I took this picture as we were racing out of the house on our way north…
unfortunately, Scott’s step-dad passed away just minutes before we got to the hospital. I am thankful that Scott was able to spend a couple of days over the past few weeks with Roy before his death.
Hug your people… tell them you love them.
Love and peace with your cups ☕️
Today’s cup…
There’s a lot going on, but for now, breathe deep the coffee (and cake).
Enjoy your first cups ☕️
A bit more today
Crazy tired today as sleep was not easy with the wind whipping around.
We were able to have breakfast together, all 3 of us. Ashlynn made sure she was home to give Scott hugs and a card this morning.
I had 2 Irish coffees before attempting to make the birthday cake.
Cake is now cooling, and both corned beefs are in the crockpots as I attempt to rest a bit.
But my mind is still thinking of the other things I need to accomplish before dinner tonight.
For now, though, rest… enjoy your Guinness today, my friends. 🍺
💚 Happy St. Patrick’s Day 🍀 💚
Again, just the cup.
Enjoy your first cups today ☕️
Trying something new…
just the cup today.
Enjoy your cups today ☕️
This morning’s coffee is about choosing Joy.
My Joy’s today:
•Finding Peace in my cup after a restless night.
I’ve been symptomatic for a while again. I went from extreme fatigue over the last half of the year (I’ll write about that one in a different post) to can’t sleep more than an hour at a time for one of these reasons or all of them at the same time. My hands and feet and legs are tingling, causing me to wake and adjust, sometimes feeling swollen. My bladder thinking I need to go potty right now (ever gone potty 8 times in a night… it’s annoying), and this last one, which has been the more consistent symptom through the whole year, is being so hot that your feet are on fire. I mean, they are even hot to the touch.
So when I say restless… it’s not from worry (I had enough of that over the preteen and teenage years of raising a daughter). It’s from the MS symptoms making a comeback.
This month has definitely had it’s stressors including Ashlynn moving back home, but truly, this has more to do with the infusion yuck. I’m less than a month away from my Ocrevus infusion, which means my body is anticipating and ready for the next dose as the current dose is losing its effectiveness in my system.
Next Joy
•Going to see The Nutcracker ballet with Scott tonight!
The last of my ‘choose your own play pass’. It’s from my Christmas gift from him last year. (Do you know I’ve never seen The Nutcracker… it’s always been on my list but I’ve never made it happen). I’m excited.
So we’re going to get all dressed up and have an early dinner at Angelo’s before heading downtown for a Colorado Ballet performance of The Nutcracker.
Find Joy in your day today, my friends.
What is your Joy? As always… enjoy your first cup.
If you read my post on Sunday, I talked about how MS isn’t my only obstacle and that I put up roadblocks and walls in my path and they are hard to tear down.
So, I set goals for myself this week:
Being Active Each Day⭐️
Sunday, my activity was unorthodox… I did some cleaning. After writing the blog post, I realized my time was limited before the Avalanche game at 12:30. I didn’t get hung up on the fact that I didn’t go for a walk or practice yoga. Instead, I was happy in the moment. I was still moving my body just more in a recovery, feeling sore from the late night of dancing at the concert the night before.
Sunday also checked off…Watch Playoff Hockey⭐️
With an Avalanche Win! More playoff hockey to come this week!
Yesterday (Monday), I did get caught in my own head and my still very tired body from Saturdays dancing at the concert and did not go for walkies or practice yoga. But in reflection this morning, I realized I still moved my body… just in a different way. I did grocery shopping yesterday morning, getting home before 10 am before getting on a hour and a half call with Sunshine, my boss, to talk about our upcoming busy season and overall catchup on our personal & professional lives. I was then in low power mode for some of the afternoon before Ashlynn came over to help walk me through my outfit for Saturday. Another goal marked off… Outfit figured out ⭐️.
Then last night I danced again at Indie1023 Music Meet-up where we got to see The Mssng again. So I checked off another of my goals… Go to the Indie1023 meetup⭐️.
Today, I woke with wanting to figure out the MSWalk site map, parking situation, and meeting places… getting overwhelmed. Partly because I started the coffee and then didn’t even pour myself a cup before heading to my office, even forgetting to bring down my phone. Silly Corrine. However, I have the start to the plan figured out and will finalize with Scott’s help later today. So, hopefully, I’ll send out info to all participants tonight or tomorrow morning. (I won’t give myself a star on this until it’s done).
I also started a new book today! ⭐️
I Was A Forest by Nathan Harms.
It’s a 110-page book I picked up at FanExpo last year on the recommendation of my sister-in-law saying, ‘Hey, my friend Nathan has a booth at con, you should go say hi.’ I did and bought this book. “It’s a story about bravery when facing trauma. Told through the eyes of a victim who longs to regain their former self.” I am 32 pages into a world filled with imagery, both bizarre and terrifying and yet humorous. There’s also beautiful art layered into the pages.
I will more than likely finish the book today or tomorrow, so I also choose another one to start… sometimes that is half my battle, choosing a book.
Fox And I by Catherine Raven, this has been in my to be read pile for the past year… I’m excited to start reading it.
