Change is in the Air! The #FatChick is Movin' in Another Direction for 2016

Hi Ho, Guys and Dolls! Did you miss me? It's been a rough few months of crazy veterinarian schedules, writer's block, health scares and plain old exhaustion but now I'm ready to dive back into my blogs.

With all I've gone through, you would think I'd want to curl up in a ball and escape the world for a year or two, but Lady Fate has other plans for me. The scene where fictional cast of Seattle Grace works their butts off to save their friend is one I've had to deal with as a veterinarian far too often. In the show, they saved Callie. In real life, my colleagues and I weren't so lucky with a few of our critical patients. It's hard to accept there will be cases where no matter what you do, how hard you pray, how much Eastern and Western medicine you throw out there your patient will still lose it's battle.

The cute little Labradoodle puppy that damn near broke me this week lost his battle against Parvo. I had to be his advocate and say enough was enough. His pain was too great and his body too frail. He placed his little head in my hand and snuggled as I gave him one last injection. I wanted so badly to curl up in that cage with him and forget the world. 

Sometimes it's just too much. Then the next one comes through the door on the edge of death and somehow you gather yourself up and give it your all. This time it works. The 10 month old puppy who was left for dead in a ditch after a car slammed into him is coming around. Thankfully no broken bones but other injuries leave him in critical condition for the following 12 hours.

The little stinker rallies and is able to go home 48 hours later to his loving and very grateful family.

These are the reasons I continue to do what I do and not curl up in a ball and forget the rest of the world.

They're also the reason why I won't stop writing and publishing my stories. Both of my worlds are a part of me. I am not ME without either of them. As soon as I let that sink in, the writer's block crumbled and I'm itching to get back into the worlds of my characters. Of course that means my smart ass self is back to share my thoughts on all things in the veterinary world, publishing, authors helping (and hindering) other authors, and my other passions like food and crafts.

Not Enough Time in the Day was the very first blog I started after Siren Bookstrand agreed to publish my first novel For the Love of Quinn nearly five years ago. In a few short months, the rights to that book will be reverted back to me. I'm thrilled at the prospect as I have plans for that monster sized novel! I'm splitting it into two books and adding scenes back in that had to be cut the first go around. Next year, I'll get the rights back to  The Island (Now and Forever 2). At that point, all of my books will be under my control and I have to tell you it feels wonderful to say that. I'll be forever grateful to Siren for giving me a chance, but it's time I move out on my own with everything.

Speaking of moving on...

The last year I've been the regional relief veterinarian for a group of hospitals here in the Seattle area. They've decided to go in another direction and have offered me a fabulous contract to work full time between two hospitals instead of 13. March 1st is the start of that new venture and one that will give me a set schedule for writing again!

This is the final year I can say "forty something" for my age. It's opened up many hours of reflection for me and going through the posts I've done for my memoirs, I've decided to put it all together in one book to be released at the end of the year to celebrate. The Fat Chick posts will continue. I have too much to say on things to let that go. LOL!

If you've been here before, you may have noticed I've changed the side bars up to include some ad space and links to favorites. Starting this month, I will be offering ad space for sale at the top of each side bar. I'm working on the guidelines and pricing and will have a separate page for the information. You'll be able to find it in the menu tabs at the top when it's ready to go. Payments will be accepted ONLY through Paypal.

The Fat Chick posts, Writer's Words of Wisdom, and veterinary posts will have their own index pages also listed in the menu tabs at the top of the blog. This way you can find them in one spot. Of course, you can always use the new search this blog feature in the left side bar.

I'm off to help the hubby work on his new blog Pint For You And Me. He's featuring everything he knows and wants to know about brewing beer from the home, small breweries and others around the world. 

Until next time,

The Fat Chick (Tammy)

Three Weeks Down and the #FatChick is Loving Life Again #HealthyHabits

Welcome to Not Enough Time in the Day. I'm The Fat Chick and this week I'm sharing my journey to better health and a new me. To help you catch up, I'm a diabetic, on a diuretic for my high blood pressure, obese, stressed out veterinarian, best selling poet and author (under four pen names), and wife to the best husband of this and all life times.

aka Tammy. :)

Here I am three weeks into my program on Sparkpeople.com and I've lost over 18 pounds and 6.5 inches from my body. I'm still building up my stamina for my cardio workouts, but their getting easier with each day that passes. Next month, I'll move on to longer routines. I'm excited about that since the Walk Away the Pounds workouts have always been my favorite and regaining the ability to get through a 5 mile boosted walk in an hour is one of my short term goals. 

