winter

All posts tagged winter

Resolutions for the New Year

Published January 10, 2019 by Angela

Yes, I am a bit late with my resolutions, but I also find too much pressure with keeping resolutions that I set for January 1st. So I need to get into the rhythm of a normal schedule after many days off from work over the holidays, and then I can focus on what I need to fix.


@booksandopinions, llc

And boy, do I need to fix a LOT of things… 2018 was a very difficult year for me, on many fronts. I was certainly grateful to put it behind me, but now my 2019 is not starting off on the strong front I was hoping for. But that does not mean that starting today it can’t.

My anxiety has been absolutely horrible, and every day is a battle to not have a panic attack. The depression is just as bad, and with the long, cold, sunless Michigan days that we have for 4 months straight, I have no desire or motivation to do anything.

@booksandopinions, llc

I have to change my daily routine after work. I need to get out of the house, go to the gym, somewhere outdoors when the weather allows; anything but sit in the house. Thinking. Thinking about what I should be doing with my life, instead of actually doing it.

Things have to change; I fear my life depends on it. It very well might. I will get through these first couple of hurdles, and then next up will be talking through the other big issues affecting my life.

When I spend time in my Bible, I feel calm, peaceful, safe. It is a wonderful place to be.

Until next time…….Blessings for you and yours, make this year your best. This is going to be Day One, no more One Day.


@booksandopinions, llc

Surgery and my Reading Goals

Published January 19, 2018 by Angela

… well, hoping my oldest runs to the library for me while she is spending the weekend with me. I wonder if there is a limit on how many books can be checked out? I’ve been continuing the Nancy Drew series and I can literally read 4 or 5 of those a day if that is all I was reading. But I do have other things to read as well 😊

As far as I know my surgery went well. The surgeon didn’t come and see me at all yesterday after I got back to my room. I have been here all alone as well so I don’t even know how long the surgery took. They had to put a metal plate and screws in as I broke 3 different ankle bones. I definitely have a long and painful road ahead of me.

My oldest daughter will be picking me up today and spending the weekend with me, so I’m a happy girl about that.

Trying to not stress about the fact that I have no idea what I am going to do Monday when she is back home and my 13 year old has school all morning and afternoon.

Definitely looking forward to getting home, seeing my cats, and being in my own bed!

And How Is Your Winter Going?

Published January 9, 2015 by Angela

Mine; not so great. At least not today. I had to take a vacation day from work because as I was cleaning off my car after work yesterday, my driver’s side windshield wiper broke. Clean off. 50 MPH winds, white-outs, and I am holding one of my wipers in my hand.

I am in Muskegon. Living this close to the lake is a blessing in Summer, and a curse in Winter.

I am in Muskegon. Living this close to the lake is a blessing in Summer, and a curse in Winter.

I found someone inside to zip-tie it back on so I could at least attempt to get home. Which was a ride from Hell. I was afraid to use the wipers, for fear it would break off while I was on the road. I got to the nearest auto-parts store, bought new wipers, and was told they could not install them for me. He really wished he could, but it was against company policy.

So by now I am only to the half-way point of getting home, am in tears, and still need to stop to get milk and cat food. I was going to leave work at 11am to beat the storm, and knew I would regret it once I didn’t. Thankfully, the wiper did indeed break off before I got on the road, or who knows what would have happened.

So we are still under a winter storm warning in West Michigan until 4pm today, and it is still snowing out. My new wipers will get put on this afternoon, but with the amount of snow still coming down, I have no intentions of going anywhere today, either.

Now that my “workday” is officially half over, I have still not done a single constructive thing. And probably won’t. I know the fact that I have lived in Michigan for my entire 42+ years means I really should not complain about winter, but I hate it. I hate it more every single year than I did the year before.

Are you caught in this winter storm as well? My girls have not had school for 2 days now, and are on the verge of getting cabin fever, already. What are you doing to pass the time?

Day One of Back To Reality; Here We Go!

Published January 6, 2015 by Angela

I wish I could say I had a spectacular day at work, but it was rather boring. Things tend to be a bit slow at the beginning of the year. My girls got home Sunday afternoon, and were home about 10 minutes before the bickering began. Or should I say continued, from the bickering they had been doing the whole time they were gone.

