Summer Gratitude 2019

Hello from the hot summer in Colorado. I just got back from a vacation with my family. I attached my recent pictures down to my graduation. I finally finished my bachelor's in nursing. I had an associate degree for many years but not I can officially say I am a bit smarter. :)

Look at me hanging out with the stars in Los Angeles, California, the wax museum, that is.

A visit to California is not complete without the scene of the Pacific Beach. Here we are in San Diego with the water warm enough, we could actually go wading comfortably.

Paul and I are back in Colorado shopping at the farmer's market. 

The other pictures are with my family in California for a mini-reunion. 

I can't help but notice that sign on the white truck in La Jolla, "People are important." Yes, indeed, no matter what race or color, I should add. 

 More beach pictures. Can you spot the seals and sea lions?

And look at how we positioned ourselves in the picture as a family? We did not plan that special line up.

And here are more family pictures. I have to post a picture of my grandson. He is now 4 months old. The last one is, of course, my graduation day before I headed to a much-needed vacation. 

Time with Family and Friends

Indoor fun times with son and grandson +

Hello. It is the month of July. I have not blogged for a while. I did have thought about writing many times. I did not get into sitting down and writing my thoughts and gratitude in this medium. I did have a few entries in my planner. I have many reasons to give thanks for especially to the friends and family around me.

We are social human beings. Most of my gratitude links to family and friends—the time I spend with them and the time they lent to me. They are precious and cannot be bought by money. This includes a hike with daughter and our dogs — no money spent on shopping. OK, we did stop by Starbucks on the way home to pick up cold caffeinated drinks and some Puppy-ccino for free. They are whipped cream for the doggies in a cup.

I have a new (and only) grandchild. He is three months old, so tiny, precious, and bubbly. He would give me his little smiles and make baby sounds that I think means, “hi grandma.” We with his parents went to the mall last week as the park was not an option. It was raining outside. We had a good time, just the same. We got in for free as my little grandchild was less than a year old. Parents and grandparents get in for free with a child! “We” got to play in an indoor playscape with inflatable slides and foam-floored crawling areas with large puzzles and colors everywhere.

My grandson was looking around. He seemed amazed by the beautiful colors. My son, the dad, commented, “this is so nice.” He was referring to the time in general in the mall on a slow day, pushing little Josiah around in a stroller while stopping at some interesting shops. The restrooms are just there close by ready for a quick diaper change. They played some games and earned little toys for Josiah. We ended the day with dinner in a Mexican restaurant right in the store.

Fun times outdoors with family

In the fourth of July, we get to see spectacular fireworks in the city. My kids have plans on their own, but Paul and I went and had a good time snacking and watching the show. We are glad the fare was controlled. Each entrance had a checkpoint checking bags. Alcohol was sold inside, but nobody could take them out. Police were around just in case. It was clean fun with no crazies getting drunk and causing trouble.

That night ended with heavy rain. I had a poncho and did not get very wet. Paul, who refused to bring one got soaked with cold rain. He did regret his stubbornness. LOL.

Speaking off us people wanting to spend time with others, I would like to mention about my nursing group. We are getting together this coming Saturday for wine tasting. Every month Philippine Nurses Association of Colorado get together for fundraising, social time, or meeting. I once heard from my college professor in dental assisting that whatever specialty you have or profession, look for an excellent group to belong to. And do not just sign up. Participate. Contribute. Make a difference. Being part of a functional group gives more meaning to your profession.

One of the groups I pick (in nursing) is the PNACO. We do more than volunteering our time; we spend fun times together. This group of educated people inspires me to continue serving as a nurse, paid, or unpaid. Nursing is hard, but each day I see reasons to continue doing what I do. It is not all about money but the happiness it gives me knowing I touch someone’s life every day.

If you can, and if you are a nurse or nursing student in Colorado, you can join us in Denver for wine tasting this coming Saturday. Just contact me if you are coming.

Thankful Saturday

The blizzard last Wednesday might not have caused an accumulation of a lot of snow.  It was scary, nonetheless. The wind knocked down electrical lines that led to power outage in several neighborhoods including mine. We did not have power from 11 am till 3 am the next day. Our house was getting cold. We did not have hot water. We could not heat our food or cook. I am glad the power is restored and the storm is over. I am also glad I was off from work that day and did not have to drive.

