Is that all. It feels like it has been months since Fiona was born. Well maybe not months, but certainly more than three weeks. I feel like I am living in a time warp these days. I feel like maybe I am starting to have a bit of a grasp on what day of the week it is, but I usually have to think about it, and remind myself if I am to remember. I think that is the sleep deprivation.
I feel that we are slowly starting to find a rhythm of life. Eat, play, sleep. Life exists in 3-4 hour increments both day and night. Nights have been going okay. Some shorter than others. I would say I have had from 4-7 hours of sleep each night, usually broken into 2-3 chunks. I look forward to her dropping a night time feed. It wouldn't be bad if she ate once in the night, but for now it seems like it is usually twice. And the feeds aren't so bad, it is when she won't go back to sleep afterward that makes for a loooong night. I do think she is sleeping better since her and I moved into the basement for night time. I miss our nice comfy bed, but honestly, I think my sleep is better, and I feel more relaxed knowing that Jay can't hear every little squawk.
I have found new parenthood to be really overwhelming. I feel like maybe it is getting less so, as we start to find our rhythm. I think as long as things go fairly well, I do okay. But last week Fiona had one evening where she screamed her head off for an hour or so, and we couldn't figure out what the problem was (maybe gas?) but she did eventually settle and slept. That was a short night, and the next day I felt really overwhelmed again.
I have had my mom come and spend a couple of nights to look after Fiona so I could sleep. Though there is part of me that feels guilty for struggling, I know that there is no shame in asking for help. And honestly, I think grandma enjoys spending the night with her newest grandbaby. I find it so much easier and more enjoyable to look after Fiona after I have had a good night sleep.
My recovery from the c-section seems to be going well. They say it takes about six weeks before everything should be healed and back to normal. I expect that some of my fatigue is due to healing from surgery. Though I expect more of it has to do with the loss of quality sleep. I am trying to not do too much lifting, so we haven't gotten out of the house a whole lot....but have been making an effort to get out every few days. So far we have been to Superstore, City Perks and tomorrow we are going to try to go to Costco.
I know every stage of parenthood will have its challenges, but as everyone keeps telling us, it gets better. I am trying to savor moments with our beautiful daughter, but I do look forward to not feeling like a zombie.
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 09, 2014
Sunday, August 19, 2012
A mental shift
I have now been eating gluten free for a week. I can't say that I have noticed much of a difference overall and I don't feel too deprived just yet. I was thinking about this change in eating, or 'diet' (though I hate that word). I am doing my best to treat this gluten free trial as an allergy. I doubt that people with severe allergies, that either get very sick or have an anaphylactic reaction when they eat a certain item, would miss having that in their diet. I don't think they think about 'cheating' on their 'diet' because they miss having that item that makes them sick. I suppose that most allergies present themselves early in life, so it is something you grow up with.
Anyway, I started thinking about eating gluten free. My in laws were up visiting this weekend and my mother-in-law brought some cookies along. When they left, I told them that they should maybe leave some for Jay and then take the rest home. My father-in-law commented about that I might be tempted to eat them. It just got me thinking about how, yes, I do enjoy peanut butter cookies, however, when you have a gluten allergy (which I am not sure I do, but I am trying to treat my diet as though I do), I am not sure that you are tempted to eat regular cookies or bread because you will just end up sick. It's not like a 'cheat meal' when you are trying to lose weight. I am not criticizing my father-in-law for the comment, it just got me thinking. I don't know how many times Jason and I have looked at friends who have terrible allergies to nuts, soy, shellfish, eggs, etc and commented about how glad we are that we do not have to worry about what we eat. I really don't know if this will make a difference in my life, but I am going to give it my best shot, and if it helps, great, if not, I guess I will go back to my old ways.
Anyway, I started thinking about eating gluten free. My in laws were up visiting this weekend and my mother-in-law brought some cookies along. When they left, I told them that they should maybe leave some for Jay and then take the rest home. My father-in-law commented about that I might be tempted to eat them. It just got me thinking about how, yes, I do enjoy peanut butter cookies, however, when you have a gluten allergy (which I am not sure I do, but I am trying to treat my diet as though I do), I am not sure that you are tempted to eat regular cookies or bread because you will just end up sick. It's not like a 'cheat meal' when you are trying to lose weight. I am not criticizing my father-in-law for the comment, it just got me thinking. I don't know how many times Jason and I have looked at friends who have terrible allergies to nuts, soy, shellfish, eggs, etc and commented about how glad we are that we do not have to worry about what we eat. I really don't know if this will make a difference in my life, but I am going to give it my best shot, and if it helps, great, if not, I guess I will go back to my old ways.
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Shhh
Sorry things have been so quiet here lately. I often feel like if I were to sit down and write a blog more often that they would all sound the same.
I have had a couple of pretty slow weeks with work. It was looking like this week would pick up, then in the last couple of days I have had four cancellations. Most of them re-booked, and I appreciate having advance notice for cancellations, but it makes for a slow week for me. My next appointment isn't until Friday afternoon now. Next week is looking better since a number of the cancellations from this week re-booked for next week.
I am hoping to get out once the wind stops blowing like crazy and hand out some more flyers. I did some down our street last week and I have had one call already. If this works, I will keep handing out flyers in the area. I would still like to put an ad in the community newsletter, but missed the June deadline and will be ready for the September one.
I booked our summer holiday last week. We are going to take a trip out to Drumheller for a couple of days in July. Our plans include taking in the Tyrrell Museum, Reptile World and going to see Anne of Green Gables at the dinner theatre in Rosebud. After that we will drive back to Swift Current and spend a few days out at the cabin before heading home. I am sure it will be a great week!
I think otherwise, our summer will be spent relaxing out on our deck as much as possible. These few precious summer months are so short and we need to savor them.
I have had a couple of pretty slow weeks with work. It was looking like this week would pick up, then in the last couple of days I have had four cancellations. Most of them re-booked, and I appreciate having advance notice for cancellations, but it makes for a slow week for me. My next appointment isn't until Friday afternoon now. Next week is looking better since a number of the cancellations from this week re-booked for next week.
