I'm not going to try to backfill the gap of time between posts, but I've been busy.
I will, however, fill you in on the Big News. I think anyone reading this may already know, but we're engaged!
From that, I suppose you can guess that Nance and I had a fantastic trip home. We started out camping on the East coast amongst the bunnies, teeny red squirrels, and heaps of townies. We had a blast, non-waterproof tent mishap aside. Some of Nancy's uni friends dropped by, we brunched with another, and we met up with some great folks that were running the Tely "with" Nancy. Unfortunately, our cell and home numbers are too similar (one digit in difference) for my brain sometimes and I gave my cousin my home number to get in touch. Ack. Missed encounter there, but maybe next time.
Abbers had a great time camping. She was the queen of Pippy Park and kept stolid guard against invading rabbits and pigeons. On race day, I took her for a stroll along the race route and we made some new friends. It was HOT in town. Like, dirty, muggy hot. Nance had a great race, even though she couldn't find her cohorts at the Start. What a fricken' crowd! It was a really fun atmosphere and made me feel like I need to sign up for another race to focus my motivation.
After the race, we headed back to lucky campsite #13 and what with the beautiful day, and Nance repeatedly saying she was having the best vacation ever, I knew it was time. I commissioned the ring months ago and had been carrying it around since it arrived in the mail. I moved it to and from pockets and bags, being careful not to spoil the surprise, just waiting for the right time. I had all kinds of romantic approaches in mind, but in the end it all came down to a sunny, peaceful afternoon in a campsite. Bunnies, squirrels, blue sky, and a ring. It sounds straight out of Disney, right? I must have felt inspired by her farmer's hat. I took a photo moments before I asked so I'd remember exactly what she looked like in that moment. My best friend. As she worked away at her crossword puzzle while sitting in the shade, I interrupted to tell her I had been thinking about something. I'll leave out the details, but we were both tearful within 40 seconds. Happy tears.
It's been a while coming. Our friendship started on a much different path, but maybe sometimes good things have to fall apart so greater things can come together. I never thought I'd marry my best friend.
It was really fun to have mom's family reunion on the horizon, knowing we'd get to tell many people in one shot. Fun and a bit nerve-wracking. We told one friend first because she dropped by the campsite a few hours after the big ask. My mom was next. We wanted a few days alone with the new status, and mom's house was next on the list of destinations. Again, I really don't want to fill in every detail here but it is fabulous to know how much we are loved and supported.
So, a weddin'! Fall of 2015, fingers crossed. My brother told me he has it all planned already and that we're being shot out of a cannon. I'm hoping that was the double rums talking.
….and on the MS front because that's part of the reason for this blog...
Things are good. I'm still off of any DMD and am comfortable with it for now. Eating well, managing rest and heat, and exercising have huge impact on my symptoms, so my focus is on those things right now.
