Week in Review

i started physical therapy. i don't know if it was the flu shot i received the day before, or just that my core is that bad, but i was exhausted. the mere thought of a couple of the exercises freaked my mind out so bad i had a hard time convincing myself that it was even possible. they were possible, and didn't even hurt that much.

i got on the motorcycle and rode around the block. i can tell that i'm still a few weeks off from being able to ride comfortably. best not to push it at this point, and i won't.

had victoria and christopher this weekend, picked up megan and shane after church to spend the night. all is well. the grandkids LOVE shane as he plays with both of them at the same time. i've not seen victoria go to anyone in the water but mommy, w and me. she went right to him. that's a whole trust issue as she is still technically a non-swimmer.

which brings me to a great weekend moment. the pool is a little cooler than i like, so the last few times i've been just sitting and watching the kids when they are in it. friday evening, christopher had gone in to the house to play a computer game, so i sat out on the deck while victoria played in and out of the pool. i was talking to my mother on the phone, but was sitting right next to her.

she was out of the pool playing with her bucket, leaning over to fill it, then carrying it over to pour on some imaginary cake or something. the next time she leaned over to fill the bucket, she fell in. i was just about to grab her when i noticed she had righted herself, was kicking her feet and reaching for the side of the pool. how exciting! i decided to give her a second or two. she was able to do it, pull herself back out. she was crying as it scared her, but she hadn't taken on any water. hooray!!

this is what i've been working towards all summer. working on her kicking, teaching her to crawl along in the pool side with her hands. when it came down to it, she was able to put it all together. i'm just thrilled! she'll be ready for swimming lessons next summer. maybe i can find something local indoors over the winter.

while it certainly doesn't negate the need to watch her constantly, it is a huge step in the right direction. and she was proud of herself.

so later today i'll take megan and shane grocery shopping before dropping them off at home early this afternoon. tomorrow morning is PT again and then i'll try to work my schedule to go in to work a day or two this week. attending meetings over the phone from home is not very productive for me. too many people talking at once, etc.

Work

i went in to work yesterday for a few hours. i had to drop off my doctor's release and spent some time catching up with various people in my group. i didn't even bring in my laptop as it never occurred to me to actually work while i was there.

it felt good.

i met with my boss and was brought up to date on some organizational changes, then thrown back in to the fire as there are a back log of projects that need documented. it feels good to be back.

i start my physical therapy today. i'm looking forward to that. also have an appt. to see my regular doctor to review my medications. some changed while i was in the hospital. i bought a blood pressure cuff so will see if it matches what they say mine is while i'm there.

not riding yet, i can tell i'm still not ready for that kind of thing, but i continue to see improvements from week to week. i couldn't be happier!

hi-ho

hi-ho, it's back to work i go!

at least part time.

i got my clearance to work 1/2 days from home. my physical therapy will be 3 days a week for 4 weeks. i want to be able to work from home on those days and save the commute time and gas on those days.

i am so ready for this.

they were amazed at how well i'm healing and just cautioned me not to overdue. trust me, i'm a wimp and when it hurts, i stop until i've recovered. i did a LOT of walking today, probably close to 4 miles as i had a lot of errands to run while i was up in the city. and i'm tired tonight.

so i'll leave it at that.

good night all.

time flies

when you have a 2 year old granddaughter for the weekend. holy cow, it's a good thing that parenting is for the young. she's got so much energy i find myself trying to store up mine before i get her. i wouldn't miss one of those precious moments for the world.

saturday at church, we are singing a particularly moving hymn when little victoria sees a friend of ours tear up with emotion at the song. she stares at him for the longest time, then says to me, "nana, him crying." i didn't turn around, but looked in her big, brown eyes and said, "he needs a hug." she looks back at him for a long moment, then turns back and says "he needs a nap."

ha!

i guess we tell her that when she starts to cry. they can sure hold a mirror up to you when you least expect it.

so we had victoria friday and saturday night. we had to return her early (5 a.m.) on sunday so we could still make feeding the homeless on time. boy, that was ugly. note to self: avoid awaking a 2 year old at all costs!

after feeding the homeless and rushing home to take my nap, we stopped by the kid's house to pickup jr.'s sv650 so we could get it ready to sell. the battery had run down due to lack of riding it so we jumped it. by the time that was done, both christopher and victoria had loaded themselves into the car so they could go swimming and spend some more time with us.

so swimming we did. i must say the water is getting pretty cool these days and i'm afraid my pool days are rapidly disappearing.

monday was spent repairing the damage done to my house. toys were strewn and signs of little handprints were aplenty. when i looked down at the dust on my treadmill (no comments please) i noticed a tiny little footprint in it. it brought an immediate smile to my face.

and speaking of treadmills. . .i did my first 15 minutes yesterday and felt great! the surgeon had said to wait on it, but i've been feeling so good, i did it anyway. i kept it on the slowest speed but i didn't have any problems.

