The bruising is now moving down my neck and into the collarbone, lots of black and purple and a little yellow thrown in at the cheeks. Very colourful but more thundercloud than rainbow. The incisions are a little tender but the jaw itself is good so I've only used the odd painkiller when I start to get a twinge.

I've had a revovling door of visitors bringing me flowers, cards, homemade soup and well wishes. I've never been the type to need it to be "all about me" so it's really nice to have all this love and caring showered on me.

On the art front I've done nothing but battle with the workroom - I'm making progress.....Wooohooo! Aside from the fact that I have waaaay too much stuff, things are finally coming together. I need to make some cards for 2 swaps, create some Wedding and Mother's Day samples for the store and I want to work on my journal pages so my next few days will be busy.

Wednesday I go into the City for my first followup with Dr. M. I'm feeling well and aside from being tired and lethargic from the anesthetic, things are good. I'm hoping there are no issues with the incisions - they're tender, as they should be I guess - but I'll feel better once he checks them out.

On the weightloss front, I'm down about 10 lbs. I know it's not the ideal way to do it but I'll take the loss however I can get it!

Caio!

Just thought I'd check in before I pop off to bed for the night.

I'm feeling great, have no real need for pain killers, but will take one tonight just to be on the safe side. The swelling has increased and I'm getting more colourful by the hour. Lovely purple bruises starting below the chin and up onto my lip and the side of my face. Wonderful! I can hardly wait to see what it looks like tomorrow. You can bet I won't be leaving the house anytime soon!

So tonight, after sitting around all day, I decided to work on my studio and try to get it tidied up after the marathon card making session before holidays. Quite a mess but I've made some headway. Rearranged some general storage as well as some paper storage and labelled a bunch of stuff. It's amazing how many scattered piles I found that were paper I thought I was out of. ?God grief! Tomorrow I'm having company in the evening - coming over to see the rainbow in progress! However, during the day I hope to get some more cleanup down here so I can get some work done. If I'm going to be stuck in the house I might as well play with some of the new stuff I bought - but first I have to find it under the pile of stuff on my work table.

Well must run for meds, ice and beauty sleep - I'm not sure there's enough sleep to be had to cure this face ....and so it goes.

Caio!

I'm home, swollen, temporarily disfigured but none the worst for wear. The surgeon was in to see me this morning before I was discharged. I commented that I was still quite swollen - he said with the work he did that I should have been swollen up like a football. The fact that I had so little swelling was fantastic. He said I looked "fantastic" - his words not mine - not sure I'd go quite that far but whatever! I will be taking progress pictures which I may or may not share. I'm afraid some people may never let me live them down and they will come back to haunt me. We'll see....

The meds they gave me were good, very good, and I've had really very little pain and very little need for the meds. The operation went well and was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be so it's all good. I'm still alive and while not quite my "sassy" self, I intend to be back in full form again very soon.

Just wanted to pop in and update you on what's going on in my little corner of paradise.

Today is a big day for me. I'm finally having my jaw surgery - it's been two long years of waiting but it's finally happening today. I've tried not to let my mind dwell on it. I know myself well enough to know that if I allow myself to go there, I'll get myself all worked up and anxious. I keep telling myself that it's no big deal and that it will be a walk in the park.

Hmmmm. Maybe not so much! Guess we'll have to see.

Anyway, I'll be out of commission for a bit, not sure how long. I do know, however, that I'm on a liquid diet for a couple of weeks and then on soft foods only for another couple. I'm hoping to lose some weight - pretty radical method I know - but one can only hope!

Gotta run. Will check back in once I start to feel better.

Caio!

Here's another doodle page. It's titled "Friendship".

It was fun to do and I'm pleased with the end result. However, I'm finding it a bit stark and perhaps a little harsh because of the absence of colour. I think I'll try a differnt style with my next page. Definitely something a little softer and with more colour.

Title is "Drama Queen"

This page is one of the doodles that I created in Jodi Ohl's online class. Her class has really opened my eyes to some new journal styles and possibilities. And it was lots of fun to do - very freeing.

This one is titled "Of the Sun"

Thought I'd share one of the journal pages I did while in Palm Springs. I'm pretty pleased with it and I hope you enjoy it as well!

We're home from Palm Springs. We were originally scheduled to leave on Sunday Feb. 28th which would mean we were travelling while Canada was playing the gold medal game against the US. My daughter has been following every game in which Canada played and really wanted to see the final game. We decided to change our plans and flew out Saturday instead so we could be home to watch the game on Sunday. It worked out well as it will give us an extra day to relax before going back to work and getting back into the routine of things. It cost us extra because there was a difference in air fare but I figure in the long run I actually saved money. Had we stayed in Palm Springs the plan was to go to the casino on Saturday night and that generally is not a good thing to do. So.........works for me!

