The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Let me start with the good, my husband won a trip with his company so last week we took off for North Carolina, Tennessee, and South Carolina. We had a wonderful time. We spent time around the Asheville area, hiking, strolling the downtown, and yes we toured the Biltmore Estate. I'm not a fan of overly pretentious mansions and to be truthful, the first five or six rooms viewing the over the top décor of the place bothered me, but once I got past that and began to focus on the craftsmanship, I enjoyed myself. But the part I loved, was the gardens. Absolutely beautiful. The Azaleas were at their peak and so full of blooms, simply breath taking. Every corner we rounded was more beautiful than the one before. And the colors, oh the colors. Just stunning.

We did a lot of hiking and wanted to do a few miles on the Appalachian Trail, but since it was pouring rain, we only went maybe a half mile on it. But, hey, we can still say we were on the Appalachian Trail! Is that cheating? I do have a funny photo of me on the trail with water running off my hooded raincoat looking like a drowned, freezing rat!

We hiked to so many waterfalls, I lost count of them. The wildflowers and blooming trees were gorgeous and made the hikes that much more enjoyable. And the green, how amazing that God made so many different shades of green. Wow.

Our last day we had a short time window before we had to catch our plane, so we went to Dupont State Park and hiked to the top of Chimney Rock. 491 stairs to the top! It was awesome, we had a bright, clear day and could see for miles. It was a wonderful trip. I'd post photos, but I'm having computer problems and will be happy if I just get this to post.

Now for the bad and the ugly. Before we left I had my annual well woman exam where my doctor was concerned about some abnormal bleeding I'd been having. So I had to return this Wednesday ( I deliberately planned the appointment for after our trip), for a biopsy. While I was there she found something she didn't like the looks of (why when a doctor finds something they don't like do the poke and stab around on it and make it hurt when it didn't before? Sorry, I digress.), even if the results of the biopsy comes back normal, she wants me to have an ultrasound next week. Sigh.

I'm feeling a little blue over things, this health stuff, losing my job, and I'm really missing my kids with it being Mothers Day weekend. Who after all told them they could move six hours away? Yes, I'm kidding, but still, I miss them.

Because I hate to end on a sour note, it is finally spring in Western Colorado. My lilacs, daffodils, and iris are all blooming in the yard. The asparagus is ready for cutting and the purple potatoes we planted Good Friday are up! It's a beautiful spring here too!