@MusicCandy @SadMe70 A place to communicate

Hello..Warm Saturday afternoon and I'm at work, but it hasn't been too busy so I took a couple of walks around the block just for a break and outside exercise. Tomorrow is the Watermelon Festival on Cary Street, one block from us, and that is always crazy with foot and car traffic. So I'm glad I won't be working. I am staying over in the AM a few hours and resting - than church from here. Its closer than going home, and this is the first meeting of Daughter's of the King that I can attend. I won't get to them all because it is usually right in the middle of my Sunday AM sleep, but thsi week I think I can work it out. At least I can meet all the ladies in the order and that will be helpful.

It seems early for back to school for me - our public schools have the Labor Day Rule - they don't start back till then. My daughter is hanging onto staying in the Master;'s program at UR, but she is registered for a class- so we will see. She has 4 more hard courses. I hope things go smooth for you. I remember that is is exciting to see a new bunch of kids plus some returning ones. I miss it a little, but honestly I'm grateful that my life isnt QUITE as hectic now. So much more cleaning and organizing to be done and I have more time for that. Fiance and I took out the little sailboat last week on the James. There was no wind so we floated and paddled, but it was still fun. This was the first time I saw him actually handle sails before we tackle the big boat - one day after all the work that needs too!

Diet and exercise are about the same. I am trying to incorporate at least some of the good things on my list each day. Yesterday I had a protein shake and today- oatmeal. I can't seem to get on the full plan that I want to, but I figure something is better than nothing. I hope you can stick to most of your plan too , even with all the "bad" goodies at hand. It seems strange sometimes that more people aren't thinking along those lines too- and bringing healthy snacks instead of all the sugar and carbs. I know I give in, but I'm not the one to bring them and I keep what junk food is at home at a minimum. I personally bring in nuts , granola bars and such to share. We just do the best we can.

Enjoy the last days of summer with your animals and relax some too. You deserve it.

Hello, How was the Watermelon Festival? Do you go to it, or hide out from all the crowds? How did your first Daughters of the King meeting go? Your river trip in the sailboat sounds wonderful! I love being on the water and these days I only manage it when we kayak on vacation. I hope you will get more trips in while the weather is still nice.

The first day of school was so hectic, I went to bed at 8:00 that night! The whole week was hectic actually but I made it to my 9:30 bedtime the other days! My base K class has 23 kids, and although we had 25 last year, the group last year was much more mature and capable. This class is 2/3 boys, and it's a very active, talkative bunch. One very immature kid who does no work and cries a lot. It's a big handful. I wish they capped the classes at more like 18 than 25. It's too many.

I spend my morning with K, and then afternoon with 1st. They ended up pulling 2 people from our team who will not work with K, but instead will help 2-4th grades. I can't tell you how glad I am that I was not one of the people shifted to the older grades. It is mainly because the 2nd grade team leader (who is a good teacher but really a pill) complained that her graded needed help. Since we technically can serve K-6, they had to cave and give her some people. It's not good for K to lose that support. They really need to hire addtional paras if they want to service more grades, rather than decrease support to K. We did start some pull-out intervention groups with first grade, based on kids who did poorly in their literacy screening last spring. They are doing some brief screening now to set up our regular groups, and then the full out screening for K and 1 is in September, and the groups will get tweaked again.

I have been eating well despite the junk at school. I am thinking about taking a picture of every table full of junk and then looking back maybe once a month at all the crap I (hopefully) didn't eat. Maybe that will motivate me. I have decreased my alcohol to weekends only again, like last year, so that I can sleep better during the week.

How are things going with you? It sounds like you are doing well with your diet. Even if you aren't doing everything you want with your diet, it sounds like you are really doing a lot of good things! Protein shakes and oatmeal are definitely good! I was planning to have hot oat bran cereal today. It's an occasional weekend treat when I have time to make it, but I remembered I have no milk and I don't like it made with water. I put peanut powder in it for protein, ground flax, and dried juice-sweetened cranberries.

I plan to do some cooking today for the week, and some laundry. I hope your week has gone well!