The flight was uneventful and going through the border was a breeze. We had a fabulous holiday, however we're happy to be back home with our three fur babies. It will be nice to sleep in our own beds again.

Well, must run. It's been a long day and I need my beauty sleep. Caio!

I follow Mama Dinis blog and she had a link for a free digi stamp. I cruised on over to Motivet http://motivet.com/blog/?p=1724 for the freebie. Check it out - it's free and it's really versatile - would do for a get well soon, happy birthday ....any number of things.

A big thanks to Motivet for sharing this with us.

Yesterday we played a round of golf at Taquitz Creek Resort. It was a lovely day for golf and K and I were reasonably pleased with our scores at the end of the round. After a cold beer, we headed off to Lumpy's. We talked to a gentleman there about K's problems using her dad's driver. Turns out it will be very difficult for her to hit it well because it's a stiff shaft designed for someone who is a power hitter - which my husband was. Long story short, I bought her a new ladies Taylor Made driver, 5 wood and 7 wood. She has really taken to the game of golf and she needs the right equipment. She was surprised and pleased to have these new clubs. We traded in DH's old driver, 3 and 5 woods. I got very little for them but have no use for them so no sense in keeping them. I was able to put the amount of the trade in on the new clubs so it's all good.

This is an early birthday gift - her birthday is April 18th - but I thought she might as well have them now since we're here and playing golf. We play again tomorrow so we're looking forward to some improvement in her game.

The weather this last several days has been great, perfect for playing golf. Just not so great for lying around the pool. Today started out well but then clouded over with sporadic sun so I didn't get any pool time. My only remaining opportunity for pool time is Saturday so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's a good day!

Must run as I'm going to lie down for awhile and watch some of my decorating shows. Then at 4 pm we'll watch the Canada / Russia game. Go Canada!

Our trip is winding down and we're just starting into our last week in Paradise. This time of the trip always makes me a little sad as I know our time here is coming to an end soon. SIL has invited us to join her and her husband in Barbados next January, however we haven't committed one way or the other. We'll need to sit down and discuss it. We're both creatures of habit and we really enjoy Palm Springs. However, Barbados is beautiful and would be a nice change. We'll see. Decisions, Decisions.

Both K and I are missing our "girls" - Socks, Kirby and Daisy. Even though our neighbour is taking good care of them, we feel badly for leaving them for so long. T says they're lonely and that Daisy, the newest addition to the family (10 months old) is the official greeter. Daisy comes running to the door to greet her and meows up a storm every time she goes over to feed them. Socks is still hissing at her every time she comes in - big surprise that ! I expect that Daisy and Kirby (who is our gorgeous maine coone cat) will be ecstatic to see us. Socks, not so much - she'll give us "the tail", meaning she is not pleased - for the first little while. Then the three of them will swarm us and we'll be subjected to mass cuddles and kisses. I can hardly wait!

My SIL left for Ottawa yesterday so it's just K and I here now. We thoroughly enjoyed SIL's visit and hope she enjoyed her trip as well. Now it's just the two of us for the remainder of the trip and we'll enjoy the wind down prior to going home. Today will be a day spent by the pool and tomorrow we'll golf again.

The weather here has cooled down a bit - the last couple of days it's been mid to high 70's instead of high 80's and 90's. The weather has been perfect for golfing - not too hot and with a little breeze. Regardless of the variation in the temperature it has been fabulous weather and we are thoroughly enjoying the pool and backyard.

Well must go - I hear the pool calling my name. Caio!

We golfed at Taquitz Creek yesterday - my game was less than stellar but I enjoyed the day nonetheless. The weather was absolutely fabulous! We have no idea what the temperature was but suspect it was close to 90 degrees. On Sunday it was 84 degrees in the shade by the pool and Monday sure felt hotter. We were late teeing off because of a backlog so we didn't finish our round until about 3:30, then we had a very well deserved glass of ice cold beer. Nectar of the gods!

I checked the thermometer this morning at 8:30 and it was already 70 degrees so I think we're in for another hot one. My kind of day - I so enjoy lying the pool when we're here. Plan is to have burgers tonight for dinner so it should be a very lazy day.

I've managed to do some journalling. I should have brought some supplies with me but didn't so I had to purchase them here. I've never really liked doing my backgrounds ahead of time but now I can see that doing that is the way to go. I realize that when I want to work on a page, I want to work on it now, not after I wait for the page to dry. It's a lesson well learned!

I'm happy with my supply purchases and since it's all "stuff" I can use at home, it won't go to waste. I'm hoping to do a few more pages before I go home. Will scan them and post when I get home.

Gotta run - I hear the sun calling my name!

