Jennifer Apodaca's Blog, page 21

Weekend Roundup

Sorry I missed Friday. Things got chaotic before I had my throat surgery Even though I had my bloodwork done for 15 days, everyone just noticed at the last minute that my sodium level was too low to be safe for surgery. Anyhow, we treated with way buckets of electrolyte drinks, retook the blood test, and I had the lesions removed on Friday morning as scheduled. Everything went fine, and I even came out of full anesthesia with no nausea, which is a miracle for me. The surgeon took a large chunk out in the vicinity of my where my tonsil would be if I hadn’t had them removed as a kid. In fact, the largest mass appears to be tonsil regrowth, which is a weird thing that does happen. Nothing looked suspicious, but it’ll be biopsied just to be sure.

I’m extremely relieved to get this done. Progress after months of waiting and waiting feels pretty good. My throat is very sore as expected but it should heal. What I didn’t expect was a three week restriction on lifting anything more than five pounds. That should make going to Hawaii interesting But as long as I heal as expected, we’re going! I’ll pack light and all will be well.

So this weekend has mostly been rest, trying to eat and I’m allowed to do some light walking. Oh and watching videos of Turbo! He got four hits in his baseball game on Saturday

How was your weekend?

The post Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Wednesday Reading

I finished THE SERPANT AND THE WINGS OF THE NIGHT, which is the first in a series. I liked it, but I can’t decide if I want book two or not.  I really liked the first book right up until the end — which made me feel like the heroine was back where she started. So…I’m debating.

In audio, I randomly chose a mystery LISTEN FOR THE LIE by Amy Tintera. I’m really enjoying it so far. It’s a fun mystery if you like sarcastic heroes with murder on their minds. I mean…this heroine should irritate me, but I’m actually amused. But I can see why some readers would not be as entertained since she has a voice in her heard urging her to murder most people she sees However, I’ve had voices in my head telling me to write their story, so I can’t really be too judgmental.

What are you reading or listening to?

The post Wednesday Reading first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Weekend Roundup

We made it to Turbo’s baseball game! And we had fun, Turbo got a hit, caught a grounder and brought in a run.  After the game was over, he still wanted to practice, which cracked me up. I don’t know who I enjoyed more — Turbo or Wizard, whom Turbo wanted to impress.  I loved it all. Here’s a blurry pick through the fence of Turbo playing first base.

We had a great time partly because the other team, parents and coach were all there for the same reason we were — to support, encourage and teach all the kids. We clapped and encouraged all the kids from both teams, and the game ended up with a tied score.  Afterwards, the other team’s parents made a human bridge with their arms for the kids to run under and called our team over too. I thought that was so cool. These kids all had a great day learning the game and best of all, sportsmanship.

Sunday I had lunch with my friend. She’s doing great despite a few medical challenges this year. We had a nice lunch, caught up and shopped a little. We have been trying to get together more often, but can’t seem to manage more than three times a year. Life for both of us has been keep us busy.

How was your weekend?

The post Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Friday Five

TGIF!! This week has been warp speed and somehow we landed on Friday again. Now it’s time to share five random things about our week. Here’s mine:

So last week I went shopping for tops. I found some at Macy, then went to pay and discovered they were having a “presale,” which meant that in order to get the 30% off, I had to pick up the clothes at a later date. I agreed, and save $40.00! I also had to drive back out yesterday to pick them up. But Wizard came with me and we went to lunch so it turned out to be a nice time.This week has been a bit of juggling with medical stuff (it’s boring to talk about) and changing pharmacies because our old pharmacy closed. But both Wizard and I got it all organized by the end of the week! This is a big win. My frustration is trying to get through to my ENT’s office, but once I do, they are super helpful, so I’m not complaining. I understand they are juggling a lot more than I am!I listened to the book IT’S ONE OF US by J.T. Ellison. I really loved the book, but didn’t love very end. Still it was a good book and I’m looking to read more of her work!I worked my first volunteer shift at the animal shelter. I have a lot to learn, and definitely need more experience getting the martingale collars on. I had one mishap (not the dogs fault!) that left me with a scratch on my arm. I don’t consider that a big deal, but my arm had to go the drama queen route and bleed a lot. I cleaned it up, it’s fine. I had a more experienced dog walker collar the dog (she even struggled!), and then I walked him and returned him safely to his kennel. He was a good boy once we got going and I didn’t have any more problems. I’m going to order the arm guards the other dog walker suggested. By the way, she wanted to give me her arm guards to use right then — these are really nice people who were so very patient with me. I will get better! Last comment — Wizard had a moment when he saw the scratch, but quickly recovered and realized I was fine. It’s going to happen and Wizard knows that, he’s just been a little protective of me lately.This weekend we are going to see Turbo play baseball on Saturday and Sunday, I’m having lunch with a friend while Wizard goes racing. It’ll be a fun and busy weekend.

