Feeling better but not 100%

After my radiation quarantine, it was so great to come back from my parent's house to an endless Valentine's celebration.  I’m still not feeling 100% -- just generally tired -- but I’m hopeful that I will get to claim that designation soon enough.

Interestingly, my heart rate, which was steadily rising has dipped dramatically since the radiation treatment.  The nodule in my neck seems to have decreased in size, too.  Now to figure out how to make my ears stop ringing, which is a symptom that began two days after the radiation treatment.

 

Simon's Breed

The results are in!

Guard

 49% American Staffordshire Terrier
 1% Boxer

Herding
 8% German Shepherd Dog
 8% Australian Shepherd
 5% White Swiss Shepherd

Terrier
 14% Portuguese Podengo Pequeno

Sporting
 9% Kooikerhondje

Asian
 3% Siberian Husky

Middle Eastern and African
 3% Canaan Dog

Tiny Love Story

On this date 16 years ago, Joshua and I were headed to a St. Patrick's Day party at his friend's house.  Before we got out of his car to walk down the street to the party, Joshua asked me if he could introduce me as his girlfriend.  It was a sweet moment from a thoughtful guy.  When we went into the party and Joshua casually introduced me with my new title, his friends all cheered and patted him on the back.  I have such fond memories of falling in love with my husband.

To celebrate this date-aversary, here is my submission to the NYTs Tiny Love Stories, which are vignettes of love limited by 100 words:

"Near the water” was my vague response when he asked where I lived, heeding my mother’s advice not to sound homeless. In truth, I was often at the climbing gym for the free shower, not the climbing routes. He would come to find out the truth – my sailboat liveaboard lifestyle, need for adventures, independent nature – over the coming decade as we moved around the country, eventually coming to settle. We gave our son the middle name of Anchor, honoring my love of sailing, our love of climbing, and his attempt to keep us steady.

Recent Photos

 

While we look forward to Spring Break, we've been enjoying everyday life -- hanging out around the house, Friday night pizzas, bike rides, and local hikes.  

Joshua received the J&J vaccine on Sunday, which was exciting.  It is nice that he is vaccinated and less likely to get very sick if he gets the coronavirus.  However, as everyone keeps saying, "The numbers are getting better!" with such enthusiasm, we are still hesitant to be cavalier.  The numbers are better, yes, but that does not mean they are good.  There is still uncontrolled community spread.  In fact, the numbers are as bad as the worst point as last summer when everything was shut down.  We aren't seeing that as actually good.  Therefore, since the kids and I aren't vaccinated and Joshua's vaccination does not make him immune to infection, we are staying very vigilant and cautious.  There is no point wasting our collective progress of the last year by acting as if the pandemic is behind us.  As Joshua has mentioned to me when I express how we could be a bit laxer (e.g., taking the kids with me on a quick Target run), he has lived through losing a family member and strongly questions any actions that might make that a possibility for our family.  

Here's the NYT's data for our county, which is still categorized as in a "severe outbreak":

Throwback Photo: Maria Hurtado

Before the Carlisle High School's Winter Ball

 

Defending the House

After last winter's lack of snow, this year's endless white has been so much fun.  The kids have been sledding at school every recess and playing at home all the time.  They spent one afternoon making a snowman army to guard the house.  

One Year of Worry

While we officially began social distancing on March 13th, today is the approximate anniversary of really worrying about the coronavirus.  I began making lists of what supplies we should have on hand if there was a complete lockdown, started ordering items needed to take care of our family if we got sick from an illness we knew little about, and discussed with Joshua what we should do in different scenarios.  We had envisioned a few weeks of shutdowns, government oversight of borders, and aid from the U.S. to other countries like the Ebola virus.  It was scary.  However, it was not as scary as it would have been if we knew the truth of what was going to happen -- the number of people who would die (current worldwide estimate: a mind-boggling 2.5 million individuals;  here in the States, just hit the grim half-million mark), the length of the shutdowns, the impact on the economy, and the toll of the ongoing stress.  

With the new COVID-19 variant, I have some of the same worries about our future, but this time I'm armed with some knowledge of just how many things can adjust in our world very quickly.  I don't believe we are out of the woods, even with the vaccine rollout, and I believe it will take a long time before the collective worry ends.  

Page in my personal notebook from February 2020

When the pandemic began, James innocently asked Joshua and me how many pandemics we had lived through.  We laughed and explained that this wasn't common.  I felt reassured when his question seemed to demonstrate that our calm energy in front of the children effectively made him not panic.  However, from that point on, when things were inconvenient (my thyroid troubles, my sprained ankle, feelings of isolation), I started saying, "This is my least favorite pandemic."  Armed with this stupid joke, we have made the best of this situation. We are inconvenienced but lucky enough not to be directly impacted by the virus or have anyone in our immediate community die.  

Happy Valentine's Day

This Valentine's Day is a little different as our family unit isn't together.  Due to my thyroid issues (hyperthyroidism caused by a toxic adenoma), I chose to do a radioactive iodine treatment, which requires a week of isolation.  I'm currently isolating myself at my parent's house for a week to ensure that I don't expose Joshua and the children.  I'm feeling so grateful for my parent's separate loft space, their exemplary care, and that Joshua can handle everything at home.  I feel so loved and cared for -- what a perfect Valentine's realization.

Before I left the house, I decorated with some family photos so that my family can feel my love and presence. I'm excited to celebrate with them when I get home.  I heard rumors about a red velvet bundt cake - yum!  Although, if you have to isolate, I'd highly recommend my parent's loft -- five-star review for the good food, patient care, and lovely environment.  😀

I got my Garmin watch nearly a year ago (March 2020).  It keeps track of my heart rate, which I find helpful for workouts.  It also tracks my resting heart rate, which I didn't think about too much previously.  However, look at how much my resting rate increased in the last year in the chart below.  I went from 62 beats per minute (putting me in the "excellent" category on most fitness charts) to nearly 80 beats per minute (putting me in the "below average" range).  Wild.  This is what the endocrinologist was referencing when she asked if my heart rate has been increasing recently.   I'm really happy that we are treating my hyperthyroidism now before it got worse. 

Happy heart day!  I'm so grateful for the support so that I can take care of mine!