Turning Over a New Leaf

Woman Descending the Staircase by Gerhard Richter

Things happen for a reason and I 100% agree with this statement. Our path is already written for us and all we can do is live our lives and hopefully learn from it.

Some of you may know that recently I've encountered a minor health scare. It didn't feel too "minor" at times because when it comes to my health, I have the tendency to think of the worst case scenario.

I've had excruciating pain in the back of my head and neck almost every morning over the summer. It would last until I lifted my head off the pillow and then it would immediately subside. I thought to myself that perhaps my dilemma was stemmed from something as simple as just owning a really bad pillow. I even told my husband that I wanted to get rid of his plush, expensive mattress. I feel like I'm sleeping on a cloud, my body needs more support, and I love firm mattresses! Well needless to say, the mattress or the pillows were not the problem.

I woke up one morning to a text message that I could not read. My vision was blurred and I immediately made an appointment to see my doctor. After a MRI, I was told I have occipital venous angioma and need to see a neurologist. Occipital what??? I don’t have the abbreviation of M.D. after my last name... nor do I have neurological books that I read when I get bored. I felt so confused!

After the neurologist translated the "med talk" to a level that was easier to comprehend, I learned that I have a vein in my brain that is swollen and that I needed to get a MRA done. MRI/MRA=valium! This was not a fun experience for a claustrophobic patient like me, but thankfully I got to play 80's music which made the experience a bit more enjoyable.

After 15 vials of blood, fainting, and two visits to an MRI center, I found out today that I am okay!!!!!!

The vein that I have will remain slightly swollen from the others, was most likely something I was born with, and should not lead to any major problems in the future (cross your fingers). I was also told all of my blood work looks good. Whew!

As I said before, we live, we learn. What I learned from all this was:

Medical-visual disturbances can be related to silent headaches without pain.

Personal-take better care of myself. Even though this could not be prevented in any way, I know I'm not taking care of myself as much as I should be.

My entries are always honest and I was just writing about that I need to pencil in more me time. And I've been doing this and I feel happy that I am focusing more on myself. I try not to make plans every weekend and I am doing different things.

I joined flirty girl fitness and will be taking my first class next week. It's a completely different twist on the usual work out routine, but looks like so much fun. Also, I've enrolled in cooking classes at The Wooden Spoon in Chicago and The Chopping Block. I'm currently looking into purchasing a Pure Barre DVD which is a work out that incorporates ballet. And I have a spa day coming up-I think I deserve it:)

As for my husband and I, we are on the same page and it is very refreshing for the both of us. We’ve had our fair share of nights out and it’s time for a new chapter. Together we are accomplishing the necessary, such as work around the house and Tom has continued mastering new recipes. He's an excellent cook! We’ve been enjoying ourselves whether it's staying in or not. A couple of weeks ago we went to the Art Institute (my choice, he’s a good sport).

Such an exquisite selection of work from Gerhard Richter, Grant Wood, El Greco, Frank Lloyd Wright, George Seurat, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, and Camille Pissaro to name a few. My favorite exhibits were Impressionism, European, and American Art and his was Architecture and Design. After this visit, I thought of one of the two best college courses that I have ever taken. I took an Art History course at Morton College and learned how to compare paintings and locate hidden symbols. After this visit, I started to remember what I learned in the past and how much I adore art.

I want to thank all of you that supported me through this. I've received numerous calls, texts, voicemails, and even a card. Your love and encouraging words made me feel so lucky even when it got a bit rough.
Sorry if you did not know, this wasn’t exactly good news to deliver to everyone at the time and it was hard to explain everything when I didn’t exactly know what was going on.

In case your interested:

http://www.flirtygirlfitness.com/

http://www.woodenspoonchicago.com/

http://www.thechoppingblock.net/classes.html

http://www.akohlerexperience.com/spa_br/spa_br_index.html

A Happy Home

Last Saturday, my husband and I decided to stay in and watch a movie. (A very simple and perfect night for us). After browsing through a variety of previews we decided on a movie called Seven Pounds. I have never heard of this movie before, but it looked like one that had an underlying meaning. Every now and then I come across a movie that ignites a lot of deep thoughts from within. This was one.......

This movie initiated a conversation between Tom and I. We started to discuss how thankful we are. Saddened by the movie, I started thinking about what I tend to take for granted and I immediately felt guilty and selfish. Like many, I think I'm having a bad day when things are not going as smooth as I would like them to be. There are people who really have it tough and I/we need to be more thankful everyday.

The greatest gifts in life don't have a price tag attached. For some reason, we are all brainwashed to believe that if someone has a lot of money then that person has a good life. And then there is the statement that may follow ......the only people that say that are those that are envious. I disagree, these people are smart not envious. Smart because they see what really matters in life. Everyone wouldn’t mind having a few fine things, but it is what is free that is the most valuable.

Time to Unwind

(Our villa)

http://www.sundaraspa.com/

Relaxation, calmness, peace, serenity....are words that sound beautiful and yet are so hard to achieve. Most of us live in a fast paced environment and after a busy summer schedule, I have learned that I must slow down and apply the brake more often. I have a difficult time trying to relax, but I must learn to adapt to more of a “European” lifestyle. I find it absolutely absurd that it is a difficult task to watch television longer than an hour because I’m always thinking of things I can be doing instead! ADHD? No, I just have a difficult time investing in down time.

Having my first summer off, I’ve spent a small amount of time on relaxing. It’s like I’m programmed to be busy when I’m working or not working. I am aware that it is important to spend quality time with others, but I've learned that I NEED to pencil in a lot more time for myself.

