To slow the circles down

What I love about my life right now

That Danielle is home again and we can maybe do a few fun day trips this summer. As much as a whine my way through every step of the trips (as Danielle can attest), after they are done, they are some of my very favorite memories with my nieces and nephews.

My groups are almost done. They'll start back up again at the end of July but it's nice to have a short break.

Having an air conditioner in my room! Hallelujah!

The idea of going to Michigan in August. I haven't been there for 20 years. It's the part of my heritage that I dedicate the least thought and time to. Almost my dad's entire family is there and has been for generations. There is a small part of me that is a mid western girl.

Getting my walking done this morning. I always feel SO MUCH BETTER when I just do it. It's taking that first step that trips me up.

Thinking about the bike I am going to get when I finish 100 miles. It's going to be pink with a basket!

Finding a primary care doctor that I really, really like. And feeling (even after a few days) already a little better with medication.

Tomorrow night we are taking Danielle's kids to the carnival and there are going to be fireworks! Let the summer magic begin! (The only magic time of summer for me are the weeks leading up to the 4th of July..the rest is a hot, horrible mess)

Getting this picture printed for my mom. It's her and two of her 4 sisters (the other two wouldn't be born for another 15 some years). My mom, Aunt Debbie, and Aunt Cheryl with their dad.  

Lori Ann

Every night has its dawn

Random Life Updates- the Tuesday Night (but I wish it was Friday) Edition

Before I begin my usual litany of boring life updates (ok, ok..thrilling life updates) I will begin this random thoughts post by stating 3 random things about myself. 

Let's do this dance!

1. I use google just as much as any of my clinical literature for treating my clients. If I had a dime for every time I've typed "How to help someone overcome anxiety, grief, conflict with family, etc, etc....." I would have like 39 dollars. Wikihow is my unpaid research assistant. 

2. It makes me angry when I think of the way we here on Earth have treated Pluto. It will always be a planet to me.

3. I don't have any normal lights in my room. Just Christmas lights. (because I'm 13)

Now, on with the excruciating minutiae of my daily life...

I am now on a random assortment of medications. That's right, people. I'm self medicating again. And NOT with pot this time! (I have never self medicated with pot but I hear SO many people say that in my office and you know I like to be edgy)

Therefore, the tone of this blog may change. If  I stay on the meds. If it remains the same odd travesty, that's a sure sign I've taken myself off my meds:) Don't worry. I'll keep you updated on my mental health journey. I know it doesn't make you vaguely or even overtly uncomfortable;)

Work has been extra crazy lately. Some of my favorite people are leaving. When people leave a job, it always gives me that end of the school year feeling and it's sad. 

My 75 day challenge (to walk/run 300 mile before my half marathon) has been stop and go over the last week. I'm a ...few...miles behind schedule. I might try to get up to Philly this weekend and see if I can walk 10 miles just wandering around the city. (Then I am going to run up the Rocky stairs. And by "run" I mean take a selfie where it seems like I'm running and put it on my instagram and then go and get a cheesesteak from a street vendor)

My parents finally broke down and admitted that they had a fourth child (me) because they knew they would need someone, 30 some years down the road, to make weird Walmart runs for them. I bet it took a weight off their shoulders to finally admit the truth:) 

I was at the office for 14 hours yesterday. All the stress and long hours of a high powered job. Just without the power. Or money. 

Lori Ann

p.s.- I recognize how boring this post is. But don't forget- I'm on meds now. Things should be getting a little wilder any day now!

p.p.s.- Look what I found on the Internet! Validation!!

So I got that going for me...which is nice.

My dad at Normandy Beach

It's Father's Day again, people.

This year I've decided to share a few stories about my dad that I think about alot.

Let's do this dance....

A few years ago, when I lived in North Carolina, I was backing out of the driveway of one of my clients and talking to my dad on the phone for some reason. Probably about politics. I was racing to get to my next client and I almost hit the telephone poll at the bottom of that client's driveway. My dad told me that I need to slow down and take things one at a time. I think about that advice every day.

When my car got towed for being parked illegally  in my sisters complex (when I lived in Colorado), on the way to the car impound, I called my dad to rant about the injustice of it all. He ended up quoting some Billy Joel song lyrics to me (which I can't remember) and telling me "Every one in a while, you step out of line and 'the man' smacks you back in place'. I think of those words every time I feel overwhelmed by life's many injustices. :)

There are so many more stories.

The male flight attendant "hulkster" incident.

The mission pick up.

The Disney surprise.

The cutting up of the ice cream box.

The popcorn in a paper bag.

The hair brush fight incident.

The kitten in the rain at 4 am.

The 12th son of the Lama

The flowing robes

The grace

Bald

Striking

 

I think I have more stories about my dad then almost any other person in my life.

He still remains larger than life to me in many ways.

 My dad always knows the right advice to give. He is the first person I always want to talk to about politics, stress in my life, things I find interesting, etc.

He is an amazing person and I wish I had the right words to say to thank him for being such a good dad in so many ways.

