{this moment}

{this moment}

Birthday Bonfire. Just the guys.

::grateful::

I am grateful for

[sometimes] hard lessons to grow by
help from Ry building my "office"
progress on the little blue house
the woods I walk in daily
"new" food for Max
deep breathing
possibilities
Jodi

{this moment}

It's a summer moment...

:: grateful ::

I am grateful for:

a class on liquid enamel techniques - mmm
walking in the redwoods and on the shore
happy birthdays and boys
sunshine and sunglasses
friends, all of them
smiles and laughter
the hope of rain
cauliflower
Kitty-dog
paint

I'm grateful.

It's Been a While

Greetings family and friends. It's been a while. Summer was filled with travel and family and a couple of summer camps. We've had three birthdays, football season and school have begun, and our little cottage with the hole in the roof is being repaired since last I wrote. None of which can account for my slothfulness in writing here. Marilyn has again reminded me of my absence here at Tese's Place. So here I am, making an appearance. Hi.

Max getting ready to climb some trees!

Max turned 11 in August! Eleven. He started middle school and MMA (mixed martial arts) this fall. There is a whole lot more school in school this year. So far he's enjoying the challenges (most of the time). Max loves to laugh and meet new people. He is a truly lovely human with a big heart and a ready smile.

Coleman turned 14 on the 18th of this month. Fourteen. He will be able to drive in a year and a half. Football season began on the first of August, and not a moment too soon. If it were up to him he'd play all year. School is going well for him, he's got his friends and his game. Coleman is growing up, he's funny and is good hearted and has a strong sense of himself.

Coleman on a rope swing.

I turned a year older in August. I like to think that I get better with age. Don't tell me if it isn't true. I try and I try to be better with each passing day. Sometimes the effort pays off, sometimes I take a step back. I keep trying, though. I've been trying really hard to walk a lot. I got a fitbit for my birthday and have been tracking my steps by the day. It sure is motivational when you can see how many steps you've taken at any given moment in the day. Or how many you have not. I like it. It's measurable, a lot of my life is not measurable.

Chris' birthday is still about two months away. He gets better with age too. A good chunk of his summer was spent in Portland, OR working. We like that town, it's a lovely place to visit. He's been riding as often as he can which is never as often as he'd like - it keeps him young and happy. Chris has stopped eating sugars, high glycemic carbs and starches. Friday night pizza you may think is out for him, but no! I've made pizza with cauliflower crust. And it was good.

Our little cottage has been undergoing repairs. Much needed. We moved to Soquel a little over seven years ago and I am sure it needed work back then. It became unavoidable when water started entering the house via the roof. There hasn't been much rain in these parts for a lot of seasons. It doesn't take much rain to ruin a building and its contents though. So now we've got a new roof and windows. It's pretty now. And there's no mold. And it doesn't smell bad. All good things. Just a few finishing touches and we'll be able to use it. Next onto landscaping! That will be an interesting project and one that will make home so much more pleasant.

Well then. That's about what we've been up to these past weeks and months. There was a lot more, but at some point pictures are more interesting than words. So I'll leave you with some shots of our adventures. Hope you are all well.

{this moment}

an occasional post by me, inspired by soulemama's friday ritual.

read: Why Can't I Get Better? Solving the Mystery of Lyme and Chronic Illness

Why Can't I Get Better? by Richard I. Horowitz, M.D. is a must read for anyone suffering from a chronic autoimmune illness, or who knows someone who is. I ordered it through Amazon after listening to a Lyme Ninja podcast with Dr. Horowitz as a guest speaker. Full disclosure: I'm not finished with this book yet. I'm half way through and I've got it marked up and dog eared. I've got a long list of other things to research from this reading. Most importantly, though I have a much better understanding of the illness my two boys and I have. It's both encouraging and overwhelming to read this. Encouraging because I have discovered more information from this book in the past couple of weeks than ever before (remember I'm only half way through it, too). I have sought information that is meaningful and helpful for 13 years now, so that gives you an idea of what a gold mine this book is. Overwhelming because the complexity of chronic illness and understanding illness, treatment as it relates to me and mine makes my head spin. There's also this nagging reality that we may not ever fully recover, always being hunted by the clever little organisms within our bodies. They are able to remain dormant for years, waiting for your immune system to be vulnerable. Rest assured though, that if you have been suffering with Lyme, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia or some other autoimmune issue you will find answers in this book. Answers like: the right questions to ask your physician, the right tests to get done and enough information so you can find the right physician for you. Knowledge you will gain from this book might just make the difference between hope and despair. So, order this book, be ready to write in the margins, take notes and get educated!

{this moment}

an occasional post by me, inspired by soulemama's friday ritual.

{this moment}

an occasional post by me, inspired by soulemama's friday ritual.