Headed Home – Vacation’s Over

Vacation is over. I’m on my way home today. I was worried about checking my bag. It seemed to be extremely heavy. I thought that it was going to be over the 50lb limit. I had no scale to measure it with. Luckily, when I weighed it at the airport, it only weighed 47lbs. Then, I surprisingly went straight through security in the airport without getting stopped by anyone.

I’m early for my flight. I would rather be early than late. I sit down near my gate but far enough away so I’m basically alone. I’m about to be on a 6 hour flight with people all around me. I’ve decided to have as much alone time as possible. I found a group of chairs up against a wall that are off on their own with no one in them. Granted, they are about 30 feet away from the restrooms, but at least no one is coming to sit near me and start a conversation.

I had a great vacation, and I don’t want to leave, however; at the same time, I’m really looking forward to going home. The thing that I really like about this vacation, and pretty much any vacation, is the time I get to spend with my mom. Since she lives so far way from me (about 2,500 miles), I only get to see her about 2 or 3 times a year. Leaving her is hard, but going back home to my husband is good.

Vacation Mode

I decided to take a break from blogging this past week. I tried to write this past Sunday, but my mind was already in vacation mode. This past week has been wonderful. I love the time I get to spend with my mom. We only had two beach days, but we’re happy no matter what we’re doing, as long as we’re together.

I also get to spend time with a friend of mine who drove three hours last night in a storm to come see me. I hadn’t seen her in probably about two years. She will also be taking me to the airport tomorrow, so I don’t have to take the bus. I’m so happy to see her.

When we were going to bed last night, I noticed a leak in the ceiling. It was getting worse quickly, and there was a crack in the ceiling. It looked like the whole thing was going to fall down. That was not fun to deal with at 1am. Luckily, it did not fall. Someone came to the cottage to check on it this morning, and they will send someone over to fix it either today or tomorrow.

Today is our last day of vacation. I have a lot of packing to do. I’m not sure if everything will fit in my suitcase. I did buy a bunch of gifts for people. I actually got half of my holiday shopping done. It’s probably time to start packing.

A Busy Day Before I Leave

Today has been a big and busy day. I started off late for my first appointment of the day. I ended up making it to the appointment on time, but I was very rushed to make it there. Once I got there, I had to fill out almost an hour worth of paperwork. Thank goodness my husband was there to help me fill everything out; I can’t remember much with my memory loss. This first appointment was for some back pain I’ve been having. It turns out that my spine is in good shape (yay) and it’s just a muscular problem. I’m now taking a tapering dose of Methylprednisolone for six days. I don’t like adding more medications to what I’m already on, so hopefully it helps.

I had two doctors appointments today. This afternoon was when I started packing for my trip; I leave for Cape Cod tomorrow night. I already have my packing list figured out. I just have to run everything through the dryer to make sure all of the bed bugs are gone (which they are).

I’m excited to be on vacation for a week. I can’t wait to spend all of this time with my mom, my sister and husband, and their kids. The kids are growing up so quickly. I can’t believe that the youngest is 14 years old. While I will be loving my trip and enjoying all of my time on vacation, I’m going to miss my husband while I’m gone. My husband is my rock. He helps me get through everything. I don’t think I could handle life without him. I’m lucky to have him in my life.

High Blood Pressure

Today, my blood pressure was pretty high. I had my BP taken by the nurse before seeing my doctor. She first used an electric BP cuff, and it came out to be 167/147. I told her that it’s usually lower when done manually. I also tried breathing calmly while she was taking my BP manually. It worked! It got all the way down to 147/97. It’s still higher than it should be, but it’s lower than it was just a few minutes before. If you look at how stressful life is lately, it makes sense that my BP would be high. It’s something that I’ll keep working on, and hopefully it will get better. However, I can only work on so many things at one time.

It’s almost time for my vacation. I leave, in just one week from tomorrow evening, to go on vacation to Cape Cod. I’m really looking forward to seeing my family, especially the time alone I’ll have with my mom. I wish I would have lost some more weight before my trip. Oh well, I did the best I could, and I will keep trying every day, even while I’m out there on vacation.

Went Away For A Day

My husband and I went away for a day (almost a day, it was more like 20 hours). My brother-in-law stayed at our house with Achilles. The two of them had a great time together while we were gone.

We went to Flagstaff to go to part of the 2017 Flagstaff AA Roundup. The idea of going was much more exciting a few weeks ago. The closer it got to actually going to the event, the worse my anxiety got. We went Saturday night only for a couple of hours. I took Valium, and it didn’t even reduce my anxiety the slightest bit. I pushed myself and made myself stay for a couple of hours. I’m glad I did, but at the same time I know that I probably pushed myself too far because my anxiety is still hanging around.

Then on Sunday morning, we went to the Arizona Snowbowl, which is a scenic ski lift. It was beautiful. When we reached the top, it was 11,500 feet elevation. The view was amazingly beautiful. After that, we drove home. I was so happy to see Achilles when we got home. Our trip wasn’t much. It didn’t last long, but something is better than nothing. It’s important to get away every once in a while, even if it’s just for a day.

Going Away?

