Sunday, February 23, 2014
Sweet!
My name is Jan and I am a frozen yogurt-aholic... My favorite place on earth is a little yogurt place where you can make your own sundaes. It also has not one, but TWO topping bars! WOOT! It is the BEST place EVER! Although, I am not a fan of gummi bears or other "different" toppings, I am a traditionalist. I have developed a fondness for white chocolate chips. Um... I've made myself hungry! Off to the yogurt shop!!
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Reasons...
My hubby, my dogs, all puppies, sunshine, freshly mowed grass, giggling, true
friends, a warm blanket, newborn lambs, bagpipe music and cute guys in kilts,
found money, rainbows, angels, feathers, paying it forward, weddings,
snowflakes, daffodils and crocuses, the first signs of Spring, hugs and kisses,
peepers, cardinals, a favorite movie, hot chocolate with whipped cream AND
marshmallows... These are some of my reasons to smile.
friends, a warm blanket, newborn lambs, bagpipe music and cute guys in kilts,
found money, rainbows, angels, feathers, paying it forward, weddings,
snowflakes, daffodils and crocuses, the first signs of Spring, hugs and kisses,
peepers, cardinals, a favorite movie, hot chocolate with whipped cream AND
marshmallows... These are some of my reasons to smile.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Reaching...
Yesterday was a BAD day... It started out with being late for work for a very good reason, a vehicle accident that I came upon on my way there. It only got worse from there. It was a day for heavy lifting and very physical work. My 50 year old body rebelled against doing this. There are days when I just feel as though I am too old for this job, physically. And then, the day got worse...
Our house is old... 71 years old, as a matter of fact. It has issues and with all the snow and sudden warm up and meltdown, water poured into the foundation. Hubby was home alone and was completely stressed out. Two rooms in the basement had 2-4 inches of water and the furnace was in danger of being ruined. He thought it would be a good idea to go out and shovel this wet, heavy snow away from the foundation. I told him that this is NOT a good idea. This is what they call "heart attack" snow. Lo and behold, after shoveling, he developed shortness of breath and chest pain. I was still at work when I found out that he was feeling this way. I hung up with him and immediately called dispatch to have an ambulance sent to our house.
I left work early and met him at the ER. He was in good spirits and I was happy to see him feeling better after some pre-hospital treatment. Because of the basement situation, I had to leave him there in the capable hands of the hospital staff and go home. They were still waiting for his lab results and a bed as he was staying the night for observation and a stress test tomorrow. ...
I was instantly overwhelmed and burst into tears as I walked down the stairs to the basement. I cried for 10 minutes, which we all know accomplishes nothing... I asked my Mom for strength. I know that there are people dealing with much more tragic things than a wet basement. But after everything that happened through this entire day, it was a tragedy to me. I've been trying to lose the stress in my life, not add to it. I pulled myself together and managed to fill and empty 18 large buckets of water before reinforcements arrived. My sister and nephew came to help me with the mess. They even brought me dinner.
I was cold, wet and feeling SO bad. However, we finally got a hold on the water and after several hours of work, the bulk of the mess was cleaned up. My body hurt and I was so cold and tired. I got the dogs fed, shop-vacced the basement again and eventually went to bed. It was not a very restful night as I anticipated the phone ringing or the basement filling up. I decided to stop fighting it and just get up.
The morning broke with some sunshine. The basement, while still wet, was at a manageable level for myself now. The hubby finally called to give me an update and with his lab work good and no signs of a hear attack in his cardiac enzyme levels, this was all great news. I've had to realign some priorities. Certain things need to wait until I can function on all cylinders again.
Home ownership can be a blessing and also a curse. Owning an old home is labor intensive. Especially these old duplexes that were thrown up with speed and little care for quality. I am thankful that I can own a home. It is just that this one is quite the money pit. New windows, new roof, new siding... and this year, a new foundation or SOME kind of remedy for the water flow.
Back to the hubby... I am waiting for him to call and say he is sprung from the hospital. I am waiting for his stress test results. If all is well, he can come home later today. That is a reason to smile... The rest? Well, it will all just have to wait.
Our house is old... 71 years old, as a matter of fact. It has issues and with all the snow and sudden warm up and meltdown, water poured into the foundation. Hubby was home alone and was completely stressed out. Two rooms in the basement had 2-4 inches of water and the furnace was in danger of being ruined. He thought it would be a good idea to go out and shovel this wet, heavy snow away from the foundation. I told him that this is NOT a good idea. This is what they call "heart attack" snow. Lo and behold, after shoveling, he developed shortness of breath and chest pain. I was still at work when I found out that he was feeling this way. I hung up with him and immediately called dispatch to have an ambulance sent to our house.
I left work early and met him at the ER. He was in good spirits and I was happy to see him feeling better after some pre-hospital treatment. Because of the basement situation, I had to leave him there in the capable hands of the hospital staff and go home. They were still waiting for his lab results and a bed as he was staying the night for observation and a stress test tomorrow. ...
