Baby it’s cold outside! Today’s high is only going to be 54 degrees. It feels nice to wear winter clothes. Of course, when I lived in Wisconsin, 54 was a Spring day. When we first moved there from Scottsdale, AZ, I was amazed at how crowded the parks were when the weather was in the 50’s. I never got used to the cold and remember dressing Jake and Brenden in snow suits so they could play outside while I filmed them through the glass door. Yes, I am a self-professed weather wimp!

Since I last journaled, Judith and I went to the florist and ordered my bouquet (white flowers with greenery) boutonnieres and wrist corsages. The wedding is right around the corner!

Speaking of Judith, her broken bones saga continues and she will undergo another surgery early next week. It will be an outpatient surgery and she has told them that Thursday is not available — she may, of course, be pretty drugged up for the wedding but then again, so might I.

I have enjoyed photographing and videoing the kittens today. Both Max and Madeline have been adopted and I’m sure when Dixie, Pixie and Mr. Jinks are ready, they will go fast too.

Nothing medically noteworthy to report. In general, Hans and I go about our lives normally but there are moments where we both pause and reflect on my uncertain future. During those dark moments, we remind ourselves that anything is possible and quickly get our minds back to the here and now.

There is an interesting article in today’s Wall Street Journal titled “the real secret of lifelong fulfillment“ The Harvard study of adult development track an original group of 724 men and more than 1300 of their male and female descendants over three generations asking thousands of questions and taking hundreds of measurements to find out what really keeps people healthy and happy. They found that it’s not career, achievement, or exercise or a healthy diet. Not that these things don’t matter, but what really consistently mattered was good relationships. Personal connections are the most important factor in long-term health and happiness.

Unfortunately, now I do have medical news to report. Around 4 pm my stomach started to ache like a metal band was squeezing my gut, particularly on the right side. The frustrating thing is that it is impossible to know what I ate to illicit such pain. Was it the 5 peanut M&Ms? Was it the lo mien from the night before? Was it the green tea? Whatever it was, it was not fun and I spent the evening in a hot bath followed by bed rest with a heating pad. UGH!