Day 190: Sickness + Photos

Today I learned...
...that my father has pneumonia. In the middle of the summer. Hope he gets better soon!

Today I am thankful for...
...beautiful vacation photos I can look at whenever I want and add to Rick's digital photo frame for work.

Day 172: Defensiveness + Vacation Plans

Today I learned...

...that being defensive does not serve me well. 

Today I am thankful for...

...having enough money to take a vacation. We really need one since it's been more than 3 years and June 30 can't come quickly enough...but as we plan and buy last minute things like snacks and towels and boogie boards, I'm happy we CAN. 

Day 47: Addiction Empathy + Momma

Today I learned...
...having had an eating disorder makes me understand alcoholism really, really well. Of course, I've made the correlations before. If I struggled with an addictive sort of mental illness in the past, it makes sense that I would be empathetic towards people who struggle with alcoholism. But tonight, watching the new movie Flight (Denzel Washington) with Rick, I realized that I watched the whole movie with a hyper-empathetic social worker lense. And I totally connected to the place the main character comes from, not because I learned about it in books and graduate classes, but because I GET IT. Now, I'm not going to pretend that I know what it's like to be a person with alcoholism. I don't. Yet, I tend to be a lot more understanding regarding addictions than the typical world at large...because the pain that happens when something is so terribly out of your control is a feeling I once knew too well.


Today I am thankful for...
...seeing my mom at lunch. Since I work down the street, I popped over at lunch time to see my parents. I showed my mom some flash mobs from One Billion Rising. Her response: "I want to do it with you next year!"

Day 41: Studying + the iPhone!

Today I learned...
...that studying for this licensure exam with a team of my fabulous classmates is much better than studying for it alone. Yay for teamwork and camaraderie.

Today I am thankful for...
...my brand new iPhone5! My 3GS got an upgrade today. And thanks to my dad, I am the proud owner of this glorious little technological tool that makes my busy life sooooo much easier on the go. :-)

Day 31: Second-Guessing + a Safe Home

Today I learned...
...not to second-guess myself, even when it comes to very trivial things. At 6:00 this morning, I jolted awake because I thought I heard a bell. I listened intently and didn't hear anything else, so I thought I had imagined it or dreamed it. I went back to sleep and woke up an hour later to scared cats that were hiding and a horrible smell pervading the house. The thermostat on the wall downstairs seemed to be making a bizarre buzzing noise. Rick and I assumed it was our heating system and called the service who works on it. Rick went to a doctor appointment and work while I waited for the repair man to arrive and called in late to hospice. After a while of inhaling the awful fumes, a man came to help me. He went right to the wall with the thermostat and said, "You think the buzzing is coming from here? I don't." I looked puzzled and he pointed to a box a couple of feet above the thermostat, on the same wall. The doorbell transformer box.

And yes, the buzzing was indeed coming from the doorbell box. After he checked every aspect of our heating system to find everything working perfectly, I took the box cover off the transformer for the doorbell that is fastened to the wall. It was super hot and yes, the smell came from it. THAT was what I had heard at 6:00am. The doorbell shorted out and RANG. I just called myself crazy, but maybe if I had looked for the source FIRST, I would have avoided bothering the heating people. 

Long story short, the wires from the doorbell unit extend down into the wall, which was making me nervous about fire, but with the help of my iPhone to take a photo of the transformer box and send it to my dad, he talked me through removing the right wire to stop the electrical current and therefore the buzzing and the burning smell. It was like dismantling a bomb! Thanks, Dad! All is well at the Bair household again.

Today I am thankful for...
...healthy cats, a safe home, and my dad. Why? Because of all of the above!

Day 27: Beliefs + Lunch

Today I learned...

...that the bulletin board in my writing room is a true reflection of myself and my beliefs. I was cleaning the room today in preparation for an interview that may take place in it, since it's where I do most of my work. With fresh eyes, I took in everything in the room, in the event that any of it might be on TV. I noticed so many sayings, like, "Let your past make you better, not bitter," and "Stop judging. Start loving," and "Each new day is another chance to change your life." These sayings are colorfully placed on my cork board along with many others...and I'm proud to say I can stand by them. 

Today I am thankful for...

...lunch with my dad. It was just us, something that never happens. Unfortunately, my mom is sick...but I am grateful that the chance to be alone with my dad was the opportunity that resulted.

Day 12: Parents + Cats

Today I learned...
...that parents sometimes know just what to say to ease the mind. Something I didn't think would pan out, will! Thanks, mom & dad.

Today I am thankful for...
...the unwavering and sweet love of my cats. They make me smile, they calm me down, and they recharge my batteries. They both snuggled in my lap after a long day and even when Juice went on to do her own thing, Tumbler remained steadfast, never leaving my chair. He's been here for close to 4 hours now, and I may have to be the first to crack and get up.