Days 8 through 17 or in other words Life.

I've really blown it. I've managed to NOT blog for almost eight days. Why?
Life.
It's that simple. Work has been nuts.
So just in case you're interested the topics range from: learning new things, making friends, doing things I liked to do as a kid, getting more spiritual, getting more sleep and getting rid of one bad habit.
Well, I started saving. I have $100 set aside. It was supposed to be for um, nothing in particular.
But naturally I know have a goal to save up for.
My daughter wants me to go to Disneyland with her and her family this fall. So I'm going to save for a goal.
Saving for a goal is fun. I prefer that.
As for getting more sleep, it depends on the day and life.
Doing things I did as a kid includes going for bike rides. I love going on bike rides. I also love laying on the grass or in a hammock and just watching clouds or reading a book.
Getting more spiritual, well, that's ongoing.
And getting rid of one bad habit. Haven't decided.
But today is special because 24 years ago I met my youngest. She is a beautiful, fun, smart woman now. Then she was a wrinkled, five pound 4 ounce little thing with lots of fuzzy hair.
Let's let the weekend begin!
I'm going biking.

Day 7, which was supposed to be Tuesday

It's Wednesday. Took a quick look at the blog topic and almost lost it. It is about cleaning up my diet.
So when I'm stressed I like to eat Spaghetti-Os and cheese. I also like mac/cheese. I love pasta and cheese in any form. I don't eat a lot of it, except when I do cook it, then I eat a lot.
Also I like to guzzle Mountain Dew when I'm on a writing frenzy. It seems to help ease my stress. I know I should drink more water.
I do love a bowl of ice cream, preferably vanilla.
I know I need to eat more veggies and fruit. I really don't like fruit that much. I do eat a banana every morning and I'll put blueberries on my p&j sandwich when I have it the house.
Fresh veggies aren't my favorite, but I force myself to eat them every day because I know it is good for me. I also know if I cave into my cravings and eat the food I really like and ignore the other, I could end up with heart problems and weight problems like my older relatives.
Yes, I'm lucky I can still get into the jeans I bought five, six, eight years ago. So I will try to eat better and exercise more and drink more water and be happy.

Day 4, 5 and 6

Note: I do not get on the computer on the weekends unless it is to look up a recipe or directions. I try to disconnect myself as much as possible.
So I read what Day 4 was, which would have been Saturday and it said to write about when I feel most pressured what would I think about so I can relax.
The times I'm most pressured include deadlines at work. As a newspaper journalist those deadlines can get ugly, especially on breaking news today. It's so different than it was 20 years ago when I entered the job market or even 12 years ago when I went back full time. Then I didn't worry about Facebook, Twitter or even the Internet. The most important thing was to get the story, get it right and then hope you were the first to break it when the paper was published the next day. Now you hope you're the first five minutes after everything breaks and you hope you're accurate.
I try to breath. That is what President Gordon B. Hinckley of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints told me to do when I was interviewing him about eight years ago. I was hyperventilating during the interview and he just said calmly, "Loretta, breath."
Then I think of the things I like to do and pretend for a minute I'm doing that, like biking or going for a walk or crocheting.
The fifth day topic is one I won't write about. Frankly my sex life is no one's business. Period.:)
The sixth day is one I love. What would I read if I could sit down? Which classics? What would you find on my nightstand, bookshelves or even on the tables in my living room?
I have a number of Agatha Christie books I love to read. I also have a number of the books on CDs I listen to on my way to and from work to help me relax. I have found a new author, Elizabeth Lowell, who is really good. I love how she weaves art into murder, spies and intrigue and also how she sets her stories, not in London, Los Angeles or even New York, but the west, like Utah and Arizona.
Classics I would love to read again include Jane Eyre and Charles Dickens.
I also love Dr. Seuss. Any of his books. Yes, I read them to myself many times, now that my children have bought me the books (so I can read them to my grandchildren.)
I love to read books about World War II. I also like Nero Wolf mysteries as well. And I do have lots of books on CDs, including Harry Potter series, because I like listening to good books while I'm cleaning house, gardening, walking the dog, crocheting or driving around for work or self.
And yes, I love reading the Bible, especially the New Testament, and the Book of Mormon. Alma is one of my favorite books in the Book of Mormon.

3rd Day to Happier me -- Don't procrasinate

What are the five things I've been meaning to do and haven't done ---yet?

1. Clean my laundry room.


2. Go through my clothes and actually get rid of things I honestly don't wear.


3. Clean the garage.


4. Weed my flower gardens.


5. Save $10,000.

OK, according to the journal thingee I'm following I should now list the concrete steps I'm going to take to accomplish the last one because it is the hardest thing for me to accomplish.

OK, I've saved quite a bit in my 401k. I have put money in my all nine of my grandchildren's accounts every month now for years. Put for me to have a personal savings account.

First let's take about why I cannot/won't save money for me. Do I think I'm not worth it? Or do I just plain enjoy spending the bucks on myself and others?

In order for me to save $10,000 in a year's time: I would have to salt away almost $200 a week.

So maybe I should bring the amount down a bit: Let's save $5,000 in a year.

I can try to do that. I can put $50 aside every other week and $150 aside every other week.

I will have to not spend money on silly things, like the cutest T-shirts on clearance or extra snacks.

I will let you know how I do let's see by July 3. I will make the third of each month my reporting date.

