Sunday

A very nice week, knowing that horrible pressure is off. I passed my exam/re-certification, and now I don't have to think about it for another six years.  Phew!   I made copies of my application fee  receipt and the notice that I had passed, and submitted them to my boss, because  I get reimbursed for $100 of the $125 fee.  Every little bit helps.  They don't pay for my annual CMA membership, but then most companies don't.

 J took me to work Monday so he could do errands, fill up the car with gas, wash it, and then pick me up after I did keep my doctor appt anyway. Not because of the lump under my arm (which is gone), but because of an odd skin growth I have had for months--I've now been educated that it's a seborrheic keratosis, aka skin barnacle. A harmless skin growth. (Most common on "older people". Oh, nice. Thanks. ) I can either leave it alone, or have it burned off.  I chose to leave it alone.

In Tuesday's mail was an unexpected check from our homeowner's insurance company, because we had overpaid during the year; so that went straight into savings. Well, some of it went into savings, some went into checking. It was a nice surprise.

Tuesday J and I also went to the gym, doing the 30 minute circuit first,  and then biking for him, and the treadmill for me. He walks over to meet me there so that is his walking work out. Afterwards I'm usually not hungry for dinner, just pretty thirsty.

Wednesday after work I went to my haircut place and found my regular person was no longer working there, so I tried a new person there, and loved the haircut result. We  bonded over discovering our families each were dealing with addiction. Sigh.
 
Then I picked up my prescription at the Public pharmacy. I love a good bargain: I can now get my new  headache medication there for $7.50 for a three month supply, instead of paying $60 at my own company's pharmacy. That shouldn't be so--I should be able to pay less at my own company, right??  Publix also provides my blood pressure meds for free. My company would charge me $10 a month. J gets several of his meds there free, too. We love our Publix.

Thursday we hit the gym again for both of us,  after work.  J had a doctor appt that day to discuss referrals, and also learned that his PCP is leaving; that puts him and all her other patients in a bind. Not sure what will happen. The podiatrist referral is on hold now, but the cardiologist referral is happening, since that one is critical. The AF episodes seem to be fading, but he is more tired these days. Some days he will take 2 naps.

Friday J coordinated all dinner plans for that night. BIL's actual birthday was today, Sunday, but we celebrated here Friday night since Sis was going to be taking him to dinner and a concert tonight.  So J did all the cleaning, cooking, shopping,  meal prep, etc. I so appreciate him doing that. What a guy.

Fridays at work are usually pure Hell. With both docs seeing patients, even though we schedule fewer patients it takes just as long to see them all-- because we only have two exam rooms for each doc....and with our PA in training, it's taking even longer.

In addition to seeing patients, Coworker and I have to manage phone calls, and clean and re-stock all the rooms, and prep the charts for next week. We could sure use that third person; I can't believe we have been without that person for 10 whole months now.

By the time I get home it's all I can do to crawl into the house and change clothes. Normally all I want to do is sit quietly and breathe for awhile.  This Friday my neck had been bothering me off and on, so I used the traction device for the recommended 20minutes, and had a glass of wine, and sat out by the pool.  It is so nice, so warm and sunny. Very relaxing.

Louise's niece has been staying with her, and just left Saturday morning. Before she left, she called J over Friday afternoon, and gave him two shopping bags: one is full of paper backs and the other is full of puzzles that she and Louise were doing during her visit. She didn't want to bring them back to her house, so she gave them to us. So nice...

So then Sis and BIL arrived, and after MissS got home we all had a yummy dinner: J cooked some filets on the grill for the meat eaters, and we had faux chicken, and salad, and baked potatoes. Sis had brought a peach pie for dessert, with some vanilla ice cream, and we all sang Happy Birthday.

Saturday morning I went to my Alanon  meeting. I hadn't heard from one particular member after emailing him last week to notify him I wouldn't be there due to taking my exam;  normally he responds very quickly, so I was a bit concerned. This same person has been dealing with a fairly serious illness, so my mind immediately jumped to the worst, despite my years of  training myself not to assume the worst.  Anyway, I was greatly relieved to see him the minute I got out of the car Saturday morning.

