Hello 2021

I have had different adventures this year and thought I can't wait to blog about it! Then I didn't. So what did it take for me to finally get here? Having a nasty cold and being home with a cold and sick of being home but also enjoying the chill time. So here is a recap of the year and I will blog in detail for each month what I can remember. 

January - I was mainly reflecting how I couldn't believe we still had all these COVID restrictions and wondering was life going to get to normal anytime soon. Nothing too exciting that month. Oh wait I was excited about the release of the collagen from my health and wellness side gig. 

February - As if COVID was not enough we suddenly had a snow storm in Keller, TX. The weather is crazy in TX and we knew we had a cold front coming up and I better just blog about it than write about it here. 

March - Another birthday and mask mandate was a birthday gift for me that year. I also received my 2nd COVID shot. Oh and I moved....and really injured my knee, or did I? 

April - Nothing too exciting other than baseball season started and guess who was lucky enough to go to an Angels game!!! I also had a moment of gratitude and feeling like a successful grown up. 

May - I will think of what adventure happened that month in between the four posts I have to do. 

June - JOY through social media!!!

So here we go!!!

This year has been a waste -

A few weeks ago someone said this to me and after a few seconds I responded - you know let me tell you why I do not want to think of it as a wasted year. I have learned a lot of what I can and can't do and reflected on what matters. I surprised the individual and myself for just speaking up. So now you get to read why I said that. 

I remember March 24, was the last night Tarrant County went under stay at home orders. I was and still am so grateful for my friends Rachel and Darcy for ensuring I had a fun birthday celebration. 

I also remember ordering some Angels masks online in early April and receiving a notice that they would not be available until mid July. I did not believe we would need masks in July since this couldn't really last that long so I promptly called and cancelled my order. Who knew we would still be wearing masks - nine months later. 

Lockdowns - no, not fair but nothing in life is fair. Unfortunately, individuals are not maintaining social distance, wearing masks and avoiding large gatherings. So am I surprised about the lockdowns - NO, I know about the financial and economic impact but I also see the impact to society and the medical care system. 

Stay at Home Orders - I get these for the above orders. What I do not understand is the curfew times. The best answer for this that I can relate it to is the bars and clubs. The later they are open the longer individuals drink the more carefree they are about wearing a mask, maintaining social distance, and there are larger crowds.

Mask or no mask - I will tell you this prior to this pandemic I was not a fan of masks unless you were sick in a hospital or working at a hospital. Now while I still do not enjoy wearing a mask I do and guess what I have rash, acne around my ears, nose, and chin. I wear a clean mask but wear it all day at work for 9 hours or so and it sucks! Even more so when I am in my office alone and I am half wearing it, you never know when someone is going to walk in. Sometimes I do half wear hanging and other times I do go without because I am alone.

Vacations - my spring trip to CA was cancelled, my trip to Houston to see the Angels play and celebrate my friends wedding - cancelled, a possible trip to Vegas in May - cancelled, trip to Salt Lake which I have been looking forward to since August 2019 - cancelled, trip to Vegas in September to see Kelly Clarkson - cancelled, trip to Palm Desert for Thanksgiving - cancelled, so in case you missed it, all trips CANCELLED. I

Social - my social life is non existent. It mostly involves watching tv, movies, live streams, Alabama football games, LPimms and Marco Polo videos with two friends. Occasionally I will go spend time with a small group of friends. 

So now that I have been so negative let me tell you some positives.

Strength - I have that or at least I like to think I do. I have my weak mental days and I get down but seeing videos from my friend Melissa and Cindy help me so much. As well as seeing my niece Laura on twitchtv make cocktails and share her knowledge. 

I'm good company - I have learned that I am comfortable being alone. I may not like the length of time I spend alone when I am not at work but I can be by myself as I have had to do that most of 2020. 

Faith - while sometimes my faith isn't so strong and bright I have it and I believe things will get better after all this and for that I am very grateful.

Hope - I have hope that I will see my friends in CA, AZ, UT and wherever else they are in the future. I also know I will see my family too!!!

So all in all yeah this pandemic kind of shook things up a bit, it was challenging but we have somehow made it and it wasn't wasted because if you are like me you hopefully learned a little bit about yourself. 