Hello there! I am heading down to your neck of the woods to meet my son and his wife for dinner tonight. He found some pizza and beer place he likes. He went to it because it had "pie" in the name and he thought it was bakery type pies, but it was pizza pies. I have lost 3 pounds and the last thing I need to do is go eat pizza, sigh. At least it sounds like it will be really good pizza, and I don't like beer to I'm ok there.

I have been eating well this week. I cooked a bunch last Sunday and didn't have to cook all week until last night. I did get a tuna sub from Wawa one night though. I hope to cook more tomorrow. I am doing well with not drinking on school nights, but I made up for it last night with about a half bottle of wine, follwed by falling asleep during the movie I was watching! Exercise has been ok too. I have a new pain coming on that is worrying me. My hands are stiff a lot and a little sore primarily in the lower part of the pointer fingers. I'm going to mention it to my physical therapist at my appt on Thursday. I hope I am not getting arthritis in my hands. I already have some in my neck and it's painful but I can function. I need my hands to stay functional!!

How are things going with you?

Hello,

I was feeling more tired than usual last night at work and I did read your newsy note about back to school ( sounds positive-yea) I don't really know why a little fatigue, overall I can't complain. I'm happy that you didn't get the older kids - i wouldn't like that either. The only time I've taughter music to the older bunch they are just too rowdy and I'm too old for the nonsense. The big class is also a huge disadvantage- I feel your pain.

Good for you with losing 3 pounds. I'm not even stepping on the scale. Seems like I go up 2, down 2 over and over and if I see the "up" part it ruins my whole day with depression. I can usually tell with clothes anyway. I am managing to do at least one thing good each day, but thats about it. I am sticking to the apple cider vinegar water and I have no idea if it is helping, but I'm in that routine now and it is easy to do. I really need to get back on the protein shake every day since it includes most of the fiber and nutrution I need. I am proud of you cooking ahead and eating healthy most nights. I don't think the one pizza meal will hurt that much - at least you are enjoying family too which is important.

Fiance and I took the little sailboat out again Thursday and it was beautiful - plus some wind which made the "sailing" more fun. We cruised upriver to some old barges and sinking tugs that were abandoned and they were amazing to see, like art. and you would only see stuff like that on a small boat, canoe or kayak like you do - and some wildlife of course. It was a perfect day off, I needed that.

I hope the hand pain isn't too serious. You have to use your hands so much, I know. Arthitis is no fun and I know you already have issues with your neck. Keep up that exercise routine anyway. I- at least- do that too.

It is always good to hear from you, you make me smile even when I'm a little down. I have a big salad to eat at wotk tonight, and I'm going to do my stair routine, and maybe walk around the block - and be so grateful for the good things in my life. And take it from there. Have fun and enjoy the nice weather - peace out.

Hello, Just a quick restaurant review since you live in the area! The place where we went was called Pies & Pints, on Broad Street. Overall - tasty and fun but (not surprisingly) expensive. We got one large specialty pizza, half beef with other stuff and half roasted pork with other stuff. I did not eat this one but everyone else liked it. I got a small specialty pizza with spinach, garlic, red onions, roma tomatoes, and gorgonzola. It was delcious!! My D-I-L ate one slice and I ate ALL THE REST. The crust was extremely thin so I actually did not consume a ton of bread and didn't even feel stuffed.

I also don't drink beer but they have a very wide selection and you can sample anything on tap before you decide. (Some are in bottles/cans so you can't sample.) They also have some hard cider, and I do like some flavors of that. I sampled a coulple and ended up getting a glass by Bold Rock which is in Nellysford, VA. We used to vacation in Nelson County and I've been to the farmers' market in Nellysford. The cider was delicious too! I had only one glass, but if I had been at home, I think it would have been more.

We went back to their apartment and they had bought pastries from a Korean patesserie on Grace St. called Mon Chou. They got 4 kinds and they were so gorgeous it was hard to ruin them by eating, but I managed! I chose the berry chocolate mousse cake, and wow was that good.

