Reasons to Love Monday, Take Two!

I'm unintentionally back to my ridiculously early morning routine. I fell asleep early last night and woke up about 3am writhing in pain. I got up and got on the heating pad and it's better. I may grab a nap before time to get up for work.

SOooo... despite my early morning... there are still reasons to love Monday... here goes:

1. I get to go to work today! I love my job. I love being there. I love the way everyone who isn't on the phone greets me when I walk in. I love the sincerity in their voices. I love that there is absolutely no resentment toward anyone who works less than full time hours. I love being part of their lottery pool and the birthday list and all the things that make it feel like a real team, not just a group of people who happen to work together.

2. I love going to a place that appreciates my abilities instead of constantly making me feel guilty for my disabilties. Once we get the mountain house settled, I know there is going to be a huge pull to be there all the time but I love working here so much, I imagine that I will stay there as long as they'll have me and as long as I'm able. It's like... when you struggle for so long to fit somewhere you don't fit... and then all of a sudden you find your niche. It makes life soooo much easier! It doesn't feel like work at all!

3. Speaking of the mountain house, can you believe I still haven't seen it?

I just haven't gone up there yet. Thursday evening I HAVE to go up there because Friday morning I HAVE to do the bloodwork and doctors appointment that I've been putting off for a month. Thursday I'll probably stay with Jim and Angie and hopefully, by Friday evening, I'll either have my bed or a couch set up so that I can sleep there. The goal is to have the entire storage place emptied out by the end of the weekend. Austin is eager to help. Cody and Bubba and even my brother Michael are going to help on Saturday. 

4. I haven't seen Austin since June 23rd. I miss him but I'm proud that he's been able to make a way for himself. I hated ripping off the bandaid... I would have preferred to help nurture him into adulthood but... maybe this was what we both needed, for him to find his own path. I'm excited about seeing him this weekend.

5. I haven't seen my brother Michael in two years and that was just a few minutes while my mom was in the hospital. He's coming with my nephews, Cory and Matthew (who are 15 and almost 13) that I haven't seen in a long time either. I hope and pray that the mountain house will give our family a place and a reason to get together more often. There are 27 members of our immediate family and if we ever get together (the last time we were all together was 2006), we need a good bit of space.

6. After writing those first five points, I went back to bed and sorta slept a little longer. I'm having wicked muscle spasms today and the pain is so bad that it had me breaking out in a cold sweat. That's a new one. I'm awake again and have another hour and a half or so before I have to leave for work... but here again... I'm so grateful that my time away and the time that I have to be functional is around six hours, max. I can do this, right?

7. Pop's doing good on his diet. He's doing this high protein program that his doctor put him on. It's mostly just protein and veggies. This is closer to the clean eating way I *want* to eat but I get in these ruts of eating easy to fix meals or meals that someone else fixes. Clean eating is basically eating foods that are single ingredient - usually food without preservatives, etc. The main thing that he can't eat is carbs and I usually include a lot of grains/beans in my clean eating plan so it's been tricky trying to adjust our meals to fit his needs but fortunately I've got a lot of experience losing weight. Unfortunately, I've got a lot of experience with gaining weight. 

8. Oscar is snuggled up beside me sleeping. He came and got in bed with me for about thirty seconds earlier, when I went back to sleep. Nothing like getting woke up by a cold, wet nose! I'm leaving before my mom comes home from her first shift so the poor puppy is going to be alone for a few minutes. Hope he can handle it!

Soooo.... there you have 'em... a few reasons I'm loving Monday today. I'm sure as I go through the day I'll find more and more. I hope you find a few of your own and I'd love to hear them! Have a great Monday, y'all! Let's do this thing!