So How Am I Doing?

 Ugh - it's been a while since I blogged again. I know I say that all the time now. Life has been so busy. I blogged right around Thanksgiving, and then Christmastime totally sidetracked me and I have not been able to blog. Well, here I am. Better late than never.

I was thinking I would write first about Bri and how she has been doing lately. I have not really talked about how she's been handling middle school/life in general on my blog. I won't divulge everything, but I will share a little. I think I'll save that for my next post though. And then I have to catch up with a Halloween post and a Thanksgiving post. Geesh, I'm not sure I'll ever catch up.

So how am I doing? Well, better. I can't say that I am fantastic because I'm not. I'll say that I am pretty good. I'm definitely better than I was several months ago. Life has gotten back to normal for the most part.

My throat is so much better. I still have some moments of soreness and irritation, but overall, the throat is doing well.

I am still struggling with anxiety pretty much on a daily basis. It's not stopping my life thank goodness, but I often feel overwhelmed and extremely high strung. Kind of like a wound-up top. When I am anxious, I'm more prone to snapping at others (mainly Doug and Bri). I often worry about the next weird illness that is going to plague me - because that is pretty much what has happened to me over the last few years of my life. I'm constantly worried about relapse with my throat and/or sinus issues. I'm really praying that 2018 is much, much better for me.

I had been so ill toward the end of summer/beginning of fall that I hadn't made a hair appointment for many months. A few weeks ago, I was finally able to get out and get my hair done. It's amazing how little things can help your mindset...

During my sick period, I was not able to see any of my friends. I was beginning to feel so isolated. So when I started feeling better, I was finally able to go out and have some in person "girl" time.

I saw my friend Miranda for a therapy session lunch one afternoon...

 Miranda and I have been friends for many years and she is a person I can say really "gets" me and I "get" her too. We are both kind of crazy and we both totally own it. LOL!

I also had a nice lunch recently with my high school bestie Julie and I totally forgot to snap picture with her that day. :(  We talked for several hours and just caught up on life.

Back in October, I had a girls night out with some of my besties (we are all adoptive mamas). Mexican food, margaritas and a bunch of laughs are good for the soul...

In November, Doug took Bri and me out for a fancy dinner. I had been wanting to try a local restaurant that my late friend Carole's daughter Amanda works at. Because I had been sick for so long, I hadn't gotten a chance to check it out and I really wanted to. And it had been quite a while since I had seen Amanda and I was looking so forward to saying hello.

The food was so delicious...

It was so good to see Amanda and give her a big hug. I really, really, really miss her mom Carole. Especially at Christmastime.

My hubby knows I've been trying to move on with life and trying to feel better. It's an uphill battle. He surprised me with these flowers a couple of weeks ago (I think I'll keep him)...

And one day (a few weeks ago), when I wasn't feeling my best, I looked up at the sky while sitting in my car and saw this...

It looked like a rainbow smile. Was it a "hang in there" message from above? Maybe? I like to think of it that way.

I honestly wish I could write and say that I am feeling magnificent. I'm not sure if I'll ever feel "magnificent" or ever feel completely relaxed or at ease again. I hope I'm very wrong about that.

 I can say that I am enjoying Christmastime (even though this time of year is pretty stressful for everyone). I had a great trip to Chattanooga recently with some dear friends and I've also had some other really fun times in December (that I will blog about eventually). 

I have to give a super quick shout out that things are going amazingly well in Doug's work life. Good things are happening for him and he totally deserves it. He would never say it himself (he never brags on himself), but I'm super proud of him.

So that is what is going on with me. I'm really looking forward to a fresh start in 2018. I am praying for a happy and HEALTHY new year. 

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season!