August 2016

 Happy August!

I will get all the dog photos out of the way. I have never been an animal lover like my sister or husband but I am in love with our little dog. She is sweet and has done amazing at transitioning into our home.

 Her previous owner named her Cannoli and the rescue called her Callie. Both are adorable names but she responded to neither. I still call her them once in a while to see if she responds. Nope.

My husband has always wanted a dog called Fred. But we have a girl dog. And so on her paperwork she is Frederica. But we call her Fred. Mostly we call her Sweet Pup or Good Girl though.

 She sleeps in my bed and does so well. We have her bed in my bed but she snuggles with me in the mornings and hangs out with me during the day. She loves my husband because he gives her treats when she sits & he takes her on long walks which she adores.

She likes tucked in and she LOVES her dental bones. The dentist said they are great for plaque but it takes her days to actually chew one so she just carries it around the house with her.

We didn't set out to spoil her but she is just so dang cute.

Also happening these past few weeks...We got another couch. Ha. I think this is the 8th couch since moving to FL. And I think it will be our last (did I say that with the other 7 couches though!?!) We have realized my hips need to be completely flat to help with the pain. I knew that but I kind of thought the last reclining sofa was good enough. Nope. Completely flat. We have made money on the couches we have purchased & sold and so although this one was $400 from Craigslist, we are still "up" in the couch category.

Ikea Kivik Sofa & Chaise

Around the house...the house is basically done! I know I took "before" photos of the 2nd bathroom but I have somehow lost them and so I will just use these.

It was the last room of the house to be complete which was fine because it was overall in good shape. We hadn't planned on tearing out the vanity but my husband found a pedestal sink for $15. The toilet & shower/tub were in great shape. So he ripped out the little back splash piece and the vanity.

Then he fixed the floor which Home Depot thankfully was still selling and fixed the walls and painted. I flip flopped between deep teal and navy but ultimately it is a small bathroom and we already had light blue paint. A Home Depot "oops" paint for 50 cents was dumped into the light blue and we came up with this lovely color.

Pedestal sink: $15
Extra Tile & Mortar: $20
Mirror: left behind by our sellers
Extra plumbing pipes & supplies: $30 (pipes are pricey things!)
Medicine cabinet (shown over the toilet): $10 at a yard sale
Glass knobs: $1.50 each on Amazon and left over from another project
Shell light: free
Paint: 50 cents
Molding: found by the side of the road so free!
Shower curtain & rug: found on the side of the road so free!
Dolphin faucet: $50 - we used our anniversary gift money to pay for this
(thanks Mom! thanks Li & Dutch!)

 Overall it was a fairly inexpensive re-do and I love the results. We may look for another mirror (at a yard sale if we ever do those again (stupid body) or on the side of the road) but that is a thing that can be switched at any time because this one is just fine for now.

 The other side of the bathroom is just a blank wall and the door which I clearly didn't think interesting because I have no photos of it.

Other happenings:
We had friends stay just a few miles away last week. Thank you for coming to visit Anna Maria Island! Thank you for driving the insane 40+ hour round trip to see us! We loved seeing you and spending a couple days with you on the beach. I know you will be back next year and cannot wait!

My husband on his float.

 They stayed at our friend's condo. We found her condo when we did a home exchange many years ago. Franca has been awesome with renting to us when we vacationed here, then renting to my mom & sister and then my mom last year. Now Kristen & her kids got to use this condo.

My husband checking into the condo before Kristen & the kids got there.

From left to right, back row: Me, Kristen, Abby (a friend of Taylor's), Jessica, Taylor
From left to right, front row: Jaime, Carter & Megan

My husband pretending to do gymnastics on the beach

Abby & Taylor - REALLY doing gymnastics!

I was down for a few days after but I loved seeing them. I have really missed having friends and these kids are awesome.

Thank you Megan for the lovely aqua vase with the shells that she gifted me before they made the big drive home. I love it!

My sister also sent two fun packages this week. More homemade cards which I not only love to get but I love to send to others. And a fun little cow squeak toy for Fred.

I went to the doctors twice this past week. My pain doctor is awesome and I am blessed to have him. My right foot including my big toe stays numb about 90% of the time. I have gotten use to it and it doesn't hurt. He is also referring me to another doctor to see what he thinks. I really don't want more testing because 1. They are expensive and 2. They require me going to more doctors. But we will see what they say.

Just a random photo because doctor stuff is never interesting.

My other doctor appointment was to the psychologist. He is a new doctor and this was my second appointment with him. He is also amazing. My panic attacks and anxiety have decreased and I am putting the little tricks into practice that I am learning from him. I have only had 4 "episodes" this past month of feeling like I cannot breathe and having that dreaded heaviness on my chest. That is amazing compared to last month.

A random squirrel hanging on a tree outside our villa.

My diet continues to be raw fruit, raw veggies (though less veggies than fruit), nuts and seeds with some organic chicken thrown in. And I am having less overall joint pain. Do I miss pizza? Not really but only because I know it will cause pain. I do miss black olives though. And I may add those back in at some point and see how I do.

We found this "It Works" tape in someone's "trash" (a bunch of left over yard sale stuff set by the side of the road). It was sealed and so I picked it up. It works amazing at compressing my fingers when they ache and I want to chop them off. I don't leave it on much past my fingers turning colors but it helps.

I still have pain every day and it is shocking sometimes. I am so aware of my body. I can feel the outline of my hands and feet and I think I can sketch the nerves inside them. I am grateful that my head doesn't hurt and my back is usually okay. It gives me a point of reference because I cannot remember a time when my arms and legs didn't hurt. I know it in my brain but I cannot remember what it feels like. I tell myself "when is the last time you thought about the tip of your nose" and the answer is almost never. My limbs use to be like that. I didn't think about individual toes or the backs of my knees which are now on fire. I was diagnosed 3 years ago with CRPS. Not that long ago considering I am 36. But the pain takes over and is very isolating.

Think of when you have a bad headache (which thankfully I don't get). You are so aware of your head. You press it, you take pills, you pray it goes away as soon as possible. That is what happens. I'm so aware of my limbs. I have my husband lay on top of me, I try just about anything to stop that pain. Or override it by causing more pain. He presses the parts that can withstand touch and I tell him to press harder. He says he is scared of breaking something. Break it, I say. But he doesn't.

I plan on putting this on the back of my door so it can give me hope through the bad times.

When it is at its worst I give up. I don't try because trying means moving and I don't want to live at that point. This is not a cry for help. But I get why people cut themselves. I get it and I am so sorry for everyone who has pain this deep.

But right now the medication is helping and my pain is lessened. I have hope again.

I wish you all a day that is full of little joys and smiles.