Reticular Activation

We just had our final choir rehearsal before our Easter musical. We have performances on Saturday afternoon and Easter morning.

We had to memorize all of the music. That's eight songs of words and parts.

I still have some rough spots.

This is where "reticular activation" comes in. Our reticular activating system helps the neurons in our brains become more active when we have to be more alert and pay more attention. (That's my very basic understanding.)

I am wondering if it also helps to panic? Probably not.

Fortunately, the rough spots are few. I'll be ready.

Jumbled Post-Procedure Thoughts (Rambling, Really)

Until today, I had pretty much been at home since my surgery last Friday. The only time I went outside of the house was for a follow-up doctor's appointment yesterday morning. Dad drove me.

Mom, Dad, and I had Chinese food for lunch yesterday. It was a "tradition" established when I had my right leg done.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night I had to wear the evil stockings to bed. I was so uncomfortable that I was up every hour or two walking around.

No evil stockings last night, so I was finally able to sleep. But now, that's all I want to do! I'm very tired.

I went to work today for a few hours. Got there late, left early. But at least I was productive and able to contribute to the day-to-day operation of the company. And I even drove there myself.

It's been raining for two days straight!

Matt Brings Us a Surprise

People have different views of what constitutes a "surprise."

For example, a husband and wife that I know were scheduled to take a trip overseas. When I asked them if they were looking forward to it, I suddenly looked at the husband and I said, "Oh, no! Was that trip a surprise?" He laughed and said, "No. She wouldn't consider that a surprise anyway. A surprise for her would be more like a new car."

And here I am, knowing that a chocolate doughnut would be enough to surprise me.

Matt surprised us today with something even better....an Oreo Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.

Yummy!

TOOTYEN

As a follow-up to yesterday's post, I am now sharing "The Only Organizational Tip You'll Ever Need."

TOOTYEN, for short.

I read about this on another gal's blog. She heard it from a lady at her MOMS group. And that lady had heard it from someone else.

Here it is:

"Put things away in the hard place."

The hard place is its final destination. That destination could be a coat hanger in the closet, a storage box in the attic, the filing cabinet, a bureau drawer, a bookshelf, the Goodwill bag, etc. Even the garbage can.

If there's no "hard place" yet for something, then you have to decide on one now, not later.

Putting things "all the way" away, right away, eliminates clutter. It also minimizes the chaos that surrounds looking for something later.

That's TOOTYEN! Pass it on!

The Division of Household Duties

My mother has always had a fear of dust mites. This is a fear that she did not pass on to me. I do the dusting only when I can't stand it anymore. Lew dusts off the TV screen more often, as he deems it the most important item in the living room. But for the most part, he and I both have a fairly high tolerance for dust.

Lew does take more of an interest in the floors. And I tell him to have at it.

We have a double vanity in our bathroom. Lew enjoys telling people that my side is dirtier than his. He almost always ends up cleaning it for me. My excuse is that I usually am not wearing my glasses when I'm at the sink. Therefore, I can not see that things need to be cleaned. This is indeed a convenient case of "Ignorance is bliss." A similar story can be told regarding the shower.

If making dinner consists of more than heating something up in the microwave, Lew usually does it. I do not cook.

Lest you think that I am completely useless around the house, please know that I do have a strong distaste for clutter. I like things to be in their place.

I am usually in charge of the laundry and the dishes....OK, only the dishes that go in the dishwasher. Lew does the hand washing. (Hey, I'm not that crazy!)

I also take care of the mail, pay the bills, balance the checkbook, keep our schedules straight, file our paperwork, and do most of the other tasks that require organization.

I just got the "dinner in two minutes" call from Lew.

Life is good.

Return of the Evil Stockings

My surgery went very well today.

My leg isn't is sore as the other one was at this point.

Because I didn't take the same pain medication this time, I also "missed out" on the several hours of throwing up.

But just as annoying as last time...having to wear the evil compression stockings.

And may the healing begin.

Plumping Up (Round #2)

Tomorrow is the surgery on my left leg, so today was "plump up" day.

My right leg is pretty much healed, other than a few scars and bruises.

And I do notice a couple of significant differences:

1) My left leg is throbbing when I wake up in the morning. My right leg is not.

2) My left leg is swollen at the end of the day. My right leg is not.

So, if you soon hear someone shouting "Good bye, throbbing! So long, swelling!".... that would be me!

A Guest Blogger

Today:
Worked.
Ate dinner.
Went to choir.
Currently yawning.

