No Drama November

Last year I somehow came up with the *ahem* brilliant idea of No Drama November. It just seemed like the thing to do after a rather dramatic year... this year has, sadly, not been less dramatic. In fact, the last couple months have been very intense and certainly have had their fair share of drama.

Thus my overwhelming excitement about No Drama November. And this year I have no plans of interviewing, quitting a job, getting a new job, keeping things going at the old job, etc. to derail this year's No Drama November. No sirree. This year I'm living up No Drama November.

I am trying to think of a good description, a "how to" guide so to speak for living a No Drama November. My original plan was to wear my NDN sweatshirt all month, so any time anyone tries to draw me into their drama, all I have to do is point "uh, sorry, No Drama November." But honestly, the name really does say it all. Take a month off from the drama. Let stuff roll off your back even more than usual. Refuse to be involved in other people's drama.

Happy No Drama November!!

Important Update

I don't actually have time for updating right now, I should be in bed. Instead I am eating a late dinner of cheerios and have a rice bag on my sore back... so you've got until the heat runs out.

In brief:

1. My Destination Wedding Weekend has come and gone. I made it out the door Wednesday evening by 5.30 pm (only an hour later than I'd hoped) and arrived safely at Teresa's house before midnight. The back wasn't as sore as it could have been from the 6 hour drive, for which I was grateful.

2. The rest of the weekend was a whirlwind of details and executing of those details, but the result was so worth it. Teresa and Jeff were surrounded by family and friends and everything was beautiful. I will fill in stories later. It was great to be with them, to reconnect with old friends, make new friends, and hang out with the other awesome bridesmaids. So fun.

3. I am home safe and sound and looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. I started the day with a very early airport run for a friend of Teresa's, and proceeded to go to the 7.30 am Mass from there and then moving, packing up, checking out, etc. Busy busy day. Halfway home it started really catching up with me, so in the interest of safety I actually pulled off and took a catnap (I've never had to do that before). It worked and the rest of the trip was uneventful. So good to be home.

4. Tomorrow is the last day of October... and you know what that means... NO DRAMA NOVEMBER is just one day away. Just thought you'd want to start getting ready :) I pulled out my NDN sweatshirt and wore it this weekend in preparation (and celebration)...

Happy end of October friends.

Crunchy...

I went to the chiropractor today, my first ever visit to a chiropractor. It was my second recommendation, but since the first one said they could squeeze me in sometime mid-November, the second choice sounded better and better, especially when they had a late afternoon appointment. Whew. It was a rough day at work- sitting at my desk, working on my computer, having to stand up regularly... yeah, it was torture... I am not good at being sick and/or injured.

One of the forms I filled out for the chiropractor was your health history- beginning before birth. What? I don't actually know how many hours my mom was in labor. I just simply don't know! I know I was 9 lbs, 5 oz. Born at home at our Whitmore Lake house with the doctor. I know my Aunt Theresa was there (and swore she didn't want her own children after the experience). And that a guy from the community brotherhood showed up for dinner, not knowing the plans for the day had changed. And yes, every time I have seen this particular brother he has told me that he was there the day I was born. But sorry, I haven't asked the nitty gritty details like how many hours my mom was in labor. It also asks about falls, punishment as a child (yes, I was spanked), accidents... woah, I can't say I took note of most of my childhood falls. I did remember to mention the bike riding, flipping over the handle bars incidents with Maggie many years ago, and that seemed to be sufficient.

Anyway, questions like these do call into question what this appointment will be like... I'm all about a full health history, but this does seem to be taking things a little far? Not to fear, I liked the chiropractor, he explained why they ask and seemed pretty down to earth. I described my current issue, and questioned if my vertigo could also be related to chiropractic issues. Then I stand up and he starts his measurement stuff... apparently I can't turn my head like I should. My hips are uneven, my shoulders are uneven, my pelvis is twisted... you name it. He kept saying "You aren't going to make this easy on me, are you?" Uh. So we did a full set of xrays and then he started some adjustments. There was a surprising amount of crunching... ewww... and yet they didn't hurt and it kind of felt good, relaxing almost (other than the hideous crunching that accompanied some of the adjustments). He wants me to come back a couple times this week... uh... I'm leaving town at 5 pm Wednesday for a weekend wedding and need to be able to walk down the aisle (no, I'm not getting married, I'm standing up for my friend T at her wedding ;).

