tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53837303302984961362024-03-18T22:30:48.033-06:00Centered EvolutionFar from what I once was, not yet what I'm going to be.Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-88154191109533096092017-11-07T18:30:00.000-07:002017-11-07T18:30:46.039-07:00Trust Issues<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>It's over, I know it. There is no point to anything. I will never be myself again. I cannot to anything right. I don't even know what right is anymore.</i><br /><br />I can look back from each day after these thoughts have invaded me like a rampant virus, and they seem like silly, childish memories. But in the moment they are real. So pervasively, honestly, deeply real.<br />I can't trust myself.<br />Do you know what happens when you spend day in and day out with someone you know you can't trust? The relationship crumbles. Flip it around. I can't begin to convey the kind of torture it is to never be trusted.<br />I'm all about self love. Kindness, gentleness turned inward. This chelation process is putting it to the ultimate test.<br /><br />Let me step back for a minute.<br />In July, I found two naturopathic doctors in the state who knew how to treat copper poisoning. One was in my town. I worked up the courage to call, and they put me on a two month waiting list. I called everyday to ask if they'd had any cancellations. Three days later, I had an appointment for the same week. Or so I thought. Long story short, I ended up seeing the PA, not the actual doctor. Blood tests were ordered, chelation supplementation began. High levels of Zinc and activated B6. I expected strange symptoms. My facial numbness returned, intermittent tremors, exhaustion, copper mouth (it's all I can taste at times). Three weeks later, I saw Dr. Jacobs. He reduced my chelation dosage. He added HPA support to help my organs function better and ease my anxiety. Iron to help with the hidden anemia. He also added supplements to balance my female hormones. To attempt to get my Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and severe menorrhagia managed. This started changing immediately, but not for the better. I gained weight immediately, my skin broke out, my anxiety worsened. My period week was hell. I was determined to wait it out. To let things get better. But the worst was the mental seesaw. Anxiety, depression, anxiety, depression. I spent so much time pacing and shaking just to try to get through things like cooking dinner. I took myself off the hormonal supplements midway through my second raging awful cycle on them. The suicidal thoughts and dreams were returning. I could not live this way.<br />My doctor agreed that the intended effects of the hormonal balancing were being reversed by the chelation process and the stress my liver was under. We agreed to leave those for after the copper detox is done. He changed my dosage of almost everything, and added 5HTP to help the anxiety. That's when depression came swinging like a sledgehammer. Luckily I have some Dopamine and Acetylcholine support in my arsenal to contend with it. I'm sure we'll adjust things again the next time I go in. The things copper does to my brain are brutal and unpredictable. This chemistry manipulation game is exhausting. I hate it.<br />I can't trust myself.<br />I can't make a decision. I can rarely handle a schedule of any type. Very rarely can I feel awe. I know it sounds weird, but for someone who has made it a point to stay in awe of life and the world around her, it's a tragic loss.<br />I haven't been able to draw or paint well in weeks. My custom orders have gone unfilled. I know I need to give myself space to heal, but I just feel like I'm failing at everything.<br /><br />Jenna and Katie dragged me off to the Grand Canyon this weekend. I'm so grateful Aaron took care of the kids and let me go. It was amazing, and I'm so glad I went. There was so much to be in awe of. And yet, between the breathtaking sunset and the mind blowing full moon rise, I leaned back in the the car, delirious, and cried into my pillow until I found the presence of mind to take something to support my brain. Everything between the highs and lows is numb. The girls were incredibly patient and kind. I'm grateful every moment for such incredible people in my life. I'm grateful that while Katie went to run Rim to Rim to Rim, Jenna took me out on the most unreal trail for 4 hours of feeling almost like the girl that I miss being. I'm grateful for mini gummy bears, and Sweetwood Meat Sticks, salt and vinegar chips, and car trip dance parties, and Chinese fire drills to keep us awake as we drove through the night to get home. I'm grateful for gentle memories of Coyote songs in the middle of the night, and long walks along to rim of the canyon to find the best views.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPSIM5a1Z8sBQs0DMM-UrK0JFc0WrNe6Ctd_3bdYs4TI-RvchTSjPKR_wbi1Lj9ojDTV-62mF23jTbJP6xIN-h00IsowT8G3dXlQxuSBDeN_Q4WpYmrCVck1pjgdD_slEdZE4E-uwU28/s1600/GC+morning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPSIM5a1Z8sBQs0DMM-UrK0JFc0WrNe6Ctd_3bdYs4TI-RvchTSjPKR_wbi1Lj9ojDTV-62mF23jTbJP6xIN-h00IsowT8G3dXlQxuSBDeN_Q4WpYmrCVck1pjgdD_slEdZE4E-uwU28/s320/GC+morning.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br />I'm beyond grateful that even when I can't trust myself, I have people that I can undoubtedly trust. To hug me with their whole souls, through long deep breaths. To make me laugh when I've forgotten how. And to trust the me they know is in here somewhere still. They know she's still kind, and generous, and strong, and worthy, even when I don't.<br /><br />It's going to get better.<br /><br />I don't know how long it will take, or how many friends or brain cells I will have left when it's over. But it has to get better.Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-61144413920013705432017-07-06T14:44:00.000-06:002017-07-06T15:08:22.341-06:00Let me 'esplain... no, there is too much. Lemme sum up. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm just going to start by saying that I'm grateful. As predicted, 2017 so far has been a kick in the teeth- full of stress, trauma, sadness, and conflict.... and joy, beauty, connection, discovery, and so much love.<br />
In January I started <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/MountainSoulCo" target="_blank">Mountain Soul Creations</a>. Now officially Mountain Soul Company. The healing that has occurred in my brain has brought new and surprising talents. I'm a professional artist. All of the sudden, there it is. It is overwhelming to have something that is quite literally my therapy- carving wood, making jewelry, painting, be so lovingly and widely embraced and in even in demand. I love how personal it is. Mountains are one of my great loves, and every time I get a custom request, it feels like being asked to paint a portrait of someones dearest lover. I spend time and energy and emotion getting it right. It has to feel right. I get to celebrate mountains every day, and I love it.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpn_hn1U0UU_Ikkq4NiyfHYDR4CGK1QabJwcrDbo4Aoubt_wclbKFcvrHEK-xf7cQi_kKvmiV5ftSRtN5IeTHojQ_2tzStmgR4XOkW6aWLRuzK1Zkw2SV67eBzSmBKy_Qg2wsIxlDSpzs/s1600/Etsy+Contest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpn_hn1U0UU_Ikkq4NiyfHYDR4CGK1QabJwcrDbo4Aoubt_wclbKFcvrHEK-xf7cQi_kKvmiV5ftSRtN5IeTHojQ_2tzStmgR4XOkW6aWLRuzK1Zkw2SV67eBzSmBKy_Qg2wsIxlDSpzs/s320/Etsy+Contest.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVI5CYb2kwmlokJcUSSyBaAebsNR1DN2dOldO_BZMbYKK-vpk-JWE2ip-ubfqmFe2pBmMouzcGG1iRtgGn-rkqJydnX-b2CjbWDhuqi6T8XaHFLI3PJ9oayILwVc3isc3LhJZPOKVY_k/s1600/Alpine+Cove+Piece.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVI5CYb2kwmlokJcUSSyBaAebsNR1DN2dOldO_BZMbYKK-vpk-JWE2ip-ubfqmFe2pBmMouzcGG1iRtgGn-rkqJydnX-b2CjbWDhuqi6T8XaHFLI3PJ9oayILwVc3isc3LhJZPOKVY_k/s320/Alpine+Cove+Piece.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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How is my health? Well. That's complicated. From the time I started diet and supplementation in September/October, to June, by body has changed immensely. I lost 25 lbs and went from a size 12 to a size 6/8. In February, after a particularly painful and expensive kidney infection and ER trip, I decided that I really wanted to see what real dedication to yoga would do for me. So I bought a 6 month unlimited membership- which cost less than half what the ER visit did, and committed to going as often as possible. I was convinced I had MS. I had read first hand accounts of people basically putting their MS in remission through diet and yoga. I wanted to try.<br />
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I picked my class schedule and started making the time to go, 5 days a week. I thought of it like medicine. I needed it. I had to make it happen. This isn't your fitness center, here to get my bendy on, lets sweat it out kind of yoga. It's balance. Studio yoga- designed by teachers who are forever students. Who have studied for decades world wide. Who know the importance of stability, alignment, and partnering body, mind, and spirit. And I'm happy to report that it's been so worth it. Immediately the numbness in my face eased up. My anxiety chilled out, and my brain started functioning even better. My spinal health and adrenal health improved. Of course, having chiropractic care has been absolutely invaluable. The care that I receive from my dad and my brothers has quite literally saved my life. And Functional Medicine direction from my uncle, Dr. Chris Frogley has been the backbone of my self care.<br />
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So I'm better, right?<br />
Better? Yes. Well? No.<br />
I still have numb spots, and nerve and joint pains that are spreading. I still have constant fatigue and periodic episodes that send me to bed. I'm prone to infection. I still have mental health issues, and weeks when it's all I can do to send the suicidal thoughts packing. I finally found a medical doc who would listen to me.<br />
From visit #1, Dr. Kennedy was on my side. "I just want to make it clear that you are in charge. You hired me. We are on a team. I have expertise, but you are the resident expert on your own body, and I respect that." Hallelujah. I handed him a two page long list of medical history and ongoing symptoms. He gawked and we laughed, and then he ordered tests. Blood tests and MRIs.<br />
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On June 17th, I was on a trail run with Jenna, Merete, and Katie when Aaron called me. Aaron almost never calls me. He couldn't get the words out. The world stopped. Our friend Zac had fallen off a mountain ridge just hours before. He didn't make it. I dropped in the dirt as my heart cracked to pieces, and sobbed. I told Jenna and the others. We sat trail side and cried together, held each other, dry heaved together. Zac was wonderful. Zac was a careful badass. Zac was every single one of us. He was a Wasatch Mountain Wrangler. It just couldn't be. I needed to be with Aaron. We started back down. Jenna took off. She needed to run. I couldn't even see the trail through my tears.<br />
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The fallout has been huge. We speak of the ripple effect. Zac left tidal waves. He was just that good. In the gatherings of friends, and the support of Zac's incredible family, the funeral, the dinners, the meetings and the memorial runs, we've found solace, and camaraderie, and introspection, and so much love. It hurts. So much. And it always will.<br />
<a href="https://store.trailandultrarunning.com/collections/livelikezac?page=1" target="_blank">We've designed apparel in memory of our friend Zac, with the proceeds going directly to his family. </a><br />
We can't do much, but they are ours to care for now. And we'll do all we can.<br />
<br />
My regular blood tests came back normal. Lyme came back negative. The brain MRI came back clean. No MS lesions. My abdominal MRI showed that my 7 liver hemangioma have been growing, and the vessels are dilated, but this wasn't a big concern. So what? Why do I feel this way? As wonderful as you'd think it would be to get news that things look normal, it's not. It makes you question your own sanity. It makes you want to give up.<br />
The day after the MRIs, I had a gall bladder attack. It felt a lot like a kidney stone, but worse. I went from cramping uncomfortably, to curled up in a ball, panting, to vomiting uncontrollably, to writhing and hyperventilating. I knew instacare would send me straight to the ER. I knew the ER would do scans and tell me everything looked fine, and give me pain meds and antibiotics and send me on my way. Besides, I wasn't about to make it to the car. My skin was greyish yellow, and whatever part of me wasn't in excruciating pain, was numb. I called the docs office- which was closing. I told them I'd had an MRI the day before and asked them to check for kidney stones and gall stones. They said everything looked clear. I called my dad. He and my mom rushed up the hill- I've never been so thankful to live so close to them. He examined me, worked my reflexes, diagnosed it as a gall bladder attack, and gave me an adjustment. The pain subsided. I called my doctor the next morning. He set up a surgery consult for later that week. Maybe my gall bladder was just bad.<br />
A few days later, a nurse friend dropped by to say hi. She didn't know what had been going on, but immediately called out the contrast dye from the MRI as the culprit for my gall bladder attack. I cancelled my surgery consult.<br />
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The last test came back on June 30th. A blood serum copper test. We didn't expect much from it. I had always suspected copper toxicity, but knew that it often doesn't show up in the blood because the body is so quick to shuffle it off to organs. Besides, it's been over 2 years since the <a href="http://centeredevolution.blogspot.com/2015/05/things-we-cant-control.html" target="_blank">IUD was removed from the side of my bowel.</a><br />
<b>600.</b><br />
Normal max is around 110. Copper toxicity. "This is concerning," my doctor said. "If I were you, I'd be thinking about litigation."<br />
Turns out I've been poisoned. For 9 years, I've had strange symptoms that have gotten worse with time. This explains everything. My shattered bones, my kidney stones, my mental health, my nerve issues, my apocalypse style periods, everything.<br />
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; color: #666666; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; font-style: inherit;">Symptoms of High (Excess) Copper</span><br />
<div class="flex24 fl-l marg-r" style="border: 0px; float: left; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; height: auto; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 1.2em 0px 0px; max-width: 24em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 384px;">
<ul class="disc bottom2" style="background-color: #cccccc; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 1.4em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: outside; margin: 0.8em 0px 2em 1.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Feelings of doom</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Fatigue and exhaustion</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hypothyroid (slow thyroid)</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mind is in a fog</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Headaches, migraines</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mood swings</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Supersensitive, weepy</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Cold hands, and/or feet</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Depression</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dry skin</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Chocolate cravings</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Feeling of loss of control</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Paranoia</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Despair, suicidal feelings, hopelessness</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Arthritis, calcium spurs</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Constipation</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Racing heart, pounding heart</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Adverse reaction to vitamins and minerals</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Problems with concentration and memory</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Short attention span, ‘spaciness’</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Eating disorders: anorexia, bulimia, overeating</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Panic attacks, high anxiety, free floating anxiety</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Yeast infections (candida)</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Aching muscles or muscle cramps</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Hypoglycemia</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mind races -- insomnia, interrupted sleep</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">PMS</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mononucleosis</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Low blood pressure</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Obsessive thoughts</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Osteoporosis</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jaundice and liver problems</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Kidney stones and infections</li>
</ul>
(I'm so glad to finally have an explanation for my chocolate cravings. )<br />
.<br />
.<br />
I had a weird, sobbing, excited dance party when the doctor told me. I have answers. I'm not crazy- well.... not without a cause.<br />
Next step- heavy metal chelation. My doc was the first to admit that he'd never seen this and didn't know any specialists in the area. They are out there though. I'm still deciding which route to take. None of them are pleasant. It has to be done right, and can be dangerous regardless. And my insurance may not cover any of it. We'll see. <br />
I have no choice but to address it. There's no waiting it out without facing Alzheimers, schizophrenia, kidney and liver failure, and worse. But the good news is that I can get better. There is no way to convey in words what that means to me. I can get better. </div>
Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-34974707923122128822016-12-26T08:55:00.000-07:002016-12-26T08:58:11.561-07:00Dear 2016...<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
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<span class="m_-650547495518865883s1">Dear 2016,</span></div>
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<span class="m_-650547495518865883s1">We started on a mountain top, in a sports bra in one degree weather, and I called you on.</span></div>
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<span class="m_-650547495518865883s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="m_-650547495518865883s1"> I'd survived 2014 and my shattered ankle rehab, and 20-frickin-15 with it's kidney stone, liver lesions, hobo-IUD-surprise-open-<wbr></wbr>abdominal-surgery triple whammy, followed by a job change. "Let's do this," I said. Five days later you dropped me off a 16 foot ladder and giggled while I laid on the floor in a puddle of paint with a foot broken in four places, a torn shoulder labrum, and a raging case of PTSD. We said goodbye to our home of 10.5 years, but took our baggage with us. We declared war on suicidal thoughts and had some pretty deep therapy sessions together. We survived more kidney problems and hospital visits. EMDR did us up right, just in time to discover brain degeneration, early MS and early Alzheimer's symptoms, more liver issues, crescendo my Joint Hypermobility Syndrome, and find a rather surprising propensity for carving wood.<span class="m_-650547495518865883Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="m_-650547495518865883s1"><span class="m_-650547495518865883Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="m_-650547495518865883p1">