So, a guest blogger has offered to step in and take over for me tonight....

rep[rthsrfp[trhsklp'dajko;
fdajtgjklas
Meow...meow...meow.
Give me goodies! Give me goodies! Give me goodies!
aadtoihoewrjk jkl;dfa;kth233k

....or at least that's what I think Pepper might write.

Ni-night!

United States Census 2010

I just have to ask....

Did you receive your 2010 Census questionnaire in the mail yet?

And before that, did you receive the letter telling you that your Census questionnaire would be mailed to you soon?

And more recently, did you receive a postcard telling you that you should have received your Census questionnaire by now?

Gotta love this efficient use of our tax dollars. Grrrrrr....

Father Knows Best

Mom called me at work this afternoon to tell me that Dad was going to a couple take-out places to get dinner. Did I want anything?

I thought a salad sounded good.

Dad got me a wonderful salad. But he must have been concerned that I wasn't having a well-balanced dinner.

So he decided to balance it for me.

He bought me a whoopie pie.

Thanks, Dad! (Smile....)

The 2nd Annual Chili Cook-Off

Lew and I attended our church's 2nd Annual Chili Cook-Off today.

This event is a fundraiser for mission trips. A couple times a year, a group of people from our church go to Guatemala to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to help with Vacation Bible Schools, to build homes, and to do all sorts of other good stuff.

Now back to the chili....

There were 14 entries.

I sampled each one.

I am now recalling that old Alka Seltzer commercial: "I can't believe I ate the whole thing...."

The Motorcycle Game

What a beautiful day in Southern Maine!

When I got home mid-afternoon after running some errands, Lew and I went for a walk down to the Eastern Trail. On our way home, we decided to play The Motorcycle Game.

We made this game up all by ourselves.

The boundaries are the yellow poles (which barricade cars from the Trail) to our mailbox -- about a 10-minute brisk walk.

One person guesses how many motorcycles we'll see riding on the road over this stretch. The other says "higher" or "lower." Then we count....

This was our "season opener," and I told Lew to guess today. He had gone for a ride himself (which he tells me was quite enjoyable), so I figured he had a good sense of the numbers.

He guessed "12" and I said "higher." So, we needed to see at least 13 motorcycles for me to win.

We counted 14.

Oh, sweet victory!!!

Get to the Point

I've almost finished reading Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John LeCarre.

I keep thinking about the following lines from the book (on page 90 in the edition that I have):

"He doesn't like devious explanations. He has a saying: he'll only believe what can be written on a postcard."

That's something to consider. Expressing the truth can usually be done quite simply.

Gee, what would happen if our nation's lawmakers began adhering to this standard? Perhaps politics would become an honorable profession!

I'm not holding my breath.

walk at home

My last two posts have been about exercising. For those of you that are wondering what I actually do for exercise, your wait is over.

I "walk at home" with Leslie Sansone.

Actually, Leslie is on my TV screen via DVD. I'm the one that's at home.

I like Leslie's walking programs. You don't need to be an Olympic gymnast to do the routines, and you don't need to get down on the floor (not in the DVD's that I have anyway).

I was first introduced to Leslie through her "Walk Away the Pounds" program. I have the DVD set that uses the 2-pound weighted balls. There's a 1-mile, a 2-mile, and a 3-mile. I used this series for several years.

I recently purchased one of her "walk at home" DVD's. It's called the "5 Day Slim Down" and it's set up so that you can do a different mile each morning. Yesterday I did the "Classic Walk" mile. Today I did "Sculpt Your Arms." Hopefully tomorrow I'll complete the "Slim Your Legs" mile. (The last two are "Trim Your Tummy" and "Speed Walk.")

Eventually, I'll try to do at least two miles every morning.

Well...let's make that almost every morning!

I Did Too, Mom!

I was on my way out the door to go to work this morning when my mother caught me and said, "You didn't exercise this morning, did you? I just read your blog...."

She thinks she's so smart! I exercise upstairs in the back room, which is over my parents' apartment. Mom usually hears me, and she didn't this morning.

But, I did! I did exercise! Hooray for me!

I think Mom may have been snoozing.

Or, since it's been a while, perhaps she had forgotten what my exercise routine sounds like.

But it could be that I'm getting lighter on my feet. You know, more graceful and more dainty.

Yes, I like that last explanation the best. I'm going with it!

Morning Exercises

Since having my surgery, I got out of the habit of excercising in the morning. For the first couple weeks, I couldn't really do it anyway. But then I never resumed my routine.

The surgery on my left leg is scheduled for Friday, March 26th. So I have 10 mornings between now and then to try and get some exercise before I'm hobbling around again.

I'm writing this on my blog, hoping that it will motivate me. I plan to report on my success in tomorrow night's post.

