5) Its like cliff jumping

Have you ever been cliff jumping? Thats the best way to describe my visit to the doctors the other day. It was kind of a big one in that we were to bring my huge box of medications and my girl Bonnie was going to review everything with us. I was feeling anxious because like I said earlier the box of medications is daunting. What I like about Bonnie or my clinic ( and maybe all clinics are like this) is that they tell you what you need to know when you need to know it. Its not going over every step of every medication, its this is the one you need to take now and this is how you take it. I like that, its not overwhelming.

Back to my cliff jumping. So I had that feeling that reminded me of cliff jumping. When I was in Hawaii in January we decided we were going to go jump off a cliff and I was excited to do it, I thought….yeah, I can do this, no big deal. Well once you get to the cliff and you are staring down at how far the water is it doesn't seem as easy as you once thought it would be. Thats how I felt when Bonnie told me it was time to inject myself. This whole time I have thought the injections ( at least with the smaller needles) would be no big deal. But in the moment when Im holding the needle close to my skin and about to jab it in I thought for a split second, what the heck am I doing?! Why would I do this to myself and then boom. In it went. Easy peasy. Didn't feel A THING! Today was my second injection and again, like nothing. Maybe a little stinging after but I can't even feel the needle or liquid go in. So Im glad we are taking baby steps because I know it won't always be this easy. Soaking in the victories when I can.


So as of now I am doing morning injections of Lupron along with finishing my birth control pills, taking doxycycline for 10 days ( Hubby too), daily pre-natals, daily Aspirin (81mg) and daily Folic acid. Which you need to keep organized because birth control needs to be taken at the same time every day, when taking doxycycline you can't have anything with high iron or dairy an hour before or after which means you can't take your prenatal with your doxycycline. It can be a bit overwhelming but I feel like I have things planned out in a way that works for me. I did buy some new pre-natals because the original ones I was taking gave me awful stomach cramps which I read high iron can cause that. So I was cutting them in half and taking them AM/PM which was extra work and an extra thing to remember. I am hoping my new ones will work better for me. Taking it one day at a time.

PHYSICAL: The Lupron is said to give you menopause symptoms like hot flashes and headaches I have yet to have any symptoms. Although Im only one day two! I also know that the addition of doxycycline can add more symptoms but again nothing at this time. Still in the pretty early stages though.

MENTAL: As of now I am feeling really good. Last night I got a rush of panic thinking what am I doing, maybe I can't handle all of this but I think that only happens when I look at the big picture and its SO important to take baby steps. This morning I made myself a list of positive thoughts or affirmations on my phone to remind myself not to get overwhelmed. 

4) Its feeling more real

The nerves are starting to kick in, or maybe its the hormones? Today Zac and I got the box of all the medications I will be taking the next few weeks. This box is a bit overwhelming. I knew I would be taking a bunch of medications, I knew I would need to be doing injections but some of the sizes of the needles are terrifying me. One of them I took a peak at is an 18 gauge. Its huge. Zac thinks its just for drawing out the medication and I am praying that he is right! There are so many needles, bags of them. Maybe just the first time will be scary and then it will become a piece of cake. Zac doesn't think it will be that bad, I like his positive attitude but then again he isn't on the pointy end of the needle. 

This Monday we will be going to the doctors office so that they can review everything with us. Im am really hoping to feel a bit more at ease once everything is gone over. Im trying to stay calm about everything and have the mind-set that this isn't permanent and its just a few weeks but today Im overwhelmed. It doesn't help that tomorrow is my birthday and I am kind of sick of everyone asking me what Im doing. Im working. I wish I was in a better frame of mind but honestly the IVF is my main focus at the moment. 

I knew my peace of mind wouldn't be something that would be long lasting but I hope that I can get back to that state soon. All I need to do if focus on taking things one day at a time. Today I got all my medications so thats one thing I can check off the list and I must say getting all the medications was SO easy! Which I am very thankful for. I have a feeling that if I would of gone though Kasier I might not be feeling the same way but this was such a great process. 

