On Freemont Street

This is a digital painting from when I was in Las Vegas back in October. On the last full night I was there, I went to see what Freemont Street was all about. Unfortunately, I was exhausted and not feeling well at this point in the trip, so I didn't fully appreciate the experience since it was unbearably loud with flashing lights and mobs of people. Crazy people at that. I think if I were in a different state of mind I totally would have been into it, but at that moment it all was so overwhelming to me. I did, however, want to capture the essence of what it was like being there. Mobs of people stopped in their tracks, heads thrown back staring up at a flashing screen that spanned for several city blocks. I've never seen anything quite like it before. It was cool to see in person the many iconic places that Vegas is known for, such as the Golden Goose, in this one spot. After a brief stay I headed back to the hotel to rest and get ready to leave the next day.

If you ever have the chance to get to Vegas, I do suggest you check it out. If I had been up to it, I would have done the zip-line that takes you several city blocks across the canopy of the street. Quite cool. Hoping you all have a wonderful weekend! TGIF!

Don't forget...the opening reception for the winter show at Arts By the Bay gallery is tonight from 7-9PM.  Hoping some of you are able to get out there to see the 5 pieces I have hanging!  Hugs!

xo

One Way

Along the access road at Red Rock Canyon near Las Vegas, Nevada

Lately it seems as if my fight against Lyme and co-infections is going one way...the wrong way. It started about three months ago when all of the sudden my high of feeling the best I felt in years did a brisk turn for the worse. Since then I have been heading downhill, regaining many of the debilitating symptoms that plagued me early in my diagnosis.  No one but my closest friends and family really knew this as I don't usually talk about it publicly. I plaster a happy face on and try the best I can to live as close to a normal life as possible while behind closed doors I cry and struggle to dress myself, wash my own hair, or drive due to the level of pain I deal with on a daily basis.

Then came the trip to Vegas. I knew I wasn't feeling my best, and against my better judgement, I really pushed myself and ended up in the hotel room bed, sick for the last two days I was there. I was completely incapacitated and almost couldn't make the flight back to Baltimore. Not the smartest move ever.

In the two weeks I've been back I've seen my doctor yet again and have again changed up my treatment plan. Our options are getting thin, kind of like the Raven's depth chart (had to throw in a bit of football humor in there) because I have not responded to many of the treatments and I am allergic to many antibiotics. We've almost run the gamut of choices as far as treatment options goes. So, hopefully this combination of herbals, supplements, and medications will be up to the task of making me better. 

Nearing Red Rock Canyon during our tour in these three wheeled scooters

In the meantime, I've had some genetic testing done and the results were depressing. It turns out my treatment is even more complicated because I have a homogeneous (double mutation...one from my father and one from my mother) MTHFR A1298C gene mutation which basically means (from what I understand so far) that my body can only get rid of toxins at an efficiency rate of 7%-10% of a person who has no gene mutations. Toxins include the dead Lyme and co-infection bacteria, heavy metal exposures, pesticide exposure, pollutant exposure, etc. Since I can not efficiently rid of these things from my body, it continues to build up in my system and make me sicker and sicker. It can also increase levels of inflammation in the body, and decrease mineral absorption, both of which is NOT helpful in my recovery. There is more scientific mumbo jumbo to it that is over my head right now, but so far that is what I am understanding.  So....this mutation could very well be another roadblock to my full recovery. If you are fascinated by this, feel free to read more here. The good news is my doctor is aware and on-board with researching what this means to better my treatment. He is smart and caring and knows exactly what I am going through which is more than I can say for every doctor I had seen for the two and a half years prior to getting diagnosed.

That is not the only gene where I have a double mutation, I found out to my dismay, but I have no idea yet what the implications are for those specific genes. Now I am worried that I passed down the mutations to my children and wonder what the health implications may be for them in the future.

And to kick me while I am down, I received a letter from my insurance company stating that they will no longer cover the ONE prescription drug I take simply because I take it in a much lower dosage than the "normal" dosage and therefore order it from a compounding pharmacy. I only take ONE pharmaceutical medication (the rest I take are herbals or supplements) and they refuse to cover it. Unbelieveable.  Then what good is all of the thousands of dollars my husband pays into our coverage?  They pay for NOTHING related to my Lyme treatment.  Not.  One.  Red.  Hot.  Cent.

So, the bottom line is I have not been around as much as I'd like to.  Exhaustion, pain, and a downright pissy mood has kept me isolated and hiding for much of the past week.

I will take this opportunity to thank everyone who called, texted, emailed, visited, messaged, or wrote on my private Facebook wall checking in on me.  Your concern, your encouragement, and your love are very much appreciated.  And while I couldn't possibly personally respond to so many of you individually, I hope you know that my heart swells with your prayers and love and you are heard and appreciated beyond measure. Some days I can't even summons a voice for fear of breaking down into a hysterical sob so I just don't talk at all (Elizabeth!).  Just know even if I don't call or respond, it is not out of lack of friendship, it is a lack of ability to form a voice through the tears.

