Happy Easter

 

          Happy Easter 2024. It is a very low key day over here. I worked all weekend and have to go back tomorrow night, so we are not doing much. Just laundry. If I get a bit of energy my daughter and I have ingredients to make a homemade carrot cake with homemade cream cheese frosting. We will see how that goes. I am not cooking either, just ordered in sandwiches LOL. It is a gorgeous day here though. Sun is shinning and it is not too hot. If I had more energy I would go out and enjoy, but today is all about recovery since I work another 3 in a row starting tomorrow. The only reason I am doing that is because I am taking a mini staycation :) I will have 14 days straight with no work. I am so looking forward to that. Nothing special planned as of yet, but I have ideas LOL. 

Early Bird or Night Owl

 

          I am both. I love getting up early in the morning to watch the world come awake. It is so peaceful to me. I also am up late at night because of being a night shift nurse. The times I am not awake are in the afternoon. From 10am until about 8pm I have to force myself to move LOL.

My Tree LOL

 

          Okay, yesterday while I was out mowing and fixing up my front yard, a neighbor came over to talk to me about safety. He apparently thinks there is some shady stuff going on in my neighborhood. I don't think so, but I let him talk. It ended up with him asking permission to trim my trees out front for free. In the interest of maintaining good neighbor relations I said sure. Didn't really want it, but I figured it would be okay, and I kept on friendly terms. Oh boy, I woke up and found the tree out front looks like a lollipop now and the palm tree that had three trunks now only has two LOL I don't know how to feel about that. Not like I can change anything now. The tree will grow back, but the palm tree is now just a double. He cut it at the base. I guess I will adapt. At least that trunk no longer will partially obstruct the sidewalk, though it only did that when I did not trim it back, which I did LOL so now the front of my house looks a bit more bare. At least he put my birdfeeder back on the tree. I am actually glad he did not mess with my big Christmas tree LOL it has birds living in it. They are scary and will attack if you mess with their home :)

My First Love

 

          I remember my first love, I still love him, and most likely always will. He and I were never together together, but we were close. His name was Richard, I was only one who called him Richie. I met him when I was 20 years old. I was so incredibly shy back then. My mom forced me to go to my church's young adult meeting. I was terrified. I got there, went in, and say down. I did not interact with anybody. Once it was over I dashed out. On my way to my car I heard somebody running after me. Scared the bejeebers out of me. I turned around and my heart stood still. It was the cutest guy I had ever seen in real life. He said "I'm sorry I scared you, I just wanted to meet you". I was stunned and right then and there I fell for him hard. We talked for a few minutes and then I had to reluctantly leave. I was smiling all the way home. Every week I would go to the meeting and every week we would hang out together. He did not have romantic feelings for me, he was just a nice guy. He became my best friend LOL. We would pull pranks on each other, go on road trips, he took me to college parties. He taught me how to enjoy life. I came out of my shell hanging out with him. He only saw me as a friend, but I loved him completely. I was heartbroken when I moved away to Arkansas. We stayed in touch for a bit via phone calls, but those eventually stopped. Once, after my divorce, I went back to Reno to visit my mom and looked him up. He and I made plans to get together. It was like no time had passed. One thing did change though, he saw me as a woman LOL. It was probably because we both knew it was a one time date, so we let ourselves be romantic for one night. I got to melt in him arms and be held (I even got a lot of kisses) LOL. My 30 year old self was living the dream of my 20 year old self. It was a great date.

          I cannot believe we are now both in our 50's. I just looked him up, because of this prompt, and saw he is still in Reno. Last I knew he had become a teacher. It does not look like he has much of an online life. I did not see any spouse pop up with his name. In a way I am happy for that LOL. My heart would break a bit to find out he is married. If he is single, then there is still a possibility LOL not that I would go looking for him. I just like that it is there. Plus, what if the person he is now is nothing like I remember. I would rather he stayed my perfect true love in my mind. I miss him a lot, I always will. He brought me to life and for that I will always love him.

My Role Model and Why?

 

          I do not have any particular role model. I get inspired by people, but those people change very often. Even I can't keep up LOL. I see somebody living a life like I would like, and I try to be like them LOL it often does not last long. I always go back to being just me. I do not want to be a role model for anybody. That is too much pressure for a person. People should just be themselves. Most would say I want to be a role model for my kids. No way!!! I want my kids to be so much more than me. I want them to be completely happy in life, successful, loved, respected, and fulfilled. Being like me means every day they have to struggle to be better. I stress over health, weight, money, everything. I do not want them to emulate that ever. 

