Sunday April 1, 2018 Happy Easter

It has been a while since I have posted. Even long since I have posted first. I am reading. Just not much to say. Eating is too much but still no N&Y. Alcohol is still present. Way too many total calories. Have not been tracking but my clothes are telling on me. (Now you know why I do not have anything to say, truth hurts). I have regained almost 60 lbs over the past year or so. That is shocking to me. I tell myself that I have got to get back to doing what worked for me but it seems to motivate me only until the next temptation comes along. I bought eggs, meat and cheese last week. It is the right direction. It is mostly not awful.

Baby rocking continues.She smiles when she sees me.She turns over from tummy to back. She sits upright supported for short periods of time.She tries her best to talk.So expressive.If she is like her mother once she starts talking it will be hard to get a word in sideways.Her mom is still that way.Right now she has red earsboth sides and an eye infection.She had fever and a cold once before but this time they started antibiotics .That is a lot of colds in 3 months.She is better but now DD#1 has it and she is totally goofy when she is sick.We have had Adalyn all week end.Nurses and grandparents.

I have been mentally processing that back surgery is in my near future. Probably 2 surgeries. New pain management doctor on the 11th. Second appointment with the surgeon on the 24th.

Working on the house when I can. Decided to remove the tile and have one continuous vinyl laminate floor. Went back to the woods to assemble some chicken pens for DS#1. And to rock my wee one for an extra day. I go back to work on the house tomorrow for a short week. House sitting for DS#1 and DIL starting Thursday.

Lots of appointments this next month.

Liz, I like it when you start the thread. Early flower pictures let me know spring is coming. Puppy pics are great. Did not take Justice long to fit into the family.

Ann, Lots of wildlife here too. We usually feed birds. My son feeds deer but it is mostly to increase fat content. He makes a wonderful deer sausage and uses a smoker to cook them. We have an abundance of deer.

Paula, I am sorry the your family is changing. Talking things out is hard. Your wt is better than not bad, it is great.

Shel, AWAYS love the pictures of your hikes. And the trees! The post on Facebook was just a repost. Did not notice it was a book endorsement until I saw it again. If the book is any good let me know. I don?t know him just thought his post rang true with my experience.

Diane O, juggling so many crisis while you were working was conditioned over time. Making self care a priority will be learned over time too.Your heart care is important.I admire your work with our Vets.When I worked the most rewarding was working at the VA in Little Rock and Anchorage.

Diane S, glad you had a good time at the wedding. I try to avoid traffic at every corner. I can not even imagine LA traffic.

BB, this baby time is so very precious.

Cecily, Amazed at your hiking endurance. Hope the countdown to PS is stress free and healing goes smoothly.

More later, David

David, great job starting the thread ! I so hope they can figure out how to relieve your pain. So glad to hear you built in an additional rocking day. Paula, I'm sure DS's will process reality at different times and differing intensities. Have you considered family counseling to assist in processing everything as a unit ? As the palliative planning moves forward, is Hospice being recommended ? I know their support was incredibly helpful when we lost my dad to cancer.

Had part of a glass of beer before a slice of basil portabella pizza yesterday. That pairing is so hard for me to resist. Two pounds up today (I know the beer and pizza weren't 7000), so I want to focus on the question, if I am not having beer WITH pizza, why have it at all.

I'm grateful that today reminds me that every day is an opportunity to experience a clean slate and a fresh start.

Pizza and beer. Classic. Pizza is what I crave the most. DS

Good morning! So glad to see your face starting the thread Dave. I do so love the pictures on FB and am jealous that you have those babies in your life. Don't beat yourself up about the weight - I think having a lot of pain is counter-productive to weight control.

Weight 117, calories 1902. Two high calorie days in a row are going to be combined with a likely 3rd today as we are hosting Easter Dinner and making ham, etc. I need to get back to basics as much as possible the rest of the week which is going to be hard with DD here. DD arrives at 2 this afternoon at the airport which is closest to us (only 20 minutes and it is a really small, navigable airport). We haven't seen her since Christmas!

