Things that are Awesome: Wild Friends Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter

It's creamy almond butter, sweetened with agave, and enhanced with vanilla and tiny flecks of espresso powder.  If eating this isn't a brilliant start to any morning, I don't know what is.

Try it on everything from waffles to cookies to ice cream.  Or straight out of the jar.  Did I mention it has a WINKING SQUIRREL on its label? because that just makes it infinitely better.

Eat this now.

AWOL (still)

Yes, I've been AWOL for quite a while.

I was diagnosed with Lyme a year or so ago, and since then I haven't had much time, energy, or motivation to spare.

Call it what you want- Chronic Lyme, Lyme Disease Syndrome, Lyme-MSIDS... it's no party.

"It is estimated that there are up to 300,000 new cases of Lyme disease each year in the U.S. alone. Yet, only around 30,000 of them will properly diagnosed and reported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The CDC themselves admit that the actual cases of Lyme disease could be up to 10 times higher than those reported.

 By the time many Lyme patients are properly diagnosed their health has deteriorated far beyond what the IDSA’s two to four weeks of treatment can fix. Lyme opens the door to other opportunistic infections including additional tick borne illnesses that may have been contracted at the same time as Lyme. Viruses, parasites, candida and other bacterial infections not related to Lyme have taken control of the patients immune system.

Lyme Literate Medical Doctors (LLMDs), who are very hard to come by, tell the newly diagnosed it will be at least two to four years of treatment. There are no guarantees that they will get well though, some are past the point of no return. For many treatment is management, not cure"

- from http://lymelightfoundation.org/about-lyme/what-everyone-should-know/

 For more information, I highly recommend these videos:

Under Our Skin - http://www.underourskin.com/
      watch for free on Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/watch/268761

LymeLight - http://vimeo.com/65479794
       This is the story of Olympic halfpipe skier Angeli Vanlaanen living with Lyme Disease.

I am also happy to share my experiences with treatment (and life) with anyone seeking more information.

And now, a friendly infographic: