I've been blogging for over 5 years. It has been a great outlet for me to share my stories and fine tune my writing style. I've shared my world with the world and tried to be open, honest, and authentic. And I am thankful for each of you that read my blog.
As the year rolls over, I evaluate what I spend my time doing and I've come to the difficult conclusion that I want to take a break from blogging. I'm not sure if the break will be permanent or I will find my zest to share again in the future. I can't make that decision right now and have no timeline on when or if I will be back sharing my world.
I love each of you. For those that know me, feel free to keep in touch via email or phone. A huge THANK YOU for 5 years of sharing and caring.
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! I can't believe another year has rolled by and we are already into 2019. But I love the feeling of a fresh new year full of possibilities! I spent New Years Eve with my some of my friends I met in my foodie groups. We planned at very nice dinner at Flemings Steak House.
I thoroughly enjoyed dinner although eating with foodies is a trip because they have super high expectations of each bite and aren't afraid to critic their food. Honestly, it is rare that everyone is happy with their meal. Some felt the lobster was undercooked, or the soup was salty, or the sauce was not acidic enough. I think I am not that picky. I can usually find positive in most of what I eat.
It was not a miss on me how lucky I am to have found these fabulous people and add them to my friendship world. It is not easy to meet new people as an adult but I really enjoy my new friends and I was so excited to ring a New Year with new friends.
I also reflect and realize I had a great 2018. It wasn't always perfect but overall, it was good. I had great adventures, good friends, laughed often, and learned so much. Doesn't get better than that!
Here are a few more photos I took on my way home. I really enjoyed the lights on main street.
I decided to play with Snapchat filters last night. I guess it was good wine! Haha.
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| Left to Right - Dee, Gweneth, Jackie, Ed, Me, Anita |
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| Filet Mignon with Jumbo shrimp and Yukon Gold mashed potatos with horseradish |
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| Wine and Champagne |
It was not a miss on me how lucky I am to have found these fabulous people and add them to my friendship world. It is not easy to meet new people as an adult but I really enjoy my new friends and I was so excited to ring a New Year with new friends.
I also reflect and realize I had a great 2018. It wasn't always perfect but overall, it was good. I had great adventures, good friends, laughed often, and learned so much. Doesn't get better than that!
Here are a few more photos I took on my way home. I really enjoyed the lights on main street.
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| No filters |
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| Year filter |
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| Punk rocker look |
I hope you had a good New Years Eve and rung in 2019 in just the way that you wished. I am optimistic about 2019 and hope you are too.
Sunday, December 30, 2018
Kitty of Christmas
As much as I have resisted it, I am a crazy cat lady. It has such a negative connotation for a middle aged, single woman. But I can't help it that I like savings lives of cats and have collected a few of my own. I have 2 tabbies, Baby and Sister (Big B and Sissy), that are 14 years old and then the antagonist that rocked the apple cart, Bella (Little B/Baby B) who is 1.5 years old.
These kitties seem to love Christmas almost as much as me. They are all fascinated by the Christmas Tree. The older girls like the lights and sitting under or by the tree. Bella is a full combat attack cat on the tree. I've had to decorate it with non-breakable ornaments and even at that, every day, I wake to a new "arrangement" of the tree ornaments or skirt. As the holiday goes on, she seems to have become bored with the tree with the exception of the tree skirt which is actually a hunk of white fake fur I drape around the bottom. On rare occasions, she does try to stretch into the tree because she learned she shouldn't climb it. And every morning, the fur tree drape skirt is pulled out from the tree and stretched across the floor. That is easy enough to fix every day. Way better than when she would scale the tree and it would shake, testing the stability of the frame holder that keeps it upright.
I secretly thing it is all cute. So I am bringing you photos of my Bella B enjoying the tree and other holiday festive decorations to their fullest. Please do enjoy!
These kitties seem to love Christmas almost as much as me. They are all fascinated by the Christmas Tree. The older girls like the lights and sitting under or by the tree. Bella is a full combat attack cat on the tree. I've had to decorate it with non-breakable ornaments and even at that, every day, I wake to a new "arrangement" of the tree ornaments or skirt. As the holiday goes on, she seems to have become bored with the tree with the exception of the tree skirt which is actually a hunk of white fake fur I drape around the bottom. On rare occasions, she does try to stretch into the tree because she learned she shouldn't climb it. And every morning, the fur tree drape skirt is pulled out from the tree and stretched across the floor. That is easy enough to fix every day. Way better than when she would scale the tree and it would shake, testing the stability of the frame holder that keeps it upright.
