Before we left for Colorado and my hair was still rather blue, I ordered this yellow dress from Amazon so I could fully immerse myself in this Disney character called Joy. She represents so much of what this journey has been for me – despite the hard stuff, I have had a LOT of joy! Last night was date night, so I took the opportunity to wear the dress and Kent got some fun photos. We started out at Side Pockets, one of our favorite spots for early date night fun! We hadn’t been since before COVID, and probably since before my diagnosis. They didn’t have the pool cues out like they used to – we had to request them from behind the counter. When we were almost finished with the second game, I managed to ram my index finger knuckle into the pool table as I was making a shot. It was immediately purple and started swelling. I had a glass of ice water in a to-go cup and used it to bring down the swelling! We finished the game, then decided to get some barbecue at Hayward’s since we were on that side of town. We hadn’t been there since before COVID either, and didn’t realize they had moved locations! They were a little farther north, but still had awesome food at great prices, and way more than we could eat. We got the variety platter for two and still came home with two full boxes and a cup of beans!

Today I’ve been working on the winner’s announcement for the August challenge to be revealed tomorrow (update: here’s the link!), and finishing up the final touches for the September tutorial. Registration opens Monday for the next round of challenges, and I’m very excited to announce the techniques! I’ve been slowly leaking photos on Instagram the past two days, and I’ll have the final reveal tomorrow morning. I’ve made three custom batches of soap this week, and hope to get the 100-bar batch made on Tuesday. Kent and Kylie and I also got to video chat with Tara this evening, which was a rare treat!

If you’re wondering how the side effects are now, this morning I woke up with pins and needles in my left thumb (neuropathy) which was new and it just feels sort of prickly when pressure is applied. My left foot is still a bit buzzy (also neuropathy), and I have a red rash on my chest that’s been hanging around for at least a month now. I used to put cortisone on it twice a day, but it didn’t seem to be helping and Dr. Corum didn’t seem concerned. At least it’s not itchy! I’m still getting hot flashes in the evening and during the night, but they aren’t super intense and seem to pass fairly quickly. My energy and mood are really good, and I can’t help but be grateful that the worst is definitely behind me!

Top of my prayer list right now is my friend Brooke who is having a really rough fight against COVID. I’m sure she would appreciate your prayers as well!