As I write this, I can hear the neighborhood children playing outside my house… rolling around in the grass and squealing.  I am a firm believer that children should spend as much time in nature as possible - in order to respect and cherish something, you need to know it! - but it is very important that children, and their parents are mindful of some of the risks…

The month of May - today being the last day of it - was Lyme Disease Awareness Month in many states, including my state of Maryland.  The timing is significant since more people are spending time outdoors with the warm temperatures and sunshine.  People love to be outside in this weather soaking up the sun, socializing at cookouts, hiking through the woods;  on the same token, it is during this time that ticks - the insect that carries the Lyme pathogen - begins to thrive.

I have mentioned my struggle with Lyme disease (and the related disease that I also contracted) on my blog before, but never in any kind of detail about how it affected me.  At first, I thought it would be burdensome to read about illness, but as a sort of public service announcement, I believe it bears repeating…

Kris and I go to the Eastern Shore of Maryland each June and spend a few days at the beach with his parents.  For  the last several years, we have taken our bikes along and have sought out some mountain biking trails en route to the beach.  The Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware is a beautiful place with several forested areas and waterways to explore.  Kris and I stopped at one of the state forests near Salisbury last June (photos from that day) and biked around the park for awhile and snapped a few photos.

I was aware of Lyme disease, and made an effort to wear long pants and to  tuck my socks into my pants (there was a lot of underbrush).  I was wearing a t-shirt and a bandana on my head, and was also carrying a small lightweight backpack with my camera and canteen.   We stayed for a few hours and left with some mosquito bites and a healthy appetite.  We drove another hour towards the coast, stopped at a farmer’s market to get some food and ate outside (we were still kind of sweaty…) before meeting up with Kris’s family.  Neither one of us immediately rushed to the showers, instead staying outside longer - Kris went fishing with his brother and I sat out and played with the nieces and chatted with my mother and sister-in-law.  It was probably about 6 to 7 hours later that I undressed and discovered the small specks all over my legs.  Upon closer examination, I realized that the specks were actually ticks.  They covered my belly and upper legs to my knee.  We stopped counting around 15. 

I stayed calm, and Kris and I got them out and didn’t worry too much more.  Over the next day, I found a few more specks (no larger than the head of a pin - these were very small deer ticks) We didn’t find any visible specks on him, even though he was with me the whole time we were in the forest.

Fast forward about three/four weeks - Mid July:  I notice a small patch on my left thigh.  Not quite the “bull’s eye rash”, but definitely an abnormal splotch.  I ignored it for about a week, then I begin to wonder if it might have something to do with the tick bites.  I scheduled an appointment with my general practictioner and he immediately noted it as abnormal and sent off for a Lyme blood test.  …weird thing was that my first test came back negative… It was about that time that I began to have some serious symptoms:  serious joint pain, especially in my jaw and neck, tingling and numbness in my legs and arms, serious heart palpitations and shortness of breath (not while doing any exercise or anything physical).  My doctor went ahead and put me on some antibiotics and wanted me to see a cardiologist and a pulmonary specialist.  I spent a whole afternoon in the office getting a battery of ultrasounds and -grams tests… but things just got worse, even with the medicine.  Quickly my memory was fading, and there was a serious broken link between my brain and my mouth.  I could not speak what I was thinking, and the numbness in my legs and arms increased so much that they felt like dead weight.  …and then I seriously thought I was going to have a heart attack because of the persistant palpitations and shortness of breath…

Kris and I were seriously scared.  I woke up each day wondering what was going to happen next… and I am not exaggerating… whether I would wake up at all.  It was a very scary time.  I am so grateful to Kris for his help during this period - it is still so foggy in my mind - he did research and found out that what I was experiencing was very real and was undoubtedly related to the tick bites.  He found a doctor that specialized in Lyme and related co-infections and made an appointment with me.  He had to drive me there and help me into the office - I was not able to do it myself.  He came in to the room with me and as I sat there in my fog, he told the doctor what had happened.  I chimed in when I could.

