I’m glad to see you again…

…I haven’t seen you since I don’t know when… 🙂

I know. I’m missing in action. I have no good explaination except to say that life has been busy and I haven’t had the motivation or desire to document it here.

I think life began rolling at warp speed back in September. In the span of a few weeks, I attended my cousin’s wedding in Chicago with all of my family and boyfriend. Then I had a somewhat big medical thing happen. Next came a work trip to Austin. The holidays soon followed with me spending my first holiday with my boyfriend’s family and now I find myself here – two weeks before Christmas. I see why I never try to do much in the spring – winter wears me out!

My cousin’s wedding was beautiful! Simple and elegant, it gave a little insight into their path to marriage and the love they share. My cousin is extremely quiet around the family, so to see his ‘adult’ life was sweet. The best part of the trip for me was spending time with my family and taking this first trip with my boyfriend. My parents and brother stayed at the Swissotel. Thanks to Groupon we found an amazing deal. BF (boyfriend) stayed in a separate hotel because of a late decision to travel.

From start to finish it was an amazing trip. BF and I continued to learn more about each other’s ways of dealing with life. He’s very much hurry up and go and I am slow down and savor, lol. I must say we have awesome communication with each other, so it was fun to find that middle ground. I love being with him. Just the process of getting to know one another has been so loving. We definitely take seriously the work part of being in a relationship. Not to get off subject, but I think people underestimate the work it takes to be together. Our first year together was very much about the fun part. We did tons of stuff just enjoying each other’s company. Year two together has been very much about learning more about our true lives (family, quirks, work, needs, etc.) and accepting those parts of ourselves. But back to Chicago, since we were pretty much guests at the wedding, we truly had a family vacation and I loved every minute.

The health episode, involved my thyroid. I decided to undergo a radioactive iodine treatment to address my hyperthyroidism. At 37, I didn’t want that condition to continue, even with treatment with medication. Hyperthyroidism increases the chance for miscarriage and I already have enough concerns about pregnancy at this point. Why keep this issue in the mix. The treatment was successful, but now that I’m hypothyroid agan I have to find the right level of thyroid hormone to take daily. The dose I’m on makes me feel anxious and irritable, but I think it’s working itself out. At some point I’ll hit on the right dose. I’ll go for blood work this week to see if I need to make any more adjustments. Once I see what my thyroid levels are I’ll focus on the symptoms I’ve been having. Facts first. 🙂

My visit to Austin can be summed up in two words – shopping and eating. The eating in Austin, Chicago, and Louisiana (for Thanksgiving) has created a problem with my cholesterol (always something, eh?). So that’s my health focus these days. I am getting back in the gym on a regular basis and eating very carefully. I’m good with that because I need both.

So that’s life in a quick few paragraphs. I am not really soaking in the holiday season because of work and life, but I am trying to find little ways to catch some of the holiday spirit. BF and I have Christmas stockings for each other in our homes for little surprises leading up to Christmas. I bought him a movie pass and jelly bellies (he loves candy) as his first treat. He bought me egg nog (yum!). I have a few more treats for him between now and next week, mainly a few fun things for our drive to my parents.

I’m prayerful about a few things – the health of his family members who are ill or preparing for their transition, BF’s job search, my job search, my health, and safe travels for the holidays. That’s what I will be focused on as the year ends. Lots to prepare for as the new year begins…