyable, I remember laughing a lot more while reading "Yes Please". To add to that, they are both rather similar, to the point where I sometimes think I'm reading Amy's book, vs. Tina's.
2) I'm also reading "And We're Off" which I received through the Book of the Month club a few months ago. It's an enjoyable book, but since it's a "real" book vs. e-book, I have limited opportunities to read it. Most of my reading is done in bed at night (with lights off) so I'm on my iPad. We have been enjoying some late summer weather and had some pool time on Sunday where I was able to enjoy a "real" book. If I don't finish it soon, I'll take it along to the beach for Fall Break in just 2 weeks. Woohoo!!
3) I'm in love with this table for my home library!
4) I've been having a lot of "is this all?" type thoughts lately...meaning, is this all my life is going to be? going to work in a cubicle in a corporate setting, racing home, taking E to his after school activities, racing back home and getting ready for the next day??? I just feel like there should be more to it than this, don't get me wrong, I don't want to be CEO or anything like that, but I feel like there's something bigger out there for me, but it continues to escape me. this is a super frustrating feeling. I love spending time with Ethan of course, but it constantly feels like it's not enough time and the time we have is spent rushing from one place to another. then there is the whole piece of "me-time" of which I have none, but I can leave that on the back burner for now, as I have for quite a few years now anyway. i also find myself longing to be an "expert" in something...I don't even know what that thing would be, but i feel like I only know a little about this and that, but not a lot about anything and that bothers me. is this what they would call a mid-life crisis? is this normal? have you ever felt this way?
5) On the brighter side, 7 more work days until some quality beach time with my mom and E. Good times.
6) We had a major air conditioning issue at our house over the past two weeks. talk about "freak accident"...we hung a few things on the living room wall and it is believed that in that process we hit the copper pipe to the AC which essentially "broke" the AC for upstairs. did I mention the unusually warm weather we have been having the past 10 days? it's been fun. our choices were to knock out the wall and find the hole/broken pipe, then have the AC company repair it and recharge the AC. We would repair the wall. this was also the (much) cheaper option. on saturday afternoon, when we were supossed to begin this crazy project, my husband decided that he just did not feel confident (or energetic) enough to deal with the wall issue and instead we went for the (unfortunately) more expensive option of running the pipe outside the house. the project was completed yesterday and while it's nice to have the AC back, i realized that i also enjoyed sleeping with the windows open and warmer air. it was freakishly quiet in the house when i went to bed last night.
7) This Friday I will have the RF Ablation done...I'm both excited and a bit freaked out. Thankful that I will be put into "twilight" status. lol!
8) I caved to the pressure and hype of The Handmaid's Tale and watched the whole 1st Season on Hulu last week. Around episode 8/9 I wasn't planning to continue with season 2, but then when I watched episode 10, I changed my mind. Whoa! Gonna be good!
9) Speaking of Hulu....the only reason I signed up for it in the first place was to watch The Mindy Project. I absolutely love her and the show...ok and I definitely loved Danny. I can't wait to see what happens during this last season. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't care who her baby daddy is...the fact that she isn't saying makes it that more intriguing. I secretly hope it's BJ Novak. They'd be so cute together.
Monday, September 18, 2017
*the struggle is real*
my life, these days, revolves around back pain and little else.
it's sad and yet amazing how back pain can control every single thing you do.
the 3rd injection was less than successful.
i've gone for a 2nd opinion. the news was not good.
there is only 1 thing left to be done before surgery - an RF ablation AKA burning the nerves that send the pain signals to my brain. sounds awesome huh?
i'm NOT at all willing to do surgery at this point...despite the insane level of pain i've been experiencing lately. (this weekend was near torture)
the surgeon told me the surgery would include screws and rods in my back! what?
i'm 46 yrs old. i can't believe i'm in need of such a procedure.
i'm beyond depressed about this and am wondering when/where the full blown melt down will occur.
i think it almost occured this morning when i put a top on that i hadn't worn since last summer...and it's much tighter than it was. the weight gain piece of all of this has me completely devastated.
i worked SO hard to lose weight and do as much running as I did last year...and now, its all for nothing. i'm up 10-12lbs.
we had biometric screenings at work last week & I already got my results. of course they are much worse than last year. as if that's a surprise.
this may be extreme, but i do feel like "nothing" is going right for me these days.
i can barely stand up in the kitchen long enough to do the dishes or bake some brownies.
should i be thankful i do not have a job that forces me to stand for long lengths of time? ugh.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts
Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things encountered during the week. **************************************************************************************
1) I love this idea! Hide a Book on September 18. I know it's been done quite a bit in the UK, particularly by Emma Watson, but I'm really hoping it picks up here in the US. I'm planning to hide a few copies of (one of) my favorite books. While I'd like to buy the stickers, I think I'll make my own and save my pounds (dollars) for something else. :)
2) Looking forward to the 3 day weekend. Who doesn't look forward to an extra day off? Taking a mini road trip up to VA to see my dad.
3) I'm still "on the fence" with following through on being a Lyft driver. I've heard SO many stories of how much $$$ people have made and I love the flexibility...but as a female, I'm also a bit frightened. Oh and then there's the part where my husband doesn't want me to do this at all (for safety issues). Ugh! It just seems like it's the only (relatively well paying) part time job that would really work for me and not make me feel like a (broke) loser. Your input welcome! :) I just really want to pay down debt and increase my savings....after 6 years in a private school (and making VERY little money), I'm trying to make up some ground. *sigh*
*ETA - the more I read #3, the more I am "accepting" that it's probably just not a good idea. :(
4) I had a great time last weekend at the scrapbooking crop with my mom. Despite many many hours of (nearly) uninterrupted crafting, I remain quite behind...though I was able to fully complete my Week in the Life album from cover to cover. So excited about that.
5) It seems whenever I return from one of these scrapbooking events, it is days, if not weeks, before I get back to scrapbooking. I'm happy to report that I actually jumped right in on Tuesday night to get a couple things done...of course, I stayed up too late and paid for it on Wednesday morning. Ha!
1) I love this idea! Hide a Book on September 18. I know it's been done quite a bit in the UK, particularly by Emma Watson, but I'm really hoping it picks up here in the US. I'm planning to hide a few copies of (one of) my favorite books. While I'd like to buy the stickers, I think I'll make my own and save my pounds (dollars) for something else. :)
2) Looking forward to the 3 day weekend. Who doesn't look forward to an extra day off? Taking a mini road trip up to VA to see my dad.
3) I'm still "on the fence" with following through on being a Lyft driver. I've heard SO many stories of how much $$$ people have made and I love the flexibility...but as a female, I'm also a bit frightened. Oh and then there's the part where my husband doesn't want me to do this at all (for safety issues). Ugh! It just seems like it's the only (relatively well paying) part time job that would really work for me and not make me feel like a (broke) loser. Your input welcome! :) I just really want to pay down debt and increase my savings....after 6 years in a private school (and making VERY little money), I'm trying to make up some ground. *sigh*
*ETA - the more I read #3, the more I am "accepting" that it's probably just not a good idea. :(
4) I had a great time last weekend at the scrapbooking crop with my mom. Despite many many hours of (nearly) uninterrupted crafting, I remain quite behind...though I was able to fully complete my Week in the Life album from cover to cover. So excited about that.
5) It seems whenever I return from one of these scrapbooking events, it is days, if not weeks, before I get back to scrapbooking. I'm happy to report that I actually jumped right in on Tuesday night to get a couple things done...of course, I stayed up too late and paid for it on Wednesday morning. Ha!