          Well that ended up being a depressing post LOL.  Now I need to go do stuff so I can at least feel accomplished at the end of the day. 

Silly Sunday Blog

 

          I have been terrible about blogging this weekend because of work, plus the topics were not fun. It was if had 6 months to live what would I do (I'd be sad and scared), describe myself 10 years ago (boring), and how would people describe me (I don't want to know). None of those were inspiring me and I was tired LOL.

          I am still tired, but done with work. It was rough because of my hands. My thumb joints were hurting. So, I went and got me some new vitamins to hopefully help with joint pain. I ordered some ginger with turmeric and cinnamon gummies. They are supposed to arrive tomorrow. I am hoping that now that it is warmer weather I can get more active. I suffer from seasonal affective disorder, I need sunshine to feel normal.

          Today is responsibilities day. Laundry, groceries, tidying up, etc... Staci and I are also going to run and check out Aquatica. Apparently as passholders we get free $10 coupons for something. It expires today, so going to get our free $20 and buy something and also look around to see what is there. We need to plan a trip there for swimming soon. That reminds me I need to add sunscreen on our shopping list LOL I will definitely burn. I was cursed with the Celtic complexion. I just think about the sun and I get red. 

Hello Spring

          It is finally officially Spring here. Of course Florida had to be troublesome and start it off at 49 degrees LOL it quickly warmed up though. My grass is growing well, so well that I got brave and planted flower seeds all along the side of my house. We will see if anything grows. That would be very nice.

          With the warmer weather I tend to start daydreaming about all of the activities I am going to do with my kids LOL most of them never happen though. Out of ten things I might do three, but I still keep planning. 

          Number one is always get healthier. I really am trying to work on that one. I am going to use my daughter as inspiration on the eating part. This morning she made herself a bowl of cereal. There was barely anything in the bowl to my eye, but according to her and the package it was one serving. She then wanted something salty, but instead of getting a whole bag of chips like I would do, she got a small bowl and put some in it. She is so good. I am going to try and be more like her LOL. My biggest problem is portion control, something which she has got down pat.

          I also got us a treadmill so I can walk inside. It is a bit awkward to use. I feel off balance, especially when I step off. So I ordered a desk to put over it so I can use it to balance myself. Once it gets warmer and our water shoes get here, Staci and I will also start going to Aquatica to swim. Perhaps after we go to SeaWorld. We will be wanting something to cool us down. I just need to get us some strong sunscreen LOL.

          Off to work again for the weekend. I am hoping it goes smoothly and quickly. Nine more shifts until my mini vacation. By then it will definitely be warm enough to go swimming :)

Simple Life to Me Means...

 

          A simple life to me means avoiding all drama. I tend to stay to myself. I do things that make my kids and I happy. I do not try to overachieve in anything. I am happy with what I have. I like simple pleasures like a good cup of coffee in the morning, my dogs all bouncy and excited when I get home, hearing birds or windchimes outside, stormy weather, finding something my kids both love, anything that brings a smile to my heart. I might not always smile outwardly, but inside I am happy.

          I learned long ago to keep my life simple. Adding too many people to it gets exhausting. Trying to please others is very draining. Don't get me wrong, I am willing to help others, but I will not go out of my way to do so. It might seem selfish, but it keeps me mentally happier. I do not have to worry about failing others, I used to fret over that a lot. I lived in a constant state of anxiety. I was miserable. I went to bed afraid and woke up afraid that I was not successful at anything. I did not like feeling that way 24/7 so now I stay to myself. I focus on just keeping my little family happy. That is something I am good at :)

The Person I Am Closest To.

 

          The person I am closest to would have to be my son Leland. I love my kids equally, but he is the one I have always depended on. He made me the person I am today. He hates when I say that, says it puts too much pressure on him, so I simply just tell him he is the best :) He has always been my rock. When he was younger and times were tough, I never gave up because of him. I got through nursing school, a divorce, custody battles, single parent hood, money troubles, car troubles, loneliness, moving, anything life threw at me, I got through it because I had him. He still takes care of me. He listens to me when I need to vent, he gets me tylenol when I am aching after work, he makes me breakfast when I am working, he protects Staci when I am not there, he is only one who can calm her anxiety, he does everything I ask of him. I do not know what I would do without him.

