Nightmare on Arbor Downs Drive

Nightmare on Arbor Downs Drive- My day started so innocently, as I prepared to wait for the Lowes truck to arrive with my new refridgerator. I decided I would run a load of wash, as my hamper was getting rather full. No sooner had the wash cycle ended and the water was leaving the washer receptical out the hose, did I hear a noise coming from the master bathroom. I ran to see what was going on and found "Old Faithful" rising from the commode, flooding out from the shower basin as well with awful sewage gunk! I am not completely unpacked from my move and so I was frantically running from one room to the next fetching anything that would soak up this awful mess. In the midst of the crisis I called a plumber who said they would come out immediately. Thanks to the plumber, the pipes are now un-clogged, took hours. Next, a WRS(Water Removal Specialist) came to investigate the scene and proceeded to tell me that "this is a Cat 3 situation and everything must be disposed of". A quick call to my home insurance company to get a claim started and the WRS man began his work. He had to cut out the carpeting and underlayment, as well as some of the pergo flooring into the hallway. He placed a couple of huge machines in my master bedroom, one is a $6,000 dollar de-humidifier and the other is a huge air purifier. Before he left for the evening he sprayed some anti-microbial around on all of the places where he had removed the carpet and pergo. Now to wait for the claims adjuster to give me a ring...Monday the WRS will return to get some more moisture readings with his machine, and then the demolition man has to come to remove the sheetrock/walls where the water seeped up. Here are a few of the pictures I took and plan to provide to the insurance company. Note to self....have pipes snaked by plumber BEFORE moving into new house! Whew! I am tired, off to bed.

Finding my "home"

I have come to a curve in the road of life that has been a long time coming, finding my first home. I went and ventured out last Sunday with a friend and looked at 10 houses, and found one that I really like. I was thinking this would be a slow process, and that I would keep looking at more houses. The FHA changed there rules this week, so my realtor called me and asked if I wanted to go ahead and "proceed" with the house that I found. So then we began to counter and counter-offer and have come to an agreement. The inspector and the termite inspector are going to come to the house on Monday afternoon. I am ready to live in my "home", a place where I can put things on the wall and not think twice about that is not my wall, it belongs to the apartment. This home pictured is the one I am interested in, and it is beautiful on the inside and out, and quite charming.

Beginning 2009

Happy New Year! Welcome 2009, hope it is filled with peace, love, happiness, health, courage, spirit, joy, and renewed strength! I spent New Years Eve with some good friends/co-workers, and we rang in the new year with much enthusiasm. After midnight we ended our evening with a prayer for the unknowns of 2009. I am thankful and blessed to have such a wonderful and caring family, my parents, sister, brothers, nieces, nephews, cousins. We did not eat any black eyed peas, however I believe whole-heartedly that there is much fortune in all the days that lie ahead. My New Years Resolutions? I believe I have a few. I resolve to be a better person, more of a humanitarian. If I can help where there is a need, then I will. I plan to get back to the gym doing the treadmill and circuit weights. I plan to have more updates on my blog. A cottage, garden home. Dear friends. May God bless us all! Happy New Year!

Hannah Rose Playing the violin

Independence Day

I had a three day weekend for July 4th and I did not do much in the way of patriotic activities. I did not attend a fireworks show or a 4th of July parade, nor did I sing the national anthem, but that does not make me unpatriotic. I believe in independence and I chose to use my freedom and independence to sleep in a bit, finish watching "The Waltons Season 7", cleaning the house, went to the grocery store, etc... We did venture outdoors in the evening and saw some fireworks display over the top of the trees in the yard. I am so grateful and thankful to the men and women who have served and are currently serving to protect our beautiful United States, so that I may continue to cherish the freedoms and choices that I make every day. The Preamble states:

“ We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. ”
I am proud to be an American. God Bless America! Whatever anyone else did to celebrate Independence Day, I hope that it was just as patriotic, or even more so, as what I did. Happy 4th of July!

Back in the Saddle (exercise bike)

I had a run in approximatly 3 months ago with a bad reaction to a switch in my blood pressure medication, and as soon as my dr. switched me back to what I was on previously, there was much improvement noted. I also had joined up with a gym membership and got involved with some personal training, but the elliptical machine did a number on me. And then thirdly I was in a car accident, and my knees hit the under the dashboard, and gratefully the x-rays showed it was a contusion of the knee cap. I have not had any more "mis-adventures", so off I went to the gym after work today and worked out for 15 minutes on the recumbent bike, and then did a little circuit training (hip abductor, leg press)...with no ill side effects. Drank plenty of fluids. So I am feeling pretty positive about that. I spoke with one of the managers at the gym, since I had already paid for training sessions and he said that I have 24 sessions available that I can use at any time, even if it is a year down the road. Well, for now I am just going to be doing my "own" personal training.
"Some people refer to Cardiovascular exercise as aerobic exercise, some people even call it 'cardio' for short. All it amounts to is exercises that involve the large muscles like legs and help make your heart and lungs stronger. Cardiovascular exercise has lots of health benefits like lowering your blood pressure, and also it can burn lots of calories - for those of you who want to lose weight.
Cardiovascular exercise is activity involving the large muscles, such as your legs. The word 'aerobic' refers to something that needs oxygen. During cardiovascular or aerobic exercise oxygen gets continuously delivered to your muscles. Outside of exercise, terms like 'aerobic bacteria' refer to bacteria that need oxygen to survive, and 'anaerobic bacteria' are ones that do not need oxygen to stay alive. To give your heart a proper workout you need to make sure that you do your cardiovacular exercise with a certain amount of intensity, but you don't want to overdo it. One way measure the amount of exertion while exercising is by monitoring your heart rate."----www.ideasforwomen.com
So my intentions are to build up my endurance and then hopefully I can get back in to a more extensive workout. My body was not ready for the elliptical today, or tomorrow, but maybe later. Here is a picture of the "mean" machine that made my legs shake like jello, my heart raced like a race horse, dizzy, etc...

Driving through a local neighborhood, Nature at its best!

I fancied upon this beautiful creature while driving through a local neighborhood in the Dallas area. I think it might be a blue heron. There was just this small pond and this bird seemed to be at home here with a few ducks. I paused to take a picture, because it is not something that I get to see everyday. There is so much development and growth in the surrounding communities, and so it was quite refreshing to catch a glimpse of wildlife in my own backyard, so to speak.