My first day

First days are exciting and kinda scary. First day of school. First day at a new job. First day home with a newborn. Today is my first day as a 28-year-old, and I feel no different than I did before.

My birthday was great though! I enjoyed the flurry of happy birthday posts on my Facebook wall yesterday. As well as the many phone calls and cards. Especially the "Happy birthday Aunt CC" my niece colored for me. Supper with friends - and free ice cream - was fabulous!

Today though, it's back to normal. Like 4th of July fireworks. You oooh and awwe over them, but a few seconds later they're gone.

And now, I'm just 28.

Apple cinnamon pancakes

They're sort of a tradition for us. It started when we moved into a house the first time. Our kitchen supplies were packed somewhere among the sea of boxes. It had been a long day, and we were hungry. All we found was one frying pan, a spatula, and pancake mix. So our first meal in our first house was apple cinnamon pancakes on paper plates.

The next time we moved, we found ourselves in a similar situation. So we ate apple cinnamon pancakes while sitting on the floor in our new living room.

When we bought our current house, our family and friends helped unpack including the kitchen. But we had apple cinnamon pancakes anyway. It just felt like the thing to do.


So today, I'm off to make apple cinnamon pancakes for my valentine.

Sickly

It's been a long three days. I've felt extremely under the weather, and even the weather has been crappy around here. Cough. Congestion. Headache. Just plain yuckiness. I think I should plant a whole forest to make up for the trees I've killed using a box and a half of kleenex the last three days. And still counting. A day off at work. Two working from home. A trip to the doctor. VERY unlike me. I think I took a total of one sick day the past three years.

Thankfully, I'm feeling a lil bit better today. And for you - oh faithful blog reader - that means far more interesting posts in the future once I'm back to 100 percent.

Go Red

Today is Go Red for Women day. Sponsored by the American Heart Association, today is designed to educate women and the people who love them about heart disease. Because heart disease is the number one killer of women. Let me say that again: Number ONE.

Last year I blogged about how heart disease clings onto the coat tails of my life. To recap: Dad – two stents, Mom – double by pass, brother – triple by pass and three heart attacks at the age of 26. Since then I’ve been forced to add my grandma to the list (the one in the photo with my dad from last year’s post) after she suffered a minor stroke this fall.

For me it’s been another year of living alongside heart disease – instead of with it. And I certainly plan to keep it that way. Visit www.goredforwomen.org for more information on heart disease and how to prevent it.