I've Got Mexico In Mind...

Adios realidad...


Hola lugar feliz...

El tiempo de vacaciones esta' aqui'...

Hasta que nos encontremos otra vez...

Our Own Little Mermaid...

Cate's first swim...

For good...

Today I had the pleasure of seeing the musical Wicked performed at the Music Hall at Fair Park in Dallas. It is a fabulous tale of friendship, sacrifice and love. It made me laugh, it made me cry and it filled my heart with appreciation as it reminded me of how blessed I am to have some special girls in my life..."Because I knew you, I have been changed for good."

For Good - From Wicked

I've heard it said

That people come into our lives for a reason

Bringing something we must learn

And we are led

To those who help us most to grow

If we let them

And we help them in return

Well, I don't know if I believe that's true

But I know I'm who I am today

Because I knew you...

Like a comet pulled from orbit

As it passes a sun

Like a stream that meets a boulder

Halfway through the wood

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?

But because I knew you

I have been changed for good.

Well, it may never be

That we'll meet again

In this lifetime

So let me say before we part

So much of me

Is made of what I learned from you

You'll be with me

Like a hand print on my heart

And now whatever way our stories end

I know you have rewritten mine

By being my friend...

Like a ship blown from its mooring

By a wind off the sea

Like a seed dropped by a skybird

In a distant wood

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?

But because I knew you

Because I knew you

I have been changed for good.

"He" Didn't Deserve The Credit...

Well, it turns out the eye problem was not autoimmune related thank the good Lord.  I simply had a good old fashioned eye infection. 

It started out in the left eye and ended up settling in the right eye too before it was all said and done. 

Seven days of drops and gel, three trips to the Opthamologist and I'm good as new. 

My immediate decision that the redness had to be autoimmune related is a great example of my never-ending fear of that dang 'ole tenant of mine. 

I really must learn not to give "him" so much credit!

 

A nagging tenant...

As most of you know I am the proud owner of an autoimmune disease...or two...well, okay, probably three but the jury is still out on that last one.  You see, once one is the owner of one autoimmune disease the body will sometimes decide the more the merrier and allow others to join the party.

Just as an FYI this is what Wikipedia says about the autoimmune disease..."Autoimmune diseases arise from an overactive immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body. In other words, the body actually attacks its own cells."

Sounds great, huh?

For some people every day with an autoimmune disease is a challenge.  For some it is an actual nightmare.  I however am one of the lucky few whose diseases usually lie low.  In fact, other than your occasional buzzing and numbness mine don't mess with me much.  With that said I feel terribly guilty when one does rear their ugly head and I act all whiny about it - which is what I am doing today.

Today my nemesis is Sjogren's Syndrom. 

Sjogren's is a chronic autoimmune disease in which a person's white blood cells attack their moisture producing glands.  Although the hallmark symptoms are dry eyes and dry mouth Sjogren's can also cause complications throughout the entire body. 

My symptoms always occur in the left eye.  It has probably been two years since the last "flare" but I woke up this morning with a blood-red inner part of the "white of my eye" and swollen lid.  Looks like I'll be visiting with the Opthamologist tomorrow.

Here's the thing.  It's not that these symptoms are so painful; they are more irritating than painful.  The real issue is the reminder they bring.  A reminder of the unknown possibilities that lurk within my body.  And, yes, I understand we all have unknown possibilities.  The difference is my possibilities occasionally knock on the door...they knock to remind me that they have already taken up residence and will be a nagging and unpredictable tenant the remainder of my life.

A bit over the moon...

Just finished spending several days with Cate...

I am constantly amazed by her...

Check out those eyes...

And her smile...

Her serious look...

And her profile...

Okay, so I'm a bit over the moon when it comes to this baby...

Fairies flitting...gnomes dancing...

At any moment I expect to see fairies flitting across the front lawn. 

Or perhaps a family of gnomes dancing among the shrubs. 

It's as if Mother Nature waved her magic wand and created a new little world full of mystery and magic. 

A world previously known as our front flowerbeds.

It's quiet precious if you have a rather vivid imagination...

and can get past the idea of an invasion of the fungi...