Sunday, February 28, 2010

Sunday 02.28.2010

I slept pretty good again, waking this morning about 8:30. Diane was up getting her morning underway.

We had breakfast, then went over to the Corsair Ski Trails at the Wright Lake (?) site. We ended up skiing a small loop that had mostly easy segments. Temps in the mid 30's made very wet, sticky snow, but we made the best of it and had a good time.

Back at the JC, we had lunch, then got ready to go. We were on the road at 5:30.

An uneventful drive, thank you God, and we got to Diane's house a couple hours later. After unloading her things from the car, and a bathroom stop, I was back on the road a half hour later.

I got home about 9:30. Dan was happy to see me, and I him, and he helped carry things upstairs. I got unpacked and Dan went to bed at 10. I wrote here and am going to bed, too.

Tomorrow is a workday.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Saturday 02.27.2010 Finally saw the 'possum, twice!

Diane and I both slept well; neither one of us woke before 8:30.

The day was shades of gray, with the snow on the lake reflecting the gray-white. Different than a gray summer day. The thermometer shows 28 degrees, but the 15 mph winds were a little bitey.

We didn't do much the first half of the day, just resting and enjoying each other's company. We did go out for a walk on the ice, though. Way cool, and very different that the previous times I had been out. The snow mostly covers the ice now, with some small areas blown off. I took pictures, but haven't seen them yet...

When we got back in, we were looking out in the yard, and here comes the opossum, going from the shed over to the neighbor's garage. Looks like it might be a medium to large one. And then a little while later, we saw it coming back over to the shed. Wow! All the times I've looked out there, and I finally saw it.

We had a good supper and a quiet evening.

Tomorrow we might try to ski somewhere.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Friday 02.26.2010

Finally feeling like I had been sleeping, the radio came on for me to get up for work. Sure hope we have a decent day.

A safe drive down, thank you God, and the shuttle came in to take us over.

I was on the overflow unit, which was mostly full, with wonderful co-workers. I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to leave early to go to The Lake.

We had a good day. As the discharges went, and new patients arrived on the unit, the "numbers" stayed down. And since there were two of us in my job role today, we had to staff down. And since I want to go...

I was able to leave by 2:45. The weather in Jackson had deteriorated, with a slippery snow falling and the temps hanging around 30-31 degrees. I drove home slowly.

What a mess. I checked the weather pattern and decided to go anyway, that I would drive out of it. I got the rest of my things together, and Dan came home just in time to help carry them downstairs to the car.

Hugs and kisses, I'm on my way. Very ucky weather.

45 mph mostly, with a car off the road now and then. By the time I got to Diane's in Mt. Pleasant, I had counted 6 off the road. Really ucky weather.

Diane was just finishing shoveling (rather, pushing) the snow off of her areas when I pulled in. The snow and temps and 100% humidity had created a glaze on the road surfaces. She had food ready for us, and we ate, hoping the weather would improve.

The Weather Channel shows that just a few miles more on our journey and we would be through this stuff. We loaded her things into the car and we were off, with the understanding that we would stop anytime we felt we needed to.

We only saw 3 more cars off the road just north of town, and we did end up driving out of the difficult weather. (the salt trucks were/had been out, so the roads weren't all that bad) And the oddest thing is, there were areas that didn't have much snow on the ground at all.

We arrived at the Jacque Cabin about 10. We couldn't drive into the driveway, however. Even though the neighbor had "tracked" it with his four-wheel-drive vehicle, there had been an accumulation of a cold snowfall since then, and it must have been windy, too, as the tracks had been mostly covered over. And there's a drift, too, that I'm not wanting to try to get stuck in. After walking up to the Jacque Cabin from the neighbor's driveway (thank you Evelyn and Bob, for letting me park there) a few times, Diane had evaluated the drift and came to the same conclusion. A couple more treks to the car, and we're unloaded. Turned on the propane for the furnace, and wa la, I was able to light the pilot, and within an hour we've chased the chill away.

How beautiful. 22 degrees with a wind that feels really cold. We went out for a brief flashlight walk, basically just back out in the backyard. The shed still has 'possum activity near/under it, but I don't see the animal tonight. And even though there is a snowdrift clogging the driveway, there are large patches/areas where there is not snow; bare grass. I'm eager to see the lake in the morning.

We settled in, enjoying each other's company. Making the beds, etc; Diane finally went to bed sometime after 1, and I started to write here.

I ended up going to bed myself not much later.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Thursday 02.25.2010

Same sleep, different night. I got up somewhere around 9:00. I had breakfast, looked at the computer a bit, and realized that I had to get ready to go to Jackson for that meeting. Frank came in just before I left.

He's seriously considering a job offer in Roswell, New Mexico. Police Recruit. He wanted to work on the computer a bit this afternoon before going to work. Oh, yeah, he got called back to work Monday after being laid off since mid-January.