My blood sugar levels have stabilized and dropping to below 119 now instead of a whopping 167. Yeah, I know others have much higher levels, but if I would have kept going they way I was going, I would have had to start insulin. I'm afraid of needles so this broad is going to kick her own ass in gear to make sure I never have to get those injections.

Take that, pancreas!








My blood pressure has improved as well and my medium range goal is to get to the point where I don't have to be on it anymore. I tell you it's not fun chugging all the water I have to drink for my program while being a diabetic on a diuretic. Get the picture?

Seriously, I'm enjoying the journey this time around and instead of throwing myself in 1000%, I'm easing myself into it. In the past, I've burned out on it after getting to the 80 pounds lost level and then gained it all back. I don't want it back again. So by making these gradual changes, my hope is to create lifestyle changes that stick with me forever.

So there you go! I'm still hanging in there and moving forward with my plan to reinvent myself. I'm not creating a whole new DIFFERENT person, but simply letting the real me see the light of day again.

Until next time,

The Fat Chick

#FatChick Has Relocated to Washington and is Back in Business! #amwriting #MyWANA

Welcome back to Memoirs of a Forty Something Fat Chick here at Not Enough Time in the Day. I'm "The Fat Chick" and this week is my first post after our big move to Washington state. 

To get everyone up to speed, my husband officially retired from the Coast Guard on September 1st. He is a Washington native and wanted to move back home, so...here we are! Being a Michigan girl, I'm happy to see all the green compared to the burned up, dried up landscape of California. It's not secret I hated living in that state. Here, I feel more at home. It's like Michigan with mountains. LOL!

Okay that's an exaggeration, but I do feel better here even when driving through some of the worst traffic in the country. Even when cutting you off, Washington drivers use their blinkers!!! Novel concept I know, but it does make a long commute tolerable.

The last two months have been exhausting to say the least. Not only did I have to work at the veterinary hospital two days before we drove to Washington with our first carload, we packed and purged and stored more crap than I thought humanly possible. With the help of one great friend and his son, we managed to get a good deal of it moved around and put into a POD. The rest we had to haul ourselves in our cars.

Now the military was supposed to move us...on their dime but they conveniently lost hubby's orders. So instead of having us on stand by after the active duty members, they had to put us further down the list. The added expense of the POD, an additional storage unit in California, hiring Two Men and a Truck to unload the POD, and renting an SUV to bring the last of our things all fell on us and depleted the nest egg we saved up as a cushion to help while we settled into our new apartment.

With all of that raining down on us, the sister in law flaked out repeatedly when asked to get her crap out of our house. She got ten years of free storage at our place and yet couldn't find the time to collect her crap or haul it to the dump. Thankfully, our old landlord agreed to take care of it. Her loss and his gain because there were a few things I thought she'd want to keep.

My license to practice veterinary medicine took FOREVER to become active in this state but it came through at the last minute and I'm bringing in the paycheck again. Whew! I'm still with the same company/group of hospitals and really enjoying the Seattle group I'm in now. They've welcomed me with open arms and made me feel right at home. As a salaried relief veterinarian for our region, I get to work with many different hospital staffs and so far it's been a hell of a lot of fun.

My writing cave isn't set up all the way yet, but after having to put the writing, editing and publishing of three books on hold for this move, I'm ready to jump back in again. My hope is to have all three out by Thanksgiving...Christmas at the latest. I'm trying not to burn the candle at both ends while we're still settling into this place.

Now I have to find a new doctor and dentist since I had to change medical plans. I'm sad to leave my last doc in California because she was great, but in order to get my health back on track, I need medical supervision. All the stress of this relocation has caused me to lose 14 pounds. I'm happy about that, but not happy that I had gained that and a little more in the first place. Having a doctor help with my routine blood work and wellness plan will help keep me on the right path.

