Week Three: Vision Correction Surgery

Okay, so we're supposed to be getting into the RV and going somewhere.  But we've got all these things we want to take care of first!  Next on my list was surgical vision correction so I could leave the painful contacts behind and dump the cumbersome glasses.  Unfortunately, it turns out that I have bumpy corneas and am not eligible for the more common Lasik surgery.  Most people have great vision and no pain the day after Lasik.  Instead I will need to undergo PRK, a painful surgery that leaves you blind for several days before blurred vision is restored.  Eventually after a month or more I should see pretty well.  Thank goodness for all the drugs they prescribed because I was in a haze and slept for two days after the procedure.  Brian was a gem taking care of Lukas and bringing me more drugs and eye drops as needed.  Occasionally I ate some food, too.  Day 4 post-surgery I could see sometimes, then it would get blurry again.  Sunday was a maiden voyage of my new eyes to a toddler birthday party.  It's hard to feel confident when you can't quite make out what's ahead or behind you.  At least I can use the computer again, and hopefully vision will continue to improve to a permanent 20/20.

Week Two: Hawaii

Our second week we grab the in-laws and jet off to Hawaii.  We are staying in a beautiful condo resort on the west side of Oahu, which jealous acquaintances refer to as "the tsunami side".  The weather is perfect, Brian's best friend flies out to the island, too, and we are enjoying the sun and the surf.  Until Thursday night, when Japan has a major earthquake and the tsunami alarm system starts ringing on a regular basis.  Our lovely condo is oceanfront, which seemed like a perk until the tsunami warning.  Now we are packing our bags and preparing for evacuation.  An hour later we decide the seventh floor should be safe and instead fill up the bathtubs with water in preparation for system failures.  At 3 am the ocean goes out twenty feet, the sign that a huge wave will follow.  We wait for another hour but no major surf arrives.  The next day the water is murky and the high tide and low tide alternate every ten minutes.  No one goes in the water.  Luckily our resort has a pool and the weather is great, so we enjoy ourselves and feel guilty that Japan was hit so hard and we were spared.

Highlight of the week, other than seeing Lukas so happy in the water, was the whale watching trip with Ian.  We saw several humpback whales breaching, saw numerous spouts, and heard an amazing whale conversation underwater.  We also swam alongside a pod of seventy dolphins and could hear them chattering as well.  At the turtle cleaning station, five giant turtles hung around waiting for fish to clean off dead skin.  One swam away slowly and we swam together, our eyes two feet apart, for several minutes before I let him leave me behind.  A magical moment for me and overall an incredible morning.

Week One: Stay-cation

After eleven years as an Animal Keeper at the San Francisco Zoo, I say goodnight to the gorillas knowing I will not see them for quite a while.  My leave of absence is approved, my husband is already done with work, and my son is in day care for another month.  What to do now?  We have a giant check-list of errands in order to disentangle ourselves from our life in San Francisco and move into an RV as "full-timers".  For this week I am just going to relax and get a few pressing errands done.  It feels luxurious to sleep in and go out to brunch at 11 am, child safely in day care.  I catch up with friends and snuggle with the cat and my husband.  It is a wonderful week and I am overwhelmed with happiness.