The latest..

Sorry that I have not updated you all sooner... I have no excuse except snow... which is outside my house and doesn't work... so there you have it... nothing!! :)  I have been loving the snow and loving how I have been feeling!!  I am so thankful for all of your prayers.  God seems to be listening!! :)  I have been feeling really good for the past few days.  You could almost say that I feel like a normal person.  I have had about three days that I have not felt so good, but I have had about a week of feeling good!! Yay!!  So much fun!!  Right now my mom is stuck in California and I am hoping we can get her home safely and quickly!  I hope you all are staying warm and safe and that you all are enjoying the snow/ice... It can be a bother, but I love it!  It is so beautiful!  There is nothing better than a white Christmas and I am thinking we are getting one this year.  I hope you all have a great night and a great Christmas.  I love you all.  Have a great night!  

Alright Folks...

Hey everyone... I doubled my dose Monday night and I have been pretty sick to my stomach and my head has been hurting but I haven't thrown up so praise the Lord!!  I am just hoping I adapt quickly and get back to normal... My dad is home!!!  Love you all!! 

Updates...

Hello everyone...  I am sorry that I have not written in a while! :)  I have been feeling sick off and on lately.  I feel worse after I take my meds, but usually have a good day after....  This time I actually am feeling a lot better.  I took it last night and I have felt good all day today except for a little bit here and there... I did a light yoga with Lexi today which is great because I haven't worked out in over 16 weeks now!!!!!!  (and folks things just don't stay toned)  Thanks for all of your prayers and thought. I do not have a doctor appointment until January, but I will try to stay on top of updating this.  Have a great night and talk to you soon!  Love ya!! 

Review on the night before!

Last night I did not get sick and throw up!!!  Yay!!  I only got a small stomach ache and a head ache.  I didn't sleep much, but I am so happy that I did not get sick!  Praise Jesus!  Today was the best I have felt in a long time!  I am so glad!  I got to play with Gavin today and I did not feel bad until more into this evening!!  Let's pray that it stays like this!!  Love you all!!  Have a great night and really really thanks for the prayers!!! :) 

Tonight is the night!!!

So, I have still been in bad pain from my headaches, but tonight I start the Cabergoline right before I go to bed... Am I nervous...  Yes...  Is it going to be ok?  Yes, I mean come on I have my mom sleeping with me tonight!  You people thought I was big enough to do it on my own... get real! :)  I will be eating something small taking my pill brushing my teeth, putting my hair in a braid with a head band around my head (just to be prepared), putting a garbage can next to my bed (one that I hope to never use), and go to bed hoping to fall asleep in less than 10 minutes!!  That is the plan... tomorrow or maybe the day after, depending on how the meds work with me... I will be letting you all know if it was a successful night or if I played the song that goes "What goes up must come down" backwards!  Thanks again for all of your prayers and I love you all!!  Have a great night!! 

My life as of now!! Updates folks...

There is a small to large possibility that this is all over the place.  I am going to try and make as much sense as possible... but again... when my head hurts I do have a hard time making all of my words coincide and jive, if you will... So, first I want to tell you two stories that have happened recently one funny and one tender!!

First, my mom was talking with someone we know and they said, "Kim, have you ever considered the reason Amy's head hurts is because of the elevation here at home?" (The elevation at my house is about 497 feet above sea level)  My mom looked right back and with a dead face said, "She has a tumor"... It was so funny to see the interaction that happened there... I don't know if you didn't think it was funny... I sure did!! :) 

Secondly, my uncle was talking to my mom asking how she has been and she was telling him that she has been dealing with a lot and sometimes it just gets hard.  She was explaining that I had to go to the doctor to find out if I needed brain surgery or just had to take medication... and my uncle, who is usually Mr. Tough Guy said well, if it gets hard on Amy then I will come over and just hold her if she needs me...  That is the single cutest thing ever!  It doesn't get much more tender than that.

So, I went to the doctor today and they said that at this point I do not need to have surgery.  I just have to take a form of chemotherapy through a medication called cabergoline.  I will be taking this bi-weekly and going to the doctor every 6 weeks to check to make sure it is doing well and then in a year (if everything is going according to plan) I will have another echocardiogram to make sure my heart is doing well with the medication.  There is an 80% chance that I will just get morning sickness on this medication, but there is also a 20% chance that it will make me very ill.  I may be sick a couple times and then get better with time or I will be intolerant and have to stop the medication and go back into the doctor and speak with a neurosurgeon.  At this point I am claiming that it will work well and quickly, the doctor said it may take 6 weeks to start working, and it will clear it all up and fix it and then we can move on with life being normal again.