What I experienced was a very quick set-in, undoubtedly from the sheer number of ticks that bit me.  Immediately, the doctor clinically diagnosed me with Lyme and a blood test confirmed that I also contracted a blood disease from the ticks called Babesiosis.  Looking back now, I realize that it was because of the diseases, but also many of my unhealthy habits - specifically diet-related -  that made my illness so bad so fast.

By the middle of August, I was on a very strict treatment plan that included many drugs - some to treat the diseases, but some others like supplements to treat some of my underlying issues like vitamin definciencies.  Using a holistic approach, my doctor also encouraged a strict diet and some mild exercise …and within a matter of weeks, I began to feel so much better.  Like SO much better… better than before I was sick.  Things were brighter and smelled sweeter.  No more low lows and depressive periods.  I even had the added benefit of losing about 40 lbs.

Every 3.5 weeks, I had to go to the lab to get my blood taken for tests to determine my levels, and each month I saw my doctor.  She and I were both so happy with my quick turnaround.  My treatments were long and tedious - at one point I was taking 26 pills a day - and I had to be very disciplined.

…Last week - just shy a month of when I contracted the illness from the ticks - I took my last antibiotic treatment.  I am maintaining my supplements, but it feels so good not to take all of the serious medications after nine months of treatment.

The research on Lyme is still very minimal, and it is a controversial disease.  It is often ignored for years by both the patient and the doctor.  My doctor encourages me to pay very close attention to how I feel (and I still continue to see her although not as frequently) because Lyme is never 100% cured.  Lyme can “lay dormant” in some people for years and when their immunities are down for one reason or another, some symptoms can come forward.  It is a mysterious disease, but one that can be treated to make the patient have a better quality of life.

My experience with this disease was definitely not as severe as some cases that you hear or read about… but I caught it early.   Some people are misdiagnosed or go undiagnosed for decades.

You may have heard a bit more about Lyme Disease this past month - several major news reports came out both on the TV, newspapers, the radio, and on the internet.  My favorite magazine, Experience Life, had an amazingly informative and comprehensive article this month - the author is a science writer, but her and her whole family were ill from Lyme for years before they were treated.  Read the article here.

It’s about being mindful - isn’t it always?  Paying attention to what is happening both around you and in you.  And it is not about living in fear either… don’t let this scare you from going outside!  It hasn’t done that to me - I garden, hike, bike, and spend as much time outside as I can.  Just check yourself, your loved ones - even your furry friends - for the little buggers.  … and if you find them, don’t squash them.  Simply extract and flush them.  Then pay attention to any symptoms.

If you read this entire post, thank you.  I feel like this information needs to be out there.

Best wishes~

This week’s events have filled me with such hope and purpose, both on the international and national stages as well as the things happening right here at home.  The words hope, change, and progress have been used so many times in recent days (months/years) and it truly signifies a momentous occasion in our collective history.

We will always remember this time.  We will look back and tell future generations about it.  Where we were when…

…and I will also remember this week as the starting point of my yoga teacher training.  After many years of practice, it was last year that I began to seriously research the instructor certification process and to investigate the studios in my area that offered teacher training.  It didn’t take long to find a good fit:  I am lucky to have a wonderful studio in my town that offers many classes and has wonderful teachers.  Even before that, however….

…We took a few classes together in college.  Our small Ancient Studies department only had a handful of student majors, so we knew each other casually.  We had mutual friends and passed each other often in the dormitories.  Years passed and both of us graduated from college, got married (to people who also went to college with us!) and went to graduate school… and we both took up knitting as a hobby in that meantime.  We both delved deeper into yoga individually.  And come 2008, we were both on Ravelry - both in the Namaste Knitter yoga group - and here she is talking about how she is working through her yoga teacher training certification at the same studio that I was looking at… and *boom*.

