Learning to Knit

Last night was the second week of my once a week knitting class I'm taking. There are 6 or 7 of us in the class and we pretty much work on whatever we want while the instructor walks around answering questions and doling out advice. I really enjoy how casual it is. We're supposed to complete a project by the end of the course, which is 5 weeks. I'm still not sure what I want to work on. On one hand, I want to choose something simple, but on the other hand, I don't want to do something dull or that will take forever to complete.

I've noticed I have a tendency to want to yarn over in knitting like I do in crochet so I have to really watch myself. I wanted to learn to knit so I could make garments but so far, I find that I much prefer crochet. Perhaps I'll like knitting better once it becomes second nature like crochet is. Because of my brain lesion I have short term memory problems so I have to take my big needlecraft book with me so I can refresh myself on knit and purl every now and again. I am excited for the world of new patterns this will open up for me. Now to find the perfect one for my class project. Off to ravelry I go.

A New Year's Resolution of Sorts.

I wish I had some amazing and inspiring resolutions and goals for 2013 but really, all I want is to get back to being my "normal" self as much as I possibly can. I want to continue recovering from the illness that took half of 2012 from me. I don't think I can ever be the same person I was before I got sick but I want my energy back. I want to get back to doing the things I love. It's amazing just how much not being able to pursue my hobbies made me feel like I was missing part of myself. It was just out of reach, on the other side of my sickness, and each book I read, meal I cook, and crochet project I finish brings that part of me a little closer to home. I have missed it dearly. That's all I want in 2013 and I think it's definitely possible.

Happy Birthday, Little Brother.

This is my little brother. Of all my siblings, he's the one I grew up with. Everyone else was out of the house so a lot of the time it was just the two of us. We drew chicken pox on each other with markers (and later shared real chicken pox), learned to ride bikes together, and screamed, "MOM, he/she is touching me," on long car rides together. Although he was a giant pain in my ass sometimes, I wouldn't trade him for any other little brother in the world.

Happy 25th Birthday, Rouse Rouse. Love you. 

When we were kids, he'd race up the driveway after the bus dropped us off, get in the house, lock me out, and refuse to let me in until I promised we could watch either Die Hard or Chuck Norris' Invasion USA. Are you kidding me, kid? Everyday. Torture.

Winter Preparedness.

Hello friends. I know we dwell all across the world but where I live, winter is upon us. Sometimes I look out and see the sun poking through the clouds and it doesn't quite feel like winter but when I see that the fields and roads are flooded, trees are down all over the county, and people are without power in outlying areas, I'm reminded that it truly is winter.

Preparing for winter is different for all of us, depending on where we live. For me, I like to make sure I have clean water, snacks, warm blankets, candles and flashlights. The power goes out here at least once per winter, usually a lot more frequently. Although the linemen work their butts off, sometimes power isn't restored for hours, or even days. It's important to be prepared for a few days with no power. Don't forget provisions for your pets as well!

Even if it seems you might be lucky enough to experience a mild winter, please be ready for that freak storm just in case. Here is a great site with some preparedness tips. I know it's a tired phrase but it's better to be safe than sorry!

Christmas Crochet.

I just returned home from a rush trip to California. My family had a mini get together to exchange gifts, say hello, get some Chinese food, and head back our separate ways. It's always so wonderful when we get to see each other, it's never often nor long enough. I have the greatest family. I wanted to share a couple of photos of the gifts I had made my niece and my niece that will make her appearance in January. The above are little dresses I made for the new baby. Sorry for the messy backdrop, I was in a hurry to wrap them and hit the road. I'm sure next year I'll have some cute photos of the dresses in action.



This bad boy is a poncho I made for my two year old niece. She didn't grasp the concept since it didn't have arm holes. She put it on, flapped like a bird a few times, took it off, threw it on the floor and took off to go play. That's okay, I have high hopes for getting a photo of this piece in action as well.

The pattern for the pinafore is here. 

The pattern I based the poncho off of is here. 

Currently Crochet.