Friends

Let me tell you a story and what friendships mean to me and why I value them so much. Some of my good friends have given me strength and support through some of the ugliest times of my life and some of the most exciting. They have kept me from feeling lonely as well as feel grounded. Which is why some of my friends are some of my most treasured possessions in my life. Now i know that sounds bad to call them possession but I cant' think of the right word but I guess I would not trade a good friend for a million dollars....am I really saying that? 

Some of the strongest, long lasting friendships are the ones who tell you the truth or shake you back to reality when nobody else will. Friends who cannot be honest with us, in my opinion are not true friends and eventually the friendship will fade. So the friends who stick with us through the thick and thin of being brutally honest, or supportive are the ones that I tend to value and consider a true friend.

Friends who leave you in difficult times, or can't handle conflict, are probably not true friends. Why? Because a strong friendship, or any strong relationship, requires commitment and  faithfulness. Basically unconditional love. Don't get me wrong; arguments, misunderstandings and distance will occur in any relationship. However, a faithful friend will keep showing up and work through whatever is impacting your life, or even your friendship.

Sadly, friendships like any relationship, can be a source of pain as much as it can be joy. Friendships make us vulnerable to betrayal and disappointment. Which of course leads to the end of the friendship, which you have to mourn. Boy have I mourned some. But you know I have to be honest. I sometimes mourn that individual when something occurs that reminds me of them and I think oh man I should call X and then you realize you haven't talked in days, months or years. Once I have that moment of sadness, I try to focus on how their friendship was probably just for a season and I have gratitude for that season.

In short I am grateful for the friendships I have or have had. Please don't be offended if there is no picture of us on this post - I just did a quick selection. 

And most important - if you are fortunate to be friends with your family members and you love spending time with them - than that it is the BEST!!!

It has been a while

 I can't believe I have not blogged since May but then again I can. Let me see how much I can catch up in one post. 

May 17 - I finally had my hair colored after so many months of just letting it go because of Rona or Covid which ever you prefer. One thing is for sure I decided I can't go natural. I would be a white haired lady and look at older than I am. 

June - My boss in Carrollton starter interviewing her replacement and that just made me panic. She is an amazing woman and the time there had been challenging. So I decided that if she was going to leave so was I. I dragged my feet and mid June I started applying randomly and started talking to some prospective employers. We resumed sacrametn services that only allow 50 individuals I went once and it just didn't feel right. We do get to partake of the sacrament but we have to wear masks, we cannot sign, and we really can't socialize because we have to social distance. While it is good to see the people who are there I miss singing the hymns and I feel silly wearing a mask but willingly do it. I have never been a fan of masks. I get so much more out of my sacrament meditation and listening to previous talks by our church leaders. A lot of the messages are very similar and consistent and in cycles. It is no surprise that we have to be reminded of the things we need to d

July - I received a job offer and I put in my three week notice. This new job was going to require me to relocate, take a pay cut but it was something I felt I needed to try and so I went back to contract manufacturing and it has been interesting. I made plans to transfer my lease to Frisco. Everyone tells me how great that is because there is so much to do there....huhm what about Rona and her restrictioins. Yes, I follow them. I am not out partying it up and chilling like a villain. Sorry couldn't resist. I also finally did a Zoom call with my family and it was so good for my soul to see them. I miss them so much and that is the hardest part about this whole Rona situation. I don't know that I would go visit them if I still lived in CA but it would be a more reasonable option. I just can't fly home and see them these days. 

August - Can you believe we are 5 months in with Rona. I made the easy but difficult decision to not transfer my lease to Frisco. Instead I am commuting 40 miiles each way to work. I know crazy but it really is fine with no traffic things to Rona. Why am I doing it? The person I was replacing decided to stay. although this week she apparently has resigned. This weekend I made more purchases for my year supply and now have toothpaste, soap, and cleaning supplies and two first aid kits. 

So there you a quick snap shot of my life the last four months with Rona!

Four Trips Planned for 2020......down to

I had four OK maybe five trips planned for this year.  I was so ready so excited because they revolved around my family and friends.  What are these trips, you ask?  I am so glad you did so let me share with you. 

March - I was going to head to Houston to celebrate my friends wedding and attend the opening game of the season for Houston to mark one more MLB park off my list.  Bonus, the Angels were going to be in town.  Perfect way to start the MLB season and use the excuse to splurge on this weekend trip to also celebrate my birthday!!  This one involved a friend but it was about baseball too!!!

April - super tentative dream trip to go to Palm Desert for Passover but this was a long shot and not really planned just something I hoped to be able to do and had a fare alert setup. 

