Lesli's Changing Life at 40 Journal

[pearlieq]

Just dropping in to say hi!

I hope the storms weren't too rough out your way last weekend and you're now enjoying this lovely spring day.

Take care!

 

[Lesli54]

Thanks for visting my journal ladies. I am in need of serious from WDW. The storms were not too bad here. As for "break" last week, well, I got one. I broke my right knee cap on Friday. Yes, it is on the same knee that was already messed up. Great birthday present, huh? I stepped on a good sized rock that was lying on a sidewalk and my leg twisted slightly but heard a very loud "pop" and down I went. Fortunately, there were plenty of people around to get help, unfortunately, we were on DS5's field trip so he was very upset. The good thing is that we were getting ready to head back to the school, so at least DS5 and I got our time together first. Long story short, I spent way too long in emergency waiting for x-rays, the pain wasn't too bad. I basically got a copy of the films and they put a temporary immobilizer on. Tomorrow, I have to go back down to my orthopedic and see what he has to say. Possibly just let it heal, possibly surgery. The good thing is that there really isn't much pain, just alot of sitting around.

I have learned one thing that I shall remember for the rest of my life. It is very important for me to lose weight and become more fit. The first few days back on crutches were killers. I lack all the arm strength that I had when I was on crutches before. Combine that with the fact that I have put on about 30 lbs since then and it makes getting around much more difficult. The reality is that I might be on crutches off and on for the rest of my life, who knows. At any rate, I am not in shape enough to handle these setbacks in health. Something to definitely think about.

Food has been so so and water is ok. And to think, I was getting depressed last week a bit over trying to get my priorities straight. Well, now I have plenty of time to start figuring that out.

I hope that everyone has been doing well. Hopefully tomorrow, I can get back to checking the journals. :: ::

 

[goldcupmom]

OMG, Lesli! How awful for you! And really scary given all you've been through!

MAJOR and and prayers!!!

 

[Lesli54]

Thanks for the prayers, Julie.

Good news from the doc. I don't need surgery....at least not now. He was pleased with me "straight" leg raise (I am not so sure that it was straight), but I guess given the injury it could be worse. At any rate, he put me in a better brace that locks my leg straight and he said that I can bare full weight on it and walk on it. I feel a bit peg legged, but that is ok. In 2 weeks, I go back to see how things are healing. Pray that everything heals well and the alignment is good when I go back, if not then we have to talk about possibly wiring the knee. Any avoidance of that would be good. The biggest plus is that I don't really have any pain when I walk or stand on the leg. Not too mention, that I can be free of the crutches as well (as soon as I feel stable, I can get rid of the last one). That will make things so much easier around here, but I am not forgetting the importance of getting back to a healthier weight and into shape.

Other than being up really early today, things have gone well. Food could have been better, but being on the road can do that.

Breakfast - sausage biscuit, oj
Lunch - 1/4 lbr w/cheese, some fries (way to salty), tea
Snack - Nutty Bar
Supper - don't know, but I will be on the road again.

Water has been pretty good today.

Tonight I have to go to a GS training. This will give me a chance to see how things will be changing with the new programs being rolled out this fall. It will also give me a chance to evaluate what I want to do as far as continuing as a leader. Gotta go. Talk to you all later.

 

[toystoryduo]

Lesli,

I'm sorry to hear about your knee. I'm sending prayers and healing your way. Please be sure and take it easy for the next few days, okay?

 

[Lesli54]

Thanks for the well wishes, Tracy.

Tues night, I did make it to the GS training and actually felt pretty good physically. I don't know if I am excited about continuing with GS or not, but at least I have an idea of how some things are changing so that I can take that into consideration. Supper was very very late after the meeting and it was........McD's Unfortunately, it was the only thing en route, so I had a few fries, coke, and chicken strips. Never before have I only traveled paths were there isn't other food for the entire day.

Yesterday, went pretty well as far as getting around. I practiced walking around without my crutch and it seemed to be fine, today seems even better so that is a big plus. Most of my day consisted of pushing our WDW trip back a week. Oh so easy to do when you are within a month of travel during the high season. Fortunately, we are going for almost 2 weeks so I was able to keep some of the vacation intact. Unfortunately, switching dinner plans wasn't as easy and we will not be doing the Luau this year, oh well. Also, we had to go on a waitlist for a DVC resort for the last two days that we had hoped to be at WDW. Send some that it comes through so that we don't have to cut the trip shorter than originally planned. Oh well, it will all work out.

Food yesterday was ok. Breakfast was a Krispy Kreme doughnut (I froze all, but one for each person, so that we wouldn't keep eating them), a cheese omelet, 1 c 1% milk, 1 c grapefruit juice. AM snack I think was a nutty bar. Lunch was a brat and a chips. Supper was chicken salad on crackers, since I wasn't very hungry. Then later, I had about 1 1/2 c 1% milk and some oreos.