It was a wonderful meeting, as it always is. A fairly new person who I've spoken to briefly asked me to be her sponsor, and I was honored to say yes, of course. I'm looking forward to it. We both work full time, and both are awkward on the phone, both like to text, so this will be different. I'll refer to her as Sponsee.

I stopped at the Dollar Store on the way home to pick up a birthday card for GD #2; I thought she was going to be 8, but in fact she is going to be 9 on Wednesday. I mailed a card with 5 one dollar bills. I don't expect a response, but I did sign it Gramma E and Grampa J.  Let her mom explain the relationship; I just want to remain in her life somehow, no matter how tenuous.

Then J, MissS, and I drove on an adventure to Blue Spring State Park, a manatee refuge. We saw none, nor did we see any alligators. Apparently  hundreds of manatees do congregate there in the springs if the weather is too cold.  I wish we could have seen them, but it's a nice park, and a beautiful place to walk around in anyway. We did see a Pileated woodpecker, and lots of different fish and turtles in the crystal clear waters, and a water snake of some kind. The weather was wonderful. 

Later, MissS went out to a movie on her own, so J and I could have some private time. We appreciated that a lot.   Today MissS and I went to Pilates, while J went to the gym. Then we watched movies on Amazon Prime or Starz all day, including Fellowship of the Ring. Haven't seen that one in about 6 months, so it was time...

I did do some repotting of several plants, and gave the dogs some much needed grooming. But otherwise, it was a lazy day. Much needed.

Back to work tomorrow. By the end of the week it will be March!  My how time flies...

Sunday

This very  busy week is now over. I'm so grateful all has gone well.

Monday was my actual birthday, and there was a lovely potluck at work with a fabulously delicious specialty cake, and presents from everyone including several gift cards. I think my favorite present was a gorgeous dragon given to me by the DrLady. She constantly surprises me.  My own doc gave me a $50 Target gift card. Very generous of them both, in different ways.

Tuesday J managed to get us tickets to a concert I have been desperately wanting, to a performer who has just announced his farewell tour. I was so excited I could have cried from happiness. The concert isn't until March of 2019.

The next day J heard from the guy he got the solar panels from, who was also ready to give him the connector pieces; so he drove back over to Clearwater and picked those up. Saved us easily $300.

Wednesday I found a painful lump under my arm, and finally managed to make an appt with my doc for tomorrow, Monday.  I was pretty worried about it in the back of my mind but work was incredibly busy, and I didn't have a lot of time to think about it. However by tonight, Sunday, the lump has gone down dramatically; while painful it's much smaller, and I think I will cancel the appt.  No need now. 

Also Wednesday Missy chewed through yet another leash.  This time J is not going to replace it. He is just going to use the cord. Sigh.   I'm concerned because it's clearly not a retractable cord...and to me that seems to give him less control over her. But as long as he is comfortable with that I won't insist. If we ever walk the dogs together, I will be walking Murphy. He is older, and walks sedately.  She walks like a Mexican jumping bean, and zooms all around sniffing everything.

Thursday, we had a mandatory staff meeting at work, which wasn't terrible; a lot of it didn't pertain to us. Most of it was directed toward primary care offices, of which there is just one in our 2-floor  building; all the other offices are specialty offices ( we have dental, ophthalmology, neurology, sports medicine, endocrinology, radiology, cardiology, pharmacy, and lab, in addition to our own pain management). Still, we have to show up.

Tuesday and Thursday J and I went to the gym after work, and did the 30 minute circuit training, and about 15-20 minutes on the bike or treadmill. 

This morning MissS and I did the Pilates class, while J did the gym.  Then she and I went to Target for a few things, and J finished up his big job of the week which was filling up the leak lines in the pool deck, after he pressure-washed the deck.  The weather has been so warm that he gets to work outside a lot.

