Newbies Nest

[Lavande]

Good evening Nesters,

Finally got my grandson minions to settle down at 10 pm - geez! Anyway, day one with them is done & we had fun.

That was me mentioning the salt water swishes LavB - glad you are getting some relief now.

Rahul, I am very sorry to hear of the loss of a child in such a tragic way. A loss like that affects so many, the whole community really. We all need to pull our kids & grandkids closer & be grateful for the time we have together :hug:

Ava, I would likely be afraid to get in that balloon but I'm sure I would enjoy the ride. I hope it's a wonderful day for you & Robert.

Dutch, it was scary trying to figure out who I was as a non-smoking, non-drinking adult! But once we clear away the addictive stuff our true selves can emerge & they are usually pretty good. You have had your share of stressful moments since embarking on your sober journey but you have come through strong - be proud

Greetings to everyone & sending wishes for a safe & cozy night in the nest for all!
Protect your quits, you'll have nothing to regret

Lav

[Matt M.]

Good morning
Quick check in for me, finishing my first week of a rather intense, challenging class (mentally and physically) a required class in order to enter a very grueling, competitive promotional process. Ambition is a bitch sometime
The Dog Days of Summer have smacked down on us here in the Lone Star State....
Have a great day
Stay Hard and Stay Cool!

[NoSugar]

Hope that goes well, Matt! Would you have even tried to do it 13 months ago???

[jane27]

Rahul, I was moved by your post. What a horribly sad thing- I cant imagine how devastated the child's parents must be. The other children must be very upset too. I don't know how their young minds can process such a tragedy. You come to trust that things will be a certain way; when something like this happens it can call into question all of the things that we take for granted (for example, that we'll wake up tomorrow). For many of those children, this sad event may be the first assault on their innocence. Time will help of course, but their hearts will never be the same.

Reading about your car accident 4 years ago was intense- and you wrote it in such a way that I felt like I went through it myself. How awful. On a far smaller scale, when I moved into my new house 15 years ago, flat screen tv's weren't so common.I had bought a brand new 36" Phillips tv. I'm not sure how I got into the house, but many wines later I tried to heave it onto the tv stand and dropped it right on its face (they were soooooooo heavy). Luckily it didn't smash, but that was it- it never worked. I felt like such a drunk glutton. So ashamed. Sending you a big hug, and hope that your family- especially the little ones are doing OK.

I listened to a BubbleHour podcast on Perimenopause yesterday and there isn't a doubt in my mind that this is one of the factors in the mix with my health issues. I'm amazed that so many women able to recognize the symptoms as a unique set. I am 19 months sober now and the last few have been challenging due to feeling chronically sick + life's stressors. It was such a relief to hear that women in recovery (or struggling to quit drinking) often feel a pull towards AL when they go through these hormonal changes. A relief because at least there is a REAL explanation why I've been feeling this way, and, there is an end in sight.

We leave today at 3pm for our week long vacation to Seattle with the kids. God forgive me for what I'm about to say, but my husband is driving me NUTS with OCD planning and our group itinerary. (group = us + the kids). He even designed a logo (Team x (our last name initial) Seattle 2015) and ordered custom neoprene windbreakers with the logo embossed on it to wear for the trip. I'm embarrassed and I haven't even put the damn thing on yet. The team will be sitting in first class courtesy of miles used to upgrade from coach. The hellacious trip to Delaware is totally helping me to keep things in perspective. This trip will be fine.

And on that subject, I got a call on my cell phone while I was at the super market yesterday- 5pm. My MIL calling to tell me that a guy in a pick up truck was driving over some shit that she borrowed and didn't want now that she's selling her house. 2 tables, 2 chairs, 2 huge, heavy dehumidifiers. I was so pissed! Who pops over to someone's house with a truck full of grimy furniture the day before someone is leaving to go away for a week? I asked hubs if we could watch Throw Momma From The Train last night. He laughed, but I'm starting to go there mentally.

Wishing everyone a great day & weekend. Lav B, I hope you are on the mend. At all costs try to avoid heading into the weekend without a plan for the tooth if it acts up. At least reach out to the dentist and make sure that he can be reached via answering service or voice mail. More than once I've wound up with an emergency on the weekend- and weekends in the summer are particularly bad because the a & b list docs are often out of reach.

