Lost Its Shine

Christmas has lost its shine for me.
i have a tree. it is decorated. it has presents under it.
i went shopping. i spent money.
i opened doors for people. i smiled. i listened to christmas music.
i said merry christmas. i said happy holidays.
i asked people if they had plans. i called family to wish them joy.
i feel dead inside. i am void of all emotions.
christmas is death.

i was in the mall. i went to get away from this chattering little annoying man at work.
while i was eating my lunch a christmas song came on the loud speaker.
it was one of my mother's favorite christmas songs.
i suddenly had a wave of christmas memories of my mother come back to me and i cried in the middle of the mall food court.
i could not stop it or avoid it, i cried into my sandwich.

my mother loved loved loved christmas.
she was very poor growing up as a kid.
She was one of eight children; her dad was a drunk that seldom worked; grandma didn't work and they barely ate.
She married dad who did work and they could afford to celebrate christmas.
We didn't have a lot of money and I don't think it was really about the presents.
My mom loved the process and the excitement and the spirit of christmas.

She loved christmas, she would just glow at the holiday.
we'd have to go to church functions.
we'd do caroling and drive around to look at christmas lights.
the presents were wrapped and the tree was decorated with care.
we'd bake cookies and decorating them.

my mother went all out for christmas.
she made it really special for me and my brother's.
i still hang up the christmas stocking she made me by hand while she was pregnant with me.
she added my name right after i was born so it would be on there for my first christmas.
i wasn't even a month old on my first christmas.

Of course when we grew up and became teenagers we ruined it for her.
We became ungrateful and greedy and just a pain in her ass.
And then I redeemed myself and had her first grandchild and christmas was saved again.
She had 4 years with her grandbaby; 4 amazing christmas' filled with the wonderment and awe only a child can bring into the mix.
I miss those christmas years of the shine and the glow.

Yes, for me christmas has lost its shine.

Clear Road Ahead

I turn 41 on this thanksgiving day and i have so much to be thankful for this year.
I have a clear road ahead of me.
The MRA showed no sign of a brain aneurysm and that was a true relief.
The new medication seems to be helping with the migraines.
I am sleeping.
I feel rested.
I feel peaceful.

I had my family with me today.
The new great nephew is trying to talk and sit up.
Every time I laughed he would start to laugh.
Why does a baby cheer most people up so much?
Sophie the puggle wasn't so sure what to do with him.
She sniffed him, licked him, nudged him, gave him some odd looks and just walked off.
Although, anytime the baby drooled Sophie suddenly wanted to lick him.
I was a bad Aunt Shannon and gave him his first taste of chocolate frosting from my birthday cupcakes.
He LOVED chocolate, that is my BOY!!!
We tried vanilla ice cream, nope, he wanted more chocolate.
He has no interest in anything else.
He is such a good sweet baby.
He should be easy to potty train he hates having a wet diaper.

My dad seemed in good spirits.
He liked the house said it was a good fit for me and the kid.
He could never tolerate a home owner's association or having neighbor's this close,
but he knows that the kid and I are used to it after apartment living for so long.
My brother told me he bought my dad a kevlar vest for Christmas.
I told my brother being the smart ass i am,that you know when the zombie apocalypse happens they will want to eat his brain
to which my brother responded no problem i'm getting him a helmet, sheesh!!!!

I really do love my family!!!

MRI surprise

Migraines this year have been 4 a month.
medications have been an epic failure.
my life has been turned upside down and dimmed by them.
they begin with pain and stiffness in my neck.
so the doctor finally sent me in for an mri to check for that elusive brain tumor.
and we get a brain aneurysm so now i get to go and get an mra.

all my migraine symptoms except for the neck pain and stiffness match warning headaches.
so for 11 months i've had this time bomb in my head and didn't even know it.
i must be brave.
who am i kidding i've been blubbering like a giant baby.
i don't have time for this.
i can't afford this.
but alas, here it is ready or not.