Jake has had what feels like a zillion appointments lately so I've been accomplishing a lot of crochet in that down time. My lovely sister is having another girl in January so I've been working on a blanket for the new baby. I've been using Bernat's Softee Chunky yarn. I love it. It works up quickly and is soft and thick. It also comes in a wide variety of cute colors.



This blanket is my fall back project. It's for my sister and her husband. Hopefully it will be finished by oh...say...their 10th anniversary. They just had their third.



This will be a Christmas present, hopefully, if the rest of the yarn gets here in time. I originally purchased 3 skeins of Lion Brand's recycled cotton yarn but can't seem to find the 3rd skein anywhere. I'm pretty sure a cat stole it to hide in their own secret treasure spot somewhere. No big deal, right? Wrong. JoAnn Fabrics no longer carries this yarn. Neither does any other local store, trust me, I went to every single one of them. I had to order it straight from Lion Brand's website. I hope it arrives soon!

What have you been working on lately?

Oh to be an Auntie.

This little one and her mama are headed back down to California today. boo. I really hate when they have to leave because it's so much fun having them here. I might get to see them briefly around Christmas but I may not see them again until after baby #2 has already made her appearance. 

Lana and pau pau (grandma) made chex mix the other day and wore matching aprons. I'm pretty sure pau pau made chex mix and Lana just stuffed her face but still, what a good helper! It took me a second but I recognized their aprons, my Auntie and I made them when I was a little girl so my mom and I could match in the kitchen. I'm glad they're still getting use 20 years later. I'm already having Lana hug withdrawals. sigh

Home Canned Cranberries.

I've always loved cranberry juice, it's the only kind of juice I truly care for. Dried cranberries also hold a special place in my heart but I never had an affinity for cranberry sauce until last year. I had bought a can for my little Thanksgiving feast and decided to try it and I quickly fell in love, not surprisingly. When my uncle offered to get me some cranberries during harvest that year I had jumped at the chance and made my own homemade version of the sauce. We had it at Thanksgiving dinner this year and I really feel like I could eat it every single day. I think what really puts it over the top is the addition of ground clove. Now to devise a meat free sandwich to stuff with cranberry sauce.

Oh, and isn't my mom's china lovely? I always liked using it as a kid but was scared to death of washing them in case I dropped one but I never did so it turned out alright in the end.

Oh Thanksgiving.

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Although Thanksgiving has never really been a big deal to me because I don't eat meat and most of the fun is stuffing your face with meat, I still really enjoy it. I get to hang out with my family, whom I love dearly. Last year I made my first Thanksgiving feast at our own house because Jake and I were in Idaho at the time and couldn't get to any family. We had a friend over but ended up spending half the evening in the ER to find out Jake had bronchitis. The food turned out great but we never did sit down at the table and have our little feast. Instead, most of it went in the fridge and we had leftovers.

This year Jake is in Arizona at his sister's where his family usually celebrates Thanksgiving. I really wanted to go, I just love his niece and nephews, but I didn't feel quite up to the 12 day trip so instead I'm staying home with the pets. I'll be celebrating turkey day at both my mom's and then my dad's. My mom is one of those kind souls who always makes sure everyone she knows has a place to spend the holidays. It's fun to go to her Thanksgiving dinner because you never know who will be there and what interesting people you may meet.

I hope everyone has a lovely holiday.

Support.

Having a support system is an important part of life. It can consist of friends, family, co-workers, or even online blogging or gaming friends you've never met. What matters is that they care about you and support you. Jake and I are lucky enough to have a large and caring support system, for which we're very thankful.

Recently I've expanded my support system by attending a women's group for the significant others of those suffering from PTSD. It's a small group and usually just a handful of people show up, but I like that it's small, you really get to know the other ladies and their stories. Just being around other people who truly understand what having a spouse with PTSD is like is really comforting. They can relate in a way others can't and can give advice or share from their own experiences.

Everyone is a different age and our spouses fought in different wars, the PTSD manifests in different ways in our loved ones, and yet our lives are so similar. We all keep constant vigilance, searching for the tiniest signs of a problem, we all know our loved one's triggers, we all have the same worries. It's nice to have the instant bond that comes with having similar experiences.

