Sarah's New World

[Faith]

In keeping with my past comments in here, hope you don't mind, I got some new shoes on Saturday compliments of my loving wife. I wore them to work today ...

please excuse the ugly feet in them. I probably should have taken a better picture. Oh well.

Love your shoes and your feet look great too, certainly better than mine! Nothing to apologize for. Great to see your supportive wife.

thank you Sarah (that was (is?) my Mom's name) funny story about the shoes. I was at my daughters last night and my granddaughter said, "you look weird grandpa" Ok, so, I'm in a skirt and nice top and those shoes.  I figured weird meaning not looking like a grandpa. My daughter got to asking her what was weird and drilled it down to the shoes. Apparently, to her, the tops look like the shells on (most) depicted mermaids bras and looked 'weird' on my feet. Well, ok then


I hope your routine continues to improve along with feeling better. I never looked up a 5k, just over 3 miles you say? I walk that far in the evening a couple times a week. It takes me between 40-45 mins if I'm alone. An hour if my wife is with me. No jogging, just walking. I never really thought about it until your post.

keep feeling better
Faith.

[sarah1972]

Oct. 2nd - Weekend update

A bit late, but time for a quick weekend update.
I had a really good weekend, the first in months. Saturday started with me swapping security cameras in a friends business, followed by one of those projects on my honey-do list. We had a raccoon family invading one of our sheds, so I had to make sure all the openings are closed. For the first time in a while, I managed to start and complete such a project in a single day and not push it off further. This is a great sign of me feeling a lot better recently.

Oh, and I got to use a lot of my lovely power tools I had not touched in ages. Also got to shoot the only guns I own...



You can see the little chicken fence frames I built for the openings, I had to build 7 of them and cover two more openings with wood boards. The picture shows two of my nail guns, not shown here is the brad nailer, framing nailer, the flooring nailers and of course every girl needs to have a roofing nailer. Still trying to figure out if I can wear them concealed 

In between, we enjoyed some fall pool time with our kid and cooked a very nice meal. Right now we are in the short period of time where we can actually use the outside and it is neither raining nor too hot or too cold. So we enjoy the great outdoors.
Of course, I was exhausted the next day but we still had a great day.

It seems all the meds are helping and I continue to improve.

Oh - I got the final confirmation for my consultation with Keelan MacPhee for GRS and I already filled out all the new patient paperwork (hahaha, it is still 4 weeks away but apparently I cannot wait). This afternoon I'll arrange hotel and flights. So... good! Still considering a second consultation, maybe at NYU.

So much for now,

Have a great week!

Hugs,

Sarah

[Donica]

Great update Sarah. Congrats on your GRS in 4 weeks. Whoohoo! That will get here fast. Yes, although they are very formidable weapons, the nail guns are a bit too big to conceal. I do however think they would be very intimidating

Hugs,
Donica.

[Northern Star Girl]

@sarah1972
Dear Sarah:
It was so very nice for me to see and to read your latest and very upbeat report for today.  I am so glad that you are getting back to your normal and happy self...  I have been missing that side of you lately....  Welcome back!!!

Ahhh ha.... nail guns would be quite tough to conceal, and where do you put the air compressor?  Carry it on your back pack?
While it might be nice to handle your power tools and other tools again, just be careful to not break a nail or mess up your manicure.

Hmmm, it is strange to hear you talk about pool time... indoor or outdoor?
Here, as I reported yesterday, we are getting cold weather now, plus there are no indoor or outdoor pools to enjoy...  we have to go to a lake or river, and they are cold even in the summer time.   About the only time I get into a pool any more is when me and my gal-friends go on our big overnight shopping trips to the big city....  we always try to stay in a hotel with a nice pool and a gym.

Wow-whee... such good news to hear about your first GRS consultation happening in 4 weeks.... I will start the countdown timer but please keep us all tuned into your plans as they firm up.

Thank you for sharing and posting, your followers are a curious bunch and we want to know!!!
Hugs and as always, wishing you well,
Danielle

[sarah1972]

My dear Danielle!

Thank you so much for always reading and posting here. I am always looking forward to your posts on my thread.

Oh - I got very lucky: I still had my nails nicely manicured from the gala event and I managed not to mess them up this time. There is the usual wear and tear which is normal after this amount of time but no damage due to my weekend activities.

Nail guns are really hard to conceal due to the need for compressed air. There are a few battery powered ones but they are less powerful. Of course, they are also dangerous. I once managed to nail one of my fingers to the wall while trying to attach some molding. with a 2 1/2 inch nail. Not something I can recommend. I have become a lot more cautious since. They are still a lot faster when building things than using screws.