The good thing is that the restaurant was about a one mile walk from the apt so I got in a 2-mile round trip walk to burn some of that off. Today I'm only up a half pound, so it was totally worth it. That was wonderful food and drink all around. Also, things were relaxed at least on the surface and I had a good time. I hope that she did as well so that we can get along. They are coming here Friday to spend the night so my son can go through some stuff and decide if he wants to take any more to Richmond (not that there is any more room in that apt!). I have a half day off on Friday so they are meeting me in the afternoon to hike.

Well, it sounds like you had a great meal at Pies and Pints. I've heard of it, but not been there, or the Korean place either. There seems to be new kitschy restaurants and gimics for gathering places all the time. There is a shufflesboard club combined with Tang and bisquits? And all sorts of others with a new brewery popping up every week it seems. I'm glad you and the new gal are at least getting along. You still have that big wedding to go to - right?

It has been so hot last couple of days with kids moving in and getting ready for school - I'm sure it was challenging. We took the little boat out last week, but not this week. We took my Mom on a picnic at a park near the river, and thankfully no imcidents. But that along with taking her to Walmart took up 3/4 day. Now I'm back at work, and it stormed earlier.

Neighbor cmplained to the county about some of the outside building/ landscaping projects stuff Fiance has under tarps, and the boat has tp be moved. He was behind my house taking pictures and then the inspector came to my door and advised that a letter will be coming. I was VERY upset about that, but I have calmed down now. Fact is, I'm kinda glad since now he has a deadline to get this stuff moved, used or in a shed. I guess I'll be getting a shed then. He has funds coming in - he hopes - from a family property settlement but I really don't want this dragged out. I have savings and he does not. I have pictured the best and worst that can happen from this. He better be glad that I am patient, and that we get along well . I see so much tragedy, I try not to get too riled up over material things. He Never argues, and that is a plus.

I hope the rest of you week-end goes well, I'll be here.

Hello! We had another good visit with my son and his wife. They came up here Friday night so he could go through some of his stuff that he moved out of his last apt, so see what he needed to take back with him. We had dinner here, and played a card game. On Saturday we went to our Indian restaurant and had a long lunch. They left in the late afternoon. The big wedding is Jan 5 but I am not going. I will be just back into school on Jan 2 and can't take all that leave. My son urged me to come over my vacation just to visit (they will be in Korea for a full month) but I just can't do it. I am sorry not to be there for the ceremony part, but I can't do that in any case because of my work schedule. If it offends her family that I don't come at all, well I can't help it.

Last night I went to the movies with 2 friends. We saw Crazy Rich Asians, which was ok. We had planned to go to dinner afterwards, but it was 9:30 when the movie ended, so we had Blizzards at Dairy Queen for dinner. Not quite in line with my diet plans! Other than that and having 2 Mike's Lemonades on Friday night, I have been otherwise eating well. My exercise is consistent but very low intensity thanks to all my pain. I did some triceps work on Monday with my trainer, very easy light stuff but I am so weak now that even that caused me such muscle pain on Tues-Fri that it almost broke me combined with all my chronic pains. I was a mess, but it eased off finally, and this week also happened to be my monthly physical therapy visit so she gave me some relief from the neck/shoulder pain so I got through it all.

My anxiety has really been eating me up too. I have probably mentioned how I chew my fingers from the cuticle on up the finger and sometimes around to the side of the fingers. It is so embarrassing and already this year I've had 3 or 4 kids ask me what is wrong with my fingers (I tell them dry skin). I was considering going back on meds. I tried meds before for about 2 years, and it helped my depression but not my anxiety, but I think because I was on a low dose. I hate meds and don't want to be on any (I also had trouble with side effects) but I am so tired of being constantly on edge that I thought maybe a bigger dose would calm me down. My husband though, asked if I wanted to try hypnotherapy instead since I hate the drug idea so much. I think I am going to do it. I don't know if I believe in it, but I want to try it.

