My Mister at 41

The zombie obsession has only gotten worse, but it makes him sooo happy. He occupies himself by making paracord bracelets and keychains. ( Let me know if you are interested in one. ) He has that great intellegent sense of humor. The same old Dave, only 1 year older. I love him more than ever. Happy 41st Birhtday!

What's in your purse?

Here is what is in mine:

• 3 different lip products--I can never have too much yummy lip stuff
• Dental Floss-- if I get something stuck in my teeth, it drives me crazy
• Green (spearmint) Extra gum-- it reminds me of my mom, and I chew it all the time
• 2 lotions-- I hate having dry hands
• A grocery list (last week's)-- I kept it because I wrote some new items on it for this week
• A bank receipt--it just needs to be thrown away
• 2 panty liners and 2 tampons--because with 2 teen girls and myself, they come in handy
• My cheap little pre paid cell phone-- It's not pretty, but it only costs me $15 a month
• My orange wallet-- cards, money and a love note that Dave wrote me 8 yrs ago and hid in my purse ( I always keep it in my wallet)
• A plastic purple pill case with plenty of ibuprofen-- when I need it, I really need it
• Dayquil tablets-- I just got over a cold
• Green Tea and honey drink mix--sometimes I need a little color in my water
• Travel size hand sanitizer spray-- because germs are everywhere but clean bathrooms are not
• My favorite pen
• Pepper spray--because Dave insists
• Stripped sunglass case-- it doesn't help me to remember to wear them

Thanks for the great idea, Becca!

The Power of Positive Thinking

There is one thing that a lot of the greatest people throughout history have in common: they believed that they could do anything. Even when others doubted them, they set out to accomplish the seemingly impossible. They never gave up on themselves. They saw a problem as a challenge; a set back as an opportunity. They put in the hard work and made the sacrifices because they could see what others could not: there is power in your thoughts, in your faith. They always look to the bright side.

I run across medical cases all the time where a patient has done the impossible. A man that should not be able to walk will walk if he believes he can and is determined to overcome. I see a miracle in my own grandmother. After her stroke, the doctors told us over and over that she would be bedridden and that she would never be able to talk again. On her good days, she can talk, and most of the time she is able to communicate. She is walking and interacting with us as she normally would; laughing at the old family stories and recognizing us with a bright smile.

There is so much about thought and energy and faith that we don't understand, but those that believe can overcome. If a patient considers themselves an optimist, their healing time after surgery is quicker and their pain levels are lower.

I draw inspiration from these cases. I try to remember that it will all work out if I believe it will; if I have faith in THE BIG PLAN that God has in store for me. I focus on the positive. I hear "next" and not "no". I sign my name as Angie Mack, RN in my notebook doodles.

Dave in the Kitchen?

Testing her wings

Heather moved out. Not officially, she is staying with a friend. She took most of her clothes and states the she will get the rest of her stuff later. I have mixed feelings about all of this.

On one hand, I am happy that she made the grown up decision to live somewhere else. She did not want to follow the rules we had made for her, so the choice was to do it anyway or find somewhere else to live. I am glad that she is out there, testing her wings, trying things out on her own. It is hard to let her go make her own mistakes, but I know in my heart that it is the only way to learn certain lessons. I wish her luck, and I hope that she knows we will be there to help her should she need us. Note that I said help--not rescue.

I remember moving out of my parents house, moving in with Jeremy and his family. It was fun at first, I felt so grown-up. The life at his parents house was so drastically different from what I had grown up with that I soon became homesick. I moved back home within 6 months. But, it was mostly because Jeremy and I were not getting along. And, I needed help with Drew.

On the other hand, we have resorted to communicating with her through facebook. (Is this just a generation gap--am I crazy to want a real conversation?) I have sent her messages to call us, or to come by for dinner. Her reply is "I miss you, too. I will call later. I will come over some time." She did call Dave this week and made arrangements to take him out for his birthday. The truth is, I miss her. I don't want to smother her if she needs this "space" to grow up and assert her adulthood, but I want to talk to her, to know what's going on in her life.

Should I call her? Or let her come to me when she is ready? We had our disagreements, but when she left there was no anger. She just came home one Saturday and said that she found a job and was going to stay with a friend for awhile. I told her to please call and check in with me, because I want to know that she is okay. That is the last time she actually talked to me. It has been 3 weeks.

It is hard to know what to do. Dave says that she will start to miss his cooking soon, and she will come around. I just want her to know that she is still a part of our family and we still want to spend time with her.

Is it like this for every mom? I am sooo not a good empty-nester. (Or maybe I am, I don't really know)