As We Age...A Series in Who Knows How Many Post Because I've Got A Lot of Issues. Part 2

Next up on As We Age...A Series in Who Knows How Many Posts because I've got a lot of issues....

I would like to discuss feet.

Ewwwwwww.  Gross.  Nobody likes to talk about feet.  And certainly, nobody likes to look at pictures of other people's feet so there will be zero pictures of my feet posted here today. 

While I may find feet ugly I am very thankful for my feet.  Until 4 years ago, I had zero thoughts about my feet.  I used to bee bop into a shoe store and pick any shoe I thought was cute, purchase it, and wear it with no issues but then one day all that  changed.

It was the end of 2020 and I was working early voting for the election. In our county, early voting lasts 17 days.  They like for everyone working to be there every day and to be there the entire time the polls are open which is typically 12 hours.  They don't like election workers coming and going in shifts.  They like continuity.  Most of these 17 days I was on my feet for all most the full 12 hours .

And for most of these 17 days I was wearing cute, non-supportive shoes - the type of shoes I've always worn.  Flats, fashion sneakers (you know the shoe that looks like a sneaker but has zero cushioning or support), little booties, you get the idea.  I was dressing for cuteness without giving a second thought to my feet.  Because prior to this, my feet hadn't given me any problems.

After that election my feet were killing me.  Every step I took caused my feet to burn.  I remember it felt like they were ripping with each step and the pain in my heels were intense. After much googling, I determined that I had plantar fasciitis.  

And in case you are lucky enough not to know what plantar fasciitis is here's a brief synopsis:

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of a thick band of tissue called the plantar fascia. This tissue runs across the bottom of the foot and connects the heel bone and toes. This is one of the most common causes of heel pain. Plantar fasciitis occurs when the fascia becomes overstretched or experiences excessive strain caused by repetitive stress from activities like standing or running. The most common symptom is a stabbing pain in the bottom of the foot near the heel. Pain is usually the worst in the morning.

I brought it up with my doctor who agreed that's what I had.  She gave me a printout of exercises to do with my feet. I bought a contraption from Amazon stretch my feet. I used a frozen water bottle to roll my feet on to stretch out the fascia.  I even started doing the foot exercises before I got up in the mornings because when you haven't been using your feet the muscles constrict and then if they aren't stretched out properly the ripping feeling occurs. These exercises helped  some and the frozen water bottle felt nice on my poor feet but it was still very painful to walk.  And if you will recall, this was the exact time I was starting to gain weight so I'm sure not being able to move without pain didn't help in that area either.

I decided I needed more than some foot exercises to help with the pain so I went to Fleet Feet and got special inserts in my shoes.  I also bought a pair of very expensive Hokas to wear when I needed to be on my feet for long periods. Both of these helped but I still didn't feel like my feet were healing. It was at this point (spring of 2021) that I discovered the thing that literally saved me...

OOFOS!

 

 

I had never heard of OOFOS but in my extensive googling and searching for relief from my foot pain, I came across an ad for them.  And even though they were the ugliest things I've ever seen and they were expensive, I ordered a pair.

When they came and I put them on, I swear, I could hear the angels singing. 

My feet felt good for the first time in months.  I could actually walk without intense pain.  

They were ugly so I never wore them outside of the house but the minute I got home from anywhere, I put them on.  I even kept them by my bed and wore them to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  

I remember about a month after getting them,  I accidentally wore them out the house, I was mortified.  I looked down and I had these ugly shoes on out in public.  Sarah told me they weren't that ugly and not to worry about it. I decided to stop being vain and enjoy the fact that I could walk from the parking lot into a building and not be in pain. And from then on, I started wearing them to the grocery store and any other places that it didn't really matter. I would never wear them to church or out to dinner but I basically was wearing them 85% of the time at that point. And it was then, they my feet finally began to heal.

Eventually, I started seeing ads for OOFOS on TV and started seeing other people wearing them out in public.  I've gone through quite a few pairs of them over the last four years and my brother and my husband are now also proud OOFOS owners. Thankfully, now, the basic OOFOS have come way down in price too.  I was originally paying $90 and now you can get the basic pair for $60! 