I had a safe trip to Jackson, thank you God, and got into the meeting in a timely manner. We were delayed in getting started, however, and I ended up being there 3 hours instead of 2. I was hungry and getting a headache.

Back in the car, I ate the apple on the way home that I had brought with me. Dan was home when I got there, and I fixed supper.

We ate, then I went up to the clubhouse to meet with another condo association board member. We've got a lot of "items" to be familiar with before the next meeting, sometime mid-March. I ended up being there until after 9.

Dan was in bed when I got back. I got things ready to go to work tomorrow; I also put a few things together to get ready to go to The Lake tomorrow night with Diane.

The Olympics are on as I write; such athletes.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Wednesday 02.24.2010

After Dan got out of bed this morning, my phone rang, asking, "Could you work today?" No, sorry, I said, and dozed back off. Dan left for work; I stayed in bed and continued my sleep/wake cycles a couple more times, getting up about 9:30, finally feeling mostly rested.

I started laundry and had breakfast. I had a phone call inviting me to the high school Choral and Ensemble Festival (I think that's what it's called) here at Holt High School, where my great-niece Chelsea was performing with her school, Western, from Jackson.

I showered, changed laundry, and soon it was time to go. To my pleasant surprise, a vehicle pulled out of a parking spot just for me to pull in to. And Cari was waiting for me inside the building. We hurried into the natatorium, where a male chorus was entering and getting ready to perform. Jim, Cari and I enjoyed their performance; next was Western High School.

Chelsea and all did a good job. From there was critique, then sightsinging. The whole process brought back memories of my own high school Choir Festivals. I tried to listen to the judges and their comments, wondering about the "adult" interpretations vs. the "teen" interpretations.

When we were done and went back outside, it had snowed an inch or so.

I had a bite to eat, finished the laundry, and it wasn't too much longer before Daniel was home. We visited a bit before I went over to the pool for Finning class. It was snowing like crazy--but I went anyway.

It was fun. I had to clean the car off of about 3 inches of fluffy show. It was very pretty, but also tricky to drive in.

I got home without incident, thank you God. Daniel was trying to stay awake; I rustled up something for me to eat. He went on to bed not too much after that.
I checked the computer, looked at the Olympics, and wrote here.

Tomorrow I have a meeting in Jackson in the afternoon.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Tuesday 02.23.2010

I felt like I slept hard during the intervals I wasn't awake. Then the radio came on. Ugh. I got up and got ready for work. Dan got up when he needed to.

We headed out for the morning commute. It was 32 degrees here this morning. The snow is soft and wet, and the roads have stayed clear overnight. A good drive down, thank you God.

We had a good day on the overflow unit. A good group of co-workers, and it didn't seem quite as busy to me today as it was yesterday. Finally, the night shift arrived.

We clocked out and I headed home. A safe drive, thanks again, and Dan was home, too.

We had a quiet evening, and before long, Dan went off to bed. I have been trying to write here, with the Olympics on, and trying to stay awake doing it. I love watching most of the Winter Events. It's really a challenge to stay awake to view as much as I'd like.

I'm off to bed.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Monday 02.22.2010

I don't think I slept more than 3 hours total last night. Awake for a hot flash about 10 after 4, I was just cooling down when the radio came on. Ugh.

Definitely snowy outside. The predictions were for a winter storm warning, starting last night. Yup. It did. We got up and got ready for work. I went on down to Jackson, while Daniel realized that both of the other supervisors were scheduled to work today. With the weather being what it is, he decided to stay home, to not drive in this mess.

A safe drive for me, thank you God, though the highway was "washboard-bumpy" in Jackson Conty. This car handled it really well. It took me about 50 minutes for a 35 minuted drive. I was glad to get there, though. The shuttle took us over to the hospital.

We had a very busy day on the overfow unit. When the next shift took over, the remaining two beds had been assigned. Tomorrow will be more of the same.

The snow on the roads melted this afternoon, so the drive home was uneventful, thanks again.

Dan was watching television. I'm glad he had a day to himself. We visited briefly before he went to bed, and I picked through email and wrote here. The Olympics are on, but my eyelids are really heavy. I'll be going to bed soon myself.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Sunday 02.21.2010

I woke this morning and saw that Daniel was out of bed. I went back to sleep, waking again about 8:30. I turned the radio on and was pleased to hear the Sunday Puzzle coming on. I listened to that, and a little while later I got up.

I think I'm feeling better today. Thank you God. I don't like feeling/being punky.

I had breakfast, then went in and enjoyed a nice shower. Daniel was working upstairs on his computer, while I caught up on filing and got some paperwork/numbers collected for income taxes. A little while later, Daniel came downstairs and said he was ready to go outside for a walk. OK!!!