I am hoping to get out once the wind stops blowing like crazy and hand out some more flyers. I did some down our street last week and I have had one call already. If this works, I will keep handing out flyers in the area. I would still like to put an ad in the community newsletter, but missed the June deadline and will be ready for the September one.
I booked our summer holiday last week. We are going to take a trip out to Drumheller for a couple of days in July. Our plans include taking in the Tyrrell Museum, Reptile World and going to see Anne of Green Gables at the dinner theatre in Rosebud. After that we will drive back to Swift Current and spend a few days out at the cabin before heading home. I am sure it will be a great week!
I think otherwise, our summer will be spent relaxing out on our deck as much as possible. These few precious summer months are so short and we need to savor them.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
I am heading to Regina tomorrow afternoon for a course on Saturday and the MTAS AGM on Sunday. It feels like it has been a long time since I have been away without Jason. If I remember correctly, it may have been when I went to Carrot River for my uncle's 80th birthday in August of 2010. I am going with my coworker and we will share a hotel room. I hope that I am able to sleep in a strange place without my hubby beside me. There is a hot tub in the hotel, so we were hoping to maybe spend a bit of time in there. I know that I will look forward to seeing Jay and Kiwi on Sunday when I get home, and sleeping in our bed will be delightful!
And only FOUR more days until I am done at PAMT!
And only FOUR more days until I am done at PAMT!
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Saboroso
I decided a few weeks ago that I would like to go to the new restaurant in Saskatoon for my birthday, Saboroso Brazillian Steakhouse. I called 2-3 weeks ago to make a reservation and we went this evening. I have to say that they did an amazing job with the decor in that place. It has a great feel, and we got to sit next to the open fireplace wall thingy and so we were toasty warm!
We opted to have the all you can eat meat. The way it works is that you can go get salad/potatoes/veggies/cheese/bread etc from a salad bar type thing, then there are a number of people called gauchos that come around to your table with different offerings of meat on a skewer/sword type deal. I have to say that all of the meats were quite good. Some were definitely better than others, and my only big complaint is that everything was really salty. I think if I went back I would not be shy about asking for slices of meat from the inside of the chunk of meat rather than the outside where all the salt/seasonings are. They also have roasted pineapple with brown sugar and cinnamon on it that is really good.
It was a good choice for a birthday supper, and I think it would be fun to go back with a group of friends. However, at $35/person it will not be a regular hangout for us.
We opted to have the all you can eat meat. The way it works is that you can go get salad/potatoes/veggies/cheese/bread etc from a salad bar type thing, then there are a number of people called gauchos that come around to your table with different offerings of meat on a skewer/sword type deal. I have to say that all of the meats were quite good. Some were definitely better than others, and my only big complaint is that everything was really salty. I think if I went back I would not be shy about asking for slices of meat from the inside of the chunk of meat rather than the outside where all the salt/seasonings are. They also have roasted pineapple with brown sugar and cinnamon on it that is really good.
It was a good choice for a birthday supper, and I think it would be fun to go back with a group of friends. However, at $35/person it will not be a regular hangout for us.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Happy New Year (with additional thoughts)
I have to say I am looking forward to what 2012 has to offer. I am looking forward to working from home starting in March. I am looking forward to having more time to spend with my hubby and my puppy. I am looking forward to celebrating 7 years of marriage with my dear husband in a few weeks. I am looking forward to going to Saboroso for my birthday supper next Wednesday. I look forward to learning some new things...maybe to crochet? I hope to get into a regular work out routine again. I don't know what that will all entail, but I have been considering a gym membership once I am working at home, but we will see! I am hoping to go on a road trip in the spring with some girlfriends.....so much promise in the new year!
I hope you all have a great New Year's Eve and I wish you all the best in 2012!
Edit: With all the wonderful expectations of what 2012 will hold, I was thrilled to wake up this morning after spending a lovely evening with good friends, with a bit of food poisoning/stomach flu. Thankfully it didn't seem to last too long, but after dozing off and on until noon today, I have felt pretty awful all day. Here's hoping the rest of 2012 will be filled with health and many good feelings :)
I hope you all have a great New Year's Eve and I wish you all the best in 2012!
Edit: With all the wonderful expectations of what 2012 will hold, I was thrilled to wake up this morning after spending a lovely evening with good friends, with a bit of food poisoning/stomach flu. Thankfully it didn't seem to last too long, but after dozing off and on until noon today, I have felt pretty awful all day. Here's hoping the rest of 2012 will be filled with health and many good feelings :)
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Small Group
After taking last year away from being in a small group, we were hopeful to jump back into a group this year. After a couple of hiccups along the way, we got a call from a couple that we had connected with last year and they were looking for people to be in a small group. They were hoping to meet on Wednesday (our preferred evening) and were willing to meet at our house and they were not looking for us to lead the group (which was our preference). It sounded ideal!
We have met for about a month now and I have to say that it feels like a blessing to be connected with people again. Our group has about 10 people and we are the youngest in the group by at least 15 years. It may sound strange, but it has been really interesting to be in a group with people who have a lot more life experience and wisdom to offer. I look forward to spending time getting to know, learning and praying with this small group.
We have met for about a month now and I have to say that it feels like a blessing to be connected with people again. Our group has about 10 people and we are the youngest in the group by at least 15 years. It may sound strange, but it has been really interesting to be in a group with people who have a lot more life experience and wisdom to offer. I look forward to spending time getting to know, learning and praying with this small group.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Ridiculously Busy Weekend
I think I have always looked forward to long weekends. Because, hey, it's an extra day off work. However, I think since it has been so busy at work for the last four and a half months I really seem to appreciate them more. Typically the days off are just spent relaxing, or doing things at home like cleaning or baking or knitting or relaxing. This weekend was particularly busy!