That’s my five, and now I’d really love to hear yours! Happy Friday and I hope everyone has a great weekend!

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Happy Wednesday!

Yesterday I was helping Wizard by shoveling ground cover into a trash can. Wizard has it all raked into piles and we’ve been disposing of it little by little each week in the green (for stuff like grass clippings, etc.) trash can. I insisted on doing this part as it’s easier for me than Wizard (which he will deny, LOL). It’s a quick job, and one I don’t mind doing. But I can’t convince Wizard to just let me do it. He’s physically incapable of letting me do it.

So he got another shovel to help. And missed the trash can, hitting my back with a shovel full of ground cover.

We thought we got it all off. By the way, I wasn’t mad, it was just an accident. Anyway, we finished shoveling, then I took off my shoes, went into the house and washed up…then discovered I left a pile of ground cover on the floor. It’d gone down my pants but evidently got stuck until I tried to clean up. After awhile I was just laughing because a quick, simply job always turns into more than is should!

And that was pretty much how my day went yesterday, LOL!

How’s your Wednesday going?

The post Happy Wednesday! first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Weekend Roundup

We had so much fun at my oldest son’s birthday dinner! I’m really happy it turned out so nice for him, and that’s thanks to his wife. She definitely made him feel special. And his brothers made sure to harass him, LOL. There were many memorable moments, but the one that stands out is from Turbo (my grandson). So Turbo sat between his parents and across from me, quietly doing a mini building project at the table. Everyone else was chatting. I was teasing Oldest about getting old, and he said something back. I can’t even remember what he said – it was all just teasing stuff.

But Turbo heard and snapped his head around to glare at his dad. “Don’t be mean to your mom, Daddy.”

We were all so stunned we just sat there for a beat. Then my son hugged his boy and told him he was very smart. I love both father, son and my daughter-in-law so much, and appreciate that have taught him that. Truly.

But it’s also funny because the first few years of Turbo’s life,  it would blow his mind when we explained that Grandma is also his daddy’s mom. But he clearly gets it now And he protects me from his dad, LOLOL!!! Because my other two sons aren’t going to protect me when they are too busy getting in on the teasing. I mean…maybe I started it? But still, I have Turbo Protection!

There was so much more going on. Youngest and his wife carpooled with us, and they are always fun. I saw in the back with my daughter-in-law because she’s the most fun   Also Wizard had a bit of a stressful week, and they way, he could chat with Youngest and decompress.

Middle son was in a great mood — he has a child on the way and we learned, a big promotion. He was definitely celebrating and he wove some hilarious stories. This child, well his a full grown man, has always been a charmer and I can see he has refined his ability to draw his audience into his story web — even when he’s making crazy stuff up on the spot. The way his brain works is, um, unique (in the best way). Oh and his two dogs have figured out how to open their crates, but he can’t figure out how. That’s a mystery that’s bugging him. Thankfully, they have great dogs, so it’s not actually a big deal. But how are they doing it???

Here’s a pic of me and Wizard at the restaurant:

 

How was your weekend?

The post Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Friday Five

TGIF!! How did Friday get here? On the other hand, I thought yesterday was Saturday at one point in the day, so we can’t judge by me! Okay let’s share five random things about our week. Here’s mine:

I got my bloodwork don’t with no problems. I’m a pro at it I love that we can make appointments and it’s relatively quick and easy. I’ve already seen my results and am happy to see my electrolytes coming up. After that, I went over to the animal shelter and bought my volunteer shirt.My eye appointment was equally uneventful — all good with no surprises. Just the way I like it.Thursday, I went to the dog walking class and am very impressed. She trains five students in twice monthly classes, and of those 10, only about one lasts more than a few weeks. I can see why, the dog walkers tend to be a really passionate, committed group and I think that might intimidate some people (that’s fine, there’s other things they can do to help if they want to). I hope I can do it! I have the will, and plan to try at least once a week. I do have to take time off for the throat biopsy and we’ll see if there’s anything more when another test result comes in. But I really want to learn and gain experience to walk more dogs, as long I can handle that and make sure Maggie gets all the walks she need. I can go on and on about this, but will restrain myself for the moment Here’s a pic Wizard took of me before I left for the class.After I got home from the shelter, Wizard wanted to clean windows. He’d already taken the screens off and washed them, so I had to do my part. Man I was so wiped out. But incredibly happy to get it done. The windows were embarrassingly bad!This weekend we’re celebrating Oldest (CPA Boy’s) birthday! It’s a milestone, and the family is meeting at a restaurant because my daughter-in-law is smart I have his gift and just have to remember to get a card and wrapping paper today — wish me luck in remembering, LOLOL!

