Got grapes?

My birthday weekend (40th) was spent in the wine country. It was nice to get away and I tried not to think about the negative results I received less than a week before. For the most part I did pretty well, most of the wineries we went to were great, the grape leaves were turning, and some vines still had some grapes on them! (I loved this shot with the lavender underneath.)

I'm still emotionally and physically drained from the IVF process, and would have likely spent the time alone with Tim, but my brother and his wife wanted to come out with their friends, and so we spent the time driving around Northern California, wine tasting as a group of eight.

As with anything, unless you "walk in their shoes" you don't always understand what it's like to go through something. IVF seems to be in this category. This latest cycle was so different than the one previously, the intralipid infusions, the blood thinners, the added meds (and side effects that come with them), the weight gain and bloating... they all seem to have taken their toll. Even the restrictions, being bedridden, and then not being able to lift more than 20 pounds can be draining. (I had to spend extra on a small box of cat litter when I discovered that the usual one I got weighed 25 pounds!)

Focusing on getting the house ready for visitors helped take my mind off of things temporarily. But the weekend of "relaxing" was a bit harder. Hopefully I can just keep busy until I'm back to "normal". Which will probably be right about time for the next round of meds.