I know it sounds odd to talk about pool time. We still have temperatures in the lower 80's during the day, so we can continue using the pool in our backyard, our house had a pool when we bought it.
A few years ago, we decided to add a heater so we can extend the pool season a little bit in both directions. Usually, pool season here is Memorial Day through Labor Day. Depending on the weather, we have stretched this between mid-April and Halloween. It is nice to have only a few feet and be able to go swimming.
I have just noticed that having long hair has deterred me from using the pool as much as I used to. Chlorine is bleaching the hair color more than I want and it takes almost 90 minutes to air dry. I used to swim a lot at night before going to bed but I don't like going to bed with wet hair. The pool is about 36 feet long and does allow for swimming laps. Over the winter we close it down. My gym has a similar sized pool in case I want to go for a winter swim and the local county recreation center has Olympic sized pools. In middle school, I used to be on the swim team and I still believe it is a very good way to exercise.

Our kiddo really loves the pool too, next year we will get her a trainer. She will be 3 by then and it will be good for her to learn swimming.

I am somewhat looking forward to normal temperatures, it is only another two weeks before I start setting up for the holidays and that works best in moderate temperatures. I also have more clothing for colder temperatures and I am looking forward to sweater dresses and heel boots...

I do like winter and always hope for some nice snow. Last winter we had almost no snow at all and the year before it was fairly lame too. Every now and then we get these nice noreasters and we get up to 2 feet of snow in one day. Given the precipitation so far, I would not be surprised if we have a lot of snow this winter.

If we do not get any snow, we may just pack our bags and visit a little town up north. I hear they have some very nice coffee  Since we are all crazy about Christmas I want to take kiddo to North Pole, AK one year once she is a bit older.

Ha, my mind is wandering all over the place. Making fun long term plans... And my BFF has to suffer from my 2/3 glass full perspective I have built over the past days. 

@sarah1972
Dear Sarah:
It was so very nice for me to see and to read your latest and very upbeat report for today.  I am so glad that you are getting back to your normal and happy self...  I have been missing that side of you lately....  Welcome back!!!

Ahhh ha.... nail guns would be quite tough to conceal, and where do you put the air compressor?  Carry it on your back pack?
While it might be nice to handle your power tools and other tools again, just be careful to not break a nail or mess up your manicure.

Hmmm, it is strange to hear you talk about pool time... indoor or outdoor?
Here, as I reported yesterday, we are getting cold weather now, plus there are no indoor or outdoor pools to enjoy...  we have to go to a lake or river, and they are cold even in the summer time.   About the only time I get into a pool any more is when me and my gal-friends go on our big overnight shopping trips to the big city....  we always try to stay in a hotel with a nice pool and a gym.

Wow-whee... such good news to hear about your first GRS consultation happening in 4 weeks.... I will start the countdown timer but please keep us all tuned into your plans as they firm up.

Thank you for sharing and posting, your followers are a curious bunch and we want to know!!!
Hugs and as always, wishing you well,
Danielle

[Laurie]

 Hi Sarah,

  Yep you got to enjoy the weather there where you are because it is going to change real soon. We are currently enjoying warmer than normal weather here> we have come down to the upper 70s which is still a little above the average but not like the high 80s we had last week.
  Got to watch them raccoons, they love to get into everything and can be pretty vicious if cornered. They look kind of cute yeah but their temperament is a lot like a certain supreme court nomonee who show the world he was unfit to be on it. They can be nasty mean.
  Keep feeling good girl and keep us informed about what is happening on the home front.

Hugs.
   Laurie

[Jayne01]

Hiya Sarah!

It's so nice to see you happy posting again. You did have me a little worried there for a while. I suppose I did the same thing recently. The joys of being in this amazing roller coaster ride! [emoji2]

Oh my..... you have been a busy girl over the weekend!  I must admit that I have had prior knowledge of your going's on.....benefits of having a bff backstage pass. [emoji56] I've never owned a nail gun. I keep looking at them at the hardware store but talk myself out of it because I don't have a use for one. They are a pretty cool tool though. Speaking of carrying a concealed nailer.......I imagine you would need a rather large bag or purse. A thigh holster might make it a bit hard to walk. [emoji23] I remember when the fencing contractor came to put up our fence years ago, his team had these battery powered nailers, but the actual firing power to drive the nail came from a .22 bullet shell. The nailer took some kind of magazine of these shells and the battery only fired the trigger mechanism. Sometimes a shell casing would fall out of the empty magazine cases so our yard had several empty bullet casings that needed collecting afterwards.

Ha, my mind is wandering all over the place. Making fun long term plans... And my BFF has to suffer from my 2/3 glass full perspective I have built over the past days.

I am loving your 2/3 glass full perspective, it didn't cause me to suffer at all. That is one of the main things that helped me get out of my recent funk. Stay positive.....that kind of attitude rubs off on others too!

