October 15, 2021

Friday Night Photos

Ahh, Friday night. Usually, Friday nights are my favorite time of the week! Today, though, I'm just not feeling it. I've been feeling off for a couple of days now. I really hope that this isn't an episode of depression coming on (in the past--before medication--I would almost always cycle between hypomania and depression without a break in between).

I think I might just be hyperaware of my mood right now, considering the hypomania I've experienced recently; and with the history of depression following the hypomania, I'm nervous it will come to that. But I could also just be having a bad couple of days--that's normal! Normal people have bad days, too. (By "normal", I mean people who don't have bipolar disorder.)

I know that my sleep (or lack of) is playing a huge role in whatever is going on. I don't sleep much as it is (I'll forever be an insomniac) but a couple of nights ago, the power went out at around 1:00 AM. Then it went back on a couple of minutes later. Then off again. On and off, over and over. Each time that happened, the appliances in the house would make some sort of noise. And the street lights were going on and off, making my room go pitch black and then back to the "normal" dark.

At one point, Joey let out a half-bark; he only ever barks if there is someone here (arriving in a car or on foot). It was the middle of the night and with the power going on and off, I was a little freaked out. I went over to the window to look outside and the street lights were out so it was completely pitch black and I couldn't see anything at all. I have no idea if someone was out there, but I guess not, because he was quiet after that.

There was no storm or anything so I had no idea what made the power go out. But I absolutely wasn't going to be able to sleep during it all. At 3 AM, I looked on the DTE app to report our outage, and I saw that there was actually a pretty big outage. I sent this screenshot to Jerry, who was at work:


See how random? I think I fell asleep sometime around 4:30, and then I had to get up at 6:00. Of course, the kids slept through the whole thing! (The power was back on by morning.)

I'm hoping my body will let me catch up on sleep soon. I know I need it. I just took some of my anxiety medication, which helps my brain calm down, so maybe I'll be able to get some sleep tonight and I'll feel better tomorrow.

Anyway, I don't really have any exciting photos this week. A couple of days ago, I put together a couple of weight loss comparison photos; after seeing a gain on the scale, it helped to see the progress I've made in the last 20 weeks...


That first photo was from one of my first Couch to 5K runs (back in May). I didn't realize how chubby my face had gotten!


This is a comparison with the anniversary shirt that Jerry had made for us in 2020. I remember REALLY not wanting to post our anniversary photos because I couldn't believe how big I looked. I posted them anyway, but I was embarrassed of them. Today, I put on the same clothes for comparisons' sake and I can't believe how big the shirt feels. It's so nice to have something feel big on me for the first time in years!

These are just some views from my runs. The skeletons are back! It's my FAVORITE thing to see when out for a walk/run. I love October :) 





I made a heritage recipe for banana cake with cooked buttercream frosting, but I decided not to post the recipe. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out very good (I just didn't think that the flavors went well together). The person who submitted the recipe is still living, and I would just feel bad if they happened to see that I didn't care for it. Jerry agreed with me about the cake--he only took a couple of bites. It looked good, though!



I always feel bad when the cats get bored. Duck walks around the house just looking for something to get into (he'll jump on the table and just push things off with his paw--not to be "bad" but because he's bored and looking for something to do). When I see him doing that, I usually try to perk his interest somehow--in this case, all I had to do was put the cats' scratch pad on two chairs in the living room, and it entertained the kittens for hours. (That's Chick on top; Duck is underneath--you can barely see him!) It's so funny how making one small change like that gives them so much entertainment.


I've decided what I'm going to do with the oak boards that I milled, and I'm SO excited about it! I'm making a "cat wall"--I'll share more about it later. But it is basically going to be a jungle gym for the cats on a wall, using shelves and things. I don't want it to be a total eyesore, so I'm trying to design it to go with the decor (well, as much as it can, anyway).

This was from Eli's soccer game. He's super easy to spot on the field because he's the only one with bright yellow shoes. This is a terrible picture, but I love that I caught it just as his was mid-stride in a "floating" pose.



Since it's been getting dark earlier, they got to play under the big lights--it was so fun to see a night game! Yesterday, they won an important game which put them into some tournament in Ann Arbor. (I have no idea how the soccer associations work.) So that's exciting for him. I'm surprised (and happy) at how much he has enjoyed playing.



Earlier, Noah had to take a biology test online and he was studying for it all morning. I'm so impressed with the materials that are given in college courses today! When I took biology and even anatomy, we just had books thicker than phone books and the photos weren't great. He has this computer program with 3-D models that he can maneuver to see all the parts. It makes me want to take college anatomy all over again (I've always loved anatomy).


Okay, well that's all for now. I'm hoping I get to sleep for the next 48 hours--wouldn't that be nice?!--to catch up, but even if I can just get 5-6 hours, I'll be satisfied. Have a great weekend! xo

4 comments:

  1. Have you ever taken melatonin for insomnia? I take the lowest dose, and it helps me fall asleep within half an hour. I know many people don’t like to take sleeping pills, but melatonin is more gentle than a lot of the prescription sleep aids on the market. You can ask one of your doctors before you take it if you are nervous. Getting consistent sleep has been good for my health (mental health for bipolar 2 and physical health for a variety of autoimmune diseases). Just an idea.

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  2. Those skeleton decorations are the BEST! I was wondering with your issues with pain and occasionally anxiety, if you have ever used epsom salt baths as a calming method to relax both muscles and mind. Add a little relaxing music from Spotify and you have your own free spa. I know it sounds crazy but the salts really work especially for sore muscles. Give it a try. Hopefully it offers you some relief.

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  3. Cool yellow shoes, and he's very athletic. Sounds like they're team is doing great. That would make me nervous too they way Joey barked in the night and Jerry at work. I always felt safe when I was with our black lab. If anybody ever tried to get in the house, they'd change their minds fast when the see him with his hair standing up!

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  4. As a former anat/phys teacher, I extra-love that Noah is taking an anatomy class AND the skeleton decor. My mom used to make a very tasty banana cake -- usually "naked," but sometimes she'd make a whipped cream cheese frosting for it. I haven't been able to find the recipe among her cookbooks and written recipes, so I think it's lost to time. (Fortunately, I do have her pumpkin bread recipe -- also delicious with cream cheese!)

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