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Bookish & Not-So-Bookish Thoughts
Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things encountered during the week. **************************************************************************************
1) Found another good podcast! I have become a bit addicted to The Vanished!! Each podcast is a story about someone who has gone missing and has still not been found. Pretty interesting.
2) Commence the countdown to Fall Break...my, Ethan and my mom are going to Panama City Beach, FL. I haven't been there for 25 years, so I'm pretty excited to go back since it's much more developed now. I'm also really excited to be going somewhere different/new. I need to investigate all the activities available there so we can determine what we should do. So excited!
3) Ethan & I enjoyed the Great American Solar Eclipse from our friend's farm in Greenback, TN...in the path of Totality and it was totality awesome! :) Schools were closed here because of the timing of the eclipse as it would occur during dismissal, which means it would have been dark...then there's the whole "once in a lifetime" thing too.
4) On that note, I couldn't believe the craze on eclipse glasses. It was like Cabbage Patch kids all over again. Thankfully we had our glasses for a while and were ready to view.
5) In addition to being off this past Monday, I was also off on Friday (Yay! 4 day weekend) to take Oscar to have 2 wisdom teeth pulled (the anesthesia was hilarious) and then I enjoyed (not) yet one more back injection at 1pm. As suspected, it seems it was a complete waste of money since I have only had about 1-2 days of "relief". The doctor seemed to think it could help....or maybe he just wanted the $. (They are billing the insurance $1000+ for each injection). I have decided to move forward on a 2nd opinion since only 3 days after this last injection, I had pain equal to before every having seen him. #fail
6) I've had a lot of days off in August...and tomorrow is another day off. I'm excited to go on a scrapbook "retreat" with my mom this weekend. We will be at a local hotel, but it's so much fun to scrapbook from morning til really late at night. I hope to make some mega progress since the whole house painting and move completely derailed my scrapbooking progress.
7) September will be rough as I have NO days off scheduled. Oof. Add to that a co-worker has quit and will be leaving early September, leaving only 3 people on our team....down from 5 just two months ago. This should be interesting.
1) Found another good podcast! I have become a bit addicted to The Vanished!! Each podcast is a story about someone who has gone missing and has still not been found. Pretty interesting.
2) Commence the countdown to Fall Break...my, Ethan and my mom are going to Panama City Beach, FL. I haven't been there for 25 years, so I'm pretty excited to go back since it's much more developed now. I'm also really excited to be going somewhere different/new. I need to investigate all the activities available there so we can determine what we should do. So excited!
3) Ethan & I enjoyed the Great American Solar Eclipse from our friend's farm in Greenback, TN...in the path of Totality and it was totality awesome! :) Schools were closed here because of the timing of the eclipse as it would occur during dismissal, which means it would have been dark...then there's the whole "once in a lifetime" thing too.
4) On that note, I couldn't believe the craze on eclipse glasses. It was like Cabbage Patch kids all over again. Thankfully we had our glasses for a while and were ready to view.
5) In addition to being off this past Monday, I was also off on Friday (Yay! 4 day weekend) to take Oscar to have 2 wisdom teeth pulled (the anesthesia was hilarious) and then I enjoyed (not) yet one more back injection at 1pm. As suspected, it seems it was a complete waste of money since I have only had about 1-2 days of "relief". The doctor seemed to think it could help....or maybe he just wanted the $. (They are billing the insurance $1000+ for each injection). I have decided to move forward on a 2nd opinion since only 3 days after this last injection, I had pain equal to before every having seen him. #fail
6) I've had a lot of days off in August...and tomorrow is another day off. I'm excited to go on a scrapbook "retreat" with my mom this weekend. We will be at a local hotel, but it's so much fun to scrapbook from morning til really late at night. I hope to make some mega progress since the whole house painting and move completely derailed my scrapbooking progress.
7) September will be rough as I have NO days off scheduled. Oof. Add to that a co-worker has quit and will be leaving early September, leaving only 3 people on our team....down from 5 just two months ago. This should be interesting.
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Another Year Older
*disclaimer: this post is more for my memory in looking back years from now to recall what was happening in my life at this time. you may find it rather boring. consider yourself warned. :)
*i turn 46 today.
*i bought my first pair of readers last night. much needed.
*i'm getting my teeth cleaned today...because I know how to celebrate a birthday! ugh!
*looking forward to dinner @ chez guevara tonight with ethan, mom & dave.
*we are living in our 3rd home together.
*i am not loving my job (no surprise there).
*i've been struggling with some significant back pain for about 1 year now.
*i still wonder "what if" to having made other choices earlier in life. this will probably never stop.
*i love scrapbooking, specifically "project life" but struggle to find the time to do it.
*i love reading, but like scrapbooking, struggle to find the time for it. usually in bed at night or while i'm walking/running on the treadmill.
*i'm going on a scrapbooking weekend with mom starting on friday and cannot wait. these are always so much fun and i'm glad we've made it sort of a tradition. this is our 4th "retreat" - to a local knoxville hotel - so not necessarily "retreat" but super fun nonetheless. so excited.
*and it's official. oscar has forgotten my birthday. i just got off the phone w/him and he neglected to wish me a happy birthday. gonna see how long it takes him to remember.
*updated: oscar called back 20 minutes later to wish me a happy birthday. *sigh*
Wednesday, August 09, 2017
Bookish & Not-So-Bookish Thoughts
![Love & Gelato by [Welch, Jenna Evans]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Miq2Jr2QL.jpg)
1) I read "Love & Gelato" in 2 days!!! That never happens. It was that good. Great YA book for middle school and up. I loved traveling through Italy with the characters. This is one of those that I was sad to finish because I was enjoying it so much. Also, it's only $1.99 on Kindle...grab it while you can. That's a great deal! I think I may stick to YA for a bit, as I haven't been having much luck with adult books.
2) Today is our 3rd full day of 4th grade and so far the complaints have stayed to a minimum...thank goodness. Really hoping and praying that this year is amazing for him. That may be wishful thinking though.
Thursday, August 03, 2017
Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts
Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things encountered during the week. **************************************************************************************
-my fortune from dinner last night w/my dad :)
1) I joined a new book club! First meeting is tonight. I haven't finished the book. I don't much care for the book. And then, I can't even go tonight as I have a schedule conflict. Try again next month.
2) Today is "meet the teacher". Ethan is out of town with his dad, coming back late tonight, but I"ll go up to the school to meet her and drop off supplies. Praying for a better year this year.
3) I'm done with the chiropractor. Next up: steroid injection #3 on August 18. #CantWait
4) Excited to have "summer hours" at work...which means if I can work 36 hours in 4 days and then 4 on Friday morning, I can leave at 12noon. Woot! Doing this tomorrow.
5) Speaking of work...didn't find any school counselor gigs, so I'm staying put for now. We will see what happens...and if you watch the news, it was just announced that my company was purchased by a really big company to make together the biggest company in this particular industry. Lots of change coming, but the job losses that typically occur from this sort of thing are at least a year away.
6) Booked a trip to Fl with my dad for Spring Break next year. So excited as we typically don't go anywhere for Spring Break. Happy that I'll have the whole week off with my little man too!
7) Speaking of FL, I really just need to move there...it seems everytime I plan a vacation, that is where I want to go. I just told the husband that I want to go to Panama City Beach for Fall Break for a few days. I haven't been there for over 20 years, before it was so "happening"....there seems to be a lot to do and I'd love to take Ethan there. Husband isn't so excited, but I'm hoping to convince him. :) After all, we are ALWAYS going to SC and while I love it there, I really want to go someplace new.