I secretly thing it is all cute. So I am bringing you photos of my Bella B enjoying the tree and other holiday festive decorations to their fullest. Please do enjoy!
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| Making sure it is all safe so she can take it apart while I sleep. |
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| This fireplace is so warm!! Where has this been all my life? |
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| An extra "bebop" nose. |
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| I'm being good Momma. I promise! |
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| This is Christmas afternoon. She crashed hard in the chair next to the tree. Too much excitement for her! |
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| Learning how cool it is to be tucking into the covers! |
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| Look. My eyes match the tree!! |
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| Momma made me a jingle bell toy. I LOVE jingle bells!!! |
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Merry Christmas!
Since it is the 27th and I am just posting my Merry Christmas post, that let's you know I've sure been busy. But it is never too late to catch up.
Christmas Eve, I was lucky to be off work and had a day planned with Philip, Tiffany, and Jennie. We decided to have a yummy sushi lunch and then went to see Aquaman, the movie. I have a preference for the theater with recliner seats which is always a treat. After lunch and the movie, we came to my house to visit and frost sugar cookies.
We planned to go to Market Street for a yummy Christmas Eve
dinner. They decorate pretty, have
Christmas lights and ornaments all around, and a beautiful view of the
mountains. It was a beautiful night and we enjoyed it. It was
wonderful to get time with Jennie. Philip and Tiffany planned to spend the night so we broke open the alcohol and played board games which was really fun and a new tradition for us.
I spent Christmas evening visiting with friends and family on the phone. Not quite as good as having them near but excellent none the less.
Christmas Eve, I was lucky to be off work and had a day planned with Philip, Tiffany, and Jennie. We decided to have a yummy sushi lunch and then went to see Aquaman, the movie. I have a preference for the theater with recliner seats which is always a treat. After lunch and the movie, we came to my house to visit and frost sugar cookies.
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| Philip got a new haircut and was having fun with it. |
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| Yummy cookies! |
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| Mid-cookie making snacks |
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| Frosting cookies. A Christmas eve tradition. |
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| Jennie and Me |
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| Playing Sorry |
Christmas morning, we exchanged stocking items and then had a nice waffle breakfast. I also made some "to go" ham dinner packages for Philip and Tiffany and for John. I only saw John a brief moment as he passed through but it was great to see him.
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| My new red stocking full of yummies! |
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| Our delicious breakfast |
The day after Christmas, I had the great opportunity to have lunch with Jennie and Dad. Dad has had some health issues was in good spirits and seemed to be feeling a little better which is great.
My holidays were fantastic and I really enjoyed all the time
with Philip and Tiffany and seeing Jennie and Dad (and John for a
second). I hope everyone else enjoyed their holidays as well.
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Santa Brunch
This past Sunday, Philip, Tiffany, and I went to our traditional Sunday Santa Brunch at Little America. It is one tradition that we all agree is worth putting forth the effort for each year.
The problem with Santa Brunch is you can't make a reservation, and we are not the only ones that love this tradition. So the goal is to get seated in the first round of feasters and if at all possible, get a seat in the main brunch area. We lined up about 1.25 hours early. I'm so so lucky because Philip and Tiffany stood in line while I got to rest in a comfy chair. I joined them in line about 10 minutes before they opened. I could not believe how many people had crowded in. The line was super long and snaked around the hotel and out the lobby doors. But we were on the "list" that was taken about a hour before.
They started seating the large families with reservations first. At about 10 after the hour, they started the walk in line. We were the 4th group from the walk in line. I let them know it would help me greatly if I could be in the main room since I have a tough time walking distance (not far from the truth). We were lead to a lovely table by the meat table.
We proceeded to feast for 2 hours. We enjoyed fresh strawberry crepes, shrimp, rolls, salad, cheese, ham, prime rib, potatoes, bacon, and desserts. There was way more but that is what we wanted. I was seated with my back to the room so when Mr and Mrs Clause came around, Philip and Tiffany were silent until they were right by our table. This year, I offered to take a photo of the Clause family without Philip and Tiffany although after what we paid for brunch, they should be happy to have a pose with them.
We throughly enjoyed ourselves and practically rolled out of there with our food baby bellies. We had planned to come hang out at my house making cookies and shopping but instead, we all laid down and took long naps! All that eating is exhausting!!
