July 17 - Thurs. - Daily Thread

[retteacher]

Everyone:

I'm giving this thread a quick start. I have a lot going on but don't feel comfortable not reading & sharing on this thread every day. I've been noticing that since I've stopped drinking I do A LOT. Sometimes that's a good thing. Sometimes it feeds my activity addiction...go, go, go all the time. Next week, my daughter, SIL, & g-sons will be going to the beach. Perhaps that will help me be a little more comtemplative & quiet. One of the g-sons asked if we could come visit at the beach, but I don't think I want to make that 2.5 hour drive for an overnight visit. It sounds like it would be tiring for a very limited amount of time. I want to do what is right for me. NOT what other people expect of me.

Take care of your sobriety/moderation.

Love, Mary

[Beck]

Good Morning,

Got the kids to where they need to go this am. This is the first day since they've been in VBS that I can do what I want. The dog is doing pretty well. Has this odd thing where he bites his kennel after we put him in - scared the kids - he is really very friendly/docile otherwise. Makes me wonder what it was like for him before we got him. Told kids we'll have to re-train him.

Next week we are off on vacation - so I have to get the van ready. It's such a mess. Dog is afraid of loud noises - like vacuum so will wait til kids are home (and it's really hot outside).

Mary, good for you for putting yourself first. I too have a problem with activity addiction. I get to a point where I am no longer able to sit and read - just keep popping up to do something. It's not good. Can't tell you when I last watched a movie.

DG - the dog's name is Tucker. and the husb has already been retrained. He came home from work and never acted like he had objected in the first place. The 180 made my head spin.

Doglvr, welcome back!!!

Have a great day all,

[4theboyz]

Good Morning Abbers!

I'm with you Mary in how much more I get done nowadays that I'm sober that it is almost criminal in comparison to the old foggy sit on my ass days. (shaking my head)...

If it was me I'd go to the beach, it would be a memory of a life time for the grandkid (and you). I *love* the beach all I got is ice cold Lake Michigan by me and it's always packed. So it has been a long time since we have been there. But with the crazy price of gas these days it is not so easy to just get up and go places.

Beck sounds as though little Tucker may have had some tough days as a puppy perhaps locked up?? Give him a rub on his belly for me!

I'm learning to navigate through the urges of these hot lazy days where summers past I *always* had a thirst quenching cocktail in hand. Not at all easy to do but I get through it. Little victories!

Have a great AF day to day everyone out there!!

[charlee]

Morning all
Mary, thanks for starting us off this morning.
Beck, I too, cannot tell you the last time I sat and watched a movie. It was most likely when I was drinking, had few drinks, plopped on the couch for some "me time", started to watch TV and was out like a light, snoring away. Felt like shit when I awoke, but back then, this is the way I chose to have some me time. Not sure I know how to relax anymore. When I finally to sit at night, I find after a half hour or so, I am so tired, I just go to bed. You are right, not good.....My plan, after this crazy summer winds down is to find some me activities...not sure just what yet!!
Hope everyone has a great day!!

[Beck]

Char, I am with you. With this international move, settling the kids, husb starting new job, now summer home with the kids - I feel like I've been in limbo since last Sept. It is a tough place to be. When school starts I need to find more "me" stuff. Also need to sort out if I am going back to work or not. Just need to feel like I am moving forward. I haven't lived in this area in so long - now I've spent all my time settling others that I need to find my niche.

[Doggygirl]

Good morning abbers. Count me as another one who gets way more accomplished these days. In fact I have wondered many times during my sober stretches how on earth our household / business functioned at all when I was "on my ass" as 4tbz so eloquently stated! It feels good.

Mary - isn't it nice to feel as though it's YOUR CHOICE whether to go to the beach or not. No guilt or obligation based decision making.

4tbz - LOL I have a hard time even thinking of Lake Michigan (on the IL side anyway) as "beach." Years ago I lived downtown for a time which was fun...but that little sandbox called Oak Street Beach was so funny - I never could figure out how it could even be called a beach. I'm guessing maybe there are more...groomed / man made type areas these days? I don't get to the Lake M shore areas much at all any more. Something-or-other Beach State Park that is still in IL but almost WI is cool though. We camped there once in the off season - it was in October when the park was practically empty. Now THAT felt like "beach!!" The summer crowds though...no way!

Beck, there are a million and one training tips out there and it sounds like you guys are doing just fine with the pup. If you want my own ideas about the chewing on the crate and noise fear issues, let me know and I'll post 'em. I still consider myself a beginner when it comes to dog training though! LOL - you are a master husband trainer since you re-trained him just by thinking about it. I hope you get SOME time this week to relax and do what you want to do during VBS. Cleaning out the van does NOT sound like "you" time to "me."

Charlee, LOL - I too used to fall asleep to the TV due to drunkeness, and now fall asleep to the TV due to tiredness from a full day. I'll take option #2, but it takes me MANY tries to watch an episode of Desparate Housewives - much less a whole movie!!

It's house cleaning day today meaning somebody else is doing it!! That was my reward for quitting smoking way back when and I will give up food before I will ever give up my cleaning helper. Mr. Doggy went on a bee adventure last night. One of our clients had a swarm of honey bees start building comb from an exposed tree branch right over a sidewalk on their property where their clients walk all the time. He slapped together a new hive yesterday, and went last night to try to move them. He's never done that before. He is still alive so I know he didn't get stung to death. But I need to go find out what the adventure entailed because I'm sure there is at least one good story involved from the Bumbling Bee Brigage.

DG
Day 57 HFAF!

[Determinator]

top of the Thursday ABoronimos!

whew! been insanely busy this morning. anyone wanna be my secretary and be paid in gourmet food?

all this dog talk makes me miss our dog. I travel too much to care for a pet so it's really just an untouchable fantasy at the moment. sniff!

the concert last night was fantastic. Andrew Bird is a very creative and talented musician. We sat at a table with 4 others that were drinking what had to be bottom shelf jug wine out of the big platic cups (this was at a casino) and the smell was just aweful!!! it smelled like yeasty rotten grapes.

going to be a very long day for me. My last meeting gets out at 9pm and then I have a 2 hour drive home. Hooray for a BAC of zero!!!!!!!

be well friends and you all keep up the great work

[Beck]

Det,

About a month ago, I drove through a sobriety checkpoint about an hour after I left a wedding. Cop asked for license and registration and if I had been drinking. I said NO rather incredulously - he didn't even give me the test. (I did kind of wish he had asked me when my last drink was though - I would have said Super Bowl Sunday).

[Determinator]

(typing from a starbucks now)

Beck, ironic eh? wow, that's right, it was superbowl when I had my last and hopefully final bout of self destruction. (yer a couple days ahead of me) I barely recall that day....a fuzzy painful blur. I think I rode the monorail in Vegas but maybe it was a dream? yikes!