Puppy love!

Liisa posted this on Facebook and tagged me in it, entitled "all my puppies!" Love it! Those are Popcorn, Sweet-tea, Kodie, Bailey, and Kajsa, taken tonight, while the snow fell outside. Just wanted to share Liisa's puppies :)

Photos!

No, I haven't stopped blogging...

I just took a break for a bit because I had my LASIK surgery and my eye was more uncomfortable than the lens replacement (which confused me a bit, given how invasive that was, but then realized the surface cutting was greater with the LASIK). The surgeon told me to limit my time on the computer while I initially healed so I took that to heart. My vision is amazing now, and I have 20/20 vision in both eyes, with little to no blurring. I can now do everything I did before, with an added bonus that I see rainbows in my peripheral vision on bright days or when the light hits just right (off the artificial lenses I now have, just as they give me "cat eyes" when the light hits them just right which freaks out the people around me...

We are in the final count down towards Reimond graduating, on May 18th, and his grades are doing fantastic, although he is having issues with sleep--he stays awake for up to 40 hours straight because he can't sleep, then crashes and sleeps 12-18 hours straight, missing school in the process. We are on the second new psychiatrist since his original one left the practice, and so far we haven't necessarily been satisfied with either of them. A lot of it is on Rei and his decision-making, but some of it is also chemical, and we need to have his meds synced with his body... He just says he should go nocturnal and everything will be fine, but I want to see him get thru this next month first. Liisa is getting things ready for his MN graduation party, and I am getting things ready here for her, Zack, and Jim to come down for his graduation. Announcements will get mailed out next week.

Brie is not graduating in May; there were some issues with her classes and having enough credits, so she is in the process of deciding what her next step will be (continuing at SWIC or moving to a state college closer to where they live and finishing up there). Eric still needs to figure out how he is going to get his diploma from ITT (whether he needs to pick it up in person or they are going to mail it) as we haven't heard anything yet about that. Aurora is plugging away at her classes and doing well, with lots more free time now that the college bowling season is done, and. Ae reminding all of our young adults that the time to job hunt is now, before the schools let out and competition for positions gets more fierce. Dan has been working only minimal hours at the gas station, and Patrick still hasn't found anything. Patrick has had a friend staying here with him who is also unemployed, so the house is starting to feel really crowded at times, but we are managing.

Skye has been living life "loud and proud" of late, which is sometimes a challenge when Eric is working overnights... She is into singing almost opratically (not sure if that is a real word as spell check doesn't like it) and she sings la la la as we walk outside, as she plays, and as she colors at the top of her lungs! She figured out how to pedal her trike the other day. After getting really frustrated on her two-wheeler (pedaling back triggers the brakes and she can't go anywhere on it); she is very proud she can now pedal on the trike, and weather permitting we have been outside a lot when she is here. She has also been playing "tiny baby" and wanting to be held/rocked as though she were an infant. It's a game, but I think somehow related to Liam being just 16 months old and in her eyes a "tiny baby". Skye also is learning words to real songs and she loves to sing and dance. Her vocabulary is wonderful although sometimes one has to listen carefully and she is quick to correct if we don't understand (I repeat to her what I hear, she say no, and says it again). Most of the time we get it, but not always and she gets frustrated with us for being dense.

My mom has gotten good reports thus far from the cardiologist. Her blood pressure has stabilized at a good rate, her heart beat seems to be regular, and the swelling in her legs has gone down considerably. She has consistently felt good through all of this (been a symptomatic) so she has no complaints that way, and has been told she can do whatever she wants so long as she pays attention to what her body is telling her. She had Easter Sunday at her house for the family and while everyone made a point to pitch in, she enjoyed the process. Everyone up there is sick and tired of snow, and while it isn't usual to have so much snow so late in the season, it isn't common either. We of course are dealing with rain down here, and flooding from it. We are not looking forward to the melting up there which will affect the water levels of the Mississippi River down here, among others. We are up on a hill, so the flooding of silver creek only affects us by covering the walking trail out back. It is pretty to see the snowy white egrets standing in the small ponds of dirty water where the water has flooded out of the tree line and into the grass.

