Newbies Nest

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good morning alL Nesters!

I have a bright sunny day here. I appreciate everything these days, even the weather LOL

Slo, thanks & I have to tell you that I didn’t just close the door on AL I SLAMMED the door.
It was the only way my plan was going to work so I’m glad I did
Congrats on your 250 AF days, yay for you!

Pav, you seem to have me figured out, haha!! We just have to do what is right for us. WE are fighting for our lives, right?

Thanks everyone, I’ll be back later.
Lav

[NoSugar]

Re: Newbies Nest

Congratulations, [MENTION=8356]Lavande[/MENTION] for 10 years of the life you deserve. Thank you for all you've given those of us following your lead. xx, NS

[KENSHO]

Re: Newbies Nest

Happy 10 years LAV! Your presence in the nest has been so grounding and your No BS approach has calmed me down more times than I can count. I’m so grateful you’ve been here! You deserve all the goodness you’ve manifested!

We are in AZ with the in-laws. They just know I don’t drink now... no big deal. Its spring down here and the birds are singing. And the smells!! Grapefruit tree blossoms are so fresh and yummy smelling! The parents in law are getting older and I’ve claimed my power with them and in my own life. So glad I haven’t let them derail me any longer. After all, it’s me who has to live with me... not their decision what I eat or drink.

Positive thoughts to all.

[Guitarista]

Re: Newbies Nest

Here here Kensho!

We steer this ship, no one else. It is us who have turned this thing around, sailing into calmer waters and bluer skies. We are the captain. And when rough seas come, as they do, we are centred, balanced, strong and prepared for anything the ocean or life throws our way.

Boozing always puts my precious life and dreams on hold, and hence everyone's around me.

Have a great day LavSTAR!

Big waves to evabody.

[Slo]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening to all!

I’m glad it’s going smoothly for you on vacation with the in-laws, Kensho; that you’re not being hassled at all about your AF & dietary choices.
My family is being very considerate to me too on this Spring Break vacation.
They’re heading to the bar tonight though, and I think I’ll happily take a pass at that though, rather than tagging along.

I got into the frigid ocean up to my neck yesterday, G, just for you! Once your body goes numb with cold, then it’s fine! -for a brief spell.

Proud of you today, Lav, as you celebrate your massive milestone!

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

Oh yes I am sitting here stuffing myself with dark chocolate bark thins with almonds, YUM
I have figured out a few booze free ways to celebrate anything, haha!

NS, thanks & you are doing great yourself!

Kensho, removing the BS & the booze from our lives allows us to heal properly. We finally become the person we were always meant to be. I'm happy to hear you have resolved the in-laws issue. Persistence really pays off

Thanks G & keep steering clear of any bumps in the road ahead. Take charge & stay in charge, right?

Slo, can't believe you actually got into that cold water. I probably would have passed on that, LOL
Glad your family is being considerate of your choices as well.

Hello to the rest of the Nest crew & wishing everyone a safe night!

Lav

[BelleGirl]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi everyone,
So much to read back on. I am back on track, after drinking a glass of wine Saturday night. That's it. I know where that can take me.

I'm on day 3...but I guess that does not matter because I want to be AF for the rest of my life, and I hope that is too many days to count!

Hopefully I will count in years, as my new start was my daughter's 16th birthday on Sunday...which brings me to:

Happy 10 years AF birthday to Lav...!!!

Ava, I am so sorry to hear about Mads...my heart breaks for you. I can't imagine losing my best fur friend Piper, but I know that day is coming.

Dinner in instant pot just came ready. gotta go, but I will be back.

[available]

Re: Newbies Nest

afternoon nesters

Lav, happy 10th birthday. i thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here for me in those early days and still being here now. I too have slammed the door on al.

Slo, good on you for passing on going to the bar. I cannot think of anything more boring now. nothing like a good book or tv show and a cup of tea. In no time at all we will be celebrating your year of sobriety.

Belle, look forward not back. Thank you for your kind words (and everyone elses) regarding mads, as expected as it was it was also very sudden and i have lost my world atm but some days are better than others. Today not so much but i am keeping busy and wearing myself out. Carl makes me smile but then i tell my son to take him as i cant tolerate a puppy anymore. he gives so much love though. Give piper extra cuddles, i know i cant do that anymore and i wish i could.

