Weekend Coffee Share, Upward

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer on her Blog . Today, my beverage is a hot, Tazo green tea with honey. It’s gray outside, so I slept late and feel no need to hurry. Bixby is filling the house with the little pitter patter of dog footsteps as he moves around the house.

He stops now and then to let me pet him or bark at the front window when someone walks their dog on the sidewalk. He always keeps us safe!

I blogged a few days ago about still dealing with sinus issues ( slowly improving) and getting the new-to-me car this week. Sunday is when I traded in for a 2021 Corolla. I’m in debt again. Ugh! Still, I like this car, it’s much safer, and it’s a smooth ride with Bluetooth for phone calls and Spotify playlists! Pretty awesome…

The color is Blueprint blue. “Sure looks good on you!”😊

So, with my birthday coming up, I’ve asked for two car-related gifts. The price for this car was good, considering it’s low mileage. Hence, I was willing to overlook small stains on the seats and get seat covers. That means, I’ve asked for them for my birthday, which is in a few days. 🙂 My boyfriend already got the paint pen for my car’s few scratches, and it has arrived!

The school week was challenging in the sense that some had to finish up work, some students were too amped up and just didn’t work, and I was monitoring all that while selling and distributing yearbooks from my classroom. Thursday afternoon, I took time off to come home and rest my voice which isn’t back to normal yet. There are no regrets!

I went back to work Friday. Several kids were absent, but the morning classes finished work and then played “teacher and students.” I got to play the principal and fired a temporary teacher. Next week, they want to do a court trial on whether that teacher was fairly dismissed. 😊 I just love their creativity! In the afternoon class, I taught some of them how to play Scrabble and we did a few games. It was fun!

Games are really enjoyable when students want to learn something new and are glad to spend time with their teacher and to be respectfully competitive with each other. Three students in my first class made up a competitive card game based on figurative language concepts. Two in a later class made up a game on socio-emotional concepts involving prompts and acting out a scenario. More creativity! They will play the games next week!

Handsome dog!

I’ve got Miles Davis playing, and it sounds like a coffee shop in here! In a while I think I’ll transform it into a yoga studio for one… well, Bixby tries to overtake the mat. Upward dog, anyone?

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Weekend Coffee Share, on the Upswing

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer at Natalie…Blog Home where she shares about many travels and visits. I’m drinking chai tea with honey, on the end of a sinus afflicted week full of popular culture fodder to stave off boredom.

Yes, I had a banner week of doing nothing, allowing myself to rest and get over this bug. It ran it’s course, but my head was hurting most days. I had very sensitive eyes one day, and the next they were watering constantly with runny nose. Yuck! Temperatures were between 99 and 100.7, so I can’t complain too much there. I also had a cough, but it got better with each day.

On Tuesday, my boyfriend had this floral arrangement delivered on a day I felt horrible. As we both love dogs, it’s adorable and perfect! Can you see that bandaid on the flower in front that would ostensibly be his leg? Yes, so cute. It really brightened my day. ☺️ He’s a keeper!

The window in my bedroom really lets light in, so I didn’t sleep enough during the day. I slept alright at night, since my energy was so low. I tried to read, but that didn’t last long due to my tired and pressured eyes. So, I started a book on Audible titled Verity, and it captured my attention. It’s definitely an adult book, but the plot swept me up with deceit, murder, psychosis, and a plot twist. I highly recommend for adults only.

Needing to alternate between phone time and other activities, I subscribed to HBO MAX and watched Curb Your Enthusiasm with Larry David, creator of Seinfeld. Sometimes I got tired of his bad attitude and sorry luck, other times I found it hilarious. Then, there was the Twitter news of our president and FL governor, pop culture news of which celebrities are miserable in their marriage or were abusers or had addiction troubles. Yeah, I could’ve done without that.

Through all this, I re-discovered a taste for audiobooks; I can close my eyes and picture the story while someone else reads it. It’s great for when my eyes are tired. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still enjoy reading through Kindle while on a bike at the gym.

My son has been kind and ordered dinner in for us one night. He seems to be sick now that I am getting better. It’s hard to stops these things, as he frequently would walk in the kitchen while I was there. He’s a young, hearty twenty -something, so I think he’ll be better soon.

Bixby wants me to throw the ball!

Today, I am welcoming the sunlight through the blinds and feeling much better. I have a pretty dry cough that just sounds like a response to springtime allergens. No problem. I’ve got this!

