Enjoyed Some Time Away

So I didn’t really go anywhere, but I did step away from the online world for a few days. I felt the need to go out and enjoy the world around me a bit. I had a couple of appointments last week, my INR check, I’ve been back in range the last 3 checks so that was promising. I also had my appointment with AL. I’m in the midst of a 10 day lull between appointments and then things are going to get a little crazy after Friday for a few days. So I’m enjoying the down time while I can.

We kicked the week off by making some pretty amazing cupcakes. They are called Death By

Oreo Cupcakes. They are appropriately named that, seriously! We baked them for my husband as a little thank you for all he does for our little family. The man seriously loves his Oreos. So we thought they would be perfect for a little thank you. They were a hit!

We’ve visited the parks as often as we can, which isn’t a lot given the heat and humidity this time of year. On one of our trips we were greeted by a duck as soon as we parked the car. It circled the car then sat down by my door. She only moved long enough for me to step out, quietly
quacking as we walked to the path around the pond. We made our way through the park and as
we returned, there she was, still sitting by our car. As we approached she began happily quacking and wagging her tail feathers. It was something, that’s for sure. The same trip, Doug had a butterfly decide it was his friend and kept landing on him during our walk. It was rather amusing.

Thursday I started a batch of Kombucha brewing. It’s the first full batch I’ve started since I got sick. I had to stop drinking it while they figured out my meds, and everything. Now that everything is starting to level out it is time to see if adding it back into my diet is going to cause any issues. I will go slowly and I’m using black tea so it shouldn’t interact with my anticoagulant in that regard. Also since I make my own I can control what ingredients I use to flavor it. I can also control the alcohol content and make sure it is nonalcoholic. You have no idea how excited being able to add this back in my diet makes me, well unless you knew me before I was sick, then you understand how big of a deal this is!

We spent Friday night just the three of us out for dinner and then coffee. It was a beautiful evening. The area we go to sometimes for dinner and coffee is just outside of the city we live in,
and its quiet, and reminds me of where I grew up, just a little. We had pizza and garlic knots first, and then walked across the parking lot to the little coffee shop. Both places have a small town
feel to them. You know, a place you walk into and they are familiar with you. I love places like that. The coffee shop has amazing coffee, and the outside area, while small is comfortable and intimate. It’s a perfect place to wind down after a long week, especially if you aren’t into the bar scene.

Saturday Doug and I got to experience the Color Festival. It was the first one in Charlotte, and it was an interesting experience. I won’t go into much detail with this post as I want to write a more detailed post dedicated to the Festival itself later. If you aren’t familiar with the concept though, a Color Festival is a joyful reminder to cast away bad feelings and throw worries to the wind. Join the throngs of people laughing, playing, dancing, eating, and filling the sky with clouds of bright color. While we were there working a tent for one of the places Doug works for (he’s a massage therapist), it was a pretty neat thing to experience and to watch.

With an incredible line-up of live musicians, dancers, yoga instructors, and more, Color Festival is an unforgettable experience that will help you re-center your life on what matters most, and create memories to last a lifetime.

Life has been pretty good lately. I’m starting to feel better. I’ve been on Plaquenil for 6 months now, and Imuran for 3 months. I’ll touch base with my Rheumatologist Monday at my follow-up appointment and let him know things are headed in the right direction. I can’t say I feel 100% but definitely better than I did when I first met him. Before I see him though I meet my Dermatologist on Friday, and I will find out if he will be willing to do the skin biopsies my Rheumatologist wants done to test for Lupus that way.

I did say things are going to be crazy appointment wise starting Friday right? Here’s what it looks like:

• 3:00pm Friday: Dr. W – Dermatologist
• 2:30 Monday: Dr. L – Rheumatologist
• 9:15 Tuesday: Dr. C – PCP (INR check and monthly follow-up)
• 1:00pm Tuesday: AL – Therapist

Yep, it’s going to be hectic the first part of next week. I told you all I’d make up for that Appointment free week.

In the meantime I have a few more days to enjoy though! I plan on getting my sourdough starter going again, I had frozen some of it a while back and I’m ready to start baking again so I’m proofing it as I type this so I can start feeding it and baking with it again.

I also put my bird feeders back out. I had missed feeding birds, but didn’t realize how much until I saw them back on the feeders. Now I have to start making suet cakes again. I make my own hummingbird nectar as well.

Life is starting to get back to normal, at least some what. I’ll take the little pieces of normalcy that I can have back and I’ll cherish them. I know it will never be back to the way it once was, but I’ll hold on to what I can and learn to accept the changes that I have to.