New Year's Resolutions?? Yep it's that time. I really don't believe in resolutions and typically don't make lists.....but this year I did, and I'm ready to start January 1, 2012. It doesn't make sense to make a resolution that I know that I can't keep, so I'm not cutting out sweets, or pop, anything like that. I know I couldn't do that for more than a day or two.....but....
I'm excited for my first resolution. My new venture, if you will, is to SAVE MONEY. That is going to my full time job away from my first full time job (working for IPC) and my second full time job of raising two boys, taking care of a house, paying the bills, taking care of myself, etc. I know I will be busy but saving money has been something I have wanted to do for a while and well let's face it....it is just too easy to spend money...and WAY more fun to get what you want when you want it...but it is TIME for me to do this and get a better handle on my family's financial future..after all we do want to put both of our boys in private school.....moving on.....
Secondly I'm committing myself to read the Bible daily. I have actually been doing this pretty regularly for a while now, but I want to do more....I want to learn all that I can....it's sad to say this but even though I have been a born again christian for 13 years, I still would consider myself to have very basic, very entry level knowledge of the Bible. I want more for ME and I especially want to be able to teach what I read to my boys and lead by example. I want them to be able to ask me questions and for me to know the answer without feeling ashamed that I should know more than I do.
Thirdly, I long to spend quality time together with my boys....and husband. Whether that mean I work strictly at night after the boys go to bed, or only when Wy is napping, etc. I don't have all of it figured out yet but I do want to be more engaged with my boys and give them the one on one time they need and deserve. I want to do things with just the four of us. We often do so much with our families and don't get me wrong I love every minute of it. But sometimes we just need time to be by ourselves and enjoy our family. So I'm looking forward to good bonding moments and memories.
Last I desire to eat healthier and exercise more in 2012. This one is kind of boring and I'm not super pumped about it but I'm still committing to do what I can because I know that exercise and eating healthy for anyone is good and important, but especially important because of my vasculitis. I need to do what I can for my body to be sure I'm doing everything in my power to protect my temple (as my dad says). If I don't do that now then it will just be harder and harder for me to maintain my body to a condition that I feel is acceptable.
So all in all that's what I will be up to in 2012. It sounds hard but I'm so ready for the challenge. I guess I should have also added in there somewhere to be weaned off of my steroids and to find a suitable replacement medication to treat my vasculitis and arthritis symptoms (but that's kind of boring to think about so I'll keep that one to myself)
Do you have any New Year's resolutions? If so I'd love to hear about them........
Thursday, December 29, 2011
2011 Review
We only have a few more days before 2011 will be a distant memory. Let's recap what happened over this past year......
January 2011- finally home from almost a week long stay in the hospital and adjusting to new medications.
February 2011- several Rheumatology appointments and introduced methotrexate injections.
March 2011- little get-a-way to Zehnders splash village while Kris was on spring break (lots of fun.) Kris and I started Costco's Smart for life cookie diet (Kris lost 35lbs and I lost 15lbs)
April 2011- got a call saying to stop taking methotrexate as my liver enzymes skyrocketed (a blessing in disguise, my body wasn't handling the medication all that well)
May 2011- Busy month....visited Thomas at Greenfield Village. Got a new fifth wheel camper. Wyatt's 1st Birthday!!! Zehnder's Splash village again to celebrate Wyatt's birthday. Diet ended. Frankenmuth Beer Fest with good friends (shopping and a great time!) Camping in Port Huron for Memorial Day with good friends. Started Humira.
June 2011- Wyatt was diagnosed with pneumonia......blood work, chest x-ray, cath in for urine sample. Camping at Camp Jellystone, Fremont Indiana. Owen got sick and ended up in a local urgent care. Both boys on antibiotics during our trip. Happy 4th Birthday to Owen.
July 2011- Camping to PJ Hoffmaster in Muskegon. Family picnic with Kris' family.
August 2011- Sugar Springs Gladwin Michigan camping trip. Aunt Nancy's lake house weekend.
September 2011- Jill turned 31. Oktoberfest camping weekend with good friends. (more shopping and good times).
October 2011- Halloween camping trip Holly KOA. Julie's annual Halloween party. Owen's first field trip for preschool. Trick'or'treating at Greenfield village. Last camping trip for the season to Glennie.
November 2011- Thanksgiving, lots of time with family. Kris went deer hunting in Glennie. Julie, myself and mom and dad took all the boys to Splash Village. (love that place). Girls get-a-way to Frankenmuth with Mom Young and Erin. Stopped Humira, started Enbrel injections. Increased steroids again.
December 2011- Annual cooking making day with Kris' family. Lots of Christmas parties. Owen's 5th Christmas and Wyatt's 2nd Christmas. Kris turned 32. Fun family times.