I then went for a walk today. Nice warm sunshine as I listened and sometimes danced a bit to my EDM music as I walked. I’m struggling a bit with the amount of weight I’ve gained… now being my highest weight (not a high score I like achieving) and the insecurities come back… but you know what, I WALKED! I need to keep reminding myself of this. I moved my body.
More on deck for today:
Prep and make salad for lunch. (Did this before I finished my post. It was very tasty!).⭐️
Pack up all items for Amazon returns that I won’t be using for the walk, then go do returns. (I won’t give myself the star until it’s done).
Tonight, more playoff hockey. The Avs could clinch the series in game 5 or they’ll be more hockey later in the week, plus there’s still Scott’s game happening on Thursday.
I think that’s it, my friends. Thanks for reading my journal type entry today and as always… enjoy your cups today. ☕️❤️☕️
The last few days, I’ve been trying to overcome some of the hurdles that I’ve put in place.
It’s easy to say that because of my MS diagnosis, I can’t do things. Sometimes, that is true. But I’ve also let myself be complacent in letting it dictate some of the things in my life. Getting frustrated and depressed over the difficulties instead of finding the joy and beauty in my life. So I’ve built myself walls and barriers, finding it easier and easier to stop doing things. Don’t get me wrong, my fatigue, sight issues, and walking problems definitely play a part in my day to day life, so it’s been hard to find a balance.
Slowly over the past couple weeks, I’ve been taking back some of me. Pictures from the past couple weeks…
Over the past couple of weeks, I went to a couple concerts, went to book club, celebrated a good friend’s 40th birthday, been part of the cheer section for Scott at his hockey games, supported a friend being sexy and awesome at her pole class spring exhibition. Met my new neurologist, been to both locations of the Botanic Gardens, and celebrated my 15th wedding anniversary.
I finished a book! When my eyes started to be affected by MS, I struggled reading, so this was a huge milestone for me. Plus, I’ve found energy to be doing more around the house. A month ago, even a load of laundry took up all 5 spoons in my day.
We got overly dressed up to go to PF Changs. All because 15 years ago we ended up here after our wedding & reception. That’s a story for another time.
I’m going on more walks on my own or with Scott or Ashlynn. I’m doing my physical therapy exercises, and I’ve restarted practicing yoga. The fatigue gets the better of me some days, and I still can find myself being sedentary, but I’m trying to find the balance.
On deck for this week:
More yoga and walks. I want to give myself a daily goal of doing something that makes me move each day.
Start a new book.
Watch playoff hockey, both professional hockey, Go Avs! … and Scott’s playoff game Thursday night, Go Nordiques!
Indie1023 Music Meet-up with The Mssng concert (twice seeing them in 3 days).
Finish prep & planning for the MS Walk with meeting spot for the walk and food options for afterwards. Plus send out texts with info and thank yous to donors. Plus finalizing my outfit, doing returns, and figuring out the orange extensions for my hair.
Getting a pedicure and a manicure.
Shop for our wedding anniversary getaway items because we leave 2 days after the walk.
MS Walk Denver Saturday!
All these things still give me a bit of anxiety as my energy is hit or miss each day and there’s still the normal upkeep of the house. But I’ll tackle what I can and continue to give myself grace.
Because… I Am Fierce.
As always my friends… enjoy your cups today. ☕️❤️☕️
It’s cold and dreary today as spring and winter bring drizzle, rain, and snow. Showing the close connection to each eachother.
Days like this are meant for curling under a blanket with candles, music, coffee, and a book. Maybe a small walk in the slow paced drizzle, finding beauty in nature.
Be kind to yourself today. Find peace. Let your mind, body, and soul refresh. And as always… enjoy your cups today. ❤️☕️❤️
This morning, I remembered to breathe… to savor the moment. Most days, I get caught in my own routine that I forget to enjoy the beauty. Seems silly to me that I forget to breathe it in especially since I don’t have a busy life anymore.
Today, though, I woke and noticed the brilliant reds of the sunrise (not that I can capture that on camera). I noticed my breath combined with the cold air. The quiet. I took a few big breaths before coming back inside to make coffee.
I lit a candle, started my blues playlist on Spotify and grabbed my cookbooks & lists I had started yesterday as I waited for the first cup.
I was distracted, though, and opened the door again, letting the cold air wash over me, walking onto the deck again. The sun now above the horizon and warming my face. I watched as the warmth of my cup on the railing melted the frost around it, and the fun swirls of steam from my cup rose into the cold air. Again, taking deeper breaths. More sounds this time of a few cars on the road and of birds and squirrels starting their day.
Walking back inside again, I sat and started my lists but the draw of outside had me open the door again and onto the deck once more, my shouldes trying to relax from the night of restless sleep. More deep breaths, eyes closed, letting the sun wash over me.
I was able to finish up the menu for the week and the non-holiday part of my grocery list while listening to music and watching the flicker of the candle.
I hope this morning you give yourself time to breathe. Remember to take deep breaths, letting your lungs fill, rolling your neck and shoulders, letting the tension release with your breaths centering your mind and soul.
Love to you, my friends, and as always, enjoy your first (or 4th) cups. ❤️☕️❤️