Life shouldn’t be this tough! Just kidding. Life is really good. It just has its twists and turns.

Anyway, hubby and I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Kauai. It was one of those unexpected windfalls that we couldn’t pass up. We were at a friend’s house watching the Superbowl, and his next door neighbor was there, too. She was lamenting the fact that she was just getting over pneumonia and having bad asthma attacks and was unable to use her condo in Princeville. Hubby and I looked at each other and simultaneously announced “We can go!!” She thought it a grand idea for us to use the condo instead of it staying empty. We just have to have her over for dinner sometime as payment. This is where the spontaneity and stress come in. I don’t do spontaneity. I like to plan far in advance, so that I have a precise plan for preparation and don’t get stressed out by the urgency of it all. In fact, when I woke up Monday morning, I almost decided we shouldn’t go. There was too much to do at home and the business and I just couldn’t possibly pull a trip together in four days. Hubby thought me daft, of course…..so I went along with the plan.

It was stressful getting it all arranged. I tried not to get in a panic. Yes, I was leaving things behind undone. Plane and auto arrangements were made. We decided to make it a long week and stay three more days at the southern side of the island. Packing, stopping papers and mail, arranging business details……it all got done. Had to make a 6:00am flight Friday morning. There’s nothing like waking up at 3:30 and trying to be on top of things. We weren’t on the island more than a few hours when that nasty virus I suffered last month reared its ugly cough again. And it lasted the entire ten days. It was quite disturbing. I was low energy and not the best of company for hubby. I managed long walks, a couple rounds of golf and we did art shopping and the like. But it was a little less than the ‘romantic getaway’ we were hoping floor. ( I had to spend a couple nights in the second bedroom the coughing was so bad).

We certainly enjoyed the fresh food, though. We had fresh Hawaiian fish every day. Not a bite of poultry or beef passed our lips. Fresh pineapples, oranges and grapefruit were plentiful. And at the hotel we stayed at for the last three days we drank their signature drink called a Tai Chi. That HAD to be beneficial with a name like that! I thought I managed fairly well at avoiding foods I shouldn’t eat. I allowed myself the shellfish if it was included in a restaurant meal. I always chose rice over potatoes. If there was wheat served, I just took a bite or two. If hubby had dessert, I helped him out. But I think that was only at three meals.

Back at home now, the cough is getting better. The congestion is clearing. I have my annual appointment with my ND next week. It will give me a chance to discuss why my immune system isn’t handling stress these past few months.

Ack! The first month of the year is gone already. That didn’t take long.

We haven’t put away the dog things yet. His toys are still in his toy box in the rec room. There are still three cans of food and his half-empty bag of dry in the pantry. His water dish is still on the front stoop. All in good time, I ‘m sure.

The week in the desert was a welcome relief from all the rain. It was sunny every day. The temperatures were moderate. I don’t think it got much above 70 degrees on any one day, but it just felt good sitting on the patio and soaking up some vitamin D.

It was disappointing that I was suffering from another respiratory virus during this trip. I am quite perturbed that it has only been two months since my last bout with a virus. I really like to depend on my BTD lifestyle to prevent these things. So, it has made me look seriously into what I may be doing that is compromising my immune system. The first thing I have done is to start a food journal again. I’ll keep that for two weeks and then chart it out against the Live Right portion guidelines. Hopefully that will point something out. (I can already say that I still drink that cup of coffee every morning.) I also have to ramp up the aerobic exercise. Even though I am diligent with my Pilates and yoga practice, sometimes I only get one walk or treadmill session in per week. That has got to change to a minimum of three times weekly.

Gee, I feel better already.

Things with the arm and shoulder had been getting worse in December, so I had an MRI on my neck a couple weeks ago. There is some significant degeneration in the lower cervical discs. I’m seeing an orthopedic surgeon today to explore the next step. Explore is the operative word here. I’m just at the beginning of this journey. I spent hours on the internet this past weekend looking up the words and terms used in the MRI report. At least I’ll be able to converse half intelligently with the doctor.

Be well, stay warm!

Many thanks to those who offered condolences for the loss of my buddy Jake. You all helped a lot.

