Camperrific

It's a whole month later, but I'm determined not to fall of the blogging train, if only the sake of my own future memory! So last month, we skipped off to our fourth annual church campout, where the men do the cooking and the children entertain each other [for the most part]. Peter ended up in charge this year, so it was a little more of an investment in terms of setup and cleanup - but just as fun as always.

It was a full three days, and this was our second year at the Wolford Reservoir location, a pituresque rugged little spot tucked between the big ranges in the Rockies.

We got out on the pontoon boat, got some fishing in (but still no fish - maybe one of these years), and splashed around in the swimming hole by the dock. In between, there was plenty of relaxing to be had. 

Ah, the joys of being uninhibited in nature when nature calls.

Cornholio Tournament

We had a Vespers service around the campfire one night, a movie night the next (projected on one of the campers), and of course there were s'mores til the cows came home. We also had the treat of optimal stargazing, and during the Perseid Meteor Shower no less - we saw tons of shooting stars, and I don't know that I've ever seen the Milky Way so vividly. It was breathtaking! The dorkish wannabe astronomer in me was over the moon (get it? heh...heh...). I attempted a photo, but I'll spare you the resultant black square of nothingness. 

There was ample sun and no rain the whole weekend, but also no real shade at the campsite, which makes for some scorchers when you're tent camping. So we escaped Saturday to Steamboat Springs, which is only about 45 minutes from the reservoir. I've never been and have always wanted to see it, but let's be real - the underlying motive was a nice long air-conditioned car ride and potential naps for the kids. When we got there we attempted a well-renowned waterfall hike, but it ended up being blazing hot and crowded and I was the only one into it - we made it to the first lookout but the kids weren't having it and ultimately sat down on the sidewalk in protest. So we turned around and left, and they all blessedly slept. 

Life didn't exactly slow down that much either during our time away...Erik lost a tooth, prompting us to get really creative and figure out a payment plan after Marie exclaimed "now you'll get money tonight!!!" before we could shush her and say that the tooth fairy didn't make wilderness calls. The last day of the campout also fell on Marie's 8th birthday, so even though we had celebrated previously, we celebrated on her real day as much as possible between packing up the campsite and road tripping home.

And lest you think I've morphed into some sort of camping superstar after three previous years whining about "roughing it," here's what three days of roasting in the sun interspersed with three long nights of freezing in a sleeping bag despite seven layers of clothing will do to you:

#iwokeuplikethis
[And then I got to go socialize].

C'mon, sun! Some of us need to thaw!

One of the biggest highlights, as always, was mass by the lake - where we got to appreciate both Jesus and some of his best work at the same time: 

We love that this tradition has become such an integral part of our summers, and it's one I know we will continue to enjoy for many years to come - gorgeous views, frigid nights, and all!

Renovation Station - The Exterior

Awhile ago I gave a little synopsis of the nice long home improvement list we acquired after one hail of a storm roughed up our little abode.

And here we are now, shockingly almost finished just a month after the renovations started! It certainly didn't take as long as I thought -- once everything got started they knocked it out very quickly, with the exception of refinishing our first floor hardwoods. (Which will probably require a hotel stay, so I purposely delayed it because they wanted to do that the week of my surgery and the kids starting school - no thanks!).

Here's a rundown of all the fun...

BEFORE

The Roof... The Roof...

I had no idea how many roof color choices existed until I had to choose. It actually brought me back to the agony of wedding planning and all the decisions that I didn't know were decisions I'd have to make until I was confronted with the option. (And it was all on me because Peter had no preference - not sure if that made it easier or harder!). We ended up going from a brown-gray variegated shingle to straight black which I'm ultimately very happy with. In general, it was really not that exciting except for the cool conveyor belt truck that arrived to deliver the materials and all the fun of cleaning up after poor Samson who was literally scared, shall we say--well, you get the idea--by all the noise. Fun times.