my brother had a ruptured aneurysm when he was 23 and he is disabled to this day.
so there is even more concern with the family history.
my brother's was genetic so i shouldn't be too surprised.
one of my doctor's asked her when she was going all her health issues and i went with her to an appointment
how many children she had, she said three, and he asked if all were blonde and blue eyed.
mom said no, her middle son had dark hair and eyes like my dad.
he said that the two blonde kids would inherit all or most of the health issues since we inherited
the recessive genes from both sides.
and he has been so right.
my oldest brother and i are the two fair ones and we are sick all the time.
but my middle brother has had few health issues, he just finished a marathon.

i don't know where this is going but i can use all the prayers and well wishes i can get.

The Cold Snow at our New Home

the snow has come twice now since we've moved into our house.
the winds have been fierce.
we've had the trash can and some chairs blown around.
one night i thought the big bad wolf outside trying to blow the house down.
the entire house shook, literally, it woke up the dog, the kid, and me.
i thought it was a tornado and i know what those are like.
but we survived and the roof survived.

it is scary to own this home.
the garage door is acting up when it is cold it won't close.
i haven't built up my reserves again for issues like this.
so i'm worried something will break and i won't be able to fix it.
scary and so real, no more calling the maintenance man
now i'm maintenance, and i suck with screws and bolts and nuts.
i'm not even allowed to operate power tools.
that stems from childhood, my dad tried to teach me but after several painful and expensive mishaps,
i was regulated to holding things, point the flashlight there, hold this up, move this over...
and i'm not that good at that.
i just don't have good mechanical skills.

i'm more of a thinker then a doer.
i think about doing things all the time.
i have some really great ideas.
but nothing ever gets done unless it urgently needs to.
i do so much at work that when i get home i don't want to do anything.
even if i enjoy it, it is still effort, time, and work.
i'm hoping i'll develop the do it yourself spirit, but i'm not holding my breath.

the last time someone let me use a glue gun i ended up being banned from crafts class and
a lady got 2nd degree burns on her hands...

i'm a one woman walking talking hazard waiting to happen.

Here a Dog, There a Dog, Everywhere a Dog

a new neighborhood brings new people, new sights, new sounds, new smells and lots of new dogs.

sophie the puggle has made friends with lucy, a black and white border collie.
lucy makes a bee line right for us if she is being let outside.
they love to play together.
lucy even comes inside and helps herself to everything.
sophie just jumps all over her.

then there's lily, a golden retriever, she's a people dog, not a dog's dog.
she keeps trying to get to me to be petted, but sophie keeps wanting to play.
lily doesn't want puppy play time she's a person pet me kinda pup.
sweet as can be.

then there's bricks, a french mastiff puppy, he's HUGE and a puppy
sophie walked under him with no problems.
he's so well trained, but he couldn't resist playing with sophie
he was so excited; of course his owner was upset.
he has worked hard to train bricks to obey
and you know sophie, she just egged him on to play.

then there's maximus, a shih tzu puppy, the very opposite in size to bricks
looks like a little rabbit or furry ball walking around
at first he'd shake when sophie sniffed him but now he's a little bit bigger
and i really do me a little little bit bigger
he loves playing with sophie, for once sophie is the big dog here and i think she likes it

then there's gizmo, the chihuahua, he's big and tough, at least in his mind
he gives sophie the whole me man dog you woman dog show
he puffs out his chest, kicks up some dirt and sniffs her butt
sophie takes it all in stride

then there's bruiser, a boxer, he's so sweet
he and sophie played and then lied down and he began to lick her ears
which was addorable, bruiser gets so excited to see her
and she runs right to him

there are many more dogs in the neighborhood but these are the ones she's played with the most.
she never seems to lack for company.
sophie the puggle love her new home and all her new 4 legged neighbors.

