Newbies Nest

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi everyone,

My dental surgery went very well, although they had to do a fair amount of bone grafting and my lower front jaw still has a deep ache. I know I'll be happy I got it done, but I'll also be super happy when the pain finally dissipates.

We had a very quiet thanksgiving with just me, my wife and my dad. They had a good meal, and I had a creamy blended cheddar broccoli soup. I'm totally fine with that - I've never been a fan of thanksgiving dinner so I don't feel like I missed anything.

I'll read back and catch up more fully, but in a quick glance over the past few days it sounds like everyone is doing well. Have good Sundays everyone!

[BelleGirl]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good morning nesters,
The non-hungover feeling never gets old! I get to drive son back to college in PA today...3 hours each way. We cannot leave until this afternoon because I was able to get a covid booster scheduled for him, early afternoon. (He actually got a flu shot while they were offered on campus without any nagging! He is actually growing up!!)If I'm too tired on the way back, I'll just catch a hotel. I love staying in a hotel myself! It is supposed to be rainy all the way there and back today, so that might add to my fatigue. I'll just take my time and make sure he gets back safely.

Wags, I'm not a big thanksgiving fan either, but son outdid himself this year with his cooking. I hope your pain dissipates soon. I understand implants are a long process, and I hope you have gotten through the worst of it. Sending good healing vibes.

Ava, Carl and Bob are just adorable, and very handsome after their grooming. They are yours, right, not fosters?

Lav, thanks for the reminder to protect my peace. Nobody or nothing should give me the feeling of being "driven to drink". I'm the captain of that ship, and I need to remember that.

Son and friends had their Friendsgiving last night. Thankfully at someone else's house. We hosted a couple of years and it is a lot of chaos, though I love seeing his friends. Sadly one of son's friends is still living in a sober home somewhere, so they have had no contact with him. He did come home for a short while sometime earlier this year, but relapsed really badly and went back into rehab. Fortunately his parents have the means to afford his treatment. I really hope I see him again, renewed and well and substance free. He was like another son to me. It is just another reminder of the hell alcohol can bring if one is predisposed for whatever reason.

I know I can never be a "normal" drinker again...whatever that is. I crossed that line long ago. It has been a long and hard process to get back to the AF life after the 5 years I did have. Going down the rabbit hole again felt like madness. My anxiety and depression skyrocketed. I need to remember that...forever. and staying connected to this group has plenty of reminders. As many of you have said, I don't think I have another quit in me.

[Guitarista]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hola nester's near and not so far,

Great work Belle sticking with the sober train. There is nothing left in a bottle for us anymore, only repeated pain and misery on and on, day after day as we all know. yes, you're the Captain of the ship. When we set a destination, and plot a course we stick to daily, no matter what the weather, we will plough through and reach our destination. As long as we have the rudder in the water and a hand on the wheel. Ships demonstrate this simple principle every day, every minute.

Thanks for the pic of those cuties Ava. I hope they are as comfortable as possible. They are lucky to have u.

Congrat's on the dental work Wags. Must be a load off your mind.

All is well here. Busy. Big waves to evabody.

Surf's up diggity's!

[Slo]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi Nest,

Good job setting intention and using accountability, Belle. It must be frustrating to fall back into alcohol dependency after five years AF. It helps give me resolve to keep my quit going! Even though I’m far away from even 5 years AF yet!

Wags, I remember Ava recently going through the lengthy tooth implant surgeries. I’m sad your front teeth got ruined in one of the car accidents, and I hope your implants work out great for you.

I appreciate your tough commitment to living AF and taking care of yourself and who cares what others think, Lav and Ava!

It’s Sunday here…G should have recently had a group playing session with his guitar.

Waves to all!

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

Finally a chance to sit down after two days in my feet in the kitchen. Everyone went home happy & well fed. Can’t believe my grandson turned 14 today. His arrival is what prompted me to get my act together once & for all. I am especially grateful for him :hug:

Wags, glad you got through your procedure OK. Can you take ibuprofen? It has helped me through a lot of painful episodes. Sending you wishes for quick healing & comfort.

Belle, after these nearly 14 AF years my friends & family know not to mess with my peace haha!! We have to set firm boundaries & guard them with everything we’ve got. Safe travels!

G, enjoying the surf as usual

Slo, working on our boundaries is what we have to do to protect ourselves. Others will take advantage the first chance they get. I had to learn that the hard way. I think you are going to have a very exciting year coming up with all the new babies learning new things, fun

Hello to all & wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

Lav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Belle - that's fantastic that your son did such a great job with t'giving dinner! Did you make a concerted effort to teach him cooking skills or did he just pursue that on his own. Either way, I love it! And kudos to you on protecting your quit. It's the best gift you can give yourself every single day, whether it's a holiday or a hard day or just a boring meh day. Drinking will make NONE of those days better, and will for sure make the following days/weeks worse. Totally not worth it!

Ava - Carl and Bob are such good-looking boys! Sorry to hear about Carl's knees though. The tub thing sounds interesting - will look forward to hearing whether it helps.

Lav - the oral surgeon is having me use tylenol and ibuprofen to manage the pain, and it works ok until it's almost time for the next dose. That last hour or so is the worst. I've got a few oxys if it gets horrible but I hate that stuff and it's not that painful. It's mostly just a relentless deep bone ache. I think I've turned the corner though and I'm sure I'll feel a lot better in the next few days. Hooray for that!

G - great to see you and hope all is well!

Happy new weeks everyone

[Guitarista]

Re: Newbies Nest

Can’t believe my grandson turned 14 today. His arrival is what prompted me to get my act together once & for all. I am especially grateful for him :hug:



Lav

Ain't that something Lav. :heartbeat:

Hola all. Steady, como estan las cosas?

