Senior Project

High school students in Idaho are required to complete a Senior Project in order to graduate. At my husband's school that project is career-based. Students research a career, secure a mentor, and spend time working in that particular field. Hubby is the one that runs the projects for his district and I was able to benefit today because of it.

About this time of year students come to him and need more service hours or another mentor. One gal was getting tired of practicing her skill on the same members of her family and was looking for others who might want her services. He signed me up.

So this afternoon while the snow fell and I sat in my recliner, the high school senior came over and worked on my feet. What was she doing?

Reflexology.

I've had my feet massaged the one time I had a pedicure, but this was different. I sat there as she pushed and rubbed and stretched and pulled, all the while describing the different parts of my body that are reached through my feet. It was quite nice. (Probably the first time I didn't get a bit ticked at hubby for signing me up for something!)

The only downside was that I didn't want to get out of my chair afterwards. Three hours later I finally moved and found out it is still snowing. (Thanks for sending it our way, Lisa.)

My Lucky Day

Actually most of the day was sucky. Yesterday's multi-stop trip (actually a two stop trip) left my knee in pretty bad shape. I thought the store walking was going to tax my lungs, but alas, it was the knee in need of replacement. But as I told hubby, nothing is going to stop our upcoming plans. Even the fact I had to use a cane just to get around the house. Sucky.

But the afternoon phone call helped. We had booked our spring break flight quite a while back and the airline called to say they were overbooked and wanted to know if we had flexibility in our flight.

Heck yes! First class seats to LAX. $400 in future flight vouchers. Sign me up.

You can also sign me up for my version of Mandarin Chicken. Cook up some boneless, skinless chicken breast, onions, green pepper, and pineapple. Toss with a bit of jarred sweet and sour sauce. Other than being a little too sweet for me (I think hubby thought I was crazy...wasn't sweet at all for him) it worked for me. All six bites.

Gotcha

The Universe played a "gotcha" on me today.

Today was one of those days I had been planning for. One of those days I'd been thinking over in my head, one of those days that I would make perfect.

Meeting in the morning. Lunch at home. Then my biggie - go to town and buy cat food. Drop off donations. Pick up prescriptions. Go grocery shopping. All by myself. I haven't made a scooter-less multiple-stop trip by myself in a very, very long time. But I was prepared. I had my schedule of stops all planned out.

But then the meeting got moved to the afternoon, so a change of plans was in order. While first thing in the morning is a rough time for me, I committed to getting up and doing my biggie trip before the meeting.

But then, snow all morning. Being it was going to take every bit of strength and stamina and concentration to get through the multi-stop trip to town I decided it best I not go. Goodness knows there is no need for a driver who isn't at the tip top of her game on the highway on a day like today.

Gotcha! Said the Universe. Stop over planning things!

But wouldn't you know, by the time I headed to the meeting the roads started clearing up. 

And after the meeting they were clear even more. So onward to shopping. 

It all works out, doesn't it?

Antithesis

an·tith·e·sis. anˈtiTHəsis. noun: a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else.

As in, Debbie's new behaviors are the antithesis of the old Debbie.

During the life of this blog I believed in living one day at a time.

I believed I should look for the beauty in each day. (Hence the daily pictures.)

I believed that doing things for others made you lead a fuller and more blessed life. (Hence all the sewing projects for charity.)

I believed that, even while I wrote about my struggles and triumphs, life wasn't all about me.

But in the last month I've become obsessed.

Obsessed about the future, always thinking and planning for future times (when I might feel better) and no longer living for the moment.

Obsessed about not wanting to go into the sewing room. Why am I so scared of working on a new project?

Obsessed about not looking around for the beauty in the day. I can't even look beyond checking my school mail every five minutes, no matter what I'm doing. Can't even get through a movie without looking at the phone.

Obsessed about myself. What can I eat? When is my snack? Did I get all my fluids in for the day? How should I space out my vitamins? How much weight have I lost? (50 pounds, for the record.)

This is so not me. I've got to get back to the old me. First up, out to dinner at Alejandra's. Four bites of chicken fajitas - and a picture of the day- and I'm done.

Baby, baby steps.

Lessons Learned

After having a rough time of going to work a couple week back, I took this past week off. I used it to more-or-less drop off the face of the earth. I did no school work and replied to very few emails. I used the time to rest, relax, and learn some lessons.

In no particular order here are my Top 10 Lessons Learned:

• Despite my previous thoughts, I found out my health really does come before work. 
• A plastic fork can substitute when no hair brush is available.
• A couple bites of the moist, delicious white meat inside a KFC extra crispy chicken breast is quite tasty. However, if you've had weight loss surgery do not even think about taking a bite of the skin. Because what goes down must come up. And it ain't pretty and it ain't fun.
• A hairdryer works to warm up a leftover omelet when no microwave is available.
• The only way makeup can make it on my face for the first time in ages is to have a daughter take her wedding party (and invite her mommer) to a Mary Kay thing. (That's how out of the makeup loop I am - I don't even know what it was we went to!)
• Sometimes it's just nice to hang with your daughter, even though she keeps pushing you to walk more and more to get your exercise in for the day.
• If you spend some time in your Boise house to keep away from flu-ridden husband you just might come home to a changed man. All thanks to a book he's read while you were gone.
• When you are prepared to go grocery shopping by yourself, it is guaranteed that there will be no electric shopping carts available. You'll have to go it on your own. You'll have to take a break in the middle of the store, but you will make it.
• The pintos and cheese at Taco Bell is the tastiest meal on Earth.
• A slice of pepperoni and a slice of mozzarella rolled up and dipped in tomato sauce makes the tastiest snack on Earth.