I stayed in…Tom went out with his family…Reaching out to old friends…

Yesterday, as the day progressed, I decided I didn’t want to go to Billy’s Bar & Grill to meet up with Tom’s siblings. It wasn’t specifically that I wasn’t feeling well. It was a matter of simply not feeling like going out and possibly being up very late. Tom offered to stay with me, but I encouraged him to go. He left at about 2:45 to arrive by the planned 3:30.

After Billy’s, where they ate popcorn and had drinks and dinner, they all decided to go to Mary and Eugene’s home to play cards. I would have enjoyed playing cards, but as it turned out, Tom didn’t return to the hotel until around 2:00 am, making me realize I’d never been able to stay up that late. His family usually stays up very late when they get together.

While Tom was gone, I had a light dinner of Greek yogurt and raspberries and scoured through our streaming services, looking for something to stream. I must have started 20 movies and stopped them after ten minutes when the concepts were unappealing. I don’t like superheroes or fantasy movies. Most of the movie themes were preposterous, and I prefer a film with some reality to hold my attention. Finally, I went to bed and watched videos on YouTube.

At this point in my life, I feel a need to wrap up my evening by 11:00 pm and be asleep by midnight. As an early riser, getting to bed at 2:00 am would leave me exhausted during the day, especially in my weakened condition. I am doing everything I can to stay as healthy as possible while waiting for the August appointments at the Cleveland Clinic…good food, adequate sleep, exercise, and low stress.

When he returned at 2:00 am, I was wide awake. There was thunder and lightning all evening, and I’d been concerned about him returning safely late at night with all the crazy drivers on the road. When I heard him entering the room, I was relieved and happy to hear his voice. We chatted a bit, and then it took a while to get to sleep.

I’d anticipated we’d sleep later, but we were up early and headed to breakfast in the hotel by 8:30, showered, and dressed for the day.

Tonight, we’re going out to dinner with railroad friends Mary Kay and Frank, whom we haven’t seen since Tom’s retirement party at the end of October 2012. They’ve been reading our posts and saw we will be in Minnesota for some time. It will be wonderful to see them.

Planning dinner with Mary Kay and Franks reminds us that it’s important for us to reach out to old friends. Often, old friends assume we are so busy with family that we don’t have time to spend with friends. But that’s not the case. Our kids and grandkids have busy lives, and we see them when it works well for them. We don’t expect them to change their schedules and routines for us, especially this time when we’ll be here for so long.

Yesterday, I was able to do the exercise bike for 12 minutes. Hopefully, today, I can do it for 13 minutes or more. My heart rate makes me stop biking, not that I’m tired or my legs give out.

Tonight, we’re going to the Cheesecake Factory in Edina, about ten minutes from here. Much of their food is very high carb, but I can have any of a few “skinnylicious” salads. Tom can always find something he likes at that restaurant.

Have a fantastic weekend, and be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, May 18, 2014: