Homeward Bound

I will be HOME in the USA Monday morning around 9:30AM! 12 hour non stop flight with no booze, screaming, ill mannered, un diciplined, obnoxious brats, stinky, unwashed people.
With any luck, both my kids will be in Concord when I get off the bus, at least I hope so.
Looks like it will rain all week too.

Hey, a post from me!

How about that shit? I posted.

I've been to the states and back. Had fun, spent too much money, spent too little time with my kids and grandsons, and parents, sister and nieces, or at least it always seems like I do.

I got fat, blood sugar went way out of control despite watching what I ate.
I went to the gym at least 3 times a week, mostly 5 days a week.

Found some good places to eat in the local area.
Went places we haven't been before.

Watched the sunrise from the top of Mt. Washington, 6288 feet up in 60 MPH winds
Went zip lining on Wildcat Mountain WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!

Got some house painting and cleaning done.

Spark On!

Now I'm back in hell until May.

Time to re-group

In brief:
I'm back in the Magic Kingdom
I've gained back 10 lbs I lost last year
My diabetes is out of whack
One of my closest and dearest friend has cancer
Jet Lag sucks

So I'm back in hell after 5 months of vacation. Been back since Friday, Oct. 16, or whatever date Friday was. Vacation was too short, too many things not done. I ate stuff I shouldn't have but I did exercise. I joined a gym and went with a new friend I met on SparkPeople and she made me have the ambition to go. So now once I get over jet lag, I need to get back on track.

Yes, one of my dear, sweet friends has cancer. Both lung and brain cancer. I don't want to think about how much longer she has all I want to think about is that I WILL SEE HER IN JUNE OR JULY! I know she said not to cry but sometimes you just can't help it.

I didn't stitch the entire time I was HOME but as I was entering all my new stash in my never ending database I just wanted to start stitching everything! So last night (or this morning) I started stitching the Halloween Biscornu from Dinky-Dyes Designs.

Unfortunately I didn't count enough times and added an extra stitch on the square. I did rip out stitches already so I didn't feel like ripping them out again since I am using silk threads. I will just have to have an extra stitch. I do have the scissors to go with it.

I had an accident with my brand new car too. The day after DH got HOME, we were out and I just made a stupid mistake and smacked into a light pole. Nothing internal in the car was messed up, just the front right bumper. It did cost $3000 to repair but luckily insurance paid most of it.

So that is basically it. Sorry for the lack of communication, I hope to be able to get better about it.

There's no place like HOME!

I've been home for 24 days now according to my ticker, wow, where did time go? It's rained for most of the time I've been here.

Flight went well, left on time and arrived on time, pleasent flight. Made the flight connection to get an earlier flight to Boston but it didn't do much good since I had just missed the earlier bus to my sons. I made it to his house by 3PM.

I got home Tuesday afternoon, renewed my driver's license, picked up mail, went grocery shopping and got to my house by 3PM. It IS good to be home. DIL and DGS stayed with me for a few days.

I bought a brand new Jeep on Thursday, picked it up on Friday after I got home. I got to see my Daughter and oldest grandson for a couple days too. I got a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee, dark steel blue, with lots of nice plusses like satellite radio, a/c that works.

Went to the Dr and they are pleased with my progress and congratulated me. (WOO HOO!)

I haven't stitched but i have fondled my new stash.

My father had a heart attack a couple days after I got home but he is ok now. They still can't do anything for the bad arteries so he is now on oxygen 24/7 for the rest of his life. He is still planning on coming up to visit in September.

It's Bike Week here in New Hampshire, lots of nice bikes all over. I went up to one place today and looked around but I am going to the main event tomorrow just for the thrill!

House looks ok, garage is almost done, nothing leaks that I can tell.

It IS good to be home!

