I couldn't get motivated this morning. When I tried to accomplish something, I couldn't focus. I'd start, then be distracted. Heather came over about noon. We had lunch together and a visit. Next we headed for Enterprise, which is about 30 minutes from Wallowa. She had to get her allergy shot and run a few errands. I was along for the ride. Later we did grocery shopping. Glad to have that done! Everyone was in the store, stocking up for the weekend.

I'm glad Easter weekend has arrived. I understand we are to have a nice weather. My Patrick and Joshua informed their Mom that they didn't want to have an egg hunt this Easter. Guess they have grown up. Dwain's Dad and his wife, Lenora are driving across the state on Saturday to spend Easter with us.

Heather shared information with me today that has drained my strength. Anyone with Fibromyalgia knows that emotional stress increases your pain. I hope that a good night sleep will help. I ask those that read my blog to say a prayer of strength for me.

Looking forward to Josh's opening day of baseball tomorrow. He has one game. I love watching his team play. They are learning and growing as players right before your eyes. I'm a proud Grandma!

Dwain, Lucy and I took a walk after dinner. It was nice to be outside although the sun was going down so the cool of the evening chilled us. I would prefer to take a daily walk earlier in the day, like late morning. By afternoon, my energy level is less. But I did it. :D

A Miscellaneous Day

Had a slow day. Played on Facebook, twitter and email most of the morning. Did accomplish a large load of towels, washed and dried. Cooked chicken, mashed potatoes and salad for dinner. Watched American Idol.

It snowed most of the day. Didn't stick until this evening. Will be interesting to see what happens overnight. Grocery shopping with Heather tomorrow. Will enjoy her company. Also, will be nice to be out.

My Fibro has stayed in check today. Just a slight headache. Had an hour nap this afternoon.

Received a phone call from Seth this evening. It's been too long since we have talked. I miss him. I wish we lived closer. He is settled in his new home. Excited for him to have his first home.
ettled
Lucy will have a bath tomorrow. She is starting to smell like a dog!!

Back in Oregon

My last post I mentioned that Dwain and I were going to hit the road. Well....we did! We were on the road for two weeks. Saw beautiful country. Most was covered in snow. We drove from the north Oregon coast to Rapid City, South Dakota. On our return to Oregon, we circled up to Fortine, Montana. Dwain's brother and his family live there. We planned to stay two days but got snowed in. That gave the brothers another day, which we all appreciated. It was nice to see that the community, which is small, love and support our family. They are in a place where everyone knows your business and helps when they can.

My Fibromyalgia did fine as long as I was able to stretch and walk every four hours. We had one day going to Rapid City and two days heading to NW Montana that we didn't stop as often. Boy did my body feel it and I felt my body! Only once took a pain medication. Otherwise I shifted alot. :D

We arrived in Wallowa, Oregon at 9:30 pm this Monday. It was a long drive from NW Montana. It feels good to be here. It's like returning home. We have spent many summers in this little NE corner of Oregon. We have almost two weeks until we return to Wallowa Lake State Park. We will be spending the summer at the Lake, park hosting.

My Chronic Fatigue continues to play havoc. I sat down about 11 am. I'd been on my feet for several hours and my body needed a rest. It wasn't two minutes and my eye lids were closing. I was able to battle the fatigue until 1:00. I then took a two hour nap. Exhaustion is not fun. You move in what feels like slow motion and you can't think straight.

Time to get to bed for the night. Hope you all have a good night sleep. Hugs

Getting out of Dodge!

HITCH ITCH!!!

Yep, I have hitch itch. It does not cause a rash, upset tummy, diarrhea or hunger. Hitch itch is a term my husband Dwain and I use when we are ready to hit the road. In case you don't remember or you are a new reader, Dwain and I are full-time RVers. We have a 37' Fifth Wheel Montana. After being in an area for awhile, we get hitch itch to get out of Dodge. Well, we are itchin'! We are waiting for our mail to arrive from eastern Oregon then we will hitch up the RV and go! While traveling, we stop every two hours to stretch. We keep snacks and plenty of water in the truck.

