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.