I guess I should talk a little about that for anyone who might want to know. So when we met with sweet Bonnie she went over everything in detail about how things would look going forward. One of the "To Do" lists she gave me was to order my medication. She gave me the name of a company where I could get a discount on meds. Although we didn't get approved for the discount we still got a small discount on a few medications which is better then nothing! They said they would contact me within 48 hours and the next morning I had a text from Mayra from MDR. She said she was going to send me the medication list and asked for me e-mail. I told her about the discount, she asked me to forward that e-mail and within the next 30 minutes there was our medication list with the discounted price! When we finally decided to pull the trigger and order the medications all I needed to do was print out a link that was sent via e-mail, fill it out and e-mail it back. She got it, ran the credit card and asked when and where I wanted it shipped. That was yesterday. The meds came at 1:00pm today. Talk about customer service! When you're already stressed about everything else, not having to worry about little things like making sure your medication is delivered is amazing.

Well thats about all I have to say as of now. Ill try and write again after our Monday appointment. Wish us luck!

PHYSICAL:
 -At this point I have been feeling really good. The only medications I am currently taking are birth control, Aspirin 81mg and my prenatals. Although now that my big box of meds came its time to start the folic acid. So Im hoping no crazy side effects from that.

MENTAL:
 -Honestly a little overwhelmed with the medication shipment. I have noticed I have felt a bit more anxious lately and Im not sure if its because Im suppose to start my period next week or things are just becoming more real. Either way, Im just trying to control them and stay calm the best that I can.

3) The Plan

About an hour after I wrote my last entry the nurse practitioner Bonnie gave me a call. Talking to her set all my worries at ease. She was so friendly. She wanted to meet with me and Zac in the future to go over everything and answer any questions. So I set up an appointment for the following Monday (today) at 1:30.

Zac and I had our consultation with Bonnie today and I think it went very well. She was very friendly and very knowledgable. She has been with this clinic for 10 years. She sat us down and went over how our IVF works and showed us a calendar of how things will be scheduled for the next two months. Its hard to really have exact dates for everything because a lot of it will be dependent on how my body reacts to the different medications. Did I mention there will be 10? And they arn't cheap! Its a lot at once and can be a bit overwhelming but Bonnie seemed to know what she was talking about and if I just follow her lead I think I can do it.

So here is a list of how things will work:

As of now I am taking daily

 -Aspirin

 -Prenatal

 -Birth control

Within the next few weeks I will add Folic Acid/B from the pharmacy. And I will continue to try and gain weight. Im looking for that BMI of 18.5% minimum. 

Monday April 22 (10:30)

 -Lupron/Calendar review

 -Sign consents

 -Medication inventory

 -Begin Lupron injections (every morning)

Tuesday April 23

 -Zac and I start taking Doxycycline (twice a day for 10 days)

Friday April 26 

 -Last day of taking Active birth control

Sunday April 28

 -Expect period to start

Thursday May 2 (9:30)

 -Baseline Ultrasound

-Injection instructions

 -Sign consents

 -Mock Transfer

 -Weight check

Friday May 3

 -Begin Follistim & Menopur injections (Nightly)

Monday May 6 (9:30)

 -Blood Test

Friday May 10 (9:30)

 -Blood test

 -Ultrasound

Saturday May 11

 -POSSIBLE Blood test/Ultrasound

Sunday May 12

 -POSSIBLE Blood test/Ultrasound

Monday May 13

 -POSSIBLE Egg Retrieval

Tuesday May 14

 -POSSIBLE Egg Retrieval

Wednesday May 15

-POSSIBLE Egg Retrieval

-POSSIBLE Embryo Transfer

Thursday May 16

-POSSIBLE Embryo Transfer

Friday May 17

-POSSIBLE Embryo Transfer

Saturday May 18

-POSSIBLE Embryo Transfer

Sunday May 19

-POSSIBLE Embryo Transfer 

And THAT in a nut shell will be my life the next few months. Which includes lots of medications, injections, bloating, nausea, crazy hormones, you know, all that good stuff! It really is a lot to take in but actually writing it down like I just did really helped! And I don't think I'll have to take off as much work as I thought. A lot of my appointments are going to be on Mondays which I have off and some of the appointments will be fairly quick ones where I can go back to work afterwards. Its really a waiting game to see what is going to happen. I am going to just try and take it day by day and not get overwhelmed at the big picture. Feeling pretty good so far!

