What's in a Name?

 Happy Holidays! Here, on the fifth day of Christmas (no, there were no golden rings given! There also haven't been any birds, nor am I anticipating drummers, dancers, or maids-a-milking), I sit contemplating the last year. A friend (BFFB's brother, Tom) told me last week that he has a mantra for the New Year: Shut the F-ing Door on '24; Stay Alive in '25! Have to say, I couldn't agree more. What with losing Barb in January, cataract removals in the summer, and finding out that the right hip is a mess and needs replacing - yup, I'm ready to turn the page!

But wait - there's more.

One of the other 'delights' of the year has been finding out that I have sleep apnea. Severe, obstructive sleep apnea. (According to the nurse at the sleep study center, everyone in the world probably has sleep apnea!) Lucky me, I was graced with my machine on December 23rd. Merry Christmas! However, wanting to do things right, I didn't use it right away, as you're supposed to put distilled water into the reservoir. DH doesn't put water in his, so we didn't have any, and Christmas was upon us. I waited until I could get to the store on the 26th.

What you may or may not know about me is that one side of my family was famous for talking to inanimate objects. There is a story told to me by our friend Cindy Tee about when she worked with my grandmother in the notions department in a store called Mansmann's - Grandma was talking to the spools of thread as she placed them in their compartments, and there was high hilarity when Cindy Tee and Mike realized that I was related to "The Thread Lady"! I've inherited that trait - so much so, that I go one step further and name them. For instance, cars. My last car (red) was named Ruby Jolene. My current ride is white, and so is named Winter (DH helped with that one. We were watching Game of Thrones at the time, and he said if we named it Winter, whenever they saw me driving down the street, they could say "Winter is coming." If you weren't a GoT fan, sorry, this is completely lost on you!) I have a heat massager that I've named Sven - yeah, think of the imagery: tall, blonde Swede with strong hands. So, of course, I named the C-Pap machine. But, once again, there is a movie reference.

One of my all-time favorite movies is 'Love Actually'. If you've never seen it, try to watch it sometime. Big names star in it, like Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Colin Firth...and the list goes on. The movie begins with 5 weeks to go until Christmas, and covers several people/couples who are in various stages of relationships. Colin Firth plays a writer named Jamie - and, without giving away too much, is completely down on his luck in the love department. He meets a girl who speaks no English (Aurelia is actually hired to clean and cook for him while on a personal writer's retreat) and he speaks no Portuguese, but it is clear they are becoming fond of one another. With just a couple weeks to go until Christmas, he learns a few phrases and words in Portuguese. We get to Christmas Eve, and he shows up at his sister's house, arms laden with presents. The whole family greets him at the door, and he gets this epiphany that this is not where he wants to be at this moment: he wants to be with Aurelia. He puts everything down and says he's got to go, that a man's got to do what a man's got to do - and he turns and walks out. One of my favorite lines, which you might miss but makes me laugh each time, is when one of his nephews yells, "Hate Uncle Jamie!"

So, the C-Pap machine on my nightstand is named - you guessed it - Uncle Jamie. We are developing a relationship, but the first night was quite rocky - three and a half hours total. It's gotten better, but my goodness, dating was way easier! When DH asked me the first morning how it went, I told him what I named it, then said, "Hate Uncle Jamie!

And no, I'm not going to tell you if he got the girl - you'll have to watch the movie! It really is a good watch.

As usual, I'm not making any New Year resolutions - the mantra stated above says it all, right? Shut the door on the past hurts and sorrows, and look ahead to the future. Don't let the troubles of the world get you down - yes, there is a lot of craziness, but what if we can clean up the little area around us? With enough tidying of our own corners, and reaching out to our fellow humans, we might find a little happiness within. Wouldn't that be a nice glow to shed on the darkness of so many hearts? A smile to lift a fallen spirit; a helping hand to our neighbors in need. We just need a little peace in the face of adversity.

I would like to think that the Stress Pool is a place where we can feel at peace - sort of like those floating spas! Come on in whenever you need a smile, or a helping hand, or an ear to listen. We're always ready for a little fun splashing in the Stress Pool! And no, I have not named the towels...

Happy New Year!

