Catching up...my random post

So many random things...It's been weird being out of the swing of regular blogging. I've quite missed it, but sleep seemed more important. :) So here goes - it may be disjointed, but here's everything I've been thinking about blogging about:

I'm finally reading Eat, Pray, Love and am really enjoying it. Because of the sleeping I'm still in the first section of it, but when I read it I'm instantly transported into her world in Italy. OK, confession time. So many of my friends have told me to read this book, and I never asked why...and I just assumed it was just another weight loss approach book. OK, stop laughing at me. With that title, what would you assume? If you have no idea what the book is about, it's, well, I'll call it a discovery journal, a true story. A woman (my age) goes through a divorce then takes a year to "find herself", spending 4 months in Italy (eat), 4 months in India (pray) and 4 months in Indonesia (love). Her writing style is so engaging. I can already tell it's going on my reread rotation.

The good news: my body is normalizing. Several of you know I had a stroke 2 years ago & lost the feeling in my left leg. I've conquered walking without a limp & get around really well. Well I'm happy to report over the last couple of weeks I have regained some sensation around my left knee. The docs said there was no predicting if/when sensation will come back...so yay! The bad news: sweet Lord it hurts! God took good care of me, when I had my stroke I took a nasty fall and dislocated my left knee, tore my mcl & dislocated my ankle. Thankfully all that damage was on my numb leg. I figured all this out when I stepped off my front porch the other day and thought my leg was going to fall off...it's not pretty. But I figure any sensation is good sensation & I know I will get used to it. Walking was so painful after the stroke, but it got better and I'm sure it will get better now too. My I.T.B.S. is back (with a vengeance) but this time I don't have pain meds to handle it. It flared up originally when I was having to constantly compensate for my left leg. It's just a mess. But it will get better. I know this is happening because I am getting better. And that makes it all easy to handle.

ScrapBowl was fabulous. I loved meeting so many talented & sweet scrappers. I miss the thai sweet chili chicken sandwiches I lived on at the convention center. My favorite memory? Hanging out with the other instructors in our hotel rooms after hours - sharing our projects, our stories, favorite websites, watching tv together, laughing, etc. I roomed with Shimelle & Jen and Tia was usually last man standing with us until about 1 am each night. I love Shim & Jen & Tia...so much fun...

I realized, again, this week how much I love my job. Seriously.

Here's what else I love: Lush & Paper Source! I went to both last week & instantly remembered why I love these shops so much. Stacy got me to try the Lemony Flutter (which I'm loving) from Lush & a HUGE thank you to her for pointing it out to me! As for Paper Source? I'm still floating on a cloud...one is coming to Dallas later this year!!! I got, well, paper - obviously (including the cherry blossom print, pictured)...but I also made an impulse buy - a charming eraser (like this) that says "do over".

Kits are coming! I have some left over kits from ScrapBowl & I will be selling them on my blog. They just need to get here & I need to be home for more than 5 minutes at a time. :)

Leaving for Tokyo Tuesday! CKU-Japan here I come!!! Here's some fun...the CKU-J blog entry about me, translated. Here's what I want to see outside of the event: some temples, the Tokyo fish market (Jen's told me we're having sushi for breakfast there one day - um, good thing I trust her) and totally the HARAJUKU DISRICT! I'm so stoked! I can't wait to see the mecca of Japanese punk culture...

I'm back on coke...you know what I mean. My break from caffeine was noble, but not long lasted. We still aren't buying 12 packs so if I want one I have to go to the store and get one, so it's extremely limited. My new love? Diet Coke Plus...

Things to do this weekend: make chocolate covered dried fruit for Jen's party. Go to Jen's party (remember fruit - trust me I've made things & left them at home before). Make another class sample for the Valentine edition of Out of Bounds (this will be sample #4, the other 3 are on walk-about). Finish unpacking from DC & pack for Japan. Go to Kinkos & get a ton of chipboard cut into 1 inch strips. Make to do lists for before I leave so I can pay the necessary bills & get the necessary meds/groceries, etc. TRY TO RELAX.

I almost forgot! I got the most fabulous screen cleaner for my computer for FREE! *click here* to get your own. Happy Saturday!