My feet are now fully healed from the plantar fasciitis thankfully and I can wear cuter shoes again.  But gone are the days where I can wear just any old cute shoe.  The heel has to be a certain height and there has to be a certain amount of support.  If not, I have to use my good old inserts. I still come home from work or being out and put on my OOFOS.

I remember in my youth wondering why all the little old ladies wore such ugly shoes and vowed never to be like them.  HA!!! 

 As we age, our feet break down and we become little old ladies wearing ugly but sensible shoes!  

Have you guys ever heard of OOFOS?  Do you own them?  Would you wear them out in public?

As We Age....A Series in Who Knows How Many Parts Because I've Got A Lot of Issues (Part 1)

I am 55. At least that's what the calendar and my math told me on September 13th. And don't think I didn't double check my math! I still can't believe it. How did I get so old??

My mind thinks I'm 21 but my joints are telling me otherwise.

And now the doctors are telling me too.

It all began when I turned 50.  Literally 3 months after turning 50 in 2019, I was down on the floor watering the Christmas tree when I couldn't just get up.  It's like my knees mysteriously decided they were done.  I had to use my hands to push myself up off the ground and it's been that way ever since.

That's exactly the same time that I started (also mysteriously) gaining weight. Literally nothing changed in my diet or my exercise but every morning when I would weigh, the number on the scale would be slightly higher than the day before.  I blamed covid, I blamed perimenopause , I blamed myself for not being "better".  But now, I believe it's just aging(so also maybe perimenopause because being in perimenoapause means you are getting old).

How do I know it's aging that was causing the weight gain?  Because when I asked my gynecologist about it I got a speech that started with "As we age...."  Basically saying you are getting old and there's nothing you can do about it.  I saw this doctor (a male) and got this speech year after year so I switched gynecologists.  I found a nice woman and thought she might be more helpful.  After I described my symptoms and complaints, she started with "As we age...."  and I got the same speech. Again it was just you are getting old and you have to deal with it.

So, for 4 years, I kept gaining weight even though I was trying different things.  Different diets, different exercises.  No diet.  I even tried less exercise and more calories because a lot of things I was reading about  weight gain as we age said that I wasn't eating enough and that I was exercising too much. And still, nothing happened EXCEPT that I continued to gain weight. 

Fast forward to February of this year.  I decided enough was enough.  I was officially in menopause so even though I was old and aged, I was going to do what I've done before to lose weight.  I was going to limit my carb intake.  

In February, I was a whopping 35 pounds over my actual weight in the spring of 2019. That's the equivalence of a pregnancy weight gain without the joy of a baby at the end.

I started limiting my carb intake to under 20 per day.  This meant I cut out sweets, adult beverages, potatoes, rice, bread.  All the things that make life delicious.  But it was worth it.  By July, I had lost 23 pounds.  Since then, I've added back in a couple of adult beverages on the weekend and also some other tasty weekend carbs and I've maintained by 23 pound loss.  

I have decided that my goal through the end of the year is to maintain my current weight loss and then start back up in full force in January to see if I can get these last 12 to 15 pounds off.  It's going to be hard but I think I can do it!

I'm feeling better about myself and in general, just feeling better.  My knees still don't work though but that's just because, as we age...

This was June of 2019 when I was feeling good and looking good!  No clue of what was yet to come.  This was 3 months before I turned 50.

This was October 2022.  Who is this woman?  I don't recognize her.  

This was last month.  It's a definite improvement and I'm feeling so much better in my own skin these days.  We'll see if I can drop some more pounds next year.  But if I can't, I'm perfectly happy at this weight and hope I can maintain it. 

This is part one in a series of all of my aging woes. So if you want to hear me complain more about my old body, stick around!  :)

Tis the season...