Anyway, the New Year has got life running at a very fast pace. Getting the time to formulate a blog has been difficult. Hubby decided he needed a vacation after all the pressures we were under last month. We’re heading for the California desert on Monday. January is not a good time for me to go on vacation as there are all kinds of year-end paperwork projects and deadlines. So, I’ve been working madly to get it all done. Plus, this weekend is our annual Sweet Adelines retreat where we spend three days working intensely on our competition songs. I had to have all the business related stuff done by Friday morning. I made it…..but it wasn’t fun. There is one more session of retreat tomorrow morning, then I have to think about packing for the trip.

I’ve been staying fairly compliant while under the pressure, and I have been maintaining a passable exercise schedule. Pilates and/or yoga three times a week, and I get to the treadmill when I can. At least once a week. I keep trying to shoot for three. I’ll keep trying.

I’m looking forward to the sunshine. Here in the Pacific Northwest it rained 28 days in a row. Pretty darn dismal if you ask me!

We lost our pal yesterday. We adopted Jake from the pound thirteen years ago. He was a collie, yellow lab and 57 other kinds of dog mix. He was probably the best dog you’d ever want. Obedient, friendly to a fault (he happily let burglars into the house just so he could cool off under the piano) and always ready for a snack. The only time he ever barked was when there were deer in the yard.

Jake had been going downhill for quite awhile. He had been deaf for a couple of years. He had congestive heart failure, cancer, arthritic hips and thyroid problems. All these seemed to be ameliorated by medications and until the last week kept him interested in all his daily routines. He was becoming incontinent, and we found ourselves cleaning up messes once or twice a day.

Hubby and I wrestled for weeks with the dilemma of when was the ‘right’ time to put him down. We had daughter to consider here, too. After all, Jake was officially her dog. But, he still played with his toys. He ate voraciously and craved attention. There was still a lot of joy to his life.

Yesterday when he got home from work, hubby found the dog lying dead on the front lawn. He said it looked liked Jake was on his way somewhere and just stopped. It was a good way to go. I dreaded taking him to the vet for what would have been a very stressful last ride for him.

So, the family is feeling a bit mournful and melancholy. Our New Year’s celebration will be subdued. Looks like I’ll be making the daily trek out to the road to get the newspapers by myself from now on.

May you all have a blessed and happy New Year.

The holiday season is coming in fits and starts. Hubby and I have been preoccupied the past couple weeks with some worrisome business stuff, which has delayed any preparations. By the end of Tuesday all the stress should be over and we can get on with it. Hubby is talking about getting out of Dodge and going somewhere warm and sunny for a few days. Sounds good to me.

I’ve been holding my own in the eating area. When we go out to restaurants I choose neutral or beneficial proteins. I only eat a small bit of whatever yummy wheat product they dream up to tempt me. And I’m always satisfied with just a taste of someone else’s dessert. A new Italian restaurant opened up in town last week. They served a spelt and porcini mushroom soup that was to die for! I can’t wait to go back and have just that for lunch someday. Yesterday we were invited to a holiday open house. I made sure that I ate lunch at home before we left. The food spread at the open house was unbelievable. Mountains of gorgeous goodies and treats. I didn’t touch a one. I really was almost disappointed that I had no appetite and didn’t get to taste anything forbidden! We had lamb curry for dinner last night. It’s one of my top two favorite beneficial meals. I’m afraid I overate in the portion department. I will assume it is better to occasionally overeat beneficial foods than moderately eat avoids – until I hear differently.

Daughter has been transitioning out of the home. She is transferring to a school in the big city. It will be good for her to get out of a house where she feels like she is treated like a kid half the time. It will be good for us, too. It’s not a big break….she drives down a couple times a week to visit and take more of her stuff out. She brings her kitty to visit, too. I miss the kitty.

The barbershop chorus has been doing a lot of sing-outs the past few weeks. We’ve sung at several nursing homes, a community concert and a military party. This week we are singing at a casino. It’s been fun to dress up and entertain folks. It has helped to take my mind away from the daily stresses and put me in momentary Christmas spirits.

I have an appointment with an orthopedist in a couple weeks to get some medical advice about my bum shoulder. It’s been pretty annoying the past couple months. My physical therapist is stymied and wants some x-rays or MRI done. She suspects there is more disc degeneration between C7 and T1, where the first diagnosis several years ago was degeneration between C4 and C5. It must be an age thing. I’m not thrilled by the prospects.

I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season. Eat well. Rest often. Enjoy life.