A Hippy Day

I hit the ground running today and never even made it to the office. Thank goodness we have an answering service. Since the entry bathroom remodel is going so fast I had to find a wallpaper. I found one online and went to the store to see if they had it in stock. My track record for stuff like that is nil but I took the chance. I had to wait till 10 when they opened but that was okay as I spent the time getting ready, reading blogs, talking to my cleaning lady and the carpenter. It was 9:45 by the time I left the house. I called Daddy on the way and told him that I would meet him at the doctor/surgeons office about his hip at 1:30. He told me he had to be there at 1:10 to fill out paperwork. Okay, that was no problem. I rushed to the wallpaper place to find out that the one and only paper I liked was discontinued and they only had three rolls, I needed five. He took my number on a tiny piece of paper and promised to call after the distributor called him back if there were more to be found. Yeah right. I was again on the hunt for more places to look for wallpaper as he was not offering to help me at all. A quick stop at Harri's for the bathroom and a little chat and I was again moving. Bad lunch at Taco Bueno (bad girl) and another round of wallpaper books. I left the girl my number and a piece of the one I liked that I had printed off from the website and told her I would be back after the doctor's appointment.

Finding the building where Daddy's appointment was took me a bit. I finally found the right one at 1:30 and walked in to find him sitting, waiting anxiously for me. He filled out part of the paper work and was glad to have me finish it. Sitting in the waiting room with my Daddy and waiting and waiting was agonizing for me. The room was packed with all ages of people, well at least over forty at least. There were canes and wheelchairs in abundance. Some even lined up against the wall with people. One of the wheelchair ladies either got really hot sitting there or she had a stomach bug because a nurse came running out from behind the window with a small trash basket in her hand. She was quick to catch the vomit. I couldn't look. Coughing, hacking and vomit was not what I needed right now with my compromised immune system. There were so many people in the office that there was not a place to sit. I was getting a little claustrophobic with fear of illness. People were going through the door to find themselves coming back out to wait more. Finally at 2:00 his name was called and he with cane slowly made his way to the next waiting area. Actually, that was short. The nurse came in immediately and began asking him questions, most of which he could not hear, one of the reasons I was to be there. Daddy had his x-ray's that his primary care doctor took but they weren't good enough, naturally, so new x-ray's. They handed him a pair of blue paper shorts that he needed to put on. I got the wonderful task of helping him out of his jeans and into the shorts. (Where was my sister or brother.) The doctor was pretty nice and told him that he definitely had bone on bone, arthritis. He could do surgery now or he could wait. It would not get better but probably worse. Daddy went in with the idea that he was doing surgery and if they told him tomorrow he would do it. We were given a card to call tomorrow to set up the appointment for the big day, probably April. Tomorrow morning I will show up at his house where I can tap into him for information and his health insurance cards to set up the appointment. He doesn't hear well on the phone and relies on we kids to do this part. As we were standing in the elevator going down to the lobby I teared up. I was just having a meltdown right there in the elevator. We walked outside and I told him again that I would be at his house in the AM to set up the details and he was glad. I walked to my car in the opposite part of the parking lot and the tears were welling up. I just can't do this. I called my brother and told him what went down and cried. I called my sister and then totally lost it. I just can't do this. I know in my head that Daddy is really in very good health and will be okay but Granny fell, broke her hip, and had surgery. She was never the same. Momma fell, broke her hip, had surgery and died a month later. I know logically that he will be fine but my heart is just terrified. I just can't go through this stuff so soon again without being healed inside and out. I think I'll make an appointment with the therapist tomorrow. This is going to set me up for more depression.

Weekend in Duncan

I'm back from my awesome girls weekend in Duncan. Yes, yes I know there is not much there to do but I have a friend there and she made it an awesome weekend. First, before I go into much detail of the weekend I must say THANK YOU to everyone who commented on my previous post on the awful doctors visit. I am going to draft a letter to the regular doctor this week and let him know what happened. If he condones this practice then bye-bye!

