Monday, May 10, 2010

May Is Mental Health Awareness Month: Life Your Life Well

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental Health America has created a website for the 2010 Theme: Live Your Life Well LINK HERE

They have listed 10 ways to Life Your Life Well.

These proven tools can help you feel stronger and more hopeful. Check out each page for specific, easy-to-follow tips.
  1. Connect with others
  2. Stay positive
  3. Get physically active
  4. Help others
  5. Get enough sleep
  6. Create joy and satisfaction
  7. Eat well
  8. Take care of your spirit
  9. Deal better with hard times
  10. Get professional help if you need it
So, I will start to focus on ONE of these things each day, starting today (Monday, May 10th).  In 10 days, I should be feeling better, thinking positive and being awesomely RAD :)

#1: Connect with others: hmmm need to think about how I am going to do that today. Stay tuned I suppose. :)  I connected with lots of people this weekend, but, according to my own rules, that does not count. So, I need to connect with people today or, make plans to do so sometime this week! Anyone want to do lunch? Does HugNation count? What about shopping or picking up free stuff from Craigslist or freecycle? Do my cats count (um NO! I will wind up the old spinster cat woman! hehe)   hmmm I may need to set some rules for myself.

Okay....today's task...connect with others.  I will post on what I did later!  Good night!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Mother's Day Weekend...

Wow. What a crazy event filled weekend.  Friday during the day I finished up cleaning/working on my room in order to make space for my new bed.  Yes, I will be the first to admit that I have been a little obsessed with this since I bought it two weeks ago and talking about it alot. But, this is a big deal for me. :)  My mattresses are no longer on the floor like a silly college kid! hooray!  And, it goes along with me getting shit in order and organized.  Not just letting stuff sit around.  So, Friday an old friend came over to help me, and, to my surprise, my daughter agreed to help as well.  It was actually fun spending time with her. :)  And, we made really good progress.  It most defiantly helps having people either helping me or just here with me talking. By the time I knew it, it was time to take my daughter down to her friends house to spend the night.  I then hung out with my friend Jodie for the night. It was great. Good times!

While I was driving I get a call from the delivery guys saying that they will be here between 7am and 11am Saturday morning.  WHAT!  That is a worse window than the cable guy and who really wants furniture delivered at 7am! CRAZY.  So, I did have to come home semi early Friday night, knowing I still had clothes in the living room to move out of the way of the furniture guys. haha Well, I took a chance and set my alarm for 8am.  Woke up and yep, not here yet and no call.  Put the cats in the garage so that they would not get out and would get out of my way! (Our spoiled cats don't like change and with all this moving around stuff, they were not happy!)   Moved my mattresses and swept and mopped the floor, had some tea....then get a call about 9ish saying they would be here in ten minutes.  They get here about half hour later.  They were really great, nice guys and I super appreciate them.  I don't know their names, but, I think I will write a letter. I really should do that more often....anyway....Got my bed all set up, they left, let the cats out of the garage and went to take a nap.  Didn't even make my bed! LOL  And yes, my cats came to investigate.  Emeralde (my black one) liked the new bed and location. But Safire (the grey one) is not happy that I took away her pillow by the wall and her leap pad up to the window. haha

Wake up from my nap in time to go pick up my daughter from the post office.  YES, post office.  She and the youth group were volunteering to help with the letter carrier food drive.  She would have stayed all day, but, she had a dance rehersal. This was the start of me really feeling like a taxi!  Rehersal was supposed to last 4 hours, but, they got done early and my daughter wanted to go back to help with the food drive.  She also really wanted to go with her friend to babysit for her cousin, who as it turns out, I went to high school with...ya, small world.  I called my friend to make sure this was fine and discovered that she and her husband were going out to a birthday party downtown and really wanted me to go with them.  So, got dressed and went out with them (had a great time downtown at the Baltic Room).  My daughter and her friend watched my friends boys and then hung out together.  They were mostly asleep when we arrived home about 2am, so I left her there.  Thank goodness my friend's husband drove them to church this morning! My daughter co directs the childrens choir and they were singing today, so, she had to there at 8am....YUCK!

