Delusions of... Everything

Staying Positive

There has been all kinds of stress and drama going on in my life the past few months.  You'd think I would take the opportunity to blog more instead of less to work through every thing, but I just can't bring myself to "put it all out there".

Instead I'm trying to stay positive.

In the midst of all the drama and stress there have been some highlights, one of which was meeting a fellow blogger in November.  Meg and her brand new husband J took their honeymoon in the Pacific Northwest.  They started in Seattle, moved on to Canada, moved back through WA on their way to OR and eventually ending up in the bay area of CA.  She's blogged about it with some wonderful pictures, please go check out!

They joined us for Thanksgiving dinner which was a huge treat for all of us.  After they left to go back to their hotel Handy Man told me it was the best Thanksgiving he remembers in years.  It was because of the company of Meg and J.

The next day Asthmagirl, her husband TOG, Meg, J, myself and Handy Man met for lunch at the Pub.

Asthmagirl, Meg and Myself enjoying beverages! (photo stolen from either AG or Meg, I can't remember, haha)

We all enjoyed each others company so much!  I was sad and happy to see them leave.  Sad because I knew it would be a very long time before I saw them again.  Happy because I knew they were leaving for a honeymoon that would have new experiences and sites and that they were going to have a great time!

I've met a few bloggers in "real life" and every one of them has been wonderful and I call them all my friends!

Saturday Sharing

• Is it weird that I've been listening to Christmas music all week while falling asleep?
• I've been mostly Vegan for well over a month.
• I WILL be eating Turkey on Thanksgiving... I said MOSTLY Vegan.
• Being anonymous would be so great, then I could write about whatever I wanted on this blog.
• Maybe I'll start a new blog with a new identity.
• I'm listening to Christmas music while typing this.
• Homemade "bean burgers" are not very good.  Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burgers are yummy!
• Whole grains, beans and nuts are full of protein.
• It's taken me a while to make friends with beans, but now we are buds.
• I've already started my Christmas shopping.
• I've missed blogging, but most things I want to blog about I shouldn't, so I haven't written anything.
• I hope to be back to regular blogging, now that I've actually written something for the first time in weeks!

Blogfest West - Or Fun With Snooty

Blog Fest West was renamed Fun with Snooty because, well, she's the only one who came!  The Baroness was scheduled to come but she got sick, antibiotic type sick, so she did not make the trek down from Canada.  Asthmagirl and I stuck to the plans we made when we were anticipating a larger crowd, picked up Snooty from the airport and headed to Burien.

The series of events went like this:

• Trip to the Burien Farmer's Market
• Lunch at the Pub
• Dinner on my patio
• Early to bed, late to rise before heading off to the Pike Place Market
• Boarded a WA State ferry bound for Harstine Island via Bremerton
• Arrived at one of the most beautiful places on earth!

For those who could not make the trip you really missed out on this part of our adventure!  AG's dad and step mom (Opa and Oma) live in a little corner of paradise!

The view from the deck...

 

Seriously the view from almost every window in the house looks like this!

And we got to spend the night at that lovely place, how lucky were we?!

Both Oma and Opa are master gardeners and it's reflected in their gorgeous yard.

The next post will be about our fabulous breakfast on Harstine Island and some words about Snooty!

 

On the Mend

Thursday was the big surgery day.  I got to the hospital at 6 am and was in the OR by 7:30.  They put an oxygen mask on me and the next thing I know I'm waking up in recovery and it's 9:00.  About an hour after I woke up they moved me out to the pre/post op area.  I really was not feeling well.  General anaesthesia and I do not get along.  I've had it twice in the past and have been violently sick for days afterward.  This time they put a patch behind my ear and gave me anti-nausea meds. Even with the patch and meds I ended up having dry heaves and the nurse gave me more anti-nausea meds.  Thankfully that was the end of my nausea.

By Noon I was home and all settled on the sofa in the family room where I was in control of the TV remote.  My family kept checking on me to see if I needed anything, they brought me ice chips and Star Wars Son ran to the store to get me Popsicles.

The pain meds are amazing.  Most importantly they do not make me nauseous and they fully take the pain away.  They do make me a little dizzy, but I can deal with that.  I can't deal with throwing up.

Now I'm on the mend.  I slept through the night last night, but was so stiff this morning I had to have Handy Man help me out of bed.  I'm so thankful for my family, they have been so great!  I don't know what I'd do without them.

On of my bloggy friends, Coffeeyogurt asked some great questions when she commented on my gallbladder post.  Here are the questions and answers:

I hear gall bladder pain is horrible. What is it, exactly, with the gall bladder trouble as a result of weight loss?  is the stone there all along, only making itself known when the body size shrinks? Protesting it's lack of comfy space? Or does the stone form as a result of the weight loss? Do tell!

Gall bladder disease is hereditary.  Both my parents had their gall bladders removed.  Being overweight is also a contributing factor in developing gallstones.  According to my doctor the stone and "gunk" in my gallbladder had been building for years.  He didn't explain to me how rapid weight loss can cause an attack but this is what I found at this website:

"Experts believe weight-loss dieting may cause a shift in the balance of bile salts and cholesterol in the gallbladder. The cholesterol level is increased and the amount of bile salts is decreased. Following a diet too low in fat or going for long periods without eating (skipping breakfast, for example), a common practice among dieters, may also decrease gallbladder contractions. If the gallbladder does not contract often enough to empty out the bile, gallstones may form."

Ok, my pain meds are kicking in so that's all I got for today.

