I’ve been fairly obsessed with cooking these days. OK, I’ve always been obsessed, but this is becoming slightly ridiculous. I’ve had my Thanksgiving menu planned for weeks now, and it has grown by at least three dishes from last year. My obsession started with watching waaayyy too much Food Network…
Kidney Transplant: Part 5
Life is the hospital is all about routine – one that starts at 5:00AM. Each morning the nurse would wake me to get my vital signs, weight and draw blood. The next activity was a visit by the transplant residents. They would ask how I was doing, check my incision,…
Kidney Transplant: Part 4
I stood up for the first time at 4:15AM the morning after the transplant. It look a lot of heavy lifting on the part of my nurse, but he got me upright and on the scale to weight myself. This was followed by promptly easing back into bed and shutting…
Kidney Transplant: Part 3
Just joining me? Catch up with Kidney Transplant: Part 1 and Part 2. The first thing I remember after waking up from surgery in recovery was feeling a heavy tightness on my lower left abdomen and the immense relief that came from knowing the surgery actually happened and that I…
Kidney Transplant: Part 2
We woke up at 4:00AM the morning of the transplant because we needed to be at UC Davis Medical Center by 5:30 for our scheduled 7:30 procedure. Phillip and I both showered, dressed in sweats and made sure we had everything packed for our hospital stay: slippers – check, robe…
Kidney Transplant: Part 1
It is hard to fully grasp what has happened in our lives. On October 7th, my husband, Phillip, donated his right kidney to me. Since surgery, I have been laying low and healing: no blogging and no internet, lots of naps and nourishing food. It is fabulous – I highly…
The Comparison Trap
I recently had the pleasure of talking with the insightful Joan Friedlander, author of Business from Bed: The 6 Step Plan to Get Yourself Working Again After a Health Crisis. She has written a wonderful guide to creating a business or career that is in alignment with your values and…
How We are Preparing for Surgery
On our flight back from the last book tour stop in Spokane, Phillip and I made an exhaustive list of things we wanted to get done before the transplant. It is unique that we will both be in surgery, and we wanted to have our home and lives a well…
October 1st Will be a Very Special Day Indeed
My kidney transplant date is set and it is just a little more than a week away on October 1st! My donor? Well, that is my gorgeous, generous, loving, amazing husband Phillip! And now I’m crying… I am a huge puddle of gratitude for the way all of this is…
Top 25 Vegan Dinners
Everyone has their go-to meals and it’s no different for this vegan. I love menu planning and grocery shopping. It’s all about finding new recipes and ingredients to play with in the kitchen. However, every night can’t be an experiment. I also have my trusty dinners that perform week in…