False Alarm

This morning I woke up with a sore throat. While we were at Mars my entire body started to ache. When we got home I felt pretty crappy.

Since we just spent a few days with Willow and Ginger and were informed they had been around strep throat, and there was a chance we were exposed as well, I immediately thought I had strep.

We went to the urgent care center, deciding it was best to get on antibiotics right away so I wasn't contagious.

The doctor took the culture and it was negative. I don't have strep. I just feel like crap.

I think my wisdom teeth might be coming in. Or I just have a cold. We shall see.

I am just glad that it is not strep.

Joyful Exhaustion

Saturday was a long, beautiful, exhausting, joyful, fun filled day.

Our day started at 7:00am. After packing and getting ready, we made a quick trip to the chiropractor and were off to Muskegon.

We arrived around 9:15 meeting up with Daniel and the boys while they finished breakfast. We went to the church and helped with some preparations and decorating. We went to the big blue house and ran a few last minute errands with Daniel.

Once the boys woke up, we got them dressed and brought them to the church. They were absolutely adorable. There was a lot going on, and the boys were getting antsy.

The ceremony started at six thirty and was the most beautiful ceremony I have ever attended. The lighting, the music, the decorations, all minimal but intimately special.

You could feel the love exuding from the bride and groom. This beautiful story has been in the making for a long time.

Then the reception. Two families joining and celebrating the new life.

As the majority of people left, we stayed to help clean up. We brought the boys back to the big blue house and got them in bed by ten. They were exhausted. They had so much fun and were ready for bed.

Tony and I were exhausted. Every muscle in my body was sore. But I was happy. It felt great to be able to share in our friends life. To help them as they start together.

In the morning we had breakfast with the boys and got them dressed for church. We went on an adventure to the pond to explore the backyard. Once we dropped them off for Sunday school, we packed up our stuff and headed to the lake.

It was a beautiful weekend.

Progress?

Today I went in for physical therapy and left with a new machine. It is a lumbar traction machine. I am supposed to use it 2-3 times a day for 15 minutes each time. It is this flat thing that you lay on and strap yourself into. Once snugly strapped into the cocoon, you increase tension by using the attached hand-held pump. As you do, there is a flat piece that slowly moves, stretching you as it applies pressure to your back.

Once the pressure is right, you set the pump and lay there. Apparently this manipulates the disc in such a way that allows for relief. There is less pressure on the disc, and the piece that herniated stops pushing against the nerve.

I have done traction three times today. I am feeling pretty good. We went for a walk, I have been up and around a lot, I did some laundry, made dinner, and I am not in much pain. This makes me happy. (this sounds like a lazy day for most, but for me lately, this is a fairly productive day)

So, assuming this continues to assist in improving my back, I should be able to work soon. That will be good.

Good Food and Great Friends

Lately Tony and I have been trying to eat good food. Our friends Tim and Stephanie have been amazing at helping us learn what good food is. The other night they came over and we all hung out and ended up going grocery shopping together.

Stephanie and I spent a considerable amount of time walking around the produce section. I would point to things and say "what can you do with that?" After about the fourth time she replied with "saute, steam, roast..." I started to realize that cooking vegetables is pretty simple. I am such a quick learner :)

Stephanie just got published on The Ethicurean which is a food movement blog. She wrote an article about Marie Catrib's, a local restaurant that makes good food. You should definitely take a second to check it out.

I am excited to continue to learn ways to eat good food and grateful for the great friends that Stephanie and Tim are.

The Best Medicine

This last week Tony and I decided we needed a getaway. With me being off of work, we couldn't really afford much, so our options were limited. We found a great deal for a bed and breakfast to stay two nights for the price of one.

Wednesday and Thursday we enjoyed the Boyden House, a beautiful bed and breakfast in Grand Haven. The breakfast each morning was delicious, and the room was amazing. We were the only ones around and it felt like we had the entire place to ourselves. There was a guest kitchen and a guest game room that we took full advantage of.

Friday we headed to Muskegon to hang out for the weekend. I had a doctor appointment where I found out my MRI results and was told that I had a herniated disc. Great. I had very limited information about what treatment I would need, and what this meant exactly. So my mind of course assumed the worst. Today I am feeling much better about the diagnosis after my physical therapy where they described what was going on and what I can expect.

We spent the weekend at the Big Blue House with some great friends. It was a truly great weekend. While I was fighting to keep the pain at bay the entire weekend, I decided that having fun and spending time with the kids was more important than trying to stay pain free. And I was right. Today my muscles were not as tight as they have been, and I was able to progress to the next step in physical therapy.

We celebrated Will and Isaac's 3rd birthday Saturday night. It amazes me how quickly they have grown and how smart they are. They are big boys with big hearts, and an unbelievable ability to captivate your heart.

Thank you Katie, Willow, and Ginger for letting us stay in your home for the weekend. We are very grateful and hope you had as much fun as we did. Ginger and Willow, I am very excited to spend a few days with you very soon. You are wonderful girls and I am very lucky to have been able to get to know you.

Sunday we left after church and decided we needed to visit some family while we were in town. We stopped by my dad's and caught them just in time to say hello and leave. We then went to Tony's mom's and we were able to spend some time with his sister Nicole. And finally we went to my mom's where we spent a few hours just hanging out. I was very nauseous and had a bad headache with a fever while we were there. My mom was great and made me take Tums, along with Tony who decided it would help.

We got home around 6pm and we were both exhausted. I was still feeling quite sick and we unwound and went to bed late that night.

All in all, it was a great weekend and the perfect reminder that the pain I am in is temporary. I am feeling much better today and am able to enjoy the warm beautiful weather.

Big Thanks to Katie

While we were enjoying our last minute getaway in Grand Haven, we went to Fat Chix Coffee Cantina. I had remembered your post and decided it was worth trying.

The place was nothing like what I expected, yet exactly how you described it. There was a small motorcycle sitting outside when we arrived and we thought that it was a part of the decor. It fit perfectly, yet when we left the motorcycle was gone. I was disappointed that we were not greeted by any dogs, but those working were genuinely friendly.

Tony purchased a hot chocolate and I ordered a chai tea latte, the total was 2.75 and it was delicious.

So thank you Katie for a great recommendation. It added a great memory to our trip, and Tony was able to capture some pictures - hopefully he will post later.

Artistic?

I have had a lot of time on my hands lately. Unfortunately, I am very limited as to how I can spend that time. I spend a lot of it laying on the ground.

So I have been trying to think of things to do that don't involve the television or the internet. I read a couple of books. Right now I am in the middle of one.

The other thing I started to do is crochet. My grandma taught me some basics when I was a kid and we have some leftover yarn from my sister's party. So, we purchased a crochet hook and I started just crocheting for fun. I then decided I wanted to make something. We needed better yarn because the stuff I had was ugly. I have been working on making a baby blanket (I wanted to make a blanket because they are somewhat simple, but decided to stay small, so I went with a baby blanket). It is light blue and white. So far, I am making good progress, but have a long way to go.

The other thing we have been working on is painting. We bought a cheap piece of wood that says "dream" and some paint. I finished it last night. For never painting or doing anything very artistic before, I would say it looks alright. We painted the whole thing blue, then some green at the bottom to look like grassy hills and white at the top to look like clouds.

Our original plan was to put it in the motor home once we purchased one, so we shall see if that ever happens...