Valeria Out Loud

Hey, long time no talk! How are you guys? Hoping you are all well. I’m doing pretty good. Back to work this week after a fantastic week off. Which, returning to work is not exciting -in the least, but it is what it is.

I haven’t caught up with my blog since… I think April? I have a ton to catch you up on. So let’s give it a go!

Ok first, this getaway. It was our annual trip together with friends. One of our friends parents owns two houses on a lake, alllll the way up in the sticks, in Maine. All of us take over their house situated right on the lake as they take the other a few houses down, up off the water but it’s still on it. We have been going up there for about 13 years or so now, and I look forward to it all year long. The silence and view is spectacular. Good food. Great friends – and all of our kids; who are like family. It’s perfect.

Plus, I never sleep as good as I do in Maine. It’s bizarre. Here are some snaps of our trip, which are pretty self explanatory:

Ok what else has been going on…

My broken wrist… let me update folks who are new here. Long story short, I broke my wrist and had surgery on April 6. I now have a plate/screws but the break was clean and easy to fix. Since we all last talked, I had stopped physical therapy on June 15 and then my last check up with my orthopedist was on July 7th. It has been a crazy-filled experience but it is over, guys!! Well, sorta.

Great news is that the doc said my wrist looked perfect healing throughout. There is still some swelling on the right side-but it is supposed to continue to reduce. I also have a looser grip, which annoys me but I’m trying to get stronger w exercise and I was told I’d have more mobility over the next handful of months. The hot doc guaranteed it! I’m going to miss him.

But overall, I feel great! So much so, guys, that I even started embroidering again. I was nervous to get back to it, which is why it took me so long to try again. I missed it but my hand gets tired quickly but I keep pushing through.

My kids… my oldest daughter is having a great Summer. She has been busy with her AP/honors class work and babysitting… and all her friends. She is out every day doing something fun. I have yet to meet a busier girl. And, guys, she got her license in June. Just wanted to warn y’all. 😂 jk jk she is a great, cautious driver. Now we have to get a third car so she can drive herself and sister to school this Fall.

So….my youngest daughter… she has started rowing this Summer. A totally new sport to us and she loves it. She is on her second session this month, and has sights on the Fall. Oh wait! I forgot to also mention that she is off to high school this Fall! A freshman. Ugh she is just growing so fast. She clocked in at her latest pediatrician appt at 5’8 tall. She is fourteen. Which officially makes me shorter than her. Just by a quarter inch, but still.

🤦🏻‍♀️ It was a sad sad day for me. Haaha.

My hearing…. On July 12, I had my ear surgery checkup and second hearing test. There was a vast improvement and my surgeon loved what she was seeing. Though she did ask me to come back in six months for another check up because I guess the cyst/skin cell mass can reoccur. Which I absolutely was floored over hearing. But she didnt seem worried, she just said in case it does reappear she can get it early. So this plausibility sucks, but I know it’s not a certainty.

I can hear better so there is that. 😊

My husband is doing great, too. He has been back at working a lot like in “pre-Covid19 days”. He is a Sr Director at the science museum in downtown, but he also owns a business. It’s crazy how busy he is week to week again. With that, he and I have been going on date nights every Friday night since June started. It has been so much fun; feels good to date him again like we used to before having kids.

Looking forward to this Friday!

Hmm what else.. what else? Oh! My garden! This year has been a kooky one so far. Things are so slow going and I’m still trying to figure out what works well in my yard.

My two zucchini plants died while we were away, which devastated me. But the next day my neighbors gave me a bag filled with theirs!

My peppers are flourishing though. I’m growing Japanese shishito peppers, Cuban peppers, and Ancho Chiles. A global affair there. Then I have two tomato plants, that made a ton of fruit in May/June. But the fruit started turning red only recently. I have scallions, basil, oregano, sage and thyme or days. The scallions truly do keep bugs away. Sometimes I cut some up and lay them around the container.

Oh hey, I grew one eggplant! How could I forget!? I carried it around like a baby before we ate it last night. It had no seeds and tasted fantastic. Such a proud urban farmer. Or suburban 👩🏻‍🌾, hmm.

Oh. And I am trying to grow shallots and sweet potatoes.

Yes, as you can see, I am excited talking my veggie garden- it is something I am passionate about in my old age now. 😂

Welp, that’s all I have to update you on cuz I have to take my daughter to rowing now. She is behind me …looking all tall. 😆

Ok ok. Thanks for reading along today! I truly appreciate all of your support and love. It means a lot to me.

till next time! xoxo