I won't promise updates at this point...I just don't know when I will feel myself again, so I will post when I have energy for it.  In the meantime, I am sending my love and well wishes to all of you!  Hoping fall is being kind to you and I hope to be back up and running again soon.  xo

The Bellagio by Night

Enjoy the beautiful sights of the Las Vegas Strip by night...

The lights and water show in front of the Bellagio Resort.

I love the human element in this image...everyone recording
the lights and water show on their phones. 

The beautiful Bellagio

At the Bellagio looking across the lake to Paris Resort and Bally's.

Amazing how many people stop to photograph, video, and watch the water show
in front of the Bellagio Resort.  The Cosmopolitan is the resort with the blue lights in the background. 

The Bellagio Resort

I hope everyone has an amazing weekend!  I am filled with business on Saturday... a real estate shoot and then off to Elkton and The Gallery at 122 Main to pick up my remaining pieces and cash out the show that is benefiting The National Capital Lyme Association!  Hurry there to buy the rest of the pieces to help support this amazing non-profit!  Then I'm celebrating Halloween with my little ones (one is a sheriff this year and the other is a neon skeleton...whatever that is, lol!)

Don't forget on Sunday my 6 page spread in Artful Blogging goes on sale!  It should be available at any large news/magazine/bookstores such as Barnes and Noble!  I already have my complimentary copy and it is a great issue with lots of inspiring artists!  Grab your copy on Sunday!

Hugs to y'all!  xo

Las Vegas Strip at Dusk

I am still adjusting to Eastern Time. I truly had no idea how traveling to a time zone 3 hours away can mess with my internal clock. Being sleep deprived with Lyme is a big deal, so I am really struggling this week for sure. Hopefully my internal clock will reset soon. 

Teaching middle and high school students photography has helped reignite my passion for the artform. Teaching them what makes a great photograph has challenged me to work harder to find and frame good images. That is what I love about teaching...the teacher tends to get more out of the experience than the students do. I also love watching their skills develop and seeing the improvements in their work week by week. It is a rewarding experience and I look forward to it each Friday. 

For myself, I still love street and travel photography and find myself wishing I had felt a bit better on this trip and ventured out more with my camera. Can't live with regrets, though, so I will be happy with the shots I did get.  This is one of my favorites...the late day sun illuminating the Vegas strip as the lights begin to come alive in Sin City. 

I am looking forward to editing my images from Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire.  It was challenging to find unique images in a place where so many take photographs, so we'll see what I come up with.  In the meantime, I have a few more city photos to share...so be looking for upcoming posts. 

Have an amazing day.

xo 

Juxtaposition

Trust Jesus

Life is full of contradictions. Opposites. Yin and Yang. Juxtaposition.

During my recent trip to Las Vegas, Nevada this was so apparent not only on the streets, but also in my own life. Here I was, on a vacation of a lifetime, happy and carefree...no worries or responsibilities and on my phone's voicemail was a message waiting for me that would rock my world and yet again change my perspective on just how fragile life really is. While standing in the middle of a lavish resort on my first day of vacation in a place where anything and everything is possible, I heard the devastating news that one of my closest friend's husband passed away suddenly. It stopped me in my tracks. He had just turned a young 50 and he was gone. Just.  Like.  That.  All of the emotions of being away and carefree suddenly crashed and collided with the realization that my friend was now a widow. YinYangOppositesPullPushUpDownLeftRight.  My world was spinning.

This one singular image really wraps up life, does it not? This single frozen moment in time truly gives us a code for living...on one side we have the man who is telling us to "Trust Jesus," and on the other side are the Vegas girls who are telling us to "Live it up!" Life is short and unexpected, so while we need to live a Jesus-like existence, we also need to make sure we are seizing all the opportunities life provides us. Live as if it were your last day. Be kind. Love your family out loud. Kiss your kids. Take risks. Enjoy every day.

My entire vacation I was continuously met with these polar opposite emotions, sights, and experiences. I would be in awe of the amazing scenery when all of a sudden it would smack me in the face that my friend was learning to live without the love of her life. HIGHlow. Young wholesome Chinese school girls in uniforms walking down Freemont Street with topless girls standing right next to them. InnocentDevilish. Homeless men smoking expensive cigarettes holding signs begging for food while sitting right next to their dog feeding him treats. HungryFull. Crowds cheering at the craps table celebrating a win while the next table over the Blackjack gambler hung his head in defeat. WinLose. It truly was a bizarre experience moving through this vacation trying to enjoy myself all the while knowing my friend and her children were suffering terribly at home.

Life sucks and yet is beautiful in the same moment. I bet if you really thought about it all day you would see the contradictions that play out before us at any given moment.

Please pray for my friend and her family. I know they could use some comfort during this very difficult time.