Just stuff & nonsense

Life is slowly getting back to normal after my surgery.  I had a hysterectomy on July 11 (and if you really want to read more about it and the recovery - Part 1   Part 2   Part 3 ) and I'm slowly getting back to normal.  I still feel a bit achy, but nothing worse than cramps.  I have an elastic waist band that I wear at work to help keep everything squished in while sitting.  And once I get my sleep schedule back to normal, I'll be great! 

I was off work for 2 weeks.  The first week, I didn't do a whole lot.  Randy had Monday & Tuesday off to keep an eye on me, then worked from home the rest of the week.  But I felt good enough to drive out to my sister's house that Saturday to check on her cats.  I let Angel drive us home, tho.

I was able to start getting my Halloween headstones repainted.  I realized that I needed to put a couple coats of DryLok on them to seal & protect the cheap foam.  And of course I'd already painted them.  Sigh. 

He wasn't very much company!

Before. 

Jack was my stupervisor, as usual.  

After DryLok / before paint

I grabbed a couple other foam stones out of the shed and DryLok'd them, too. 

As of today - they're done except for some splashes of color I want to put on them. 

I went back to work the day after my 2 week check-up on 7/26.  I probably should have asked for just half days to begin with, but I'm surviving.  My co-workers did a great job of keeping up with my work so I wasn't slammed when I came back.  

It's not the toad with the extra toes, but he's still pretty!

I came across this book Miss Angela made in probably 1st grade - this is the greatest page ever!
"God Bless the USA.  I was born"
LOVE IT!!!

Speaking of Angel - she did move back home.  Her incentive to come home was the fact I wouldn't pay for summer dance classes if she was staying somewhere else.

Things have been going pretty well with her back.  I haven't felt the need to get my referee shirt out.  She actually signed up for college courses!  She's taking 2 classes to begin with, which is just fine.  Between that, work & dance - she'll be kept busy.

She also did a big change with her hair.  She's been platinum blonde for a long time, and she chose to have the stylist dye it to match her roots!  And she got about 5 inches trimmed off.  It's weird getting used to seeing her so dark, but it looks so much healthier. 

Last Friday was auditions for the competition team at the dance studio.  She wanted me to be there for moral support, so I got a chance to visit with people I haven't seen in so long (heehee, as if we didn't spend a week+ with them in June!)
There were some younger girls that I hadn't seen before - they were funny!  Angel and some of the older girls were in the first group to audition.  After they did jazz, they bust out of the room to grab their tap shoes, but they were all dripping in sweat and breathing really hard.  Those younger girls just stared!  I'm sure they had no idea what to expect, then seeing the big girls like that probably freaked them out!

Results came out on Saturday.  There's nothing really surprising in where she was placed.  

solo
small group jazz

small group tap

small group lyrical

jazz line (which may become a production)

hip hop line

and then she'll be taking the usual ballet, technique and was asked to be in advanced acro.  She's mentioned taking a couple recreation classes for fun, too.  She's OK with not having a duet this year, since her partner isn't dancing this year.   She couldn't begin to imagine who they would have paired her with, anyway.  

There are 2 new teachers this year that all the girls are excited about.  They all love Miss Gabby, but she had to have gotten burned out last year.  She taught a zillion classes, in addition to working, going to school and planning a wedding.  So the new teachers will ease her workload a bunch and bring some new ideas to the stage. 

I've had this plant at work forever.
I leave for 2 weeks and the damn thing flowers for the first time! 

So that's all that's going on here.  I felt mildly guilty Sunday watching Randy mow the lawn, since I'm usually the one who does it.  But I can't for a while!  Luckily its been so dry that it was mostly raggedy weeds sticking up and not thick grass.  It hasn't been mowed since the weekend I left for Charleston in June!

   I'm taking Angel to vote for her first time tonight.  We had to look up what all was on the ballot and talk about it.   Should be an adventure!

Well, since I'm at work right now, I should actually, ya know, DO some work!
Later!