Autumn & Jerry

It’s a Cruel Summer

Autumn — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 03:50:33 +0000

I think this is the hottest June of my life. It is not unusual to have scorcher days in July & August, but this is becoming the new norm. Everyday holds a heat index of 100-plus-degrees, and the summer has really just begun! Already, a good family friend of mine who works outdoors has been hospitalized with heat exhaustion. I worry about all the guys I know who make their living in the sun, my dad included. I think we’re in for a long, hot summer…gotta remember to hydrate & be sun smart. Oh, and to get our AC repaired ASAP. Can’t believe it conked today…the worst possible time of the year! Apparently we are waiting in a long line of desperate, sweaty homeowners. Fingers crossed that we get a phone call & some good news in the morning!

Running outside has become impossible, even when getting up & out by 6am. The air is soup, the sun only cooks it. This week brought a return to the campus gym and the trusty treadmill. Not the most interesting way to run, but it feels so good to be moving my body again! : – )

Broken

Autumn — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:13:52 +0000

I truly baffles me that we cannot band together as Americans and bring change to our scandalously broken health care system, namely from the health insurance aspect. I am covered by not one, but TWO insurance companies, and neither one will pay for my routine physician visit from last fall. Seriously? I swear the only thing worse than one insurance policy is two. It’s double the trouble, and when you should be covered to an even greater extent from excessive medical costs, they only want to fight it out over who pays what, which leaves me with the delayed bill and a headache.

I just spent nearly an hour of my life on the phone, first with my doctor’s office and then with BCBS, repeating everything I told them in February. Let’s see if anything happens this time. What a waste…and what a shame that we can’t seem to move our country forward.

I am heading to the gym now to burn off some steam, to get the exercise I need, and to take care of myself. Preventative measures are more important now than ever, because dealing with insurance companies regarding a routine, healthy medical visit is impossible enough. I cannot imagine fighting it out with them over a major illness or injury. Yikes.

Reminiscing

Autumn — Sun, 30 May 2010 02:37:35 +0000

How can it be that we’ve only been home for a week after our beautiful vacation in celebration of our 4th wedding anniversary, and I am already ready to get back to the beach?! I need another one. Florida was so much fun. The beach in Lido Key was wonderful. The eateries in St. Armand’s Circle were fabulous. And the city outings in Tampa were awesome. Jerry & I lived it up for a week, and it’s a trip I won’t forget. From the perfect pizza dinner in Ybor City to the sweet sunset over the ocean, it was the very best way to ring in a brand new year of marriage with the one I love.

Heartbreaking

Autumn — Wed, 26 May 2010 20:45:04 +0000

I cringe every time I see a picture, a news clip, or this live video stream of the BP oil spill. I simply cannot believe that BP and the other companies involved did not have a solid plan for this type of disaster. If these corporations were unable to come up with something definite in order to prevent a spill back in the “what if” stage of this entire venture, then they never should have considered drilling at this level. You can’t pretend that things never go wrong. Especially when an entire planet is involved. My planet. Your planet. Our only planet.

Today began another attempt to curb the spill, and I am anxiously awaiting the results of this one. I can only hope the results will be positive and successful for once. I am floored, flabbergasted, sad, worried. I don’t really think there are words for this situation. I wonder what the long term effects will be? Scary.

Nesting

Autumn — Sun, 16 May 2010 18:10:19 +0000

This little birdie has made our front porch her home while she starts a family. It’s impossible to get a picture of the baby birds since they go into hiding with the slightest bit of movement or noise, but you can see the mama bird guarding her nest here. She’s been watching our every move for quite some time now, and we enjoyed checking on this little family every day. Guess those babies got big enough to fly in the past couple of days, because now our flower basket is empty. Birdies are the only things that have ever grown in it, so I hope they’ll come back. We’ll leave the light on for ya! ; – )

Still Here : – )

Autumn — Sat, 01 May 2010 17:49:25 +0000

Lots to catch up on…new posts coming soon. Should be a bit more regular, now that I am OUT OF SCHOOL for a month! Wheee! I even have a week off work coming up soon that will be properly celebrated with some beach time.