<span class="m_-650547495518865883s1">I didn't stop climbing mountains.... even when I was falling over. I ran a trail half marathon and climbed the Tushar mountains. I stood on Lone Peak- one year older and 20 pounds heavier, but surrounded by the few friends I could still relate with and ridiculously grateful. I searched for experts that could help me and fought like hell. I learned about trauma and my brain and took care of my body. I stopped falling over. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">I gained a new appreciation for things like reading, driving, coordination and cognitive function.</span><span class="m_-650547495518865883s1" style="font-size: 12.8px;"> I started teaching yoga again. I ran a 30k. I made friends with my adrenals and my thyroid. I dropped that 20 pounds.<span class="m_-650547495518865883Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">My babies are growing into incredible humans, and my marriage is stronger than ever. My husband is a frickin' rockstar. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">I started writing a book, and turned my mountain love into a creative project that is turning into a business.</span></div>
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<span class="m_-650547495518865883s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="m_-650547495518865883p1">
<span class="m_-650547495518865883s1">We were a hot mess, you and I, and I won't miss you when you're gone. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">I have outlived you. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">And you taught me things I'm proud to know. Things like self-love and true connection, and fire and spit and fight. Things like humility and grace, and the deepest kinds of caring and all the right kinds of detachment. You made me so weak and so, so strong. You showed me that being brave means being scared and trying anyway. You taught me that I can't do everything, but I can do a few things really really well. You taught me that being broken just means more cracks to shine light through. You taught me that kindness matters most. So I thank you. I know more what I'm capable of surviving from here on out. And I'll step forward into 2017, on a mountaintop, feeling like kind of a badass, with only a healthy amount of trepidation for what is to come, and enough faith to take it head on.</span><span class="m_-650547495518865883Apple-converted-space" style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="m_-650547495518865883s1"><span class="m_-650547495518865883Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></div>
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Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-48635694282973857002016-11-15T14:31:00.001-07:002016-11-15T15:33:33.320-07:00Those kind of daysIs it really worth all the damn effort to keep me alive?<br />
<br />
That's the dopamine depletion talking. And acetalcholine deficiency. And autoimmune disease. And all of the other things that are slowly degenerating my brain.<br />
<br />
I don't ask that question often, but when I do, it consumes everything.<br />
I am generally a very functional depressed person. I go through the motions, maybe with a slight background hope that being productive will make me feel useful. Worthy. But mostly I go through them numb. Even if they don't make me feel better, they are things that need doing.<br />
<br />
Some of my health puzzle pieces are falling into place. And when I find pieces that fit, it gives me hope. Until I get a long stretch of no pieces. Just chaos. A 5000 piece puzzle and I've got a corner, a short edge, and a small blob or two in the middle. Sometimes I find a doctor that is curious and enthusiastic enough to sit down and try to piece a few together. But it seems that eventually they lose interest. I can't blame them. I do too.<br />
<br />
I'm not sick enough to raise the alarm system of the western medical model. I don't trust many of their treatment methods anyway. I'm definitely sick enough to not be able to cure it on my own. It's a maddening limbo. I'm reliant on brilliant "alternative" practitioners that my insurance won't cover. I'm reliant on favors, and what little I can pay for, and piecemeal care. I'm forced to be my own advocate- which means I'm forced to rely on someone who often doesn't care, and cares far too much, and is too exhausted or anxious to even have a phone conversation much of the time. In the meantime, my symptoms come and go. Some days are good, and some bad. But find me on a bad day, and with tears jamming my throat, I'll tell you honestly- sometimes I wonder if it's worth all the damn effort.<br />
<br />
This post is far too negative. I shouldn't even be writing it. But I'm nothing if not honest. Shoulds and shouldn'ts be damned, this is how it feels today.Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-4564168196867146662016-11-09T21:45:00.000-07:002016-11-09T21:45:38.592-07:00Feelings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I am an empath. I feel you. All of you. Buzzing in my head, aching in my chest. On a day like today when emotions are high, I can hardly contain it. You are angry, confused, happy, anxious, worried, saddened, hopeful, devastated, relieved, and tired. So tired. I woke up with the urge to write this morning and when I sat down to channel it, your wave of emotion sent me tumbling. No use. Too much. I'm sorry that you hurt so much. I want to come to each of you with a golden, shining bucket of joy and wash the pain away. It's not my place, and beyond my capabilities, but that doesn't stop my desire to relieve your tension. And after yelling at my kids when even their little voices overwhelmed my senses because I was filled to the brim with all of yours, I did the only thing that made sense. I ran it off. I went to my mountain trails and soaked in the last minutes of light as the sun sank below the horizon. I marveled so fully in the alpenglow on the mountains that I shouted out loud. I let go of all of the fear and worry for a few minutes to throw my arms wide and call to the sky. I found joy and love and gratitude. And for whatever it's worth, I sent it out to all of you. There is always hope amid your pain. This will all pass and we will take the future as it comes. You are so much! You are brilliant and adaptable, capable and kind. You are Hope. Never forget that. You are powerful. I can feel it.Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-35952793708035407792016-10-24T23:37:00.000-06:002016-10-25T23:27:57.870-06:00We Keep On RunningMy health has played roller coaster games over the past couple of weeks. Between trying to get doctors to dig deeper and not just throw pills at me or write me off, and trying to navigate alternative medicine and play all the insurance games to get the test results I need without flushing our finances down the toilet, it's been an adventure. New symptoms have come and gone and come again. I refuse to stop living, stop being all that I can be to those people that I love. I went to crew friends at the Bear 100 in awful weather and loved every second (except the four hours in the freezing rain and wind as we waited, worried, for our runners at 2 am- that sucked). I have buckled down hard on a clean and very specific diet for my needs and concentrated on controlling my hypoglycemia to slow the brain inflammation and degeneration that is occurring. My functional medicine doc believes I may at least have a lesion on my cerebellum evidenced by an end-reach tremor, the tingly numb spots on my face, and some of my symptoms dealing with coordination. I had a glutathione push after my neurological exam that was supposed to "give me my brain back" for a few days. Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that also facilitates toxin release. My body freaked out. Panic attack, splitting headache, nausea and dry heaving, I could barely breathe and haven't cried that hard in months. Doc thinks my body just didn't know what to do with the rapid effects of it. It eventually passed and I did see some marked improvement in my brain function and endurance for a few days.<br />
I started falling over that week. The first couple of times I didn't think anything of it. But when I fell into a bush while running alone in Arches National Park and gouged my shin on a branch, it started to pull at my subconscious. It didn't even hurt, that gouge, I had a glob of fat hanging out of my shin and blood trickling down my leg, and it didn't hurt. I hadn't been dizzy, I hadn't tripped, I just fell over. I kept on running, blood and all. I was happy, and the morning was magical.<br />
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Then I got lost. Somewhere in the middle of a 7 mile loop, I just lost track of the cairns and ended up down climbing a crack to a 15 foot drop. It didn't occur to me until after I risked broken bones and succeeded in climbing safely down into a wash that the old man with the hiking poles who had been coming the opposite direction on the trail hadn't possibly come from this way. It took me an extra mile of hiking and running in the wrong direction before I came to my senses and followed the wash back to the main trail. I've never been so happy to see a cairn... or a few miles later, my husband coming from the trail head to find me. My loop was 9 beautiful miles of arches and back country. I actually really loved it.<br />
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I'm learning not to get terribly distressed by my symptoms. It only makes them worse. Our family camp out was a much-needed and incredibly much enjoyed escape from daily stresses.<br />
<br />
A few days later, while carrying a basket of laundry, I fell over again. Aaron came running in to find me laying on baskets of dirty laundry, and covered in the clean laundry I had just dumped all over myself. "Are you okay?? What happened?"<br />
Straight faced and sober, I answered,"I just fell over."<br />
He helped me up, worry spelled out on his face. And I knew it wasn't just a clumsy coincidence. It was my brain, my nerves.<br />
Later that evening we talked about it. "I have every hope that we'll figure this out and it'll get better. But what if it doesn't and someday soon I can't run, and I kick myself forever for the races I was too scared to sign up for? What if my cognition and memory suffer so much that I can't finish my book? I have stuff to do!" It wasn't motivated by fear. Just matter-of-fact recognition that life needs to be lived.<br />
<br />
I had agreed to crew Annie at the Pony Express 100 months ago. I wondered if I could handle the driving and lack of sleep. I hoped that with other crew as company to switch off with, I'd be fine. I wanted to be there for Annie. Over time the plans evolved and she would run the 50 miler in support of our friend Matt. And then two more friends joined the run party- Andrew and Danny. Annie's daughter Savana and I would be crewing 4 people. Just us two. I refused to be overwhelmed. Danny and Andrew were experienced ultra runners and would know what they needed. I knew I wouldn't be able to crew everyone as thoroughly as I like to, but I could let go of that. Game on.<br />
Then Annie threw one of her "Let's live MORE life!" wrenches in the game.<br />
"Hey, I think I want to run the 30k at Dugway the next day. You should run it with me!"<br />
Um.<br />
Um.<br />
I really wanted to run that race again. Am I ready? Who cares? But I didn't have the cash for registration.<br />
"What if I pay for your entry as a thank you for crewing?"<br />
Aaron told me to go and do what would make me happy. Decision made.<br />
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In true ultra fashion, Pony Express started early and on shreds of semi-sleep. We saw our runners off at the start and repacked the cars. Then we drove a friends truck out to the hundred mile finish and doubled back to find our little pack in the early dawn. They never needed a whole lot from us. Just food here and there, and water refills, shed the clothing, that kind of thing. Matt was unsure from the start, having never attempted anything remotely like this, so we stayed withing a couple miles at all times. The day was beautiful and friends passed us throughout the day. We started up the dance party in the late morning, blasting music at our stops. And when almost everyone had passed, that is when the hours got long. The running had quickly turned to walking and the walking began to be a shuffle. Annie, Andrew and Danny took turns staying back with Matt so that the others could run a ahead and back a bit. Matt was doggedly determined in his march. We began to wonder if continuing to the finish would be healthy for Matt in the long run. He was becoming increasingly belligerent- not uncommon in ultras, but also a sign of chronic low blood sugar and imbalance. We were all willing to help and support as best we could to the finish, including Matt's son and daughter who had come out to support him. 17+ hours in, somewhere between mile 43 and 45, long after the sun set and the incredible blanket of stars spread over the sky, it was finished for Matt. His body needed to be done. His kids loaded him in the car and took him to the finish line for food and medical attention. The other three were determined to finish the 50 for Matt. 19 hours after we began, three strong runners crossed the finish line together in last place. (Danny really tried hard to cheat the other two of their DFL status.)<br />
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We downed some of Pablo's excellent barbeque with chimichurri, said goodbye to Davy Crockett, and started the long drive back to the start at 1 am. Savvy was fading fast and we all were falling asleep on the drive. She pulled over. I wondered if I could relieve her of driving duties, as my eyes refused to focus and my brain was so fuzzy. Thankfully Danny stepped in and volunteered to drive. That guy trains nights and sleep deprivation. It comes in handy! Everyone snoozed in the back while Danny and I laughed over suicidal racing rabbits and told stories to keep each other awake. We dropped Danny and Andrew at the campground and I hopped behind the wheel to fumble us,glassy-eyed at 3 am onto the military base at Dugway and to our hotel room. If I got to bed fast I could get 3 solid hours of sleep for the morning race. Annie's poor feet were blistered from too much walking and she wouldn't be running with me.<br />
6 am. 2.5 hours of sleep. My belly woke me with horrible hot-chili-pepper-magma diarrhea. 4 times before I could leave the hotel room. Great. I downed a salad with grilled chicken for breakfast. My stomach wasn't thrilled, but I knew if I started this race on empty, I'd be out in no time.<br />
I texted Brad in the next room to see if he could take me over to the start line. Bless his sleep-deprived soul, he did. It was cold. Hugs from Brent- I was so happy to see someone I knew. I was nervous. We were treated to a magical desert sunrise as we prepped at the start line. And all 13 of us were off.<br />
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I wanted to start off slow, and pace myself, but it was so cold that I needed to move to warm up my stiff muscles! I chatted with Nanette for a few minutes- we'd never really talked before despite being facebook friends. Then she pulled ahead of me. I would chase her for miles. Nanette ahead and Rebecca behind. Both older women with so much grit and experience. I felt blessed to be in such good company as we snapped distant pictures of each other racing into the sunrise. After a valiant effort at keeping up, the heat set in and I lost sight of Nanette. The climbs were brutally steep at times and my hammies and glutes were feeling it. Rebecca was gaining on me through the miles, and I was getting tired. We chatted a bit as she passed me. I didn't mind. I was here to finish, and to love the day. That's all I cared about. Runners from the shorter races began to pass just before we finished the first loop. I filled up on fruit and nuts at the aid stations, snacking steadily on jerky, nuts, banana chips and applesauce from my pack in between to try to keep my blood sugar steady. I refilled my water bladder at one of the water stations early in the second loop. I was feeling good. And hot. The second loop got long fast. The climbs were even more brutal the second time around and I found myself laughing and cursing at them all at once. Cheeky Bastards.<br />
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Around mile 15 the wheels started to come off. I was in new distance territory on my hardware. While I had run this race before, I hadn't done it on a reconstructed shattered ankle, or a previously broken-in-4-places foot. Random jabs of sharp pain accompanied my footsteps. I walked into the pain cave and pulled up a chair. I had been on track to beat my previous race time, but despite my best efforts, I watched that goal slip away and tried to shrug it off. My head was getting floaty and painful. I could feel that my blood sugar was off, but I couldn't quite figure out what to do to fix it. And then I ran out of water. What? How could I be out?? I had felt my pack at the last water station and it had felt pretty full! I realized with dismay that I had felt my jacket stuffed in my pack and mistaken it for a full water bladder. Rookie mistake. It was hot. My mouth was cotton, I was having dizzy spells. If I could just get another mile or so to the last water station. Another mile and a half of the steepest son-of-a-gun climbs in the race. Gah. I trudged it out. I dug the last applesauce out of my pack and used it for what little hydration it offered me. My head was throbbing. I missed my husband. I hated running. And I was doing it all anyway. I laid into that water station. Best, coldest, quenchiest water ever. I filled my pack, my hat, my shirt, my sports bra, my mouth and my belly. And then it was time to get it done."Let's kick this pig." (I talk to myself a lot during these types of things.)<br />
I headed down the final, long, winding downhills. The last time I had done this race, it was 18.7 miles. My watch ticked well past that as my painful foot and ankle protested any hurry. The playlist that had saved my mood for so long was getting old. Finally nearing the finish, I turned it off. Turned off the pain, Turned on what little speed I had left and ran it in to the finish like my life depended on it. With a smile on my face and a fist in the air, I crossed the line. I can do hard things. So many hard things.<br />
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<br />
Jenna was there to greet me at the finish line. I was so happy to see her.<br />
19.8 miles, 3938 Feet of vertical climb, 6:09<br />
3rd place woman (out of a grand total of 4) 1st place in my age group (out of 2) 10th overall (Out of 13)<br />
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I picked up my sweet trophy and medal, and the awesome viking axe I had won in the raffle.<br />
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Jenna took me to the hotel to gather my things and drive home.<br />
After a long weekend, home sounded just right.<br />
<br />
My body may be in crisis, but if there is one thing I'm learning, it's that we just keep moving. Keep living, keep loving. Stay grateful.<br />
<br /></div>
Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-32978077155310462272016-09-20T12:22:00.001-06:002016-09-20T15:11:27.305-06:00Life Can't WaitI have started so many blog posts in the past few months. I wanted to write about all the good things- the Tushars half marathon, my birthday Lone Peak summit, all of the life I have lived and loved through as I've made progress through therapy. My victories! I couldn't figure out why it didn't work. My brain would get to a certain point and be done. Can't write long. Can't read long. Can't drive long. Something is still very off with my body and brain. So I had some tests done. (I'm skimming over a lot of this because I know my brain energy is limited.) Things are off. My adrenal levels are through the roof and my thyroid levels aren't. My female hormones are whack and my brain function and coordination are sub-par. So I had some more labs drawn. we've tested blood, urine, spit... I've filled out metabolic surveys and brain function surveys.<br />
