Sunday Morning!
Warm and raining here! Urghhhhh- great day for cleaning stuff up/ packing up/ and last load or two of laundry so I am taking clean blankets and clothes with me.

Nic- - ask Trig about the roast! I am turning meat to hockey pucks lately!
What are you serving for Christmas proper? You said you have some fun activities........ share!

Is your DD staying over for a few days too? Any "news" on the newlywed front????? Wink wink.........

Lori- Dam girl you are rocking it!!!! Go by what your clothes say not the scales. You already see you have gotten a new body. Screw the scale if you are feeling good!
No need for you to get excited over a pound here or there bounce!

You are maintaining the way I see it. My goal is to get to where you are. However, you are taller than me= you sleek lady!

Yeah, toss me into ready for another chapter done. I know I shouldn't feel that way, but without the kids here this year it is a bummer! Just another day for me.

Ready for Spring too!!!!!!

Trig- yup I agree on a challenge needs to be all in! IE...= challenge.
I haven't yet fully decided on which on I want to do. I have several goals.

Did you put up a tree? Your mom is there too- it's nice you can make it special for her too ya know. One never knows what a year might bring. So it's all good, even if your not in the mood! You set the tone for the entire house!
Sing, and find joy in having a healthy, happy, time with your family! That is enough! Get some crab too! Celebrate!
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Rainy and warm today!
I plan to hit the road Wed. and arrive at my mom's in the late afternoon.

She may or may not be there. Apparently her husbands brother passed away and they are going to Ohio at some point to the funeral. I said I can just keep on going and catch up with them another time. She insisted they will be back for Christmas Day.
His daughter rolls in on the 27th. So it truly will be an in and out for me.

I will try to get a clear picture for "Next". I tell ya - I need a camper like Trig has!!!!! I know they aren't cheap by any means- but she would never be ask to go because it was double booked.
I know of a travel nurse who does just that.
I met her at the pool- she has a big arse truck and a camper. She was here for a week. VERY cool, she has been to some really awesome places.
I would not want to pay for gas though pulling that haul!!!!

Ok- gotta "work" stuff out- back later!

fast post
busy busy here right now

hit grocery. got some NY Strip steaks.
SO over pork ribs LOL So I bought good ol' regular chicken breasts.....so life is gonna be steak and chicken for me.

Keeping eating very very simple and clean. I am feeling good eating wise for sure.

Just got alot on plate right now, so chat up later

and the grocery prices suck out there! DO NOT get me started LOL

Weeee......

Howdy all!

Trig, I thought of you today when I did my shopping. I had a coupon for 20 dollars off a 100 dollar order this weekend only, so you better believe I went it! I got two ribeye roasts (not very big, but still) at 7.99 per pound, and also three NY strip steaks I think they were, at the same price. So while we hardly have any meat around since Dh killed EVERYTHING in the deep freezer, at least we have that to start.

BTW let me just interject that he threw out EVERYTHING in the deep freezer including the bins I use to sort the meat, the bags that I was using.. literally EVERY DAMN THING. I mean, please. I swear it is a good thing I am somewhat frugal because while he has a great work ethic he can be the WORST at things like reusing something, washing something, recycling, looking for a lower price. He does NONE of those things and I try not to think about it because it drives me INSANE OMG. Now that I think about it, he even threw away the RACKS that came with the chest freezer. OMG.

Anyway, attempting to move on...

Trig for your chicken breasts, do you just season them lightly and eat them plain like that? Salt/pepper or ?

You are a seriously seriously good daughter, you really are. I just don't think I have it in me.

Jaz- so you are arriving to your Mom's on the 22nd? You'll just hang out with them when they are there I suppose. Have you met his daughter? Do you like her?

Lori- I think you are doing so, so well. Very consistent and very balanced in your consistency.

I drove by a golf course today and thought of you. A few carts out there with folks playing.

••••••••••••

So my second Friendsmas went really well also. In a way this one was more interesting bc a lot of folks didn't really know each other that well... well, three did, but then three did not. They meshed well and seemed to like each other.

The house is cleaned up and back to normal, plus all the table stuff is ready for Xmas so that is good as well.

So, DH and DS19 are both sick. DS19 is just sleeping mostly, which is good. DH has what I assume is a cold (tested negative) but also got his booster yesterday and is not feeling great AT ALL. And of course, he is a man, so he is the sickest and most pathetic thing you have ever seen. Le Sigh. I booted him into the guest room and Lysoled the crap out of my bedroom and bathroom until at least the 23rd. With him getting the booster, I am unclear on whether he has a cold or some kind of virus or what, you know? I don't want him touching anything bc quite frankly, if I get sick Xmas will not go well.

Ravens play the Packers today and I am expecting that we will get smashed. They've just been sucking lately. I'm pretty ready to just write it off and move on.

Oh Jaz you asked about xmas plans- Xmas eve day will be a Scavenger Hunt (photo/video) in the Mall which should be freaking hilarious. There will be teams: C/E, K/B, T/bestie and Rob and I. There will be challenges like convincing people to do leapfrog with you, getting people to sing carols with you, build a human pyramid etc , as well as things like a man who looks like Santa, someone wearing a Santa hat, someone with a Christmas sweater, etc- each with an array of points. After that (like an hour time limit or so) we will go eat lunch together at a Hot Pot place. Then the guests will head out (C and T don't know they have guests meeting us there!) and I expect we will chill for a while. Usually we do a lights show and dinner and movie and books etc but I am thinking this year we eat some snacks, drive around and look at some lights, maybe a movie. Some will go to church very late- I will not.

Xmas day is the usual- slow opening of stocking, then distribution of presents, breakfast, hanging out a bit. K and B usually leave at that point to go to the shore to see his parents. We host xmas dinner for 6 plus use so around 10.

The 29th-30th we are going to Williamsburg VA for the Busch Gardens Winterfest- 4 rooms and hopefully a great time. Then we will do our usual NY Eve with Crazy Dinner, games etc. So more down time than usual which works very well for me. DS19 will become DS20 during that time also!

Good Morning!

Another day of hibernating for me. It is only 18 degrees this morning and I'm not sticking my nose outside of this house. DH will work a bit this morning at the gym that the Rec Authority has, so he'll be inside. This afternoon he has his Dr. appt. and we'll find out if he has to have any further testing based on his PSA numbers. He's been down the biopsy route before. I just hope things haven't progressed to the point of needing to do something more. Sigh...

Nic......I had to laugh at your DH throwing out everything in the freezer...right down to the bins & racks! Men!

All your Christmas plans sound like so much fun. I hope you enjoy every minute and that everyone gets over their colds and doesn't spread it around. The other morning I woke up with a stuffy head and thought....uh oh. So, I started taking Umcka and nothing developed. That stuff works like a charm for me. At the first sign of sniffling or anything, I chew one of them every 4 hours or so for 2 days minimum and POOF any cold symptoms are gone. I keep those little miracles on hand all the time. I get them on Amazon.

Jaz....Hope you were able to figure some plans out yesterday. You sure have more than your share of "crap" to deal with. Fingers crossed for a good week for you.

Trig....Is Mom with you all week? Have you had her out riding around in her transport chair again? So glad she enjoyed that. So much easier for both of you.

---------

Well, I'm off to have another cup of coffee. Stomach is growling but I'm trying to hold off eating for a bit. I have all my food for the day planned out and tracked. Easy.

Have good days!

Nicco, your bins and the RACKS too...omg. I think he screwed the pooch on that one. I mean ya need those racks don't ya? Ugh.
Hubby came home with a $50 used cheapy already old smaller sized chest freezer about 25 years ago.....can't kill the damn thing to buy a better one, lol. Keeps on chugging. I wanted a standup freezer like a refridge type, but he surprised me with this chest type and I just used it and only thing that irks me is I do have to dig in it. But I keep like stuff together in bags, easier to move things around, but ya know, I never thought of using bins and stacking them in there. Girl ya gave me a thought, thanks!!

Sorry they are sicky icky. Yea, stay away from them So many are testing positive with covid, funny thing is all vaccinated and a few are getting very sick now and not doing well, at Tony's car dealership place. I told him mask, sanitizer, and STAY away from everyone best he can but so far he is doing well. He comes home from work and I kinda side step him alot now HA

Your activites for scavenger hunt and your fun days planned sound wonderful. You guys all know how to enjoy your days in a holiday for sure, I love that!

for chicken breast I do plain nothing, butter sautee only or sometimes I do a shake of rotisserie chicken spice on them, or sometimes I pour a little alfredo sauce over them with some fresh parm cheese. Most is just plain or rotiss. chicken mix for a tad of taste. I don't 'do up chicken' alot anymore, I used to stack it with cheese and bacon and all that kinda receipey type cooking but now I just go plain mostly. I cook fast too, I want nothing that 'takes time' lol

Lori. Yea 18. I feel ya. We are 29 this morning and I find this type of chill just too damn much to take! I tell ya girl, I am outta here first 'real chance' I get after kiddo established in college and all. Told hubby even is his mom is living here in her home etc. we are heading to Florida in the RV for a few of the winter months and he can drive back to check on her if he wants LOL I am done ya know. I want to truly move forward in my life and I am getting tired of waiting but one thing I require is beach and heat and darn if I ain't gonna get it sooner than later. Well, thru the jokes of it all about how it all goes down.....I know my future life will not have 20 degrees in it ever again HA

I get mom today. She will be transport chair riding at some point

Jazz, need update when ya can. safe travels.

-------------So in general even Rich said mom is getting more forgetful and more 'kinda spacey' about her daily life ya know. Soon to hit 94 and it seems she is now going more worse quicker....which sucks rocks, but damn in the 90s what hits ya is gonna hit ya. I will definitely recheck her when she gets here, but we have this routine where she does very very well in my home ya know. Like Rich took her to the facililty to see her room and sign papers etc and she liked it, but 2 days later he asked her about it and she is like, what retirement community? totally can't remember it but when she is with me, after we go out and do things and chat, I ask her a few days later about something and yes, she remembers it? so? I don't know. Just weirdo things in general I guess but I know deep down the facility is best....but what worries is me at this age and making this change is it all gonna just zombie her out more? Well I don't know, just gotta see, but I will visit and take her out for visits here and overnighters and keep involved tight ya know. But even Rich said put her in and let her learn their routine there while she can.....so yea when I do put her into that facility I will just visit, won't take her out. Get her totally into that routine and then I can see if she is good to come here for a few days and all. Just play by ear.

I gotta buy alot of things for her, mini fridge and this and that so I will be honking busy getting her room ready. Just doing the crap I gotta do.

today is NY Strip steak and....ta da....NY Strip Steak.

have to finish a few wraps for Xmas and kinda in good form and so over Xmas already HA but all good around here

OK- NIC- You posted the funniest post in a long time!!!!!!! I can just PICTURE YOUR husband coming home to a stench from the freezer and throwing every dam thing out without THINKING about .....do we NEED that RACK??????? MEN!

Sorry about the sickies you got going on now! URGHHHHH- do you take Vitamin C? Zinc?
Your hunt sounds so fun if it weren't for having to be in a MALL. You could not PAY me to hit up a mall about now!
I know........ we can't live in a bubble. But it is something MY kids would totally do!

Speaking of kids and places- my kids are hitting up Disney for Christmas! So yeah...... I am just being a bit paranoid.
Overall your plans sound wonderful!!!!! LOVE to see Christmas lights. Makes Dec./Jan special.

Trig- - Wow your mom is doing SO great for 94. Dang- so she forgets a few things. Hell I can't remember what I had for dinner last night without pausing.
I TOTALLY agree that getting your mom into a routine at the facility is a great idea! She will do ok there. Agreed that to go from place to place is confusing!
OMG- I gotta tell you that I have moved around SO much with traveling, and just moving in general that I have to tell myself WHERE I AM!!!!! I can't fathom being 94 and having to remember it all! She will be just fine!

Yum yum on those steaks! - Yup I have been doing plain chicken as well. I do like rotisserie chicken, just because I have gotten lazy at cooking it. So to pick one up that is juicy and hot and fresh. Yes please!!!!!

Glad your momma loves her new "ride". HEHEHEHEH

Lori- Keep us posted with your hubby. Hope this is all routine and good to go for a while!
OMG I could NOT handle 18 degrees. I spoke to my son this morning and told him I was FREEZING here- it's 67. I actually turned on the heat to 72.

Did you order smaller shorts? Your trip is coming up. Is it over News Years eve?
--------------------------------------------------------------
Good morning- working on cup #2 of my collagen peppermint coffee. I tell ya it truly is the small things in life that matter! Nothing like that first cup of coffee!

I am telling you locating short term housing right now in this market is TOUGH! I looked at:
VRBO, Airbnb, and my Travel Nursing Lodging site (preferred). Booked, booked, and $$$$$$$$$$$ OMG. This tells me WHY the traveling nursing gigs are paying so well- housing is off the chain, that is IF IF IF you can even find a place to stay.

I am sure the travelers (nurses) are having a real tough time! It sure opened my eyes to I am not going that route. Plus endless travel is losing a bit of luster. Yeah I really said that.

I did find a place for Jan. maybe Feb. if the people that booked it cancel. I am hopeful to then have a J O B ( hahahahah) and get an apt and settle for a minute! Novel concept for me!

So the place I found- and I looked in 3 states GA, SC, NC. There is a sweet beachy fishing town 15 miles up the coast. Not quite to Savannah. It is 15 minutes from here. It's called Darien. Small, sweet, and totally wrapped around sea life. It is surrounded by 3 islands, inlets, and a national park.

So- I am getting a private beach cottage all inclusive. It is totally furnished in beach style and cute as a button. Has a really nice walking area for me and pooch. It will be a sweet spot for a month, hopefully two. It has a awesome deck on the back with a swing, twinkle lights and set up to sit and chill. It also has a cute front porch with a few chairs. I love the sparkling deck. I can see me and Rugar out there. All hardwood floors and a huge functional white kitchen with granite and updated. Super cute.
The gal who owns it is a retired travel nurse!

So now that piece is in place - time to pack up here. Trust me, I will be back on this beach in a few weeks. I think I am going to love the cottage more than this condo!

Mom ask me if I would come a day earlier to recieve packages that are coming, as she and her hubby will be in Ohio until the 24th late. That means I leave here tomorrow morning with a 6 hour drive. That means I pack the car tonight and roll out of bed, hit the coffee maker and roll. I can house sit- in her EMPTY house! HAHAHAHA

So tomorrow is a travel day- and I then return back in this area on the 27th to the cute cottage. Meanwhile I am job browsing.

Scales are ever so slowly trending down. But like you Lori- my clothes are falling off. I am down to 1 pair of shorts that fit. I am wearing them to the threads. Not buying more until I am FIRMLY in that smaller size.
Although- did I tell you I splurged on new undies and bra's as those I have were to big? Not big on wearing a bra unless I have to at this point- but I still want one that fits! So yeah- the clothes are a great barometer.

Eats today: Tuna salad- BIG tuna salad! will toss in celery, chopped spinach and have coleslaw on the side. I need to use up what is in the fridge as everything else will get pitched. (I don't give opened stuff to people in todays world!)

That is it for here- packing up and packing the car. One load of car blankets to wash the sand out before I pack on it!

OK gals- have a great day!

