Saying Goodbye

It's usually hard to say goodbye. I've done it quite a bit this year. I said goodbye to Julie and Emily on New Years. I've said goodbye to my friend, Lisa, a few times while she goes off on TDYs. I said goodbye to Jer for a few months. I said goodbye to my friends and neighbors before I left for the States. I said goodbye to my German class. I had to say goodbye to my entire family (except Matt, who I didn't get to see) when I came back (actually a couple of times since I didn't get on the first few military flights I tried).
But there is one thing I'm VERY happy to say goodbye to: excess weight. It's a blessing and a curse that Prednisone can work so well. Because of it, I can become healthy and go into remission. But the months of taking Prednisone really pack on the pounds. I've done this medicine weight roller coaster countless times. With my body getting older, I think it is harder to lose it now than it used to be. Most women my age talk about losing their pregnancy fat. I talk about losing my Prednisone fat.
Usually after I'm done with a course of Prednisone, it will take me a few months to get my strength back and feel like a normal person. In that time, my weight will level off, meaning that I quit gaining. But then once I am feeling well and healthy, it takes so much effort to work those extra pounds off. I'm not just talking about 5 or 10 lbs. I've gained as much as 70 lbs in just a couple of months!
(If you want to see the difference in weight change, check out my previous post. That video was taken at the end of July. The picture you see now was taken today, sans makeup and cute hairstyle).
Honestly, I'm growing weary of it all. The thought of ever having to do this again is daunting. It's mentally tiring. While I hope I never have to take Prednisone again, and I can hope the best for myself, I'm also realistic and know I probably will have to take it again.
I truly don't want anyone to feel sorry for me. This is my struggle. But it's not who I am. I only write this because it helps me deal with things. If I write it down, I don't have to remember. And I don't want to remember. It's sort of like setting my mind free.
This post is written to celebrate a new, healthy me! So, goodbye old prednisone body, so long, tschüss, au revoir, ciao, adios and arrivederci to you--you unwanted reminder of being sick.
I AM FREE!

Semi-surprise trip to the States

I will eventually continue blogging about our previous trip (next: Belgium!), but the blogging world stopped for me for a few months. While Jer was in Florida on TDY for a few months, I decided it was a good time to visit my family in the States. I obviously did not blog while I was there, and a crashed computer prohibited me from blogging when I got back--until Jer came to the rescue and fixed it.
I tried to get a military hop because it's free. It's pretty much a failure to try to fly as a military spouse alone in the middle of summer. Too many families are traveling, and because I'm alone, and Jer is not deployed, I am less important, i.e., I am in category 5 out of 6. This was quite frustrating because Jer was gone on official orders for a long time, but just shy of long enough to bump me up a category. This was my first time trying out the military flight system, and it was definitely a learning experience!
Let me just say that the week prior to my leaving I labeled as "Week from Hell." I was so very ready to see my family and get out of here. It took several tries and fails before I was finally called to board a flight to Maine. I really didn't want to go to Maine, but I figured it was on the other side of the Atlantic, and that's where I want to be, so...
I got on the flight.
And thankfully there was a nice couple that was also wanting to get to Virginia/D.C. area, so we split the cost of a car rental, gas and about $35 worth of tolls(!), and spent the next 12 hours driving south.
My siblings knew I was coming, but I'd asked them to keep it a secret from my nieces and nephews. I did this for two reasons: 1. I wanted to surprise them. 2. In case something happened that made me unable to get to the States, I didn't want them to be disappointed.
I arrived on a Wednesday or Thursday. With sleeping overnight in an airport, then flying the next day (over night) again, and add the time difference, I don't really remember what day it was. But I do remember it was 2am and I was SO excited when I got to see Emily!
Friday after work, Emily and I set out for the 1 hour 15 minutes drive to Julie's house. We pulled up and I asked Emily to shoot video with my camera of the surprise arrival. I'm so glad she did. I LOVE THIS VIDEO!!!
Enjoy!