Make up 10 Pseudonyms for yourself:
- Juanece
- RJM
- Rivkah M
- Rebekah Alexandria
- RJ Marshall
- Cashmere
- Ireland Bennet
- Ema Marshall
- Charlotte’s Ema
- Salsa Rebekah
Tag Archives: grandparenting
Time For Tea – (Day 24)
Today’s assignment was to ask someone out for coffee and then write about it.
I’m not a coffee drinker, but tea is right up my alley. I found myself with some free time in the middle of the day, a rarity. I asked my best friend Erica if she would like to get together and suggested either Cheesecake Factory or The Steeping Room. My only hesitation on The Steeping Room was the need for a reservation, which also meant committing to a time schedule (which could fall through depending on many factors – mostly her busy workday and dealing with twin three-year-olds.) She preferred The Steeping Room due to dietary gluten-free concerns and made the reservation for us. She also offered to drive. Apparently, she always gets “glutened” as she calls it when she goes to the Cheesecake Factory, despite the fact that they have a gluten-free menu and gluten-free options.
We talked about my pain level, marriage to my sweet husband, photography (her passion right now), her boys, our exes, my kids, my granddaughter, and my writing course I was finishing up. She ordered Mexican Hot Chocolate with some alternative milk and a gluten-free grilled cheese sandwich that she adores. I got Hibiscus Iced Tea and the Buddha Bowl – a hodgepodge of sweet potato, beans, chicken, greens of the day, grains of the day, and a delicious cashew dressing. I crave it in between chances to eat there.
We bemoaned our fatness, talked about what has worked lately to sate appetite and manage cravings, reminisced about the good ol’ days when it was easier to lose weight and move…
Mostly, we just caught up on life and enjoyed some stolen moments in the middle of the day without children, grandchildren, work, or obligations. It was a lovely time and will hopefully be repeated many more times in the future.
Harry Potter Party
I am having a Harry Potter Party right this second. We are near the end of the 2nd movie. Only 6 to go. I spent days preparing and am so happy with the results. I made this cake and was quite proud of how it turned out.
I am Molly Weasley. My daughter decorated this mirror and made wands out of pretzels, chocolate, and sprinkles.
My grandbaby is Dobby. She was adorable. That is a sock attached to her side there.
My son drew this version of Dobby for my wall.
All in all, I am having a lovely time on Spring Break and looking forward to even more fun and relaxation after making it through all 8 Harry Potter movies.
Excite/Drain – (Day 12)
Today’s assignment is to make a list of things that excite me and things that drain me:
Excites Me: Writing things I want to write, reading books, spending time with my husband, artist’s dates, lunches/tea with friends one-on-one, watching shows I like, going to the movies, teaching, creating lessons that excite teenagers, dancing Salsa, eating good food, getting to see my granddaughter Charlotte, going to WriteHers’ Group at coffee shops, naps, early bedtimes, great quotes, positive stories, peace, listening to my records and music of my choosing, planning/listing/scheduling stuff
I should do more of these things.
Drains Me: Grading papers, spending time with groups of people, meetings of any kind, my children, cleaning, exercising, cooking, David’s dog, paying bills, working my part-time job on weekends, taking care of my granddaughter Charlotte, shopping, playing games, parties, social gathering of any kind pretty much, Facebook, ethical relativism, conflict, music I don’t like, loud tv, video games, worrying
I should do less of these things.
Tea Stains – (Day 11)
http://austinkleon.com/tag/tea-drawings/
I found this interesting artistic blog by Austin Kleon that shows drawings made from tea stains. People create such interesting things.
My assignment today was to attempt just such an artistic endeavor, though that is not my forte.
Instead, I’ll write about the cup of tea I actually drank earlier, without making any art from the tea bag.
One of the most comforting moments in my day is the brewing of a cup of tea. I usually boil a pot of water in an electric kettle, place a P.G. Tips triangle shaped tea bag imported from England into a cup, pour the water over the teabag and only let it brew for a minute. I don’t like it too strong. The final touch to my tea is Coffeemate’s Italian Sweet Cream creamer. It is the quick equivalent of cream and sugar and just makes it creamy delicious.
I grew up drinking sweet creamy tea thanks to my grandmother – Mema. She also shared that gift with my children because she babysat them prior to their school years. I am assuming she will continue to pass forward the gift to my grandchild since they spend so much time together.
Once I have a perfect cup of tea ready to sip on, I usually write, read, or engage in something creative. So I guess I have come to connect hot tea with both comfort and productivity/creativity. Maybe it’s the little boost of caffeine that gets me motivated. Whatever the case, hot tea is a staple for me and a lovely part of my day.
Win Some, Lose Some – (Day 8)
Today’s exercise is to list some recent victories and some recent losses.
Victories: Signed up for James Patterson’s Master Class that teaches writing; made my second to last payment on my college school loan – I graduated 20 years ago; found a fabulous candle that I love the smell of – Febreeze willow blossom; have lost 7 pounds on Weight Watchers so far; snagged a hottie husband four months ago; got my grades turned in on time (I’m a high school teacher); found an awesome favorite pen (thanks to my husband buying one for me); shared modern-day heroes for Black History Month with my high school students
Losses: lost partial control of my high school girls’ neurologically impaired class…while being observed by my principal…kids suck sometimes…; let my ex-husband get my goat from afar; ate food just because I was craving it this week instead of making better choices; got a ticket for not stopping correctly at a stop sign
I think the Victories outweigh the Losses.
Receipt Memories – (Day 5)
For today’s assignment, I was supposed to find a receipt and say what I can remember about the day I made the purchase.