Friday started out with having friends over for coffee. They came over in the morning and I gave a knitting lesson and Jay visited. I think the lesson went well. She caught on easily to the basics, it will just take practice until she builds more confidence and gains an understanding of what the different stitches should look like, and how to tell if something isn't right (at least that's what I found when I first started).
Friday afternoon Jay and I headed down to the Midtown to look at Tip Top Tailors for a jacket he had seen at Market Mall on clearance that they didn't have in his size. Unfortunately the Midtown didn't have it either, so we browsed around a little then headed home. After a quick look at the weather forecast for the weekend I decided that I should probably get out and hang the Christmas lights. I manged to do that without falling off the ladder, so that was a plus. Friday evening I headed down to my 'office' to start ripping up carpet. It actually came up fairly easily and only took me half an hour or so to get it all taken out. Next I spent a bit of time taping around door and window frames.
Friday evening I got an interesting email from one of my old massage instructors at McKay. She was emailing to find out if I knew any clinics that were hiring as she had just given her notice at work because her workplace had too much 'drama' that she was tired of dealing with. I emailed her back and said, yes, my clinic will be hiring as two of our therapists are leaving. She emailed back with a ton of questions, which I answered and she seems interested. She is going to stop by the office tomorrow morning to look around and drop off a resume. I have never worked with this girl before, but I would say that she was a great instructor and she has at least ten years of experience and likely a lot of her own clientele. Great timing, I hope it works out!
Saturday morning I woke up quite early and couldn't get back to sleep (between thoughts of painting and the email from my massage instructor). I thought that five hours of sleep would have me looking for a nap by lunch time. However, Saturday was another productive day! We got up in the morning and I took Kiwi for a walk then I shoveled our couple inches of snow that fell overnight. Then we headed over to Home Depot to buy my painting supplies! We decided a while back that we wanted to cook a turkey this weekend, just for us to enjoy so we stopped in at the local bakery to get some bread to go with our turkey. We settled on a loaf of olive sourdough which was delicious! When we got home I went downstairs and got to work painting! I probably spent 3-4 hours down there and in that time got a first coat of the light green paint on everything, then did a second coat on two of the walls, which just left one wall and the inside of the closet for today. I am pleased with how the colour looks, and I am looking forward to doing the feature wall to see how it all comes together. Last night my lack of sleep caught up with me and I spent my time relaxing with some knitting, surfing the net and a soak in the tub. We were in bed by 10:30 and I slept like a log all night!
Today we went to church in the morning. Then came home and I baked skor bit cookies. After that I headed downstairs and finished up the green paint. On closer inspection of my paint job yesterday I think I did an alright job. I only saw drips in the closet, which I don't think anyone will see. I have to say painting closets sucks. After spending a few hours painting yesterday and today I have to say that I don't love painting. It's okay, and I am not quite as sore as I thought I would be, but it's not my favorite thing. I don't know if I would have the patience to paint our whole house by myself. I could probably do another room if I had to, but I won't be opening a painting business any time soon. I capped off this afternoon with a nice nap.
It has been a good weekend. I look forward to watching my home office take shape. My inlaws are hoping to come up in two weeks to help me lay the flooring. That will depend on the weather though because it can be so unpredictable at this time of year. Once that is done and we put the baseboards back on, all that will be left is to start trying to figure out how to decorate and find some decent but inexpensive furniture to use in the room. Fun!
Friday started out with having friends over for coffee. They came over in the morning and I gave a knitting lesson and Jay visited. I think the lesson went well. She caught on easily to the basics, it will just take practice until she builds more confidence and gains an understanding of what the different stitches should look like, and how to tell if something isn't right (at least that's what I found when I first started).
Friday afternoon Jay and I headed down to the Midtown to look at Tip Top Tailors for a jacket he had seen at Market Mall on clearance that they didn't have in his size. Unfortunately the Midtown didn't have it either, so we browsed around a little then headed home. After a quick look at the weather forecast for the weekend I decided that I should probably get out and hang the Christmas lights. I manged to do that without falling off the ladder, so that was a plus. Friday evening I headed down to my 'office' to start ripping up carpet. It actually came up fairly easily and only took me half an hour or so to get it all taken out. Next I spent a bit of time taping around door and window frames.
Friday evening I got an interesting email from one of my old massage instructors at McKay. She was emailing to find out if I knew any clinics that were hiring as she had just given her notice at work because her workplace had too much 'drama' that she was tired of dealing with. I emailed her back and said, yes, my clinic will be hiring as two of our therapists are leaving. She emailed back with a ton of questions, which I answered and she seems interested. She is going to stop by the office tomorrow morning to look around and drop off a resume. I have never worked with this girl before, but I would say that she was a great instructor and she has at least ten years of experience and likely a lot of her own clientele. Great timing, I hope it works out!
Saturday morning I woke up quite early and couldn't get back to sleep (between thoughts of painting and the email from my massage instructor). I thought that five hours of sleep would have me looking for a nap by lunch time. However, Saturday was another productive day! We got up in the morning and I took Kiwi for a walk then I shoveled our couple inches of snow that fell overnight. Then we headed over to Home Depot to buy my painting supplies! We decided a while back that we wanted to cook a turkey this weekend, just for us to enjoy so we stopped in at the local bakery to get some bread to go with our turkey. We settled on a loaf of olive sourdough which was delicious! When we got home I went downstairs and got to work painting! I probably spent 3-4 hours down there and in that time got a first coat of the light green paint on everything, then did a second coat on two of the walls, which just left one wall and the inside of the closet for today. I am pleased with how the colour looks, and I am looking forward to doing the feature wall to see how it all comes together. Last night my lack of sleep caught up with me and I spent my time relaxing with some knitting, surfing the net and a soak in the tub. We were in bed by 10:30 and I slept like a log all night!