Things that keep me from blogging...

The cat sleeping on my lap - I just don't have the heart to move her, especially when it's cold and she's keeping me warm.

Sunshine! - If you are from the NW you know what I'm talking about.  Perfect example was yesterday when I took some time to do the next thing on my list.

Gardening - My determination to have a vegetable garden has inspired me to get my butt outside, even in the rain (but yesterday afternoon it was sunny!) to prepare and plant all the seeds I've purchased.  On a different gardening note we cut down a couple trees, planted some new ones and installed a water feature in the front yard.  By "WE" I mean Handy Man.

The lastes book I'm reading - I've been on a reading roll the past couple months.

The DVR - I will chose a recorded episode of Ghost Hunters or American Idol or Glee over blogging.

Netflix movies - If Handy Man says, "let's put a movie in", and I'm in the middle of blogging, I will stop to watch a movie.  This happened yesterday evening when we watched Love and Other Drugs.  Good flick, though it was kind of chicky.

When the kids and/or Handy Man want to talk - Family time always trumps blogging, especially when your teen wants to talk.

Working out... Just kidding! - Hahahaha, I crack myself up.

Editing photos - There is dust and lint all over the inside of my camera making editing 10 time longer than it should be.  I really need to get it into the shop for a cleaning!

My new glasses - I know this sounds weird, but I'm having a hard time reading the computer with or without my new glasses.  The screen either has to be really close or really far away.  Sometimes I just don't feel like messing with it.

Feeling that I have nothing interesting or relevant to say - That my friends is probably the number one thing that keeps me from blogging on a daily basis.

Bloggers really are The Best

I've recovered from taking a whirlwind trip to San Diego then going straight to work the very next day.  If I was being honest I'd have to say I'm still pretty damn tired, but I'm trying to stay in a state of denial, so I'll just keep saying I've recovered.

I'll be posting all about my trip over the next few days, but for today I'm posting about the very last day of my visit to a city that I absolutely fell in love with.  It started fairly early with a trip to a great breakfast place in Mission Beach, called The Mission.  Clever huh?  There I met one of the first bloggers I started following regularly and faithfully, Jenn at Juggling Life.

I love her blog, it's honest, funny and Jenn is really smart.  I thoroughly enjoyed meeting her, sharing a meal and having great conversations.  Her youngest son and my son are the same age and have the same name!  It's so cool to meet a blogger friend in "real" life.  When I go back to San Diego (yes I will be going back) we will get together again and I can't wait!

Thanks Jenn for meeting me and recommending such a delicious breakfast!

After breakfast my family and I checked out of the hotel and drove around before heading to the airport.  We ended up in Pt Loma where I found the house I want to live in!  Do you think the people living there will mind?!

Save the Date

Summer.  You remember summer right?  Sunshine, warmth, sitting on the patio with a beverage?  I know it seems far away with all the snow so many people have been getting and are continuing to get.  It's really piling up in some areas.

Take a moment to remember Summer...

It's nice to remember Summer past and look forward to Summer future! 

Summer never fails to be a busy time.  So much going on.  I already have most of August on hold for a Pearl Jam 20th Anniversay Festival "sometime in late summer."  Handy Man and my 30th class reunion is right in the middle of August.  That's on hold until Pearl Jam announces the date of the "sometime in late summer" festival. 

Meanwhile three west coast bloggers have been trying to plan a Seattle Summer Blogging Event, from this point on known as Blog Fest West!  You can read all about it here.  Pinning down a date for this event has been challenging, but I think we have finally decided!!

August 4 - 7th 2011!  Save the date!

We would love to have you all join us in Seattle this Summer!  Stay tuned for all the details.

Cleaning Out the Cobwebs

Hello, is anybody out there?  Just nod if you can hear me...

Wow, I've been away from the world of blogging for a very long time.  Over the past few weeks I've realized how much I miss it and all of you.

I haven't picked up my camera in months and I'm feeling that absence too.

It's funny that I'm picking the busiest time of year to get back to blogging, but it's also the time of year when I think most about family and friends and I miss you guys!

So I'm cleaning out the cobwebs of my little blog and plan to post weekly, hopefully more. 

Stay tuned.

 

 

Man Am I Tired!

The Girl From The Ghetto is having a book giveaway on her blog... You should really go check it out.  She is giving everyone the opportunity to enter the drawing 5 times!

That's about all I have for today.

I spent a good part of my weekend working at the rental and there is still plenty of work left to be done.  The floor refinishers will be starting work today, so I don't know if I will be over there helping.  Handy Man has today and tomorrow off so he will be there doing odds and ends while the crew is working on the floors.

I'm tired.  Is it bed time yet?

Is This Thing On?!

Hello Blog,

It's been a while. 

I hosted a scrapbooking retreat at Anderson Island over the weekend.  It's so pretty there. 

These people scrapped away the weekend!

This was Saturday breakfast!

I used this banana bread recipe, but made it into a coffee cake.  It was soooo good!

We saw this rainbow out the window...

I didn't do much scrapbooking myself, but I did finish one book and start another.  I also walked on the beach, even though it was cold, windy and rainy.  It was refreshing to breath in the sea air!  I went to bed early while everyone else stayed up to scrap.  I can't wait to go back in May!

Well blog, I hope to not be so neglectful in the future!  I have ideas, but my mind is all in jumbles, hopefully the jumbles will smooth out and I can get back to writing.

Hoping to be back in full force,

Tammy :)