It's what I do.

It's been so busy and hectic here. I've had several photo sessions already this week and quite a few more by Saturday. Plus a play we're attending tomorrow. My daughter has rehearsals for her play at school and rehearsals will begin next week for the Christmas show that she's going to also be in. It's hectic to say the least. Because even though a photo session is over, it's not really. I spend a good day or two (if not up to a week) editting the pictures. My photography business has hit a growth spurt lately, which is an amazing thing. I'm just hoping it keeps going. I love taking pictures and doing these shoots. I'm really looking forward to things to come with this opportunity.
I was told today that one of the clients I just did photos for has been looking at her pics over and over that I posted in a teaser for her. I have to say, I could cry thinking that I have captured the passion and the love they've portrayed in these pictures and that I have given her something that she will love the rest of her life. THAT is what it's all about!!  That's why I do what I do. I love that I'm capturing something that can last forever. When people forget how they felt or what was happening or what they say, they can look back at these pictures and remember exactly what it was like to be in that moment again. I love it!

Onto other things, Kansas felt a little rumble a couple times in the past week. We did get a little of the earthquakes that hit in Oklahoma. I personally did not feel a thing. My husband did. And it just took him two days to realize it was the earthquake. I should have known that if I could sleep through fire alarms going off in a hotel room on our Senior trip 20 some years ago that I would also sleep through an earthquake. HAHA imagine that!

The weather the past few days has been so gloomy and dreary that it makes me want to curl up in bed. My mood matches it most days. Mainly because the cold, damp air really makes my body hurt. The arthritis is unbearable, even with meds, and the PVD doesn't help anything. The Peripheral Vascular Disease makes me achy anyway, and as a morning ritual as I'm blow-drying my hair, I always spend a few minutes with the heat blowing on my legs and feet as well. Heat just makes it feel so much better. I so wish I had a suit that I could wear with continuous heat blowing on me from the waist down. Now that would be awesome!! So, now that it's colder out, I just want to wrap my legs in an electric blanket at work just to ease the discomfort. blaaaah!
The weather also makes it a task to get the pup to go out. God love her little heart. She hates to get wet. So, it ends up that I have to actually go out and stand in the middle of the rain with her so she'll actually go. She's the sneaky little thing that will stand under the edge of the roof close to the house and go there so she doesn't get as wet. I always end up getting the bad end of that deal. Just saying.

I'm off to get more editting done. I have so much to do tonight and Mount Washmore has been looming over me as well.
Have a good one ya'll!

Kids, Workouts and Bags of frozen veggies

1:48 am
Why on Earth am I still awake? I'm tired. Oh yes. I would love to go to sleep. But this little brain of mine has been turned on and hasn't stopped since.
One reason it's turned on, I'm so excited to say, my stepkids are coming to stay with us for school this next year. They are so excited. My daughter is so excited. I'm so excited. And their dad.....ecstatic!!! We've missed them so much. So, it's a great thing.
But this great thing means I have alot of work to do over the next couple weeks getting their rooms ready (which we have partially used for storage over the past year since they were here). So, I've got some organization to do. Some furniture to move...upstairs...downstairs. Lots to do.
Not to mention, I'm on a workout kick right now. I am one of the brave souls to attempt P90X. We've owned the program for quite a while. And this is my third attempt at starting it (never making it through the first week the last two times due to one reason or another).
This time, however, I am now on week 3. The "weight" isn't drastically dropping. I've lost maybe 5 pounds depending on the day and time of day I weigh. The inches...I haven't done full measurements yet, but my clothes are fitting a little better. People have noticed that I seem to be losing weight. So, I am motivated. I want to have dropped at least 20 pounds by the time Charles comes home from deployment.
It's doable. I can do this!!! I'm so gonna....bring it!!!
The biggest challenge I'm having right now isn't time, or the motivation. It's my knees. Several years ago, I am proud to say, I was a brown belt kickboxer. Something that made me hold my head very high. Still does. I was proud of all I accomplished being a kickboxer. Then, I got hurt. Rolled my ankle causing a severe sprain and injured my knee. After that injury and being on crutches for 6 weeks, I became "gun shy". I never quite got back into it again like I had before. Which makes me sad. Makes me feel like a quitter. And so, I moved on with my life and things changed.
So, now that I'm doing the extreme workout, my knees have been hurting badly. And I even spent a couple nights with them propped up and bags of frozen vegetables on my knees.
On my last doctor's appointment I mentioned the pain during workouts and asked what I could possibly do to help strengthen my knees, etc. The doc checked them out and told me I have arthritis.
Now if that isn't something to make you feel old. He said it's not an "age" related arthritis. It's a "mileage" arthritis due to sports or extensive use. (I can't remember the medical term he called it) He said it was most likely due to the kickboxing and the injury. So...I now have a wonderful cream to use on my knees 3 times a day. I still have some knee pain when I work out or if I don't use the cream. But its just one of those things I'm learning to deal with. And I'm making modifications to my workouts and not doing as many or as intensive lunges, squats, etc. No plyometrics or excessive jumping for me now. Which is okay. I'll make the adjustments. It can be done.
So, now that I've rambled, I've noticed I unconsciously have turned on Lord of the Rings as my late-night-can't-sleep-need-a-familiar-something in the background. Charles makes fun of me for watching it so much. But I can't help it. lol I can't explain it. It's comforting.
I also have my water fountain going and the whir of the ceiling fan, you would think I have enough background noise/white noise to knock me into oblivion.

So, with that, I'm going to attempt sleep. Lots to do tomorrow. It's a CardioX day tomorrow too. ;)

later ya'll