![The Blinds by [Sternbergh, Adam]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/514ZPPhVkpL.jpg)
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts
Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things encountered during the week. **************************************************************************************
1) Happy to report that I've found a couple podcasts to enjoy during my long drawn-out cubicle days---Happier in Hollywood is pretty funny...it's by Gretchen Rubin's (Happiness books) sister and her co-worker. I've also listened to a few of the "Happier w/Gretchen Rubin" podcasts, but this will not likely be a regular one. I've jumped back on the wagon with "Elise Gets Crafty"....maybe every other podcast is relevant to me as she talks alot about building a small business...I don't have a small business to build, so I only usually listen to the craft-specific podcasts. Lastly, I am close to obsessed with "Locked Up Abroad" and am anxiously awaiting the next podcast to be published. Check it out, if you haven't already.
2) I need a side hustle...I have no imagination to create or come up with some great business...so I keep reverting to becoming a Lyft driver, but then reality kicks in and I decide that I don't want to get murdered in my car. I'll be poor & unfulfilled forever. *sigh* I would love to know if you would consider being a Lyft driver...I started filling out the application but stopped...I think I would be scared to pick strangers up, even if I stayed in "good" areas, which would be my plan. It's so tempting however, as the money is pretty good. Who couldn't use a few extra hundred dollars, right?
3) Check out Ethan's 36 second video he made in Apple Camp last week.
4) Ethan has been at sleep away camp this week. As much as I looked forward to the alone-time, I've also found myself wondering what to do or even with nothing (exciting) to do. I was hoping to take advantage of the time to do things that I cannot do with Ethan, as he and I are together 99% of the time. Instead, I've done the usual: laundry, dishes, recycling, garbage...as much as I love to read, sitting down and reading for hours on end at my house just doesn't work for me. I really need to be removed from my home in order to read at length....strange...maybe. In my defense, Starbucks keeps their AC way to freakin' cold for me and I'm pretty much "over" iced chai and I don't drink coffee. Doesn't leave much of a reason to go there. I've also felt like I need to get my 10k steps every day which means getting on the treadmill everyday after work...so yeah, not really doing much out of the ordinary this week. On Monday, I did go to Kohls to use a $5 certificate and buy some socks for Ethan. Weeee! I was hoping the Apple Store would have some more cool classes this week, but no. Speaking of that though, the Photo class I took on Saturday evening was awesome...I learned A LOT about using Photo on the Mac and additional ways to organize my pics. I had NO idea I could order prints and make books through Apple!! Amazing!!
5) My back continues to give me trouble. A lot of trouble actually. After 2 steroid injections and a lot of "pestering" from my mom, I have returned to the chiropractor to see if he can help me. I provided him with a copy of my MRI and he said he has some adjustments that may help me. Fast forward 6 visits later and no real progress has been made (again!)...it continues to be inconsistent, no matter what I do, treatment or activity-wise. I'm beyond frustrated and just this morning I wanted to just break down in tears about it...and then there's the 10-12 lbs that I've gained as a result. Yesterday, I did 15 minutes of traction at the chiropractor and still no improvement.
6) Because I had just returned to the chiropractor, I postponed my 3rd injection from this past Tuesday to August 24 - the next available date - *sigh*....hindsight, I wish I hadn't but I wasn't in as much pain the day I cancelled as I am today and still wanted to give the chiropractor some time. Of course, they never have cancellations for injection appointments, so the chance of getting in sooner is next to nothing....but then again, the 2 injections I've had have only lasted 6 days each. #fail
7) Why can't all areas of life align in a good way at the same time? Seriously, it seems that if I'm happy at work, home is a bit of a wreck....or as is my reality right now, when I'm not happy at work, home life is pretty good. Ugh!
1) Happy to report that I've found a couple podcasts to enjoy during my long drawn-out cubicle days---Happier in Hollywood is pretty funny...it's by Gretchen Rubin's (Happiness books) sister and her co-worker. I've also listened to a few of the "Happier w/Gretchen Rubin" podcasts, but this will not likely be a regular one. I've jumped back on the wagon with "Elise Gets Crafty"....maybe every other podcast is relevant to me as she talks alot about building a small business...I don't have a small business to build, so I only usually listen to the craft-specific podcasts. Lastly, I am close to obsessed with "Locked Up Abroad" and am anxiously awaiting the next podcast to be published. Check it out, if you haven't already.
2) I need a side hustle...I have no imagination to create or come up with some great business...so I keep reverting to becoming a Lyft driver, but then reality kicks in and I decide that I don't want to get murdered in my car. I'll be poor & unfulfilled forever. *sigh* I would love to know if you would consider being a Lyft driver...I started filling out the application but stopped...I think I would be scared to pick strangers up, even if I stayed in "good" areas, which would be my plan. It's so tempting however, as the money is pretty good. Who couldn't use a few extra hundred dollars, right?
4) Ethan has been at sleep away camp this week. As much as I looked forward to the alone-time, I've also found myself wondering what to do or even with nothing (exciting) to do. I was hoping to take advantage of the time to do things that I cannot do with Ethan, as he and I are together 99% of the time. Instead, I've done the usual: laundry, dishes, recycling, garbage...as much as I love to read, sitting down and reading for hours on end at my house just doesn't work for me. I really need to be removed from my home in order to read at length....strange...maybe. In my defense, Starbucks keeps their AC way to freakin' cold for me and I'm pretty much "over" iced chai and I don't drink coffee. Doesn't leave much of a reason to go there. I've also felt like I need to get my 10k steps every day which means getting on the treadmill everyday after work...so yeah, not really doing much out of the ordinary this week. On Monday, I did go to Kohls to use a $5 certificate and buy some socks for Ethan. Weeee! I was hoping the Apple Store would have some more cool classes this week, but no. Speaking of that though, the Photo class I took on Saturday evening was awesome...I learned A LOT about using Photo on the Mac and additional ways to organize my pics. I had NO idea I could order prints and make books through Apple!! Amazing!!
5) My back continues to give me trouble. A lot of trouble actually. After 2 steroid injections and a lot of "pestering" from my mom, I have returned to the chiropractor to see if he can help me. I provided him with a copy of my MRI and he said he has some adjustments that may help me. Fast forward 6 visits later and no real progress has been made (again!)...it continues to be inconsistent, no matter what I do, treatment or activity-wise. I'm beyond frustrated and just this morning I wanted to just break down in tears about it...and then there's the 10-12 lbs that I've gained as a result. Yesterday, I did 15 minutes of traction at the chiropractor and still no improvement.
6) Because I had just returned to the chiropractor, I postponed my 3rd injection from this past Tuesday to August 24 - the next available date - *sigh*....hindsight, I wish I hadn't but I wasn't in as much pain the day I cancelled as I am today and still wanted to give the chiropractor some time. Of course, they never have cancellations for injection appointments, so the chance of getting in sooner is next to nothing....but then again, the 2 injections I've had have only lasted 6 days each. #fail
7) Why can't all areas of life align in a good way at the same time? Seriously, it seems that if I'm happy at work, home is a bit of a wreck....or as is my reality right now, when I'm not happy at work, home life is pretty good. Ugh!
