Whew!  It feels so good to have everyone, including me, well again. (Curse you darn flu!)  The house is almost back in shape, we’ve tidied up the yards in preparation for the rains, and I went for a two-hour hike with my family today!!! It’s been so long since I’ve been able to do that and it felt really good. (Hubby’s birthday is tomorrow so we wanted to make sure we had family time today since he’ll be working 10+ hours tomorrow, as usual.)  Our son found two long poles he was using to vault himself forward, so when we came across a vacant field that had been plowed sometime ago, I used his poles like my Exerstrider walking poles to utilize my body’s core muscles more efficiently across the terrain.  That worked fabulously! Usually going over deep, uneaven ground really exhausts me–and kills my back–but this time I had no problem!  And I even felt better afterward–I had more energy, less low-back pain, & just felt generally refreshed!  Whooda thunk?!

Now we’ve got a fire burning and we’re having hot cocoa & tea while working on making some of our Christmas presents.  (I can’t say what ’cause those folks read my blog too!)  ;-D  It sure feels good to be able to go for a long hike then come home and just feel the good sort of tired!  I remember when I first started this six-month journey how I couldn’t do more than slowly ride the stationary bike or struggle up the stairs before I’d almost black out, and now look at me!  I know I’ll sleep well tonight but it feels great to feel like myself again!!