Feeling Good for Fall!

It is officially Fall, and this is the first Fall season that I have not had a flare since diagnoses, which was just over two years ago. It feels amazing. I am feeling good, and I am loving it. "Good" to me is also learning to live with my new normal, which does include fatigue, some achey joints and hair loss. But those things are livable. An adjustment, but very do-able. As long as I only visit the restroom a few times a day for short periods of time, I'm happy.

Recently, Isaac and I visited San Francisco for a week vacation. It was a lot of fun and very busy. It was not the type of relaxing beach vacation, but the kind of sight-seeing trip that you need a vacation to recover from the original vacation. We really enjoyed it, and it was good for us as a couple to travel in that way. It is challenging to "go,go,go" all day long while trying to figure out where you are even going. There is something about navigating a strange, crowded city together that can bring you closer.

Did we argue or get snippy at times? Yes, of course. Traveling can be stressful and tiring. Don't be a fool to believe that vacations are always smooth sailing for a traveling couple. :) Every person travels in a different ways. Some plan, and some are spontaneous. Some start packing a week before, and some pack the night before right before bedtime (my husband :)).

We both realized that we did not enjoy large touristy masses of people. It seemed to stress us out and irritated us both. We preferred the less crowded areas of town like Ocean Beach, Napa wine country, Muir Woods, driving in a rental car across Golden Gate Bridge and not on the public bus, and Golden Gate Park. But you can't go to San Fran and not see the tourism sites! I loved seeing the Painted Ladies, THE Full House house, Lombard Street (one of the most crooked streets in the world), and of course, Alcatraz.

Shortly before we left for our trip, I had an infected abscess. Thankfully, I was able to get the infection under control with the correct antibiotic and thoroughly enjoyed my trip. I was very worried about that getting in the way.

Many have asked me how I eat when I am on vacation, especially when we are on-the-go like we were in SF. Since I was not flaring, I was able to easily find something to eat most places. I am able to handle more foods and not be as picky when I am not flaring either. I always stay away from rich lactose foods, large amounts of highly greasy foods, and fatty meat, like ground beef, steak or bacon. Last year when we drove to Winter Park, CO, I had to be more careful. It was difficult finding meals that would sit well in my stomach when we were on the road for 10 hours during the day. We had to stop and use Urban Spoon to search for sandwich places that were off the highway sometimes.

I hope everyone is enjoy their Fall season! Our leaves have not started changing colors yet, but I can tell they are about to. We need to mow our grass one more time, then I believe we will be done till next year. Very exciting! This weekend, we are going to pick some pumpkins and purchase mums for the front porch. I love doing family, home activities :)