For me, the most beneficial thing is speaking to the women whose husbands have been dealing with PTSD since Vietnam, almost 40 years ago. It's nice to learn from their experience, and to see that although your spouse may never live a life without PTSD, they can still have a full and rewarding life. Being able to ask questions about their experiences is invaluable. I'm not sure if I ever want to have children, but Jake's PTSD is a real concern of mine, and his, when it comes to having a family. The fact that I can ask these ladies how their husbands dealt with their PTSD in regard to raising children and the effect that has had on the family is incredibly beneficial, even if it's only anecdotal evidence.

I'm thankful we've moved into a VA system that actually gives a damn. In our previous cities, nobody remembered who you were or cared what was going on in your life. Here they refer us to doctors outside of the VA if the wait is too long or if they don't have what we need locally. They call to ask how I'm doing, not just Jake, and they recognize our faces and remember our story when we walk in. It's such a different environment, and such a relief.

Christmas Wishlist.

Awhile back my sister mentioned that she didn't know what to get me for my birthday and that when she looked through the things I had favorited on etsy, she knew some of the things I had hearted were not my taste and I likely had them in mind as gifts for others. So in an attempt to make things easier for her, I made a wishlist of some of the things I liked, all in one easy to access place. I need to update it as I've found a lot of other things I prefer on etsy lately. I just wanted to share with you in case you are a difficult to shop for person. The holiday season is coming up and making your own wishlist treasury might be helpful for your loved ones. In fact, because of this wishlist, I am now the proud owner of that adorable Arrow Ring. Thanks, sis!

Veteran's Day.

Today I just want to thank all of our veterans. They come from many backgrounds, and enlist for a variety of reasons, but they all come together to do a job that is difficult and at times very dangerous. Thank you vets, for your bravery. I also want to recognize military families. I don't know if there is such a thing as military family day but there should be. The sacrifices made by military families are considerable and yet many of them do it with such grace and dignity.

A special thanks to my vet. Jake, you are one of the best people I know. Life has been especially hard for you since you returned from Iraq but you still face every day with the courage and fight that is part of your very core. I admire you so much and love you even more.



Here is a photo Jake took while on guard duty of an Iraqi sunset back in 2005. I'd love to go visit someday.

Again, it's hope.

I just realized that I have been blogging for over 4 years. I only came to this realization as I was trying to find the post I wrote last time Obama was elected President. I was so hopeful then, and I find that, surprisingly, I still am. I think a lot of good fights were won last night all over the country. Now that the election season has reached it's culmination, I feel proud to be American once again. I'm excited for the next 4 years and I'm hopeful that, because he no longer has to play nice, Obama will take off his kiddie gloves and play some hardball with Congress. So on the night of my third election as a voter, I find my hope and excitement renewed. I'm sure there will be many times I'm upset with our President, but I'm happy this crisis has been averted for now. And even though our political system has become quite ridiculous, I'm thankful I live in a country where I'm able to cast a ballot at all. Here's to the next 4 years, may they be peaceful and prosperous.

Happy Voting!

It's my favorite day, election day! I love exercising my right to vote. I spend hours studying measures and reading both sides, always trying to make an informed decision. Voting empowers me and leaves me feeling not only like I've fulfilled a sense of duty but also made those who came before me proud. I dropped off my ballot last week. If your state does the poll thing or you have yet to drop yours off, please don't forget to get out and vote. I know a lot of people are disheartened and don't feel like their vote matters, or will change anything. Please remember that not only are you voting for the President, but you're voting on local issues too, that will directly affect your life and community. Voting is important. It hasn't even been 100 years yet that women have been able to vote and that right is something I never ever want to take for granted. Especially now, when my rights as a woman are being threatened and attacked everyday.

So please, if you weren't planning on doing anything with that ballot, google your local measures or bust out that voter's guide and review it. You might find something has been proposed that could change your community in a big way, and I hope you get your say in it.