I am sorry to hear about your neighbor complaining! I am lucky to be in the woods because our yard is honestly very junky and nobody would want to live beside us. I would be very upset about somebody meddling as well, but I definitely see the advantage of finally being forced to get rid of or tidy up stuff! We have two buildings that got crushed, one by trees and one by snow. My husband said we would take the small wooden one down but it's still there and full of ruined stuff. The metal one, he was going to get somebody to cut down smaller to cover one old car he has and we would get rid of the rest. Nope, still there. And lots of other stuff besides, not to mention the forest starting to creep closer to the house because the chickens aren't free ranging and eating all the weeds. I hope the whole episode works out in your favor, with everything tidied up!

I hope you get out on the boat again soon!

As usual with us, its the good ( visit with son and DIL) bad( health and depression) and ugly( mess - yout property and mine too!)

Labor Day and I'm on CT call this afternoon till 11. Rachael and I had an hour in the pool before I got called in and then I did 3 patients - now just waiting a bit to see if anything else pops up. Overall, a good day. Fiance is riding around doing some clean up wirk and Ra is riding with him - she loves tagging along with him- he is a lot of fun . I am going to try not to worry over the clean up process- it is too heavy work for me to do anyway, or I'd be out there , you can bet on that.

I am happy that you don't have to make the Korea trip. sometimes circumstances just work out that way. You did go overboard with the stateside wedding - so she can't complain. I've heard a lot about that movie, but it doesn't sound like something Ill go to. I like history and documentaries and an occasional comedy - that's about it. Mr. Rogers Neighborhood was the last one, and that was a terrific movie.

I hope your PT and muscle problems get some relief since school is starting up. I think there is some value in hypnosis for some people, and some situations - it can't hurt. I don't know what else to recommend for the anxiety. I know you use the calm app to meditate, I use the ones here and a couple of CD's and I try to have a quiet prayer walk every day - but that doesn't always happen either. I hope it gets better, whatever you decide.

I hope you had some relaxing time today and I'll check back with you later.

Hi, everyone. I've been reading some of these... thank you for the inspiration for living a healthy way. I wish you all the best now and always

OK, This is a buddy thread - but it does pop up in the list. if we inspire anyone, that is just fine!

Message to sadme - I am having an episode of extreme sacroiliac pain and I don't even know what I did to cause it.Yesterday was a bad day all around though. I took some flowers from the church to the VA hospital as Cindy McCain suggested and there was NO WHERE to park and a line of 15 cars in valet - I'm sure you know what I mean. But I found a spot and grabbed the vase whicj was in a "paper" bag, and you can guess, the whole thing dropped out from the wet bag, vase broke. So I turned around and went to a nearby thrift store and got another vase and went through the same thing - but I did eventually get them delivered. Then I took Ra to the pool and dragged the pool bag with my phone over wet poolside - ruined my phone. So I spent the morning today getting a new phone. The back pain started last night, no apparent reason, and no sleep--nothing OTC helped at all. I got a icy hot patch and that didn't help either. However, I read the label and it says it is more for topical pain, so no wonder. Fiance does some trigger point pressure when this happens, and that helped a little for a little while but it is worse than usual. AND my Mom calls, she fell again and wanted me to pick her up from the ED ( nothing serious from the fall) and take her back to the Home. I told her that if it took more than an hour for the home transportstion to get her, then I would go. but I knew they would go pretty soon and they are a lot closer than me across town, and that is exactly what happened.So at least I didn't have to do that. Thank God.

Came on in to work thinking it should get better and maybe I wouldn't have to move patients or stretchers too much. So far, OK. I'm going to get something stronger for pain tomorrow to help get thru the weekend as I will try to work anyway. Honestly, it doesn't seem to make much difference when the pain comes on - sitting,walking or lying down is all the same so I might as well not take time off and just rest as much as I can - no stair climbing anyway. And Saturday is my birthday - the Medicare one! I won't use it but I did have to sign up. I'm glasd one of my friends told me to do that - I didn't know you had to, I thought it was automatic. We plan to celebrate next Wed. -go to Deltaville for a night since my daughter has rented a cottage - it is her birthday too . I hope you have a good end to the school week, and that your pain is better too.