March 3, 2011

Being that today is March 3, and three years ago exactly was March 3, I figured I might as well look back to that day. Some of you were around back then and some of you weren't, but in either case let's take a walk down memory lane to 2011. To the first post ever of this blog. My, how times have changed.

Day 1 of 365
So the last 18 months have been rough.

First there was a back injury that make it difficult to do most daily activities. Then came the Rheumatoid Arthritis diagnosis. Total knee replacement surgery was next. Then, a root canal gone bad requiring gum surgery. Took a year's leave of absence from work to help expedite my healing. Broken finger. Torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder and subsequent surgery. Followed by torn rotator cuff in my left shoulder and subsequent surgery. I've spent 17 of the last 18 months (including this month) in physical therapy and have taken more pain medicine than a person should. Back issues still plague me, my knee doesn't bend completely, I still can't raise both arms above my head, and the chemotherapy medication I'm taking for the rheumatoid arthritis isn't improving my condition.

And I'm 45 years old.

Despite the fact that I have more bad days than good and my body is failing me, I am thankful.

I'm thankful for my family. For my husband who is now the breadwinner for the family. For my daughter who let me come live with her for my last surgical recovery. For the cat that climbs up on me when I'm not feeling so great. For the roof over my head. For the view of the river I have from my living room window. For being able to, on some days, do something that will benefit others. Collecting coupons to send to military families. Blankets for babies in the hospital. Cookies for my physical therapists.

But over these last 18 months I haven't felt so thankful. Out of work, in pain, struggling to get through each day.

But today that is going to change.

For the next year, I have a goal. A picture goal. A take-a-picture-every-day-to-see-that-you-have-lived kind of goal.

Every day, I will take a picture of something I did, created, saw that was interesting (or even boring), somewhere I went, or anything else I decide to capture at the time.

I don't know where this will lead me, but hope it will lead me back into the land of the living instead of the land of the existing.


Fast forward to present day. Here's something I found this week on Pinterest (my new obsession). How appropriate. Happy blog anniversary!

Salad Plates

I tried to keep looking for the beauty. I tried to take pictures. I tried to start the blog up again. Made it through several days last week.

Then nothing.

For a couple days this week, I think I actually forgot I even had a blog. We've been busy around the house getting rid of things. We're on a mission to 100. Owning only 100 things each. Two car loads to charity, several bags to the trash, some things to kiddo, some things to my mom. Boy, do we have a lot of stuff.

We've kept about 20% of our books. Most of the remaining books are hubby's school related, history and government related books (and he won't give those up until he retires). We've been through our clothes closets and our linen closet. We've been through every cabinet and drawer in our kitchen. We got rid of casserole dishes and loaf pans and muffin tins and cheesecake pans. We got rid of utensils and silverware. Speaking of silverware, how serious are we about cutting down? We now only own three butter knives. How about dishes? Got rid of our whole set. We now own four salad plates and one dinner plate. Crazy, right?

I think the best thing for me is the salad plate. It makes my dinner look like plenty of food. Yeah, we're talking about just three shrimp but don't they look delicious on my little salad plate?

2024

I remembered when I got my passport 10 years ago. We were planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Alaska to celebrate our 20 year anniversary. Then we got our daughter's the following fall as we were anticipating a trip to Jamaica. The Alaska trip happened but the Jamaica trip didn't. Back that long ago I really didn't think beyond those couple trips. As I think about it now I could never have predicted the traveling we would have done over these past 10 years.

8 trips to Alaska, 2 to Hawaii. several to Canada. A road trip from Idaho to Florida to Maine and back again. Tents and campgrounds, cruises and hotels and cabins.

In a job interview you might be asked, "Where do you see yourself in___ number of years?" The more important question for me (upon seeing the expiration date of my new passport) would be, "Where do you see yourself traveling in the next 10 years?"

Exciting to think about, isn't it?

A Bit of Air

Get up. Take a shower. Get dressed. Cook breakfast. Make a sack lunch.

A typical routine for millions of folks around the world. Except for me that routine has required me to take a rest break/catch-my-breath break in between each one of those steps due to my lung issue.

But as I was driving to work this morning something occurred to me.

I didn't take any breaks this morning. I got up, showered, dressed, made my omelette, and fixed my sack lunch. In that order. Back to back. And I wasn't totally out of breath. And no low oxygen headache.

I had started thinking something was up this weekend. Hubby made me go outside and shovel snow with him. (I agreed because I wanted to get a picture of PJ boy shoveling snow in his pajamas.) I took the easy way out when it came to shoveling and just did the small sidewalk. When I was finished I realized I had a bit of air left. My lungs weren't totally used up.

I do think the lungs are getting a bit better.

Unbelievable. As unbelievable as hubby being dressed in real clothes on the weekend.

Not 'till Noon

My obsession of checking school mail every 5 minutes is creating havoc with my days so I decided on a mantra.

Not 'till Noon. No checking email until noon on my days off.

It's been in my head for the last few days. I go to bed with the thought, I wake up to the thought.

And did I make it on this first day of using it? Not even close. Even as I repeated the words to myself I was checking it. And replying to it. Why the obsession? Maybe it's because I want to stay on top of things. Maybe it's because I don't want to be left out of things. Certainly checking email would not be at the top of most folks' list for the best way to spend their day off. So why is it on mine?

Grrr.

On a more visually pleasing note, take a look at the snowy creek bank. Or should I say, my interpretation of one. It's really the water coming out the downspout of one our gutters. The snow is beginning to melt off the roof and making a little trickle of water flow into the snow covered wildflower-turned-perennial garden. Not all that exciting, but it sure is better than checking email.