Regroup, refocus, redirect : My Week In Review

The food orgy took place on Easter at O'Charley's with Trevor and Courtney, I decided that this next week needed to be about the 3 R's of recovering from a setback : regrouping, refocus, and redirecting my energy and actions.
A big part of regrouping was to make getting sleep a priority. I am crabby and goofy when I'm tired and that's a dangerous combination! I have come to value my rest since it can be a scarce resource at times.The Today show did a segment on sleep being the new sex-it's what none of us are getting enough of! Sleep, that is...So, I made it a point to come home from work and get into my jammies as early as possible and just do relaxing things around my house. I was only able to do that three nights this week past, but it was enough to get me feeling right again and it's worth the reminder that home should be a peaceful haven.There's a lot to be said for slowing down and enjoying your home.
Whatever you focus your attention on gets stronger in your life.What needs my attention now ? Refocus. Taking time for God is a huge factor in my staying grounded and centered.Getting back on track with Weight Watchers makes me feel so much better physically. I wanted to work on my many writing projects. Reading every day is a necessity. Figuring out how to work my new digital camera is a priority.Scheduling fun things into my life so work doesn't completely take over. I wanted to do something with Tyler and Trevor this week and Jayden-if possible-and spend at least two days of the week socializing with friends. There's my plan.
Now, take action. That which is not acted upon is not learned. The universe responds to action and not just to thinking. I got myself back into a routine-boring-but a useful tool to keep forward momentum.I made sure to be accountable with my weigh in(even though I knew I would show a gain)and food journaling (which is my reality check). I reminded myself that this is a process and I can take my time. Whatever I took off once, I can take off again. I will get there eventually. I made a list of everything fun I hope to do this summer and actually plugged those things into dates on my palm pilot. The mundane things like laundry, grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning seem to push themselves to the forefront out of sheer necessity. Ditto, work! That seems to be a naturally occurring phenomenon in my world.
That just left fun and socializing! My two best days of this week were Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday was a three-ring circus. It started out with my annual pilgrimage to the vet's office. It takes me three trips in my little Huyndai to take my two dogs and eight cats to see Dr. Wilson at the Ark Animal Hospital and Ark Cat Clinic in Holland.This is always an adventure and where there are 2 dogs and 8 cats involved, you know it isn't going to go smoothly! The night before the doctor visit, Blue escaped outside and didn't come back until morning-I'm sure he thought the trip to the vet's was his punishment for running off! Sanchez, who was supposed to be in the first installment of cats, took one look at the cat carriers and went MIA. It took me two more trips before I found his hiding place in the lining of the love seat in my front room! We turned the couches over to see if Sanchez was hiding underneath and noticed a big bump in the fabric that was moving! Somehow he shot out of there like lightning and Tyler had to chase him upstairs to Trev's room. I've never seen Tyler move so fast! I was rather comical to watch. Gunther and Lucy were the two this trip who misbehaved enough to warrant a sedative. I think they did it on purpose-sorta like I do when I go to the dentists office and convince them to give me the gas! Then on the way home Gunther kept leaning on me and staring blankly. I think this is the canine equivalent of a stoney cruise. When he got out of the car, Gunther was walking sideways with a grin on his face.He was happier the rest of the day than any dog has a right to be! Boy did he ever nap after that! Everyone else had varying levels of cooperativeness. By the time we are all done there, I am exhausted, the animals are pooped, and I detect a sense of relief on the part of Dr. Wilson and staff-safely through another year! The other patients in the waiting room always seem so amused by us. We provide the entertainment for the day! Never mind the ride home...you've never heard such a Hallelujah chorus as when cats who are annoyed, riding in a car, in their carriers, decide to serenade you! No other sound like that on earth!I could have easily qualified for the Indy 500 on that ride home. The facility there at Ark Animal Hospital is incredible and Dr. Wilson has done a stellar job caring for all my beloved pets. In December when I had to put Baby Dee to sleep, I was thankful to have such a compassionate person as Dr. Wilson working with me to provide her with the best care possible right up until the end. I highly recommend him to anyone who is looking for a new vet. Dr. Wilson is extremely conscientious and complete in his exams and he is always going to seminars and conferences to keep his education and skills on the cutting edge of veterinary medicine. I have the utmost confidence in his abilities.Take a virtual tour of Dr. Wilson's beautiful clinic by clicking on my links (aka i likes it- i likes it a lot!).
Later, I had nursery duty at church. The best thing about that was getting to take my little grandson, Jayden. I don't believe he's ever been in a large group before to socialize with other kids his age. There were so many great toys. His favorite toy was the fake vacuum cleaner. Since I didn't get to see him at Christmas time or Easter, I decided to go to the store after church and pick up one of those phony vacuums and a couple other toys he had favored in the church toddler room. He had a blast playing at Granny's house. Jayden loved his new toys.I also let him take all my pots and pans out of the cupboards and basically string stuff from hell to breakfast. I had junk everywhere by the time he got done. He enjoyed that so much. Funny how just making a mess can be entertaining sometimes.Seeing him so happy made me not care about having to clean it all up later. When I'm around Jayden it sort of reminds me of how you feel when you fall in love. You can't wait to see the person you love and nothing else in the world matters when you are with that person. I'm in my own little world when I get with him. Being with small children like that brings you back to your own magical child. It is wonderful!
On Sunday, my friend Michelle and I went to Fredrick Meijer Gardens to take Jayden to see the butterfly exhibit. Again, that was just heartwarming to see the joy and wonder that a little one has for even the simplest things in life. Jayden ran all over the sculpture garden checking everything out.He was a real hambone-entertaining the crowd! If you've not been there before, you're really missing something cool. You can view the Frederik Meijer Gardens website on my links.
I did get some pictures of Jayden both at church and at the butterfly exhibit. I will post them as soon as I get my camera figured out and the interface with Blogger/Picasa figured out...I need remedial blogging help ASAP! Hey, I almost have my palm pilot mastered so I'm getting there.
It feels good to be regrouped, refocused and redirected. I am once again moving forward!
Thanks for listening!
All is well,
Lana