Bye,ciao,massalama, adiós, au revoir,Auf Wiedersehen, arrivederci

I'm flying across the Atlantic ocean tonight. I'll be HOME IN THE USA hopefully by 8:30AM New York Time Monday morning! YAY YAY YAY. It's a 13 hour, nonstop/direct flight and I hope to be hugging/kissing my grandson/son by supper time!
Then it's on to renewing my driver's license, buying a car, hugging my kids/grandkids!

Have a GREAT summer!

Another week in Paradise

My father went home from the hospital last week. He has blocked arteries that are in such a place that they can't get to and do anything with so he has to be careful. They gave him blood thinners and he almost blead out. He told the nurses he was having a miscarriage, at least he still had humor. He had to have 4 units of blood. So now they have to figure out what they can do for him. He said he has too much left to do in his life to give up.

I was doing so well losing weight but I guess I set my hopes too high. I gained back 3 pounds in 2 weeks and I can really feel it. I sucks. I have watched what I ate, exercised and tracked everything. I'm just wondering if lowering my thyroid pill dosage has had something to do with it. I need to talk to my dr. about that. I'll just have to work harder.

One more week until I go home. It's kind of mixed feelings now, kind of bugged about leaving DH behind (for those of you that know the story) but yet I want to go home and drive, smell fresh air, and not have to rush around the store every time I go. I want to hug my kids & grand kids, I want to see my family & friends.

I'm working on a SAL project and hopefully I can get it done soon.

SparkPeople Day at a Glance Calendar page:
May is Better Sleep Month. Turn your back to the clock. Studies show that watching the clock when you're in bed makes you more anxious and less able to fall asleep. Move the clock so that you can't see it when drifting off.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to my faithful readers like Doris and I suppose you lurkers too.

Still keeping up with the bootcamp at SparkPeople, these exercises are a wee bit more challenging that the last boot camp but I get them done. I do the Leslie Sansone videos almost every day for cardio since it's way too hot anymore here to walk outside. No significant weight loss yet but hopefully soon!

15 more days and I'll be having Irish coffee or beer for breakfast, WOOO HOOO can't wait!

Dad still isn't much better, they did find a couple ateries that were blocked but they are in a place that they can't do anything about them, so all the drs. can do is treat him with medication. They gave him the wrong medication last week and it cause major bleeding problems so he had to have 2 units of blood in addition to a blood transfusion. He's on a liquid diet but has been taken off his nitroglycerine drip. Please keep my Daddy in your prayers, he has 3 young GREAT-grandsons to keep up with for a few more years.

I GOT IT!

Hi Doris!

Happy Dancing in the desert! I got a piece of paper that says I can get on the airplane on May 25! Now I am keeping calming vibes that this flight leaves on time and not 4 hours late like DH's flight did last year. After 13 hours non-stop flying time hopefully I will land at 0800AM on US soil at JFK, on Memorial Day. Then IF I land on time, I catch a 12:30PM flight to Boston and with luck will be at my son's place for dinner.

The Sweatsuit to Swimsuit boot camp on SparkPeople started yesterday with a cardio kickboxing video and writing down our measurements. The video was a work out and I didn't realize I was so uncoordinated! I was flailing fists & feet all over trying to keep up with the moves. Eventually I will get the hang of this video. I'm also still doing my Walk Away The Pounds videos.

I finished my niece's Wedding sampler that my daughter started a couple years ago.

SparkPeople Day at a Glance Calendar note:
"It is never too late to be what you might have been."

How much longer????

Oh yeah, 30 DAYS!

Have a GREAT weekend Doris!

SparkPeople Day at a Glance Calendar note for Friday:
Move and shake! Be as active as you can each day. Dance to the car radio, fidget at your desk and get up as often as you can. You'll become fitter, healthier and slimmer!

Sat/Sun:
These are the last two days of TV turnoff week. Here's one more reason to keep the tube off: 90%of food commercials aired during Saturday morning shows for kids advertise junk food, according to the American Diabetic Association. Wellll, I didn't even know it was TV turnoff week and I highly doubt my DH would EVER go for such a thing.

