I saw my first hockey game!

I won tickets recently for a Penguin's hockey game (they were playing Hershey). Not only was it my first game ever, but, the tickets were for a private box so I truly had a bird's eye view of everything. The players are amazingly graceful on the ice, flying forwards, sideways, backwards FAST! Course the crowds loved the fights, too - I didn't know guys actually fought like that - looking like boxers, as they jab at each other. Of course the fighters get "time outs" aka penalties. It was fun, fast and furious, and even for someone like me, with little knowledge about the game, it was one of those things I really enjoyed, surprising myself!
I guess we all need to try something at least once. I don't want to reach the end of my life regretting that I never tried something (although deep sea diving and sky diving probably won't make the regret list).
I'm grateful for the life I have - I always have enough, I have a wonderful husband, I have a great family, a roof over my head, nice clothes to wear, a car to drive, good health, and a career.
Pondering in my quiet moments, some of the things I've always wanted:
to write - if I write and no one reads it, does it count?
to create beauty - some of my crafting has yielded lovely results, and my children (okay, adult children) are beautiful, talented and smart
to have a peaceful life - my childhood was chaos, but, I like my life now (even when it gets crazy)
to be loved - I am.
to be thinner - I don't know if I ever will be, but, I'm always working on being healthy
to be patient- always working on that, and am often told that I am
to be kind - I think I'm pretty good at that. My job evaluation actually said that I am "compassionate". I like that.
to be a teacher - well, I became a nurse, and surprisingly teaching - patient teaching, family teaching, staff teaching - is a huge part of who I am and what I do.
Life is pretty great, isn't it?
And hockey - well that was pretty cool, and I had fun!

Is it a full moon?

A hectic, crazy week. Too much adrenaline - I am not one to enjoy multiple episodes of it. It is a help when you need it, but, boy do you drag afterward.
I want a good night's sleep, a peaceful work day or two, lots of cuddling with my husband, and did mention a really good night's sleep.
My eye surgery is in a week and I am also "preparing" for the 2nd surgery. Ahh. Did I mention sleep?
Well, no more whining - say hi to Dexter, a good little buddy who has unlimited patience and lots of kisses.

Sometimes a virus isn't on the computer

Well, healthy as I tend to be, I picked up a virus this week, that knocked me out of my usual routine - uggh!
So I am snuggled under my down comforter, a fleece shawl I made around my shoulders, and my laptop keeping me connected to the outside world. No coffee today, just a cup of tea. My stomach said "thank you".
I'm setting up a project in my head, that has been going off track every time I make some inroads. It involves less clutter in my life, a bedroom crammed with STUFF, and the vintage joy I want that room to become. My bits and pieces need a better home! I've removed tons of stuff to donate, sell, and give away over the last year. I even got it neat enough at one point that I stretched out with my collected pillows and dolls and slept there when my husband's snoring was keeping me awake one night.
I think, because it is the direct path to the attic (the closet with the folding stairs are is in that room), the various odds and ends always seem to end there.
Well, I've decided that the only viable option is to remove everything from the room, only keep the important stuff (like the previously mentioned pillows and dolls), and toss, recycle, donate, etc. all the rest. Then, with my precious bits and pieces safely boxed (and labeled), the old, stained carpet will be ripped up and removed, the walls will be repaired (my middle daughter had tons of posters, etc. and also repainted it a different color without taking very much down -yucky once the stuff was taken down by me). The only items to definitely stay (aside from the mentioned bits and pieces) will be the daybed (once belonged to my oldest daughter) which has a great mattress and that I painted an interesting shade of fuchsia a few years ago, the shelves I put in and probably the dressing table and craft table I have in there. Undecided about the dresser that's in there. Well, anyway, that's what I organizing in my head. Colors? Well, even with only one window, it's sunny, so I'm not sure which way I'm going with. Deep shades of rose, etc. swirl through my head. I always put paint samples on the wall to see it with the different types of light before I commit.
So, onward with planning.
Of course there is the second cataract surgery coming up soon. But, a girl can dream.

