Monthly Archives: December 2011

December 29, 2011

15 and counting…..

By Wind Inspired

We’re baaaaaack!

So much to share about our amazing trip. We were welcomed home by my sister and her family visiting this week. As you can imagine, it has been non-stop action. There will be many posts in the very near future accounting recent events, but today I take a moment to reflect on the last 15 years.

Today is my wedding anniversary.

15 years ago, right at this moment, I was on my way to the church to marry my Prince Charming.

It seems like yesterday.

And then I think about our children, and our homes, and the places, and adventures, and then it seems like a lifetime.

Many lifetimes.

The cruise wasn’t just a celebration of the holidays, but an opportunity to spend a day in Barbados - the Island where we honeymooned 180 months ago. We sat on the beach and watched the kiddos play in the surf. We thought about who we were then. Where we are now. Even through the rough spots andthe scary moments, it has been a wonderful, blessed life. So much more than we had ever imagined sitting on that same beach a decade and a half earlier.

If I could give advice to my newlywed self, it would be “don’t let your plans get in the way of your life.”

The biggest waste of my time has been spent on worries about where we were going and how we would get there.

The greatest gifts have been the surprises and opportunities that have been set before us – different, bigger, better than we had ever set our sights on.

So very lucky to be on this crazy, bumpy, unexpected path with my best friend.

Cheers to 15 years! Wishes for many, many more.

2 comments   |  tags: , , | posted in ABOUT - life, motherhood, marriage

December 18, 2011

It’s beginning to look a lot like….

By Wind Inspired

Okay, who are we kidding? It looks exactly the same here in Puerto Rico today as it has the last 300+ days we have been here. Palm trees, turquoise water, blue skies… The temps have gone down a few degrees, so at 84 degrees it is officially winter.

Even though the weather resemble summer, the locals go out of their way to create a festive holiday atmosphere.

As soon as you enter the grocery store, it is clear that Christmas is near.

Enjoy the produce manger.

Just about anything can be turned into a Christmas tree… sausages… coffee…

 

Even the Commissary baggers are in a festive spirit. In between customers, they provide local music.

I was tempted to pick up this yard display. Based on the size and material it could double as a boogie board the rest of the year.

My favorite scene was the live manger in the mall. There was no fee, or a line, just lots of friendly animals hanging out with Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.

There were sheep and goats.

 

And a historical favorite, the Bethlehem Bunny.

This Chicken and a Wise Guy stood guard over the baby.

The local Army Post had some winter-like festivities.

Ice skating

 

A parade with not one, but 2 Santas (talk about some confused children.)

And the biggest stars of the show around here – The Three Kings. (They bring the presents!)

And what Christmas celebration would be complete without the Merry Mechanical Bull ride?

We too, got into the local spirit. At our squadron Christmas party (a beach barbecue) we decorated with a real pine wreath flown in from Maine.

And who needs Santa Claus, when you can have a Santa Jaws?

Wherever you are this week, we send you warm wishes. Our bags are packed and we will spend the next 9 days at Sea. See you soon – Feliz Navidad!

1 comment   |  tags: , , | posted in CELEBRATE - life's special moments, EXPLORE - world travels

December 7, 2011

Card Conundrums

By Wind Inspired

O Christmas Card

O Christmas Card

How aggravating art thou..

Why don’t I start when summer’s here?

Instead I wait ’til deadlines near

O Christmas Card

O Christmas Card

How aggravating art thou..

So here I am again. The time of year when I’m bombarded with websites offering photo card deals. The post office reminds me to buy my stamps. And then other cards start arriving – fresh, bright smiles of friends and family wishing merriness. The pressure is on.

To send a card, or not to send a card? In a world with email, facebook and texts, aren’t snail-mail cards passé and un-eco friendly? Wouldn’t it be far more hip to tweet some seasonal greetings? Here is where I will admit that I am secretly decades older than my 39 years. I love correspondence of all kinds, but most especially through the mail. Cards, photos, letters, actual handwriting…. I am a sucker for the feel of fine stationary. I send so that I will receive. I love the excitement in my children’s eyes as they burst through the door with a handful of envelopes. With each opened card is a story for them of who these people are, where and when they knew them. Carefully hanging each card, the kitchen door becomes a giant memoir of the places we’ve been and the people who’ve shared our lives. So yes, I will be personally supporting the US Postal Service this year with hundreds of cards and dozens of packages. I hope it is enough to keep them operating.

The holiday letter. The dreaded holiday letter. “Bobby graduated with honors. Kim is head cheerleader. Tom made partner at the law firm.” I know – these can become annoying opportunities to write an exaggerated family resume. I was pretty sure that I was off the hook since I am writing this blog. Anyone who wants to know what’s going on in our lives, can just stop by here. But then there are the great aunts who don’t know how to work the internet. And the friends and family who don’t have time to read my regular ramblings, but wouldn’t mind a quick update every 12 months. So once again, a letter is written. And for the record, I LOVE getting holiday letters. I DO want to know who made the football team, or won the school science fair contest. I love hearing about the babies I once held in my arms that are now heading off to college. I enjoy celebrating 20 year anniversaries, birthdays and dream vacations vicariously through annual updates.