Here are some photos:
The problem with Santa Brunch is you can't make a reservation, and we are not the only ones that love this tradition. So the goal is to get seated in the first round of feasters and if at all possible, get a seat in the main brunch area. We lined up about 1.25 hours early. I'm so so lucky because Philip and Tiffany stood in line while I got to rest in a comfy chair. I joined them in line about 10 minutes before they opened. I could not believe how many people had crowded in. The line was super long and snaked around the hotel and out the lobby doors. But we were on the "list" that was taken about a hour before.
They started seating the large families with reservations first. At about 10 after the hour, they started the walk in line. We were the 4th group from the walk in line. I let them know it would help me greatly if I could be in the main room since I have a tough time walking distance (not far from the truth). We were lead to a lovely table by the meat table.
We proceeded to feast for 2 hours. We enjoyed fresh strawberry crepes, shrimp, rolls, salad, cheese, ham, prime rib, potatoes, bacon, and desserts. There was way more but that is what we wanted. I was seated with my back to the room so when Mr and Mrs Clause came around, Philip and Tiffany were silent until they were right by our table. This year, I offered to take a photo of the Clause family without Philip and Tiffany although after what we paid for brunch, they should be happy to have a pose with them.
We throughly enjoyed ourselves and practically rolled out of there with our food baby bellies. We had planned to come hang out at my house making cookies and shopping but instead, we all laid down and took long naps! All that eating is exhausting!!
Here are some photos:
Hello Baltimore!!
I found myself just shy on Skymiles to keep my Medallion status. In fact, I was 2,900 miles short which is so close out of 25,000 required. So what is a girl to do? Well this girl planned and schemed and jumped on a plane for the day for a milage run.
My criteria was "dirty cheap", direct flight, and able to be done in 1 day. I know that sounds crazy but I have such a mobility problem, visiting a city for the weekend is a waste because I can't really get around well enough to go out and have fun. And a direct flight so I have less chance of having travel delays. I had to go across the US to get the miles I needed. Experience shows me that Newark and Baltimore are two destinations that fit that criteria. I picked Baltimore over Newark because New York can have all kinds of travel problems and if I got stuck there, hotels are super expensive where hotels around the Baltimore airport are inexpensive.
As I researched, I found the Baltimore direct flights were the same flight number so that means the plane flies there and turns around and comes back so I am not at risk of having a delay on a flight coming from somewhere else and, I didn't have to change gates at the airport. Seemed doable. And the flight was surprisingly inexpensive so I booked it with 2 weeks notice.
My adventure took place on Saturday, December 8. It was 3.5 hours there and 5 hours home. I had 40 minutes in Baltimore. I did pack a carry on bag with things to do, a change of clothes, medications for a day, and toiletries in case I got stuck. My flight out left at 9:30 am. I got to the airport way too early but that is okay. I picked up some oatmeal at the McDonalds at the airport and had my water and some snacks for the day.
I planned to entertain myself with movies on the flight, books, and my Christmas cards. As luck would have it, I was upgraded to Delta Comfort which means I am up front, get better and more frequent snacks (think bananas!!) and drinks. I was sat in the window and had no one in the center seat so that is pretty awesome. I did my Christmas Cards and watched a movie on the way there. I watched "Crazy Rich Asians". Before I knew it, we were coming into Baltimore! They did make me get off the plane so I went to the bathroom and reboarded pretty quickly.
On the way home, I was also upgraded but I picked a seat further back so I could have an aisle and I wanted a full tray (the other seat was a bulkhead seat so the table came out of the armrest so it was clunky. Again no one in my center seat.
As we took off, I fell asleep. When I woke up, I realized it was dark and we had a really long time to fly due to headwinds (1.5 hours longer). I watched "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Elf". I also caught the old stop motion "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" on satelite TV. I didn't feel like reading in the dark. I bought myself a great smoked turkey sandwich for linner. We got in early. We landed at 7:00 which was fabulous. I went back to my car and drove home. I missed the storm that came in that night by the skin of my chin.
You can only imagine how sore a body gets sitting in a plane all day. I couldn't wait to put my feet up. And pee in a big boy potty. I had planned to mail my Christmas cards on the way home but forgot my return address labels so I mailed them the next day. Honestly, the day was spent doing pretty much what I would have done at home. It was an easy day, just long. AND, I kept my status.
