Sunny Sunday

It was nice to get a sunny day today after several gray, rainy days. I did just put out some grass seed yesterday on the wet grass and it could have benefitted from a little bit of rain on it but it will get more rain starting tomorrow.

Since the weather turned out nice today, I decided to tackle mulching early this year. I headed off to Lowes and bought 6 bags of Dupont's rubber mulch. It is almost $12 per bag but if I don't have to mulch every year, it will be worth the investment. I used all 6 bags on my front flower bed. I also bought some stone-look plastic edging. I need to go buy another box because I need at least one more piece out front and then I'll use the rest elsewhere. I bought a perma-mulch tree ring but Jon had me store it in the garage for now. We have a huge mound at the base of the tree and I need to level that out plus I think I'll end up using a bag of the rubber mulch with the tree ring. I bought a roll of perma-mulch edging to put around my rose garden out back but I need to go buy another roll to finish it right. I'm looking at another expensive Lowe's trip sometime this week to pick up another round of stuff to finish things up. I have some flowers that are popping up out front. At the end April, I plan to replace one of my dead rose bushes and plant new plants in my planters on the front stoop. I also need to find something for the side of the house. I was able to get sunflowers to grow from seed so I might go that route again.

I was watching the race with Jon and came down to check on Jonnie before I fell asleep on the bed!

I haven't weighed myself recently so I don't have any weight loss news to report. I did have a health assessment on Wednesday and all of my numbers as far as blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol were good. My only bad number was the body mass index or BMI which is my height-weight ratio. I'm at 27 and I should be 24 at the high end. I am working on that problem although I ate terribly yesterday. I craved potato chips and ice cream which I indulged in.

Time to get back to the race although there are still several hundred laps to go. I might try to get in more reading. I have just under 200 pages left to read of "The Masks of God" before I have to return it on Saturday. I already renewed it once and that is my limit.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and have a wonderful week!

My Dad is back home

Just wanted to let y'all know that my Dad is home today. The doctors are not sure what happened but I guess they saw no reason to keep him in the hospital. The neurologist did not find Dad's fall severe enough to operate. It does appear my Dad has missed some of his medication because his levels were low.

Anyhow, I'd better run. The oven is beeping.

Weekly Update

I seem to be on a roll of posting once a week a series of updates so here goes the updates for the past week.

Jonnie received a certificate for attending the preschool/pre-K science fair the other night with Daddy. They only made it through a couple of activities because Jon said Jonnie got bored while waiting for them to explain what was being done at each station. Gee, like father like son!

I've been continuing to monitor my diet and exercise although I did have the fried fish and fries that I enjoy on Friday night. I've learned that if I really want something, I'm better off eating it because if I don't, I tend to eat myself out of house and home making up fo what I didn't eat! I've lost 4.3 pounds so far. On Wednesday, I took my workout outside since it was such a nice day. I walked to the park, walked the park trail, and came back home which is 3.36 miles! I'm also doing some strength training to help my muscles. Yesterday's cardio was walking in the grocery store and cleaning the house. Vacuuming, mopping, and dusting aren't as much fun as just being able to go out and walk but I got exercise and my house looks better, too.

Normally people save the best for last but I have not. I had finished my chores yesterday afternoon and was getting ready to go to the family room to enjoy my treat of a cold beer and the NASCAR Busch race when the phone rang. My Mom was returning my call from earlier in the day. I did find it a bit strange that Mom & Dad weren't home when I called because the Buckeyes vs. Xavier game was on and my Dad doesn't miss OSU football or basketball games when they're on the tube.

Mom told me that she and Dad watched the game but it was from a hospital room at MedCentral in Mansfield. My Dad apparently fell down the the stairs and landed on the landing. Mom said he was not having a seizure but he was sitting there oddly and making weird noises. Mom called 911 and they came and took Dad up to Samaritan Regional just up the street from the house. They were in the ER for a while because the doctor on duty called Dad's doctor who said to call the neurologist. The neurologist said to have him taken over to MedCentral which is his home base and were they have more neurologically advanced stuff. Dad went over in a squad while Mom went home and called over to my Grandma's house since she's in Mansfield. My Uncle Bobb was visiting so he brought Grandma Woodruff and my Aunt Dorothy over to the hospital. The only thing we know now is that they are going over MRIs with a fine tooth comb because my Dad has lobes in his brain that have been enlarging over the past several years. This was nothing to worry about until Dad could no longer use the bathroom on his own or he could not walk without falling. BINGO! The treatment? Cutting open my Dad's brain and inserting stints to help fluid flow. At this point, we're waiting for more information. My Dad told my Mom to tell me not to drive up for this. They're afraid that I'll lose my job. I told Mom that I would respect their wishes unless it's determined that there will be surgery. If there's surgery, I'm looking at the schedule and I'm coming up there. Mom seemed to understand.

There you have it, the weekly updates for the Santini clan. I need to run because it's time to get myself a shower and pull everything together for 8:30 AM mass.

Have a wonderful Sunday and blessings for a safe and productive week!

I CAN Do it!

