The Past 3.5 Months

The past three and a half months have been an incredible roller coaster!  We made the farewell trip from California to North Carolina in the beginning of August, which is where Archer and I spent our last three months.  It was in many ways an incredibly stressful time, although there were several large benefits.  Here are some of the major happenings from this interim time.

• Archer and I went to the beach with my family.  We made the trek to Holden Beach in NC, which was a lot of fun.  We ended up leaving 2 days early because of rain, but it was still a fun trip.  Some of those sunset walks on the beach with the dog were just gorgeous!
  
• Shortly after we got back from the beach I suffered a pretty devastating anxiety attack.  I ended up needing to go to the ER to get a beta blocker so that I could calm down.  Needless to say, it was a pretty horrible experience.  Since then, I've cut caffeine completely out of my diet, have picked up journal-ing, and yoga, all in an attempt to get control of my anxiety.  Three months later, it's much, much, much better!  This anxiety has really contributed to the difficulty of the last few months.  I'm hopeful that now that my new routine is getting settled and that Jake is home, my anxiety will melt away into the abyss that it came from and I won't have to deal with it anymore!  
• In the beginning of August we were hit with another blow.  Our beautiful cat Lily passed away unexpectedly while staying with some family.  It was nothing that anyone could foresee, and the vet thought it was probably some sort of heart attack or stroke.  We miss her, and her snuggly fat kitty self.  Our other cat is still with family and will be here soon.   When she arrives I think another wave of sadness and realization will hit us.  I hope that she is resting in peace.

• As sad as we were about Lily's passing, we had to move past it and continue to enjoy life.  One thing that I enjoyed immensely while staying in NC was work with our family friend at her farm.  I love being useful and helpful, and part of feeling healthy and happy is fulfilling those needs.  One of the coolest things that I was able to do with their farm was go to an event with them at Bennett Place in Durham, NC.  We got to dress the part and be involved at a historical site, which was amazing.  The old time dances were my absolute favorite, and I wish that there was a way that we could continue to do those dances today!

• In October, we FINALLY moved into our house at our new place! We now officially live on the East Coast again, in Maryland.  Two days before Halloween, Jake joined me here and we were reunited after about a 4 month separation (long enough for me.)  We are still moving into our house and have yet to hang any pictures, as well as organize a lot of our belongings!  I know that we'll get it done soon.  It's our first time living in a townhouse, and so far, so good.  

• As of this week, I have a new job doing the morning feed at a barn for one morning a week.  I'll be able to start riding again as a payment for my work.  I'm extremely pleased about this opportunity!

Sorry about how long this post is, and about how crappy I've been with updating the blog.  Now that I'm back in my own house with my own kitchen, I'll be revamping my food blog and updating that more frequently.