I private messaged her just to make sure that it was really her.  “Flissy?  from college?” It was just too funny that it all happened that way.  We met up for tea one night and we were just amazed that through Ravelry and yoga, we reconnected after several years!    I heard about her experiences with teacher training, she heard about my plans, and we signed up for a yoga class together last fall.  It just seemed like there was a reason that things were falling in to line so well…

It was last September that I started to take the classes at the studio.  I signed up for two classes a week and I knew right away that it was a wonderful place.  The styles, the words, the spirit of the place just really felt right for me.  I told my instructor about my intentions to do the training and her reaction was an instant hug!

So, after many months of deciding and waiting, the time has finally come!  For the next eleven months, I will be working towards my 200-hour Registed Yoga Teacher certification.  I am really taking this program as it comes… I feel that this is an important time in my life to take up such a challenge.  After the many health issues that I had in 2008, and continue to work through (though a lesser extent now, thankfully) I know that the time is right to work towards this goal.  I want to do this program for so many reasons - some deeply personal, others as simple and silly as toning up my arms and abdominals…

I will blog about yoga a little more than I have before on account of it becoming such a large part of my life.  I want to document this time for my own reasons - to be able to look back later and to see what I thought about this or that… and to see how I have grown, changed, etc.

All I know is that it is going to be an amazing journey.

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**Photos from the Atlanta Botanical Gardens orchid exhibit, November 2008

All signs point to SILVER for me.  However, I see little flecks of saffron, green, and red in there too… is it possible to be a rainbow? 

***

I read about the 8 Colors of Fitness in one of my favorite magazines, Experience Life, over the weekend.  (You can read it here - opens to a PDF) and because I am obsessed with fitness right now, and I love the color concept, I did the test and found out more about my “fitness color”. 

The author of the book bases her research on the well-known Myers Briggs Type Indicator test that asks you a series of questions.  From these questions, it estimates your personality type, and assigns you a four letter analysis that tells you more about yourself.  Like most tests, it is never “spot-on”, but it can be educational and enlightening to analyze yourself in this way.  From this test, the author uses these personality traits and matches them with different exercises and fitness philosophies that you may hold.  She encourages the reader to try new activities that they may have not discovered before, thinking that they may be a good match with personality.

While the Myers-Briggs official test is often administered for a cost (usually in the workplace, or in a school) there are similar personality tests that can give you an indication of your personality type.  I found a free useful online tool at this website.    With the results of that test, you can take the results and apply them to the 8 Colors philosophy.  The 8 Colors of Fitness website also gives a beta test that you can use to determine your fitness color too.

I have taken the test twice, and I keep on getting SILVER, so maybe there is no denying the fact.  Reading over the description on the website, it gets pretty close to me, but there are still some things that aren’t quite right… but I find that I have some of the other color traits… and maybe that is all the more true - silver reflects other colors! :)  According to Myers-Briggs, I am an ENFP personality.  This also puts me in the group for the RED fitness color.   While I see some bits of myself in that description, I don’t think it really fits me.

As I stated above, fitness and wellness have become a major part of my life in the last few months.  When I first started my weight loss journey in 2006, I had great success in a relatively short span of months.  However, as time went by and complacency grew, I gained some of the weight that I had lost back.  My weight fluctuated thorughout 2007 and early 2008.  When I got Lyme disease and some associated illnesses this past June, I knew that this was the time to truly focus on my health.  While I could not exercise when I was most sick, I focused on my diet.  In late July, I made the switch to a full vegan diet.  Having been a strict vegetarian since I was 14, it was not extremely hard for me to stop eating dairy and egg products.  When I found a great doctor to help treat my Lyme, she urged me to also cut out sugars and gluten products to eliminate any associated risks of re-infection.  And because my health (and my life, in no uncertain terms) depended upon it, I gave those two things up over night.  Fruits are okay, but no added sugars.  I have had a few little slips with sugar and gluten - mainly in sauces - but things are really going well on that diet front. 

