Missing my "zzzz's"

This a.m. looking south.

Haven't been sleeping very well. I go to bed and sleep wonderfully for about 3 or so hours.  Then all of a sudden I'm awake.  My mind starts fussing over my next R.S. lesson, or the fact that I was told I was going to accompany a couple sisters in Sacrament meeting on the 16th of December and I still haven't received the music, or about the piano solo I am supposedly (haven't yet heard anything definite, so I practice just in case and plan to be relieved if the things change and I'm uninvited to play) playing on the 30th, or the fact that I neglected to pick up birthday cards for a couple people's special day in the next little while (one of them is the sister in a family The Husband ministers to so we absolutely cannot forget!), or, or, or...my mind just keeps going in circles. 

This a.m. looking north.

Woke up at 2:34 this morning.  Tried all the tricks I know to get back to sleep.  Finally ended up on the couch at 4:00 am.  Tried all those sleep tricks (I only know a couple) again - no luck.  Finally got up and started reading the news on my iPad at 5 and I was up for the day.

Shoveled the skiff of snow.  Yesterday we received several inches - fresh snow makes the world so pretty for a while!  Thought we'd do something nice for our daughter and re-cleaned the snow off her car.  The snow came off nicely.  The quarter inch thick ice underneath, not so much.  Between the snowfall yesterday and the overnight freeze under fresh snow, the wipers were frozen to the windshield.  The Husband ended up replacing one that was damaged by our efforts.  Feel rotten.

Last week's foggy sunrise.

I managed to get in most of my morning walks last week.  We don't often have dense fog, but one morning it was really pretty. 

I had my required annual Wellness Visit with my doctor.  Was pleasantly surprised to come away without having to disrobe a thing, not even my shoes.  The nurse was interesting:  I'm not accustomed to being prodded to follow directions by being poked (by an adult!) repeatedly in the arm.  That is so one of my teeth-gritting hot buttons.  I dislike being poked.  My blood pressure was awful the first two times - I get so terribly anxious about that "test".  But after we chatted a bit the dr. took it again and decided (I guess) that it had come down so much that it was ok to let me go.  (I even get anxious about taking it at the grocery, but it seems a tad bit less intimidating than at the dr.'s.)

Date skillet cookies.

Went to dinner with a couple friends and that was when I truly felt old.  The four of us were trying (and mostly succeeding) to enjoy ourselves.  And we all were annoyed at the noise level in the restaurant.  Though, in our defense, even our waitress had difficulty hearing us. We were seated next to two large-ish groups - their drink-fueled boisterous laughter and conversation was actually obnoxious.  It can't be only old-er folks who dislike that complete abandonment of consideration for others.

Good reminder.

Our son and his family came for dinner the other night.  I was prompted to make some cookies from my childhood.  (Had been talking cookies with a ward member who is publishing a cookie cookbook with her sister.)  I remembered (or thought I did) that the kids didn't care for those cookies when they were young.  I was corrected by both our son and daughter - they said they really liked them.  I love when I can please people. And I really like those cookies, too.

And I'm grateful for the snow, even though it's kind of a pain to shovel and drive in.  We need the moisture so!  I'm grateful that I was able to chat with a few people yesterday, though sorry that it caused a bit of issue with rides home. It was so lovely to sit next to our daughter in R.S.  I'm grateful that the R.S. newsletter email I received this morning was wrong and I don't have to teach next Sunday.  I almost panicked over that one, because my usual week to teach is the third one, but it's all good.  I'm grateful that I can take a nap this afternoon if I want. (I won't though, I really want to sleep through the night tonight.) And I'm grateful for the cheesecake in the fridge.  :^)