I thought it was really cute becuase the flight crew knew I was doing a milage run. Actually it is not an unusual thing to do. When I got off the plane, they lined up and High Fived me and congratulated me on my Medallion status and my devotion to Delta Airlines.
So you might ask what I get with my status? Well I get priority seating which means I get to sit up front. I am eligible for upgrades on every flight I take. I can change my flights for $75 same day. I get access to the Sky Room for $50 for a day (great for long layovers). And I get a dedicated phone team which is heaven when the phone lines are busy and you have to wait 3 hours for a rep on the regular line. All well worth the day on the plane.
In the future, I need to plan my travel better. My September trip to Johns Hopkins was booked on an awards ticket so I didn't earn miles. Had I paid for that ticket, I would have made my status without sitting on a plane just for miles.
My criteria was "dirty cheap", direct flight, and able to be done in 1 day. I know that sounds crazy but I have such a mobility problem, visiting a city for the weekend is a waste because I can't really get around well enough to go out and have fun. And a direct flight so I have less chance of having travel delays. I had to go across the US to get the miles I needed. Experience shows me that Newark and Baltimore are two destinations that fit that criteria. I picked Baltimore over Newark because New York can have all kinds of travel problems and if I got stuck there, hotels are super expensive where hotels around the Baltimore airport are inexpensive.
As I researched, I found the Baltimore direct flights were the same flight number so that means the plane flies there and turns around and comes back so I am not at risk of having a delay on a flight coming from somewhere else and, I didn't have to change gates at the airport. Seemed doable. And the flight was surprisingly inexpensive so I booked it with 2 weeks notice.
My adventure took place on Saturday, December 8. It was 3.5 hours there and 5 hours home. I had 40 minutes in Baltimore. I did pack a carry on bag with things to do, a change of clothes, medications for a day, and toiletries in case I got stuck. My flight out left at 9:30 am. I got to the airport way too early but that is okay. I picked up some oatmeal at the McDonalds at the airport and had my water and some snacks for the day.
I planned to entertain myself with movies on the flight, books, and my Christmas cards. As luck would have it, I was upgraded to Delta Comfort which means I am up front, get better and more frequent snacks (think bananas!!) and drinks. I was sat in the window and had no one in the center seat so that is pretty awesome. I did my Christmas Cards and watched a movie on the way there. I watched "Crazy Rich Asians". Before I knew it, we were coming into Baltimore! They did make me get off the plane so I went to the bathroom and reboarded pretty quickly.
On the way home, I was also upgraded but I picked a seat further back so I could have an aisle and I wanted a full tray (the other seat was a bulkhead seat so the table came out of the armrest so it was clunky. Again no one in my center seat.
As we took off, I fell asleep. When I woke up, I realized it was dark and we had a really long time to fly due to headwinds (1.5 hours longer). I watched "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Elf". I also caught the old stop motion "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" on satelite TV. I didn't feel like reading in the dark. I bought myself a great smoked turkey sandwich for linner. We got in early. We landed at 7:00 which was fabulous. I went back to my car and drove home. I missed the storm that came in that night by the skin of my chin.
You can only imagine how sore a body gets sitting in a plane all day. I couldn't wait to put my feet up. And pee in a big boy potty. I had planned to mail my Christmas cards on the way home but forgot my return address labels so I mailed them the next day. Honestly, the day was spent doing pretty much what I would have done at home. It was an easy day, just long. AND, I kept my status.
I thought it was really cute becuase the flight crew knew I was doing a milage run. Actually it is not an unusual thing to do. When I got off the plane, they lined up and High Fived me and congratulated me on my Medallion status and my devotion to Delta Airlines.
So you might ask what I get with my status? Well I get priority seating which means I get to sit up front. I am eligible for upgrades on every flight I take. I can change my flights for $75 same day. I get access to the Sky Room for $50 for a day (great for long layovers). And I get a dedicated phone team which is heaven when the phone lines are busy and you have to wait 3 hours for a rep on the regular line. All well worth the day on the plane.
In the future, I need to plan my travel better. My September trip to Johns Hopkins was booked on an awards ticket so I didn't earn miles. Had I paid for that ticket, I would have made my status without sitting on a plane just for miles.
