A Sampling of the Rest of 2016 & Some of 2017

October 2016 - February 2017 

We were able to get some more traveling in towards the end of 2016 and early 2017. 

The highlight was meeting E's family at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for a week long vacation. We FINALLY were able to meet our precious little niece and enjoyed some ocean air. 

Septemeber Camping

September 2016
Camping up in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

 "Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves" - John Muir

Girl Time In San Diego

August 2016
San Diego, California  

In August I made my fist solo trip since I got sick. YAY! My mother was spending a few days in California with her aunt and cousin, so I decided to give it a try and meet her down there. Everything went really well, but it was helpful to have such a short flight and my mom waiting for me at the gate. So, I guess that is cheating a bit, BUT, I am still very proud of myself!

Our Summer So Far...

Utah, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Wyoming, and back to Utah. April-August 2016

Here is a brief photo recap of our summer so far. We were able to travel a lot more than we have been able in the past year and we took full advantage of that! When we were not traveling, we were at home recuperating from our travels (or I was and Chris was working).

Moab

Moab, Utah ~ March 2016

In late March we ventured south to check out Moab and try our hands at camping. The drive down was amazing and we had great weather during our little trip...a bit cold...but it could have been worse. We had a wonderful time and are really looking forward to our next camping trip!

Esacpe To Sacramento

February 2016
Salt Lake City, Utah - Sacramento, California

We had quite the unplanned adventure over Valentines Day weekend this year. The week prior the air quality in SLC had gotten worse due to a very nasty inversion that was happening. We spent two full days exploring Park City just to get out of the valley and get fresh air. The difference between the valley and just 20 minutes on the other side of the mountain was night and day. I felt great in Park City, but at night when we were home, I would take a nose dive.  I was keeping my eye on the numbers, but by body had enough. I started to get sicker and sicker and knew I could not handle one more night in the valley.

Janaury Happenings

January 2016

In January Chris and I took a quick trip to PA to visit with my family. Actually, it was quite long for us...five days! Five days that went way too fast. But, it was lovely, restful, and a joy to just sit and be with my family. We didn't get to see everyone we wanted or even do the things on my "I want to take Chris here" list. Next time...

A "Moldy" Holiday and Other Related Thoughts

Since we are in the middle of the holiday season, I thought I would share a few thoughts on hosting a "Moldy", a loved one with Lyme or other chronic illnesses, or a chemical/environmentally sensitive loved one.

There are lots of articles out there on how to survive the holidays as a person with a chronic illness (like this one), but not many for their loved ones.

The holiday season is full of wonder, excitement, family, friends, presents, parties, and a billion activities to go to and do. Friends and families host parties, there are school and church Christmas programs, local Christmas events, Christmas concerts, company dinners, Christmas light displays, parades, shopping, eating, well...you know! I am a HUGE lover of the Christmas season and have always loved to cram as much into the season as possible.

But, the holidays look and feel entirely different to a chronically ill person. Everyone is different and I can not speak for everyone. But, I have some thoughts from my personal experience and from picking things up from fellow sufferers.

Traveling With A Chronic Illness

There are many times I wish I would have blogged more about our most trying times with living with a chronic illness. I find it really helpful when others do, maybe I could have done the same. But, then I remember that during the worst of it all, I did not have enough energy. I could barely move some days. But, I remember. I remember what helped, what made things worse, and have learned a lot along the way. I am still learning. We are still learning. Chris and I are a team and we are learning together.

 

So, I will blog about things off and on. Things that come to mind that may help others or help bring more awareness about living with a illness that is invisible, annoying, and just won't go away.

 

Today I would like to share a few thoughts on traveling.

 

 

Jacksone Hole & Yellowstone Take 2

Jackson, Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park, October 26-28th.

We were determined to go back and see Jackson and Grand Teton National Park as soon as we could. We ended up with three days of free time and decided to head back up before winter settled in..

This time we stayed two nights in Jackson and explored the town, the Tetons, and a bit more of Yellowstone. The weather was amazing and we woke up one of the mornings to a light dusting of snow and ran into some snow showers while in Yellowstone. It was much colder that we anticipated, but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

 

Here are some highlights of the trip.... 

Adventutes in Big Sky Country

Montana and Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming - October 5th-6th.