So, after some productive crunching, the back pain wasn't significantly less, but I was feeling a tiny bit better and feel at least we're making progress. We set an appt for 5 pm tomorrow for a second set of adjustments and hopefully we'll have made enough progress for me to walk comfortably again and make it through the eventful weekend.

Fall Decor

I have to admit, as much as I would like to be a person that decorates for every season, I'm just not. I like the idea, but don't have the time, energy, or inspiration to do so. This year, however, I've been drooling over a lot of fabulous fall decor ideas and wanted to give it a go at my place.

Here's what I came up with -- using mostly pumpkins and gourds from a farm a couple miles away. I've been passing them and their piles of gorgeous pumpkins every day on my way home from work and finally decided to stop in last week. They have a fabulous selection and really cheap prices for all this stuff!! So I spent about $15 and ended up with a dozen little gourds and 7-8 small pumpkins. So I supported the local economy- which I love- and got some fabulous fall decor out of the deal. Excellent.

Oh don't worry, I didn't go overboard. I did the hearth, a centerpiece on the dining room table, and have some pumpkins scattered on the living room bookcase. Though I'm no Martha Stewart, I like what I came up with. Always room to improve, but for now, the Homestead is looking very fallish.




And now I have a confession to make: I hate fake flowers and always have. I think it is because I like the real thing so much, and using fake flowers seems like cheating and super tacky. However, real flower season is winding down and for some reason I was inspired to try some real-ish looking fake flowers in my fall scheme. And even more surprising, I think I kind of like it! What do you think?

Moments of Clarity

So... after my incredibly frustrating back thing yesterday and getting nothing else really accomplished, I went to Mass at 4.30. Every step hurts and I'm walking like I'm 90, awesome. I had to run to Joann fabrics for some veil making supplies for this coming week and as I gingerly dragged myself out of the car I had one of those moments of clarity. This is my opportunity to really pray for someone.

A couple years ago I read Pope John Paul II's letter Salvifici Doloris on The Christian Meaning of Human Suffering. Soooooo powerful. One of the main things that stuck with me was that I don’t want to squander my own suffering - ever. It is too valuable. Suffering is such a powerful gift, and a powerful tool for building up the Kingdom and those suffering… And yet, I have to admit, I’m not so good at this whole suffering thing and I usually forget to offer it or do anything except whine about it.

Back to my current situation, there I was in the parking lot of Joann’s having a moment of clarity. I suddenly knew that this was an opportunity for me to really pray for someone I love dearly. I’ve got a prayer list a mile long, but this was so clearly an opportunity to pray for this specific person. Woah.

So… I am attempting to offer up my frustration over a derailed productive weekend and the pain for someone who needs it. And to close, a few words from Blessed John Paul II:

“This is the meaning of suffering, which is truly supernatural and at the same time human. It is supernatural because it is rooted in the divine mystery of the Redemption of the world, and it is likewise deeply human, because in it the person discovers himself, his own humanity, his own dignity, his own mission…

Together with Mary, Mother of Christ, who stood beneath the Cross(103),we pause beside all the crosses of contemporary man. We invoke all the Saints, who down the centuries in a special way shared in the suffering of Christ. We ask them to support us. And we ask all you who suffer to support us. We ask precisely you who are weak to become a source of strength for the Church and humanity. In the terrible battle between the forces of good and evil, revealed to our eyes by our modern world, may your suffering in union with the Cross of Christ be victorious!”

So frustrated

Well... as of around 1:30 pm, progress came to a screeching halt. Grr. Before that, however:
- I slept in 2 hours longer than I planned (while not productive, I clearly needed it)
- Drank coffee
- Drugged the dog
- Cleaned the downstairs bathroom
- Purged papers and magazines in the dining room
- Disassembled a shelf that needs to be re-installed
- Talk to the vet on the phone-- Suzie's blood work is back and has some elevated level that may be explained by all of her skin issues, let's recheck in a month.
- Wash and arrange a bunch of pumpkins
- Rearrange kids books and put away kids art supplies
- Straighten guest room, fold blankets, make bed

And then, as I was heading out to begin my yard work, I bent down to pick up a flower pot and ooowwwww I threw out my back. This is the second time in 3 months that a simple act of bending down to pick something up left me in excruciating pain and wondering if I would ever move again. I'm trying to do my back exercises but it just hurts right now. So I am stiff and sore and even walking hurts, in spite of the ibprofen. Perhaps this is the incentive I need to finally find a chiropractor.

In the meantime, I think it is time for me to shower, run a couple errands, and maybe go to 4:30 Mass while hoping this round of throwing the back out is short lived.

So. frustrated.