More To Do

Today is December 14th. Only one more week until we leave for New York City. You would think that my mind would be focused on wrapping presents and travel preparations. Nope, today I painted the family room.

We decided that we were going to turn the family room into a pool (table) room. In anticipation that we would be able to get a good deal after Christmas, we arranged to have wood floors put in before the holidays. While I was waiting for the floor delivery person, I got the brainstorm that we should paint this weekend. I mean, we're ripping up the ugly green carpet that is there; there's no reason why we can't spill a little paint on it first.

So today I removed all the pictures and hardware from the walls. Took down the curtains. Went to Lowe's and bought paint and new hardware. Taped up the trim and started painting. I freaked out a little because the paint went on very light. So light, in fact, I couldn't tell where the painting began and ended. Fortunately it dried to the light green that I picked out from the card sample. With the wood floors and a classy pool table, the room will be a great place to hang out.

Rocky Road

One of the things I'd like to get right with my life is my health. Specifically, my weight. Shortly after my daughter was born I was within five pounds of my "goal weight." Unfortunately, I've continuously gained pounds every year since. I'm not stupid. I know what I need to eat and that I should be exercising more. For some reason, I just lack the focus to get the job done.

For the holiday, one of our family favorite treats is called "rocky road." It has chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter, marshmallows and peanuts. While it contains all of my favorites, I think it is also symbolic of my weight loss journey. Things are going smoothly then I come to a hurdle. It can be hard for me to overcome (peanut) or I may fall down and have a hard time crawling out (marshmallow). Either way, there are lots of ups and downs.

My pre-Christmas resolution is to not eat any of the rocky road which I cut up this morning. I hope that by achieving this small goal, I will be prepared to triumph over the larger "rocky road" in my life.

To Do

This morning I sat down and wrote a list of things that should be done before I retire for the evening. Some of them of are routine--vacuum, dust, shop. Others are related to the holidays--get addresses for Christmas cards, print out December calendar, find out train schedule for New York. The rest fit in the category of personal improvement--work out, research Maryland politics and Occupational Health issues.

I feel rather productive so far today. Unfortunately the three things I've achieved so far--make Rocky Road, read newspaper, write blog--were not on my list.

Perhaps it would work out better if I did my accomplishments and then made my list.

Oh What a Beautiful Day!!

Today, an organization I volunteer for was preparing for tomorrow's bake/craft sale at the Navy hospital. We made Chex mix, Halloween mixes, rice crispy pumpkins, peanut butter eyes etc. So I was kept very busy up until my appointment.

I decided to walk from my friend's house over to the hospital to "prep" myself for whatever I was facing. It was a beautiful fall day--sun shining, neither cold nor hot--just perfect.

My appointment was for 2:30, and I checked in at 2:08. There was no waiting as I was ushered to the changing room. The test lasted less than two minutes. I was then told to wait in the room. While in reality I only waited about five minutes, it seemed like forever.

The technician handed me a paper that said there were no complications and all was well. The relief that washed over me was overwhelming. I fought the urge to cry as I changed back into my clothes. The only other time I remember feeling such relief was when my two children were born healthy.

While I am not one of those people who take life for granted, I definitely appreciated it more today.

When it rains, it pours

I usually don't like rain analogies because they tend to be negative and I LOVE rain. But last week sucked and it was raining the whole time.

My husband was out of town (his first trip since moving here) and everything that could go bad did. Some of it was minor--like me having to go to another school concert by myself. I know it's whiney, but it gets tiresome being alone in an auditorium with no one to lean over and whisper, "Hey, there she is."

Then Sarah's track jacket was stolen. It was recovered. But she was very disappointed to find out that someone on her own team had stolen it. And this was after she had let this girl borrow it because she was sick. Again nothing too major.

Then Wednesday night John did something stupid and we ended up in the Emergency Room from 10 until 5:30 a.m. Fortunately the ER was pretty empty so Sarah got to sleep in a room, but I was pretty stressed out and only got about 20 minutes rest.

I crawled into bed around 6:30 and the phone rang at 10:30. It was the Breast Care Center asking me to come in for repeat imaging (I had my mamogram the week before). I explained that I would be at the BCC on Monday and could see them then and the woman replied that the first appointment would be November 19--three weeks away. I hung up the phone thinking it must not be a big deal when the woman called me back asking me to come in on Tuesday instead. SOOOO, with only a few hours sleep, my mind jumped to the worse conclusions and I have been stressed ever since.

I should get the results immediately after my appointment today. I am taking the sunny days as an omen of good things to come.

Departures

We get to the gate with plenty of time to spare. You can't help noticing all the people who are waiting for their flights. Teenagers curled up on the small chairs trying to get a nap in before the overnight flight. Businessmen busy on their computers, cell phones and blackberries; trying to finish work before the communication blackout. And then there's the families; husbands and wives cheerfully holding hands, children climbing over parents, reading books and fighting for time with the video games. All is good.

Then someone from the airline reports that boarding will begin soon. As if on cue, the families smiles fade. The wife's eyes start to tear. The children rush back for a spot on dad's lap. The husband (in this case an Army man) trying to hold on to all of his family at once. You look around and see the same story being played out across the terminal.

I felt like I was intruding on something very private. I looked away. Even though that was almost nine months ago, I still get teary thinking about it.

I'm Baaack (sorta)

The move out of Hawaii went very smooth. The very long flight to Maryland was uneventful. Staying in the hotel with two teenagers and two dogs was bearable. The actual closing on the house was long. Camping out in the house was an adventure. The moving in of the household items went okay for the most part. Now it just seems that every time I unpack a box, three more sprout up in its place. It's a matter of one step forward, two steps back. I unpack a box but don't have a place to put the items so I have to either move out something which has already been put away, re designate furniture (i.e. dresser in kitchen, captains bed in family room), buy new furniture, or just pile it up in the hopes that it will just disappear. I really don't like living amongst all this clutter.

Recently I figured that I could get rid of excess boxes by storing them in the sun room (not being used because it is not heated). That is helping somewhat. After rearranging the living room furniture multiple times, I am finally comfortable with the situation. Now if I could just find where I unpacked those lamps and the light bulbs I bought to replace the ones we had to leave behind.

This is just my introductory post for our new Maryland (Part IV) lives. Watch this space for more and please comment if you are reading this.