Turtles on Tuesday

 There is just something about turtles that makes one smile. Is it their carefree attitude, or the semblance of a smile on their little turtle faces? I don't know, but I just love them. When I was in college, my sorority sisters (yes, I was in a sorority - it was a service sorority, but we did like to get together for parties, too!) had a thing where if someone asked you, "Are you a turtle?" the instant reply was, "You bet your sweet a** I am!" This is something that DH has found immensely amusing through the years, and every so often he'll ask me if I'm a turtle. Of course, I have to say the correct answer, which makes him laugh.

There is no great meaning in this what-so-ever.

However, I do like turtles. I've got a turtle pin (but material isn't such one wants to stick a pin in it because it might ruin the outfit), and several years ago I found turtle earrings in a little shop in Williamsburg. I love those earrings. But, it seemed I would wear them on Tuesdays - why? Who knows! It must be the day I head for black clothing - the earrings are black and silver. Very attractive. It must have occurred to me once a while back that if I wore them on a Tuesday, something odd would happen during the day, so I stopped wearing them, period.

This morning I reached for the beloved turtles, then pulled my hand back. "It's Tuesday," I muttered under my breath. Then, I stopped. I'm not a superstitious person by nature, and decided I was acting ridiculous. I put them on, smiled, and went on my way.

Nothing major happened all day, until after lunch. I had cafeteria duty, and when it was done, walked back to my room. The sixth graders came in and got out their work. I do try to make my way around the room, checking on their progress, and making sure that everyone is behaving. On one of the passes around the tables, a terrible stench hit my nose. My first thought was, "Geez, what did those boys have for lunch?" Every time I went by, it smelled a little more, and I felt bad for them. They left, and another class came in.

This time it was a group of fifth graders. One of them had gone to use the pencil sharpener in the back of the room, and called out, "Mrs. Kelly, there's icky water in the sink." 

I stopped what I was doing. The gross smell - not one of the kiddos with toxic gas, but some sort of back-up slowly rising in the sinks. I rushed (as fast as an old woman with a cane can rush) to the phone, when I noticed it was seeping out from under the cabinets and headed towards my desk. I called the secretary. No answer. I tried again. Again, no answer. I left a message to call me quickly, there was a problem with the sinks.

After letting the students know they shouldn't go near the sinks, I continued helping them with removing weavings from looms and getting started on the next project. I reached for the phone once more, and this time reached her, when she said, "I can't talk right now - I'm calling kids down for early dismissals. I'll call you back."

I looked at the increasing flow of icky water headed for my desk. I took one of my trusty post-it notes and wrote on it, "My room is flooding and there is sewage water coming up through my sinks." One of the students was more than happy to get out of the room to deliver the note. She sent the custodian down - nice young man, but has difficulty problem solving. He brought stuff to pour down a drain if it's clogged. "I don't think that will work," I said.

"No, this works."

I shook my head. "The sink isn't clogged. All of the sinks are backing up, and there's water coming out from under the sink."

Then, we did the worst thing anyone could ever do in this situation: we opened the cabinet doors. The stench was awful! We looked at the water seeping out of the traps. He looked at me. "What do we do?"

Well, if I knew what to do...

"Someone has to come and fix this," I said. He went to the office for help, then came back with a mop. In the meantime, class was ending. I called the next teacher and asked if I could have class in her room, as there was a major debacle happening in mine. Kiddos came to the room for their folders, and I grabbed a few things to take to her room. It was definitely quite a different adventure from the norm. We got through it.

Nobody was going to come today to look at it - they'll come tomorrow. I'm thinking that I will be holding art in the library tomorrow, because the room will still stink like a cesspool.

Now, here at the Stress Pool, we're used to crazy things happening, and of course, we'd love to hear your stories, too. But, if you pop in on a Tuesday, don't expect to see the turtles.

The Leg Bone's Connected to the Hip Bone...

 Hello from the chilly, murky waters of the Stress Pool!

It seems things here must have been chaotic, as I haven't written in a few months. Well, let me tell you what's surfaced here at the pool...

Most of you might know that as an art teacher, being on one's feet all day is par for the course. You need to walk around and see how everyone is doing; some kids might need a supply that isn't out, and so on. Well, after the first week back, my legs and I became arch enemies.

The pain was (and still is) excruciating.

I'm not exaggerating - it's been bad. Both legs. In the past, my former PCP (he has since retired) had sent me for an MRI and it was determined that I had a couple back issues - mainly sciatica and stenosis. "That's what's causing the pain in your legs," he said.