Arthritis in the Knee

My kid is 22.
she is what has been called double jointed.
she can hyper extend her joints.
she always injures her left knee.
dance, cheerleading, walking, running
it never took much to get the knee to hurt
finally got an mri
she has a baker's cyst and the beginnings of arthritis in the left knee
at 22 she has what she calls an old persons disease
i had to laugh
she didn't think it was funny

my kid and i have become our very own gray gardens.
i can't picture her living anywhere else.
we've become so accustomed to each other's crazy we can't tolerate anyone else's.
i can hope she can find a man that can marry the both of us,
but she's so stubborn and so much a red head with the temper and all.
the story is there's someone for everyone, but i'm living proof that story is false.
i don't know where i went wrong or even if it is wrong.
my kid and i are each other's best friend and worst enemy.
sometimes we are like an old married couple.

i want her to be happy.
i want her to have a life full of joy.
but at the same time i will miss her and i don't ever want her to go.
she lives my fears as her own.
i have passed down the worst of me.
she somehow turns it into the best of her.
i've been blessed with her and though i regret not having more kids i never regret the one kid God gave me.
i don't know where other teenage mother's end up with their kids,
but my kid and i are in a good place.
we struggled, but who doesn't.
isn't the best life the one where you know the good times because you've lived the bad times?

Settling Down

The big move is done.
Objects placed around each room.
Almost feels like home.

Adjusting to the new night noises.
Wondering where this road leads.
I'm feeling accomplished and pleased.
This is good.
This is right.
This is where I want to be.

The kid is figuring out where to put her stuff.
She overtakes everything she touches.
The buffer is small but necessary.
She's not a child anymore, but a reluctant adult.

She craves my attention like a 3 year old.
I try my hardest to turn her away.
She has to stand on her own as much as I can get her to let me go.
Her red hair matches her quick temper and passionate emotions.
Every day there is some drama in her life that will undo her.
OSU is proving a testing ground for her patience which was always little.

Yes, we are influx.
Yes, we are taking on new challenges.
But I tell her, this is how a life gets lived, in motion, not in rest.
So we will see where we end up.
I hope for her and I both we enjoy the journey and love the destination.
We are settling down into our own for the first time ever home.
Time will tell, it always does.

Moving and Moving some More

We closed on the house a week ago Thursday and have in a constant state of moving ever since.
I've moved 99% of it myself.
I haven't had this much of a work out in ages.
I even took apart and moved the kitchen table and put it back together.
I feel like Wonder Bitch!!!
Cause all the aches and pains are making me so cranky.

This is a good change that I embrace.
My hope is to be completely over at the new house by the end of September.
At some point I will have to enlist help for the really big pieces of furniture.
I'm calling moving companies for that and they aren't cheap.
But to spare my back it might be worth it.

Tomorrow I take advantage of the Labor day holiday to move the computer and all its components to the new house.
I've been sleeping over there on a twin bed with Sophie the Puggle.
Talk about being squeezed for room.
Can't wait until we have the queen bed over there.
I think the dog and I both miss it.

Today is church, then taking my clean clothes and dresser drawers over to the new house.

I will feel a true sense of accomplishment if I can get everything but the really heavy stuffed moved myself.
The more time I spend in the house the more I love it.
I hate moving but this is worth it.

Diabetes and Me

Well, it has finally happened, I was diagnosed with Diabetes.
Sugar and I have to break up.
This will be the hardest thing I will ever have to do.
I don't need medicine or shots.
And I plan to keep it that way.

I also was prescribed medicine to help with my anxiety, mood swings, and sleep problems.
I haven't had a restful night's sleep in months.
I feel like an Alien living in my own body at times.
I drop things. I can't form sentences. I can't think of simple words.
I get confused. I zone out. I take twice as long to complete anything.

I'm surrounded by stress.
Work is stressful.
Buying a house is financially stressful.
My kid is stressful.
My coping skills have been tapped out.
I feel like I'm being attacked from all sides.
I even feel like Sophie the Puggle has been too demanding lately.

