Finding my way back to sanity

Things are calming down a bit...maybe the calm before the storm, but I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

(1) We moved my dad into his new place
(2) We're ALMOST done with moving his crap out of his old place
(3) We finished the estate work with the lawyer
(4) We told our landlord we're moving
(5) President's week is over
(6) Mike is away this week (not good that he's away, but getting through this means I can cross one more stressor off the list)
(7) Kids are on vacation - crazy schedules are on hold for now
(8) My boss is on vacation too

The next few months are going to be huge in the way of transition, but I know through the whirlwind we'll get through it. I'm just happy to not be in limbo anymore.

oh, so tired...

Wah, wah, wah. I'm whining. I've felt like crap for almost 2 weeks now - fighting a cold - losing then starting to win then losing again. It's really zapping my energy. Stress is, too - the stress of moving my dad, planning our renovations and the thought of packing up all our crap - it's all enough to make me want to sleep for a week. Now my brother is coming home for a week - which would normally be a good thing, because he can help us with the packing and all, but I know that he's really just coming home because we're doing estate planning - with which I will be given power of attorney for my dad's financial dealings, I'll be named executor of his will, also given power of attorney for his medical decisions should he be incapacitated, etc. The house is also going to be turned over to me, with the agreement that we pay off the mortgage. I told my brother that whatever net equity is in the house right now he will get in cash when dad dies. That will be updated in the will. The power of attorney is simply because since I'm paying all of his bills I have to be able to discuss his accounts with his creditors. It doesn't mean that I'll be taking his money. I understand that my brother doesn't want to get screwed, but he needs to understand that he's on the opposite coast from us and I'm the one here doing all the work - he'll get his equal share of the estate, I'll make sure of that.

I've been taking excedrine daily - which I don't usually need. A tropical vacation would be nice...but I just bought a dishwasher, washer & dryer yesterday to replace the ones in the house that are circa 1980...

Busy weekend, more just beginning

It was truly a busy weekend. I went snowboarding saturday, then to my daughter's bb game, then to my dad's to help him pack. Sunday was grocery shopping, 5 hours of packing and hoeing, and then the rest of the evening posting unwanted treasures on ebay. Today my hubby met with the electrician and the water filtration guy at the house, because it's his day off. I went to the cell phone store to replace his phone and re-evaluate our plans.

The coming weeks and months are going to be a whirlwind, with little to no downtime. But it will be worth it in the end...come summer when we're in our own home, renovated and decorated to our specifications. I cant' wait.

oh, and I won $100 on the football pool! :)

Friday and all is calm for the moment

I have been eating well for three days now, and am feeling more in control of things. I have exercised (not including snowboarding) for two days in a row, which is huge, considering that I haven't been to the gym in months. I ran yesterday on the treadmill and lifted today. My job now allows me a little more flexibility in the morning, which is great. I don't ALWAYS have to get to the gym at 5:30 if I don't want to - I can go at 7:30 after the kids leave for school and still get to work by 9:00, and that's fine. When I snowboard I'll get there between 9-9:30, and if I was REALLY ambitious, on those days I could even hit the gym early (but I'm not, so I don't think that will happen).

Planning and packing will likely take up much of this weekend. Fun fun fun!

One day down...

Did well eating on track yesterday. I avoided the rolls at dinner and didn't reach into the freezer to have one of those yummy cream puffs that live in there.

Today so far I've had my Ezekiel toast, a HB egg, and I'm going to have roast beef rollups for lunch. Lots of water, and I'm feeling more in control already.

Taking dad later to the estate lawyer to get his whole situation straightened out. Health insurance, will, power of atty, house, etc. That will be a relief when it's all said and done.

Getting back on track...

No more cinnamon bread
No more beer
No more chips
No more cookies
No more muffins
No more granola bars
No more rice
Less almonds
Less veggies for now
Less carbs
More exercise
More "real food"
Less weight
Less bloat
Happier me

Oh, and 5 runs this morning on crappy snow made for some serious exercise - I'm sore now.

Five runs in fresh powder

...pure heaven.