So, now you get story time with Amy... I know you are all jumping for joy inside!!  I have been feeling a lot of emotions over this last bit of time and I am just coming to a sense of peace about it all.  I never was scared I was going to die or anything, but I was scared about always being sick or the medication making me throw up (as you all know is one of my worst fears in life).  I was thinking especially tonight that I am so stinking blessed.  I have people literally all over the world praying for me daily, I have the most supportive family (including extended), a grip of amazing friends, and some of the most experienced doctors in the area working with me.  My aunt Janice was over here tonight and she was giving me a head massage and speaking words of life over my head and praying for me while she was doing this...  I said something negative and she got right on me and said, promise me that you will never say that ever again (I would tell you what it was, but I promised) and she said you can live and die by your words.  That is so true... Sometimes it is so hard to stay positive because at a point you feel like this is never going to pass, but I am not helping myself one bit... if anything I am keeping myself hindered and in pain.  Then my aunt Krissie was praying for me and my aunts and uncle and sister and mom were all laying hands on me and I just realized how loved I truly am.  What do I have to fear when I have this many people praying over me and this is about the 5th or 6th times I have had others pray over me while laying hands on me.  How amazing is the body of Christ that we can come together and God will meet us in our time of need, when we feel inadequate and that we have nothing more to offer, but he comes and he listens and He heals.  I finally get it, (for now, I am sure I will forget and remember again, but hey I am in a process folks) I have nothing to fear because God is in control, He knows what is going on, He is involved in every detail!  I am not scared of even getting sick from the medication, if it happens it is alright, I will get through it, if it gets even more hard, it is alright because God will carry me through.  He won't fail me and He won't leave me.  Also, I am so stinking loved from family, friends, and people who I have never met, but have been told that they are praying for me!  Yes, I have a tumor, but who am I to get such a blessing by all of this love and acceptance and I know that it is okay to feel the emotion of it, but it is just as important to come to the other side and see God's work through all of it!  

Now that I have rambled on, I want to thank each and every one of you because you may not know it, but you each are making such a difference in my life by your prayers or your little messages of encouragement or your texts just letting me know you are there and care and are praying.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  May God bless you and keep you, may His face shine upon you and give you peace.  I love you all dearly!!  Until we "speak" again... Good night!

To go along with my last post...

Sitting after my IV was placed... Yay!!

Seeing this tray rolled into the room 

was mildly to greatly horrifying!!

The Group at Lunch!!  So fun!! 

After a cool lunch at "Bonefish Grill"

An in depth report...

For those of you who would like the facts and the concise version of catching everyone up on my life go ahead and scroll down to the last paragraph.  For the rest of you go ahead and enjoy my life for the last couple of weeks.

So, we arrived in Nashville, Tennessee after the second flight... Luckily, the second flight was nothing like the first!!  Praise Jesus and then some!! :)  By the time we got to baggage claim we only had a couple minutes until our bags were rolling out and coming our way.  We quickly grabbed out bags off of the thing that goes around and around... Very descriptive I know.  We ran to the curb called Kathy and were quickly whisked off in her little convertible, yes, I was in the back with the bags!! :) Haha!! 

While we were there we met Tyler's friends and our new friends and that was great!!  They were all so much fun and you really see people come to life when you play "Mafia".  My mom turns out to be an amazing mafia member and will kill of the last human before they figure out it is the sweet innocent lady in the corner... But, when it came to me, I was always wishing that I was a towns' person because I can neither lie or keep a straight face... One time I looked up my mom looked at me and said you are mafia... I didn't even have to open my mouth or anything like that... just look up!!  Then every time I was Mafia, Mark would be able to tell if I was lying in two seconds... Kathy and Tyler were at each other's throats and Vang and Joel were constantly suspicious!!  It was so much fun!!!  Everyone else played their own roles, but I will not bore you with any more details!!  

We got to hang out with Abi and Justin as well as Kathy (of course) and Tyler for the whole time.  It was great to get away from the house and the area and the doctors.  Now Kathy is going to come and visit!!!   It is going to be so much fun!!  

I went to the doctor yesterday and they warmed my arms with heating pads and the IV nurse got my IV in on her first try... and get this little little pain!!  It was the most amazing thing I have experienced in a long time!!  I had to fast for 12 hours before hand and when they started it was about 13ish hours and when they finished it was about 15ish hours!!  I was hungry!!  So they took 2 vials of blood at first and then had me drink something that tasted like orange triaminic (the good stuff, from when I was a kid and I would get a "cough" or something equally as obvious and false just to get a little bit of the stuff)  and then they took 2 vials of blood at a time for the next 2 hours... all together they took 10 vials of blood.  It went well and my mom was so kind as to stop at a place called "A Piece of Cake" and she got me two gluten free/dairy free mini loafs, one carrot cake and one marrionberry.  They were delicious!!  

Today, I have just been hanging out around the house... head still hurting... I have been more lightheaded than I have in a while, but it is all good... I am hoping we get the results to my test before the 25th, but as of now that is the date we have... I will let you all know if anything changes!!  I adore you all and thank you so much for your prayers!!  Talk to you soon!! Muahh!! 

Today...

Tomorrow I go and see Zeleinski... So nothing too exciting because he will just adjust me and send me home... but on Tuesday I go to OHSU to get tested to see if my tumor is secreting growth hormone... So I will have more details then!!

I had a great weekend with my cousins Katie and Kayli!!  We watched old movies and just hung out... had treats and dessert wine!! Oh, and I am obsessed with making applesauce!! :) I love you all... my head is killing me so I have to get going!! :) Love you all!! Muahhh!!! Thanks for the prayers!! 

Today... haha... I lost count...

Today we went to church with Tyler and it was pretty good... very long!! :) The pastor had a few good things to say about the impact of words and what a difference they make and that part was great.  After church I was kidnapped and taken to lunch at Bonefish Grill...  When we got there we met my mom, Kathy, Duane, and two brothers, Josh and Joel.  It was a great lunch and afterward we decided to have a game night.  We went to Verizon and Costco and came home and then a whole group of people came over to play mafia.  It was so much fun... I was a mafia member once and made it all the way to the end, but Tyler asked me straight up if I were the mafia and I could not lie... I said no but made an obvious face, yes.  :)  We all enjoyed playing and when we were done everyone went their separate ways... We made some new friends today and it was so much fun!!

My head hurt the worst at church and a bit tonight, but besides that it was not terrible!!  Praise the Lord... Let's have an even better day tomorrow!!  I love you all and thanks for everything!!! 

Day after Halloween...

First off, I think everyone should see our beautiful lady friends we acquired Halloween night.  Tyler and Justin surprised us at the restaurant in these beautiful (cough cough) outfits... I don't think any of us will truly be the same after this.  

Today mom and I met up with Matt at his house.  It was so nice seeing him.  We caught up on life and the ins and outs of his world and him with us.  It is always great when we can get together again!! :)  Oh, but the funniest part of the story is when mom and I were on our way to meet him.  We drove Kathy's car with her GPS and we thought we were on the right track until we took our last right turn and it said we were at our destination....  We looked around and drove down a few blocks as we went we got into the ghetto  little bit more... we turned around and pulled into a parking lot to ask this older man where the "Frothy Monkey" was (it is a coffee shop) and my mom said excuse me, excuse me, and waited all the while Mr. was putting something deep into a secret compartment in his car and would not turn around until whatever it was, was deep and hidden... when he finally turned around he would not make eye contact with us while he answered our question... it was odd!!!  So, we started that direction and just as we were going there we passed a truck with three guys in the back with huge speakers playing "Jesus music" and had signs all over their car saying coming to their church...  It was a total honk if you love Jesus thing!!  haha... 

Tonight Mom and I went out with Linda Yoder and we went to a place her son works and we had a great time!!  The place was great and the food was amazing!!!  Mom was trying to show me a picture of Lexi and she dropped her phone in my drink and it got all over my foot and leg and jacket... needless to say she will not be making phone calls any time soon!! :) :(  We drove through down town Nashville and had some interesting sights... some girls who forgot the rest of their outfits and a group of Mennonites singing hymns in the middle of everything... It was great!!!  Today was a fun day... minimal headaches!! Yay!!  I love you all tons!!! Muahhh!!! 

Tennessee...

Today we had a really fun day... we hung out at the Wards, cruised around town in an H3 Hummer, had dinner with Wynonna Judd and her daughter and manager and daughter, and went to hear Aaron Benward play music at a local pub.  Aaron was great and is so entertaining to watch!  Wynonna is such a sweet heart and so down to earth.  She is super funny as well.  We came back to the house and hung out for the rest of the evening since Tyler was home AJ came over for the night.  We sat around and talked and laughed and looked at hideous pictures.  It was great!! 

Now, onto my prayer request... Please pray that my stupid stomach would not act up.  Today it was horrible as well as my headaches... I had to take a time out today and I went up to my room and slept for  bit because I felt so awful!  So any prayers sent my way in those areas would be great!!  I love you all tons and tons!!!  Have a great night from me and my mom!! :) 

Last two days!!!

Yes, No, Yes, No... Maybe we should measure out the weight and variables and ending values of our decisions.  Well, maybe we should talk about this until... I don't know... 1:30 AM?!   Ok, we are not going to go and everyone is ok with that... Wait, I just got an itch on my toe, lets go!!!  Ok, it is now 2:00 Wednesday morning and we are going to bed so we can get up at 3:30 AM...  BEEP BEEP BEEP... MELODY MELODY MELODY... Roll over turn it off!! Sleeping peacefully until mom rushes into the room, Amy we overslept, it is 4:30 AM and we need to leave at 4:45... needless to say we did not make it out on our scheduled time.  We rush around like little worker bees throwing this in our suite case and that in.  We go into Lexi's room and get her out of bed... I go into Matthew's room and say come on bubba we gotta go, he reaches out a hand, I say sorry but we have to go now... we overslept... needless to say he got right up and helped us on our way.  We get to the airport through security and have an hour to spare... God is good and watched out for us this morning.  We get our routine bottles of water and a pack of gum and head towards our gate.  We stop into the bathroom because lets face it no one likes airplane bathrooms all that much.  So I took my 2 dramamine and we wait to board the flight.  As we get onto the flight I start to have a panic attack kinda and look at my mom as we are taxiing out and ask her if they will let us off... she looks at me like "are you kidding" and I look at her like... woman you don't understand I will jump out the 5 X 10 inch window and run home if I have to... she told me that it was not possible and says "we are stuck now"... 4 words had never felt like such a deadly death sentence!!  So, for this flight I was shaky and sick... We get off and walk around the airport and see the Brighton jewelry store!! We bought a couple things for us girls to share.  We tried to find food, but unlike what people tell you, Texas does not do everything bigger and better.  In this case we scrounged and found a little sustenance.  We got on the next flight which was much shorter and it was a good flight!! (praise God, because if it was bad, I would be driving home from Franklin, Tennessee with my mom in a few days, and folks I am NOT kiddin' around here!!!  We had a great night with Kathy, Duane, Abi, and Justin and we are all looking forward to having the rest of the gang completed by the arrival of Tyler!!  It is perfect!!  So fun!!!  I hope you all have a great night and I love you tons!!!  Thanks for your prayers and if you could possibly pray for our return flight I would greatly appreciate anything you can offer, prayers, fasting, bribes... we will take it all!! 

