OMG

Sure enough, my blood sugar levels this morning were over 180 due to me drinking that crystal light all day yesterday. So, I have to drink a lot of water today.
Also, a few days ago I pulled some muscles in my lower back lifting up my dryer. Last night I went to the gym to try to stretch out my back. I tried walking on the treadmill and riding the bike. No luck.
SO naturally this morning when I woke up just moving in my bed aggravated my back to sheer pain. Just moving around this morning has made pain shoot straight down my back into my legs.
I think going to the gym was a bad idea. Obviously.
Now I will have to nurse it for awhile. That means when I do go back to the gym, I'll have to work even harder to get back where I was.
Even though I'm not up to par this morning, I am bound and determined to have a good day.
And I hope everyone has a good weekend.

Diabetes

I swear, those of you who don't have diabetes wouldn't understand how much of a pain it is sometimes. I don't mean to complain, but sometimes it just sucks. An example is this. I went to the store and got a new brand of crystal light. This powdered drink is usually sugar free. So I bought some. It is a green tea that has peaches and melon flavor in it. So I drank like three glasses of it last night and my blood sugar reading this morning was 166. I have high sugar levels sometimes so I didn't really think about it.
I keep drinking it all day today. Dad called and asked why it was so high this morning. [ I call him each morning with my levels ]
Anyway, I then looked on the bottle and sure enough it has 40 calaries per 8oz with 5 grams of sugar. I have drunk at least 1/2 of gallon of this stuff all day so now I'm sure my levels are gonna be high tomorrow morning.
Even low fat yogurt has 80 cal. with 2 grams of sugar. Cottage cheese [1/2 cup ] has100 cal. and 3 grams of sugar. These are two "powerfuels" that I eat everyday.
To have a healthy maintenance of your blood sugar, you have to literally watch everything you put in your mouth. Sometimes it's easy, but other times it's a drag. And it's really hard when I go out to eat to make smart choices.
I've been diagnosed since November of 2009. I keep learning everyday about how to eat and what to eat. I just wish I could take a vacation sometime from eating the right things all the time. But I do have to say that I like to go to the doctor when I know I have controlled my blood sugar levels.

Tuesday

Well the news has forecasted that we won't be getting the amount of rainfall and winds that they earlier predicted. Thank goodness. But those poor souls in New Orleans are gonna be hammered by Hurricane Isaac. Tomorrow marks the 7th. anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Remember that one? 1,800 people died in that storm. I hope the new levees that they have built will protect the city.
But a lot of people have taken sense of the warnings this time around and have evacuated. We sure don't need a whole town full of folks staying around for another hurricane.
The news did a segment on the animal shelters transporting dogs and cats to area shelter here in town. I'm glad they thought of that. Who knows how many animals died the last time. The last time people had to leave their homes and just left their animals at home. Most of them thought that they would be back in a few days, instead of a few months.
But I think we have learned a lot of lessons when it came to Katrina. Hopefully many more lives will be spared this time around.
Well those are just a few thoughts I had and wanted to share. Stay safe everyone.

Little Gestures

You know, when someone says or does something nice to you it just makes your whole day. This morning I had this stranger that I was walking by say "hey pretty lady." Then this afternoon another guy helped me back out of my parking place. He was parked next to me in a SUV. I was having a hard time seeing around it so he got out of his car and motioned me out. I just thought that was so nice.
So today was a good day.
I've been watching the news this afternoon about Hurricane Isaac. They still don't know for sure if it will stay in a westerly route or turn to the east. Regardless, I think we will get some winds and rain. My mother was telling me that the east winds of a hurricane are stronger. SO I don't know.
I just checked my batteries and my weather radio just in case.
Well thats about all my news for the day. Have a good week everyone!

Neill

Neill Armstrong died yesterday at the age of 82/yrs. Fox6 did a story on him. He was born in 1930 and at the age of 20 he was flying jets for the air force. He joined NASA in 1962 and was in space just four years later. After landing on the moon, he stayed at NASA until 1974, where he left and started teaching. While out in public he never agree to an autograph. This was interesting since he was such a popular figure. Since he never got into the public image of his celebrity he was able to walk into the grocery store without being mobbed. He died after a long illness which he was surrounded by family.
Can you just imagine what stories he was able to tell? I would have loved to interview him. They said that he was very "down to earth." A "simple man."
This is one of the reasons why I like older people. They have so much to contribute. Both in history and experience. They've seen so much.
Maybe when I get that age, I'll have a lot to share to others.