And after the holidays? I save all the cards and notes in my photo album address book. Every time I need an address, I also see my favorite faces.

The photo. I usually have an idea in mind. A plan if you will. And 98% of the time it all goes astray. This year I hoped to capture our city and do a photo shoot in Old San Juan.

Important to note – I take all our family photos myself with a tripod and a timer. Have you always wondered why they are so joyful in every photo? Now you know, they are just laughing at me.

On this particular day of photographs, a few things were working against me.

1) Humidity. We are a family full of thick, full bodied hair. Within the first 20 minutes of our shoot all of our heads had doubled in size. We resembled a family of troll dolls.

2) The PEOPLE involved. There are 6 of us. Getting everyone to cooperate, look and smile all at once doesn’t always go as hoped.

Sometimes I am the culprit. What is up with my hand placement? Did I need to use the bathroom?

3) Uncooperative wildlife. And no, not the children. One of our favorite locations is a park filled with pigeons. Every time we stop by, we are bombarded with hungry birds.

Previous visits to the park – pigeons fight for spots in our hands.

  

On this early morning, the pigeons were not cooperating.

4 happy children. Lots of pigeon feed. But the birds weren’t biting.

4) The image in my imagination is sometimes far better than the actual result.

I wanted to capture the beautiful architecture in a spiritual setting. Here on the steps of the Cathedral in Old San Juan, we just look like tiny, tired people in front of a giant door.

_______________________________________________________

We are Lilliputians.

Old San Juan is filled with fabulous building painted bright, tropical colors. The perfect backdrop for a festive card. Or not. Everyone’s skin took on the color of the buildings.

________________________________________________________

Joyful and Jaundiced…..

_______________________________________________________

Fa la la la la and faux tanner…..

________________________________________________________

Wishing you the stomach flu….

Choosing the card. Now for the hard part. Once I have photos chosen and edited, I need to choose the colors, font, and wording. Once I had my choices narrowed down to 10, on 3 different websites in a variety of price points, I turned to my husband for input. My dear prince said: “Pick whatever card makes you happy.” Actually, it might have been a little more along the lines of: “I don’t care what you pick or how much it costs if it means we can stop talking about Christmas cards.” Regardless of the details, the cards were ordered.

Signed, sealed and delivered. Yeah, I wish. Right now there are neat piles of cards, letters and stamps waiting on my dining room table. And those piles will be relocated around the apartment multiple times for every meal. Lucky for me, I went with the “Happy New Year” greeting. I can absolutely guarantee that before February 1st there will be joyful wishes in a mailbox near you!

May your holiday preparations be as joyful as ours! xoxo

 

7 comments   |  tags: , , | posted in CAPTURE - photography, CELEBRATE - life's special moments

December 5, 2011

Run Day – Week 17/23

By Wind Inspired

I’m still here!

I have gotten behind in my running updates for a variety of reasons.

One – life has picked up speed with visitors, holidays and soccer season. All 4 kids are participating, Victoria is on 2 different teams and Caitlyn is playing on the school team and refereeing the base youth games. I am spending far more hours away from home (and the computer.)

Two – The computer / internet is in high demand. All three girls have homework online every night. By the time they are tucked into their beds, I am fairly worthless and heading off to sleep myself.

Three – the biggest reason of all – I had some big health/running decisions to make. As I last wrote, I completed the Diva Half Marathon in November, albeit much slower than my usual runs. The race was enjoyable even though I could never seem to get enough to drink and I was lacking my get-up-and-go. I was also exhausted after the race. And again after my next 13 mile long run. It seemed that shorter (3-6 mile) runs left me feeling great, but the longer runs were causing nausea, headaches, and chills on top of the tiredness.

Routine Dr. appointments in the following weeks led to the confirmation of Sjogren’s Syndrome. I have briefly mentioned this before, as blood tests in the spring alluded to this autoimmune disease. Further testing in November confirmed that this disease is currently active in my system.

This article from the NY Times helps to explain the disease (Venus Williams also suffers from Sjogrens.)

________________________________________________________

No Easy Answers for Those Who Share Williams’s Disease

By
Published: September 1, 2011

It often starts out as an uncomfortable feeling in the eyes and mouth. Patients say their eyes are dry and red, even though they are using eye drops. Often too, they say, their mouths are dry. Food is becoming tasteless. Some get swollen glands in their necks, making it look like they have mumps.

It turns out those are the hallmark clinical signs of Sjogren’s syndrome, a mysterious disease caused by an overproduction of B lymphocytes, the cells of the immune system that make antibodies. The deluge of B cells clogs glands. Some people have trouble perspiring because their sweat glands are obstructed. Or they have trouble digesting food.

Sometimes, said Dr. Michael D. Lockshin, a rheumatologist and director of the Barbara Volcker Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, “you can bend the eyelid down and see lumps, collections of lymphocytes, that make the eyelids look pebbly on the inside.”

