January Recap

This month has flown by. We've been busy showing my house to prospective tenants and selling furniture. We'd basically have everyone show up at once and tour the house to maximize our time. We did choose a tenant last week. It was hard not to be compassionate with all the different situations people come from and believe me, there were many, many stories. I felt like my head was going to explode. So we looked at income and just picked the most viable and respectful candidate. Done.

I have almost all of my furniture sold except for a few pieces but I have about two more weeks until the house needs to be completely empty. I may just have to stash everything in the attic!

In other news, I picked up a few shifts at the mall two nights a week. A family friend owns Jenuine, an urban-style clothing store (think bedazzled skinny jeans out the wazoo), and they needed someone to help them out. I worked about 20 some hours but since my schedule is very limited part-time (skating, pool, more skating), my status got demoted to "as-needed". It wasn't bad working there but January is a dead shopping month. One night a little girl came into the store and, unbeknownst to me, was unscrewing all the mannequins' hands. I heard one fall and she played dumb.  I would find hands on the floor all over the store later on and that was the most entertaining night I had. It was nice making a few extra bucks though so I might look into getting another part-time until summer rolls around.

Went to the PA Auto show last week and I'm actually digging the Ford Explorer - most likely because the design resembles the Range Rover. Overall the show was just, eh. We got free tickets by donating blood and I was happy my iron was up and cholesterol was down. I am eating more Cheerios and granola lately so I think that helps a lot.

Pool league started up again this month and I'm 2-0! My goal is to have a winning record this session since I lost all my matches except for one in the previous session.

Easterns starts Thursday this week! The girls are on a bus right now to Lake Placid. We'll be driving up tomorrow. They skate on Thursday and possibly Friday if they qualify for the final round.  The adult team doesn't have practices until Friday (5:00 AM!?) and we compete on Saturday. I feel nervous at times, but I think it's more excitement and anticipation. I've never skated in tights or a skating dress either so I'm a bit worried about that. I'm going to feel very naked and cold out there! Go Team Reflections!

We'll be back in time for Superbowl XLVII.  NFC all the way!

Easterns

I received an official welcome letter e-mail from U.S. Figure Skating yesterday congratulating me on registering for my first synchro sectional team competition and now I'm starting to freak out. I was perfectly fine before then! But it's starting to sink in that the competition is less than 2 weeks away!  This will be my first skating competition EVER and I've only been skating regularly for a year and a half. I joined the adult team this past September thinking it might be fun which it is, but competing is going to be scary for sure.

There's two more home ice practices left and then we leave for Lake Placid on January 30th. My nieces will be skating too so it should be fun times. I've always wanted to go to Lake Placid - though it will be absolutely blistering cold when we're there. I'm very much looking forward to doing my hair and make-up though :)

If you've never heard of synchronized skating, here's a preview of what a world championship level team looks like:

Selling Out

My friend Shawn was renting a room in my house and just moved out last week. I'm working on renting the whole house out in February but I have to empty its contents before doing so. I have lots of furniture that I would LOVE to keep but I have no use for at this time in my life, so onto Craigslist they go. Perhaps we shall meet again someday - you in the form of a brown cardboard box with contents full of particle board all from the land of IKEA, and me, with a larger new house to put you in.  'Til then, how I will miss thee.

Here is a sample of my inventory:

 

 Penny on the Big Bang Theory has those same green pillows

Follow the yellow brick road... to my kitchen

This is from Pier 1 by the way - I like to diversify where I can

This is a popular piece

Final Gifts

This week has been an especially hard time for three of our friends - each of their mothers passed away. Here is something I found at HuffPost that resonates with my own experience of my mother's passing a few years ago. Sometimes it's difficult to understand the needs of a dying loved one:

How To Say Goodbye To A Loved One 

"First and most important: Meet the dying person where she is. She may be in denial, and denial is a fabulous crutch. You don't pull a crutch out from under somebody. Try to validate the feelings behind the denial. So imagine your aunt says, 'Let's reserve a house at the lake this summer. I loved the weeks we used to spend there.' You don't rush out to make a reservation; you reminisce with her about those good times. She's living in memories much kinder than her reality.

"But let's say she tells you, 'You know, I'm not going to live much longer.' The door's open. Be honest, direct. Tell her you hate that this is happening. Tell her it mattered that she was here. Tell her how she enriched your life, that she won't be forgotten. This is no time to pussyfoot. For God's sake, don't tell her she looks great, or that she'll pull through. Pretending creates a chasm of loneliness for the dying. Can you imagine if you were in labor, and no one in the room would acknowledge that you were giving birth?

"Toward the end, dying people tend to withdraw. You know how when you drop a pebble in a pond, the rings ripple out? For a dying person, the rings go in. It doesn't matter what's happening in politics or sports or the next room. Eventually all that matters is 'I'm hot. I'm cold. I love you. Do you love me?' At that point, all that's required is your presence. Be quiet. Put your hands on hers. That's it." 

-- Maggie Callanan, hospice nurse since 1981 and coauthor of the celebrated book Final Gifts

Lucky Number 13

Happy 2013!  Wishing everyone the best year with many more to come! Roy and I spent new year's eve at home watching new to us episodes of Entourage season eight. It was nice and relaxing and I'm hoping it sets the tone for the new year.

On New Year's day we went over to Roy's parents' house for lunch and feasted. When we got there, I saw Roy's mom had made this cute snow lady beside the fish pond. It had bottle caps for eyes and of course some lady lumps :)

Later on we met the cousins and friends at the ice rink at Clipper Magazine stadium in Lancaster where the Barnstormers play.

The rink was MUCH smaller than I expected it to be. It basically took up all of right field.  But it wasn't crowded so it was fine. I love skating outside. Here's the first photo of me and Roy in 2013.

My cousin told me that after I fell on the ice one time that she was shocked because it was so loud. Then Roy said the ice cried a little. Lol. I need to do something about that this year, seriously.  I've been about the same weight for the past 2 years, but it's about 6-7 lbs more than the previous 2 years before that.   They say you gain about 10 lbs for every decade you age, so I need to work harder on staying fit.  The only diet that I've tried that really works is NOT EATING.  So, that's my fitness resolution - eat less and fast more.   I'd exercise more but I end up just eating more.  My first goal is drop 5 lbs by 1/20 and 5 lbs more by 2/13. I read that it's beneficial to fast for 18-24 hour periods 2 or 3 times a week.  We'll see how it goes.

What's your new year's resolution?