Down with the sickness

We celebrated my bday this past Friday since it's a middle of the week day, but then we were both down with some kind of nasties on sat and sun. I went to bed on Fri with a bitch of a headache and woke up with both headache and sore throat on sat. So, here's the highlights.

hubby got me a big plushie sharkie for snuggles. Turns out to be a good thing cuz I've been cuddling the hell out of it all weekend.

he also made me love pills for when I need reminding of his feelings.

and a photo printer cuz I take so many pix and he figured I'd want to print them sometimes. 

after we went to get his passport on Friday we went to Anamias for lunch

then hop and Sting to try some beers

I made him pose for an obligatory selfie.

After the brewery we walked around a mall a bit to let the traffic die down. I got a new hoodie and pj pants, he got some pusheen cat kitchen stuff. 

we stopped by Alley Cats on the way home to see what it's all about. He swore he'd beat me at the water pistol game...

this pineapple will tell you who beat who... lol. This is why I don't talk shit anymore... as soon as you're all "I'm gonna kick your butt" then BOOM! It's YOUR butt that gets kicked. Hehe.

We planned on saturday being a Deadpool day and seeing the new one in the theater, but as mentioned, we both got sick. I was also going to see A on Sunday but decided not to bring the sickness to her and her dad, as that would just suuuuuck. So the rest of the weekend was just me laying on the couch in the living room while he laid on the couch in the game room. We did have a dinner of Costco lasagne and Texas toast garlic bread, which was delicious. Sunday my appetite came back, so I think I'm on the road to recovery. I did take a covid test and the line was very faint, so if it was that it was super mild and no fever, so woot. On to face the week. Bday, mammo, neurology appt... this is one medically heavy week. Sigh.

I still has the dumb

I've said before that the first half of this year feels like I was kinda sleepwalking thru it. There was so much, so many things, so many changes, so much stress, that I know all the things happened, I just don't know how. I felt like I "woke up" in June. Well, I may have "woke up" in June but the coffee still hasn't kicked in. It seems like just existing still requires SO MUCH, and I'm sometimes reverting to autopilot. The thing is, if I'm on autopilot then something is going to get dropped, not done, deadline will expire, and it's all gonna be MY fault and I'm gonna feel like a bad person, friend, sister, or wife (depending on the relationship I have with the person I let down). I'm still kicking myself for missing the insurance deadline. Thankfully missing our friends wedding deadline RSVP wasn't as bad as I had worried it would be, but that's 2 already. There's bound to be a 3rd eventually... probably related to Italy. 

So I'm gonna go ahead and announce on here, I intend to have NO major events in 2025. Granted, some things are out of my control, but I'm BEAT, man. I need a BREAK. One big domestic trip for the man's bday next year, that's IT! People are more than welcome to come to us, tho 😉 hint hint.

We did go on Saturday and get our international driving permits, so we will be legally able to drive in Italy. The last official things are updating my passport and getting his. I figure as long as we get those done this next week we should be fine. Then I need to reserve a car somewhere in Florence, read up on how to drive in Italy, book a hotel in Rome for the day of arrival and the day before departure, then look up some fun things to do around Tuscany. I'd like to go to Assissi, depending on what the drive there is gonna be like. We got this, we can do it! It will be fun when it happens, it's just a little overwhelming in the planning stages. 

coffee treat to start us off on Fri

So easy to get at AAA.

I HAD to get this wine... I mean, shark label!!

Ending the day with movies at home. Ace is so cute, he has to be involved when J and I are together.

Family cuddles watching Alien Vs Predator. 

So after we had our super productive Friday, I took a treat myself Saturday with a trip to Lush, lunch at Anamias, and browsing at the mall. 

The teenage mutant ninja turtles have taken over Lush.

Anamias was as delicious as I remembered.

I should NOT shop solo. Some days I think I shouldn't be allowed in public at all. I also stopped off at half price books and sold the box in the trunk, then stopped by Target to get J some snacks (he wasn't feeling great) and some hair stuff for me (headbands and mini clips). Then we had another lazy day at home with movies and pizza. We ended up with a Tremors marathon while J and Ace napped.

Judging the movie.

Unbothered. I wanna be a housecat. 