Friday night after work I rushed home, and showered. It had been an unusually crazy Friday, and if we hadn't had tickets to the concert it would have been a night to fall into bed early. Instead, J and I  dressed in nicer clothes and headed first to Sis' house, where she had prepared drinks and finger food type munchies, and we four got a chance to decompress from our hectic weeks and catch up. Then J and I headed out to the concert,which was in a concert hall not far from her house, and had a wonderful time. We were home by 9:30. 

Saturday morning I skipped my meeting, and sat down to intensively review all my notes.  My exam was scheduled for 1:45. I was planning on studying  until it was time to leave. But I got  a phone call  with a notification that someone had cancelled, and I could come in early if I wanted to, at 12:30. So I did.

 I studied until it was time to leave, and then drove to the site, and after the extensive security measures took the test. Two solid hours, 200 questions.  At the end I was informed I had passed. Thank God. I don't know what my score was, and mostly I don't even care--I just needed to pass. Phew!

So I at last have my weekends back. It's been weeks and weeks of studying. Now I can breathe...

Sunday

Sunday evening, after a lovely dinner here with Sis and BIL, and of course MissS.  Prepared by J  for my (early) birthday tomorrow. A roast, home-made crab cakes, Brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, a salad; and for dessert a birthday chocolate-chip heart-shaped cookie, with "Happy Birthday, E" written on it. They all sang to me, and we had a great time.  Sis and BIL brought flowers, and J made a birthday banner.

Earlier MissS and I went to Pilates, and then she went with me on a test drive to the place where I will take my exam next weekend, so I have a rough idea where I'm going.  Then back home where I studied for a couple of hours after cleaning house.

Meanwhile J was prepping various food items  madly, and then doing good-neighbor things like loaning tools, driving to Home Depot, helping another neighbor with  a chore.

Saturday I went to my AlAnon meeting, and then raced home afterwards because we were supposed to have our taxes done. Instead, because our bank and my employer haven't provided us with certain forms related to two of my three IRAs yet, we had to reschedule our appt to next month. Oh well.

Home again and I immediately hit the books. I studied most of the afternoon. I feel so exhausted at the end of the hours of studying. I took a couple of practice tests, and was discouraged I didn't do as well as I think I "should have".   But I remember that last time I took the exam six years ago, I did better than I expected, so maybe I am over-thinking. I don't know anymore. I do know I am so tired of studying and I cannot wait until next weekend so this whole thing will be over!

In other news, J it turns out has been dealing with AF for several weeks now. His cardiologist put him on a new med.  After he picked it up at the pharmacy, he began reading about it, and freaked out at the side effects...so he called his own primary doc and scheduled an appt right away. Luckily he was able to get in the next day.

That dr was also shocked (at the suggested medication) saying to J that not many people get this particular medication these days, and suggested a second opinion. So that is in the works.

Also in the works is a referral to a podiatrist, for his poor feet; his  toenails need some care.  And the third appt is with the doc in their office who manages the medical marijuana patients. He was legal in OR, and now will be on track to do so here too.

Another thing he did last week was drive to Clearwater, across the state, where someone was giving away solar panels. These just happened to be exactly the kind he was looking for to use to heat the pool!  So he brought those home, and will be figuring out how to install them. Turns out this was the same kind BIL had on one of his houses, so he is very familiar with how it works, and has offered to help J. When it's all installed it will help extend the length of time we can swim, a lot--and that will be heavenly!

This week will be a doozy. Tomorrow is my actual birthday. Wednesday is Valentine's Day. Friday morning tickets to a very special concert go on sale, and I hope to obtain tickets--well, J will be attempting to obtain the tickets since I have to work.  Friday night is my long anticipated concert to see Michael McDonald here in town. Saturday morning I will skip my AlAnon meeting, and study/review, and then go take the exam in the afternoon.  Then it will all be over.



TYG--wonderful day. Wonderful Life.

