Happy Holidays and other ramblings

 What a strange year it has been. 2011 had so much promise, so much potential. But if it is one thing I have learned this year it is, life cannot be predicted nor controlled, no matter how hard you try or how many plans you make.

I have started a Reflection Journal this month. Each night I write three positive things that have happened that day. Sometime these things come easily other days it is a struggle to come up with three. The point is to start feeling more grateful and I find on a bad day, after I have written my three things down, I go to bed feeling better about the day.

I am doing my best to avoid being overly stressed this holiday season. On thanksgiving I made everything I could the day before so on the actual day I would not be so overwhelmed and over it by the time company came. It worked! We enjoyed a nice long visit with family and ended the evening playing a game of Phase 10! This year we had my mom over, which has never happened. It went well and she is coming back over for Christmas dinner. I am really getting into the Holidays this year and have gone overboard with decorating. For Thanksgiving, Duste Keaton and I made hand turkeys, paper roll turkeys and colored leafs for decorating. At the end of the dinner everyone got to take home a paper roll turkey! How cute! For Christmas we are making Hand Print ornaments, which we will paint and put his name on and give them as gifts. Duste and I also made wooden snowflakes to decorate around the house. I want to be crafty so bad but it isn’t coming easily!

Duste has really stepped it up and I am more spoiled than ever. She does such sweet little things for me and I love and appreciate them all.  When I get home from work she has my house shoes and socks warm and in front of my spot on the sofa. She makes the bed and turns down my side so I can easily get under the covers. She packs my lunch and puts in special treats for me. The list goes on and on. She went to town and bought me several new pairs of PJ’s. Nice soft warm PJ’s because she was worried about me being too cold in my old ones. She is awesome and raises the bar higher than any man could ever compare to or compete with. She makes me smile. She makes me feel special and loved and wonderful. She is the only one for me. She is the only one who would put up with me—with all my attitude, mouthiness and issues. She is made for me! (Yes, I even feel this way when she is not spoiling me-ha!) She had gotten quite handy as well. She put shelves up in our living room closet the other day. They are sturdy, level and everyone is super impressed with them—including me! I am so lucky to have opened my eyes and mind just in time not to miss her in my life!

I am now getting acupuncture for my “bad” leg--where the Desmoid Tumors were. I have had three treatments a week apart and for the most part it has really made a difference in my pain. Winter time in Indiana is not so easy for me and hasn’t been since 2007.  (First tumor) The cold rainy days seem to get the best of me but sometimes just the cold makes walking hard. Lucky for me, we have a hot tub and without it I don’t think I could get through these long Indiana winters. My 2^nd scar is so faint now it is hard to even pick up in pictures, but the indent is still there. I am thinking by next year it will be more filled in, maybe or maybe not. I am still seeing a personal trainer who is dealing with my weight issues-from thyroid problems-and strengthening/retraining my muscles in my “bad” leg. All of the doctors agree this is the best thing I could be doing. My knee is still a big problem. It has gone back to wanting to bend in and not support me. So, I wear a brace a lot of the time. But I am happy and healthy (enough) and I keep on keeping on! I go for my next MRI December 22^nd. Duste will be going with me and we are going to try to make the trip a fun thing, if the weather will corporate!

Well, now that we are caught up—Have a wonderful Holiday, from Duste and Talisa!