It's me, Hi, I'm the problem, it's me.
Hello My Lovelies and Gents,
2024 is halfway through and so far I'm not a huge fan. There have been some incredibly bright spots, but it's been a sucky year for the most part. I'm really hoping for a brighter second half.
Since it's been a while, you may not remember that the year started with Covid. Oh, joy. I had made it a resolution to Blog regularly in 2024, but the stress and anxiety hit pretty early on. Mom had some pretty serious health issues for a couple of months. She's in great shape now, but there was that anxious panic that she wouldn't make it. When you lose a parent, the thought of losing the other is devasting. Even the slightest possibility makes my anxiety kick into high gear. Part of the struggle was that I wasn't able to be with her when she was really sick. I was able to visit in mid-February. Heather came to visit too.
There was a lot of good food eaten and a lot of Dateline watched. That was a legit decompress weekend. It was much needed. We all just needed to be in each other's space and just be.
Heather and I took a trip to the Asian Market and fun was had. We are the grocery store nerds singing and dancing to the music and just basically enjoying our shopping. I got my first wok pan. I have been wanting one and now I have a great recipe to use for it. When we got home Heather made us Pancit Bihan. Oh My GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD! I'm obsessed and I've made it a couple of times since. Super easy and super tasty. It's basically rice sticks, carrots, celery, cabbage, broth, and soy sauce.
Two wonderful things happened in March. The first is that I got my first pair of Progressive glasses. Shout out to my fellow Gen Xers with failing eyesight. I have been legally blind for the majority of my life. I accepted that and have been okay with corrective lenses until I needed reading glasses on top of contacts. In March I got the most amazing pair of frames ever though. I also got my first pair of mono-focal contacts. For those that don't know, one eye wears a prescription for reading and one eye is for distance. You are supposed to give yourself a couple of weeks to Train your Brain. My eyes are so bad that the difference in prescription made me nauseous when I drove. It has greatly improved, but I still prefer wearing my killer glasses. Oh did I mention that they said I have the beginning of Cataracts? Score!
Happily, my glasses came in just in time for the Jon Batiste concert. That was one of the best nights of my year and possibly of my life. I got the tickets in November as a Christmas gift and March could not come soon enough. There was stress over what to wear, how early to get there, would I be able to see, etc. I got a new top and it was nice. I got my new glasses in that week so I was super able to see. I could have worn my contacts, but I struggle in low light. The tickets were for general admission. I wanted to be there when the doors opened. We were. In the rain.
I looked so nice when I left the house and looked like a drowned rat when we entered the doors. Don't Care. I was in the front. There was NO ONE in my way.
The entire night was magical. It was more like an experience than a concert. This man's music heals my soul and fills me with Hope. Oh, and we high-fived. I died and went to heaven. My hand touched his hand.
A week later I went to see Mom for a Staycation Spring Break. We had a good relaxing time. I only wanted to relax but I also wanted to do one thing we hadn't done before. I'm a museum geek and have never been to the Air and Space Museum that is by Dulles Airport. I love the Air and Space Museum in DC so I was excited for this. It's a giant hangar full of planes and it's incredible. I also got the MLB radio package at the beginning of the week so that I could listen to every Phillies Game this season. I have been enjoying that. The cadence of baseball on the radio is very relaxing. I got to go shopping at Wegmans and that always makes me happy.
I did get a lovely surprise before I drove home. I wasn't sure when I would see Mom again so I stayed an extra day. I wasn't feeling great. So I wanted a full rest day. And then I got a phone call. Ms. Kristin, Mr. Bill, and Miss Caroline wanted to visit. They came down from Philly and we went to lunch and then to get cupcakes. It was a short, sweet, and completely unexpected visit. I loved it. In full disclosure, I had grilled cheese, french fries, and a milkshake. I'm telling you that I wasn't feeling great and I needed some comfort food.
Towards the end of April, I dog-sat for some of my favorite people. I planned to consider it like staying in an Airbnb. I just wanted to relax and read. I relaxed and read a little. And I started binging Bones. LOL. It carried over and I've been binging it from the beginning. The dogs were good, but my knee couldn't handle the stairs. I was fine for the first two days, but by the third day, my knee was angry. It hurt for about a week.
That weekend I co-hosted a Tea Party at church. It was a wonderful afternoon. And then that night I had a fever. I never get fevers. I didn't even have one when I had covid. I didn't feel great and stayed in bed the next day, except for the many trips to the bathroom. My digestive tract was having a rough couple of days.