I have no patience.
I just want to curl in a ball in my room and never come out.
I've gained 25 pounds since March.
I have been eating sweets, carbs, and fatty foods because they comfort me.
And now I have to pull my head out of my ass and knock it off.
I don't have a death wish, but at times I realize I am eating myself to death.

The kid and I have given up pop.
She drank regular and I can tell she has lost weight.
I drank diet and I haven't lost a pound.
I do notice I don't crave sweets as much.

I can get control of my eating.
I ordered a diabetic food tracker and signed up for an on-line diabetes management site.
I think I'm going to try and find a class to take in Jan. after all the moving has settled down.
I close on the house Thursday.
Then I will spend weeks moving and unpacking and cleaning.
I can do this. I just have to keep reminding myself I can do this.

In Process

wow, buying a house is a pain in the house.
we had the inspection yesterday, radon was high, we can have that fixed after we close because there's a fix close on it from the seller.
and there a few little things to get fixed.
all the loan paperwork is in and goes to the underwriter on monday.
i hope we close the week of august 19th.
took a lot of pictures during the inspection yesterday.
i was starting to forget what the house looked like.
i got to keep packing and getting ready to move.

i'm excited but cautious at the same time.
until we close i'm going to be worried something will go wrong.
i worry about the littlest stuff all the time.
i can't help that it is how i've always been wired.

my current place is full of filled boxes.
i keep tripping over stuff.
my kid wants to buy stuff and i keep telling her to wait until we move.
i don't want to buy stuff and just have to move it to the new place.
she's got osu class starting the end of august as well.
she wants to get her books and parking pass and stuff.
i told her we have to wait.
i'm not made out of money.
she has a job.
she needs to buy those things with her cash not mine.

fencing the yard will be around 5K.
we will have to start saving for that.
i hope to be able to fence by March/April.
but at least we can extend sophie's runner all the way out.
it is folded in half now.
so she will be able to explore most of her new territory.
so much to do!!!
i'm major stress filled anxiety warped and freaked out!

We Picked One, Finally!

We found 3 strong contenders Friday for our first house.
One was our favorite, we made an offer, they countered, and we accepted!
It looks like Monday I'll be sending in the earnest money and we will be closing late August.

I'm so excited!!!!

The only work this house needs is a fence for Sophie the Puggle to be contained.
And we don't have to do that right away.

We'd like to do little things here and there.
I'm not crazy about the sage green kitchen and the dark bedrooms.
Neutral colors but dark ones like gray.
So we will probably paint at least the kitchen and secondary bedrooms after we close.
But we don't have to right away, but I know the kid will want to paint her room.
Add a few ceiling fans, maybe eventually a deck with hot tub and french doors out off the kitchen to the deck.

I'm so excited!!!!

It has everything we were looking for at 1,620 square feet.

Every room has a walk in closet.
The bedrooms are good size.
The master has its own bathroom with a shower/tub combo.
There is an upstairs loft area for the kid to turn into her tv/study zone.
There's a really good size family/great room downstairs.
A gas fireplace, big windows, great appliances, 2 car attached garage.
It is in a nice neighborhood and it was built in 2006 so there's no major work pending.
The roof, furnace, water heater, floors all in great shape.

I'm so excited!!!!

Independence Day Blues

Happy Independence Day my fellow Americans!
Please blow up things responsibly!

I'm so depressed today.
I have the right to be depressed.
I have the right to pursue happiness.
You notice the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights don't even mention happiness only the Declaration of Independence does and it only says it is a right to pursue it.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" - Declaration of Independence.

The United States of America began with the best of intentions and the noblest of purposes and now it is a mess, but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

We might have lost our way some but we still believe in freedom and freedom is a beautiful and rare thing in today's world.

I have choices.
I might make horrible choices, but that is my right.
I don't have to cover my head or body and only show my eyes.
I can read, work and drive a car.
I can marry or not marry whom ever I want.
I can have sex with whom ever I want.
Sure, I might burn in Hell, but again it is my decisions to make.

