Update-Not Really

Many people have asked what was ever found out about my stomach. The answer is, absolutely nothing yet! I go in for a EGD Scope on September 8th, and after that I"m sure I'll have to wait several weeks for the results. Hopefully they will be able to tell me something useful..like what is wrong with my gut- now isn't that a concept!

Through it all I am trying to keep a level head, and a positive outlook on things. Life doesn't stop just because I am waiting for one stepping stone in my life to not seem so big. What am I doing you ask? Here's this weeks list!

The Gym. That's right. After several weeks of not exercising because I puke afterwards, I have laced up my running shoes and gone back to work out, even if it does mean puking later. I wasn't just getting weaker physically, mentally I was going stir crazy! I try to make sure that I don't push myself to the breaking point, just get enough in that I feel productive and happy. My goal so far is getting there at least two times per week.

Martial Arts. I never stopped going to classes, never stopped helping out, and probably never will. I don't do the "work out" at class though-for some reason it is less embarassing to puke in front of strangers than it is to puke in front of friends! Maybe that's because whether strangers talk about it for the next ten years or not, I will not care because I don't know them, as opposed to friends who think it is a great story to tell for the rest of your life. I am also taking on my own America's Youth classes in a couple of weeks. Yes, I am daring to step out on my own and try my hand at teaching young minds great and valuable things. Woohoo!

Chiropractor. I cannot say enough of about great Chiropractors! Just like any great healthcare provider, once you find a fantastic one, you do everything you can to stay with them. They are the ones who are helping me to keep functioning not only through the gut thing, but also my normal every day activities :)

Massage. Everyone deserves a fabulous massage...there's nothing better, I just wish I could get them as often as I used to :(

Sister Missionaries. This actually should be at the top of my list, because I'm with them more than I am anywhere else. I LOVE the sister missionaries! If ever you feel as though you are at a crossroads, or in a hole, talk to them, they will help you soon realize that things aren't so dark, dismal, or annoying. I've learned more from being with them, than ever.

Cleo Patrol. Kittens are due September 5th. Yay!!! Cleo is so funny anyway, but add the pregnancy hormones in there, and she is a riot! I just wish Lucky thought so...

Well, there you have it. That's what I am doing at the moment. What next week brings, may be a different story- but so far every day is a party, and every meal is a feast!

Beef Stew and Orange Juice?

yes that is right, this is the latest and greatest test for tummy trouble! Since the HIDA scan showed that my gallbladder is A-OK, the surgeon I saw decided I should have a stomach study done. I figured it was something not so thrilling, since it had me head back to Nuclear Medicine (if they ever tell you that your test is done in Nuclear Medicine...RUN!) but I decided not to research much of what was done. Well let me tell ya! you go into the same room as the scanner, they sit you down, tell you that you are going to eat some Dinty Moore Beef Stew, and Orange Juice. Hmm. I've eaten worse, no big deal. I'm sure as kids we all ate stuff that as adults we go "GROSS!". So yeah, you get to eat that but before you eat it, they take it away, put gloves on, open a "hazard" vial and inject radiation into both the beef stew and the orange juice! YUMMY!! Just want you want at 7:20 in the morning, a hearty breakfast of radioactive meat potatoes gravy, and then wash it down with radioactive oj! Sign me up! Oh, and then they tell you that you have to eat and drink it within ten minutes or start over :(

I don't think that Beef Stew or Orange Juice will ever be on my menu again. Seriously.
What will they think of next??? Or do I not want to know....

Bittersweet...again

Today was my last day in my most favorite calling ever! I've cried for the past several days, knowing that I was about to leave the Young Women...wishing that I could stay and just add another calling to the mix- I LOVE the girls. All of them are so wonderful...and I have truly been blessed to be with them! So yes, when they released me today there were more than a few tears shed. On the same note, I am extremely excited to have the calling of "Ward Missionary". I have been going on exchanges with the sister missionaries for the past few weeks, and truly love them, and love the message of our Savior's Love for all of us that they bring. The transformation that takes place in people's lives...it is so amazing! My testimony has grown so much since Sister Wang and Sister Kololo were brought in to my life! They are such wonderful sister missionaries, and I will be sad when their journey moves them on to a different area, and even more sad when they return home to China and Samoa.

So today has been a bittersweet kind of day. I don't know what is going to happen next, but what I do know is that as long as I am doing what the Lord wants and needs me to do, I can handle it!

Maybe, but Maybe Not.