Liisa had a wonderful time at the Diamond Awards gala last weekend. She bought a lovely cocktail dress for the occasion, Kristi did up her hair for her, and she looked beautiful (sent me lots of pictures). She didn't win the service award, but her interim general manger told her repeatedly that she was robbed, that she deserved it, and how proud everyone from the hotel was of her. She handled the "loss" with grace and generosity, and thinks she knows the woman who won it ( someone she thinks was a former co-worker back when she worked at sears almost 15 years ago). We are all proud of her that she was one of over 400 candidates and ended up in the top five. She was acting guest services manager during her boss' maternity leave, and now that she is back is still functioning in a supervisory capacity. Her and Zack are working lots of hours between them, and almost have to make appointments to see each other, but they are doing well, and Zack's kids are growing like weeds, as are Justin and Alexis.

Tony and Andrea too are doing fine. Tony went to Myrtle Beach this year with Jesse, my nephew Colin, and a friend of theirs to show a street rod they built together. They won the award of having traveled the furthest for the show, had a fantastic time, and got "pulled over" numerous times by curious police who wanted to know more about their vehicle ( it has it's own Facebook page at Ten Bolts, which is also its license plate). Random people have taken pictures of it and shared it on Facebook-total strangers to the boys- and they are really proud of the buzz it's created. It's a 1968 limousine body welded onto a pickup truck frame, and it is really cool looking. Tony is a certified welder, so he did a lot of the body work, and the boys are all auto mechanics, so it is sound and runs well. I will do a follow up post of pictures (my blog doesn't always let me insert the photos where I want them to be within the body of the text). Andrea is planning out the summer for the kids, and they are planning to let Justin and Alexis come down to me for a couple of weeks after summer school gets out, which we all are looking forward to. If Justin (and Tony) had their way, the kids would be down here all summer long with me /grin. I miss my kids something fierce and am looking forward to "my" time with them.

I think that updates everyone on what has been going one in our lives, and we are staying healthy, busy, and focused!

Rainy days and Sundays

Oh how I miss the sun. I know we need the rain, and I know that it is mild out, but oh how I miss the sun. Between that and the time change I feel all sleepy and discombobulated. I have no drive to go and do anything today that relates to chores or other "jobs". Eric worked today for part of the day and then had a bowling tournament this afternoon. Aurora had a bowling tournament this weekend to (regionals I believe) "somewhere in TN" and she hasn't really said how they (or she) did. The boys as usual, are off doing their thing, and as I have no car, I have been home playing games on my iPad and computer, reading, and ignoring the rest of the world. Eric has the next few days off se we can play catch up then.

We had some sad news on the Soulak side of the family this week. Jim's aunt by marriage died of lung cancer on Wednesday. The irony is I knew her mother quite well when I was just a teenager, before she married Jim's uncle, and we were able to reconnect at the wedding. Karen was a lovely woman and will be dearly missed. She was warm, gracious, and loving, and she leaves behind a family who treasured her. The cancer was only diagnosed a month ago, so she went quickly, and was only 69. So sad! Liisa and her dad will represent the family at the funeral on Tuesday and I will send a card. I am grateful the Soulaks still consider me family and keep me in the loop. After 20+ years as a part of them, it's hard to step away.

I started sewing up a dress I had cut out, and it is coming along nicely. It's a little more fitted than I would like, but if I pay attention to what I am doing, it should be fine. It's a nice linen dress, which I thought might be nice for Reimond's graduation, so I have a few months yet. It's strange to realize I have already had my sewing machine for 3.5 years, as it still feels brand new to me! It was brought home to me though when I had it cleaned recently and I got the memo that the extended warranty we had put on it is due to run out the beginning of November and is NOT renewable. I have had very little trouble with it for the most part, but the cleanings and routine maintenance are expensive without that plan so it's something to be aware of.

I am finishing up on a pair of socks I have been knitting for Skye. She is so excited about the one being done and she hands me my knitting to be sure I finish the other one for her. She has taken to saying "fantastic", complete with fist pump, when she is happy with something, and she started saying "absolutely" when I used it to agree with her one afternoon. It's so fun to heart what she is gonna come up with next. She also knows how to pinkie promise and she has been a ball of energy of late, as well as a bottomless pit--she has been nibbling nonstop, mostly stuff that is good for her like fruit or string cheese, but I am getting tired of her helping herself to things in the fridge because she thinks she is big enough to so it on her own...

