Adapting to My New Normal

Week 2 of my new job was more interesting than the first.  I now have the equipment and most of the system access I need.  I'm getting into the details of the project and slowly learning about the agency's systems.  I told my husband the other night that for the first time in 6-8 years I was actually excited about going to work.  He was happy to hear that since it means I won't want to quit soon.

Packing lunch is a bit of an issue.  I packed 2 days this week.  On the other days I bought a made-to-order salad at a deli near my office building.  There are many not-so-healthy lunch options nearby.  It is very tempting to try a new place, but I'll save that for when I'm meeting my friend who works a few blocks away.  The salad from the deli was delicious, so that will be my go-to place when I can't manage packing.

One of the benefits of working downtown is the walking I'm doing.  I've worn a FitBit for several years now.  I've noticed that my daily steps are increased.  I want to bump the count up a little bit, but that will take some effort over the next month or so.

Ed continues to recuperate from his surgery.  He is gaining a little more range of motion and the swelling is gone.  He managed to go to work 4 days this week.   The big event of the week was that we took the bandage off on Wednesday.  Trisha came home to help me and to inspect the incision.  The adhesive on the bandage was very strong and it took some effort to get it off.  Unfortunately it was quite a painful process for Ed.   Once it was off and Trisha made sure there wasn't any sign of infection or oozing, Ed took his first shower in over a week.  The effort to remove the bandage and shower exhausted him. He had to rest for an hour or so before going into work that morning.  The next big event will be his post-op visit with the surgeon next Thursday.  He should have the staples removed and begin physical therapy.

The school years are winding down for my children. There are lots of activities coming up.  Blake has prom tonight. Kristin and Trisha are done with classes and have finals next week.  Kristin graduates from college on May 8 and then heads out for a couple trips before starting dental school. Blake has four more weeks of class.  Blake has his high school graduation on June 2.  We are planning a party for him after that.

All the activity has seriously decreased my knitting time. The Bat****crazy socks are creeping along. They have only grown by an inch or so this week. I'm not comfortable with knitting at work so this will remain a home project. It will just have to be satisfied being my TV knitting.

Busy and Exhausted

Life has been a little bit crazy lately.  I started my new job and Ed had shoulder replacement surgery.  I'm exhausted!

Ed has had trouble with his left shoulder for well over a decade.  Because of his heavy weightlifting he developed arthritis.  It became very painful to move his arm with any sort of shoulder flexion.  On Wednesday he had a total shoulder resurfacing performed.  It is a more durable version of a shoulder replacement that will allow him to continue to weight lift after his recovery period.   I am spending most of my time at home helping him manage the pain, perform light range of motion exercises, icing the shoulder, frequently adjusting the compression hose he is required to wear and helping him dress and bathe.  I am reminded of how involved it was to care for an infant.  Now don't get me wrong.  He isn't a bad patient.  He actually has been doing quite well and is trying to wean off the pain medication.

I finally started my job.  It was delayed another week.  Of course my first week back at work coincided with the week of Ed's surgery.  It actually has worked out alright.  The agency where I'm working needs to greatly improve their staff on-boarding process.  I spent the majority of the week without anything to do.  Taking time off for Ed's surgery this past week was probably best as opposed to later when I'll be busy with project work.  The people at the agency are very nice and I think I will have a lot of interesting work to do.  The hiring manager has commented several times that they have enough work to keep me busy for a long time.  I hope that it works out for me.  I really would like to stay in one place for a while and not return to the job-search stress.

Working downtown is proving interesting.  Parking is at a premium.  I found a couple lots that are about 8-10 blocks away from the office.  I don't mind the walk.  It is getting me lots of steps logged on my FitBit.  I may change my mind when it is pouring down rain or bitterly cold, but those days will not be the majority.

