Peace - My First Blog!

My very first blog. Yay!

Here we are "working" the 2021-2022 ski season at Buttermilk Ski Area in beautiful Aspen, Colorado. It's our first season working here and it was quite a move to get here!

Skiing and teaching is a huge part of my and Dan's life. Seizures, brain surgery, rheumatoid arthritis, acromegaly, and any other illness that rears its ugly head at me, thus far, have not stopped my love of skiing and teaching. I am ever so thankful for that! Not to say that things haven't temporarily stopped, or slowed my skiing (my life) down... because they have. Just a few weeks ago actually. My right pointing finger got stuck in the downward position with pain that sent me to the E.R. I had to see the hand surgeon 5 days later and watch (well, kind of, I did turn my head and close my eyes) as he numbed it, and lifted it until we both heard a loud "click". It wasn't dislocated or fractured. I'm thinking maybe due to the acromegaly? The doctor himself was a little puzzled. He did rule out trigger finger as the characteristics of it all did not align with that diagnosis. This acromegaly sure is an enigma. Maybe we will all learn something as I begin documenting issues that arise that very well may be related to it.

My auras have been less frequent here. Not sure why. Maybe all the fresh air? Maybe because I wear a mask everywhere I go? Yes, even when teaching outside. I feel safer. Yet, I am still very aware and cautious about restrooms, cleaners, exhaust, perfumes, and the like.

One thing I will say is that the thin air (lower air pressure) has bothered me some. I feel light-headed sometimes and oh so tired. I quickly blame this on my meds as many of you know that is a constant with certain AED's (anti-epileptic drugs). But, this was different. Dan bought me a canister of oxygen that I keep at home as well as a smaller one I keep in my coat pocket when out on the slopes. This has been very helpful. We shall see how things progress from here.

So the move here, yeah, we were renting a small place back in North Carolina and moved all, and I mean all! Well, except for some of Dan's tools, pictures, and a few other things we didn't have the heart to toss out, so we rented a small storage, bought an RV, and bam, here we are! This is our home and we can take it wherever we decide/need to go. Unnerving? Yes. Fun? Yes. Are we sure of what we are doing? No. Isn't life exciting?!

There was a pretty steep learning curve with the motorhome. I mean we had never even owned a camper. We often woke up to 37°F temperatures at times, making for a cold wake-up call when getting out of bed in the morning. Oh, and btw, that was the inside temperature! That picture of the window is from the inside, lol. It was like -6°F outside not including the windchill. My most favorite item at the time? A heated mattress pad! What an awesome purchase that was!

Dan has done an amazing job skirting around "The Arctic Beast" and we are much warmer now! Space heaters inside and underneath make it a comfy 58-60°F at night. Thus far we enjoy our new little home and can't wait to see where life takes us next. We hung coat hangers around the front of the RV that serve our winter wardrobe just fine. Learning as we go.

We take Violet to the park often and she is in "dog heaven". It's a huge 124-acre park and she can run run run! We also started taking small hikes around the Roaring Fork Valley to explore. Violet is always up for a hike! Here is the biggest "out in the wild" nest I have ever seen. I think it is an eagle's nest. We have seen eagles flying along the river. Dan and Violet are below to give a reference as to the size (sorry for the shadow Dan). Amazing how God made animals with instincts and minds to construct such a home to protect them against the elements. That thing will hold up in the snowstorms that blast the area. According to the PA Game Commission, "Nest building and renovation may begin as early as November or December in areas where eagles remain local through winter. Some pairs need to rebuild their nest almost from scratch if winds and bad weather have damaged it. This nesting activity starts one to three months before the female lays eggs." I wonder if there are eggs up there in the nest, the timing sounds like it is possible. Amazing! Update* I found out a few days ago that it is an osprey's nest. I was close :)

By far, the most exciting news is that my book "Seizure Triggers" has been published! It is currently on Amazon and available for purchase. If you know of anyone that could benefit from it, please share the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NP4XMK9

Here is a picture of the book cover that many of you helped pick out.

The book isn't just about toxins that could trigger seizures; it shares my story, the emotional toll, financial toll, helpful ideas, good eating habits, and more. It's not perfect, as I have seen errors that made me cringe, but it's packed full of helpful information that I am so excited to share!

As I settle into this role of blogger and epilepsy advocate, I will begin sharing more of what I have learned and how things continue to evolve.

Huge blessings to all and special doses of strength from a God that never leaves us alone to fight the battles that come our way. Remember, God is good...even if.

Until next time, stay safe~

Judi