There are concerns. And I wanted to wait until I had results to tell people, but friends and family are noticing that something is wrong, and life can't wait. All of the in-between is life too, and it must be lived. When I get my labs back and I know things for sure, I think it will all make better sense. So far there have been some scary words thrown into the mix, like "brain degeneration", and "autoimmune disease", and "tumor". They are all just possibilities right now. we don't know yet. It may be simple. It may be very complicated. We just don't know. But we will. And I can handle it. We can handle it.<br />
<br />
Am I scared? Yes. Am I confident? Yes. I can do hard things.<br />
<br />
I taught my first yoga class in two and a half years today. I kept waiting until I felt confident, until I had more to give, until I was done healing from my shattered ankle reconstruction, and then my abdominal surgery, and then my shoulder injury, and then my broken foot and my torn shoulder, and then PTSD, and then.... and then.<br />
Life can't wait. Do what you can with what you have. And love. Always love the most.Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-6782081293185572202016-07-20T18:28:00.001-06:002016-07-20T18:28:39.978-06:00Here Lies The Old Me<span style="background-color: #fffdfd; color: #606666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 22.6667px; text-align: justify;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">"... life does not subtract things, it liberates you from them. It makes you lighter so that you can fly higher and reach the fullness."- Facundo Cabral</i><br />I sat on my mat and felt my fingertips pulsating against each other as chills ran up and down my spine.<br />I have been mourning her loss, this former self. Like a deceased loved one, whom I would forever be incomplete without. I have every right to miss her. She was me, and I loved her. How could I not? </span><span style="background-color: #fffdfd; color: #606666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 22.6667px; text-align: justify;">The words cracked open a stubborn sadness and allowed new breath.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fffdfd; color: #606666; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 22.6667px; text-align: justify;"><i><b>I have not lost her, I have been liberated from her. </b></i><br /><br />But how? When she was so strong and sure. Have I idealized her and built her into more than she was? Maybe her time was finished, her purpose played out, her further growth impossible. She and I could not exist in the same reality. Her destruction cleared the foundation, leaving open space and freedom. Her rubble became my raw material; lowly and humbled, but crackling with massive potential. Can I just not see the magnitude of who I am and who I am becoming from the midst of the aftermath? It is exhausting to start over. I have no blueprints. No step-by-step instructions. I can only begin, scavenge for tools, and create as I go. I've no choice but to heal, and trust, and try, and see what comes anyway, so why not do so with hope, love, inspiration? Why not do so on purpose?</span>Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-50852937738379231922016-07-16T19:19:00.000-06:002016-07-16T19:19:21.322-06:00Not the time for snark. Be vulnerable.<b><i>On those days parts of her died, </i></b><br />
<b><i>and she had to go on living without them. </i></b><br />
<b><i>Time and again it happened, </i></b><br />
<b><i>until there was none of her left. <br />She was frozen in time,</i></b><br />
<b><i>a ghost,</i></b><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">while everyone moved on around her,</i><br /><i style="font-weight: bold;">leaving her to haunt herself.</i><br /><br /> My crumpled cotton sheets rustle around my ears as I fight to block out the loneliness. I am exhausted- not from lack of sleep, but lack of rest. I haven't rested in months. Half of my family has been gone for days. Days that I filled with museum outings and trail work, cleaning and grocery shopping, library, farm stands, hair cuts and pizza parlors. My younger kids lapped up the "girl time", and I patted myself on the back for making it through, and also for drawing the line when they wanted to sleep in my room and I just couldn't. people. anymore.<br /><br />Now we are all six together again. I was so excited to welcome them all home. So proud of my non-athletic teenager for gritting out 50 miles of biking. So happy not to feel alone. Alone. I am rarely ever alone. So why to I feel that way? And why when I have that much less reason to feel alone, is it now that it sets it's heavy load on my chest? I meant to nap. But the words came, and they must be written.<br /><br />My therapist says that the reason I am incapable of planning for future, whether it be daydreaming, setting goals, setting up calendar items, or even identifying what I want, is because my brain has too much it hasn't processed. It is demanding that I address first things first. We started exploring some EMDR this week. It's kind of fascinating. Like the rapid eye movements trigger a flip book of random memories and my thoughts race from one thing to the next until they land on what my brain finds relevant in the emotional timeline. Memories of being fifteen, joining a competition soccer team on top of my other recreational teams, and musicals, and choir... and showing up early to games, alone. I had worked hard and accomplished what seemed important and impressive in my family circle. The things my brothers did. And no one cared.<br />Irrelevant.<br /><i>How do you feel when you remember this picture of yourself?</i><br />I feel irrelevant.<br /><i>And how does that word, Irrelevant make you feel. </i>I'm used to it. I don't need to be a big deal.<br /><i>Now please, I need you to be vulnerable.</i>I crumple in on myself like a paper doll and whimper like a toddler. "It really hurts."<br /><br />The flutter and whir as my mental flip book moves on.<br />I am somewhere around three or four and my baby brother has just fallen off of the two-story playhouse roof onto his head. My mom is with him and my sister is there too and I want so badly to do something helpful as the EMTs arrive in a flurry and move him to a stretcher. The seat belts are dangling from the gurney. Marky is too small, they are barely using any of them, and all I want to do is buckle the extras so that they don't dangle. I am so small, and well-meaning... and irrelevant.<br /><br />I am thirty three and facing the wrong side of the finish line at the Antelope Canyon Ultras. I was supposed to run it with Jenna. It was to be my moment of victory. I cheer another stranger through as I sit in a camp chair holding my knee crutch. There is sand in my boot. Friends are gathered here and there. Every once in a while they greet another victor across the line, crowding in to give their congratulations or get a better view to watch for a runner. I'm left staring at a line of butts.<br />Irrelevant.<br /><br />It's a theme in my life. Logic says I am very relevant. I have family who loves me, children who need me, an amazing husband and friends who adore me. But something programmed deep in my subconscious says I don't matter. That if I slipped away, it would go unnoticed. If I disappeared, life would move on.<br /><br />I think these repeated traumas have somehow pulled at that dangling string and unraveled a gaping hole in my psyche. I set goals, I trained hard. I took chances and dared greatly and a shattered bone just bigger than a golf ball leveled me. There was some ado in the first few weeks. People care. They are wonderful. But life when on swiftly as I flailed to keep up. Eventually I think I limped back to functionality with my desire burning a little hotter. I set my sights on another 50k. I charged through another 25k, hoping my finish line there would feel triumphant and instead ran sobbing into the arms of a pregnant stranger as a few random people wondered why I was crying.<br />Irrelevant. <br />Then there was pain again, and hospital again, and surgery again, and all of the tests and I was terrified, but I had my brave face on. Don't make a big deal. Don't be a big deal. Then the complete annihilation of my free will and control as I woke up in confusion to find a completely different surgery had been done with different consequences. There was my doctor who had just rifled through my guts, telling me I had almost died and shrugging it off like a joke.<br />Irrelevant. <br />Deal with it.<br />Oh, I dealt with it. I climbed mountains again, but this time I carried the massive load of depression and anxiety up there with me. I stared life in the face from the mountaintop, in my sports bra, in one degree weather and said, "Antelope Canyon, here I come!" So when I lay quivering in a puddle of paint with a broken foot 6 weeks from race day, I cried uncle. And as I sat at that finish line, I tattooed,"Irrelevant" across my heart as it sank into my stomach.<br />Victory is not for me.<br /><br /><i>Imagine one person who wants nothing but the best for you. Someone who is kind, and safe, and wise. Now picture what that person wants for you. </i><br />Celebration. She wants celebration. She was completely aghast when there was not a massive line of well-wishers with flowers in my hospital room. She planned out a highlight reel of my victory race and she'd even picked out the music. I think she wants my victory more than I do sometimes.<br /><br />There was only one section of my therapy session that didn't include a memory. The flip reel started and then just flip... flip.. flipped like the reel had run out of ideas and was missing the page it needed.<br />And the words over and over and over, "I have to try again. I have to try again. I have to try...."<br /><br />I sat agape. I owe it to myself to try again. Giving up sounded so much easier, but I won't be doing that. I am frozen at the knowledge of how hard it will be to set this goal and achieve it. The work it will take and the obstacles I face as I figure out how to drive this reconfigured body to it's limits.<br /><br /><i>And what you've been through already hasn't been hard? You can do hard.</i><br />I can do hard. But I'm scared.<br /><br /><br />Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-30097080421253477082016-07-10T18:37:00.002-06:002016-07-10T18:37:58.955-06:00Olympic TrialsI am captivated as a young, lithe athlete rushes through the finish line and collapses to the ground. Her face speaks what my heart feels every day. She can't hear that the din of cheers is comprised of her name. It is just noise. She wraps her arms across her face, afraid to look at the score board to see if she has qualified for her dreams. You can tell she has given everything. Everything. Her gasping breath is pained. Lungs on fire, body wrecked. "Please God, please let it be enough." But she can't look. She can't bear it if her every effort isn't enough.<br />
Her team mate crawls down into a prone hug and breaks the news. "You are enough. You did it. I'm so proud."<br /><br />I am grateful for my teammates in life. Who join me in the dirt, lift my head, and pull me close to whisper in my ear, "You are enough. I am so proud."Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-29892296044722209942016-07-07T18:27:00.000-06:002016-07-07T18:27:55.530-06:00Therapy<div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><b>Note: This entry is for therapy's sake. It's a vent. It is part of a process. I don't need random advice. I have a therapist.</b></i></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold;"> </span>"Try to contain and shelve the feelings and memories that we have talked about today. We'll get back to them... and if that feels too stifling or numbing, write."<br /><br />Well, I'm here.<br />. . . . . . . . . . .<br /></div>
"Wow. Thank you very much for opening up."<br />I should have told him as we met and he shook my hand that he was about to know a whole lot about me. I guess sometimes people come to therapy and resist talking about themselves? I don't know. Not me. I'm here to get stuff done.<br />He's young. But I'm comfortable enough with him. He listens well... I guess that comes with the territory. He thinks I'm a great candidate for EMDR.<br />I'll be back next week. I'm so ready to be unstuck.<br /><br />One sticking point that he gleaned as obvious: A long-held notion that has been ingrained in me since I was young, the notion that I am not allowed to be great. My greatness has to lie in facilitating the greatness of others. To become great would be selfish and arrogant. I am not the heroin, not the main role, but forever a sidekick. I don't even get my own life story. I am destined to be supporting role only. Wife, mother, daughter. Always working for someone else's success. It's strange because as much as instinct wants me to resent this role of helper, I have come to love it. I love being crew chief, support, friend. And I'm damn good at it too! But the shadow of it is that I somehow grew up feeling less. This nebulous semi-belief that am not important enough to be anything noteworthy, is inextricably linked with my stuckness over the past two years. Just when I felt I was coming into my own, life cut me down. I rose again, determined to succeed only to be cut down again, and again, and again. Put into my place.<br /><br />I am forever wanting to learn and train to make a real difference in the world. I wanted to be a chiropractor, a massage therapist, a dancer, a singer, an artist, a yoga instructor, an author, a midwife, a naturopath... so many things. But what was the point of all that training and experience if my role in life was going to end up being "just" mother anyway? I have been told whenever I get bold enough to want to go back for schooling in something particular, "Some of us aren't meant for greatness. Some of us are just meant to help others become great."<br />That's good, I guess. Don't get me wrong, I love being a wife and mom. I think it is one of the most important roles in the world. I love helping others become great, reach their goals, strive for more.<div>
I love it!</div>
<div>
<br />BUT WHAT ABOUT ME?! Do I ever get to cross a finish line? Do I ever get to receive a certificate? Have enough training to be a voice of authority? Break a record? Win a trophy? Try for more without having my body and soul crushed before I get there? I watch others experiencing these moments of accomplishment and feel an overwhelming sadness that these things can never be mine. Great things are not for me.<br /><br />Even typing this out feels horrible and selfish a wrong. I'm whining. I'm sinning. My focus is in the wrong place. I should be more humble. And if anything ever feels off emotionally, it's my own fault. Adapt. Accept. Control myself. Deal with it. And don't forget to be grateful.<br /><br />And so with trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety- all the things that are beyond conscious control, comes guilt. Guilt. Guilt. Guilt. Shame. Shame. Shame.<br />If you feel bad it's because you failed. </div>
<div>
<br />I'm failing. At being a sidekick.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>
Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-42663425592405067332016-07-06T13:43:00.000-06:002016-07-06T13:43:16.423-06:00Yoga Wednesday yoga. My escape to me. I set out breakfast, kiss the babes goodbye and pull out of the driveway. There are only two albums on the busted hard drive of my car stereo. They were there when we bought the car. The Dreaming Out Loud album from One Republic has been haunting me. It just fits right now. The morning sun streams down on grand mountain views and the nearby grasses that have gone golden in the heat of summer. The lyrics catch in my throat as the road winds down, down, and the puzzle pieces of feelings fit into place.<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.24; margin-bottom: 13px;">
<i>...Stop and stare<br />I think I'm moving but I go nowhere<br />Yeah, I know that everyone gets scared<br />But I've become what I can't be...</i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.24; margin-bottom: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I turn up the volume and just live in it for a minute. This is me. Stop and Stare. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.24; margin-bottom: 13px;">
<i style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">...Stop and stare</i><br /><i style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">You start to wonder why you're here not there</i><br /><i style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">And you'd give anything to get what's fair</i><br /><i style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">But fair ain't what you really need....</i><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">The lyrics swim in my head and live in my chest.<br />I start the song over and listen again. I pull into the parking lot. 9:11. I have 4 minutes til class starts. I sit and let the song play out.<br /><br />The studio is under construction, but everyone settles into their sanctuaries and lets the growth be uncomfortable. Fitting. The theme of the class is change. Julz always knows. I don't have to say a thing. This is why I keep coming back. My needs are seen and met. Maybe it's cosmic, maybe it's coincidental. But coming here to practice makes me feel seen by the Divine if only for 75 minutes a week. </span><br /><i style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I know you. I see you. All of you. Exactly as you are. And you are perfect. Let's work.</i><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Julz is one of my many, many angels. She thinks she's just my yoga teacher. But she is the embodiment of Hope. Was I ever that to my students?</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 13px;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.24;">We sit in stillness and listen to breath. We stretch and breathe space into all of our places. We find balance in movement. We make all of the effort and sit in acceptance at the brink of our own limitations. My shoulders hurt. I honor them with different positioning and ask them to please keep trying. They do. </span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;">My body is exhausted. Not 4 days ago I was sobbing aloud in excruciating pain, begging for mercy, </span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 19.84px;">retching</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;"> uncontrollably, being rushed to the ER. And here I am on a yoga mat. Still. Quiet. Tired. Still just trying.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.24;">Sometimes I wish I knew how to give up. I am almost always so grateful that I don't. I don't know how. </span><br /><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 1.24;">I'm just so tired. </span></span><br /><br />When class is over I sit in my car and answer text messages from other angels. Aaron, Jenna, Julio. I just sit as the car gets hotter in the sun, avoiding real life until I realize I need to get home and take my medicine. On the way home I have an epiphany. I think I wanted a 50k so badly through these couple of years purely for the finish line. To feel like I finished something. Accomplished something difficult of my own choosing. To feel like I earned a brief moment of recognition for my struggles. I just wanted a victory. I pull into the garage and sit a while longer until my kids come and find me, and I'm mom again.</div>
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I get a call from an unfamiliar number as I eat my avocado salad. It's a therapist's office. We've called so many. Only one has called back. This one takes my insurance. They can't get me in with the person I wanted to see, but would I be willing to see another therapist? I've never heard of him. Okay. I'll take what I can get. I have to start somewhere.<br /><br /><br /></div>
Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-2049167519501828652016-06-24T12:29:00.000-06:002016-06-24T12:29:36.963-06:00They call me braveThey call me brave.<br />I submit that there is more bravery in the world than one could ever fathom. Quiet acts of survival, love, support, even stubbornness.<br />I live out loud because I know I can't do it on my own. I need people as much or more than they need me. I suppose the thing that makes me stand out is that I unabashedly live for connection. To reach out. To lean in. To hold tight. To sit in silent acceptance. To laugh in comfortable companionship. Yes, there is rejection, but it floats away like dandelion seeds on a river surface. It is worth dealing with rejection to have found the deep solace of an answering, "Me too."<br />I feel the authentically deep need of those around me. I give love because it is needed, and because I need it. I'm not even a little bit ashamed of that.<br />Maybe that makes me brave. Maybe I don't know any other way to be.Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-72219496419008250202016-06-20T09:35:00.000-06:002016-06-20T13:08:06.634-06:00The Body Keeps the Score<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Small disclaimer: If you haven't read this blog before, it is one big mess of TMI. I have no filters. You WILL know far too much about me, should you continue. You've been warned. So ask yourself now, "Do I really want to know?" </span></i><br />
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As the noisy, flashy, firework kind of stress in my life has diminished, it has come to light that trauma has truly left it's mark on my brain. I find myself split in two, partially detached enough to be fully aware, and partially immersed in my post traumatic reactions. I watch myself experience episodes of depression, sensory overload, anxiety, uncontrollable sobbing over nothing. There aren't many flashbacks, and it doesn't mimic the PTSD I experienced after my car accident in high school, re-living the accidents over and over. I'm beyond most of that. Though at times I am distantly haunted by scenes of blurry remembrance in the hospital, trying to process what had happened to my body, having no control and no say through the pain of being poked and wired and prodded.. Or scenes of staring at the chair legs, vaulted ceiling, and paint-spattered wall of my old family room and kitchen while my dismay at the puddle of paint that spread under me and how it would ruin the floor. They don't torture me in that same, flash-bang, terror kind of way. Unfortunately, now, it's a puzzling labyrinth of discovering how my brain and my neurology have been rewired. I have been listening to <b><i>The Body Keeps The Score</i></b> by Bessel Van der Kolk. It has been fascinating to start to understand what my body has recorded and why, what parts of my brain have shut down or lit up due to mere moments in life, and what I need to do to utilize neuroplasticity and reprogram once again. Sometimes I feel silly. Overly dramatic. There is so much worse that people have been through. I want to logically talk my brain out of having been so effected by the laundry list of repeated trauma. Shattered ankle, torn rotator cuff, kidney stones, liver lesions, near-deadly IUD and unexpected open abdominal surgery, sprained shoulder, broken foot and torn shoulder labrum. These are not child abuse or war or genocide. But there isn't any logic to it. It has rewired, and I am left to deal with the tangle. I am tempted to shut down and shut up (as if that were really possible for me), but I know that in such instances, loneliness can spell regression and even suicide. While I have experienced depression and anxiety, I haven't had even the inkling of suicidal thoughts since I was deep in teenagedom and such things were empty threats for attention. I had a dream the other morning, in my waking sleep. I was standing at the side of my neighborhood road, where cars cruise down the hill around the bend, and I just stepped out in front of one of them and it ended. It felt so good in that second. So simple. To be done. That is when I jerked awake, thinking, "Oh crap. I need professional help." And also, chuckling darkly to myself, "With my luck, I wouldn't die." These are thoughts I want to be ashamed of and keep secret. But I won't. Secrets like that kill. And I don't want to die. Not even close. I love my life, my home, my family, this freaking wonderful, amazing planet and the incredible people that populate it. The nearest I can tell is that my brain is just finding the nearest possibility of ending the chaos. I'm tired.<br />
I spent the weekend before last, crying. All the time. At everyone who talked to me, or looked at me. Everything was a trigger. I came home from lunch with a friend and sat in Aaron's office and sobbed, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Over and over. I'm sorry for putting you through all of this. Thank you for staying with me. I'm sorry this mess is yours to deal with too. The only thing that took me out of it was hours of hiking and running in the pouring rain with Aaron. Forced immediate presence. Be here now, in the rain, mud, dirt, rocks, trees, sticks, ridges, waterfall. It was glorious. It's so bizarre to be so madly in love with life, and be.... malfunctioning.<br />
Sunday afternoon, I lay in bed clinging to the promise that I have spoken out loud to my family and friends: My story isn't over yet. I would never just end it. I will always keep trying. I wore my semicolon project bracelet as a security blanket and watched myself sob into my pillow. The next day I felt normal. Actually normal. I went for an incredibly peaceful solo run. I did laundry and played with my kids and danced in the kitchen. I felt the fire of real fight inside myself for the first time in weeks. Real hope. Monday I woke up jittery and anxious, but functional. I went to Costco, where I experienced a bizarre sensory overload episode with marked immediate memory loss. In Costco. I couldn't even remember what time of day it was for a while. My head was buzzing and I had tunnel vision. Every color, every movement, every sound, took over. A separate part of me watched in puzzled fascination and gave me the advice to start grounding. Feel your toes in your shoes. Identify 5 things you can see, 5 you can hear.... Somehow I made it through checkout and out to the car where I had a full anxiety attack and cried hard. I did grounding exercises and breathed myself down for ten full minutes before I could drive myself home. And then I was fine. Exhausted, but fine.<br />
A couple of days later, after discussing my symptoms and various traumatic experiences with my yoga instructor.... my dad, my friends, a couple of strangers... (there really is something wrong with my filters).... I narrowed in on my surgery being the main episode I am suffering most from. It won't go away. It has been a year. Why can't I get over it?? Then, standing in my closet, anemic and exhausted and packing for a trip, I had a mind-blowing realization. My period is a trigger. For over a decade I have had a regular menstrual cycle that makes me wonder how I'm alive. It is easily more than 10 times the volume qualification to be medically defined as menorrhagia, or "abnormally heavy flow". When my surgery occurred, I went to sleep expecting my uterus to be removed along with the offending IUD, and when I woke up, confused, stitched and stapled, even that choice had not been mine. Every month, when that horror comes (and even the weeks leading up to it), my body experiences the terror of being stripped of choice and free-will all over again. My period is victimizing me. Holy crap.<br />
I stood in my closet and sobbed.... again. Then I texted my first line of trauma brain spill- husband, sister, trauma-familiar-judgement-free-zone friends. I could hardly believe it. They all said it made perfect sense.<br />
What are my choices now? Face the primal fear of surgery again? My every fiber wants to scream bloody-horror-film screams at the thought. Leave it be and wait til menopause, allowing the mental and emotional rape to continue month after month? Gosh, it sounds horrid calling it that, but I won't apologize for stating what I feel.<br />
One thing is absolutely clear. I need help. I need a doctor that I can trust and feel comfortable with.... if such thing actually exists. I also need a really good therapist. And the $1400 that the hospital owes me and is refusing to pay..... and a lawyer.Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-52166244995832018912016-05-06T21:49:00.000-06:002016-05-06T21:49:21.869-06:00Some emerging truthsI might never run an ultramarathon. I might, but I also might not. I'm starting to be okay with whichever of those it ends up being.<br />I'm in a weird stage of healing. It's not unfamiliar to me. It's that stage where you can finally do things, but you can only do them slowly, and partially, and for only as long as your healing body is cool with them. It's not clear how far you'll be able to push yourself in the end. In this stage, I come out of my cocoon and check out what time and stress have done to my body. Extra padding around the waist, hips and thighs, weaknesses in certain joints and muscles (most of them, really. Hypermobility Syndrome sucks). I start to really face the crumpled and damaged pieces of my psyche and spirit. And then I have to decide what to do about it. I buckle down and put it under some more stress in order to maximize my new potential. I have work to do. I have to imagine the caterpillar slightly underwhelmed when she emerges to check out her new wings... new potential for beauty and flight to higher, further places that any caterpillar could have imagined.... but her wings, they are wet and floppy. It takes time, and sun, and vulnerability, and work, and stress before she flies.<br />All of the things I thought I was are being redefined. The 'things I'm not' like to parade around in my head sometimes. They are noisy. I'm not as fast. Not as strong. Not as thin. Not as attractive. Not as flexible. Not as capable.<br />But I really like some of the things that I am.<br />I am more honest. More patient, More humble, More kind. More loyal. More understanding. More encouraging. More gentle. More raw.<br />I'm beginning to understand that life can be all of the things, all at once. Hard and amazing, Heaven and Hell, torturous, beautiful, raw, peaceful, hectic, dark and light, full and empty, loving and lonely.<br />I say "beginning to" because if I declare a lesson learned, another one starts. Wouldn't want to tempt fate. If you know my story, you can understand my hesitation. Life just keeps on coming.<br />I look back on two years ago and I'm not even remotely the same person. There are parts of her that I mourn. And that's okay. I'm really happy... and sometimes really sad too. And that's okay.<br />I used to point my determination at specific acts. I will run a 50k. I will get my yoga cert. I will climb this mountain, I will get down to 18% body fat. But I think for now, my goals run more along the lines of... I will love fiercely. I will stay vulnerable. I will be present. I will keep trying. I will stay hopeful.<br />I've been planted in this beautiful spot for healing. There is something special in the works- though I can't quite name it. Our new home, new church family, new area is exactly what I need right now.<br />She's gonna be great, this new me.<br /><br />Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-53560166050343836462016-02-13T13:07:00.000-07:002016-02-13T13:07:20.214-07:00Not OkayOn January 6th, I stood on a 16 foot ladder, painting a new wall that was built in effort to make our house more sellable. We were frustrated, but hopeful that the new wall and a new realtor would be the change we needed to finally get out of this odd, lovely house that we grew out of 5 years ago. To pull ourselves from the mire and finally move on. It was supposed to happen.<br />I had been on the ladder for 20 minutes or so, in the very tippy top of the ceiling vault. Slowly, I felt the ladder begin to slip. I clung to the top of it as it scraped down the wall. "Oh, no..... oh, no! Oh no, no no! Somebody help me!" My 10 year old son ran to my aid, trying to push the bottom of the ladder and hold it in place, but the weight and momentum was already too much for him. The ladder foot hit the opposing wall corner and flipped. My arm, with an almost-healed previous shoulder sprain, caught the wall and wrenched the paint cup out of my hand. I detached from the ladder as it clattered against my shin. I landed almost upright, on both feet, but the left one was sideways. The impact sent me into immediate shock. I saw stars. I screamed. The muffled sound of my kids screaming and crying registered around me as I slid my back down the wall and I lowered myself, trembling, into a puddle of spilled paint. "No, no, no. Not again. Please. I can't do this again. I can't."<br />I stayed on my back, shaking uncontrollably, and consciously slowed my breathing as tunnel vision tried to take over. In broken, labored speech, I tried to talk my children out of panic. "It's okay, I'm not okay, but it's okay. Call Dad. Bring me my phone. It's okay."<br />My phone buzzed the moment I got hold of it. It was a text from my lawyer for the IUD case. His firm had decided not to take my case. Awesome.<br />Who to call? Alicia had enough on her plate. Michelle. No answer. Nicole was closest. I'd call her. No answer. Cindy. Cindy makes all the sense. She's got medical training, and she's super calm in emergencies. "Hey Cin." My voice was shaky. "I need help.... I fell off a ladder and I'm injured and laying on the floor in a puddle of paint. I think I broke my foot." She would come.<br />It seemed like the whole world wanted to talk business or check in the moment I was out of it. I got a myriad of texts from different people all at once. Annie, James, Greg, Aaron, Jenna. I needed to cancel the house showing. I needed to get the paint off the floor and wall before it dried there. I needed to breathe. I needed not to be injured.<br />Talon let Cindy in. She jumped into calm action. Checking me for head injuries, asking for juice to raise my blood sugar. We had no juice. Just leftover sparkling cider from New Year celebrations. She cracked it open and I sipped sparkling cider through a straw, still lying in paint. What a celebration.<br />I couldn't get over the mess I had made. Cindy finally grabbed a rag and cleaned up most of the paint just so that I would shut up and focus. <br />"I can't do this again, Cin. I can't." <br />"It's not like last time. No matter what, it's not as bad as last time. You can do this. You're probably experiencing some PTSD. You're okay." <br />"I have a race in 6 weeks! I can't cancel my first ultra AGAIN!!"<br />I called my brother to ask if I could come get checked out and get x-rays. As usual, he was willing. Cindy made calls and rearranged her schedule so that she could drive me to Salt Lake. I called Aaron and told him to meet us at Mike's office. My kids brought my old crutches to get me to the car, and an old towel to protect Cindy's car from my paint splattered clothes. Crutching to the car on a double sprained shoulder was horrid.<br />Cindy kept me talking, and laughing through the pain as we made our way to Mike's office. He was waiting there with his staff, and Aaron.<br /><br />X-rays and adjustments. The films didn't show any breaks, but that's common for new foot injuries. Stay off it, rest, ice. Come back in if you can't weight it once the swelling goes down.<br />8 days later the breaks showed up. Ryan ordered a CT scan. 4 days later, on CT day, I was handed a disc and told to take it to a specialist. 5 days after that, Dr. Gorman told me surgery wouldn't help the outcome, but with breaks in 4 places, I'd be out of commission til April.<br /><br />After the initial trauma faded, I felt like I had it. I could handle this well. This was peanuts compared to what I've already been through. I'm way tougher than all of this. I borrowed a peg-leg knee crutch, which made it easier to be independent and didn't exacerbate my shoulder injuries. If I just kept living, I'd be fine. Right? This was just another upgrade.<br /><br />Less than 24 hrs after listing with a new agent, we got the house offer we'd been waiting for. Two days later, we went house shopping and put in an offer on a dream house. I had been so careful not to fall in love with houses before I could buy one, and finally, it was time.<br />The very next day... the day that we found out that our buyers backed out, a friend and fellow Wasatch Mountain Wrangler's body was found in an avalanche field. Mourning took precedence, and the house went back on the market. The dream house turned into a dream again.<br />
<br />The thing about upgrades is that you have to break down some stuff first. Winter with no running, no mountains, no yoga, no sunshine, and consistent low-level pain has started to take it's toll. We had the big Wrangler Formal last week and while dancing on a scooter wasn't ideal, the night with my friends, being recognized as Crew Chief of the year, laughing and dancing.... it was life-giving. I thought I could make it. Stay positive. I can do this. But my confidence was waning.<br /><br />I can hardly live in my house. We have had something like 16 or 18 showings in the past 11 days. I have scoured my house on one leg and with one good arm more times than I can count. And every showing feels like a personal inspection and rejection.<br /><br />My body chemistry hasn't been good or normal in a very long time, but since my abdominal surgery, my hormone balance has been worse than ever. The only real option a doc will give me is a hysterectomy. And I don't know if I can face another surgery and recovery right now. I wish I hadn't kept my uterus last May. I mitigated it as best I could, and finally conceded that I needed to attempt to do something... again. I decided to try a progesterone cream to try to balance out the estrogen dominance that causes me to lose more blood than 10 normal women do every month. The progesterone makes me angry. Really angry. Depressed. Isolated. Not okay. I stopped using it two days ago. But damage is done. My spirit is a little bit broken. I hate living in my own head. I hate that my amazing husband has to deal with me. I hate that I yell at my kids.<br />
<br />Friends keep asking if I'm okay. When I am with you, I am. When you are in front of me, I am. Honestly. But most of the time now, I'm not. I'm not okay. I think I will be in time.<br />
<br />I love you all. I love that you care. If I knew what could be done to make things better right now, I would do it. I would tell you. You can ask me all you want. But I can't tell you what you can do to help if I don't know.<br /><br />As much as I want to crawl into a deep pit and disappear, I am not done. I will never stop fighting. But sometimes fighting looks like shutting down and waiting out all the things I can't control. It looks like withdrawing, and putting up walls, and hiding from the awful jealousy for those who can get out into the sun.<br /><br />So if I don't answer your texts, emails and calls sometimes, if I opt out of plans, if I say I'm fine when I'm obviously not, it's because there isn't much you can do. It's because I'm deep in survival mode. I don't want to vent anymore. I don't want to express my anger or impatience or sadness anymore, because it just makes it fresh and throws me into a new shame spiral, and drives us all mad. I don't want you to feel bad about it. I love you. And I love that you love me. You might just have to let me be a portion of myself until I can feel whole again. I'm trying. And that has to be enough.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-19202873733302318952015-12-31T18:11:00.001-07:002015-12-31T19:54:48.462-07:002015 in Review: Yep, one of those.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wow 2015. Just wow.<br />
How to I sum up the lowest lows and the highest highs all in one blogpost? I thought 2014 was gutsy, but you.... you just took everything and ran with it.<br />
What happened? Let's break it down.<br />
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<u>January:</u><br />
- The impromptu trip to Moab that changed EVERYTHING. My first significant running distance on my ankle hardware. I ran with Jenna for the first time... this would prove to be incredibly significant in the year to come. The sunset at Fisher Towers that cracked open my depressive cage and set magical things into motion.<br />
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- AcroYoga came back into my life. Bryan and Ashlee and all the acro community. They have helped to build my confidence while keeping me humble and connected.<br />
- I began getting back out on the trails in earnest, hitting up Ogden's Waterfall Canyon with Aaron.<br />
<u>February:</u><br />
- The first annual Wasatch Mountain Wrangler Formal was a huge success and one of the funnest nights of my life thus far.<br />
