A great day at mba

Dear friends and family,
Perfect weather, kiddos in great moods, sabbath school fun.

Then lunch and Mia napping!

Mia up and we are off to uc Santa Cruz to the arboretum where wonderful little hummingbirds filled the air. What a nice place to stroll and enjoy the sun and beautiful plants.

Then back to a local place for great food. Then back home for fun with the hendersons. The have twin boys and a girl about keannas age. The all played so nicely, even Mia got into the fun. No walking yet but she can sure crawl fast. I even got into playing a table game with the kids.

After much effort I finally regained the access to the blog using my phone. Slow but it works!

I tucked away in the motorhome now with the furnace on. It's a very cold night.

Sending love to all. Miss my little girls and ss this morning. Maybe sometime we can get every
One together. Would be special! How I love and treasure my family. Everyone of them!

Sending love to all
Tim

At MBA

So after a couple hours last night I finally just gave up and went to bed.  No blog.  Somehow my cell had lost the password and the laptop would not find the WiFi.  Sorry.  I know you just hang on every word.

My trip down was thankfully uneventful and I enjoyed the transition from stress and pressure to produce to relaxing MBA with family I don't get to see enough.

I arrived about 8 and pulled in, got to see the kiddos before they went to bed and enjoyed a relaxing evening chatting.

I slept fine after I finally gave up on the blog.  It was cold and with the heater set to 60 I had a chilly night.  Jason woke me this morning and we then went to SS to see the little ones in action.  Natalie did a fine job with teaching the class and the kids sang, played with playdough and did  a craft.

Once childrens church was over we headed home avoiding a long sermon.  After a great lunch with some of Jo's homemade bread we are relaxing.  I've just completed going through a process which finally yielded a chance for a new password and now I'm back on the air.

In a little while we are going to an arboretum connected to the University and then this evening is game time with friends.

Hope your weekend is going well for you.  Enjoy those you love while you can.  I sure am.

Love to all

Dad

More of the same

What is it about work?  Now we know we are happy when we have it, yet it is so easy to put of doing until the deadline approaches, is that just me or do others have the same challenge.

This morning we walked and a little wind made the chill seem even more pronounced.  It was cold and I was very pleased to walk back into the front door and find the furnace had warmed things up to a comfortable level, yea!

This morning the resting blood numbers were better at 167 and this evening before dinner they were 131, all in all much better than they have been for a long time.  Today after seeing two nice places I decided rather quickly to turn into the new Fresh Choice.  Wow was it a good experience.  There were so many things to add to a salad, dark breads, a variety of drinks, a few deserts and everything had the calories right on the front.

I decided while I was out to stop by Best Buy and pick up some HD cables for my TV.  Turns out that without the right cables one just might not be getting the best picture and as long as I'm going to watch I want the picture to be good.  So tonight after finishing up a rather tough assignment for fun I hooked up the new cables.  I think the picture is better but I'm not sure.  I'll call Direct TV and find out when I have a chance.

Tomorrow I'm going to Tracy to do two appraisals and then loading up the motorhome for a trip to see Jason and Jo and the kiddos.  I've not been there for a weekend visit in a very long time so this will be fun.  Besides I need to burn off part of the fuel in the tank so it can be worked on to fix the fuel guage that has been down since August.

Well its been a good day,

Sending love to all,


Tim

Wednesday is Keanna day

Short and sweet, this message.

Long day with some fun, some work, some medical progress.

walked at 7 with Ken, froze all vital body parts, arrived home to warm house, built fire, later learned it was a NO burn day, who cares!

Went to Kaiser to see speech therapist at 10:15. Got in later, had to wait, co pay was $135 which was a shocking amount of money.  Not sure why the high cost.

She was good and arrived at some conclusions about the coughing, was actually able to start a coughing sessions so she could study it. 

Left to go pick up frig door handles for the motorhome, they fit!  problem solved.

Picked up Keanna at 12:45 and came home, I worked, she did homework, played on the new computer and at 3:30 we went to Dollartree.  She enjoyed it.

For lunch today I made a small baked potato and then a stir fry of vege burger, brown rice, mixed veges, pinto beans.  It was a huge plateful and tasted great.  Keanna said it did not smell good.  Kids.....

Picked up Kallie at 5 and brought them both back here.  Fixed some food, Kallie raided the cookie bin and the string cheese.

Nikki invited me to join them at Aladinos, a local pizza place so I had a huge salad and one piece of pizza.  Thats right one.  Then back home to work and write an appraisal which is now delivered.

Interesting note.  Took blood just before evening meal, it was down to 101, best in a year.  Veges are good stuff I guess.

Good night, love to all

Tim

Diabetes 101

Dear Family and Friends,
Well Kaiser came through once again today.  I think I mentioned that I was asked to attend a class which met from 2 to 4 this afternoon.  I've rarely been in a class where the instructor knew their material better than today.  It was excellent, she was funny, in charge, knew everything and kept it on track the whole afternoon.  I can't wait to go back next Tuesday.  Her main and only point was its the blood sugar that matters, the numbers are the bottom line.  She laid out clearly when to take the reading, what the reading should be range wise, what foods were best, what ones were not so good.  She dislikes sugar water, Gatorade etc.  Fortunately I don't like them either or sodas so we are good there.

I'm digesting as it were the various veges that are free, then there are ones that have to be measured, potatoes, corn, peas.  I'm liking Kaiser better all the time. 

After the class was over I raced to Pittsburg to see a big house.  I used an old trick, when its getting dark shoot the exterior photos of the subject, then go shoot the comps, then come back and inspect the inside.  Trouble was these dear people had turned off the power and the water.  So I used my iPhone as a flash light to go room to room, the pictures came out great and I got it done.