Jaz........ON THE ROAD AGAIN!! Your beach cottage sounds divine! I hope you get to stay there thru February. Hope all goes well with your travel to your Mom's and with the visit. Nice to have a day or 2 alone there before they get home.

Hooray on clothes getting too big! Yes, I ordered my smaller shorts and even those I can pull down without unbuttoning. Handy since they are button fly. They may be a bit shorter than an old woman like me should wear, but the he!! with it! DSis and I go to Florida on February 8th. Hoping everything doesn't shut down so that we can't go.....I will scream! DSis is coming here for a few days on Dec. 29th and stay thru New Years Day.

Threw a load of whites in the washer for something to do. I only have a couple "projects" for this week, so I'm pacing myself.

Bye!

Jazz, damn a beachy cottage in a small beachy little sleepy town and damn girl, ya got it made! omg it sounds so nice, how you scope these places out is great, but remember that one in the sticks forest with the icky place? but I tell ya one thing, your beachy homes you book have treated you well and darn I am going to research Darian. Sounds great for you and Rugar! Dog travels to great places more than some humans and darn we should all be jealous of him HAHA

You're ok. You find your way. You will find 'a settle' coming at ya. Cause you are looking for just that so........take time, it is holiday time, booked crazy, it is covid crazy time, all kinds of crazy on that to affect all aspects of life from real estate to jobs to shopping to 'just darn life' but when I read about all the crazy, SOMEHOW you are coming thru ok!~! Love that.

Cool on the clothes. I did the same. I would not buy stuff til it fell off and I couldn't keep it on LOL cause I figured I would regain but now, yea the smaller sizes are here and darn it feels good and you are walking thru that now. Love it. Rock on strong Jaz

Lori.....yea I hope your Feb trip is ok. Not sure on the 'weirdo out there' just yet, who knows til near the day you guys leave and by the way, I wanna go with you and Connie!!!!!

But it is great she got days at your house, you guys will have fun even in the cold but DAMN I love when I can button pants and pull them straight down easily.....that was always one of my best things while losing lbs.....putting on something you could not pull down at all and then slipping them on and off and them still being 'too big' when on....without touching a button or zipper! I always found that cool LOL yea me a bit warped.


----------------So mom at my house TIL I DECIDE she goes in and yea, I am gonna keep her a longer time than the bros think HA

all good, just cementing in the life to come and dealing with the crazy to get her room totally ready and all that.

so busy busy on elderly duty but all good

thank heavens for the best hubby in the world, he is all in and supporting to the ultimate so I give him praise for sure. Yea reason I married him ya know HA I knew the kind of great guy he is and YES ya'll I DO tell him just that

ate some Taylor pork ham early to hold me while getting mom etc and now home, going on 2 and not hungry for any steak yet, but when I do I got 2 steaks to inhale and I WILL LOL

DH got a good Dr. report!! He just called me after his appointment. All his PSA numbers look good. Doc said "See you next year!" Thank goodness. After all the biopsy and wacky numbers of last year, we were afraid we were headed down a bad road. Whew! This was the only Christmas gift I needed for sure!

ohh Lori that is a good call for sure

happy for ya'll cause that BS is something further no one wants so it is great DH came thru good!

Cool

Good Morning!

Thanks Trig! Yes...we were both relieved for sure. I was so afraid he was going to have to go thru the biopsy again this year and then who knows? Hooray for another year without having to worry about that!

-------

Miss Gabby slept in until 6 this morning! What a good girl. She's now cuddled on my lap purring like crazy. She loves my fuzzy blanket.

I have to venture out this morning to my least favorite place.....Walmart. Ugh. I ordered a heated hunting vest for DS and now DH decided that he doesn't want to give it to him as he doesn't think he'd use it. I ordered it online, but got a return code to show them at the store and they supposedly will take it back and credit my card without hassle..we'll see.

