Summer, summer time...

The summer is officially here and in the good ol' Santa Clarita Valley it means we are seeing temperatures of 100+ on a regular basis. Which means I thank goodness for central air several times a day.

I feel like I have so much to catch you all up on that this is going to be a smorgasbord of a post. I apologize in advance.

Healthwise things aren't going great. It seems as if my infusion treatment didn't work and I'm showing the same symptoms that put me in the hospital last time. It's early on, so we're hoping by blasting me with extra steroids and immunosuppressants that we'll be able to stop the inflammation in my colon. We're sort of in wait and see mode.

I was also told two heartbreaking things - that I shouldn't exercise right now and that I should not at all do yoga due to my hypermobility (separate issue from the colon) in my hips. I've wanted to become a yoga instructor and it's sort of a dream deferred/denied kind of feeling. I'd be lying if I said I was taking this well, but I'm working on being more positive.

I'm working really hard on trying to take pleasure in the little things - my exceptionally clean apartment, the smell of dishwasher detergent, the comfort of my bed, the hugs and kisses of my dog and husband...and it helps to a considerable degree.

My mother in law has been in town and surprisingly, it's been overwhelmingly positive. She's a good egg, and both Omar and I are getting the rest we badly needed.

In between it all, I celebrated my 7th wedding anniversary. All I can say is that I love my husband so much. He has stuck with me through all of this and keeps me smiling and tries to keep up my zest for life. He is my inspiration, best friend, confidante, and chief motivator.


I have been going to PT for the last month and it's a pain. Literally. I end up in bed the day after no matter how easy we take it. My rheum has me doing hip x-rays before continuing, thankfully. I'm going to milk this one out for as long as possible.

I am a wellness blogger, so I want to talk about the impact on my wellness, which we all know is different from health. Overall, the last few weeks have been a challenge. But I've been finding different avenues to wellness. I've been confiding in friends and my therapist, I've started crafting with my mother in law, and I'm looking for fun, new things to do within the scope of my ability.

One aspect of wellness is self-esteem, an area where I generally suffer. As part of my retail therapy, I went to Benefit and picked up a ton of stuff from their new line. It's been fun trying on and buying new looks. I'm not a makeup person, but it always cheers me up. I'll probably do a review with some pics of my new looks at some point. I know that sounds shallow, but it's almost like a coat of armor. I may not be well, but gddammit, I'm sure going to look it!!





I'm also back to wearing dresses a lot because 1. dresses are the next best thing to pajamas, and 2. it makes me feel good. I've also found my stash of summer sandals and have been rocking them for the last few weeks. With 100+ degree weather, who the hell wants to wear socks.

I'm also working on organizing my life so I don't feel as flustered. I found myself mixing up my doctor appts, missing a few and completely forgetting about others. So I got my new Erin Condren life planner (review to come at some point soon) and am loving it.

Finally, I attended service at a Unitarian Church recently and it was a great, positive experience. I think my last hospitalization and the subsequent bed-rest made me realize that I was really looking for a sense of community and people who are just trying to be good people, and I think I may have found something there. Don't worry, this blog won't turn into a "I found Jesus" platform...that's just not me. But I will probably talk about it in the context of the community services they provide. At each service, there is a food and clothing drive, and they have a social and environmental justice committee. They also offer other cool things like a drum circle once a month and a meditation session once a week, etc. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better.

Aaah I feel better after that brain dump. So here are some pictures and quotes to keep it cheerful.














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