October 12, 2026

Colorado Trip 2026

It had been two years since Doug and Briana visited Colorado (Denver/Golden areas) and sadly, I wasn't able to go on that trip because my heel was in such bad shape. So, I hadn't visited Colorado in four years.
 
It was time to visit Doug's side of the family.
 
Briana worked all summer and was about to start back to school, so we literally had one free week to work with - and luckily we made it happen.
 
We had a wonderful time visiting my mother-in-law, brother-in-law and sister-in-law. 
 
The family time was priceless...
 
  On Day 1 of our trip, we got to the Atlanta airport nice and early.
 
As you can see, my daughter (with her red suitcase) likes to walk quickly through the airport and doesn't wait for her poor mom who has much shorter legs and stride...
 
At least she lets me take pictures of her on the plane...

We had a nice lunch on the plane (A burger from Shake Shack - I have never eaten a burger from there before. It was tasty.) And I finally got to see "The Devil Wears Prada 2." I really enjoyed that...
 
The flight was very smooth. We had to take a shuttle to get to our rental car. It is always so cool seeing the mountains in the distance at the airport...
 
Drive to Doug's mom's place...
 
We had a nice visit with Doug's mom Anne...
 
We stopped at our hotel to freshen up before heading to see Doug's brother Wes and our sister in law Ann. Briana had a separate room across the hall from D's and my room (it was very comfortable)...
 
We were then treated to margaritas and a delicious taco bar for dinner courtesy of my BIL and SIL and it was all so delicious...
 
We spent several hours catching up and then it was time to head back to our hotel.
 
In the morning of Day 2, Doug and I awoke to a gorgeous sunrise...
 
D, B and I met up with Wes and Ann for lunch at Modern Market Eatery (my salad was amazing). Afterward, Doug went to visit his mom for some one on one mom/son time while the ladies went shopping for the afternoon at the nearby mall (Bri LOVES to shop!)...
 
After shopping for a few hours, we met up at Wes and Ann's house and Uncle Wes taught Briana how to play Magic the Gathering cards...
 
We then headed into the town of Golden to eat at Golden Mill...
 
It was a bit busy where everyone orders food, but once we sat down, the atmosphere was quite chill and the views were lovely. The food was so good...


On Day 3, Doug and I met Wes and Ann for breakfast in Evergreen, CO for breakfast. Briana opted to sleep in and not join us. Heh. 
 
The views heading there...
 
We met up at the Evergreen Bread and Cocktail Lounge...
 
As Doug and I waited for our food and for Wes and Ann to arrive, Doug and I took some silly selfies...
 
The food was phenomenal. I ordered a brisket hash and Doug got a chicken biscuit - probably one of the yummiest breakfasts I have ever had...
 
W & A arrived and we chatted for the longest time. We were going to see Doug's mom one more time that afternoon, so D & I brought some food back to the hotel for Bri and we all decided to reconvene at Doug's mom's apartment in a couple of hours.
 
 One last view in Evergreen...
 
We packed up our stuff at the hotel and headed out because we were staying at the hotel attached to the Denver airport that evening. 
 
We all met up at Doug's mom's place and visited again for a while...
 
It was time to then say our goodbyes - which was difficult. 
 
Doug, Bri and I then drove toward the Denver airport and the Westin...
 
Doug returned the rental car and I ordered some room service. We just wanted to rest at that point.

 The food was average but good enough, and we watched the sun go down from the room...
 
We awoke the next morning and walked right over to the airport - which was so convenient. We had a wonderful trip, but we were tired and ready to head home...
  
I chose Chef José Andrés Tortilla Española (eggs and potato omelet) for breakfast on the flight and it was so delish. And I cried a little watching "Project Hail Mary."
 
 It was a such great trip, and we are so glad we were able to get this visit in before Bri headed back to school. It was perfect quality time with family. xoxo 

September 30, 2026

Before I Do More Catch Up...

I said in my last post I was going to post about our trip to Colorado and I do plan on doing so, but I thought I would do a little update on me personally first.
 
I want to start another blog/website where I can start writing down all of my thoughts and feelings separately from this blog. When I figure out where I want to be, I will let you know where I am.
 
 As I type this post, I feel totally exhausted and have a pretty good headache. I don't know what it is about having Hashimoto's and I am sure everyone who has it copes differently, but I am worn out every day. 
 
Every. single. day.
 
It is a fatigue that I cannot explain. I can do one short outing and then I feel like I have been out and about all day. My bloodwork numbers show that I am in range now with my thyroid, but that doesn't matter. I am tired and sluggish. My stomach bothers me off and on. I have been getting sinus headaches lately. I have been having lots of issues with my ears blocking up too. I have had a couple of muscle spasm attacks in my upper back. It is awful. 
 
Going to Colorado and being pretty busy for 4 days straight (getting there, the actual visit and the trip home) and making yet another visit to Briana's apartment to bring some things over right after that, took a toll on me. (On a side note, she is now finally settled in her apartment and she is absolutely loving it. She loves her privacy and her ability to cook. I will do an update on her in another post, but she is doing great.)
 
