Merry Christmas friends! Christmas is happening next week ready or not! I am really excited that our oldest Joshua and his Fiancee, Jocelyn will be arriving this week to spend Christmas with us. I am really sad that my youngest Tyler will be flying to CA to spend Christmas with his girlfriend, Kim. You win some, you lose some.

Peace or chaos?

With my forced slower pace in life (due to the foot surgery) I hope to be able to soak things in and stay calm. 🙂 Our house will be full, there will be many meals to prepare and there is a long list of local Christmas events we would like to participate in. ( I can’t wait to see the zoo lights from a wheel chair! I plan to be snuggled in blankets and pushed around like royalty! ) But, what I’m really looking forward to is just being together. 

 

What I’m Doing

I have begun my second week of recovery from my surgery. I have 3 lovely incisions on the top of my foot. What that means is, I can stand and walk around the house, but I do it trying not to move any muscles or nerves on the top of my foot. So when I have extra walking to do I take the lovely scooter or a crutch. It’s not as fun as it looks. And I would like to lodge a complaint that the electric carts at the grocery stores don’t even go as fast as I walk!  

The healing process if frustrating and takes too long. However, I am relieved to be almost two weeks closer to having this behind me!

I have started and completed 2 puzzles.

Disney+ has come in handy! I really enjoy Moana and Coco.

While it crossed my mind, I missed blogging last week because I was busy laying around. This week I get to drive again. I’m excited about having my freedom back but then I think,where am I gonna go by myself where I have to lug out the scooter or drive an electric cart? 

I looked up on YouTube “exercises with a hurt foot” and did my first workout this morning which helped my state of mind immensely.  It is absolutely a must that I find ways to exercise while my foot heals.

Jeff and I went to see Knives Out – Loved it! The house in that movie is AMAZING! Oh how I would love to live there (I would change some of the decor though!).

What I’m Reading

The Spy and The Traitor – Ben MacIntyre

It took me awhile but I finally finished and I’m glad I did. What a fascinating true story! It reads a bit like a textbook at times. Meaning you have to pay attention to a lot of details. The reward does come. I would love to show up at Oleg Gordievsky’s London address and just listen to his stories!

The book claims to be “The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War”. I believe it.

Earlier I gave the wrong friend credit for referring this book to me. Thank you Janet for this referral! I will trust any books you hand my way!

The Girl You Left Behind – JoJo Moyes

I snagged this book at our Book Club’s annual book exchange. While it was stolen from me at the last minute I was able to steal it back. I’m so glad I did! I ripped through this book in record time. It wasn’t what I thought it would be, it was better. With two time periods and two character lines it was really well written and I was hooked until the end! WWI France and early 2000s London. A piece of art which ties the two stories together. I loved this historical fiction.

The Dutch House – Ann Patchett

State of Wonder and Bel Canto are two other books I have read by this author. Honestly, I don’t love her style. I’m not sure why I keep picking up her books. 

It has taken me half the book to decided that yes, I will finish it. It took me 2/3rds of the book to decide I was curious about how it would end. I’m nearly at the end and it feels like it is finally going somewhere. Danny is the narrator of the book. When he is 4 his father, who is a stern, emotionally unavailable  and largely uninterested in the lives of his children, moves them into the “Dutch House”.  Danny has an older sister he is totally attached to and their mother abandons them not long after they move into the house. 

There is an evil step-mother and lots of starts and stops in various time periods. That has been a challenge, the time hops often within the same chapter. Ultimately, it is the story of Danny and his sister Maeve and how they cope with their less than idyllic childhood and their transf_ormation into adulthood and their bizarre attachment to the Dutch House. 

Goal Check

To not let myself fall into the pit of despair.

This seriously takes a lot of prayer and mental effort for me. I don’t like not having the full use of my foot. It is very hard and very isolating to not be able to do my normal routine. Hence, the YouTube workout and creating a to do list each morning and making sure I keep moving. Also, a big part is allowing myself what is needed to heal. That means I do have to sit down with my foot up at times and not feel bad about it.

My stitches come out Wednesday and I can finally shave that leg!!! Woohoo!

Writing my blog today is keeping with my goals as well. I will most likely not write next week because of Christmas.

What I’m Photographing

Oh how I miss my camera! To go from multiple shoots per week to a dead stop has me going through withdrawals.  I am looking forward to 2020 and a full shooting schedule!

My Current Favorite

Oh my goodness! I have never had people bring me meals before and it was amazing! I really didn’t anticipate how bad I would feel those first three days. Poor Jeff was scurrying around helping me with every little movement and need. My heart is full with gratitude for those friends and family who showed up with meals and took the time to sit with me when Jeff could not, drive me to the Dr. and having yummy amazing hot meals ready for us was such a blessing! 

The lessons in life are once you experience something it really opens your eyes to how much it is appreciated. I will be much better in the future about offering meals and visits to others!

Here’s to a very Merry Christmas. I hope it is filled with lots of love and laughter.

Shelly