Updating My Life

I know I haven't quite gotten back into the swing of posting regularly, but I realized it's been quite a while since I actually have done an update post.  So, here goes:

Our holidays were good.  I found as it got closer and closer to Christmas, I was over-extending myself.  So, I decided to back off.  And what a relief it was to do so!  I learned a great and valuable lesson:  Just because I WANT to do it all, I don't HAVE to do it all.  And the best part was, NO ONE knew that I didn't get everything done for Christmas that I had planned.  Wow--all of those years I ran myself into the ground and practically had a nervous breakdown every December and for what?

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January and February this year means that I am getting a whole lot of yearly medical stuff out of the way.  I have already had my appointment with my internist--which turned out fine, I guess*--and last week I saw the ophthalmologist.  It has been almost three years since I had my LASIK and he has declared me a complete success.  Everything is pretty stable and he is happy with the results.  That being said, I DO have some residual astigmatism--which I guess isn't surprising, considering how bad it WAS--and he found evidence that cataracts are beginning to form.  Great.  And the worst part is that I can't do anything to stop this and I won't be able to tell how bad things are getting because the sight deteriorates so gradually.  What I have to do is see him every two years and keep track of the progress.  Another joyful part of getting older.

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I got my report from the ultrasound of my carotid arteries and THAT was good news.  There is no evidence that anything is getting worse in my neck, which is a relief.  Now, I don't know if there is anything I can do to make things better--unless they go in and do surgery--the sludge that is there is staying.  And there is no way they would do surgery on me because the problem is so very slight.  It has been two years since the last ultrasound and I haven't exactly done much to keep things from getting any worse, so this was very welcome news.

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I won't get my mammograms done until the end of February.  This is because of when I had them done last year.  Insurance companies will only allow these once a year--unless there is a problem, of course--so I have to wait the 'one year plus one day' and have them done later than I wanted.  Sometimes things are just too complicated.  I'm just happy that the hospital caught this in time--I don't want to have to pay for something that we have covered by insurance.

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This week I get to go and have my teeth scraped--and hope that no other work needs to be done.  Just thinking about it causes a panic attack!  But, with the amount of time I spend daily with cleaning my teeth, things should be okay for a while yet.  I hope.

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A week from now I will be getting things ready for our road trip to see 'Wicked.'  We decided to spend two nights away--we will leave here on Monday afternoon, see the play on Tuesday, and come home on Wednesday.  Of course, the rest of the time will be spent in the stores--this will give me plenty of time to go to places I don't normally get to visit.  I've got my lists going already, so I am hoping the shopping will go in my favor.

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As I said, there were a few things that I didn't get done in time for Christmas.  But that just means I have to do them now.  The sewing/crafts room is filling up with projects that I need to get started on or complete.  Right now I have a scarf that I started, two hats that I'm making, a bunch of fleece blankets, and fleece polar socks.  I have no problem making the stuff--and I actually enjoy the work--but I find that I HATE the preparation and the finishing work.  I have to get going, because most of the stuff isn't for me and it has been promised to others--and I believe the patience is wearing a bit thin when it comes to people not getting what they are expecting. 

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We took a ride up north last week to deliver some stuff to The Oldest and her family.  This was the first time I've been up there in quite a few months.  So many times when K goes up there, I stay at home--I enjoy the time alone to get things done without him being here. I need to go more often, however, because I do miss the grandkids.  Anyway, the roads were normal for here in the winter:  snow-covered and a bit slippery.  As for the weather around here, we have snow almost every day--but that is normal, too.  :)  Haven't had too many bad storms this winter--but at least one will be coming yet this year.

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So far it seems as if we have been waiting for three months for the damned Super Bowl to finally be played.  Of course, with living here, the hype is on about the Packers, so I have it worse than people in other parts of the country.  I'll just be happy when the entire thing is done.

With hockey, the All-Star weekend just finished up and the regular schedule will be back on Tuesday.  I haven't seen a Wings game since Wednesday and won't get to see the next one until Wednesday.  I AM suffering from withdrawal symptoms.  ;)  Oh well, the race to the playoffs is about to begin.  Fun times.

*I still am not sure how I feel about the new doctor.  Some people think I should go out and look for someone who I may feel more comfortable with, while others tell me to give it some time.  I have a lot of thinking to do about this.