If you need further convincing, Jes at The Militant Baker has a great 8 Reasons to Vote post up right now.

Weekly Scenes.

I took my mom's dog to get her picture with Santa this weekend and in addition to the doggy treats they hand out, they also gave some amazing candy made locally at Cranberry Sweets, including awesome chocolate covered marshmallows on a stick. I shared with Jake, but I really wanted to keep it for myself. The next day I went and made Christmas cards at my mom's house for about 5 hours. She teaches a card class every month and already had paper cut and designs ready, which made it so nice and easy. I also took my "welcome to our home" sign down and changed it into a dry erase board that now hangs by our bed. It saves me so much paper to write my list up there instead of in a notebook.

I Scream for Ice Cream.

Last night I went over to my mom and step-dad's for an I scream ice cream party. Jake had to raid so he missed out on the fun but I made sure to bring home some cupcakes and vampire fangs for him so I think he's okay. They had all of their neighbors over for the party and it was pretty fun. The house was decorated and even had a cardboard cutout of Bela Lugosi as Dracula. I have no idea where they found that but it's pretty damn cool. I'm glad I was able to go do something for Halloween. We never get trick-or-treaters where we live and it always bums me out. I love handing out candy to adorably dressed little children.

Farmer's Market Trip.

Our local Farmer's Market goes until the end of this month and since I can finally drive, I decided to take advantage while I can. I went about 20 minutes before it closed down. There weren't many stalls left, but there are never many to begin with. The benefit to going later in the day is that I got two loaves of bread for just over the price of one. Sometimes you can get other discounts like that as well. The con is that everything has been picked over.

In addition to what you see above, I also got a second loaf of bread, more bell peppers and a small bouquet of flowers, all of which I dropped off for my mom at her work. I got myself some flowers too. There's a cute little old guy from the Salem area who comes down with the most beautiful dahlias.

I wish the farmer's market happened more frequently so I could go shopping there all of the time. I love supporting local farmers, bakers, and craftspeople. I also love how flavorful fresh produce is. There isn't much better than taking a bite into a crisp veggie.

Drying Apples.

Since we don't eat a lot of applesauce in these parts, I decided to dry at least one of my 5 gallon buckets of apples. I don't particularly like dried fruit but Jake loves it and it's been a struggle finding snacks that he loves that aren't time consuming to prepare in the moment. I want to have snacks around that he can grab in an instant and keep going with his day.

My mom got us this dehydrator for Christmas last year and this is my first time using it. In the past I've always dried my fruits and vegetables in the oven so having a dehydrator was quite exciting. Let me tell you, it's so simple and easy to use. I would definitely recommend this for someone who is new to dehydrating and/or feels uncomfortable dehydrating in the oven.

So far we've only done apples and bananas but have grand plans to dry some cranberries soon too. I just have to work through all of these apples first. I'm considering purchasing a couple extra trays to take it from a 4 tray to a 6 tray dehydrator so I can do more at once but that isn't really a priority. Oh, and apparently you can also use it for jerky, which I might have to try at some point. I know a ton of people who just love jerky.

What's your favorite dried fruit?

Winter Boots for Men.

There is someone in this household who is really excited over his new boots. I don't blame him one bit, I'm pretty jealous of how nice they are, I wish I had a girl version. Winter is coming and here on the coast that means a lot of rain. Pretty much everyday will be wet, and even on days when the sky isn't falling, the ground is still soaked through, parking lots are flooded and protecting your feet is of the utmost importance. Having never experienced a rain filled winter before, Jake dug out his old Army boots. They probably would work but for one thing, they're really ugly, for another, they smell awful. Wear some shoes in Iraq for a year and then tell me they smell good. No thanks.



We searched the internet for some boots and this is the pair Jake really wanted. He's in love. I'm in love because in addition to keeping him dry, they don't look like redneck/construction/Army boots. He wore them all day (even in the house, he was so excited) and said they didn't hurt at all. It's important to me that his feet stay warm, toasty, and dry. I don't like taking care of runny noses or contracting anyone else's cold. These shoes should last him for years, which is the best part! They were a bit of an investment for us but should hopefully last, as long as he takes good care of them. Sometimes it's better to invest in something than constantly be buying new of the lesser quality item. How are you preparing for winter?