Though the thermometer showed 46 degrees, it felt more like a little above 40, with a nippy breeze. We walked around the complex, looking at the buildings, the snow, and whatever we came upon. When we got back in, I went on up to Meijer to pick up a few of the sale items. I fixed supper when I got home, which was yummy.

The rest of the evening, he worked on his computer stuff, while I read some. We looked at the Olympics, and Dan has gone off to bed.

Tomorrow is a workday for both of us. A winter storm is projected to start sometime around midnight; we'll see what we wake up to...

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Saturday 02.20.2010

Same sleep, different night. Dan got up sometime when I was sleeping this morning. When I found out he was up for the day, I turned the radio on for 15 minutes and went back to sleep. I got up about 9:30 or so. Dan had left for an appointment.

I had breakfast before getting ready for the day, then after a bit went down to Jackson for the hair appointment. I was a little early, so I drove around the lake where I used to walk. Things look different, things look the same. So beautiful with the sun.

Lauretta cut my hair, then washed it. I like to get the little hairs off my head so it doesn't bother me the rest of the day. On the way back I stopped into Meijer in Mason. I only had a few items on my list, but geez, it seemed to take forever to get them. I was kind of going around in circles in the store. Ah, well, I finally got everything and got checked out.

At home, Dan and I had lunch before going over to The Summit, where great niece Chelsea was playing soccer. As we were walking through the parking lot, we see Jim and Polly in their car. Leaving. Seems the game was at 3, not 4. Yeah, I was having a hard time thinking this afternoon. We had just a brief visit with them before going back home. Sorry we missed it.

Dan went up and worked on his computer class, and I did my own coursework. We had a small break for supper, then resumed our projects. I looked at the Olympics, too.

I think I'm feeling somewhat better this evening.

Tomorrow is unplanned.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Friday 02.19.2010

I woke this morning feeling not quite rested, getting up sometime after 8:30. The sun was shining, though, and was a beautiful beginning to the day.

I breakfasted, enjoyed fresh brew, and looked at the television a little while I cut and filed my fingernails. Showered, now I feel like a nap.

I decided to go out for a walk. It really is lovely out.

The sun was warm and melting the snow and icicles. The water run-off was noisy in the drains in the roads. It was breezy, though, and the air was cold. I put the hood up on my coat.

Dan turned on to our road just as I did, and we decided to go out for food.

We went to Applebees, using a gift card we had gotten for Christmas (thanks). It was pretty good.

Back at home, Dan is working on his computer stuff, and I picked through the back-up of email. I may have to "unsubscribe" to some of the things I get, as I have a hard time reading everything I want to.

I've been punky today. I will state, with great positivity, that I am happy to be alive, and cancer free. Punk and all.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Thursday 02.18.2010

It felt like I had been sleeping quite a while until I looked at the clock. Geesh, less than 2 hours. I dozed off again a couple more times with the radio waking me. I called the unit to check our staffing; yup, gotta go.

A safe drive down, thank you God, and was that the sun nudging it's way into the early morning?? Woo Hoo!! I think the horizon was showing dawn!

The shuttle took us over, and we started our workday.

Ugh. We were busy from the time we took over from the previous shift. The "fan" had turned on; it was ugly busy pretty much all day long until the night shift came back.

I was, however, able to go over to the dentist, as the other LPN I was working with had a medical appointment, too, this morning, and we had someone come in for a few hours to cover for us. Which worked out really well.

The first thing they did was take an x-ray of the tooth. Then we waited for the doctor to come in. When he did, he took one look and said, yup. I think we're looking at a crown. He got an instrument and poked it a little, put the instrument down, then looked at my chart. It seems this particular tooth was filled "way back when" by my Uncle, Wayne Mortimer. So overall, this tooth has done pretty good.

We talked about options, which are quite limited. He thinks he sees another shallow crack in the tooth and will be able to take care of it with the crown preparation, which will happen in a few weeks. He then was going to "smooth the sharp edges" of the break, but changed his mind, and put some kind of temporary filling stuff over the existing filling. He said that it might last until the appointment, or might not. He didn't seem real concerned. We talked a bit more; I questioned whether the chemo might have been a factor. No, was the answer. Age was it.

I thanked him, and made my appointments, which are in several weeks, and went back to the hospital.

Whew. I was pretty anxious.

Back on the floor, it was busy with call lights, telephones, patients, staff, and visitors. I have to say I was happy to be done with the day.

I got home and visited with Dan a little before he went off to bed. I had the Olympics on and wrote here when my eyes were open.

