It's a chilly Thursday morning.. I'm about ready to leave for the office. Praying for a good day.. looking for the weekend..

NY EVE 2007

It's NY eve.. the eve of a brand new year. As of tomorrow, we shall have to remember to change that 7 to an 8. 2007 was a trying year physically for me, but a glorious year too in that we added to our family 2 new babies.. Annabelle and Elijah. It was also a year for major life changing decisions.. like finally taking a plunge to plan for retirement in just about a month now.

Lots to do today for our dinner tomorrow. I've torn things apart here.. put some away and filed other things for later. There are floors to be swept and washed, and then the Christmas decorations have to be packed away till next year. Hopefully, next year we will be in our new little home. I certainly have a lot of little things to decorate for the holidays.
I am thankful and grateful for all the gifts we have received along the way for decorating our new place. It will be fun starting out anew.
That's for 2008.. looking ahead to a bright new year.. new home likely, new office, retirement, and who knows what else?
God blesses us daily with all sorts of wonderful things. I look to Him for the day, and feel encouraged.
Pray for us.. pray a new year will bring encouraging news to our world, our country, our family.
Thank the Lord of all for preserving us this year, for his provisions, for his mercy, his forgiveness, and for his Son..

Christmas Day

MERRY CHRISTMAS
TO ALL MY BLOGGER FRIENDS.

It's Christmas day.. finally it's arrived. It's also another day of gainful employment for me. I have to work today. After days of pure silence and quietude on my unit, last night I was slammed royally. I believe I had 7 admissions when all were counted. They came fast and furious. It was so hard to keep up. You may not agree with me, but I can tell you that the full moon has a certain amount of control over these days. Last night after having almost no babies at the hospital, the labor room suddenly took a surge and was overflowing with women in labor. I look at it as job security..at least for the next 38 days.
Yesterday Wendell and I had our own little Christmas and exchanged our gifts for each other. I was so thrilled to receive a warm and soft robe.. something I've wanted and really needed for some time. I have one, but when it's in the wash, I have none. Now I have 2. This one is soft pink and fleecy. Oh.. it's so lovely!!! My other package held a pair of fleece lined suede slippers. Oh.. boy! My feet are toasty this morning. I could wear these to work, they are that comfortable. They feel like I'm walking on 2" of supportive foam. Oh... lovely! Thank you dear hubby for these wonderful gifts!
I got him lounging pajamas..flannel. They fit him except for the length which will have to be altered. I also gave him 2 new long sleeved shirts and one short sleeved dress shirt. He had them on this morning.. one new shirt and the pjs.
We both needed some warm clothing. It's cold out~ 30 degrees.. not a flake of snow however. Not really a white Christmas.
Today we are headed for the grandchildren's home for another round of gift-giving. I can hardly wait! I have my name in for downsizing at work. I wonder if they will be able to give me even 4 hours off. I'd surely love that. So... now it's time for me to hit the shower and get dressed.
Have a super happy day.. Peace, love, and health to you all.

It's almost 5am.. I've been up since before 4am.. I didn't sleep very well.. not uncommon for me, but I have a full day ahead of me if my patients decide to come at all. Doesn't matter.. I still have to be there this morning early.
I am a bit tense about driving today.. Please pray for me- you know it's not my favorite time of year, though I deal with it year after year.
The advisories are still in effect here. In some areas it's canceled. How I wish it were here.
Just 50 days to go today. Not much time left with the hospital. Yippee! Then the only winter driving I'll have is on Thursdays when I go to the office.
Gotta go find something to put in the crock pot for tonite when I get home.. something tasty and quick. I know I'll be tired.

I could use a bubble bath about now. Ah.. relaxing in a tub of glorious bubbles and warm water!
How soothing can it get? I had my MRIs this morning.. 40 minutes of ear pounding, heart pounding.. squished to one side and then the other.. Trying to breathe in the tunnel...
Not my favorite thing in the world let me assure you. As it was, both shoulders are aching today and I normally can't lay on either side when that happens.. so I was flat on my back and when I got up my back was screaming and I was really dizzy.. Oh.. wonderful test.. hope I don't have to repeat it any time soon.