We drove up to the Bozeman, Montana last month to visit with my doctor. I needed to get some tests done and an in person visit was well over due. We checked out flights and they were not the greatest, the drive looked more appealing since it was one of the best times of the year to drive around Montana. So we drove. North through Utah, Idaho, a quick side step into Wyoming and then into Montana.

The most important thing I have personally learned from traveling....always bring Superman.

 

September

September 2015, Salt Lake City, Utah 

 

This September we lived a quiet life at home for most of the month. Chris worked, I rested and worked on getting better, we got out as much as we could and enjoyed the beautiful September weather.

 

Wedding in August



 August 2015 - Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Baltimore, Maryland

This August we dashed to PA for a wedding I was not going to miss. My beloved brother got married to his lovely girl and it was marvelous! Here is a quick recount of our whirlwind trip with many adventures.

First up, a totally unflattering picture of the two of us. This is us at midnight, on our way to make it to PA in time for the rehearsal dinner....

A Hike on a Mountain

July 2015

 

During our week of celebrating our first anniversary we drove up Little Cottonwood Canyon and explored. We had no plan in place, just a packed lunch, water, and a little guide book on local "easy" hikes.

1st Anniversary

 

July 15th marked our 1st anniversary. Its been one crazy year. We have gone through and learned so much. We pray that this next year will be a bit more gentle on us. :) Even though this past year was painful, confusing, scary, and pretty much hell....there were moments of happiness, joy, and pure bliss. Our trials were health related and our relationship only deepened and became more precious. Married life is awesome and I am so happy to be traveling this crazy hard and awesome road with Christopher.

 

Here we are, on top of a mountain at 10,000 feet, celebrating one year of marriage. It's a rather symbolic picture. We have been through some dark and deep valleys this past year, and just now we have been able to reach the heights that once seemed so far away.

 



 

This Is My Type Of Place

July 2015 

During our time celebrating our one year anniversary we visited This Is The Place Heritage Park. This park sits across from the zoo and only a few minutes up the road from us. I have to admit, I was totally surprised by how awesome it was. I think I was trying not to get my hopes up and be disappointed by the buildings or general historicness. This Is The Place does a fantastic job. It reminded me a lot of Old Town San Diego, but without the commercial shops. It also reminded me of Landis Valley in Lancaster...but only very western and not a Pennsylvania community. The village is  nicely organized, signs and maps explaining what is what and why it is there. A really nice mixture of original buildings that were moved to the site and reproductions of buildings that once stood in Salt Lake City (and the Salt Lake Valley.) There were interpreters in practically every building. All welcoming us in and cheerfully telling us about the building or craft they were working on. The park had many activities for children and adults alike to participate in.

Ruth's Diner

July 2015
Ruth's Diner, Emigration Canyon, Salt Lake City Utah

I first read about Ruth's Diner in our Utah Curiosities book. After I read the fascinating and amusing story about Ruth, I just knew we had to check this place out. Check out Ruth's history here....she totally cracks me up.

Temple Square

July 2015
Temple Square, Salt Lake City Utah

For our anniversary we decided to stay close to home and celebrate by exploring the city we live in. There was a chance Chris would have to go away over our anniversary, so we started to celebrate early. I was feeling AMAZING that week and wanted to go go go...but Chris, being to wise man he his, made me pace myself and we explored our city safely and smartly.

The Month of June

The month was June was very full. Chris was away training and I was back in PA with family and friends. June came and went, full of a WWII event, a carnival, a baseball game, a wedding, a funeral, and a much needed day at the beach. But, June also came with a few health set backs, separation from each other by several states, and half a load of clothing being stolen from a hotel dryer (who does that?!)

Here are a few pictures from our June....

Flexibility

Sometimes life throws you a few curve-balls. Some times you can see them coming, most of the times you don't. You take a deep breath, close your eyes (or don't), and swing with all your might. Some times you miss and sometimes you hit a grand slam.

Other times...seats fill up on airplanes and you have to turn to plan B or C or D or Q.

When people hear I am married to a pilot, one of the first things people say is "I bet you guys can fly anywhere you want for free". Yes and no. Sometimes you hit that gram slam and sometimes you strike out. Sometimes it would just be easier to purchase a ticket. But each time we fly standby...we walk away with a story.