          Okay, first day of Spring here, and it is 54 degrees??? What happened??? I still have patio door open LOL I can hear my wind chimes. I am waiting on my doctor to call so I can get a refill on my zoloft prescription. I have a low key day planned. I am going to try and make another soda bread since the kids loved the other loaf I made. I have a new journal "Beating Menopause Weight Loss Journal" that I want to start using. LOL I just got off phone with doctor. He tried to get me to let him order labs because he say I had clonidine prescription. I haven't taken that in over a year. I got my blood pressure down all on my own. I was able to tell him that this morning's reading was 117/68 with a pulse of 81. He dropped the blood work issue LOL. I do not want to get poked for labs. I hate needles. Okay, now off to get my low key day going :)

Do You Believe in Second Chances?

 

          This is a tough question. I like the quote I found because it is true. It depends on the person whether or not I give them a second chance. Lots of factors would come into play. Like how bad was the mistake, do they feel sorry, do they want another chance, do I have to deal with them in the future? Kids I tend to always give a second chance :) they are learning. Adults should know better. Likely I will give a second chance, but I will not forget what happened prior. Kind of like I can forgive but not forget. So it ends up being different altogether. It is a hard concept to explain.

          I am trying to catch up on these blog prompts LOL that one was yesterday, but I was too tired to function LOL I came home after work and mowed my yard and then did laundry, cleaned, and grocery shopped. I had no brain function left LOL today's prompt is I could be more productive if I stopped...   The answer to that is napping LOL. I waste more time falling asleep, even when I don't want to. At work, I am good. I stay awake at work even if I am sitting. At home though LOL if I am sitting, I fall asleep. It sucks LOL. I really want to be more active, but I get so tired that I crash out. Sometimes I think I have narcolepsy??? That or chronic fatigue syndrome. 

Old Irish Blessing

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

 

          I know I am a day early, but odds are I will be too tired to write tomorrow LOL one more night at work. Once I make it through that, then I have to do all my responsible stuff when I get off because I am useless once I go to sleep. So mowing lawn when I get off, then shower, then laundry, then tidy up, and finally sleep. I already put together my Irish stew in crockpot for the kids to start before they go to bed so it will be ready for lunch tomorrow. If I am coherent, then I am going to try and make some soda bread LOL doubtful that happens. Once I wake up, who knows what I will attempt doing LOL. I would like to go to Raglan Road in Disney Springs for the St. Patrick's celebration or SeaWorld for theirs, but it all depends on how lucid I am LOL. We might just kick back and do nothing.  That is the beauty of getting all the responsible stuff done early, the freedom to do nothing later :)

Money? Fame? Neither?

 

          Money LOL definitely money. I would love to be rich and be able to do anything I wanted to. I would landscape backyard really cool, buy the houses on either side of me, one for daughter and one for son, and create runs between so pets could come and go as they please in each house LOL. I'd probably even add a pool with a waterfall feature. Inside the houses would be tiled everywhere LOL easier to clean. I would have healthy meals delivered to us so I didn't have to plan LOL. Annual passes to all the theme parks. My son would get a new car. I'd pay off all my bills and just enjoy my time with my kids. As you can see, I have thought about this a lot LOL.

My Dream Job

 

          My dream job has always been to be a stay at home mom. I would love to be able to spend all my days with my kids, they are my favorite people. Instead I am a nurse, but at least I only have to work 3 days a week. The other 4 days I get to stay home with my two favorite people. 

          We don't do a lot, but it is still nice. Sometimes we cook together or craft together. We play video games. If I can talk them into it we go to craft shows and farmers markets. We also like going to theme parks together. I home school them. Not because I dislike public schools, I just like the flexibility it gives us. No rushing to get them to school in the morning. We do lessons whenever we feel like it LOL.

          I work the next three days, but I am off Sunday for Saint Patrick's Day. We will be making Irish stew and Irish soda bread. I also have to mow my grass because it has grown!!! I'm so happy about that. Now if it can just last. In my downtime at work, I will have to think of some fun stuff to do next week since it is my spring break from school LOL.  Plus I have vacation coming up :) I am so excited!!!

When I was Younger I Wanted to Grow Up To Be A

 

          I wanted to be a florist. I wanted to be surrounded by beautiful flowers. I envisioned a shop full of lovely blooms and bouquets, every color of the rainbow, with ribbons and balloons mixed in. I would have a section set aside for a couple of small tables because I would also offer tea and cookies to munch. I thought it would be so fun and relaxing. The internet killed that though. Nobody goes to a flower shop anymore. They just order flowers off of websites to get sent. It is so impersonal. Oh well, it was a nice lil dream when I was a kid.

          It is probably a good idea I do not deal with flowers and plants LOL I am not very good with keeping them alive.  I can even kill fake flowers LOL. I would love to have a beautiful garden in the backyard, but I have yet to find flowers that I cannot kill or that aren't poisonous to my animals. I keep trying though LOL flowers beware...

Mountain or Beach?

 

          Beach it is LOL I spent my teen years in the Sierra Nevadas so I know mountains. So cold. Lake Tahoe was absolutely gorgeous, but most of the time it was too cold. I adore the trees and lakes you find on mountains, but not the weather. I will take the beach. There is a great vibe on the beach. Everybody is relaxed and just enjoying their selves. Kids are building sandcastles or getting knocked over in the surf LOL. There is always treasure to be found in the form of seashells. I like the ones that look like angel wings. The weather for the beach is also cool. The sunsets and sunrises over the water are breathtaking. And when storms come in, the waves are simply fascinating. The only bad thing about the beach is the sharks LOL not going to catch me going into the ocean. NOPE!!! I know Jaws is out there waiting for me.

          Responsibilities for today, oil changes for both cars. Mine is getting done at 11am and then my son's right afterwards. I also set up our A/C to be tuned up tomorrow. If I have time today I will also take the little dog to get her nails trimmed.  Trying to get all sorts of necessary things done before my upcoming mini vacation so I can just relax. 

If I Could Live Anywhere in the World

 

          If I could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Florida LOL it is where I chose to live back in 2012. I bought my house here in 2017. My kids and I are staying put. We like it here :) The state is gorgeous, the weather awesome, there is a lot to do close by (if I wanted to do them) and the Florida man stories entertain me LOL. I have had annual passes to Disney, Universal Studios, and SeaWorld. There are craft festivals and farmers' markets to enjoy. The sunsets and sunrises are beautiful. People tease me about living here because of all the strange stories and hurricanes, but I really like it. I live where people go to vacation LOL.

          I have to do a bit of catch up today. I was not feeling so great yesterday, so I took it easy. I slept more than usual, so a few of my responsible stuff got shifted to today. I am feeling more myself today. I do not want to be sick. Took care of a patient who just flew here from England. If she was patient zero for a new pandemic I am screwed. I do not want anymore history making illnesses. Though I do miss how much simpler it made life. No more trying to decide where to go or what to do, it was do we stay in living room or bedroom LOL.

          Spring forward over the weekend, so it is still dark outside. I will enjoy having the extra daylight in the evening. Once it gets dark I feel like it is too late to go out even though it is just 5:30 LOL. Sunshine until 9pm is awesome. Oh I ordered my kids and me an indoor treadmill for Easter :) that way we can get steps in even if hot outside. I am looking forward to it getting here. I am predicting the cats and dogs will be a challenge when we want to use it LOL they always want to get on things we are on. Silly critters.

If I Could Have Three Wishes

 

          If I could have three wishes is something I have dreamed about often LOL First wish would be for perfect health for me and my kids. Second wish would be being rich of course. Having all the money I need to pay off everything and then buy anything we needed or wanted. They say money can't buy you happiness? I want to test that theory out LOL. The third wish is tricky because the first two were awesome. Hmmm okay third wish would be world peace :) It would be nice to not have any fighting going on in the world.

          I made it through the work weekend. My back is killing me, but I am done for another four days. It is beautiful Spring weather and my grass is growing so my lawn is once more green. I am enamored by that LOL. I just planted it seven days ago.

What Languages Do I Speak

 

          The languages I speak are English and that's it LOL. I have been trying to learn Spanish, but not succeeding. I read it better than I speak it. I can form simple phrases that maybe a toddler would use LOL it gets my meaning across to patients LOL. I cannot understand when it is spoken to me. The accents mess it up. Just like we have Southern accents, New York accents, Boston Accents, Midwest accents, Hispanics have their own accents that throw me off. If I could just have subtitles below them I could get it LOL. At one time, when I was in high school, I could speak French. I was quite fluent, but then I never used it, so I forgot it. It seeps through to my Spanish (both are Latin based) and messes it up. My kids, however, are learning Spanish and doing very well.

