Goodbye yellow brick road

Today, I felt like I made progress in returning to the land of the living after last week's surgery. And, I celebrated by doing another pair of shoes - The Beatles! Today, I'm thankful for progress along that road.

Shakes & rain

Today, I  enjoyed the first rain in over a month and a shake. The shake seemed to be the perfect treat for my post-op healing.

A day of rest

Today, I spent a good portion of the day sneezing from my surgery. However, I was able to take some breaks with some soup, cats, and learning new things. So, today, I'm thankful for the rest.

Pain

While these flowers were a welcome break from the massive pain I dealt with from surgery, the real picker-uppers were the deviled eggs. But, in  my pain delusion, I only snapped a picture of these. Today, I'm thankful for small steps in recovery. Here's to hoping tomorrow is better.

The last hurrah

Today, I took a morning bike ride before my surgery. After four months of dealing with ear and sinus issues from my flight to Hawaii, I am hopeful for relief. So, today, I'm thankful for last hurrahs and new hurrahs.

Morning sun

I love Sunday mornings for long, rush-free workouts and, today was no exception. This spot always captures me and I'm thankful for another morning to enjoy it.

An evening walk

Today, I took an evening 5 mile brisk walk after a long day back on the job. I'm thankful for the time spent outdoors, exploring, setting, and being free.

Smoothie for the soul

Today, I dealt a blow with medical costs. So, I needed this smoothie to easy my wounds. While the wounds are still there, it put on some nice fruity band-aids.

Peaches, blackberries, oh my!

Today, I went peach and blackberry picking for the first time. I left with over 15 pounds of fruit! And, I can't wait to do it again. Today, I'm thankful for early mornings and fruit.

The Peddler

After having vestibular testing, in which the sole purpose is to make you dizzy, we  went peddling and then, treated ourselves to one of my favorites - The Soup Peddler. Today, I'm thankful for peddling - both the cycling and eating kind.

Too much heat

Today, I had too much heat. I lost 2 pounds from the start of my bike ride to the end...and that's after drinking over a gallon of water. The problem - too much heat. While I'm not thankful for the heat, I'm thankful for an afternoon of rest with the family.

Air

Today, I got another low tire pressure message on my car, indicating a small leak in my tire. While my ears have too much negative pressure, my tires do not have enough pressure. So, today, I'm thankful for handy fixes to tire pressure. Air machines are worth the quarters!

Ears - day "whatever"

My ear saga continues today after going to see an ENT and after two visits to the ER and steroid shots. Today, while I did not like learning the news of having to potentially have a craniotomy, I am happy to have answers and information to get to healing. Today, I'm thankful for taking each day at a time.

New friends

Today, we began day three of integrating "Snow" into our furry household. I began day 17 of intense sinus and ear pain. While my pain did not find a friend, it appears our furry critters have begun to make friends. For that, I'm thankful.

Keynote

Today, I delivered my first in-person keynote. Unfortunately, my ears were in a state of pure agony. However, I'm thankful for the opportunity and the ability to share my journey as an educator with other educators!

Home - sick

I woke up on my first day back home, too sick to walk. There seems to be a theme - vacation sickness and home sickness. However, tonight, I'm thankful for a turn in my sickness and a step into the light.

Plus, I had these furry critters to keep me company.

A little r & r

To heal the ears. Today, I'm thankful for a day of rest at the beach while be trapped on this tropical island. Though, as amazing as it sounds, there are quite a few things you cannot do on a tropical, volcanic island when your ear drum ruptures. So, I'm thankful for the beach and boats. Hooray!

Stranded

Day two of being stranded in Hawaii. Unfortunately, we no longer get to see Maui, but that leaves more time to explore Big Island...where we are stranded. Due to my ears, I had some issues driving, but I'm happy to say we made it the whole circumference of the island.

All good things...come to...

The E.R. One day into our trip, I landed myself into the E.R. due to an ear drum rupturing. The good and bad news...I'm stranded in Hawaii!

And, all because of capturing this gorgeous view:

Cutting

Today, I got by quarterly haircut in honor of the first day of summer "break." It was also a day of cutting grass - all around cutting. I'm thankful for a day to cut back the old and make way for the new.