cats

DianaK

Appreciations 3/8-3/13: Galloping, blustering, and brunching, oh my.

Luna when she gets her crazy on and gallops up and down the hall over and over. Silly old girl. Hahaha!

Watching the world on a blustery day.

Enough energy to start my tax prep.

The reliable and friendly mechanic I’ve worked with for decades.

Soft PJs.

Friday night race group. So good to have a place to learn and stretch and grow.

Seeing I Am Not Your Negro with a few people from the group. What a thought-provoking and powerful film. I also super appreciated the chance to talk about it with Ellis after the movie.

Birthday brunch with Sarah & her folks. ❤️

Watching Ida dance. So much joy in such a tiny person! 😀

Pretty snow to make the cold temps a little easier to tolerate.

Legos, naps, sunshine, smiles, giggles, hope, coffee.

DianaK

Appreciations 2/6-2/9: legos, laughter, little miracles

lego-kisses

Valentine-themed lego fun thanks to Sarah!

Newly organized craft supplies. Woohoo!

Dinner with Sarah, Ida, Katie, and Cina. What bright, funny, adorable people! ❤️

U of M cardiology’s very pleasant hold music. What a treat. 😀

Sunshine.

Not being sick!! OMG what a little miracle this is. Feels amazing!!

Toby in the new box. Yay!

toby-in-the-box

 

DianaK

Appreciations…Starting year 5

This year I will continue to notice appreciations, but I might not post every day. I’m happy to report that my neural pathways for appreciating and gratitude are firmly established. Yay! It’s been incredibly helpful this year! Depression and anxiety from the heart trauma this past spring have tried very hard to trick me into a different, more negative way of looking at life, but my sweet little brain always nudges me back toward happiness eventually. 🙂

Here’s the start of Year 5…

1. Farmer’s market produce – yummy! Plus, the fun of seeing new friends from Friday group at the market. Turns out they only live 2 blocks from me!

2. Fun cars seen in my neighborhood!
cool car

3. Another gorgeous night for a walk. I love these cooler night temperatures!

IMG_48194. Luna, who is taking full advantage of the chaos up here as we work to incorporate 2 stories worth of stuff into the upstairs. 😉

5. Amazingly beautiful weather. Walks at this time of year are the best!!

DianaK

Appreciations 4.333-4.340

The fatigue from low BP, meds, health issues has hit me pretty hard this past few weeks. Most days I just didn’t have the energy to do much of anything. I’m happy to report that I’ve had a couple better days this week. Woohoo! So here’s a week or so worth of what’s been good… 😀

333. Nice little chat with Debb. I so appreciate people patiently reaching out to me — especially since I’m not doing much reaching out / replying / responding these days. Midweek day off from work. Okay, with the fatigue I didn’t have much of a choice, but I am so lucky I have a boss who’s so understanding… 😉 Gorgeous full moon.

 
334. My wonderfully supportive and helpful therapist who’s helping me traverse this depression. ❤ My wonderfully supportive and helpful family who love me even when I am less than sparkly. ❤ My wonderful and supportive friends who also seem to love me even when I’m not so sparkly. ❤

 
IMG_4570335. Coffee! Toby in a box, er, bin. Really fun time hanging out with the kids.

 
336. Air conditioning. Holy moly, I have appreciated that so much this week! My idea for a lemonade-mobile where I drive around the city on really hot days and pass out cold lemonade and water to anyone who has to work or be outside on those days. Oh, and a cocoa/coffee-mobile for cold winter days. Wouldn’t that be a fun thing to do!? Maybe someday I’ll do it! Mckenzie, who’s helped me with all manner of projects this week – none of which I could have done on my own. ❤

 
lego ambulance

337.Wonderful, thunderful morning lazing on the couch with the windows open. Lovely. Cina — for finishing up her EMT classes and giving the kids and me a reason to a) plot and scheme secretly b) build things with legos c) spend time with a bunch of really nice people at a surprise party! Really good garlicky hummus.

 
338. Walking up to the farmer’s market with only a little bit of dizziness. Yay! Cuddly cat couch time. Early bedtime!

 
july weeds 2016july flowers339. Waking up with some energy! After more than a week of waking up feeling exhausted, it was such a relief to feel like doing something — and so nice to be able to accomplish a little Skynote work, a little cleaning, a little work on the basement. Pretty flowers and weeds from my yard. 🙂 Hanging out with the kids in the newly, more inviting living room. I didn’t think another couch upstairs would work, but it really does!

 
340. Nice visit with Mom and Dad this morning… including the satisfying task of helping them organize their front closet! 🙂 3-nap days. The new living room arrangement makes those naps even more comfy. Farmer’s market rainbow carrots. Yummy!

