Thanksgiving

Yesterday was a nice, nice day. I talked to both my daughter and son in the morning as they were beginning on their own holiday plans. The rest of the morning was filled with just hanging out with The Furry Kids. Very lazy and peaceful morning. Then I showered and got dressed to go out.

Getting dressed was .... interesting. In the last two weeks I put summer clothes away and got all my winter things unpacked and washed. It has definitely cooled off to winter temps, and I've been wearing sweaters and long pants. However, I had not worn any of my dress clothes. I've been wearing jeans and sweats, etc. So yesterday I got out a pair of slacks and a sweater and put them on. To my dismay .... and delight .... the pants were huge! I haven't worn any of these since my weight loss, and I was so surprised at first. I went through about five outfits before I found something that worked.I'm thrilled about the obvious weight loss, but dismayed about the lack of wardrobe!  I definitely can't afford to buy a whole new selection of slacks. My jeans still fit, probably because of washing and the shrinkage that goes on over time. I've been wearing them most of the summer, so they've shrunk with me, apparently.

As I was dressing I noticed it was snowing! Really snowing! Huge flakes, and a fairly heavy downfall was coming down. It was really pretty. Nothing was sticking, despite the 30° temperature, but I enjoyed watching it.

I left and picked up Zoë. We drove to the casino where we met our friends. There were six of us for dinner. OMG, was dinner wonderful! I love doing this because I'm not crazy about the traditional turkey dinner. I love turkey, cold in sandwiches, or in the occasional hot turkey sandwich. I like the cranberry relish I make, and I like sweet potato pie. That's about it. So going to a buffet makes me happy, as I can have what I want.  Here was my FB entry when I came home:

"Back from dinner, and I'm proud to say I ate no turkey! But I had my fill of shrimp, crab legs, rabbit, caramelized Brussel sprouts, yams, lobster bisque, salmon, fine cheeses, artisan breads, salads, green beans with gruyere, raspberry torte, pecan pie, cream puffs, petit fours, and a ginger cookie! Mimosa to wash it ...down and coffee at the end. Mmmmmmmmmmm. So full, and so happy!"

I had more little tidbits of things to sample than I can even remember. It was all very good! I was so full when we left there, but not uncomfortable. I did really well at not taking too much of anything, and I didn't leave much on my plate. Er, make that "plates." 

How cute are these?

They had the cutest cookies-on-a-stick as part of the decorations. The waitress said we were welcome to take as many as we wanted. She said that they usually have lots of them left over. So we did! She even brought us plastic bags to transport them in, and since I was looking at the ginger cookies, thinking one would be nice later, she stuck one in a bag for me, too. How 'bout that? A buffet that encourages you to take things home! And the ginger cookie was my "supper," as I was still full from earlier.

After dinner (two and a half hours of it) we left. We drove home, chatting along the way, and after dropping Zoë, I came home, put on sweats (well, duh!) and snuggled in with the four-leggers for the night. 

Today I was scheduled to meet up with Cyndi at Alamogordo. Cyndi is a blogging and FB friend. She and her husband have been visiting family for the holidays, and were traveling through this area. However, this morning, I woke with a horrible sinus headache and aching all over, probably fibromyalgia. I hated to do it, but I called her and told her I just couldn't make that drive. I've taken medication, and I'm a little better, but I'm still hurting. I really hate that I've missed meeting her (you know how I am about meeting my blogging friends), but the thought of driving a little over an hour each way just overwhelmed me. I told her I hope next time she visits, we can work out a meeting, or if I go visit a cousin in her state, I will get in touch with her to meet somewhere there.

So today I'm gonna lay low. I'm out of bed, but covered up with a comforter on the couch. It's cold outside, and I see no reason to leave the comfort of the house. A good excuse for being decadently lazy!

An interesting aside .... I've been having digestive problems for several months. more than fifteen years ago, I had acid reflux. I was put on a medication that helped it and after several years, I weaned myself off the medication. The medication I was able to take was very expensive and not covered by insurance.  The insurance company wanted me to take some other, cheaper ones, but they all had very unpleasant side effects. 

I've done well since then without any meds, however, this recent flare up was miserable. (I think it might have been caused by stress over the surgery I had early in the year. That was very stressful for me.)  I've tried many OTC meds, which helped a little, and was about to go back to the doctor to get a medication that I couldn't afford. I put it off and put it off. Then earlier this week, I was in a health food store to buy something else, and I asked about anything that might help the acid. The young woman helping me directed me to some stomach enzymes, and I decided it was worth a try. It's a lot less expensive than the prescriptions. I began taking it that evening, and I HAVE HAD ZERO ACID BUILDUP!!!! I'm thrilled!  I am so glad to have found something that isn't "medication," and in general, follows a healthy approach to helping my body heal itself. Whew!

So life is good.  Life is very good. In fact ....

.... Life is beautiful!!!!