Think of all the things we've shared and seen
2013 was a hell of a year.
It started out rough, with antibiotics and the still fresh sharp grief of the loss of Cari. I spent the wee hours of the new year puking because of Dan's work.
In March, we went to Alaska to check out a sailboat (and had a wonderful time and made new friends!)
In April I finished my antibiotics, and on Easter Sunday, I shaved my head completely bald. It was amazing.
I started healing my mind as well as my body. I changed my way of eating and discovered how awful my past diet made me feel. I also lost all of the weight that I'd gained due to my meds and sedentary lifestyle, without intending to. It's stayed off since then. I don't even miss anything but ice cream, and I found an amazing substitute for that even.
I found more productive ways of exploring myself.
I helped two people who I love dearly end toxic relationships and start building new lives.
In June, Dan, my brother, and I sailed the Gulf of Alaska to Seattle. Two weeks straight, no stops. We spent a week in Seattle and fell in love with the city. Then I ran to Jersey to help my Mom leave, and attend my best friend's wedding party. I also got to meet my other best friend's new partner, and I couldn't be happier and more excited for them both. Then Mom and I drove down to FL in one crazy trip.
Mom went to visit my brother on the west coast, and we sold Dan's Subaru to his Stepfather, which got us a wonderful visit from him and Dan's Mom before they had a very fun road trip back to PA.
Then in August, I sprained both my ankle and my foot. :/ I was on crutches for a month, a walking boot for another and couldn't really walk well until mid-late October. I still have pain, but I can do pretty much everything again now.
Our boat stayed in Seattle to get the bottom painted, and then in the fall we had her shipped down to FL. Dan's been working on the mast and getting her re-rigged so that she's ready to go.
My brother came to stay with us when the boat came, and has been working towards finding a new career.
Dan and I went up to visit Cari, and met up with a mutual friend. We had a really nice trip, and met some of her family.
I didn't get to go up to Philly in Sept for a dear friend's wedding, and that just sucked, because we had to go up in October for work. But then two more dear friends decided to get married right near when we had to be there, so that worked out, and the wedding was very lovely.
I started feeling Christmassy nice and early this year so Dan and I agreed to just go with it and had the house decorated by mid November. I'm glad we did, so we had time to enjoy it amidst all the crazyness!
We finally got a comfortable living room couch. I can't begin to say how huge of a difference this has made in our lives. Especially because....
We had friends come down for Thanksgiving, and had quite the full house! My family, the visiting friends, and my local friend and her grandmother. It was a wonderful meal, and no one even missed the grains. ;)
My local friend moved away, to start a new chapter in her life. I'm so excited for her, and hope that it's everything she wants it to be.
My brother left to go visit friends, so we had a quiet yet wonderful Christmas at home, just me, mom and Dan. I think it was the best Christmas we've had in a long time.
Art wise, I didn't do much, but what I did I am crazy proud of. The flower girl was a huge piece for me, but the big project of the year was to help my friend build a book of haikus that he wrote for his girlfriend for Christmas. We started in the summer, I drew the cover art, convinced him to learn calligraphy, cut and mailed him the pages. He wrote the haikus, hand lettered each page, then sent them back to me for binding. I bound them, made the cover and sent it back. All reports say the gift was a huge hit. :D
Aside from the visual arts, my singing has improved so dramatically this year it's crazy. I have gone from barely being able to tolerate hearing my own voice, to actually enjoying listening to myself. I was brave enough to sing karaoke at Dan's Office Christmas party, and it was amazing. I got tons of compliments. I'm so excited about finally finding my voice.
The most amazing thing is that my brain actually works well enough that I can remember any of this, let alone in the order that things happened. I'm not fully healthy yet, there are complications, but I would take them over the hell that was my life with lyme any day. All in all 2013 was a year of change, and most of it for the better I think.
Originally posted @ http://calliopeoracle.dreamwidth.org/18526.html
It started out rough, with antibiotics and the still fresh sharp grief of the loss of Cari. I spent the wee hours of the new year puking because of Dan's work.
In March, we went to Alaska to check out a sailboat (and had a wonderful time and made new friends!)
In April I finished my antibiotics, and on Easter Sunday, I shaved my head completely bald. It was amazing.
I started healing my mind as well as my body. I changed my way of eating and discovered how awful my past diet made me feel. I also lost all of the weight that I'd gained due to my meds and sedentary lifestyle, without intending to. It's stayed off since then. I don't even miss anything but ice cream, and I found an amazing substitute for that even.
I found more productive ways of exploring myself.
I helped two people who I love dearly end toxic relationships and start building new lives.
In June, Dan, my brother, and I sailed the Gulf of Alaska to Seattle. Two weeks straight, no stops. We spent a week in Seattle and fell in love with the city. Then I ran to Jersey to help my Mom leave, and attend my best friend's wedding party. I also got to meet my other best friend's new partner, and I couldn't be happier and more excited for them both. Then Mom and I drove down to FL in one crazy trip.
Mom went to visit my brother on the west coast, and we sold Dan's Subaru to his Stepfather, which got us a wonderful visit from him and Dan's Mom before they had a very fun road trip back to PA.
Then in August, I sprained both my ankle and my foot. :/ I was on crutches for a month, a walking boot for another and couldn't really walk well until mid-late October. I still have pain, but I can do pretty much everything again now.
Our boat stayed in Seattle to get the bottom painted, and then in the fall we had her shipped down to FL. Dan's been working on the mast and getting her re-rigged so that she's ready to go.
My brother came to stay with us when the boat came, and has been working towards finding a new career.
Dan and I went up to visit Cari, and met up with a mutual friend. We had a really nice trip, and met some of her family.
I didn't get to go up to Philly in Sept for a dear friend's wedding, and that just sucked, because we had to go up in October for work. But then two more dear friends decided to get married right near when we had to be there, so that worked out, and the wedding was very lovely.
I started feeling Christmassy nice and early this year so Dan and I agreed to just go with it and had the house decorated by mid November. I'm glad we did, so we had time to enjoy it amidst all the crazyness!
We finally got a comfortable living room couch. I can't begin to say how huge of a difference this has made in our lives. Especially because....
We had friends come down for Thanksgiving, and had quite the full house! My family, the visiting friends, and my local friend and her grandmother. It was a wonderful meal, and no one even missed the grains. ;)
My local friend moved away, to start a new chapter in her life. I'm so excited for her, and hope that it's everything she wants it to be.
My brother left to go visit friends, so we had a quiet yet wonderful Christmas at home, just me, mom and Dan. I think it was the best Christmas we've had in a long time.
Art wise, I didn't do much, but what I did I am crazy proud of. The flower girl was a huge piece for me, but the big project of the year was to help my friend build a book of haikus that he wrote for his girlfriend for Christmas. We started in the summer, I drew the cover art, convinced him to learn calligraphy, cut and mailed him the pages. He wrote the haikus, hand lettered each page, then sent them back to me for binding. I bound them, made the cover and sent it back. All reports say the gift was a huge hit. :D
Aside from the visual arts, my singing has improved so dramatically this year it's crazy. I have gone from barely being able to tolerate hearing my own voice, to actually enjoying listening to myself. I was brave enough to sing karaoke at Dan's Office Christmas party, and it was amazing. I got tons of compliments. I'm so excited about finally finding my voice.
The most amazing thing is that my brain actually works well enough that I can remember any of this, let alone in the order that things happened. I'm not fully healthy yet, there are complications, but I would take them over the hell that was my life with lyme any day. All in all 2013 was a year of change, and most of it for the better I think.
Originally posted @ http://calliopeoracle.dreamwidth.org/18526.html