Today we went to church in the morning. Then came home and I baked skor bit cookies. After that I headed downstairs and finished up the green paint. On closer inspection of my paint job yesterday I think I did an alright job. I only saw drips in the closet, which I don't think anyone will see. I have to say painting closets sucks. After spending a few hours painting yesterday and today I have to say that I don't love painting. It's okay, and I am not quite as sore as I thought I would be, but it's not my favorite thing. I don't know if I would have the patience to paint our whole house by myself. I could probably do another room if I had to, but I won't be opening a painting business any time soon. I capped off this afternoon with a nice nap.
It has been a good weekend. I look forward to watching my home office take shape. My inlaws are hoping to come up in two weeks to help me lay the flooring. That will depend on the weather though because it can be so unpredictable at this time of year. Once that is done and we put the baseboards back on, all that will be left is to start trying to figure out how to decorate and find some decent but inexpensive furniture to use in the room. Fun!
Saturday, September 03, 2011
Autumn
In Saskatchewan autumn is a bittersweet season. There are things about it that make me smile and things that make me sad. I love to see the leaves change colour but with that comes the inevitable fall of the leaves which ushers in a season of seeming death. I have to say I don't love winter, and I really wish that autumn wasn't chased away so quickly by the cold temperatures and snow flurries.
Here are some of the things that I love about autumn:
Here are some of the things that I love about autumn:
- The cooler temperatures. Not cold, but I don't mind the type of weather that requires a person to wear a sweater or a light jacket.
- As I mentioned above, the colourful leaves.
- Walking down the sidewalk and crunching dried up leaves.
- Breaking through the thin ice on puddles that froze in the cool overnight temperatures.
- Autumn makes me think of curling up with a blanket and a cup of cider or tea and reading a book or watching a movie.
- Honestly, thinking about a nice long autumn makes me feel all warm inside and gives me butterflies in my stomach. I just love it.
- Less bugs!!
- Snow! Technically, autumn lasts until December 20th or so, and I can only remember two times in my life where there wasn't snow on the ground by December 20th.
- Unpredictibility of it. I would love to see snow hold off until at least mid November or even early December, but here in Saskatchewan that is wishful thinking. We have seen snow by the end of September before....and I sincerely hope that it holds off until at least after Thanksgiving!
- The anticipation of the long cold winter.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
As I said in my previous post, my coworker had her baby boy this week. Jesse Ryan was born Tuesday August 23 at about 3:30pm weighing in at 7lb 10oz. I got to meet him today. Where I work, there are only three of us, so I would say we have become pretty good friends over the years. Today, Michelle and I picked up Vietnamese food and went to have lunch with Mieka and her roomate and her daughter. It was good to see her. Even though she looked absolutely exhausted, she still looked good, for having just gone through child birth less than 48 hours ago. I got to meet little Jesse and he is a real sweetheart. He was quite content as long has he had something to suck on and someone was holding him. I just couldn't believe how tiny he is!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
The Miracle of Life
I found out that my coworker is at the hospital, in labour. When I first heard it I was excited and looked forward to meeting her little guy. Don't get me wrong, I am still excited to meet him, and still hoping and praying things go well with her labour and delivery. I have never witnessed a birth, or even been near a woman who was in labour. All I know is what I have seen on tv...or on educational videos at school. There is nothing glamorous about it. But it is miraculous. Amazing what the body can do to get a baby out of it.
It sounds like Mieka had a rough night. She didn't get an epidural until this morning and during the night they gave her some morphine for pain which made her sick. Nothing like having to deal with vomiting when you are in labour. Maybe it's more common than I realize...it just sounded especially awful to me. I hope that things pick up for her, and that before the end of today she will have her long awaited son in her arms.
It sounds like Mieka had a rough night. She didn't get an epidural until this morning and during the night they gave her some morphine for pain which made her sick. Nothing like having to deal with vomiting when you are in labour. Maybe it's more common than I realize...it just sounded especially awful to me. I hope that things pick up for her, and that before the end of today she will have her long awaited son in her arms.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
All Quiet on the Angie Front
Sorry it has been so quiet around here lately. I just don't feel like I have much that is worth saying. I am anxiously awaiting news from my coworker about the birth of her baby. She was due on Sunday and is very impatient and uncomfortable waiting for the little guy to make his appearance. It's been a while since a friend has had a baby, so it's sort of fun waiting to hear news of the little one. I am also anxious to give her the baby blanket.
It has been crazy busy at work the last two weeks. I am not sure what it is....I think part of it is because Mieka is off on mat leave, so we are covering her regular clients. But really, I think this week I will maybe treat three of her clients, and in total, I will treat 18 clients if they all show up and no more get booked (though I think I only have one more opening on Friday afternoon for a half hour massage). I am happy to earn some extra money. I would say my body seems to be holding up okay, though I really do feel like I could use a massage myself. I am thankful that so far I only have one regular client of Mieka's that I find is quite physically challenging. He likes a lot of pressure, but doesn't like to have elbows used on him. So by the time I am done treating him, my fingers and thumbs are pretty fatigued and sometimes a little sore.
After seeing my thyroid doctor in July and being told to cut back the doseage of my medication, after a couple of weeks (while we were on holidays) I started to feel some symptoms that I was sure were thyroid related. I didn't want to feel crappy on holidays, so I upped the dose to my previous amount and stayed on that for another week or two. I then decided that I needed to give it another try. So about two weeks ago I decided to try again. I am pretty sure that I am having symptoms. Nothing too crazy, but I would say that I feel quite hungry and when I get hungry I feel like I need to eat NOW. I feel like I have been sweating more than usual at work. I feel fatigued most of the time, not severely, but just never feel really well rested. I think that frequent urination must be a thyroid symptom, because that seems to be the case. Occasionally I feel a bit jittery, again nothing too serious, but it just takes me back to how I felt before I was diagnosed with Graves disease and I don't like it. I decided that I would try to suck it up for another week or two then go for bloodwork and I would hope by then if my hormone levels are abnormal that I would get a call from the doctor and get further instruction. I go back to see the thyroid doc for a follow up in October, but I don't want things to get too out of whack. I also think that my goiter might be a bit bigger....but maybe that's just my imagination.