That's basically all the news from here. Hope everyone stays warm and dry!

Making changes

Lately I have been feeling stuck. I look in the mirror and see myself looking old, colorless, bland. To that end, I decided to make a few changes.

First, I found a hairstyle I like that I think I can pull off:

Then, I made an appointment at the salon and took a "before" picture:

Then I shard the photo with the stylist and had her cut my hair and wax my eyebrows. I also went to the makeup counter at JC Penny's and bought some new lipstick and a new, waterproof mascara (because the one I have gets washed away by my eye drops) and took this photo:

When I got home, I added makeup and took this picture:

I am a little disappointed in my stylist because she doesn't know how to "round brush" hair, which I think would have added volume and curl to my cut, making it look closer to the inspiration photo, but I am going to try that myself today. I also think she was intimidated by how long my hair actually was, and despite cutting off almost 4 inches in length and adding layers, she placed the layers fairly low down, so while they are obvious, they are not as obvious as they are in the inspiration picture. I am going to play with it and see how this style works for me, and if nothing else, I can always try again when I am in need of another haircut. I have. Round brush, my hot rollers, and my curling iron. She did clean up and angle my bangs, which I am trying to grow out (as much as they bug me right now) and we will see where this takes me. My goal is to daily put on subtle makeup (mascara and blush) because my eyes are so small looking otherwise, and to wear lipstick when I leave the house to add some color to my face and define my features a bit.

I bought a weight watchers brand scale yesterday as well, to help monitor where I am at, and will again resume counting points (I easily get off track and then give up). I have gone through my closet and dresser drawers and pulled out a huge bag of things I no longer like, wear, or want, and will put them out for the clothing drive on Thursday, and I have made a point of putting away my clothes as soon as they are folded. I am trying to work on reducing the clutter in my life so I feel better about me, and by extension my stuff, realizing that it is a process and wont change overnight. I figure Reimond is graduating in May, which will create a new turning point in MY life, so my goal is to slowly prepare myself for the next phase, that of being a parent to adult children who are responsible for themselves (at least for the most part). I am looking towards finding an internship, and perhaps a part-time job, something that will help with the budget as well as allow me to do something meaningful outside of the house.

For me, it's about taking small steps forward in faith, dealing with one thing at a time, and learning new habits. Change is, and always has been scary for me, but as the old saying goes: change occurs when the pain of staying the same is greater than the fear of moving forward. I am tired of feeling stuck and spinning my wheels. I know this time of stasis has been a blessing in so many ways, but I am ready to start letting go of some things so that there is room for new blessings. I trust in God's plan for my future, and I look forward to this new chapter in my life, one that is focused primarily on my relationship with my husband and our life, while encouraging the "children" to be independent adults, responsible for themselves and their life choices.

These next few months are going to be works in progress, and I highly doubt things will be finished by the time Memorial Day comes around, but at least I am making a start.

Happy valentines day!

What a crazy, busy time period it's been since I last wrote. Reimond got hit by a car in the school parking lot while on his bike: he was riding along side another student and went to pass him when the student made a left turn without using a signal and they collided. Rei went up onto the hood of the car,catching his right calf between the seat and the car, then rolled to the ground when the car stopped. The kids were both so shocked they talked to each other but didn't exchange any info, shook hands, and went their separate ways. I took Rei to the emergency room just to get his calf checked out because it was so sore. Was just badly bruised, and he is fine; had a few muscle aches the next day that he didn't realize he had pulled in the fall, but he's tough and we are grateful it was no worse.

Then, my mom had an appointment with the cardiology electro physiologist the next day and they said she was, and probably had been in, atrial fibrillation for quite a while. Her ankles had swollen up to the size of her thighs and she was uncomfortable, and they said that with the irregularity of her heartbeats her blood was not circulating properly and she was at risk for blood clots. They had put her on blood thinners, but he didn't want to wait until she had been on them a full 30 days (the time it takes to dissolve any clots if any have formed) because of the risk of tiring out her heart, and yesterday she had a trans-esophageal eccochardiogram to check for the presence of clots in her heart, then had a "cardio version" done, where they shocked her heart back into a normal sinus rhythm. After the procedures, which she did well in (no clots in the heart), her blood pressure was the lowest it's been in years, and other than feeling sore and nauseous from the meds and procedures, she was cleared to go home. Kristi stayed with her until Erik and Joel got home, and when I talked to her last night she sounded good.