Please pray as well that the outcome of all of my testing would not be surgery... Thanks and I love you all!! Muahhh!!! 

Results...

So, today I went to OHSU and got my blood results back and they all came back fine except my growth hormone was a bit high.  Since it is high I have to go back in on November 11 and do a 2 hour long test which checks my growth hormone... you know what that means... another IV for the kid!! :)... :(... :0...  If my tumor is secreting growth hormone then I will have to have the surgery for sure, but if it is not then I do not have to have surgery and I get to use the pills!! :)  We will see what is up... I get to go to Tennessee tomorrow with my mom for sure!!!!! YAY!!!! 

Kayli's nephew Carter was born to her sister Kendra at 7:50 AM this morning... He was 5 lbs. 5 oz.  and 18 inches long.  I hear he is a beautiful baby.  I am going to see him tonight so I will try to get a picture!! Love you all tons and thanks for your prayers!! Muahhh!!! 

Day... something!! :)

So, yesterday marked the 9th week of me having problems... So now that we are over that I have had my family all around... It was great because yesterday Chad, Michelle, Courtney, and Elle all visited us and had dinner.  Elle and Courtney are still here and they are leaving some time tomorrow.  Speaking of tomorrow... at 10 AM I will be having my echocardiogram and then I find out my blood results.  I will let you all know tomorrow!!  Love you all and have a great night...

Oh, and my dad is in Brazil and hopefully I will be able to go to Tennessee with my mom on Wednesday!!  So, please pray that all of my tests come out alright so I do not have to miss out on this!!  Love ya!! Muahh!!! 

Day 19

Didn't write yesterday, non-stop headache. Writing through the help of my dad and mom today because of another bad day with the head stuff. Thought I would tell you that I would like your prayers specifically against spiritual attack. For the last few nights, I have been having nightmares. No one in our family has nightmares, but suddenly I do. Does that seem a little strange or out of the ordinary? And these bad dreams have a spiritual quality and includes lots of blood and bad stuff. I wake up praying, which is a good thing, but I would rather not have these dreams in the first place. I also wake up very afraid, and that does not seem right at all. So please be praying for me and specifically against these bad dreams, that I would have good and restful sleep. Thank you so much for your prayers and love. I love you all. Amy

day 17...She picks me....and Joel.

Wow!  Today!  Probably one of the better days so far.  I was blessed enough to be able to hang out with James and Joel.  Man, I think Joel's been working out.  Same with James.  He is ripped!  So they both asked me out today, no big deal.  Ok it was a HUGE deal.  After like an hour debate I finally decided.  My choice reflects my deep inner passion for a real man.  They both have qualities that any woman would look for (any sane woman that is).  James is funny, cute, attractive, hot, and sweeeet.  Joel is a blue eyed stallion with a mane of sheer gold, any woman would die for even the opportunity to be blessed with his baritone voice.  I cant choose just one.  They are like a twix candy bar, you cant just have one, they both complete each other.  You could say they both complete me.

Just kidding, this is James Calkins.  Unfortunately this is just a joke, but ladies hit me up if your single.  And Joel.  

But I will be typing for her so here is her real day.  

Today my head has hurt more than it has for a while.  I have a crush on James.  And Joel.  I did literally nothing but lay on the couch all day.  But than, my two boyfriends showed up.  They brought some very exciting times into this living room.  Especially James.  My mom leaves tomorrow for three days, so there goes my caregiver. 

 Dont worry Joel and myself will take care of you Amy...if you let us...

No doctor appointments until Monday, praise God, my veins can heal!  Yesterday at my appointment the I.V. specialist had to try five different places on my arms to finally get the I.V. in.  She even popped a vein in the process, leaving me bruised with holes.  So that is it.  That is my update for you all.  Love you all and have a good night!

Day 16... OHSU!!!

This is Kim... I am writing for Amy because her head is killing her tonight, but she wanted to let everyone know our findings for the day.  She had her appointment with the doctors at OHSU and found out that she has a benign tumor on her pituitary gland.  They did a lot of blood and we get the results for next tuesday and has another test prior to seeing them Tuesday morning to find out where we go from here.  