I left for my 12:30 arrival appointment at the MRI station at 11:15am figuring I'd stop at KMart for water and one other item.. I got in the check out line at 12pm with 2 people in front of me. 20 minutes later I got to the cash register to pay for my couple of small items and then headed for the MRI- 5 minutes away. Except that I didn't factor in the Christmas traffic.. and so it took me 15 minutes to get there. They took me right away. I didn't have any wait at all. So I'm done for now. I'll check results tomorrow in the office.

Not a bad day today.. no precipitation and just cold generally. Tonite Wendell and P2 will keep the grandkids while Amy, Joyce and I go to the Pioneer Girls party. It's a chocolate party! Woohoo! I am really looking forward to this one.
Gotta get going..

Monday.. It's a blustery day.. windy, 33 degrees (almost the predicted high of 35), and there is light snow falling here in WPA. At least it's not ice, and the accumulation is negligible. I can deal with this.
Lots on my plate today.. shower, dressed, and then the ton of phone calls I need to make... as well as getting my office schedule settled around for Thursday. I can hardly believe 6 days have gone by and I've filled them all to the hilt. Tomorrow I return to reality with gainful employment. UGH. 60 days today... till , well, you all know. (( smile))
I'm also headed to see the grandkids today after lunch. We are going to give Mom a 'day off '.. I'm looking forward to this. I hope Amy is too. She'll have the chance to go shopping at her leisure or just take a nap if that's her choice~ or both. The plan includes bringing supper tonite for them also.. Fun! Time is limited for this in December, but after January, we should be able to do it lots more frequently with at least one day a week scheduled for this.

So.... I better shut this computer down and go get my shower while I have the time yet.
Have a super day bloggers.. catch ya later!

GETTING READY

Wendell and I are busy bees today getting ready for our trip to the NY border to visit the Valentines. It's slow going, but progress is being made.
We still have to vacuum out the car and pack. We aren't taking a lot of luggage, but we have Christmas gifts, and these should fill the trunk to capacity.
We need a few more things and we'll be ready to settle down here.

It's a beautiful cool day.. 41 degrees... and so mild. I've already been outside. 76 more days to go. Now if I can just get my back (the SI joint) to cooperate.. we'll be in fine shape.

It's nearly 2pm.. gotta get going.
Merry Thanksgiving to you all

90 DAYS TO GO!!!

90 DAYS
TO
RETIREMENT

Growing old gracefully is not one of my better things.. I'd likely do better if I just relaxed and took life with a grain of salt as it comes by. Alas, I've never been one who could just sit idly by and watch the world race on day to day to month to year..
It was a little over a year ago when I started my 'countdown' to retirement. Each day has gone by and I've noted each one.. moving ever so slowly but steadily toward my goal.
Many have asked "then what?" "what are you going to do once you don't have to be gainfully employed in the workforce? That's not quite true as I do plan to continue working in the office at least one day a week.. perhaps 2.
So what do I plan for this next segment of my life? I DO have some plans.

*Most people who know me, know that I'm a very family oriented person. I love every one of them and try to remind them of that as much as possible. So retirement will bring more time to enjoy them all.. lunches with my sister, playing with the local grandkids, and then making more frequent visits to my grandkids up on the NY border. Birthdays can be celebrated without just sending a package and making a phone call because of a work schedule.
Instead of trying to work in a day here or there for the local kids, I have plans to enjoy them on a more daily basis.. crafts and baking and of course Gramma Camps to come.

*Visiting.. oh, so many to visit! I'm anxious to get started. Hopefully gas prices won't hold us back. In addition to the grandkids up north, there are many other family members we'd like to see again.. Wendell's sister and brother.. family in California, and then my brother in Michigan, and family in Maryland..well, not blood related, but friends that are like family. Neither of us has the desire to just go on a vacation where we don't know anyone.. it's a family thing.
Nieces, nephews, and some others.. Oh, our calendar will be full for some time..
Aunt MaryJane, Uncle Bob, Uncle Babe.. family reunions, and just a lot of visiting.

Wendell wants to go to Soldiers and Sailors Hall to look up Civil War records for his family. We shall do that when the weather is good and we are ready to take up the family history again.
That's another thing.. family history. I've put it on a back burner for a few years, but need to get things sorted out again.. pictures need sorted and sent to those who would appreciate them.
I have thousands of pictures and volumes of history.