Yesterday i spring cleaned my bedroom and boy i felt that this morning. i did sleep 8 hours though so i plan on more activity today. My son and i took carl for a walk and had a coffee, that was lovely. Today i am going to clean my hallway which is just space to put crap. Ive decided i am going to have this week off, i am still not feeling lifey enough to be with other people and thats ok. I am even going to Marie Kondo my drawers, now that is a challenge.

We attempted to give carl a hair cut last night, now i will put a photo up of that failure at some stage. i woke up this morning and looked at him and said to my son, that haircut looks like we did it drunk. I do feel sorry for mads and all the drunk cuts she received.

Take care xx

[Rava]

Re: Newbies Nest

Congrats on 10 years Lav. I’m glad I dropped in to see this. You are definitely an inspiration to us! Also NS thanks for the book recommendation. I just downloaded it to my Kindle. Hope everyone has a wonderful day.

[Pavati]

Re: Newbies Nest

Morning, Nest--

Glad you can take this week off, Ava. I remember when you first quit you were ALWAYS cleaning your house. It must be a good anxiety reducer for you - which I get. I am not a cleaner like you are, but when I AM, it is very relaxing to sit in a nice, clean, de-cluttered house. I'm also glad you got some sleep. Take good care of yourself.

Belle - good to see you back. Is there anything specific that happened on Saturday that led to the glass of wine? Need help with plans to avoid that in the future? Look forward!

Hi, Rava! How are you? Glad you popped in.

Pauly - missing your check ins. Hope you're ok.

I've had about a month of not eating well - too many desserts and too many carbs - and I am feeling it in my psyche. Even if I am not feeling it physically (I'm not as sensitive to food? Or maybe I am?) I am feeling it in my attitude toward myself. It feels a little like I am out of control - I think I've felt that feeling before... I keep thinking about a start date and then breaking promises to myself! Sound familiar? I have always found myself to be an all or nothing kind of person. If I have one chip I practically eat the whole bag. Time to tame this beast!

Take care of yourselves, and don't drink, no matter what!

Pav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Lav - Belated :congrats: on 10 Years!!! You are one of the steadiest ships in this harbor and I'm so happy for you on reclaiming your life. Thanks for all you bring to the nest :heartbeat:

Slo and Kensho - sounds like you are both having fun and relaxing AF vacations with family. Good for you both! Enjoy the signs and smells of spring.

NS - thanks for the book recommendation. I went and put a copy on hold in our library system. Was both pleased and saddened to find not only that they have 20 copies in the collection, but also that 50 people already are on the "HOLD" list in front of me! Pleased because yay for info being available and people wanting to learn, but saddened that there is such a need for info around addiction.

Ava - continue to take care of yourself (and Carl, sans haircut ) as best as you can. Be gentle with yourself, as it sounds like you are. Losing a fur kid is devastating, but then also the reminders come frequently as we often have so much of our lives structured around their needs and routines. I'm glad to hear you're getting help with the sleep issue, as that is probably the primary human need in order to function for handling anything else. More hugs to you and puppy snuggles for Carl


Things are clicking right along here in the shoulder rehab ward. We have second post-op appt early next week and she should be starting physical therapy next week as well. My wife was a physical education teacher for 30+ years of her career, and she Needs To Move in order to stay sane. It's shocking how much one cannot do with one arm immobilized for 6 weeks, and she is just about pacing the floor. We set up one of our bikes on a stationary trainer so that she can at least get on and do short rides, but honestly nothing will be normal around here until this woman can fully function again - biking, hiking, gardening, wood working, all sorts of projects. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to those days as well

For me personally, things are going well. I'm about done with my weeks of a light work load and I can honestly say I needed them. I feel fairly refreshed and ready to head into the next 9 months or so of a heavy teaching load. I just passed my 32-month milestone and am setting my sights on 3 full years this summer. Actually, that's not quite right - I've mostly stopped noticing the milestones because I just don't drink and that's how it's always gonna be. Still, it's fun to sometimes look at how much time I've accrued and to give myself credit for what we all know is a big accomplishment for any of us, whether measured in days, weeks, months or years.