Friday, December 14, 2018
New Doctor and such
I totally forgot to talk about my new doctor! I decided awhile ago it was probably time to try to find a new doctor to help me in Utah with my Myositis. I had to fight like hell but scored an appointment with Dr. Lee who was recommended by Dana, my Myositis friend in Utah. Luckily she is on my insurance plan.
When I say I fought like hell, I am not kidding. Seems since more people were able to have insurance, more specialists are screening patients before agreeing to see them. I needed a referral from my doctor and sent in my medical records. I was rejected first pass but then I called and spoke with Melissa, her RN. Melissa wanted to know my goals, what I expected from the doctor and my past history with my medical teams. I assured her most my doctors really enjoy me as a patient and there were notes to that affect. I am always on time (or early) to my appointment and would NEVER cancel last minute unless there was an emergency. I told her I was going to Johns Hopkins but finding it harder to travel there and would like a doctor in state that knows Myositis or is at least interested in learning. I wanted a doctor to help me live my best life, and when the time comes, will help me with disability from work. After a week long review, she called me to let me know that Dr. Lee would see me for exactly 1 visit and that I would have to wait 2.5 months for an appointment. I thanked her for her help and let her know I was very patient and will wait for an appointment.
When I got home from the cruise, I had my appointment Monday morning. Dr. Lee is a nice Rheumatologist that is interested in Myositis. In fact, she interned at the Mayo Myositis office. She sees several Myositis patients. We have a fairly detailed examination and discussion of my Myositis journey. I told her about the NTC5 test I had to confirm my IBM. She had not heard of that but was very interested. And she was almost enamoured I was seeing Dr. Christopher-Stine at Johns Hopkins because she is one of THE nations leaders in Myositis research. She wanted to know how I scored that appointment.
She warned me to stop my social "binge" drinking and encouraged me to keep moving. She wants my blood work done quarterly and she wants to see me every quarter. She recommended I try to switch to a pre-loaded injectible Methotrexate. She also indicated she felt much more comfortable seeing me if I also continue to go to Johns Hopkins annually. She would help me fight my insurance for coverage as much as possible. And......(drum roll please).....she agreed to take me on as an ongoing patient. I was so happy I helped win her over.
I will miss working with Dr. D, my old Neurologist, but she wasn't interested in Myositis much at all and I need someone to keep an eye on research for me. I almost feel I owe her a "good bye" but I suck at those so I am just not going to make a new appointment.
When I say I fought like hell, I am not kidding. Seems since more people were able to have insurance, more specialists are screening patients before agreeing to see them. I needed a referral from my doctor and sent in my medical records. I was rejected first pass but then I called and spoke with Melissa, her RN. Melissa wanted to know my goals, what I expected from the doctor and my past history with my medical teams. I assured her most my doctors really enjoy me as a patient and there were notes to that affect. I am always on time (or early) to my appointment and would NEVER cancel last minute unless there was an emergency. I told her I was going to Johns Hopkins but finding it harder to travel there and would like a doctor in state that knows Myositis or is at least interested in learning. I wanted a doctor to help me live my best life, and when the time comes, will help me with disability from work. After a week long review, she called me to let me know that Dr. Lee would see me for exactly 1 visit and that I would have to wait 2.5 months for an appointment. I thanked her for her help and let her know I was very patient and will wait for an appointment.
When I got home from the cruise, I had my appointment Monday morning. Dr. Lee is a nice Rheumatologist that is interested in Myositis. In fact, she interned at the Mayo Myositis office. She sees several Myositis patients. We have a fairly detailed examination and discussion of my Myositis journey. I told her about the NTC5 test I had to confirm my IBM. She had not heard of that but was very interested. And she was almost enamoured I was seeing Dr. Christopher-Stine at Johns Hopkins because she is one of THE nations leaders in Myositis research. She wanted to know how I scored that appointment.
She warned me to stop my social "binge" drinking and encouraged me to keep moving. She wants my blood work done quarterly and she wants to see me every quarter. She recommended I try to switch to a pre-loaded injectible Methotrexate. She also indicated she felt much more comfortable seeing me if I also continue to go to Johns Hopkins annually. She would help me fight my insurance for coverage as much as possible. And......(drum roll please).....she agreed to take me on as an ongoing patient. I was so happy I helped win her over.
I will miss working with Dr. D, my old Neurologist, but she wasn't interested in Myositis much at all and I need someone to keep an eye on research for me. I almost feel I owe her a "good bye" but I suck at those so I am just not going to make a new appointment.
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