It's election season and this is the first time Peter and Sarah  are eligible to vote for the president.  What should have been an exciting time for them was marred by the fact that both candidates are extremely flawed and there is no obvious "good choice" that you could confidently cast your vote for. (At least in our opinions.)

But, we did our duty as citizens and we all got out there and voted.  And since it's 2024, did it even count if you didn't take a selfie and share it to the family group chat?

 

Voting in three different counties means three different I Voted Stickers!

Not only is it election season, It's also Halloween!  Last weekend, both kids attended Halloween parties and they sent us pictures of their costumes.

Sarah was Daisy from The Great Gatsby (her favorite novel)

She added gloves!

Peter was a pirate!

Here he is with all his roomies on their back porch before heading out!

And because this is one of my favorite Halloween pictures it seemed appropriate to share it now...

This was from Halloween 2007 and you can read my blog post from that day if you are interested Oh those sweet babies!  

Happy Halloween everyone and don't forget to vote! 

NC State Parent's Weekend 2024

On Friday, September 27, we headed to Raleigh for Parent's Weekend.  In the past, we've only stayed for one night but Peter asked if we could stay the whole weekend so we obliged.  We also decided that instead of staying in the outer areas of Raleigh we would splurge and stay downtown. We used Dan's Hilton points and were in the heart of downtown Raleigh all weekend. It was really nice and very convenient.

Dan had to work on Friday but was able to take a conference call on the road so we were able to meet Peter and his friends for dinner at Trophy Brewing Company.  Their beer was really good.  If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend it! After that we headed to the Raleigh Beer Garden which holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the most beers on tap anywhere.  They currently have 385 beers on tap!  It was a really cool place with different floors, a rooftop bar, and mini golf on-site as well.

The Raleigh Beer Garden was just down the block from our hotel so we walked back and were in bed around midnight.  That's late for this old lady!  We were up early because the NC State Football game was at noon and we had to go to a tailgate party.  

You can tell Peter is older because thankfully we were able to skip the frat lot tailgate party (which, y'all, if you've never been - those are LOUD!!)  He has a fraternity brother that graduated last year whose parents live in Raleigh and they have a very nice tailgate party for each game.  So went went to their tailgate before the game.  We got there a little before ten and then headed in to the game right after kickoff.  

State was playing Northern Illinois.  They were the team that beat Notre Dame the first game of the season.  NC State was supposed to have a very good football team this year (they were ranked 24th) at the beginning of the season but sadly they are not very good.  So we were afraid they were going to lose this game but they managed to win.  (Side note - it's going to be a very long football season as none of our teams are good this year.  In addition to State not living up to expectations the Panthers and the Patriots are both horrible.  Hopefully Drake Maye can do something for the Patriots this weekend.) 

Sarah went to Raleigh to see Joe and they were also at the game.  We met up with them at halftime.  It was so nice to see her and give her a big hug!  

After the game, we headed to a cookout hosted by Peter's fraternity.  They had a local BBQ restaurant prepare chicken and pulled pork and the parents brought the sides.  It was a lot of fun!  

After the cookout, we headed to Mitch's Tavern for a couple of drinks with Peter's bestie, Cal, and his parents and another friend who has graduated.  Mitch's is one of Peter's favorite places to hang out.  He and a group of friends go there every Wednesday for trivia night.  And a lot of times they win but usually they come in behind this one team that always wins. Peter has dubbed them their rivals and they strive every week to beat this team.

On Sunday morning we went to Mass and then had lunch at MoJo's Burger Joint, one of Peter's favorite burger places in Raleigh.  After lunch we dropped Peter back off at his apartment and then we headed home.

It was such a nice weekend and I'm glad we stayed for two nights.  It was so nice getting to know some of Peter's friends better and we enjoyed getting to know Cal's parents better as well.  I miss Peter but it's nice to know he's got good friends and I think he's right where he's supposed to be.  

Here are some pictures from the weekend.  Sadly I didn't get any of us with Peter's friends or friends parents.  I'm the worst at getting pictures or asking for group shots so there are no photos from Friday night or Saturday night.