PHYSICAL:

 -At first birth control pills were making me feel a bit nauseous but that has gone away after a week of taking them.

MENTAL:

 -Feeling surprisingly relaxed and not anxious about everything, which is usually not me. Maybe its the fact that I have a plan and a goal Im working towards and I do well with that. I know this won't last long so Im soaking it all in!

2) Official first day

I'm considering today my first official day of IVF, because Im taking birth control. Say what!? I know I know that doesn't make any sense at all. But basically taking BCPs prior to the stimulation cycle can help you ovaries respond better to the medication AND its allows for more control when planning everything out.

Yesterday was an interesting day. I had been having mixed emotions about making the call. "The call" being the first day of full flow of my period Im suppose to call the Dr. and tell her I started my period. When I had my initial visit with my doc she had gone over everything in detail about WHY I could be not getting pregnant but I don't feel like we spent a lot of time talking about the actual process. She did give me a print out to read through of how everything works but honestly I found reading blogs to be much more helpful to understand what is going to be happening within the next month. 

So I got the nerve to make the call and of course its on a Sunday. The answering service picked up and I told the poor sweet man on the other end of the phone that I started my period and Im suppose to call. Seems a bit awkward but Im new to this whole thing so it is what it is. He told me that there should be someone in the office and to try calling the number again and see if it puts me through. I waited about 10 minutes and called again….Hi Trent, its me again. Obviously no one picked up. So then he said he would try calling for me and if he couldn't get ahold of anyone he would leave a message for the doctor, we will call her Dr.R. He then told me that we should wait about two hours and if no one calls me back then call again. 

I already was nervous about making this phone call and then with it no going perfectly smooth the first time it was kind of freaking me out. Here is the thing though, I need to let go of that need to control and need for everything to go perfect. The doctors know what they are doing and its out of my hands at this point, I need to just follow directions. I always seem to think worse case scenario so I assumed that I would not get a phone call back, and I didn't. I got upset thinking what horrible customer service, should I not be going to the clinic maybe I shouldn't be doing this all together! (dramatic, I know) My dear sweet hubby of course…the calm in the storm was telling me this isn't a big deal and reminded me of when we were going through our first phase a treatment with Kasier. I never spoke to a real live person when I would call. It would be me leaving a message, then they would call and leave me a message, then I would call and leave a message then I would call again and get ahold of someone…..maybe. It was so awful and stressful. But at least Trent was talking to me and calling the doctor and the office for me. So two hours passed by and I called the office again and believe it or not someone, a live person actually answered! Not only that but they put me on the phone directly with my doctor. I told her I just started my period and I was suppose to call her, she asked what we were moving forward with ( and of course I got freaked out because I felt like she should KNOW, but then I remembered two things 1) we had talked about doing more IUIs and IVF and 2) If a patient called me at the office I would have NO clue what we were doing unless I looked at a chart) so I told her IVF and then she said okay so moving forward with birth control? And I said yup. Then she told me she would call in my prescription and I should start taking it tomorrow ( today). And that was that. Easy. 

