October 2005-October 2006...The Year With No Answers

It's officially been one whole year since my quest for a diagnosis started. One whole year since my first major exacerbation. One whole year since I saw my first Neurologist. One whole year since my world was torn upside down and the term "probable Multiple Sclerosis" was first uttered.

My prayer is that year two will find a definitive diagnosis and continued luck with my current Neurologist. My prayer is that year two will bring me no major exacerbations, though I almost feel as if it could speed things up a bit if I DID have one.

Either way...here I sit in the same place that I was before...one year later.

Vacation...and stuff...

So vacation was fun - kind of...

Yes, it was fun, indeed, to get away for awhile. The fun parts of the trip were:

1. Eating good food
2. Shopping
3. Eating good food
4. Shopping at the big Tanger outlet mall
5. Did I mention eating?
6. OK...so the weather was nice, too.
7. Oh my gosh...I forgot to mention the trees - the trees were the most beautiful, gorgeous things out there. You would look out at the mountains only to see every color of the rainbow out there - so beautiful
8. Eating good food

The really bad parts of the trip were:

1. Maddie puking all over herself in the car on the way TO Gatlinburg (boy, was that a fun clean up!)
2. Sleeping 6 people in one tiny hotel room, which we were lucky to get because every hotel was booked solid
3. Having our hotel room 2 rooms from the end of the hotel...oh yeh, did I mention that right next door was the Haunted Mansion attraction which bellowed creepy music until Midnight every night? I wouldn't have minded it, only Maddie was completely and utterly FREAKED OUT by it
4. Walking so much that I thought my legs would crack up and fall off (guess that was good for me, though)
5. It was *REALLY* crowded down there
6. Maddie puking all ove herself in the car on the way FROM Gatlinburg (only this time we were armed with plastic bags)...poor kid gets her carsickness from her Mama

So we're home and well and content until next month when I will be wanting to go somewhere else again. BUT...my good friend Rhonda (Ladybug Mom for you OS'ers out there) is coming all the way from Alaska to visit and staying with us for 3 nights! She will be here in about 27 hours or so...I'm so excited!!! I'm sure she'll be MORE than ready to get back on that airplane to go home after staying in a house with my kids for that long. HeeHee!

Oh...I DID manage to gain only ONE pound while on vacation. I'm utterly pleased with myself.

I have no pictures to post from vacation. I know, I know...but I just didn't feel like lugging a camera around everywhere. Phil got a few on his "non-digital" camera (gosh, I don't even know what to call those anymore), so maybe I'll scan and post a few of those whenever (if ever) he gets them back.

Need Immediate Prayers for Some Friends

We just returned from vacation last night (more about that later), and Tabitha called to tell me some very upsetting news. Some dear friends of ours, Jimmy and Beth, lost their baby to SIDS on Saturday. Little Lucas was 3 1/2 months old.

Lucas was found unresponsive at his sitter's house on Friday. The sitter attempted CPR and actually got his pulse back. He was rushed to UK Children's Hospital, but unfortunately, he didn't have any brain activity by that time. Beth and Jimmy had to make the horrible decision to take little Lucas off of life support. I cannot even BEGIN to imagine what a horrible decision that must have been for them. I grieve so much for them. They are both such happy, wonderful people who don't deserve this - no one deserves this...it's just unimaginable.

If you are reading this today, will you please say a prayer for Jimmy, Beth, and their oldest son, Hunter who doesn't understand why they can't just go get his baby brother? They really could use some peace today.

May God have a very special place in Heaven for you, baby Lucas.

Well...I'm A-Tryin' It Again!

So Phil and I started the South Beach Diet on Monday. I hate it! I'm absolutely the most miserable human being on the face of the planet right now...(and yes, I'm a huge wimp with no willpower). Of all of the foods I can be thinking about and fantasing about right now, guess what I'm constantly thinking of.

A LITTLE DEBBIE FUDGE ROUND

Yes...something that I probably have not eaten in at least 5 years, but oh, that's all I think of - its chocolately round goodness. Sad, huh?

Good news is that I'm already down 3 or 4 lbs., however you wish to look at it. Monday morning, I weighed in at 152.8...this morning, I weighed 149.6 (down 3.2 lbs.). Sunday night - the night before starting - I weighed 155.6, and last night I weighed 151.8 (down 3.8 lbs.). So I guess the moral of this story is that I've lost somewhere around 3 1/2 lbs. since Monday.