I posted last night that I want to work toward walking in a 5K which is 3.1 miles. I was doing some on-line reading and I found a couple of local events sooner than the one I planned for in August. The first 5K is on March 31st over at Beekman Park which is on OSU's west campus. I am fond of this park because it's a park I like to try and walk during the spring and summer as a work break if I don't have meetings with digniataries in the afternoon.

Given that my first 5K that I hope to do is only a few short weeks away, I challenged myself this morning to walk the 3.1 miles. After mass and brief socializing at a coffee & donut social (I only ate 1/2 a donut), I changed clothes and headed over to the high school track. It felt really cold at first but I warmed up in a hurry. I was walking to a really upbeat podcast that was actually for runners. I did try a little bit of running but that did not go so well. I ran a short distance on the track and I later tried running the bleacher steps; I thought I was going to die! I returned home and was only gone a little over an hour which included driving time. I walked 3.26 miles in total.

I did take a soak in the tub to help my sore legs. Going outside and playing a bit with Jonnie also helped, too.

I'm so excited that I did the 5K or 3.1 miles. I knew I could but needed to prove it to myself!

Blessings for a wonderful week!

A New Attitude

Perhaps it's the warmer temperatures, the sunshine, and the snow piles finally melting away. Whatever it is, I seem to have a new outlook or a "new attitude" which I hope lasts!

I read about a website called sparkpeople.com in "Prevention" magazine last night in a brief article about a woman's weight loss journey and how this site helped. I signed up last night and began using the site today to track my food intake and my workouts. The site is helpful by suggesting how to balance carido and strength training workouts. Earlier today, I read in "Prevention" again about how I could download free walking workouts to my iPod. Little did I realize the number of free fitness podcasts available legally on the Internet and my iTunes software is chugging away in the background downloading more stuff! I did a 30 minute walking workout today and I can feel a little soreness. I told Jon that I probably looked silly when it was time for a speed interval but that it was a fun workout. Don't ask me why but I've since decided that I want to try and find some walking or walk/run events. I found an event in Salem the same weekend as the annual Santini Italian Fest. I emailed the coordinator (who happens to be a former neighor of the family) asking him if walkers were allowed to participate in their 5K event. I figure this gives me a goal to work toward and it certainly won't hurt to get moving after overeating on Italian food earlier in the day. I'll skip the wine this year so that I can walk rather than stagger!

It's been a relaxing weekend so far. In fact, I keep feeling like I'm forgetting something. I've had quite a bit of time to read "Masks of God" which is a book from Sarah's reading list. After reading about elaborate ceremonial circumscions, I'm quite grateful for modern medicine and tradition! Jon is sleeping right now because he has to leave for work around 1 AM to go in and make sure the servers accept the time change updates okay on the key card system. He believes all will be well and we'll go to mass like normal. We have on the calendar the monthly Marriage Encounter Dialogue Group meeting in Delaware. The meeting lands right in the middle of the NASCAR Cup race but this is one of the first times we don't have another event going on that keeps us from attending. We'll see how things work out with Jon going into work and go from there. I told Jon maybe Jimmie and Dale might do better if we're not home watching them.

I was suprised and honored on Friday by an email I received from the wife of our parish Deacon. I have been asked to attend the Cum Christo conference for women April 19-22 in downtown Columbus. Elaine has offered to be my sponsor for the weekend. Jon and I filled out our portions of the application today and I hope to see Elaine tomorrow to talk more about it. She has to fill out a page and then we need to ask our Parish priest Father Pat to fill out a page, too. Once the application is filled out, I need to send it in with a non-refundable deposit and wait to be approved. I am not sure how long the approval process takes so I think I might go ahead and request the time off work. If I am not approved for some reason, I can always cancel my vacation request. The scary yet refreshing thing about this conference is that no cell phones, iPods, or radios are allowed. Your family must understand that you will have no contact with the outside world during this time. I guess it's sad that part of this scares me because it shows how dependent our society has become on things such as cell phones to keep in constant contact with our families and our offices. It takes a lot to stand up and say "If I am accepted for this conference, you cannot contact me" in this day and age.

I cannot believe that Jonnie has been asleep for so long. On the weekends, it's a miracle if he even takes a nap. He woke up around 7:15 AM this morning so maybe he's tired or preparing for the time change. Who knows. Today is our cat Midnight's "honorary" birthday so I gave a special treat of "wet" cat food today. Mid turned 14 in human years which is 70-something in cat years. We don't know when Mid actually was born because he was already about a year old by the time we met him. Jon and I moved into an apartment in West Columbus and we think the previous tenants left Mid behind. After several nights of hearing a scratch on the door, opening, and having Mid come in a "honey, I'm home" kind of manner, we decided to keep him.

As usual, I strayed from topic. I was really excited about making my weight loss and fitness goals public. My goal is to weigh 140 pounds by our 11th wedding anniversary on June 8th. I realize that 140 pounds sounds enormous by today's standards but if I reach that goal I can evaluate if I want to lose more weight along with becoming more phyiscally fit. I'm also hoping that my habits will indirectly help Jon lose a few pounds along the weight to better control his blood pressure.

Blessings to all for a wonderful rest of the weekend!