Tomorrow is a rest day.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Wednesday 02.17.2010

Hot. Cold. Sleep, awake. Why am I awake?? Restless. Oh, yeah. Hot. Covers off, lie still, breathe. Starting to doze off, getting chilled. Covers back on, cold now. Curl onto right side. Finally warming, stretch out a little. Off to sleep. Repeat at intervals of 45 minutes or 1 hour 15 minutes. If I'm really tired, I might make it 2 hours or just a little longer. But not usually.

So as I read about sleep and sleep stages and REM and non-REM sleep and the studies of how interrupted sleep has negative affect on every aspect of health, I wonder what interrupted sleep is doing to me? I do what I can to help get better quality rest, including not getting upset that I'm awake, yet again. I don't know of a solution at this time yet. Three more years of Arimidex, cancer-free is the long-term goal. Thank you God.

I woke at 4 and decided to call the hospital to see if they needed me. They did. I wend back to bed and rested until the radio came on.

Uneventful drive down, thank you God, and the shuttle almost took off without me. The other riders were looking out for me and told Celeste that I was getting out of my car. She waited, and we went over to the hospital.

It was a busy day. We were full on 4 south and had to open the overflow unit, 4 west, late afternoon. The highlight of my day, however, was lunch. I crunched down on something that didn't crunch--yup, broke a tooth. Darn. Big piece of tooth. I called the dentist's office; since there isn't any pain involved, the doctor will see me tomorrow at 11. I'm thinking crown. I'm thinking I'm getting old.

It was time to go home. A safe drive, thanks again. Dan was working on the computer again. We visited a bit, then he showered and went on to bed. I've got the Olympics on while writing here.

Tomorrow is a workday, with a dentist visit thrown in.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Tuesday 02.16.2010

Same interrupted sleep. Dan left for work and I went back to sleep, waking about 9 o'clock. I enjoyed the morning before going over to Leah's for my massage appointment. She did a good job on my neck/shoulders, and even worked on the fluid collection under my arm. When I left there I had a short episode of nausea; probably that lymph fluid moving around. I drank a bunch of water again today to help flush me out.

I went out to Meijer for food and fuel. When I got back I started dinner. It was pretty good, but the sauce stuff I used had just enough of an undertone of pepper that it bothered my throat, thus making my dining experience slow so I didn't choke.

Dan worked on his computer stuff while I cleaned up the kitchen, and I went up to the Clubhouse for a Condominium Association meeting. The condo management company and the developer were there, as the purpose was to actually create an owner's association board. As I understand it, when there is a certain number of units sold, a board has to be created. So, that's what happened.

There were only 6 owners who went, 2 guys from the management company, and the developer. And they needed 4 of us to be on the board. One person all but left then, another said no way, and the rest of us are The Board. I accepted with the understanding that I can step down at any time for any reason. We'll see how this plays out....

When I got home I told Dan, who didn't seem to think it would be any big deal.

He's gone off to bed, and I'm looking at the Olympics while writing here.

I'll have to go to bed, too, as tomorrow is a workday.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Monday 02.15.2010

I woke twice during the night, then I hear Dan say, "is that 6 o'clock? Crap..." and he gets out of bed and hurriedly gets ready for work. After he left it took me a while to go back to sleep, but finally did. And I was happy to see that it was 9:40 when I woke.

I got up, breakfasted, and started laundry. I had a nice shower. The afternoon was spent picking away at the emails on the computer, finished laundry, and even had a little nap. I really felt quite punky today.

When Dan called to say he was on the way home, I started dinner. We ate, he showered, and after dozing off in his chair, he went to bed.

I wrote here as the Olympics were on in the background.

Tomorrow is massage. Ahhh. That will help me feel better.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Sunday 02.14.2010

I got up today, but I wasn't done sleeping. It's ok, tomorrow I can sleep in. I got ready for work. Dan, too.

A safe drive down, thank you God, and we had a good day. The majority of our patients were discharged today, and oddly enough, we didn't have any babies on our shift. It was a nice change...

The night shift came in and we we able to leave. A safe drive home, thanks again. Dan was upstairs working on his computer project when I came in. He finished up, we chatted a bit, then he went in to shower and go to bed.

The rest of the evening I looked at the Olympics and the computer and wrote here and tried to stay awake. It seems to have taken a long time to write this little bit...

Tomorrow is my "quiet" day, after my many days of travel then work. I pray I sleep tonight.

Thank you for reading. Valentine's Hugs.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Saturday 02.13.2010

I slept, and remember waking twice. Of course, that's between midnight and 0424. I got up when the radio came on and got ready for work. Dan got up a half hour later and did the same.

I had a safe drive to Jackson, thank you God, finding a "decent" parking place and going in.

We were pretty busy today. I didn't even sign onto the computer to do any documentation until almost 5 pm. But the patient care was done. We had a good group which makes any day better. It was soon time to go home. Praise the Lord. It's been a long day.