So, when this started, I made an appointment with a back doctor, who had looked at me like I was wasting his time. ""We'll start with an EMG and physical therapy," he said. "Come back in six weeks."

Have you ever had an EMG? Painful, but the doctor who performed it was very calm and talked through the whole thing, so it kept my mind on other things. Toward the end of the test he said, "I think it's your hip. That doesn't explain the numbness, but I think the pain in your right leg is from your hip." When he left the room, he said it had been nice to meet me, and I said "It was a pleasure." He gave me quite a smirk - I meant he had been so kind during the procedure! Oh well.

I went to physical therapy. My therapist, Beth, had me move around, and asked me to get on the bike. I could only pedal backward, at which point she said, "I think it's your hip." She gave me the names of two orthopedists, because the only person I could think of is definitely a year out for surgeries, let alone getting in to see him, and she felt getting an x-ray of the hip sooner than later would be beneficial in knowing what to do. So, I called and made an appointment with one of the orthopedists she recommended, and got in to see him the next week. They took an x-ray, and then he breezed in. I swear, orthopedic doctors are the most chill people I've ever met. He introduced himself, then said, "Your hip is a mess."

I need a new hip. Sometime this spring I'll be going - I have to call 3 months before I'm ready for the surgery. Truthfully, I'm ready for it now, but sick days are the issue. I'm trying to work it so that Easter break falls in the recuperation time. Wish me luck with this!

When I went back for the 6 week check-up, though, the back doctor came in, sat down, and looked at me. "Wow, I really didn't think..."

Didn't think - what? That I actually had pain? That I felt something was wrong? How many people go to doctors when there is nothing wrong? A lot, I guess, for him to make that remark. The leg numbness, by the way, is a subcutaneous nerve - just under the skin. Massaging it helps a little, but it's going to plague me forever, I think. So, he was right - there was nothing stemming from the back - but there is pain. Working on it...

The best thing that happened so far this autumn is getting window treatments. We went with Lachina, a blind and drapery company here in the Burgh. Joanna, wonderful designer (and a third generation Lachina) spent a nice amount of time with us, asking us what we wanted, getting to know our thoughts, looking at fabrics and patterns, and of course, she had suggestions, with which we went for most of them. The installer came in early October to put up the valances (which I love, by the way), so DH moved the stand with all the plants out of the way so the fellow would have room to work. Now comes the funny part of the story.

We have been here for 3 years. That plant stand, including the plants, has been in that spot for 3 years. DH pulls it closer to the dining room table, and Simon (AKA Art Cat) looks and says, "Wait - what's this delightful playground that I've never seen?" When I walked in the door, my baby spider plant was on the floor, dirt everywhere, while Simon looked at me like, "Hi mom - I didn't do anything, but did you know about this?!"

He has tried to kill that spider plant I don't know how many times now - along with the Wandering Jew plant (which has a new, politically correct name now - Inch Plant). A friend gave me a pot with another spider and an Inch Plant, and I had to put them on top of one of the cabinets in the dining room. Imagine - 3 years, and he never noticed them before. Wow.

The Stress Pool isn't all about me - it's also about the family. Morticia has been telling me about her dreams of doing nail art, and I offered to let her do my nails - but we didn't set a date! Her little Sweetie Pie is growing so fast, and she's just so darn cute. Apparently, she doesn't like shoes. Whenever they put them on her, she takes a couple steps, then sits down wherever she is. She'll get used to them - or will wear Birkenstocks for the rest of her life!

Big Brother and DiDi said that the Little Man is doing well in Kindergarten- as only he could. He's kind and the other children really like him. Gym is his favorite subject. Takes a little bit after dad, I think. Mouse - well, she's just as cute as a button. She loves to dance - and only has eyes for PawPaw. She looks at me when we walk in, and then strains to see behind me. "PawPaw?" she asks. "PawPaw?"

"Yes, he's coming", I tell her. Cute, really.

Ms. Business is about to finish paying off her student loans - yay! And Moink finished book one of his series and has started book two - we have a few more revisions for book one, but soon it should be ready to send out to agents. Fingers crossed...

The actual pool is closed for the season, but the Stress Pool is always open, so come on in and dip your toes in the water, if you dare! What have you been up to? Any good stories? And, as always, thanks for visiting, and we'll see you next time here in the Stress Pool.