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Aaron made the year in review video and I still just die of love and laughter every time I watch it!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dedCgvKCs4I" width="560"></iframe><br />
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- Got back on the climbing wall for the first time since my accident.<br />
- Replaced my oven... because it died a drawn out and silly death.<br />
<u>March:</u><br />
- Siri turned 5!<br />
- Saia turned 10 and reached his goal of running 5 miles on Antelope Island!<br />
- Arya turned 7!<br />
- We camped out at "The Wedge" at the San Raphael Swell with a bunch of Wrangler friends and family, and I put in a good 12 miles with Craig and Jenna- two of my favorite people.<br />
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- Our boys and Arya earned their first belt promotions in their homeschool Karate class.<br />
- Aaron ran the Buffalo Run 50 miler in 8:04.<br />
- I ran the Buffalo 25k in... well, it was slow, and it hurt like hell, and I cried my way across the finish line and into the arms of some pregnant lady I didn't know, but I finished it. It was a major moment of victory for me.<br />
Renee came out to surprise me and keep me company, which meant so much!<br />
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- Ended up in the hospital with a horribly painful kidney stone. The required CT scan saved my life. Was diagnosed with liver lesions, and a life-threatening 7 year old rogue IUD.<br />
- Washing machine died just as my kids all got the stomach flu and I was down and out. My neighbors took pukey laundry loads home and returned them clean. My amazing cousin bought us a new washer out of the blue. I am so blessed.<br />
- Had my first MRI. It was terrifying and extremely expensive. It confirmed that my liver lesions were benign and of no current threat to my health. Huge relief.<br />
<u>April:</u><br />
- I left my job at Mountainland Physical Therapy and went on their PRN list. I can never thank them enough for helping me heal. And for allowing me to help others heal. It was a huge part of my recovery.<br />
- Had lithotripsy to break up my kidney stone, and spent some painful, groggy, wheezy, medicated weeks passing the pieces.<br />
- Aaron's brother Nick married Marin. Their wedding was gorgeous and fun, and a welcome distraction from the mess of my health issues. Managed to look pretty despite feeling half-human. And my kids had matching outfits.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51vrS3tCcW9wA59J-T2cext-dcmDtxK1QMc5uPAhoeq6Xc_KjimG7n88sZ8oWH7JUCS7kIQOhyjDX4u0YyTIVPeFGLTDWuW0vhozwDg7TG8_fkicIqmKnc3wM5Ge2yR43Ik3PE8e4RSY/s1600/Wedding+fam.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51vrS3tCcW9wA59J-T2cext-dcmDtxK1QMc5uPAhoeq6Xc_KjimG7n88sZ8oWH7JUCS7kIQOhyjDX4u0YyTIVPeFGLTDWuW0vhozwDg7TG8_fkicIqmKnc3wM5Ge2yR43Ik3PE8e4RSY/s320/Wedding+fam.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
- Took a family trip to Zion while we waited for my scheduled surgery. Aaron and buddies ran the traverse. The kids and I met them at the end with treats and Dew. We stayed in the vacation home of wonderful friends Greg and Janet and had an incredible family experience in Zion National Park and the surrounding area (Toquerville Falls!).<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOU3qbl19HJ8g2xSeK4HnqvdaKpTget-FCea7NSsXYt177LJiCv7j5w5iPjm5wMTMOgDrNsnQDqhO3MmWPeG7MYIZHrIq_6rjxjmJIMG9Yj4lRDbAPr8mMeDPOgnF-0KN8ytSAJuMrIec/s1600/kolob2015.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgFNu7WpX_4-QtKGkD8y4GiUkV7ufOMx85AOBYKcGZgvBB_5B7PiR5o-jCKNxZn_J4UjAVl6Xr_a2zQ8eT8HhcdzTB1LIIq9nMbK6AxmcAiOowICdXgWEw99i7iRy7MrzhDjlKpNR6BE/s1600/Narrowswildthing.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgFNu7WpX_4-QtKGkD8y4GiUkV7ufOMx85AOBYKcGZgvBB_5B7PiR5o-jCKNxZn_J4UjAVl6Xr_a2zQ8eT8HhcdzTB1LIIq9nMbK6AxmcAiOowICdXgWEw99i7iRy7MrzhDjlKpNR6BE/s320/Narrowswildthing.jpg" width="320" /></a><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOU3qbl19HJ8g2xSeK4HnqvdaKpTget-FCea7NSsXYt177LJiCv7j5w5iPjm5wMTMOgDrNsnQDqhO3MmWPeG7MYIZHrIq_6rjxjmJIMG9Yj4lRDbAPr8mMeDPOgnF-0KN8ytSAJuMrIec/s320/kolob2015.jpg" width="320" /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2Pgnm3tbGPSZYJzK8XGM9I1Y-1cIACjZjV-6kDsmK9pkEKWWfJ86xyTkKl9u4uYOa-RgkC976BlANV3bmAFAnweQ4l7exofRnIzQUqn1U6CR01i9lftnqVNrLCTV4bJWGYeWiBvYDWo/s1600/Tville+falls.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2Pgnm3tbGPSZYJzK8XGM9I1Y-1cIACjZjV-6kDsmK9pkEKWWfJ86xyTkKl9u4uYOa-RgkC976BlANV3bmAFAnweQ4l7exofRnIzQUqn1U6CR01i9lftnqVNrLCTV4bJWGYeWiBvYDWo/s320/Tville+falls.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
- Aaron turned 36!<br />
<br />
<u>May:</u><br />
- Our minivan bit the dust.<br />
- I spent time enjoying the little things. Tea parties with my girls, reading aloud to my kids, resting.<br />
- I chopped off 18 inches of hair. Beware the woman who cuts off her hair. Her life is about to change.<br />
- Had a pre-op appointment that confirmed the plan to have a laparoscopic hysterectomy and scared the crap out of me. Threw a tantrum, screamed and cried a bunch, then went running, and put my big girl panties on.<br />
- Exchanged my big girl panties for a hospital gown, woke up from anesthesia to the shock of having had emergency open abdominal surgery. The rogue IUD had been absorbing into my bowel and had it not been found I would have been dead of sepsis within a year. It was a miracle I had made it this long. I was in shock, and grateful. Poor, traumatized Aaron. We both had a lot of psychological recovery to do. Jenna, Matt and Alicia came to get me through my hospital stay. I will always be grateful. It meant the world.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbDQ5mJXkCZ6LfV8XMkdUarnK0TPRIoB2HdoZW-Dx1aXV9guyVph3dj08AeqNni9JUhxw1U9xR192lux2HuEefPb_t5RQFZ5IBrpuhI74nClK-TL3O_PCLF0RWBqqfM9VkL9LxzSFnkM/s1600/hospitaljay.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbDQ5mJXkCZ6LfV8XMkdUarnK0TPRIoB2HdoZW-Dx1aXV9guyVph3dj08AeqNni9JUhxw1U9xR192lux2HuEefPb_t5RQFZ5IBrpuhI74nClK-TL3O_PCLF0RWBqqfM9VkL9LxzSFnkM/s320/hospitaljay.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
- Faced the reality of recovery and PTSD. Hit some of the deepest lows. Lost all optimism. Reached out in desperation and was lifted. My friends were my angels.<br />
- Talon turned 13!<br />
<u>June:</u><br />
-Volunteered at the Bryce 100, running the Pink Cliffs Aid Station with Matt, Alicia, Aaron and friends. We camped out in the freezy freaky weather and I cooked pretty much nonstop. It was amazing. I loved every second.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQPV1eQ7aRi_lrcMSDj5ZGWqMWHBPf5dHfvagUPXtG1o7ZGDX6R1sbEYr7TEFSGJ2qEzwdGtPPqc-eoarnVQeOxHnYw5oS9m59crWHkX9JydVrnCsejHKY45hcBrgRdLpbZtAAxoL8wk/s1600/bryce2015.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0Lvb8hQVduCwBssPeJuZw7nMrBaQ8DNiz7mUTkVqoqJU-EWQHE929tJq8agd5tdClOyAusPidHqcChPFXZGUEP3UN_TgVPqhYSoJyfNjvKBad7hB8AV0o7tkFB_hI9XqNm42uOi5Wc8/s1600/bryce+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0Lvb8hQVduCwBssPeJuZw7nMrBaQ8DNiz7mUTkVqoqJU-EWQHE929tJq8agd5tdClOyAusPidHqcChPFXZGUEP3UN_TgVPqhYSoJyfNjvKBad7hB8AV0o7tkFB_hI9XqNm42uOi5Wc8/s320/bryce+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQPV1eQ7aRi_lrcMSDj5ZGWqMWHBPf5dHfvagUPXtG1o7ZGDX6R1sbEYr7TEFSGJ2qEzwdGtPPqc-eoarnVQeOxHnYw5oS9m59crWHkX9JydVrnCsejHKY45hcBrgRdLpbZtAAxoL8wk/s320/bryce2015.jpeg" width="320" /><br />
<br />
- Started moving again. Got back to the trails a little at a time.<br />
- Spent mucho sanity time with Jenna. Gosh, she saved me.<br />
- Went on a spontaneous campout family reunion in Heber with my parents and siblings. Paddle boarded for the first time. Watched my brothers teach my boys to fish, and my boys catch their first fish!<br />
-Decided it was time to fight. Gave anxiety and depression strong notice that they weren't in charge anymore.<br />
- Went back to yoga.<br />
- Aaron attempted the WURL (Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Linkup), and almost finished on his first attempt. The friends who he went to support, Jennilyn and MVH, went on to finish.<br />
<u>July:</u><br />
- Summited Sardine Peak with Aaron for my first summit since my shattered ankle.<br />
- Replace dying van with our 2009 Aspen.<br />
- Aaron was asked to leave his job of 12.5 years. This was a hard blow, but a blessing in disguise.<br />
- Summited Mt Aire with Jenna<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VIf8WcZvz9fELY8-ABZhI0Bq-Yv87A9H2LXcsQV5eCuT9edcE_YN2NcD98q9C9OJ5bG41X3OmFi2R45XsV5Ze57rgtwtLPBF6K4zMFrVmL4nMOcq-dBCEqz3IZjlVx0ftUXwNu0hvHk/s1600/Aire+with+J.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VIf8WcZvz9fELY8-ABZhI0Bq-Yv87A9H2LXcsQV5eCuT9edcE_YN2NcD98q9C9OJ5bG41X3OmFi2R45XsV5Ze57rgtwtLPBF6K4zMFrVmL4nMOcq-dBCEqz3IZjlVx0ftUXwNu0hvHk/s320/Aire+with+J.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
- Went back to AcroYoga<br />
- Attended a backbend workshop to celebrate my 1 year ankle anniversary.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdzuaCFWl8jiVnmScTnCJ7o1pBeJ0rpIu3-68u6ipGtMDy8-yX5O28_ZHoLPibyXt0CPC4LtlhkYXgqUac_OIuSmUSbBAa5UYBnnGjTIyZSjxIgMvgWLEmegi4s8D10DkTyquGlrZvvg/s1600/yoga+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdzuaCFWl8jiVnmScTnCJ7o1pBeJ0rpIu3-68u6ipGtMDy8-yX5O28_ZHoLPibyXt0CPC4LtlhkYXgqUac_OIuSmUSbBAa5UYBnnGjTIyZSjxIgMvgWLEmegi4s8D10DkTyquGlrZvvg/s320/yoga+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
- Talon, Saia and Arya earned their 2nd belt promotions in Karate.<br />
- Summited Mt. Superior with Jenna<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3rON1aZePc4v1LA-8Kn3ZsaEslRKajKY-0NTGxsGyoHJiITzPvyZ4PLMDicaibmUVQRaFaBuqrvozkY50Uc7Q-fd5c01FG18JL37CNtW70-i7GG4R_MBAlGWMBas3je4RkUYcwzMUI8/s1600/Superior+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH3rON1aZePc4v1LA-8Kn3ZsaEslRKajKY-0NTGxsGyoHJiITzPvyZ4PLMDicaibmUVQRaFaBuqrvozkY50Uc7Q-fd5c01FG18JL37CNtW70-i7GG4R_MBAlGWMBas3je4RkUYcwzMUI8/s320/Superior+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
- Volunteered at the Speedgoat 50k with Aaron and friends. I really love volunteering at races.<br />
<u>August:</u><br />
- We camped out in the Tushar Mountains and crewed/cheered Aaron and so many friends at the crazy tough Tushars 93k. Yet another Wrangler Party!<br />
- Attended Outdoor Retailer.<br />
- Celebrated our 14th Anniversary! I'm so lucky to have Aaron!<br />
- Aaron accepted a position with Oracle in Lehi, UT.<br />
- We went to HAWAII!!! Through the heaven-led generosity of our dear friend Dean, we were able to visit my parents on Oahu and have the most beautiful, appreciated vacation ever! We made the most of beaches, waterfalls and mountains, we climbed banyan trees, we snorkeled with a sea turtle, we boogie boarded, we ate from food trucks and local joints and loved every second of our time there. There was no better place I could have celebrated my 33rd birthday!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWAqPCE9jKAANoWvKNtqAYdEjK4vvOMe1FTQbyk2Afru_l81eNewemaxFUvIPupylpiMnPgjDnzWnZAOKrRBDZhlYGQD_QjR3jh00Fcr0MGFbTqwyHhDuFJjVYMRwFI7xip2R1Kf9h24/s1600/Pu%2527u.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOwOr337T_QcfH-EDIWq9YXyi64uZ6VHIXxKJUInUuwunhIYeArxc53ZI0sAvxqOK-EkM0vNLTbCWEwdVnnuw3j0culSlvXMQsD4J-Lm0A0KsB9A8imjxJ9KFgfp0YUwTfExsyCnIlOk/s1600/mermaid.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOwOr337T_QcfH-EDIWq9YXyi64uZ6VHIXxKJUInUuwunhIYeArxc53ZI0sAvxqOK-EkM0vNLTbCWEwdVnnuw3j0culSlvXMQsD4J-Lm0A0KsB9A8imjxJ9KFgfp0YUwTfExsyCnIlOk/s320/mermaid.jpg" width="320" /></a><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWAqPCE9jKAANoWvKNtqAYdEjK4vvOMe1FTQbyk2Afru_l81eNewemaxFUvIPupylpiMnPgjDnzWnZAOKrRBDZhlYGQD_QjR3jh00Fcr0MGFbTqwyHhDuFJjVYMRwFI7xip2R1Kf9h24/s320/Pu%2527u.jpg" width="320" /><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjr76OO5lamwnV6j8W5KptGtJ1Wc9xXgcRAMDQLjCpkdzJnHgBpunpCB5d4Qa4rxO5g3IKoxZZvIn0JdJoSoJ3iZrWCop25v8R-Kr_S4ipGqgV1QufLseb4GMezhjF6zU3ourAEd8FSRU/s1600/turtle.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjr76OO5lamwnV6j8W5KptGtJ1Wc9xXgcRAMDQLjCpkdzJnHgBpunpCB5d4Qa4rxO5g3IKoxZZvIn0JdJoSoJ3iZrWCop25v8R-Kr_S4ipGqgV1QufLseb4GMezhjF6zU3ourAEd8FSRU/s320/turtle.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGWtNXrmeqEyoXbC5Ndp0HEBk5JdglphMBCPvc4UVcAlI_U5VIEKycc3wDxOdbJTXiHCyZW-u4EQgmNKuN9WMkU5xpMj4ZekGMJy5z7hO-LuaOMmQwGfpwEgJANGtJUanUhbBwmHXn0cs/s1600/beach.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGWtNXrmeqEyoXbC5Ndp0HEBk5JdglphMBCPvc4UVcAlI_U5VIEKycc3wDxOdbJTXiHCyZW-u4EQgmNKuN9WMkU5xpMj4ZekGMJy5z7hO-LuaOMmQwGfpwEgJANGtJUanUhbBwmHXn0cs/s320/beach.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIEPIUgdKS0Co2P0V58-8hklgKi-xz1V_InpMqI8M0_O3vHSLjMfaOg2gfnIOwJ894u18Zaqe8hOs7JuRlrA6BQn1chsJ8T9QPsSr0IQMbIqg58RsRWzcFsnpUJe_rfXNdoTBHnwcP4I/s1600/banyan.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYL6ngVHtQSNdWoLp9zV7Ri4B5N7iljWg4BIyQRIP0RgwdIm9FBEha7ZQlVluLR_ZPvWUMwB8vk9YdYxp271YO0-BUoXuBeXVTt_Bf95VFX-YhlxmYc76EGIXIW2Ey-cwOAdb4M4pga1c/s1600/beachkiss.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYL6ngVHtQSNdWoLp9zV7Ri4B5N7iljWg4BIyQRIP0RgwdIm9FBEha7ZQlVluLR_ZPvWUMwB8vk9YdYxp271YO0-BUoXuBeXVTt_Bf95VFX-YhlxmYc76EGIXIW2Ey-cwOAdb4M4pga1c/s320/beachkiss.jpg" width="320" /></a><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIEPIUgdKS0Co2P0V58-8hklgKi-xz1V_InpMqI8M0_O3vHSLjMfaOg2gfnIOwJ894u18Zaqe8hOs7JuRlrA6BQn1chsJ8T9QPsSr0IQMbIqg58RsRWzcFsnpUJe_rfXNdoTBHnwcP4I/s320/banyan.jpg" width="240" /><br />
<br />
- Aaron started work at Oracle.<br />
-Finished off August with stitches to Saia's head. :P<br />
<u>September:</u><br />
- More family hikes and homeschooling.<br />
- Took a day trip to Bear Lake with family.<br />
- Took a spontaneous trip to Lake Powell with Jenna (Aaron is the very best husband for letting me go!) Stayed on a Houseboat with our friend Jen and her amazing family. Soaked up so much sun and water. Made the most of the trip home through Capitol Reef.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkCGzPi8PbMSP6DvOZ2hSTifQP2aNIiWlpVJtwduNxG63ZB7mVCKgcHNdvFUZgSaVyyV7K0Vd62SpRt3t9s05BEe_gaoWKB3p2nfpM_6TIPwNK8kyC6oPs5nBMjRPT2HWPD3q7JlapSxs/s1600/Jpowell.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7pW_B8VZ6ICt_FisKT4heSR_WuatKW9QeDTm8N4dCz-YiaONAcFwkRVq3E1GMMS3d8jg2muqT9LRNQeKUuSf9K1BOoDJcTQeGI4dNadW2XpMLGvPx79coDyRUhS2qhqZj9q5fvEsUtBE/s1600/powell.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7pW_B8VZ6ICt_FisKT4heSR_WuatKW9QeDTm8N4dCz-YiaONAcFwkRVq3E1GMMS3d8jg2muqT9LRNQeKUuSf9K1BOoDJcTQeGI4dNadW2XpMLGvPx79coDyRUhS2qhqZj9q5fvEsUtBE/s320/powell.jpg" width="256" /></a><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkCGzPi8PbMSP6DvOZ2hSTifQP2aNIiWlpVJtwduNxG63ZB7mVCKgcHNdvFUZgSaVyyV7K0Vd62SpRt3t9s05BEe_gaoWKB3p2nfpM_6TIPwNK8kyC6oPs5nBMjRPT2HWPD3q7JlapSxs/s320/Jpowell.jpg" width="320" /><br />
<br />
- Crewed Kenzie through the Bear 100. Aaron paced his brother Matt for 15 miles. Had an amazing weekend cheering and helping friends and absolutely loving their company.<br />
- My cute girlies got their ears pierced.<br />
<u>October:</u><br />
- Signed up to run the Antelope Canyon 55k in February. I'm scared spitless... and so excited.<br />
- Summited Gold Ridge with Aaron.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAEiJR1hMk6TtlqbFK4UEX4oFzNQIG5WBjcR9yGJC2oYzalTl9jRaBWXxsgrfAtzzgsFpj4piqgPtdB2u1vR9u2eYT6684lmpO7vdv3gFNIj1FVZNsriBXDTHxzA5Lr5F7XtLgGqB0cU/s1600/Gold+Ridge.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdAEiJR1hMk6TtlqbFK4UEX4oFzNQIG5WBjcR9yGJC2oYzalTl9jRaBWXxsgrfAtzzgsFpj4piqgPtdB2u1vR9u2eYT6684lmpO7vdv3gFNIj1FVZNsriBXDTHxzA5Lr5F7XtLgGqB0cU/s320/Gold+Ridge.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
- Summited Sunset Peak with Jenna<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsx1jdwBdNHrRE_ZDHxJGotx4wTHX1m9gAyuhUolu87M_Dg34NwCpRR3bP9W27yabFBmC07MziXgDHC1FMCGku10EOpMQYK48DY3j-5sNCPSM7Hwidgz50ZYRMDd05JYidTcjLWwiuc4/s1600/Sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsx1jdwBdNHrRE_ZDHxJGotx4wTHX1m9gAyuhUolu87M_Dg34NwCpRR3bP9W27yabFBmC07MziXgDHC1FMCGku10EOpMQYK48DY3j-5sNCPSM7Hwidgz50ZYRMDd05JYidTcjLWwiuc4/s320/Sunset.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
- Earned my High White Belt in Tae Kwon Do.<br />
- Summited Pfeifferhorn with Jenna and Ashley<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPXgYvJnwYzal6SMzCQqP32kGQAFVaS_ZukqUL6RDzr7ORUCsDT1JzxNV_FC9fRJrtmzAlwMbaK6b70icBu_I5xKi-6cy_PhZsxzWC8IWAWwhL_Ucn69n7F03J73Y8ZFCMObQy6P4pcs/s1600/Pfeiff.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPXgYvJnwYzal6SMzCQqP32kGQAFVaS_ZukqUL6RDzr7ORUCsDT1JzxNV_FC9fRJrtmzAlwMbaK6b70icBu_I5xKi-6cy_PhZsxzWC8IWAWwhL_Ucn69n7F03J73Y8ZFCMObQy6P4pcs/s320/Pfeiff.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
- Attended the CHVRCHES concert with Aaron, Jenna, Merete, MVH, Brent and his darling daughter. So awesome.<br />
- Made out with Autumn<br />
- Practically made out with Jenna<br />
- Absolutely made out with Aaron<br />
- Summited Olympus on Halloween morning, dressed as a mermaid... with a bazillion Wranglers in costume. So much fun!<br />
<u>November:</u><br />
-Summited Big Baldy with Jenna<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDj9RrwwNXUwsmCyZ2UdlYaN1nwiFPoBRKW8LHoSYrIdiJB1hpvuDq6sK9XVM57Gw0EZbl72YUQbP6plz7ClmfIhY-XkLu7nWRu9J7We7IsXpZxaCSiAX6KbWPsgqJkqp1OEFLtELzGrw/s1600/Baldy.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDj9RrwwNXUwsmCyZ2UdlYaN1nwiFPoBRKW8LHoSYrIdiJB1hpvuDq6sK9XVM57Gw0EZbl72YUQbP6plz7ClmfIhY-XkLu7nWRu9J7We7IsXpZxaCSiAX6KbWPsgqJkqp1OEFLtELzGrw/s320/Baldy.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
- Summited Gold Ridge again... with Jenna<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWT_FmS4sz0tJBf3zXZyFH8X1xdUXUQq-TGKXtRuIjl6ywoLxRbvEp0ABD0J38oXyAlW90-F7sJ9qU1n7LakctWfv2LA1D_C4YMh_TXRZ3_ELo-SqCU0_pwiDOhrac33uIqFJJr3OIgk/s1600/Gold+Ridge+J.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWT_FmS4sz0tJBf3zXZyFH8X1xdUXUQq-TGKXtRuIjl6ywoLxRbvEp0ABD0J38oXyAlW90-F7sJ9qU1n7LakctWfv2LA1D_C4YMh_TXRZ3_ELo-SqCU0_pwiDOhrac33uIqFJJr3OIgk/s320/Gold+Ridge+J.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
- Listed the house for sale.<br />
- Our boys earned their third belt promotions in Karate.<br />
- Went as a family to Monument Valley with Ultra Adventures and TAUR friends to perform service for Navajo families there. We slept in a hogan, re-mudded a sweat lodge, ran up a mesa, tore down a condemned house, helped finish up a building interior, worked on trails, installed composting toilets and solar panels, and rebuilt a sheep pen. We rubbed shoulders with the salt of the earth. We met Annie and Brad (this would prove significant).<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-5CXhyphenhyphenmeak6o9GkbQKr6nbFVpXNwplOpkMoF3GATqNena8nE-ZNzSoQs5FHeqbUTgi4U4K-WWcezYJlrWw193FaBAB-T-doh1MWJq46kegOFEcLI2ahPtkoqkzqaDneuKlPzxuUB9zI/s1600/MVk.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-5CXhyphenhyphenmeak6o9GkbQKr6nbFVpXNwplOpkMoF3GATqNena8nE-ZNzSoQs5FHeqbUTgi4U4K-WWcezYJlrWw193FaBAB-T-doh1MWJq46kegOFEcLI2ahPtkoqkzqaDneuKlPzxuUB9zI/s320/MVk.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
- Summited Grandeur with Jenna.<br />
- Summited Frary Peak on Antelope Island with Aaron and Miju<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafN9CLXsXhVFCzHRCpiL5K8OT66xX-SiHocHMcru-Le79fwCQS5p4mrq5Geant6C-GPY7OlqhQ57WJAPort_3WHszCN79UmhNXz64PeOTUNzTA4qtS0mWfJe_cvppcJPZObhPMNIzy4c/s1600/Fary.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafN9CLXsXhVFCzHRCpiL5K8OT66xX-SiHocHMcru-Le79fwCQS5p4mrq5Geant6C-GPY7OlqhQ57WJAPort_3WHszCN79UmhNXz64PeOTUNzTA4qtS0mWfJe_cvppcJPZObhPMNIzy4c/s320/Fary.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<u>December:</u><br />
- Siri earned her first karate promotion.<br />
- Summited (snicker) Meridian Peak and Ensign Peak with Aaron (for his hundredth peak this year!)<br />
- Started adventuring with Annie. She gets me. We laugh... a lot.<br />
- Sprained my shoulder and tore the labrum in a freak AcroYoga accident. C'est la vie!<br />
- Summited (heehee) Flag Rock to hide my Secret Wrangler gift.<br />
-Aaron and I summited Cave Peak in a blizzard with 80 mph and thigh deep drifts to try to find our Secret Wrangler Gifts. We did not succeed!<br />
-Annie, Brad and I summited Cave Peak AGAIN, with snow shoes in 13 degree temps, to succeed in finding the gifts. There was much laughter. It was worth it.<br />
-Snowventured up Lamb's Canyon to find Jenna's gift. Laughed so hard.<br />