[KENSHO]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi Nest!

Wags, sorry you had to go through that surgery. Sounds like you may be on the other side of it? Dental stuff is one of those things that I wish I could ignore, but dealing with the discomfort of the work is worth it in the end. Sounds like you had a nice T-day with family.

LAV, my number one goal should be yours... thank you for the reminder. I remember feeling so surprised that others would take advantage of a generous nature, as my husband and daughter would be the first. I have had to learn to be less upset and "victim" minded, and just set those boundaries. They "get it" once it's made clear. They're not bad people, just opportunists that have learned manipulation in another life (my daughter was BORN this way!) and use it when they can!

Hi Slo!

G... you are sounding so wise these days. Glad to see you here. Life really provides more opportunities to find meaning and joy without the booze huh?

Belle, awesome that your son cooked for the holiday. Is this the one that is a fashion star? Artsy fella. Love it.

I had a nice break traveling to a kooky, historic town in southern AZ, then to the Phoenix area. Everyone was able to really relax. My MIL doesn't approve of my nearly 5 years sober - she bit her lip and was nearly going to say something about it but stopped herself. She just can't imagine life without alcohol - and doesn't see how I could possibly either. No big deal though.

I was able to have some dairy and coffee - for the first time in a couple years. Yippie! I might be healing! I miss coffee so much. I hope to enjoy it in moderation in Italy next May. It might save me from wanting wine at every turn. I might need some support from this group on that front as it gets closer.

Glad to see everyone seems to be doing well and enjoyed the holiday. I spent the last hour cyber shopping, and yesterday too - now I have to shelf it and dig back into my work. I am dreading it, but plan to just put one foot in front of the other, and take breaks to keep sane!

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

Trying to keep focused on getting my crafty work done. I get to take it all to the venue Friday evening & set up for the morning since it’s an indoor event. Just have to get the last few things done. I have to deliver my outside cat Luna to the vet early tomorrow for her spaying. I hope she’ll thank me one day since she’s already had 2 litters this year, geez. I feel sorry for these animals.

Wags, glad you’re pretty much getting by on OTCs, I hate the RX stuff too. Hang in there & take it easy :hug:

G, my grandkids will never see me with a drink or a smoke in my hand & that’s awesome!!!

Kensho, if we don’t protect our boundaries then those closest to us will wear them down. I don’t know if it’s their selfishness or they just have their heads up their butts but they don’t see what they’re doing to us . I’m never letting anyone take advantage of my kindness again. You live & learn - right?

Hello to all & wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!
PS: the schools around here were closed today because it’s the first day of hunting season. Does that give you an idea of where I live? Haha!!

Lav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Kensho - good to see you. Sounds like you had a fab trip to AZ, in spite of your MIL. Don't let her kill your sober vibe. Maybe she's jealous or insecure or something.

Lav - I hope you have a smooth week prepping for your Dec craft fair! Wow, a 14 y.o. grandson who's never seen you smoke or drink - super impressive. And also wow how time has flown. He'll be driving before you know it


Hellos and waves everyone!

[BelleGirl]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hi all,
Just checking in as I know this time of year is triggering for me.
Kids are both back at college for another couple of weeks, though we see daughter a lot due to her job.

Wags and KENSHO, my son got interested in cooking when he was placed in the produce department at this grocery store job. Pre-covid they had a cook demonstrating various cooking techniques and recipes and he befriended her and showed interest. Husband saw it as an opportunity to connect with son and further the culinary education. For thanksgiving they both contributed (I made the easy cranberry sauce..lol) to a great meal. and Yes, this is my fashion "star" son (and my one and only son).

Sober vibes to everyone, hoping they bounce back to me!

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

Happily getting my work done little by little. I had to go pick up the cat at 3 pm after her spaying procedure. She is still pretty whacked out on the ketamine they gave here, poor thing. Trying to keep the kitten from pestering her too much. Tomorrow we are to get rain & wind so the outside cat will be staying inside to heal whether she likes it or not haha.

Wags, it’s hard to believe it’s been so long since I changed my act but I’m so grateful that I did. If the grandson ever asks me anything about my ‘former life’ I will give him an honest answer & a stern warning not to ‘go there himself’. Time is flying, for sure

Belle, keep checking in with us & renew your commitment to AF life daily if that;s what you need to do! You’r eworth it, remember that

Hello to all & wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

Lav

[wagmor]

Re: Newbies Nest

Belle - your son sounds like a pretty awesome young man! Great job on the parenting too. It's fun when kids grow into adults (or people, age isn't the determinant) we actually want to hang out with

Lav - hopefully the catter will recover smoothly and swiftly.


Slowly healing here. I still get stabs of pain if I move my mouth wrong but mostly just dull relentless ache. Cannot wait for it to be over.

Happy Hump Days to All!

[Lavande]

Re: Newbies Nest

Good evening Nesters,

We’ve had a day of chilly rain & gusting winds here. Good day to stay inside & get caught up with things
Luna is looking pretty good so I may let her outside tomorrow, we’ll see.

Wags, sorry. You’re still hurting. Anytime we have something surgically cut nerves are being cut too & they cause those stabbing pains. Have you tried alternating heat & ice packs? Sometimes it helps a little. Hang in there, it will only get better :hug:

Hello to all & wishing everyone a safe night in the nest!

Lav

PS: Belle, next year I may order a few side dishes from your son - if he has time Lol

[STEADFAST]

Re: Newbies Nest

Hola!
Sober check in from Trinidad, Cuba.
Have come perilously close to falling off my wagon here, once by accident & once because my al brain told me I could "make a new start and moderate".
WTF?!
Just a few days left now. BeunaVista Social Club beckons tomorrow night, then no less than 5 x separate flights to get home!
Love,
a greatful Steady