             Love you all and thank you for your prayers 

Amy :)

Day 15

Today is my mudder's birthday!!!  We started it out with a bang by going to see Glen Zielinski in Lake Oswego.  Then me, mom, Lexi, and my dad went to lunch at Red Robin.  At lunch my dad gave my mom her last birthday present, it was a gorgeous pink saphire and diamond tennis bracelet.  It is absolutely gorgeous!!!  He did a great job and get this... he did it all on his own.  I was feeling good in the morning and then I got sick later in the afternoon and for the rest of the evening.  Krissie, Ron, Mary Kay, Jeramie, Joanne, Matt, and Steve all came over for some dessert for my mom and that was very fun.  We all got to hang out.  Today wasn't too exciting, just feeling sick, but it was a great day because of my mom's birthday.  Tomorrow should be more exciting because I go and get tested up at OHSU!!!  Cross your fingers or even better pray :)  Love you all!! Muahhh!!! 

Day 14

So, today was the day that I went under the knife... well, under the needle per say and no I didn't get botox.  :)  I got my tattoo done today... I am telling you one thing... It hurt like no other!  I was trying everything... even biting my own finger... I know the whole put pain in other areas as to help the pain subside but really it just creates more pain... Imagine that! :)  My tattoo artist was extremely nice and very good at what he does.  He kept saying how you doing up there?  I would tell him good, but at one point I would start shaking because of the pain.  After it was all said and done I was so glad that is was done.

The meaning behind my tattoo is when I was little I used to fall asleep in the crook of my dad's arm and he told me that I was the perfect fit.  When I started working for my dad in March I was thinking about what to put at the end of my emails and I came up with "From one perfect fit to another" because that is how I see me with God, the perfect fit in the crook of his arm in the most loving and safest place I could be.  Essentially, I see each one of us to be perfect fits!! :) 

Later tonight my friends Kyle, Patrick, and new friend Josh came over.  They hung out for a while so that was really fun!! I felt pretty good all day, but tonight my head hurt so badly and is still hurting.  Hopefully tomorrow will be even better!!!  Love you all and thank you still for the prayers!!  It means so much to me! Muahhhh!!! 

Just so ya know...

Whenever I write on here and it does not make sense it is because my head has been hurting and I am sorry... But there is no promising it will change... Just remember I am technically disabled... Love you all and thanks for loving me just the way I am!! :) 

Day 13

Today was a grand day!!  I was awoken by the banging on the workers outside laying the concrete.  Then I layed there for a while and then pretty soon, I look over and see Elle and my mom.  She was so tender!  So, I got up and got dressed and put my face together and went with my dad to Costco where we got some food to feet those at the partay.  We then went to Party City and got the necessary decorations and headed home promptly.  I carried everything inside with my daddio and I threw up my hair, put on my apron and started workin.  I began cleaning everything in sight... I swear when you start to clean up, everything looks dirtier than you thought because everything else is now so clean.  I put food on the trays and into the fridge, then I made my layered dessert with brownies then chocolate mousse (with Kahlua) then whipped cream and heath layers three times.  After a bit Lex and I started to decorate and Joanne and the Gleason clan came to our rescue and helped with the decorations and set up and Joanne made lots of treats.  Everyone started arriving to the unsurprise party and wondered why mom was greeting them! :)  So, everyone had a blast.  Elle was with my mom and saw me and she said Amy all on her own... makes one a little proud I would say.  Then she wanted me and no one else which again make me happy!!  I felt good all day until the evening when I started feeling sick again... Oh well, another day another dollar I always say.  Thanks for your prayers and love!!  I love you all soo so much!!!   Muahhh!!! 

Day 12

I am just starting out by saying that today was the best day I have had in almost 8 weeks now!!  Praise Jesus!!  There is hope for me yet!!  I got out and about with my mom and went to some stores and my mom found my new boyfriend at Safeway... NOT!!! More like he found us... over, and over, and over again... I am pretty sure I picked up a cereal box and he popped out and said he was the prize!!  Ok, you get the idea!!  So, we came home and I made chocolate mousse and brownies for my dessert for tomorrow at my mom's unsurprise birthday party!! :)  It will be fun!!  Then Andrew and Court and Elle arrived and so I did the dishes and tried to play with Elle a little bit.  Also, tonight Elle was goingto me from her daddy!!  Yes, it is now documented mwaahaahaa... ok anyways... Tim arrived a bit later and we ate tostadas for dinner!  It was delicious!  I took all of my supplements and I did not feel sick at all.  After a while my head started hurting but it was not bad enough to keep me from my ultimate goal, to defeat the cookies.  You may think to yourself, that is a little harsh, defeating cookies, what did they ever do to you?  Well, when I started putting the ingredients together we started seeing this innocent little dough morph into what I like to call the blob.  It tried to take over the world, but Tim and I defeated it with our dough stopping skills.