New Paint

Oh, paint colors...so many more choices, so little time. I actually didn't mind the colors of the house when we bought it, but we get some mean southern exposure on the side and back of the house. Because the current color was such a purple/brown-toned gray, it faded terribly quickly and looked much more beige on those sides. So I knew I wanted to go more gray and also get rid of the red. After much (much much much) deliberation, I finally narrowed it down to Sherwin Williams Dovetail, Gauntlet Gray, and Classic French Gray with white trim, black accents, and a mint-colored door. Classic French Gray ultimately won out because it was the least brown/most true-gray of all the grays. For the trim I decided on Eider White, for the shutters/accents Tricorn Black, and for the door, Drizzle.

We left for our annual camping trip and came home three days later to find the base color mostly finished. I'll admit, I was a little skeptical at first, what with the coloring outside the lines and the red still hanging around... 

A good look at the contrast between the old color
and the new before the back door was painted all white.

But after they returned to finish the trim and the door, there was no question whatsoever.

We also had the fence re-stained; I didn't love the extra worn, orange-y look of our current fencing, but our HOA is a stickler for specified colors and there are only a few stain options. Being on a corner lot with southern exposure also means a lot of wear and tear from sun and foot traffic. Thankfully, our contractors were really knowledgeable and suggested we go with a solid stain that wouldn't fade as much or wear as quickly. So I chose the most neutral stain option we had, and it made a huge difference. I was afraid it would look too painted but was pleasantly surprised with the outcome - it looks perfectly natural and I'm thrilled. 

And then there was the door. The door was (is) by far my favorite part of the whole update. I kind of have a thing for the color and have for a long time - all my electronics and accessories are some form of mint/teal, and I just can't seem to get away from using gray with mint-colored accents throughout the inside of the house as well. But they make the door that much more fitting. It's funny how such a small thing can make such a big difference, but it does. We've gotten so many compliments on it and all I can say in return is "thanks - it's my favorite!"

Happy sigh.

The most expeditious way to paralyze a serially indecisive brain-fried mom. 

We also updated our hardware to match the black accents, and because our current light fixtures were getting a little old and tired. Thankfully I had looked online ahead of time and decided what I wanted, because I was alone with all three kids the day I finally made it to the Depot of Homes to pick them out. [I didn't even look at the wall, I just grabbed the boxes and shooed them toward the check-out]. Once again, I was delighted with my decision...

And even more delighted by final product. It all came together so well, and my concerns about choosing the right gray evaporated as soon as I saw the whole color scheme that I had agonized over and so painstakingly picked out side by side -- where they very clearly belong. It's a perfectly fabulous update, with just enough of a change to keep me happy until we have to do it again. Which hopefully won't be for a long, long time!

AFTER!

More Endometriosis Fun

Post-Surgery Update

My doc said it went really well, and there was "lots of endometriosis" on the ovary that they removed as well as some other sites that were lasered. She said she also took lots of pictures to document. I was awake enough when she came in to recovery to be relieved and validated when she told me that she found what I knew I felt. It's a miracle I remembered what she said because I was sooo tired when I woke up in recovery due to not sleeping much the night before (and having to leave the house at 5am). After my eyes fell back shut a few dozen times, it was music to my ears when the the nurse taking care of me said to another nurse, "how many kids does she have? Three? Let her sleep." Straight.up.saint, she was.

I was also more nauseous from the anesthesia than I expected to be, so the nurse gave me some Phenergan which knocked me out for another two hours. It was great. Then I was met by Peter and Ethan who was busy playing on his tablet (in order to ensure that the hospital stayed standing during the 3 hours they were waiting for me) before going home and sleeping for another 4 hours or so. I'm feeling surprisingly good physically, save for the usual soreness and some real nice side-stitches under my ribs from the CO2 they inflated me with.

