Everything...

So it’s been several weeks, err…maybe even months…, since my last post. During that time I’ve crammed as much in as possible, and it feels like I need to stop to catch my breath and recover before I head back to school.

My last post talked about how I was leaving the country to spend some time with Heidi, Tim and Gustav. I had a wonderful trip, and loved the time we spent together. I started the trip by travelling to Frankfurt, Germany and staying with them while they finished up the last week of work. Gustav and I had some good one-on-one bonding time while Tim and Heidi put in their last hours at their respective jobs. One of my favorite times of the entire trip was the Farewell Party that Heidi and Tim threw for themselves (odd custom, if you ask me…). It was a wonderful time of fellowship with good friends—sad goodbyes and happy stories were shared. A highlight for me was seeing our former exchange student, Eliane, and spending time with her and another friend in the kitchen. One of our good friends, Kristin, flew in from the Canary Islands to surprise them. While it provided some additional stress for Heidi beforehand (she knew there would be a visitor, but didn’t know WHO), once she saw Kristin, I think all that stress evaporated and she had a great time enjoying the time we could spend together. Heidi, Gustav, Kristin and I all spent time baking “American” treats like cinnamon rolls, and caramel popcorn, and there was plenty of time spent gabbing and telling stories. We spent the last day packing up their belongings and figuring out how they would fit in the vehicle we had rented. We then headed to Hamburg and an overnight visit with our dear friends Reinhold and Gertraud Mesterharm. It had been several years since I had seen them, and it was good to spend a supper catching up with them. Hopefully I will be able to see them again, and much sooner than the many years that have passed between my visits. After Hamburg we headed through Denmark with Sweden as our destination. We had a wonderful drive—rainy until we hit the border of Denmark and Germany and then the sun broke through. It was a beautiful drive, and plenty of country that I had never seen before. We were eager to arrive at our cousin’s house in Vimmerby, Sweden. We had a wonderful visit with Lund’s, spending time at their home relaxing, visiting Pippi Longstocking World, area shops, a fish smoker along the coast,a day spent at a family cottage eating, laughing and playing and wading in a beautiful lake in the evening. Our time in Vimmerby passed much too quickly, and I’m looking forward to a time I can go back again. We left Vimmerby and headed to Stockholm for several days sightseeing there before returning home to Kansas. Favorite spot in Stockholm has to be the Vasa museum, and it was nice to be able to go back and visit again when I’m a bit older and maybe more attentive?  I also enjoyed visiting the marketplace and just soaking up the culture and people.

We returned the rental car (and had to deal with 2 parking tickets we had received along the way), and then started the battle with plane tickets and luggage. I’m glad we got their early and were at the beginning of the line. Many plane rides later, we finally arrived in Wichita and retrieved our luggage. The only thing that was missing was the stroller, and Tim made arrangements so that would be delivered the next day. We headed back to Hesston and much needed rest. The next day we spent relaxing and hosting a Welcome Back/4th of July party for the Buller and Huber relatives. I loved exposing Gustav to the fireworks—he had no fear and was very good at “helping” me. He especially loved throwing the little snappers and then stepping on them to make them pop. He still is trying to stamp things out when we play together…

Since getting back from my travels, I’ve been working at the massage clinic and spending lots of time with friends. I’ve been teaching summer school in the mornings (last week, this week, and next week) and then working in the afternoons at the clinic. Yesterday my cousin Carmen hosted a spa party, so I packed up my table and headed to Wichita. After teaching summer school in the morning, and then doing 6 massages in the afternoon, I was pooped by the time I got home. It was a good time, and I enjoyed catching up with people I hadn’t seen in awhile.

Last Friday, after I got done with summer school, I drove to Hesston and Mom, Dad and I piled into the car and headed to Denver. We stayed with Buller cousin Anthony and his wife Farrell, and attended Johnson cousin Eric and Anna’s wedding in Aurora. It was nice to see both sides of my family—and most importantly, family members I don’t normally see. Anthony and Farrell were wonderful hosts, and made us feel very welcome. On Sat. morning before the wedding, we headed to Boulder and some special shopping for me. We hit Whole Foods, and I found several new and exciting Gluten Free goodies. My biggest excitement is the GF bread by Udi’s. It toasts and holds together like real bread! The texture AND taste are great! We also went to a farmer’s market, and I bought several loaves of Aunt Kay’s breads—she makes wonderful breakfast breads like lemon poppyseed, chocolate zucchini, and cinnamon struesel coffee cake. Pricy, but worth every penny! Even my dad liked it, which means it really had to be good! We spent some time at a local lake, and then headed home to get ready for the wedding. In the evening we were hosted for a picnic like supper, and it was good to get to know Anna’s family, and interact with my own family members.

In other news, I went back to the doctor on Monday. She had ordered some more lab work, and so we talked about that. My thyroid level is being over-replaced, so we are going to alternated 2 different levels of the medication to see whether that makes it better. My prolactin level is also fluctuating, and the labwork wasn’t clear as to what that means. While some fluctuation of prolactin is normal, it depends on the day and activities, the fact that it is not within the normal limit on either of my last 2 labs means that something else could be going on. She has ordered an MRI of my pituitary gland, because there is a possibility that I have a tumor that is making the levels fluctuate. I’ll have that done next Tuesday, and then I’ll go back for another followup appointment on the 11th. If the tumor is what is going on, that could also explain the elevated DHEA levels, which means I may not have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome…. Who knows at this point what is going on. I am happy to know that I am finally in good hands and with someone who will help me get to the bottom of it.

After next week, I have about 2 “free” days (which are already filling up with appointments, and things “to-do”) before I start back to school and full-time responsibilities there. My summer has flown by…

I’ve been meaning to post pictures from the trip, but I think that will have to be a post unto itself.