Good news thread - January 21st

So, it's been a quiet week and I trying to wrestle out the grips of the winter blahs but ...

- last night I made it to the new swim group and i kept with the two other guys doing the same set! YAY! Totally gives me some purpose to my swimming as well as some good feedback.

- I made it through a very cold, windy and slightly slippery long run on Sunday

- I've been able to enjoy some down-time with my new hubby which is awesome after such a busy fall

- Kitty toilet training is going welll (yes, we're still going)

I hear secondhand that my swim instructor thinks I'm making very good progress.  Oddly, I think it's cooler than hearing it from her directly. 

So many positives this week, in spite of it being a 1099 week from hell....

- I get my new iMac tomorrow after way too long away from Apple products
- my fiance and I are making some AWESOME plans for the wedding on Cape Cod.  Found a house for my mom to rent for $900 so it looks like my entire family can afford to be there!!!!  Also found the perfect song for KLs nephews to play on guitar during the ceremony. 
- my oldest nephew leaves on Tuesday for a semester abroad in Manchester, England.  I am so the proud aunt!
- I get to visit with my whole family tomorrow at the going away party
- Lastly, I am finally starting to think about races for this season....which means I may start working out consistently, maybe even this month!

I hope you all have an amazing weekend lined up!

* After taking a week off to let some Achilles soreness subside, I'm back running.
* Lisa started her regular hours this week.
* Taxes... Good news/bad news, but at least it's mostly good news -- getting some money back this year.
* Seattle is out of the playoffs,  but Chicago is still in.
* Got to ride my motorcycle to work on Wednesday, and it looks like some nice weather coming, so I'll get to do it more next week.
* Got an extra day with my daughter this week.
* My daughter was having trouble with her multiplication, so I did some tables for her to fill out (0-12 on one axis, 0-3 on the other, randomly filled in). In about an hour, she went from 3:02 to 2:36 in getting all the answers filled in, and they were all correct.

Where do I even begin? And having started, where could I possibly end?

Every moment is a gift. Every breath is good news.

- Casey the choco piggy (chocolate Lab) has come back to live with me
- I was annoyed by traffic today then realized I WAS ALIVE to be annoyed
- Friends called me just to see how I was doing
- I made some new friends today
- I get to enjoy a weekend with my beloved holiday mini-piglet before he leaves
- Asia's top tri coach has agreed to come and do a bunch of free/ridiculously discounted stuff for Bali Tri Club
- my kitty cats recovered well from surgery (too well, as it turns out)
- I had a massive endless dim sum lunch with my sister and we shared hysterical MSG giggles afterward

*Bonus paid today.  Raise went into effect today. 
* I bought a new down sweater vest and new ski pants with part of the bonus.
* I got to skiing a great powder day on Monday. 

My first week of school for this semester was at first a bit daunting (my Spanish prof, like, speaks SPANISH!), but turned out to be quite nice.

I left my bike helmet in class and rode all the way home before I realized it. Fortunately, it was found and turned in to the department office, and I was able to reclaim it.

I had to go to the dentist to get a cracked tooth taken care of and they banged my tongue good with the drill, and so in addition to having to pay $434 that I don't have, I also have big pain when I drink, eat, talk and breathe. But... at least I have insurance, and some leftover vicodin from another illness last year.

We don't get to go skiing this weekend like we'd planned, but at least I have a SO who is willing to say, "we can't afford it" rather than put us in a bad spot financially to make it happen. And now I get to spend a whole weekend in my sewing room or my garden.

And, no matter how bad I feel now, I'm still much much better than I felt even just a month ago.

It was a rough week for me...but..

I had two paid days off this week (one for MLK and one for snow).

Had a rough week but it ended on a GREAT note!  I found Strongbow cider in a rinky dink little liquor store.  Yummy!

It wasn't one my best weeks this year so far but:

- Made a new friend who i think is pretty cool
- Started volunteering once again at the humane society, that always makes me feel good.

Despite having to take a State-induced furlough day, I spent the day skiing with my 2 older sons.  Minor setback, though, that it started out around -19 deg. F, then eventually climbed up to 1 deg. F (yay for positive digits!).
Thank goodness for layers and those little handwarmer thingies that can go in your gloves.

I found out yesterday my knee problem is probably a stress fracture this is great news! it will heal on its own, no tendon/ligament/meniscus damage, and no surgery or time consuming and expensive physical therapy. I was bummed at first, but after thinking it over for a minute, this is the best news I've gotten in a while!

I got my grades in.  Finally.

Jazz graduated from Basic Obedience!    He got a diploma, a K9U bandanna (white, meaning he passed the basic level), and a certificate naming him Most Likely to Succeed at Agility.  I'm a proud mama.