Happy Hump Day/Eve to all of you!

[BelleGirl]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good day, Nesters,

Thanks for the words of support. [MENTION=20191]Pavati[/MENTION], I think a couple things triggered my dip into wine the other night. 1) we were having a big dinner party for my daughter's birthday...such events trigger my anxiety. We had grandma here (who is high maintenance) and 5 teens. 2) Son and gf were making part of the dinner, along with my son's famous "magic mushrooms" recipe which requires wine. I always avoid cooking with wine and if I have to I hold my breath to not smell it. Well I got a whiff of it the other night and it smelled luxurious. I had to have a "taste"...and we know what that means.

Daughter has been sick, but is back at school today. Son is back at college since Sunday, and we still have not heard anything more about the legal issue. I could ping the lawyer, but he is also a personal friend and I know he would let me know if there was something I needed to know.

The spring break week for my son was as expected, teens coming and going, though they did not do anything outrageous. I think (hope) my son learned a good lesson from his fbi interaction. Teen boys are kings of doing stupid things. (I should copyright that saying). And then there is daughter and boyfriend...the son I never asked for, but a great kid and feels like part of the family. It will be tough when they inevitably break up...they are still so young.

Basically there have been too many people around me lately. today is the first day that I am home alone. Of course I need to get a jillion things done. But one thing I won't do is drink. I need to go back to what I learned when I gave up AF 5 years ago...before taking that first 'taste' (or gulp) walk through the inevitable progression of how it ALWAYS ends. It always ends the same way. Guilt, GSR brothers, bad sleep, possible embarrassment, feeling crap the next day, etc. etc. etc. I am thankful for being sober today

Thanks for being there, friends. And [MENTION=16186]available[/MENTION], yes I am giving Piper extra love and cuddles. a while back you asked how old she was, and really I don't know because she was a rescue. According to paperwork, she would be estimated to be around 11. However, I really believe she is around 13 or 14. She has been very clingy to me lately and has to be right up against me when she sleeps in the bed at night. She limps around following me through the house. She has a lot of accidents, but that is ok. I will love her and hopefully have the courage to show her that final act of love when the time comes.

[paulywogg]

Re: Newbies Nest

I'm here Pav,I read everyday but just don't have much to add,been like that on the other threads too,thanks for thinking of me Ava,glad you got some time off,I was looking at Winslow's face last night when he was insisting he sit on my lap,just soaking him in cuz we know they don't live forever BTW Phil Collins will be here in the fall with his "I ain't dead yet" tour,hear him in the store music all the time now or maybe just notice it more and think of you waves to all!

[narilly]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good morning everyone.

Thanks for checking in Belle, this is the place to be when you are wavering. Those trigger situations are going to keep happening. Hopefully next time you can get through it and not waiver in your commitment to stay sober.
Onward and upward right!

Wags, glad things are going well, you have so much on your plate.

Ava. that made me laugh, I can imagine cutting Mads hair when you were drunk and waking up in the morning and seeing her haircut. I am sure she did not mind.

Lav, enjoy your chocolate, YOU deserve it Miss Lav, the 10 year Queen! Yippee!

Pav, I feel the same way with all the bad eating. I made some low carb cookies yesterday and have been tracking what I eat so I can be more accountable to myself. Summer is coming quickly and I want to look good in my summer clothes!

Hope you are having a Raawking day GMan.

Byrdie, Pauly, its hump day, pretty soon it will be Friday, Big hugs to you both.

Have a good sober day everyone. I have to get ready for a telephone interview I have tomorrow. This is a company I would really like to work for so Wish me luck MWOers!

xo

[Byrdlady]

Re: Newbies Nest

Ava, I used to cut my own hair when I drank....aye, aye, aye.....I'd wake up the next morning and think, OMG, WHAT HAPPENED???? I don't know why I think I can cut my own hair, I make a mess.

I was going to take a week of vacation (Easter week) but now I have that additional trade show to do (Denver) the following week, so I will postpone my vacation. Every day is an adventure.
Stay sober, all. It matters! Byrdie