So If you've been around me for the past 7 weeks for any length of time, you will probably have already heard my "tummy woes". Can't eat, makes me hurt and want to puke, can't exercise because I do puke, sometimes bending over makes me puke...am tired..blah blah blah. I was told that it was most likely my gallbladder. Had an ultrasound done, and wow, looks like there might be some "crystals" in there. The next thing I knew I was in it for a HIDA scan: and if you don't know what it is, just know that it's awful. After my yucky scan, I was off to see the Surgeon who says: "you know you are one of those cases where we just can't put our finger on it. You have classic symptoms of gallbladder issues, but it's functioning at 100% and there are no "crystals" to be seen anywhere. I can remove it if you want, but can't guarantee that your problem will be fixed." I'm the type of girl who has to have a guarantee. If you aren't POSITIVE with what you are saying or doing...I don't want to play! Thanks very much, but I like my internal organs where they are, I would just like them to function and not make it impossible for me to do the things I love doing. My next step is a Stomach Study. That's scheduled for next week. I hear that it isn't "as bad" as the Radiation injection followed by medication that makes certain organs contract and you want to curl up in a ball, but can't because you have to lay completely still for an hour and fifteen minutes...(yes that's a HIDA scan) but you do have to drink chalky white stuff, lay in wierd positions, drink more, changed to funnier positions....and it takes oh only a mere 90 minutes! After that you ask? You guessed it! Surgical consult again! Sometimes I promise simple would be just fine in my world. For now I'm stuck with maybe....maybe not!

The not so fun post....

Yes, it has taken me some time to get to the point where I can talk about one of the saddest things in my world right now.

Yes, this is my beloved cat Kokoro. Most people have never seen her, let alone met her...she bonded to me, and that was it! Kokoro fought Inflammatory Bowel Disease her whole life, and on June 30th, 2009 I made the decision that she should be free from her pain. I LOVED this cat! She was sorely misunderstood most of the time...my mom said she "wasn't any fun" because she pretty much stayed away from everyone, except me. When I met her, she was a new mommy, with a litter of 4 living at my friend Beth's house. She being a bengal had so much wild in her, that she was quite skittish. I was there for about 10 minutes, before she decided to come and check me out..and then it was maybe another 5 minutes before she decided I was "ok". This in itself is amazing because she had seemed to already bond to one person-Beth's son, and Bengals are known to only bond to one person in their life. Over the next month or so, the more I was there, the more she hung around me, until it got to a point that you could tell she missed me when I was away, and when she heard my voice, she would meow so loud and so long, you thought she would pass out from lack of oxygen! The only thing that would stop her was me picking her up, loving her and telling her that I was "home" and it was "ok." That meow was the sign of a bond that never dimmed, only grew deeper and deeper. for years we went like this. Kokoro hiding under a bed until I came around, and then not wanting to leave my side when I would come over, or when she had yet another litter of kittens. She was the best mom! I knew how she felt, and what she was thinking, we had our own silent communication, especially when seh finally came to live with me over a year ago. Much comfort and love was shared between the both of us, and there are so many things that I am going to miss...the way she loved to have her nose rubbed, her silky soft fur, her meow, her love of laser lights...the sounds she made when she would chase and play....I could go on, but will not...I know she is safe and happy, and I hope she watches over me..I'm sure she does! There will never be another like her, and I am blessed that she was mine, even for a very short 6 years...she was worth it!

So, until we meet again, Sleep, Play, Hunt, and Run my sweet Kokoro. I sure do LOVE YOU!

Bummer :(

So, I've been so excited to go to Youth Conference, ever since I was asked to help take the girls. I was never able to go to anything like that when I was in Young Women's....and it looks like now, I won't be able to go again! My stupid Gallbladder apparently isn't working like it should, and I was told that at any point in time it could get REALLY bad, and to lay low for the next several days until my next appointment. So now...I am stuck at home (well actually I'm at work right now) not able to eat because it makes me sick, tired, cranky and well, bummed that I don't get to go have fun with the girls!

Ok.. Done with my pitty party now I can get something done, I hope!

Playing Catch Up!

Yes I am one of the worst "bloggers" ever. I know this, and quite honestly, I don't really care! Part of the problem is, I don't ever know what to say. With the amazing talent for writing that seems to flood my family...You'd think that I'd get some of it, but it's alright I'll use a different talent! So anyway, these are a few things that are on my list for upcoming, and past events....

Yes, that's right folks, I'm going through the Temple! Saturday July 11th, 2009, I will receive my endowments. I am so excited I can hardly stand it! Why am I going through now you ask? Well for no other reason than ME! It is time, I've wanted to go for a very long time, and the only thing that has ever stopped me before, was me. So now, I'm not stopping myself anymore. YAY!!!! Let's hear it for millions more temple sessions to follow!!!!!

July 9-11th, it is Youth Conference at USU. I get to drive some of the Young Women up there Thursday, and Hang out with them until Friday afternoon. Our stake dedicated Yesterday's fast to the youth having a fantastic spiritual experience up there. With all the hard work and effort put into this, it should be FANTASTIC!

That's Right, I'm addicted to So You Think You Can Dance! Now, I know that I can't dance, but I do know awesome talent when I see it, and these ladies and gentlemen are AWESOME! Some days I wish Young Women weren't on Wednesdays....Thank Heaven's for friends with Tivo :)



There are so many other things to blog about...but they will have to come later...One of these days I'll be done with the Catch Up game, and hopefully will be able to stay ahead!