Freedom is sweet. : – )

Lucky Break

Autumn — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:27:00 +0000

Yesterday held a wonderful little surprise for me. I got home from work a little late that morning, and had some reading to catch up on before bed, so my sleep was short. There was rain in the forecast, set to start just about the time I’d be out & about for my afternoon World Lit class. So I was kinda bummed that I’d slept through all the sunny days while working the weekend, and would be out in the rain instead of sleeping through it.

Went to be at 9:30am & got up at about 12:30, shuffled downstairs for hot tea & oatmeal while barely keeping my eyes open. I put off getting ready by browsing my email, Facebook, Flickr, you name it. Thankfully, something reminded me to check MSC’s website, and I could hardly believe it when I saw that my afternoon class was canceled – hallelujah! I was able to go right back to bed for a couple more hours & listen to the pouring rain on my windowpanes…perfection. While I do hope my prof feels better soon, I could not have had a more wonderful surprise & nap yesterday! Last week before finals…and it’s all good. <3

Almost There…

Autumn — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 01:32:37 +0000

As finals week creeps up on me, and my work schedule does not play nice, I am scrambling to complete all the assignments that the end of semester presents. Two papers, done. Three finals and one presentation to go, and then I am a free woman! Wheee!

This semester marked my return to college, and it’s been a crazy ride, but a good one. I have never valued my free time so highly, and I have grown as a student. It’s been interesting in Sociology, challenging and fun in World Lit, and a trip back into time in Biology. It’s funny to study pelicans & their ecosystem when you’re proficient in more advanced sciences such as anatomy & physiology. But, I have survived & balanced working full time nightshift with dayshift school. I can’t wait until May! Not only do I want to relax at home and sun bathe by the pool at Mom & Dad’s, but I also look forward to a beach trip with my honey & a weekend in Savannah for a wedding. Almost there!

Ouch

Autumn — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 18:46:19 +0000

After about 4 days of a sharp pain in my right heel, aggravated with nearly every step, I got it checked out at work last night (just one of the great perks of the ortho floor! lol) and yep…it’s plantar fasciitis. Boo.

Often caused by an increase in physical activity, especially running…check. Standing and walking on hard surfaces for long periods of time…yep, that’s me at work. Running in shoes that don’t fit well…guilty, most likely. I’ve been meaning to replace my old Adidas kicks for a while now. Well, I am really in the market for quality shoes now. And I am taking it easy for a little while and reverting back to walking. Which will forevermore be addressed as powerwalking because it makes me feel cooler. And because I don’t meander around…though I might for a while between icing and stretching my lower leg & foot. Ick…just when I started getting back in the groove of running on a more regular basis after a brief hiatus from including quality workouts in my time management. But, I hope I can kick it fast, and take the proper measures to keep it off my radar. For good.

Loss.

Autumn — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:59:04 +0000

While I see a lot of sadness at work, I am a very fortunate person otherwise to have lost a fairly small number of people that were truly close to my core. I lost my grandfather when I was still a bit too young to really understand what was going on. Losing my cousin, Kraig, suddenly and at a young age was hard. Seeing how it changed my Aunt & Uncle forever was even harder. Losing my other grandfather, Leland, remains one of the worst things I’ve ever imagined or experienced, and there is truly not a day that he doesn’t pass through my mind in some way. Easter Sunday added another void when we lost Tim Dupree. I’ve known him for as long as I can remember, and he was like family. My mom & his wife Linda have been best friends since my mom was wearing purple suede spike heels and I wasn’t even a blip on the radar yet. My dad & Tim have worked together a lot, he built their home (see photo, taken on Christmas Day 2006), and my brothers spent a lot of time helping Tim with his various properties. We spent every Christmas Day with them, enjoying a cozy gathering at their place that instantly became a favorite tradition. They used their wealth in all the very best ways – their hearts pulse with generosity, and make everyone they meet feel like a VIP, whether you were the waitress at dinner or a high profile politician. Tim was an amazing man who made life better. He was the toughest teddy bear ever. He was important to me, to my family, and to everyone who crossed paths with him. I learned new things about his generosity at the funeral…he was so generous that three ministers presided over the ceremony, and one church couldn’t even hold all those who came to celebrate his life.

I’ve been so moved since I got the phone call from mom. I just can’t believe he’s gone. I miss him. And my heart is with Linda.