| Note from Margo |
| I hope the letter finds everyone enjoying the beautiful weather that is Spring in the Rogue Valley! We have 4 seasons here in Southern Oregon, summer, fall, winter, and poison oak 😉 First, it is crazy to me to think about May 2020, we were in the thick of the pandemic at that time, our office was still closed, and Eric and I did not know if we would ever open again. Kids were homeschooling, which was not awesome. I was doing minimal running with 1 or 2 friends separated by 3-6 feet and considering masking while running (crazy). We had canceled our trip to Costa Rica and any other trips we had planned for 2020, Eric and I were zooming trying to determine what to do with the practice, if we could ever open again. There was so much fear and uncertainty. Fast forward one year later, I am so thankful to be where we are today, vaccinated and working hard in my practice. Max’s birthday was the first big celebration we did in 2020. Some of you may recall “covid cupcakes” Max and I made in March 2020😉 |
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| This year for Max’s birthday (March 25th) Eric and I took the kids to Casey Key, which is where my dad lives in Florida. There was some anxiety going in (our kids are not vaccinated) but we made it there and had a great time! The kids got to hang out at the beach, making sandcastles and swimming in the ocean. Eric and I ran nearly every day with gorgeous sunrises and beautiful views. It was a nice break and well deserved. |
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| We spent the first part of April transporting the kids to various soccer practices, soccer games, tennis practice, gymnastics, and fiddle. The first part of April since 1992 I tend to dread. I lost my mom and my sister two days apart in 1992 and I always remember the dates and circumstances around the accident. I tend to do something to remember them and the short time I had with them. This year, I flew out to Denver to be with my good friend and fellow Plastic Surgeon, who lost her husband in June 2020 unexpectedly. I went to see her and her two daughters over Easter; we dyed eggs, did an egg hunt, and made some yummy dinners. A hot minute later, we took the family to Sonoma with another friend (Courtney) of mine and her family. Courtney and I were scheduled to run Sonoma 50 miler last April, which of course was postponed to this April, which was then postponed again to September 2021. We previously rented a house, so we just decided to make a fun weekend out of it and enjoy some tasty wine, good company and Tenzi!!!! We biked to two different wineries and enjoyed a game of Bocce ball! |
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| Perhaps the most interesting situation the kids and I survived recently was Eric’s 5 day fast. I am not sure how familiar you are with fasting, but basically there are various levels of “fasting”; time restricted eating, fasting mimicking diet and “old school” zero calorie fasting. If any of you know Eric, he is always up for a challenge, so when he started researching all the health benefits of fasting, he was sold. Some highlights are less inflammation, decreased oxidative stress, induction of apoptosis, regeneration of new cells, phagocytosis, weight loss, as well as spiritual benefits. Let me break it down for you…in last 120 hours (5 days), he has consumed water, bubbly water, mint tea, rooibos tea, chamomile tea, water, and more water. For real, he has had 0 calories in 5 days! When you ask him how he feels, he notes a “clearing sensation around 24 hours, hunger pains dissipating around 36 hours, heightened sense of smell, improved focus, keen eyesight and a feeling of accomplishment because he isn’t “wasting time to eat”. People, its insanity!!! He continued working, taking care of kids, and exercising. He comes out of it happier and stronger than before. He plans on making it a yearly habit. Me, what did I do you ask, well, I traded caffeinated coffee for matcha tea and then switched to decaf coffee entirely. I assume I will drink caffeine again, because I do not believe it is unhealthy, but I wanted to give my body a break. As far as fasting, I may try time restricted eating for the the benefits it has to the circadian rhythm of your organs. |
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| With that, I will close out this note. Sending all of you gorgeous sunrises and peaceful sunsets. |
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