Week in Review

A big thing in the scrapbook world is weekly scrapping of what happened that week. That's a lot of scrapping to me and, frankly, my life isn't that interesting to have enough photos to scrap weekly. It's called Project Life and it was a big hit and still is. 

I like to do it a bit different and each week I just journal about what happened that week. Some weeks I can fill a page or two. Some weeks I've got nothing. What's helpful, to me, is that when I do go and scrap some important stories, I can go back to that journal and see what and when. 

This blog is like a journal and I'm trying hard to keep it updated and write every now and then. It's fun to me and I think all three of my readers enjoy it. I hope. 

So what's happening? 

Last week was a birthday week in our family. 

Melanie on the left, me on the right - 1972

Starting with my older sister. She's 4 years older than me and we weren't really close growing up. She lived with the real dad for most of my informative years. We just didn't bond like sisters do. For much of my life I wasn't really fond of her and her me. I felt she treated my mother poorly and I just couldn't accept that behavior and thus like her. I "loved" her because she was my sister, but I didn't like her all the time. 

When mom died our relationship took a turn for the worse. We both grieved and we both took it out on each other. Then we stopped talking. Then something happened and my sister started reaching out. A couple of times a year. Then more. And slowly we started chatting on the phone more. It's been nice. She seems different. Happy almost. And while we'll never be BFFs, I think mom would be happy with the progress we made. So on Feb 14th I wished her a Happy Birthday. 

Ward Spaid (Grandpa)

Feb 16th was my Grandpa Spaid's birthday. I loved Grandpa Spaid. He was a kind, gentle man who had the patience of a saint. He died suddenly in 1984 of a aneurism. I remember thinking at that time that I'd miss him and I'd miss getting to know him as I got older. He would have been fun to sit and talk to as an adult. He was born in 1905 and I wish I had the chance to ask him questions and hear about his life. He was Mom's Dad. 

I have some fun memories of Grandpa Spaid that filter to the surface around his birthday. The first, and my favorite, was when we lived in Albuquerque, NM. Grandma and Grandpa lived with us for some time. My sister had a bike that had one of those banana seats on it. Grandpa would put me on the back of the seat and we'd right around the cul de sac we lived on. He'd ride in circles for what felt like hours to entertain me. 

The second was when my sister and I would get shipped off to their house in Azusa, CA for the summer. He was a tinker-er. He'd spend hours in the garage doing what, I don't know. I'd want to be with him and he'd set me at his work bench with some type of wire, and a small hammer. He'd give me a length of this weird wire and tell me it needs to be pounded flat. My grandma later told me he threw out a lot of wire keeping me busy for no reason. 

Ahhh memories. I miss him. 

Dad and I in Madrid Spain - 1986

The last birthday/anniversary is that of my dad and I. He officially adopted me in 1983 and we celebrated that day as my new "birthday." Every year he'd call and every year he'd get me a small gift. It was our special day. When we lived closer to each other we'd go to lunch and just have a day of him and I. 

I could spend pages of memories with dad. He taught me so much and I'm so very grateful that he came into our lives. He wasn't really sure what to do with a teenage girl when he adopted me, but he figured it out. His patience was legendary and his advice always solid - whether I followed it or not. 

He taught me to cook. He taught me to love food. He taught me to enjoy cooking and trying new recipes and especially those of different ethnicities. 

He taught me to love travel. To always be curious about other cultures and above all, respect those cultures and their beliefs. I think this was one of the biggest things I appreciate from him. Learning to love other cultures and travel to see them. 

I miss him too. 

So ... that was the week in birthdays. 

Other things currently going on is me eating better. I went on Metformin a couple of weeks ago to help bring down my A1Cs. I don't have the labs yet, but I'm sure that number is in the diabetic range. 

Metformin has some wicked side effects when you start taking it. I started with 500mg and slowly growing to 2000 mg. But the first week..oh lord. It causes some, um, gastro issues. Let's just say I bought myself some Cottenelle, it's softer. 

Come to find out it also has two lesser know side effects that only impact a small swatch of people. Rapid heart rate and blurred vision. Yay. I had two days of serious rapid heart beat. So much I thought I might be having a heart attack. And no, I didn't go to the hospital. I'm a dope. 

Thankfully those two side effects are gone and now I'm only left with the gastro issues. Which I can deal with just fine. 

I'm up to 1000 mg and it really seems to help with cravings and appetite. I'm not "snacking" as much as I usually do. I've lowered my carb intake to about 75-85 grams a day. My doctor would prefer it be closer to 55, but come on? That's insane. I want to learn to eat and live my life WITH Carbs. I've done pretty good and am down 4.5 lbs in two weeks. That's something. 

And with that, that's really all I've got to update you on. Bored yet? Me neither! If you're still with me, thanks for reading.