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts
Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things encountered during the week. **************************************************************************************
1)If I can't have my summer off, at least I can work from home quite a bit. Ethan is attending Apple Camp, the computers, not the fruit and he absolutely loved it after just one day. Day 2 & 3 are Thursday & Friday. It's 90 minutes and the parent (or guardian) has to stay in the store the entire time. Lucky me, I have a book I can take with me tomorrow. My mom took him on Tuesday, the first day. I'm just happy I can take the mornings off to be w/him and then work from home in the afternoons.b vn b
2) Happy to report that we got all the childcare situated for the remainder of the summer...phew last week was one of those that definitely goes in the "parenting is hard" book. These last 3 weeks should be Ethan's favorites. Today he was with a friend of mine who has 2 middle school age daughters - it was like "mom/daughter" combo babysitting (mom is a teacher). Ethan had a blast and said he wishes he was going there again tomorrow, but he's stuck at home with me. Ha. I'm just glad he was so happy!
3) Added bonus to #2...I have a new friend-in-the-making. I knew the family already and they recently moved into our subdivision. We ran into one another at the pool recently where I ended up invited to her book club. Hooray!! We will be reading "Swimming in the Moon", I haven't started it but will very soon.
1)If I can't have my summer off, at least I can work from home quite a bit. Ethan is attending Apple Camp, the computers, not the fruit and he absolutely loved it after just one day. Day 2 & 3 are Thursday & Friday. It's 90 minutes and the parent (or guardian) has to stay in the store the entire time. Lucky me, I have a book I can take with me tomorrow. My mom took him on Tuesday, the first day. I'm just happy I can take the mornings off to be w/him and then work from home in the afternoons.b vn b
2) Happy to report that we got all the childcare situated for the remainder of the summer...phew last week was one of those that definitely goes in the "parenting is hard" book. These last 3 weeks should be Ethan's favorites. Today he was with a friend of mine who has 2 middle school age daughters - it was like "mom/daughter" combo babysitting (mom is a teacher). Ethan had a blast and said he wishes he was going there again tomorrow, but he's stuck at home with me. Ha. I'm just glad he was so happy!
3) Added bonus to #2...I have a new friend-in-the-making. I knew the family already and they recently moved into our subdivision. We ran into one another at the pool recently where I ended up invited to her book club. Hooray!! We will be reading "Swimming in the Moon", I haven't started it but will very soon.
4) This summer will definitely go in the books as one of the LEAST greatest. Even our vacation was (much) less than stellar, primarily because my husband didn't take the whole week off like he was supposed to, which left E and I tagging along to his job site and/or doing things on our own instead of as a family, which is one of the main points of going on a (family) vacation. *sigh*
5) I'm back at the chiropractor for my back. He's become a good friend of my mom's so she has been telling him about my treatment with the orthopedic doc and the really fun injections (ouch!). I gave him a copy of my MRI and he told my mom and also called me to say that he has some adjustment moves that could help...I'm to the point where I am willing to try anything if it means I don't have to get another injection and/or I can get some relief. I've gone 4x now and there is definitely some improvement but as always, it is inconsistent. The past 2 days, however, have been my best in a while. I go again on Friday and then need to decide whether to call and postpone my 3rd injection, which is scheduled for next Tuesday. Getting old stinks.
6) Ethan just fell asleep on the couch watching tv. that almost never happens. he clearly had a blast at our neighbors house today. love that!
7) I've clearly moved into the world of "boring adulthood"...or in other words, I have next week completely to myself as E goes to sleep away camp and of course the husband is always out of town during the week. I cannot find a single thing to do with myself. There are no movies I care to see. I'm not a drinker & don't really have friends who are either, so going out on a "girls night" isn't happening either. I did find 2 yoga classes I may attend and hopefully my back will feel better and I can spend some serious time on the treadmill...but I really want to do things that I don't get to do usually because I have Ethan with me. Last time, I was able to go see "The Zookeeper's Wife" which was good....I had read the book a few years ago.
8) The husband and I are trying to make plans for a "date night" after we drop Ethan off at camp on Sunday. We enjoyed dinner @ a Thai restaurant last time and plan to eat somewhere else that Ethan wouldn't enjoy since we'll be on our own. We are really bad at making time for "date nights" so we are both pretty excited about this opportunity.
9) We really want to cut the cable costs in our house and switch over to something like Amazon Firestick or alternative...but I do not know the first thing about any of them. My husband is the TV watcher but it's mostly news (yawn) or military/history channels. I just don't know which option to choose that would give us what we want...I want HGTV, Food Network and all those lovely channels....I can live without everything else.
Friday, July 14, 2017
Books, Books & More Books
My book game has really dropped off this year.
Not by choice either.
I'm constantly 4 books behind on my Goodreads challenge, even with finishing 2.5 books on vacation last week.
Currently Reading:
![Same Beach, Next Year: A Novel by [Frank, Dorothea Benton]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51kNeISURzL._SY346_.jpg)
Same Beach, Next Year by DBF...her's are always a "must-read", though I will say that last year's book was not a great one IMO.
![Alexander Hamilton by [Chernow, Ron]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51X4L0OiziL.jpg)
Hamilton - I started this quite a while ago, read for what seemed like hours only to discover I was on page 10. I want to read it, but can't seem to find the motivation.
![You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by [Sincero, Jen]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Wc-Y86GtL.jpg)
You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness & Start Living an Awesome Life - confession: I don't even think I have "greatness" therefore, I can't really doubt it...but this book was recommended (generally) by a co-worker so I picked it up. It's one of those I read a few pages and set it down to read something else. I'll get back to it eventually but so far there was no "earth shattering" information on how to improve my life - at least that I thought was practical.
Just Finished:
![The Four Seasons by [Monroe, Mary Alice]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41ksv4sQ5fL.jpg)
The Four Seasons by Mary Alice Monroe - 4 sisters, lots of drama, good book. I gave it 4 stars. I went right into this one after finishing her new release, Beach House for Rent, which was fantabulous.
Up Next:
![Perfect Little World: A Novel by [Wilson, Kevin]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51wUTPqFLKL.jpg)
Perfect Little World - It just came through from the library so I've got 3 weeks to get it done.
![The Orphan's Tale: A Novel by [Jenoff, Pam]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51o5CUlC70L.jpg)
The Orphan's Tale - picked this one up when it was $2.99, loved all of Jenoff's other books so I'm looking forward to this one.
So now I just need another vacation so I can knock a couple of these out. :)
Not by choice either.
I'm constantly 4 books behind on my Goodreads challenge, even with finishing 2.5 books on vacation last week.
Currently Reading:
Same Beach, Next Year by DBF...her's are always a "must-read", though I will say that last year's book was not a great one IMO.
Hamilton - I started this quite a while ago, read for what seemed like hours only to discover I was on page 10. I want to read it, but can't seem to find the motivation.
You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness & Start Living an Awesome Life - confession: I don't even think I have "greatness" therefore, I can't really doubt it...but this book was recommended (generally) by a co-worker so I picked it up. It's one of those I read a few pages and set it down to read something else. I'll get back to it eventually but so far there was no "earth shattering" information on how to improve my life - at least that I thought was practical.
Just Finished:
The Four Seasons by Mary Alice Monroe - 4 sisters, lots of drama, good book. I gave it 4 stars. I went right into this one after finishing her new release, Beach House for Rent, which was fantabulous.
Up Next:
Perfect Little World - It just came through from the library so I've got 3 weeks to get it done.
The Orphan's Tale - picked this one up when it was $2.99, loved all of Jenoff's other books so I'm looking forward to this one.
So now I just need another vacation so I can knock a couple of these out. :)
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Ups & Downs
This has been a summer full of ups and downs. I wish I could say more Ups than Downs, but I think it's probably pretty even.