I was instantly overwhelmed and burst into tears as I walked down the stairs to the basement. I cried for 10 minutes, which we all know accomplishes nothing... I asked my Mom for strength. I know that there are people dealing with much more tragic things than a wet basement. But after everything that happened through this entire day, it was a tragedy to me. I've been trying to lose the stress in my life, not add to it. I pulled myself together and managed to fill and empty 18 large buckets of water before reinforcements arrived. My sister and nephew came to help me with the mess. They even brought me dinner.
I was cold, wet and feeling SO bad. However, we finally got a hold on the water and after several hours of work, the bulk of the mess was cleaned up. My body hurt and I was so cold and tired. I got the dogs fed, shop-vacced the basement again and eventually went to bed. It was not a very restful night as I anticipated the phone ringing or the basement filling up. I decided to stop fighting it and just get up.
The morning broke with some sunshine. The basement, while still wet, was at a manageable level for myself now. The hubby finally called to give me an update and with his lab work good and no signs of a hear attack in his cardiac enzyme levels, this was all great news. I've had to realign some priorities. Certain things need to wait until I can function on all cylinders again.
Home ownership can be a blessing and also a curse. Owning an old home is labor intensive. Especially these old duplexes that were thrown up with speed and little care for quality. I am thankful that I can own a home. It is just that this one is quite the money pit. New windows, new roof, new siding... and this year, a new foundation or SOME kind of remedy for the water flow.
Back to the hubby... I am waiting for him to call and say he is sprung from the hospital. I am waiting for his stress test results. If all is well, he can come home later today. That is a reason to smile... The rest? Well, it will all just have to wait.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
It's the little things...
Yesterday when I was at the vet's office... yup, dogs again, there was a woman there picking up medicine for her cat. She had a balance, not a large one, but wasn't able to pay it along with the new cost for the medication. She was upset, but my vet's office agreed to work out payments with her, which isn't their policy. I felt bad for her and turned my attention to Piper and looking out the window. I know she was embarrassed and she kept looking over at me. At one point I smiled at her. Hey, who am I to judge? I've been there... robbing Peter to pay Paul. Most of us HAVE.
It was Valentine's Day, not a favorite holiday as a dear friend of mine was discovered murdered 12 years ago on this holiday. Her 15 year old adopted son waited until her husband went out of town. He snuck up behind her as she was feeding her beloved animals in the barn, and shot her execution-style in the back of the head, then did the unthinkable to her dead body. I don't think any of her friends have ever really recovered from the brutality and horror of that tragic day. Many years before this, when I was still in college, a childhood friend committed suicide on Valentine's Day also. So, you see just why it isn't much of a holiday for me.
I do try to do good things in my life. I try to be a good person. My parents raised me to be generous and help those that are in need. So this woman's plight sparked something in me. It wasn't a large amount of money, but it was more than this woman obviously could afford. Drawing payments out would cost even more for her. As I was checking out and after she had left, I paid her balance. I told the staff that it was to be anonymous. It was nice to pay it forward.
Once upon a time, I had some wonderful friends pay it forward to me. When our beloved Gage fractured his elbow and needed to have expensive surgery, these friends called in their credit cards to help pay the bill. Gage's Angels came to be and to this day, I do not know all of their identities. This gesture was much less grandiose, but I hope, not less appreciated.
This society has become so selfish and all about me, Me, ME! It does a heart and soul good to do something selfless. A few days ago, our ambulance was sitting in a shopping complex as we were on a transfer to an eye doctor there. We came out to find a box of giant chocolate dipped strawberries on the driver's seat with a note... "We are thankful for people like you!!" The staff @ Edible Arrangements. Being in EMS, that RARELY ever happens to us. We are the forgotten emergency service, that is, until we are needed. This was such a wonderful gesture and so unexpected. It makes me smile to know that we really ARE appreciated.
It really is the little things in life that make me smile. They say to not sweat the small things, but I believe that you don't want to ever overlook the small things either. I hope this gave you a reason to smile... :)
It was Valentine's Day, not a favorite holiday as a dear friend of mine was discovered murdered 12 years ago on this holiday. Her 15 year old adopted son waited until her husband went out of town. He snuck up behind her as she was feeding her beloved animals in the barn, and shot her execution-style in the back of the head, then did the unthinkable to her dead body. I don't think any of her friends have ever really recovered from the brutality and horror of that tragic day. Many years before this, when I was still in college, a childhood friend committed suicide on Valentine's Day also. So, you see just why it isn't much of a holiday for me.
I do try to do good things in my life. I try to be a good person. My parents raised me to be generous and help those that are in need. So this woman's plight sparked something in me. It wasn't a large amount of money, but it was more than this woman obviously could afford. Drawing payments out would cost even more for her. As I was checking out and after she had left, I paid her balance. I told the staff that it was to be anonymous. It was nice to pay it forward.
Once upon a time, I had some wonderful friends pay it forward to me. When our beloved Gage fractured his elbow and needed to have expensive surgery, these friends called in their credit cards to help pay the bill. Gage's Angels came to be and to this day, I do not know all of their identities. This gesture was much less grandiose, but I hope, not less appreciated.
