Mom Update & Fun on Fire Island

Wow -- the last week or so has gone by so quickly. I was out in Florida the weekend before last to see my mother and make sure she was OK. Long story short, she still has to have a procedure, but she is doing well and feeling good. I was glad that I was able to go out there to see her. She was actually released from the hospital on Saturday, so we were able to spend time together. In fact, she was doing so well that we thought she would go back to work on Tuesday, and I called my brother and told him not to come down on Sunday after all.

During the weekend, I helped my mom around the house, but then on Monday morning, I wound up having to take her to the Emergency Room because she was having chest pains/discomfort. That was really stressful, and I was very worried. Her heart rate was very low, but she seemed OK. The worst part for me was having to leave for the airport while my mom was still in the ER. I felt just terrible about it, and I was bawling as I left to the point that one of the orderlies gave me a hug, and my taxi driver (who thankfully gave me a stack of napkins) reached back to squeeze my hand. It's kind of wonderful to see how nice people can be in a situation like this. Thankfully, my mom seems to be doing really well now, and the prognosis on her procedure is very promising.

In other news, I went out to Fire Island with a few friends this weekend and had a great time. Unfortunately, I had to come back early today (Sunday) because I had to work all day, but we really made the most of the time out there.

Heading to the beach on Saturday, we saw this wounded deer hopping down the way. The park rangers take care of these animals, so I'm hopeful that he got some help!

Out and about on Saturday night.

My friends and I headed to Ocean Beach on Saturday to check it out and have dinner. It's a lot busier and more crowded than the part where we stay, but fun to check out for a night.

On the ferry to Ocean Beach with Marjorie. I loved how the light came into this shot!

Colorful bicycles in Ocean Beach.

When you get off the ferry in Ocean Beach, there is basically a "parking lot" for the wagons people use to cart in their groceries and other things. I'd never seen anything quite like it, and had to take a photo!

In band-related news, the emergency trip to Florida and the incredible amount of things I have going on at work right now are not helping me get to my aspirational goal. It was actually very hard for me to make good food choices in Florida, and it's been difficult for me to fit in my usual workouts. I was not surprised to see the scale up when I got back last week. It was up a whopping 4 pounds. . though only 3 as of Thursday. I have a hell of a week in store at work, but am going to try to at least get to the gym on Tuesday, and again on the weekend, assuming I will not be going to Florida then. That depends on whether my mom has her procedure on Friday or it gets pushed off to a later date. Fingers crossed for it to go extremely well whenever it goes forward. Also, I wanted to thank all of you for your nice comments. I really appreciated your concern, and I know my mom did as well.