The lady photobombing us with the Wolfie made me laugh.

 

UNCC Parent's Weekend 2024

Dan and I aren't all work and no play!  We managed to squeeze in a fun 36 hours in Charlotte this past weekend.

It was Parent's Weekend at UNC Charlotte!  We headeddown on Saturday morning and picked our girl up from her apartment and went to the Delta Zeta house for lunch. We got to meet some of Sarah's sweet sisters and some parents.

From there we headed out to get Dan a different UNCC tee shirt.  He didn't like the one he was wearing because it had a pocket on the front of it.   And I agree with him, tee shirts with pockets are weird.  We also helped Sarah put air in her tires. She knows how to do it herself but the free air station on campus was out of order and since we were out and about in her car, Dan did it at the gas station.

We went back to her apartment, got her roomie and bestie Gabi, and went to check into our hotel before the game.  Then we headed to the tailgate lot.  There we met Sarah's big sister.  She was the sweetest thing and had the prettiest blue eyes I've ever seen. 

Then we headed to the football game.  The 49ers were losing the entire game.  But then the quarterback got injured(he was the 2nd string qb), they put in the third string guy and they ended up winning. So that was exciting. I'm glad we stayed.  We always stay even if the team is losing.  I heard some parents in the hotel lobby lamenting that they left at half time so they missed the comeback.  Ummmm, that's why you stay! 

On Sunday morning we headed to Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral which is where Dan and I got married 24 years and 6 days ago. It was so nice to be there almost 24 years from our wedding date. The church is so beautiful on the inside.  

After Mass we went to lunch with our girl and then dropped her off at her apartment where she said she had laundry to do and studying.  We gave her lots of hugs and headed home.  

It was just so nice to spend time with her. I miss having her around but I'm so thankful that she's happy, and thriving, and living her best life! That brings this mom great peace. 

Here are pretty much the only pictures I took....

The Delta Zeta house is so cute on the inside.  I should have taken more pictures.

The girls make huge banners for every occasion and hang them over the door.  Just pretend the whole banner is showing in this photo. :)

Us with Gabi at the tailgate lot.

At the game.  Sarah was in the student section with her friends. 

St Patrick' Cathedral

Just two love birds who have gained some weight and some wrinkles over the last 24 years of marriage.  

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch after Mass with a side of Panthers football. We had to watch it on the big screen tv's but the Panther's were at home and downtown Charlotte was hoping with tailgate parties and fans everywhere. Unfortunately, it looks like it's going to be another loooooonnnnnngggggg season.

 

And here are a few pictures of Sarah's little apartment after she and Gabi decorated....

These are the blackout curtains that Dan hung for Sarah on a day that I was working.  Sarah said they help her sleep so much better. 

I know I shared this one in a previous post but am putting it here again for full effect. :)

Pink chair, of course!

We squeezed in a trip to the Cape!

It has been such a busy summer for all of us!  As you know, once the kids got out of school, we headed to Italy.  It was a dream trip and I am so glad we got that time together in such a beautiful place.

Immediately upon returning home, Peter started his internship at the John Locke Foundation in Raleigh and Sarah started her internship at The Bethesda Center for the Homeless in Winston-Salem.  Both kids learned a lot and had really good experiences at each job.  

I have spent the summer working at my job and I think I may have mentioned it, but took a new position now.  I think technically it's called Inventory Specialist.  Basically everything that comes into the store goes through me first.  I open the box, price it, put it into our point-of-sale system, insure the invoice matches what is in the system, send back damaged items, etc.  

I think I picked up on the  new job pretty quickly and as soon as I learned my job, we got a new point of sale system and I think I've learned that pretty quickly too.  Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?!  :)

It's our buys season now as all the fall and Christmas inventory is pouring into the store daily.  It can be a little overwhelming as we have a small stock room and there are many very large boxes to be worked through.  I normally work 10-5 M-Th but have been getting there at 9:00 and staying until almost 6 most days as well as working some Fridays and Saturdays and I'm still not caught up.  But it will be like this until Novemeber.  I'm not complaining though because I really enjoy this job and the people I work with.  And having a little paycheck is nice as well. 