Book Report: The Chalk Circle Man.

When my eyes finally started to get back to normal instead of showing me two of everything, my sweet mother went to the library to get me some reading material. This was back when I couldn't really walk yet. She picked me up a couple Harry Potters and then headed over to the mystery aisle where she dug around for something that looked good. There was a man in the aisle and he suggested trying something by Fred Vargas so my mom took his advice. She checked out The Chalk Circle Man which is the first novel in the Commissaire Adamsberg series.

Vargas is a top selling French author so you kind of have to pay extra attention when reading as the locations are in French, due to the books being set in France. I really enjoyed this first book and so far have read about half of the series. I think there are 6 books but I'm not sure since every time I google it, all of the articles are in French, which I don't speak or read.

The books center around Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg, a detective in Paris who is a little shabby, a little flaky, and completely brilliant. In fact, all of her (Fred Vargas is a woman) characters are quirky and interesting. To be honest, the murder in the first novel didn't happen until after at least 50 pages, but it's the characters that won't let you just set the book aside and decide not to read it. They're all so strange and yet the way they're written is very charming. Vargas is a historian so you also learn a lot of interesting things about the history of France as you read.

I also like that (so far) the crimes in the novels aren't described in a gruesome or creepy way. Sure, some of them aren't particularly nice, but it's not like an episode of some of those cop shows that leave you with nightmares later on. She describes these misdeeds in a way that gets to you, but doesn't leave you wanting to scrub your eyes with bleach.

In this first novel, someone is going around Paris drawing chalk circles on the ground and leaving strange objects in them, such as trombones, dead birds, and other random items. Everyone thinks it's a prank, until one night, they discover a body inside a circle. dun dun dun

If you're into a fairly quick, enjoyable, and different type of mystery, I'd definitely recommend these books, for the characters if nothing else.

A Gift of Apples.

Canning is pretty much my number one mostest favoritest hobby. I canned some pears back in May but then I got sick and missed out on practically the entire canning season so I was really excited today when one of my dad's employees dropped off two 5 gallon buckets of apples. She helped install the floors in our apartment and saw all of my jars of food and it was extremely sweet of her to think of me.

Now I have to figure out what to do with all of these apples. I'll make applesauce and apple butter but that will still leave me with a lot of apples. I've seen some recipes for apple pie filling but I don't like apple pie so I don't know about that. I guess it's time to bust out my canning books and find some interesting apple recipes.

How would you put up the apples?

Plans & Dreams

Every now and again I'll run across a notebook of my writings from childhood and have myself a nice little laugh. I had so many crazy ideas that I now find incredibly entertaining. I bet in another ten or twenty years I'll find my current writings to be pretty hilarious too. For me, it's important to write down my goals and wishes. Committing my thoughts to paper helps me to organize them. I constantly feel like I have a million things flying around in my brain at lightening speed so it is always nice to get a few ideas out of my head and down on paper.

This is the notebook I use to keep track of my goals for life, finances, and sometimes even my blog. I also use it to make dream lists. Things I'd like to experience, places to visit, and the occasional crochet pattern to try. Writing these things down helps them to not get lost in my brain. I have a tendency to come up with great ideas and not always remember them later.

I love going back to older pages and revisiting what I wrote down. Did I meet my goals? Is that something that is still important to me? Have I at least worked toward it? Then I like to come up with ways to accomplish these dreams. Setting goals and not making a plan on how to reach them is a bit of a waste of time. Reaching goals takes time and effort, things don't happen magically - although it would be awesome if they did. So it's best to come up with a plan and execute it but I try to make sure my plans are flexible, life changes quickly so I want to be able to adapt easily to change.

I love writing in this notebook. It's a special place for me. The cover makes me smile and I always make sure to use my best handwriting so that when I open it, I feel like my thoughts are calm and complete. When my handwriting is messy I feel like reading it makes my brain a little messy too. It's weird, I know, but that's just how it is.

