Daily Ponderings

I spent the majority of my time on Friday and Saturday cleaning much of my apartment. Oh, I did the dishes and cleaned the bathroom, and vacuumed, but I also did a major dusting in 2 of my rooms, the bedroom and the living room. I have to admit that I did so much dusting as a kid for weekly chores every Saturday that it doesn't cross my mind to dust that often here. In fact, I don't remember the last time I dusted. Which is BAD. And I'm sure it's not good for my lungs. So, I spent a lot of time cleaning things, and throwing things out. I have a hard time parting with stuff sometimes. I see something I've been holding onto for years (sometimes decades), and every time I do clean, I think, "Hmmm, I could still use that," or, "Oh, I remember this!" And then I'd put it back where it was sitting forever. So, I chucked out a ton of items yesterday including jewelry (that was beyond tarnished), some stuffed animals, lots of old candles, candle stand...

Yesterday, I went to a park that had a lot of different trails you could walk, and it was huge. Now normally, I'm not always a fan of walking. Treadmill, sure. Walking down the street,fine. Going for a very long walk, especially when the temperature isn't all that warm, ummm, no. And that is my automatic thought, nope, I can't do it. Well, my biggest motivation to at least try it out this time was K. lol After getting some hot drinks, we got to the park, and began walking along one of the trails he thought I'd be able to do. It was nice, I'd honestly never been on trails before. We eventually started seeing deer, which was cool! I mean, I've seen deer before, but mostly dead on the side of the road. That is not cool! We kept going and going, stopping every once in awhile when there was a bench along the way. I was enjoying myself, not minding the weather too much, and not feeling too badly or terribly short of breath. Shocking for me!! The trail seemed to go on ...

A couple months ago, I emailed my PH doctor about possibly getting off of Coumadin, which is a blood thinner. I've been on it for about 10 miserable years. I was put on it the first trip I made to the Cleveland Clinic, and I just really have not enjoyed being on it. So I thought I would just ask about the possibility of being on a daily baby aspirin instead. I asked my PH doctor to consult my cardiologist. And then I waited and waited for an answer. Several weeks later, I emailed my PH doc again about another question. I just wanted to know, for the heck of it, if I'd be able to get a tattoo. I sent the email off, and again I waited. This time, the wait wasn't as long. Within a couple days, my doc emailed back. He said he hadn't even answered my first email (duh!). He said first of all, that he had consulted with my cardiologist, and they both were not sure I needed to be on Coumadin. My mouth dropped, and quite honestly, I started shaking with happiness!! WHAT?? I was ...

Yes, I'm slacking again. I would like to talk about a certain topic I've had a hard time with for a long time while living with PH, and that would be dating. Now I'm not a newbie at it, I have dated, and I have had a boyfriend, but it was years ago. Too many years ago. It was also before I had to wear oxygen all the time, and before I had to start taking major meds to treat PH. After all that happened, it was really hard to find someone who wanted to deal with everything. One person I found and truly loved was Euan, but he also had major health issues going on, and so it made it so much easier for us to relate and eventually fall for each other. And sadly now he is gone. I've been on several dating websites, but most recently I've been on one that is totally free. I purposely put pictures up with me wearing oxygen, because well, that's the truth. I figure if someone doesn't like it, they don't have to say anything. Why lie and have someone find out later...

I have been so neglectful in posting. Most of the time when I want to write, it's so late that I decide to maybe wait until the next day to do it. And then of course, I have so much to write about now that it would take me all night. lol My sister got married on Sept. 24th, and it was a pretty perfect day all around for her and her new husband. Nothing really went wrong or haywire, and the weather was just so beautiful! I didn't have to worry about carrying around a sweater, since it ended up being sunny and warm. The ceremony was wonderful, there were lots of people in the church. The family pictures were taken in a very beautiful building in downtown Niagara Falls called The Giacomo. Bridal party pictures were taken at The Giacomo as well as the Niagara Falls state park. By the time we got to the reception, my feet were killing me from walking around so much that I took my shoes off and didn't put my replacement shoes on until after dinner! There were around 240 guests ce...

Mittens | Vote for the Next Pet Star - Photo Contest | Show Us Your Pet's Healthy Smile I have entered Mittens into a contest!! He needs votes! lol The contest ends on Oct. 21, and you can vote once a day. He could win a year of cat treats, among other things. I'm sure he'd only care about the cat treats! LOL If you could click and vote for him, he would much appreciate it!! Thanks!! :)

My youngest sister gets married tomorrow! Last night was the rehearsal and dinner. My sisters and I went out for a drink afterward, and had a nice time together. This afternoon I'm going with Joan to get a pedicure. Tonight's a dinner with much of my family at my parents' house. And tomorrow is the big event! I sure hope I have the energy for everything! I might need several days to recover!

