A Bad Day's When I Lie In Bed...
Health:
I am not healthy right now. There's no other way to say it. I've been declining for about a month and have more days in bed than I do out of bed. Jacob has dragged me around to appointments and hospitals and so far, no answers. I have an ultrasound on my thyroid on Thursday. I have a referral for someone who is supposed to be the best endocrinologist in Miami, appointment pending. I have no energy and a list of symptoms that is now including sweating, loss of appetite, severe migraines not related to female cycles, and some of the most massive irritability you can imagine (it's bad, folks). I was hoping to go to 10,000 Islands tomorrow--doesn't that sound like paradise?--but we'll see. I have to save my energy for Friday when I chaperone Leah's class trip to EPCOT. Looking back at the past month, I can't believe I made it through our trip to Utah and New York. I was physically miserable for most of it. No wonder I had a meltdown in Brooklyn.
Moving:
Yes, we are still moving next month. No, I have not packed a single box, and no, I don't know where we are going to live. No, the girls are not excited. I get asked these questions multiple times a week. Their biggest concern is having to get rid of their stuff and getting lost in NYC. I think they keep getting images in their heads of having to ride the subway to school alone and wandering the back alleys or something. TV influence? Who knows. I think both girls have realized that they get a reaction when they tell people that we're moving there, so that's cushioned the blow a bit.
To Prepare For Moving:
I read a book called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Seriously, go read this little gem. Even if you don't apply the concept she suggests, it's worth reading her choice of words and the way she personalizes everything (how do you think that shirt feels, sitting at the bottom of the drawer and never used? Do you thank your socks for all their hard work, being stuck between your feet and shoes all day long?) She's made me rethink how I feel about STUFF and helped me process things I own that I don't need to. Keeping in mind, I really don't have a lot of stuff and am consistently weeding it out. Jacob and Hannah, on the other hand, are serious pack rats. I'll have to devote a whole post to this tidying up thing. Yesterday I got rid of 2/3 of my clothes and I'm so happy. Yep, 2/3.
On Saying Goodbye:
We're all starting to let go of Florida and the connections we've made here. Both kids are sad to not be returning to the same school and same friends they've made. I'm starting to say goodbye to friends I've made here. The most traumatizing so far was Julia--the sister in law of my old roommate, Marni. We connected on a deep, meaningful level and feel very cheated out of some time together. Plus I LOVE her kids! I know there will be more traumatization coming.
My last year in Logan was spent in a trailer house on campus (it was also when I started this blog). I was only there for one year, but some of the friendships I made there have been lifelong and some of my most cherished relationships. If I had energy I would add pictures. Alas. Mari and Emma will always, always be dear friends to me, even though we hardly had time to develop our friendship (especially poor Mari, who had a very sick son with meningitis while I had a massive strep throat outbreak in my house). I guess I'm saying that being in one place for just one short year DOES matter. A lot can happen and it's not wasted, transient time that has to be endured. These friends, these memories and these experiences we've had in Florida are priceless to me. I'm already getting choked up when I see pictures online of the Keys, the Everglades, or one of the many other delights we've enjoyed here.
Maybe this is my pep talk to myself to treat New York with the same gusto that we approached Miami. To jump in with both feet and swim around and soak up the city and all it has to offer us. To approach relationships as if they will be life friends. To not treat one year like it is a jail sentence to be served. To unpack all the boxes and LIVE. Even if you all sleep together (ew) and the weather dips below 65 degrees (EW).
On Living in Paradise:
I hauled Hannah to Miami Beach on Friday night to check out a museum that was offering free admission.
*side note: Miami Beach is a separate city on a separate island and requires its own special brand of patience and navigation skills.
I couldn't find any parking near the museum and knew I would be able to drag myself around the streets like I could in the good ole days. So we changed plans immediately and decided to check out a super cool spot called South Pointe Pier. It's right at the tip of the island on the south side and is surprisingly family/kid friendly. We did see a hip-hop music video being filmed, but nothing inappropriate. Plus all the women were wearing shirts or swimsuits--no topless girls this time. Bonus!