-Snowventured up Millcreek Canyon with Brad, Annie and Andrew to find Andrew's gift. It was amazing.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsVCGj5cko21WkY5FBBxfS5OdaRnLEaEXCT69EuHAWePB-3B0kWBX93jBNd04IEbbpGKMZMXEnzxsrXfJq99Y3N1HWhPun6iRhYlN5fRuVsFSC72f7NV3PnE0g-1O69etZ-GVsik2j39c/s1600/Millcreek.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsVCGj5cko21WkY5FBBxfS5OdaRnLEaEXCT69EuHAWePB-3B0kWBX93jBNd04IEbbpGKMZMXEnzxsrXfJq99Y3N1HWhPun6iRhYlN5fRuVsFSC72f7NV3PnE0g-1O69etZ-GVsik2j39c/s320/Millcreek.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
- Snowventured to summit Avenues Twin Peaks with Brad, Annie, and Aaron to find Annie's gift partway up Little Black. Again with the laughter and awe.<br />
- Spent my last day of 2015 snowventuring up Mueller Park with Aaron.<br />
<br />
452+ miles<br />
95,500+ feet of elevation<br />
125+ hours of mountain time<br />
<br />
Looking back on this year overwhelms me. I am so blessed!! So much has happened. None of us are the same people we were when this year began. There has been more pain, sadness, joy, laughter, love and change than I ever could have imagined. So much is still up in the air. We are poised for so much more change in 2016.<br />
<br />
More than anything, I am grateful. I LOVE our life!!!<br />
May you and yours make the most of your stories as they happen. Don't accept excuses, and be champions of your own happiness. Happy New Year!!<br />
So much love,<br />
KakesKakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-65131566400602885732015-07-16T20:59:00.000-06:002015-07-16T20:59:04.723-06:00The Strangeness of PeaceIf I were my friend, I would look at the laundry list of things from the past year and say, "Oh honey. You've been through so much. You are amazing. I'm here for you. Hang in there." So I am trying to be that friend. To be there for myself no matter what. To rally other friends around on hard days and to raucously celebrate the good ones.<br />
<br />My husband was given the opportunity to leave his job this past week. By that, I mean he is burnt out after 13 years with the same company and was essentially asked to "plan an exit strategy". We had just bought a car the day before, and despite the assurance that our Out of Pocket Maximum has been met, the medical bills have kept coming. I feel that considering all that has happened in the past year, I would be justified in throwing a big fat tantrum. I should be panicking, right? The moment I heard of his meeting at work, I hit my knees. I didn't pray for magical solutions. I didn't curse God or ask why. I have learned that life is going to go on happening, and most of the time the only big beautiful miracle is that you get through the tough times, and you get to keep on living. I simply prayed for Peace. I prayed for the strength to handle whatever this new challenge would bring. That was an easy prayer for God to answer, since all of that peace and strength lives inside me. He introduces me to new depths of it every day. From the moment my knees touched the carpet, I have felt it. The panic and anxiety surge at times, but the Peace soothes over them like a calming balm. I think the only other pervasive feeling has been a sadness at watching my strong and fearless mountain man struggle. He is so brave. I pray for his peace and his courage. I cannot give him mine.<br /><br />After a difficult year of roller coaster drama, permeating sadness, anxiety, anger, and confusion, the feeling of Peace is somewhat strange. It comes with the understanding that this is change that we begged for, hoped for, cried many tears for. It is time to move from our mucked in little stuck spot. It is harder than expected, but this is us, heading in the right direction.<br /><br /><br />Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-80394053863051091672015-07-05T23:43:00.000-06:002015-07-05T23:46:35.066-06:00Mushy Thoughts On Not Dying<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The funny thing about not dying is that it's a lot like just living, but with certain expectations attached, and with certain attachments that you'd never dream to expect.<br />
It makes me wonder how many times in a day we skirt death unknowingly. How many of my loved ones did I almost lose today? How much longer would I hold them if I knew? I'm pretty sure there would be a lot more "Breath Hugs". You know, where you hug someone and then settle in for a full 'breathe together' moment that makes you just let go and be for a sec. Yeah. Those are my favorite kind. Never had one? Try it. It's better than melty chocolate. It's just that good.<br />
What else? More thoughtful moments. More spontaneous 'yes' acts. More checking in just for the sake of checking in. More fending off sharp thoughts before they became sharp words that we regret later. More kindness.<br />
Ever wonder what it's like to walk into somewhere like church or yoga class after you've not died? For the most part, nothing changes... except you. People are still living their stories, and rightly so. Not many people look at you and think, "Man, she was like millimeters from sepsis and sudden horrible death not so long ago. She had to get cut open to save her life! Glad she's still around! Break out the balloons!"<br />
Surprisingly, to me my story matters a little less, while everyone else's story matters a little more. I think a lot more about what others have been through, and I think about how I make people feel. It's not a new concept. Our girl Maya Angelou has been talking about it for decades.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0FKPM3d9S7LRWY0ZDm80It2m7iIxeFl4qm7bj08pnL-DaaE7L7ncTocPXPjgRhmqYWAqKVpnlWhJYkVbE5StoPAGvwly8Cdj60TJAYT9-sfxWEJFprTEzlmoal_ZqrXzR_Yjw1hh3B4/s1600/How-you-made-them-feel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0FKPM3d9S7LRWY0ZDm80It2m7iIxeFl4qm7bj08pnL-DaaE7L7ncTocPXPjgRhmqYWAqKVpnlWhJYkVbE5StoPAGvwly8Cdj60TJAYT9-sfxWEJFprTEzlmoal_ZqrXzR_Yjw1hh3B4/s320/How-you-made-them-feel.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still a fave. Thanks Maya.</td></tr>
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It plays through my head constantly lately. The truth of it rings in my bones. How do you make people feel? You may be witty and clever, but at what expense? You may even be right, but will your "rightness" matter at all to the person who was wrong if you weren't kind? It will not. Take one extra second to consider. How do you make people feel?<br />
My Mama is the best example of this. She is a beautiful woman with a bright, wide smile and soft blue eyes. She has followed my daddy around the world, often not knowing the native language of the people she is connecting with, but never failing to connect. Never failing to draw a sweet child into her lap simply by exuding love. Children know. They know when your arms are a safe place and when the door to your heart has so long ago lost its hinges that it sits wide open to them. This is my Mama. I can see now that someday life's blows will wear me down, break me up, and only serve to make me soft like her. Those many moments when the temptation arises to clam up and turn hard against the pain, to cut myself off and slowly wither, I think of my Mama. I think of the life sustaining love that is salve to my soul, and I can't. I just can't. When the question comes, "Can I give up yet?" This is my answer. My mama, and all of those many who have made me <b><i>feel</i></b>. Loved, important, inspired, beautiful, powerful, strong, soft, shiny, amazing, real, happy. All of those people to whom I might return the favor- who are encouraged by my courage. <b><i>You</i></b> are my answer.<br />
More often than not, I have questioned what it is that I believe. <br />
Know this: I believe that there is a God in Heaven who grants us miracles, and I believe without a doubt that WE are those miracles for each other. WE are the tools in His hands. And even as we are receiving the miracle of someone else's love and encouragement, we are creating miracles for others just by continuing to live and love.<br />
So keep living and keep loving, my friends. You did not die today. You can be a force for good.<br />
<br />
Much Love,<br />
<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Kristyan</span></i></b>Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-44485043623087914682015-06-22T16:04:00.000-06:002015-06-22T16:51:03.115-06:00Fighting BackWhen I found out about my rogue IUD and the need to go under the knife again, I swore that I wouldn't let myself get to the depths of depression and anxiety that I had battled tooth and nail after my ankle reconstruction.<br />
I didn't want the drama, the stress, the utter despair. I was careful. I was aware. Or so I thought. I didn't even realize I was slipping. I didn't identify the dull haze of apathy as leading me to the same place. I put on a good face. I enjoyed time with my family and friends, and relished their attention when I had it. I was genuinely happy in those moments. But behind everything, there was relentless pain and a heavy question weighting my chest..."What is the point?" I had no goals. I had given up on becoming. I didn't think I was allowed to become anymore. I just ...was. I encouraged loved ones, with my undying optimism and empathy. I was everything for everyone else... but not for me. Life was good... but not for me. Adventures were out there waiting to be had.... but not for me. Greatness was within reach and the future looked bright.... but not for me. The exhausted sense of surrender subtly grew until every morning I woke with the same thought. "Can I give up yet?" I felt like a peacefully drowning toddler who suddenly realizes she can't breathe, and just what that might mean. It wasn't like me not to tread water. This wasn't me!!<br />
<br />
I had a particularly poignant panic attack the other day. I had taken the kids on an incredible camping trip with my family while Aaron was off running the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay. We had both arrived home exhausted. I laid on Aaron's warm chest, staring at the ceiling, and wailing aloud every massively crushing fear as tears coursed down the sides of my face and filled my ears. What if I'm not allowed to have good anymore? What if no one really loves me and it's all just pity? What if I have lost every bit of fitness and I'm just getting flabbier and weaker by the minute? What if my haircut just makes me look like a fat boy? What if I never get to do the things I love again? What if the copper toxicity that has ravaged my mind and trashed my body is permanent? What if it triggers early onset Alzheimers and I can't remember my family anymore, and they are stuck with the insane husk of what used to be me? "I'm serious! I'm so screwed up, Babe!! I'm so screwed up!!"<br />
To Aaron's credit, he only laughed once. After proper amounts of support and discussion, and promising me that things would get better, he very gingerly reminded me, in not so many words, that these episodes effect him and the kids. Which sent me into a fresh spiral of guilt, but which also gave me fresh motivation to pull myself together and look outside myself to care for them. We ate dinner around nine that night, but it was home cooked and healthy.<br />
<br />
The next morning was Father's Day. I stuffed my anxiety deep into my chest and did my best to make this day about him. My emotional thrashing had nixed my preparatory trip to the store the night before, so I made do. Aaron looked me in the eyes and asked me not to feel guilty, and to just enjoy the day with him. It told him I would. Sometime mid-day, I sat at my computer while he napped. My eyes swept the messy desk around me and paused on a CD set that Aaron had gotten for free from some motivational seminar. "Building a Mind of Steel: The key to managing your little voices" by Kirk Duncan. I popped it in my disk drive and put on my headphones. It was cheesy, but the longer I listened, the more it applied to me. I hadn't realized just how much I had stopped believing. I'd turned a blind eye to the fact that I was letting those dark little voices have their way. I made lists, I started the exercises. I began to fight. In the program there is a challenge to write a positive affirmation strong enough to combat the negative narrative. "Imagine if you read this about yourself every night before bed? How would that affect you?"<br />
Don't laugh. Here is mine:<br />
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">I am an intelligent and voracious learner. I am strong. I am gracious and kind, unpresuming and generous. I am unstoppable, determined, and positive. I am an inspiration to those around me. I am free and uncluttered. I am wise and decisive. I am honest, authentic, real, and unapologetic. I accept the details of myself. I own the good and the bad in the knowledge that everything changes, including me. </i><i style="font-weight: bold;">I am whole as I am. </i><i style="font-weight: bold;">I am my own hero. I am a champion of LOVE. I accept the challenge to grow, to improve, to expand. I am adored. I am secure. I radiate JOY. I live in faith and trust, in myself, in my God, and in those around me. </i><br />
<br />
This is my fight. I will not quietly drown in doubt and fear. I will not let the little voices win.<br />
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<br />Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-8258654847136988252015-05-25T17:46:00.000-06:002015-05-27T17:23:22.688-06:00Things We Can't Control<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>**Warning: This post is pretty raw, and contains some graphic pictures and descriptions. If you get queasy at such things, proceed with caution. If your morbid curiosity just got all excited, by all means, have at it.</i></div>
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On Thursday, May 7th, I drove to Ogden, greeted my friend Rachel at her salon, and asked her to cut my 18 inches of hair off. The thought of handing my unconscious body off to doctors and nurses again was nauseating to me. I needed to feel in control of <i>something.</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chop Chop</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> I sat in her salon chair and we got to chatting about ridiculously personal things, (such as one does with a hairdresser, ) the giant elephant of the year came up- my health. I had until Monday to decide what my surgery was going to be. I was still undecided. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Hysterectomy? BEST thing I've ever done... as long as they leave your ovaries."</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This was the fourth time I had heard this from a friend with experience. Rachel's gorgeous mother chimed in and agreed from the chair in the corner behind me. Number 5. </span></div>
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<i>Heaven help me, I might actually do this</i>.<br />
<br />
As I drove home with the window down and the radio blasting, short hair ruffling in the wind, I didn't know if the haircut made me feel any more in control, but it sure was a nice distraction.<br />
<br />
I was feeling pretty on edge for the weekend. I tried to remain calm. I'm pretty sure no one who offered me a hug knew that I wanted to dive into their arms and beg them to hold me together. <br />
I attended one more yoga class on Friday. Bryan greeted me with compliments to my hair and a big hug. I squeezed him hard. <i>Don't forget to let go.</i><br />
<br />
I savored that class, knowing it would be my last for a while.<br />
<br />
Monday morning brought my pre-op consultation. I was ready to take full advantage of this appointment. I fired question after question and was upfront about my indecision.<br />
"I just want to give you as much information as possible, and let you decide." Dr. Fillerup was frank and thorough. In the end, with the facts as we knew them, I decided I didn't like the risk factors of bleeding out and decided to simplify things by choosing the laparoscopic hysterectomy. I had no idea that it wouldn't be my choice anyway.<br />
I walked out of the office with extensive instructions for a day of strict liquid diet and laxatives followed by fasting on surgery day. Sounded like a real party.<br />
Aaron decided he wasn't feeling well and he would work from home the rest of the day. It didn't take long for my inner composure to start unraveling. Aaron took one look at my face, and expressed his support of one last run. I changed my clothes, tied on my brand new Altra Superior 2.0s, told him I'd be in Mueller park, and got in the car. As I leaned into the steep road heading up 400 North, I thought I might puke. I was about to fly apart. And then I screamed. A ragged, raging, almost deafening scream. I was shocked at the anguish that came out of my body. Primal anger, fear, frustration, so much more that I didn't even realize had been brewing, pent up in my chest. I screamed again, this time from my toes and finished it off with a sob. It then I was done. That was it. No more.<br />
<br />
When I pulled up at the trail head, I was already feeling better. Lock the car, stow the keys, start the watch, and walk. I had no expectations, but when it felt good to run, I ran, and when it didn't, I walked. There were very few people on the trail. The temps were perfect, sunshine and shade in beautiful harmony. I needed this. The longer the miles, the better it felt to run them. I gave myself credit for living a bold life, and for handling the cards I'd been dealt, until I was running with my head high, confident that I could handle whatever was coming my way. It's funny, whenever I get sort of a mental grasp on how strong and brave I am, I see everyone else in a new light. What are they going through that I have no clue about? What scars are they carrying? What major events made them who they are and brought them to where they are now? I like to think it makes me kinder- to them and to myself.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDFgLXOhmra9qMtq9NdFIcC1Uxsg2yvOJ5l8R1qkNK9gNOrOrts7nzNCbsCwu586OYhKn50mhDAyVwTbGmyocNNi8F6dfFvWPgUEj6Il5-Z5OsTla1xIs-RP9hKY2CbW7H28rK3EK0ug/s1600/IMG_8369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDFgLXOhmra9qMtq9NdFIcC1Uxsg2yvOJ5l8R1qkNK9gNOrOrts7nzNCbsCwu586OYhKn50mhDAyVwTbGmyocNNi8F6dfFvWPgUEj6Il5-Z5OsTla1xIs-RP9hKY2CbW7H28rK3EK0ug/s320/IMG_8369.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Mountain warrior<br />
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I finished the run feeling all revved up, like a warrior going to battle, at peace with what must be done. I was pleasantly surprised at how good 7 miles could feel after not running for over a month, and knowing I wouldn't run again for a while. I would miss it.<br />
<br />
Liquid diets are not fun. Good friends took my kids to the homeschool opera performance so that I could stay home and deal with laxatives and all that jazz. By evening, when I cooked dinner for my family and sucked down my last smoothie, I was hangry. And then the fast began. <br />
The next morning when I woke the kids to kiss them goodbye, I was not feeling like a warrior. We made it through check-in and paid another chunk of change to the hospital. We were SO close to meeting our out-of-pocket maximum for the year. Aaron held my hand and made me laugh through all of the preparations. One of our bishopric members, and anesthesiologist, had seen my name on the surgery list and dropped in to my pre-op room to wish us luck. I kissed Aaron goodbye and they wheeled me into the OR. There was less ado this time around. Dr. Fillerup and the nurses helped me get into position on the operating table and piled me all snuggled up in warm blankets, distracting me with being cared for as the jagged ache of anesthesia made it's way up my arm. Sleep.<br />
<br />
I awoke to confusion and pain. They were getting me settled into my room.<br />
"Things didn't go as expected."<br />
I didn't understand.<br />
Garbled tidbits of information made it through the anesthesia and morphine haze.<br />
No hysterectomy.<br />
They had to open you up.<br />
Attached to the bowel.<br />
Longer recovery.<br />
<br />
I just really needed to pee.<br />
"Doesn't she have a catheter? No?"<br />
The nurses tried to help me up to go to the bathroom, but I didn't make it. Too much pain. Not alert enough. So they laid me back down and I closed my eyes, drifting at the edge of consciousness while one nurse coached a trainee on how to place a catheter. This was a nightmare. It had to be.<br />
