Thank You Thursday

Dear Christmas Decorations,

Thank you for making home feel all the more cozy and warm. Pain is still very present and my days are being spent much the same as before, but now I get to go through it all while looking at the festive wonderfulness of the tree, wreath, garland and nick-knacks. My baking is even enhanced by Christmas music playing in the background. I especially appreciate how you take up a space in the dining room I otherwise have no idea what to do with.

Now if only I could find a way to capture it on film. Since that doesn't seem to be happening I will just have to sit and drink it in as much as I can between now and January when you will have to all come down.



Dear Migraines,

Thank you for ruining yet another week. You always find a way to remind me that my life isn't normal. Take me down a peg, if you will. You try so hard to make me believe you will never leave me. You hang on so tight, keep me so close. Then, you start to loosen your grip for a day, sometimes two. And just when I start feeling downright upbeat, you pull me close again. You reassure me of our strong bond and smother me with your affections.

You've ruined so many of my week, this is just one of them.

Just For Fun

After more than a week of migraines my brain has become quite scrambled. So I thought today I would share a great clip from Saturday Night Live. 

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/buble-duets/1374390/

I couldn't find it on YouTube but this link will take you there. Enjoy!

Holiday Annoyances

As much as I love the holidays there are parts of it that are pretty annoying to this Migrainista.

- LED lights are obnoxiously bright compared to the soft glow of traditional Christmas lights. While I can control what lights shine in my own house I don't have any say over the rest of the world, who seem to be moving more and more towards this energy efficient option. Not so good for the head.

- Salvation Army bell ringing. Don't get me wrong, I fully support the Salvation Army and their annual Christmas campaign. What I hate is being forced to walk through the ear assaulting ringing to get into the grocery store when my head is already pounding. Not so good for the head.

- Scented candles and such EVERYWHERE. Seems like everywhere I go this time of year strong scents are are there to assault my nose. It used to be just the mall but now it's at the drug stores, grocery stores and even big box stores. I'm sure they intend to get shoppers in the mood with this simple tool but it's not so good for the head.

Basically the holidays present a full on assault of the senses, which makes going out in public an even bigger challenge than it usually does for me. 

Thanksgiving Change

What a relief to be home again. My husband, our dog and I traveled up to Minnesota to be with my mom and sister for Thanksgiving. Going to Rochester always feels like going home. It's all so familiar and comforting. But, with the blessed passage of time, things inevitably change. We all live in different homes. We all have different animals. We continue to get older and change.

For the first time in my 34 years I'm feeling like the whole traditional Thanksgiving meal is, well, played. I've always loved our holiday meals; turkey, homemade stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, gravy to top it all and pie to end the meal. Preparations are quite time consuming and require a good deal of time management. Normally I enjoy the preparation process is just as much as the consumption but this year was different. 

Obviously, since I no longer eat meat, turkey doesn't have the appeal it once did. But that has been the case for the past 3 years so doesn't explain my reaction this year. I love mashed potatoes in any circumstance so that wasn't it. I guess it was really about the stuffing. It's a very Thanksgiving thing this stuffing, tasty and special because of it's rarity. Perhaps my taste buds have changed or perhaps living with chronic pain have changed how I view a meal that requires so much time and prep. 

I feel like I would be fine with holiday meals that are tasty, healthy and full of beloved people coming together to laugh and eat no matter what the meal is. It's special to me because I was with my family and would have been just as special if we ate take-out from Noodles & Co. 

Thank You Thursday

Dear Readers,

Thank you for being readers. I really appreciate you taking the time to stop by. I wouldn't have kept up all this time if not your support and kindness.

No matter how hard I've tried to come up with words to describe what you all mean to me I have been unable. Let me just say, I appreciate you and look forward to many more years together.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Thank You Thursday

Dear Hubby,

Thank you for leaving for work today with my keys. I was going to run several errands but without keys to the condo or my car I won't be going anywhere. Since I'm not actually feeling so good, errand running wasn't something I was looking forward to doing. What a relief.

The plan for today is now much simpler and more relaxing. A welcome relief for this tired body in pain.

Dear Gypsy,

Thank you for spending your days so loyally by my side. You are such a comfort. Always excited to snuggle and take a nap when I need to. You follow me around, just waiting for your opportunity to get back on my lap. You seem to find great comfort in me but I don't know that you realize how much comfort you bring me.

You are so cute and so sweet. You bring me so many laughs. You even remind me to relax my muscles. I couldn't have asked for a better doggy companion.

Dear Skype,

Thank you for allowing me to both see and talk with my family and friends online. It's hard being so far away and talking on the phone just isn't the same. With your help I can see their body language, pets, and can even have multi-person conversations. It's almost like I'm sitting down and talking with them.

Maybe the best part is that it's all free. Precious few great technologies are free to utilize. This fact makes you all the better. Thank you.

Preparing for the Big Day

With Thanksgiving just a week away I'm bursting with excitement for Christmas. I can hardly wait to start putting up my decorations and listening to festive music. Fortunately, I'll actually be fairly busy until after next Thursday getting ready to travel to Minnesota, my appointment at Mayo, a pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving meal with the in-laws and such.

It is my preparations for the actual Thanksgiving dinner that are perhaps the most complicated. We'll be at my mom's house with her 3 dogs, our dog, my sister and her friend from work, and perhaps a couple of neighbors and an old family friend. The potential for all the non-family members being present means that I need to put more into my preparations.

Now if only I could figure out a way to control my migraines and ensure that they won't be making an appearance. But since that's not one of my skills I'll have to make due with what I do have.
 - rescue medications
 - the ability to opt out of meal preparations
 - sunglasses and a hat
 - comfy clothes
 - my sweet little lap dog
 - understanding family
 - time to rest in advance

These are my only ideas but I'm open to any suggestions. What will you be doing to manage your pain and optimize your fun over Thanksgiving?