Once my energy levels started to come back after my first course of treatment and supplements in September, I was able to slowly start exercising again.  This truly made my heart happy.  I genuinely love exercise and it was hard for me to remain sedentary.  (That is how I read so many books at that time!)  Since I am finding such marked improvement due to these medications and my diet, I am challenging myself further with new fitness opportunities.  So this little test comes at the right time!

Before I got sick, I had started to research the idea of entering a yoga teacher training program (YTT) in order to deepen my own practice, as well as share my love of yoga with others.  According to my fitness color - this is a very SILVER thing to do!  So, if all goes as planned, I will be starting YTT in January 2009.  I recently reconnected with a friend from college (through Ravelry of all places!) who just finished up the YTT at the same studio!  it seems like fate to me! :)   I am practicing yoga daily - four studio classes a week and several home practices.  So, with exposure to many activities, I guess one can naturally gravitate towards the activities that best suit their personality traits.  I know this is the case with me:  I love yoga, as well as spinning (group cycling), hiking, and weight training.  Finding what you love and finding the ability to stick with it:  that is the key! 

If you are interested in reading more about my own regimen, I have started to update my Weight Loss page again - I will be doing another entry this week to record more weight loss! (yea!) I am also planning to write up an informational page here on my blog about Lyme disease and the associated co-infections:  I receive questions about it each day, and I want to provide links to some of the great resources available.  SO, if you are interested in either of these topics, please stay tuned!

…in the meantime, take the little fitness test and share with me what color you are!  even better, update me and let me know if this inspires you to get up and go! 

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**Autumn photos above taken on our weekend hike with the dogs.  Beautiful fall!

I have to be honest. I have not been a big “fan” of eggplant in the past. This coming from the girl that rarely meets a vegetable that she doesn’t like… there was a particular restaurant experience that sticks out in my mind. We were at an Italian chain restaurant (should’ve known right then, huh?) and I ordered the Eggplant Parmesan. Disclaimer: I am not the type to send food back. But THIS was terrible. It was a spongy cold mess. I am not sure that the eggplant had even been put in the oven, because the texture was so awful. This was not a case of putting cheese on something to make it taste better - it just got worse with more Parmesan.  I ended up getting a salad, and in turn, a real stigma against the aubergine.  For years, I steered clear.  Earlier in the spring when we were looking at seeds and plants at the nursery, Kris wanted to try it in the garden. I figured that if it was cooked well, it would be edible. But, I didn’t expect to like it.

As things often come to pass, one of our best garden successes this season has been the eggplant. When we pick one (or three!) they are almost instantly replaced.   Because of this glut of eggplants, we have had to get creative with recipes.  We were adding them to kabobs on the grill, dicing them into chili - basically places where it took on the flavor of the things around them.

With the advice of Jenna, I decided to try an eggplant dish at one of our favorite Indian places.  And SURPRISE!  I really liked it!  In true form, when we like something, we try to recreate it at home.  So, while I was in San Francisco last week, Kris perfected a Baingain Bharta recipe and modified it a bit to fit in with my diet (vegan with no sugars and gluten - in this case, it was as simple as subbing silken tofu for the yogurt).  So delicious and highly recommended!

…and the eggplants continue to grow at a rapid pace.  Today, we tried our hand at Baba Ghanoush.  Yep, we will definitely be making this one again!

Baba Ghanoush*

• 1 large eggplant / 2 medium
• 1/4 cup tahini, more as needed
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8 cup fresh lemon juice, more as needed
• 1 pinch ground cumin
• salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup brine-cured olives, such as kalamata

It is simple to prepare the eggplants on a grill or in the oven. With respect to time, we decided to use the broiler. We placed 2 medium eggplants (with skins) on a baking sheet and put them in the broiler. We turned them over after 5-6 minutes, and again after another 5-6 minutes and punctured their skin to test the softness. Continue to turn until eggplant can easily be punctured and/or mashed with a fork.