That’s my five, now I really hope you’ll share yours! Have a great weekend!

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

How Do You Choose Books?

I’m enjoying the book I’m currently reading: The Serpent & The Wings of Night, by Carissa Broadbent. I will admit, it was the cover attracted my attention:

What’s weird is snakes give me the creeps. But I love the colors and design, so that’s what caught my attention. And it’s about vampires, which I can usually take or leave. But I’m enjoying the book so far so the cover did it’s job.

In general though, my top ways of choosing books to read or listen to are:

Authors I love are my top choices.“Word of mouth” by people I know.Social media posts about books the poster loved. One of the my favorite things I love coming across is posts like “My top five books.” Posts like that will have been pulling up all the books on my vendor of choice to read more about them.I guess then I’d probably list covers and blurbs.When I’m unsure, I will read reviews. I know a lot of people claim they don’t, but I skim then looking for consistent things that either I know I’ll really enjoy, or tip me off that this book isn’t for me.

How do you select books?

The post How Do You Choose Books? first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Weekend Roundup

Not much happened this last weekend. We didn’t go to Turbo’s game, and made a new plan to go to his game on the 27th and then lunch with my daughter-in-law and Turbo (and CPA Boy if he can — tax season can cut into his weekends). Naturally it ended up not raining during his game. But if we had gone, it would have rained

Otherwise, Wizard’s dealing with stuff with his brother’s house (we’ll be so glad when he’s finally done handling with the estate), and I was working with my  middle daughter-in-law’s mom to find a location for the baby shower. We don’t have a house located central enough, so we need a venue that fits our budget. We made some progress and will hopefully get a venue nailed down this week or the weekend. I really like her mom so I think we’re going to enjoy this.

Sunday I spent two hours trying on clothes in Kohls, and came home with a dress, a shirt and sunglasses. Then I ordered two pairs of sandals to see how they fit. I’m trying. The styles of clothes just doing suit me. I need my basic summer clothes before we go to Hawaii Mid-May. I ruin, wear out or hate most of my shirts lately. Wizard is nagging me to buy clothes that I want.

This week is shaping up to be full of appointments and more waiting. I’m having the throat procedure on May 3rd (assuming nothing changes as we are still gathering tests and results), so I’m doing the bloodwork Monday and need to go buy a volunteer shirt at the animal shelter. Tues is my eye doc appointment. Wed is errands. Thursday is my Dog Walking Class, and Friday is something I can remember But things are getting done so that’s always a win.

I also began reading THE SERPERANT AND THE WINGS OF THE NIGHT by Carissa Broadbent and am enjoying it. It’s a vampire paranormal.

How was your weekend?

The post Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Friday Five

TGIF! It was a fast week for me. Okay, let’s get into sharing five random things about our week;

The temperature was in the 80s and hot yesterday, yet it’s supposed to rain on Saturday. The wacky weather is creating lots of allergy and sinus issues.I bought some pitted dates, filled them with peanut butter and covered them in dark chocolate. They are in my fridge plotting ways to make me fat. They are also way too easy to make, and that’s just dangerous I’m trying to volunteer for my local animal shelter, but I’m having to work around some scheduling issues on my part. Of course, I’d like to do the most popular thing of walking the shelter dogs, and that has a prerequisite class “Dog Walking Level 1.” That class is always full. But I had a stroke of luck yesterday, and a spot opened up for next Thursday. I signed up! I want get qualified and commit to future dates to walk dogs now, so once it’s hot, I don’t decide to wait until summer is over. Dog walking is between 8am and 10am, so it’s shouldn’t be too intolerable. In the meantime, I may put in some hours doing anything else they need — washing bowls, folding blankets, cleaning tools in the clinic, however I can help for a couple hours here and there. I’m a big supporter of our animal shelter and I really hope volunteering works out, but we’ll see if it works out.I had coffee with Biker Witch yesterday in Barnes and Noble. We were mostly catching up, and I love that. But we also book shopped, which is always fun. I bought one book that was really random — I think it’s a Young Adult, but I’m hoping it’ll catch my interest enough to keep me reading. My sister bought two books because she must outdo me in all things, LOL!Tomorrow we hope to go see Turbo play baseball if it doesn’t rain. The weather app is insisting it will rain, so we’ll see. If we can’t go this time, we’ll go on the 27th. Otherwise, I need to do some cleaning and maybe do some clothes shopping.

That’s my five and now I’d really love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.