Ow. Ow. Ow. OW. Please, no! OW! OW!!!<br />
They shushed and cooed at me like I was a baby until it was in place.<br />
<i>Please let me just disappear.</i> I laid in my hospital bed with my eyes closed and cried.<br />
My drug-fogged mind couldn't grasp what was happening, what had happened. <br />
Aaron tried to explain it to me with tears in his eyes. His chin shook a little. He had had to make big decisions. <br />
Dr. Fillerup had prepped me for hysterectomy and tried to find the lost IUD via laparoscopy as planned. But it wasn't where we thought it was. It wasn't sticking out of the uterine wall as expected. The uterus was intact. After searching through my abdomen, she'd found the string, down low on the left side, the IUD was encapsulated in a large amount of scar tissue and absorbing into the wall of my colon. <br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSczGGzAReIgM9GTb1xcpTXpyhTU8qZkZwqrdDM5VzOW42SwAh0pzXuPVCfdqIOiNO4dQxg3xgwqrh2AcH3rguzWCj_qfJK3tnO7MvecbkYcwbrPpCRic-8ZqQC-ZoFOkdTIBplT1fgtg/s1600/IMG_8512-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSczGGzAReIgM9GTb1xcpTXpyhTU8qZkZwqrdDM5VzOW42SwAh0pzXuPVCfdqIOiNO4dQxg3xgwqrh2AcH3rguzWCj_qfJK3tnO7MvecbkYcwbrPpCRic-8ZqQC-ZoFOkdTIBplT1fgtg/s320/IMG_8512-001.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Little string peeking out of the scar tissue<br />
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</td></tr>
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This was not good news. She had never seen this before. All simplicity went out the window. She had paused the surgery, consulted a general surgeon, and come out to the waiting room to show Aaron pictures and ask him what they should do. He was not prepared to make that decision.<br />
"Can we wake her up and ask her?" They decided against it, knowing I'd probably be too groggy and confused to make a decision, and not wanting to put me through a second surgery.<br />
He had called Alicia, panicked and desperate for advice. Alicia is a worrier. She panicked too.<br />
In short order they decided I should keep my uterus, and the docs decided they would need to use the remaining surgery time window, cut open my abdomen, and cut the IUD and surrounding scar tissue from the bowel wall. <br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCh9RxyWuq3MJT1xhDR0xSj7qpGMsfjsQEtobPz39B6lfVbEHnfygi8z4g8saUeTi0M0KRycTvBF-1mz6BBWgR1K3lXX_QQhGtgLEw6zweFD9GCKgUmhuW1llZduZ7yovC4gec7igWnnI/s1600/IMG_8513-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCh9RxyWuq3MJT1xhDR0xSj7qpGMsfjsQEtobPz39B6lfVbEHnfygi8z4g8saUeTi0M0KRycTvBF-1mz6BBWgR1K3lXX_QQhGtgLEw6zweFD9GCKgUmhuW1llZduZ7yovC4gec7igWnnI/s320/IMG_8513-001.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Cut it out!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkBL2KV4aKJTwOSYraNvptFuA7ftPPjz0Wha6NHO1hYtGe-uDGQRuK6U3lXjFbvePf3YlJSJ82ojsGbU3jYMxIO-ocANqwi8lNayyABKadMp-x0VEYxhr0ne8ahPiaJ89rysYd5LPf2MQ/s1600/IMG_8515-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkBL2KV4aKJTwOSYraNvptFuA7ftPPjz0Wha6NHO1hYtGe-uDGQRuK6U3lXjFbvePf3YlJSJ82ojsGbU3jYMxIO-ocANqwi8lNayyABKadMp-x0VEYxhr0ne8ahPiaJ89rysYd5LPf2MQ/s320/IMG_8515-001.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The culprit- and a hefty chunk of my flesh</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Then would come stitching and repair along with a generous dusting of powder to prevent adhesion between organs.<br />
And so it was.<br />
<br />
The look in Aaron's eyes begged to know if he'd made the right decision. I felt awful that he had been put in that position. He was second guessing himself even now. It was the decision I probably would have made. I told him I wasn't upset. I don't know if he believed me. In truth, I was upset, but not with him, not with the decision, with my own absolute sense of helplessness.<br />
I pushed back the sense of physical violation I felt. I inspected my incisions- my soon-to-be scars.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsY4ZWpEtnKBYcgz19w5J01dKI4RR92FFo6uvUAtZC2cr7pYvUayedgxgk3TVyJKA4FaQ6Vc8Ko2BGiuCV8eVB3bKOsQULOkeHA7Aj1vldUzqQMK7lc7iEOHojGwrn70GuZzXpMgoE10o/s1600/IMG_8435-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsY4ZWpEtnKBYcgz19w5J01dKI4RR92FFo6uvUAtZC2cr7pYvUayedgxgk3TVyJKA4FaQ6Vc8Ko2BGiuCV8eVB3bKOsQULOkeHA7Aj1vldUzqQMK7lc7iEOHojGwrn70GuZzXpMgoE10o/s320/IMG_8435-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Excuse me if I feel like a pin cushion.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
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<div>
This body I have worked so hard to honor. I felt like I had failed. Again.<br />
I was in a limbo of pain, low oxygen levels, breathing alarms, IV alarms, catheter adjustments, heart rate monitors, vitals checks, blood tests, and trying to make the best of it all. Aaron was there. He made it all bearable.<br />
<br />
Because of the nature of the surgery, I was placed on a clear liquid diet for another 24 hours. All I could think about was wanting a dang sandwich. Hangry.<br />
<br />
I FaceTimed my parents in Hawaii. I called and texted family and friends. I wiled away the time with Netflix movies, Instagram and Facebook. Somewhere in the midst of it all, Jenna showed up in my hospital room. My Jenna.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2B-BbZ9ktf38LVqshPnbeGz09v6UNX6cn9JTM1v8r9hU9kBz9dY1ZnE5SAzG3dFHlZmAEXXBb5ce0Ds7fYQ1WeHMESl5dVUwrN-tMCLT3c1cVevmtq2QXwS5T9IHSjK37H4xiJX6mAgE/s1600/IMG_8426-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2B-BbZ9ktf38LVqshPnbeGz09v6UNX6cn9JTM1v8r9hU9kBz9dY1ZnE5SAzG3dFHlZmAEXXBb5ce0Ds7fYQ1WeHMESl5dVUwrN-tMCLT3c1cVevmtq2QXwS5T9IHSjK37H4xiJX6mAgE/s320/IMG_8426-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The Famous Jay<br />
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She was the best thing ever. Having her there to talk to, laugh with, be ridiculous with, meant the world to me- even if it did hurt to laugh. I hadn't expected visitors. I'm too stinking independent. It was so very nice. Sleep that night was not restful. We were in the women's center with tiny newborns and new mamas who cried through the night. Vital checks came every couple of hours, and there was even a 4 am blood draw. Aaron was trying to sleep on the little fold-out cot thing from the sofa-chair. I felt awful for him. My abdomen was a bloated blob. All the pent up air from surgery had begun to make things hurt worse. It was a long night.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8tzDpc6ESmm1atDNemiJ8d3kIlwhwrgOEgJMqp9I9p0MIp03esI69g86qjb3eV-70Quh9arJogFxX6-Ceowc6PptxLsN3x_3Zj3c0U0Fgqhdm5DImfQyhCdMoG979Ledo-43ha3FSjE/s1600/IMG_8427-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8tzDpc6ESmm1atDNemiJ8d3kIlwhwrgOEgJMqp9I9p0MIp03esI69g86qjb3eV-70Quh9arJogFxX6-Ceowc6PptxLsN3x_3Zj3c0U0Fgqhdm5DImfQyhCdMoG979Ledo-43ha3FSjE/s320/IMG_8427-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Aaron being my bed kitteh.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
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When morning came, I ordered my breakfast of juice, jello and broth and awaited the doctor's arrival. We'd be waiting all day.<br />
A student from the DATC came by and gave me a pedicure. I could have kissed her. When the doc finally came, there was only one important question. "Have you passed gas yet?" Despite burping every few seconds and finally being able to make it to the bathroom on my own, the answer was no. It meant my intestines hadn't woken up yet. Because of the unexpected nature of the surgery, it meant I couldn't go home. It also meant I had to stay on a liquid diet.<br />
<br />
I am fully convinced that hospitals exist in their own mid-plane twilight zone. We weren't prepared to stay for two nights. And after calling babysitters and rearranging meal plans, I got bored, antsy, and downright grumpy. The gnawing, empty sense of hunger didn't help, though I did have a small personal celebration when I finally was able to fart.<br />
Toward the second evening, Matt and Alicia made a very welcome visit. They always make for good conversation. Aaron was not looking forward to another restless night on the torture cot, but didn't want to leave me alone. Alicia offered to make a girls night of it so that Aaron could take the kids home to sleep in their own beds. Matt went to leave only to text Aaron for a jump start. Their car was acting up. By the time the cars got started and Alicia made it back with movies in tow, it was getting late. We settled in to giggle ourselves silly to Pitch Perfect until 12:30 am. I decided no one should have to endure the torture cot and sent her home to sleep. Aside from an early morning vitals check, I was left to sleep peacefully. I woke before 6 am and made it to the bathroom on my own, and ended up feeling good enough to take a solo walk through the quiet hallways. By 7:00 Dr. Fillerup made her rounds, declared me fit to go home, gave instructions to do basically nothing except gentle walking for the next 4-6 weeks (especially no lifting), and promised to write up the papers within the half hour. I texted Aaron to come break me out, a nurse disconnected my tubes and monitors and I headed for a quick shower. It felt so good to be free of all bandages, tubes and wires. I was feeling stronger and more confident, until I leaned back to rinse my shampoo and almost keeled over with the weight of my head because my abs still didn't work. Awesome. Somehow I survived washing and dressing. I puttered about packing and tidying, all the while being careful not to lift anything that required core muscles or twisting (which includes, surprisingly, pretty much everything). Then Aaron was there, and I was free.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ9C39cNeOYOkmfgmKzvOkjGETUwAOnE3YQXh56fX0FHzlAq80wADcbzLgqhj0fR8nQ3UBR_KZfjiueBzS_Y1FgtJ-QVAv1tOryDXke7JRKzXNq5HBQ-FtRMzcLPg8t5sq_Utl_89SV3U/s1600/IMG_8446-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ9C39cNeOYOkmfgmKzvOkjGETUwAOnE3YQXh56fX0FHzlAq80wADcbzLgqhj0fR8nQ3UBR_KZfjiueBzS_Y1FgtJ-QVAv1tOryDXke7JRKzXNq5HBQ-FtRMzcLPg8t5sq_Utl_89SV3U/s320/IMG_8446-001.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Freedom!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
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Home presented it's own challenges. First order of business, build a step out of yoga blocks so I could get in and out of bed. New learning curve as to how to move to get around without too much pain. Second order of business, REAL FOOD. Aaron made a special trip to the Sunshine Cafe to get my favorite Garden Classic. I laid into that thing like it owed me money. So dang good.<br />
<br />
We have had wonderful friends and neighbors bring us meals. Family and friends have taken kids so that I could have a break from noise and being whined at. A few awesome people have dropped in to visit or sent treats. These things mean so much to us, and help immensely. <br />
It's hard to grasp that it's been almost 2 weeks now. On the other hand it feels like it's been FOREVER since I've done anything worthwhile. The staples are out, the adhesive has worn off, the scars will heal pretty well. But I'm in the midst of the mind game. One can only binge-watch Hulu for so long before one wants to smack one's head into a wall. I have gotten pretty good at taking non-skanky bed selfies...<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpfnt00JN9iJ1ceZpbiDjzKbKlJmP89RazO0qJWG40LT0LP1fXqGBGOzGuexofL6XnQW8mCceZLfEktvPfJi3V508kLOO9guoG6s4dwIGjv_XKlUzgbdGvBkCL6awvu8XMVChzcSXEKPY/s1600/IMG_8549-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpfnt00JN9iJ1ceZpbiDjzKbKlJmP89RazO0qJWG40LT0LP1fXqGBGOzGuexofL6XnQW8mCceZLfEktvPfJi3V508kLOO9guoG6s4dwIGjv_XKlUzgbdGvBkCL6awvu8XMVChzcSXEKPY/s320/IMG_8549-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">This one says, moody and forlorn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecqu_1GGMMHnKCnE7ORN1hc4xjddzLavhsGx-YYw1dE583NXuTtp4zToouw4Qr27oC9tfqAeD43sc9x247TFJiwICUnSdphorLMRjJu_31t0LmluWo-UE77la3eII9HR4PkZ91kd5pTQ/s1600/IMG_8528-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecqu_1GGMMHnKCnE7ORN1hc4xjddzLavhsGx-YYw1dE583NXuTtp4zToouw4Qr27oC9tfqAeD43sc9x247TFJiwICUnSdphorLMRjJu_31t0LmluWo-UE77la3eII9HR4PkZ91kd5pTQ/s320/IMG_8528-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Straight up bored</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've been making my way through a stack of good books. It's slow going because pain does things to my attention span. Little things that we all take for granted are serious challenges. Rolling over in bed is a delicate crap shoot, a coughing fit can leave me in tears, sneezing feels like a red-hot knife to the ab muscles, and bowel movements leave me horribly breathless.<br />
Everyday I go on my walk down the street. Everyday I make it a little further before needing to turn back. Uneven ground is rough... and I live on a hill.<br />
Every day things get a little better.<br />
Every day I remind myself that this too shall pass.<br />
Every day I wake up with the question in my mind, "<i>Can I give up yet?</i>"<br />
And everyday I answer myself, "<i>Sure. Give up expecting things to be peachy. Give up deciding to feel terribly depressed when they aren't. Give up wanting more now, and decide to be content with where you are.</i>" Then I hate myself for being so clever and logical, and make faces and flip myself off in the mirror or something.<br />
<br />
It's a slippery slope though... giving up. It can easy lead to "<i>Give up dreaming. Give up hope. Give up on the idea that you can have any control over anything in your life.</i>" But those ones start to make me feel a little bit dead inside, so I try not to go there.<br />
I miss the feeling that if I work hard and love hard and keep smiling, I can have dreams and accomplish them. There is nothing quite like watching the slow death of your own optimism.<br />
<br />
I miss the camaraderie of my tribes. I miss endorphins. I miss my mountains and my yoga mat. I miss stretching and movement.<br />
There is a deep, and continuous battle between gratitude and cynical depression. A constant discord between what I know and what I feel.<br />
I'm blessed. I'm loved. I'm cared for. <br />
I know that I have friends that would do anything I asked of them, but I don't even know what to ask for. I'm almost embarrassed to be around the people who have come to expect more of me than what this numb, confused, small person can offer. When it comes down to it, I'm just rather sad, tired and lonely, and I don't know how to fix it except to just wait it out. <br />
It will get better. It has to.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-24632130002852441282015-05-03T16:15:00.001-06:002015-05-03T22:36:43.151-06:00When it all falls apart...again.On March 27th, just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief for having made it through all the March birthdays in our family and trying to deal with car repairs and a dead washing machine, I couldn't breathe.<br />
<br />
I was prepping for the final birthday party of the month, a little park and popsicle party for Arya and her cousin Wyatt. I got up, feeling well. Did some squats and pushups and hopped in the shower. Then just as I was beginning to dress, I got a phone call from my favorite Alicia. We had been chatting for a while, checking in, when I began having left side cramps. They aren't new, I've had abdominal pain on and off for years. I suspected they were either ovarian cysts or some kind of intestinal issues. But they didn't fade this time. They intensified and wrapped around my back until I was panting out short replies to Alicia, curled up in a ball on the bed in my underwear. "I think I need to go. (gasp, cringe, pant, pant) I don't feel okay." I wheezed into the phone. I tried to walk to the bathroom and ended up on the floor. I finally made it to the toilet, only to dry heave, then lay on the floor gasping between bouts of retching uncontrollably again and again with no relief. I texted Aaron. "I think I need a doctor."<br />
Those are big words coming from me. Every breath was a struggle.<br />
I made some calls and got in for a noon appointment with a PA at our local family practice. The next challenge was to put on clothes. Pants have never been such a challenge. Aaron rushed home to take me in. We left Talon in charge and made the short trip. Every bump was excruciating. I had to hold the seatbelt away from my belly. We made it to the doc's office just as I remembered I'd forgotten my purse. No ID to go with my insurance card. They were gracious. I filled out papers as I broke into a sweat trying not to pass out. Eventually we made it back to an exam room where I answered questions from nurses and met Wendy who took one look and asked if I was sure I didn't want to go to the ER.<br />
Ha.<br />
I briefly explained to her how badly I hate the ER and how it took me an entire night with no painkillers and a shattered ankle to get there the last time. She dubiously nodded her head and asked if I thought I could pee in a cup. I responded I thought maybe so, and remembered that I hadn't had anything to eat or drink since the night before. I've never peed straight coca-cola before, but I imagine it would have been a fair color comparison. "That can't be good," I muttered to the toilet.<br />
Wendy agreed. "I suspect kidney stones. I'm sending you up to the hospital for a CT and some blood work. Start drinking water -lots of it." Awesome. (No, not awesome.)<br />
I felt like an evil giant had a vice grip on my entire left side.<br />
We headed home to get my purse and a water bottle, and then back up to the hospital where nice people took my insurance info and put me in a wheelchair. CT scans are quick and easy. They are a crap-ton of radiation, but they are easy! They wheeled me to the lab and took my blood and sent me on my way with a cheery,"We'll call you!"<br />
<br />
So we went home. I took Ibuprofen, called Alicia, and laid on the couch while Aaron and Alicia took the kids and threw a birthday party without me.<br />
And the phone rang.<br />
"Hey Kristyan, this is Wendy. So there is a 6mm kidney stone, but your scan showed more than that."<br />
Okay....<br />
"There are a couple of suspicious looking masses on your liver. So we want you to go in for a contrast MRI to check those out and see if they pose a risk."<br />
That sounds crappy... and expensive....<br />
"And..."<br />
And??<br />
"You said you weren't on any birth control, right?"<br />
Yeah....<br />
"Well there is an IUD outside of your uterus."<br />
Oh.... that's where that went. It went missing like six and a half years ago. I've had a baby since then and they couldn't find it with ultrasound, so they told me it just fell out.<br />
"Apparently it didn't. You'll need laparoscopic surgery to remove it... blahblahblahblahwhompwhompwhomp."<br />
*Cringe* $$$$$$$<br />
She prescribed me some medicine to dilate my ureters to help pass the stone... And antibiotics... and percocet. With flashbacks of awful digestive torment spinning in my head, I decided I probably wouldn't take that. Matt and Alicia brought lettuce wrapped In-n-Out for dinner, and Misha and Ben took the kids for the evening so I could rest. I have the best family.<br />
Thus began a weekend of drowning myself, being incredibly dizzy and lightheaded from FloMax side effects, gagging down lemon and oil concoctions designed to help dissolve kidney stones, and cleaning up puke for sick kids... with no washing machine. Angel neighbors took loads of puke laundry to wash, and brought meals so I wouldn't have to cook.<br />
Monday rolled around. An appointment with the Urology PA. X-rays showed that the stone was still there, and big, and pointy, and very stuck. "Oh, and by the way, did you know about the IUD and the liver thing....?" Yes. I did. Thanks.<br />
They scheduled me for Lithotripsy on Thursday. Shockwave therapy to break up the stone. They put you under and call it surgery and you wake up bruised and peeing blood. Sounds like a party.<br />
It was my last week of work on the schedule, and no one could cover my shifts (though Brett was sweet enough to take a few of the hours), so I went to work. Dizzy, coughing, wheezing (stupid med side effects).<br />