Hugs,
Jayne

[LizK]

Hi Sarah

Thanks for the update and you latest "mind wanderings" I have to agree with Jayne in that is great to know things are going ok for you.

Oct. 2nd - Weekend update

A bit late, but time for a quick weekend update.


Oh - I got the final confirmation for my consultation with Keelan MacPhee for GRS and I already filled out all the new patient paperwork (hahaha, it is still 4 weeks away but apparently I cannot wait). This afternoon I'll arrange hotel and flights. So... good! Still considering a second consultation, maybe at NYU.

I am just catching up with your thread and noticed you snuck this in there. Nice one!! I bet you are looking forward to it. There is nothing wrong with being efficient with your paperwork...I know the feeling having just submitted a whole bunch recently myself...being excited/keen prior to having this is appointment is probably a good thing I would have thought...I guess if you didn't want it you wouldn't feel/respond  in the really positive way you did. 

Keep the updates coming

Take care

Liz

[Jayne01]

I see you have snuck in a new avatar Sarah! Looking good girl in your traditional German outfit.

Hugs,
Jayne

[Donica]

I love your new avatar Sarah. Yes, I was going to say Dutch, but ok, German dress?

Hugs,
Donica.

[Northern Star Girl]

@sarah1972
Dear Sarah:
A full 5 days after your last posting on your thread and various reply comments by your followers....
.... and NOW you have a brand new and beautiful Avatar/Profile picture of yourself that you just quietly slipped in there.... it is now time for you to post an update and a sentence or two about your new Avatar photo....  if I had to guess, it appears that your were at an Oktoberfest celebration perhaps yesterday (Saturday)      

Your followers of your thread are a very curious bunch, and we want to hear from you.
Hugs and hugs and hugs,
Danielle

[sarah1972]

Sept 7 - Octoberfest

Has it really been 5 days since my last update? Thanks for the reminder @Alaskan Danielle ! And yes, you are such a good observer. I did sneak in a new profile picture today. I have however posted in other threads on the forum, so I guess my break is officially over.

Not much to report over the past 5 days. Somehow I was a bit exhausted last week. I did confirm my appointment with Dr. MacKee and booked flight and accommodation. New patient paperwork is completed.

This weekend was quite busy as usual with lots of activity.

Saturday started out with music class for kiddo, then getting ready for our towns October Fest. One of the rare occasions where people are allowed to drink beer in public - well a fenced in area but still somewhat open. Complemented with the usual mix of arts and crafts, home remodel offerings, food and kids activities. Bands played at three stages. This time we only did a quick walkthrough - of course, kiddo and I dressed in traditional German dresses, called Dirndl. My wife a matching blouse. We did get quite some complimentary looks.

Even more important however was the after party, traditionally hosted by our former neighbors. Something we have been looking forward to for quite a while. As usual, there was a great mix of people. It was a really nice evening with lots of laughs and conversations. We got fairly lucky since kiddo got some new toys and played nicely for quite a while, played with our host's dogs or just charmed everyone around. We could just enjoy the time.

You waited long enough - here are finally some pictures (I know... pictures or it did not happen)


And then, of course, the picture which I made my avatar earlier today.



The Dirndl is imported from Germany and as good German Gal, I have to own one too... I guess next year, I have to wear the bow in the center (I let my dear readers guess for a while why.)



Today we all slept in, I mowed the front yard so we can start setting up for Halloween. I also gathered parts of our decoration.

So - that is it, just another normal weekend for us. Tomorrow I will be off due to Columbus Day. My wife has to work and I will plan some fun time with kiddo (daycare is closed too.)

My dear readers, how was your weekend? I hope you all had a great time!

[JudiBlueEyes]

Hi Sarah.  I love that dress.  The color looks good on you.  It the position of the bow related to your marital status?  It sounds like you had a good weekend at the Octoberfest and the afterparty at your friends.  Cheers!  (I'm not sure what a proper German cheer or salute might be!) 

It was rainy where I'm at so I stayed in today.  The wife and I took a nice long hike in the woods yesterday.  Was a great day for it.
Judi

[Northern Star Girl]

@sarah1972
Dear Sarah.... 
Thank you for your terrific, informative and descriptive update about your Oktoberfest activities and your beautiful pictures of course showing you dressed in your traditional German dress....  and just because I am a blonde gal in Alaska doesn't mean that I just got off of the banana boat... I had a a German roomie when I was in college and as you already know, I can speak and read some Deutsch (German) but also I know about the traditional dress which is called a Dirndl ... If the bow is on the side, the woman is not married and advertising that fact.... and when the bow is in the center the woman is married and not available.
Hmmm, what does your German wife think about you wearing the bow on the side instead of in the middle

Again, Sarah, thank you for sharing your thoughts and your pictures.