Here's Looking at You, Kid!

 Hello, is that you looking in at the Stress Pool? Good to see you again!

Well, sort of. 

Not that it isn't good to see you, but that you are just a little fuzzy. Let me get a little closer.

It has been an interesting summer, that's for certain. It wasn't awful; it wasn't great, but mostly because of the eye surgeries. I am driving again, and are you ready for the scary part?

In the state of Pennsylvania, you only need one good eye to drive, and that good eye should be 20/40 or better. So be assured, my good eye is 20/20!

Not the other one.

Yes, I did get glasses, and already I fear the eye has changed a bit and the glasses don't work. The eye doctor was pleased with how it went - it was really bad, and he said that sometimes an amblyopic eye doesn't bounce in right away, if at all. So, when you see someone going through red lights, or stop signs, or driving over the line, perhaps they don't have 20/20 vision in either eye! Scary, right?

So far, I've done just fine. With driving. I bought some readers for close-up work, and I'm still reading books with large print. Not as much strain that way, so I was able to do some reading. I'll get to the final list before the end.

We also got away for a couple days - DH and I went to Berlin, Ohio, which is Amish country. There are a lot of stores and plenty of places to eat. It was hotter than you-know-where! We brought home a peach pie - best peach pie I've ever had in my entire life. Ms. Business is also a fan, and agreed that it was second to none. We crossed through an area called Tappan Lake - if you've ever stayed there, let me know what you thought. I'm going to look into possible cabin rentals in the area. Just beautiful.

So, pool time (thank you 90+ degree days for heating up the water!), reading, and a little painting (but not much). Am I ready to go back to school? I would like to say yes, however...reasons.

Now, back to the reading list, picking up from where I left off in the last missive:

3 more Denise Domning books: Winter's Heat, Summer's Storm, and Spring's Fury. They feature some of the same characters from the other five books of hers I listed from June;

Of Fire and Lions by Mesu Andrews. We are going to see Daniel at the Sight and Sound theater in Lancaster in the fall. This book is a fictional rendition about the Babylonian exile and Daniel, and his family. Interesting read.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. I like her books - gentle reads.

Salt and Broom by Sharon Lynn Fisher. A take on Jane Eyre, the main character's name is Jane Aire, and the school where she teaches is for 'witches'. She's off to take care of a curse, and of course, we meet many of Ms. Bronte's characters, albeit a little twisted. A fun read, for sure!

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens. This was a book club read - very good!

The Last Sister, The Silence, In the Pines, The First Death, and At the River, all by Kendra Elliott. These are from the Columbia River series, and feature a lot of characters from her Mercy Kilpatrick series. If you've never read Kendra Elliott, and you enjoy suspenseful thrillers, do it!

The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh. She's lived a lie for 10 years - you'll never guess what happens! I just finished this one today.

Total number of books for the summer: 21. No regrets on any of them!

Time to get out the alarm clock and make sure it's set to the crack of doom; pull out what I'm going to wear on the first day of in-service; and what am I going to eat for breakfast? There had better be a full pot of coffee, that's one thing for certain!

And yes, hopefully there will be a few more warm days to heat up the water in the pool, and of course, evenings on the porch. There is a light at the end of the work tunnel, but I haven't reached it yet. In the meantime, feel free to pop on in, because, as always, the water in the Stress Pool is always perfect, if not a little too hot!

Virtue vs. Gratification

 Hello, fellow swimmers, and welcome to the Stress Pool! My, summer has come with vengeance, has it not? You would think we'd be in the actual pool daily, but since the days have been so oppressive, and then evening thunderstorms following, well, it just seemed that staying indoors was the right thing to do. Then, there was the cataract surgery.

Yes, be it age or just the fact that my eyes have never been the best, the cataracts are ripe for the picking. I opted for the astigmatism correcting lens for both eyes, and the eye doctor said, "We do the worst eye first." What they don't tell you is that it might take some time before you can actually see! And boy, am I glad I didn't get this done during the school year, which was the original plan.

In this age of instant gratification, I thought for sure it would take a few days, then all would be normal. Nope. I've had the lens taken out of my glasses, only to find that my other eye doesn't adjust to the difference. It has made June very interesting, indeed. Patience is a virtue with which I've often had difficulty, and this experience has been no exception. I'm not prone to deep bouts of depression, but I did come close! I'm not one to sit too idly. and had been looking forward to sketching and painting. Patience, Wendy, Patience.