It has been crazy busy at work the last two weeks. I am not sure what it is....I think part of it is because Mieka is off on mat leave, so we are covering her regular clients. But really, I think this week I will maybe treat three of her clients, and in total, I will treat 18 clients if they all show up and no more get booked (though I think I only have one more opening on Friday afternoon for a half hour massage). I am happy to earn some extra money. I would say my body seems to be holding up okay, though I really do feel like I could use a massage myself. I am thankful that so far I only have one regular client of Mieka's that I find is quite physically challenging. He likes a lot of pressure, but doesn't like to have elbows used on him. So by the time I am done treating him, my fingers and thumbs are pretty fatigued and sometimes a little sore.
After seeing my thyroid doctor in July and being told to cut back the doseage of my medication, after a couple of weeks (while we were on holidays) I started to feel some symptoms that I was sure were thyroid related. I didn't want to feel crappy on holidays, so I upped the dose to my previous amount and stayed on that for another week or two. I then decided that I needed to give it another try. So about two weeks ago I decided to try again. I am pretty sure that I am having symptoms. Nothing too crazy, but I would say that I feel quite hungry and when I get hungry I feel like I need to eat NOW. I feel like I have been sweating more than usual at work. I feel fatigued most of the time, not severely, but just never feel really well rested. I think that frequent urination must be a thyroid symptom, because that seems to be the case. Occasionally I feel a bit jittery, again nothing too serious, but it just takes me back to how I felt before I was diagnosed with Graves disease and I don't like it. I decided that I would try to suck it up for another week or two then go for bloodwork and I would hope by then if my hormone levels are abnormal that I would get a call from the doctor and get further instruction. I go back to see the thyroid doc for a follow up in October, but I don't want things to get too out of whack. I also think that my goiter might be a bit bigger....but maybe that's just my imagination.
Sunday, June 05, 2011
I didn't miss it!
Every year, well maybe not every year....but there have been a few years that I have wanted to check out the MCC Sale in Saskatoon. I remember going once or twice as a kid and looking at the quilts and eating watermelon and roll kuchen. I remember looking at the imported goods from Ten Thousand Villages and buying farmer sausage.
I have not been since I was probably 10 or 11 years old and each year around the middle of June I say, "Hey, I should see when the MCC sale is and check it out this year." Every year it seems like when I think of it, the sale was the previous weekend. My dad mentioned to me this morning that the sale is one NEXT WEEKEND! Yay, I haven't missed it! Maybe it is not as fun as I remember, but I think I will have to go check it out next weekend. It is on Friday evening and Saturday and after finding it on their website I see there is even a fun run called the Menno Mile....haha.
I have not been since I was probably 10 or 11 years old and each year around the middle of June I say, "Hey, I should see when the MCC sale is and check it out this year." Every year it seems like when I think of it, the sale was the previous weekend. My dad mentioned to me this morning that the sale is one NEXT WEEKEND! Yay, I haven't missed it! Maybe it is not as fun as I remember, but I think I will have to go check it out next weekend. It is on Friday evening and Saturday and after finding it on their website I see there is even a fun run called the Menno Mile....haha.
Thursday, June 02, 2011
I'm cranky
It has been a trying day. It started out good enough. We had a really nice time last night with some friends who we had over for supper to celebrate a birthday. I was happy as I headed to work, little did I know what was awaiting me when I got there. I got to the office, turned on the computer, went to the back room to put my stuff away and went into my treatment room to get my table ready for my first client. The first thing that struck me when I opened the door to my room was heat.
For the last few weeks when I have gotten to work in the morning it has been cold in the office. Today was no exception. Usually somewhere between 16 and 18 degrees in the office, but as the day goes on it warms up. However, my room was abnormally warm. And a millisecond later I was hit with a rather foul smell. At first I thought maybe the building had turned on the furnace after months of not using it. At first it smelled a little like burnt dust from a heater that has been unused for a period of time. My second thought was my space heater! But I looked at it, and it was cold and turned off. I finally realized it was my electric roasting oven. It is an 18 quart electric oven that I use to heat stones for doing hot stone massage. I looked at it and the dial was turned to 300F! I grabbed the lid and opened it. After being met by a billow of black smoke, I realized that the rubber mat that I use in there to keep the stones from sliding around in the bottom was thoroughly melted and burned to the bottom of the roaster. After choking and gagging a bit I grabbed the roaster and unplugged it and pulled out the insert that comes out to wash and put it in our sink and ran water on it to cool it down. I then proceeded to call both the building manager and my coworker who owns our clinic to tell them what had happened.
I am assuming that the cleaners must have accidentally turned it on last night while they were cleaning, so it was roasting at 300F for at least 14 hours. Thank God it didn't start a fire! My room smells awful, but by the end of the day today it was tolerable. I don't know if my clients were just being nice to me, but when I appologized for the awful smell, they all assured me that they weren't sure they could smell anything out of the ordinary. My roaster is now in the garbage and I am hoping that either the building, or the cleaning company will buy me a new roaster. I realize it was an accident, but I think that someone should be held accountable for it.
After that wonderful excitement my day progressed alright. I had a large gap in the middle of my afternoon that I was able to at least partially fill with going to get the van plates canceled and giving my coworker a massage. My last client was booked to come at 5:15pm. It was a new client and I sat and waited until the phone rang around 5pm. It was the client's girlfriend. She explained that she had been in for a massage with my coworker this afternoon and that my coworker mentioned that the boyfriend's appointment was at 5:15pm, but she had booked it for 5:30pm. I said, no it is at 5:15pm. She went on about how much her boyfriend needed the treatment, and how sore he was and blah blah blah. I told her that I would do what I could, but that the appointment was for 5:15pm and I would not be able to treat him at 5:30.