Now to the flower gardens:

Yes, GARDENS. Several years ago I decided I wanted to try my hand at planting flowers. At first everything went nice and looked great. But now the lilies have overtaken the front garden and grass has invaded my roses. This will require me to get on my hands and knees and pull. Also a shovel. So next week I'll let you know how I did. OK, next Friday, June 10.

The garage is a bit trickier. I'd just haul a bunch of that stuff away, except Rod has stored most of the stuff in there. So first chance I get, I'm moving the cars out of the way, vaccum and sweep. Maybe pull some of the stuff out from under the stairs and, yes, toss it.

I'm not exactly a horder, but I do hord. You can tell by looking at my laundry/sewing/yarn room. I need to think on how to make that room look better.

As one wise woman told me, an elephant is eaten one bite at a time.

Day 29 for emotionally happier me!

Venting part 2: This is a 30-day series to help improve me mentally and physically. Let's see how this works in 30 days or if I can keep up with it.:)
My support system is the topic today. I do have a fairly good support system, but sometimes I do feel alone facing my dragons and demons.
Being alone is scary. Feeling alone is even more frightening to me. I can be in a room with a ton of people who I know love me and/or respect me and I feel as if there is no one to talk to. Many times those are the times when my guests, usually family members, want to visit with each other and play games.
Because of my childhood, I have few real friends. I know there are people in the community and neighborhood who are friends, but I don't feel like there are any real friends. Few, if any call, just to see if I'm alive. Rarely do I get a call to join a book club or go for a walk or shopping or out to lunch. I do have one friend who does make it a point to call me once a month and we go to lunch. She's really sick right now and it will be at least a month before we go to lunch and laugh at silly things.
If I do want to do something with someone I make the phone calls and invite.
So get over it, I tell myself. At least people are willing to join me most of the time.
My mom was divorced when I was five. We moved to a small Utah town, where divorced, working women were looked down upon, therefore, their children were considered bad influence upon other children. Instead of inviting me and my sisters into their homes and caring for us, we were shunned and left on our own.
I think that is why I always tried to keep the door open for my children's friends, no matter who they were or what their family circumstances were. I didn't know until years later, our home was a refuge for two children whose parents were going through a rough patch.
Anyway, mom remarried. He wouldn't allow friends over very much and definitely wouldn't allow us to go to a friend's house. He was a control freak with a lot of other issues.
But I know I can call my sisters and we can talk about stuff. I also know I can talk to my husband about stuff. He is my best friend. Only a few times have I had a major break down in the middle of the day while he was at work and he has been there, either on the phone, or one time, in his office (after I dropped off our children at a safe location), when I've lost it. When I say I've lost it, it's like crying, can't get control of my emotions and feeling more than overwhelmed with life.
It was one friend who told me her favorite phrase in the Bible is "This too shall pass" and it usually does and that is why God made rainbows.
So I've taken that and say, "Get over it," when I'm feeling alone. I'm not alone. I have you, my friends, who read this. I have you, my family, who reads this. And most importantly, I have me.
Me, who generally smiles and is ready to take on the world.
So if you want to go for a walk, out to lunch, shopping or just come over and crochet, read a book or just hang out, call or email me. I'd love to be part your support system!

Venting

Anyone who knows me knows I love to vent. I love to vent about everything and anything. I think that is why I like Maxine, the comic strip old woman. She loves to complain.

What do I like to complain about? I like to complain about how unorganized I am, how much weight I've gained in the past five years (OK, I can hear the "Oh please. Get real" from my friends). Granted it's only 10 pounds, but hey, it's 10 pounds and I have a bit of a round tummy that is evidence.

I also like to complain about all the people who honestly think I can solve their problems and make everything nice again because I'm a reporter. Trust me. I get phone calls and emails daily from people who really think I have some influence over judges, police officers, attorneys, city/county/state and federal officials. Many of them call me as a last resort. I'm the "media" so somehow I should be able to fix the problem by putting it out there for the public to read. What they don't realize is I'm not a superhero.

I'm me. Loretta. Wife. Mom. Grandma. Sister. Auntie. Daughter. Cousin. Niece. Friend. Reporter.

Notice, the label reporter is way down on the list. Me is up front.

I also lately like to whine about the weather. And it's not whether or not I should drink wine. Sorry I couldn't resist.

For those who don't live in Utah, rain has been constant for the past couple of months. We get a day of sunshine and then the clouds roll right back in and well, my back yard resembles a pond. The garden is waterlogged.

I'm not a rain person. I'm a desert rat. I learned this every time I've traveled to places where rain is a constant. I can't wait to get back to dry, dusty Utah.

I do like some rain. One of my favorite memories is taking a nap on my Grandma Dunn's couch when I was about 4 years old and listening to the rain fall on her tin roof that covered the back porch. It was one of the few times in my life I felt at peace.

OK, back to whining, complaining, venting, screaming, being generally ticked off. There's a whole list of things I could howl about,, but then you'd all complain I'm whining, belly aching or , griping too much.

So today my biggest complaint is trying to be the superhero I know I'm not. Really. I'm trying to investigate a story that could have some serious consequences. I know I will be going up against some big guns (men with lots of power, real guns, etc.) and it does scare me a tad --- just a tad. I actually like to tackle this stuff because it's just me, all 130 pounds, 5 feet 5 inches, 52 years old of me taking on the world.

So I'm going to head to the comic store I wrote about Tuesday, and buy a Batman action figure for my grandson and put it away for his 3rd birthday in September. It comes with Catwoman. Don't tell him. It's a secret.

Already I'm feeling like a Superhero! Superhero Gramala! Coming to save the day! (Which Superhero is that?)