Now that I am back to work I need to get a home routine established.  This week wasn't a good week for that since I am caring for Ed.   My first goal for establishing a schedule is meal planning.  I want to pack my lunch on most days and have ingredients ready for dinner.  Next, in a few weeks, I'll get a cleaning schedule set.  I'm going to try to designate one task per evening.  That way I won't be overwhelmed on the weekend.

After I found out that my job was delayed again, I decided to cast on another project.  This time it is a pair of basic socks.

I'm using a skein of Miss Babs Tarte that I had in my stash.  I bought the yarn a couple years ago when I went to Stitches South.  The name on the skein made me giggle:  Bat****Crazy.  I'm loving the colors.  I finished the first sock last weekend while visiting Mom.  The second sock was cast on while in the surgery waiting room at the hospital.  I've been too tired this week to do any more on it.  I hope to get back to it tonight as I plan a night in front of the TV.  Episode 3 of Outlander Season 2 is tonight.

A Busy Month Away

There has hardly been a minute to sit still during the past month.

My birthday is in March.  Since my mom is now in a nursing home, she isn't able to send birthday cards.  I decided to go down to Cincinnati to visit her for the day before my birthday.  It was a good visit.  I came home very tired (down and back in one day) but I'm glad I went.

A week later we packed up the car and headed south.  We drove to Tampa to catch a cruise for Spring Break.  Blake and Kristin were able to go, but Trisha couldn't miss her classes.  We visited Roatan Honduras, Belize, Costa Maya Mexico and Cozumel Mexico.

Since we didn't purchase an excursion at Honduras, there wasn't much to do.  We walked into the little town and then wandered the streets a bit.  There wasn't much to see and not many shops to browse.

In Belize, we took a river boat tour up the Belize River.  While on the tour we saw bottlenose dolphins, manatees, crocodiles (little on on the log in the picture below), many birds and a pair of howler monkeys doing what comes naturally.  The guide was very knowledgeable and made the trip extremely enjoyable.

After the tour, we walked through all of the shops near the docks and then enjoyed the local brew.

Costa Maya, Mexico is a small port built by the cruise lines.  It has a shopping district right off the docks and is the place to catch tours to nearby Mayan ruins.  We took a tour of the Chacchoben ruins.  These ruins aren't the largest ruins in Mexico, but they still were impressive.  Unlike other sites, tourists were not allowed to climb more than the first few steps.

The last stop of the cruise was Cozumel, Mexico.  It has really changed since Ed and I were there while on our honeymoon.  We walked for hours, going in and out of shops, some that enticed you in with a shot of tequila.  We had lunch at a local place before heading back to the ship.

We returned home on Easter Sunday.  I then rested up a bit and then headed out again.  This time with one of my sisters, Karen, to take our brother Joe to visit another sister in New Jersey and ride the train into New York City.   Joe is developmentally disabled and lives with Karen now that Mom isn't able to care for him.  He loves trains and told Karen that he wanted to ride the train again.  

We drove to New Jersey on Friday and spent the night at Mary Anne's place.  Saturday morning we headed over to the train station and took it into the city.

While in the city we ventured over to the Metropolitan Public Library.

After that we walked over to Grand Central Station.

From there we ventured back to Penn Station and caught the train back to New Jersey.  Our timing was perfect because we found out that one of the later trains on the line we took got stuck for 90 minutes in the tunnel under the Hudson River.  Joe's love of trains might have changed if we had had that ordeal.

Last month I mentioned that I hoped to get Starshower finished in time to wear before the weather changes.  I met my goal and was able to wear it on the trip to NJ/NYC.  Karen and Mary Anne commented that they liked it.  I may have to make a few more as Christmas gifts.

In between the cruise and the trip to ride the trains, I had an interview and was offered a job.  I will be working as an independent consultant for the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities.  The paperwork is still in the works but I should begin working next week.  It will be nice to get back to the working world, but I will admit I'm not looking forward to getting up early again.  I've enjoyed my time off and doing whatever my heart desires at the time.  But it is time to start acting like a grown up again, at least for a few more years.