Daily Ponderings

Today I spent most of the afternoon typing. I don't often use my laptop for another purpose other than being on the internet, but I've been doing some typing for a friend of mine at rehab. She is a sweet person, a Sister at a school my best friend's daughter happens to attend. The school is less than 2 minutes (driving) from the hospital, and for the last several weeks after rehab, Sister has asked me to stop by for more work, or to give her the work I've done already. Most of it I've already done, and it's for the Kindergarten graduation program. But last week she handed me a pile of papers that included more Halloween songs and poems, Christmas songs and poems, and some sort of play about the Passion of Christ. I have to be honest, as I type this stuff up, some of it just doesn't make sense. lol But, she's incredibly happy with my work, and I'm just happy I could help her. She's been paying a little here and there, as much as a nun could possib...

I'm not sure where the weekend went, but it zipped by quickly. I had another business class to go to with Mandy. There were a ton of people there as compared to last week's class. It was all about record keeping. Sounds rather boring, but it was actually very interesting. And also a bit intimidating. If you don't keep track of things just right, you can be audited, and then you REALLY need to make sure you've got all your records and such for proof! Anyway, after the class, I hung out at Mandy's with her family for awhile. We had lunch, and I watched the kids play various computer games as I chatted with Mandy and Ron. Eventually I got back home, and took a much needed nap. Getting up at 7am two Saturdays in a row is rather exhausting! The evening was spent just hanging out online! Yesterday, I went to our newly redesigned Targét. They added a fresh grocery section, and freezer section, and put other sections in other areas. It was kinda fun to walk around and see t...

Although I was expecting it from the weather reports in the last few days, this morning I woke up to a white wonderland yet again. And although I have seen snow even in April, somehow today's snow just seemed so utterly foreign. It didn't feel as if it should've been out there. The calendar SAYS spring, so it SHOULDN'T snow anymore, right?? Well, tell that to Mother Nature. She apparently didn't get that memo! I spent my day cleaning and putting things away that I haven't gotten around to doing yet. I also spent the day on my phone, whether it was a long (or short) phone call, or texting. Some unsettling news from a dear friend had gotten the best of me in the afternoon, and I shed some tears for the entire situation (which I may write about in a future post). Just when you think your health situation is the worst, there is always someone out there who has it harder than you. The aroma of saucy pork chops in the crockpot filled the apartment for most of the day....

There are some days when I actually know what my plans are for the day, but I always wonder if I can actually complete them. Sometimes I wake up with no energy for anything, and sometimes I get up all ready to go, and somewhere along the way, the energy levels dissipate. This morning I knew I wanted to take a shower, get 3 loads of laundry done, and do some typing for a friend of mine, since she wants it tomorrow, and also go to a wake in the evening. I got off to an ok start, but my upstairs neighbor got up at the same time as me, and put a load of laundry in first when I had wanted to take a shower. UGH! However, as soon as I knew her machine stopped filling up with water, I hopped into the shower. I knew it was a race against time before the machine went into the rinse cycle! LOL Luckily it wasn't as horrendous as I thought it would be, and I got the shower off my list. I started the laundry after I had eaten breakfast and dried my hair. The lady upstairs was in the basement tak...

I got up this morning around 9:30, and did my morning routine. I was just pulling stuff out of the fridge to make pork chops in my crockpot, when Joanie called me to see if I still wanted to go to the bead show. YES!! I put the pork chops back and got ready to go, and she picked me up about half an hour later. We got to the show, and it was significantly smaller than last year's bead show. The entire room was filled with vendors last year, but this year they only had half the room filled. Still, we spent time going around to the tables and looking at the lovely beads! And some not so lovely beads! I did buy some beads, but not like I did last year. Even though it was a smaller event, I'm glad I got to go! Joanie had a birthday/retirement party at The Brickyard to go to around 3:30, and she asked if I wanted to come. I said sure, and we stopped at Rite Aid for a card and gift card before heading to Lewiston. We were at the restaurant with some of her other fellow coworkers for a...

I've kept myself busy the last couple of days doing things around the house, and being out for most of the morning and afternoon today. It's amazing at how much can get down and the things I'm getting accomplished when I'm not glued to the internet most of the day. Yesterday after the o2 guy left, I went to the basement to bring up my storage box for all my snowman and winter decorations that I keep up after Christmas. Considering that I was able to turn the heat off for a couple days (during the day at least), and I knew spring was officially arriving on Sunday, I just had to put those things away! I was so tired of looking at them, even though I love snowmen! I got the box, and before I went back upstairs, I finally put the towels I washed about 2 weeks ago into the dryer to fluff them a bit. I got the box to the living room, and began putting things away. Now, most of my figurines and such are glass, so some of them were wrapped up. I filled the box, and it was heavy...