Twists and turns

Ok - I took a week off from snowboarding - it helped that it was raining - but my ankle still hurts. Oh well - I'm not staying off it all winter. I went up and took some runs this morning - beautiful.

Found an apartment for dad. Small studio in my friend's house. It will do for a while. Put him on the list for the local retirement home - which is BEAUTIFUL. He's 12th on the list, though, so it could be a while before his name comes up.

Getting ready to move him out of his house, then clean it up and start work on it so we can move in...except that I found out today that it was assessed for almost double what he told us. That could put a MAJOR kink in the works - as far as getting a mortgage goes. Well, maybe we'll rent it from him for a while. Bummer. Gotta make the move, though - found out that our landlord is looking at realtors - which means she's going to sell the house we're in and we'll have to find a place anyway. This sure is a roller coaster.

Gonna play hard, gotta pay the price

I went snowboarding this morning, like I've been doing every day this week. I take 3-4 runs then I go to work. Well, it's been a little icy, but I've been working on my speed and got some really great runs in yesterday.

This morning I got off the lift, there was about 2" of fresh powder (not much, but enough to cover the ice). I started off, gaining speed, having fun, then BAM! I don't know how I did it, but I was on a flat and I did a tumble-faceplant - bad enough that the guy behind me stopped to see if I was ok. My goggles came off, and when I stood up my ankle hurt. I thought I was going to have to heel down the entire mountain because it hurt to go onto my toe edge. I sat for a minute, pondering the situation. Then I got up, deciding to make the best of it. After a few minutes of carefully staying on my heel edge, I tested toe - not too bad. I was able to take slow, long turns and stick to an easier trail till I got to the bottom. Then I went to work - one lousy run, but I didn't want to push it.

Now I have a scrape on the bridge of my nose from my goggles, a swollen cheek, and a sore ankle. My boss said I should "get back on the horse" and go tomorrow - I will if my ankle feels ok. My new name here at work is Crash.

Gotta pay to play...

I am Supergirl...

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Lean, muscular and feminine. Honest and a defender of the innocent.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...

Isn't the weekend for resting?

I'm exhausted! We've been having trouble with our heat - long story but the tech has been here twice in a week - well, we still had heat last night, but the registers were clanging, rattling, etc so bad that we had the tv turned all the way up and couldn't hear it. This morning I called again and got a nice on-call guy on the phone. He thought we could adjust the pressure over the phone, so he talked me through it and told me to call him back if I had any more problems. An hour later I checked the furnace and the room had about 1/2" of water on the floor. Yikes! I called him back and he came over. Turns out that there is a leak in the pipe that heats the basement, which is also where our landlord's apartment is. He shut off her valve, bled the air out of our pipes so they wouldn't make any more noise, and said he'd put in a ticket for the pipe to be fixed and re-routed. It's buried under the cement floor so they have to make a new connection. The water literally comes up through the floor.

To top that off, the water softener wasn't working right - the tank was bone dry, so I had to reset that, put 5 bags of salt pellets in (I had to go to the store to get more) and hopefully that's all working nicely now.

Grocery shopping, got home and amanda's friend called so I dropped her off at her house, now here I am. Whew! I was going to work out today but I think I've made enough trips up and down the stairs that I don't have to.

I ran yesterday morning at the gym - my legs are sore today, but it was good. I had no trouble getting up and out on time - I just started to hit a wall at work around 3:00. Nothing a little coffee didn't cure.

I picked up my pass at the mountain yesterday, too, so after they open on Wednesday I'll be cruising on my snowboard. Can't wait! The mountain looks so pretty when it's white.

Can't even think about Thanksgiving yet - I bought a turkey today but that's as far as I got. Ugh.

Now I'm going to go take a nap!

Tomorrow it starts...

I did it. I re-joined the gym. I left the comfort of the cushy spa that I never had a chance to use, and joined up at my old no-frils but better-for-lifting gym. I will begin to reestablish my routine at 5:30 tomorrow morning. I will go every weekday morning after that. I've always said it takes 2 weeks to establish a routine and make it last, so that's what I'm going to do. With mike getting up at 4:45 am anyway, it makes it easier for me to get up too, rather than try to go back to sleep. I might as well be doing something productive instead of fighting to sleep for another hour until I HAVE to get up.