What you should be grateful for is that I am not driving - with everything being fuzzy, I'm just not comfortable behind the wheel. That means my family has to haul me around if I need to go somewhere, like the eye doctor, the allergist for shots, the pharmacy, and wherever else I need to go. (My eye doctor and I are getting to be great pals, LOL!) And, while I'm not one to meander through the mall, or shop a lot, that's all I've wanted to do, probably because I can't. This too shall pass. (At least, I hope so!) Ms. Business and I went to the parish flea market last week - yay, a trip out of the house! I found something I wanted for the studio, and a book of positive quotations called "It Isn't Easy Being Green" - a Jim Henson Book. Loved him. And, it was nice spending time with them.

Stipulations in the discharge papers:  "No gardening. No housework. No lifting anything more than ten pounds. No alcohol (although that might have been because of the anesthesia). No going away for two weeks after surgery. No swimming for a month." WAIT, WHAT?! Summer finally arrives and no pool? So, at the first post-op appointment, when he asked if I had any questions, I said, "Let's talk about the pool."

He chuckled. "We don't want you to get chlorine in your eye."

"I also don't want to get chlorine in my eye - ever. I just walk around the pool and float."

I was given the go ahead, but only after two weeks had passed. That would give me two weeks before the next surgery. Yay! I do intend to get back in again today and as many days as possible next week. Notice, I was not at all concerned about housework or gardening or lifting. DH and I are hoping to go away at the beginning of August for a day or two. My main concern is being able to see well enough to help do some of the driving. As for the alcohol, I don't drink enough to even think about that one.

So, what does one who cannot see do?

Well, I think I'm on the third season of Reba; I watched Disney movies for the first three days; Crazy Rich Asians is on Netflix (if you haven't seen it, please watch - it's one of my favorites!). DH and I have watched The Sympathizer (HBO - a must watch! There are a lot of subtitles, which was difficult for me to see, but I saw enough to get the drift); Bridgerton, season three; and Persuasion. Moink sometimes wants to spend some time with us in the evenings, and we'll watch Taskmaster, New Zealand. Wow, they hold nothing back over there, including language and what they show on television. It's bawdy and a hoot, and we are quite diverted when watching. Seriously though, I've never watched so much on television in such a short time in my life!

And, thank God for the person who invented large print books - as well as the Kindle where you can adjust the size of the font! The summer reading has begun. So far, I have read:

Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson - a mystery/comedy that keeps you guessing all the way through;

Simply Lies by David Baldacci - did not disappoint!

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett - wow. Well done, and I couldn't put it down. Very interesting.

Servant of the Crown Series by Denise Domning, which included, in order:

Season of the Raven

Season of the Fox

Lost Innocents

The Final Toll

Caught Red-Handed

It is a series set in medieval times which, interestingly, involve a Norman born knight who becomes what Briton locals call "the crowner", which later translates to 'coroner'. That being said, you can well guess at what he does - and where these adventures might lead! She has another series that involve some of the same characters, and I'll probably buy that one on the Kindle while I wait for other books from the library.

I am also proof- reading Moink's book - the first in his series. He's good. I hope he's able to get an agent and have it published. In the meantime, he's started writing the second book. 

So, three weeks into summer break, and I'm eight books in already. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some artwork in as the eye sight improves - I did finally have some success with a pair of cheaters, which is helping some. I'm wearing them now, and hoping that there aren't too many mistakes! 

The actual pool is refreshing, my friends, and maybe if you're in the area, you'll pop in for a dip, and we can talk about how you spend your time in the summer. And, remember, the Stress Pool is always open! Bye for now!

Updates from the Stress Pool

 Hello to all of you, winter-weary and ready for fun in the sun! The actual pool was opened this week, and is filtering out all the ick left from fall and winter - hoping to be able to jump in around Memorial Day. The Stress Pool, however, never closes, and is always ripe with all-things-life!

Updates: the heart monitor showed I have something called Ventricle Trigeminy, which means that sometimes there are a few extra beats in there. My doctor told me we'll talk about it when I come in for my next visit - he's not worried. Therefore, I shall not worry! But, talk we will.