A safe drive home, thanks again. Dan had fixed supper, but I wrote here before eating. I'm going to bed soon; I'm pretty tired.

Tomorrow is a workday.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Friday 02.12.2010

I slept pretty good in the hotel, waking somewhere around 8:30. Frank got up before I did and went down for breakfast. I got up and got my things collected after washing up, then went for my own breakfast. I really wanted to get in the pool this morning, but checkout was 11 AM, and besides, were were still 8 hours from home, according to the GPS. We loaded up and headed north on I-75.

Which was fine for a while, starting in Knoxville then going into Lexington and on to Cincinnati. The larger cities were traffic-ed like larger cities, and it was yucky. Frank and I looked at the routes and decided to take 127, which goes straight north and into Michigan Center, which both avoids the larger cities as well as reduces the miles.

Oh my gosh. Today's drive was ok, but...the traffic around Lexington and Cincinnati was extremely congested and stop and go a few different times. But...127 was a business route which was "Main Street" for a number of the towns it went through. Complete with traffic signals and stop signs. Needless to say, we didn't make much time on the way home. The only stretch of 127 that is 70 mph is here in Michigan.

The good news is that we did get home safely, first at Frank's at 9 PM, then to Holt about 9:45. Whew. Thank you God, for our safe trip.

I was happy to see Daniel. He helped me unload, and we visited a short time before he had to go to bed. I unpacked and watched the Opening Ceremonies of the 21st Winter Olympics.

Gotta go to bed; work tomorrow.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Thursday 02.11.2010

I slept pretty good again, surprisingly, and woke up about 0800. I dozed another 45 minutes or so before getting up. When I did get up I started collecting my belongings and getting packed up.

Frank was already up and mostly ready. Jeremy was getting ready for work. We all were reluctant that we had to leave, but it was a good visit. We got on the road shortly after 11 AM.

Frank and I drove an hour or so and stopped for breakfast, looking at the map and deciding which route to take. According to the GPS and the way it had calculated, we could be home by 0130. That's not including fuel stops and such. Daniel had checked the internet again for us to confirm that we needed to cross the mountains on I-40 because of snow on 77.

We got back on the road and made pretty good time, until we got to Columbia. We sat for 45 minutes to an hour, moving forward at an idle speed--at least we were moving--for no reason that we could see, other that the same 2 lanes of highway and on/off ramps. When that snarl opened up we continued on our way, up 26 and over to 40/74, thinking that we would get through the Smoky Mountains in daylight. Just south of Asheland traffic stopped again. And again we slowly moved. I think we were 2 hours going 4 miles. The emergency vehicles came up from behind, and it wasn't very much longer after that when we started moving again, finally getting up to highway 40.

Well. After getting onto 40, about an hour after getting onto 40, there is a message programmed on the message board thing. Highway 40 is closed due to fallen rock; all travellers will use exit 20 and be detoured........Oh great. It's already getting dark, and I really don't know much about this area. We stopped for fuel in and waste out and a serious consultation with the map and the GPS. Oh yeah, the signage also said to follow the detour signage as the GPS devices are not accurate. Ugh. We could have stopped for the night, but seeing as how we didn't get very far, we wanted to keep going. So...

We chose to go through the Great Smoky Mountains, in the dark, because on the map it was the only halfway decent looking road there was to get through, without driving several miles and several hours further north and getting into the snow stuff.

Oh, yeah. If you have been there, you know that it was a "difficult" drive. Slow, winding road, that was in fairly good condition. There had been snow in the higher elevations maybe today that had been plowed, but probably from the storm earlier in the week. Large branches, and entire trees had recently fallen across the road, and there were piles of sawdust where they had been removed. But the rest of the tree was where ever it had fallen. Very creepy. Oh, Yeah. And the signs that said to "Watch for Elk", "Watch for Falling Rock", "Watch for Ice and Snow on Road". Geesh--

Well, Frank and I chose to have a positive adventure, and in the end, we were both relieved to see a straight road. It was a cool drive, though. I'll link some pics that Frank took of Gatlinburg (we think) in a few days. The city lights below from way up a mountain in the dark. No elk or other animals, no falling rocks, and only a relatively short stretch the had snow on the road with maybe a little ice under it. It had been salted and sanded very well, so there was no problem for me to drive in it.

We finally came out on the west side of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park Parkway. It was about 8:30. Now what?

We chose to drive for another hour or so, gawking at the gaudy commercialism that Gatlinburg is. I had never been there, and Frank hadn't either. We kept going, finally coming into Knoxville. I was more than ready to stop. By the time we got checked in and settled into our room, it was 10:30 or so.

