A Year of Change

I think it's funny that this month's NaBloPoMo theme is change, because 2008 was a year of change for me.

Some of the change was great: my beloved husband finally finished all his schooling, allowing him to get a position as a school media specialist. This meant we got a new apartment (big yay!), moving to Gwinnett County from DeKalb. Nice apartment with a high balcony, which means the kitties can go outside. Of course, moving and a new job for my husband meant big changes to our schedules: I wake up between 5:20 and 5:45 every morning. Not so hot for a dedicated night owl, believe me. But so worth it.

Because of the new apartment, we've been able to host a few overnight guests: a Guild Wars friend and his wife and family in July, and some other Guild Wars friends for Dragon*Con. I have loved the freedom to invite people over whenever we want!

There was even bigger good news for my family: my sister got married and is pregnant. He will the first baby on my side of the family. I take great pride in having bought him his first stuffed animal (a frog from Ikea), only three days after I found out she was pregnant and before most people even knew!

I've done some cool stuff artistically this year, too. In February, I took an art journal class, Love This Journal, with Jessica Wesolek. I loved it, and I've almost filled my first Moleskine. I also got a spinning wheel, which I adore. (Note that I don't claim to spin with any degree of skill...)

At church, we called a new music minister, just in time for our Christmas program. Exciting for sure; we've needed him! Still, I'm glad we didn't jump into a decision.

Not all the change was good though: my life was really shaken up in October, when my mom was diagnosed with lymphoma. Her prognosis is excellent (as I've posted before), but it shaken up everything. (Even more so for my brother and uncle.) But it has definitely reminded me of how much I love all my family. The blessing in all of this is that once my mom is cancer free, she should be in better health than when she started! Turns out the cancer was behind some health problems she had been having...and they discovered her gallstones before they caused her any problems. Since they are taking out her gallbladder once chemo is over, she'll never have any problems with them!

It's true that 2008 had some very serious, scary problems, but life is always like tht. Regardless, it was a promising year for us.

Sock Dream Addict

I know a lot of women have lifelong love affairs with shoes; I've never been one of them. (Though my sister definitely is!)

Except that now I am addicted to legwear. See, until two or three years ago I practically lived in jeans. After working for years in print shops where I did a lot of customer service and had to dress up some (hose, even!), I got a job where I could wear jeans. This coincided nicely with my messier art classes, by the way, which further encouraged the wearing of jeans. (Have you tried throwing pots in a skirt? Or welding? Or building large sculptures? Besides the inconvenience, you'll ruin a lot of pretty clothes!)

After I graduated, though, I really got sick of always wearing jeans and wanted something that felt more feminine. Enter an article on Boundless webzine pointing out that skirts are an easy way to feel feminine.

Thus began my skirt-wearing kick. I now own only one pair of decent jeans (the rest are ratty, worn, and possibly paint-stainted). Most of the time, I wear skirts. And that began my interest in interesting legwear. It was about that time that I found Sock Dreams, this incredible online store that sells the most unbelievable socks, tights, leggings, and leg warmers.

True confession time...
I own a fair number of Sock Dreams socks. I have a pair of Super Stripes (red and black), two pairs of Super Ms, three pairs of Inklined Knee Highs (two of which are discontinued colors), Diamond Rib Knee Highs in Bordeaux (a dark red), M Squared Knee Highs in Dark Red, and a couple of others I can't remember. I also have a pair of Simone's Black Sleeves, which have been a lifesaver in this insane cold snap Atlanta's having.

And today I ordered a pair of the Super-Long Ribbed Leg Warmers (charcoal, of course). Because waiting for a bus in twenty-four degree weather (wind chill in the teens) while wearing a skirt? Oh yeah. I need thigh-high leg warmers.

So consider this revenge on every woman who has enabled me into new addictions...like BPAL and Malabrigo.

Another Mom Update

So...my mom started chemo unexpectedly yesterday. She thought she was going in for a consultation; instead, they sent my uncle to get some food for her, so she could eat before it started.

It is in her bone marrow, which make her cancer Stage IV. They gave her only two of the drugs they will be giving her, since they're waiting for some test results. Fortunately, she didn't have any serious reactions. Her only reaction was a bit odd: it made her very hot. Apparently, chemo gives everyone else on the Prime Material Plane serious chills. That's my mom for you!

My brother is trying to help her, work, and keep up an A average in school. Oh, and take care of my grandmother, who lives with them. That in itself is a big job, because she won't do anything for herself if she can help it...even though she has better mobility than my mom does healthy!

My uncle is shouldering the rest of the burden for my grandmother and mom. It's such a blessing that he is retired and lives only a few minutes from my mom! But he's the type who loves peace and solitude, which he does not get at my mom's. My mom's chatty even under normal conditions, but the medication is making her ramble (and not always coherently, either). We measure my uncle's day by how many miles he has to walk for his sanity. Friday was six; Saturday required nine.

Oops.

I hate to admit it, but I think the stress is making me a little bit cranky and restless. I feel so bad about that, because I have an absolutely wonderful husband. I thought I was doing great and was stress free, until I developed a cold sore a few days ago. Apparently my body knows me better than I know myself; I only get those when I'm stressed.

Oops again.

On the good side, this might fix several problems my mom has had over the past couple of months, at least once all the chemo and stuff is over. So yay!