First Week at Home

Today closes our first week living in the new house. We love it here. It's so much bigger than the places we've lived during the past two years. Not nearly as big as our apartments in Buffalo, but those were actually too big for us and they weren't as functional. This house is the perfect size and layout for us to have personal space without feeling lost and the place is updated to the point of being extremely comfortable without being overwhelming or overdone. Best of all, the kitty and puppy love this house! They can get away from each other when they need to, play in the yard for exercise and bathroom breaks, and hang out with us when they care to be social. It's perfect for all members of the family.

Our first week here has been sullied, to use an old fashioned term, only by other life concerns. I have been following a strict, low triglyceride, diet for about 3 weeks now and have seen some outward changes. As of Tuesday I had lost a total of 8 lbs since my last doctor's appointment, but put on about 2 lbs yesterday due to some indulgence at a work luncheon and a dinner out. Hopefully I can shed that 2 lbs again this week and a bit more on top of that. I'd like to break into a new weight range before my next doctor's appointment. I've also noticed that when I eat heavier foods with more saturated fat, etc that my tummy gets a bit upset and I can feel some slight cardiovascular differences. Basically, my chest will feel a bit tight and sometimes I get a tiny shooting pain in my biceps and forearms. Maybe I'm just imagining that part, but eating lighter foods that won't spike my cholesterol and triglycerides generally makes me feel better than not doing so, though I'm often tired from failing to find healthy protein sources.

Leigh's health has been deteriorating since we came back from Virginia for her father's memorial service. When we initially returned home she became very ill, but we assumed it was brought on by stress and travel. She got some antibiotics and started feeling better for a few weeks. Then last week she became very ill. The only trigger I can recall is a very spicy dinner we had. Maybe that caused an overall flare up or maybe it's just coincidence and she was "due" for some pain and suffering. Either way it's been really hard on her. Good thing she has some appointments and tests scheduled soon. We are both eager to get her on a good treatment regimen so she can get back to her old self.

These health concerns have put a small damper on the new house. We haven't really broken the place in at all yet! The kitchen is still in disarray even though Leigh has been looking forward to setting it up for weeks. We haven't had the time or energy to move our clothing into the closets and we have only used Leigh's new grill once! Travesty! But this is what happens when you're busy with work, medical stuff, puppy school, errands, etc.

We even had a relative visit this week for a few days! Leigh's grandmother was traveling through town on a bus tour, so we made as much time as possible to spend with her when she wasn't busy sight-seeing. She seems to be having a wonderful trip and it was great to see her. We were really happy to be able to show her the house she helped make possible and we were proud to know how much she's enjoying her visit to our new home. On multiple occasions she said, "well, I can certainly see why you like it here so much!"

I can't express how glad I am that it's the weekend now. I need some down time, though I expect I'll use every minute of my weekend to get things done. Tomorrow I have an appointment and we MUST do some shopping for the house. We don't even have a kitchen garbage bin yet! Then there's endless unpacking and tidying to do and, of course, laundry. At some point the puppy could use some homework time (we're learning "stay" and "wait" now) I could REALLY use a nap!

Speaking of naps, it's about my bedtime.... a la prochaine!