I enjoy traveling, seeing new places. It also provides me with time to read or knit. We rarely eat out. The RV is our home so the fridge/freezer is full. Although I don't cook a large meal as we are never as hungry after sitting all day. Also my Fibromyalgia is height on. My butt gets tired and my pain increases. I'm thankful that the drive is not a long day. The drive is always interesting. Not only new scenery, but we always see wildlife...deer, elk, mountain goats ad lots of birds, to name a few.

I'm a lucky girl to be living as I like. It is easier on my body and for that, I am thankful.

It has been so long since I've posted that I'm not sure if I remember how! I've had a rough winter. Park hosting, where I had duties that were a physical challenge. Then Christmas, which ran into tax season. I'm so tired, feeling run down. I have increased physical pain. Chronic Fatigue is rampid throughout my body. I need time not to worry about anything and to rest. I want to give up preparing three meals a day and washing dishes by hand. I want to read the two stacks of books sitting on my floor saying, "Read Me!" Read Me!" Does this sound like I'm lazy? I'm getting small projects done that have waited for five months. I'm not getting enough rest during the day. I hope to rest more this week. My cognative abilities have deminished. With rest, I'm hoping it will improve. I think this negative post must end....Sorry

"Always Get Back Up On The Horse" Author Unknown

Each day when we woke, we had the opportunity to chose how our day would go. We ate anything we wished. We took a shower without assistance and we could stay in that shower 'til the hot water ran cold. We are wives and Mothers who took care of our home, raised our children and loved our husbands. Some worked outside of our home. We attended our children's sporting events and extra curricular activities. We paid the household bills, put gas in the car, did the grocery shopping, took the kids to doctor appointments and picked up prescriptions. We sewed on buttons and hemmed skirts. Family gatherings were our responsibility to plan and carry out. Did the bird feeder need filling? The garbage and recycling need to be put out? Don't forget to mail those bills. Family and friends received cards to celebrate their birthday, anniversary, a new baby or a life. Family pets must be fed, a drive to the Vet or to pick up their food, to mention a few.

Then one day we wake up and can't finish our shower because of the fatigue. Maybe the sensation of the water hitting our bodies feels like a million needles stabbing into our skin. Climbing upstairs is difficult to accomplish. We must climb half way, rest, then continue on. For some, different foods cause our pain to increase. We are unable to be on our feet long enough to make our kids' school lunches let alone make their breakfast. The dirty clothes are piling up. You rise from your chair and fall to the floor because of muscle weakness. You are afraid to drive for multiple reasons...you can't remember how to get to a location that you have driven to many, many times before. You are worried that your body will betray you before you can deliver your child to their football or play practice. Holidays are extremely difficult. It takes longer to accomplish tasks. Anxiety kicks in and confusion becomes evident. Cognitive issues are apparent to not only you, but to everyone you are in contact. You always remembered to acknowledge the birthday of others. It's on your calendar but you don't notice it until the day of, leaving your cards to be received late. You can't walk as far as you once did, leaving hikes with your family out of the question or a fun day of shopping. Volleyball games are to physical. To have a friend visit over a cup of tea is strenuous. Writing cripples your hand.

We must "always get back up on the horse" and put our best efforts forward. If we sit in pity, we can't ride.

My writings have been far and few between. I wish I could write daily. It was my intent when I started blogging. We have been busy and I've found it difficult to accomplish everything. Then at the end of the day when I would usually blog, I'm exhausted. I do check Facebook before blogging and that must be my downfall.

My Chronic Fatigue (CF) has been more active than usual. Falling asleep before 11 am is not how life should be. My night sleep has been great so not trying to catch up on my sleep.