My husband and I got in around 1 in the morning after driving home from his martial arts class 3 /12 hours away in Houston. We were exhausted and probably fell asleep by 1:30 or 2:00am. Suddenly, I was awakened by David fiddling with my phone around 3:45am. Because my ringer was silenced, I didn’t know my daughter had been calling and texting for 30 minutes straight. David woke up somehow and alerted me.
She was at the emergency room with heart palpitations brought on by unknown causes. A friend of hers got her to the hospital and my grandmother kept the baby. I sat in the room with her and her friend for a few hours talking, reassuring, and asking the doctors questions they couldn’t answer.
When it became apparent that it was going to be a few more hours before she would be released, the doctors were declaring all the major systems working fine, and her friend was planning to stay with her, I headed home to sleep some more. I was exhausted and running on fumes.
My alarm was set for 9:30am because I had a 10:00am appointment to get my Depo shot. From there I headed to my grandmother’s to check on my daughter and granddaughter. On the way, my Mema asked if I could stop by Walgreens and pick up Lydia’s prescription for an anxiety med. The doctors ruled her episode a panic attack brought on by anxiety. Who knows if that is the real diagnosis. My grandbaby Charlotte was in a great mood, running all over and entertaining everyone. My sister and brother-in-law were there, too. It was good fun.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing with my husband watching episodes of Community and Friends. We made salmon for dinner and enjoyed a day off on a weekday. It was President’s Day and my school was closed. David’s company was shut down, too. We had a lovely relaxing evening. He painted. I wrote. Life was good. It started scary and rough, but ended well.
I think one of my favorite moments was at 3 something am when my sweet husband offered to accompany me to the hospital. He was even more tired than me after hours of martial arts, but offered to come with me. I am a lucky, lucky woman.
Thanks to… (Day 2)
Today’s assignment is to appreciate things people have taught me in life.
Thanks to Charlotte who taught me what it feels like to be a grandmother.
Thanks to Boaz who taught me how to let go.
Thanks to Lydia who taught me to love unconditionally.
Thanks to Tony who taught me to endure difficulty and remain compassionate.
Thanks to David who taught me how to relax and love again.
4 Vacation Days Left
I have thoroughly enjoyed this vacation. I have filled it a bit too full at times, but I made up for that yesterday with two long naps! My creativity course is proceeding splendidly. I am in week 2 and have done all of my writing exercises each and every day. I’m learning a little bit about my own habits and weaknesses that tend to interfere with my time for writing. I am also learning a plethora about my own creative potential and how much untapped awesomeness is contained in this universe. I don’t have to believe that every ounce resides in me, but simply that I can be a channel to get it on paper. I have to develop the willingness to let all that energy and beauty flow through me. Part of the willingness is simply showing up to the page and taking the steps to do the work. I do a ton more daydreaming about writing than actually writing. 🙂
Also, I am very excited to report that my sweet fiance has a three day weekend, which he will be spending with me when he wakes up. He was up during the night with a sick dog. I was no help. I was conked out. The dog and I are fine this morning, but my poor man is exhausted and needs to sleep the morning away.
Super amazing news – I have reached my summertime swimming goal of 60 laps. I’m not resting on my laurels, though. Now I’ve decided to set a new goal of 66 laps because my grandfather figured out that 66 (considering all the measurements of his pool) would equal half a mile. I just like the sound of swimming a nice round half mile.
This has been one of my best vacations ever. I have Salsa’d, written, read, sipped tons of tea, played with my granddaughter, attended support groups, worked on my creativity course, cleaned house making my environment more livable, swam, had outings with friends, gone to the movies, taken myself out to eat, roamed bookstores, and napped to my heart’s content. This is the way to live.
HEB Jungle
It has been one week since my pain left my joints. I have finished my cleanse and am now following a strict diet that does not include any inflammation-causing ingredients…mostly consuming fruits, veggies, lean meats, and drinking tons of water. I still walk with a limp, tire easily, get cramps and twinges of discomfort, and have swelling that has not gone away entirely. I am feeling a little more hopeful, though.
The other day I stood up and my hip caught, causing shooting pain all the way to my head. I doubled over on the bed and wept ferociously. All the terror of an impending lifetime of crippling pain overwhelmed me and I just broke down. My poor fiance witnessed my hysteria, tried to console me, and quite heroicly never said another word about it once I was all better. Such a gentleman. I have to accept that it will not be all smooth sailing. I am sure my road to recovery will be arduous and fraught with setbacks, as all roads to recovery seem to be. Why would I expect it to be otherwise? But I can’t give up at each obstacle or I’ll never get to the good stuff.
Yesterday, my daughter left me in charge of my granddaughter in the car while she shopped. She thought we should drive around the parking lot in the air conditioning so I wouldn’t have to walk and we could stay cool in the Texas heat. Instead, we went on an adventure…something I never would have done a week ago. Charlotte and I created a pram out of one of the smaller carts and explored the jungle that is HEB’s outdoor garden center. We touched each and every flower, bush, and plant that looked safe. We wheeled under hanging plants and looked at them from below. We weaved in and out of potted trees and stood underneath giant fans that made the shaded area quite comfortable, despite the 95 degree Texas heat.
We got thirsty and enjoyed refreshments next to a beautiful large-leafed plant that looked very exotic. Charlotte stared at it the entire time she drank her bottle. For the first time in a very long time, I did something that involved walking, entertained my grandbaby successfully, and spent time outside in a nature-like setting. This was big for me. The warmth, good bottle, and spirit of adventure took their toll and left us both quite spent, but it was good fun. Charlotte is a good recovery partner. She does not judge my need for breaks, does not hurry me along, goes right along with my crazy ideas, and takes naps. My kind of girl.
rebekahjmarshall 