Artzpalooza

Well, we missed the art show last weekend because I was so sick. Luckily, the show is also today and next weekend. I'm feeling better, so we will be headed out to Atlanta for a few hours today. I know the kids will enjoy the experience. Hopefully it will be adult friendly, too. I'm hoping my teenager will decide to come with us.

It's good to feel better. I have so much to do now because the last week was fairly useless. I didn't accomplish much at all this past week. Come to think of it, I didn't accomplish anything at all beyond getting out of bed.

Today, though, will be a good day.

I am thankful for the accidental discovery of penicillin.

I am slowly recovering.

I am also thankful for my wonderful husband and his step-mother, both who have helped me tremendously the last few days as I've battled this horrible sickness. (His mother is usually also very helpful, but is currently out of town.)

I am also thankful for my bed, which is currently beckoning to me...

Sick Me.

I have strep.

Luckily, I have Randall. He got me ice cream. He took me to the doctor. He kept the kids away.

Back to bed for me.

Depression

Sadness. Darkness. Overwhelming. Bearing down. Crashing in. Smothering. Heavy. Pain. Weeping. Irrational. Fear. Panic. Worry. Lonely. Distant. Solitude. Failure. Despair.

These are the feelings and thoughts that I battle frequently.

The pills help - Lord knows they really, really help - but some days the sickness gets the best of me. Some days, when the world seems to be against me, the tears come no matter how hard I fight. Even with all the wonderful blessings I have, there are days when everything is dark and heavy and - yes - irrational.

Here, in the dark, when everyone is asleep, I can cry freely without concern for giving explanations that there really is no reason for the tears. There are few who would understand.

In the Forest

I'm spending a few days out in the woods for a much needed break from responsibilities. You may wonder how I can be visiting with you while I'm out here in the forest. Well, there is a lodge at Unicoi State Park with free wireless Internet access. My husband and I are taking advantage of the lodge for a bit of relaxing television and playing on the computer.

I've found this short trip to be very relaxing. Things have been overly chaotic in my world over the past few months. Being out in the woods helps me reconnect with my own inner peace.

We love camping in a tent out in the woods with few people around. I would be okay with camping out in the middle of nowhere if my physical abilities would allow me to hike more than a few feet. As it is, we do what is called "walk-in camping" where we park relatively close to the campsite and walk from the car to the site. We're also relatively close to the comfort stations. The showers here provide hot water and a clean spot to get clean.

We have camped in various places, but I find that the State Parks are often the best options for camping. The facilities are typically in good shape and clean. The staff is friendly. The campsites are well maintained. There really is little chance of being disappointed when you choose to camp at one of Georgia's State Parks. (The same is not always true for other states. We've camped at State Parks in a nearby state and found the facilities to be sorely lacking.)

Yesterday we visited nearby Helen, Ga for a bit of wandering and sight seeing. I always enjoy walking through the various shops that can be found in Helen. There are so many different things to see here. I no longer feel the need to buy the wares, though, because we've visited so many times that there is little that is new to me. My husband is very grateful for this shift in attitude because his wallet gets to stay in his pocket for the majority of the trip. The only thing I ever really want in Helen is a luscious chocolate covered strawberry or four.

Well, while we were in town yesterday, we decided to take a trip down the river on a tube. There's a company here called Cool River Tubing. I've traveled down the river more than once on an inner tube. This wasn't really a new experience for me. It's an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours, though. Unfortunately, less than halfway through our trip down the river I began to feel nauseated. The heat was not terribly oppressive, so I'm still at a loss as to what caused my ill feelings. When we reached the bridge in Helen, we made our way to the shore and up to the main road. My husband left me in town to go get the car. While I waited for him to return, I had an opportunity to observe a wasp sitting on some nearby flowers. I guess I never stopped to consider just how beautiful wasps can be. This particular wasp was busy preening and cleaning his wings. It was a fascinating process to observe.

Even though I began to feel ill yesterday, I thoroughly enjoyed my day out. Today has been even better because I've done little more than laze around doing crossword puzzles and reading some of the documents that I collected at the home school convention. I've managed to reduce my collection significantly, which is definitely saying something. I've been spending time just letting my mind go instead of trying to dictate my thought processes. It's nice to have that luxury even if it is only for a few days. Perhaps when I return to reality tomorrow I will be able to contain some of this calmness that has enveloped me. I sure hope so.

Crazy Crazy Crazy

The past few days have been incredibly insane. My best friend had twins via C-Section on Saturday. I got to meet the parents of the twins on Sunday. (My friend was a gestational surrogate.) My friend Toni flew in from Canada on Monday. I spent Monday and Tuesday evening with her after spending part of the day at the hospital each day. I took my friend home from the hospital yesterday. The drive was horribly long.

Today we are leaving for a four day camping trip. NOTHING is packed. NOTHING is prepared. SIGH!!!

Oh well. I'm taking my time and not getting riled up over the lack of preparation. We usually have all this done a few days in advance. The week has been too hectic for me to get anything together. It's all good, though.

This is a much needed vacation. We're leaving the girls behind to go enjoy a few days alone to celebrate our anniversary that came around earlier this week. I'll be back on Monday.