After we got that under control Courtney, Tim, and I made our cutouts and put them into the oven.  After the first batch was cooled we were able to start frosting the cookies... Andrew, Court, Tim, and I began on what would prove to be an endless task of cookie decorating.  It was so much fun!!  We had some very inventive cookies!!  

After it was all said and done I got a little frosting happy and started frosting, get this, people not cookies... oops... but I put some on me as well so it is all good in the end!!  Today was a great day and I am hoping that tomorrow is even better with no pain at all!!  Talk to you all soon!! love you tons!!! Muahhh!!! 

Day 10 and 11

Sorry that I did not write yesterday, I was feeling really really sick and not up to writing.  So, I thought I would write two in one.  Yay!!  

Yesterday I went to the mall with my mom and Lexi and we all decided that we are not big shoppers.  You have to get us when we are in the mood to shop or we are all wanting to run from all of the stores as they are trying to pull you in with their forces.  I had never seen Lexi so excited as to go and pick Matthew up than yesterday when she was relieved from mall duty.  We made it almost out alive when we decided to stop in BP in Nordstrom (my fav. store in the mall).  We ended up getting a few things and only two things were not on sale.  :)  So, we came home and the end of the night was history... feeling sick and not fun at all.  

Today, I got my hair did... I needed something different and so I got layers and all that fun part.  But what is fun about the whole hair experience is the fact that I got to be with my cousin, Sara.  She is a crackup.  Everyone around us probably thought we were losing our minds or that we lost them long ago.  It was really fun.  We talked about everything from boys (that was a short topic, ha) to being put in an insane asylum.  It is always a treat.  When I got home I had a package outside for me.  It was from our friends, the Johnsons in Georgia, they sent me these cute slippers and body wash and lotion and a loofah, and a bear from build a bear that is the softest thing ever.  It was so sweet of them!  It really made my day.  I get to see Joanne and her family tonight because it is her birthday and that will be fun!  Great times!!  Sorry this one wasn't exciting, but it is hard to being creative with my head hurting today.  Love you all and again thanks for the prayers!! Muahh!! 

Day 9

Hello everyone... So today was a pretty good day, I was awoken by the sight of little Gavin's face.  That is enough to start any day out on the right foot.  I got up and ate breakfast and took all of my supplements... yay!! :) I got quite a bit of exercise today, by quite a bit I mean for being on the couch for so long, Gavin kept wanting me to dance with him and so of course we danced and we danced and we (you get the idea) then I decided that it would be a grand ol' idea to walk down and take Gavin to the park... well the hill is a lot longer and a lot steeper than I had expected but we had fun at that stinkin' park!!  Gavin was pointing out cars and trees and I was telling him bushes and he would repeat it and truck and so forth.  He wanted more cars to come by and so he looked at me and goes more more and when they finally came he probably thought I was some kind of magician.  He was doing the cutest thing, when the sun would come out he would bury his face into my chest because of it being bright and just lay there.  Oh, man it is the best feeling in the world.  So, after we returned home I was back on the couch for the rest of the day.  

God has been teaching me a lot lately.  One is really what kind of friend I want to be and another thing I am learning is that people who are valuable to me are worth fighting for.  Getting out of our comfort zone and putting our true selves out there not knowing what will happen, but trusting that God does and will take care of everything!!  

I talked to Kayli tonight and she is doing pretty well.  Her MRI came back as her having a herniated disk so it is good news that it is nothing serious!  She is still trying to get answers from her doctors but has not had any luck thus far. 

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!!  We love you all dearly!!

P.S.  My mom knows about her surprise birthday party... it is like she has spidey sense or something!! :) 

Day 8

DAY 50!! IT WAS GREAT AND IT SUCKED... :) 

Day 7

Today is officially week 7, but this blog isn't about me. 

I have been thinking a lot lately especially tonight and I thought I would share with all of you.  I was thinking about my ideal of the perfect servant and I would have to go with my mom.  For those of you who know her you have an idea of what I am talking about and for those of you who don't you are truly missing out.  When I look over these past 7 weeks the one person who has been there for me through everything is my mom.  She manages a household, cooks, cleans, shops, parents, and takes care of me as well; driving me to doctor appointments, getting my meds, preparing food for me, buying food that I can eat which is a whole different list from the rest of the fam, when I am bumming she offers to take me somewhere, and she just is there to encourage or listen and hang out with.  She does all of this with a loving, gentle, sweet, compassionate, ungrudging attitude.  Even when she is in terrible pain in her arm or hip or whatever she makes sure that I am okay.  I cannot even begin to explain how much she means to me and how proud I am of her.  I know it is usually parents saying that of their kids but I am telling everyone that I am so proud and thankful that she is my mom.  I do not know many other parents who would take care of all of the details for this long and being able to exude love.  She is the most godly woman that I know and I hope that I can be like her when I grow up.  I wanted everyone to know that I have the BEST mom in the WORLD!  I love her and I love you all!! 