I am blessed to live in a country where I have so much freedom and so many choices.
I make mistakes, but I love that I can work, pay my own way and be my own woman.
I am important and I do matter and I do contribute to society in a positive way.
I don't need a man to hold my hand, protect me, or provide for me.

God Bless America!
And I bless God!

Cramps and Boredom

well my female cycle was late and for some reason it has come with a fury.
i'm cramping, bleeding through pads, and i hurt like crazy.
i try all the pms pills but they don't help.
i have no appetite, no joy, no hope, no desire to move.
i just want to stare into the inside of my eyelids and not sleep.
i love this boredom because i choose it.

still no house.
we are on hold until the end of july.
i feel like goldilocks, this house is too small,
this house is too big, there's a basement, there's a funky smell, etc..
the one house we wanted we got outbid on, oh well.
maybe the summer we will have better luck and find that one house that is for us.

so today the big plan is to do laundry and be lazy.
i think i can do it!

Back against the Clock

Time is running out on the house hunt.
I have until Monday before I'm locked out of the account i was borrowing from to do the down payment for a month.

I guess it is a good thing because after 19 houses, being out bidded by $1261, and passing on a bidding war for another house, i'm burnt out on it.

I'm going to take this next month to think, reassess my needs, and save more money.

I think we will start looking again mid-July.

Yes, sometimes Life does work out in a way that is better then you planned.

I know there is the one house out there that is perfect for me the kid and the pup.

I need to relax, rethink, and reenergize.

House Hunting and Patience

looked at 3 houses today, liked the upstairs of one and the downstairs of the other, but overall, no, no, no.

why is it so hard to find the house for us.
i don't know if i have the patience for this.
i knew this could take time, but i'm wondering if we will find a house by the time my lease expires.

i look at 2 open houses tomorrow, got my fingers crossed.

i've already started to pack that is how i'm trying to be optimistic, but the house is now a mess and it is getting it to me.

who thought i'd be the neat type. i was a total slob as a child, teen, and young adult.
now i like order, cleanliness, and cleared counter tops.

the older i get the more i get like my mother.
i'm doomed!

Red, Redder, and Reddest of All

I am a natural blonde, in case you hadn't guessed that by all my blonde moments, but I do like to color my hair various shades of blonde and red. My hair was looking a very very dirty blonde and grays were showing themselves so I thought it was time to get some red hair color and make a change.

I picked light cherry auburn as my color.

I focused on the roots and the ends and went to do the middle. My hair is thick and long right now. I ran out of dye. There wasn't enough to fully coat the middle. I went ahead and finished. When it dried there was way too much blonde still in the center. It looked two tone in a very bad way. So I went up to the store to buy another box of it but they were out.

So I bought the next color closest too it, just auburn, MISTAKE!

My hair is a very dark red now with some lighter red mixed in. It is still very two toned and it looks bad. My kid is just get some blonde and dye it back. I asked her if she wanted all my hair to fall out! So I am stuck for at least a month with this red, redder, to reddest hair. I hate it.

The good news is the little kids in the apartment complex like it.

The reaction amongst the adults was more like what the hell did you do to your hair.
Hell is a nice way to phrase it, I tried to tell one guy my hair had always been this color and he just never paid attention it. He didn't buy that.

I think end of May we will be going honey to golden blonde and see what happens.

I do thank God that if even this fails, it is hair, and it does grow back, and I can just get it cut super short like Pink, into a pixie cut, and start over.