Anyway, that's all from here. A is healing, which is good. She still has helpers coming out, which is also good. Work continues as usual, no new drama on that front (old drama continues, of course). Looks like we are in for a bunch of storms this week, so I'm looking forward to those. We had some lovely rain and thunder this morning, which I enjoyed. And the scale finally got the memo and started moving down, so I'm VERY happy about that. Apparently I need to not eat dinner. Which works for me cuz by the time I get home after my workout all I want to do is drink my protein shake, take a shower, and go to BED. I can consume the bulk of my calories between 11 and 4 and be quite content. 

I hope the rest of you are enjoying your summer. Much love from a mild TX! 😘 MUAH! 

What Friends are for

As some of you know, my friend A had surgery on her neck last week. The surgery was successful, and she came home on Friday. I went to help her out and had a series of mini adventures that I shall recount for you here.

On Thursday night I decided to go see her since I had been unable up until then. I took off after work with my bag for the weekend and the cookies I had made for her and her dad. I quickly realized that I needed my GPS because going "generally north west" doesn't necessarily work on Texas back roads, but I found the place ok. I stayed with her until visiting hours ended at 10pm, then went to the Super 8 where I had booked my stay. Upon arriving, the very nice gal behind the desk informed me that they did not, in fact, have ANY rooms due to the fact that they were renovating, tho there might be one smoking room available. I told her I'd rather not reek of stale cigarettes when I went to pick up my friend from the hospital, so please cancel my reservation and I'll find another. I found a baymont up the road and went there. Went in to a sign that said they were helping someone else and would be back. 10-15 mins later a guy did come in, check me in, inform me of a $25 deposit, and gave me my keys. I found parking, grabbed my bag, walked past the beautiful green pool (alge, not paint) and opened the door to my room. Right away I noticed the dead bugs near the door, the dying cockroach on one of the beds, the dead cockroaches elsewhere, the smell of mildew and the fact that the A/C was off. I looked at the 2nd bed, looking for bedbugs or roaches, and finding none decided I could sleep in my clothes with the light on since it was just for one night. Something in the bed was crusty... i tried not to touch it again. I woke up 2-3x due to people shouting or talking outside, did not shower, and tried not to go barefoot if I could help it. At 8 I got up, checked my phone, and saw A was being discharged so I checked out and went to get gas, coffee, and mini muffins for the nurses.

Discharge took a while, so A and I were able to pick up Papa murphys and wingstop on the way to her house. We got her home and settled, then later her sister and great niece came to help out. Between the 3 of us we were able to take care of A and her dad. A struggled to get ahead of her pain, poor woman, but as she heals it'll get better. The first morning I got up to say hello I scared her dad! He told me he feels bad for my hubby if that's what i look like in the morning. I told him that's why I have the early shift! I'm up and gone so my hubby doesn't have to see the scary morning me! He laughed and laughed. Said I have to bring J next time so he can tease him some more. I told him ok. The 2nd day he made chicken with veggies, it was really good! The dogs were sweet. I didn't know what to expect, so when A was sleeping I went to my car and raided the trunk for a book. I ended up reading "Sold on a Monday" and "the edge of Lost." Both very good reads. And now I've decided I need to keep an "emergency" book in my car. Lol.

pancha, A's dad's dog, keeping me company while A sleeps

she's a cutie

Such a hard life.

I also learned they have a haunted chair that will rotate you for no reason. It made me sit with my face to the corner of the room and my back to everyone! So mean! 

Laughter really can be the best medicine and I will say 100% my Mexican family is full of laugher and love. It's always a joy to spend time with them as the crazy Yankee daughter (no amount of arguments will ever convince them I'm not a Yankee, so I've just come to accept it). A seems to be on the road to recovery, when I left her there were no signs of infection, she has an appetite, and when the pain is controlled she is sleeping well. She will have PT, but not until she's healed some more. We have decided that our next Rio Mambo outing we'll get a hotel and stay in weatherford, just to be safe. 

The weird thing that happened this week: the dress I bought from China and returned was returned to me. I sent it back in Dec, I got the refund back in like Feb or March... and now I've got the dress back. What the heck do I do with the dress??? Sell it? Keep it? Send it to someone as a glitter bomb?? What do I do??