And then I turned 51. Joy.
I wanted to go to the pottery festival to celebrate my birthday. It's held twice a year and I loved the one in October. I got two bowls and a mug. I love them. And then we went to Amelies French Bakery after to eat lunch. That was a good choice. I hadn't been there since they moved to their new location.
My gym closed that Sunday for renovations. It was scheduled for 8 weeks. They are still closed, but hopefully opening soon. Every gym should randomly close for a short time. I have never wanted to go so much as I have with it closed. Although I can go to other locations, they aren't as convenient for me though. The good news is that it really forced me to rely on my home workouts. I am very happy about the progress with my legs.
So I know you are saying, well there were some bad days, but it isn't the worst year that I've heard of.
The week after that my friend James passed away. It hit my gut. It wasn't a surprise, but it was. Heather and I weren't sure if his mom would know to contact us when/if he passed. He'd been in and out of the hospital for months after complications from a surgery. We spoke on Christmas and I will forever cherish that gift of a phone call. He was expecting to be released the next month and we even made plans for the summer. We got a message from his mom earlier in the year saying that he was back in the hospital. This past weekend I randomly found a Christmas CD that he made me 15 years ago. I sat on my bedroom floor and cried for 10 minutes while I listened to it.
Just as we were dealing with that, Heather's parents were missing and a Gold alert was issued for them. They were found the next day, but it was one of the most stressful and helpless nights. Anxiety sucks and I immediately think the worst has happened.
And soon it was time for our Annual Memorial Day Weekend in D.C. It's my favorite weekend of the year and I have been mentally telling you all about it since it ended. I hope to do that soon. There was something that happened that I want to tell you about right now. We had been planning on getting tickets to go to the top of the Washington Monument. I was not as excited as others. I have a severe fear of heights. I'm a shorty. Also, I'm not a fan of confined spaces. Taking an elevator to the top was not my idea of a good time. I knew I wasn't going to love it, but I was not prepared for the reaction that my body had to it. As soon as the elevator doors closed I closed my eyes. I started to sweat and cry. That shocked me. I've never had a physical reaction like that before. I got amazing pictures and they were worth it, but I could not relax or breathe normally until my feet were back on the ground. I promise to write a whole post about that weekend soon.
The regular school year ended and the summer session began. It's been much smoother than the regular year. I usually avoid planning the Father's Day craft. I usually leave it to someone else. We hadn't picked a craft so I jumped on it and it got to me. This was my 7th Father's Day without my Dad. I was having bad dreams and I was really in a sad place. Stress eating hit me hard for a few weeks. I also had a bunch of birthdays in my class and that means pizza and cake. They were literally being handed to me every week. Ugh.
And then the adult son of some friends was missing. He was found a week later and the unknown led to unimaginable grief. Two days later we were out for Hit the Streets and had to call 911 for a gentleman who was incoherent and passed out in front of us. I monitored his breathing and tried to keep cool compresses on his neck, armpits, and wrist. The firemen arrived quickly and they had a hard time reviving him. What wasn't obvious at first was that there was also a head wound. I hope he survived and I still think of him often. Shortly after that one of our friends had to sit down. She was having a hard time breathing. And last week she was in the hospital for that.
I just want to wrap everyone I care about in bubble wrap and keep them safe. I am extremely empathetic. I wouldn't have it any other way, but I really absorb the feelings of everyone around me and it's been rough on top of my own feelings.
I do have some things to look forward to in the next two months. First, in three weeks I will be heading to Hilton Head for a week with Ms. Kristin and her family. I am very much looking forward to relaxing and reading in the pool. I did order some new bathing suits and dresses. That was an ordeal to discuss at another time. lol. Second, I'm going to see Train and REO Speedwagon. I saw Train a few years ago and really enjoyed that night. And third, I'm going to see The Lion King. Hooray! I was in charge of selecting the tickets because I am short and have demands. LOL.
I am also VERY excited about the Olympics in a couple of weeks. There is hope for a better second half.
I have made some new recipes and I would like to share them with you. I will do that soon. And I haven't forgotten that I owe you a bunch of Ted Lasso recaps/lessons. I have been watching them at night to help me relax. And on that note, I started writing this a week ago. It's time to call it a night and start my next post tomorrow.
I appreciate you.
Jennie
xoxo
jhendersonfit@gmail.com
http://www.facebook.com/ConfessionsOfAFormerFatGir
yeah, sorry, I messed up and the "l" is missing....I need an assistant :-)
Don't forget to follow me on
Comments
Post a Comment