DianaK

Appreciations 4.321 – 4.325

321

Blooming Black-eyed Susans.

Fun errands with Katie including silly, friendly clerks, rainbows, and chance meeting with JimmyD and his kids.  ❤

Luna’s spectacular display of her flower-dumping skills. Never do things half-way… 😛

322
Visit with my folks before they head up north. I’ll miss seeing everyone at the cabin this year. Glad I got a chance to visit with Debb a few weeks ago and see my folks today.

Wonderful, encouraging and supportive meeting with friends who want to talk about what’s been going on in the news, process it, find ways to connect, create community, and effect change.

Sweet nighttime walk with the kids. ❤

323
Bacon.

Sunglasses.

The fun community created by Pokemon Go. I talked to many more folks today than I might have otherwise. Plus, it’s fun to have a Pokestop at the end of the block! 😀

324
farmers market veggiesMorning thunderstorm. What a wonderful way to greet the day.

Fabulous farmer’s market trek with Sarah and Ida. Midsummer is the BEST time for farmer’s marketing! ❤

Wonderful dinner and visit with David. We always find so much to talk about and laugh about. 😀

325
Looking forward to a fun and productive work & visit session with Ellis and Ruby! ❤

Fresh vegetables.

Coloring.

DianaK

Appreciations 4.297-4.305

The past few weeks have been a bit of a challenge for me. Anxiety and depression (both very common after a vfib / ICD shock experience like I had in March) have made it difficult to function. I am incredibly grateful to the understanding people in my life, beautiful friends, excellent therapist and docs, and the other lovely folks I encounter when I get out of the house. 🙂

After yesterday’s visit with the advanced heart failure specialist, I am feeling a bit more hopeful, a bit less anxious, and hope to return to my optimistic, appreciative, joyful self soon. For now, one day at a time. Today is a better day — so I can finally post the appreciations I’ve at least managed to jot down during the past week or so. 😀

toby helping with tools4.297. Toby’s help with our tool sorting project.  Getting all the lumber on site for the step replacement project. Dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer!

4.298.  Rain. Thunder. My wonderful and trusted therapist, Lynn.

4.299.  Mini visit with Katie. Our fun cat water fountain. Ricola cough drops.

4.300.  Coffee with Katie – and the straw wrapper heart she made for me. Sunshine.  Cina telling me I’m rad and MVP. ❤ Time with Terri, Ellis, and Ruby. Ruby’s drawings and the flower she gave me (which is, apparently, edible and “tastes like salad!”).

4.301. Time with the kids. Painting side door. Yummy coffee.

4.302. Fun BLT father’s day party at Jeff & Laura’s. The sweet smell of sycamore trees. Puppy cuddles.

Toby lounging4.303. Weird Toby lounging on the chair. Visit with Duncan girls, my folks, and with Jeff & Laura all in one day. ❤ Bedtime rain.

Chicago mug4.304. Chicago mug. Time with Katie and Mckenzie. Encouraging doctor appointment (and Katie’s company during it!). Driving on the freeways again. Sweet texts from the awesome kids in my life. Strawberry moon on solstice.

4.305. Hope. Sunshine. Laughter.

DianaK

Appreciations 4.292

Gorgeous weather.

Walk to Royal Grounds and coffee with Katie.

Delicious dinner with Debb & Katie.

IMG_4431Sweet after-dinner walk with Katie — and the friendliest cat in the neighborhood! This little kitty has come with us on several walks and purrs and purrs and purrs…and comes really close to me every time I try to take a photo.

DianaK

Appreciations 4.286 – dinosaurs!

Coffee and cats in the morning. ❤

TinosaurAll the sense-treats from a walk through my neighborhood. So many delicious smells and sounds and sights. In one little walk this evening I passed a butterfly habitat in progress, people riding a tandem bike, kids playing catch, someone practicing saxophone, about a dozen little free libraries, and, of course, a tiny dinosaur (the dreaded tinosaur). 😀 I also love the fun mix of single-family homes, apartments, and cool independent shops. I love my neighborhood!

Tea and tabbies at bedtime. ❤

DianaK

Appreciations 4.285 – dreamy sleep

7+ hours of sleep! Hooray! As I was in that dreamy, just-about-to-sleep state, I giggled to myself, thinking, “Oh, yay! I’m falling asleep!!” Haha!

Luna and her non-existent sense of personal space. Eeek! 😀

Past Diana who made a whole bunch of chicken stock and put it in the freezer — so today’s Diana could just throw in a bunch of veggies for a quick and tasty soup. Thanks, smartie!

Switching out my old habit of calling myself mean names for my new habit of calling myself fun names like smartie, sweetie, and hot stuff. Hahaha!