Zac and I had plans for the day so we kept pretty busy until the evening. I told him I would like to go pick up my prescription. Get it out of the way because in my head I knew it wouldn't be there. I run in the grab it, give the pharmacist my name and she looks….and looks (not good). She then asks me for my date of birth…..still looking. Im thinking oh my goodness, here we go, I KNEW it wouldn't be here. Time to freak out and spiral into thinking we shouldn't even be doing this because one thing isn't turning out how I expected it to. Well she couldn't find it. So I thought okay, Ill call my doc and see whats going on. In my head Im thinking she never called it in, maybe I shouldn't of picked this place….blah, blah, blah. I called the office again and I get the answering service, a woman this time. I let her know the situation, she puts me on hold and then BOOM. Dr.R is on the phone. I let her know the pharmacist said it isn't there and she told me she called it in 10 minutes after we spoke on the phone and have her check again. I went back in to the pharmacy, stressed out, anxious, doubting….and asked the sweet, sweet pharmacist to check one more time for me……And then I heard some good news! It WAS called in but just at the wrong pharmacy. I tried not to let myself spiral and just be thankful that it was….somewhere! I think I can have more grace for this situation because working at my  office we call in prescriptions ALL the time and sometimes these things happen. It doesn't mean we are a bad office, just human. So the sweet pharmacist told me she could fill it for me right then and there and before I knew it I was walking out with my BCPs.

I thought it would be good for me to write about yesterday because like I was saying earlier sometimes I let the simplest thing throw me for a loop and I spiral out of control to even thinking I shouldn't be doing this and its a "sign". The thing is, not everything is always going to work how it should and now more then ever I need to accept that. I need to slow down and take everything as it comes. I easily get worked up thinking about the future but I am really going to try and focus on the 24 hours ahead of me. For my own sanity. This journey is not going to be easy its one where I need to really be selfish and focus on myself, I need to slow down and not plan, I need to take things as they come and I know that no matter what the outcome is, life will move on, it will still be amazing and Ill be okay.

1) Here we go

Its been a few years. And although I don't know if I will ever want to post this to the world its time talk about infertility. Let me start by saying when I was in high school I wrote in my journal every night…..and I mean every night. It was therapeutic for me. I feel like Im in a situation that writing things down would help so Im giving it a go.

Like I said I don't know if Im ever going to want to post this for the world to see but I will write this as though someday people might read it.

End of 2015 beginning of 2016 Zac and I decided it was time to start trying for a baby. It came with a lot of conversations and a lot of nervousness (mostly on my part). After almost a year of being off birth control nothing was happening. We did all the tricks, I took the hippy vitamins, ate pineapple core, took my temperature, monitored everything! And still no luck. Its funny how you spend years on birth control hoping you won't get pregnant until you're ready and then when you ARE ready it still doesn't happen. 

So after a year of no luck it was time to speak with my doctor about my next step. Something I never considered would be happening to me but there I was. Before we moved forward with any treatment I needed to have some bloodwork done to rule some stuff out. Well my bloodwork came back showing my FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) was high, which is a bad sign. Its a sign that the quantity and possibly quality of my eggs are diminished. 

So after getting that news back my OB suggested that Zac and I meet with a RE (Reproductive Endocronologist) in San Francisco. I had started to research a high FSH online and it wasn't looking good. So off we went to meet with the RE. He suggested that we start off with taking the medication Clomid and go through IUIs (Intrauterine Insemination) where they basically take Zac's sperm and put it as close as they can to the egg which gives us a better shot and conceiving. After three attempts with he IUI the next step my RE wanted us to do is injections with IUIs. Well after getting that call and hearing about the scheduling, the ultrasounds, the blood draws and all the trips needed, I thought, there is no way I can make this work and still function AT work. So after a long emotional roller coaster Zac and I decided that we would take a break from our infertility appointments. We were both at a point where we felt emotionally drained. And now that I look back, what a blessing in disguise. 2017 had to be one of the worst years of my life. A lot of bad things happened and I just can't imagine struggling with IVF ( Invitro fertilization) with everything else that went down. With that said 2017 allowed me to really dig deep and process everything that had just happened. It wasn't easy and it was a rough year but it gave us a lot of time to "figure things out". By the time 2018 rolled around I felt stable, confident and really happy with my life. Things felt back to normal and I really accepted the fact that even if Zac and I aren't able to have a baby, we will be okay. Heres the thing. Life is hard. But being with Zac has always been easy and that is something Im so grateful for.