May - HB Singles Conference!!!  I bought an early registration ticket and put a fare alert setup.  Excited to see friends and maybe Laura & Spencer in LA.

July - Salt Lake City Celebration with the Health and Wellness company I am a part of.  Again, I had a fare alert set on my phone. 

September - Kelly Clarkson Invincible Concert in Las Vegas.  I almost purchased my ticket last week as my alert had a great fare.

November - a week in CA for Thanksgiving with family and some time with friends.

The Passover trip was no longer a reality around early March and I was OK with that but I was not OK with the feeling that I kept getting that the Singles Conference would be cancelled.  Then on March 21 when it was officially cancelled, I was OK because I had been having the feeling for a few weeks but had not shared them with many people.  I was primarily saddened because the reality that COVID was now keeping me from going home and it would be over a year since I had seen my CA friends and Laura who was the only family member I was able to see on my last visit to CA.

Then a few days later I got the notice that my SLC event was being cancelled and it would be virtual.  Again sadness!!!!  However, I tried to be positive by reminding myself I would just save money and would be seeing my CA friends in Vegas Baby.  However, I kid you not about 3 weeks ago the feeling that my Vegas trip would be cancelled started creeping into my head.  It is no longer a feeling, it is a reality.  It has been cancelled.

So now I only have Thanksgiving left and I am scared and angry and sad that what if Thanksgiving is cancelled this year.  I will be heartbroken.  It would be four thanksgivings missed with my family - 2 back to back and I do not think I can handle that.  So I will not let that thought creep into my mind.

I guess the upside is I can start making plans for 2021!!!   OHH and you probably figured it out, I am down to UNO!!!

This is a period of time I have prepared for my whole life!!

Yes, you read that right, I have been preparing for these days of stay at home orders most of my life.

I had a roommate that was all about emergency preparedness.  We both are members of the Church of Jesus Chris of Latter Day Saints which is big on emergency preparedness.  Having lived with her helped me develop habits of having essential items on hand. This habit proved to be such a blessing last year, and this year as I was unemployed/underemployed for most of 2019.  

After accepting a full time job offer in mid February, I started a plan to restock and purchase every day items that in some cases I had not purchased in a year.  So I was down on toothpaste and that was one of the items I restocked on immediately, than I did paper towels, and suddenly I kept thinking you need toilet paper and while I had the money I kept thinking just wait until your next paycheck.  Guess what the 2020 TP shortage occurred and I was down to three rolls - I am happy to say I have a pack and 3 rolls left as I found some one day.  I do have to say my frozen stash of Trader Joe's grilled asparagus is getting low and that makes me sad.  The canned goods I had underneath my bed are now completely gone - good thing because they were dusty.  I now have just the food in my pantry and freezer.

As part of my training I also learned that being alone doesn't mean loneliness it can also mean solitude.  So I focused to look at my time alone as solitude.  I enjoy being alone and focus on enjoying the peace and quiet  I had a friend in San Diego who did not like being alone and I remember once her calling me asking me if she could come over.  It was in that moment that I was grateful for being comfortable being alone.  I will say this I have enjoyed the peace and quietness but I am starting to get restless.  I miss my weekend routine, specifically my Sundays.  

I am also learning that I can do more than I think I can in a kitchen.  I have developed my cooking skills the past few years but the last few weeks even more so as I learned to make scrambled eggs!!!  Yes, that is right, I didn't know how to make scramble eggs.  Mainly because I have a high standard for scrambled eggs and not many people can meet that standard so how could I a novice cook meet my high standards.  I did - or maybe I lowered them for my cooking skills. 

So yes, being single has prepared me for this period of time of Stay at Home Orders.  Yet my extrovert party girl is starting to miss the social life which will return one day soon.  Full disclosure because I work in a hospital I apparently am considered essential staff so I do go to work and then I come back home and go in full mode isolation.  The weekends are hard because when you are up at 7AM and you do all you can think of doing you look at the clock and guess what, I still have seven more hours to go before I can crawl in bed.  I miss my friends, I miss going out to dinner or to their homes to play games, I miss my church friends and the discussions.

But I will follow the stay home orders so that soon we can all be healthy and together soon.

Every Day I start with 2 ounces of adaptogens

Each morning I wake up and have a couple of ounces of some amazing adaptogens that help my body combat the effects of stress, they each have their own mechanism of action to benefit overall health.

