Monthly Archives: January 2023

Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Mindfulness meditation with the Calm App
  • Volunteer with PAWS Cat City
  • Visit Grandpa and do laundry at his place
  • Color

Monday

  • Mindfulness meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Color

Tuesday

  • Mindfulness meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Color

Wednesday

  • Mindfulness meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Color

Thursday

  • Mindfulness meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Color

Friday

  • Mindfulness meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Color
  • Spend much needed time with my cat, Billie

Saturday

  • Mindfulness meditation with the Calm App
  • Color
  • Late lunch/early dinner with friends at Red Robin
  • Read
  • Watch movies

Weekly Check-In

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! This week has been quite a week. I started off this week not feeling well as I was getting over food poisoning I gave myself when making homemade chicken macaroni and cheese. I was unable to go to my volunteer shift last Sunday because of it. Thankfully, I was feeling well enough to go back to work on Monday as I had to miss the Friday before because of the food poisoning.

Work is going well!!! In fact, I really enjoy most aspects of my job. The program manager and my supervisor are super understanding as well as super laid back which is cool. I love the fact that I spend half the day outreaching clients and the other half of the day in the office. Granted when I’m in the office I am in meetings or doing paperwork. Paperwork is one of my least favorite parts of my job but apparently, from past supervisors, I am “really good at doing notes” regarding clients. I’m not sure about being “really good” at the paperwork part of my job but I do it as soon as I am able because it’s one of the least favorite parts of my job.

Knowing that I was starting this new job on January 4th of this year I realized that I would and will need to focus on self-care a lot more than I was already doing. That meant making sure I started doing mindfulness meditation again. I am doing mindfulness meditation through the Calm App. I am finding the Calm App for mindfulness meditation as well as its check-ins extremely helpful. I also started this past week to do two mindful meditations a day; one in the morning and one before bed.

Another form of self-care I have been doing is doing artwork. I have been coloring as well as doing paint by numbers. I also have been doing some cross-stitching. Being creative has been quite helpful.

Of course, my cat, Billie has been the most helpful. Billie is being Billie by just loving me unconditionally and being a great lap cat. I love Billie so much.

This past week has overall been great. Peace Out, World!!!

Home Sick in Bed w/my Cat, Billie By My Side

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning and Happy Friday, World!!! Sadly, I am not feeling well and need to call out sick. I text the two supervisors I have numbers to as well as the program coordinator. I then emailed the program coordinator and the two supervisors had numbers as well as the one I did not have a number to. I also called my direct supervisor and left her voicemail. I just to make sure I get my ass covered. I feel really bad for doing this to the team that I enjoy working on and has been quite supportive of me since day one. I have some awesome colleagues on the PACT. I love working with my team and they are all awesome.

The only think I can see me doing today by being productive is through art is coloring. I plan on doing some but not sure when it will look like once finished. I plan sleeping as well. In facet I am going to back to back to sleep

I hope everyone has a good weekend a head. Peace out, World!!!

Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Volunteer at PAWS Cat City
  • Art (Paint by number and color)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Monday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Art (color)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Tuesday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Art (color)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Wednesday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Art (paint by number)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Thursday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Work
  • Art (color)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Friday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Work 
  • Art (color)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Saturday

  • Mindfulness Meditation with the Calm App
  • Clean apartment
  • Art (paint by number and color)
  • Read
  • Cuddle time with my cat, Billie

Weekly Check-In

Posted on by Gertie

Good Evening, World!!! It is that time to do my weekly check-in to discuss how my week went. Overall, my week went well and I am really enjoying my new job. In fact at this point in time, I am loving my job.

This past week I have come to the realization I need to focus on self care as well as time management. For me focusing on both self care and time management will help me with my recovery as well as doing well in my current position as a peer specialist at work. The thing I am doing to help with my self care is doing a daily mindfulness meditation practice. Another way I am doing self care is doing art. Specifically, I am doing coloring as well as doing a paint by number. I am incorporating time management with my self care. I am making sure my mindfulness meditation and art work is scheduled so I am taking care of myself.

Another way I am taking care of myself is spending time with my cat, Billie. My cat means the world to me and I love him to the moon and back. I am so grateful that he chose me during a volunteer shift at PAWS Cat City. Billie has been a great cat and is such a lap cat which I love.

As you can tell life is going really well which is why this weekly check in is short. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. I am very appreciative of you the reader for reading my blog. I hope you continue reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Missing My Grandma on Her Birthday

Posted on by Gertie

Good Afternoon, World!!! Today is a sad day for me and my family. Today, would have been my grandma’s 93rd birthday. In fact, when I got up this morning, I tried calling her on her cellphone. It breaks my heart when I do this and wish it wasn’t so hard especially since it has been almost five years since she passed away. Sadly, my grandma passed away from complications due to Parkinson’s Disease.