Happy Fathers Day, old man.

Lori Ann

aka

Oreo

Previous Fathers Day tributes are

Here

Here

Here

Never going back

With only 10 days until the dreaded summer solstice, it feels like the right time to put this year's

SPINSTER CHRONICLES SUMMER TO DO LIST

out there on the Internet.

 Let's do this dance!!

1. Go to Michigan and leave flowers on the graves of both my grandparents and my uncle Ray

2. See the fireworks from somewhere cool. Like DC or Philly. Not the same old, same old. 

3. Complete one half marathon. 

4. Walk 300 miles

5. Sign up for BIG half marathon- the Philadelphia one in November

6. Conquer my fear of the basement

7. Spend a whole Saturday wandering around Philadelphia. 

8. Spend a whole Saturday wandering around NYC.

9. Get Sugar caught up on her shots

10. Do something every week that is out of my routine and scares me a little 

The other day, I asked one of my clients what they thought of when they thought of 'routine'. They said "comfort..like a blanket you wrap yourself up in".

I told them to think of a it as a coffin that you are laying in where the lid is slowly closing.

I think I may have traumatized them a little. 

But it's inspired me to get out of my routine. 

Here is to the best summer summer of our lives!!

Don't tell Sugar about the shots thing. I am sure she prefers to be surprised:)

Lori Ann

I would walk 500 miles...

Let me be the first to say that I am completely aware of my tendency to set unrealistic, 'feels good in the moment' type plans. 

My dad calls those kind of plans mental masturbation. Yes. Now you will have that phrase stuck in your head just like I do. You're welcome :) 

ANYWAY

I might be being a little unrealistic but I am making a plan. Because I feel like this this the time in my life to push myself.

 I've hit a wall with my diet and exercise. I haven't done either consistently since my half marathon at the end of March. It's been a little over 2 months of drifting along, snacking constantly, and walking (AT MOST) once or twice a week. I've gone to the gym a handful of times. 

But as of today I have 77 days until my next half marathon. And I want to take 30 minutes off of my time. 

So, here is my 75 day pre-marathon plan.

 It consists of 2 things only.

1. Walk 300 miles total. (or run..I would love to run as many of these as possible). I think 300 miles in 75 days should push me past this wall and get my body ready for the 13.1 on August 24th. 

2. Go to the gym 3 times a week. Not as often as serious athletes go, but I think this is realistic for me now. 

Of course I plan to eat better and everything. I try not to talk about dieting. It jinxes me :) 

So..the 75 days until the half marathon plan is going to OFFICIALLY start on Monday. Wish me luck. 

I will post my daily miles and something inspirational on my instagram. For accountability and also to look back on my progress. (my instagram is lori.ann.forever)

Wish me luck!!

Lori Ann 

Ain't it beautiful?

This thing has been making me laugh a lot lately. 

Here are some of the things she has said that I never want to forget. 

"Thomas, your precious tail. It's growing back!" (sadly, his tail is not growing back but I didn't have the heart to tell her)

She lost a tooth today and so I asked her what she thought the tooth fairy did with the teeth she collected. "I think she makes pretend humans and puts our teeth in them". She actually painted quite a creepy picture of the tooth fairy with this one!

I asked her what she thought I did for a job. She said "You work". I can see she has been hanging out with my dad of the 'work is work' fame. 

My dad also apparently taught her to say "knucklehead". I've never met a 6 year old who knows and uses it as a daily insult until the Kat. 

My mom has various mannequins and CPR dummies in the backseat of her car right now. Random heads and such. Which prompted Katy to ask me "Why does Nana Terry always have body parts in her car?" 

There were a few others but I wrote them down at the office and don't have them in front of me. :(  I can always amend this post later on :) 

I love you, crazy Katherine Danielle Monroe. 

You do the name of family baby proud!

Aunt Lori

p.s.- Apparently she was sharing with my mom her thoughts on wealth distribution earlier today. She leans a little communist from what I hear. (No one tell my dad. Katy is not ready for his patented 3 hour 'capitalism and the free market system' lecture)

Like summer wine

You have to listen to this song as you read this post!

Every couple of posts, I want to write about
moments of perfect happiness
in my life. I tend to be a whiner, but every once in a while I am able to step back and recognize that God has blessed my life with some incredibly perfect moments. 

Here is the first moment of perfect happiness. 

I love music. And especially song lyrics. They are more my poetry than traditional poetry. 

A few years ago my sisters (and nieces and nephews) were driving home to my apartment. When I lived in Chester county. The sun was setting and this Mary Black song 'The thorn upon the Rose" came on and we all (my sisters and I) ended up singing it. It was from a Mary Black album that my dad used to play on repeat track all night when we were kids. We don't really sing in my family, but that song is part of the fabric of our childhood. (along with a million others!) We told my sister's kids about how Grandpa would play music all night and in that moment, my childhood felt like a magical place that I missed so much. 

I doubt my sisters remember that night.

But it was a moment of perfect happiness for me.

Lori Ann