Looking up

I wanted to provide an update after my long and rather gloomy post the other day regarding marriage concerns.

My husband Jon and I talked for over an hour and a half straight yesterday. It helps that our son had fallen asleep and was still asleep when Jon got home from his class. Both of us had so much that we were holding inside ourselves.

We heated up leftovers for dinner together last night and we folded baskets of laundry together. It's amazing what can happen when two people are in the same house together at the same time!

Things are looking up but this isn't like a chair that you fix and forget it. Our marriage is more like my parents' dining room chairs which require regular care and fixing!

Thanks to my friend Sarah who provided a great deal of insight and support with her thoughts, words, and prayers. I am blessed to have her in my life!

Blessings to all of you for a wonderful Sunday!

When "Enough" is "Too Much"

I just returned home this afternoon from another stay with my Mom & Dad. Mom had her second cataract surgery on Wednesday. There were complications in getting her eye dilated this time but the surgery went well and she's doing fine. Dad is still doing fine but doesn't move around much.

My Mom needed some artifical tear drops and I had some things that I needed to get, too, so I headed out to Super Wal-Mart on Wednesday afternoon. I lost track of time being that I've only been in this enormous store twice. Since I didn't have Jonnie, I thought it would be a good time to get his birthday gifts.

I came home from shopping and showed my parents everything I bought. They were amused by the "General Lee" that I bought Jonnie which has a Dixie horn, a revving engine, and the Duke boy yell. They didn't really know what to think of the Jon Cena and Batista wrestling dolls.

I mentioned to my Mom that I'm working with my FIL who has offered to have a birthday party for Jonnie during Mother's Day weekend since my MIL will be flying in for my SIL's college graduation. I told her that I could ask my FIL if I could invite them to Jonnie's party and offered to drive them up if it was okay for them to come. My Mom said that my Dad wouldn't want to go because he's embarrassed since his fall which broke his hip. She also said that she can't compete with Jon's family when it comes to buying gifts for Jonnie and that they'd rather just give him some money in a card privately.

This made me realize that I was falling victim to trying to compete with my husband and my in-laws on giving my son the best give for his birthday. Since I'm an outcast, it's already harder for me to fit in so I try to buy my way with everyone. I think the only result that has had for me is a high credit card balance which I'm trying to pay down.

These past 2 days, I did something that I haven't been able to do in a long time and that was sleep in. Sleeping this past Monday doesn't count because I was ill. The truth is that I've been getting up earlier and earlier because I can only studying, blog, read email, or do quiet chores while Jonnie is asleep. I tried to study last weekend but Jon wanted to play with his guns in the basement and Jonnie got bored of being alone so he would go find Jon and he later found me. I was the one that I had to stop what I was doing to play with Jonnie.

I talked to my parents this morning about something that was fairly difficult. At 34 years old, I asked them if I could move in with them. I told them that I'd like to find a job in Ashland at either the hospital or University in the IT field and that I'd like to live with them while I paid off some bills and looked a place of my own. I told them that I my husband sees me only as a cash machine and a babysitter and that I am tired of it. I said although I love St. Joe's church, I'm getting overwhelmed as I try to do what Father wants me to do which I never feel is enough. I'm in Adoration, I'm an usher, we print newsletters, and this Sunday I need to go move tables and chairs (Jon won't come help; he thinks its unnecessary). I was called the other day to usher mission programs on Sunday and Tuesday and I had to say "no" and fear that Father is angry that I'm not doing enough. I think the priest at the church in Ashland has the personality of paint but part of me wants to be able to attend mass with no strings attached.

My parents sat in shock for a few minutes as they digested what I had just told them. My Dad was quick to say "damn Italians want to run everything; I knew they were going to run your life". Later he said Jon and his Dad didn't need to design our big house on my dime because although it's nice, it's too expensive and too much for me to take care of. Mom suggested that Jon and I get marriage counseling which she suggested before and asked her if we ever went. I told her we didn't because it's so hard to schedule around shooting matches and that Jon cannot take any time off work because he's essential personnel. Mom said she had a feeling that we were having problems based on things I've said. They're concerned about me because I keep getting down sick trying to work full-time, tend the house, keep up with my studies, and keep up with the church. They're also concerned that I have trouble getting my car in for scheduled or needed service with the amount that I've been driving recently. They know about my bum tire because I had to take it in for air on my previous visit because it was going flat when I was taking Mom to her eye doctor.

I did mention to Jon that I'd like to talk to him this weekend and briefly told him about my conversation with my parents. I don't know if he's scared or frankly doesn't care. He left early for the class he's teaching tonight after scarfing down some fish and fries. I guess I'll see if he leaves at dawn for the class he has to teach at 11 AM tomorrow.

One of the things that hurts the most if I do decide to move to Ashland is that I know I will never see my son again and that my parents will never see their grandson again. My parents both nodded in agreement because there are more Santini's than there are Woodruff's and we would never win the battle to see Jonnie.

My heart is aching, my soul is weary, and my mind is puzzled about what to do.

In the meantime while I try to figure things out, I need to go back in the family room with my son so we can play and watch the "Grinch". If I decide that I need to move on, I know that what days I have left with him are precious.