I want things to become more structured and I want to start taking the list of classes that I’ve been meaning to take for quite some time now. (Cooking, dance, etc.) It is absolutely euphoric scratching something off of a list that has been on there for a long period of time.

This slight aggravation all came about during the past couple of weeks. While my husband was completing an outdoor task, he called my name and told me to come outside. As I'm walking down the stairs, I'm thinking I have so much to do. I have loads of laundry, I have to call this person back, I need to...... All of this is going through my head as I'm descending down the stairs. And as I stepped outside (probably looking irritated), I gasped. What Tom wanted to show me was a nest in our tree with a mother feeding her babies. I looked up in awe and all of this would've been missed because I am tied up in my house and not taking moments to step outside and appreciate nature and the life that surrounds it.

Another recent incident occurred while I was driving down my block. I looked up at a house and thought that is a cute house....that's ridiculous because I've lived here since October of last year! This is proof to all that I tend to miss out because I have become more tailored to being busy and I need to relax!

Our first year anniversary was memorable for me because we didn't go on a vacation that considers much thought, time, and planning. Instead we opted for an overnight stay at a spa and a week long getaway at the lake house in Wisconsin. Our activities included reading (me), bike riding, golfing (Tom), fishing, playing tennis, relaxing on the boat, and cruising on the jet ski. I found myself taking the time to look around and felt grateful the entire stay for the little gifts. Things I don't normally do at home and why does it take a vacation to indulge and appreciate the little things that life has to offer??

Life is constantly busy and I know that it only gets busier. I’m not saying I’m going to become a hermit, move to an excluded area, and eliminate myself from all future events. That wouldn’t be living. I simply just want to be more of a low key person and slow down a bit. Perhaps I'm bringing on unnecessary stress because I'm not taking much time to relax and have an overdue personal list that needs some attention.

America is a world of its own that contains a high amount of stress and how often do we take time out to enjoy the simple things in life? So take a moment to breathe, look around, listen to soft music, and treat yourself to alone time. Turn off your cell phone that occupies so much of your time! Count your blessings, tell someone that you love them. And partake in something you've been meaning to do for a long time now.

Cheers to a healthier beginning!

Much Love

Thank you to all who sent words of encouragement to me through email, comments, and conversations. It really means a lot to me that all of you took time to read my blog and enjoyed it! I only hope that you continue to check it every now and then. I changed my settings and it may be easier to leave a comment (if you wish). Thanks again!

Love, H

Teamwork

Chicago is such an amazing city and there are some people that will pay a substantial amount of money for a view like this. This is the view of the city that Tom gets to see for free everyday during work hours. And this picture is only of one angle...not even the penthouse allows one to see nearly the entire city. In my opinion, he is lucky to see such breathtaking sights everyday, however I don't think I would be able to enjoy the ride up!!

(On the right-that outdoor rail is where the elevator is temporarily stationed...yikes)!

People will always ask the question, "What does your husband do for a living?" My reply is always the same. I state his title (project engineer) and I always hope that further questions will not exist. Truth is, I have no idea how to explain exactly what his responsibilities are! I can place a bet that many of you do not subscribe to Concrete Construction Magazine or have even read an issue. In one exciting monthly issue (the only one I ever intend to read), Tom was interviewed about his current construction challenge. Tom was asked about a utility program that makes the layout of the building quick and efficient. He replied as once he receives the drawing for each floor he does a digital takeoff of points along the perimeter and uses data to generate a list of point coordinates which then are loaded into a robotic total station. What?? English please!!! For those of you that understand that lingo, pat yourself on the back because I am absolutely lost! Yesterday, I decided to visit his office on the site because I was adamant about increasing my knowledge and I am a visual learner.

(These pics were saved on his computer, I'm not that risky)!

(Floor by floor-no two floors are alike. All of the building slabs are meant to look like waves of water. That was the challenge that he was interviewed about).

(Close up-you can see how complex the entire process is).

(Watch out!! That huge piece of material is called a table and it supports the concrete while it dries).

(High rise on the left not yet completed).

Vastly impressed, I left there wanting to know so much more about his job. So I asked away and here is a short summary of what his daily responsibilities are. He must know what materials need to be ordered and ensure concrete will be delivered in an expeditious manner. Some of his other tasks include taking the blueprints from the architect and structural engineer and place the drawings into CAD. He makes any necessary changes and comes up with a layout for his co-workers. He will tell them exactly where the columns and walls will go and he'll go out there and not be afraid to get his hands dirty to help out. He has and needs two computer monitors on his desk. Ugh, one is enough for me! On a day to day basis he must communicate with structural engineers, architects, project managers, carpenters, laborers, and iron workers to make sure everything is going as smooth as possible. And the list goes on....

(One heck of a team)!

The high rise is 850ft. above ground level. Amenities include the following; an outdoor track on the third floor, hot tubs, gazebos, firepits, indoor pool, outdoor pool, etc. The first twenty floors are a hotel, the next thirty are apartments, and then the top thirty one are condos. It's an eighty two story building and on the eighty second floor is the roof where the first picture was taken.

So maybe now I can explain more about his job, rather than just quoting his title. I left there feeling proud of him job. There are many stressful jobs that require crucial decision making. I'm not trying to say that he has the most difficult job. I'm just amazed on how hard working and intelligent he is. He works many hours per week and during this entire process, he still somehow found the time to build our home. I sometimes joke with him that he needs to go on Survivor because he can probably build a house made out of grass and survive there for years! I am very envious of him because I believe there is not one thing he can't do. And here's me....close to thirty one, still learning how to cook!