Today was my 36th birthday! I planned on it being pretty low key, and it was until Mandy asked if we'd want to go bowling after having cake at her house! I haven't bowled in a few years, and I thought it would be rather entertaining to watch the kids play, so I said sure thing! I left the house around 5:30 to pick up a Carvel ice cream cake at Wegman's. I got an Oreo one, which I thought would be the right size for 7 people, and there's a lot leftover. It was tasty! We headed to the bowling alley afterward, and got ready to play one game. The kids got to play bumper bowling. I think my score would've been a heck of alot better if I used it, too! LOL The kids were so funny to watch! H would dance to the music playing while trying to throw the ball down the lane. And S would just run up to the lane and let the ball go flying! The finished their game a lot quicker than we did. We kept having issues with the ball getting stuck in the gutter, and then our turns all got m...

I was sitting in my kitchen earlier today, just playing around on the laptop, when all of a sudden, I heard a music box go off. It was very brief, only maybe like 10 seconds, but enough to make me completely stop what I was doing and stare toward my hallway in shock. I didn't recall having a music box! So I got up and walked near the bedroom, trying to think what I might have in there that plays music. Nothing. I went down the hallway and stood in the entrance to the living room. There across the room sat the snow globe I received from Euan the first time we ever met in person. I went over to it, and turned it upside down, and gave the winding part a turn. It played the exact same music that I heard just minutes before. I haven't touched the snow globe in about 8 months. There was no rhyme or reason for it to go off. All I could think of was that yesterday was Euan's birthday, and tomorrow is mine. Perhaps he wanted to let me know that he was still around in spirit, when so...

In the mail today, I FINALLY got the letter stating that my Medicaid spend down was paid for the month of September. It's about darn time!! I will be sending my check for October a heck of a lot sooner, probably by the end of this week. Talk about stressing me out. I sure hope this doesn't happen every month!! I also got a letter stating that my food stamps will be increased again next month. I guess they really want to make sure I'm eating. lol Can't complain about that, though!! I got pretty sunburned on Saturday from being out in the sun for at least 4 hours at the air show. I admit I forgot to put suntan lotion on, but I used the spray my sister had for the kids twice. The sun won out, though. My arms would look a heck of a lot better if I hadn't been wearing a regular tshirt. Now it looks like I have a farmer's tan, which will NOT look at all good with my sleeveless dress for the wedding!! Today I tried sitting in the sun for about an hour, seeing if I coul...

I had one amazing day today at the Air Show! We got onto the air base after 9am, and explored all the many different air craft that was around. It was really neat! The air show started around 11am with an extremely moving tribute to all the first responders of 9/11. It was rather emotional, and very well done. Then there was about two hours of incredible performances by a variety of planes and jets! I was most impressed by the B2 bomber (stealth bomber), which is the triangle-looking jet pictured down below, and also by the Thunderbirds! They were the main attraction, and the crowd love them!! They are the last several pictures below. Hope you enjoy the pictures!! I had over 100 of them, but I didn't think I should put all of them up in my blog! lol I am just so glad I went today, it was a great day!!

This week seemed to go by quickly, probably because Monday was Labor Day. The weather wasn't all that great, reminding me miserably that winter will be here sooner than anyone wants. I went out to lunch on Wednesday with Renee and Dee, and it was a nice time! We enjoyed our meals at Michael's Restaurant, and then talked forever after. Then we got back to my place and talked forever again! It's always so nice to have such good friends to share so many things with. I'm glad we were able to hang out for awhile! Thursday, Mandy and I went to Wegman's for some sushi, since it was her first day of having no kids all day. Her son was all dressed and ready for school, with his backpack on, at 7am. lol A little bit too early!! I'm so glad he's enthusiastic about going, though! I hope both he and his sister have a great year! Tomorrow I'm going to the Air Show at the base for the first time ever! I've always heard the air shows going on when I was growing up,...

My financial state gets turned upside down last month. I do all of these things to crunch numbers, lower bills, make arrangements for help, and within about a week, I'm somehow able to pay for my bills again, including the medical insurance. And yet, here I am, still waiting on the good old state of NY to actually tell me my first payment to them was accepted, and that I will have my appts and such covered for September. Come on!!! I bend over backwards to make sure I'm not screwed, and yet, it doesn't seem to matter!! My caseworker did tell me on Friday that I should just tell whoever I see that I did pay for my Medicaid spenddown for September so in case Medicaid doesn't cover my 20%, they can submit the bill over again. How friggin annoying! I guess that's what I'll be telling the lab tomorrow when I go for bloodwork. I just don't want to end up with bills for anything, because I DID what I was supposed to do!! ARGH!!!