So I will get stronger, leaner, and firmer, but hopefully not bigger. I like my frame the way it is and I don't want to bulk up like I usually do when I lift. We'll see...

Update on the bike

I just checked my blog after almost 2 months and saw the comments regarding my last post. I just yesterday sent my aunt a check to purchase the bike, and asked her to keep it stored for me where it is for the winter. Now I just need to learn how to ride it! lol

The explorer is gone - we had that repair done, and it was running ok, but clearly getting older. Mike's friend who works at the ford dealership called us and told us about a 2003 that had just come in as a trade. He had the salesperson hold it aside for us and we went in to look at it. It only has 16,000 miles on it and it practically looks brand new. We brought the price down a little, had them wash and vac it and fill the tank with gas. I love it - it's so smooth and quiet.

So that's my vehicle update.

More later on the rest of my life - nothing too exciting - finally!

I had a plan...

The plan was to buy my uncle's Harley, get a used Wrangler to drive on rainy days and in the winter, give little Mike my old Explorer, and big Mike could trade in his truck so we could have a larger pickup or some sort of family vehicle. It was perfect. Then the Explorer heard about the plan and let us know how she felt about it - she cut out completely, right on the interstate. Now she's in the shop, waiting to get some expensive work done, while I drive the totally awesome F-150 quad cab that the dealer gave me to use until I get her back. I still want the Harley - I still want my plan to come together. I've always wanted a Jeep, with the top off, hair flying in the wind and the sun on my back. I've always secretly wanted to drive a bike too - now I can. My uncle was short, just a little taller than me, so I'm pretty sure I could handle his bike. Hmmm...now where to get the funds? That's another plan, one that I haven't totally come up with yet. But my aunt knows that I want it and she won't sell it to anyone else. It will wait.

Back in the saddle again

Let's see - since my last entry, what has gone on in my life? Well, we went to the funeral - it was very nice. My uncle was in Vietnam so the Air Force Honor Guard came and did the whole flag presentation ceremony, played taps, etc. Very impressive. There were a lot of people, many of whom I haven't seen since I was a kid. It was neat to be able to introduce them to my kids. I got a lot of "I'm sorry about your uncle, and your mother...". Afterward we went back to my grandmother's house and lots of people came back - there was lots of food - Italians always bring food. :) My uncle's friends had so I grabbed one - it had been a long day. Then I went down to the basement to see my uncle's bike - he has an absolutely magnificent harley. He kept it in pristine condition and it was breathtaking to see it up close. I hope my aunt keeps it or at least sells it to one of his friends.

On the way home I took the kids to Staples to get their school supplies. $200 later we headed north for the long ride home.

I've spent the weekend puttering and re-hanging the things that we had to take down for the painters. I cleaned out our closet because I could barely walk through it. I took little Mike driving today - he's getting more comfortable. I'm starting to settle in again.

Work is good so far - still figuring things out, and I have a lot to learn. It will be a good thing, though.

I posted a picture of my new tattoo on my flickr page. It's finally just about healed and it looks great. I love it. :)

Back to reality

It's Sunday evening and we're back from vacation. We had a great time - would have liked to stay longer. The kids start school tomorrow, I start my new job tomorrow too, and we're trying to get the house put back together now that the painters are finished painting. We moved all the furniture back in that we had stored in the garage all week, but hanging pictures, etc. will have to wait. I sat down at the computer a little while ago and got a handle on how much money we spent on vacation and what our finances are like going into the new week, and I went to the store to get basic groceries for the next few days. The dog has finished throwing up (hopefully) due to his transition from my friend's house back to ours, and the cats have realized that their time of lounging and running free gleefully through the house has ended now that he's back.

