The Chronicles of Nani - Surviving

I'm so far behind on everything. I really want to catch up, to get everything on my list of priorities done so that my time is mine again. I do realize there are just some things I should probably just say no to doing.

I've taken over making sure all of the household bills, including my medical bills, I get paid. Since I started doing that we haven't had one late payment and they do it all digital so we don't kill trees getting paper bills or just clutter David's table and never get paid. I know it's like a 1950s housewife horror movie but I called my life. But considering that when Social Security time comes around my degree and years of working will mean nothing and my Social Security checks will be based on the fact that I was a wife. It's humiliating, but I'm going to be the best darn simple wife that I can handle with MS.

But the biggest and most important priority if my world is my vlog. It makes me feel like I'm working again. That's a pretty big deal to a recovering workaholic. And that makes me feel like I'm doing something worthwhile. Like when I was a self-help group leader, I can try to help people with chronic illnesses be more positive. I also hope it helps caregivers and loved ones of people with chronic illnesses, like me, I understand better what their loved one is dealing with and to keep those friendships and relationships as close as they've always been.

I'm sorry I didn't put a note up here. There was no video last week (I put it on Facebook and Twitter, but if you don't follow me on those media, it kind a lefty wondering and I'm sorry.) I was moving some things so I could stretch a little bit because my legs were sore spending a whole day trying to edit in a hurry video that was supposed to go up last week. My husband left on a weeks vacation and I had just lost the agency that was applying an aide 9 hours a week, which is better than nothing. But now I did have nothing going in to seven days with no one coming in. To say that I was overwhelmed is a major understatement!

So, while I was trying to get last weeks blog done and I've managed to really get "in the zone" of that I forgot about stretching my legs at all. When I was moving things the most dropped to the floor and I had to wait until my husband got home to retrieve it. The only problem was it was broken. I can't edit or even do anything in Photoshop without my mouse. That's the skipped week. I got on Amazon and ordered TWO mice so there would always be a back up. The first mouse that I got mail was a gift for my friend and former coworker, Mary. The message was "enjoy your gift. Now get back to editing!" She knows you're a workaholic friend too well. LOL

Today's YouTube video it's about that week but I was so afraid of and how it turned out to be a very good week after all.

The Chronicles of Nani - Support

Things didn't go as planned and this week's vlog ended up being done on a day that started with tears and almost no will to record. Instead it was plans changed and this is why the day started with tears. I think it turned out pretty good.

Weekend Playlist February 10

I'll talk about it more in the next couple days but with the first weekend Sunday of this month being Super Bowl Sunday and a very special young lady’s birthday, Weekend Playlist last Sunday was not meant to be!

Standard Disclaimer: (stolen from Stephen Colbert with no shame) my musical taste ranges from a shocking “you like what?” to “don't judge me” and pretty much everything else in between. I have very eclectic musical taste and I'm proud of that.

Here are the last five songs that played on my iTunes library on shuffle today:

Butta Love, Next

Love Ain’t, Eli Young Band

It Doesn’t Matter, Allison Krauss

New, Daya

Count On Me Bruno Mars

Two children in a photo on this month scraplift challenge at GingerScraps made me think of the darling video for this and that song inspired me to use this exact photo in creating my layout

Heather took the picture in the scrapbook page. Possibly because she was the only one of us that was still awake enough to hold the camera still.

We had a few very busy months at work in both the Canton and Hamtramck offices. And it was a weekend in mid-May before things were going to get very busy again that we had no productions going on in either of our locations. I came up with the crazy idea that we should definitely leave work as soon as the building closed on Friday and not plan to be home until Sunday. My coworkers we're pretty much as insane as me and as tired and knowing that we were going to be even more tired on the weekends coming up. John didn't work with us but somehow my friends all just sort of”worked" together and whenever I had a crazy idea John was usually the first one to say “I’m in"

John had the vehicle that was big enough for all five of us. Tracy And Rich met us at closing time when Heather and I locked up the office on Friday night. We piled into John's car with our luggage for the weekend. The guys drove first leg, John at the wheel and Rich’s special brand of humor making sure staying awake with no problem. We stopped at a rest area about halfway there grabbing snacks and coffee and the girls woke up and I drove the rest with Heather and Tracy (we easily enjoyed three hour dinners talking for many years after that so it was easy keeping each other awake) while the guys got some sleep.

The street lights, for real!

When we got into Hershey we stopped for breakfast and I started my day with chocolate chip pancakes! After breakfast we stopped at the Hersey Lodge Hotel for our reservations were for the night on the outside chance that our room might be ready. It was and they asked us how many guests will be staying. We had reserved a double with a cot and they asked us how many guests were staying and we said five. They gave us five full size Hershey bars and the keys to our room. It’s not at all an inexpensive hotel, but 5 sharing a room makes it affordable.

Then we went to Hershey's World Of Chocolate where we played with anything chocolate interactive we saw, including the cart ride where you get to see how Hershey's chocolate is made including the ever important Hershey's kiss that started everything. When we got off the ride they handed everybody a full size Hershey bar. This city really was a Chocovore’s Dream!

And yes, there existed 5 of these

But it didn't stop with just the chocolate! Our next job was Indian Echo Caverns in nearby Hummelstown for some safe, tourist-style spelunking. As we got to the end of the cave we got to look up and see were ALL the bats sleep during the day. I thought that was totally cool and I believe Heather said it was totally not so cool.

The last thing of the day that we couldn't resist, is right next to Indian Echo Caverns is Indian Echo Mini Golf! I don't remember who won the golf game. I do remember that we were all getting hungry for something not sweet and were getting pretty tired by the end of the day.

The picture in this photo that Heather took was the other four of us after dinner at the Hershey Lodge going up to our room. If it looks like we're all about to follow totally asleep right where the pictures taken it's because it's true. But it was a great weekend.

We did finish off Sunday by going back to Hershey world and going to the outlet store to buy lots of chocolate to bring home. (When it's May, you want to make sure the chocolate is in a cooler or in the area where the air conditioning really kicks in the car) One thing we had to make sure we did at the gift shop was to get something REALLY nice for Tom. There had to be somebody from the full timers that had the mind the store on Saturday, for public access producers to work on their projects. There had to be a nice chocolate gift for the one of us who got left behind.

Nearly a quarter century later these people are still part of my family. I am one lucky woman to have collected such wonderful extra brothers and sisters in my journey so far!

I think in certain aspects copyright laws are a little overprotective. Videos, first off, ARE advertisements to begin with so, it's kind of stupid to say that you can't share an advertisement for free. But more and more that is beginning to happen. Remember when I couldn't show Elvis Presley singing It's Now Or Never? So what I'm leaving you with is the link to the official video. It is totally worth going to check out this video because it's adorable!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JNtAtGGNRU&list=RD4JNtAtGGNRU&start_radio=1&t=12

A Short Post, But Oh, Thank You, Edna!!

First off, I haven't taken the opportunity to say thank you the wonderful Christmas gifts! Here is the view the table that sits right in front of me that I see all of the time when I'm sitting in my recliner:

It includes the beautiful dolly in the dress and hat I loved so much the first time I saw it on Miss Edna's Place. I'm also enjoying the last day today of January's Squirrley on my calendar. Thank you, Edna, the gifts were much appreciated. Including that pumpkin spice tea, OMG, WONDERFUL stuff!


But here I think is the extra big always living thank you on a night like this:

This is the look over the board I call my highchair table on my recliner. It's my very warm legs and toasty feet. Edna made this afghan for me a few years ago and every time we have a night like this I send hugs and kisses and a huge thank you out towards New England. Edna, you're the best and I feel proud and spoiled to call you my friend!