Cataract surgery is scheduled for the beginning of June on the left eye - which will be quite the experience, I'm sure! I've been wearing glasses since the age of six, so being able to see things in the distance will be a treat, indeed. The second eye will be done at the beginning of July. I'm already planning my trip to the Dollar Store to pick up readers: a pair for school, a pair for the studio, a pair for the purse...and maybe one extra just because. It's a lot cheaper than prescription eye glasses! And yes, I know, I shouldn't plan on this - things can go wrong, We're just hoping and praying everything goes right!

Little Man is graduating from pre-school soon - can you believe how fast time flies? Mouse is working on walking (sort of - she much prefers to have DiDi carry her everywhere!) Big Brother said that they've entered the living room to find her standing up, but when she sees them, sits down and puts up her arms. She's no dummy, that's for sure! She also often looks at Little Man with an expression of 'someday I will get mom all to myself, you just wait'!

Then, there is the little wonder of Morticia and The Doctor. She's a wide-eyed wonder, truly. On track for all things developmental, also clings to her mother! Morticia came to see us and have dinner every Thursday this past semester, as The Doctor was teaching all day and we were a diversion. I would walk in from work, Sweetie Pie would take one look at me and burst into tears! (I think I have that same effect on some students, and I'll never know why!) This past Thursday, after weeks of this, I took her from Morticia as she packed up to go home, and not one tear. Not one! Yay, a small amount of success - and I'll take it! 

Everyone else here at the Pool is just fine and dandy - in just a few more weeks I'll be home for the summer, ready for a bit of relaxation, reading, painting, cleaning-up...my, the lists never end, do they? As always, if you're in the area, stop by for a dip in the actual pool, and we'll have some tea, or another sort of beverage, and you can renew your membership in the Stress Pool!

Monitoring the Heart

On February 2nd, Punxsutawney Phil promised an early spring, and we here at the Stress Pool were hopeful that he would be proven right - and by golly, we have been enjoying an early spring! Of course, on February 2nd, the hearts of those who live here were grieving, as BFFB left this earthly plane for the afterlife just several days before. To say it has been difficult would be an understatement, as she left behind a son, a brother, and a lot of friends who loved her dearly, as well as two cats, and a house with a lot of stuff that needed to be gone through. Fortunately, there were a lot of us who were willing and able to pitch in. Without anyone asking him, DH has been going to the house every week to put out trash that others have put together, then goes back the next day to pull the cans into the garage. He and others would go several times a week to help take care of the kitties, until about a week ago, when a loving soul took them into her care. 

BFFB, also known as Barb Riley, was my personal cheerleader. At the end of the week she would send a text congratulating me on making it through another week. While that sounds ridiculous, sometimes you just need someone in your corner, rooting for you, patting you on the back, making you feel like you matter. I miss that. I miss her.

It's been an interesting birthday week for me. We had the whole crew to the house on Sunday for a birthday celebration. Normally, I wouldn't have asked for that, but losing Barb kind of put life into perspective. You never know when your time will come, and celebrating life with the people you love means more to me now than ever. My heart was full that day, and still is - I loved seeing three generations of family all together in one place.

Morticia made a comment about wishing she had a camera to use when hiking with the baby, so I dug out my first digital camera for her. In checking an old SD card, I found pictures from when Moink made his first Communion, Big Brother's high school graduation, and a vacation to Virginia with Mima, Barb, and the rest of the gang. There were pictures of all five kids - one was exceptionally nice, that I would like to print. It did my heart a lot of good to look through and see more memories - a Stanley Cup trip to Detroit with Barb; one with her, her father Jack, and her brother Tom while we watched the final game of that series at their house. The Pens won that year. 

As far as the heart goes, I was "thrilled" to get a heart monitor this morning! What a way to celebrate another year on earth, right? For 3 days, or more specifically, 72 hours, it will be a part of me, monitoring the beats of my heart. I'm supposed to push a button if my heart speeds up, or I'm out of breath, things like that. (CT scans of my head and neck come at the end of the month. So much to look forward to!)

However, while the beat (of my heart) goes on, and the monitor will record them, I'm certain it won't record the love I feel for family and good friends, or the pain of loss. We tend to protect our hearts, yet it is in leaving the heart open we live life to the fullest. The monitor isn't going to record that, but my mind will. 

Stop by the Stress Pool any time, where we can share and make memories. After all, that's what life is all about, right?