When we got home I was checking messages and got one from my grandmother - telling me that my uncle died on Friday. I had talked to him right before we left, and told him I was coming to see him in 2 weeks. He said he would wait for me, but he needed to go sooner. He was in so much pain and had suffered silently for so long. The service is Wednesday, so I'll need to tell my new boss tomorrow that I need Wed & Thurs off...I'm sure he'll understand, but I still starting this way. Still, though, my grandmother and my aunt need me there and I want to say goodbye to him. The kids will probably come too - they'll just make up their work at school over the weekend. He's at peace - up in heaven with my mother - his sister and only sibling. My poor grandmother has had to bury both her children - that's just so wrong. She was with him when he went, though, and was able to hold him as he went. She didn't get that with my mother - I don't know if one is better than the other - sudden al s or long, drawn-out ones. She is such an incredible woman - I've known that since I was a little . I just dread the day that I have to say goodbye to her too.

Now I'm off to prepare for tomorrow - *deep breath* - it's going to be a busy week...

Blueberries...mmmmmmm....

Yesterday Amanda and I went blueberry picking - there's a man in town who has 6 acres of blueberry bushes, most are 20-25 years old. He can't possibly pick them all, and he sells them to local markets and co-ops. He lets locals come up and pick, and for every 4 pints you pick you get to take one home for free. You can also just go buy some, but the picking was fun. We picked over 20 pints and took home five. We polished off three pints last night! They are HUGE and so good. The kids want to go back today but right now it's pouring rain. We'll see how the weather is later.

He said they will keep coming until the first hard frost. Looks like we've got a lot of picking in our future over the next month or two. It's great to be able to help this old man and get something in return at the same time. :)

good news

Mike's dad came through his surgery ok, and is feeling better. It's amazing what a little flow to the brain can do. ;)

My boss also agreed to pay me for my vacation next week - she was going to try to weasel out of paying me, saying that I wasn't eligble to use my comp time because I was leaving - we talked about it and she remembered a conversation that we had back in the fall when I explained that I was working 9-hour days as opposed to 8-hour days so that I could save up time to be paid for that vacation, even though I wasn't officially eligible for vacation until September. She backed down without a fight - whew!

He got it!

Another milestone was reached yesterday - little Mike got his driver's permit. I think I was more nervous than he was. I watched him intently through the glass as he took the test, like I was sending him telepathic good luck. Amanda thought it was a riot. Everyone that came out before him after getting their results, I could tell if they passed or failed. Three people failed in a row, then one passed, and another, and I told Amanda the tables were turning...lol. Then one more passed, then Mike came out. We waited in anticipation as the man at the counter scored his test. I watched as he ticked off the wrong answers. One, two, three...then he stopped and said "congratulations, you passed"...woohoo!

We went to the other counter and Mike got his picture taken and left with a nice shiny new permit. I offered to let him drive partway up our road to the house so he could show off to his dad, who was home waiting...but he declined. He wants to start at a parking lot...smart kid. :)

Death comes to us all...

This is a quote from a movie, but I can't remember which one - maybe a Dracula movie, perhaps, but it doesn't matter. This is what comes to mind when I think of my uncle. He's about 60 years old and he's in the final stages of liver cancer. He's stopped eating. He's skin and bones. I saw him at Christmastime and told him how he was special to me and what I remembered most about spending time with him when I was a kid. He's a private guy, and doesn't like emotional stuff, but I told him that I had to tell him that. He's my mother's only sibling, and she died a little over two years ago, so this really hits home even more. My grandmother is taking it really hard - "a parent shouldn't have to bury her children" I believe were her words. It kills me to see her so sad. She's in her early 80's and the type that I thought would never get old - well, now she's getting old. She was like a mother to me. Still is. I love her so much but I'm so far away - I can't do much for either her or my uncle. Now they're just waiting - he said the other day that he was ready to go. He and my aunt had a motorcycle wedding - I was probably 6 or 7 years old but I still remember it. All their friends came on Harleys and they did too. My uncle used to make bikes in his shop in my grandmother's basement and I would hang out and watch. He wanted to take me for a ride but I was scared. Now I want that ride more than anything and I'll never get it.

Death comes...to us all.