Category Archives: Personal dialogue for a happy life

Humdinger of a Day or Happy Last Day of Winter

Howie left ,Joey right

I was looking forward to my day off. My husband and I planned on getting chores done and preparing for our sons visit back home next week for Spring Break. Today began with a serious of routine doctors appointments. I had not had an annual in a few years and my husband had to follow up on his vaccinations for his new job. After my appointment I met my husband in the waiting room who surprisingly was being taken care of by two nurses checking his vitals and serving him apple juice. After being poked he stood up, felt light headed and almost blacked out. After two hours of being monitored by nurses and his doctor he was released since he felt a bit better. I drove home and we were greeted by our 2 darling dachshunds Joey and Howie. Well actually one was sick as a dog. There were piles of vomit everywhere. Once we realized which one it was, we cleaned up the mess and took Joey outside for some fresh air. He continued to get sick from both ends. This alarmed us because Joey has had some health issues and been on medicine for an autoimmune disease the past year. He was lethargic. Not his chipper self.
The disease attacks the good blood cells in the joints causing severe arthritis. We are fortunate that we live close enough to UCDavis who treats Joey for the disease.
We took Joey to the emergency where he was admitted right away. The vet determined it was just a bacteria infection. Phew! No relapse of his autoimmune disease!

We all went back home. I felt exhausted. Do you ever think your day is going to be one way and turns out to be a humdinger? Today definitely was that day.
After 6 hours of various medical attention and advice, there was only one thing that I know would make us feel better. For the dogs, warm rice and for the humans, homemade chicken soup.
Lately with my IBS attacks, I make a big pot of homemade chicken stock to use for our weekly meals. It helps keep my gut happy and healthy.

Gluten Free Chicken Soup

As I relax tonight I am grateful that the day went the way it did. It made me think how life is short. I shouldn’t take my health for granted or my family’s for that matter.

When I checked the mail today I received a package from Juniper Moon Farms.It was my Fall 2012 shares. Perfect timing, on the last day of Winter.

My shares are from these sweet sheep 🙂

Hip Hip Hooray for Women!

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Happy International Women’s Day!
I know it was this past Friday. I think women should be celebrated in some way…everyday…let me share with you I went to a event at Square on Friday celebrating women merchants! It was a mini Apple reunion for me as I ran into a few of my girlfriends there! What a great surprise! We all have moved on from Apple, but still keep in touch.

The first ever Square Makers Faire was headed up by my friend Michelle. She is an extraordinary woman who draws, creates and works at start up Square. Square has developed an awesome device that fits into any iPhone or Droid that turns your device into a POS tool. I’ve used it for payment on some of my personal knitted items. It’s convienant, easy to use and they are an awesome local company in San Francisco. You can find out more here.

Although I was feeling fatigued, nauseous and frustrated by my tummy issues I pulled myself out of bed and went to the event. I’m glad I did. The vibe was positive, I met other women artists and realized I too can have my own side business just like all of the ladies who attended.I need to walk the talk and Just do It!
There’s no better time than the present right?

I left the event feeling energized, full of life. And to top off the night, I heard my name being yelled from the underground transit by two of my former friends at TCO. Hugs all around!

The next day was my running day. We took off early and hit the trail by 7a. Here’s where I run…

Oddly, running makes me feel alive. It gives me much needed energy to get through my days. I’m grateful I have found one thing that makes me feel better.
My doctor officially diagnosed me with IBS on Friday. You can find out more here. There is no cure, just lifestyle changes are recommended.
One theory to help in tummy issues is to assist good bacteria in your gut. Eating pickled or fermented foods can aid in digestion.
I went to work and tested out my new Perfect Pickler I ordered awhile back.
It pickles food in small batches. I’m anxious to try the sauerkraut I started yesterday!
Waiting 2 weeks will be difficult, meanwhile I’ll eat some pickles I made during summer!

Here’s more about the Perfect Pickler

As usual, my life stays moving forward. I try to make sure at the end of each day to think back and reflect on life’s little lessons that encourage me to follow my passions.
I’m reminded daily…to Just Do It. And you should follow your passions too.
Have a great week!

Reality Checking

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This week was a reality check for me. I must figure out my health issues. I experienced extreme mood swings, insomnia, too many bathroom check ins to count and even some crying when on…
My doctor must have accepted a billion new patients in the New Year so getting in to see him is like playing the lottery.
The constant positivity that helped me this week was from my husband Ron and from the Great Outdoors. When I felt my lowest and most frustrated a walk at nearby Lake Chabot seemed to make my worries go away. It’s a man made lake that is a hidden treasure in my opinion. The dam was built around the 1900s. There’s oak, manzanita, eucalyptus and redwood tres nestled within valleys and canyons full of towering California Laurel. It’s heaven to me. Today my husband and I were up early to try a trail run that goes around the 14 mile lake.
We set off and began our adventure. As we hit mile 6 we found ourselves in a new world filled with various kinds of fern, turkey tail mushrooms and blooming columbine. We felt so far removed from the world, surrounded by nature. I felt alive and good.
My husband and I began running half marathons a few years ago. We usually train on road, around city streets. So trying this trail was exciting for us as it was something a little different. The trail was not paved, consisted of dirt and rocks, branches and lots of poison oak. One thing that struck us as different were the attitudes of each trail runner we encountered. Typically, my husband and I always say hello to walkers and runners on our normal routes when we are out. Most people reply back, some look the other way and some pretend they don’t see or hear us.
Today on the trail, the runners were exuberant! Happy to see us and share what a beautiful day it was! This was the experience as we passed every trail runner! It was great! This motivated us to run further and share with other trail runners the enthusiasm we also had for such a beautiful day.
It created a steady stream of goodness for the rest of our run.

Here a a few pictures I took on our run. If you are ever in the Bay Area, check Lake Chabot and other East Bay Parks out. They are seriously good for the soul. 😀
Have a great week!