I am doing my Miracle Morning routine again to energize me in the morning. The list of SAVERS (Silent meditation/prayer, Affirmation, Vision, Exercise, Reading (motivating books), and Scribing/journaling) changes my mood and feelings from grumpy and tired to cheerful and energized. No longer did I look like the tired old lady who does not have the energy to drink coffee in the morning.

I just donated blood today. I am just grateful I can do this.

I am thankful for payday so I have the budget for a gym membership. The gym is one of the few places my teen daughter and I go together (well besides the mall and food stores). I also have the money to get an automatic car wash. I do not have to touch the freezing cold water from my hose. I don't know about you, but a squeaky clean car gives me joy. 

That's all for now. Please visit our gratitude group below.

Fill-In Sunday

I believe I can deal with procrastination.

I need to go "Marie Kondo" my desk to reduce distraction.

It does not do good to lose my attention.

(And do other things that just cost me tension).

I find self-caring to be a walk in the park

(Well, not really)

But when I get started self-caring gives me this spark

It opens my eyes, I can see in the dark

I can fight my anxiety and put it in a halt!

          It is a late morning for me getting up from a late evening from doing homework last night. I should say from the early morning because I went to bed past midnight. Part of me is thinking, "what am I doing?" I decided to go back to college to advance my degree. It has been a year now, and here I am still going. I am two subjects away from going up a level. Doing school work gets my mind off the stressful situations around me--family, work--which I love. 

          I made instant Pho and added ground meat. My friends would be shocked, as I switched to non-meat diet since last May but it is veggie meat :) so it's okay. I plan to do some work after this blog post entry, then go to church. I will go to the gym for an hour workout, longer than my usual and try to do about 10,000 steps of the treadmill and other machines. Yesterday, I only did 8,000 :( because I buried my head doing homework and it is just not easy marching in place as I type while my head was covered with books and papers. Can you imagine?

          Good Sunday to you all! May your day be restful or productive or both. 

Times of Gratitude

It has been a good week, not perfect but good. Hey, I'm here and have the energy and time to post. My theme this week is -- you guessed it. Time!

This week I went to a co-worker's retirement party and enjoyed some nursing cake too. Levell retired after serving the hospital as a nurse for over 30 years. We met at the brewery and the place was packed with mostly her friends and coworkers. I kissed her goodbye and she had this tears of joy and maybe sadness as well that she is leaving. God bless her.

A walk in the park around the lake is great with dog Velvet and best when my daughter tags along too even though she stays on the concrete with her skateboard. Going back, she offered to hold V's leash. Velvet ran pulling her. It was funny to look at. Velvet seemed to really like pulling my daughter like pulling a kid on a sled. We had a great time.

I finally tried acupuncture that I had been dreading to do to alleviate some aches, anxiety, stress, and overactive bladder. My daughter tried it too and she took that picture with the paper-fan decor on the wall. She is still afraid of needles and has not tried the therapy again. I, however, like it and already had my session for the fourth time. My symptoms are fading. I also checked my tongue just now and the teeth marks on the sides disappeared which suggests I do not grind my teeth in my sleep anymore.

It is colder now, so my vegetables outside are dying except for the kale. My daughter took some potted vegetable plants indoors. Look at this pepper plant surviving.

I donated one hour of my vacation time to charity being run at work and they gave me a color-changing cube alarm clock in return. I love it. The color-changing is supposed to help boost mood.

I thank the daylight savings time today for the extra hour of sleep. Fall back!

My favorite chocolate is on sale!

I recently refinanced my home and replaced my 11-year old gas-hustling van with a new economy car Jetta. My daughter is posing  ala-The-Price-is-Right model. 

I thank my dogs for forcing encouraging me to walk. Look at Snowball waiting at the front door. How could I not make time?

Post and read more about gratitude 

with the Ttot group!

Do Without Complaining

Can we go for a walk now?

I complain that my teens are messy in their rooms, that they don't help enough around the house . . . that . . .

Wait, two years ago, they were not even in the house. They ran away many times, etc.

I can clean up their rooms, do most of the tasks. The true peace in my heart is knowing where they are, hearing their voices, watching them eat, hearing their stories. . .