I am having trouble with remembering situations of family and friends. I've always kept up with their birthdays, anniversaries, family situations and their health. I haven't been remembering anything. I'm not sure if that is connected with the CF flaring and my cognitive issues. It is common for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue sufferers to have problems with names and dates. I've had a few problems in that area, but this has gotten worse. I read an article that said that dealing with our pain is all we can do. Therefore, we place everything on the back burner that happens in our day or to our body, except trying to control our pain. Where once we were multitaskers, now we must deal with the pain being racked through our body.

I leave you with this thought:

"Happiness is where you find it."

Author Unknown

Awesome Friday!

My Friday, so far, has been awesome! My two grandsons are here for 3 days. It's an unexpected visit. There step-Dad's Mom is dying. Matt and Heather are with Matt's family spending time with Mom. She will pass soon. Matt is our grandsons' step-Dad, but he has raised them from a young age, so he is more like their Dad than their birth dad.

I enjoy these little men more than I can express. Patrick is 14, will be 15 in April. Josh is 12, his birthday is in July. They have been raised well. I know their parents are challenged by them at times, as it should be, but we are bless grandparents. We spent several hours on the beach yesterday. It was a beautiful day on the Oregon coast. Today we will attend a music night where many musicians gather for the love of music (Heather P you would enjoy Friday night music) and they play for two hours. Both boys are very musical. Patrick wants to play with them and he brought his guitar. Josh doesn't like to be looked at yet, so he will sit with me. They will see their great grandparents there and their great Aunt and Uncle. I'm excited to share them. :D

Saturday we will leave early and drive to Woodland, Washington. We will help move our youngest son and his family. They are moving to Vancouver, Washington. They have our 2 year old grandaughter, Lyla. So they will all have the day together. The boys live 8 hours across the state of Oregon from Adam and family so it's always a treat to get them together.

Will post photos when I get them transferred to my computer. I hope everyone has a good of day as I'm having. :-D I may not be worth a hoot on Monday, but that's ok!!!

Trying to Keep My Anxiety Controlled

We have had a couple of emotional days. I try to keep my anxiety under control. Yesterday it got the best of me.

Dwain's Dad has a dominating personality. He has the need to constantly talk, all the while making no sense. He had some sourdough. I said I might make sourdough bread the next day. Well, I made sourdough biscuits the next day and they did not turn out. Now, it took an hour to prepare and cook the biscuits. After that I lost the desire for bread. My friend Marie came for an unexpected visit, so would not have had the time for bread preparation in time for dinner. The next day, while Dwain was talking to his Dad, he asked how the bread turned out. When Dwain told him that I did not make bread, he exploded and was angry. It upset Dwain. Because I have also experienced Dad's rath in the past, it upset me too. He cares about himself and does not consider others have opinions.

Our son-in-law, Matt's Mom is on life support. Matt and family will leave early Thursday morning to drive the eight hour trip to his parents. When they have said their goodbyes, she will be taken off life support. We will meet them and our grandsons will come home with us through the weekend. I feel guilty that I'm excited to see the boys when their Dad is loosing his Mom.

I know there are many more problems in the world, but right now these personal issues are increasing my stress level and in return my Fibro pain has increased. I'm hoping for a good night sleep. I haven't had problems sleeping since I've been on Trazodone to help me sleep....so thankful.

I have accomplished several projects in our home. Feels good to accomplish something. :-D

Solve Problems

"Solve Problems Instead Of Making Them Worse"

For those of us with Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue (FM/CF), dealing with daily tasks are tricky. We must take each situation and make it easier, helping our body to cope. To follow are a few examples.

My sink is lower than is comfortable for me. I open the cabinet door and place my foot on the facing. The facing is about six inches higher than the floor. If I have a lot of dishes, I alternate feet, taking pressure off my lower back.

An Occupational Therapist suggested (if I had dishwasher), instead of bending over to close the dishwasher door, use my foot to bring the door closed. Here again helping the lower back.

Electric can openers will save your hands.

Adjustments to daily tasks can take pressure off your body. When we do not adjust, our pain increases. Quite often anxiety will then enter the picture.