I must have done something right in the past couple weeks because I've lost a couple more pounds, WOO HOO. I took a profile picture today and I don't notice any difference in the profile picture I took January except for my chin. I have done a Walk Away The Pounds video every day this past week, even got up to the 3 mile fat burning walk for Abs which is quite a work out and felt good! I did that one twice.
I did join the new May Boot camp work out group, Sweatsuit to Swimsuit Boot Camp. I can't wait to start it.
I got out and walked this morning. One of our outside cats was inside this morning and he let me know he was ready to go back outside after breakfast at 6:30AM so I got up. It was already 83F at 6:30AM!!! But I decided fuck it, I'm walking. So I did a 2 mile 40 minute walk in the humidity. I NEED to do it, I have 15 more pounds to loose!

The mouth feels much better, it only hurt for a couple days.

I stitched more on the Teenie Wedding Sampler. I am ALMOST done with it. (Sorry Kristin, I NEED to finish this before it haunts me in my sleep)

This is the "rivalry" weekend with the red sox, so far the sux won Friday night in extra innings. Saturday's game is actually on tv HERE on Fox Sports starting at 11PM. I'll be in front of the tv with my pillow and blanket and probably a cat.

Ok, well it's time for a hips, abs & thighs workout today! Have a GREAT weekend.

So excited today!

GOOD MORNING DORIS!

WOO HOO! I re-connected with a dear, sweet, long time friend who helped me through my darkest, painful days back in 98-99. I got her phone number and phoned her today and we talked for 45 mintues. It was so nice to talk again and I hope we can get to meet up before I go on vacation next month.


And speaking of vacation, we are going down tonight to talk to the travel agent and make some reservations. Sadly British Airways won't be flying back in until 31 May which is after I plan to be outta here so I'll have to decide what else to fly. So I'm thinking of maybe leaving here on Wednesday the 27th or Thursday the 28th, I would like to be home by Friday the 29th so I can try again to renew my already expired driver's license so I can go new car shopping. WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO.


Now and the downside of this morning, DH called from work and wanted to double check my dr. appointments for next week because he MIGHT HAVE TO GO ON A BUSINESS TRIP, GRRRRRRRRRR.


The inside of my arm is a pretty brown & green today from where they took blood on Saturday. My tooth hole is healing I guess, so by the time I go back on Monday to get the other tooth pulled, this one I hope will be healed so I can eat.

Still no stitching.

I did a 2 mile Walk Away The Pounds video then re started it to do another mile walk. I need to get back upstairs and do the strength training, I'm slipping on that. And if my scales are right, I lost another 1.5-2 pounds. I'm not confirming that as a fact yet though.


Today's SparkPeople Day at a Glance Calendar note for today:
Swap whole for white--grains that is. White flour, bread, rice and pasta are highly processed and low in nutrients. Whole grain varieties are packed with nutrients, fiber and filling power.

TTFN

Dr. appt

I had an appointment with the diabetic nutritionist last night. She wanted to see my test numbers and find out how my diet week went. She is satisified with my numbers, she said the are "acceptable". Ok, that is good to know. I can only have spinach once or twice a week, tofu only once a week, lentils only once a week.
I printed out my weekly nutrition information from my Spark page along with my weekly menu and showed her. She was VERY impressed with the print out and how great it is that I keep such close information and she wanted to know what program I used. So I told her all about Spark People and how they are my new family with so much support and friendliness etc. I explained all about the site and how it works. She wanted to know the site address and would I mind if she showed my print out to her colleagues, nurses AND PATIENTS AS AN EXAMPLE? She said she has bragged to her other drs, and patients about how well prepared I come to my appointments with my current prescriptions, questions, menus, list of food I eat, etc etc. WOW, I AM PSCHYED about this!!! I guess I watch too much House MD to not be prepared for a dr. appt.

DH & I had an interesting discussion last night. I told him that I had heard that I can get a 9 month exit/re-entry visa and did he know that. He said yes and he was thinking about requesting one for me this summer. I said that I really hadn't planned on being out that long this year. WELL, he said ................................, oh sorry, I don't want to say anything yet, not sure it will happen or not. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

What a day!

A HUGE THANK YOU to all who have given me hugs and support, you don't know what it means to me right now.
So it's time to fly again.
My mom was admitted to the hospital again yesterday with that MRSA leg problem again. Her leg IS improving but she had a nasty looking spot on her leg and her dr. wanted it checked out. So she is having vascular surgeons look at it. My father has to have his colonoscopy on Friday so I hope I can find out how he did by 3PM when my flight boards.

It was a simply beautiful fall day here, exactly like my childhood memories of fall. Extremely beautiful, vibrant colors and leaves raining down everywhere leaving piles to swirl around. The smell is wonderful outside, between fireplaces burning and the leaves, yes, it's fall. Probable the last time I will see a full peak fall for years to come.

I got 2 bags packed, I know they will be over weight but I have tried several times to pack & repack & take out stuff that I suppose I could do without but made sure my stash was in there. I don't give a shit. I suppose if everyone said that, the planes would never take off but I am leaving for 8 months. My carry on is heavy too but I have a shit load of new pills, diabetes test strips & reading material about all this diabetes stuff that I can't pack in my bags. I'm sure I'll get into trouble with those too.

COME ON JUNE! I really hope these next 7 1/2 months zip by. Maybe if I start planning my meeting with Velda & Mary and I HOPE M2 now, it will go faster, what do you think ladies?

I leave my house at 8AM Friday morning to get to the bus before 11AM so I can get to Boston for a 4PM flight. An 7 hour flight, a 7 hour layover, another 5 hour 20 minute flight and I'll be back in hell at 6:30PM local time Saturday night and hopefully back at the house by 8PM. IT all depends on how many nasty, stinky other flights have come in and how miserable Immigration & customs wants to be.

I am exhausted right now, got up at 4:30AM, took DH to the bus station, went back to the motel and dozed off for about an hour, drove home raced around the house to pack then had to go out for 2 hours driving to town and back for more perscriptions, run around the houes more, up and down. I still have more to do so I'm signing off from the free world of the USA.

Enjoy all your female freedoms that you are entitled to in the free world!

What a miserable week!

I have tried for 2 days in a row to renew my drivers license, both days the computers went down. They told me I could mail my renewal in since I wouldn't be here. They are making new licenses this year of course and you only get a temporary one when you apply, then the permanent one will be mailed in 4-6 weeks. Ok BUT it HAS to come to my permanent address AND it is NOT allowed to be forwarded to another address. SO I guess mine will just have to expire and if I get stopped in June, and anything is said, it's their fucking fault!

I have a few things to bring back for a friend of ours and it weighs a LOT. I need to get a new suitcase so now I am hoping between my XS stash, DH's Christmas presents and my work out stuff it will fit. I don't give a damn if I have to pay excess baggage fee I just want it all to fit.

DH & I have to stay the night in a hotel on Wednesday night so he can get a 5 AM bus to Boston to fly to JFK to catch his ONCE A WEEK flight back to hell. So there are 2 days lost to get things done. The house will not be cleaned the way I like it to be clean when I leave and we keep tripping over each other. I'm sorry but no way in hell are we traveling this close together again. I need my space to get things done.

I got my diabetic blood monitor and all that crap yesterday and they showed me how to use it, so now I have reading material for the plane. I have to take a pill once a day too. I am just so fucking thrilled, this was a shitty summer again.

The fall colors are so beautiful & vibrant this year, so much prettier than last year. Sadly this is the last year I will get to see the fall colors for a few years. It was 34F when I woke up this morning, needless to say, I turned the heater on.

I am trying to do several loads of laundry, back up my summer files to my zip drive, make sure my iPod works for the flight, clean out the fridge, make sure everything that goes in my carry on is ready, and not to cry. It's not working well.