Day 6

Today was great except for this evening.  I woke up and quickly found out that I was home alone and after I realized that I decided to take a shower... and take a shower I did... for about an hour... :) haha!!!  It was great!  Prayed a lot and heck I smelled good after that hour!! :)  So, my mom and Lexi and I went to our friends' wedding and so that is always fun.  She looked gorgeous in her dress it fit her like a glove.  Even more so, it was fun watching her husband, Brandon, when she came down the isle and even for the rest of the ceremony.  He was so adorable all giddy and totally in love!!  So, after the wedding we called Chad and Michelle and they were taking pictures at a park down in the same vicinity.  We hurried over to the park and along our journey to find them we ran across a man who said something to the affect of us being "Portland's angels".  It was so potion!!  We scurried along various paths crossing tennis players, slow motion fighters, knife holders, and much more.  After we saw Chad and Michelle we played with Gavin and followed them promptly over to their house.  After getting our fix of Gavin he was off to bed and we were off to our house.  Arriving at home we popped my i-pod onto the dock and listened to Josh Gracin's "Brass Bed" (my favorite song in the whole world) a few times and even brought out Spice Girls.  :)  My head was doing great until this evening.  I am hoping that it will be better tomorrow all day long.  So, this evening we had some friends come over so my mom, Lex, and I watched "A Walk to Remember" with 5 guys and they were probably more glued to the tv than we were!  :)  Tonight was a great night and tomorrow will be better!!  Again, thanks for your prayers and I love you all!!!  Muahh!!!  

Day 5

Well, I have not spoken with Kayli today so unfortunately I cannot tell you how she is doing.  I called her phone and left a message so again I apologize for my lack of information.  Although I cannot tell you how she is doing, I am still able to update you all on how I am doing.  

Today I woke up and went to go see my chiropractor Jason Lindekugel.  He is amazing and really nice for a guy who pops all of my bones.  :)  After my appointment I went straight over to Chad and Michelle's house and was greeted by Gavin by looking through the mail slot.  He was so tender and kept bringing me books and would crawl onto my lap and put his head on my chest while I read or as I sat there and let him push through the pages.  He is the most adorable little man I know of!!  He is the man in my life, as of now! :)  I came home and was feeling crappy so I slept for about 3 hours and then got up and my friend Tim came over and him and my mom and I went out to Typhoon for dinner.  We had a lovely dinner and lively conversation to go hand in hand with it.  :)  We came home and Tim killed my mom and I at scrabble, but we are going to train in the art of word-making and take him down next time.  We hope.  So, I do not have a doctor appointment for another week so unless you like to read my ramblings every day, you can check back on the Monday after next.  Thank you all for your prayers and I love you so much!!! 

Day 4

It is actually technically day 5 if you check out the clock, but since I have not rested my head or my little eyes I am counting it as day 4.  Today was quite a long day.  I had my allergy testing this morning at 10:30 which lasted about 2 hours total.  I know you all are dying inside screaming, "why is she dragging this out, why won't she tell us the results", and I must say patience my dear ones.  They tested me for 42 of the most common allergens and out of 42.... 4 didn't affect me.... that is right folks... I am allergic to the whole universe!!  Not only the universe, but it started me thinking about bubble boy and thinking... oh no that could be me, but after much thought, probably too much thought, I realized that I could not even have my own bubble for I would probably be allergic to the plastic.  Thus, I am a bubbleless bubble girl.  If there is a food that you can name I am almost 100% sure I am allergic.  What do I do with all of these allergies you may ask?  What can I eat I hear another say?  Well, I have to put food into my mouth knowing that in some way it is disrupting the peace within.  I know you may not believe me, but if you need further proof, I urge you to come by the house and I will show you step by step how truthful this is.  (do you like my little dig trying to get people to come and visit!!  I am brilliant I tell you)  Anyways, I have to take these drops of allergens in water twice daily using three drops of each.  As of now I have 26 that I am starting with and 14 that are too sensitive to start now.  So every morning and evening I will be doing my science projects and stirring my potions to the correct degree of potionness as to get my body to fight the allergies at a diluted level.  Oh, I know you are jealous, but hey, God gave us each different gifts mine just happens to fall under the category of witches brew making.  

Tonight I was lucky because I got to go and visit my friends in C-town.  I went to a concert with Andy Podesta, Dave Vasquez, and my sister Lexi.  It was pretty fun except for the fact that I had to leave because my head was pounding.  I got to hang out with some others as well and that is always fun!!  Tomorrow, I have a chiropractor appointment and then I will most likely be seeing little Gavin.  Oh, happy day!!!  

I am not sure what is the latest on Kayli because she went home today, but I am sure I will be talking to her soon and I will fill you all in on her health.  I hope you all have an amazing day and I love you all!! Muahhh!!! 

Day 3

This day began with ailments as normal.  I woke up this morning with a pounding headache that decided to grace me with it's presence all day long.  Kayli and I only got to spend a few of our morning hours together because I was whisked away into another doctor's office and this one belonged to Dr. Bob Sklovosky.  