i'm sure it will be at least a few more months before i'm cleared for any kind of riding, but i'm looking forward to that clearance!!! should be starting my physical therapy next week!

and that's it in a nutshell.

hmmmm

well, i didn't get my short term disability check. when i called the company, they said they never received the faxed copy.

right.

well, at least w is working today so he can re-fax it and then call to confirm receipt. they said 5-7 days after they receive it to cut a check. i guess the timing won't matter once it gets here and i will have wasted a whole lot of aggravation worrying on it, so i think i just won't get started.

more later. . .

repairmen

after one particularly damp storm last week, w noticed a leak in christopher's bedroom. it leaked so bad he had to put a bowl in there to catch the water. so. . .i had to contact the builder to have them check it out. our house is 3 years old and we are not the original owners.

didn't. matter.

i contacted one of the salemen at a neighboring office who emailed me a warranty request form within the hour. i then discovered my printer was out of ink.

sigh.

after securing the replacement, i printed off the form and left it on w's office chair to fill out and fax back to the builder. within one week, the remediation team arrived, all 4 contractors had been scheduled to finish the repair. each stated that the builder expected it to be taken care of in a timely fashion. they certainly have.

so that's another blessing. didn't have to draw it out, it's almost completely taken care of.

i stayed at home today, leaving only to take brutus, the pug, to the vet for his rabies shot. he was a good boy, receiving a treat to assuage his wounded dignity after that whole rectal thermometer thing. he was one happy little guy.

after the vet did his exam, he was in a hurry to get back to the vet assistant where he sat quite sweetly at her feet looking up at her with those big, brown eyes and quietly begging for yet another treat.

she was quite the softie. she fed him two more, although she broke them into pieces so it would last longer. he swallowed the first one whole. she was so surprised by that, i didn't have the heart to tell her about when he swallowed victoria's baseball sized poop ball whole. ohhh, that whole thing still grosses me out!!!

i hope i get paid tomorrow, by my calculations, it should be my first short term disability check, but we'll see.

ho-hum

yesterday i didn't leave the house at all. today i drove through the bank drive thru to make a deposit. how exciting does it get?

tomorrow i am meeting a friend for lunch, getting a couple of tires put on the car (after i unknowingly drove on a flat to the grocery store and ruined a tire) and then visiting with my mother.

i do have to say that keeping a house picked up after it has been cleaned is MUCH easier than starting from scratch. i really must continue this event once my gift has been used.

i've honestly seen more HGTV, COPS, Judge shows, etc. than even i can stomach. i'm really starting to miss riding my motorcycle which i'm sure is at least another few months away.

sigh.

wow, i'm depressing today. i'd better just stop now before things get worse. hope you all are doing well. think i'll go watch cash cab. :-)

where has the time gone?

i hate it when people don't update their blogs, and here i am one of them.

sigh.

i have a week and a half before i go back for my follow up visit with the surgeon and get my physical therapy orders. i'm anticipating 2-3 days of p/t a week, but feel good enough to return to work at least part time.

work has agreed to let me VPN in and work from home as needed as long as i get clearance from the surgeon. can't blame them for that and they've been most kind to me. i have a cleaning lady here right now as 1 of 3 visits that my group paid for as a gift. outstanding!!

i did something last week that i haven't been able to do for months. i walked with w through the desert to walk the dogs. haven't done it since and it wasn't because it hurt my back, but rather the mosquitoes have been thicker than thieves and my legs were bitten and itching for days. we've had a very wet monsoon season and that's just one of the consequences. i'll need to dig out the mosquito repellent from the camping supplies before making another run, er, walk.

but i am able to walk distances and am quite pleased with that. i was able to secure a treadmill from my daughter-in-law but have been warned not to use it until my follow up appt and subsequent P/T.

exciting stuff this walking thing, that i for too many years have taken for granted. i must work harder to appreciate the things that i have and concentrate less on those things that i still think i need.

i'm going to be a nana again. exciting stuff! daughter, megan is expecting on april 15 of all dates! so all of those things that i just donated since victoria outgrew them, i'll be replacing. i love craigslist. btw, that will make a grand total of 6! christopher, courtney, victoria, connor, johnathon and now this new bundle. LOVE the girl's name they are kicking around, trinity jade. i love it so much i've not paid too much attention to boy's names yet. it doesn't mean i want a girl more than a boy, only that i love the name. what i really want is a healthy grandbaby with happy, healthy parents.

we continue to do what we can each week to help feed the homeless. i asked a guy this morning who has been at the front of the line for 2 weeks running what time he's there to get the spot. he said 5:30 a.m. we arrive at 6. there is always more need than what we can provide, but we dole out what we have until it is all gone. then we pack up and go back to our nice, air conditioned houses to nap. it's mainly about choices/decisions and then the consequences of them. but it doesn't make it any easier to witness. there are the regulars that have been showing up for 3 years, there are the seasonal ones that come for the work before returning to their own country, and then there are the addicts and ex-cons who continue to struggle. and they are people in need. wish we could figure out how to help more. . . .