Making My Girl Proud

As a momma, my goal has always been for my children to see me as a whole person - someone who makes mistakes and can own up to them, a person who at times is weak and vulnerable and sometimes even falls apart. Rheumatoid arthritis has definitely given my children experience in all of these areas. They have witnessed me at my worst. As young children they helped me undress, they have been rudely awaken by our border collie to come help get mom out of the bathtub, held me while I cried after rheumatology appointments, and much more. But as a momma, I also want them to see me at my best, to see me pick up the pieces and move forward. To show that I am strong enough to handle whatever comes my way. I want my kids to know that I am forever learning and making myself better as a person. When I show them my strength and make them proud, it is the BEST feeling ever!

My daughter and I decided to take a short spring break vacation together, just the two of us. She has always wanted to see the Rocky Mountains, so we planned a trip to Colorado. We had several things we wanted to do during our short three days, but the main thing was to hike in the mountains. Unfortunately for us, Colorado had a blizzard two days before we arrived so the mountain was covered in deep snow. We didn't let that stop us.

Together we took in the beauty of Mother Nature. We stood and absorbed the absolute quiet, we watched a mouse run on top of the snow, we stopped to observe birds, and we even ran into two separate families from our hometown of Wichita, Kansas. It truly is a small world. I am going to be honest, the higher we hiked, the more difficult it was for me. My 17 year old was jogging up the inclines while I had to stop for frequent photos (catch my breath). But on this mountain I made my girl proud. She saw me keep going.  She saw me push my physical capabilities of trudging up snowy trails. On this path here she said,  "Mom, you are almost 50 and have RA. I hope I'm as active as you at your age."  This will forever be my favorite part of the trip.

The next day we went to Red Rocks Amphitheater. We enjoyed the sunshine and the views.

I am crazy about this girl.

Yep, we walked up and down these steps. 

Rheumatoid arthritis is forever an up and down journey. Some days we struggle and need the help of others. Other days, we prove to those around us and ourselves that we are strong. We may have an autoimmune disease, but we don't let it stop us from making those around us proud.
 

Thanks to Mariah at From This Point. Forward for some great recommendations for our visit to Colorado. Blogger friends are the best!