When Venus Williams said the disease made her feel tired, she was right. Patients with Sjogren’s, like those with the related diseases rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, are unusually tired, and there is no way to alleviate this sensation. Investigators have studied lupus patients, asking how much oxygen they consume when they exercise, and found that they use much more than healthy people, although no one knows why that is so.

It is hard to know how many people have Sjogren’s, because different doctors use different criteria for diagnosis. The hallmark of the disease is the presence of two unusual antibodies among the thousands produced, Ro and La, named with the first two letters of the last names of the initial patients in whom the disease was described decades ago. Some doctors diagnose Sjogren’s in anyone whose blood test shows Ro and La. But a third of patients with lupus, a similar disorder, and an unknown number of patients with rheumatoid arthritis also have Ro and La antibodies. (I have the antibodies, dry eyes and mouth and had a positive result when a confirming test was done on my eyes. I have not had swollen glands.)

Prednisone, which suppresses the immune system, can offer immediate short-term relief of symptoms. People who are disfigured by swollen glands in their neck can look perfectly normal within 24 hours. But it cannot be taken for long periods because it has serious side effects, like osteoporosis, cataracts, facial swelling, weight gain, muscle wasting, early atherosclerosis and diabetes.

The simplest and safest treatment is the anti-malarial drug hydrocholor quinoline. No one knows why it slows the disease — its effects were discovered by accident when troops took it to ward off malaria. Some who had rheumatoid arthritis or lupus noticed that their symptoms were relieved. (This is my current treatment.)

But it can damage the retina over time and its effects are irreversible — the result is loss of vision. (So far, no vision loss, I am cleared for this drug for another year.)

So doctors are left trying drugs that suppress the immune system. But, Lockshin said, it is hard to know what will happen in the long run with those drugs, which were not tested in patients with Sjogren’s.

The long-term outlook for patients with Sjogren’s is not good. They are at increased risk of lymphomas, cancers of B cells. They are at risk for kidney disease, a scarring of the kidneys that can destroy their function, requiring patients to go on dialysis. And their dry eyes and dry mouths tend to get worse. Dry mouths lead to dental cavities and deterioration of the tissues of the mouth so that eating becomes a misery. Dry eyes after a while cannot be helped by eye drops.

It is not an encouraging picture, Lockshin admits. The disease has so many unknowns that, to a large extent, doctors’ hands are tied.

_______________________________________________________

I have never backed out on a marathon or half marathon before – regardless of illness, pain, or exhaustion. I was always determined that I would not allow this chronic illness keep me from my accomplishments. But, I have also relied heavily on tests and medical advice that showed that my running would not cause harm. This is the first time that I have fears, as do my doctor. In addition to injury and exhaustion, there is concern that the disease, combined with anti-inflammatories, combined with the physical stress of a marathon will compromise my kidneys.

Where does this leave me? After MUCH debate, I have switched my status from the full marathon to the half. I will still get to enjoy Houston – the olympic trials, a weekend with wonderful friends, and the race on Sunday, but Marathon #20 is out of the picture. I am disappointed. But not in myself, just in the situation. I love running. I love the accomplishments. But I am also a fan of my organs.

From here on out, I just need to maintain my endurance, no need to push beyond my current distance.

I hope 2012 will offer more opportunities and fewer restrictions. I have my eye on a sprint tri in March and some 5k and 10k races, and I will explore some halfs here and state-side. I’m putting my marathon shoes on the shelf for a while, and sticking with lucky #13 – miles that is.

1 comment   |  tags: , , , , | posted in HEAL - living with chronic illness, RUN - training and racing

December 2, 2011

El Elfo en la Shelfo

By Wind Inspired

The elf on the shelf.

2007. Long before he was hip to have, a funny little elf graced our home. The kids named him Jingle Bell. December after December, he left the North Pole and kept a watchful eye over my little ones, reporting to Santa on who was naughty and who was nice.

For the kids, the excitment each morning was looking for JB…. “where was his new lookout location?”

For us parents, pulses quickened as we tried to remember if we helped JB find a tricky new hiding spot, or be left to come up with clever reasons why the elf had forgotten to move on particular nights.

To sum up, this is basically an elaborate, month-long game of hide-and-seek in an effort to get children to mind their manners during the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Fast forward a few years. New home, new country, and no elf. Of the 6 Christmas boxes on this journey with us, they contained 4 trees (yes FOUR?), ornaments,ribbons,  stockings… but no elf.

Enter Jose, el elfo en la plataforma. Or known ain our house as El elfo en la shelfo.

 Jose is the elf sent to Puerto Rico to watch over the children and report back to Santa.

He arrived today, bringing the kids an advent calendar. He has perched himself atop the Christmas tree, scoping out his next pit stop.

I am thankful that we avoided some tricky explanations and the loss of a family tradition. Can’t wait to reaquaint ourselves with our possessions in a few years - I am sure that Jingle Bell and Jose will hit it off famously.

**Please note – this is just a fun way to replace our missing elf – do not search the internet for el elfo en la plataforma. This is just our own Puerto Rican version of this fun tradition. **

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , | posted in CELEBRATE - life's special moments

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