My wonderful hubby held down the fort while I was away. I was able to start my prep for the week, tho I did this first... cuz you know... priorities. Also I've been fighting a headache today, so I thought I'd give my own drugs a chance to kick in (just Tylenol, calm down). Now I'll start the marinara sauce, pasta, and chicken for my lunches, pack my workout bag, make my post workout shake, and all that jazz. MUAH! 😘😘 Much love, friends. Hope you and yours are happy, healthy, staying cool, and getting some chances to relax. 

The Death Knell of my 30's

My 4th decade of life is coming to a close (right? 0-10, then 10-20, 20-30, 30-40) and I'm quietly celebrating myself and ruminating on the prior decade of my existence. I did a lot in 10 years and yet I have ended up back where I was at the Death of my 20s... tho making MUCH better money, I must say.

I feel as though I healed a lot this decade. I learned my worth and let go of a lot of hurt and pain that I had kept like a miser keeps their gold. I dated and boy, was THAT an eye opener. Wheeeew. Its a rough, rough world out there, the dating pool needs a LOT of chlorine. I endured tho because I also found my forever man, my person, my love, my nerdy weirdo who I'm gonna keep for forever and a day. We made it all officially official with a church ceremony and an arcade reception and a crazy ass bar crawl after party! So I'm super excited to see what the next decades have in store for US as well as just ME. It's been a trip learning to live with a hubby, but we are learning, and the kitty has even come around.

Ace cuddles!

I got my masters degree this decade as well, and quit working at the hospital to pursue a job overseas. Ended up teaching English in South Korea for 2 years, meeting many interesting people, learning a LOT about myself, South Korean culture, being broken down to almost the end, and then building myself back. Lot of pain, but also a lot of laughter and love. I will forever cherish my 2 besties and fondly recall many others, while wishing nothing but the best for the rest. Living abroad is challenging and tensions run high. Tho I may not have liked everyone, I hope they found what they were looking for, and our paths need never again cross. I also learned I am NOT suited for teaching. Came home and helped Mom care for her hubby, taking a reatil job to pay the bills. When the opportunity to come back to the hospital arose, I took it. Coming back to TX was coming home, and I'm also NOT suited for retail. 

Now I'm working in the same department, but the job has certainly changed. My boss is different (I miss K, but I'm also happy that she's happy and my new boss is chill), and I have a career path in mind. At least, I know I'm good at this job, I enjoy it, and I think I can life the life I want while doing doing it. So though I'm technically back where I was 10 years ago, the circumstances are DRASTICALLY different and I don't regret leaving at all. Sometimes you have to leave and come back for jobs to realize what they had and treat you accordingly. Now I'm planning to get my certification, which will make me more marketable, and see where that can take us.

J and I took a little trip to Cracker Barrel. First time I'd ever been, but I'd heard that they had bat salt and pepper shakers that I wanted to see if we could find.

What we were looking for... no luck...

What we got! Meet Bugsy 😁

I also booked a pedicure and a massage (2 weeks between em) as little treats for me. There is a place called Island massage spa here with a Hawaiian theme, and I love it. The prices are reasonable and the people are very nice.

purple sparkles FTW!

I've booked an hour long Swedish massage for July 18. With the massage comes use of a robe, the sauna, and the shower, as well as flip flops. It's a nice day spa. 

I'm back at the gym, and this experience has proved 1 very important thing. Diet and exercise don't mean JACK for me when it comes to weight loss. If I want the scale to move, the only thing that works is full days of no food at all. So now I'm more focused on healthy aging. I'll do the lifting to maintain muscles and cardio to make sure my heart doesn't decide to give out. I eat good, healthy foods that I enjoy and have decided that quality of life is more important than living up to a 'skinny' standard that is based on BMI BS anyway. My fat cells have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior and have been SAVED and aren't going ANYWHERE. LMAO. If the migraine meds help, then great. If not, meh. We see the neurologist on Aug 2. I've decided the surgery will not be this year. Next year would be soonest. Get it early, pay the damn deductible, and have everything else covered for the year. Also that would give us some time to save for it. And I'm NOT canceling the Italy trip. 

Ace is back laying on his dad.

Anyway, that's what has been on my mind lately. Please pray for my friend A who is getting neck surgery this week (fusing vertebrae and putting in some rods). I'll be out at her place to help during her recovery next weekend. Take care of each other, stay cool, and much love to all! 😘 MUAH!