Have a great weekend, everyone, and a Happy Mother’s day!

Weekend Coffee Share, Don’t Just Survive

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. A cold chai latte with cinnamon sprinkled in top is sponsoring my energy this morning. I slept in, thank goodness! Grab your favorite wake up beverage for a chat!

Lana del Rey is coming through the speakers, and Bixby is enjoying the morning as well, looking pretty contemplative. Work has been way too hectic, so I just won’t think about it today. I got a flat tire last night in my neighborhood as I was almost home from work, so I put that off until today, but I’m not in a hurry.

This is my weekend, after all. I try to avoid committing to much of anything except self-care on my weekends. I work quite hard during the week, I’ve raised a son, and I pay my bills. I believe I deserve down time. My health is a priority. I just need to reduce my Amazon purchasing. 🙂 It’s a goal!

Last night,I revelled in Netflix and sleep. I didn’t make any calls to find out anything about tires. I ordered dinner delivery for myself and my son (another costly habit to reduce). It’s what I needed, and it was tasty! I took time this morning for a full, healthy breakfast. It’s a beautiful morning to enjoy!

My son’s cast-iron plants, a gift that has been part of our family since he was first-born , are finally coming back. Spring is in full-force! Their rejuvenation is quite reassuring and is a much better thing to ponder than discipline at school or a flat tire that happened out of nowhere.

Yes, I’m practicing self-care with reckless abandon, whether in my mindset or my weekend activities. Earlier this week, I went back for Zen acupuncture again. It really helped my stress level on Thursday. I shared photos and a post about it here: Mid-week Mellow Out

That’s all for me. Today is what matters now. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Midweek Mellow Out

Yes, I went back for round two of Zen acupuncture. No regrets!

Zen acupuncture: 2

My stress: 0

With exotic beaches in the screen, it’s like a wonderful dream.

There’s still a slight unnerving feeling when the needles go in, but that is gone in an instant, and since it’s Zen acupuncture, they are small needles and don’t go very deep. It’s 30 minute getaway. What can I say? I work hard! I deserve this.

Weekend Coffee Share , a Haiku Kind of Day

With Miles turned up high

A chai latte in my hands,

I greet the sunshine.- (c) 2023

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer and shared by various authors around the globe. It’s a bright, sunny day, so my latte is chilled. The aforementioned music is The Greatest Hits of Miles Davis, lively yet relaxing.

It was another hectic, fast-paced week at school. I put my feet up when I got home Thursday night and relaxed until my boyfriend came to get me for dinner at a barbecue restaurant. The meal was good, and there was lots of venting about our jobs, and also plenty of things we laughed about together. Laughter is the best thing for stress!

Friday brought appointments. I had a thyroid ultrasound, which went well despite the long wait. Then, I went to the chiropractor and asked him for a “gentle” adjustment. When I’d gone two weeks ago, my back was still sore for about two days after the adjustment. I think my nervous system is in stress overdrive with spring frenzy and test season. Stress is bad for our health, but I felt good after this adjustment as he really listened to my comments and self-assessment of my reaction to two weeks ago.

Ah yes, test season. I’ve been teaching compare/contrast writing and assigned an essay for them to write. I have a new student that asked for a lot of help but really got going, and I could see a light in her eyes as she kept getting ideas. That is the joy of my job. Some don’t let me help them, though. I’ll just remember the good points, I guess.

Before yesterday was over, I got online results of my thyroid scan, and all is well. Today, I have nowhere I have to go. Of course, I’ll do my Saturday cardio….when I decide to. I plan to go to church for Easter service tomorrow, which is always beautiful.

A happy Easter to those who celebrate, and have a great weekend, everyone!

Weekend Coffee Share, Spring Crunch

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer . It has been a warm weekend, and my Saturday morning blog ritual is a Sunday brunch post for this week. I have a nice, cold mocha to match this warm weather. How about you?

This past week was a busy one, even though Monday was a planning day. I had to catch up on some online training in the morning on planning day, and had signed up for some training for that afternoon, so most of that day consisted of me sitting at the computer, and responding to things brought up in training. I’m glad to say I completed all of it!

Tuesday and Wednesday morning we had testing of students in their home room. This involves actively monitoring the students and maintaining a calm, quiet environment as well as filling out certain required paperwork. My habit of wearing sneakers almost daily is paying off, I must say, because to truly actively monitor, I must be moving around a lot.