Do you keep your plans and dreams in your head or do you write them out too?

Medical Bills are Rough.

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I have strong opinions on the American healthcare system but it would take me all day to type them out and I really just want to talk about my recent experience with how overwhelming hospital bills can be. When I first got sick I put off going to the E.R. because I knew that even though I had insurance, it would still be expensive. When I finally did end up going after about a week of throwing up everything I ate, I was treated very poorly, accused of being on drugs, and sent on my way with no help. When I received the bill with the blood and urine tests they did (which came back clean and then they asked me if I was sick because I was depressed) I was livid. I had tried to avoid going to the E.R. not because I thought they'd be giant a-holes but because I didn't want the stress of the financial burden that comes with an E.R. visit.

I've started getting my medical bills and it's really overwhelming. The stack seems to be a mile high. I talked my dad into giving me one of his filing cabinets so I can try to organize and make some sense of them. I get one bill for the doctor, one for the facility, one for the procedure. Now multiply that by 4 different facilities and about 20 doctors and it feels like a never ending mountain of bills. It'd be so much easier if they just sent one bill per stay but they don't, which makes it really confusing. I have to sort through them and figure out what the heck is going on. Some of them can be paid online but most can't. One hospital has sent me a separate bill with a different patient number for each time I was there. Way to make it easy.

One thing I noticed when going over the bills is the price gouging that happens. The local hospital billed $4,800 for a brain MRI with contrast. Another hospital billed closer to $1,600 for the exact same procedure. How is this allowed? I understand that different places charge different amounts but that is such a large discrepancy and definitely makes me feel like I'm being taken advantage of.

I'm so thankful that I have insurance, otherwise these bills would be stressing me out. I'm also "lucky" that my income is well below the poverty level for my state so there are assistance programs I can apply for. Just last year I was living without health insurance hoping that I didn't get sick. I can only imagine the amount of stress not having insurance would have added to an already stressful hospital stay. It's especially saddening for those who do have the added stress, since avoiding stress is generally part of any recovery. I used to do credit applications at a previous job and there are so many people who have had to file bankruptcy because of medical bills. Getting sick in America is scary.

Jam Night @ Shark Bites.

When I was a wee child my mom used to take my brother and I to see plays at this little rinky dink hole-in-the-wall theater. Usually the plays would star children and be some adaptation of children's literature. I remember enjoying them and that they seemed to take forever sometimes. The theater shut down years ago and the restaurant next door bought the place. Now they have concerts in there and last night they had their once a month jam night. Jake and I love live music and my step dad was doing sound there so we went down with my mom, had an awesome dinner and watched some old people jam and dance to a bunch of songs I've never heard of. It was awesome.

The rainy season has begun. We'll see you next May, Sunshine.

Right across the street is the old movie theatre. It is now closed but I have so many memories of that place. I stood outside for hours for the midnight release of the latest Star Wars trilogy. We saw Aladdin there 5 times when we were kids. I went to my first political debate there where I got to watch Congressman DeFazio be brilliant. After it closed down, it was reopened and showed older favorites like Casablanca and Rocky Horror Picture Show. Now it just sits empty and makes me sad because the city can't afford needed repairs. The coolest thing about the theatre is that it houses a Wurlitzer organ that was installed in 1925.

More Crappy Medical Procedures.

I got a new inhaler last week and some cough syrup with codeine because the cough I've had for almost two months just won't go away. When we were in Portland for my brain scans we had a couple hours to kill between the scans and getting the results so we went to hunt down some donuts for my uncle. We were in the donut shop and I started coughing and then I let out this terrible scream as my rib separated from the cartilage. I scared the guy behind the counter, I think he thought I was having a heart attack. It's amazing the pain I can handle when I'm prepared for it and know it's coming but if it's unexpected pain I'm kind of a baby.

