Monday Upsides: Too Many to List

Only 4 weeks of work left. I am not going to lie ... it has not been easy to keep going. I think partly because I haven't had much on my evening calendar, the days are a little slower. Meeting up with a friend tonight after work. Hoping to put some other events on my calendar this week. I like having something to look forward to on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly basis. Not to future trip but just knowing there are fun things ahead helps get through the days. Yesterday, I drove out to the farm and took photos of 3 rescue pitbulls. I have gained a great appreciation for this breed because of my volunteer work. They are characters. They come in all sizes and I sure like the small ones.  We had a friend from the west side visit this weekend. I got some weeding done on my real estate, and slipped a nap in yesterday. We also took a road trip to Walla Walla to share an omelet at a local café  (The Maple Counter Café) I have been wanting to try. It was worth the drive. 

MONDAY UPSIDES:

The sun is shining and we're going into the 80's this week.

The ibuprofen I took last night before bed helped with my aching back after weeding.

Change is in the air.

I've got ideas.

After today, I have 2 Mondays left. My last week is a holiday week!

Got upsides this week?  Tell me!

love, susan

Monday Upsides: Puke and Get on With Your Life

 

Monday Upsides ... because if you look hard enough, you can always find an upside. Am I right?

 

I had a full weekend with dog sitting for friends and fitting chores & some fun things in. Saturday I met up with a young friend who is mother to this little baby angel. We had breakfast and then hung out the entire day until almost bedtime. Baby N is growing like a weed. She was born 3 months ago just under 5 lbs. and is now a whopping 8 lbs. Her mama decided to take a hot shower and I got hold and take these fun photos of her right before she projectile vomited her entire 6 oz. of milk. The cool thing is she never cried or made a fuss about. Just puked and got on with her life. I haven't held a tiny baby in a long time. Truth be told, I'm really rusty at it and I am glad to have spent a whole day with her so I can get my baby skills back. There will be an adopted grandbaby in my future.

 

MONDAY UPSIDES:

After today, I have 3 official working Mondays.

It is May this week!

Talked with my son yesterday.

Finally got to see my hairdresser yesterday for a trim.

My young friend turned me on to YouTube channels and now I'm thinking of things I can watch.

I watched an entire movie on Amazon Prime yesterday called Life Itself. It was pretty dark but I loved it.

I got more of my summer clothes hung up and put away.

We are still doing the taco crawl this week.

The sun is shining and it will be in the 70's this week.

 

What are you upsides today?

 

love, susan

Monday Upsides: Tax Day

Well, here we are again. Monday and clear blue skies after a weekend of windy, cold weather. That's okay. I'm going in with an upside attitude. Over the weekend, I hit the send button on my taxes, and went photo walking with my buddy despite the arctic wind that put a chill in my bones yesterday. We couldn't figure out what we wanted to photograph so I pulled up a photo scavenger list online and we went with that. It was great fun. We spent about 5 hours scouting around for images to check off the list. Scavenger lists are a great way to wake up your creativity. I'll post a few pics at the bottom of this post.

 

MONDAY UPSIDES:

• We go live with a new database at work this morning. It has been a long time coming.  The old database brought out the worst in me in that there have been times I wanted to pour a cup of hot coffee over my hard drive but I would never waste a good cup of coffee for that. It will be a challenging week learning the new program. I say BRING IT ON. Upside: We are going paperless!
• There is something in the works at my job that will unfold today or tomorrow. Luckily, I am a person who knows how to go with the flow. There is a definite upside in learning to not be a future tripper. I just stay in today and know that things are just as they are supposed to be. (Been listening to Dan Harris' 10% Happier Podcast ... can you tell?) Upside: win/win/win
• The tulips are all blooming in my front landscape. I wish I could convey how happy tulips make me feel. The color, their shape, how they survive the cold ... all of it. If I was a flower, I'd be a tulip. A pink one. Upside: happy girl
• I'm starting a 9 day dog/cat/house sitting job tomorrow for a friend at work. She and her husband built a beautiful home with floor to ceiling windows in the front. It always feels like a vacation when I sit for other people. Plus, I love other people's animals and it makes me feel honored to get to care for them while they vacation. Upside: Netflix non-stop
• 5 more Mondays Upside: I see the light at end of the tunnel and it is not a train.

Got upsides? Tell me about them! 

 

 

 

 

Monday Upsides: I Got Plenty of Them

My dogs got new beds yesterday as I visited the pet expo. Buying things for them is always a crap shoot because I never know if they will like what I bring home. This bed was intended for the border collie but as you can see, the top dog in this house claimed it. She also promptly rounded up all three elk antlers I brought home to claim them for herself. I constantly have to put this dog in check.

 

I did some yard time on Saturday, took a nap, watched The Highwaymen on Netflix with the hubs (he loved it), and did a lot of laundry. I also input data into TurboTax. I haven't hit the send button on the taxes yet because I don't trust the numbers. I like to sit on them a day or two and go back with a fresh mind. I visited my friend who I'll be dog/house sitting for next week to get the lowdown on what I need to do. I was tickled pink when she said the dog and cat will both sleep with me every night.