Thursday afternoon, I went to the chiropractor. I like his holistic approach, which is different than the last chiropractor. This one manually adjusts my back, neck, and leg/ hip area (which he helps me stretch first). It’s such a relief after I feel that little crack in my back, and I get sooo relaxed. My back was sore the next day, though.

Testing season is stressful on a teacher as well as the students, so my extra stress may have added to that back pain, and my shoulder pain was acting up again. I haven’t been back for more acupuncture yet, but I’m glancing at my calendar now and planning to do so. Speaking of stress, one of the things that helps me de-stress is my dog, Bixby. This week, we celebrated National Puppy Day. I don’t remember what day it was, but I posted this cute throwback photo of Bixby:

Graduation from PetSmart Dog obedience training at age 7! (Still a puppy) 🙂

Friday night was time to relax and sleep after a healthy Thai dinner. I had appointments for my taxes and to get my hair done Saturday morning. I am happy with the results of both. Last night, Chris and I went out to eat with my son, who will be 27 soon. It blows my mind! We enjoyed ourselves at a seafood restaurant. My son let me try his aviator frames.

Trying to be a cool kid!

We went back home and Chris watched an old movie with us called The Game. Chris left early, having worked Saturday. I slept pretty well knowing I did not have to wake up at a certain time this morning, so I did sleep in and then watch the church service online. Easter is coming soon. Time is flying back. I’m getting along, though. I have a little bit of grading to do today, but perhaps I’ll paint a little as well. Another de-stresser!

Have a great weekend and a great week to follow. Take some time to do something just for you!

Weekend Coffee Share, Self-Care

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. I was up at 7:30 enjoying my chai tai and cereal with fruit. I’d planned on doing cardio in the morning, before my 10:00 a.m. hair appointment. In all honesty, that didn’t happen.

Perhaps it was lack of ambition or lack of motivation, but I was achy and tired, so I gave myself a pass. Not to worry, I had a healthy lunch and did 25 minutes of yoga before going to my later massage appointment. Self-care Saturday, it is, and I’m worth it!

I got my highlights and lowlights and had my salonist style my hair. There are always good conversations with my hair stylist; she and I are around the same age. She has been my hair stylist for more than ten years!

The massage salon I go to is only about 5 minutes away, so the Saturday traffic couldn’t stress me out. I always go for an hour. It truly relaxes me. Just Google the benefits of massage, and it mentions “reduction of tension in the muscles,” in addition to the relaxation I mentioned. I need that tension reduction. My muscles get sore quite often, randomly it seems inordinate to the amount of stress I currently have, it seems.

Such is why I’ve gone to a specialist. I go back to her in two months. I’ve also made an appointment with a practitioner for acupuncture. Yes, I’m trying something new! I look forward to sharing about it.

Tonight, my boyfriend and I are planning to go get dinner. Thai is our plan. ( It’s one of my favorite foods)! We’ll have to dodge rain first!

From My Life, Day 6: Weekend Decompress #MyLife and #weekendcoffeeshare @PamSCanepa1

Day 6, A Day in My Life-

Happy Saturday! It’s been sunny here in NE Florida today! Bixby is happy about that, too. I normally do blog as part of #weekendcoffeeshare on Saturday mornings, but since I’ve taken the challenge to blog every day in January, this blog post includes bits of my whole day. ***Addendum – I fell out of the competition with my book club due to forgetting something, as I do at times, but I am still going to try to write daily all month for myself.

Bixby and I enjoyed an extended walk this morning, it was too beautiful out to avoid! Who needs the gym today? Of course, there is a lot of stop and go with him getting urgent needs to sniff certain areas of the ground. That’s what dogs do, right? Of course, I featured him in my post’s featured image. The image was a great idea I got from Karl Morgan, fellow author, blogger, and RRBC member. I totally stole his idea, so go and check out his blog for me , okay? https://charleswjonesauthor.com/posts/

My morning was also a time for me to go shop at First Place Sports and replace my sneakers. They’re only a year and a half old, but they are running shoes so I wear them when I’m exercising, which is often fast walking, and I also wear them quite frequently to work. I have worn them out! I have to stay really active at work, you know? Comfortable shoes are really important to me now, and dress shoes will not make the cut.

New shoe on the left. Such good shoes, definitely worth the price! They comfort my bunion foot and cushion my bad knee! Man, I sound old….

After lunch, I went for my massage appointment which started with an infrared sauna. I’ve tried to get massages every other week since the frozen shoulder had set in over the summer. The masseuse applies a hot towel to my shoulder and my upper back, and it eases the pain of my frozen shoulder and the tension I frequently get in my upper back leading to my neck. The massage is very helpful to ease the tension and stress, but the infrared sauna is new for me.