I will start my day with some healthy self-talk. I have found that the following is quite effective: "Get up, you lazy bum!"

The Longest Day

As we all know, there is a Sunday every year when we "fall back." We turn the clocks back by an hour at 2 a.m., making that particular day 25 hours long. One could suggest this is the longest day of the year.

Not so, I say.

The longest day of the year is really the Monday after we "spring ahead." While at work today, I measured the passage of time according to my biological clock--which has not yet done any "springing."

And it was a VERY long day!

(Postscript: Perhaps we should introduce a new holiday, similar to Super Bowl Convalescence Day....)

Returned from Retreating

The ladies' retreat was a wonderful experience.

The weekend's study on David was insightful, challenging, thought-provoking, etc.

At the end of the retreat, we were all asked to write down a commitment we made as a result of the weekend. Here's mine:
I will not obey my fear; I will obey my God.

I had a blast rooming with Holly. (She now knows way too much about me!)

I ate too much.

I laughed too loud.

I am pretty exhausted....

And I am already looking forward to next year's retreat!

(Postscript: But I did miss my Sweetie.)

Retreating!

I'm off to the Ladies' Retreat!

I don't know if I'll have the opportunity to blog while I'm there, but I'll be back Sunday.

Don't forget to Spring Ahead this weekend!

Our First Date

When Lew and I went out for the first time, I wasn't sure if it was a date or if we were just "hanging out."

I had planned to bring my own car, but it ended up snowing that day. So Lew picked me up instead.

We went out to eat, and I might have been the youngest person in the restaurant. I even remarked that "I bet these people are looking at us and saying how nice it is of that man to take his daughter to dinner."

Yes, I really did say that out loud.

After dinner, we went to a 50th birthday party for one of Lew's friends. We also watched the movie TOY STORY..."To Infinity and Beyond!"

It was still snowing when Lew drove me home.

I really don't like going out in snowstorms, but I didn't want to cancel our plans that evening. So perhaps I knew that it really was a date...despite a certain dinner comment that I may have made.

Happy 10th Anniversary of our first date, Sweetie!

A Night Off

We did not have choir rehearsal tonight. Many of the gals from our church (including me) are going on a retreat this weekend, so our choir director gave us tonight to spend at home.

How I spent my night off:

Left work a half hour late.
Stopped to get gas in my car.
Stopped at RiteAid to pick up a prescription.
Ate a wonderful meal, lovingly prepared by my sweet husband.
Had my personal devotional time.
Sang through the entire Easter musical with Lew.
Started a load of laundry.
Got my checkbook caught up.
Started packing for the weekend!
Had devotional time with Lew.
Did more packing.
Folded the fully dried load of laundry.
Finally started writing this blog entry at 10:20 p.m.

And thus ends my "night off!" G'night!!

(Postscript: Part of my "packing" was to switch the shell on my Miche bag. I...ahem...got two more this past Saturday. They're pictured below. The black one with the white writing is called "Hope"--it's in honor of those fighting breast cancer. I'm bringing "Hope" on the retreat. The other shell is named "Erin.")

The Batgirls of Scarborough

I e-mailed my three closest friends from high school a couple weeks ago, asking them to pray for Suzy. They each replied to me the very same day that I contacted them. I am truly blessed to have such wonderful friends.

Anne-Marie, Ellen, Krista, and I all still live within 10 miles of each other. (Actually, I really have no idea on the mileage, but I know it's not very many. I'm terrible with distances and directions in general. I still have trouble finding Anne-Marie's house, and I've been there many times over the years.)

Despite our close proximity, we don't have many opportunities to get together as a foursome. But, as Anne-Marie shared in a recent e-mail we are "with each other in spirit...kind of like the Batgirls of Gotham City (OK, Scarborough) -- when the signal goes up...well, you get the idea."

And I just have to say it again....I am truly blessed to have such wonderful friends!

Out of Business

I happily assist Lew's mother and my own parents with their income tax returns.

But now, it is my pleasure to announce that Tracy's Parental Tax Prep Service has closed for the season.

Many thanks to my "customers" for another great year!

(Postscript: I only work on three income tax returns -- ours, Lew's mother's, and my parents'. That's it. So, please don't ask me to do yours. Because I won't.)

(Post-Postscript: LOL!)

(Post-Post-Postscript: But I am serious. I won't!)

Spring Fever

We just had a beautiful weekend!

Lew and I took our first walk of the season yesterday. There have been lots of people out jogging, walking, and bicycling. And the traffic on our road has been heavy, almost like in mid-summer. (Although I'm assuming that people weren't going down to sunbathe on the beach; it's not that warm yet!)

