HELLOOOOOO!
I didn’t intend to stop posting for the week. I imagined myself giving little travel recaps as I went along, but not only was my time limited, even when I DID have the time to sit at my laptop, it seemed that my brain had turned off “creating” mode and was living entirely in “experiencing” mode, and I couldn’t seem to switch back. That’s fine! Everyone needs a break sometime. Now I’m at the airport waiting for my flight back to Florida, and I finally have THINGS TO SAY. Rather than trying to recap the trip, I’m listing five highlights of the week. Here we go… 1. I started the trip by flying to Texas, where I got to hear my son play the final concert of his music festival. He was playing principal trumpet on Mahler 1, and had lots of solos. He did GREAT! It was wonderful to hear him play. 2. The next day, we started our road trip! My son wins the award for Best Road Trip Companion. We listened to music, podcasts, (like this one with hospice nurse Julie McFadden, “I’ve Seen Hundreds Die- And This Life Isn’t the End”) and had long talks. He wanted to talk about the spiritual/philosophical journey he’s currently experiencing. Honestly, it’s been so long since I’ve talked about things like that I had trouble finding the words at first. But once I got started, we talked and talked. Everyone says having adult children is great, and I can attest that it’s the truth. 3. On the second day of driving, we crossed the Illinois state line! As a reminder, I spent the first 20 years of my life in Illinois. It was exciting for me, and exciting for my son, who is very happy to call Illinois home (for the next two years, at least). 4. This was unplanned, but we decided to drive up to Evanston (about an hour north from my sister’s house) to explore Paul’s new home. We saw the house he’ll be living in, walked around the Northwestern campus, and ate dinner at a vegan restaurant. 5. I got to spend time with my sister and brother in law! It was only two days, but we made the most of our time together. We went for walks and made delicious food (well- they made delicious food. We ate it). Oh yes… my diet. I stayed on it… until I didn’t. More about that coming up! I was looking forward to this trip so much and it was everything I hoped it would be, and more. Now back to regular life, with an added perk- my son will be home for the next month. Hooray! Did anything special happen to you this week? Any fun trips coming up?
Weekly Rundown- Reflections
Hey hey! Thanks for joining me for the Weekly Rundown, hosted as always by Kim and Deborah (thanks, ladies!) i had some good runs this week, but they sure looked different from summers past. I used to consider myself a Heat Warrior (running outside no matter how hot it was) and now I’m more of a Heat Wimp. But you know what… that’s okay! There’s no “running police” to come and tell me I’m doing it wrong. Running can be whatever we want it to be… and this summer, I want it to be in the AC. Ha… well, most of the time, anyway. Sunday 4 mile treadmill run! Monday Leg day at the gym! Squats, glute press machine, hip thrusts… the usual. Tuesday Rest day! Wednesday Another 4 mile treadmill run at the gym, with a little speed work thrown in. Followed this with some core, and side planks with leg lifts. Thursday Caroline Girvan deadbug workout, hip stability exercises, and upper body strength involving my arch nemesis, the pull up bar. Trying to hit a little bit of everything because my options for strength workouts will be limited next week… Friday 5 mile run OUTSIDE! I got out early, and wore my hydration vest with an icy cold bottle of water. Saturday Travel day! I flew to Austin, TX, where I rented a car and drove about an hour to La Grange (I know- I had never heard of it either).I fully expected to step outside into 110 degree heat, but it WASN’T THAT BAD. It had just rained and was still overcast, and I thought… “I could actually go for a run!” You guys… this is what running is all about! 4 miles of exploring this little town, and I loved every minute of it. There’s nothing like seeing a new place on your own two feet. (Photos coming up in my trip recap!) At night… I heard my son play in the final concert of his festival. Sunday We will be hitting the road early- (good thing I got that run in yesterday!) We have two days of driving up to Chicago ahead of us. I’m not sure when or how, but workouts will happen. Have you ever been to La Grange, Texas? – ha ha… I’ll give you a prize if you say “yes.” Are you a Heat Warrior this summer?