*Entertaining... one of my desires is to be able to entertain family and friends more often. We don't get to do that much, but I love to do it. I guess we need to have a place to have folks sleep over.. that would be such a delight.

*Another important part of my retirement is to be able to be in church EVERY week rather than every other week. It's frustrating to not be able to attend regularly.. especially when as I grow older, I seem to have so many ailments that pop up quickly.. and are slow to subside. One problem means no church for 3 weeks instead of the one that I'm having a problem with.
Health has been an issue for a few years now. Growing older brings health problems we never experienced before.. arthritis, asthma, GI problems, orthopedic difficulties.. just getting around becomes difficult by times.

*More time to sit down and read a book.. or take a nature walk.. exercise.. plan my days better..

These are just a few of the plans for retirement that I can think of off the top of my head.. I know there are so many more things I want to do... The office will tie me down for a little during the week, but I also have an assistant who is always more than willing to give me the time off I need.
This is one of the happiest times in my life.. the goal is within reach. Time is passing and I'm loving it!

96 days to go

Let me be among the first to wish everyone a happy holiday season.. huh? Oh, yeah.. it's not QUITE there yet.. am I pushing things? Hmmmm..
The sooner we get through the holidays, the sooner I will reach retirement.. there is method to my madness. But it IS only 4 weeks to Thanksgiving, and my last vacation week I shall ever have to schedule against 50 other people vying for the same week off. No more "Uh.. I know you have seniority, but I have reservations for my vacation in ( fill in the blank) for this week and this week.. effectively taking away my choice of weeks. After all, I wouldn't want someone to lose the $2500 they put down on their vacation now, would I? So, in recent years and past ones too, though Wendell and I would have loved to celebrate our wedding anniversary on the date, we have had to give it up for someone else's reservations. So how does one make up for this nonsense every year? I choose Thanksgiving week when NO ONE else wants to select that week. I've done it for as many years as I can remember. The funny thing is that every year I ask around if anyone wants that week, and they look at me as if I have a few screws loose and say "No.. are you kidding? Vacation in November?" So I sign up for that week and when it finally arrives, there is a mad scramble to get the day off, and the usual groaning and moaning about how unfair it is that Marilyn has the whole week off... to which I usually reply "get over it".
It is sooooo chilly out today~ 37 degrees this morning according to NOAA. Brrrrrrrrr!! And the frost warnings are out for the next 2 nights- we expect 32 degrees~ freezing.
I think I better get some warmer clothes out. Along with this change in temperature comes a tiredness I can't seem to shake. I sleep fine and for a little longer than usual, but I'm still so very tired. Better get the vitamins going again.. I need them anyway. Glad I got my flu shot too. With tiredness brings a lower immune system and that means I can pick up any virus or bug that is circulating. So, vitamins it is!
I made coffee this morning to warm up my insides, and then heated up 2 rice bags to warm my cold body. Gotta get a space heater for the bedroom. I don't like sleeping in a warm room at night, so we don't turn the heat on here at all. The space heater takes the edge off and it's just right. I borrowed John and Mandy's last winter, but need one of my own. Shopping is not my favorite thing, but I do need this item.
Today is Sabbath and though I am gainfully employed today, Wendell is planning to go to church. Good for him!!
On to the day.. Pray for us

DOUBLE DIGITS

DOUBLE DIGITS START TODAY
99 DAYS
TO RETIREMENT !!!!

100 DAYS

I made my call to Personnel (or Human Relations) today. I spoke to the head of the department... the person who will help me sail into retirement without any glitches. She is going to send me the final paperwork next week.I can't get the ball rolling until 90 days before I plan to be done finally. The day is set in stone now- January 31, 2008.. it's a Thursday. I don't work Wednesdays or Thursdays at the hospital, so my final days of work will be that last Monday and Tuesday of January.
She did a quick recheck of dates to make sure Wendell's COBRA insurance would get him to the next phase- Medicare. It does.. and now we are ready. Finances will be tighter after the first of the year, but we figure we won't be using the car much for the first few months anyway because it'll be the middle of winter.
Tonite was so busy and I'm so tired of it all. I kept reminding myself that I only have 101 days to go.. and that kept me afloat for the evening.

