Reassessing…

The last few months have been a whirlwind.  I thought I was going to be able to post here with excitement about my progress and the completion of a huge project.

I sold my house.  I had been thinking about it for a while.  It was a beautiful house, but it no longer served me.  It was too big, with too much yard work, and I was ready for a change.  And with the market at what is probably its peak before the next recession, it seemed like the perfect time.

So I purged and organized and had a handyman friend come over and do some repairs.  And then talked to a real estate agent friend, who assured me I really didn’t have to do all the repairs I thought I would.  It’s a seller’s market.  Homes are going with multiple offers with no inspection above asking price.

I listed in mid-May after busting my butt to pack up 75% of my stuff, to stage the home in the minimalist style.  She told me to leave out 20 books, of my hundreds… It should be absolutely naked…  I did it.  Along the way, I mentally detached from this home where I had spent the last 10.5 years.  As I packed, it gradually started to feel like it was no longer home…

The house sold in four days with no inspection with a cash offer well over asking price.  And after pushing myself hard the last few weeks to get the rest of it packed and moved, I’m done.  A sigh of relief and an opportunity to rest easy and relax for a while.

Except I had an MRI on Monday morning for some odd intermittent symptoms I thought were associated with migraines.  I had seen my doctor and we figured it was probably the migraines but better to be safe than sorry.  It was supposed to be a no contrast MRI, but the tech injected me with contrast unexpectedly at the end of the procedure.  That was the first sign.  I didn’t have to wait long for the results. 

I have three brain tumors.  They are most likely benign, but I don’t know yet.  They are probably causing my symptoms because they are pressing on my brain, so I don’t think they can just hang out in there doing their thing…

I was ready to relax.  Ready to bask in a summer where I could take a break.  Now I’m not sure what the next several months hold.  I’m waiting for my doctor appointment to talk about next steps.  I’ll just have to gear up for the next fight.

If you are the praying kind, please lift me up in your prayers.  I could use all the help I can get.

Circus Trip 2018: South Haven, Michigan

Day 71, Monday, September 24, 2018
South Haven, Michigan

Monday, my cousin had the day off, so we had the opportunity to take a little day trip over to South Haven, Michigan.  We were ready to have a little cousins relaxing time!

Our first stop was at the South Haven Brewpub for lunch.  I had the Philly Cheesesteak and the Sunset Amber Ale; it was a great lunch!  The sun was warm; by the end our lunch, Megan was already getting sunburned!

After lunch, we headed over to Warner Vineyards for a little wine tasting.  There were lots of options, so Megan and I split our tastings.  Megan and I have different palates for wine; Megan likes the sweeter wines and I like the drier ones.

After wine-tasting, we did a little poking around in shops in South Haven.  I got a Michigan zipper hoodie.  It was fun seeing all the cute items.  

We did one more wine tasting that afternoon, at 12 Corners.  I got a couple of bottles there, including their Aromella, which was really good!  

We wrapped up our day with a walk out to the South Haven Light.  It is a beautiful lighthouse, bright red at the end of the pier!  It was a beautiful, sunny day, but it was so windy!  We had a good time getting selfies with the lighthouse and taking photos of the lighthouse too.  

We ended our day with dinner with my parents, and my aunt and uncle at the Chinese buffet.  It was a good day to a fun day!  

Book Review: Compulsion

Compulsion, by Jonathan Kellerman

An elderly woman is stabbed to death outside her home when she goes out to grab her morning paper.  A young woman disappears on her way home from a nightclub.  At first, there is nothing similar about these two cases.  But soon enough, investigators begin to ask, how are these two crimes connected?  

Detective Milo Sturgis and Dr. Alex Delaware, a psychologist who gets pulled in to assist with investigations, dive into the case, trying to connect the dots in a series of murders that seem to have nothing in common except flashy, black cars.  Will they make it in time to prevent another murder?

This book was a quick read with plenty to keep you entertained.  

3 stars.

The Light and the Tunnel

In another 17 days, my life will be considerably less stressful.  It will be the end of a major project towards achieving my long-term goals.  I’m still too mired in the thick of it to feel relaxed enough to celebrate my success, but soon!

I am just trying to keep chipping away at the tasks.  Day after day, one task at a time.  It hasn’t been easy, certainly.  But it will be worth it.  And it has probably been made easier by the fact that the weather has pretty much sucked for any sort of leisure activities, so at least I don’t often feel like I’m missing out when I spend the weekend working.

I’m ready to take a breather.  I’m ready to have some time to relax.  I’m ready for a vacation!  But first I need to get through this last final push.  I can do this!

Book Review: A Higher Call

A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II, by Adam Makos

A Higher Call is the true story of two World War II pilots, German fighter pilot and Ace Lieutenant Franz Stigler, and American B17F bomber pilot Second Lieutenant Charles Brown.  These two men fought for separate countries, in a war where brutal losses occurred.

The two men’s lives intersected by chance after an American bombing raid on Germany a few days before Christmas 1943.  Both men’s lives were forever changed by a few moments of compassion shown over the skies of Germany.  Neither man could talk about the experience during the war, but each of them remembered it, and decided to try to find each other more than 40 years later.

The book shifts back and forth between Franz and Charlie’s story, detailing their experiences during their childhoods, and the war.  These stories are not for the faint of heart.  Both men witnessed, and were involved in, well, a war.  They watched men shot out of the sky, burned alive, shot while trying to escape, and saw the devastation inflicted upon the civilians in the war-torn countries of Europe and North Africa.  In a word, it was horrific, and there were multiple times I broke down in tears listening to the retelling of their experience.  

If you have any interest in history, or any interest in understanding the complex experience of war, which led one man to show compassion for his enemy, you will want to read this book.  

5 stars.