Another update

My mom is home from the hospital. Her pneumonia is cleared up, her leg is ok but still needs to heal. She has a walker to use and has to keep her leg up. My sister was able to get her a form of "meals on wheels" for awhile but my mom didn't want it because they deliver the meals at noon and SHE doesn't eat until dinner. Sheesh, take them for crying out loud.
Dad is better and has the splint off his arm.

Well the latest blood test result of mine says my thyroid numbers are within the normal range but I am now being diagnosed as a diabetic. Like I really need this one now. So I have still another dr appt on Monday afternoon after office hours so they can give me yet another pill to take and show me how to use a blood glucose monitor. How fun.

I can't believe my vacation is over, I really could use another week to get things straightened out but my visa that allows me to get back into hell, rather the place I have to go will expire soon and I NEED to get my US passport renewed before January.

The fall colors are at their full, vibrant peak right now and so much MORE vibrant and pretty than last year. It's supposed to go down to 38F tonight. Looks like we will have a fire in the fireplace.

Our friend came up yesterday and spent the night. He is a great friend we know from that "hell" place. He came up from Boston and brough these WONDERFUL, heavenly cookies from a bakery down there.

Guess I better go and get things done.

Update from me

My father called this evening to tell me my mother is in the hospital with pneumonia and her leg hurts so bad she can't walk. He said she is not doing well at all.

For those that haven't seen me, there are certain cross stitch message boards I belong to but I can't get to them. I can't log on to Runboard, haven't been able to for a while now, it just doesn't load at all. Yuku is super slow all of a sudden or they are "updating" their site.

My parents are not well at all, my father fell and has a possible wrist fracture and has a splint on it, he cut himself in 2 places because he wears glasses. My mother went on a bus trip to NYC and had pneumonia when she got there and had a MAJOR problem with her leg and had to go to the ER in NYC. She still hasn't recovered but is home. My father has to go have a colonoscopy next week because he is bleeding internally from someplace.

My son & his family have been here for his vacation and we have been busy.

It is getting colder here and the fall colors are here already. S

I went to my Dr. the other day and she said I was doing very well, she was pleased with my weight loss, and my blood pressure was 104/60. I had to have more blood work done today and wont' know the results until Monday.

So sad to think that I'll only be here for 2 more weeks.

Ummmm, brrrrrrrrrrrrr

Ok, so we wake up at 7AM and it's like 36F this morning, BRRRRRRRRRRRR. Let's hope it warms up a bit!

YAY YAY YAY, Daddy's home!!! MINUS LUGGAGE! He HAD his suitcase when he landed in NY, he HAD his suitcase when he checked in with Delta in NY, that is the last he saw it. But then he barely made the flight so he already knew it would't be there. He called about it, the suitcase went from JFK to Atlanta and now back to Manchester, NH! how retarded! But he's HOME and I wasn't cold last night, LOLOLOLOL

He's in the USA

At least according to my flight trackers his plane landed at 11:35AM, only 3 1/2 hours later than scheduled. Still pisses me off though. Waiting on the phone call now.

I WAS in a happy mood earlier, but......

My DH called me from the airport an hour ago saying they were boarding their flight to the US, only IT WAS 3 HOURS LATE!!! His flight was supposed to leave at 0220 Thursday AM HIS time, he called me at 0510AM HIS time to say they were boarding finally. Well according to the flight tracker I am watching, it still hasn't taken off nor have I gotten an e-mail that says it's taken off and I am supposed to, I am LIVID! There is only 1 flight a week on this route. There is no way I can find out anything at this hour (after 11PM right now) He's already missed his connection for his next flight so no telling when he'll be home now.

On the good side, it's official that I have lost 10 lbs. I saw a nutritionist today and she made me feel so much better, I CAN eat the stuff I haven't been eating and she is happy with what I have done so far.

Well I have to go beat on something now to release fustrations.

General update

It's fall here in the boonie mountains, the temps have dropped and it's really cool at night, fireplace weather, the trees have started turning colors, the air is crisp and clean, the tourists have gone home. It's pretty quiet around here again, the lake water is still one minute and choppy with white caps the next. They pulled the dock and the swim ropes in, put up the picnic tables. It was an eerie kind of stillness and quiet the day after labor day, but tranquil.