I am not going to allow complaints to invade my day. I close the door on it. There is no room for it in my heart.

Today, I will go to work thinking about what I can do to help my patients and their families. I will listen to their complaints with an open mind and help them.

It's gonna be a cold day. But for now, I have to tend to my dogs before I leave the house. They are watching me now craving for attention.

Philippians 2:14
"Do all things without complaining and disputing."

Forcing Myself to Express Gratitude

Hello. Hello. Here I am again this week. Back with a thankful post, I did not feel like writing.

My oldest child (18) surprised me with an old car he bought a few days ago--a Dodge Stratus 2003, sedan, with a sportsy look. Never mind the paint that needs to be redone. That is just cosmetics. But the windshield has cracks in two spots. In addition, the front tires are bald, and the first time he introduced it to me, it did not even start.

"Oh, I must have left a light on."

Maybe.

The car is operable again but I am still nervous. He was supposed to work today at 4 pm, I thought. At 3:45 pm, I got hold of him. He was about to drive from a park to home. He said he'd go home to change his shoes before work. Half an hour later, I could not concentrate. My head is hurting and I was almost certain he got into some kind of trouble.

He came home for a couple minutes. He seemed OK. He works at 4:30 pm, he said. I wished he would have told me earlier.

Communication. We need to talk more.

I told him about the dangers of driving with two front bald tires for the minute I had with him before he left for work. He was already late anyway. His work was ten minutes away.

Anyway, for my sake, I should avoid thinking negatively automatically. He was not answering the phone earlier because he was driving. He knows he is not supposed to use the phone while driving, maybe, just like I told him.

What should I be doing? Be thankful. Think positive.

I took this week off. I planned this ahead as, during summer, my hospital unit is slow. So I am thankful I can do some fun things I enjoy like watching my dogs get silly and jealous with each other as my daughter pet each one.

I decided to declutter my home so I can actually see and use the things I want to use. Plus, I boxed several things for donation. My kids let go of their bikes as well that they have not touched for more than a year, so more room in the garage for my son's (very old) new car.

My daughter and I did some gardening. I have a small backyard that my three dogs use as a toilet so no more vegetable gardening there. I cheated and bought a tomato, squash, peppers, rosemary, and basil already in pots, some already with flowers. My daughter likes planting the flowering perennials so I let her do that.

I earned an Amazon card for participating in healthy activities at work so I used it to but a small electric mower. I have a small lawn and only a manual mower, but boy, the electric made the job a breeze. Oh, that reminds me, I am donating my old mower as well. That may have been easy pushing a manual mower ten years ago, but not anymore.

We had a good time watching Paul's son play high school basketball this summer. I still want to complain, though, about the entrance fee of $8 per person for adults. This is high school, geez.

Isn't Velvet, my brown dog so cute? Who said Pitbull (mix) dogs are fierce?

I am thankful for Blue Apron meals my aunt let me try for free. I have made gourmet-hotel-good home cooked meals because of the service.

Okay now, the sky is dark, and it might rain. I am worried about my son again driving his car with bald tires. Soon, I hope, he'd change them.

Do yourself a favor and express your gratitude with this fun team.

Zippy

Meet my hiking partner, Velvet, in this zestful open space.

The letter of the week from ABC Wednesday is the letter Z.

I choose the word zippy.


I belong to a Facebook group on body transformation where each member defines his or own transformation. Whether the goal is to lose weight, shape your body, add bulk, etc, we all want to work on our goals with eating and exercise.

We talk about, among other things, what gives us energy or motivation to exercise and go to the gym.

What makes me zippy and energetic? I tell them my secrets of having the energy to exercise or workout.

