Here We Go Again

So here we go. Another attempt to get this blog back up and running since moving out to Oregon over 2 years ago. 

When I started this blog, it was to keep family and friends up to date on my life while I lived in Italy and traveled around Europe. Flash forward 8 years and it's still a place where I want to keep people informed about my life, but I'm definitely not spending every weekend in a new city or country. In fact, most weeks the only time I even leave the walls of my house is when I do yard work after I put my grandmother to bed or sneak down to the coffee shop while my Aunt is at the house. 

Let me rewind for those who don't know what I'm currently doing with my life. 2 years ago I was living in Minnesota, working as a health inspector, side hustling for an amazing theater, and spending every minute in between on a very active social life. I was happy but definitely looking for a change, especially in regards of my job. You can only walk into so many dirty kitchens accompanied by dirty stares and fake smiles before you get burnt out on being a health inspector. After 2 years I had reached my end. 

My grandmother and I have always been two peas in a pod. Growing up she taught me how to sing, dance, paint, bake, and everything in between. Some of my most cherished memories are spending summers at her house. Sitting on the porch, eating M&Ms, and laughing while watching the hummingbirds as the sun set over Mt. Hood. But at the age of 90, with her dementia getting worse, the family had to decide what our next steps in care were going to be. To me it was a no-brainer. I packed up my life and moved to an itty-bitty town (pop. ~300) in central Oregon to help take care of her. 

The first year passed by quickly with puzzles, random car rides, tap dance lessons, and organizing rooms. My grandma was unable to cook and drive, but could still maneuver around by herself (sometimes a little too well) and would be content to be inside while I worked on the yard or ran a quick errand in town. At night she would check the doors multiple times to make sure things were locked and she constantly wanted to talk to our neighbor to have him help with things (things that we definitely did not need assistance on). At least once a week she would lose her purse or hearing aids after putting them "somewhere safe," so we would have a minutes to days long search to find things. We also took many car rides since she was never satisfied with just being at home.  

At the end of my second summer in Oregon my grandma fell and fractured her wrist. Unfortunately, when she came home from the hospital in a bright pink elbow cast she also came home with severe anxiety. It was like a switch had been flipped. Before she would worry, but now she would go into spells of heavy breathing (almost hyperventilating) for hours at a time. Every time it was a mystery as to what would shake her out of it, eating, getting up and moving, going to the bathroom, singing, or none of the above. Some days one thing would work and the next time she got worked up it wouldn't have any effect on the anxiety. We worked with doctors to try to find some medication that would help. But with any medications there are side effects, most notably that she wouldn't sleep for over 2 hours at a time. It was a rough six months before we started to find the right combination. 

So here we are now, her wrist has healed, her anxiety is down to maybe a hour a day, and she's sleeping through the night. Everyone is much happier. I definitely still have my moments of frustration and sadness, but I'm happy that I am here to help my grandmother in this phase of life. 

Which brings me back to this blog. I don't know exactly what this will morph into since I most definitely don't have every week packed with something exciting and new. But that being said, I am going to put together recommendations for places I have been and you know I will be traveling internationally at the very least once a year (next up Europe in October!). So expect a random mixture of thoughts on caregiving, life in the country, travel recommendations, DIY projects, and whatever else strikes me in the moment. We'll see where life takes me and hopefully you'll come along for the ride.