Birthdays

My sister's birthday was yesterday. I am so glad that her best friend kidnapped her for a drink last night. I'm so glad that she celebrated it because last year she didn't. Some people don't celebrate their birthdays at all. Like my brother. My brother has never wanted to recognize his birthday. I think thats sad because a birthday is your own special day.
I have always celebrated mine. When I was working , I would always take that day off. Sleep in late and be lazy.
So I think birthdays should be celebrated. If not to spend them with family or friends, to reserve that day for yourself.

I Can't Believe This

Don't you just hate it when someone moves and don't take their pets with them? This has happened in my neck of the woods. These people moved away and left their two kittens behind. I saw them walking around yesterday. They can't be more than a few months old.
I don't want to leave food out for them, cause I'll never get rid of them if I do and plus I don't want to attract any critters around here. So I left water out on my patio. At least they'll be able to have a drink.
I can't stand to see this happen. What goes through peoples minds when they do these things?
Maybe if I had my crate with me I would trap them and take them to a shelter. One of them is very friendly, but the other one won't let you get close to it at all.
You know this is why we have so many stray dogs and cats roaming around. Well I don't know that for sure, but it makes sense.
I just saw on the news the other night that a woman from Mississippi drove to Parrish Alabama in Walker county near Jasper to feed and pick up stray dogs to take them back to her home to the shelters. Apparently there is not a shelter in Parrish. I was really sad because a lot of these dogs had been hit by cars or they were bone thin.
I just wish all people would take care of their pets so we wouldn't have these troubles.

A New Day

When I woke this morning, yep actually woke up from 4 hours of sleep. Hippee!!!!!! Again, when I woke I had a much better outlook. After  I walked this morning, I felt like everything was going to be ok. And when I got home today I planned out how I was going to be more happy.
We all get down in the dumps sometimes. Whats important is how to get out of the dumps and how to keep a positive attitude. What also helps is being around positive people. That is that helps me.
One way is to accept that there are things that you can't change. That you have no control over.
And secondly, try to appreciate your talents. Don't be so critical over yourself and others. Weigh the pros and cons of a simple task that you might find difficult. And always believe in yourself.

Monday Continued

Hey, well this is the second time I've blogged today. I ended up going to the gym. I walked on the treadmill and rode the bikes there. I feel much better. Got my energy back.
I guess you have to make your own "positives" everyday to keep a good outlook on things. It's easy to get down, but much easier to see the brighter side in life too.

Monday

I should have known better than to think that I would get as much sleep as I did the other night. I know I have been talking a lot about this, but when you don't get enough sleep you struggle the next day. On Saturday night I got 11 hours of sleep, but last night I got 3 hours of sleep.
I didn't stay long at volunteering today and it's now too hot to walk. Tomorrow regardless of how much I sleep, I'm going to get started early and walk then volunteer. I can't let this sickness get the best of me.
I was able to get my chores done yesterday. So I have a nice clean house and clean clothes to wear.
It just seems like when you're not feeling well everything just goes by so slowly.

Under the weather

Hey folks. I've been a bit under the weather for the past three days. I haven't slept much. I probably have gotten 9 hours of sleep in three days. My folks and sister have been calling to make sure I'm ok. It's nice to hear from them. I haven't walked, volunteered or done much so I've got cabin fever. I've watched a lot of movies and my favorite show MASH, but I haven't really done anything.
I haven't had the energy. So I'm hoping I will be back to my normal self next week.
It's times like this where the "time" really goes by slowly. I'm also hoping that I will get caught up on my sleep.
So I thought I'd do something today like blogging. You know, when I first started blogging I was worried that I wouldn't be able to choose subjects well. That I'd run out of things to say. This journey of mine has been more or less a place where I can say my peace and have a working log on what I talk about. I wonder how many people really read my blog. That used to be on my mind, but now I really don't think about it anymore. This is a chance for me to open up and share my inspirations and life with others.
I've always been on the shy side and not really outgoing. Sometimes I wish I were more outgoing cause I think it would improve my communication skills. But I've always had my few set of friends and my daily functions which keep me busy. I don't really think about whats beyond "my little world." I think we all are like this. We all get so caught up in "our" problems and "our" life that it's hard to look at other things. And we all think that we are the only ones going through barriers.
I think if we stop in our tracks and look at the broader view, we might be able to be more open. Sounds good, but are we ready to do that.