Well, I got to sleep in today.  Can you tell I like to sleep in. yes, I am a horrible night owl. haha  Picked my daughter up from service and went to brunch with my mom at this new mexican restaurant that she likes.  Good low key times.  OH! But, there was a little excitement.  My kitties are indoor kitties.  Yes, they do get out occasionally, but, its not something we let them do.  This morning my mom was out in the garage and had the garage door open and left the door open to the house. Well, both cats went out.  About half hour pasted before she even thought about it. (I call her forgetfullness chemo brain from when she had chemo for her lymphoma a few years ago.) Well, when it was time to leave to go get my daughter, we realized the cats were outside.  I went outside to look for them and Emeralde was just sitting next to the car and came running right to me. I don't think she was diggin the heat outside too much.  But, we could not find or hear Safire anywhere. So, we left, thinking we would check back.  After lunch we decided to go shopping, but, figured we should check back at the house to see if the cat was ready to come back in.  Nope. Still no sign of her. Which is weird. When she gets out, there are certain spots she likes, but she was no where.  We all were worried a bit, but, also kept saying...she will come back.  So we went to the mall (more on that later).  Mind you, it was hot today here...about 70ish.....When we came back about 3 hours later, we opened the car door and Safire was meowing so loudly behind the garbage cans in the shade, I thought my daughter was being a goof.  Well, we got out of the car and then the silly cat ran under the house in the crawl space! Yep, that is where she had been.  The grate was open for some reason and she was hiding under there.  Well, she came in a short while later, drank some water and passed out asleep on moms bed.  Dead asleep.  Guess she had an eventful day!

Shopping....okay, JC Penny has this new reward program thing.  Where if you register you can get $10 for every $50 you spend.  Well, when we bought my bed and moms mattresses, it added up to like $40 of these $10 coupons.  So, we decided to go shopping!  The catch with these is that you have to find an item that is at least $10.And, at first we thought you couldnt combine them, but, then we figured out you could.  So, we had fun and ended up with ALOT of stuff and only spend like $60 bucks.  Among the items we got:  Mom: 500 thread count sheet set, blanket, couple tops; Samantha: 3 pairs of shorts, tops, swim suit, camisole, twin bed set (sheets, comforter, pillow cases, sham, skirt), Me: camisoles, an AWESOME purple sparkly jacket for Burning Man, sundress, couple tops; My friends baby: 3 summer outfits for my favorite baby!  I think there is more but I can't think of it.  We got ALOT of stuff and had so much fun.  And, we still have alot of coupons left. LOL

We were invited to go to a BBQ over at my cousins for dinner, but, we were all tired from a long, eventful weekend. So, we ordered pizza instead and just hung out.  Sam made her bed with her new stuff, I made my bed (washed everything) and mom FINALLY drained her waterbed. Although, as of 11:30 its still draining so she wont be sleeping on her new mattressses.

We had an exciting, fun filled and productive weekend.  Now I am going to rest, as tomorrow is the start of another crazy week.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

My new bed is being put together! Very sore from movimg things around, but good for my muscles. Today I will be resting & going through my clothes!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

In Shape....

Realizing that a golf cart if probably not going to become a reality (thanks to lack of funds as well as a trailor), I need to start thinking of another mode of transportation around the playa.  I suppose one of the first steps is going to actually get a bike and see if my back CAN handle riding it.  But, I am also realizing I need to start getting into shape more.

I do have to the WII sports active thing I need to actually install. And, I really want to join the YMCA. They just opened a new one here and the pool is amazing. Will be good to work on my cardio skills in the pool.  But, its all about getting motivated I suppose, right?

HugNation

I have made HugNation a new priority.  At least to attempt to make it to the live broadcast on Tuesday afternoons (or catch the archive).  I am finding that alot of things that Halcyon discusses are important and relevant to what I am going through right now.  I have always had a belief buffet, but, right now it is getting to be even a bigger one.  Part of my journey this year is finally making the decision and path to attend Burning Man and also to rediscover the universe's plan for me.  This includes new experiences and new people and friends.  In doing research and such, I came across videos produced and done by Halcyon.  Then that lead me to his Hug Nation.  After watching many many of his videos and archives, I made the decision to at least try to attend the live broadcasts each Tuesday.  Made it last week and then today. Pretty awesome. Just a bunch of people who come together in one moment (or hour) to be together.  It is funny that the universe provides what you need, when you need it.  And, right now, its what I need!

Crap Or Cone

Here is a wonderful video! :) Great way to live your life as you deal with everything day to day.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Burning Man Article

Here is a good article about Burning Man.  Thanks to the Burning Man facebook group for posting this. :)  I know I am not the only one reposting it.  But, it does have some good insight for those who aren't familiar with the event.

Truth About Burning Man