So between going on a trip, getting Briana all settled in her place, going to doctor appointments, helping my parents with doctor appointments and other life things, catching up with friends, dealing with chronic illness, living in this absolutely insane political environment and just doing my every day chores - I feel a bit beat up. I often think about ways I want to start making a little money, but I then always have to take how I am feeling into consideration.
 
 A quick positive note...I went to the grocery store today, and I walked all around the store. I felt tired afterward. But, I did think to myself that two years ago, I was recovering from heel surgery. I sometimes cannot believe how well I walk now and how good my heel feels. That is one thing that I was able to overcome and that has been wonderful.
 
I swear I am not lazy. In my heart, I have so much I want to do. My body just can't seem to keep up with all of that. 
 
And I am SO fatigued mentally as well. 
 
 This has been floating around social media and it hits the nail on the head...
 
 Living with anxiety and chronic illness makes you tired already. You add in how badly our country is being run right now and everything feels debilitating to me.
 
I am trying to go about living my life knowing the worst of the worst are running our country into the ground. People with no moral compass. Absolutely no experience. No feelings for people in need. Total "kiss the ring" people and yes people. People who only care about power and how much money they can make and at the same time, take away from the less fortunate. The pedophile, rapist, racist, lying head honcho is absolutely dementia-ridden and droopy-mouthed from stroke - which accentuates his horrifying narcissism. And he craps his pants every day. This all feels terrifying to me. There are NO adults in the room. Which I clearly stated would happen before the 2024 election. Everything I predicted has happened. It is actually worse than I imagined.
 
And NO, this stuff isn't happening because of B!den. Two years into this presidency, this crap show is all on MAG.A. 
 
Grocery prices and gas prices are through the roof. Diseases we haven't dealt with in decades are returning because of the ignorance around vaccines. Our food is constantly being recalled because we have no one in charge making sure it is safe anymore. We are in an ongoing war that started based on a lie. Our healthcare premiums are going up. So many people have lost their jobs. Farmers are losing their farms (FAFO). Data centers, which zap all of our natural resources, are being built everywhere. Christian nationalism is being forced down all of our throats. The negative effects of climate change are showing up in full force. Women have lost their right to bodily autonomy (including my daughter). Minority groups are less safe. We now have concentration camps here in America. Free speech is being suppressed. I can go on, but I just don't want to.
 
And I have to try to go about my normal business knowing all of this. How? It is getting harder for me every day. Trying to put a smile on my face knowing the shit show this country is now. And how angry and disappointed I am at everyone who either wanted or allowed this to happen. I am just very, very tired.
 
I am scared about the midterms. Nervous people will be too scared or indifferent to vote for change. Nervous that MAG.A will try to suppress the vote (which they are already starting to do). Nervous that people who rightfully win their elections will be called fraudsters and/or won't be sworn into office. On January 3 of next year, we will find out how corrupt the right really is.
 
 So how am I doing?
 
Good in some ways. Not so good in others. Doug is doing well. Briana is doing well. I really really really wish I could feel better. I wish I had more energy, though I am happy for the energy I do have and I am grateful that I can walk again. I hope that the election in November will bring about positive change because something has to change for the better. I am not sure my mental state will be able to take it if things don't change soon.
 
 That is my update. Trip to Colorado post will be next.
 

September 24, 2026

The Rest Of August

Because of how the schedule works at SCAD (quarter system), unlike most college students who are heading back to school in August, Bri still had the entire month off. And Bri's classes didn't start until September 14th this year (because Labor Day landed late), so we got her for a short time in September as well.
 
As most of you know, we had several birthday celebrations at the beginning of August for Briana, which I already blogged about...
 
Bri took several days off to celebrate her birthday, but once that was done, Briana was back to work - and she worked quite a bit. Doug and I visited her a few times and bought ourselves lunch at Firehouse...
 
She and her co-workers make some very pretty and delicious sandwiches...
 
B chose August 29th to be her last day at work so we could take a trip to Colorado before she started back at SCAD. She plans to work some during Christmas break, so she will be happy to see her co-workers/friends again.
 
Briana had a request before she went back to school. She really wanted to return to a little soda shop that she and I had visited last summer that was so yummy. Neither of us ever made it back there for an entire year! So we went back and this time, we asked Doug to join us for lunch...
 


Then Bri had another request. She wanted to visit the Spirit Halloween that is not too far from our house (because the Spirit Halloween near her school is much smaller) and then stop at the mall as well to shop at a couple of her favorite stores. So we did that one evening.
 
I am going to hold on posting the Spirit Halloween photos until closer to Halloween!
 
 We did visit the mall and stumbled across an adorable little store called "Exotic Snacks" and Bri was so happy. It had a lot of Asian snacks (kind of pricey, so we didn't go too crazy in there)...
 
Briana did some crocheting over the summer, and she made this adorable peach pie purse...
 