Physical recovery should be about two weeks and 4-6 weeks total recovery with my body adjusting to its new normal. I'll be waiting (im)patiently to hear more details from my doc and ask more questions at my post-op, but for now I am feeling very hopeful that what she saw and removed might've taken care of some, or even a lot, of my overall pain. And now it is time for more sleep...any thanks again to all who helped with your love and prayers--I felt absolutely surrounded by your support!

--- --- ---

Original Post

I really haven't talked about my endometriosis here in awhile, mostly I guess because there's been nothing much to say except... it hurts. And I complain enough already about other stuff, so nobody needs more Debbie Downer.

But since my last surgery three years ago, which frustratingly didn't go the way I'd hoped, my body has unfortunately gone steadily downhill. Even though I'm trying to continue living my life at my normal pace, I've started having more bad days than good as my pain and digestive issues increase and my body quits on me more and more in the midst of the activities I love.

So, long story short, tomorrow I'm having another surgery--my third so far because of this little condition.

Shortly after the last surgery, I started seeing a different doctor at an amazing new center (if you're in the Denver area, I can't recommend Bella Natural Women's Care enough -- I have never in my life received such attentive and personalized medical care.) Ultimately, I discerned with the medical team that another surgery was the best route for me to go right now.

I know some of you are here as dear friends, some are womenfolk who are fellow women's health junkies, and others are here because you are also suffering from some mean endo or similar issues; if we're tight and you want the gritty details of the inner workings (and malfunctions) of my body and cycles, continue on. I share such personal details not because I relish airing them to the world, but in the event that they may help someone else the way other women who have shared in the past have helped me. I know how desperately I have scoured the internet for information at times. Otherwise, you may want to stop here to avoid the general awkwardness that accompanies said topics -- but I'd love your prayers as I offer my own that this will ultimately be my path that leads to healing!

Onto the details...

Eight is Great!

One week ago, our our Little Miss turned a big, crazy, eight. 

Her big birthday requests: 

-A celebration with a few friends at Chuck E. Cheese 

-Shopping, shopping, and more shopping. 

Apparently she inherited a few things from me, including my love and pickiness of clothes. So I allowed her to pick a few things out online (because I was tired of her not wearing things I bought her), and the morning of her birthday party, we gave her a limit and she went on a little spree at Le Tarjay. 

What have I created...?!

She had a blast at the mouse house, playing her heart out for copious amounts of tickets which bought limited amounts of super high-quality playthings. But the fact that there was zero party prep or clean up -- all we had to do was show up and leave -- I can't complain!

She talked about this ticket blaster every
day for like a month before the party.

Time for cake (I didn't make!)

Her actual birthday, which was a week after the party, fell on the last day of our annual church campout (much more to come on that one). It was a much simpler, yet equally wonderful birthday celebration.

When we heard the first sounds of life at the crack of dawn, we scrambled out of our tent (well I did anyway, Peter was already up and cooking breakfast) and sang happy birthday to her through the wall of the kids' tent amidst giggles and groans. When I unzipped their tent to take a peek, I found her busily drawing and coloring: 

I caught up with her more at breakfast, where she was busy having her morning hot chocolate. She said that she wanted to go fishing before we packed up to head home, so fishing we went. 

We still have never managed to actually catch a fish while fishing, but Little Miss did find a moth in the water, so she spent a good long while rescuing it and helping it to safety. 

On the drive home, she had her nose in a book as usual and then decided to share with the family. So we heard a few chapters of Little Women and found out how high her reading level has skyrocketed over her summer of bookwormery. I know I shouldn't be surprised about these things anymore but...I was impressed.

Finally, we arrived home to find the very first ripe peach on our peach tree, which Marie got to pick. She also donned some of her new clothes once home and picked the perfect Coldstone cake to share before bedtime and measuring time - another three inches gained this year! (I think my days of being taller are numbered). 

I love reflecting on this little girl who first gave me the gift of motherhood - it is amazing to see how she is growing, with her sweet heart and the innocence of little kid loves and the complexity of big kid ideas and all sorts of fun in between. Here's to eight great years of loving our lovely Marie!