It's raining here yet.. all day a gentle soaking rain.. it's chilly too- 51 degrees and expected low is 46. I'll want to get my warm comforter out tonite to make sure I'm cozy. I'm off for the next 3 days and have no real plans except to keep my appointment tomorrow with my PCP for a checkup. I want him to take a good look at my shoulders. I'm still icing them every few hours. The left one is now worse because I'm not able to use the right arm for much of anything.. UGH.
It will get better. I just am so impatient.
Perhaps I'll get some apples locally and make an apple pie tomorrow? That sounds tasty. I'm waiting for John to buy the next round of cream cheese for a cheesecake. You reading this , John? Hahaha

It's time for bed.. Good night all.. more tomorrow.. and an update from Nancy in Idaho too.

The weather reports today seem to be not agreeing for the current moment. One said 39 and one said 46. The even odder thing is that the one that said 39 is now creeping rapidly to the 46 mark- something I've never seen before.. the ascent of temperature gauge.
Oh well.. it's chilly~ I can attest to that.

Yesterday at work was supposed to be calm- well, that's what I was told. But for me, it was quite busy. One after another came the admissions and the daily work had to be done too. It's my job and I try not to complain. Yes.. I do have one complaint which I am going to address with my boss next week. It seems like every evening I work there is one or 2 admissions that arrive on my department at 11:15 or just a few minutes after. I leave at 11:30..and it annoys me that they wait to bring these patients at this time. Let me correct that- it isn't that it SEEMS like it, but in the past few weeks it actually HAS occurred at that time. I'm tired and want to go home, but have to make sure there is a night secretary working to to that. If she is used for some other purpose I have no choice but to stay and complete the work. I am not one who goes for the overtime. I do my work in a timely fashion and then I want to go home.
Weekends are always short handed and I'm often the only secretary on the unit. Now, they don't seem to take into account the fact that nothing changes on my department from one day to the next. .. ie Mass discharges followed by the 'grand admission slam'.
Making matters worse is that some ancillary departments close for the weekend. Hello?
I thought this was a hospital giving care to the patients who are needing to be there.
Holidays are even worse. The pharmacy usually closes at 11pm sharp and on holidays can close at 4pm. AND ancillary departments all over will have the DAY or WEEKEND off.. what are these patients supposed to do for one day when they can't have the proper testing done because someone wants a day off? I understand outpatient procedures, but INpatient? UGH.

Sorry for all the complaining. 110 days to go.. getting ever closer to that day when I can hang up my secretary hat. I pray for the strength to get through the next couple of months.

It was a good day yesterday.. all went very well at the office and today I am gainfully employed at the hospital. I'm wishing that I didn't have to go because we are having company tomorrow.

Pizza party tomorrow evening.. should be fun.

I just looked at the weather report and was a bit shocked to see it's going to be 88 degrees.. today, tomorrow, and possibly Sabbath. WOW! And NO rain in sight. Now, that is a great weather report for October in WPA.

I'm a bit sore today. I can't believe I wasn't yesterday after office- I usually am very sore after that, but it's all here today to make up for it. It really feels like it's gonna rain, but the weather prognosticator says otherwise.

Remember us with prayer please..

Pray for our family as they travel today and tomorrow. For Cory, Wendy, and family.. for Becky and Aaron.

Pray also for Barb and Duane and their family- for healing and restoration for Barb.

Pray for cousin Dave as he continues chemo for his cancer, and also for Nicki in Chicago this week for her treatments.

Remember our world and national leaders.. so much happening and so much evil is unleashed.

For hearts that would turn to Jesus for forgiveness.. for repentance. For revival of the American people.

119 days... moving right along.

this 'n that

I'm feeling tired this morning. 2 evenings of work and I feel shot down. The full moon has certainly been evident. One of the girls last night said there were 9 babies born over the full moon.
WHEW! I remember those days in the labor room only too well. I remember saying to my boss the next morning "I don't like working at your house".. hehehe. Yes, I had attitude. It seemed so overwhelming at that time. 2 nurses and 8 laboring moms.. too much. Lots of stress, at least that's the way I felt. Nursing has changed completely from when I first began. It's a good thing I suppose, but right now I see patients on the general med/surg floor that used to be ICU patients.