Here’s a quick overview of the adaptogens my drink contains:

Wolfberry (Lycium barbarum): A red-orange berry of the Solanaceae nightshade family that ancient (what?) regarded as nourishing to the liver, kidneys, and eyes. Modern studies affirm its use in modulating stress and supporting faster recovery post-exercise (5-7).

Eleuthero root (Eleutherococcus senticosus): A small, woody shrub native to Northeastern Asia used in traditional Chinese medicine as a natural remedy for reducing fatigue. Modern use of the root was popularized after the former Soviet Union popularized its use for its space and sport programs to support physical endurance (8, 9).

Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea): A plant that grows in the coldest regions of the world, including Northern Asia. Rhodiola has been traditionally used in Russia and Scandinavian countries to strengthen the body’s resistance to stress and improve energy levels (10).

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera): Used in Indian Ayurevedic medicine for centuries and native to regions of India, Africa, and the Middle East. In recent studies, ashwagandha has demonstrated potent antioxidant effects (11, 12). Studies have also shown it to support healthy brain and immune function (13, 14).

Bacopa (Bacopa monniera): A plant popular in traditional Indian medicine practices for the enhancement of memory and to promote longevity. Preclinical studies have shown it to have antioxidant and adaptogenic effects on the central nervous system (15-17).

Schizandra (Schisandra chinensis): This berry grows as part of a woody vine native to the forests of Northern China and Eastern Russia and has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine. In human studies, schizandra has been reported to increase work accuracy and decrease feelings of fatigue and exhaustion (18).

Want to know more email me or make a comment.

Sources:

5 - Gruenwald J, Brendler T, and Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. Medical Economics Company, Inc. 2000. Montvale, NY.

6 - Engels G, Brinckmann J, Lycium (Goji Berry) Lycium barbarum and L. chinense Family: Solanaceae HerbalGram. 2017, 113: 8-18.

7 - Bucheli P, Gao Q, Redgwell R. Vidal K. Wang J. and Zhang W. Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects of Chinese Wolfberry In: Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition, Benzie IFF, Wachtel-Galor S, editors. CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton, 2011.

8 - Saluzki D, Smolarz HD. TLC profiling, nutritional and pharmacological properties of Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) cultivated in Poland, Pak. J. Pharm. Sci. 2016; 29, 1497-1502.

9 - Blumenthal M, Hall T, Goldberg A, Kunz T, Dinda K, Brinckmann J, et al. The ABC Clinical Guide to Herbs. Austin, TX: American Botanical Council; 2003.

10 - Darbinyan V, Kteyan A, Panossian A, et al. Rhodiola rosea in stress induced fatigue–a double blind cross-over study of a standardized extract SHR-5 with a repeated low-dose regimen on the mental performance of healthy physicians during night duty. Phytomedicine 2000;7:365-71.

11 - Jayaprakasam B, Padmanabhan K, Nair MG. Withanamides in Withania somnifera fruit protect PC-12 cells from beta-amyloid responsible for Alzheimer’s disease. Phytother Res 2010;24:859-63.

12 - Auddy B, et al. Standardized Withania somnifera extract significantly reduces stress-related parameters in chronically stressed humans: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. JANA 2008; 11:50-56.

13 - Ziauddin M, Phansalkar N, Patki P, Diwanay S, Patwardhan B. Studies on the immunomodulatory effects of Ashwagandha. J Ethnopharmacol 1996;50:69-76.

14 - Davis L, Kuttan G. Immunomodulatory activity of Withania somnifera. J Ethnopharmacol 2000;71:193-200.

15 - Uabundit N, Wattanathorn J, Mucimapura S, Ingkaninan K. Cognitive enhancement and neuroprotective effects of Bacopa monnieri in Alzheimer’s disease model. J Ethnopharmacol 2010;127:26-31. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2009.09.056

16 - Morgan A, Stevens J. Does Bacopa monnieri improve memory performance in older persons? Results of a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. J Altern Complement Med 2010;16:753-9.

17 - Roodenrys S, Booth D, Bulzomi S, Phipps A, Micallef C, Smoker J. Chronic effects of Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) on human memory. Neuropsychopharmacology 2002;27:279-81.

18 - Aslanyan G, et al. Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study of single dose effects of ADAPT-232 on cognitive functions. Phytomedicine 2010.