Memorial Day 2011

This year I didn't make food assignments. I didn't worry about when people would arrive. I didn't stress that there wouldn't be enough food. I just relaxed and let things go their own way.

It was GREAT! The house was mostly clean and the day was only slightly overcast.

Chris and Matt showed up first. They brought cake. Lorie and the boys were next and Lorie made cheesy (funeral) potatoes. Bill came with the pound cake and macaroni salad. Beth appeared later with the cookies.

We had burgers and chips and mac salad, and potatoes, and lots of desserts.

We talked, laughed, and reminisced. We missed the ones who couldn't be with us. Those whose day had to be spent somewhere else, and those who we know were there in spirit.

We laughed at Ben's shadow on the wall. His despicable me pose.


and we enjoyed watching the little girls rock out to Rock Band.


We played and talked until the little ones were worn out.


It was a great day in my book. Just a great day!

Some jerk thinks I'm going to hell today

So all this crap going around about how the world will end tonight, and that the righteous will meet God in Heaven and the rest will burn in a fiery pit of volcanic lava, has got me thinking.
First I am too old, and too tired to go to Hell. It's a place where people are forced to do stuff to repent for their sins. I don't have the energy. I can't push a rock up a mountain, I can't party all night forever, I can't hold my breath for more than I few seconds, I could twist on a rack, but really? What would be the point?

Today is nice and sunny and supposedly going to be something in the 70's. (I'm at work). I would have expected a little grey cloud cover and some brimstone falling....

As my friend Lorie said: It's been so wet here in Utah that a bit of fire might help.

It doesn't feel like the world is going to end. I mean wouldn't that take a LONG time to happen? Shouldn't God have started like, I don't know..... a few hours ago? I thought for sure it would happen this morning, but now I am reading in the news about how it will happen tonight. Well hell, what time tonight? I have plans and I need to work those around the end of the world crap that needs to include my asking for forgiveness for my many sins.

somehow I don't see me, not having to work on Monday, or telling my creditors that: "Sorry, but I didn't pay you because the world will end tomorrow and what would be the point?" happening anytime soon.

No More soda *frowny face*

So Dan and been coughing more and more lately. He's always had to be careful because overdoing any activity especially after eating will cause him to cough. He coughs so bad he will make himself throw up.

It has gotten so bad now, that people at his work have complained. He was told by his management to go to the doctor. He has and although they have told him he has asthma, I think it is something different. Having spent the first 24 years of my life with a man who suffered from, not only asthma, but other lung illnesses, I am pretty sure that it's not just asthma, or even bad asthma.

I have also noticed a trend that Dan's coughing seems to be even more worse after he has a soda with his meals. Dan and I drink A LOT OF SODA. I kid you not. We can go through some 2 liters like no other. Me more than Dan in the 2 liter category, but Dan doesn't drink hardly anything but soda. He tells me he drinks water at work, but I'm sure a Coke is snuck in there somewhere.

So I made him a challenge. We both are giving up soda (any carbonated drinks) for 5 days. Monday through Friday. Just to:

1. see if we can do it
2. I want to see if Dan does better with his coughing
3. I want to see if it makes either one of us feel better.

I am having a harder time cutting out the sweets. It's so frustrating because I love them so much. But honestly I think I just love eating. I am going to try to cut up some cucumbers and see if I will eat them like I eat chips and cookies and such. Maybe the trick will be to just keep celery, carrots and cucumbers as a ready to eat snack.

I know I don't feel good after eating the sweets. Mostly because:

1. I eat too much
2. I eat them too late at night
3. I forget to take my evening insulin and eat sweets anyway.
   

Something I am paying a bit more attention to is how I feel in the mornings after eating sweets the day before. If I eat them early in the day, like in the AM to about 3 pm, I don't feel as icky the next morning. I still feel icky, it's just not as bad. If I eat the sweets after 3 pm, and eat a larger portion than I should, I feel simply horrible. I can't get up with the alarm, I am dragging my butt everywhere I go, and I am 3 times hungrier than I should be.

So I am trying to compromise with myself. It's not a Win/Win, but it beats a Win/Lose any day.
I will try to keep any sweets consumption to the early part of the day. Especially when I have taken my morning insulin. If I can't get myself to stop altogether, then at least I can limit better my portions AND hopefully feel better.

*sigh Just and FYI. Day two of caffeine with drawl from soda just sucks. I am a bit miserable. But I will do this. I almost drank some coffee just to keep awake, but since I HATE the taste, and really shouldn't have the caffeine, I skipped it. But now to stay awake long enough to get home.