Monday

Busy week. All of them are!  I look back and I think, "what on earth did I do?", but even though I can't think of anything in particular the days just fly by.

Last week J found some treated wood being discarded by the apartments behind us, and snatched them up for future use in building a raised garden bed this coming fall. We were hoping to have a garden at the beginning of the season a few months ago, but it just didn't work out. So he has all that wood stored now behind the shed.

He worked on the shed all weekend, and was installing gutters and a drainage system so he could collect rainwater in these giant barrels placed next to it... which will water the garden beds.  Saturday I was out there too while he was doing that, and my job was pruning all the poor dead-by-frost green stuff. Almost all my pineapples had to be trimmed severely. I must have at least 10 of them; some are in pots, some are in the ground.   I also transplanted three jade plants into bigger pots.

We have such a variety of green and growing stuff, and I still don't know the names of them all, but I  was just ruthless. I cut back all of the dead stuff. I hope it all comes back. If it doesn't--then we will have to try other  planting other things.

Last Tuesday I was working without coworker RN. She was almost ordered to take the day off, since DrLady was going to also be out of the office (for her brother's memorial service).  So the nurses who normally do procedures with her, ended up helping me instead with the days' office visits.

And they were just awesome. We had a blast that day. So much so that I texted J during the day and asked him to pick up a couple of bags of chocolate chips, and that night when I got home I made chocolate chip cookies to show my appreciation.   I had enough for a double batch but I was so exhausted that I couldn't continue.  I stopped baking around 7pm.

When I brought them to work the next day, they were a big hit.  Everyone was smiling. That's a nice way to reinforce my gratitude, and even my own Dr was happy I made them. The new PA liked seeing how happy everyone was.

That was a good thing, because after DrLady got back the next day, the crack-that-whip attitude started up again.  She is so hard on the new PA. RN and I both feel so bad for him. She can be such a hard-ass on him, and doesn't seem to have any compassion for learning both a new job, a new computer program, and the way two different docs like things done. It's very hard to watch her be around him.

Today she even admitted to me that she knows she is coming off as "an ogre" to him, but she gets so impatient that he is so slow. I had to speak up: once in her office in private today, I reminded  her that even with my two years of experience with using this same computer program in OR at my previous job, I was lucky enough to have six solid weeks of mentor-ship when I first started  here, simply because Pain Management is so freakin' difficult  in this office. I was so grateful for that, because even with my experience, I went home depressed and frustrated every night.  There is so much to learn.  I really didn't give her a chance to respond. I turned and left her office. (It's  a bit risky to do that, but I had the excuse today that it was very busy and I needed to go catch up on something.)

The rest of the week last week was busy. I did the gym twice;  I was looking for forms in preparation for the tax appt; my other son asked me for his birth certificate. My neck was bothering me.

Sis and BIL did come over Friday night and brought us all pizzas from Mellow Mushroom for dinner. That was fun. We hadn't seen each other for awhile so it was wonderful to catch up.   Saturday morning J and I did our financials, then he left for the Library to sign us up for the TaxAide appt (he got us an appt for this coming Saturday--gulp!).

Meanwhile I went to my AlAnon meeting, which was fabulous, and then came right home afterwards. MissS and I headed out to Target for some specific items we needed and passed J in his truck heading home from the first of four trips to Home Depot that day, as he was working on his shed. 

MissS made us dinner of spaghetti that evening, and then she found the newest Pirates of the Caribbean movie on Netflix which we watched after dinner.

Sunday MissS and I went to Pilates and then home, where we both studied for our separate classes, and J continued working outside. It was supposed to rain later, and he was intent on finishing all this outdoor stuff by then.  After naps all around we all headed over to Sis and BIL's for hot tub time and snack type foods and drinks, cozy inside while it rained outside...

And here it is Monday evening.  I'm worn out already.  It should be warmer this week, almost 80 I hear, but then back to some rainy days...this is a very different winter than our first winter.