This is why I don't get piercings or tattoo's. If i mess those up they are permanent!

the search is on!

i apologize in advance for this blog...i am typing with one hand, because i'm coloring my hair cherry auburn and my other hand has a glove on it covered in hair dye.

but i'm too excited to share that i've gotten my pre-approval on a fha home loan and the house hunting process has begun.
i hope to spend may and june if needed searching and finding the perfect home sweet home for me, sophie the puggle,
and the kid!

any tips, do's, don'ts, cautionary advice? please share...

i have implemented our own sequester in the household.
no extras, save money, what i've learned the past 2 weeks since i did the $ crackdown,
is that my kid and i have very different ideas on what is an extra.
she thinks eating at subway everyday instead of chipolte is enough of an effort in cutting out extra spending.
yes, that does save money, but so does packing your lunch and pop and snacks.
she isn't getting it, so now she is cut off and she has to use her "little bitty" paycheck (her words)
to go out to eat, buy those 1.50 20oz pops at works and her dilly bar runs to dq.
plus keep on putting gas in her car...
she's 22, i can't stop her from plowing thru her money like a turbo charged john deer tractor,
but she is no longer taking my money with her!!!

Hippity Dippity Do

This trying to be healthy thing is going to kill me.
I eat more fiber my stomach swells up and i feel like i'm going to implode.
I cut back on sugar and carbs and i get freezing cold and shake all the time.
I do yoga to stretch out myself and improve circulation and posture and i injure my back and hip.

i've hurt my hip so much i know have snapping hip syndrome. no lie.
the doctor can even hear it when i move my knee up my chest, a loud POP!
And it hurts so bad I cry.

Xray was good, no stress fracture, no deformations, no tears.
There is just a lot of swelling and that is causing the pain.
Now i am winding down my steroid dosage and the pain is back as fierce as ever.
so now i have to make an appt. with the the bone doctor so i can get a shot straight into my hip.
sounds like some fun.

in the mean time, i'm supposed to be resting my hip.
how do you rest a hip i asked my regular doctor?
he said it is really hard but stay off my leg, don't get up and down a lot, and just rest it.
well today i took a walking tour with my kid at OSU, she's looking to transfer there to get a 4 year,
after she finishes her two year studies at Hocking Technical College.

needless to say my hip does NOT feel rested it feels like it is on fire!!!

so i'm 40 years old and i'm falling apart!
yup, falling apart!

Happy Miracle Day

Today a miracle happened many years ago in a land far away and to some people this miracle seems like science fiction;
Jesus after being dead 3 days arose and walked, talked, and tought, then after 3 days he rose up to heaven into the clouds.

I am a Christian. I believe Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God.
There are days I don't feel worthy of his or God's love.
There are days I feel like he's right beside me comforting me with the Holy Ghost.
I do know the world today is torn and full of doubt, evil, and harm.
But as long as there are believers in God the world is not lost to us yet.

This may seem silly but I love being a Christian.
I love bacon and if I were jewish or muslim I wouldn't be allowed to eat it.
And my love for bacon is a lot like my Love for God and Jesus,
I can't explain it, this love I have for a bacon, how it excites me with its smell and taste.
It is like loving God and Jesus, you have to experience it for yourself, it cannot be force fed to you or explained to you.

I truly believe each person's relationship with God is their own and cannot be dictated by others.

So if you believe or not, think today, what would be a miracle to you?
have you ever seen a miracle?
have you ever heard or seen something that shouldn't exist or be happening?

I think today is a great time to reflect on how you feel about your life and this world.
And to see how you can be a blessing to everyone you meet.

I smile and wave to everyone I meet.
I like to believe the best in everyone.
Even on my more bi-polar days I try to be friendly to those I meet.
I don't succeed all the time, but I think the effort is worth it.

Happy Miracle Day!!!!

This is the Winter that Never Ends

It goes on and on my friends this is the winter that never ends...

More snow tomorrow, brutal winds, freezing temps, and overcast skies, yup, it may be officially spring, but winter didn't get the memo.

My kid's sinuses are infected.
I got a migraine.
As the winter drags on so does the sickness.

I saw on a local news web site that people are depressed over the weather, really, duh, what clued you in on that.
I have not only noticed the overall depression hanging like a dark wet blanket over everyone,
but people are MEAN right now!

No one is smiling, people aren't saying excuse me, or holding open doors for others.

