Caffeine Twitch

I've long known that drinking fully leaded coffee tends to heighten any anxiety I may already be experiencing. As I've gotten older, though, it seems like any amount of caffeine, in particular in coffee, tends to send me right over the edge into full blown jitters.  I'm not always paying attention though, as I do so love myself a nice cup of good coffee.  Recently we decided to give another shot at learning a new game we got for Christmas, called Seven Wonders.  We figured maybe Jan and Rocky could help us decipher the instructions since so far we had been unable to do so.  We spent a good amount of time on it, and once again we all came up short, thinking this game was just way too complicated to learn. Then someone had a bright idea to see if there were any instructions on the internet that might help.  We found us a video, and at this point it was around 10:00pm, but we decided to press on anyway.  I figured a cup of coffee sounded perfect, to keep me awake during what I anticipated would be a rather dull and boring instructional video. Plus, we would be up for hours yet and one cup wouldn't affect ALL night long. Good news is we figured out the game and had a great time playing it! Bad news was, having been on antibiotics recently, I bought myself a different kind of probiotic than I had taken before.  As I lay down to sleep that night at around midnight or so, I found myself experiencing a rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms and inexplicably some anxiety about what was causing these symptoms.  My caffeine addled brain immediately jumped to the obvious conclusion: I must have overdosed on probiotic.  I lay in bed for a long time, battling it out in my mind.

"There's no way you can overdose on probiotic."  "You don't know that for sure, I've heard you can take too many vitamins, maybe this is the same thing." "But I have all these weird symptoms and I don't know what's causing it. The only thing I can think of that I did differently was taking TWO of those probiotic pills today.  Maybe I was only suppose to take one." "You're being ridiculous! You are FINE. Go to sleep!" "Yes, I need to just go to sleep.  But my heart feels like it's beating faster than usual.  I should just get up and look it up on line." "Fine, just get up now since going to sleep is obviously out of the question!"

5:00am rolls around, and I found myself sitting in the dark living room all alone, having spent the last couple of hours (after finding out that I most likely did NOT overdose myself) laughing and having a great time watching youtube videos.  Almost in the midst of one of the funnier episodes, and realizing that my brain was sparking ever so clearly and brightly on all cylinders (could have written my novel if I'd thought of it), only then does it dawn on me that I had a cup of coffee at 10:00pm that night.  Ok, lesson learned.  I will never again underestimate the power of caffeine in my obviously overly sensitive system!

Jan, Rocky and Chris, watching the YouTube video

Happy

This morning there is a breeze blowing in reminiscent of Fall.  Even though it is still August, I open all the windows of the house, letting in a fresh air with the smell of recent rain on the wind.  I move outside, unused to being able to do that in summertime.  I sit under a bright blue sky, taking in the green pasture, the beautiful Monarch butterflies whisking around my head.  I hear sounds of farm life, fields being plowed and work being done.  The cobwebs formed by years of unfulfilling desert heat clear from my mind, freeing me for more than just plotting survival of another scorching summer. More than just hiding out, hibernating for most of the year. I feel as though I have lived my whole life in summer time. A dry, barren place where I could not grow for the scorching heat, oppressive and heavy. How weary I was under that terrible blistering sun! Bright and blinding, washing color out of everything it touched.  Today I soak in all the rays of this sunshine, so far removed from the eons of summer I have endured.  Today lifts my spirits, brings the promise of cooler days.  A coolness that invades my being, parches the hot, dry and thirsty soul.  I am moved by the power of God to bring about this miracle.  I am overcome with thankfulness for how He has orchestrated this beautiful place just for us.  We are in His thoughts.  We are loved.  We are known. For how could I have ever dreamed this up for myself except that God knew better than I what my thirsty soul needed?

My butterfly bush in the back yard

Girls Day Adventure

My neighbor Jan was over at my house one day while I was grating cheese and commented on this fantastic cheese grater that Cassie had given to me, which I just love and use ALL the time.  I thought I could buy it online at Ikea, but that didn't work out so well.  Our closest store is in Charlotte, so I decided to drive there to get it and asked Jan if she would like to come along.  She said she had never been there before, and asked why I was going.  Then she just laughed and said I should not go all the way to Charlotte for her cheese grater!! But I informed her I'd be going with or without her, so she might as well come and "experience" Ikea, which I assured her would be totally worth the trip.  She invited her BFF Tina and Tina's daughter Stephanie to come along too.  So we had us a merry band of girls for a road trip to Charlotte, in search of this special item.

The one I have

The one I got for Jan

Of course we couldn't just head right into the big store, we needed nourishment first!!

Lunch at Boardwalk Billy's

 As anticipated, we did some grand shopping at Ikea!  Stephanie is getting married in October, and she found a nice cabinet that she can put in her new house, which they are remodeling.  Jan found some must have items too, but Tina was the best shopper since she got out of there spending the least amount of money!

Jan gets her cheese grater!

We did stay a little too late, though, and ended up in a massive traffic jam trying to get out of Charlotte.  While we waited at a dead stop on the freeway, I made a command decision that I would find us an alternate route!

This is what we looked like.. ugh! I left PHX because of this!

I found us a way out of that mess, and we got home not too much longer than if I had stayed on the highway.  Plus we had a nice scenic country drive, which was fabulous!

Healing Well

I know so many have been praying for my finger to heal, and I am very grateful that God has been working on answering.  My BFF Tiffany sent me some fingernail tattoo's that I could use to decorate my nails when my injury was well enough for that.  It seems so strange that just last month I still had on a huge bandage! Now I only apply one small regular band-aid when I am going out or working or something.  As it heals over the part that was cut, a large scab forms under the nail.  I cleaned it all out, then trimmed the nail back, and it felt so weird. I wasn't sure if it was all better or what.  Then I went out to mow the lawn and accidentally bumped that finger on the steering wheel.  OUCH!! It still hurts! It started bleeding and I had to bandage it again for a while.  Now the scab is back and I think maybe I should just leave it be and see what happens when it grows back out again.

My knuckle is still swollen and enlarged so that I can't get my ring on, and you can see where a part of the right side of my finger I lost.  Will my knuckle ever return to normal? Is it swollen because of being straight for so long? I hope it isn't going to stay like that forever - I'll never wear a ring again!!  Still praying for continued healing.  Drinking lots of orange juice, taking vitamins.  Trying to promote God's supernatural healing.  Overall I am so pleased with how normal it looks, and that I have full use of the finger.