It was another glorious day in Palm Springs today. It was 80 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. We spent the day alternating between swimming in the pool, floating in the pool and lying in lawn chairs by the pool. After such a lazy day, we decided not to cook so we went to Applebee's on Date Palm and had a lovely supper. We made it in time for happy hour and were able to enjoy a couple of half price margaritas and an appy before having dinner. Of course we couldn't pass up the dessert shooters and by the time we finished the chocolate mousse we were well and truly stuffed. Tough life :)

After supper we headed off to the Spa Casino for a couple of hours. Kerry and Joyce held their own, me ? Not so much. Hence why my visits to the casino are few and far between.

The issue with the tv has been resolved. The owner's son came by today and replaced the tv and left us a couple of bottles of wine to enjoy. A very nice gesture!

Sunday we're looking forward to another fabulous day in paradise! Pool time, relaxation, maybe some adult bevvies? Paradise!

Today we golfed at Indian Canyons in Palm Springs. We had a tee time of 12:26 so we were starting to lose daylight by the time we finished. The day was spectacular and I played a good round. We played with a gentleman who was 83 and looked about 70. He was amazing and came in with an honest round of 90. When we told him that he didn't look 80 nor did he play golf like he was 80, his reply was that he didn't feel 80. He golfs in the summer and skies at Whistler in the winter. Unbelievable. It's so nice to see someone in his golden years who has such a full life and such a wonderful attitude. I sure hope I'm able to enjoy life as much at that age.

Depending on which channel you listen to, the weather tomorrow will range between 75 and 85 with the weather becoming steadily warmer through the weekend and into the beginning of next week. We plan take a few days to lay around the pool and enjoy the weather and will golf again on Monday.

Having a wonderful and relaxing time!

I'm happy to say that the issue with the TV is getting resolved. We reported it to the rental company and have had conversations with the owner. Thankfully he's very understanding and apologetic about the problems we're having and is not pissed with us. I feel badly that we've had to keep bugging him - he's looking into getting the problem resolved for us.

Last night SIL took us out for dinner. We went to a fabulous Italian restaurant, voted the best in the desert for several years. Formerly "Mario's", it's now operating under the name of "Di'Carlos". Great meal and great atmosphere. We ate out on the patio where the heaters kept us nice and warm.

My SIL got up ths morning before both myself and DD. She found a nice little present in the pool. A big fat rat, thankfully deceased! Thank goodness the pool guys came this morning to deal with it. They had just removed it when I walked out onto the patio. EWWWWW! Thank God one of us noticed before anyone jumped into the pool! More chemicals please!

After all my foraging for art journal supplies, I remembered (after I drove past it) that there's a Michael's very close to the house. DUH! I'm going to try to stop there sometime today or tomorrow to pick up the supplies I'm missing.

We're off to play some golf today and then we'll have a nice dinner at home.
Gotta run....Caio!

Dear SIL arrived last night and is settling in after a long trip. She and DD went swimming late last night when she arrived. Apparently the pool was nice and warm but the air was cool so they didn't hang around outside too long after getting out of the water.

I woke up at 730 this morning to the house alarm going off. I guess DD forgot to tell her about the alarm so of course as soon as she opened the door to the patio it went off. Luckily when the alarm company called this time, I actually knew the abort code and security code for the alarm. Thankfully no need for police attendance!

We're having issues with the tv in the living room. For some reason we are getting a totally blank black screen. We're getting audio but no picture. I've reset it several times but it's not correcting the problem. Pain in the ass! I have no idea what button I touched (totally by accident) to make us lose video and no matter what I touch I can't get it to come back. I really don't want to be without tv in the living room for the remaining 3 weeks - but I'm really embarassed to have to call the rental office, yet again, because of a problem with something. I'm really hoping that we can rectify it soon. Always something!

I felt the need to do some journalling so DD and I went out and foraged for supplies. I was able to get almost everything I needed at a very reasonable price. The only thing I couldn't find was a white prisma pen so I purchased one of those white out pens figuring I could use it in a pinch. The other thing I'm missing is a brush for my watercolour pencils - guess I'll improvise with some Q tips. So far I haven't done any journalling but hope to do some soon. Maybe later today.

Well must run as I feel the need for some pool time! Wish me luck with the TV. Caio!

Today was a bittersweet day - it would have been DH's 60th birthday. DD and I golfed at one of his favourite courses and then toasted him with a beer afterwards. The day was lovely and DD and I enjoyed it very much. The weather was fabulous - somewhere in the neighbourhood of 80 degrees. They didn't pair us with anyone so it was just us girls, very relaxing. The game was much better today and we managed to trim 10 to 15 strokes off each of our games.