Well, as with your wife, I do not have Monday off.....  only banks and government offices around here recognize Columbus Day as a holiday and just about every retail business it is business as usual.

What? You mowed the lawn today???   The lawns here have stopped growing because of the cold early winter-like weather...  snow and rain.  Have fun with your kiddo on Monday.

Hugs and hugs, and please don't wait so long to post your next update to your thread.
Danielle 

[JudiBlueEyes]

That's what I thought was the answer to the bow question.  I didn't want to ask this!

"Hmmm, what does your German wife think about you wearing the bow on the side instead of in the middle "

Although inquiring minds are curious. 
Judi

[sarah1972]

Ha! Seems like many here know about the meaning of the bow position of a traditional German Dirndl...

And I have to admit I did not pay attention and placed it on the wrong side. I should have worn it on the right.

So, here you are:

Left side - Woman is single
Right side - Woman is in a relationship (traditionally used only for married women)
Center - Woman is a virgin (also used to indicate undecided or in Facebook speak "It's complicated")
Bow in the back either indicates a waitress or a widow.

@Alaskan Danielle - Yeah. lawn mowing is still a requirement. We still had mid 80's today. Usually, our last mow is in mid-November... It seems another week of warm weather and then we will go into the fall. And I do remember your excellent German!

@JudiBlueEyes - A hike sounds like a fun idea! So does staying in on a rainy day. Hope it is not too cold yet where you are.

Hugs,

Sarah

[sarah1972]

Neither of us really noticed the bow on the wrong side. I did see it when I looked at the pictures today. and thought "oops".

Not much of an issue at the after party... the overwhelming majority of the guests is was (is) not interested in women at all...

Hugs,

Sarah

That's what I thought was the answer to the bow question.  I didn't want to ask this!

"Hmmm, what does your German wife think about you wearing the bow on the side instead of in the middle "

Although inquiring minds are curious. 
Judi

[Jayne01]

Hey girl!

Glad you had a busy weekend. Someone around here keeps saying that busy people are happy people! [emoji2] Your dirndl looks great on you. I had no idea about the positioning of the bow has different meanings. Good to know! It sounds like Kiddo also had a great time with her new toys and playing with the doggie. I'm sure she would have captured everyone's hearts dressed in her own traditional dress.

I dislike mowing the lawn. Would you like to come here and mow it for me? I wouldn't want you to suffer withdrawal from not being able to mow your own during the winter months! [emoji12]

Oh, it's been a while since I have given you a public gym poke on your thread, so here you go.......POKE! That is to keep you training for your run! [emoji56]

Hugs,
Jayne

[Donica]

I've always liked that type of dress. I didn't know it was called the traditional German Dirndl It looks cute on you Sarah. Sound like you all have a wonderful Octoberfest weekend. Thank you for the fun update.

Donica.

[sarah1972]

Oct 14 - Fall

Ugh - I am very close to getting another warning for not updating my thread. So here you are...

The week has been somewhat busy with work and pleasure. Spend a few afternoons with kiddo on the playground while it was still nice and warm. Monday we spent all day together since I was off work and her daycare was closed. She is now at a point where she very clearly states what she wants to do as soon as we pick her up from daycare. Wednesday she made the right call and told us she wants to go into the pool! This was really the last day we could go before it got too cold.

Weather here is always a bit odd, we have hot temperatures until late in fall, then one single storm front passes through and we get fall temperatures. This year it was the remanents of Michael which brought two inches of rain and the end of summer. As some of you know, I am a bit of a weather enthusiast and I have two weather stations in my backyard, so I know very well how much the temperature dropped. We went from 29.5C (85F) high temperature to 14.5C (58F) overnight.



I know it is not as cold as some of you experience (especially our Northern Star @Alaskan Danielle). Now I have to pack away the sandals and short skirts and get the sweaters and boots out. Have to get used to boots again.

In other news, I started bottom hair removal. It is kind of strange having someone work in that area. There are really a lot of very painful spots but for the most part, it is OK. As mentioned before I do a combo of Laser and Electrolysis. Laser to speed up the process and then Electrolysis for whatever is left. This will be a multi-months effort again and I should have really started earlier. Somehow I was too embarrassed to ask if my beautician would do it.

I also received the first draft of the first confirmation letter for my surgery. I reached out to my insurance but have not heard anything yet. Given that it was Friday night, I did not expect much anyways.

This weekend is paperwork weekend, I am filing away a ton of paperwork and get everything organized.

So, overall I have been quite busy this week. 

Hope you are all having a good weekend!

Hugs,

Sarah