where did my writing go?

 

the sun in arizona was SO nice.

 

 

the skiing in vermont was SO fun.

 

 

ben is SO tired.

 

 i am SO ready for spring.

 

 the all-stars make me SO happy.

paul simon and sting.  sting and paul simon.  SO great.

i've covered a lot of ground in the past two weeks or so.  i've sat next to a pool in 80-degree sun, devouring a book and pistachios.  i've been hiking in the desert as the day warmed up.  i've been skiing in sub-zero windchills.  i've been to crossfit and yoga.  i've seen two masters play music.  and oh, yeah, i've been to the hospital a few times.  

i started my new drug two and a half weeks ago and so far, so good.  i did well for the first week so for week two my dose was doubled.  i've been able to ride my bike (on the trainer), do yoga, and got in a crossfit workout at the increased dose so i am less worried about the respiratory side effects i was warned about when signing the consent forms to enroll in the trial.  i take six tiny pills once daily, fasting for two hours before and after the dose.  honestly, fasting is my least favorite part of all of this because i get REALLY hungry.  i have been waking up at 6:00 each morning in order to eat a small breakfast so i can fast until 9:00 and then by 11:00 i am once again more than ready to eat.  my stomach gets a little sour after taking the pills, but i've learned that if i cheat a tiny bit and have a wintergreen lifesaver about a half hour after taking the drug, i am less hungry and my stomach doesn't feel so bad.  who knows.  so, for the next two weeks i go to the hospital for a blood test first thing on tuesday mornings.  on the third tuesday i will have a day similar to the first one, eight or nine hours at the hospital having blood drawn at specific intervals.  then, about three weeks later i will have scans and meet with dr. evans to get the results.  i hope it is working.  i keep telling myself it is.

so, the fun stuff.  arizona was relaxing, and WARM.  and NOT SNOWY.  we stayed at a fun hotel and ate out for breakfasts and dinners within walking distance in old town scottsdale.  it was very easy to find our way around and sunday morning decided to earn our time lounging next to the pool by going for a hike up in the sonoran mountain preserve.  the desert is really a beautiful place, but i don't think i could live there.  all the rocks and cactus and parched earth are constant reminders that humans aren't really supposed to be there; the water comes a great distance at a great cost.  that said, i would definitely go back for a long weekend, maybe at a more spa-oriented hotel (you know, if i was made of money).

i came home and started the drug and two days later was off to vermont to ski at stowe.  we had a great crew and it was such a relief to get there without issue, even having an unexpectedly delicious lunch at a diner right next to the burlington airport.  the keys were right where they were supposed to be and the house i rented months ago on vrbo turned out to be just as cute and vermont-y as it looked in the photos.  it was FRIGID with windchills well below zero for skiing the first day but i wasn't cold all day.  the skiing was stellar and i finally felt like myself for the first time in a year and a half.  there's something magical about skiing with friends in a beautiful place.  the weekend reminded me how much i love to ski.  and it continues to be something i can do in a group with my friends.

coming home after that whirlwind ten days and being back to the normal routine has been good for me.  i was definitely getting worn out and i need to keep that in mind as i book future vacations.  airport travel isn't as easy as it used to be for me - it really tires me out, schlepping the bags all over the place and dealing with entitled other travelers.  that said, i'm looking forward to doing it again in two weeks for a friend's wedding.

the highlight of being home other than seeing my nephew, finally (i hadn't seen him in more than a month because of the shingles and all this travel)?  heading to the sting/paul simon concert on friday night.  jim, colee, mom, dad and i went out to dinner and then to the show.  we grew up listening to their music and there were many other family groups like ours, taking in the two greats on stage together.  they are 72 and 62 years old but they are still rocking hard.  paul simon sang beautifully and bounced around the stage at times, toting his acoustic guitar.  sting belted out his classics in a voice that hasn't changed in ages.  there must be something about all that yoga and clean eating.  i had been really looking forward to the paul simon songs and hearing him sing, and he was phenomenal, but sting really stole the show, i think.  the two together put on what i'd say is the best concert i've been to.

and now... cleaning up and taking care of everyday mundane things and probably an episode of newsroom and a nap.  with the extra hour of daylight i'll be able to get a walk in, too.  i can almost see spring coming down the road.  i feel as though the crest of winter is behind us and we're beginning to coast down the hill.