When the boyfriend showed up, it was about 5:20 and then he had to fill out his form. By the time he did that, and he got on the table it was closer to 5:30pm. When I was going over his health form with him, I mentioned that there had been a mix up about the appointment time and that our treatment would be a bit shorter, but I would do what I could in the time we had left. He told me that his girlfriend had called him and told him that the appointment was set for 5:30pm, after I had talked to her. :P
I just get really annoyed with people who show up late for an appointment and either expect to get their treatment extended, OR people who show up for an hour treatment 15 minutes late and say something like, "Oh, you can just give me a 45 minute treatment." No, you booked for an hour, you will get 45 minutes and pay for an hour long treatment. I couldn't believe it a couple of weeks ago when my coworker had a no show client who had booked her appointment the morning of the appointment. When she called her to see if she was coming, and to inform her of our cancellation fee, the client had the audacity to ask if there was any way she could get out of paying the fee. It bugs me how people can be so selfish.
Now that I have gotten that off my chest I am going to go eat a big piece of leftover birthday cake and all of life's troubles will melt away, like the rubber mat in the bottom of my roaster.
For the last few weeks when I have gotten to work in the morning it has been cold in the office. Today was no exception. Usually somewhere between 16 and 18 degrees in the office, but as the day goes on it warms up. However, my room was abnormally warm. And a millisecond later I was hit with a rather foul smell. At first I thought maybe the building had turned on the furnace after months of not using it. At first it smelled a little like burnt dust from a heater that has been unused for a period of time. My second thought was my space heater! But I looked at it, and it was cold and turned off. I finally realized it was my electric roasting oven. It is an 18 quart electric oven that I use to heat stones for doing hot stone massage. I looked at it and the dial was turned to 300F! I grabbed the lid and opened it. After being met by a billow of black smoke, I realized that the rubber mat that I use in there to keep the stones from sliding around in the bottom was thoroughly melted and burned to the bottom of the roaster. After choking and gagging a bit I grabbed the roaster and unplugged it and pulled out the insert that comes out to wash and put it in our sink and ran water on it to cool it down. I then proceeded to call both the building manager and my coworker who owns our clinic to tell them what had happened.
I am assuming that the cleaners must have accidentally turned it on last night while they were cleaning, so it was roasting at 300F for at least 14 hours. Thank God it didn't start a fire! My room smells awful, but by the end of the day today it was tolerable. I don't know if my clients were just being nice to me, but when I appologized for the awful smell, they all assured me that they weren't sure they could smell anything out of the ordinary. My roaster is now in the garbage and I am hoping that either the building, or the cleaning company will buy me a new roaster. I realize it was an accident, but I think that someone should be held accountable for it.
After that wonderful excitement my day progressed alright. I had a large gap in the middle of my afternoon that I was able to at least partially fill with going to get the van plates canceled and giving my coworker a massage. My last client was booked to come at 5:15pm. It was a new client and I sat and waited until the phone rang around 5pm. It was the client's girlfriend. She explained that she had been in for a massage with my coworker this afternoon and that my coworker mentioned that the boyfriend's appointment was at 5:15pm, but she had booked it for 5:30pm. I said, no it is at 5:15pm. She went on about how much her boyfriend needed the treatment, and how sore he was and blah blah blah. I told her that I would do what I could, but that the appointment was for 5:15pm and I would not be able to treat him at 5:30.
When the boyfriend showed up, it was about 5:20 and then he had to fill out his form. By the time he did that, and he got on the table it was closer to 5:30pm. When I was going over his health form with him, I mentioned that there had been a mix up about the appointment time and that our treatment would be a bit shorter, but I would do what I could in the time we had left. He told me that his girlfriend had called him and told him that the appointment was set for 5:30pm, after I had talked to her. :P
I just get really annoyed with people who show up late for an appointment and either expect to get their treatment extended, OR people who show up for an hour treatment 15 minutes late and say something like, "Oh, you can just give me a 45 minute treatment." No, you booked for an hour, you will get 45 minutes and pay for an hour long treatment. I couldn't believe it a couple of weeks ago when my coworker had a no show client who had booked her appointment the morning of the appointment. When she called her to see if she was coming, and to inform her of our cancellation fee, the client had the audacity to ask if there was any way she could get out of paying the fee. It bugs me how people can be so selfish.
Now that I have gotten that off my chest I am going to go eat a big piece of leftover birthday cake and all of life's troubles will melt away, like the rubber mat in the bottom of my roaster.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
1000th post!
Seven years and five months later....I am still blogging. Somedays I wonder why I have a blog. I think that blogs are in some ways becoming a thing of the past. People would much rather communicate via Facebook or Twitter. I don't mind keeping a blog, but sometimes I feel like I don't have much worth saying. Is my life really that interesting that people will keep coming back to read what I have to say? I know I am not a great writer but I guess I have set out to just share my thoughts and the happenings in my life, and that is what I have done.
I am getting a little excited. Why, you ask? Tomorrow we will bid farewell to Jay's van. It is the van that he had when we first met and it has served us well. After some frustrating concerns about the pneumatic suspension over the last year or so, we decided it was time to think about getting a new van. The new vans do not have pneumatic suspension, and generally seem to have a better set up that is less likely to run into these problems.
When we started to look at getting a new van, we were under the impression that we would trade the existing van in, as there is not much of a market for modified vehicles. However, after going to Golden Mobility to check out new modified vehicle to see what was out there, Jason ran into a man and his wife who were in the market for a used modified van. In the last two weeks they have been in communication and have come to an agreement of a price that is substantially more than Golden Mobility would be willing to offer for trade in. The only catch is that Jay will be without independent transportation for up to three weeks (hopefully not longer...). Golden Mobility is willing to lend us a loaner van that I can use to drive Jay around, but it is not something he can drive on his own. At least he is not stuck with no ability to leave the house for three weeks.