I didn't get to sleep till after 2am. There is good reason to be tired. I have another day of it today.
We got slammed in a sense last night. It felt like a slow motion slam.. one after another after another- admissions... till we filled the unit. The last one I signed off at 11:35pm. I was the lone secretary on my unit, and when I asked for the night secretary, she was already assigned another floor to help for the next few hours. So I did the last admit myself.
I'm off Monday. 124 days to go.
It occurred to me yesterday that before October is over I'll be at less than 100 days before I can be relieved of my hospital duties. It can't come fast enough.

TODAY..

Over the last few weeks we have experienced cooling temperatures at night~ into the 50s and 60s.. a sure sign of fall. Temperatures during the day have been warm- high 80s to 90s.
It seems like each night the overnight temps are cooler and cooler. Leaves are definitely changing.

Today we shall have nearly 90 degrees again. The AQI has declared another 'action day' which means I should stay inside and not breathe the air outside.

This morning I have to go out.. I'm having an echocardiogram done at the hospital. I'll be doing just a bit of running around prior to this to make sure all the paperwork is in place for my LOA which ends Monday. Eh?

I have to admit, today I feel a lot better than yesterday. I hope the 'bug' has passed. Jane and Charlie got hit too... that's all of us except for Mandy... hmmmm
No headache today.. perhaps it's all over.

Time to get moving here.. it's nearly 7am
147 days to retirement.. I'm feeling more excited!

DOWN WE GO..

It has been rough this past week for our family. After a wonderful Labor Day, Paul and his family became ill and had a hard time of it. Big Paul was given a ride home, he was so ill.
Then came John.. oh my.. a visit to the ER.. a couple days off to recoup. Mandy is walking on eggs wondering when the shoe will drop for her..
Last night Wendell got hit with the 'bug'.. and I was feeling queasy..
He was up all night. I decided to go to work at the office.
I just got there when the brick wall came up in front of me and I started to chill at the same time. UGH.. feeling ill here.. so I called my relief nurse and she came and took over for me.
Thanks Kathy.
I went home and went to bed.
One other thing I noted was when I went outdoors, I started to cough. No, no one mowing at 7:30am.. I was curious what the reason was when I started out so well..
So I looked up Air Quality for Pgh..and was not surprised to see an alert that said people with respiratory ailments such as asthma should stay inside. Well..now I know. I'll be getting an email every day with the air quality so I can plan my days accordingly.

For now.. we are coping..
Pray for swift recovery for all the family..

It's again the early morning- nearly 4:30am. Yesterday after 2 cups of coffee, I layed down in my bed and slept till 1:30pm...afternoon!!! Not at all like me. Last night I decided to try going to bed earlier-about 10pm..but I took some sleep medication to make sure I stayed asleep. I did till now.
It's quiet here. I may make some coffee, but maybe not.. Maybe I should try going back to bed for a few more hours. That seems reasonable.

Last evening Wendell and I joined Keith and JJ for supper at their house. It was such a delicious meal! Wonderful food and even more wonderful the company. We enjoyed the friendly Wizzy who is always playful. Later, Crystal joined us and finally relaxed in our presence. She's a beautiful cat. She's a gray tiger stripe. She's afraid of everyone but she loves men. I assumed it was my presence that kept her 'on her guard' all evening.
Thanks again for the lovely evening.

Still doing the Candida diet. I'm not perfect at it, but figure any effort toward restraining the yeast is worthwhile to get it controlled. I tried the plain yogurt. It's pretty good. I added some Cajun seasoning to my tomatoes and yogurt. I really enjoyed the new flavors. So I decided to put some onion soup mix in the yogurt (just a little) and we had it as a dip for fresh veggies last evening. Really tasty. Bread has not been difficult to give up. I think I may try corn bread. If there is no yeast in the mix, I'll be fine. I have some good recipes and a bag of organic corn meal.
I missed my fruit last night. I was going to have an apple but forgot about it before going to bed. Too bad I can't keep saving up the fruits and have fruit as a meal one day, but that's not the way it works. Just little bits once a day and the rest is veggies.

My tongue and cheeks look clear.. they tend to look that way till I use the Nystatin, and then I see more placky looking junk. Not as much each day, but still present. We'll see today how that goes. Much less sinus drainage and the coughing is sporadic. I think I'll live.
Now I just need my energy levels pushed up a notch or two.
This all has been so draining.