          Off to work again. At least this is a minimally shorter weekend LOL it is time change, so I work one hour less LOL. It is not much, but mentally it is awesome. Spring appears to be officially here!!! I was able to plant my grass seeds and it rained. So hopefully I will have grass soon. In the backyard I can already see baby grass. 

          March is a busy month this year. Next week is St. Patrick's Day and on the 31st is Easter. Yesterday I made Irish Soda Bread that came out perfect. We are eating Irish this week LOL. Celebrating our heritage. No clue what we are doing for Easter. It will be very low key since it will be singular day off amid six on. I am taking a mini vacation next month and the price of it is working back to back for two weeks. It is gonna be rough but worth it.

Three Good Habits I Want to Have and Three I Don't

 

Three good habits I would like to develop this year are:

Get outside more. Go walk the dog, walk around neighborhood, go to SeaWorld, go to Aquatica. Getting outside means enjoying life more.

Drink more water. Staying hydrated helps with skin and wrinkles, brain function, digestion, and energy.

Take better care of me. Eat healthier, exercise more, take my vitamins, don't feel so stressed all the time.

Three bad habits I want to get rid of this year:

Late night snacking. I need to get control of that. I do great all day, then bam! 9pm hits and I get the munchies.

Taking so many naps. I spend more hours asleep in a day than I do awake. I wish I knew why I was so tired all the time.

Ordering out when I am tired. I tend to do this more on the weekend when I am working. It is bad for my bank account. I need to plan better for when I work so that not tempted to just order food in. I would save so much money.

Things That Annoy Me

 

          I try to not get annoyed too often, it is bad for my health. The only times I really cannot control it are when I am driving. Then it drives me crazy when people do not follow the rules!!! People who go to slow, or don't pay attention. People who cut me off, people who force themselves into the lane, people who speed, people who tailgate, and people who speed through school zones. So many times I wish a cop was nearby to see the drivers and pull them over, but they never do. Drives me bonkers. In my opinion, if I have to follow the rules, they so should they.

          That is another thing that annoys me, people who do not follow the rules. Rules are there for a reason. When people feel as if the rules do not apply to them, I get upset. There is no real accountability these days for fear of offending somebody, so people get away with so much. It is no wonder the country is all messed up.

          Okay, that got my blood pumping LOL now back to relaxing. I have my coffee, the back door open, fans blowing, and it is my dog's 6th birthday. I am hoping for a good day. I got my grass seed out yesterday so I just need it to rain as forecasted. I have a craft project for St. Patrick's Day and teriyaki chicken to make for dinner. I have been doing great getting in my steps, and the saffron seems to help with late night cravings??? At least that is what I am trying to convince myself LOL.

Where Do I See Myself in Six Months

 

          In Six months it will be August, so most likely I will be going cray from the Florida heat. I will also most likely be watching the weather for any hurricane forecasts LOL. We did not have any hit last year, but we definitely did the year before. It was amazing. The streets were flooded, I lost part of my fence, and a bit of water came up into my hallway from underneath. I did not like any of that. If it wasn't for the destruction I would have loved it. Extreme weather is fun to me. I also like how it makes people come together for the experience. People talk to strangers about the storm and what is going on, they watch it together, it brings people together in a weird way.

          What else is happening in August? Staci will be getting ready for 10th grade and I will be having a nervous breakdown about her growing up too fast. She will be 15 and studying for her driving permit. My car insurance is going to skyrocket.  I am hoping by August that both her and me will have a tan because we are enjoying Aquatica LOL by then we will also be planning our Autumn activities. Most of all, in six months I want me and my kids to be healthier and happier than we are today.

Three Favorite Colors, Cuisines, and Countries I Want to Visit

 

          Three Favorite Colors would be Orange, Yellow, and Green.

My three favorite cuisines would be:

Chinese Food

           

Mexican Food

Southern Food

The Three Countries I Want to Visit Are:

England

Spain

Germany

What's My Zodiac Sign?

 

           I was born in December, so my sign is Sagittarius. It is supposed to be a fire sign, but I do not think I am fiery. I am rather calm. Looking at what it says my traits are, I was born wrong LOL I do not explore, not into having adventures other that reading or watching them, I definitely do not travel, and I like routine LOL. I guess I am an atypical Sagittarian. It is a good thing I do not follow astrology LOL it gets me wrong every day. According to them I should have been married long ago, successful, and rich LOL. Nope, none of the above happened. At this point in my life, I would settle for just being rich :)