My Journey to The CEC.

For the last few days, I've wanted to scream it from the mountaintops : I'm HOOOOMMEEEEE!

Our trip to Atlanta ended up being a more eventful and lengthy visit than we had expected. So after all of the plot twists and emotional rollercoastering that went on in the south, being home has never felt better.

Over all, our time at The Center For Endometriosis was a success. I was very impressed with The CEC's compassionate and understanding staff. It felt really incredible to walk into a doctor's office where everybody understood what I was going through. They know endo like the back of their hands and a couple of the nurses mentioned that Dr. S even performed their excision procedures at some point.

My surgery ended up being much more involved than anticipated. I ended up having an excision of endometriosis adhesions, a hysteroscopy, an appendectomy, a presacral neurectomy, and my bowels were moved! So recovery has been a more challenging and lengthy process than it was after my last lap. We ended up having to stay in Atlanta for several extra days before flying home but now we are finally back and I'm finishing recovery here in California.

The past few weeks have been one of the hardest experiences of my life but also the most rewarding. Ever since the surgery, I haven't felt any endo pain. I've had post-surgical pains, so I'm still not quite where I want to be.. but I have hope that soon I will heal and stop hurting. And then I can start living a new and improved life without endo limitations. And that is pretty damn incredible.

Those are the big updates but if you're interested in more of the details from our trip, you can continue reading below the pictures. As always, thank you so much for reading, learning about endo, following along and truly making our story a part of your own. We always feel the love and support! xo

My Favorite Little Trip.

This year, just like last, I took a week off of work after my little loves graduated so that I could enjoy some free time before I head back to the preschool for summer session. Thankfully, Weston and I were able to sneak in our annual trip to Palm Springs before endo realized I was having too much fun and immediately had to shut the party down on Sunday night.

We stayed at Avanti which is our all-time favorite hotel but we had a lot of fun exploring The Parker too! It's mid-century style made me feel like we had stepped right into an episode of Mad Men. We got to try out some gluten-free pizza at Birba, downed some margaritas at El Jefe, and spent most of our time in the pool since it was about 105 degrees the whole time we were there. It was wonderful and I felt pretty well up until our last night, which was really amazing!

We had also planned a short getaway to Las Vegas this week since our last attempt a few years ago accidentally became a turnaround trip thanks to endo and I still haven't been! But what do ya know, we had to cancel last minute due to my pain. Again.

Endometriosis : 2
Las Vegas : 0

One of these days I will make it there! Until then, I will continue reliving these fabulous days in Palm Springs and keep counting down to my surgery. Less than 2 months, friends! Can't believe I might be pain free in 46 days! :)

Do you have any trips planned for this summer?

Also, I'm reading Necessary Lies for a book club with my aunts! Has anyone else read it? I'm excited to discuss it with all the ladies next week and would love to get your take on it if you've read it before. Have a nice weekend!

Lake Tahoe : Part II

On our last morning in Tahoe, we ventured into the State Parks to get a closer look at the lake. Our internet searching and people inquiring led us to Emerald Bay. There was a breathtaking view from the top of the mountain and after a short but steep one mile hike, we found ourselves on the beach.

Apparently, this place is a hotspot during the summertime, but we were two of the three people on the shore that morning. It was probably one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Just so vibrant and peaceful. The water was incredibly clear and tempting, but way too freezing to even dip my toes in! 

That island is the only one in Lake Tahoe. Out there is a "teahouse" which was constructed by the owner of the Vikingsholm Castle in the late 1920s. Occasionally she and her guests would take a boat over to the island and drink tea next to a fireplace inside the stone structure. You can't get to the island or the teahouse, but the "castle" still sits in great condition just feet away from the shoreline. Talk about a dream home...

Sigh...

It was the perfect way to end our trip.

When I am overwhelmed or feeling a lot of pain, I try to breathe and as cliche as it sounds, imagine myself in a calm and happy place. Usually when I meditate, I imagine myself in the ocean and every inhale, I imagine the waves lifting me in the water so my toes can't touch the sand, and then exhaling brings me back to the ground. But this week, I've been falling back into this moment as much as I can. It was pure bliss.

If you ever want to use this place when you're overwhelmed, please do! 

Just remember what Phoebe Buffay says about her happy place…

"Okay fine, use my happy place. 

I'm just gonna have to ask that you don't move anything…"  ;)

Lake Tahoe : Part I

In an effort to take advantage of a few mutual days off work during Thanksgiving weekend, Weston and I road tripped up to Lake Tahoe. We both went into it with no real ideas about what to expect since Weston had never been there and my only previous visit occurred when I was 4 years old, but the town was even more beautiful and refreshing than I had imagined it would be.

We stayed at a cute little hotel in South Lake called Basecamp. Our first night in town was spent exploring the little shops and restaurants in Heavenly Village. Pizza, wine, and chocolate truffles in our bellies, we watched people circling an outdoor ice rink, admired the christmas decorations, and visited every firepit we came across for at least a moment or two.

The next morning, after breakfast, we took the Heavenly Gondola up to the top of the mountain. We had no idea how high this thing was actually going to take us until we were at the top… and then realized we were only halfway to our destination, haha. This was something that got recommended to us several times when we were planning our trip and afterward, we agreed it was worth the hype. After a scenic stop halfway up the mountain for a breathtaking view of the lake, we got back on the lift and continued all the way up to the ski lodge. We sat inside drinking hot chocolate and watching skiers and snowboarders make their way up and down the slopes for a while before heading back down to the snowless foot of the mountain.