In 2018, I was actually having a conversation with my sister. We were taking a hike and talking about everything and the future and she asked me about taking the next step with our infertility. And she asked if money was stopping me? And I thought about it for a second and thought about what a good place I'm in with my life and…..it hit me, what IS stopping me? Zac and I went through so much and the emotions are just out of control when you are struggling with infertility so we just put everything aside and lived life. I decided I would bring it up to him THAT night. He told me he didn't ever want to make me feel pressured so he didn't bring it up and I didn't bring it up because I thought HE didn't want to talk about it so it just didn't get talked about. But now, we were talking. He told me money was never the issue and it was just a lot on both of us and he again, never wanted to pressure me. After talking things out we decided to have a consultation with an IVF specialist, get some information. Although our insurance is through Kasier IVF is not covered and we decided that if we were going to go through this and have to pay out of pocket we might as well choose where we want to go and pick a place that is a little easier to get to. Kaisers IVF clinics are 2 hours away from here. So we found a place here in Santa Rosa thats actually just down the street from our house. Sweet.

One of the reviews I read on this clinic was that the doctors bedside manner is not the best. She is very direct and straight forward. Im not really looking for a friend but results. So I decided that would be okay with me. So we met with her and it was just what I expected. She really seems to know what she's talking about and explains things very well. One of my largest concerns when we started treatment with Kasier was my weight but Kaiser didn't seem to think it was a much of an issue and was fine with moving forward with treatment. Let me just tell you when you start searching infertility the internet is your best friend and your worst enemy! 

When I met with my IVF doctor in Santa Rosa my weight was a large concern. She explained that when you're so under weight (like I am) that you don't have enough fat…..and when you don't have enough fat your don't make enough estrogen and when you don't make enough estrogen your FSH is high! It makes sense. So before moving forward with treatment she wanted me to gain weight, and not just weight but FAT. Obviously I have struggled with weight gain my whole life. I would love to gain some weight but its always been really hard for me. But game on, time to get some fat on me! 

Fast forward to March, 4 2019. Today. Zac and I are going to be moving forward with IVF! A lot of emotions but Im not feeling like a crazy person yet. Wait for the hormones! So here is what I know, which is not a lot besides doing a TON of research. The first full day of my period I am going to call up my Doc and let them know. I believe they are going to put me on birth control which seems crazy! Right? But they do this so they can control everything. They don't want my body making an egg until they are ready and when we are ready to make eggs there are hopefully A LOT! So Im thinking I going through a round of BC and then we will start the Stimulation (aka Stim phase) of the treatment with injections. Since I am just finishing my period I won't be starting until the end of March. So we will see what happens. Even though Im ready to get going this gives me more time to gain weight. I need to get my BMI ( Body Mass Index) up to at least 18.5 which is considered a normal range. And with eating like CRAZY and stuffing myself as much as I can Im only 2 pounds away from that. Go me!

There are a few reasons Im keeping all of this information quite from everyone and only telling a few people.
1) I prefer to keep my private life private
2) Its a very personal and emotional thing to go through
3) I don't want unsolicited advice from everyone
4)The more people you tell the more "pressure" is felt when or if it doesn't work.
5) And who wants to hear me complain about how I can have to eat whatever I want to get fat! (haha)

Ill keep ya posted on how this process works and how its going. Until next time. Peace, Love and how they say in the the infertility world and Baby Dust!

Surprise, Im back

Im back. I know its been awhile. I had some pretty big things going on in my life that kind of halted my blogging motivation. I really don't want to talk about any of that on this blog but I'd like to move forward and focus on all the good things that have been going on in my life. I think that catching up is going to take awhile and be a bit overwhelming but we will see how far I get. Im going to start out pretty simple with just giving y'all a little update on what I got to do this weekend.

So first I need to start by telling you about the whole bike situation. So after Zac and I had our anniversary trip to Washington last year it got us really excited about getting our own bikes and heading out on the trails. 