 

Today is my first of three speech therapy appointments this month. I haven't written about it here but I'm having trouble with my voice. I noticed about 8 months ago that my voice was changing. I mentioned it to my primary care doctor in August and she said it was probably the heavy smoke from fires we were experiencing at the time. When I went to see her 4 months later, she sent me to an ENT doctor. He put a scope down my throat and says I have bent vocal chords and referred me for speech therapy. Whew, at least it's not cancer. Every doctor in this area takes a month to get in to and I've been at this since January. Today is my first session. What caused the bent chords? Likely aging and the fact that I talk all day long on a switchboard. When I met for my speech intake, I discovered that I project my voice differently when I'm talking on the phone. I attribute this to cell phone coverage. Often people cannot hear well on them and so I have to change my voice to accommodate. Often times, people are calling from their speaker phones while they are on the road. Long story short, however it happened, the damage is done and now I am hoping the therapy helps. Other remedies are cutting back on coffee, drinking more water, humidifier, and no whispering. Whispering is the worst thing you can do to your vocal chords. Who knew?

 

MONDAY UPSIDES:

• 6 Mondays to retirement
• Speech therapy finally
• I did some meal prep yesterday so I've got salads for a couple days
• Taxes are almost done
• I got a great idea for something to grow from a reader (thank you The Widow Badass) Go read her awesome blog!
• Change is in the air

Got upsides today?  Tell me about them.

love, susan



Monday Upsides: Hello February, I Love You

Despite the gray weather, I had a good weekend. Saturday, I met with a work friend and her two littles at the park for a quick photo shoot. My friend scored mommy points for bringing her kids out in the foggy, cold morning. Some moms wouldn't do that but she knew hers needed to run off a little steam. When mine was little, the school had them out on recess down to -10°. I always felt sorry for the teachers having to bundle up 25+ kids for a 15 minute recess. ❤ Yesterday, I was invited out to a friend's farm to get some photos of her hubby's dogs. She wants to surprise him with photos on his office wall. She gave me a dozen, organic, farm fresh eggs that barely fit in the container. This made my hubs smile big time. ❤ I found a new-to-me hummus at Costco that I really like that's made with jalapenos. ❤ Yesterday, I ran into a friend who is down on her luck. She told me she needed some toenail clippers so I put an extra pair in my purse and ran into her last night to give them to her. We talked about how the little things in life mean so much.  I thought about this a lot yesterday and when I laid my head down I felt grateful.

 

❤❤❤MONDAY UPSIDES❤❤❤

• I am at the end of another month of minimizing my belongings. I've made several trips to donate clothes, etc.
• I've decided to take a 30 day hiatus from FB starting February 1. You can still find me on Instagram @freezerburned2013 and here. Goals: read & write.
• I finished Gold Dust Woman on audible and going to start a new book today.
• We're going to a potluck with a bunch of like-minded friends on Thursday after work.
• 16 work Mondays to go. The retirement paperwork is going in the mail today. It's gettin' real up in here.
• It's February this week! I love Valentine's Day.  Hearts and love everywhere.

 

My friend, Val, and her egg-laying chicken. I think Val has the prettiest smile!
She was painting her office when we arrived yesterday. She's a hard-working farm wife. 
I like photos that are real, don't you?

 


I'd like to thank this chicken for giving me eggs this week.

 


Dude, if you like hummus, you should try this one.

 


This is Chewy. He is a love bug! ❤



Monday Upsides: 19 Mondays to Go



Love this message!

The hubs using the noise cancelling earphones
his daughter gave him for Xmas!

Last week I received a call from the records department for State of Alaska, confirming the certified documents I ordered to complete my retirement packet are headed my way. Those should arrive this coming week, and I think I'll have everything I need to wrap up my application and put a stamp on it. The next step will be waiting for a return letter that confirms my retirement is set to go with a start date. I figure I'll have to work the first week of June, and since there are two Monday holidays between now and then, I only have 19 to go. I've never hated Mondays. I don't hate them now. But, I do look forward to warmer weather and the thought of growing some tomatoes and peppers, and having the time to give them the care they deserve. This weekend, I bought a book called How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free by Ernie Zelinski. I believe I am on the right track!

 

Upsides:

• We've had very little snow so far this winter.
• The hubs is using his new headphones (read: political b.s. silenced)
• I survived a trip to Costco on Saturday.
• I made a new dish called Coconut Curry Garbanzo Beans that was a big hit.
• I am back on the Bright Line Eating band wagon ... finally.
• Yesterday, I napped with reckless abandon. #screwguilt
• Did I mention I only have 19 working Mondays to go?

Nineteen Mondays to Go!

How about you ... what upsides can you think of?

love, susan

Monday Upsides

I'm posting this from my cellphone, which is annoying to do. So, keeping it simple.

Upsides:

Not one cloud in the sky today.

I'm dog sitting for two cute dogs.

Had lunch on Saturday with my pregnant friend. 

Met up for coffee with my new book club girls.

20 Mondays to go. Yes, I'm counting.

Monday: The Upside for the First Week of 2019

New ideas are emerging as the sun stays up a minute or two longer every day now that solstice has passed. Monday: The Upside will be a collection of photos I take over the weekend along with some positive thoughts. Having something fun to look forward to, whether it is a date on my calendar, that first cup of coffee in the morning, lunch with a friend, a visit from loved ones, etc. is what I live for. In the spirit of upside, here is what I have on my plate this week.

• Going dancing with the hubs tonight along with a couple hundred like-minded friends.
• Tomorrow I shall enjoy a day off and think about the new year.
• Finish up my application for retirement benefits from State of Alaska so I can send it in soon.
• Tomorrow is Day 1 of The Minimalist Game.
• Photo shoots on Saturday and Sunday, one with a very pregnant friend, and another with pitbull(s).

What are the Upsides in your upcoming week/year?

 

love, susan

 

 

The boathouses at Clover Island (Kennewick, WA)



The lighthouse at Clover Island (Kennewick, WA)

Sunrise on the Columbia River (Kennewick, WA)

Abbie and me. She always howls when I try to take her picture.