Afterwards, we headed to lunch at Sonney's BBQ. I mention the name because it was seriously delicious and if you go to South Lake Tahoe, you should try it out. Weston said that if he could only eat one meal for the rest of his life it would probably be their pulled pork sandwich.

As we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, little snowflakes slowly started to fall. I was really trying to contain my excitement until one of the guys who works at the restaurant came out and exclaimed, "Yes, awesome! Snow! Woohoo! Nice!" If the locals can geek out about it, SO CAN I.

They seated us inside, next to a cozy fireplace and a nice big window so I could stare longingly outside in between starting at Weston, silently willing him to please-eat-faster-because-in-case-you-didn't-know-it's-snowing! This is probably a funny thing for you non-SoCal friends to read about, but I have only seen snow fall maybe once in my life and before this day, Weston never had! So we were thrilled to our cores.

After lunch, we crossed the street to venture into a forest of trees and explore in the snow. Trying to keep my camera dry was a funny process, but by the end of it, we were such pros that we even threw together a contraption that held my umbrella over the tripod so we could get a few pictures of ourselves via self timer - just like the locals do! Right? ;) 

I also got my first pair of rain boots for my birthday and this was my first chance to use them 

so there may have been a significant amount of puddle-jumping while in Tahoe.

^ This picture was right after Weston slipped off of a branch he had been standing on. Outtakes are usually my favorites and this is not an exception. :)

It was pretty magical. I wish I could have put some of that snow in my pocket and saved it forever, but these pictures do a really good job of taking me right back to the happiest moment of our trip. 

More of Tahoe to come.

Carlsbad.

My parents had been looking online for beach house rentals for weeks at the beginning of summer. To get close to the beach, we were going to be spending a pretty penny and it looked like we'd only be able to afford about one or two nights away from home.

That's when one of our sweet family-friends happened to mention his parent's beach house in Carlsbad to us.
And then offer it to us for a week. For free.

I can't tell you what a blessing this situation was. There was room for everybody to have their own bed, we enjoyed all of our meals on our rooftop which overlooked the ocean, we were able to bring Toby along for his first vacation, and we were only a few steps away from the sand on a semi-private beach! We felt (and continue to feel) incredibly lucky to have such generous friends in our lives.

We were fortunate to have beautiful weather while at the beach house, too. Up until our last day it was nothing but sunshine, blue skies, and gorgeous sunsets. We all took part in some sunset swims, getting in to watch the sun disappear behind the ocean. I also almost drowned during one such swim because the waves were really rough and the tide was super strong… A little excitement for our otherwise relaxing trip haha, but that's a different story.

And after our long days of swimming and enjoying the sunshine, we'd all walk back to the house, get comfy and watch movies or play games together. It was so nice having us all there to enjoy each others company - with schedules these days it's not super often that we are all relaxed and in the same place. I think it was probably my favorite family trip we've ever been on. :)

Seattle.

After the beautiful days we spent in Portland, we trekked to the station and jumped on a train that would take us the 4 hours to Seattle. Weston was busy working during the ride but I was glued to the window. Thanks to the railroad, I was able to see so many beautiful parts of Oregon and Washington that I never would've seen otherwise. The 4 hours went by so quickly! 

(endo note : I used thermacare heat wraps on the train to try to take a little of the endo edge off and they worked like a charm! 

Not super obvious under my shirt, stayed warm, and provided the relief that heat usually does. I highly recommend!)

We arrived in Seattle with a huge list of recommendations from two of my friends who have lived in Seattle at one point or another and unfortunately, we only had a day and a half in the city to try to cram them all in, which was just not possible. But we saw what we could and while it didn't stand out quite as much as Portland did, Seattle definitely had it's beautiful moments. And delicious food. 

Portland.

Hello!

After five days spent exploring Portland and Seattle, it feels really wonderful to be back on So Cal soil, with Toby at my feet, sharing these photos with you! As much fun as it is to be away, there's also such a sweetness to returning home - even after just a few days.

On the Fourth of July, Weston and I flew from LA to Portland over a sea of fireworks that I wish I could've properly captured (here is my iPhone attempt) although it didn't seem that any camera was capable of doing the trick. Right around 9:30 the sparks started bursting below us and I was glued to the window until we landed!

Just like everyone said I would, I fell in love with Portland - the old buildings, how clean and beautiful they manage to keep the city, all the gluten-free options at every restaurant (even one entirely gluten free/vegan bakery!), the handmade products in cute little shops, how it stayed light outside until 10pm.. Just everything. 

In fact, I think it was during our first morning at brunch that Weston started planning our next trip back there, haha.

I had some rough endo moments while in Portland, so our approach was to make frequent trips back to the hotel for medicine/heat/rest in between all of our wandering. We had initially planned on renting a car and driving out deeper into Oregon for some hiking on one of the days, but ended up happily spending all of our time in the city instead - there was never a shortage of things to see, shops to browse, foods to eat, or cocktails to drink. 

If this California thing doesn't work out for us, in a few years you might look us up in Portland. ;)