Todays food plan:
Breakfast - cheese omelet, 1 c grapefruit juice, toast w/jelly
AM snack - yogurt
Lunch - tuna wrap and fruit
PM snack - rice cake
Supper - pizza night, no pop

Goals for the day:
1. 60 oz water
2. Do some light cleaning around the house, maybe push the dust mop. That would also be good for keeping the strength in my leg
3. Try to tackle more bookwork.

Later today, I need to run an errand so that our carpenter can continue putting on the new doors. I am really amazed with just one on how much a paneled door will quickly give a house character and that updated look. Did I mention that I am going with the levers for door handles? In the long run it is what I really wanted and I am waivering too much with the wholed thing, so DH just said to get what I want, within reason of course.

Gotta get going. I hope you all have a good day.

 

[goldcupmom]

Happy Mother's Day, Lesli! Hope you're feeling a bit better!

 

[toystoryduo]

Happy Mother's Day, Lesli!! Hope you had a great day yesterday!

 

[pearlieq]

Oh wow! I'm so sorry to hear about your injury, though I'm glad it seems like it's turning out to be better than it initially looked.

How are you feeling so far? Are you healing OK and getting around all right?

Did your waitlist come through for your trip? I hope so--you've been looking forward to it for so long. If you're driving down and you find you need an ECV in the parks, you might do well to rent one from an offsite company. The WDW rentals are expensive, only available inside the parks, and aren't guaranteed. If you have your own, you can use it wherever you go, and most of them fold down or disassemble pretty easily to store in a large car or van.

How is the house project going? I hear the levers are great if anyone is prone to arthritis--much easier to just push down than it is to turn a knob.

I hope you're doing OK and healing up well. Take care!

 

[Lesli54]

Thanks for stopping by, ladies. Mother's Day was fairly peaceful and we took DMom and DAunt out to supper with us. So it turned out quite nice. As for the WDW waitlist, it did come through, so we are so happy. It is at SSR, which I would rather it was elsewhere, but at least we are at WDW. SSR has it's good points, but doesn't fit our family very well with its amenities. Oh well. A much deserved vacation is the most important thing.

As for the healing, I am getting around quite well. Slow, due to the fact that I am walking with one leg locked straight, but at least I can get around. Each day, I am able to be up on it more and more, so it must be healing. I really don't have any pain in it, so I am hoping that means all the bones are staying in place. So far, I have had to adjust the brace a few times and need to again because it keeps slipping. One, I think I had a bit more swelling than I originally thought. The other, I have lost more weight. I figure that I am down to 218-219, about 2 more lbs down. It is hard to figure with the brace, but I know that it weighs a few lbs. Not exactly the time to work on weight loss when you are healing bones, but I will take what I get all the same.

Last week was spent running a few errands for the house, more doors and hardware. I love my new doors and can't wait to get them painted with the handles on. They are definitely giving the house a face lift. Other than that, I spent most of the week working from the couch, resting, and trying to be up on my feet as much as I could tolerate.

This week is much better. Monday was bill day, Tuesday and Wednesday were errand and meeting days. Today is shopping for final things needed for graduation and the reception. Then I need to come home and make mints, at least I can sit down for most of that.

Food was not good last week. Although, I wasnt' doing a constant munching, I didn't eat well at all. Most of the time I wanted junk food or was not up to making anything decent. This week, has been better and with my choices, including getting in more fruit and not overeating. Also, I have been getting in quite a bit of milk. Today, I actually feel motivated to get my eating back on track. I figure, the least I can do for the healing and less movement is eat decent food.

Today's food:
Breakfast - 1 egg omelet w/mush & moz, ham, blueberries, 1 c 1% milk, 1 c grapefruit juice
AM snack - yogurt
Lunch - don't know where I will be
PM snack - crackers, cheese

Goals for the day:
1. 60 oz water
2. Get all the table displays for the reception together
3. Delegate a few rooms to be cleaned

Gotta go to DD10's science fair and then do that shopping. Talk to you all later.

 

[pearlieq]

Glad to hear you're doing well and that things are coming together for your trip. It took me a while to warm up to SSR, but I've developed an affection for that corner of WDW. I like the golf course, wilderness, and DTD view.

I hope the graduation events go well. Congrats to your DD!

Have a wonderful day today!

 

[Lesli54]

Thanks for the well wishes, Pearlieq!