Down: Ethan is miserable at the (main) day camp he is enrolled in, so much so, that yesterday I had to pull him out. Just not a good fit for us this year.
Up: He had a great time at a different camp I enrolled him at in June. Wish he could be all year there, but it's way too pricey. Glad he loved it though.
Down: Since pulling him from camp, I'm scrambling to find coverage for him during the day. A lot of days are covered by my mom and I, since I can work from home, but I have ONE remaining day where neither of us can be with him and I'm quickly realizing we have (almost) no friends (who can help).
Up: He made huge strides by going to sleep away camp and having a wonderful time and successfully sleeping away from home for an entire week...something that rarely happens. He loved it SO much in fact, that now that he's out of day camp, he will spend another week at sleep away camp and he's super excited.
Down: I've reached out to a couple friends about helping us out with E next week and I totally understand when it doesn't work out, but sometimes the responses I get make it seem like I never should have asked them in the first place. THIS IS WHY I HATE HATE HATE asking for help!
Down: This also makes me wish I had never left that stupid school job...even though it was absolutely awful and 17 other people also quit that year and I would have been miserable this last school year, but at least Ethan would be happy and we wouldn't have all these stupid issues over the summer. At this point, I'm totally willing to take the pay cut to get back into a school...too bad there are no opportunities.
I can't think of any more "Ups" so I'm gonna stop here.
Down: Ethan is miserable at the (main) day camp he is enrolled in, so much so, that yesterday I had to pull him out. Just not a good fit for us this year.
Up: He had a great time at a different camp I enrolled him at in June. Wish he could be all year there, but it's way too pricey. Glad he loved it though.
Down: Since pulling him from camp, I'm scrambling to find coverage for him during the day. A lot of days are covered by my mom and I, since I can work from home, but I have ONE remaining day where neither of us can be with him and I'm quickly realizing we have (almost) no friends (who can help).
Up: He made huge strides by going to sleep away camp and having a wonderful time and successfully sleeping away from home for an entire week...something that rarely happens. He loved it SO much in fact, that now that he's out of day camp, he will spend another week at sleep away camp and he's super excited.
Down: I've reached out to a couple friends about helping us out with E next week and I totally understand when it doesn't work out, but sometimes the responses I get make it seem like I never should have asked them in the first place. THIS IS WHY I HATE HATE HATE asking for help!
Down: This also makes me wish I had never left that stupid school job...even though it was absolutely awful and 17 other people also quit that year and I would have been miserable this last school year, but at least Ethan would be happy and we wouldn't have all these stupid issues over the summer. At this point, I'm totally willing to take the pay cut to get back into a school...too bad there are no opportunities.
I can't think of any more "Ups" so I'm gonna stop here.
Monday, June 26, 2017
this week in my life...
* Krispy Kreme glazed cherry pies are 1000x better than Hostess...I never thought that was possible. They are dangerously good. Consider yourself warned. :)
*Diet Dr Pepper is not having the same delicious taste for me that is has had all these years. I think I've worn out my taste buds for it. Is that possible? Sadly though, I have no replacement.
*Ethan blew me outta the water with his easy transition to being dropped off at sleep-away camp yesterday. He yelled "See you Friday!"....I'm still shocked. But so happy that he is happy!
*Seeing that Ethan was happy yesterday helps me feel less guilty about having the week to myself (after work of course)...for now I plan to go to the YMCA to get some much needed workout time in. I think I'll browse the used book store afterwards.
*Thursday night my mom and I are going to the local book store to see author Mary Alice Monroe...we have really enjoyed her books over the past couple years. I love that she writes about the area of South Carolina where we travel to every year for vacation....and where we will be next week.
*I feel really dumb when I come across a word I don't know. I guess I think at my age, I should know *every* word out there, but clearly I don't. I have been known to go along in conversations acting as if I know whatever mysterious (to me) word was said....only to go look it up later. Confession: just read the word "oenophile"....I was luck, what the heck is that? Yeah, "lover of wine"...in my defense, I don't drink wine and I definitely don't love it. But I know what the word means now.
*Did I mention I have only 3.5 days of work this week. Beyond excited. Seriously. Vacay starts at 12noon on Thursday. Cannot wait!
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
SAHM for a day!
Super happy today - I've taken the day off to spend it with Ethan and pretend I still have the whole summer off. Ha!
We slept in, which is always awesome and doesn't happen nearly enough.
I have a check up for my back at 1045am so we'll head out shortly for that.
The plan is to then hang out at the pool. Of course, when I decided to take the whole day off, the weather was to be sunny and high 80s, perfect pool weather. It will still be warm today but mostly cloudy. Boo! This girl needs some color.
Strangely enough, I had a hair highlight & cut appt set up for Friday with a newish gal but she cancelled on me today. I reached back out to the other gal I've been going to and she is able to get me in today at 530pm. I definitely got lucky here because she is going on vacation in a few days. Also, I really wanted to get my hair done before we leave on vacation on July 2. Happy that is getting done.
Why do I struggle to stay awake until 1030pm these days when I used to stay up easily until 1am? So bummed about this as I'm pretty sure the only explanation is that I'm getting old and frankly, I've heard that answer way too many times this year already. Geesh!
Contemplating signing back up at the YMCA. Really want to so I can take Spin classes and return to my Yoga classes as well. I just remember how hard it was to get there after work. There's no time in between work and getting to the YMCA to feed Ethan and everyone knows a 9yo boy is NOT going to wait until 7pm to eat dinner. Not happening. Since he will be gone to camp next week, I may sign up on Monday so I can start with 6pm spin that night. It will be amazing to not have a "curfew" all week next week and be able to do my own thing.
Another exciting activity next week is that author Mary Alice Monroe is coming to our local indie book store for a signing. Cannot.Believe.It. Nobody who's somebody ever comes to Knoxville. Seriously! It will be girls night out with my mom!
We slept in, which is always awesome and doesn't happen nearly enough.
I have a check up for my back at 1045am so we'll head out shortly for that.
The plan is to then hang out at the pool. Of course, when I decided to take the whole day off, the weather was to be sunny and high 80s, perfect pool weather. It will still be warm today but mostly cloudy. Boo! This girl needs some color.
Strangely enough, I had a hair highlight & cut appt set up for Friday with a newish gal but she cancelled on me today. I reached back out to the other gal I've been going to and she is able to get me in today at 530pm. I definitely got lucky here because she is going on vacation in a few days. Also, I really wanted to get my hair done before we leave on vacation on July 2. Happy that is getting done.
Why do I struggle to stay awake until 1030pm these days when I used to stay up easily until 1am? So bummed about this as I'm pretty sure the only explanation is that I'm getting old and frankly, I've heard that answer way too many times this year already. Geesh!
Contemplating signing back up at the YMCA. Really want to so I can take Spin classes and return to my Yoga classes as well. I just remember how hard it was to get there after work. There's no time in between work and getting to the YMCA to feed Ethan and everyone knows a 9yo boy is NOT going to wait until 7pm to eat dinner. Not happening. Since he will be gone to camp next week, I may sign up on Monday so I can start with 6pm spin that night. It will be amazing to not have a "curfew" all week next week and be able to do my own thing.
Another exciting activity next week is that author Mary Alice Monroe is coming to our local indie book store for a signing. Cannot.Believe.It. Nobody who's somebody ever comes to Knoxville. Seriously! It will be girls night out with my mom!