My parents have come and gone, they were here for a week with my sister & niece. It was so nice having them visit and doing thing. My mother can be a little on the nagging side and bossy but she is 83. We had a in home spa treatment day on Monday, I won that in August. On Tuesday we went to the outlet area shopping, on Wednesday we drove down to the ocean so my niece can say she was in the Atlantic ocean. It was a bit breezy and cool. The beach was almost deserted. Thursday was their anniversary and 9/11. I took my father out to get some flowers for my mother and I took them out to dinner at a nice place we've never been before. On Friday we worked our way down the highway to visit my son & his family, stopping at the biker famous Weir's Beach. That was almost deserted too, tourist season is over. Then we went to a couple more outlet shops and browsed around. We all went out to dinner at an Chinese/Japanese/American/Italian buffet place and it was good.
I did sit down and stitch one night, I worked on my nieces wedding project but didn't get very far.

Saturday after they left I cleaned up and straightened up. Then Saturday night I had the scary episode in my previous post.
Sunday was spent doing more laundry but mostly lazy and trying to get back on track with my Spark people again.
Monday was a GREAT walk, a GREAT workout when I got home and more energetic cleaning.
Today was another GREAT walk and another pound lost. That is 10 lbs now. yee haw.

It was also my quit smoking anniversary this week, 10 months now smoke free!

DH will be HOME in 2 days! WOO HOOO! So much we want to see and do that I know we won't have 1/2 the time.
That also means I only have 3 weeks left in the real world before going back to hell. The tears have already started while I was walking today and enjoying the beautiful fall air, smells and crisp weather. Where has the time gone?

The last game in Yankee Stadium is fast approaching too, that is so sad that they thought they needed a new stadium, the old one is just fine, too many memories there. I wish I could get YES network so I could watch the specials on that day. For the first time in a decade, they won't be going to the post season, they just suck.

Anyhow, that is my general update.

Thank you

Thank you friends for your gentle hugs & support, it means a lot. I know it has to be hard on my DH to have to deal with this by himself and it is going to feel strange when I go back next(SOB) month.

Well the dr.'s office FINALLY called me back today after 3 days of calling them and said there was a mix up and the paper got put back in my file instead of being sent to a nutritionist, BUT they DID call the one at the hospital and she is supposed to call me. Well that was 3 hours ago and no call yet. Sorry but I can't sit home all day tomorrow waiting for her to call. I'll just muddle along.
I guess I've done something right because I've lost 9 lbs but it has taken almost 2 months. I don't know WHERE the weight went, I'm still the same measurements I was before.

My parents will be here on Sunday for a week, so it should be fun trying to feed them real food rather than what I eat since they are diabetics. I also won't be on the computer much, they just 'get' it. (Yep Velda, Priscilla & Amy are coming, I will tell them you love the lamps) So I will revert to being 16 years old again for a week.
Monday is Spa day, last month my DD & I went to the outlet center for a "Diva Day" thing and I entered a contest for either a day at the spa & full make over, or a day spa treatment for 7 of my friends or a full make over. I WON the day spa treatment for 7 of my friends! So the lady is coming to the house on Monday morning and we'll to the spa treatment thing, that will be FUN!

My niece wants to go to the ocean one day, outlet shopping another day then we'll have to take the grandparents to see their Grandson & great-grandson one day (more shopping). I know we will have a lot of fun.

Then 5 days after they leave, DH comes HOME and things get busy. Sadly that means my vacation will be over and it will be time to go back to hell. WHERE HAS THE SUMMER GONE?

Oh, just for the record, I've been home since May 30 with every opportunity to jump in the car and go to the corner store for cigarettes but HAVEN'T. I am damn proud of myself for that. There have been several trying days here that I have craved one but didn't bother. too much of a hastle to get in the car, hope it starts & drive out to town.

Go Yankees.