Now for the weekend. D picked me up at lunch time on Friday afternoon and we made a quick stop at Panera for some bread for B as Duncan has nothing to compare. We had a bite to eat and were on our way. Oh, and Donna also made a stop at Whole Foods for halibut, cheeses and fruit for our weekend as again can not be found in Duncan. So sad for a great cook as B is. Finally, we were on our way. The drive was about threes hours of chatter, chatter, chatter. It made the drive very short. We arrived at B & M's beautiful new house and were greeted with hugs and laughter. A quick tour of B&M's house and the wonderful artist's loft B uses to create her beautiful watercolors then we were ready to continue how we started the weekend off at Panera, with food. It seems the whole weekend would be wrapped around FOOD! M cracked open some awesome wine, Rosso by Francis Ford Coppola which I had way too much of and had to hit the blow up mattress at an early 7:30. I'm rushing ahead. Since we hit the town close to dinner and were famished M proceeded to create some wonderful homemade pizzas. The first one was a homemade pesto that B made herself. Next he made a caramelized red onion and tomato sauce and the last a supreme. I'm not sure which one this one was but they were all awesome and made for delicious lunch the next day.Tummies full we hit the sheets. I of course much sooner than the others although they imbibed a bit themselves after I went to bed.

Our Hosts: B & M

The next morning was brought with fresh donuts that M's brother makes in his donut shop and yummy coffee. We puttered around the house reading design magazines, chatting and watching cooking shows and M showed me his Kindle he got from Amazon. I WANT ONE! The plan for the day was to look around the town and do a little shopping. The first place was a clothing store which I bought too many cute little tops. Then we hit a couple of designer stores. A quick trip back to the house for yummy pizza then we were on to a couple of antique shops. One special place B wanted to take us was to a bead shop where she had some special beads and we each made our own earrings to commemorate the weekend we shared.

Back home for more food...yes, yes, yes. B whipped up some a wonderful appetizer of fresh tomatoes, basil, mozzarella cheese, capers and balsamic glaze and more Rosso wine.
Then came the delicious fish tacos that she made with halibut, chopped cabbage, hot peppers and avocado's.

I was stuffed.

D, B and Me after dinner. I'm wearing one of my new purchases and we all have our earrings on. Unfortunately, my face is back to natural as I'm not supposed to wear makeup for a bit because of the eye thing so I'm back to the no bra, no makeup and no shoes!

After dinner we all got our comfys on and headed to the couch for an after dinner drink (I can't remember what it was). We listened to music and then tried to watch a movie.

This morning I heard talking in the kitchen but with no clock in the room I wasn't sure what time it was. It was still dark but the sweet aroma of coffee let me know it was definitely morning. I got up to find B and M puttering around in the kitchen with the sun beginning to peak through. I grabbed my cameras and rushed outside to capture the moment.

Shortly afternoon D shuffled around the corner squinting and asking what time it was. I told her to go back to bed but it was too late, she was awake. M went to the store to get a few goodies for our wonderful chef to cook breakfast and was back in a flash. B go busy frying up bacon, potatoes and eggs but they were all with a twist. The eggs were spiced up with chives and a light goat cheese and the potatoes were spicy with red onions fried in. D squeezed fresh orange juice with a grapefruit added and breakfast was on. After the delicious breakfast we packed up and then made a quick trip to visit a friend of B's and her friends new grand baby. The next stop was a lunch date with D's daughter in Norman where she is a student. It was a wonderful Mexican restaurant called Tara? something. Very good. I rolled back into the truck and fought sleep all the way home. D and I had some really nice talks going to Duncan and then back home. It's so nice to break out and make some new friends. I so needed this weekend and it gives me hope that I will survive this drought in my life with my friendships. I love you D & B and M too. Thank you.

Painting update

This is my painting update. The first one is the original photo. I forgot to take a picture of the background so the green background was the next stage. The second pic is before I applied more paint today. It is so exciting.

Valentine's Day

Last night at dinner I told The Hubby that he didn't have to buy me a V-day card. He was little confused and stopped chewing for a brief second to ask why. I said that we just had an anniversary with cards (no flowers?) and that we were just getting carded out. I know he loves me and he knows I love him. The cards just keep piling up and I feel bad if I throw them out, but after 33 years my keep pile is getting rather out of hand. Just take me out to dinner. Keep doing your own laundry and ironing and the dishes once in awhile. Once many years ago when my mother called she asked him what he was doing and he replied, "Fourplay! I'm doing the dishes." My mother thought that was just hysterical but you know something, it is very, very true for me. I love it that he is a part of the household and does his part. It was not always like that but I just quit doing a lot of stuff. I quit doing his laundry and ironing because it was not up to his standards I just quit. I did not marry the man of my dreams to be his sex slave or housekeeper! It is a partnership in every sense of the word. Besides I was working at the office and going to school and raising the kiddos while he worked seven days a week, 10-12 hours a day, it needed to be a partnership. Being nice to one another, a touch or a look is all I need for Valentine's Day.