1. A breakfast with 20 or more grams of protein makes a difference. It gives me this satisfied feeling and not feel hungry for hours. When I go to the gym, I do not think about hunger or food because I am not hungry. How do I get 20+ grams of protein? I cheat by adding protein powder to my green smoothie. I eat yogurt or eggs or ham in the morning.
2. I drink lots of water. By the time I hit the door leaving the house to go to the gym, I would already drink 4 cups of water and then two more in the gym. I am well hydrated. In the past, before I get conscious about my water intake, I get so thirsty and get a headache while exercising. I reach my maximum heart rate according to my age within minutes of walking in the treadmill. I think I was dehydrated, that was why. In 15 minutes, I was so tired and could barely continue.
3. Caffeine also keeps me going. I feel a bit hyper after 1 cup of coffee and 2 cups of matcha tea. I pour this energy in cardio and weight machines. It works. It extends my stamina. No need for me to use expensive pre-workout out supplements.
4. Meditation and yoga, I think, helps my mind and helps me to think about positive things too so my mind does not wander too much and I could concentrate on what I want to do--exercise, read, or work.
5. My dog Velvet, keeps me going as we walk outside. She is so fun to be with on a hike. To see her happy motivates me to go further.
6. A good quality sleep. To me, it can be anywhere from six to nine hours with a good amount of deep sleep. I use my Fitbit blaze to track my sleep and I notice, the more I spend time in deep sleep, the better I feel throughout the day.

How about you? What gives you energy? How do you motivate yourself to move?

Save a Heart

Another week has passed and it's another opportunity to look back on how lucky I am to receive many blessings.

My MyIntent bracelets came, finally. My daughter has Lil Soldier etched in her pendant to remind her to be strong. I have to bracelets. One says, Help Them, and the other, Be the Example. I use these reminders for work and family. With my teens, it gets tiring to say do this do that. At times, I feel, they purposely do the opposite. So I push myself to be the example. I hope it works, soon!

A family member of a patient brought us, staff, a fruit bouquet. It is as delicious as it looks. This bouquet I don't buy for myself. It is expensive. The best parts are the chocolate covered ones. Guess what I had?

I bought a Hurricane electric scrubber. The ad lied saying, "Does the hard work for you." I powered it and it did not do the chores by itself. :) I still have to put some work in. I must admit it makes scrubbing the floor and tiles easier. It is $40 well spent in Bed Bath. With the coupon, it was even better.

My breakfast partner, Paul, ditched me because of his son's basketball games. So, I took my daughter instead. She got up late that the restaurant did not serve breakfast burrito anymore so we had lunch burrito instead. What is the difference? We did not have potatoes, bacon, and eggs in it. And it is ten dollars each instead of two. Daughter surprised me by paying the tab.

A nice lady handed me a palm cross as I left the hospital. That was nice. She was making a bunch of them.

I am training to run the 5K for this coming June to raise money for Hearts and Stroke week with my group in intensive care unit. My team is trying to raise funds to save a heart (and or a brain). If you want to help, here is a link. I am using the free app C25K. It might be too late for me to start being 46. But I finished training for two weeks out of eight and I haven't suffered a heart attack yet. So I may be good.

I am also using the music app Rock My Run. I love it. I am listening to the sound of the 90's right now. It really inspires me to move. I paid for this app with a Groupon coupon. Another money well spent.

Join us.

It's Almost Easter

Six years ago, my Facebook showed

My children posed with their beaks exposed

We were at the park on a sunny day

Back then like the parks and play

That was years ago

It is different now 

They seldom go with me somehow 

I'm getting old but I still should move

Not to play in the park but to the gym, I could . . .

Alone I go, as my teens are slow

Not slow in general, but in the morning? Oh no,
They can't get up as their limbs are tied

To the bed, they are, but not at night

I miss my kids when they were young

Back then they followed, danced with me, and sung

How I cope is just to remember the old

And walk with a book with encouraging words

I borrowed this book Operation Happiness

It is full of tips, just sweetness no nastiness

I do this as I can't watch or read the news

Without reading something that gives a boost

Last weekend we went to an auto show

I didn't buy anything as I've got  no dough

But for fun, we posed with some nice cars

Ferrari, Mercedes, Audi, and Jaguar

My daughter went with us, though a little bored 

It's a blessing the place has a charging station aboard

They must have kept the children's parents in mind

To keep everyone happy, the techy kinds

I've got another picture from years ago

It's me and Paul with our Easter eggos 

In that picture, I wore my wig because

At that time I was bald from cancer and chemo

But look at me now with a head full of hair

As I'm enjoying my green smoothie to nourish my body

It took cancer for me to really watch my food

I'm afraid it'd come back so kale I drink and chew

Oh look, my daughter got up for a hike with me
Though it was close to dark, and we had to turn back
We should have started earlier
Like in the morning perhaps

Lastly, I want to thank my Filipino-American group

For teaching Tagalog class, something I couldn't

I do not have the patience of teaching my language

So my daughter enrolled in the lessons she craved

Picture This x 10

The week is not complete without good food and the company of my loved ones. So this week's gratitude is full of time with my children, my pets, and my soul mate Paul.