It was a payday week, as you likely can tell! I enjoyed the infrared sauna. It gets really hot, but it didn’t hinder my breathing, probably since it was dry heat. In fact, it reminded me a lot of a Las Vegas summer. You are supposed to sweat in the infrared sauna to release toxins, and boy, did I ever! I have a membership with the massage company, so I’ll probably do the infrared again, as I get a discount.

Later, my boyfriend and I will have dinner. My son might join us. We’ll see. Some of our favorite places are Bono’s and Longhorn. Sometimes it’s Thai food, if I can convince my boyfriend! I had Thai delivered to me last night, so probably not. I personally could eat Thai food several nights a week! I love the ginger sauce, and they always add plenty of veggies!

Two peas in a pod, except when it comes to Thai food!

Have a great Saturday and a happy day!

Weekend Coffee Share, Downtime

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. Here is a place where I don’t drink coffee, but you certainly can. My chai latte, however, was pretty satisfying this morning.

I hope you all had a blessed and enjoyable Thanksgiving. My mom went up North to spend time with my brother, his wife, and his in-laws. At my son’s request, I planned a visit to Cracker Barrel for him, myself, and his father, my ex-husband. My boyfriend wasn’t ready for that, so he went to a basketball convention in Orlando. I expected an awkward Thanksgiving, but it was relatively quiet, and we were there and support of our son. It worked.

The wait at Cracker Barrel -shorter than expected!

My son and I had some quality time walking with the dog before the early dinner, and there was no rush. He and I had good leftovers Wednesday night and watched a lot of Blacklist in Netflix. Spader is such an awesome actor! One thing I love about Thanksgiving is time with family. I didn’t have all of my family, but I enjoyed the quality time with my son and my dog, Bixby!

The only shopping I did yesterday was online. I felt good staying out of the stores. My boyfriend got back from Orlando yesterday morning, and he and I had dinner with my son last night, which was nice. I’ve gotten a few hints of ideas for the Ellie manuscript, and my boyfriend Chris has been helping me with that by asking clarifying questions. He really wants to see this come to fruition! So much has gone on and distracted my focus in the last two years. I’m still looking into ways to deal with my arthritis pain.

Today, I’ll have a massage and somehow try to get a 30 minute walk or bike ride. I’m committed to 30 minute cardio three days a week, and I sometimes get more. This is in addition to the work/ therapy on my shoulder, which includes arm exercises.

So there’s my weekend in a nutshell. Lots of relaxation and time with people I love (including Bixby). It can’t get much better! This is what I needed right now. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Weekend Coffee Share, Self care and Rewards

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer! It’s a Self-care Saturday, so green Tazo tea is in order! Enough to open my eyes without giving me jitters.

Today is massage day. I’ve been working hard at physical therapy to strengthen my shoulder, so my upper back has gotten slightly tense. I haven’t found time for chiropractor visits in a great while, but I’ll get in to visit next week.

Despite a busy, busy week with PT and candy-filled students being over-energetic, I experienced the value of fun and having a social-life Thursday evening. My boyfriend took me to Painting with Penguins at the Jacksonville Zoo for hors’doeuvres and fun. We painted a background, then took our canvas for the penguins to walk on with painted feet ( washable of course)!

Making his mark on my painting!

Before they brought the penguins in, we learned about them and their changing habitat in South Africa. I seriously feel ready to adopt one now! The event benefits their care and research into their lives and needs at the zoo.

Before, and….

After the penguin signature! Such a fun experience!

In addition to the busy work week, and fun event, I found myself being awarded a Gator Bowl Tax Slayer MVT ( most valuable teacher) Award! They came in led by my principal during my morning class Wednesday. It was awesome to be surprised this way! (Balloons and a big check to spend on my classroom are always a nice touch)!

My principal, me, and the Gator Bowl Tax Slayer representative.

I’ll also get two special tickets to the Gator Bowl game. Woohoo! The MVT award is something I could apply for personally, but a friend actually nominated me.

Wow, what a week! There are so many highs and lows to my job. Sometimes it’s really hard to motivate a student. Other times, I get to see the light come on in their eyes, which is so fulfilling! I experienced all of that this week, but I am staying laser focused on the positives!

Have a great weekend, my fellow WordPressers and readers. Keep pressing on!