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I was very happy to have them home, and it is nice to be back on schedule. I was very sad that my 10 year old could not stop crying last night because she missed her dad. All I could do was hug her. I had no answers for her when she kept asking “When are we going to see dad again?” I certainly could not tell her next Christmas, which is more than likely true.

Erin is on track with her home schooling, and I already made it very clear to her that we will not be going to bed on any given night until all assessments are turned in that are due that day.

Weather 1-5-2015

We are still under a Winter Storm Warning here in Michigan. That is supposed to expire Tuesday at noon, and then they will just issue the next one. There is no stop in the snow before Saturday, and with highs of 9 degrees, the wind chill temperature is horrible. The doors on my Mini Cooper were frozen shut this morning and there was no chance of me getting them open to get my safety glasses for work. Thank goodness I have a different car to drive in the Winter!

I hope you are all getting settled into your 2015, working on any resolutions you made, and getting the year started off with a bang!

Barely Into Day 3 of 2015, and I’ve Lost My Motivation!

Published January 3, 2015 by Angela

This is my last full day of my Christmas break without my girls, as they are coming home tomorrow morning. I had a very long day yesterday which included lots of traveling to see my Granny who is in a nursing home and suffering from dementia (she had no clue who I was, but I was so happy to see her, even though it broke my heart to see her like that).

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I also made a pit-stop to my parents, who were fighting like normal, and also why I have not had an overnight visit with them in over 3 years. They have been married over 51 years, but to keep a very long story short, my Mom has numerous issues that have alienated her 4 children, husband, and brother from her. Alcoholism plus mental illness does not a loving mother make. What is does make, however, is a Mother who sees no problem with calling her own children, and grandchildren, horrible names that I would not even think about typing out. And that’s just how she starts a visit off; then it goes downhill from there.

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I got to spend some time with my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew as well as my aunt and uncle. My busy schedule limits my being able to make these road trips to visit, so I was grateful to be able to do so yesterday.

And now there is a storm bearing down on Michigan, and pretty much the entire Eastern side of the U.S. It is still only snow right now (I am in West Michigan, less than 10 minutes from Lake Michigan) but will be turning to rain and freezing rain, and doing that and snowing at least until next Friday.

So I got the groceries I needed before my girls come home, and I really need to get the Christmas tree taken down. I’m pretty sure that will not be happening today. Besides that, I have a couple book reviews to get written and posted, two books to finish, and a cat that is in desperate need of some serious ear scratching since I left him alone more in the past 24 hours than I have ever left him in the 7 months I have had him.

Benny Christmas Eve 12-24-2014 006

Are you in the line of some of this horrible weather moving across the country? How are you going to spend your time? Wishing you warmth and happiness whether you are going out to enjoy it, or staying in to avoid it!

The First Day Of Winter In West Michigan!

Published December 21, 2014 by Angela

I was certainly expecting some snow by the first day of Winter in West Michigan, considering right after Halloween we had a week of horrible storms, several inches of snow, and enough Blizzards that schools and businesses were closed.

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So I was up early, as usual, and since I have not been out lately to get any pictures, I figured it would be a good day to go see what I could find.

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It was freezing cold out, literally at 32 degrees F, and I am pretty sure I destroyed one of my favorite pairs of shoes when I was looking through the lens, and not at the water, and the waves nearly knocked me off my feet when they came roaring in well above my ankles.

Pier Marquette Park, Muskegon, Michigan

Pier Marquette Park, Muskegon, Michigan

I will definitely be wearing the rain boots the next time I venture out this Winter. Once the snow is significant enough, the roads down at the lake are all closed and I will not be able to get anywhere near it. There are definitely both ups, and downs, about living less than 10 minutes from Lake Michigan.

The water is colder than you could even imagine!

The water is colder than you could even imagine!

Hoping your Sunday is warm, and full of Blessings and Happiness! I plan on doing not a whole lot more than reading 🙂

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And So It Begins In West Michigan…

Published November 17, 2014 by Angela

…a Winter season that is looking to be as bad as everyone predicted, which is even worse than last year. It is currently 6:15pm here, on November 17th, and there are 104 closings for evening events that were scheduled. I think the school closings will start coming in by about 10 pm.