Other than that, I have no plans for the day. A workout, a shower and dinner for DH. Rinse and repeat.....every day. Have I mentioned that I hate Winter?

Bye!

LORI- SUCH GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!! A real Christmas gift for sure is great health!!!! I am sure hubby is happy for sure!!!!
Nothing like WAITING!!!!

TRIG- Your post so made my day as well!!!! You got all mushy about your Pork chop!!!!! HEHEHEHEH-
I knew you could handle it. Life rarely throws you a curve you can't just "get it done". (Except maybe the price of a great steak)

NIC- - Hoping you are staying healthy and your family is getting over their colds!!!!!
What happening today?
----------------------------------------------------------
So fun thought-
I want to pull out all of our "words" from last year and see if they applied! It's sorta a fun thing to do for a new year!

I am for sure going to do a "natural"- real food challenge for Jan. I eat pretty clean for the MOST part. However it's the MOST part that could use tightened up!
Like Trig said- ALL in!!!!!

It is only 30 days a jump start!

I am traveling today in the rain! BIG BIG rain! - back roads for sure!

Will check in tonight. - have a great day

Lori, YEA HOORAY. so get you guys over that bullet missed Cool.

Heated hunt vest? THAT IS so on the fence for a hunter....something you would either love to death or wouldn't touch with a 10 ft pool. I don't think my hubby would use one either, take it back.....get gift card to some hunting online joint he would buy from, your DH can tell ya that and done deal LOL

As much as we wanna give those gifts, when older, a darn gift card to a store is just simplest cause it suits what they want.

But it is weird we can't almost not even attempt to buy gifts anymore for the older ones now LOL That was fun surprising people ya know but in the end, we all use what we use and want what we want, that damn ol' gift card sometimes is the best way to roll

YOU ARE TRULY sounding like me Lori. You and winter are not friends and believe me, I am not friends ever with cold weather either. OK, me and you are a team to complain about the weather all winter long HAHA

Jaz, yea I gotta give the Chop some due in life. We are so opposite. I can't list my crazy, but for him, he is just kind, patient to the ultimate and understanding type that he just is so not me, lol, I have to struggle for patience and giving understanding to situations but I guess I am kind in a way but he is overly kind which is why I like him!

Sorry on your big rain travel, be careful and safe out there.

Yes, ALL IN, there is no maybes, big girl panties on whatever challenge/goals you give yourself. I am right there with ya.

Waiting on a Nicco update


--------------So mom is having trouble on the higher normal bed. So we bought a 4 inch boxspring, lowers the bed. Hubby stopped from work coming home last night and bought it and it worked well. Lower means her feet hit the floor solid before getting her walker and getting up so good thing. Hubby good to go get it after long day This boxspring will go to the retirement facility when we 'put her in it' later down the line but right now it works well for her bed here in my house.

Older ya need changes to work for ya, not against ya and lower bed is good.

Got ribeye steak for later and ?? I have a hankering, for what I am not sure....hmm, tuna, not shrimp, maybe go to store in some crazy insane moment and spend a damn fortune on a very small amt of lobster? or crab? Not sure if I want spice on chicken, like deck it out in alfredo sauce and parm.

I have a taste I need scratching but I am not sure on it.
Not a good thing for me, means my mind is wandering. So big ribeye steak first, eat good and then worry about the other LOL

and yea doubt I will hit the store and spend big bucks on little seafood.........again, don't get me started on grocery prices now


all good, just doing
have a fun Tues. all

Hey all.

Lori- Super, super great news about your DH! So glad about that. Celebrate!!

I got some of that stuff you recommended (with the weird name) from Amazon. Just in time too...

Trig- Yeah, your Chop is an excellent man. Supportive and a great team player, gives you a lot of leeway but stands firm when he needs to. The best kind of man!

Enjoy your time with your Mom. As you know, you are an excellent daughter.

Jaz- I'm glad you found a place to kick your feet up after the Christmas holiday. So is your car all packed up and the condo empty? You aren't going back?