Today I plan to be at home. I'm hoping to just get done a few little things and then rest. I can use that.

This is Labor Day weekend. I just realized that when JJ mentioned that yesterday. WOW! This means the summer is officially over in a few days. It wasn't a l -o- n- g hot summer than I'd anticpated. It went fast. A few pretty hot days and the rest were comfortable. Of course , I spend much time indoors in AC, but still...
That means I'm that much closer to my retirement date. We still have to go through at least half of winter before I get to that point. One last blast of icy snow covered roads.. and in the middle of it all, I will be done. Hooray !!!!!
I've been watching the temperatures drop for the past couple weeks.. that is, overnight temps. That's a sign of fall coming. Last night we were in the mid 60s and the night before the mid 50s. It's time to get the warm blankets out and on the bed 'just in case'. I still have my AC on at night and nearly all day. I like the coolness and the movement of air.

I suppose I should go back to bed for a few hours. I need the rest no matter what. I'd love to just get up and have some coffee.. and get started on the day, but there are others to be considered who are sleeping yet. I'm a bit sleepy yet myself, but not one to lay around in bed once I'm awake. I always think that would be so wonderful, but when the opportunity arises, I just don't.

Have a mighty fine day, bloggers..

POST #1000

I should have had a contest.. or something for this momentous occasion. My 1000th post on my blog. It's just over a year old and I've really been chatty for all that time. It's been such fun.
I used to write in a journal by hand, but this is so much easier on the wrists/thumbs. So what shall I blog tonite?

Wendell and I went to see our grandchildren in a play today at the YWCA.. yes, I got pictures and I will be sharing them on the blog on another post.. perhaps tomorrow. We went directly to Sam's Club after lunch and I made hard copies of all the pictures on the camera that I wanted to keep. There were a lot. The next thing is to have John make me a CD with the photos on it so I can delete them from the camera. That's where I am right now.. John has the disk, so I can't upload yet.
The play was short and really cute. It was all about a trip to the zoo, and each of the children was dressed with a paper plate face that represented an animal. Each came forward and talked about that animal. Cute. Paul and Daniel didn't have animal hats- they were the humans who came to the zoo. Joyce was a penguin.. a very sweet penguin, I might add.

My pictures came out fair.. not great, but okay. I did have a couple closeups that were good.

I've been so lazy today.. I even took a nap after coming home. I just can't seem to get myself in gear. It could be that I'm still recuperating from last night at work. I was on the West side- and it's always fairly quiet there- except when I 'm there.. it was a very busy evening and I scarcely had time to breathe between orders. I'll be thankful in 185 days when I can hang up my secretary hat. I'm just biding my time till that day.

Tomorrow I am going to see the allergist. I hope he can offer me something to help with the problem I've been having off and on. It gets so frustrating by times. I got up with red eyes this morning and then when John was mowing the lawn, I walked outside to get in the car and immediately lost my voice for most of the day.. along with other allergy symptoms. I'll be glad to have this under control.

Well, post 1000 hasn't been anything too spectacular- nothing like the woods afire on my birthday with 2 fire companies and 7 firetrucks in the yard.. or Wendell having open heart surgery.. or even 2 new grandbabies..
It's been a beautiful day- 80 degrees and sunny..who could ask for anything more?

-

201 days

I just noticed my little train has moved again.. right on down the track! In a couple days, the counter will be under 200 days left. I'm so amazed and excited.
It's Sabbath morning. I'll be getting my shower soon and dressed to go to church.

Progress in the bedroom. I can walk through it without stumbling over boxes. I'm packing things up. The room is small and only will hold so much.. but I'm also pitching things that we don't use or need any more. It makes a difference- it's all good.

On to the day.. see you in church.

*

ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT IT

I just got the calculator out. I've got 30 weeks left before my retirement.. and gainful employment there is 82 days dependent on the last week- how they schedule me. I plan to be an employee till Jan 31st which is a Thursday. My last possible physically employed day would be Jan 29th- a Tuesday. Of course, I may have some vacation time remaining and then that 82 days may be some less. WOOHOO!!!
On to Friday ....