I think the thing about the new van that I am most excited about is the ability for both of us to drive it. They are able to make the driver/passenger seats interchangeable. So if we go on a longer road trip, we can share the driving duties. Or if we go somehwere picturesque, I can drive and Jay can be a passenger and take photos. I am also really excited about the amount of cargo space in the back. In the current van, the spare tire and a box with the compressor/valves/etc for the pneumatic suspension take up at least half of the space behind the back seat. I think traveling will be quite pleasant in the new van. Can't wait :)
I am getting a little excited. Why, you ask? Tomorrow we will bid farewell to Jay's van. It is the van that he had when we first met and it has served us well. After some frustrating concerns about the pneumatic suspension over the last year or so, we decided it was time to think about getting a new van. The new vans do not have pneumatic suspension, and generally seem to have a better set up that is less likely to run into these problems.
When we started to look at getting a new van, we were under the impression that we would trade the existing van in, as there is not much of a market for modified vehicles. However, after going to Golden Mobility to check out new modified vehicle to see what was out there, Jason ran into a man and his wife who were in the market for a used modified van. In the last two weeks they have been in communication and have come to an agreement of a price that is substantially more than Golden Mobility would be willing to offer for trade in. The only catch is that Jay will be without independent transportation for up to three weeks (hopefully not longer...). Golden Mobility is willing to lend us a loaner van that I can use to drive Jay around, but it is not something he can drive on his own. At least he is not stuck with no ability to leave the house for three weeks.
I think the thing about the new van that I am most excited about is the ability for both of us to drive it. They are able to make the driver/passenger seats interchangeable. So if we go on a longer road trip, we can share the driving duties. Or if we go somehwere picturesque, I can drive and Jay can be a passenger and take photos. I am also really excited about the amount of cargo space in the back. In the current van, the spare tire and a box with the compressor/valves/etc for the pneumatic suspension take up at least half of the space behind the back seat. I think traveling will be quite pleasant in the new van. Can't wait :)
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Silence
Sorry to be so quiet for so long. I have had a lot of things swirling around in my head in the last week or two and I will blog about them soon, but I don't feel like the time is right just yet. Thanks to those who do actually check here on a regular basis. :)
Friday, April 08, 2011
Spring Cleaning
Now that the weather is finally feeling a little more agreeable to the time of year, my heart has shifted into spring mode. I would like to give the house a good scrubbing this spring, as I feel like I am rather neglectful of general cleaning. I am amazed when I hear people say they clean their house every week. WHAT?! I am a little ashamed to admit that I clean our house about every three weeks. Though I don't do it all at once, I usually pick a room or two and tackle them throughout the week. Maybe it's because our house is inhabited by two adults and no children, and a non-shedding dog that we manage to keep the house in a semi-presentable form without constant cleaning.
Anyway....I have made myself a rather comprehensive 'to do' list that I would like to work on in the next week or so. (We are getting company next weekend, which is always a motivator to get the house clean!) Included are the usual dusting, vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, etc. I have also thrown in things like sweeping the laundry room (which I NEVER do, ugh!), washing the vent covers throughout the house, washing windows, sweeping out the garage, taking the cardboard to the recycle bin, sort through closets, etc. The types of things that should be done more often, but just tend to get overlooked. I am hoping that in a week or so that our house should be nice and clean and sparkly. I find it quite satisfying to write a 'to do' list and to systematically cross things off the list.
Anyway....I have made myself a rather comprehensive 'to do' list that I would like to work on in the next week or so. (We are getting company next weekend, which is always a motivator to get the house clean!) Included are the usual dusting, vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms, etc. I have also thrown in things like sweeping the laundry room (which I NEVER do, ugh!), washing the vent covers throughout the house, washing windows, sweeping out the garage, taking the cardboard to the recycle bin, sort through closets, etc. The types of things that should be done more often, but just tend to get overlooked. I am hoping that in a week or so that our house should be nice and clean and sparkly. I find it quite satisfying to write a 'to do' list and to systematically cross things off the list.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Life Lessons Gained from Running
Maybe the title is a bit dramatic, but I was feeling inspired to write a blog after going for a 5k run yesterday morning. I sat down and typed the title, then lost my inspiration, or got distracted, or something. So here I am trying to retreive some of the life lessons I felt like I had learned after running yesterday morning.
My run yesterday was on a treadmill at the Field House. I feel kind of awkward running on the track there in the morning. It is mainly inhabited by older people who are part of a heart health program. I also find it nice to run on the treadmill because then I know exactly how far I have gone, and how fast. I find running on the track I lose count of the number of laps I have run, so I appreciate having a mini computer to keep track of it for me.
Running gives a person a lot of time to think. Sometimes I think about life, work, etc. but mostly I think about how fast I am going, how my body is feeling and trying to convince myself to keep going. I think this is where the life lesson comes in. I think that running is at least 50% mental. I will agree that you do need to have a certain level of physical fitness to run. Though, everyone has to start somewhere, and you will never learn to run, if you never try. So once you drag your body out there to run, and you start running, it can get really easy to convince yourself that it's too hard....that you can't do it.....that you didn't eat before so you don't have the energy.....that you feel tired.....that you have a cramp in your side so you should stop.....etc etc. I am not saying that it isn't important to listen to the messages your body is giving you (ie pain due to injury or over exertion) but I always have quite the mental dialogue when I am running. It often sounds something like this:
"Wow, this is really hard this morning. Well if I can make it to 10 minutes I will give myself a walking break. No, you can run longer than 10 minutes. How are you going to run for 2 1/2 hour or more if you can't run 10 minutes. Okay, I will keep running, but maybe I should slow down a bit. But if I don't slow down I will be finished sooner. Okay I'll try keeping it at 5.5mph and see how long I can take it. My knees feel a little funny, not sore, just feel aware of them. I wonder how I look when I run. I hope I don't look like an elephant stampeding. Wow, look at that old lady with the walker boogie-ing around the track, I hope I can walk that fast when I am 80. Phew, my face feels red. I wonder if anyone is watching me. Stand up a little straighter, shoulders back. Maybe I should try a sprint, see how long I can go at 7mph. Phew, okay, now I need a walking break. Thirty seconds should do it. No, maybe 45 seconds. Okay, Angie, back at it, and no more walking until you are finished!! If you are tired you get to keep going, if you want to slow down you will go faster. You can do it!"