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Another Day in (not) Paradise
Hello to all one of you reading this! :)
Not much "new" to really post about.
It's summer. I'm working. I don't like it.
Did I make the right choice 1 year ago? Yes.
Is my current situation ideal? No. Far from it.
It doesn't have to be ideal, but there's room for improvement.
Truly hating working the summer and sending Ethan to camp(s).
Hate that he has to get up early all year 'round now. We love our "no bedtime" nights!
Bright side: he's at a new camp this week and LOVING it.
I may have sent my resume to a local private school for consideration. (Please!)
Not only would I love to work in a school again, but even more would love for Ethan to be in private school. I have nothing against public school, but I will say that there was a "huge" difference in quality for Ethan this year. He needed a lot more challenge and just didn't get it. I would say it's because they have so many kids, but he had 18 in his class, same as private school. Half way thru the year they put him in the G&L program, which is a whopping 1-2 hours on Fridays. Can't say he got a lot out of that. In addition, his teacher went out on Maternity Leave and that caused a few more bumps in the road.
Surprise of the summer: Ethan asked to go to sleep away camp! What? Completely shocked, but he is signed up and will be gone from June 25-30. Now I'm hoping for no mega meltdown at drop off on the 25th. I did everything I could to ENSURE he WANTS to go and he has confidently replied "yes" every.single.time. Thankfully, he will have a friend there the same week and they will hopefully be in the same cabin. I know he will have great experiences and I'm super excited for him.
Counting down the days to vacation...17 to go.
Not much "new" to really post about.
It's summer. I'm working. I don't like it.
Did I make the right choice 1 year ago? Yes.
Is my current situation ideal? No. Far from it.
It doesn't have to be ideal, but there's room for improvement.
Truly hating working the summer and sending Ethan to camp(s).
Hate that he has to get up early all year 'round now. We love our "no bedtime" nights!
Bright side: he's at a new camp this week and LOVING it.
I may have sent my resume to a local private school for consideration. (Please!)
Not only would I love to work in a school again, but even more would love for Ethan to be in private school. I have nothing against public school, but I will say that there was a "huge" difference in quality for Ethan this year. He needed a lot more challenge and just didn't get it. I would say it's because they have so many kids, but he had 18 in his class, same as private school. Half way thru the year they put him in the G&L program, which is a whopping 1-2 hours on Fridays. Can't say he got a lot out of that. In addition, his teacher went out on Maternity Leave and that caused a few more bumps in the road.
Surprise of the summer: Ethan asked to go to sleep away camp! What? Completely shocked, but he is signed up and will be gone from June 25-30. Now I'm hoping for no mega meltdown at drop off on the 25th. I did everything I could to ENSURE he WANTS to go and he has confidently replied "yes" every.single.time. Thankfully, he will have a friend there the same week and they will hopefully be in the same cabin. I know he will have great experiences and I'm super excited for him.
Counting down the days to vacation...17 to go.
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Random Update
1) I'm so unbelievably tired of hearing about Millennials...seriously, can we just STOP talking about them? I don't care how they "plan" to change the work world, or how much time off they are demanding or how much they want to work from home, blah blah blah....you know what? I'm NOT a millennial and I want time off and to work from home too. See! There! You aren't so different, you're just high maintenance and whiny!
2) I remain in a state of "not enough time" for anything, especially reading. If reading were air, I would have suffocated over the past couple of weeks.
3) On that note, I am making slow, but steady progress on unpacking my house. I put 6 empty boxes in the garage last night. Score!
4) It's been a rough few weeks at school for Ethan, which translates to a few stressful weeks of life for me. Holy moly - this parenting thing is NOT easy. There was a situation that caused a lot of stress & heartache but that has since calmed, however now he doesn't want to go to the after care, ever. He asks daily if he can be picked up in carline or go home with a friend. Sadly, these are not daily options hence the fact that he is registered for after care. I get there as fast as I can, but 5pm/515 is not nearly fast enough. This whole dilemma makes me feel EXTREMELY guilty about my change in work situation and makes me feel like it was a mistake. I guess if one of us has to be miserable, I'd rather it be me. :(
5) Mainly because of #4, I've been rather unhappy with life lately. There are other things that factor into it, but I'm definitely in what I would consider a "rough patch." *sigh*
6) Due to recent chaos & events in my life, I've been eating all sorts of junk. I don't want to even be within 100 feet of a scale. It will not be pretty. To add to that, my treadmill is in pieces because when we moved, it would not fit through the doorways, of either house. To make matters worse, we have to take apart even MORE of it to get it into the bonus room. Can't anything be easy? That has been my motto lately. Seriously!
7) Let's see if I can come up with a happy thought....the book I am sorta reading, "Pax" is really good. It's a YA book about a boy and a wild fox that he has as a pet.
8) I do love my new house, but definitely wish I had more time to spend there. I wish more than ever now that I had summers off...but then again, if I had stayed in the job that offered that, we probably would not have bought this house. Hard to say really.
9) I guess the hang up for me is that you never know what you are getting into and when leaving one bad situation in hopes for a better one, you really do not know if you are walking into a "better" one. Of the 300ish days I've been here so far, I would say that maybe 1/3rd of them have been "happy" or "enjoyable". Not a great track record, I suppose.
10) Is it Friday yet?
2) I remain in a state of "not enough time" for anything, especially reading. If reading were air, I would have suffocated over the past couple of weeks.
3) On that note, I am making slow, but steady progress on unpacking my house. I put 6 empty boxes in the garage last night. Score!
4) It's been a rough few weeks at school for Ethan, which translates to a few stressful weeks of life for me. Holy moly - this parenting thing is NOT easy. There was a situation that caused a lot of stress & heartache but that has since calmed, however now he doesn't want to go to the after care, ever. He asks daily if he can be picked up in carline or go home with a friend. Sadly, these are not daily options hence the fact that he is registered for after care. I get there as fast as I can, but 5pm/515 is not nearly fast enough. This whole dilemma makes me feel EXTREMELY guilty about my change in work situation and makes me feel like it was a mistake. I guess if one of us has to be miserable, I'd rather it be me. :(
5) Mainly because of #4, I've been rather unhappy with life lately. There are other things that factor into it, but I'm definitely in what I would consider a "rough patch." *sigh*
6) Due to recent chaos & events in my life, I've been eating all sorts of junk. I don't want to even be within 100 feet of a scale. It will not be pretty. To add to that, my treadmill is in pieces because when we moved, it would not fit through the doorways, of either house. To make matters worse, we have to take apart even MORE of it to get it into the bonus room. Can't anything be easy? That has been my motto lately. Seriously!
7) Let's see if I can come up with a happy thought....the book I am sorta reading, "Pax" is really good. It's a YA book about a boy and a wild fox that he has as a pet.
8) I do love my new house, but definitely wish I had more time to spend there. I wish more than ever now that I had summers off...but then again, if I had stayed in the job that offered that, we probably would not have bought this house. Hard to say really.
9) I guess the hang up for me is that you never know what you are getting into and when leaving one bad situation in hopes for a better one, you really do not know if you are walking into a "better" one. Of the 300ish days I've been here so far, I would say that maybe 1/3rd of them have been "happy" or "enjoyable". Not a great track record, I suppose.
10) Is it Friday yet?
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts
Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things encountered during the week. **************************************************************************************
1) Pretty sure April 2017 is going to rank as my least favorite month of the year. So much drama, BS, body aches, headaches and heartaches. I'm OVER it.