All in all 2011 was GREAT. I'm certain I am missing a bunch of camping trips. We were gone most weekends this summer. We are thankful for our jobs and for my ability to continue to work solely from home. We are blessed with our boys and all that we have. We couldn't have asked for a better year!
January 2011- finally home from almost a week long stay in the hospital and adjusting to new medications.
February 2011- several Rheumatology appointments and introduced methotrexate injections.
March 2011- little get-a-way to Zehnders splash village while Kris was on spring break (lots of fun.) Kris and I started Costco's Smart for life cookie diet (Kris lost 35lbs and I lost 15lbs)
April 2011- got a call saying to stop taking methotrexate as my liver enzymes skyrocketed (a blessing in disguise, my body wasn't handling the medication all that well)
May 2011- Busy month....visited Thomas at Greenfield Village. Got a new fifth wheel camper. Wyatt's 1st Birthday!!! Zehnder's Splash village again to celebrate Wyatt's birthday. Diet ended. Frankenmuth Beer Fest with good friends (shopping and a great time!) Camping in Port Huron for Memorial Day with good friends. Started Humira.
June 2011- Wyatt was diagnosed with pneumonia......blood work, chest x-ray, cath in for urine sample. Camping at Camp Jellystone, Fremont Indiana. Owen got sick and ended up in a local urgent care. Both boys on antibiotics during our trip. Happy 4th Birthday to Owen.
July 2011- Camping to PJ Hoffmaster in Muskegon. Family picnic with Kris' family.
August 2011- Sugar Springs Gladwin Michigan camping trip. Aunt Nancy's lake house weekend.
September 2011- Jill turned 31. Oktoberfest camping weekend with good friends. (more shopping and good times).
October 2011- Halloween camping trip Holly KOA. Julie's annual Halloween party. Owen's first field trip for preschool. Trick'or'treating at Greenfield village. Last camping trip for the season to Glennie.
November 2011- Thanksgiving, lots of time with family. Kris went deer hunting in Glennie. Julie, myself and mom and dad took all the boys to Splash Village. (love that place). Girls get-a-way to Frankenmuth with Mom Young and Erin. Stopped Humira, started Enbrel injections. Increased steroids again.
December 2011- Annual cooking making day with Kris' family. Lots of Christmas parties. Owen's 5th Christmas and Wyatt's 2nd Christmas. Kris turned 32. Fun family times.
All in all 2011 was GREAT. I'm certain I am missing a bunch of camping trips. We were gone most weekends this summer. We are thankful for our jobs and for my ability to continue to work solely from home. We are blessed with our boys and all that we have. We couldn't have asked for a better year!
Monday, December 26, 2011
A year
A year from tomorrow I could hardly move. It was quite the feat trying to get out of bed and I remember the pain clearly. I called my doctors office from my bed and was almost in tears on the phone saying that I couldn't move and that something was not right. Within an hour my doctor called me back and agreed to meet me at the clinic later that day.
It was my mother in laws birthday that day and we were all supposed to go to Canton and have a nice dinner out.....well God had a different plan for me. When I got to the doctor I had a fever and my heart rate was 118 beats per minute. My mom had to push me in a wheelchair because my knees were so swollen that I literally could not walk. So in walked the doctor and took one look and me and said she would be back in a few minutes. She returned with the attending who both agreed that I needed to be admitted.......
After 4 nights in the hospital and literally 1oo vials of blood drawn, a beyond scary tachycardia event, long needles going into my knees to drain the fluid (a few times), and biopsy that still needed to be completed to rule out lymphoma, I was released home in the care of my loving husband and family. I was discharged New Year's Eve. Celebrated ringing in the New Year fast asleep by 10pm :o)
Since then, I PRAISE God that the lymphoma scare was brought to nothing and the suspicious lymph node returned to regular size on its own and that I have not had any other heart episodes where my heart races uncontrollable (still is the scariest moment that has ever happened to me to date.)
A year later, we are still not really sure what my vasculitis is a result of and are still trying to figure everything out. We do know that I have managed over the last year, sometimes well and sometimes not so well. I have been on oodles of medications including high doses of steroids and injection medications to treat Rheumatoid Arthritis. I have been called by nurses telling me to stop the medications because it caused my liver enzymes to sky rocket, etc. I have seen the rheumatology doctors more than I care to admit. And the amount of times I have had to have bloodwork done over the past year or leave a urine sample is sickening. But at the end of the day I have a new normal.
And a year later I am OKAY...... I thank God for the strength he has given me to get out of bed to take care of my boys when I didn't really want to, to give me the strength to not be mad about my disease/disorder and still realize how truly blessed I am.
It seems this little autoimmune disorder that was only supposed to last a year is here to stay, at least for a while longer yet.....we are still praying for a complete recovery and for the nastiness of the disease to stop rearing its ugly head.
365 days is a long time, but I did it, made it a whole year with surviving and learning to live my life a little differently then I had planned. It's okay though because I know how lucky I am, how fortunate I am and how blessed I am. I have my boys and an awesome family.... .that's all that I need.