Congrats on the smaller size and scale trending down!

••••••••••••••

So, you know what they say about making plans? Let's all have a group chortle.

It has been a Sh!t show the last 24-48 hours around here.

To recap: You all already know that DH got a cold on Thursday. I had him get a rapid and PCR bc of the 2 Friendsmases: one Friday night and one Saturday noon. Both came back negative. He then got his booster on Saturday so of course Sunday he is feeling like sh!t and I can't tell what is his cold, what is the booster etc.

DS19 came home on Thursday night I think. I'm losing track of days. Anyway the next day he is saying he has a cold so I make him stay downstairs. I host Friendsmases with windows in the dining room open and the kitchen slider open, and Purell all around.

Sunday night DS gets a text from a college friend that he had been hanging out with the night before he came home- she tested positive for Covid.

Yesterday all three of us go to get tested. Dh and I both have negative rapid tests, and waiting on PCR. DS has a rapid positive.

So I had to let everyone know that attended the Friendsmases which totally sucked. I expect everyone should be perfectly fine and not even at risk unless I end up testing positive bc the others were nowhere around them and I had cleaned well prior, windows open etc. So fingers crossed that I am negative.

Meanwhile, DS19 is sequestered. I've had DH in the guestroom since he started with his cold bc if Mama has a cold for Xmas, it will be bad news for everyone. However, now I don't even know what Christmas will look like for us or how to manage it. Even if DH and I are negative, do we really just all sit up here and have Christmas with DS19 in the basement? I can't imagine doing that. Delay it?

How does this affect DS23 coming in on the 24th? So many variables up in the air. The kids are all asking, what are we doing? What is happening? and I'm looking around like "Damn if I know, where is the adult around here?" I mean, I'm only partially laughing. How the hell do I know what to do? It's not like I've lived in a pandemic before either!

We've obviously already canceled xmas dinner with the ILs and BIL/SIL and kids.

DS19 should be cleared by the time we were going to go to Winterfest out at Busch Gardens, which is all outdoors. So maybe we link Christmas to that?

He had plenty of people he had to tell so I feel bad for him about that. He had had a sleepover and also went to the movies with his bestie, and he had also attended a Christmas gathering the day after he got home. So, yeah.

Man, I am so so so so over all of this. I mean, I don't even have words for how over this I am.

But today I'm ready to think about it. Yesterday was just hard, hard, hard. Prepping for people coming, hosting two groups with the cleaning, cooking etc both before and after, carrying trays of food both upstairs and downstairs, sanitizing everything. It has been exhausting. Last night I was hitting a wall and thinking OMG I am really tired, maybe I am getting sick. But I don't think so- I was just understandably worn very thin by the past few days.

ALSO, my Dad called me yesterday. You all know I make a photo calendar every year (26 years now!) Anyway, he was sort of upset bc he saw pictures of himself and my SM here this summer from when they came but he was having trouble remembering it. I've noticed increases in memory issues with him over the past year. He is still super sharp in many, many ways but then there are these sudden, acute lapses that seem to come out of nowhere. He is about to be 86 so I guess it is to be expected. Still, it was sad and hard to hear him sound scared. But then we moved on to having a mild argument about a comment he made about my friend "letting herself go, not wearing makeup etc" which is a favorite disagreement point of ours, so he is still himself. Some things don't change!

Anyway, that is what is up here. Waiting for PCR test results for DH and I. Refiguring the holidays. At least I can finish wrapping at the kitchen island with out DS19 barging in. Oh, and his birthday is the 28th- we are almost out of the Land of Teenagers forever.

Trig- cross posted with ya

Yeah lower bed is super important. Great job Chop on helping out. And girl, you are absolutely Kind and you would go hog wild on anything for your family. You and the Chop are a great team.

Now listen to me- Go and spend some darn money on yourself and buy some food you love. You can afford it and it is Christmas week. Treat Yoself!