We were both wound up; Frank went in and showered while I had some soup that I had made and brought with us. We are finally settling down, and it's almost 0200. Checkout is 11, but the desk guy "Ernie" said it could be extended with a phone call. He also commented that there were several other guests here from Michigan, and asked about our trip so far. I mentioned that we had been detoured from 40--indeed, there was a notice on the desk that there the highway is closed in both directions due to falling rock--and is scheduled to reopen 3/1/20. I also mentioned the extremely slow traffic backups....

So. Here we are. Frank is sleeping, I'm trying to stay awake, and tomorrow we'll head home. We've got 8 hours still, according to the GPS.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Wednesday 02.10.2010

Whoa! I slept good last night! Waking only a couple of times and returning to sleep. I got up and ready for the day before 10:00.

Jeremy was up. We visited a while, I had breakfast, then each of the guys did. We were content to just be together. Jeremy had received the Blu Ray version of Land of the Lost, so he put that in. Amazing picture/graphics.

When the movie was done, it was time for me to go outdoors. Nobody wanted to come out with me, so I went by myself.

Temps were mid 40's with a wind advisory, making wind chills about 30 degrees in a blue sky. I put on my coat and went outdoors. I decided that I would need a hat and gloves, so I got them out of the car. Much better.

I walked around the "block" 3 times. It was beautiful to hear the birds and see the blue sky and the new flowers. Yes, I saw one daffodil and the other one might have been a primrose.

When I came in, we had snacks, and Jeremy's neighbor Kristen stopped over to meet us and say hi. She seemed to be a nice girl. Before long it was time to go over to Hilton Head Island for our dinner/jazz reservations.

We went to The Jazz Corner, which turned out to be a smallish room with too many tables, a stage, and a bar in it. The food was expensive, but good, and the music was surprisingly very good. Even though it was pricey, I would go back again. Jeremy agreed.

We got home about midnight. Frank went in and showered and went to bed, and Jeremy and I visited while his laundry finished. He has drifted off to bed, and I wrote here.

Tomorrow Jeremy will leave for work about 11, and Frank and I will head north. Not sure what we'll do regarding driving straight through vs stopping, but we don't have to be back until my work on Saturday morning. We'll stop when we're ready...

I'm off to bed. Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Tuesday 02.09.2010

The bed was very comfortable, and I slept a whopping 3 and 1/2 hours, waking about 0730. I willed myself to doze off again, because I wanted to rest until the alarm came on at 0850. I made it all the way to 0805. Anxious, I guess.

I washed and dressed and went to the lobby area for breakfast. I chose oatmeal, banana, and milk, and picked up a bagel and peanut butter for later. I enjoyed coffee while chatting with others and looking at the weather on the television.

I had started snowing in Athens, Ohio just a short time earlier, with a light snow covering everything. I "played my hunches" and hoped that by afternoon the temps would be a little higher, thus leaning more toward rain for the remainder of the journey to Bluffton, South Carolina.

I wanted to exercises some, so I put on my bathing suit and went down to the pool room. No one else was there. I turned on the timer for the whirlpool spa and went into the swimming pool, using the spa timer as my guide. I was able to do 15 minutes of aerobic movements in the water, and by that time Frank had come in. He went into the spa. When my time was up, I went over to the other tub and soaked. I get so hot, though, that I was just lying on the top step with my legs and arms out of the water. I enjoyed it.

We went back to the room and got ready to leave, and were on the road by noon.

The snow was more wet and somewhat watery, but the road surfaces were mostly ok. I still drove with caution, though, through the mountains. Even though it was messy and grayish, it was absolutely beautiful. The snow changed to rain for most of the drive. We stopped for food about 4:30, getting back on the road shortly after 5. And Frank drove.

Shortly after getting back on the road again, in the mountains, giant fluffy snowballs came out of the sky. They were such big clumps of snow that it immediately formed a slick sheet as soon as they were run over. And to our surprise, the road crew of 3 trucks, each direction, were right there tending the mess. So it ended up being not really bad. And short-lived. I don't think it was more than a 15 mile stretch of that stuff, then it changed to a very light rain and fog.

The remainder of the drive was uneventful, and eventually the rain stopped. By the time we got to Bluffton, the temp was 58 degrees and small groups of spring peepers could be heard!! Woo Hoo!! Spring is coming!!

Jeremy was happy to see us; it was 10:30. We visited and laughed, and tried to stay awake. Frank was first to go to bed, then Jeremy, and I wrote here.

It's so nice to be outdoors without worrying about frostbite.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Monday 02.08.2010

I slept some during the night, getting up when the radio came on. I had to smile when Daniel asked "are you sure you're going to work?" because I've been "on-call" so often recently. I took my chances and got ready, and No, no phone call this morning.

I had a safe drive down, thank you God, and the shuttle was there to take us over to the hospital. I sure appreciate that ride.