Another thing that I get out of the Winter season is numerous Doctor, Med-center, and Emergency room visits. Case in point: a 5:00 am trip to the ER this morning with my 16 year old. She has asthma, and as soon as the temperature gets to a certain degree outside, she is pretty much miserable for the entire Winter season. I spent $55.00 on an OTC nebulizer at the pharmacy yesterday which seemed to help, momentarily. Her other inhalers were not doing the trick. But this morning by the time I got out of the shower and dressed for work, she asked to go to the emergency room. I know better than to second guess or question her when she asks, because she will suffer in silence until she can absolutely not deal with it any longer.

And that other lovely side effect of bad Michigan Winters is lots of snow days for my girls. Which means lots of phone calls at work for me, because they cannot get along. Sometimes they do spectacular together, other days, they really all just need to be in separate rooms.

And the worst side effect is that I get seasonal depression. Which is much worse than my regular depression I deal with on a daily basis. As soon as the time changed and it started getting dark at 5:30 pm, I have been short of patience. I have plenty of books on my reading list, and my best defense against this very real seasonal depression is laying in my comfortable bed with my cat, reading great stories.

How do you handle the Winter weather if you are in a snowy state?

What The Hell Is Wrong With Me?

Published February 7, 2014 by Angela

No, this isn’t a hypothetical question. I have seriously been asking myself this question pretty much since the beginning of 2014.

I would like to blame the non-stop snow that has been gracing Michigan since the end of October/beginning of November. OK, so maybe that can take some of the blame. I really do not like being cold. At all. But I have been very, very grouchy. And angry. And bitchy. the small things that I have shrugged off for the past several months are suddenly huge boulders of problems that I am carrying around on my shoulders. No, it isn’t that these small things are just happening over-and-over again and I have finally had enough. It is the little things that would not bother any normal-mood person (including me) are now enough to set me on edge.

 

I have been feeling incredible for the past several months: I have made some positive changes in my life that have really been a huge improvement on my quality of life, for myself and my 4 girls. I have a wonderful job (no, really, it IS wonderful) that allows me to take care of my girls without any help from anyone, a nice home, my health, 4 healthy girls, a wonderful group of friends and co-workers, and a church family that help me stay grounded.

So why can’t I shake the bad mood? Is it really SAD? You know, seasonal affective disorder? It shouldn’t be. I just know this, without going into all the details 🙂

So why don’t I feel as great now as I have been for the past several months? Believe me, I am not sitting around saying “Poor Me”. I truly know how lucky and blessed I am, and I say thanks for that every, single, day.

I am just tired of the little stuff feeling like huge things. It’s not. It isn’t any bigger than it would have been if it happened last November.

So since I have only lost about the first week of February (we won’t even discuss January), I really need to get it back in perspective, and quit sweating the small stuff.

I know I need some “me” time. My girls and I have been stuck in the house together due to -20 wind chills and non-stop snow. Along with too many snow days to even count. No house is big enough for that much estrogen for that many days without some space.

So here’s to February, and hopefully melting snow in March, and flower buds in April, and a better attitude than I have had. Here’s to being happy, just because I should be!

Why Not? Let’s Have Another Snow Day!

Published January 28, 2014 by Angela

ImageIt’s pretty bad when they can only show 1 warning at a time!

School is closed by 6pm for tomorrow. Wind chill warnings and non-stop snow until at least Wednesday. Warned by police to stay off the roads unless necessary, I am sure my employer will find my attendance at work necessary 🙂 It is becoming difficult to find things for my girls to do that keep them quiet during the day while I need to sleep. They are burning up their laptop and the Wii, but have been getting along rather well. I fear the number of days they may have to go to school into their summer vacation due to this cold snap that seems like it will never end.

OK, let’s be honest, them going to school through the summer would honestly make me happy 🙂 There, I said it!

I know the feeling!

I know the feeling!

Even my online classes are having connection difficulties! We are hunkered down, taking it a day at a time. I stop to the store each morning buying what I think we may need to get through a couple days if we end up completely stuck in the house. The worst is yet to come, so I need to be prepared.

Yes, I think 3 gallons of milk in the fridge is enough (actually, I ran out of room). I guess I could buy more and keep it in my snow bank! My girls are tearing up the latest boxes of cereal I bought, therefore the fear of a personal milk shortage.

What are you doing to keep yourself and your children busy when it’s too cold to leave the house?