I wanted to thank all of you for sticking by me through all these changes. You've encouraged me to keep working on my health and have been so patient with the delay in these books. Several of you have signed up for my newsletters and continue to visit this site and my others. At my lowest, I've been able to keep going because of YOUR support. Thank you!

I'm off to update a few more blogs and the Sassy Vixen website. Then I'm burying myself in edits. Until next time...

"The Fat Chick"

The #FatChick is Moving to Washington! #MyWANA #amwriting

It's been nearly a month since my last entry and The Fat Chick has more news. As you recall, last month I was hit with a set back when the two positions I thought were a sure thing fell through. I had to scramble to pick up extra shifts at my current veterinary hospital and try to hold things together until we figured it all out. Here's what happened since then:

• I've signed the contract for the salaried relief position in the Seattle Metro area. I got a raise, increase in my continuing education allowance and some other perks. 
• We found an apartment and move in on October 1st. It's in a central area so my commute to the other hospitals won't be horrible. Well, "mileagewise" it won't be bad at all, but the traffic jams will keep me on the road two hours each way.
• We've finalized our move out date with our current landlord and on decent terms considering hubby has been here for ten years and only signed a one year lease. LOL!
• The military will move and store the majority of our stuff for free. They'll store it for a year. After that, it's up to us. No problem!
• We'll have to get another moving service to help us get the "essentials" to the apartment that's half the size of the house we're renting.
• Release dates for the current works in progress have been postponed due to this upheaval but will be back on track once we're in Washington.

Whew!

While I'm a little sad that the release dates for the Bigfoot book as Tawny Savage and the anthology are delayed, it's for the best. I don't want to rush it and end up not putting out my best work because I was more concerned with the dates. The romantic suspense as Stephanie Ryan my still come out by Halloween, but I'm looking more at mid-November to give myself time to get it edited properly.

Now with the path a little less cluttered, I'll be able to concentrate on my health issues again. I'm excited that the new place has a fitness room, swimming pool and trails on property for walking. No excuses! 

I'm sure I'll be shedding a hell of a lot of tears yet before we make our move north to Seahawks country, but this time they'll be happy ones and not those of fear and frustration. It's amazing how your outlook on life can change when things start to fall into place again. 

Thank you to everyone for standing by me through this and for your patience with the release dates. Life sure does have a way with screwing up schedules and deadlines but I'm hoping this time I'll be able to roll with the diversions and keep moving forward.

Until next time,

~The Fat Chick aka Tammy

The #FatChick Finds Light at the End of the Tunnel #MyWANA #amwriting

Welcome back to Memoirs of a Forty Something Fat Chick. The last time we were together, I'd just received devastating news about two job opportunities in Washington. At the time it seemed like the bump in the road was more like a mountain. This week it appears that my new life path is opening up...

there's light at the end of the tunnel, peeps!

The loss of the first "sure thing" positions sent me into a tailspin. That part I won't deny. Devastated doesn't cover it. I had to take a long, hard look at my life and what was going on in it. What looked back at me wasn't pretty. I needed to take stock in what was really important in my life and stop worrying about the small stuff.

This video sums it up well. Take a look...

Instead of being thankful for the important things in my life, I lamented the possible loss of my job...

Okay, that part was a distinct possibility, but my coworkers proved to me they had my back during this transition and willing to keep me around for another six months or more until my husband and I could move to Washington.

Then another blessing showed up via email. The recruiter had additional opportunities she wanted to discuss with me. I talked to her yesterday and they're looking at starting up two new programs: a mobile veterinary unit at one hospital and a salaried position as a relief veterinarian to float between hospitals. The latter had an ultimate goal of finding a permanent position at one of the hospitals. She had two other opportunities opening up within the next few months as well.

Needless to say I'm once again hopefully optimistic about the possibilities presented to me. All of them appeal to me and my ultimate goal of moving to part time after a few years. I would also be able to stay with the same group of hospitals I've been with for the last twenty-one years. 

Bottom line: no matter what I'll be starting a new adventure with my husband when he becomes an official civilian on September first. Wherever we go, whatever we do, we'll be TOGETHER. He has school and a part time job lined up. I've been told by the recruiter she will find a position for me so I can stay with the company, and we will find a place to live to fit our needs.

