At the Beach

Our First Day Here and We Headed to the Beach! :)

We are really enjoying our vacation! 

Bridge to Sunset Beach

Last week we had warm enough temps to cross over the bridge and go to the beach--FOUR times! It's just a three minute drive from the place we are staying to the beach, which is great for short outings.

Beautiful Beach!

I'm so glad Mom encouraged us to go away for a long stretch of time. It definitely took us the first week to settle in--find the stores and foods we needed, get the dogs into a new routine, get ourselves settled in to a new place,  and recoup from the travel. Now we are settled in and really enjoying this time together.

Wishing The Pier Was Open

I feel completely overwhelmed by this trip--by the ability to go away at all; the ability to enjoy it so much more than any other time we have tried to travel; the ability to have 'space' from medical appointments, doctors, PT, counseling and the grind of appointments; the ability to take this time for us; and the ability to have time away from the demands of our house and to-do lists. 

Sometimes a little bit of guilt creeps in too, because I know how incredibly fortunate we are to be able to do this.

Overall, though, the trip just feels like one big victory.

A Fog Is Rolling In

I keep smiling at Mom and saying: "I'm so happy we did this! I am so grateful we are doing this!"

The Beach is HUGE!

I know how very blessed we are to be able to do this and have this gift of time and space.

Mom LOVES the Beach

Our days have been low-key. My energy has been up and down. That's one thing about chronic illness--it doesn't magically go away when we are in a wonderful healing environment. The bad days and the symptoms are still there. 

Definitely Different Weather Than Back Home...

Still, the fact that I can do this at all amazes me. I did exceptionally well with the travel here (which I was anxious about). My pain stayed under control and I rested well in the car. The first couple of days here I was flying on adrenaline, and then crashed out a bit! :) 

Having less stress, fewer demands on my time, and giving myself permission to be less social and more quiet, has helped though. 

Walkway We Discovered for The Rolls.

The weather was so great our first week here, that we took the opportunity to go to the beach, which is very handicapped accessible. Since it is just a three minute drive, we can pop over for an hour, watch the ocean, and pop back home. We've discovered this particular boardwalk to the beach for the Rolls. Then, once we get to the beach I can walk around a bit or just sit and watch the water.  

Over the past year my ability to sit upright has improved, so I'm able to go and sit up for an hour or more while we hang out at the beach. Not struggling during every moment I'm sitting up makes life much more enjoyable!

Gershwin's First Trip to the Beach

We've taken both of the little ones, so that will be Monday's Dog Blog! :)

Is That SUNSHINE?

Our afternoons at the beach have been our big outings so far. Otherwise, I've gone for a massage once each week. We've taken a nice StRoll around the development in which we are staying (on a golf course). And we've hung out at home. The weather is cooler now, so hopefully I'll have energy for a lunch out, a little shopping, or trip to a coffee shop.

I've spent time writing snail mail, working on a hand sewing project, listening to a book, and watching TV with Mom on our new Roku device. How wonderful it feels to take time to watch a TV show or a movie together! Mom has taken time to read a book and go for lots of long walks with the little ones. One day she hit 17,000 steps! Let's just say the puppies are TIRED! The upside of how tired they are? LOTS of cuddle time for ME! :)

We've also met several people--either when we've gone for the beach or when Mom has been out for walks with Gershwin and Tovah Rose. Everyone is super friendly here.

And we've enjoyed fresh seafood, which is something we can't get at home--fresh caught shrimp, flounder, sea bass, and a fish we can't remember the name of (oops). 

Very Calm Ocean Waters 

While I don't feel 'magically better' here at the beach, and I struggle to make sure that I don't have unreasonable expectations of what I will get 'done' while I'm here, I do feel this has already been, and will continue to be, a time of great healing--physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It's the first real and true break we've taken in 15 years. 

I'm at a place health-wise that I can truly enjoy this experience. Even if I have bad days, we are here to rest and recuperate, not go hiking and scuba diving! And my bad days are nothing like they were even a year ago.

We're so appreciative of the support and encouragement we have received from all of you, letting us know how much you also hope for this to be a special and restorative time for us. It has buoyed us and reminded us to enjoy and savor this time together.

Blessings,

Emily