We had a good day, with a good crew. After the dust settled, I was able to leave at 4:30. I stopped at the oil change place and had the air checked in the tires, then over to the credit union to take care of business.

A safe drive home, thanks again, in the late afternoon sun. What a nice change! Dan had gone somewhere after work so wasn't home, which was just as good with me. Although I had most of my things collected/gathered and packed, I was surprised at how long it took me to get it all put together and ready to load into the car. He got home as I was finishing up, just in time to help carry it downstairs. I put it into the car as I wanted it, hugs and kisses, I was off, shortly before 8 pm.

I decided to leave this evening due to the winter storm that is predicted to move in on Tuesday. Daniel and I had looked at the weather map before leaving to check the track of the storm. It looked best for Frank and I to leave this evening.

Frank was packed and ready. I picked him up in Michigan Center and we were on our way by 8:50.

We had an uneventful drive, making good time. It's not a race--I prefer to enjoy the trip, stopping when necessary. We got to Athens, Ohio and decided to stop for now. By 0300 we were comfy in a Hampton Inn.

Yes, it's just a brief stay, but it's all about the journey. I checked in with Daniel to let him know where we were, Frank has had a nice shower, and I wrote here.

We'll breakfast here and get on the road again, though I'm not sure what the time frame is going to be. We're already ahead of schedule.

And, so far, no precipitation.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Sunday 02.07.2010

I woke this morning with my arm/shoulder/clavicle aching more than the usual discomfort. I don't know if the position was awkward or something during the night, but this wasn't going to be an acceptable discomfort. I took the time, an hour, and did what self-massage I could to reduce some of the lymph fluid that had backed up.

For what I could reach, I did a pretty good job. It's kind of like frosting only the side of the cake you can see, or only washing the driver's side of the car because that's the side you see most often... Sure would be much better if I could have a "real" treatment. I'm about ready to schedule with Ike again.

I got up and breakfasted, and drank a bunch of water to help rinse that stuff away. I made good progress on getting ready to go to South Carolina on Tuesday--gathered coolers, maps, made a somewhat healthy finger food, packed mostly, and made a few phone calls. By the time Daniel got home I had laundry done and supper about ready.

We ate and visited. He read a little and worked on his computer, and when he came downstairs to listen to a lecture, of course he fell asleep right away. I woke him at 8 PM to go to bed.

I half watched/half listened/half ignored the Superbowl game this evening. While I love to watch pro football, the Superbowl seems to be such a tightly executed hour that it's almost not pleasurable to watch. I did try to look at some of the commercials, though. They were ok; I wasn't too impressed with any of the few that I saw.

I'm scheduled to work tomorrow, and so is Dan. I'll be finishing packing and stuff tomorrow night so as to get a decent start Tuesday morning. Of course, the weather is the big variable. Time will tell.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Saturday 02.06.2010

I think I may have slept a bit more last night. I know of at least one interval that was 2 hours, and another that was an hour and a half. After Dan left I was able to sleep again from 6 through almost 8. Temp instability, hot, and so cold I can hardly get warm. Then a hot flash that has perspiration running on my forehead, while my hands and feet are practically blue-cold. I know that this "vasomotor instability" is a "normal" and "expected" response to the blocking of the estrogens by the Arimidex, but. Gee Whiz. I had a "moment" after getting out of the shower, and before I could get moisturizer on my face my forehead was wet with perspiration and I had to dry it off first. I had just had enough of the being cold and being hot thing. I didn't wallow in it very long. I AM truly happy to be alive and cancer-free.

The day moved on. I went to the auto parts store to get a replacement bulb for the left rear turn signal for a total of $2.15. That's the least amount I've paid for anything for that car. Or any recent car.

Back at home I collected a screwdriver and pliers, got two of the nuts removed, as directed in the manual, but couldn't get the third one without a hex wrench. I don't know where Dan has it/them, but I was happy to be able to pass it on to him. I cleaned the windows and applied the Rain-X product. By that time my hands were cold and my head was sweating. I went in to warm up my hands.

Dan got home a short while later, found the tools necessary for the job, and completed it. There. Turn signal bulb replaced and functioning correctly. Thank you God and Dan!

We visited a few minutes then got ready to go to a Valentine's Dinner Dance hosted by our financial planner. It was very nice, and we enjoyed a nice evening out.

Back at home before 10. We both got out of our dress-up clothes, washed up, and Dan went to bed. He has to work tomorrow.

I'll be getting what I can together for my trip to South Carolina to visit Jeremy, as I work Monday and am leaving Tuesday early.

I'm tired myself.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Friday 02.05.2010

Interrupted sleep, awake when the radio came on. Ugh. Just when it felt like I was settling down again...

I got up and ready for work, as did Daniel a half hour later. We left for our J.O.B.S.

A safe drive down, thank you God. The shuttle was there and took us over to the hospital.