The details are still fuzzy, but the foundation is strong. We just have to build on it. 

In the meantime, I'll keep writing and editing the three books I have coming out over the next three months. When I look at my life like the empty pickle jar...really see what's important...I'm truly blessed. 

The rest is sand...

Until next time,
The Fat Chick

Another Bump In the Road for the #FatChick #lifegoeson #amwriting

Welcome to Not Enough Time in the Day and Memoirs of a Forty Something Fat Chick. These posts are meant to detail my journey through finding my way back to a healthy lifestyle and everything else that gets in the way. :)

This week I'm sad to report we're not moving to Washington as soon as we had hoped. Both positions dangled in front of me as sure things have been filled by other candidates. While I'm sad...okay, pissed it all went down this way I have to admit I'm a touch relieved.

Sure I didn't appreciate being informed through an impersonal email of the decision to go with people already in the state instead of waiting for me as they promised they would do, I'm grateful for the additional time to get our affairs in order here. There is so much packing and purging to do before we can leave. I didn't know how we would have done it in less than a month. 

Twenty-one years in the same profession and nearly all of it with the same corporation/group of hospitals across the county should mean more in this day and age. It does mean the world to my fellow coworkers who rallied around me when I opened that fateful email. They were shocked too...maybe more than me. They've been preparing themselves for my departure for the last few months and now this set back is a win for them. 

Even though leaving them would've made them sad, every single one of them were behind me 1000% as long as I was happy. Seeing me upset broke their hearts but the encouragement they expressed that day reinforced my faith in people. Now they're busy trying to ensure I can stay here in California as long as I need in order to get through this bump in the road to Washington. Words cannot express the love I feel for these beautiful people.

My cup runneth over...

Except for the damn summer cold I picked up! bwahahaha!

Take care my friends. I'm off to get some rest from these dripping sinuses.

~The Fat Chick

The #FatChick Makes Plans for the New Year Filled with Changes and New Adventure #amwriting #MyWANA #ampublishing

Happy New Year and welcome to Not Enough Time in the Day. I'm the "Fat Chick" here to once again share a bit of life after the age of forty. If it's your first time here...welcome and thank you for stopping in. If you've been here before, please forgive me while I fill in the others for a few minutes...and thank you for coming back! ♥♥♥

I discovered many things in my life changed the INSTANT I turned forty. I'm not kidding. From my vision to my ability to take off the weight I gained over the holidays, from snapping back after illnesses—everything in my world changed. Not for the better either but I'm getting through all that and making it better for myself. What I share here on this blog is my journey through it all. Whether it's good, bad, or downright miserable, I'll share it as it happens.

Like many people, I thought about making resolutions for the coming year, but with a huge list of events already ahead of me, I thought it was best just to step back and take note of how far I've come so far.

In September I was diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure basically due to my obesity. It's all documented in previous posts. So far I've lost just under thirty pounds and have my blood pressure almost perfect thanks to diet, exercise and a mild diuretic. My goal for this part is to be off the diuretic by September 2014. One year on my new plan is enough time and so far, so good!

I hope to be thirty pounds lighter by June when the hubby and I fly to Denver for the RomCon University and RomCon readers convention. Sixty pounds in a year is a manageable goal and I'll definitely feel a lot better breathing in those altitudes! This last year it was rough for me and was another wake up call to get healthy.

By September 2014, I hope to not have to worry about being diabetic. Yes that's a bit of a tougher goal to achieve, but if I can get the weight off, and continue with my diet and exercise plan, it is achievable. I'm leaving that on my list.

Time to buck up buttercup and accept the fact I need trifocals. Period. End of story. Even though my last driver's test showed I didn't need the vision restriction, it's the fine print that's killing me! There are some fabulously sexy frames out there now. I can rock the sexy librarian look better than anyone! Bring it!

I'm forty-seven years old. Time to accept the fact I won't have children of my own and more than likely won't adopt. It gets harder and harder for those in my age bracket to adopt kids. You wouldn't think it would be with all the kids who need homes with loving parents, but it is. This is the "curse" I bring to my younger hubby. If we by chance get to adopt, then it's our destiny to do so. I'll not force the issue and make myself feel less of a woman any longer.

