April 2022

April was full of all kinds of crazy moments.  I'm still recovering from it all.  We had a dear friend who passed.  It's hard to even write the words, because it's still very difficult to process.  She had been struggling with crippling pain that went from her stomach to her back for a couple years.  They couldn't find the source of her pain.  Until finally one doctor did a deep dive and found that she was in stage 4 pancreatic cancer. So hard to accept and understand how this happens?!

I found this online and it described her perfectly.  If you knew her, you know how much meaning this really has...

She was full of energy, life and love.  We miss her.  I could write an entire blogpost on what she meant to our family.  We were opposites.  She was outgoing and knew everyone, and most of the time she also knew their personal stories.  She was a reacher, always reaching out to others.  She would buy/do things for her friends and family and I'm sure many many others "just because".  She was a California girl who had an eye for design.  She preferred quality over quantity. She was young at heart and way more into trends and fads than I am. She loved her home that she and her husband(with his woodworking skills) had made a very homey home.  She would say, "All I need is my little home and I'm happy."  I remember one time I went up to her attic and it was like walking into the storage room at Hobby Lobby(not that I've seen that, but what I imagine it to be.) She loved her home and she'd decorate for each season.  We would go antiquing and she would show me things she thought would look good in our new home.  After Casey's accident she played a very big part in helping our family through the trauma.  When it was time to sell our house, she found "her people" to help with some upgrades before we put it on the market.  She was in the details as well - she helped me take down the kitchen wall paper(not a fun job), which ended up being 2-3 layers thick.  She was known for making her corn bags(heating pads of sort) for everyone.  And most of all she was REAL.  I appreciate the real.  If we  had disagreements she would make sure and talk it out.  She never left anything unsaid.  I'm thankful for that.  I joked with her that I tried to be more outwardly "serviceable" and say to myself, "what would Chris do?" She was a goer and a doer and left a part of herself in all the people she served.  We miss her tremendously and will continue to carry her memory/love with us forever.

  

Spring blossoms have made our yard very colorful, and I love it!  I needed the color and lifting of spirits.

I bought flowers for myself at Trader Joe's and made a bouquet.  They have the best flowers!

Easter came and went this year with not a lot of fanfare  - Mainly because I had two of my wisdom teeth pulled.  Wow, what an experience.  Casey cooked a ham and a few side dishes, but I could only sip on broth and applesauce.

One of my favorites I enjoyed.  They have different flavors, but it was a good variation from just the normal applesauce. 

Casey also picked up a couple of huge containers of onion soup from one of our favorite restaurants.  It's just a broth but it is so good.

And we had some Awesome sunsets, which always makes me happy💓

Bye-Bye April.  Hopefully May is a little less painful💓

Medical Board Exam

Cody decided to come home for 6 weeks and study for his medical board exam and take the test here in Athens.  Even though he spent most of the time studying, it was still so fun to have him home.  He would usually take a day off during the weekend to give himself a break, otherwise he was pretty disciplined with his schedule of 9-5 for study time(with lunch and dinner breaks).  

Ryan enjoyed not being the only child for awhile😃

We enjoyed watching a couple baseball games with Andy, Janelle and the boys! 

 And of course we ate at his favorite restaurant(Sr. Sol) a couple times while he was here.

Casey had to rent a car for a work trip.  He was given a choice of a minivan or a mustang convertible.  He chose the mustang(of course), so we took it for a spin😂

Cody sat in the back on the way to dinner, and I sat in the back on the way home.  I've driven in a car with a sun roof(totally different experience.) but this was my first time in a convertible. The wind wasn't bad for the people sitting up front, but the person in the back felt most of the (major)breeze, haha.

He (pre)rewarded himself with a PS5 while he was here.  They are hard to find, so he and Ryan waited in line one morning at GameStop for a promotion they were having, hoping to get one...and he did!   

I don't make cinnamon rolls often, so while Cody was here I made a batch for everyone to enjoy(they don't last long).

Angel-food cake is also a Cody favorite.  He would request it every year for his birthday, so we had an early birthday celebration before he left.

It was sure fun having him home.  He became a part of our household and we will miss him!  He is now enjoying some much needed and well deserved downtime before his hospital rotations begin in May.

Health Journey (continued)2022

(My own sprouts.  So good for you, and I love them on everything😋) - Sprout Info.

