LW: 130.2
TW: 129.8

Hi, all, and welcome home, Sheesh. And yes, we ARE long-time friends! I do consider you ladies as friends although we have not yet met in person.

And thanks to all of you for the birthday wishes. Because it's so hot and humid here and yesterday was a class day, I told hubby that I would prefer to wait and have dinner at a nice restaurant with pleasant outdoor seating once the weather breaks. So it was an ordinary day (and I've learned to love ordinary days), except that I heard from a lot of people, got a number of cards, and got flowers from one of my girlfriends. And it was a bit out of the ordinary because I had to spend more time on my class yesterday because the a/c in the rec center was not working well and one of my ladies became overheated and had to leave. So after class, I went to the Foundation to talk to them about that. Hopefully, it will be cooler tomorrow.

Last night was the first night since my diagnostic mammo and utrasound that I have not slept well. I still have some discomfort on my left side that interrupted my sleep and got my brain going. But I'm trying hard to not project.

Sheesh, the lisinopril at the lowest dose did not bring my BP down enough, so my doc moved me up to the next higher dose, and now I am having a few side effects (headaches and tickly throat). I have an appointment with her a week from today, and I suspect that she may change it. Or maybe not. Maybe it just takes time for your body to adjust. But I did bite the bullet and agree to participate in that Brillant Care plan where my BP is sent electronically to my doc every day. And if this monitor is correct, my numbers are still a little high.

There has been another change in my world that I'm not that happy about. Fitbit has done away with their web-based dashboard, which gave me more data and in a more friendly format than what I get with the app. I read some posts on the community pages this morning, and a lot of users are very, very angry. These are mostly people who logged their food on Fitbit. I am so glad I do that on MFP.

So it's not as easy to extract my 7-day averages because when you ask for a week, the week begins on Monday, and I haven't figured out how or if I can get a week starting on a Wednesday. But it's not a big deal. I can scroll through days and do it myself. So here goes:

Steps = 10,092
Kcals burned = 1,720

I am a bit surprised at the calories. I think our bodies must burn more trying to cope with the temps.

Sheesh, hope you have fun at your golf lesson and don't overheat. And it sounds like we both have hubbies who sometimes have to rest because of their back pain. Mine takes a break or two and lies down on the loveseat a couple of times a day just to get the stress off of his neck and back. Both of us are dragging a bit today. We got to bed late and had to be up by 6:30 because we had window washers here before 8. Then we ran errands out in the heat and then spent time watering plants in noon day sun, too. Next Monday, we have a landscaper coming. Although we cannot do much until next spring, we are over having a huge hump in the yard. So he is going to level it out some, leave enough for settling over the winter, plant some more grass seed and reconnect the downspouts, which should feed through tubes out to a pop-up valve in the yard. However, during the last big rain, we noticed that the top of the valve was not popping open. So we are probably getting all that water just pushed underground. And god knows what kind of damage that might do.

Lois, I hope that your leg is doing okay, and I hope you're able to let us know what is going on with it soon. I worry when you don't post. I know you're juggling a lot and I know that you've been feeling a little off your game. Don't forget that we're in your corner.

Well, time to do something productive. Sheesh, thanks for posting those pictures. Once I know what is going on my health and we have a little time to recoup some from these big expenses, I'll get some information from you about the cruise line you took.

just a quick check in. Sorry. Yes, life has been crazy, but I am doing horrible at keeping my personal stuff pioritized and you ladies are more priority than I've been giving you all.


Super long post - may be too long to read....

Just before we left for California for Independence Day, hubby had a stye develop and decided he needed to have urgent care check it out the morning we were to leave, versus the day before, when I had suggested. Anyhow, the guy refuses to as for time off, call in sick or go to the doc. I was able to get him an appt and he got an ointment. He went to work, but then was sent home about 7pm. He decided we were still going to head out that night, in the next hour. Keep in mind, I am unsafe to drive at night in dark areas, I need light poles to gauge distances and keep away from other vehicles. Anyhow, off we went. We got to Cathedral City just fine four hours later, but I was tense and miserable and didn't sleep well. We headed to Camp Pendleton the next morning. To our surprise, the rest of the crew had not yet left for the beach and were waiting for us (11ish arrival). My SIL had reserved us a cabana and it was the first one off the path. Fortunately my SIL ranks, so they allowed him to drop us and our gear off at the boardwalk but he did have to park 1/2 mile away. It was a hot beautiful day with way too many drunk Marines. LOL Unsure what I expected, but we staked out the area just in front of our Cabana and I was thankful we did otherwise someone would have camped out right in front of us. Fireworks were different as there was no breeze so they were hiding behind the clouds and smoke. They were actually quite cool looking. I still enjoyed them.

My daughter and SIL have decided to stay in Cali and are buying a new home under construction in Fallbrook. They are super excited. So we did go visit and tour their future home. Excited for them.

Ventured to Chula Vista and visited hubby's aging Auntie and had a great visit with her and some cousins and nieces that also came over to visit. I love those visits.

After coming home I rested for a day while doing laundry etc. and prepare for Rhea's arrival Thursday was exciting. I slept at her house on Wednesday night and brought her home with me on Thursday. We swam and Grandpa took her swimming. We did our best to wear her out so that I would have less challenges after he went to work. We did a great job. She racked out two Taylor Swift songs in... Friday morning we picked up 12 YO Kelsie. And the two of them had a great time to wear me out!!! And, I was wore out. We did some craft things, picture puzzles (printed family pictures, drew lines on the back that Rhea got to cut out and practice her scissor skills and then assemble the picture again and again).

Put them to bed at 9. Kelsie was out at 9:10, Rhea decided she was too scared to sleep in the room iwt Kelsie and so she climbed onto the couch with me! She ended up kicking me off and I moved to the recliner, but she racked out within a minute or two after getting her head on the couch pillow. Grammy did good wearing them out - as well as herself.

Sheesh, you can probably attest that Grammy duty is harder than Mommy duty as we try to keep activities lined up to keep them engaged and active.

So...just before we left for California, when I ran up to get my pillow and Cpap machine, I noticed upstairs was very very warm...the AC unit had gone out .... again. So I turned it off, gathered my stuff and we headed out of town. I didn't tell hubby until we were on our way to my daughter's house. And also to dissuade him from bringing up the Disneyland trip with Kelsie for Labor Day weekend. Not knowing what the HVAC is going to run, I need to ensure we aren't dipping into savings too much more than we need to. And, within 15 mins on the road to the beach, Grandpa brought it up and asked her if she wanted to go... oh sigh. Money be damned. Sarah - I thought of you!! Oh and I've been using the wall bed in my office, so it's a comfy bed while the AC is out. Because of all of the appointments I have and the grandkids here, I had to schedule repairs for this Friday morning.

MRI is tomorrow morning, and dr. appt for results are next week. I also have my annual physical with a new doc on Thursday. My weight is out of control and I have no idea how to get my head in the game. I'm sure it will be a fun discussion with a stranger. I dunno what to do.

Thanks for the words of encouragement Sarah. MRI went well. Physical on Thursday and MRI results next Thursday. Good luck on your appointment this week.