We even saw several motorcycles. Lew just purchased one late last fall, and he is itching to get his prepped for the road now that spring seems to have "sprung."

But, my husband was born and bred in Maine. He knows that Old Man Winter could still rear his ugly head sometime during the next few weeks.

So, the motorcycle will sit idle a little while longer.

But soon...very soon....

WHERE are the EGGS?

Lew and I go grocery shopping just about every Saturday morning after breakfast.

When we buy eggs, I try to pay attention to which bag they are in.

For some reason, I did not notice this morning. After all of the grocery bags were in the back of our vehicle, I asked Lew about the eggs.

He did not know where they were. Nor did he seem to be concerned.

I then found it necessary to remind him about the fragile nature of eggs. During this discussion, Lew assured me that he had never broken an egg due to a bagging mishap.

When we got home, I found the eggs. The carton was on its side in the bag!

But, miraculously, the eggs were all intact.

A speggtacular ending!

A Couple's Devotional Time

Lew and I believe that it's important for us to take time each day to read Scripture together, discuss what it means, and to pray. And it only took us about eight years to figure out how to do this on a consistent basis!

Instead of going into what doesn't work for us, I'll just outline what does:

We each have our own personal devotional time during the day. While doing that, we pick a verse or passage that we want to share with the other person. (Lew even writes his own commentary.)

When we have our devotional time together, we share what we selected earlier and discuss it as little or as much as we need to. (And I sometimes hand Lew a pencil so that he can correct what he calls his "write-o's.")

For our prayer list, I bought a spiral-bound index card pack. We have a 5-day prayer list, with one day per card. We may not use it every night, especially if there are special and immediate prayer concerns. But we do try to get through our list at least once a week. (And when we want to revise our list, we tear out the old cards and complete new ones.)

This time together is a vital part of our day.

Now we just need to make it part of our early evening schedule as opposed to late evening!

How to Watch "American Idol"

Lew and I have watched American Idol since its second season. Every year when it rolls again, I would prefer not to invest the time. But Lew wants to watch, so we do.

However, we never watch it live. We DVR the shows for the week, and then we watch the whole week in one sitting. We skip the commercials and most of the "fluff" of the show. It saves us a lot of time. For example, we just watched 5 hours of scheduled air time in only 2 1/2 hours.

I usually am in charge of the remote control when we are watching our DVR'd programs, but American Idol is the exception. Lew wants to see more of the show than I do, so he doesn't let me have the remote. I think I could have cut the 5 hours down to about 90 minutes.

I really think I could have.

There is another advantage to how we watch: We find out the results in the same sitting. No more tossing and turning at night wondering if our favorite is going to get voted off the show.

OK, so we wouldn't be tossing and turning anyway. But it is nice to get the week's "drama" over with.

And that's how to watch American Idol.

The Best Laid Plans....

I got an idea this morning for today's blog entry. I planned to use my breaks at work to write a draft of it, so that it would be easy for me to just type it in after choir rehearsal.

Ha!

A co-worker had to leave unexpectedly today, so I was very busy. I didn't mind doing some additional work to help her out, as I know she did extra work during my surgery. (We're a team!) But I didn't think about my blog at all.

Because I worked late, I went directly from work to choir practice. Lew brought my music for me and a bottle of Ensure to drink. I was still hungry when I got home after rehearsal. So I had a bowl of Cheerios. Very yummy.

And now it is almost time for bed and I am still in the clothes that I wore to work...and so I end this post.

"Ni-night!"

Something to Celebrate

Amongst some of the tough things that we learned yesterday, my mother had some good news to share.

She does not need to see her oncologist anymore.

My mother is a 24-year survivor of breast cancer.

Congratulations, Mom!

(BIG Smile....)

Thank YOU for Today

When Lew and I pray together each night, we always start by thanking God for today.

Well, today we learned that my friend Suzy faces a difficult road ahead. Her dear husband, Barry, wrote the following on their blog: "The pathology report came with this diagnosis: glioblastoma, grade 4. This is a malignant and very aggressive brain tumor. There is not a pretty way to talk about it and there are no flowery words to use. This just sucks big time."

Suzy will be undergoing an intense treatment of radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy, followed by more chemotherapy.

I agree with Barry. "This just sucks big time."

But there's much more to this story.

Barry and Suzy have placed their love and trust in Jesus. Confident that God's word is true, Barry could also post the following Scripture today: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

We are weak, but He is strong.

Lew and I prayed for Suzy and her family tonight...after we thanked God for today.