I am not healthy right now. There's no other way to say it. I've been declining for about a month and have more days in bed than I do out of bed. Jacob has dragged me around to appointments and hospitals and so far, no answers. I have an ultrasound on my thyroid on Thursday. I have a referral for someone who is supposed to be the best endocrinologist in Miami, appointment pending. I have no energy and a list of symptoms that is now including sweating, loss of appetite, severe migraines not related to female cycles, and some of the most massive irritability you can imagine (it's bad, folks). I was hoping to go to 10,000 Islands tomorrow--doesn't that sound like paradise?--but we'll see. I have to save my energy for Friday when I chaperone Leah's class trip to EPCOT. Looking back at the past month, I can't believe I made it through our trip to Utah and New York. I was physically miserable for most of it. No wonder I had a meltdown in Brooklyn.
Moving:
Yes, we are still moving next month. No, I have not packed a single box, and no, I don't know where we are going to live. No, the girls are not excited. I get asked these questions multiple times a week. Their biggest concern is having to get rid of their stuff and getting lost in NYC. I think they keep getting images in their heads of having to ride the subway to school alone and wandering the back alleys or something. TV influence? Who knows. I think both girls have realized that they get a reaction when they tell people that we're moving there, so that's cushioned the blow a bit.
To Prepare For Moving:
I read a book called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Seriously, go read this little gem. Even if you don't apply the concept she suggests, it's worth reading her choice of words and the way she personalizes everything (how do you think that shirt feels, sitting at the bottom of the drawer and never used? Do you thank your socks for all their hard work, being stuck between your feet and shoes all day long?) She's made me rethink how I feel about STUFF and helped me process things I own that I don't need to. Keeping in mind, I really don't have a lot of stuff and am consistently weeding it out. Jacob and Hannah, on the other hand, are serious pack rats. I'll have to devote a whole post to this tidying up thing. Yesterday I got rid of 2/3 of my clothes and I'm so happy. Yep, 2/3.
On Saying Goodbye:
We're all starting to let go of Florida and the connections we've made here. Both kids are sad to not be returning to the same school and same friends they've made. I'm starting to say goodbye to friends I've made here. The most traumatizing so far was Julia--the sister in law of my old roommate, Marni. We connected on a deep, meaningful level and feel very cheated out of some time together. Plus I LOVE her kids! I know there will be more traumatization coming.
My last year in Logan was spent in a trailer house on campus (it was also when I started this blog). I was only there for one year, but some of the friendships I made there have been lifelong and some of my most cherished relationships. If I had energy I would add pictures. Alas. Mari and Emma will always, always be dear friends to me, even though we hardly had time to develop our friendship (especially poor Mari, who had a very sick son with meningitis while I had a massive strep throat outbreak in my house). I guess I'm saying that being in one place for just one short year DOES matter. A lot can happen and it's not wasted, transient time that has to be endured. These friends, these memories and these experiences we've had in Florida are priceless to me. I'm already getting choked up when I see pictures online of the Keys, the Everglades, or one of the many other delights we've enjoyed here.
Maybe this is my pep talk to myself to treat New York with the same gusto that we approached Miami. To jump in with both feet and swim around and soak up the city and all it has to offer us. To approach relationships as if they will be life friends. To not treat one year like it is a jail sentence to be served. To unpack all the boxes and LIVE. Even if you all sleep together (ew) and the weather dips below 65 degrees (EW).
On Living in Paradise:
I hauled Hannah to Miami Beach on Friday night to check out a museum that was offering free admission.
*side note: Miami Beach is a separate city on a separate island and requires its own special brand of patience and navigation skills.
I couldn't find any parking near the museum and knew I would be able to drag myself around the streets like I could in the good ole days. So we changed plans immediately and decided to check out a super cool spot called South Pointe Pier. It's right at the tip of the island on the south side and is surprisingly family/kid friendly. We did see a hip-hop music video being filmed, but nothing inappropriate. Plus all the women were wearing shirts or swimsuits--no topless girls this time. Bonus!
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| This was outside a wine/Italian restaurant. Life IS beautiful. Very, very beautiful. |
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| Hannah stand on South Beach and dreams of an extravagant lifestyle. I don't love South Beach enough to ever want to stay in one of those tall buildings. But they are impressive to look at. |
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| Terrible picture of us, but you can see the sign. It actually looks like that. I love it. The pier was clean and peaceful and we watched cruise ships sailing away from Port Miami. It's hard to say goodbye to these kinds of places and I think I'll get a dreamy, warm-fuzzy, all-choked up look on my face when someone talks about South Florida. Like when someone talks about my dog, Spock. |
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