easter in vermont

i was invited down to seth's mom's place for easter...i was excited to join his family...i hadn't met any of them...i got down to the farm (about 45 min. away) about noon...soon after all the family started to arrive...there were loads of them...felt a lot like my house at family gatherings...i wish i would have had my camera with me because it was amazing to see all the people, the farm which has horses, sheep, emus...i had never seen an emu before...they are some crazy looking birds...they have laid eggs and the male is sitting on them keeping them warm...jean, seth's mom, found an egg outside of the nest and brought it into the house...the thing was huge!! and green...it actually looked fake...like she had painted it...very cool...it was a great easter

birthday surprise....

thank you to all of my wonderful friends and family that left me multiple messages, emails, texts cards etc...on my birthday...i felt so incredibly loved!!!
we had an early release day on my birthday which means the kids leave at noon and we have meetings during the afternoon and then conferences from 4-6pm...it was about 1:30 and i was in a math meeting and we were working hard when dominic walked into my classroom with flowers...i was shaking soooooo bad...my heart was racing...i couldn't believe it...for those of you that don't know...dom and i hadn't seen each other in about 7 weeks...and i had to continue with my meeting and conferences...dominic went home and went to bed (he is used to sleeping all day and working all night)...it was a great weekend of quality time!
love you dominic...thanks for the surprise!!!

visit from courtney...

it doesn't seem like it's already been about a month since dominic's sister courtney came to visit thura and i...she came out here over valentine's day weekend...dom was working and carson (her husband) was out of town...we had a great time...it was so fun to spend time with her...we went to the bobcat on friday night for dinner...saturday i took courtney to see the school that i teach at...we walked around bristol and then went to dinner at the black sheep...we came home and continued drinking wine and watched a couple of chick flicks...she left early on sunday morning...she had some bonding time with thura though...
thanks again for coming to see us courtney! good luck on the final interview!!!

chasing the rain

last saturday it was raining most of the day...it came down and froze to everything...thura has never seen rain and was fascinated with watching it...she eventually tried to catch it as it ran down the outside of the window...
it was so fun to watch her...she has such a great personality...nice to have company after school...

A Blessing for a Friend on the Arrival of Illness

This is a poem found by someone in my lyme online support group. It really hit me to the core and was a great reminder

For a Friend
by John O'Donohue

Now is the time of dark invitation
beyond a frontier that you did not expect.
Abruptly your old life seems distant.
You barely noticed how each day opened
a path through fields never questioned
yet expected deep down to hold treasure.

Now your time on earth becomes full of threat.
Before your eyes your future shrinks.
You lived absorbed in the day to day so continuous
with everything around you that you could forget
you were separate.

Now this dark companion has come between you.
Distances have opened in your eyes.
You feel that against your will
A stranger has married your heart.
Nothing before has made you feel so isolated
and lost.

When the reverberations of shock subside in you,
may grace come to restore you to balance.
May it shape a new space in your heart
to embrace this illness as a teacher
who has come to open your life to new worlds.
May you find in yourself a courageous hospitality
towards what is difficult, painful and unknown.

May you use this illness as a lantern
to illuminate the new qualities that will emerge in you.
May your fragile harvesting of this slow light help you
release whatever has become false in you.
May you trust this light to clear a path
through all the fog of old unease and anxiety
until you feel a rising within you,
a tranquility profound enough to call the storm to stillness.

May you find the wisdom to listen to your illness,
ask it why it came,
why it chose your friendship,
where it wants to take you,
what it wants you to know,
what quality of space it wants to create in you,
what you need to learn to become more fully yourself,
that your presence may shine in the world.

May you keep faith with your body,
learning to see it as a holy sanctuary
which can bring this night wound
gradually towards the healing and freedom of dawn.

May you be granted the courage and vision
To work through passivity and self-pity,
To see the beauty you can harvest
From the riches of this dark invitation.

May you learn to receive it graciously,
And promise to learn swiftly
That it may leave you newborn,
Willing to dedicate your time to birth.

more info on lyme

this is a whole report done by a news anchor that contracted lyme...it is very interesting...watch the videos and check out the links...a lot of differing views to wade through

Lyme Reporter

thanks for staying educated on what im dealing with...love you all

HOUSE FOR SALE!!!!

House for Sale

Check out this great buy! 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom townhouse in rosemount, minnesota...move into your dream house now!

to minnesota and back...

well last week was a whirlwind...i got to mn monday night and after going to a couple different rental car companies i finally went to the one that i had actually rented from...haaaaaaaa...tuesday was filled with meeting realtors...seeing friends...and having the family and some friends over that night...it was so great to be able to see my loved ones again!! i woke wednesday and went shopping with faith for dresses...valissa and i watched a movie that afternoon...wednesday night i headed out to my mom's place for dinner with faith...i got to see my grandma rene...it was great to be able to spend time with her and with family...
thura wasn't sure about stairs being as she had never used them before...it was so funny to watch her walk up and down them...it didn't take long until furball had taken over and she was racing up and down and all around the house...
she also met lisa's dog buddy...instead of hissing like most cats do she started to growl...it was hilarious!!
her favorite spot was the bathroom sink...
thursday i went down to my old school and saw people i used to teach with and some of my former students...it was great...that night i headed over to cindy's to get together with some teacher friends...only a couple people made it but it was great to see them...cindy and i also got a chance to hang out and chat...
at the end of this busy week and all the fun...i was reminded of how incredibly happy i am with my life and where i am at!!!

first dose of new meds

well here i am in the hospital for my first dose of the new meds...i had to get it in the hospital just to make sure i didn't have any bad reaction to it...i got there thinking it was going to take a couple hours...4 at the most...i was very surprised when they told me that it was going to be a 6 hour drip...so i watched a lot of bad tv...corrected some math...and slept...thankfully it was on a sat. and i didn't have any plans...
the home health nurse came today to show me how to do this all myself...i think it only took about 2-3 hours...can't remember because i fell asleep...the fastest im allowed to give it is over 2 hours...