Monday

Yep, so it is.

Hot, muggy, moist, nasty Monday.

Our toilet is broken, the handle, so you have to take the top off to flush every time.  That's annoying.  ;)

My one flight today in a 172 about caused dehydration out of the gate.  It's harder when it's all takeoffs and landings, so you don't get high enough to get cooler air, and spend a lot of time at slower speeds also without much air flow at all, even of hot air.  Whew.  Tomorrow is an entire day full of flying, from 8 am to 8 pm or later, if the weather holds out.  Starting off the day in the Champ with the Flying Squirrels.  We couldn't fly last week, so we were going to try to make it up this week, but I have to break in the middle to take Ann to see the doctor in the morning, so I'll probably have to try to catch mine up another time.  I'll go back after the doc appointment and do what I can, until about 3 pm.  After that, I've got a student in the afternoon, and then a guy is coming to pick me up and fly me to Michigan, where I'm picking up his T-6 and bringing it home for him.  This is the T-6 that I had a hydraulic failure in.  It's been gone through a lot, and I'll be in it alone, so hoping that all goes well there.  My last flight in it ruined my shoes and gave me a few bad dreams.  lol

My cousin Jimmy sent me pictures and a note.  They're of me, my mom and dad, and my grandma, when I was a baby.  On the back of one, his mom had written "Orie Sider from Fishoma" because apparently that's how I said my name and where I was from.  Laurie Snider from Kingfisher, OK.  One of the pictures has mom and dad holding me in front of three trailers, and there's another picture of buffalo.  There's also a couple pictures from inside our trailer.  It sort of wigs me out, looking at us in 1972 and 1973, and what all has changed.  It's like they are completely other people.  I sure was a skinny little runt.  ;)   On the same day here, I got a package from Uncle Marion & Aunt Joyce.  Inside were two large I think home made crosses with "To our favorite niece", and dated, written on the back.  One for me, one for Kaylee.  It's crazy that I got two things from two Johnson family members on the same day!

Jimmy's note said this:
"Hi Laurie, I found these pictures in Mom & Dad's album.  The trailer house you lived in was near Kingfisher, OK.  If I remember right there were three trailers on this lot.  The buffalo were in the pasture next to the trailers.  The picture of you on the pink bed spread was on grandma's bed.  When we asked you your name and where you lived you would say "Ori Sider from Fishoma".  That's why mom wrote this on the back of one picture.  I was only around your dad a few times so I didn't really get to know him.  He seemed like a pretty cool guy and was always nice to me.  Don't know if you have many pictures of your dad but I thought you should have these.  Take care, Love you Cuz, Jim."

I'll try to get pictures of the crosses, and maybe scan in the photos, later.  I have to get up early tomorrow so I'm going to try to get to bed early here. 

I cut my own hair today.  It was getting too long and scraggly/thin looking.  I tried to get a hair appointment before we left for the wedding, but she couldn't get me in until July 9th.  So I couldn't cut it or do the highlights to lesson the grey, so...I cut it myself, and, well, I DO have grey hair, so be it.  As my Mom righteously pointed out, ain't nobody there to look at me or give two hoots what I'm wearing. They're there for the bride and groom.  Kaylee reminded me I have the dress I wore to her graduation.  So I can do that and I feel better knowing I have something to show up in.  What's funny is I've lost weight since last June, so the dress is a little big, but that's okay.  Again, nobody's really going to care.

I've been struggling with food for at least a week, maybe two, just wanting to eat all the time, eat bad things, eat even when I'm not hungry but it sounds SO GOOD.  Stress eating I suppose?  I dunno.  Anyway, I think I finally got a grip today, by reminding myself that we were going to TN to eat lots of things like wedding cake and family dinner stuff, so I'd better balance that out with a good week first.  ;)  Besides, I'm not up over my 'red line' 'do not exceed' limit on the scale during this journey, but if I keep going like THAT I will be.  So working to reign that back in.  Still getting my exercise and Spanish lessons in.  Day 91 was today. 

There was a spider that crawled on my laptop.  I got paper to squish it, and it JUMPED.  People say spiders don't jump but I WATCHED it and it JUMPED.  Like several inches!  I fuh-reaked.  No way I can get close enough to squish it if it JUMPS.  What if it jumps ON ME??  Yes I am yelling.  So I got the spider spray, but I couldn't hit it with neurotoxin while it's sitting on my laptop.  So I had to watch it walk around, until it climbed onto my candle.  I hit it with a burst there.  It fell.  I hit it with another burst.  It curled up and died on the carpet.  I left a paper towel over the top of it and left it for Steve to pick up.  He's not happy I used the spray, says I'll ruin the carpet.  We've had this carpet since before Devon was here.  It's good stuff.  It's holding up well.  I'm not living with spiders.  It's just one little burst.  We're fine.  I could feel my heart pounding so I looked at my FitBit.  My normal daily resting heart rate average is 63 bpm.  It gets as low as the 50s, as high as 69-70, during normal activity.  I have a GREAT heart rate.  One doctor used to think I was athletic because of it.  Ha.  Anyway.  I pulled it up, and my heart rate was up at 104 bpm.  See?  I'm seriously scared of these things.  Like for real.

Speaking of FitBit, it's not been tracking my sleep for the last week, and I just figured out why.  It said that it can't get a steady reading on my heart rate while I'm sleeping, to determine my sleep stages.  It's because my wrist is smaller now and the FitBit slides around on it, doesn't rest firmly on it any more.  I don't know if I can take another link out of the band or not, seems like it would be too tight then, but I may have to find out. It's sliding around an awful lot now.

Steve has been spending the last three nights at Ann's house.  We'll need to find something different to do soon, as he doesn't sleep well and needs to get some rest for all the work we've got going on right now too, but we'll see what the doctor says tomorrow and if there's something that can help Ann. 

Kaylee is out of town again tonight.  She's been a busy girl this week, which I think she enjoys.  :)

Okay, that's about it.  I'm gonna wrap up and think about tomorrow, lots to do.