I got my first birthday card today, even though it's not until the 17th. It came from the place I had asked to help me with payments for my Medicaid spenddown, and I was surprised to get it. It was a very nice card, and I just wanted to share what it says on the inside: The Wonderful Thing About Your Birthday Is celebrating footprints from afar the magical miles of memories that has made you who you are. Steps that at times seem faded and sometimes full of fear your birthday is a reminder that you did persevere. So as you celebrate your life reflect upon it with a smile because the path that created you was worth every single mile. Gifts that can't be sent for they will be with you all year long as you make your next footprint. *APJ* I admit that I got a little teary eyed reading the card, because the words ring so true. While some people hate the fact they are gaining years and getting older, I relish it. My parents were told they didn't know how long I might live, s...

It's just barely into the 2nd day of September, and I'm already missing the summer. Summer hasn't officially ended by calendar standards, yet to me, whenever September hits, I immediately think fall. Which then immediately reminds me that the dreaded winter is coming soon. Booooo. Tonight I did something I've never ever done before. I went to the movies. BY MYSELF. I checked to see if the final Harry Potter movie would still be playing tomorrow night (well, really waaaay later tonight, since it is almost 1am on Sept. 2nd), and it wasn't. OH NO!! I did NOT want to be seeing this final installment of the series on a much smaller screen at the cheap theater, and I definitely did not want to end up seeing this last movie just on my tv. There was only one time it was playing, and that was 9:40pm. So, I decided to just go on my own! And I have to say, I really enjoyed it! I felt so daring. LOL! I liked the movie, and I won't be giving away any details for those who ...

Only a couple more days of August are left, and most nights are already feeling as if it's fall. I'm really sad that summer is ending. I mostly don't like the thought of it disappearing for another 9 months because for those months, I will be mostly cold!!! I know that soon I will be putting away my summer clothes and dragging out the fall/winter ones. I'll have to encase my windows in plastic to keep winter drafts from coming into the house. I need to figure out ways to keep my place warmer without blasting the heat (which I never do). I really need to find out how to keep my feet and legs warmer, because they are the parts of my body that just get coldest the fastest. Long underwear and 2 or 3 pairs of socks and slippers don't seem to be cutting it with me!! Before long, it'll also be bath season!! If only there was a way to stay in the tub all day so that I wouldn't be cold! The weather changes are bringing me headaches almost every day, literally. Most...

I had purchased 2 paint by numbers in the spring to work on during the summer, since I didn't think I'd be so busy. Well, I was busy! So I didn't start the first one until the end of July. I worked on it mostly outside in the backyard on my new little table set. I finally finished it last night, and I love it! I plan on getting a frame and putting it in my kitchen. I started the other painting tonight, but that one is insane! It's so much harder than the other one, and will take much more time! I do love painting, though! I just wish I had a natural talent at it rather than relying on numbers!

I was at my stove early this afternoon making some grits for lunch when my fridge started making a horrible noise. Now, all summer my fridge has been making noises off and on, sometimes sounding like it's thawing out, but when I check it, everything is fine. But this noise was totally different, and it almost seemed like the fridge was moving a little bit. I stared at it and said out loud, "What the hell is wrong with my fridge now??" I glanced in the computer room and Mittens was on the rug, frozen in the middle of cleaning, and staring at me wide eyed. Several seconds later, the fridge stopped making any noise. So then I thought, oh great, it broke! But when I opened it up, everything seemed fine. Hmmm, oh well. Back to cooking! Minutes passed by, and something in my mind said EARTHQUAKE. And 10 minutes after that, I got an alert on my phone saying that an earthquake had indeed happened, but in Virginia! Whoa! I can't believe it could be felt way up here, although...

I got up at 9am this morning and proceeded to make several phone calls that I realized I needed to make today. The first was the Medicaid office in Lockport, who told me I had to call my caseworker in Niagara Falls to find out the information I need so I can send in a check to pay for Medicaid for September. Give me a break!!! I left a message for my caseworker, and guess what?? SHE NEVER CALLED ME!! I did, however, finally get the paperwork in the mail this afternoon!! I opened it up, read everything, wrote a check, and flew to the post office to mail it! I sure hope that it is enough time to get there, or else I'm going to be royally pissed off!! I swear, I accept this stupid changes, and I still get screwed over because the dumb state is late sending me the info. At least it feels that way!! I did go out to lunch today with my good friend, Erin, and her daughter. We went down to The Silo, which was rather nice! Today felt like fall, which was not nice. Not for me, anyway. lol ...

I saw this on Yahoo! earlier today, and it made me cry. And I'm not a big cryer usually!! Sure wish I could find someone this thoughtful and sweet!!