On another note. I am again having another bout of the MRSA virus though not a bad one. I'm hoping that my taking the probiotics, Vitamin C, multi-vitamins, and eating well, rest and exercise that my body will fight this one off successfully without going on yet another round of antibiotics. I just can't do that again. I knew this cold might bring a relapse and I was right. My body is just trying to fight a lot of stuff off. First the cold, then the stupid hit to my lip thing which left me a gigantic mouth ouchy, my body is going to have to gear up to heal itself. Seems to be doing good this time around though. My mouth is healing and the cold thing is better everyday. I'm very tired of being on the wrong side of well lately. It plays with my mind a lot and gets me depressed pretty quick. Last week I mentioned that I was not going to see the therapist for a few months then the very next day the MRSA hit and a few phone calls from a sick kiddo in California and my head took a nose dive. It is amazing how the mind can play such a huge role in your physical health but it does. I've taken some steps on the road to my mental health getting better but I'm hitting some speed bumps trying to get there. I want to write, I want to paint but I need to find the time WITHOUT interruption. I need more than a day here and a day there. I need several days in a row. I have tried to stay home for a couple of days but The Hubby seems to find me. I think I need to run away (temporarily) for a few days. I am going to try and make that happen. Hey, when is spring break. Maybe I can do that at the office if B is not teaching. Maybe I can run to the cabin and just hide for several days in a row. I'll work on that plan.

Writing. Friends and a Good Glass of Wine!

I have been absent from this blog since Sunday when I posted my 500th post. I've been trying to come up with just the right words to put here to commemorate the 501th post, a new step here. So here we go...

My life this week has been a bit uneventful except I've had the darned head cold or upper respiratory thing The Hubby graced upon me. I wasn't really sure if it was that or an allergic reaction to the sand and salt that has been flying all over the streets from the ice and snow. Last year I noticed that I had the same kind of flair up when the city salted and sanded, so there may be something there. We'll see if it happens next year, then I'll know. Back to this week. I've been to work, had my workouts, went to writing group, painting class and had the usual phone calls from the girls. Today I have another session with my therapist and it may be my last. I feel that I'm doing pretty good since I declared that 2009 is the year for "Jill"! I have been pro-active in achieving some of my dreams and they are rocking along. I am dealing with my desires for my life and making them happen. That is so good for me and I'm getting so much out of the art and writing.

The friend issue. I am still working on that but I have come to the conclusion that I have TONS of friends. Last month, while writing in my personal journal I decided to do an exercise and began writing down all of my friends. I filled several pages. This little exercise made me realize I shouldn't be so down in the mouth about this one friend and rejoice in the many, many friends that I do have. I needed to readjust my belief a little about what a friend is to me. I needed to embrace what I do have. Tonight, three of my oldest and dearest friends from church, which I don't frequent much anymore, are coming over to share a few glasses of wine, talk and dinner. Several years ago when our Methodist Women group went belly up we of started a Birthday Club. There were a few more ladies in the little club but most of them kind of fizzled out. The core of this group were us four, TF, TP, PF and myself. I love these women, my friends and truly look forward to being with them. I have a lot in common with all of them. All of our children grew up together in the church, Sunday school and youth group. We were active together in many committees and functions at the church but even though I am not an active member anymore, they still are an integral part of my life. We are friends outside of the confines of the church and I love it. I love these women immensely and look forward each time to our dinner thing. We can spend hours before we go out just talking and I so need that. So my friend problems are working out in a different way and I love it. Here's to my friends!

Now that is said I am off to begin writing on a new story. I've been developing characters for a week now but I need to make the story take shape. Later all.

