Today is World Asthma Day. Mmmph.

This year is my 10th Asthmaversary. Thrrrp.

I'm now on some of the strongest meds available to us wheezers.

I have degenerative hip disease.

I've got a husband whose term of affection for me is "Lunger." (Between you and me, I find this charming)

I also have a really wonderful life, a great job, darling daughters, dingbat puppies and a camera fetish.

I guess it's all about balance.

Sometimes I have asthma. Sometimes asthma has me.

I just need to make the most of the times when I'm in charge.

So screw you, asthma. I'm not done yet.

Sincerely,

Asthmagirl

I had to step back for a few weeks and just gather myself...

In March, my beloved Mother-in-law of 32 years died. It's hard to put her life in words but she was a remarkable woman.

Married at 15 and a mother at 16, she had a lively sense of humor, an extraordinary capacity for forgiveness and an often under-estimated 10th grade education. She lived for her children and eventually her grandchildren and great grandchildren. When I met her, she didn't drive and had never had a job. Yet she'd raised 3 children, kept a house, a yard, a checkbook and a smile on her face. After losing her first husband to cancer, she was left with nothing but a mortgage. She got a drivers license, cleaned houses for money, bought a car, got two jobs and finally found a career with excellent benefits where she worked for years before retiring. She met and married her second husband a little over a year after pulling her life together. As a couple, they worked hard, traveled, bought a beach cabin which she loved, and spoiled their grandchildren. After 18 years of marriage, she lost her second husband to cancer. By this time, she had her own health issues including a bad heart, which she rarely talked about. After a series of health scares early this year, from which she appeared to be recovering, the angels took her quickly and mercifully on a Saturday afternoon in late March.

I had the chance to talk to her twice in her last days. And it was comforting to know we'd said all we needed to say to each other before she left.

The one regret I do have is that I didn't hug her when I saw her earlier in the day before she left us. She looked uncomfortable and I didn't want to make her more so.

The promise I made myself after she left us was that I would try to say the words that should be said, hug as often as possible and appreciate my loved ones even more.

So if I haven't told you lately how much I appreciate you, consider yourself warned!

Hugs to all!

AG

It doesn't matter whether I'm going on a road trip to the desert or flying to Ireland.

The first thing I think about when I pack is my hair care, because the last thing I want to worry about when I get there, is whether my hair is going to behave... (and it's ability to misbehave is legion). And since I travel with TOG, no hair delays can be tolerated.

That means that two weeks ago, I went looking to restock my favorite hair products, Identity1.

Designed by hair care professionals who know the ins and outs of naughty hair, these products have stood by me from the heat of the Utah desert to a windy ferry ride across the North Sea to Amsterdam to a rainy pony cart ride through the mountains of Killarney, Ireland.

And because they're such smarties, the folks at Identity1 have come up with products I didn't even know I needed... like the quick dry spray. Because who wants to spend 20 minutes blow-drying their hair with a harried husband jiggling his car keys? On top of the fact that it really works, they played a trump card and put a leave-in conditioner in it. Talk about silky!! And don't get me started on the never-greasy nourishing oil which my hair sucks up like a sponge in sea water. Talk about calming it down after a blow dry. Manageable, brushable, touchable...

And then there's subtle products like the thermal protecting gel that provide a little 'slip' for easy blow drying or flat ironing. And let us not forget the illuminating mist to put the shine on your style.

I haven't even talked about the shampoos and conditioners, which are lovely... but here's the most important thing to me:

The products do what they say they will and they do not weigh my hair down. I can easily go two to three days between washes with polite hair. And in a pinch, I could use their hair powder to add volume and fluff the roots.

So, thanks Identity1! Your products are making yet another trek with me! This time we're going to do the humidity test!

Stay tuned!

AG out!