… and More Updates
After my post yesterday about my digestive woes, lots of commenters asked “WHAT DOES YOUR DOCTOR SAY ABOUT THIS?” Well, it just so happens I had an appointment with her yesterday- SHE thought it was just to go over my bloodwork results, but- surprise!- ended up getting an earful about… poop. *SIDE NOTE- why can’t I have a problem with, say, headaches or back pain or something- instead of a problem that constantly causes me to talk about going to the bathroom??? Sheesh.* She was very helpful! We agreed that I should stay the current course, with a few tweaks. She recommended some new supplements- probiotics, fiber, and an anti-fungal made by the same company that makes my bone supplements (which have helped me so much!) I left the office with the probiotics, fiber, and will order the candida supplement. I’m feeling cautiously optimistic! AND, she said if I don’t see improvements in a couple more months, there’s a drug used to treat IBS that we could try. It’s expensive and insurance doesn’t usually pay for it (does insurance pay for anything these days???) but she said she could get me some free samples, and that sometimes people just take a couple doses and it somehow resolves the issue- like it just gives the gut a re-set. Okay, I have a plan! I’ll follow the diet as best I can on the trip, and when I get back I’ll hit it hard again, armed with my new information and supplements. Hooray! After I left the doctor, I stopped at the library where I had two holds waiting for me: And got a THIRD book, the new Kate Atkinson. Meredith talked about this on the Currently Reading podcast and it sounds so good. I read a couple of the other books in this series, long ago, but not the whole series. I know- I should read them in order and not jump ahead… but oh well. It’s good I have a lot of books because when I get back from my trip, I jump right into… JURY DUTY. You might remember I got called last fall and requested a postponement, and they called me again for July. I requested another postponement, since I won’t be here for part of the two week period- they excused me for the first part of the week, but I’m on call starting next Friday through the 25th. Arg! Let’s all pray for lots of reading time and that I don’t actually end up on a jury. Okay, I have to go pack! Have you read any of these books? Ever done federal jury duty?- Tell me something reassuring. Photo by Matilda Alloway on Unsplash
Diet Update…and My Trip!!!
It’s been a while since I last gave an update on my diet. As a reminder, I’ve been doing an anti-candida diet (I’m in my seventh week) following the protocols and recipes from this book: After two weeks on the diet, I had about a 50% improvement in my symptoms (which were… sorry… TMI coming up… chronic diarrhea). I was feeling pretty great… and then I got sick. In retrospect, I’m pretty sure it was Covid. I had cold-like symptoms, pink eye, and lingering fatigue and headaches for about two weeks. And- my digestion went, literally, into the toilet. This has happened to me before- Covid just seems to find your weak spot and wreak havoc there. While I was happily following the diet for the first two weeks, the last four weeks I’ve been angrily following it. It doesn’t make sense to go off the diet now- “Oh, my digestion sucks, I guess I should start eating bagels and potato chips again!”- but as I’ve mentioned, this diet is very restrictive, and it’s not fun to follow it and not see improvements. So that’s the (sad) update. Now let’s talk about my trip! I’m SO EXCITED. On Saturday I fly to Texas. My son is playing in an orchestra at a summer music festival, and I’ll get to hear his last concert. On Sunday we’ll start driving his car to Chicago. We’ll drive Sunday and Monday, and arrive at my sister and BIL’s place Monday evening. We’ll spend two days with them, and then Paul and I will fly back to Florida on Thursday (leaving his car there, to be picked up in September when he goes back to start Northwestern). This trip has ALL MY FAVORITE THINGS. I’m flying on an airplane by myself! (Lots of reading time). I get to hear my son play, and then we’ll have a road trip together. THEN, I get to see my sister. Best of all, at the end of it, Paul will be coming home with me. The looming question is… what about my diet? Am I going to stay on it while traveling? Will that even be possible? GREAT questions. It would be possible to stay on the diet completely, but very, very hard and inconvenient. Last time I talked to my son, he was full of plans- we can stop at our favorite taco place in Austin and get tacos for lunch! And when we drive through Waco we can go to that coffee place where you got the Earl Grey you loved so much! I could say no to these things, and find a place to get a plain salad. And I could tell my sister to go to Whole Foods and get a bunch of specialty items for me, which I would eat instead of whatever they plan to make for us. BUT I DON’T WANT TO BE THAT PERSON. I don’t want to make the trip all about me and my limited food choices. And… I want to enjoy myself. Obviously. So I’m going to do my best. I’ll stay on the diet when possible, and other than that I’ll have some planned cheats. I’ll bring food along with me, and make the best possible choices while we’re on the road. My sister and I have already been talking (she knows me well after all these years) and she has some things planned that I can eat, and some dinner ideas where we can all eat pretty much the same thing (with slight modifications for me). It won’t be perfect, but I’ll enjoy myself (and the cups of Earl Grey that are one of my planned cheats!) and then when I get home, I’ll get back on the diet. So that’s my life updates! It could all be summed up by saying on Saturday I’m starting a really fun trip- with a packet of Imodium (JUST IN CASE). How’s your summer going? Any trips planned? Any poop stories? (JUST KIDDING on that last one- I mean, I’m not Kyria.) Top photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash