Dear Diary Dump Day

Dear Diary,

This year is almost a quarter over. How can that be? I haven't written in a while. Here's what I've been up to.

• Margo is officially done with all of her medical treatments. Yesterday I wrote the check and filled out all the adoption papers. Yay! Now I'm the "proud dog mom" of two dogs.
  
  
  
  
  
• Pablo was sold. There is now a huge empty spot in our driveway. The driveway we had built just to accommodate our wheelchair van. We're a single car family now.
  
  
• As much as I loved my massive gym, it was just too far away from my house. Going there, working out, showering, changing and coming home took most of a whole day. So I recently joined a different gym much closer. I don't like it quite as much, but it does have a pool, yoga and zumba. That's all I need.
  
  
  
  
  
• John and I decided that this October to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary we're going tooooooooo (drum roll please) MAUI! I love Hawaii so much and can't wait to go back.
  
  
• I'm still fat. Chubby. Chunky. My eating disorder is alive, well and thriving. This is by far the hardest thing I've ever done. Trying to stay on course, manage my portion sizes and what I eat is proving to be my Darth Vader mega boss battle. But each meal I try again. It's also a struggle not to fixate on it or kick myself for eating something unhealthy.
  
  
• I'm sick of gardening. I wish I could sell our house and buy a condo where all I had was a tiny patio and space for the dogs to wee and poo in. I'm serious. I think subconsciously I equate it with my illness? I'm not sure exactly every reason why, just that I'm over it.
  
  
  
  
  
• I'm enjoying photography and ceramics. I would do both every day if I could.
  

Well, that's about all for now. Remember to be gentle and kind to yourself.

My New Hobby

 For the last four months my husband and I have been enjoying a new hobby. Pottery. At first I thought we could both learn how to turn clay on a pottery wheel. But after the second time trying I learned it just takes way too many muscles. So my husband has been on the wheel improving each and every time. Meanwhile, I have been working at the table doing "slab build." That pretty much means just working with my hands without any clay moving. 

It has been tremendous fun! Shockingly so. Even more fun is the fact that I'm not very good at it. I'm learning each and every time. I'm a very creative person and I'm used to being pretty good at every art that I try. But clay? That's a new one for me. My muscle weakness also makes it harder for me, but not so hard that I can't do it (unlike the wheel). 

It's incredibly rewarding to actually make things that are usable in a different way than just hanging on a wall. We're making all our Christmas gifts this year, 

A finished product takes two pottery sessions. I make it at the first one, then they fire it while we're away. At the second session I glaze it. They have about eight different colors to pick from. 

Next up? A new dish set and plant pots.