photo credit: guerrillafitness.net
Welcome to the first edition of the State of the Union series. The goal was to offer a glimpse into the details of my life and show a bigger picture overall….I wanted people to truly understand the complexities of our life and see what’s milling around inside my head.
Life has been a little hectic lately, and as I write this half my household is sick. So, this one will be quick.
What I am thinking about or pondering…
I am trying to brainstorm ideas on ways to carve out writing space and time. I wanted to apply for the Amtrak residency program but I don’t know where to start for submitting a writing sample …because I don’t have the time to write something new. I could ditch this post and go do it, but…yeah.
I also found this:
It Seemed Like A Useless Little Closet. Then This Creative Guy Took Over And Now I Want It.
But what I really want to do is get a book deal and spend my advance on a Yurt. You can open the Facebook discussion for links if you don’t know what a Yurt is. 
What I am reading….
Jack Kornfield and Brene Brown books
What I am thankful for…
This one is a mixed bag. I recently wrote a piece about going to Michaels, and in doing so I revealed that we weren’t in a position to purchase some items that we wanted. I didn’t intend to come across as needy, but three people came forward in my mailbox with surprise gift certificates or cash. Two are friends of mine who were quite generous and the third came anonymously with a beautiful letter in the mail and a $20 bill tucked inside. I am very thankful for their generosity because now we are able to get started on Larraine’s baby book and Drake is now able to start painting to his heart’s desire.
(Scroll down to “from my camera” to see a photo of the first stage of the baby book!)
What guilt item I am letting go of…
I felt super guilty about being on the receiving end of the generosity of others noted above. I had to remind myself that giving feels good for the giver, too. I will find a way to properly thank them and return the generosity…or pay it forward to someone else if they prefer. I don’t do well as a receiver of generosity. I am learning though…
Things I believe I am doing well…
Strangely enough, I finally got around to planting two amaryllis plants that I purchased before Christmas as a treat to myself. The story about these plants is this… I haven’t trusted myself over the last few years to keep something botanical alive. I’ve been too busy, too distracted, too occupied to worry about adding more details in my day. On a particularly stressful day when I felt like I was never going to get out of the rut of being busy, I broke out the kits and set the bulbs up in their new home. They are now growing super fast and I am guessing they will bloom soon. It feels good to break out of the shell of habits to do something new and different. The plants will be beautiful when they finally bloom!
Something that is frustrating me….
Admittedly, a lot of things are frustrating me. I am frustrated in trying to find the best way to move on in our life without turning my back completely to those following our footsteps.
How my husband is doing in his recovery…
Dan has been physically tired lately, more than normal. I’ve suspected that there is something physical going on, which would be evident on blood tests if I could just get the right tests done. His healthcare team will be here (he gets home health services) this week to go over my concerns and do the bloodwork. There is a new social worker and new nurse practitioner coming on board with his health care team and we will be meeting them all in the same visit. This is good for Dan to do the visit with everyone at once because it minimizes the stress of having strangers coming into our home over multiple visits and gives them the chance to all communicate at the same time. I am hoping to find answers, and praying that the solutions I came up with are the right solutions.
From my camera….
Stage 1 of the baby book is underway!
Notable conversations….
We had this conversation at the grocery store. Torrey = 1, Dan = 0… *this* round.
What’s on the menu….
I managed to get about 40 meals prepped and in the freezer using this menu plan.
What I’ve checked off on my to-do list…
Ohmygawd, this is a BIG ONE! Two-and-a-half years ago I initiated the process of getting a will and trust set up to cover all the ‘what if’s’ that might happen if either of us were to die (anytime soon). Yes, I know we all die, but I wanted some control over what happens when that happens. Would I lose the house if Dan dies first because it’s only in his name? Would people outside our inner circle disrupt our children and displace them to get their hands on money meant to raise them? Would our children have the power to make decisions for us if we were both incapacitated?
We don’t have many assets, but we do have minor children. We also have outside family that would take our dependents to court to get what’s theirs in a heartbeat. We wanted to protect the things we do have and have some say in how things are carried out if we passed.
So, I am pleased to announce that after two years from the time I started the process, Dan and I have officially set up our will and trust.
Something I learned or understand a little more deeply…
I wrote this post on Facebook and titled it “When your brain knows what it should do, your heart says what it wants to do — and your body says “I’d rather take a nap, even if it’s on an air mattress that has a slow leak in it.”
Random act of kindness…
While at Michael’s recently, the lady at the register dropped her change purse and everything scattered to the four winds. It was busy and I was two people back with more people behind me. I was shocked to see that I was the ONLY person that bent down to help her collect the contents of her change purse. She nervously thanked me as we picked up everything from coins to toothpicks to safety pins. She told me she couldn’t bear to get a new one because this used to be her mother’s change purse. I told her that it was a blessing for me to hear her story and that she was no trouble at all. As I stood up to see the rest of the line standing like they were uncomfortable with their wait, I gave a few stink eyes to them for not stooping down to pick up even a single item.
Something I said “no” to and why…
Um. I don’t think I did say “no” this week. I need to work on that and do better.
Exercise I was able to get done….
Confession: I’ve done absolutely nothing this week that qualified as exercise. I think the winter has me in a state of cabin fever. I’ll try this week to get that turned around.
Cute baby moment…
Last movie I watched…
Gravity. On DVD. Damn, that was a good movie!
Something that made me laugh out loud…
It was a heartwarming laugh. Love is always louder. I love Kid President!
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