This society has become so selfish and all about me, Me, ME! It does a heart and soul good to do something selfless. A few days ago, our ambulance was sitting in a shopping complex as we were on a transfer to an eye doctor there. We came out to find a box of giant chocolate dipped strawberries on the driver's seat with a note... "We are thankful for people like you!!" The staff @ Edible Arrangements. Being in EMS, that RARELY ever happens to us. We are the forgotten emergency service, that is, until we are needed. This was such a wonderful gesture and so unexpected. It makes me smile to know that we really ARE appreciated.
It really is the little things in life that make me smile. They say to not sweat the small things, but I believe that you don't want to ever overlook the small things either. I hope this gave you a reason to smile... :)
Friday, February 7, 2014
Bucket lists...
Welcome to my new blog that DOESN'T revolve around my dogs! I love to write and so what better way to do just that than a blog! I hope this blog gives you a reason to smile...
I turned 50 in October 2013. Traumatic? Nah... I think 40 was more traumatic. If I remember correctly, so was 30 and 35. Sheesh... At 50, I know who I am and what I want out of life. Will I get it? Well, not always and definitely not without hard work and dedication. I find myself thinking more about my "bucket list" at this age more than at other ages. "Things I want to do, but doubt I will ever achieve" is more like it. Most of what is on my bucket list are expensive things that I will never be able to afford. Trips to Hawaii, Scotland, Wales, England, Germany, Japan, Australia and other exotic places top my list. If I didn't have "d o g s", those might be easier and maybe more affordable. Maybe not.
Bucket lists are interesting things. Some people long to bungee jump or sky dive. I would much rather stay on the ground. I'm not a big fan of flying in any form. Airplanes push my tolerance level. Oddly enough, I'm not afraid of heights. I think I'm just afraid of falling and the sudden stop at the bottom. I know... flying in an airplane is supposedly safer than being in a car. Maybe... or maybe not. I've been on an airplane twice in my life. Two trips to Florida, back and forth... I guess that counts as 4 times. I hated every minute of it. Flying to Australia or Europe over WATER for HOURS would probably make me become unglued. I think sedatives would be in order or alcohol, lots of it and I don't drink. Those bucket list trips will go unrealized, I fear. I once did enjoy a helicopter ride though. Maybe because it wasn't as high?? Who knows... Like I said, I'm a freak.
Other bucket list items are probably easier to do. Although I don't think meeting Harrison Ford, George Clooney or Liam Neeson will ever happen either. So what is the point of a bucket list if you can't really achieve the things on it? I think it keeps me moving forward in the HOPE that I might some day accomplish ONE thing on my bucket list. If nothing else, it makes me smile.
So make a bucket list, share it or keep it hidden away so that only you know what it is. I don't think that not achieving your bucket lists makes you a failure. I think having one, and whether or not you accomplish one of all of the items on your list, makes you think outside the box that can be your life. There's nothing wrong with doing that. We can all use a little more hope...
I hope this post gave you a random smile...
I turned 50 in October 2013. Traumatic? Nah... I think 40 was more traumatic. If I remember correctly, so was 30 and 35. Sheesh... At 50, I know who I am and what I want out of life. Will I get it? Well, not always and definitely not without hard work and dedication. I find myself thinking more about my "bucket list" at this age more than at other ages. "Things I want to do, but doubt I will ever achieve" is more like it. Most of what is on my bucket list are expensive things that I will never be able to afford. Trips to Hawaii, Scotland, Wales, England, Germany, Japan, Australia and other exotic places top my list. If I didn't have "d o g s", those might be easier and maybe more affordable. Maybe not.
Bucket lists are interesting things. Some people long to bungee jump or sky dive. I would much rather stay on the ground. I'm not a big fan of flying in any form. Airplanes push my tolerance level. Oddly enough, I'm not afraid of heights. I think I'm just afraid of falling and the sudden stop at the bottom. I know... flying in an airplane is supposedly safer than being in a car. Maybe... or maybe not. I've been on an airplane twice in my life. Two trips to Florida, back and forth... I guess that counts as 4 times. I hated every minute of it. Flying to Australia or Europe over WATER for HOURS would probably make me become unglued. I think sedatives would be in order or alcohol, lots of it and I don't drink. Those bucket list trips will go unrealized, I fear. I once did enjoy a helicopter ride though. Maybe because it wasn't as high?? Who knows... Like I said, I'm a freak.
Other bucket list items are probably easier to do. Although I don't think meeting Harrison Ford, George Clooney or Liam Neeson will ever happen either. So what is the point of a bucket list if you can't really achieve the things on it? I think it keeps me moving forward in the HOPE that I might some day accomplish ONE thing on my bucket list. If nothing else, it makes me smile.
So make a bucket list, share it or keep it hidden away so that only you know what it is. I don't think that not achieving your bucket lists makes you a failure. I think having one, and whether or not you accomplish one of all of the items on your list, makes you think outside the box that can be your life. There's nothing wrong with doing that. We can all use a little more hope...
I hope this post gave you a random smile...
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)