I’m Back!

First off I want to apologize for my six month hiatus. As I am sure many of you can relate to COVID has transformed my day to day life and I felt like there was never much going on and never much to share. I often intended to get on and share what little was going on in my life but my good intentions never turned into much action. I also want to be honest and say that my depression has not been great recently and has put me in a funk of not doing much with my time each day.

I have been attempting to ride the recumbent bike daily to get some good exercise and to help with my POTS. The protocol is to start with 3 min/day for one week and then increase by one minute each week. I have made it up to 24 minutes and with a few exceptions am going strong. It does feel good to accomplish this task each day, however minor it may be. I have also been spending a lot of time reading and watching TV/Movies in bed. I have read dozens of books in the last six months and watched many movies and TV shows. I have enjoyed many of them. I have recenently discovered my love of audiobooks and have been enjoying the ability to play a game on my phone or color while I listen to a book. For the most part this is the entirety of how I spend my time.

Apollo and I have been working on a bit of training at home and he is learning some exciting new things. We were just beginning to work on being in public when the pandemic started and until recently (after myself and my family being vaccinated) I have not felt comfortable having him out in public and carrying germs home with him. He recently learned to retrieve or ‘bring’ my phone to me when I ask for it. I attached a paracord keychain to my phone and he uses the keychain to pick up the phone and carry it to where I am. It has on several occasions allowed me to call for help when I was stuck in an uncomfortable position after passing out. He gets so excited when he can be helpful and it brings me a lot of peace of mind to know that he is there. We are as strongly bonded as ever and I cannot imagine my life without him.

Isis is enjoying being retired and spends most of her time asleep on the deck in the sun or on the couch. She enjoys eating more than ever and would eat all day if we let her. She has recently lost a bit of weight, which the vet says is normal at her age, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at her. She has her moments of energy where she runs and plays with Apollo and Willow but they don’t last very long. In February she turned 10 and I am so grateful for every day that I get to continue having her in my life. I hope that we have many years left together.

Mom and Dad are back at work with a modified schedule and it has been weird not having them working from home. They are both stressed trying to keep up with the ever changing rules and safety protocols but are loving having some more face to face contact with their students again. It is definitely an experience that none of them (my parents or their students) will ever forget. I never thought I would get used to them being home all the time but to be honest I do miss the social interaction during the day. At the same time it is nice to have time to myself to be able to do things for myself.

My sisters have sure been busy. Haley is off hiking the PCT currently and recently hit the 500 mile mark. I am amazed by her strength and perseverance as she triumphs on this extraordinary hike. Claire is working at the orthopedic clinic and is busy starting to plan her wedding. It is an exciting time for her and for us sisters as her bridesmaids. Faith recently graduated from George Fox with a bachelor in Social Work and is considering her next steps. I can’t wait to see the ways that she changes the world.

I have been incredibly grateful for the few of my friends that have been super present in my life over the past few months and have been there to support me and allowed me to help support them. Shout out to Jenessa for communicating nearly every day about the most mundane things and for getting together virtually once a week to watch netflix and talk into the late hours of the night. I don’t know what I would do without you!! Thanks also to Holly who is always there to listen and support me or even just send me cute pictures when I am having a rough time. Your family means so much to me. Also, thanks to Katy for being there to text whenever I need her and for welcoming Apollo and I for playdates and social time with her and Lexi. Thanks also to Adrian who sends me possum pictures and goats in the mail. You always know how to make me smile.

Some crazy health stuff has been going on in the past couple months and weeks but I feel like that is a story in itself that I will update on shortly.

Hopefully, this will be the beginning of me posting more consistently and keeping you more up to date on what life looks like for me right now. When things get challenging or boring I tend to shrink back into my shell and it is a learning experience to reach out and share. I think it is a good thing and will continue trying to do this thing called blogging.

Thanks for reading! It’s good to be back!

Also, Happy Eliza Doolittle Day!