So Zac and I both bought bikes. The picture below is the bike we brought home. Not the prettiest bike for sure, but it was inexpensive and the perfect starter bike for me. Zac and I had it in our heads that we wanted the "scrambler" look for our bikes so we took no time at all to tear down my bike and turn it into 

This. The picture below. At the time I thought it looked so cool and WAY better then when we had purchased the bike. I think I put about 355 miles on that bike. We took some trips out to the coast and up to the mountains.

Then one day it clicked. That is one ugly looking bike! What the heck were we thinking!? So we decided that it was time to change it back to the original look with a few upgrades. That was easy enough and now we come to this:

So here she is, in all her glory. Perfect. I was so happy with how it turned out. The tank was almost a pearl white and with my new little pink sticker, loving it! So I was really excited about my new bike but there was one BIG issue. So it had been almost 100 days since we had purchased the bike. If you know anything about buying a bike you'll know you get a temporary license until they work things out with the DMV. That temporary license lasts for about 90 days. So legally I was not allowed to ride my bike anymore. Well, Zac had been in contact with the store we purchased the bike from and it was a mess! There was paperwork they didn't have, a lean on the bike… it was not good. Needless to say, my dear hubby was super frustrated so he decided to take the bike back to them! I was so sad because I was really liking the looks of my bike, I was finally happy with it. So Zac gave them the bike back and they gave us a full refund for it (Woo Hoo) and on the way home he picked up this:

This is my 2017 Yamaha XT250. He's crazy. I don't want to sound like Im not spoiled or grateful or anything like that but this stresses me out! I just feel like Im so new to this and Im fine with a cheap old bike and to spend money on a brand new bike for little ol me!? Blows my mind. Hubby knows best!

We already had a little camping trip planned for the weekend so we thought it would be the perfect time to really test out my new bike. We wanted to try someplace new so I found a campground called Sly Creek. It was suppose to have some good areas to ride. Since Zac picked up my new bike on Friday we didn't end up leaving for the mountains until Saturday morning. I don't think we made it there until the afternoon. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the lake….it was gorgeous! The water was so blue/teal that it looked like someone had put dye in it. The campsite…eh, so so. Its a really small campsite area and the sites are not that large. It was pretty nice though because sometimes you don't want to be around a ton of people. On our way home we stopped by Lake Collins and that place was PACKED! I have never seen so many people there.

It was about lunch time so we made ourselves some sandos packed up and got on the bikes! It took us awhile to figure out where we were going because our planned trip had a road closure. There were some pretty large cement barricades and I guess there was a wash out in the road. I get how you would want that blocked off for cars but our bikes wouldn't have a problem! So we had to do what adventure riders do and find our own way! The weather was perfect and the scenery was gorgeous. We were riding on trails that hadn't been seen for who knows how long! I was just loving it. So thankful for my sweet hubby who is so patient with me on my bike yet really pushes me to do things that get me out of my comfort zone. Towards the end of our trip we ended up being able to loop back around to our campsite and get past the barricades. We had planned to do a ride the following day but someones bike broke….I have to give him a hard time because as much as he loves his bike Ive been bugging him to get an actual dual sport! I was so ready for another day but it just wasn't in the cards.

Lots of photos! But we were there for a short time so I really don't have much to talk about. All in all it was a big success! And I just can't wait to get back out there! Well, there it is….one blog post down, we'll see if I can keep it up. Peace!

Hayfork

Here we all are! At the top of Hayfork Bally.  This year Zac and I weren't backpacking in Arizona so we were able to make it up to Hayfork to spend thanksgiving with his grandpa Gary.

We left very early on Wednesday morning. I was a little concerned about the trip because all the boys had decided to drive the trucks that they all built.  I was hoping that we would make it there! We were quite the sight rolling down the road in three custom built 1940's and 50's Dodge trucks. It wasn't the most comfortable road trip I've done but it was a fun adventure and we made it there! I think it ended up taking us about 5 and half hours to get there. We were driving pretty slow and made quite a few stops.  I was hoping that we would have a little snow for when we were hunting for our christmas trees….well my wish came true!