Jump

A little depressed, nothing to do

I turned to my side

to the radio at the bedside

I picked a station

That gives me joy 

The one that plays

Jazz and  jingles that I enjoy
Soon, I'm not upset

I am not even mad

Instead, I'm glad and jumping 

Happy, just like that

(or at least, I got up from the bed)

Fish Fire

I have been checking (and have purchased) planners lately. Most of them I liked but not fully. There was always some parts I do not like that I think is a waste of space. I want to keep my planner small that fits in my everyday bag that is suitable for two small books like A5 size.

I like the idea of bullet journal and Rituals, among a few, so I decided to make my own. Even the pages on Moleskine, I did not like because they are so faint, I have to squint my eyes to see the numbers. Maybe I need glasses too, but that's another story. I dated a hardcover notebook I purchased from Walmart. I also got some stickers, erasable pens, markers, and highlighters. Wallah, I have a planner/journal with the table of contents and pages I will use. I am happy.

I love the looks of fish growing up by the big pond, and I am Pisces, so I attached a fish on the bookmark. The whole thing makes me smile.

What also makes me grin is the city cleaning up the homeless tent in at the back of my house, not too far away. It is owned by the city, and I did not realize till lately, I can just report my concern thru the city app. In the same week, here they are. They are so fast, I did not get a picture of the John Deere thingy, hauling the stuff away. I now have a better view from the dining room where I sit and write.

See, a many years ago, there was a fire there, and the fire department had to be called to kill the fire. It was thought that the camper's fire  got out of control. A distant neighbor reported it as we slept. He lived eight houses away. It was late at night then, and my young family did not have a clue. It gave us a scare we thought we had to evacuate. The area is close to the main road but in a valley form area that is hard to see by others except by my next door neighbor and me.

To make me feel less guilty, the city reported that it appears that the camp had been abandoned. I did not displace anyone. Nobody had been sleeping there lately. Whoever the person was, I hope he or she has found a safer and warmer home this winter.

Well, those are my F's for the week. What's yours?

Join us!

The Girls and the Gardens

The blooms along the walk

I took the girls to the gardens, the girls, I mean my daughter and her friend. I offered and they agreed to come along with me and dog, Velvet. It is nice for them to come even though where we were going is a little away from the towers where we could get a good connection. Their phones did not work well to Snapchat, Facebook, or Instagram. But they worked as well to play stored music and to take images of the nature and tons of selfies. 

Week of Painting

I would post a picture of grand vacation but I don not have the money to go. What I have done are trips to the mall not to shop but to paint. Take a look at our work--simple and fun. My daughter enjoyed it too.

Simple Ways to Bank Happiness

Enjoying a time outside, even if it's just
outside a new church.

It's the letter H week. What an inspiration to write on happiness.

I am working on building my reserves. Over the span of many years, I have been burdened with stress that made my happy bank empty. I compiled a list of things I do and will do to make me happy.

Bigger Fish to Fry

The Bird and the Fish

Hey, the link is still open!

I am virtually running to submit my artwork here (if you can call it artwork) before the door closes. It is the third of the month and I am linking my first entry.

The Challenge For Charity

Charity for Children's Cause

It's the third week of round 20 of ABC Wednesday. This week's letter is the letter C.

A word that comes to mind is the word challenge, particularly the challenge to benefit a cause or charity for children.

The Key to Go to Church

It's half past eight in the morning. I just got back from my walk. My daughter is still sleeping and her friend staying for a sleepover is in a deep sleep. She did not move even after the dogs showered her with kisses.

Overcoming Procrastination Project 1

I went outside and thought, "It's not so bad." There is beauty outside.
I just have to choose the way there and capture the moment.

I'm trying this free app on my phone, Dragon dictation, for the first time for my post. The first sentence worked great so far.