So I think the life lesson is that negative self-talk can really decrease your ability to acheive a goal. For everyone who things "I could never do that", whether they are referring to losing weight, running a marathon, quitting smoking, getting a new job, going back to school at age 56, becoming a parent, or whatever seems impossible. Imagine if you took on the idea of "I can do this" "I will try my best, because I am strong, and I know inside of me that I can do this!" I think that a lot of people would be a lot healthier, and satisfied with their lives. I don't think it is always easy, but it can be awfully easy to talk yourself out of doing something.
I will end this post with a quote that I read recently that made me stop and think:
You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. - Unknown
My run yesterday was on a treadmill at the Field House. I feel kind of awkward running on the track there in the morning. It is mainly inhabited by older people who are part of a heart health program. I also find it nice to run on the treadmill because then I know exactly how far I have gone, and how fast. I find running on the track I lose count of the number of laps I have run, so I appreciate having a mini computer to keep track of it for me.
Running gives a person a lot of time to think. Sometimes I think about life, work, etc. but mostly I think about how fast I am going, how my body is feeling and trying to convince myself to keep going. I think this is where the life lesson comes in. I think that running is at least 50% mental. I will agree that you do need to have a certain level of physical fitness to run. Though, everyone has to start somewhere, and you will never learn to run, if you never try. So once you drag your body out there to run, and you start running, it can get really easy to convince yourself that it's too hard....that you can't do it.....that you didn't eat before so you don't have the energy.....that you feel tired.....that you have a cramp in your side so you should stop.....etc etc. I am not saying that it isn't important to listen to the messages your body is giving you (ie pain due to injury or over exertion) but I always have quite the mental dialogue when I am running. It often sounds something like this:
"Wow, this is really hard this morning. Well if I can make it to 10 minutes I will give myself a walking break. No, you can run longer than 10 minutes. How are you going to run for 2 1/2 hour or more if you can't run 10 minutes. Okay, I will keep running, but maybe I should slow down a bit. But if I don't slow down I will be finished sooner. Okay I'll try keeping it at 5.5mph and see how long I can take it. My knees feel a little funny, not sore, just feel aware of them. I wonder how I look when I run. I hope I don't look like an elephant stampeding. Wow, look at that old lady with the walker boogie-ing around the track, I hope I can walk that fast when I am 80. Phew, my face feels red. I wonder if anyone is watching me. Stand up a little straighter, shoulders back. Maybe I should try a sprint, see how long I can go at 7mph. Phew, okay, now I need a walking break. Thirty seconds should do it. No, maybe 45 seconds. Okay, Angie, back at it, and no more walking until you are finished!! If you are tired you get to keep going, if you want to slow down you will go faster. You can do it!"
So I think the life lesson is that negative self-talk can really decrease your ability to acheive a goal. For everyone who things "I could never do that", whether they are referring to losing weight, running a marathon, quitting smoking, getting a new job, going back to school at age 56, becoming a parent, or whatever seems impossible. Imagine if you took on the idea of "I can do this" "I will try my best, because I am strong, and I know inside of me that I can do this!" I think that a lot of people would be a lot healthier, and satisfied with their lives. I don't think it is always easy, but it can be awfully easy to talk yourself out of doing something.
I will end this post with a quote that I read recently that made me stop and think:
You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. - Unknown
Friday, February 18, 2011
The times they are a changin'
Now that I am 30, I am starting to realize that things really have changed a lot since I was a kid. The one area that has really stood out to me recently was the subject of children walking to school. I can remember when I was in kindergarten and my sister was in grade four we would walk to school together. It was a fairly good distance to walk, and sometimes it seemed like a real chore when the snow was deep and my four year old legs could not keep up with my sister. As I grew up, I can honestly only remember a handful of times that we got a ride to school. Unless it was REALLY cold, we walked. In the spring/summer/fall we would ride our bikes sometimes, but we rarely got rides.
Apparently now it is the norm to drive your child to school. I have no doubt that there are creeps out there, and I would have a hard time sending my young child to walk to school on their own, even if it was a short distance. But I was informed by my sister (who has two boys, 4 and 6 years old) that kids just don't walk to school anymore. There have been too many stories in the news of children being abducted, or hassled by strangers. I saw a couple of stories in the news today of kids and teenagers being approached in the city, but no one had been caught. Scary!
When my sister was telling me about this, she also reminded me that when she started kindergarten, in 1981, our family lived in the apartments on Appleby Drive in Meadowgreen. She attended WP Bate School, and walked to school, by herself. She had to cross 18th Street, by herself, when she was four! Maybe kids were a little more independent back then? But the thought of my youngest nephew walking to school by himself is laughable. I can picture him getting side tracked and not making it to school.
It's not that I don't think parents shouldn't drive their kids to school (or maybe walk them, when it's nice out). I just can't believe how much has changed in the last 20 years.
Apparently now it is the norm to drive your child to school. I have no doubt that there are creeps out there, and I would have a hard time sending my young child to walk to school on their own, even if it was a short distance. But I was informed by my sister (who has two boys, 4 and 6 years old) that kids just don't walk to school anymore. There have been too many stories in the news of children being abducted, or hassled by strangers. I saw a couple of stories in the news today of kids and teenagers being approached in the city, but no one had been caught. Scary!
When my sister was telling me about this, she also reminded me that when she started kindergarten, in 1981, our family lived in the apartments on Appleby Drive in Meadowgreen. She attended WP Bate School, and walked to school, by herself. She had to cross 18th Street, by herself, when she was four! Maybe kids were a little more independent back then? But the thought of my youngest nephew walking to school by himself is laughable. I can picture him getting side tracked and not making it to school.
It's not that I don't think parents shouldn't drive their kids to school (or maybe walk them, when it's nice out). I just can't believe how much has changed in the last 20 years.