My health journey started back when I was a child.  My mother always had severe allergies, and I remember going to "special" (health food) stores to get some of her food.  We lived in a small town, so doing that required about a 1.5hr. drive from where we lived.  I remember the smells, and overall feeling of being in those stores and to this day I love walking into a health food store.  I love searching out specific items or just browsing the aisles.  She could only drink certain water, eat certain meats, and had to be very careful of absolutely everything she ate(still does).  As a child you don't really think it has anything to do with you and you're just an observer in this world of someone else's issues(problems).  Little did I know I was absorbing those tangible experiences along the way of her health journey, internalizing much more than I realized at the time.

Information on health has come a long way in the last 30 years since then...even within the last 10 years, it has changed so much and there is a wealth of knowledge to be learned from functional medicine and overall health and well being.  It's something I've focused on the last 5-10 years, especially the last 6.  Once you know, it's hard to go back to where you were before you knew.  When you know, you know! 

Organic food is available in most stores, and thankfully I live in an area that has several different stores to chose from. If I can't find an item one store, there are others I can go to and find it.  Also, online has a plethora of resources for finding better choices.  Instagram/ podcasts are also a great source of learning and finding new ways to help in your health and wellness.

I have my own autoimmune issues, and so I've decided to do what I can to try and keep myself as healthy as possible.  I realized in my research and learning that we have a lot more control over what happens to us and our bodies than what we might think - "You are what you eat" is a real thing. My grandma was a Neo-Life vitamin distributor(I don't even know if that's still a thing).  She was all about her vitamins(greenies-multivitamin, etc...). My close friends growing up also knew this.  Many times I would make the trip to Eugene Oregon with her to pick up an order of vitamins.  My favorite was their vitamins c's that were like candy you would suck on until they dissolved and also their protein drinks(so good). I would suck on so many vitamin C's my tongue would be raw...haha, definitely not what they were intended for. Every time I would stay at her house she would fix me a chocolate protein drink.  They were my very favorite.  It's very much like my Chocolate Collagen drinks I have today.  

When I turned 50 I was very worried about my own longevity and health.  As I child I thought 30 sounded old, and now I'm 50?!?!   When I went in to have my yearly check up  my doctor asked if I wanted a blood work-up to check on everything.  I said sure, but I worried about what the results would show.  I have tried really hard to change my habits, but I'm not perfect. I still like/love chocolate. I've found ways to make it more healthy and try to choose the better options, but sugar is still sugar, whether it's organic cane sugar or not.  I've researched supplements, and read what feels like a zillion books(and still have a million more to read) on how to keep my inflammation down and stay well(healthy).   I strive for 80/20 and am happy when I get there.

(only a few of my many piles of Health books I've accumulated over the last 10 years😁)

Honestly, if I was to do my life over again, I think I'd definitely be a functional nutritionist or dietician. I've taken a few courses, and it's a continual process of learning, which I love.  My poor kids have been sent more than they care to read or receive in regards to health and nutrition.  My grandma would do this, but back in the day it was newspaper/magazine articles that she would clip and save for us.

https://www.homeopathyworks.com/

Life has brought people into my life that have also taught me things along the way.  Homeopathy is something a friend helped me learn. It has helped our family more than once.  I have many stories I could write about homeopathic remedies and how they have helped in healing. It's a balance.  It's not all or nothing, but a good balance of knowing how and when to implement these elements into play, as well as knowing when we need medical attention.  I love having the opportunity to have things available to us to help in strengthening our immune system, so the doctor visits are minimal and hopefully our bodies are stronger to fight whatever comes our way(helloooo covid😰).  

All this to say, I'm thankful for my mom and my grandma who have instilled the importance of health and wellness into my life as a young child.  My grandma would've been proud when my doctor told me she hoped her labs looked as good as mine when she was 50.  I'll take that(for now)😊 and continue to improve.  It's baby steps and consistency that counts. It's not easy, but I feel SO much better when I'm doing what I know I should be with my health and wellness.  So, for 2022 I'm going to do better than I did before!!  Keep on keeping on💗

PS...

My Top 7 favorites I follow on social media.  I also listen to their podcasts.  I've ordered a few of their books and cookbooks as well.  There are so many others, but these are the ones I frequent the most.

Dr. Axe

Food Babe

Just Ingredients

Provo Health

Dr. Gundry

Dr. Hyman

Wellness Mama