So here’s the deal: I use my voice. Don’t we all? I talk to my family, friends and sometimes to myself (don’t judge). And I sing, too. In the car, in the shower, in my band and in church. Not so much these days. Way back in June Jackson decided to share his sore throat with me (isn’t he such a nice son?). He was better within a day. My sore throat hung around for 2-3 days and when it was gone, so was my voice. I sounded like a 2-pack-a-day Pall Mall smoker. Then I lost it completely – I could only whisper. You don’t understand how hard that was for me. Who has two thumbs and likes to talk? This girl! (OK, so maybe I’m not good at jokes. Again, don’t judge.)
This has been going on for almost 2 months. I (finally) went to see a doctor. He put me on some meds. The initial thought was that I have a form of reflux that caused my laryngitis. So far, the drugs are not working. He also instructed me to see an ear, nose and throat doctor. *sigh* I’m not the type of person that’s at the doctor all the time. In fact, as an adult, this is the most I’ve seen a doctor in years. I’m also not the type of person that wants people shoving stuff down my throat (literally). So, if you’re the praying type, I’d really appreciate your prayers. I’m in no pain whatsoever but would really like to get back to singing. I miss my voice.
209/365:
In proofreading this post, it seems a tad on the depressing side & that’s not what I wanted. So, to offset the sad tone of the email, I’ll leave you with this photo:
Who can be sad while looking at this precious face? My niece is the best!
The next day took us to Helen for tubing and shopping. If you ever get the chance to go tubing there, you must do it! I managed to get stuck on every rock possible but it was the most fun I had on the trip! There was tons of laughing, tons of opportunities to make fun of my family and tons of fun. Obviously, I didn’t take my camera down the river so I don’t have any pictures of the trip but trust me: it’s a hoot. Helen is a cute town with a German feel to it. We had lunch at one of the German restaurants. The best part: baked pretzel! 
Just a few minutes from our cabin, on the side of the road was a junk yard. Tons of cars and parts just piled on the side of the road. Only in the country! Oh, the stories these cars could tell.
Views like this were all over the place:
One of the things my mom and dad really wanted to do while up there was collect some rocks. Not just the “put them around the house” kind of collection, though. They’re adding a waterfall in their backyard and need lots and lots of rocks. Rocks are really expensive here in Florida and we don’t have a river in our neighborhood (or anywhere close). One of the vacation goals was to fill up the trunks of my car (and Jane’s) with rocks. Lots of them. We found a small creek (not to be named just in case some sort of rock authority is reading this blog) and hit the jackpot! Here’s my mom and dad showing off their spoil (taken with my mom’s phone). Can you tell she’s excited?
Everyone got in on the action:
Then it was off to Anna Ruby Falls. It’s a great place and the rain held off just long enough for us to climb to the top and get these:
See the green one on the top of this next photo? She came home with me:
I’m not sure what Jackson was trying to tell me in this next picture. Maybe it was, “Wait, Ethan is getting ready to pick his butt.” Or “Wait, I’m going to scratch my nose in a second.” Either way, most of the pictures in this pose were ruined by one or more of those reasons.
Freckles and Fences 