2) Hard to believe tomorrow is my 10th wedding anniversary. If you'd have asked me 3 years ago, I would have told you we never would have made it this far. Sometimes I still wonder about our fate. #MarriageIsHard
3) I "successfully" completed the Disney Star Wars Dark Side Challenge last weekend. And by "successfully", I mean I finished upright and alive. Amazingly, the 10k was cake. I felt great -thanks to the injection into my SI joint I received on Wednesday before leaving for Disney. Such a relief....sadly the pain is back already...the minute I woke up at home on Tuesday morning - go figure. The 1/2 marathon was another story and though I finished, I started worrying at mile 2. I stopped at every medical tent for Biofreeze as well as a pit stop in Animal Kingdom, so my finish time wasn't great, but I'm ok with that. I'm sorta kicking myself for not stopping for 1-2 pictures when I saw short lines. Oh well.
1) Pretty sure April 2017 is going to rank as my least favorite month of the year. So much drama, BS, body aches, headaches and heartaches. I'm OVER it.
2) Hard to believe tomorrow is my 10th wedding anniversary. If you'd have asked me 3 years ago, I would have told you we never would have made it this far. Sometimes I still wonder about our fate. #MarriageIsHard
3) I "successfully" completed the Disney Star Wars Dark Side Challenge last weekend. And by "successfully", I mean I finished upright and alive. Amazingly, the 10k was cake. I felt great -thanks to the injection into my SI joint I received on Wednesday before leaving for Disney. Such a relief....sadly the pain is back already...the minute I woke up at home on Tuesday morning - go figure. The 1/2 marathon was another story and though I finished, I started worrying at mile 2. I stopped at every medical tent for Biofreeze as well as a pit stop in Animal Kingdom, so my finish time wasn't great, but I'm ok with that. I'm sorta kicking myself for not stopping for 1-2 pictures when I saw short lines. Oh well.
4) This is moving weekend...you know, to round out the madness of April. We are moving OUT of our house today and into the new one tomorrow. Such a pain. Not sure if I'll do this again for a very long time if I can help it. #PITA
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts
Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things encountered during the week. **************************************************************************************
1) I had an MRI done on my back today. Now to wait a full week to get the results. I sure hope it provides some answers (and solutions).
2) Still in the process of moving. What a nightmare...though I think most of the madness is behind us. Closing in 16 days!
3) I am really struggling to "like" my job. So many reasons. I applied for 2 School Counselor jobs this week.
4) Our neighbor's sweet dog, Fritz passed away yesterday. Super sad. He was 12. ShihTzu. He was her life. She is unmarried, no kids. Ethan and Fritz basically grew up together. Fritz had been struggling with health issues for a while and there were a few close calls along the way, sadly yesterday there just wasn't anything more the vet could do for him. It was a sad evening. Fritz will be so missed.
5) I'd really like to do this someday....to a few people.
6) Disney in 8 days. Still worried and not terribly excited. I just hope I can get around the parks pain free and truly enjoy the trip.
7) With the little bit of "free" time I have these days, I am juggling 3 books. Book 1: Hamilton, Book 2: Modern Lovers and Book 3: The Strays. I had actually been reading The Strays before Modern Lovers, but ML came in through the library so I switched over to it. I was also not loving The Strays, so it was an easy switch.
8) Ethan and I went to an Open House for a summer camp program where he will attend 1 week this summer. They have an amazing camp program but the price is 3x more than most camps, hence only going 1 week. The theme for the week will be Star Wars, so of course, he is super excited. This camp also operates as a private K-8 school and while I knew it existed, I had never visited their campus. It is gorgeous and I loved some of the things they shared with us about their school program. Ethan was begging me to send him to this school next year. It has a $14k/year price tag. Yeah, he will probably not be attending. LOL!
9) Ethan will be in a music performance tonight at a local nursing home. He is singing "Zip-A-Dee-Do-Da". :)
10) This is a good week to work in a Catholic school...Holy Thursday is a half day and Good Friday is a holiday. So here I am in Corporate America, working all day Thursday and Friday. At least I'm working from home on Friday and getting off at 3:30pm.
1) I had an MRI done on my back today. Now to wait a full week to get the results. I sure hope it provides some answers (and solutions).
2) Still in the process of moving. What a nightmare...though I think most of the madness is behind us. Closing in 16 days!
3) I am really struggling to "like" my job. So many reasons. I applied for 2 School Counselor jobs this week.
4) Our neighbor's sweet dog, Fritz passed away yesterday. Super sad. He was 12. ShihTzu. He was her life. She is unmarried, no kids. Ethan and Fritz basically grew up together. Fritz had been struggling with health issues for a while and there were a few close calls along the way, sadly yesterday there just wasn't anything more the vet could do for him. It was a sad evening. Fritz will be so missed.
5) I'd really like to do this someday....to a few people.
6) Disney in 8 days. Still worried and not terribly excited. I just hope I can get around the parks pain free and truly enjoy the trip.
7) With the little bit of "free" time I have these days, I am juggling 3 books. Book 1: Hamilton, Book 2: Modern Lovers and Book 3: The Strays. I had actually been reading The Strays before Modern Lovers, but ML came in through the library so I switched over to it. I was also not loving The Strays, so it was an easy switch.
8) Ethan and I went to an Open House for a summer camp program where he will attend 1 week this summer. They have an amazing camp program but the price is 3x more than most camps, hence only going 1 week. The theme for the week will be Star Wars, so of course, he is super excited. This camp also operates as a private K-8 school and while I knew it existed, I had never visited their campus. It is gorgeous and I loved some of the things they shared with us about their school program. Ethan was begging me to send him to this school next year. It has a $14k/year price tag. Yeah, he will probably not be attending. LOL!
9) Ethan will be in a music performance tonight at a local nursing home. He is singing "Zip-A-Dee-Do-Da". :)
10) This is a good week to work in a Catholic school...Holy Thursday is a half day and Good Friday is a holiday. So here I am in Corporate America, working all day Thursday and Friday. At least I'm working from home on Friday and getting off at 3:30pm.
Friday, April 07, 2017
Losing At Life
I'm having a series of bad days/weeks/months and it's usually best to not write when things are like this, but then for the sake of documenting my life (for someone's consumption later?), here's a brief update.
*after $400 of orthopedic & PT bills, my back is no better. I'm scheduled for an MRI next Wednesday, which is another pricey investment, so I'm not so excited about that, but I do hope to get some answers.
*we rec'd a pitiful offer on our house, countered & then IMO were just about forced to accept if we wanted to be able to buy the house we put a contract in on. It's still a crappy offer for our current home and I'm angry about the whole thing. I need April to be over with so I can move past it all and not be angry anymore. I finally gave my realtor a piece of my mind yesterday.
*the buyer is a milleneal. he is giving them (even-more) of a bad name.
*I'm going to Disney in 13 days and am the least excited I've ever been. I chalk this up to many things...different job, back pain, house situation etc.
*I think I've come to the end of my time at Orange Theory. I'm putting my 30 days in tomorrow so I'll have 6 more classes and then be done. While I enjoy it, I just cannot afford the time or the cost to go more often and for what I'm spending, it just doesn't make sense. I'm thinking I'll go back to the YMCA and get back into going every Saturday morning and then at least 2x during the week. It'll be hard, but I'm determined to make it work.
*On that note, I was in Nashville earlier this week for work and I used the elliptical machine at the hotel fitness center both nights. Ironically (or not), I woke up both mornings FREE of back pain and even turning over etc was pain free -which is NOT typically the case. The YMCA has elliptical machines which is what got me thinking about changing my fitness membership situation. I plan to go to the Y tonight on a one-day pass and try the elliptical and see how I feel in the morning. I've had crazy pain yesterday and this morning, so it all makes sense, but this will be the true test.
*after $400 of orthopedic & PT bills, my back is no better. I'm scheduled for an MRI next Wednesday, which is another pricey investment, so I'm not so excited about that, but I do hope to get some answers.
*we rec'd a pitiful offer on our house, countered & then IMO were just about forced to accept if we wanted to be able to buy the house we put a contract in on. It's still a crappy offer for our current home and I'm angry about the whole thing. I need April to be over with so I can move past it all and not be angry anymore. I finally gave my realtor a piece of my mind yesterday.
*the buyer is a milleneal. he is giving them (even-more) of a bad name.
*I'm going to Disney in 13 days and am the least excited I've ever been. I chalk this up to many things...different job, back pain, house situation etc.
*I think I've come to the end of my time at Orange Theory. I'm putting my 30 days in tomorrow so I'll have 6 more classes and then be done. While I enjoy it, I just cannot afford the time or the cost to go more often and for what I'm spending, it just doesn't make sense. I'm thinking I'll go back to the YMCA and get back into going every Saturday morning and then at least 2x during the week. It'll be hard, but I'm determined to make it work.
*On that note, I was in Nashville earlier this week for work and I used the elliptical machine at the hotel fitness center both nights. Ironically (or not), I woke up both mornings FREE of back pain and even turning over etc was pain free -which is NOT typically the case. The YMCA has elliptical machines which is what got me thinking about changing my fitness membership situation. I plan to go to the Y tonight on a one-day pass and try the elliptical and see how I feel in the morning. I've had crazy pain yesterday and this morning, so it all makes sense, but this will be the true test.
Thursday, March 02, 2017
Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts
Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things encountered during the week. **************************************************************************************
1) First things first! I won the HR dept Cupcake Battle at work yesterday, with the Butterbeer Cupcakes. Yay!! Turns out staying up until 11pm on Tuesday night was worth it. Well, the prize is a gift card though I've yet to receive it so I'm not sure on the details of it.
2) The moving situation has turned into a bit of an ordeal. We decided against the first house we saw after meeting with our realtor to discover that we bought our current house when the market was booming (for sellers) and so we can only expect to make $2500 on the sale of our house...in TEN EFFIN YEARS! Livid doesn't even come close to expressing how I feel about that. So basically all we would have to put into a new house is the equity from this one and since so much of it ends up going to the realtor & fees & closing costs blah blah blah, we are left with about $1.50 to put down on a bigger, more expensive house. Yep - adulting completely sucks.
3) On that note, our realtor messaged us late last night that there is another house available in our neighborhood similar to the one we originally looked at. This one has some things better than the other and some things worse (no screened in porch). It's also 15k less, so here we are all sucked in again and off to look at it tomorrow night. This emotional roller coaster is wearing on me though, I had just resigned myself to the fact that we weren't going to be able to move and now that may change again. *sigh*
4) I'm afraid to jinx myself but my back pain has reduced in the past couple of days, though sleeping last night was difficult. I've done the dry needling twice now and plan to go again on Saturday. I think it's helping more than the actual PT moves. And interestingly enough, my PT friend is giving me different exercises than the other PT I'm going to and I'm starting to think my PT friend is correct that the other is not. Good thing is that I can do the exercises at home and quit going to PT, which will allow me to get to work sooner on Wednesdays. Win/Win. Only 49 days to the Star Wars 1/2 (and 10k) and I'm wiggin' out...really need to be better. It never fails, the FIRST time I sign up for back-to-back races and I end up with issues. Ugh!
5) I've noticed that many (all) of the "successful" women in my workplace are crazy tall. I am 5'4" and they tower over me. I know there's a study somewhere that talks about how tall women are more apt to be successful. There it is...I was doomed from the start.
6) I really want to make (and eat) this...but I have put myself on a strict diet...so I guess it'll have to wait.
7) I finally started reading Hamilton by Ron Chernow and holy smokes - after reading 5 pages on my Kindle app, it says I've only read 1-2 pages...it is going to take me forever and ever to read this book. Because of that, I have decided to concurrently read The Guests on South Battery by Karen White...this is the 5th in the series and I've loved them all...though they make me want to leave now for Charleston!
8) My book club met last Sunday and while I enjoy my book club, I desperately need another one with members in my age range....or we need to add people in my age range to my current book club. On that note, we are looking for additional members and I had/have 2 people interested. One signed up for sure and even read the book, then she emailed the day before and said she couldn't make it...family plans. That's the problem with people my age and book clubs - they don't have (or make) the time for them.
1) First things first! I won the HR dept Cupcake Battle at work yesterday, with the Butterbeer Cupcakes. Yay!! Turns out staying up until 11pm on Tuesday night was worth it. Well, the prize is a gift card though I've yet to receive it so I'm not sure on the details of it.
2) The moving situation has turned into a bit of an ordeal. We decided against the first house we saw after meeting with our realtor to discover that we bought our current house when the market was booming (for sellers) and so we can only expect to make $2500 on the sale of our house...in TEN EFFIN YEARS! Livid doesn't even come close to expressing how I feel about that. So basically all we would have to put into a new house is the equity from this one and since so much of it ends up going to the realtor & fees & closing costs blah blah blah, we are left with about $1.50 to put down on a bigger, more expensive house. Yep - adulting completely sucks.
3) On that note, our realtor messaged us late last night that there is another house available in our neighborhood similar to the one we originally looked at. This one has some things better than the other and some things worse (no screened in porch). It's also 15k less, so here we are all sucked in again and off to look at it tomorrow night. This emotional roller coaster is wearing on me though, I had just resigned myself to the fact that we weren't going to be able to move and now that may change again. *sigh*
4) I'm afraid to jinx myself but my back pain has reduced in the past couple of days, though sleeping last night was difficult. I've done the dry needling twice now and plan to go again on Saturday. I think it's helping more than the actual PT moves. And interestingly enough, my PT friend is giving me different exercises than the other PT I'm going to and I'm starting to think my PT friend is correct that the other is not. Good thing is that I can do the exercises at home and quit going to PT, which will allow me to get to work sooner on Wednesdays. Win/Win. Only 49 days to the Star Wars 1/2 (and 10k) and I'm wiggin' out...really need to be better. It never fails, the FIRST time I sign up for back-to-back races and I end up with issues. Ugh!
5) I've noticed that many (all) of the "successful" women in my workplace are crazy tall. I am 5'4" and they tower over me. I know there's a study somewhere that talks about how tall women are more apt to be successful. There it is...I was doomed from the start.
6) I really want to make (and eat) this...but I have put myself on a strict diet...so I guess it'll have to wait.
7) I finally started reading Hamilton by Ron Chernow and holy smokes - after reading 5 pages on my Kindle app, it says I've only read 1-2 pages...it is going to take me forever and ever to read this book. Because of that, I have decided to concurrently read The Guests on South Battery by Karen White...this is the 5th in the series and I've loved them all...though they make me want to leave now for Charleston!
8) My book club met last Sunday and while I enjoy my book club, I desperately need another one with members in my age range....or we need to add people in my age range to my current book club. On that note, we are looking for additional members and I had/have 2 people interested. One signed up for sure and even read the book, then she emailed the day before and said she couldn't make it...family plans. That's the problem with people my age and book clubs - they don't have (or make) the time for them.
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