Nephew

Yesterday, was my nephews birthday. He turned a whopping 17/yrs. old. I still can't believe he's that old or that he will be in the 11th. grade. It was just like it was years ago when he was a little boy. This triggered me to go through all of his pictures growing up. How dependent he was on all of us and how much of a joy he was at that age. Don't get me wrong he's still a joy to be around, he's just not a little boy anymore. It also makes you think how old you are. And I bet my sister, his mother feels the same way.
He's the only grandchild in the family, so you can just imagine how much time was dotted on him. I can remember when I was in my 20's, how I wanted five boys. Just boys, not girls for some reason. I thought for sure I'd have a lot of children because I was with a man that I had been with for years and I just knew we would get married at some point. But as people change, that never happened. Of course, I've dated on and off for the past fifteen years, but they were never like my first true love. I don't know if I have meant to compared them to that man, but that magic moment seemed to never happen again.
So, now I'm 47/yrs. old. No children, no husband. Don't get me wrong I am very happy in my life, but things sure didn't work out the way that I thought they would.
I think you just have to take life as it comes. Do the best you can, have a positive attitude and think of each day as an adventure. And if you run across an obstacle like a health problem [ my diabetes ] then you just have to live with it. Make the best of it. And not let anything run your life. Because it's up to you to make that "miracle" happen.

today

Today we got some fierce rain. The storm came through around 11am this morning. Thankfully I was already home. My power went out a few times and the front lawn flooded. We needed the rain, but not this much. I saw on the news that parts of downtown Birmingham flooded. Idiots were driving their cars through these flooded streets. You won't catch me doing that. I did that one time when I had an SUV and I ended up flooding the engine. But I was driving through a flooded bridge in north Alabama. It was covered with water from a stream. Bad idea. Believe me I learned my lesson then.
I went to workout a little while ago. I just joined this gym. I figure it can't hurt. Walking is fine every morning, but it's just not toning me up. So, I went in and rode a bike for 30 minutes then I worked out with the weights. There was an attendant there who showed me the proper way to lift weights. If you want to hire a fitness instructor they only cost 80 dollars an hour. Whew! Too rich for my blood.
Since I've been home, I've just sat around. Didn't feel like doing much. It's going to be a lazy day from this point on.

Thursday

I can't believe it's already August. I got up early today and did my stuff. When I got home, I took a long walk. It was nice because the sun wasn't shining and it had not gotten hot yet. I then made some phone calls and am now washing clothes. Nice relaxing day.
I remember when I used to work, how I would be pressed for time when it came to chores. Even though I volunteer, it isn't nearly the amount of time as I used to be away from home. But I'm glad I do it.
Oh.. I hear the rumbling of thunder outside. Everything is so green outside because we have gotten a steady stream of rain these past couple of weeks.
I saw this same old raccoon outside last night with a crooked tail. My neighbors leave out bread crumbs for the wildlife. Not only does this feed this raccoon, but it also attracts all sorts of rodents. Their country folk, so they don't see the harm in it. I've named that raccoon big Ben. He's a pretty good large raccoon, but looks old as well. And he's not afraid of people. This can be a bad thing. He's even tried to scratch on my kitty door in my front door at night before. So, now I have that sucker taped up, so I'll know for sure he can't get in.
Not much more going on around here. Except, since it's summer the kids are out playing in the mornings when I want to sleep in. I don't sleep in often, but I have found lately that they wake me up.
Kids will be kids.
Well thats about all for me today. I hope everyone has a good weekend.