I wasn't sure what today would bring or how I'd be feeling. A year ago, Euan died. It was the worst emotional rollercoaster I'd been on in a long time, somehow even worse than when Mason died. Emotions soared so high when I found out he was having his heart transplant that I was crying with elation and happiness and disbelief that he finally was getting his 2nd chance. By the end of the night the grief and devastation of his unexpected loss was crushing, and the tears were constant. I'm not sure I'll ever forget that day. I never stopped thinking about Euan for the entire year after he left us. He's always been on my mind, and from time to time, I still shed a tear because I miss him so much. But today, I don't know. Today wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I got a little emotional a couple times, but I didn't feel overwhelming sadness. I know that Euan's in a better place, and I know that one day I will see him again. I know I will carry hi...

I was trying to think of what to do today during my prohibited online hours, and I remembered I hadn't tried out my new vacuum yet! My mom bought it for me and brought it over last Friday, but I just hadn't tried to see how well it works. My 2 bedroom rugs haven't been vacuumed since I don't know when, and were quite disgusting, so I thought I'd tackle those first. My new vacuum is a Dirt Devil, and looks exactly like my old Dirt Devil. The major difference is the weight of the vacuum. Even though my old DD says Featherlite, the new one probably weighs 8 pounds less?? I'm not going to attempt putting the vacuums on my bathroom scale to see, so I'm only guessing. lol I got it all ready to start cleaning the crappy looking rugs, and pushed the button to turn it on. It roared to life, and wow! It's sooo much easier to push around than my old DD! And it did a great job in sucking up all the fur and hair and other things accumulating on the rugs! I was very i...

I am saddened by what has happened in Japan. The terrifying 8.9 earthquake, which then led to a huge tsunami, has been so tragic. Watching the pictures and seeing cities just completey wiped out in less than a minute is so sadly mesmerizing. The dangers that lie ahead, the desparation that will be felt by so many, and the sorrow and grief of those who lost loved ones is more than one can bear. My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Japan, and to those who will help in the recovery process. They have a tremendously long and arduous journey ahead of them.

I was raised Catholic, and up until the past couple of years, I would go to church every Sunday and on the religious holidays with my family, and later on usually just with my Mom. I have found myself drifting from the Catholic church for years, totally not agreeing with some of their rules and beliefs, yet still going to church since I thought it was what I should do. I haven't gone in the past couple of years because quite honestly, I just don't feel comfortable. Does this mean I don't believe in God? Absolutely not! I know for sure I would never be where I am today had it not been my faith in Him, and I continue to pray daily, often multiple times a day. I am finding that I am more spiritual, and at this point of my life, I am not sure about the need to go to a building to worship when I can do that whever I am. Today was Ash Wednesday, the start of the Lenten season for Catholics. It's a time when people can pray and reflect on the biggest sacrifice Jesus made for t...

My weekend was filled with nothing much. I slept in very late on Saturday, I think mostly because it was raining, and the sound was so calming. I just couldn't get myself out of bed, and when I finally did, I saw it was just after 11am. Ooops! I spent my day doing nothing but playing online, and then napping. I did put a necklace layout on my board, but that was the extent of my day. Today was pretty much the same, except I got up earlier than I did Saturday. I heard my upstairs neighbor using her kitchen sink for a long time, and her washer going, so I didn't take my shower right away because I knew I wouldn't have much time with hot water. She took her own shower and eventually left the house, so I finally got a shower around 2:30. All that time I spent online, chatting with a friend and playing games. Another hour on the phone with another friend, and then I finally dried my hair. I made dinner and spent the evening online while watching tv. Soon I'll head to bed. I ...

I'd like to know where the time goes. It's already the 3rd month of 2011, and it just keeps moving progressively and rather quickly toward the end of the year. Maybe that's a bit exaggerated, but seriously, the older I get, the faster the days seem to blow away. I cannot really explain what it is about the month of March that I don't like. I think it's an unsettling month, especially with the weather. Although Spring starts in March, it never really feels like it. One day it may rain (like today), and another day it might snow (like tomorrow). It's still not warm in March, and I still can't take down any of the plastic surrounding my windows. I don't know, I just find March very blah. Sorry to those of you who like this month! Perhaps March reminds me of when my Grandpa S. died in 1994. He spent almost the entire month in the hospital after falling down the stairs at his apartment. He was beyond unhappy to be there, constantly ripping out IVs and trying ...

When I was 9 months old, I was diagnosed with congenital heart disease (atrioventricular canal, to be exact, and pulmonary hypertension. I was most likely born with the 2 holes in my heart, and the PH developed very soon after, or I could've had both at the same time and it was missed until I was 9 months. Who knows really? I guess it doesn't really matter at this point! Anyway, for my entire childhood and young adulthood, the main focus was always on my heart. I had plenty of appointments with my pediatric cardiologist, and if I had to guess, over 150 echoes in my life so far. My heart has been in pretty stable condition for a very long time, and I'm so thankful for that! I find it ironic that after we started focusing on the pulmonary hypertension part of my condition in 2002, I sometimes forget about the congenital heart disease I've got going on. When I talk to people, I always describe PH, the symptoms, the treatments, etc, but I forget to say WHY I have PH in the ...