Not much planned for tomorrow. The weather people say the temperature will be high 60's but we find that the temperature in Palm Springs is usually about 10 degrees higher than the temperature in LA at any given time. I'm looking forward to getting some pool time.

We had issues with the garage door on Monday. Appears it came off the rails and jammed up big time. The repair guy came by yesterday and just shook his head at the way it had been installed
in the first place. He was amazed that it had worked at all. He managed to get the door down for us but we're still waiting for it to be replaced. I'm really hoping that gets done some time this week because I will need to get into the garage to do my laundry. Worst case scenario, I guess I can wash some stuff by hand. That usually is not a pretty sight though!

Must run. Caio!

We're now in Palm Springs. We drove down to Bellingham Wednesday night and crossed over at Aldergrove. The border guard was very pleasant and didn't hassle us. It was a fast, pleasant and painless experience. Apparently we only look like terrorists and/or prostitutes in the light of day!

Weather in PS is good - still a little cooler because of the bad weather everyone is having up the coast but nothing to complain about. My youngest SIL is coming to stay with us for 2 weeks and arrives on Saturday. We enjoy her company and she and K get along famously so we're looking forward to her arrival. The other relatives will not be joining us this year so it's just the 3 gals - no boyz allowed! It should be fun!

We've been enjoying the peace and quiet - no stress and very relaxing. We spent the day in the pool Saturday and Sunday and golfed yesterday. The golf game was less than stellar but considering that this is our first round since this time last year, it could have been worse. We had a great time and that's all the matters.

I had computer issues again when we arrived - not sure why but never could get access through the house. I was not prepared to sneak out under cover of darkness again this year to find free wi-fi. I had visions of being pulled out of my car by the cops because I was acting suspicious. So.... We bought one of those Verizon stix, cost me a fortune but at least we have access when and where we want it. I'll have it the next time we venture south so I guess I can somewhat justify the extravagance. I bought 500 MB but am quite certain I will have to reload before mid month. Who knew we would use so much bandwith. I'm sure part of the heavy usage is Kerry's crazy Farm game....whatever!

We've been to the casino twice - just an hour or so each time - no need to get carried away and the marathon gambling visit is definitely not a good thing for either of us. I got lucky last night and won $500 on the slots! That was nice and, of course I enjoyed gambling when I was winning. And I cashed out while I still had my winnings. Bonus!!

Gotta run cuz the bandwith meter is definitely ticking :) Caio!

Things have been very hectic the last few weeks. My arthritis had been bad and became even worse in the last few weeks. I was in major pain last week and ended up at the Emergency department at our local hospital Sunday morning. The pain was quite different and I was convinced that I had broken a bone.

After a fairly long wait, they sent me for x-rays. The doc came back and informed me that I had "quite significant amount of arthritis" in that knee. He said it had really progressed since my last x-ray about a year ago. He prescribed me some arthritis meds to help with the pain and stop if from progressing, we hope He has also referred me for physio.

I'm not really all that surprised that I have arthritis as my dad has a serious case of it so I guess it's to be expected. In some ways I'm relieved that now I know what is causing the pain. I was also glad that I actually had something wrong with me as I was afraid they would tell me it was all in my head.

The count down is on for Palm Springs. Woooohooo! We finally hired someone to take over my old job and I'm busy training her. I'm also trying to deal with some of the backlog before I go so that she isn't totally stressed out at being left with all this work. Unfortunately it cannot be helped - the backlog is the result of the position being empty for 14 months and us never being able to catch up because we don't have enough staff. Anyway, I'm feeling much less stressed than I was a few days ago now that there will be someone in the office in my absence.

The sunshine, the pool, a good book and some adult bevvies are looking pretty good right now! Only 6 more sleeps!

I'm on course in Vancouver Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week. I take the WestCoast Express in - although I missed the first train this morning - and it's a nice trip. No fighting traffic, stressing out about finding a parking spot and so on. The course is good, the instructor interesting and entertaining, although the subject matter is a bit dry. My only issue is that I'm having a hard time sitting in those chairs all day.

Anyway end of day comes today and I walk out onto the sidewalk on Seymour Street for the 3 block walk back down to the train and I jar my bad knee. OUUUUUCCHHH! I thought I was going to go down on my ass right there in the middle of the sidewalk. I don't know what happened. The only thing I can think of is that the pavement was sloped and a little uneven. Iwas in serious pain and I limped my way back to the train and finally made it home. Not fun!

This is really not a big thing, however, my knee was just starting to get back to normal and now I've injured it again. Frustrating as hell! And I have the 3 block walk - uphill - to look forward to tomorrow morning. I think I might break down and wear my brace tomorrow altough I'm not entirely sure that it helps. Oh, well, such is life!

Must run to change and then put my leg up and ice my knee. Isn't that special?