Yesterday's food plan didn't go well, but at least I didn't do extra munching to make things worse. AM snack, missed. Lunch was Arby's roast beef (small), potato cakes, and iced tea. The plus here was that I went with the smaller sandwich than usual. I was hoping to go to Panera, but DH needed DD18 to work at the store, so we cut our shopping short. Good thing, though since I walk slow and it was plenty for what I did do. In fact, I fell asleep once I got back home. For supper, I ate 1/2 the pizza. Mainly, I think that was from being tired and trying to get things done for graduation that I really wasn't thinking. Oh, the science fair yesterday was actually kind of fun. DD10's project worked well so that was a relief.

This morning, I have been working on cleaning the house. Later, I have to make the mints. Didn't do it yesterday. DH's cousin already had some ordered (her son is also graduating so we are doing the receptions together), but they are only mint and my family prefers the butter mint. So I don't have as many to make as I thought, which is a good thing. Then I need to bake 2 cakes later so they are ready to decorate tomorrow. Also, I need to boil eggs so we can make deviled eggs tomorrow. It would be nice to wait until morning, but DD10 and DS5, both have soccer and baseball games tomorrow. Talk about a busy weekend.

Food for today:
Breakfast - 1 egg omelet w/ mush and moz, blueberries, ham, 1 c grapefruit juice
AM snack - missed
Lunch - tuna rollup, watermelon
PM snack - cheese & crackers
Supper - BLT's, fruit, maybe potato salad

Goals for the day:
1. 60 oz water
2. Get help with cleaning house and getting the laundry done
3. Keep breathing and take things one step at a time even though things may seem hectic right now.

Talk to you all later.

 

[toystoryduo]

I'm glad to hear that you are doing well, Lesli! It sounds like things are quite busy for you at the moment, but pretty soon you'll be in WDW! I hope you'll do a trip report when you get back. I'd love to hear more about SSR...We've never been there; not even to visit. We may have to swing by in September and take a look at the resort.

Hope you have a great weekend!

 

[Lesli54]

Graduation is over! It is so nice to have one less BIG thing to worry about getting together.

Friday went according to plan in terms of food, except I had a turkey sandwich for supper instead of a BLT. Also, I had 2 cookies. Not bad. We did a lot of cleaning, baked the cakes, boiled 10 doz eggs, and attempted to make mints. Those didn't turn out, so I gave up on them rather than continue to fight with making them. Went to bed late.

Saturday was a whirlwind. Both DD10 and DS5 had a soccer game followed by baseball games. We got things set up at the hall for the reception. There I felt like I was inadequate because DH's cousins had done almost everything before I got there, including food that we were bringing. It was hard because I love these people and I know that they were all just being helpful and didn't see it the way I did, but it felt like I had no part in my daughter's party. Then it was on to make deviled eggs, have supper, and attend baccelaurette. My plans were to decorate cakes that evening, but DH wanted to watch National Treasure 2 and I thought it would be better to take a break. Glad I did. Food for the day was decent. Breakfast was a piece of toast w/PB. Lunch was cheese & crackers (between games). Supper was lazagna that DMom made, salad, and garlic bread. Water was decent.

Sunday. Where did it go? Got up early to make frosting, went to church, frosted cakes, went to graduation, then the reception which seemed to last a long time, cleaned up the hall, came home and visited with DD20 and her boyfriend a bit, then fell asleep on the couch. Guess I was tired. All in all, the day went well and everyone had a good time. I did miss the intimacy of having the reception at home, but it all turned out fine and we didn't really have too much food left over which is always a good thing. Breakfast was a piece of cream cheese bread. Lunch was missed or you could say very late in the afternoon. At the reception, I had a pulled pork sandwich (sm bun), a couple chips, watermelon, strawberries, a few bites of pasta salad, a piece of cake, and quite of few glasses of punch. Later, I had a little more pork, no bread, and strawberries.

Yesterday. I took 2 naps. It just seems like I couldn't get motivated, so I thought I might as well take the time to get the much needed rest. Went to DS5's baseball game in the evening. Breakfast was 1 egg omelet w/moz & mush, blueberries, grape juice. Lunch was a pork sandwich and a piece of cake. Supper was another pork sandwich (yes, we have quite a bit left over) and some nachos at the ball park. Later, I had another piece of cake. Water was horrible.

Today, I have spent most of the day doing bookwork. Then there was the problem with the new neighbors who put up a mailbox on our property without permission. It was located where we could hit it with our camper while trying to get it in and out. I think we now have the situation resolved.

Food for the day:
Breakfast - 1 egg omelet w/ mush & cheese, blueberries, strawberries, 1 c 1% milk, and grape juice.
Lunch - pork sandwich and chips. (it was late this afternoon)
Supper - lazagna, salad, garlic bread (last of those leftovers)
Snack - strawberries

Goals for the day:
1. another 60 oz water (I have 14, so need to get working on the rest)
2. In bed by 10:30
3. 1/2 hour reading (need to learn to take time for myself)

I have to say that being down a bit more due to the knee, has given me a more relaxed attitude with things. So I know that it is very important for me to organize and focus my energies on specific things rather than spreading myself too thin. Just something to work on. Everyone have a great evening.