I’m struggling to lose weight. It’s such a pain in the ass. Oh well, it will happen at some point. I enjoy cooking for my husband, but it doesn’t help with weight loss. I’ve been trying some new recipes lately. Last night’s dinner definitely wasn’t healthy. Maybe I should look at some new, healthier recipes.

Right now, I should be focused on what’s currently happening and what’s coming up this weekend. My husband and I are going to Flagstaff for a couple of days. There’s a camping event that happens every year. I used to bring my dog with me and we would have a lot of fun. I’m getting nervous about being around that many people. It will be easier since I’ll be with my husband. Even though I know most of the people there, it still makes me nervous. I’m actually rethinking going to the event. Maybe we’ll still go away for a couple of days, but not go to the event. I’ll have to talk to my husband about it. I’ll let you know what we decide to do.

Headed Home To Arizona

My husband and I are on our way back home to Phoenix. We’re in Philadelphia on our 3 hour layover. I don’t really want to go back to Phoenix. I never have enough time in Connecticut with my family no matter how long I’m there for. Maybe I should stay for two weeks the next time I go. I would like to stay long enough that I actually want to go back to Phoenix.

The party for my mom’s birthday went wonderfully. Everyone was thanking me for putting it all together, but I couldn’t have done it without everyone else. It was a potluck, so the majority of the food came from the guests. The only thing I made was quiche and I ordered an edible arrangement (which was definitely a big hit). I liked organizing the party because I always had something to do. I didn’t have to worry about conversations with other people since I was always moving.

I had a few great visits with my grandmother. She’s 91 years old and is doing very well. I love the fact that I can speak openly with her. She does her best to understand my limitations. It’s nice that she things of my husband as well. Sometimes our conversations are weird and don’t make sense, but when they are fantastic when they do.

I got to visit with my brother and his wife. I always enjoy talking to him. Our relationship has improved over the years. I also visited with my sister and her husband. That went well. She and I both work at our relationship; it’s a tense relationship, but it’s there. We will be okay as long as we keep working at it. Her kids are growing up so quickly. I love seeing them any chance I get. I spent some time with my aunt, who I get along with very well and enjoy talking to.

There was a lot more that we did over the past week. We got a Christmas tree, decorated a bit, visited with some friends, helped my aunt out with her party, finished a jigsaw puzzle (I love doing those), and wrapped a bunch of Christmas presents. I went through a lot of Valium, much more than I normally do, but still not as much as I’m prescribed. Since I didn’t have the time to post every day like I normally do, I guess that’s a basic overview of the past week. I missed posting every day and I’m excited to get back to my regular schedule.

Not A Moment To Rest

Life has been so busy, I haven’t had a moment to rest. Yesterday was the party for my mom’s birthday, and it was wonderful! Of course, my quiche didn’t turn out right. Every other time I make them, they are fantastic, but this time they took a lot longer to cook than ever before. However, the best part is that everyone got along and had a good time. Everyone thanked me for putting the party together; that made me feel good.

Saturday was also very busy. My husband and I helped my aunt get ready for a party she was hosting. I enjoy helping people out. It’s helpful to me when I have something to do. We also had dinner with a close friend.

Today has been a somewhat lazy day. We’re hanging out and putting up Christmas decorations. I can’t believe we leave in a day and a half. We’ve been extremely productive, but no matter how much we get done, there will always be more to do. I have to go now to run some errands.

Arrived In Connecticut

I made it to Connecticut without any problems. I like traveling with my husband; it’s so much easier than traveling by myself. He helps me feel comfortable and safe when I’m in the airport and on the plane. I’m so happy to be back home with my family, even if it’s just for a week. I will be spending time with everyone; there’s lots to do. I already got to see several people, and I’ve only been here for half a day. I’m hoping it snows at least once while I’m here. I would love for my husband to be able to see and experience that.

I always call Connecticut my home. Even though I live in Arizona now, and have for many years, Connecticut will always be my home. However, it does get confusing, because I call Arizona my home as well. They’re just different types of homes.

I may not be posting as much as I normally do because I’ve got lots to do. I want to spend as much time with my family as possible. I’m still here, just not as much.

I Leave Tonight!

I had so much to do today before the SuperShuttle picks up me and my husband at 9:30pm. I had a doctor’s appointment, prescriptions to fill at two different pharmacies, several errands to run, and I still had to finish packing. Luckily, my husband offered to help out and take care of the car insurance renewal. Vacation is just around the corner! I’m so excited!

I slept about 7 hours last night and I’m very happy about that. I won’t get much sleep tonight on a red eye flight. I’m hoping to be able to take a nap before we leave. Hopefully, the airport won’t be too busy when we get there. I figured that I’ll need one Valium while traveling, but I don’t want to take any more that that. I don’t like having to take it on a regular basis. However, since life has been so busy lately, I have had to take more than I normally do.

My anxiety keeps increasing. The more I get done and get closer I get to completing all the packing, the more my anxiety rises. That’s weird. I think it should be the other way around; I should feel more relaxed with the more complete. It’s probably more excitement than anxiety; I can’t wait to be with my family.

My Side of the Pole

Bipolar – Mental Health

Tag: Vacations