My co-worker and I weren't too busy at first, as we were "opening" the overflow unit. We helped Labor and Delivery, as they were having babies like popcorn popping. Of course, those moms were transferred to us after their recovery period. We had a couple other staff join us late morning at the peak of the influx, and we were all doing what needed to be done. We continued to be busy with admissions throughout the day, including the gynocologic surgical patients. And remember that the mom is one patient, and the baby is another. We ended up with 2 beds left at the end of the shift. Whew.

A good drive home, thanks again, in the wind. Daniel was up looking at the television. We chatted a bit and he went to bed at 9 pm.

My arm was swollen today; so much so that I put the sleeve and gauntlet on shortly after arriving to work. It was uncomfortable after a couple hours and I took it off. I took it off and put it back on about a half hour later, several times throughout the day. I'm not sure it does much, but I can say that I had it on.

Tomorrow Dan works, I don't. Ahh.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Thursday 02.04.2010

The same interrupted sleep. I finally got out of bed around 9:30.

Breakfast, put a load of laundry in. Looked at email, went to Leah's.

Ahh, Leah. She does such a nice job. My joints still hurt, but I feel better overall. I left there and went to Meijer, browsing around, looking at this and that. I got home a little after three and started a pot of chili for supper.

Yum. Cornbread, too.

Dan got home, we ate and visited. I went up to the pool for "splash aerobics". It sure is strange to sweat in the pool. And have hot flashes.

When I got back it was close to 9. Dan was reading before going off to bed.

I'll be going to bed, too. My shoulders, knees, and hips feel better after the exercise. I'm hoping I'm not too sore tomorrow. It's a workday for me.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Wednesday 02.03.2010

Not much sleep, it seemed. Dan got up and left for work, I dozed off. I woke again, hungry, about 7. Since I had felt hungry on previous wake times I decided to get up and have breakfast.

I enjoyed it. I had been up for an hour or so and gotten sleepy again, so I went back to bed. Ha! The joys of having grown children, no dependents, and being able to take care of me...

I woke about 10:30, and the phone rang. One of my friends. We talked for a while and I got up when that conversation was done.

I vacuumed, then got in the shower. So nice.

Time to eat again. I heated up stuff out of the fridge. Dan got home a bit later (thank you God for safe travels). We visited a bit before he got his computer going. I went over to swim class ("finning" tonight--was good).

He turned in not long after I got home.

I enjoy the swimming stuff. It's very interesting how the pressure of the water makes a difference on the muscle movement and structure. Tonight my joints feel better after the movements. I hope it continues to feel good.

Tomorrow I see Leah, and there's a swim class tomorrow night, too.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Tuesday 02.02.2010

I finally slept last night!! Sure, I woke a few times, but returned to sleep quickly. This morning when the alarm went off, I called the unit. Yep. Not needed. I dozed off and on the next hour or so until Daniel left for work, then slept until 9. Ahhh.

I got up and had breakfast. I caught up on most of my email throughout the day, trimmed the hair around my ears, picked up a little. I went out to pick up something for dinner. Not sure what. I ended up finding a couple nice pieces of meat. I did a stir fry type of sweet onion and red and yellow peppers and tossed that with a small amount of egg noodles. Yummy!

Dan called to say he was going to visit with a friend on the way home. He ended up not getting back until almost 7:30. I had fixed everything except his meat, and I had eaten when he got home. He was able to put together his food. He checked his email, and by 9 o'clock he was off to bed.

I worked on homework, surprised when I looked at the clock that it had been 2 hours. I wrote here and will go to bed soon.

No plans for tomorrow; Dan has to work.

Thank you for reading. Hugs.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Monday 02.01.2010

What a restless sleeper I have become. And I had to get up this morning to go to work. When the alarm went off I procrastinated getting up, waiting to see if I was going to get called. I called the unit--yes, we need you...

I got up and ready.

A safe drive down, thank you God. I waited several minutes for the shuttle and rode over to the hospital.

Myself and another nurse were on the overflow unit. We sent all but one patient home, transferring the remaining patient over to the primary unit. Of course we had to staff down, but others wanted to go, and they did. We finished out the last couple hours of the shift with a flurry of activity, things that needed to happen in a timely fashion, which ended up with two of us working alongside the oncoming shift to get "our girls" (patients) taken care of.

I ended up walking over to the parking lot, which wasn't too bad. The temperature was a "balmy" 24 degrees and quiet. Funny how that feels warm after single digits.

A safe drive home, thanks again. Dan was home, doing what he does. I was very tired when I got in. I took care of my belongings, chit-chatted a little with him until he went back to the computer, then wrote here.

I'm scheduled to work tomorrow. We'll see what happens. I'm hoping to sleep tonight...

Thank you for reading. Hugs.