Justice takes his last medication tomorrow morning and is free to start taking real walks. He will be thrilled. I'm going to go finalize his adoption tomorrow or Tuesday. Yes, he truly fit himself into the family quickly. He knows the sound of the car, knows how to tell us he needs to go outside or wants to sit in our lap. He also slept in our bed last night... oops, probably not a good precedent.

Have a Happy Easter and satisfying Sunday!

One night in bed has established tradition. There is no going back.

Happy Easter!

So. There was an open Costco bag of trail mix on the kitchen counter when I got up. I did NOT buy it! I ate a partial portion and then tucked it into the garage. But, not far enough because I could open the door, stretch waaay out, reach the bag, and eat another partial portion. I have now thrown the bag deep into the garage, deep enough that I would get cold (unacceptable!) if I ventured out to get it.

We will do an Easter dinner but that's about it. I will look for a small lemon cake at bakery today. If there isn't a small one, I'll make a cake but it will be normal sized and then I have to take care of the left overs. I know cake freezes well but leftovers are my kryptonite.

Dave, it looks like new beginnings for pain and back. Best wishes as you navigate. I'm posting a tree pic so you can augment with tree immersion therapy. I love when the trees hug the trail from all around and thought of you as I took the picture.

Cecily, I thought of you on yesterday's hike. How do you keep up with 4mph hikes through out the hike? I can only assume you and your hiking peeps are from the clan of Wonderwoman. Yesterday's hike was 7.5 miles and it took over 2.5 hours to do it! And that was mostly on the move, there was little futzing around yesterday.

Paula, thinking of you and your family. Ann, I don't know if you and DH did anything in particular for Easter, but thinking of you as well as you navigate "the first" without him. I do believe he enjoys watching you enjoy your beautiful home and surroundings. Hope you are able to find sweet sleep. I'm glad you have the spa as a new hobby to enjoy.

I'm thinking of Devon, too. DianeO and DianeS, love up those wonderful pups of yours! And BB....gosh, your life looks rich these days. However, I know baby hours can sometimes feel like infinity no matter how much you love that little Nugget. Seize self care when you can. I'm glad you are getting out of the house.

Find your full,

Shel

Some of the hikes we do are put on by conservation groups in the area and are run as "fitness" or "cardio" hikes at a 16 minute mile or less. So to keep up and not get left behind, you've got to move fast! It's a trade off - it's fantastic exercise, but you don't get to really take in as much of your surroundings when you're practically jogging and needing to watch your step. So I like to do other hikes that are more leisurely too so I can enjoy the scenery!

It has taught me that age is just a number, though. Because they're on weekdays, it's a lot of retired men and women, many in their 50s and 60s, some in their 70s and one in her 80s and they can all leave me in their dust!

What a great way for conservation groups to shore up support for their core missions.

I looked up the 16 minute mile (3.75mph) because that didn't seem random. (I don't go 3.75mph, either, by the way) I think it came from a large study that suggested 15-16 miles per hour was a bit of a sweet spot to define "moderately intense" exercise as advised by guidelines.

I, too, am continually inspired by those older, and/or carrying extra weight, and/or missing a leg (!) that are clearly in better shape than me. Maybe partially related to genetics, but I think consistency of effort matters an awful lot, too.

Have fun!

Interesting! It's a funny number to land on...

Happy Easter my friends!

Weight up a little over a pound, like Diane O, pizza (and a little movie popcorn) was the culprit. Salty ham today won't make things any better but I anticipate by the end of the next week, I will be back down to normal.

My brother and SIL will join us for a late lunch today and then take Mom and Dad back home with them. Ben had a bad night - reflux and nausea and still feels nauseous with a headache today. New chemo was started on Friday so I imagine he is feeling the after effects of that.

Shel, I forgot to tell you that when you were posting tree pics for everyone I got a chuckle out of it, imaging Oprah saying You get a tree! and You get a tree! and You get a tree with each picture posted!

Nice to hear from you David! Sorry you are still having the pain!

Liz, how did Justice do with the plane ride? I'm not sure you mentioned it, or if you did I missed it!