On the way home I weighed options, go to UNOs for soup or go to Winco and get groceries.  Well Winco won out.  I purchased many different frozen veges and some brown rice in bulk, tomatoes, bananas, potatoes and some almost butter.  The teacher made it sound like it was from heaven, I'll admit its pretty good.

Now I'm home figuring out what I need to do first, since its 10 pm, I'll sleep first.  We are walking in the morning, then at 10:15 I have a swallow study at Kaiser, trying to solve the cough, which has been much better lately, not sure why.  Bad in the morning though.  Then I get Keanna from school and later in the day I pick up Kallie so the afternoon will be exciting.

Life has its many challenges and only God knows the answers.  Please keep praying.  Tomorrow Art ventures south for some special medical attention.  We certainly pray for him.  He has fought a propane leak all day today in his beautiful 5th wheel trailer but as of this evening it appears to be solved.  Even neighbors could smell the propane, a faulty valve appears to have been the problem but the new one failed too.

Sending love to all,

Tim

Long Day

Dear Family and Friends,
A happy moment, suddenly they were here, little girls, excited doggies, son Steve, they had come to visit, the dogs headed for the lake and in spite of having to break the ice, well not really, they chased the ball across the lake and back, Kallie set to work to pick cherry tomatoes for me and she found several, Keanna managed to get her hand stepped on by the lab, that hurt.  It was great to see them again.

My day started at 6 when I rolled out after a great nights sleep, no snacking during the evening does make a difference.  Ken and walked in the crisp morning air and dodged cars, lots of people leaving for work at that time.  Then a quick walk through the shower and on the road in the little rental car.  Bobs instruction worked perfectly, there is a cruise and it works well.  The Ford Fusion is so quiet and comfortable on the road that it is a pleasure to do my work yet I'll be glad to get my Civic back, better stereo, holds 6 CDs and I'll be less nervous about changing lanes than with this new car I'm in.

First stop was a bad part of Oakland.  It was a cute duplex that has a new foundation and lots of character plus 5 chickens in the back yard.  Once finishing up there the next one cancelled for today so I scrambled and talked another one into letting me see it, a Brentwood property.  Then it was home to work and fix some food.  When I checked my blood it was down to 132, best in 6 months.

A specialist diabetes nurse called from Kaiser so tomorrow I'm in class from 2 to 4 to learn more about what I've got.  The nurse was very open to my questions about Dr. McDougal, she is very aware of his work and has heard his lectures personally.  She has lots of helpful suggestions for me, I felt really good about our talk.  On Wednesday they are going to do a study of how fluids go down when I swallow to see if they can track why I cough.

Well you might imagine I'm beat now, tired and big hungry but I'll just go to bed and pass up the kitchen.

Sending love to all, lets keep praying for those with special needs.

Tim

Getting Organized

Do you ever notice how many times you need to reboot, to start over again.  I know I sure do, often it seems, I get bogged down in routine or depression, of putting off those things I really need to do on time and yet I put them off, doing something else, like busy work in the place of what is needed to be done.  Now people like my friends Art, Ron, Sylvia, they are so organized that they never put off doing what is most important, of course they are all retired now so they have a little more latitude in what they decide to do.

So last night I went to the movies and really enjoyed it.  Of course there was no one to discuss it with but somehow that is less important now.  I wonder if I would even know how to live with someone, to be with them, to have someone around all the time, it sure would be different than the last 4 years of going it alone.

This morning I rolled out at 8:30, rested and ready.  Since the wake up alarm of the high, 9.5 A1C I've been doing a lot of thinking, investigating and such.  So there was no way I was going to pass on walking this morning. Instead of getting all bundled up I just went in sweats and had a great walk.  I missed Ken's text at 6:30 this morning so walked alone.

I decided for a late breakfast and also decided to do something different.  I baked a potato, warmed up sliced mushrooms in a fry pan along with some brown rice and warmed pinto beans.  I combined these for a delicious breakfast.  Then I set to work in the office, I have grown tired of having stacks of papers everywhere so I just waded into the stacks of papers, stuff and tonight I've thrown away several loads of trash that has been collecting dust.  But while I was doing this good thing I ignored the must do thing, that was writing up a couple reports.  Now I'm behind on what actually pays the bills, emails of completed reports to the lenders hands.

For the late lunch I had more healthy things, broccoli, brown rice, more mushrooms, some vege burger meal starter.  Tasted great and was very filling.

This evening it was soup and I've tried to control the snacking, the constant eating of bread slices.  Giving something new a try, actually feeling pangs of hunger for a change.

Now its time to crash and I feel ready for that.  All in all its been a good day, getting things in order is important and that part makes me feel good.  I'm also ready for tomorrow, seeing three properties starting in Oakland at 9, a Victorian Duplex in the worst part of town.  Then back to Pittsburg to see a huge house, over 3600sf which is a short sale for less than $400K, then on back to Brentwood to see another place and then home to start doing the work I should have done today.

Life is good, got a nice call from a friend tonight, a lady that just knocks my soxs off and it was good to chat for a few minutes, soxs are back on now!

A nice thing happened today, my friend Bob wrote an email explaining that the rental Ford Fusion does actually have cruise control.  Since he owns one he really should know.  He explained how to locate it and turn it on.  I went to the garage, started the car and sure enough, it has CRUISE CONTROL.  Such a nice piece of news, makes the miles go by easier.  Thanks Bob.

Love to all,

Tim