Since we've already tried asthma medication, steroids, and allergy meds and none of it has helped, my doctor wants to send me to a specialist. They are going to stick a camera down my throat. I don't know why but this really freaks me out, a lot more than getting spinal taps did. Please think some good thoughts about my cough going away soon so I won't have to have the fun camera procedure. The codeine has helped a lot with the cough and mostly with the constant pain in my ribs. Anytime I move or take too deep of breath it hurts but the very worst is sneezing. Sneezes are violent and there is no way to stop them. I've been choking my coughs down for weeks because of my rib pain but sneezes are like awful little tornadoes that just do whatever they want.

Have any of you ever had the camera down the throat (technical term) procedure done? If so, how was it?

New Winter Boots.

When we were in Portland I asked my mom to stop by Nordstrom so I could try on some TOMS shoes. Since sensation has changed in my right foot, I have a lot of trouble keeping my flats on. I was looking for some shoes that covered a little more than just my toes. After inspecting the TOMS, I figured they wouldn't work. They were cute and really comfy but here on the Oregon Coast, when it rains, it pours, and there is nothing worse than soaking wet feet. I looked around at some of the other shelves, I considered getting some Chuck Taylors but then I saw these boots and kind of fell in love. I like that they have a zipper, because then I don't have to bend over and tie them. When I bend my neck down it stretches out the lesion in my neck/spine and sends little tremors down my right leg that feel like fireworks. So I kind of like to avoid that.

I see people wearing cute shoes on all kinds of blogs but then when I find the shoes in real life, they are so uncomfortable. Sometimes I wonder if they just wear the cute shoes in the photo and then switch them out. So after wearing these shoes all around town yesterday, I wanted to share that they are really comfortable. My feet didn't hurt at all at the end of the day. I love my new boots so much and I'm glad I talked myself into getting them instead of the Chucks.

Good News!

Yesterday morning I got to wake up early to go to the clinic on the waterfront (so beautiful) and lay in an MRI machine for 3 hours. I swear, my nose never itches until I have to not move for 3 hours, then it just goes crazy. After my morning scans, we killed a few hours and then went back in the afternoon for the results. The bad news is that my lesions are all still there but the super awesome news is that every single one of them has gotten smaller, some of them significantly! I don't have to go back for scans for another 6 months. I'm hoping by then they will have gone away completely. In the meantime, I continue exercising my leg and hope the rest of my symptoms continue to improve.

It's Scan Time.

Today we're heading back up to Portland for Jake's neuro consultation at the VA hospital and tomorrow I get new brain and spine MRI's at OHSU. It's nice we were able to schedule our appointments on consecutive days so we only have to make one trip. My scans tomorrow are at 8 a.m. and then I have an appointment in the afternoon to go over the results. Here's hoping my lesions have either shrank or disappeared!

Pumpkin Patch!

My Aunt and Uncle drove Jake and I up the river on Saturday to go visit the Mahaffy Pumpkin Patch. My mom and step-dad were both there doing fundraisers with various organizations they belong to so I got to visit with my mama when we were out there too. This was my first time going to this particular pumpkin patch and it was so cute. If I had kids I'd definitely bring them.



You can take a hay ride and they'll drop you off way out in the pumpkin field, or you can stay on for the round trip. There was also a corn cob gun you could shoot and bobbing for apples in addition to goats and bunnies to pet.



This is as far as I got with my cane before I looked back and realized I needed to turn around if I ever hoped to get back to that little house alive but I was only about halfway out into the field. We ended up with 3 pumpkins, one of which was around 30 lbs. Isn't it beautiful out there? I just love how green Oregon is.

Second Birthday Girl.

Two weeks ago my mom and I made the 10 hour drive down to my sister's to visit and celebrate my niece's second birthday. I can't believe she's two already. She's hilarious, adorable, smart as can be and gives great little hugs. Also, my favorite moment was when my mom put her cloth diaper on wrong and she proceeded to pee all over my bed. I didn't mind one bit because she got right in and cuddled with me. What else was there to do really? When the top of the blankets are all wet, you better get in and snuggle the bottom blankets.

I think I need to live more like a two year old. I mean, licking the beater is obviously just pure joy.