Oh those Seven Witches/Bitches of Menopause will continue to plague me throughout my perimenopausal time right through the actual crazy hormonal upheaval. Whatever! I've had hot flashes since I was in my twenties. I've always been a bitch and the moodiness is a constant pain in my backside. They won't take over my year as I have my fabulous hubby by my side. He's seen me at my worst and he's still hanging around. Must be love. ♥♥♥

So in between having to run to the bathroom every 10 minutes, turning up the volume on the phone and televison, squinting to read fine print even with magnifying reading glasses, and sitting in front of an industrial sized fan to get through the hottest of flashes, I'll keep going. I get to go into semi-retirement this summer while hubby fully retires from the Coast Guard. We'll be moving to the beautiful Seattle area and starting a brand new life and career running our own publishing company. 

Life is as they say...GOOD for this old broad. Take care my friends. I'll see you all next week.

~The Fat Chick

Another turning point in my life

It's been a bit since I've written for this blog and I'm sure it's feeling a bit neglected. Saying I've been a busy has been an understatement, but still that is no excuse. I started up both of my blogs as a way to express myself and to get my name out there. As a writer, name recognition is extremely important, but at the same time it feels a bit strange to toot my own horn all of the time. I'm going to have to get over that and fast. If I keep staying in the shadows and lurking, I just might miss out on a few opportunities of a lifetime.  

As many of you already know, I've always been writing in one form of another. My poetry has been my lifeline over the last two years and I think I've grown as a writer because of it. Many of my poems were the inspiration for the novels in two of my current series. The Vixen, the Witch and the Daemon has spawned a whole new world and an entire series that I will call Songs of Fate. Creating that world is taking a lot of time, not to mention a lot of notebooks! I have to remember that I can't whip out a book a month with this story line or any other. I work full time as a veterinarian still and have other responsibilities such as my shop on Etsy.com.  Reading about how many other authors seem to be about to crank out their work at the speed of light, sometimes makes me feel inadequate. Well, maybe that's not the right word. I feel like I'm not committing myself completely to my craft and that makes me very sad and sometimes makes me go through a sort of writer's block.  As you can see, being blocked, makes the sadness even worse. 

I've thought long and hard about this. I gave 19 years to a wonderful career as a veterinarian and in the process put everything else on hold. It's time I take control again and find the balance so that I can devote more time to my writing and build a fan base.  I'm in a place in my life now, that I am able to do this because of my Muse/boyfriend. He makes it all possible for me to be able to not stress the small stuff...and some of the big stuff...and just write. He's my biggest fan and without him in my corner, I know I would still be holding myself back with the phrase "some day I will be able to write full time."  Well, that some day is going to be a lot sooner than I ever thought possible.

Don't get me wrong, I am proud to be a veterinarian and on most days I can say I really love my job, but the passion I had for it is no longer there. Early in my career, the world was so new and the opportunities open to me so vast that each day was an adventure. It's still enjoyable, but now more routine and yes, predictable.  Now my allergies are getting worse. I have to take diphenhydramine (benedryl) daily in order to walk into our hospital. We have a lot of rabbit and rodent patients and unfortunately they are the cause of my discomfort. I don't see them, but their dander and hair is still present and it's what I am allergic to. All of that is airborne and I can't escape it when I am at work. The last two months has been rather miserable with rashes and itchy skin. I may have to switch antihistamines to get some relief, but in the end the best course of action is to remove myself from the source.

Within the next six months to a year, I will be cutting my days back at the veterinary hospital. It's both sad and exciting to me at the same time. Saying goodbye to what has been a huge part of my life for such a long time hurts like hell. But if I don't do this, I will continue to say "some day" and put off the other things I wish to pursue in my life with my Mo Anam Cara, my Muse. He's opened a whole new world for me that I always knew existed, but was afraid to give it a go.  Now I can.  With him by my side, I can finally be me again.

Today I ordered print copies of my book of poetry and For the Love of Quinn. Within the next week I will have actual print copies of my work in my hands. I guess at that moment I will finally allow myself to acknowledge that I am a published author and people are reading my work...even on iTunes!  LOL!  Now to get back to work on my next masterpiece!