I honestly had a really hard time with all of it and being so far away. It was good I was babysitting Skye because she kept me grounded and focused, but until I talked to my sister and knew things were ok, I was anxious. Too many memories of what we went through with dad to take anything for granted. Even Liisa couldn't fall asleep until she knew Gram was ok (she works overnights and really needed to be in bed...). I am so thankful for all the prayers and good thoughts people shared on our behalf. God is gracious and while my mom is at peace with whatever is to be, the rest of us are not quite ready to let her go yet.

I saw the eye surgeon myself on Tuesday and am now scheduled for LASIK surgery on my right eye on March 21st. The astigmatism has remained stable, although I did take a step backwards in the dryness of my corneas and they changed the eye drops I use to previous brand that had worked well for me. Corneal dryness can affect the clarity of my vision, so I need to use (and have been doing so) lubricating eye drops to counteract that. The doctor feels that the surgery will correct the remaining issues I am having with blurriness and Eric and I trust his judgment, so we are good to go.

Skye and her "baby Susie" have joined me on my bed and she wants to "play her monsters" so I will close for now. She can be very insistent on what she wants!

Heavy, wet snow!

I woke up this morning to a decent coating of heavy, wet snow, perfect for snowmen and snowballs, and winter at its finest. Oddly, it was in the 70's earlier last week. Sure can't get consistency down here--the seasons have minds of their own!

Skye was seen at the clinic twice this past week with a scarlet-fever like rash, but no other symptoms of strep than a wicked cough and runny nose. After the second visit, where the rash was worse and the cough was too they decided to treat her with penicillin and she is doing much better. When the child is content to sit for hours and watch blues clues or wonder pets without complaint, fever or not, one knows she isn't feeling well.

Our Super Bowl weekend has been interrupted by Eric needing to work a mandatory OT shift, naturally overnight last night, which threw a wrench into all our plans. Aurora had a home tournament this weekend so he bookended his shifts by being at the bowling alley, and he is currently running on only two one hour naps. It's not that we had major weekend plans, but we did have a few that this has cut into. I could really care less Bout the game, and Beyonce means nothing to me musically or otherwise, but I will watch the commercials and the hoopla attendant on this American sports holiday... At least it's only one day, unlike the World Series, which lasts forever or so it seems... No, I am not a big sports fan.

I am truthfully in awe that it is already February. January seemed to drag through much of the month, then wham, it was over! I started, and am nearly finished with the wingspan shawl I wanted to make, simply because it is so mindless to do; the perfect project for meditation, prayer, and thinking my thoughts. I took my sewing machine in for a good cleaning and servicing and am lost right now without it. Reimond has a pair of jeans that need mending that I promised to do, and after he carried it for me into the shop, so he knew it was gone, he asked me about doing them, I said yes, and we both looked confused and laughed in realizing why I can't do them right now...

Reimond is in his final semester of high school and so far (fingers crossed) he is doing awesome. He is on track for graduation, and I am so proud. My mom, on the other hand isn't doing so well, and this week has been concerning for me. She went in to the clinic for a bad cough, and in the process, asked about her swollen ankles (Kristi said they were almost as big as her thighs). They ran an EKG and some other tests, and while she isn't in atrial fibrillation, she does have atrial flutter, and there is a concern for blood clots. They have put her on a blood thinner to lower that risk, and she sees a cardiology electro physiologist on the 7th. Prayers are appreciated, and I believe in their power.

Liisa is really sad today too because her puppy SweetTea has hives really badly and is miserable. No ideas of what has caused they, but my brother Erik has her giving the pup Benadryl every 4 hours to make her feel some better, and it looks like a trip to the vet may be necessary for cortisone shots tomorrow if things don't settle down soon.

Reimond needs help with the printer, so I am off.