Once we arrived in Hayfork we stopped at grandpa Garys shop to say hi and show off the trucks.  Grandpa Gary loaded up in Nicks truck and we headed up the mountain to try and find our trees! At first we thought we would all be able to make it to the top but as we climbed up the mountain the snow started to deeper and deeper! Finally Steves CEO stopped and couldn't make it up the mountain ( two wheel drive). So we had to end up ditching the COE before the top and Steve and Cindy piled in Nick and our trucks. Luckily we weren't TO far from the top.  As soon as we were there grandpa Gary said we had 30 minutes before we needed to head back down the mountain! He was worried about the icey drive down…..we were there longer then 30 minutes! Nick and grandpa Gary walked right over to where they have stashed a tree from last year and boom, they were done! Unlike Zac and I who searched all over for the perfect tree! Let me tell you although the snow is beautiful and makes for lovely scenery it sure is hard to find a tree when its covered with snow!  For some odd reason I always choose a tree that seems to be in the most difficult place! I picked one that we had to drag all the way back up to the top but we managed.

We were all able to find our trees and take some cute pictures before we headed back down the mountain. We arrived at Steves truck and had to make a Dodge train to get him down.  It was fairly thick snow and with his truck being 2 wheel drive with no weight in the back we didn't want him to be sliding down the mountain. Zac drove in the front with a tow strap so that we could pull him down and Nick was in the back with a tow strap so he could keep the back of his truck from sliding around. 

We were cold and wet when we got back to grandpa Garys house and it felt so good to change into warm dry clothes and enjoy a glass of wine.  We deserved it! We had a early morning and a long day so bed was just what we needed!

The next morning we were up and it was Thanksgiving day! Cindy had pre-made most of the food and Karen already had the turkey in the oven.  Zac wanted to head down to the shop to pick up some things and boy did we. It was like a gold mine for him! He kept walking around saying he needed this and needed that! Finally he started to slow down. I happened to find a few things for myself as well! Grandpa Gary had this cute little turquoise vintage heater and crab pots! I have been telling Zac I wanted to try crabbing this year so I was very excited to see all those pots sitting there. We were going to have Thanksgiving lunch at about 1:00 so we needed to head back to the house to help and enjoy.  

Thanksgiving lunch was delicious! I can't believe it came and left so quickly. Before we knew it we were all stuffed! Zacs dad wasn't feeling very well so he was going to take a nap while the rest of us decided to head up to the Kelly Mine.  Grandpa Gary used to work in the mines and he wanted to take us there to show us.  Luckily the drive wasn't as long as up to the Hayfork Bally and there was barely any snow.

I was a little surprised to see such a tiny hole in the mountain to get into the mine, I pictured a mine cave how I see them in the movies! Before I knew it grandpa Gary was down on his knees crawling through the hole! Then Zac went in and finally Nick.  I went back to let Cindy know what was going on and had no plan on going into the mine but then I started thinking why wouldn't I go!? So down into the mine I went! I found the boys maybe 40-50 feet down into the tunnel.  I took a look around got a few pictures and then headed back out to let Cindy know what was going on.  Cindy was asking me a few questions about the mine and before I knew it she was crawling in behind me to check things out! 

Once we were done exploring we headed back to the house to take it easy.  We spent the rest of the evening just chatting and enjoying each others company.  We planned on leaving in the morning. It was such a quick trip but it was so much fun! We didn't end up bringing Hudson which I am glad we didn't. Although he would of LOVED the snow with the weiner dogs and Dozer running around it would of been to much!

The next morning we were up and ready to head back to Sonoma County. We didn't want to leave to late because it was forecasted to snow on the way home and the last time it was snowing on the way home the COE got stuck and we had to tow it out! So we were hoping that would not have to be the case! It was the perfect trip and I was happy that everyone made it safely there and safely home!