Finding gratitude in the face of bad news

Today has been a hard day for me, Bombshells. In a whirlwind hour-long appointment at the doctor's office, I learned I have endometriosis and adenomyosis, the later of the two is the bigger problem it seems. The doctor presented this somewhat matter-of-factly, along with myriad of ways it can be treated including artificial hormones, uterine ablation, and hysterectomy – none of which sounded reasonable to me.

I guess I've had symptoms for years, but I always talked myself out of it. The painful cramps and flu-like symptoms I've suffered were key sign, but every month I told myself I was being a cry-baby, that many women had cramps far worse than I did and I just needed to push through. Eventually, the symptoms became too prominent, and out of fear over the state of my health, I sought medical help.

Grateful. In the face of this abrupt news, I am grateful because I need to be. It's the only way I can cope with the situation. This is big. Not cancer big, not life-threatening big, but life-altering big. I'm relatively young (37) and I'm faced with the fact that, essentially, I can't have any more kids. Trust me, I am immensely grateful that I have three healthy, vibrant children. Adenomyosis, from what I understand, most often develops after you have had children. But it feels like my autonomy has been taken from me. Honestly, I didn't intend to have more children, but I like knowing that I could change my mind. That maybe, if some crazy urge struck me, it was still a possibility.

No longer.

I know I'm not the first woman to be unexpectedly stripped of her fertility. Still, it's a hard reality to swallow.  But I refuse to have part of my body removed before I have explored every available alternative. I will be researching like a mad woman for everything and anything to help me reduce the symptoms and relieve the pain. No stone will remain unturned.

Please, Bombshells, share your stories, your experience, your remedies, I want to hear it all. I'm so grateful to have all of you by my side as I navigate this detour on my path through life.

When I'm in Vegas, I bet on…GREEN!

Okay, not really. I don't even bet on colors when I play roulette. But that's not the point.

This year, our annual Vegas anniversary trip was moved to the weekend following our anniversary, making it a Vegas BIRTHDAY trip. My birthday, to be exact. I know you're thinking there's no way this is in line with my values of living an eco-friendly life. Vegas is blinking lights and ringing bells and thousands of cubic feet of pool water that needs to be heated and buffets full of wasted food… and yes, there is plenty of that.

Where does a Green Living Bombshell stay in Vegas that will allow her to enjoy the decadence that IS Vegas while remaining true to her eco-consious principles, you ask?

THE VENETIAN!

The Venetian, in all of its Italian Renaissance glory, is LEED Gold Certified. In fact, they have an entire TV channel dedicated to walking you through exactly how they've made huge strides in the hotel industry. From over 18,000 square feet of solar panels to reclaimed water practices to recycling not just consumer waste but even up-cycling their old towels and sheets as well as turning the unused soap left behind by hotel guests into fresh bars of soap that is then sent to African villages that are in need of hygiene supplies, The Venetian is paving the way for luxury hotels into sustainability practices.

Even the eggs on their room service menu were organic, cage-free eggs! I had an amazing breakfast IN MY ROBE while overlooking the gorgeous pools and gardens. Do you hear that, Bombshells? They set up this whole beautiful spread for me in my room and I stayed IN MY ROBE. Now that is a vacation.

And speaking of the pools, they have a specially designed water heating system that uses the natural heat of the desert along with sunlight to heat the water for the all four pools.

My room was so beautiful, and since every room is a suite, we had plenty of space to make ourselves at home. My favorite little touch was the velvet covered chair in front of the vanity mirror-the perfect place to take my time doing my make up before a night on the town. And in keeping with their sustainability practices, the sinks had low flow faucets and every single lightbulb was a long-lasting, low energy usage fluorescent bulb. Even the carpet in each and every hotel suite meets LEED Certification standards. 

All of this is due to the Sands Eco 360º Global Sustainability strategy. You can even read their environmental report  here (when the heck have you ever seen a hotel release an environmental report?)

So, not only did I get to have a beautiful, romantic, luxury-filled vacation, but I could do it with a clear conscious!

If you're planning a trip to Vegas, please consider The Venetian|Palazzo for your stay. Let the hotel industry know that these guys are doing it right.




(This is NOT a paid/sponsored post. This is my own opinion and experience at The Venetian and I have not received any compensation from The Sands Corporation in exchange for this endorsement.)