Prepare a small bowl of tepid water and put eggplant directly from oven into the bowl (enough water to submerge fruit). Wait for 1-2 minutes, cut off the stem, and the purple/black skin should easily strip away. Once you have removed the skin, cut into medium slices and place in blender. (If you prefer a thicker consistency, you can also mash the eggplant with a fork.) Blend on low speed for 10 seconds and check consistency. You can decide how creamy or thick you would like it. If blender needs liquid to churn properly, you can add the lemon juice and/or olive oil.

Scoop mixture into a mixing bowl and add the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, and minced garlic. Mix well and season with salt to taste. If garlic is overwhelming, you can add more lemon or tahini to tone it down. Transfer to a serving dish and smooth with the back of a spoon. Add olives and parsley as garnish, and drizzle with olive oil.  Serves 6 to 8.

*Adapted and modified from this Baba Ghanoush recipe

Kris took most of the dip to a football party at his brother’s house, but he left some for me to eat too - it was so delicious on top of the fresh garden salad.  Eggplant, cucumber, and tomatoes all from my own backyard!

So, yes, I think I have finally come around to eggplants

I have been thinking a lot about the blog lately, but my silence around here shows that I have not followed through with action.  The past few weeks have been a challenge:  I got pretty sick and had a lot of questions about what was going on and what the future held… luckily, with the help of a good and experienced doctor and her solid treatment plan, I am back on the road to health.

My road to health involves a lot of medicine (fortunately, most of them are vitamins and herbs), daily doses of yoga (which I was uncomfortable doing for two weeks, but now I am back!), amazing fresh foods (with no additives - sugar, dairy, gluten be gone!), quality time with family and friends (Stacey was in town! Quick trip to PA to see family! Jenna is coming tonight!), and copious amounts Olympic television coverage.  That last ingredient is very important - if for nothing else than the inspiration factor.  You could say I am kind of addicted to the Olympics… I have to force myself to turn it off in order to sleep… so much so that Kris and I are already planning our getaway for Vancouver, British Columbia in 2010 to see the Winter Games!

My knitting has faltered a bit:  I had three false starts.  Grand plans for new garments, and for some reason, things just weren’t flowing, and all of them ended up getting ripped.  I even got 2 inches into a circular project before I noticed that it was twisted.  Perfect for a moebius, not-so-perfect for a pullover.  (I blame Michael Phelps and the gymnasts for this mistake.  I couldn’t peel my eyes away from the TV.) Sooo, nothing much to show.  I did start a new project last night while watching the men’s synchonized diving.  So far so good on that one.

I have had quite the introspective temperament lately, and I feel the need to embark on a journey of sorts - some sort of personal expression.  I am feeling the push in two ways:  yoga and writing.  I began to research yoga teacher training more seriously.  I think that my short sickness made me value my yoga even more.  There are several good programs in my area, I just need to choose the one that is right for me.  As for the writing, I have been feeling a push in this direction for many months.  This blog has served as a creative outlet for my writing and photography for over four years.  As I continue to write for the blog, should I also pursue other outlets?  How far should I / can I take this?  What is the next step?  Just a little of my internal dialogue for you.

If you read this far, thank you.  I realize that this post is a little disjointed.  I felt that a week of blog silence needed to be broken… and since my knitting and weaving are not getting anywhere, you get this stream-of-consciousness with some photos thrown in for good measure.

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Photo 1: The featured asana, Upavistha Konasana (Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend), in September’s issue of Yoga Journal.  It’s a great one for the spine and leg muscles.

Photo 2: Summer rainstorm on the way home from family visit in Pennsylvania on Sunday.  It rained like crazy for three minutes, and then the sun returned.

Photo 3: Beautiful blue dragonfly in my parents’ flower garden.