I am honoring my grandma today by spending it with my grandpa and dad as well as my uncles. Another way I am honoring her on her birthday is going through pictures of her. I also bought some cupcakes and I will light a birthday candle on a cupcake to sing happy birthday after dinner tonight. I’m sure she would be appreciative of it.

I do not have much more to say in this blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. I greatly appreciate you the reader, reading my blog. If it was not for you the reader reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Getting Back in the Groove of Blogging

Posted on by Gertie

Good Morning, World!!! As I mentioned in my first blog of this year (2023) one of my goals is to blog an average of three times a week. One of those ways is to write my Weekly Plans every Sunday morning. Another way I plan on accomplishing this goal is to write a Weekly Check In every Saturday evening.

There is another way that I plan to get back in the groove of blogging more frequently. The way I plan to do that is to start doing free courses through WordPress’s Blogging University. The first course I plan on taking is Finding Everyday Inspiration which is twenty days. The second course I plan on taking is Developing Your Eye I and is seven days. The third course I plan on taking is Intro to Poetry and it is also seven days. The fourth course I am taking is Developing Your Eye II and it is also seven days. That equals forty-one days straight of blogging.

In all honesty, I hope I can stick to this plan especially since I am working full time once again. I am planning on starting this on Sunday, January 22nd, 2023. I am waiting to do this so I can put it into my calendar as I am working on time management as part of my New Years goals as well as making sure I get more into the swing of things at my new job.

I do not have much more to say or discuss in this particular blog post. I do want to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciated from my end of things that you the reader, read my blog. If it was not for you the reader reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

Weekly Plans

Posted on by Gertie

Sunday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Volunteer at PAWS Cat City
  • Read
  • Art (Paint by number and color)
  • Spend time cuddling with my cat, Billie

Monday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Work
  • Read
  • Art (paint by number)
  • Spend time cuddling with my cat, Billie

Tuesday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Work
  • Read
  • Art (color)
  • Spend time cuddling my cat, Billie

Wednesday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Work
  • Read
  • Art (paint by number)
  • Spend time cuddling my cat Billie

Thursday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Work
  • Read
  • Art (color)
  • Spend time cuddling with my cat, Billie

Friday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Work
  • Read
  • Art (Paint by number)
  • Spend time cuddling with my cat, Billie

Saturday

  • Mindfulness Meditation on the Calm App
  • Clean apartment
  • Read
  • Art (Paint by number and color)
  • Spend time cuddling with my cat, Billie

Weekly Check-In

Posted on by Gertie

Hello, World!!! This week has been quite a week. This week started out with starting a New Year, so Happy 2023 everyone. I didn’t do much on New Years Day. I did watch the fireworks shooting off the Space Needle on television. They were okay but I’ve seen better.

On that note this has been quite busy. Mainly, due to starting a new job as a peer specialist (counselor) at a former employer this past Wednesday. I am happy to back at this employ. I am even more thrilled to be on a team that reaches out to the most vulnerable of the vulnerable in my community. My supervisor is awesome and very helpful. I really do think I am going enjoy my new job most days.

As for today, I volunteered at PAWS Cat City late this afternoon into early evening. I really enjoyed it. We only had two cats who are a bonded pair. So mainly my shift consisted of cleaning which I don’t mind doing. I also got to play with the kitties. In fact today is exactly three years since I did my first shift at PAWS Cat City which is why I signed up for a shift today. I do my regular shift tomorrow morning.

I do not have much more to say in this particular blog post. I would like to thank you for reading my blog. It is greatly appreciative from my end of thing that you do read my blog. If it wasn’t for you the reader, reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blog. Peace Out, World!!!

New Years Goals for 2023

Posted on by Gertie

Happy New Years, World!!! I realize it has been a while since I last wrote on my blog. I apologize for not keeping you all up to date on things. It is surprising how fast 2022 flew by and how well my mental health did last year especially with how challenging some things were for me. I started last year with having Covid-19 which sucked. I also got laid off from a job I loved which also sucked. The suckiest part of last year was finding out that my mom has stage-3 lung cancer. On that note, I also had some successes. Successes so very small but added up to make 2023 an overall good year.

A good year that was helped by making New Years goals. Goals that get re-evaluated every two to three months. When I also re-evaluate goals I also add goals if I have completed. In fact, I am going to share with you my goals for this year. My goals for this year are

  1. Clean apartment and keep it clean.
  2. Read six books.
  3. Color six pictures and one poster.
  4. Paint two paint by numbers paintings.
  5. Start and complete two workbooks regarding my mental health recovery.
  6. Continue volunteering at PAWS Cat City.
  7. Blog an average of three times a week.

I have more goals than listed but some are a little bit personal to share on the internet. I am grateful to have goals and to work on myself and recovery.

I do not have much more to say in this particular blog post. I would like to thank you for reading my blog. If it wasn’t for you reading my blog, I would not be writing my blog. Again, thank you for reading my blog. Peace Out and Happy New Years, World!!!