Motivation

What motivates us?
I work hard, try to accomplish things at home, but, it feels like a real EFFORT!
Cold weather? Burn out?
I love to create, yet I don't feel creative.
But, something tells me that I need to find a fresh way to do things.
I love my career (most of the time), and will try to keep sharing information about what I do professionally. But, if it is really my mother's face in the mirror, with my soul behind those eyes (one blurry, one clear), perhaps it is time to share more of ME.
What fires my soul?
Family - husband and children (okay, grown children).
Making a difference with kindness.
Reading good supernatural fiction (it's my weakness and I love a good read).
Creating something that fills my heart with passion and makes me feel proud of myself.
So what motivates me? I'm wanting to fill my life with the goodness of life, not so much the things. I want to feel proud at the end of my day - and life. For life is a finite thing, a journey that we must live, a day at a time.

A New Year

A new year, fresh start - every year we get a chance to improve our lives with new habits and healthier ways.
Here's to a happy and healthy new year.
I have been taking some time off due to vision problems. Well, with one cataract surgery done, and one to go, I have clear vision in my right eye, and blurry vision in my left. I play a little game with myself called "vision check", when the two eyes aren't working together and annoy me - first I shut my right eye and my vision is blurry on the left. Then I open my right eye and close my left eye. Better! It's alot like having two different views of life - one is cloudy and confusing, the other is clear and sharp edged.
I was younger than the patients at the surgical center by about 10-20 years. I felt sad for some of them as I heard that they hadn't followed pre-op instructions (one lady was hungry and had an entire breakfast before she came in). They had medical issues that had to be addressed before the surgery could begin (elevated heart rates and blood pressure seemed to be a common theme). The nurses kept telling me how "perfect" my vital signs were, etc. and were amazed that I had no "issues". Of course, age makes a big difference. I was born with cataracts and they never bothered me much except for glare at night, until they decided to cloud this fall. I thought I just needed new glasses when my eyes were having trouble adjusting between close work and distance. Glare was becoming a HUGE issue and I stopped driving at night the last month before my eye surgery (headlights were too much). I even thought it was just my right eye that clouded until they removed that cataract and replaced it with an implanted lens. That's when I realized my left eye was pretty cloudy, too - just not as bad in comparison to the right (before surgery).
Okay, beyond the personal update, here's a thought - we all need regular eye checks, no matter what our age. If a parent is having eye problems, it is good to have a support person with them when they go to have it checked. I was fortunate to have no major health issues, understood my instructions for the surgery, followed them, made sure my paperwork was complete, etc. before arriving for surgery. The IV medication relaxed me so much that the surgeon had to remind me to focus on the light during the surgery.
Now, throw in some medical issues (Diabetes, hypertension, etc.), some confusion about the instructions, and the actual procedure (flat on my back for over an hour before the surgery as numerous eye medications were put in my right eye, my face scrubbed before the surgery, then draped with an opening for the operative eye, covering the rest of my face, and the worst part was the clamp thing that held my eye open) and I could see someone without my medical training, alone, confused - it would be difficult, at best. It was difficult for me, and I had researched the procedure and discussed it fully with two doctors before having it done. It was not the worst thing I've ever had done (a closed MRI comes to mind), but, I'm glad I only need it done twice.
So, if you know someone who is having it done - a neighbor, friend, relative, they really do need your support. It made me feel more comfortable knowing my husband was there for me in the waiting area. My youngest daughter watched over me that afternoon as I slept off the aftereffects of the IV med, and I had her to drive me to the first post op appointment the next morning.
Pain wasn't much of an issue - my eye was swollen and sore, but, Tylenol was enough to help me sleep. The eye shield was a pain for the week I had to wear it, but, I didn't poke myself in the eye when I was sleeping. My eye was sensitive to light, so the dark sunglasses helped alot. My one week post op visit, I was 90% healed, had almost 20/20 vision in my right eye, and now, after 2 1/2 weeks, except for the occasional slight irritation, when my eyes are tired, I look forward to the clearer vision in my left eye. It's like the difference between watching a regular, older TV and a HD television - amazing!