Sarah was able to spend over a week with her boyfriend Joe and his family traveling to a family wedding.  The wedding was in Colorado and then they headed to visit more family in California.  She had a great time with him and his family and was very excited to get to meet his extended family.  

When the kids were done with their internships (well technically Peter had to end his a few days early to make this happen) we were able to squeeze in a quick trip to the Cape. I say squeeze it in because literally we picked him up an hour after he got off work in Raleigh and headed up there and then on the way back, we dropped him off on a Friday evening, got home with Sarah, packed up the car and headed to Charlotte the next day to move her into her new apartment.  All because classes started that Monday.  

Old dogs may be able to learn new tricks but all that traveling and moving sure made this dog tired!  But it was all worth it because we got in another family vacation (I will always be thankful for time spent with my people) and got everyone where they needed to be in the nick of time!  

We were able to spend some time with Dan's brother and his family as well as Dan's uncle.  We got in a Red Sox game.  Sarah's boyfriend Joe was in town for a different Red Sox game and was able to join us on the Cape for 24 hours.  We relaxed on the beach a lot and just enjoyed time together as a family.  After all the going, going, going, in Italy, it was so nice just to relax and hang out with one another.  And other than a little rain at the baseball game and a lot of rain on the way home from it, the weather was absolutely gorgeous.  

With the kids back in school and  Dan and I  back at work, we are adjusting to the empty nest again. I enjoy my time with him but I do miss my babies.  Thankfully they both text every day and keep us posted and up to date on everything so that makes it better.  They both seem to be happy and thriving where they are so that makes me happy.  

Here are some pictures from our summer....

Peter's still living with his fraternity brothers this year but only 5 guys live here instead of 12.  It's much nicer than the other place and so far, he's very happy living here.  Hoping and praying for a great senior year!

This is always a beautiful sight to see after two days of driving!!!!

Peter and his friends have discovered the movie Good Will Hunting so when we were in Boston for the Red Sox game we stopped by the L Street Tavern which is in the movie.

Peter in front of the L Street Tavern

At the game.  They lost but we still had fun!

My little family enjoying the afternoon on the beach.

Joe joined us for 24 hours.  He had met a friend in Boston for the Red Sox game that was the night after ours.  Then he took the bus from Boston to the Cape and Sarah picked him up at the bus station in Hyannis.  

Dan and I were up before the kids every morning and took nice long walks along the beach and around the neighborhood.  Such a great way to start the day.

So peaceful.

Of course, we had to take Joe to Captain Parker's so he could try their famous clam chowder.  It is soooooooo good!

Clam Chowder with Clam Cakes and a Lemon Dill Aioli.  YUM!!!!!

At the JFK Memorial Park in Hyannis.

AT the beach with the Best Day Ever.  He even has the koozie to prove it!

My sweet girl.

After our nightly ice cream...the views are lovely.

Every year, we allow Peter one Lobster Roll.  They are very expensive.  This year we went to Brax Landing in Harwich Port.  The food was delicious and the view was great and Peter said the Lobster Roll was the best one he's had yet.

Look at Sarah's giant plate of nachos!!!

We always try to make it to Grey's Beach for the sunset once during our visit.  It never disappoints.  Bring your bug spray though!

Me and my favorite girl.

Dan and the kids took a bike ride one evening while I was preparing dinner and he sent me this cute pic.

And this one.

Another selfie from one of our walks.

Dan and Peter decided to go to Hyannis one afternoon while Sarah and I were on the beach.  They stopped to pose with Iyannough, the Indian whom Hyannis is named after.

And then just like that, our Cape trip was over, we drove the two days home and got up bright and early the next day and moved this beautiful girl into her apartment.  

 

 

And the day after that, we celebrated my brother's birthday at Mom's house.  It was just Mom, Brad, Dan, and Me but it was nice to be home and back in a routine