Ava, hope you have a wonderful time with Robert on Saturday. Lav, make sure to eat your wheaties, and may the force be with you!

Love to all

[Byrdlady]

Morning Nesters! Heading south to help my step daughter move this weekend. Bolster your plans for today. It's just Friday, not a ticket to BoozeVille! Hugs to all. Byrdie

[Lavande]

Good morning nesters & happy Friday to all!

Matt, I'm about to fill up the kiddie pool here to keep the kids occupied. Will be thinking about you in extreme heat conditions - be careful!

Hi there NS. Byrdie, hope the weekend goes as well as possible for you!

Jane, the day my MIL moved to Florida was the happiest day of my entire life - I kid you not. We only ever saw her 3 or 4 times in the years after that & that was nice
I hope you have a perfectly enjoyable trip, make the most of it regardless of anyone's OCD tendencies.
I totally get the menopause symptoms, family issues, work stress & wanting to sink into a bottle of wine. I did that & it was a bad idea all around. Keep your head up

I'm into day two with the kids now & I haven't killed anyone yet, ha ha!!!
Wishing everyone a wonderful AF Friday!

Lav

[Dutch1988]

Wow Jane good luck with your trip! I can't imagine matching t-shirts, that sounds hilarious from over here. I think if I had a group t shirt for that trip to Hawaii our symbol would have been a sad smiley face, or maybe a few angry stick figures with their arms crossed. I hope you have a good trip, you gave me a lot of support on my so good luck and let us know how its going if you can!

Lav I don't know why coming on here and writing my thoughts out helps so much, I think it's a combination of the excellent support and just getting it all out on paper, along with reading everyone else's struggles.

I have to post because I dreamed about drinking for the first time in months and I was shocked. it was my brother I think and myself, he is almost at 30 days and we just finished doing something tough, can't remember what it was but we were both on edge. I went over to pour myself a drink and it turned into sparkling wine. I took a sip and told my brother and he told me to stop, but I was like screw it I already drank it I'll just finish the thing. Never been so happy when I woke up, I just knew I had cheated on this thing.

I have a long weekend planned, working all day today and then all day Saturday but then I get my first REAL 2 day weekend since I stopped working Monday afternoons at work. I am super excited about that!

[LilBit]

Jane, good luck on your trip. I know the customized logo neoprene windbreakers are hard to take but just imagine -- they could be something hideous like matching Speedos or Selfie Sticks!

Good job, Matt! Stay cool if you can.

LavB, swish away, and hope you're all better soon. Like you said, the pain and illness from a toothache can be exhausting. My Rx is lots of pillows and old movies this weekend.

Food for thought: I was all excited when my potted lemon and orange trees suddenly sprouted big leafy, thorny branches last Spring. "Great!" I thought. "Now they'll finally produce some fruit." The new branches grew quite large, dwarfing the old ones. The thorns seemed strange, so I looked it up yesterday and discovered that the growers cultivate citrus trees by grafting together a fruit-producing tree and a hardy growth tree to get the benefits of both. My trees' impressive new thorny branches came from the "rootstock," which can produce fruit, BUT it won't be sweet. This means that I must prune the limbs all the way down to the root so that the good part of the tree can flourish. What a great life metaphor. So many times, things seem good -- especially showy or easy things -- but all they ever do is produce bitter fruit. As Oswald Chambers says, "It's never a choice between the good and the bad; rather, a choice between the 'good' and the not-good-enough." Such is the case with AL. 'Seems awfully good at first, but the MWO pages are full of the bitter fruit that it yields, as is my own history. Now, orange you glad you've done some pruning of your own?

[Matt M.]

Hell did not freeze over, it moved to Texas...

Lav- Thanks for keeping my potential for heatstroke in your thoughts.

Rahul- A true tragedy, sorry you are having to go thru this. .

Marylou- Hope your husband comes around and joins you fit the retreat. I know if my wife planned a marriage retreat and i didn't go. ..I would be WITHOUT for a long time :eek-new:

NS- Alcohol killed most all my ambitious goals, it's unlikely I would be putting myself through this if I was still out there.