I've seen more people snap at others for no reason at stores in the past 2 weeks then the past few years.
I knew extended hot weather could make people cranky and agressive but I didn't know cold weather could do that.

I'm ready to put on some flip flops, walk some laps, and drink some lemonade, but until winter decides to release it's stangle hold on Ohio I'm out of luck.

I think I've slept more the past 5 months then my entire life.
The sun, when it does shine, seems like such a strange thing and it hurts my eyes.
If i get any paler I will become transperant.

I think that concludes my winter sucks rant for now.

I can't wait to rant about how hot it is!!!

Hey Hey Now

Hey now we are getting little glimpses of spring with the big hits from winter in between.
I love winter but I'm so over it now.
I'm ready for some sunshine and flip flops.
I haven't shaved my legs since November!!!!
I'm really hairy right now.
I'm excited to shave, get a pedicure and just go outside and not freeze!
Come on spring!!!!

I think everyone in Ohio feels the same.
At least all my neighbors do!
We got up to nearly 70 degrees this past Sunday and it was amazing!
I saw people I hadn't seen in months outside.
We got all caught up on our silly little chit chat.

I took Sophie the Puggle to the dog park.
She is OUT OF SHAPE big time!
She was worn out and started getting snippy with the other pups.
She ran, played, and sniffed butts for an hour straight.

We went and got ice cream.
We had all the windows down.
It felt like FREEDOM!!!

This weekend is supposed to get into the 50's and I am going to enjoy every second of it!

I suggest if you've let winter get you down get outside and soak up that sun!
Because, at least in Ohio, the weather is more Bipolar then I am!

Sick Puppy

Sophie the puggle got sick too!

She either caught the flu from my daughter which is possible or it was something she ate over by the dumpster.
I tried to get it out of her mouth but she gobbled it down.
She was sick for a week.
I was freaking out.
We had to dip our fingers into water for her to drink anything at all.
She wouldn't eat, not even lunch meat which is her favorite.
She stopped drinking water so I mixed water and orange juice and she'd lick that off my fingers.
She was miserable.
I was on the verge of taking her to the vet when she began to improve.

She might have been constipated, she didn't poop for 3 days.
I know that hurts from experience, gross right!
she is now back to her usually bouncy trouncy self.
this is the first time she's ever been sick.
Poor puppy!

Hopefully now that everyone in the house has been ill we can spend the next couple of months healthy.
Call me a dreamer, but not being sick would be such a blessing.

The Winter of Sickness

It's been awhile.

I got sick around my birthday.
I spent turning 40 with an ear and sinus infections and bronchitis.
A week later it got worse and I was diagnosed with walking pneumonia.
I spent December in a haze of codiene cough syrup, antibiotics, and nyquil!
I am still coughing but not as much.
It's day 9 of the new year and I've had two migraines already.
I don't have an immune system, it went on holiday and hasn't returned yet!

The worst part was having zero energy!
I didn't even work up enough to go down to my Dad's at Christmas.
I did go and get him for my birthday and he stayed for 3 days, but I was sick the whole time.

I fought through it and we went bowling and then the bookstore.
We are such geeks. My dad, daughter and I spent nearly 2 hours in the bookstore.
We all love to read. I bought several books for me and dad.
I got one more that I haven't started from that batch.

It'll have to wait until I finish C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity.
If you have not heard of his books on Christianity and you are a logical person;
I'd highly recommend it.
He is very logical in laying out Christian concepts.
I read these books very slowly and highlight a lot of things.
I find it enlightening, but I'm a huge GEEK!!!

My favorite Christmas present I bought after it was over and on sale.
One of those one cup coffee makers.
I don't drink coffee, so we've been making teas and cocoa's on it.
Me and kid love it.
We are experimenting with different flavors and bought new mugs with our initials on them.

This year's goals -
Be a blessing to everyone I know and meet!
Buy a home!
Be healthy in heart, soul and body!

I'm not ambitious at all this year!

I hope you all had a great holiday and new year!
Blessings to you all!