I'm doing Pilates right now - have been doing it for a little over a week now. It's actually one of those $9.99 videos from K-Mart, but I love it far more, so far, than any of the other expensive videos I've bought in the past. It's very low impact, so it's easy for me to get through, but after you're finished, you can tell that it was a good workout - if that makes any sense.

Anyhow, we are leaving for Gatlinburg,TN tomorrow for the weekend, so those 3.5 lbs. will be dashed in an instant. LOL! The best thing to do down there is EAT, what, with all of the carmel apples, funnel cakes, footlong corndogs, swizzle sticks, etc., etc.... I can't go there and NOT eat, you know.

Maddie is HORRIBLY excited to go. That's the place where you "play 'skeetball'" all the time, after all....not that she knows how to play it, but I guess she just enjoys watching me win lots of tickets and prizes for her. My only concern...Mackenzie. She hasn't slept away from home since she was a tiny baby. I'm nervous that none of us will get any sleep the entire time we are there because she'll be up all night crying for home. We'll sure give it a shot, though....

Yeeee-OOOUUUCCCHHH!!!!!!!

That's the sound I made when I started doing Pilates again last night. I had lost 9 lbs previously and have now gained 7 of it back. I'm very mad at myself, but what can I say? I LOVE to eat!! (and hate to exercise...)

So Pilates is good and fun and healthy, but it sure does HURT! Phil wants to try the South Beach Diet...I don't know much about it, admittedly, but I hear that you can lose up to 10 lbs. just in the first 2 weeks. I'll take it!

I'm just so tired of not being able to fit in my clothes anymore. I'm tired of looking like I have 12 chins in photographs. I'm just tired of being tired in general. I think I might feel at least a tad bit better, too, if I would take better care of myself.

So I'll keep you all posted on my progress. I'm SURE you'll be waiting to hear with baited breath.... ; )

Here He Is!!!!!!

Announcing the birth of baby Cameron Michael - 8 lbs., 7 oz., 20 1/2" long - born October 9th at 2:35 PM. Mommy Tabitha is doing very well, al beit sore, after her c-section, and Dad Jimmy and Big Brother Austin are very excited as well.

Here he is:

We're expecting....

....my best friend's baby to be born today! Happy BIRTH day, baby Cameron!

HA! Made you look, didnt' I!?! : ) (Sorry...I greatly enjoy my own fun and games too much sometimes.)

Seriously, though...Tabitha is heading into the operating room on or around 1:30 PM today. Little Cameron should join us very shortly after that. I'm so excited! I'm gonna be a kind-of aunt again!!!

We did nothing but birthday parties over the weekend. Maddie's best friend, Melody, had a very fun, very cool birthday party at the gymnastics center on Saturday. Guess what Maddie wants to get into now........

Yesterday was my brother-in-law's birthday party. He didn't feel like he should grace us with his presence. That's right - the JERK didn't show up for his own birthday party!!!! Can you believe that load of crap? Fine - I'll just regift his gift certificate at Christmas time to someone else. Hehehe!

Tonight, there is an open house for my grandmother's birthday. She's turning 78 today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MEEMAW! Just some cake and ice cream - you know, stuff I don't need.

Mom's birthday is on Friday the 13th.....mwhaaaaaaaaa!!!!

I'm very birthday partied out. *Whew*

Don't Really Know What to Write About...

What do you say when you don't have much to say? I feel like I should update this blog, but at the same time, I really can't think of anything productive to talk about. Story of my life... So here's a very short synopsis of my life over the last week or so:

Sick with head cold, girls sick with allergies, studying, putting together new office furniture, cleaning up office after new office furniture, working, eating, sleeping, complaining.

How's that?

OK...two things:

First, my best friend, Tabitha, is all set to welcome her second baby boy, CAMERON, into the world on October 9th!! She will be having a c-section that day. Tabitha has had a difficult pregnancy, so while I know that she will be sad that her pregnancy is over with, I know that she will be more than ecstatic to have her little guy here safe and sound. Please pray that all will go well for her.

Secondly, Phil is still without a job right now. It's getting a bit on the dire side. He has sent in too many resumes to count, but just no luck. He is on the interview list for two really good jobs with the state government, but they will not be interviewing for another 3 weeks or so. Please pray that God's will would be done in this situation and that He would lead Phil to the right job.

Your will be done, Lord.

Coming up ---- vacation (al beit a mini one) to Gatlinburg, TN followed by a visit by my dear, dear friend from Alaska, Rhonda!!! Only good times ahead!