I'm praying that 2012 will provide more answers and less medications and hopefully be my year of being healed.
It was my mother in laws birthday that day and we were all supposed to go to Canton and have a nice dinner out.....well God had a different plan for me. When I got to the doctor I had a fever and my heart rate was 118 beats per minute. My mom had to push me in a wheelchair because my knees were so swollen that I literally could not walk. So in walked the doctor and took one look and me and said she would be back in a few minutes. She returned with the attending who both agreed that I needed to be admitted.......
After 4 nights in the hospital and literally 1oo vials of blood drawn, a beyond scary tachycardia event, long needles going into my knees to drain the fluid (a few times), and biopsy that still needed to be completed to rule out lymphoma, I was released home in the care of my loving husband and family. I was discharged New Year's Eve. Celebrated ringing in the New Year fast asleep by 10pm :o)
Since then, I PRAISE God that the lymphoma scare was brought to nothing and the suspicious lymph node returned to regular size on its own and that I have not had any other heart episodes where my heart races uncontrollable (still is the scariest moment that has ever happened to me to date.)
A year later, we are still not really sure what my vasculitis is a result of and are still trying to figure everything out. We do know that I have managed over the last year, sometimes well and sometimes not so well. I have been on oodles of medications including high doses of steroids and injection medications to treat Rheumatoid Arthritis. I have been called by nurses telling me to stop the medications because it caused my liver enzymes to sky rocket, etc. I have seen the rheumatology doctors more than I care to admit. And the amount of times I have had to have bloodwork done over the past year or leave a urine sample is sickening. But at the end of the day I have a new normal.
And a year later I am OKAY...... I thank God for the strength he has given me to get out of bed to take care of my boys when I didn't really want to, to give me the strength to not be mad about my disease/disorder and still realize how truly blessed I am.
It seems this little autoimmune disorder that was only supposed to last a year is here to stay, at least for a while longer yet.....we are still praying for a complete recovery and for the nastiness of the disease to stop rearing its ugly head.
365 days is a long time, but I did it, made it a whole year with surviving and learning to live my life a little differently then I had planned. It's okay though because I know how lucky I am, how fortunate I am and how blessed I am. I have my boys and an awesome family.... .that's all that I need.
I'm praying that 2012 will provide more answers and less medications and hopefully be my year of being healed.
Owen's Chicago trip
Well Owen and Julie made it to Chicago and home safe and sound. They had a great time and I keep hearing that Owen was very well behaved the whole time.
Here he is apparently getting a little goofy on the train.
Here he is apparently getting a little goofy on the train.
His ticket to Chicago.
Look at Kris and I outside of the window.....
Look at Kris and I outside of the window.....
I love this picture of him.
In front of union station
Hanging out downtown
Pretty picture of the skyline
Julie said that he kept plugging his ears around the trains, they were a bit too loud for him.
Owen the conductor, so happy!
Looking at the city.
Front and center watching the seal do all kinds of fun tricks.....
Owen watching the 4D Polar Express movie. He said that he could smell the hot chocolate, smell the pine from the Christmas tree and wreaths, and also feel the water/ice blowing out at their faces when the train was going through water and when it would snow in the movie. Very cool experience for him....
The penguin exhibit
Owen looking at stingrays
The Shedd Aquarium
I think Owen is sick and tired of pictures....but this is a cute picture regardless.
Owen with the nutcracker at uncle ronnie's house.
We have been so rushed since he got home that we haven't really even had a chance to talk to him about his trip. Hopefully we will go through all of the pictures with him and he can tell us all about how much fun he had.
Hanging out downtown
Pretty picture of the skyline
Julie said that he kept plugging his ears around the trains, they were a bit too loud for him.
Owen the conductor, so happy!
Looking at the city.
Front and center watching the seal do all kinds of fun tricks.....
Owen watching the 4D Polar Express movie. He said that he could smell the hot chocolate, smell the pine from the Christmas tree and wreaths, and also feel the water/ice blowing out at their faces when the train was going through water and when it would snow in the movie. Very cool experience for him....
The penguin exhibit
Owen looking at stingrays
The Shedd Aquarium
I think Owen is sick and tired of pictures....but this is a cute picture regardless.
Owen with the nutcracker at uncle ronnie's house.
We have been so rushed since he got home that we haven't really even had a chance to talk to him about his trip. Hopefully we will go through all of the pictures with him and he can tell us all about how much fun he had.We missed our boy while he was away but are so glad that he was able to go on a fun trip with aunt Julie and experience all that he did in the few short days he was away.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Merry Christmas Part 2
Here is a recap of our day and late last night (after Santa came) through the lens of my camera. I'm so ready for bed but am for sure a good exhausted! WE continue to be blessed beyond belief......enjoy!!
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