 

[goldcupmom]

Glad it's over & you survived! Now to concentrate on healing!!!

Have a great rest of the week!

 

[pearlieq]

Just stopping by to say hi!

I hope you had a nice holiday weekend and that everyone is settling into their summer routines well.

How is your knee doing? Healing well, I hope.

Take care!

 

[goldcupmom]

How are things going, Lesli? Hope & pray you are healing well & that you aren't affected by the flooding!

 

[goldcupmom]

Just checking up on you... hope things are OK and you're not flooded out!!

 

[Lesli54]

Thanks for checking up on me guys.

Wow! I knew I was gone for awhile, but didn't realize how long. After graduation, I was still spending a lot of time on the couch with the knee up. Partly to rest, but mostly because sitting at my desk with one leg locked straight was very uncomfortable. But then shortly before going to WDW, the doc said that I could take the brace off while we were down there. Just no water rides or anything to jerky. It was great to be free, however, once down there we decided to leave the brace on while in the parks and take it off while in the resort or just doing a lazy day somewhere. The parks were so crowded and I don't know how many times I was almost knocked down, so having the brace was a stabilizing point there. Not to mention that I really did move faster with it on at that point than with it off since I still had a ways to go on rebuilding muscle. (Yes, I plan to do my trip report).

Since coming back, it has been one thing after the other. DH has been dealing with major breakdowns in our largest freezer (15 door). DD18 is at camp as a counselor for the summer along with DD20. So every weekend, I have to get her and take her back. Usually not too far since DD20 takes her the rest of the way. DD10 and DS5 finished up baseball and are now doing swimming lessons. I have been going crazy trying to figure out what I am going to do with GS amongst other things. My gran ended up with water in her basement so I have been down there to help clean things out. Mainly by myself. The plus side is that she has decided it is a good time to dejunk. The super plus side is that she doesn't really have alot of things in the basement considering the amount of space she does have down there.

Just over a week ago, DH and I were at odds. I think he was very frustrated with things at work. At any rate, I got so mad at him that I became "pro active". I was tired of the fact that my house had fallen into such chaos (a bit too lived in but definitely not anywhere near needing the Clean Sweep team to come in and put me on tv). Also, I was tired of forgetting things that I am usually on top of and not being able to make decisions. I went to a ladies house a few weeks ago and it reminded me of what my home used to look like. Everything was in its place, but for the most part it looked like a home, ours looks like a house. Too many projects going on and not a room finished. Also, I remembered what it was like to be on top of my work and wanted it back. Besides, I figured that if we could clean thoroughly and things looked just as bad in less than 24 hours then we had too much junk. So started my major dejunk of my life.

Since July 5, I have dejunked my office, 2 bedrooms, the storage container cabinet and lid drawer (gained a drawer as I upgraded my 20 yr old containers to the Rubbermaid ones with the lids that snap to the bottom), and my cookbook cupboards. I thought that was going to be hard, but it was easy to get rid of over half. Then I took time to get all the loose clippings in order that we wanted to try. Oh, yeah, I am also caught up on my bookwork. I actually input into the computer stuff that I picked up yesterday and should be able to finish today. Now that is amazing.

I am feeling great! BTW the knee is considered healed, no surgery. Now it is still a matter of getting it completely stretched back out. At any rate. I am feeling clear minded and can find things much quicker which is so nice. As a side benefit, I have not had the urge to snack mindlessly. I think that dealing with things head on helps alot.

The bonus? I have lost 6 lbs. in just over a week.

I weighed about 224 at the time and am down to 218. So now I am going to keep going. The other motivation (aside from feeling more in control of my life) is that DD20 is currently at my goal weight and since we have the same build, it gives me a sense of what I am going for. I know that I will never look like her given many factors, but helps to see what certain weight is on your body type. I used to be there and I forgot what it looked like. The other great thing is that even if I am a few 5 - 10 lbs more, I will still be in the range where I should be. It would be the top of the range, but that is ok with me.

Well, I better get going. I will start tonight with posting at least the first day of my Rome trip report and try to get those out of the way. I have missed all of you.

 

[toystoryduo]

Welcome Back Lesli!!

It sounds like you have been super busy! Great job getting some de-cluttering done! I always feel so much better when my house is clean and in order. It doesn't happen often, but it feels good when it does.

I'm glad to hear that your knee has healed and that you won't need surgery. That's great news!

Congrats on the weight loss!

Hope you have a great day!