Jane- Go with God dear lady! Team "X" apparel and all....uke: Oh it will be fun....lol
I'm pretty sure I'd rather go to Hawaii with Dutch's In laws.....
Your post def made me lol
Have fun sweet lady....

LavB- Hope the tooth is better, I can't think of anything worse than a toothache, maybe a kick in the nads, you don't have to worry about that. ...

Lilbit- Love! The the tree grafting analogy!
We definitely seem to become way more fruity sober..
Seriously tho great post....

Mr V- Very nice, I am def not ready for a Vegas trip. Maybe when I have 20 years sob.....

Byrd safe travels!

Stay hard my friends...

[LavenderBlue]

xD That's a good point Matt, at least that's one thing I don't have to worry about!

Very very tired since I had to work today, I'm sure my body would rather have spent the day resting. But my tooth is MUCH better. Not 100%, but very much improved. Doctor #2 clearly knew what he was doing when he prescribed! And I have tomorrow off, looking forward to sleeping in and taking it easy.

Thanks so much for all the support and good thoughts. The last few days were absolute hell, and it helped knowing people care! <3

Off to work on that rest thing, stay safe everyone!

[abcowboy]

Howdy everyone! It’s been awhile since I felt like I had anything to contribute and I’m still not sure I can add anything that hasn’t already been said, but I’ll add something anyway haha. When sobriety becomes the norm, it's really then that you start to notice the little things. I can go out and not drink (although being around drunks is still a bit of a struggle), I can stay at home and not drink (and that really was my weakness) and I can go out for dinner and not have that nice glass of red wine. All so far, so good, but it's then that you really have to watch out. This is the time when that dangerous thought creeps into your mind: 'It's a special occasion, it's a one-off, and so what's the problem?'

Of course, for some people on here who are just hoping to cut down the excessive side, then a glass or two of bubbly or the odd beer might not be an issue - and then you return to the normal routine of not drinking. But I know that ain't the case with me. It would be sooooo easy just to have the odd one on every special occasion, but I know where that would lead me. And also, when you are more than 200 days sober, to reset the clock to zero would be a real bitch.

My life is so much better now than it has been in a long time. It's the one thing I will say over and over and over again to those of you who are struggling with not drinking. Even those who come to MWO resenting the fact that they have a problem and need to quit, end up admitting that life can be good without booze. But this just goes to show that this is pretty much a lifelong thing. I don't want to say 'struggle' because that gives it too much weight, but you do have to keep your eyes open.

[Lavande]

Good evening nesters,

OK, I've gotten thru day 2 of 5 with these stinky little boys, ha ha!
I have to admit I had forgotten about having to do a load of wash at 10 pm just because to keep the funky clothing from stinking up my house

LavB, glad you have gotten some relief!

Dutch, those drinking dreams are actually little gems. They help your subconscious finally get the damn message - I don't drink anymore!!! I learned to even appreciate them

Matt, you haven't melted yet, right?

Cowboy, life IS good!!!

Lil, pruning & grafting fruit trees? Now that's a skill, good luck!

Wishing everyone a safe & comfy night in the nest!

Lav

[NoSugar]

Hey, Cowboy
I came across an old post this evening that really supports your point about keeping our eyes open. I agree with you that it isn't a struggle - to me it's more of an awareness that I don't want to lose.

[Mr Vervill]

Here in Park City UT to photograph former Olympians and potential Olympic contenders, complete with the requisite "wine and cheese" parties. There is more free booze here than Vegas, it took me by surprise. I can't believe how many of these "healthy" people are sucking down the wine like there won't be any more tomorrow. Not so much the athletes, but everyone else involved. I did not partake.
Hope everyone is well, still not enough time to read all the way back, but I have to stop in.
Night all, stay strong

[Lavande]

Good Saturday morning Nesters!

Why do four year olds wake up in overdrive at 6:15 am? Harsh, very harsh - ha ha!!

Greetings NS & Mr V!
It is a good thing to be just an 'observer' & not partake in the world's fascination with AL & other toxic substances. Makes me feel proud & safe

Wishing everyone a great AF Saturday!

Lav