Tuesday was MRI day. Hospitals are such an efficient money making machine. They take you straight back to the billing people and offer you discounts to hand over money right this instant. So after coughing up a couple grand, we headed back to radiology. MRIs are not quick and easy. They are terrifying.<br />
Strapped to a board, breathing sensor around my chest, needle in arm, earplugs in (but not in well enough), and panic button in hand, I was slid into a tube only slightly wider than my body, and blasted with every laser gun, tornado warning, robot sound effect cranked up loud enough to waken the dead.... for an hour. I honestly wondered for a second if it was a joke. They couldn't be serious.<br />
The first 5-10 minutes were torture, pure panic, claustrophobic primal fear. "I don't know if I can do this!!"<br />
So I prayed. I began slipping yogic meditation in between the automated breathing instructions. I vividly imagined every person I've ever loved hugging me close, and then stayed in Aaron's arms until the panic subsided. When I opened my eyes, the tunnel walls didn't seem quite so close, and the noises seemed funny to me. I spent the rest of the time alternating management of giggles and panic.<br />
Then the technician's voice came on speaker, "You are doing awesome! Here comes the contrast through your IV." The frigid fluid coursed into my arm and flooded my body. It felt like it was dripping down my arm. A few more minutes of shivery torture, and then I was done.<br />
They pulled me out of the machine. "Well, that was a party," I quipped. They laughed and unstrapped me, and then noticed the bloody saline leaking from my IV and dripping onto my sweater. Oops.<br />
I gathered my things and went to find Aaron in the waiting room. His face was a most welcome sight.<br />
Then they sent us on our way with a cheery, "We'll call you!"<br />
<br />
The next 2 days were spent jumping at every noise, waiting for that call. I worked my last day on Wednesday, dizzy, coughing, and nauseated from the meds- still jumping at every noise.<br />
"You're leaving us now, with no way to know if you are dying or not??" I promised Jeremy that I'd get them word. I hugged Danny and Angie. My buddies. I would miss them most.<br />
<br />
Thursday was Lithotripsy day. They could get me in at 11:30. I had fasted since 10 the night before. We arrive at the hospital again, shuffled into the billing room and fulfilled the rest of our deductible (probably more), efficiently draining my hard-kept savings account. Then they took me back and I dressed in the paper bag gown with the awesome massaging calf compression sleeves and waited. And waited. And waited. I was getting grumpy. 2 and a half hours later, they took me back to the OR. They got me situated and put on the oxygen mask. "It might smell a little plasticky," they said. But when my eyes started to burn and I began gagging and choking uncontrollably at the stench, they realized that the "dirty sock" scent that they use to tease pediatric patients was cranked all the way up to 20. I had tears streaming down my face by the time I could breathe comfortably again. Then they started the anesthesia and a searing pain spread up my arm. I figured I'd be out before I couldn't manage it, but 10 seconds in my entire arm was on fire, enough that I cried out in pain. "It's normal, just a few more seconds," they said. And then I was out.<br />
<br />
I like waking up to Aaron. He's pretty awesome. I was sore, but not even close to the original kidney stone pain. They sent me home with a pee strainer and instructions to collect the pieces and bring them in for testing. I didn't care, I just wanted food.<br />
We stopped by Jimmy Johns on the way home. While Aaron went in to get us unwiches, I checked my messages. There was one from my cousin. We're close in age, but had not been super close growing up. We get along much better as adults. It was completely unexpected. She had bought me a new washing machine and wanted my address for delivery. I was floored, flabbergasted, and so grateful. My life is filled with angels.<br />
And then came the other call I'd been waiting for. MRI results. There were not two lesions on my liver... there were seven. The largest measured 2.6 cm. My heart skipped a beat... They were benign. No cancer. No action needed except to watch and re-scan in 6 months. Hepatic Hemangioma. Apparently they can either be congenital or autoimmune-caused. We don't know if I was born with them. We don't know if something caused them, but for now, they aren't a major worry. *Phew.*<br />
<br />
Lithotripsy recovery went well. The FloMax had me feeling awful until I finally just stopped taking it. I was done feeling like a sick person all of the time. <br />
At first I was incensed that the OBGYN couldn't even see me for a consult until April 13th. But it turned out to be a good thing. Aaron's little brother had a wedding, and it was nice to have a break from all of the medical procedures in order to focus on family time. When I did finally make it in to see Dr. Fillerup, I was told that the IUD is still about 5% stuck in outer wall of my uterus. There is an 80% chance that they'll just go in and take it out and things will be fine. There is a 20% chance that pulling it out will cause major bleeding and they'll have to perform a partial hysterectomy while I'm under. I'm a little nervous. I was given a choice of two dates for my surgery. April 22nd, or May 13th. Aaron's B-Day is April 23rd. He'd had a Zion traverse trip planned for that week. I couldn't just steamroll him like that. He matters too much. So May 13th it is. <br />
<br />
I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of tests, labs, meds, side effects, and follow-up visits. I'm just tired. I want this thing out of me. <br />
In the meantime life has kept me good and distracted with car repairs, family stuff, and hospital bills. Somehow, by the grace of God, we had an incredible week-long family trip to Zion in our dying van. (I'll write about the trip later- it deserves it's own post.)<br />
<br />
I finally started going back to regular Yoga classes. I have so much healing to do. It dawned on me the other day that I've lost my sense of security. I've lost my belief that I can safely live, safely adventure, reach out, take a leap, and not get smacked down by life. At this point, I honestly don't believe I'm allowed to have dreams or goals that will ever come to fruition. I've been in survival mode for so long, I don't know how to try for more than that. I can't make a decision. I can't set a goal. I can't seem to even make short term plans for the subconscious fear that they will be smashed to bits the moment I look that direction. I've gotten really good at shrugging my shoulders and saying, "I guess not. Maybe later." Somewhere deep down there is a fighter in me that knows this is unacceptable. So I guess somehow I need to earn my power back. I don't know how to do it. I'm starting with yoga, energy work, writing, and I don't know... yard work? Home repairs? A hair cut? I just really need to get out of this rut.<br />
<br />
When it comes down to it, I'm okay. I may not be awesome right now, but I have just enough faith to get by. Faith that none of this is permanent. Faith that change will come. Faith that even though I can't see the big picture right now, it's still a great big picture. And I have the best family and friends that a girl could ever want. So I guess I'll just take it a day at a time and..... be grateful.<br />
<br />
<br />Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-40916174839051865972015-04-28T22:21:00.000-06:002015-04-28T22:48:26.124-06:00Back on the IslandI've been absent. I'm sorry. I have really good excuses. I'll tell you all about them soon, I just need to acknowledge something first.<br />
<br />
<b>Antelope Island Buffalo Run 25k</b>March 21, 2015<br />
<br />
So that happened. I tried not to view the repeat distance as the consolation prize for not being able to do the 50k like I had hoped. I went it to it not nervous, and with no goals except to be honest with myself, respect my body, and finish with a big fat smile on my face.<br />
I started slow. Really slow. On purpose. Around a mile in I settled in next to a girl who was obviously limping and struck up a conversation. Her foot was acting up and she knew it would be a long race, but she had started anyway. I encouraged her, told her my story, and assured her that if I could finish on hardware and scar tissue, she could do this. Then I ran ahead.<br />
A few miles later a new conversation, a new friend. A woman in her sixties who had just begun trail running a few years before. Inspiring. Not long after, my limping friend ran past, killing it. I shouted to her and she yelled, "You're my inspiration!" and sped off. We would leapfrog a few more times through the race. This race quickly became about the people. I spent the entire 16.7 miles in awe of the dynamics and fortitude of the people around me. Everyone has a story. I'm learning that most of us can amaze each other if we just take the time to listen. <br />
The miles ticked away with the scenery. I was often without a running partner, but never without loads of pleasantries and encouragement from every person I came across. Some I knew, many I didn't, but the camaraderie on the trails is just the best. I did my best to reciprocate the encouragement. It has been long enough since the race that I can't give exact mileage, but somewhere along the way, I heard my name, and looked up to see my girl Renee looking fab with a big fat grin on her gorgeous face. I threw my arms wide and we ran into a hug. She had been volunteering, but needed to leave soon and didn't want to miss me. "I came looking for you! I want to run with you for a little while."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Photo Credit Renee: Happy Girls!</td></tr>
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<br />
There was never more welcome company. I was feeling surprisingly good for being 4 or 5 miles in and 8 months out from a shattered ankle. But I honestly can say what it meant to be watched out for by a friend who knows the depth of the hole I've climbed out of- and helped lower the ladder down to me. It was just everything.<br />
<br />
Renee ran with me until we hit her turnoff to head out. Then I took on a gnarly climb with gusto. A short while later I reached the Elephant head aid station where my Wasatch Mountain Wrangler fam was running the show. It was like showing up at Cheers. Everybody knows your name. I hugged all of them and couldn't stop smiling. Filled my water bottle with Heed, took a swig, dumped it out and refilled with water. Heed was a bad move. My stomach would protest that swig for the next 5 miles. I snagged a few chips and M&Ms and took off, optimistic about my time and how I felt. I bit of half a ginger chew as my stomach started to turn and tried to keep my attitude up anyway. I rocked the switchbacks that killed me last year, and was on my way back toward Elephant head when my ankle, calves, hammies and hips started getting grouchy. Tummy was still not loving it, it was getting hot out, and my smile had faded a bit. When I finally hit the Aid Station again, I needed a Coke and a hug, and my friends obliged. Jennilyn snuggled me while Lane, Kendall and Matt got me drinks. They were busy little rockstars who took the time to take care of me in true Wrangler style. I was grateful and in a few minutes I was ready to roll on. A few more miles out and my hardware was on fire. The fact that my legs weren't well trained for this race was very apparent and I found myself limping along, cheering on runner after runner as they passed me. I'd choke back all the feels now and then, and remind myself that I was grateful to be there "running" at all. Then I'd tell myself that it would hurt like hell whether I ran or walked, but running would get me done faster, and I'd pick up the pace again. I pasted a smile back on my face and started loving it. Just a few more miles. The last few miles are the longest. So. dang. long. But as I neared the finish line, I heard my friends cheering my name. I couldn't smile any harder, and my entire being was flooded with gratitude. I sobbed through my grin and I crossed the line and fell, crying into the arms of some pregnant stranger who asked me if I was okay and handed me over to my big brother Steve, who knew exactly where all my tears came from. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Sobbing through my cheesy grin<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZaqGA3vl1-lNSTK3rNTLbePpAGyEW_swfLe4880spFzbjNqIa38VTzVgLxmBAo1qSHDyRD9p5Xhyphenhyphena-5TTDQs0gjJ0baKfQ4j42MphY2hibgAj2jzwdl8h6YixwvYVGI_IThGOUJBNp8I/s1600/IMG_7638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZaqGA3vl1-lNSTK3rNTLbePpAGyEW_swfLe4880spFzbjNqIa38VTzVgLxmBAo1qSHDyRD9p5Xhyphenhyphena-5TTDQs0gjJ0baKfQ4j42MphY2hibgAj2jzwdl8h6YixwvYVGI_IThGOUJBNp8I/s1600/IMG_7638.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Me and the pregnant stranger... collision in 3...2...</td></tr>
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Friends and family who had just run longer races themselves got me stew and drinks and blankets and chairs. (Special thanks to Nan and Steve and Craig who wandered all over trying to find my car and get my things.) I settled down for my very favorite part- the afterparty. It wasn't long until Aaron was finishing his 50 miler. We cheered a steady stream of dear friends and acquaintances across the line for hours.<br />
I had finished in 4:17. Around 45 minutes slower than last year. And I didn't care. I was more satisfied with this race than last years. This year hurt more, and my training was not there... for obvious reasons, but I ran the entire thing with gratitude and love. That made all the difference.<br />
<br />Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-13385036296438228202015-03-03T22:08:00.000-07:002015-03-03T22:08:38.037-07:00Seasons ChangeI have a very full schedule. Yuck. I hate schedules. <br />As mom, wife, teacher to four kiddos, part time therapy aide, house keeper, cook, chauffeur, nutritionist, nurse, friend, sister, athlete, etc. it's easy to get overwhelmed. I should say, it's almost impossible NOT to get overwhelmed.<br />
The more complicated my life gets, the more I realize how much I crave simplicity.<br />
When I was down and out with my shattered ankle and employed in nothing but healing and raising kiddos, I got a little carried away with future plans. As I came out of forced rest, I took on my part time job (which I still love!), and looked forward to more running, more adventures and more yoga- even promising my former students that I'd be back, and soon. I added karate and other homeschool activities to our weeks. I didn't take into account what would happen when I tried to put my "normal" activities back into our everyday lives. <br /><br />They don't fit.<br /><br />
I find myself faced with hard decisions. I'm in dire need of simplification. My time is so jam packed with really good things that I can't move. I spend whatever free time I have exhaustedly trying to tune out all of my other responsibilities and letting things slip through the cracks. My body is out of balance and drained from constant stress. I'm in major spiritual disconnect. My kids are upset that I'm gone so much, and I don't think it's because I'm physically gone that much. I can't go out for a run without a major guilt trip that I'm not taking at least one of them with me. I bought yoga passes that I haven't used yet because it's just one more night or day that I'd have to leave. But what good is it that I'm home if I'm not really there? I need to recharge. I need head space, physical exertion and a sense of accomplishment. I need trail runs and yoga classes. I need time to unravel this tangled mess and to believe in myself again. I need not to jealously guard my free time from the very people I would normally choose to spend my free time with.<br />
My house is a wreck. My head is even more so. I find myself waking up each morning wanting to quit everything, empty out and sell my house, wipe the slate and start over. <br />
I want freedom.<br />
It's amazing how much work that takes.<br />
So do I quit a part-time job that I adore, and let down the people whom I love working with twice a week? I am loyal to a fault. I feel horrible walking away after just 3 months. But that's what I'm doing. When given the choice of sacrificing my side job, my kids, or my mental health, it's not even a question which gets cut.<br />
I forget sometimes that being a homeschool mom is a full-time job, because no one sends me a W-2 every tax season- well, because I don't make any money. But it is. It's an extremely hard, wonderful, amazing, all-consuming, difficult, full-time job that is more important to me than pretty much anything. I'm neck deep in it. I'm committed to it. I can't fathom sending my kids off to public school every day anymore. And I'm starting to realize why everyone I talk to at work who finds out I homeschool my kids, or every homeschooler that finds out I work part-time, looks at me in shock and awe. This isn't sustainable and I know it. I'm walking away from a job I love, in order to take care of the kids I love more and the sanity I desperately need to tend to in order to care for them.<br /><br />I'm so grateful to Brian. He could be really upset with me for backing away when I've only just really gotten the hang of everything. He only guilt tripped me a little (actually I think I may have done my own guilt tripping). He offered to keep me on the call list to fill in when they might need someone. I accepted. I'll be on the schedule for another month or so while they find a replacement.<br /><br />I know this is the right thing to do. But it still hurts. I've beat myself up plenty over it. Here I am, the Kakes who never sticks with anything, failing, letting people down again. At least that's what pops up when the mean and nasty inner voice starts rambling. She's a witch.<br /><br />I need this. I need to step back, gain perspective, and breathe.Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5383730330298496136.post-77475148115499683772015-01-18T15:29:00.000-07:002015-01-18T15:29:40.365-07:006 monthsIt's been half a year since my talus exploded and dropped me in my tracks. If I could have seen then where I would be now, I wouldn't have been nearly as distressed. I also probably wouldn't have fought nearly so hard to get here. I've still a long way to go. But today, I am grateful. For geocaching hikes and a Turkey Trot with my littles. For Elephant rock and miles of laughter with Katie. For thigh-deep snow and moose calls with Aaron and Matt. For an Antelope Island date with my love. For sunshine and magic in Moab with Jlyn, Jenna, MVH, Kenzie, and Cherri. For giggles and goofing off with Aaron in Farmington Canyon. For every single step. For everything that raw vulnerability has taught me. For hope. For determination. For friendship. For love. For Faith, with a capital F. <br /><br />In the end, this injury will have cost me relatively little. The pain, the difficulty, the depression, the struggle, while a deep, relentless and horrible hell of their own, pale in comparison to the precious, priceless gifts I've been given. Gifts I intend to collect on for a lifetime to come. <br /><br />In a few weeks when anxiety has come knocking, and my everything hurts from hard work and rehab, my rotator cuff injury is still healing, my ankle still hurts and swells, I'm still slow, and still hard on myself, and I come here feeling sorry for myself to vent, someone do me a favor and point me back to this post. I can get through it. Time ticks by, wounds heal, the snow melts, people keep on loving, and I will laugh again. <br /><br />Thank you my friends, from the bottom of my heart and soul, for your love and support. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXuLgxBRMYq5iVuWpv7pod5DpHVdPNsd9pgVBGNpzojDmgIqPUNlAIa28mJIXy85lUUg7vF-qQvhbkxGfWRmIlqzBXQOgtWkiY_wfha0tBGCpppw0DaSNBQMEq1KJlBs5gbgt4Ay3V5YY/s1600/GOPR2643.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXuLgxBRMYq5iVuWpv7pod5DpHVdPNsd9pgVBGNpzojDmgIqPUNlAIa28mJIXy85lUUg7vF-qQvhbkxGfWRmIlqzBXQOgtWkiY_wfha0tBGCpppw0DaSNBQMEq1KJlBs5gbgt4Ay3V5YY/s1600/GOPR2643.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Kakeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12473563681222254316noreply@blogger.com0