One evening after work, Briana plopped down on the couch and decided to watch the original "Footloose" (without any coaxing from me!). So of course, I watched it with her...
 
So many young ladies (and some young men too I am sure) developed a massive crush on Kevin Bacon after seeing that movie. I know I did. **swoon**

 And at the very end of August, Doug and I had a great dinner with our dear friends Kai and Kelly to celebrate Kelly's birthday...
 
Doug and I really enjoyed having a lot of time with Briana in August. 
 
At the beginning of September, we did take that trip to Colorado to visit family. It had been too long! I will post all about that next!

September 11, 2026

25 Years Since The Tragedy of 9/11/2001

It has been 25 years since America changed. Since the world changed. The terrorist attacks shattered the long-held belief that the United States mainland was safe from foreign threats. We were naive then. We were unprepared. We were easy targets and didn't even know it. We learned the hard way.
 
I am going to write today about 9/11 because it is a "milestone" anniversary. 
 
I have written before about what I went through that day - which was minuscule compared to what so many others were going through. So I won't repeat it (you can click the link if you want) since I have already talked about it many times.
 
I have heavily commemorated this day for the last 25 years. Sometimes immersed myself in it. I have read so many articles. Listened to the stories. Watched the documentaries numerous times. Listened to the names read of those who lost their lives. I visited the memorial in NYC. I have felt the grief - for those who perished, for the loved ones who lost their persons and for the country that lost its innocence. I know what happened that day. I will always remember the before and the after of that day. It was tragic and horrible and heartbreaking and terrifying and infuriating and heroic all at the same time.
 
And I do plan on visiting the 9/11 museum one day. Not sure when. But I do plan to because I do think it is important. 
 
  But...after 25 years, I don't think I can engulf myself in the remembrance of this tragedy anymore. I'm not saying I won't remember or pause or think about what happened on each anniversary. But I personally can't keep reliving what happened over and over and over again anymore. It has finally worn on me after 25 years. I have heard on social media from some of those who lost family members and friends in the towers that day say how hard it is to watch their loved ones die over and over again on their screens. I can't even imagine.
 
So today, I will think about what happened. I will remember how brave so many people were that day. I will privately take a few moments to feel sad for what happened, for what was lost and for what once was. But then I will continue on with my day because that is what we have to do in life. Learn from what happened, understand it and then continue to live life.

August 19, 2026

Celebrating My 20 Year Old Daughter

I think you have probably noticed that our family celebrates birthdays for days. Many many days - LOL!

 Bri's 20th birthday was no exception.
 
We started the celebrations off several days before Bri's actual birthday. We started by having a get together with my parents at their home (and we celebrated my dad's birthday as well - he and Bri have birthdays a week apart).
 
Miss B was very spoiled with cheesecake and gifts...
 

 
The next day, I asked Briana if she was interested in seeing the "Hadestown" pro shot in the movie theater. My Broadway girlie was a definite yes. I had not been to a movie theater in 3 years! But, I knew it wouldn't be crowded, so we went for it. We had seen Hadestown on Broadway, but I really wanted to check it out with the original cast. It was so good...
 
The day before Bri's birthday, D, B and I headed down to her apartment again to bring some art/school supplies, essentials and extras (we went last weekend to bring things too). 
 
Things are really coming together...
 

 
 I think we have one more visit as a family to the apartment on Labor Day weekend to bring some last minute things and her clothes. Then she will figure out what day she wants to move in officially and will drive to the apartment on her own. I think we have made things as comfortable as we can for her.
 
Before getting to the apartment that day, we stopped an authentic Chinese noodle/dumpling place that Bri discovered and wanted me and Doug to try (it was so delish)...
 
Then Briana's actual birthday rolled around!
 
Balloons on the ceiling in the morning of course!
  
Briana took several days off of work around her birthday - and I am so glad she did. She really just wanted to sleep that day, so that is what she did.
 
We opened gifts that afternoon and she blew out candles on her birthday brownies (I always use the plate I made for her when she was a baby)...
 



We took her to one of her favorite restaurants for dinner...
 
 A beautiful sky on the way home...
 
She had a wonderful day.

 But her birthday week wasn't over quite yet.
 
Her wish was to have a couple of friends spend the night at her apartment. So the weekend following her birthday, her friends Mere and Mary joined her for some shopping, food, fun, rug tufting, movie watching and maybe a little bit of sleep!
 
I am very happy her first time sleeping at her place was with friends there.

 I cannot believe my kid is 20 years old now...
 
I am really proud of her. She has worked a lot this summer and made quite a bit of money. She has thoroughly enjoyed her time at home, but I think she is starting to feel ready about going back to school. I'm just glad we don't have to deal with any of the dorm stuff anymore. She can focus on her friends and classes and not freaking drama. 
 
I have now written about Bri's 20th and this is when I now have to decide how I want to continue this blog. I am still not quite sure. I don't have to figure it all out immediately, but I will figure it out eventually.
 
 Thanks again for reading!
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