Off line until Monday

Good evening! I am putting up a second blog today, which is very unusual for me. I wanted to let you know that I've decided not to take the computer on this weekend to Maryland. I can check my email and Facebook on my iPhone, but it's not so easy to write or read the blog on it. There will be no other blog now until sometime on Monday.

Today was GREAT! I started off with my cancer support group. We spent some time talking about lymphedema. Many of the women there have had breast cancer. They were told not to lift more than FOUR pounds. My doctor said TEN. They were all stunned. I think they felt that I may have brought on this lymphedema myself in the last few months by doing the upper body weight machines at 10 pounds. I hope not. I will be going to the clinic for an evaluation soon, so then I'll find out more. I did not wear the sleeve at all today, but I will wear it all day tomorrow.

After the support group, we went right to Mexico. The cheese empanadas were delicious and came with multi-colored tortilla chips. I also had a wildberry margarita. It was so yummy. The mariachi band played for about 25 minutes. They were really excellent. Mark had a very expensive tequila shot, and then we rode the Mexican boat ride, Gran Fiesta. It's always a favorite. We walked to and from the car, which took about 20 minutes each way, so we felt we got a good walk in today.

Then came the best part of the day: the POOL!! Today was the day I am allowed to be in the pool again, so I took full advantage of it. We played in the pool for nearly an hour. I did discover that despite all the walking and all the exercise machines, my muscles felt weak in the water. Swimming must use some different muscles that have been unused for months. The sidestroke gave me a cramp in my side, so I had to give that up. The back stroke was the best, but it felt funny. The breast stroke or front crawl were OK, but I couldn't do them for very long. Mostly I just took a few strokes, felt weird, and then floated around or stood around. I also sat in the hot tub for five minutes. It felt like bliss.

Dinner was at the Lakeside restaurant with free wine, but I asked for a green salad, steamed broccoli, and grilled grouper. That kept my points and calories fairly reasonable since I used up so many at lunch. Then we went home and tried to pack for the trip. Why does such a short trip seem so hard to pack for? Weird.

Have a great weekend and I'll blog again on Monday!