Sweet Sunday

Sunday is my favorite day of the week. It has been for years...since high school, at least. It's such a sweet, quiet day. A wonderful day to be at home. To clean, or bake cookies, or read a book. A great day to listen to the radio. A day to be thoughtful. I hate that I work on Sundays now, especially in the morning. Today is the last Sunday of my leave of absence, and I'm really trying to get the most out of it. Sunday is "grocery day" in my family, so this morning I went to the market with my mom. I had a coupon for these lovely roses, which were already on sale, so I ended up getting them for half price. And they look so pretty in the vase my aunt gave me while I was recovering. ♥

After the surgery, I completely lost my appetite for a couple days (and I hadn't eaten at all for 2 days before the surgery). Now that my appetite has come back, I'm trying to be more mindful of what I eat. Avoiding cholesterol and fat, increasing fiber and water. It's definitely a work in progress, but actually a lot of greasy, salty foods that I used to like don't even appeal to me anymore. I've found that writing down what I eat and how much water I drink really helps me. I'm not counting calories or anything, but keeping a list has encouraged me to make more thoughtful choices. I feel really great. :)

Recovery

calla lilies from Flavio...so much prettier in person!

It's been 9 days since my surgery, and I'm recovering really well. The pain is gone, my appetite has returned, and I haven't had any post-op complications. I'm still a little sad about missing my trip, but I've emailed the airline to try to get a credit for future travel.

One of the best side effects of my recovery has been the increase in my water intake. Initially, I was drinking lots of water because I needed fluids and nothing really appealed to me except water. Since then, it's become almost a habit to reach for my water jug whenever my mouth feels a little dry. And holy cow, I can't believe the effect it's had on my skin already! My face feels so soft and smooth.

I'd just like to say one more thing... My spirits have been so buoyed by all of the love I've felt from my family & friends this past week. Emails, phone calls, cards, flowers, and visits...they've all really touched my heart. Thank you. ♥

Sad Day

Well, my trip to Italy has been canceled. Saturday morning, I woke up very sick, and yesterday I was having severe abdominal pains. I went to the ER and found out that I had gallstones. Last night I had my gallbladder removed. I'm back at home now and thankful that I have this 2-and-a-half week leave of absence from work to recuperate.

Tea Time!

Grown Up

This year was kind of a lame 4th of July. Xena got sick on Friday, and although she's feeling better now, she's been moping around the house all weekend. I'm not really sure what was wrong with her, but I suspect she got into something in the backyard that she turned out to be allergic to. Both of her eyes were swollen, which I treated with some eye drops from the vet (who said the swelling could've been from a bug bite or a bump on the head), and then she got very sick to her stomach. Anyway, whatever it was must've worked its way out of her system, because she's fine now. Still a little sleepy/mopey, but her appetite is back and she's been running around outside a little bit.

Last night I found a diary I kept for two weeks in April 2007. I realized just how much I feel like a completely different person from who I was then. Also yesterday, I realized that I actually like Adult Contemporary music now (and have no patience for the new "cool" Top 40 stuff). I guess I'm officially a Grown Up. I never really thought that I'd feel like an adult, and I don't remember there being one day in my life where the line was firmly drawn between childhood and adulthood, but looking back over the last two years of my life...well, the line is there. And I think it's been there for a while. And I'm not really sad about it.

In other news... leaving for Italy in 9 days. Bring on the kisses, the love, the ice cream, the 4-star hotel with free room service, The Balcony, the parties. ♥