Writing

Yesterday I spent most of the day writing. B was ill so I had the office to myself to work on a short story. I went to the writing group on Monday night and my mind has been working on a story. I also went to the therapist on Monday and he suggested that since I want to write and having the issues about the death of Gail and my mom that I write about them. Well, after the group thing my mind went into over drive. Actually, Tuesday evening I started writing what was in my head about Momma. It's kind of weird but I think it might be a good exercise. I'm not sure I want to share it with the group but am toying with the idea of telling them it is fiction. The only person there that would know the truth is the moderator since I've know him for many years. I may post the story here after I'm done with it so watch for it.

Today is a me day again. When I finish this post I will be on the run most of the day. I have my personal trainer session then fly home for a quick shower. I won't have much time as I will have to rush off to get my hair de-grayed. Then it will be a speedy drive to the chiropractor (my carpel tunnel is driving me crazy) and then to my nail girl for a pedicure and manicure. Since I've cooked dinner every single day, well except yesterday, for the past two weeks I'm insisting The Hubby take me out. Not sure where I want to go, but it will be out. We are hosting a huge chili/soup supper this weekend at our cabin with about 16 invited so I will definitely be cooking this weekend.

Quick note: We started bowling again last night after the Christmas break and I was awesome. My average is 137 but I bowled a 169, 157 and 143! Whoopie! That was great.

I'm So Excited

I am so excited today. I have enrolled at TCC in two writing classes, one in February and one in March. I have also enrolled in an art class at Ziegler's from January to May in whatever medium I choose to use. I have to decide on oil, acrylic, charcoal or watercolor. Watercolor is out as I have never been able to work with it successfully. I think I will use oils as I already have some of the tools and have used it the most. I might like charcoal at a later date. The writing classes are going to be just two evening classes. The one in February is:

"TIME TO WRITE NEW!
No excuses! In one class period you’ll learn strategies to conquer procrastination and perfectionism, the times of the day when your energy is right for writing, how to use your intuition to make decisions and how to say “No!” This class is taught by a certified creativity coach and published author of SECRETS FROM A CREATIVITY COACH."

The second one in March is:

"SELF DISCOVERY THROUGH WRITING NEW!
Every person has defining moments in their life, moments of sadness, happiness, trauma and accomplishments. By breaking your life down into age-related categories and writing about the defining moments in various stages of your life, you can begin to get a greater sense of who you are – how you arrived there, where you are going, and why you act/react the way you do. In this class, you’ll write about your life changing experiences in early adolescent, young adulthood, mid-life and, or, senior years."

Then, at the prompting of my therapist guy I "may" join a writers group that critiques your writing. I'm not sure about that as I don't really have too much to share but I'll try. It's a rather scary thing to share although I do share here on my blog it is somehow different. This would be in person, eye to eye, oooo...chills. Big step for me but I'll give it a whirl.

So this means that I will be pretty busy with art classes, writing, critiquing, bowling, personal trainer and I guess I'll throw a little work in there. I am so in need of trying to find me again. I have felt so swallowed up in our business, raising our family and all that is The Hubby that I have lost what I need to have a passion for. It is my turn. 2009 is for Jill!

Another go around

This week has been busy, busy, busy and next week will be even more so but, you know I kind of like staying busy, like this busy. Next Saturday will the big graduation party for B. Getting her masters is a big deal and I'm so glad we can celebrate the event. She's pretty excited because her jewelry business has picked up and has gotten some interest by an online magazine. If they do a piece on her I will link it. A is also coming home for the holidays on Sunday so I pretty excited about seeing her too, although with the impending weather fronts I'm real afraid she will get delayed.

Today is my first session with the therapist and I'm getting rather excited about it. I hope this isn't just a waste of time. Sometimes I think I'm just blowing it all out of proportion and that I'm doing just fine, like today, then there are days when I'm really down in the dumps. We'll just see today.

Okay now back to the title of this entry. I have yet AGAIN had another go around with the damned staff infection. I'm not sure and I have not been to the doctor but it has all the ear markings of previous occurrences. Although this one is very tiny and already healing. It was on the side of my round belly and the other was on my chin. As I said though I have been very vigilant with them and they are thank goodness healing well and quickly so maybe I'm back to myself. I hope. I'm really tired of being scared of this stuff. It makes my stomach stay in knots.

Well, it is 5:30 a.m. and I'm trying to do this entry in the time I have today as it maybe the only time I have. I'm off to Jazzercise and to begin Friday. Toodles all and I'll report back how the session went.