Kayli has been having a good day except laying in the same position all day long, which brings pain through every aching bone.  She started to feel this pain but promptly took some pain meds and it helped a bit.  She has a doctor appointment with her primary tomorrow so we will see if her MRI showed anything new.  We will let you know what we find out soon.

I went to go and see doctor Sklovsky which was quite the experience!   First I had a hair sample test where they cut parts of my hair in chunks over 5 different parts of my head and I am not talking little bits I am talking, oops my hand slipped I hope no one notices, chunks.  Then I waited a bit longer and I was taken back to his office.  We started talking and he is the most potion man around.  He is from Brooklyn and talked about his mentor being like a (and I quote) "godfather".  Oh, I thought I died and went to heaven!  It was great.  We talked about all sorts of things and eventually did more testing including a routine exam and a heart test to see if I have any weird problems.  A few times the heart test showed that my heart rate was 0 so I kept telling the nurse that if I don't have a heart beat then I am dead and if I am dead than she is crazy talking to me.  After all of that I have 4 supplements for headaches and 3 supplements for boosting my immune system.  Tomorrow I get tested for 43 different allergens.  Oh, you know you are jealous and wish you could join me.  Dr. Bob said that all of the kids love it so much they request to come back for more testing right away.  I hope you have a great night and I will let you know how tomorrow goes.  Kayli and I are going to watch some good time television and take it easy.  (like we get out there and run around doing stuff all day) sadly today I feel like I did a lot of work.  Have a great night!!! We love you all.  

Day 2

So, we have successfully made it through another day.  As I sit here typing Kayli is sitting at my feet with a heating pad around her shoulders basking in the warmth of it's glory.  Today was a pretty good day in retrospect.  

Kayli woke up this morning with pain in her neck and back, but rested, as far as her mind is concerned.  We got up and had breakfast together which is a feat in and of itself.  She was picked up by her dad and away she flew to her doctor appointment.  She started to get a bit fuzzy and twitchy while she was with the hand specialist as well as being in a bit of pain.  The doctor went on to tell her that there was indeed nothing wrong with her hand, which I must say in my experience makes him an idiot... Because her last doctor told her that her hand was not fused together in the correct spots where the break was previously.  He said that it must be carpultunnel (not sure on the spelling) which is not the case.  She went home and called me on the phone, being home made her realize even more how much she enjoys my company (don't you love how I can say what I want on here as she sits unknowingly).  Wendy brought her over because two invalids is better than one for us.  It gives you someone to be around and feel bad with.  Someone who understands your sorrows.  :)  She is now starting to get in pain and loopy, but she has taken her meds so she should be down for the count rather soon.  :)

Today I was awakened by a little "HI" as I heard it I knew it was the best little man in the world... my nephew Gavin.  He climbed right into bed with me and was talking away.  I got up and played with him a little.  I had to keep going back to the couch and when I would, he would be downstairs yelling AMY over and over again until I looked over the railing at him and he would give me the cutest smile in the world!!!  My head was obnoxious today as well as my chest, but tomorrow I go and see Dr. Sklovsky who will examine me for 2 -2 1/2 hours... yay for being a lab rat.  Well, we didn't solve any mysteries today, but hey there is always tomorrow.  We love you all and thanks again for your prayers!!!  Talk to you tomorrow!!! 

The Breakdown

So, I have been asked what the heck is going on with me and Kayli, and so as the author of this blog I would like to fill in our followers. (like we have many or something haha, I have at least 2 Kayli and Me)  So I will start with Kayli.  A little bit over a year ago she got in an accident, she was hit by an uninsured unlicensed drunk driver at 11 am.  Ever since then she has experienced pain in her neck and back and hand (it was broken and still is).  A few days ago she was getting sick and Kendra came by to see how she was doing and when she saw her she called Wendy and said she needed to come and take her to the doctor.  She ended up riding to the hospital in an ambulance.  When she arrived she was in excruciating pain and her body was all tense and she was groggy, as if she were on drugs but she isn't, she had numbness all over her body.  They ended up getting her stable enough to get an x-ray done, which showed absolutely nothing and they decided she needed an MRI but not then and there.  They sent her home in crazy pain and numbness whist being "out of it".  I am telling you it was scary to see her like that.  I was just glad to have a buddy around.

Now for me, I have had these headaches for almost 6 1/2 weeks now and the doctors do not know the cause of this incessant annoyance.  I have been passed back and forth to and from different doctors like a ping pong ball.  I am telling you, this is not something that I am enjoying... I feel like a science project gone wrong and then some.  Occasionally, I will get dizzy or faint feeling and some pain down some of my limbs, but for the most part it is just headaches.  Also, I get sick to my stomach at times, but I think it is just because I got over a virus.... yes, my body decided to pick up the diseases of others to join on my old wounds like a parasite and steal what energy and life it could find.  So, now you are all caught up... I will be writing later with my companion Kayli to inform you on our day.  Talk to you soon.  Love you all!! 

Day 1 continued

So I was just informed that Kayli is in the worst pain she has been in tonight... Not good!!  Please be praying for her!!! Thanks!!! :) 

Day 1

All right folks, I thought I would start a blog for Kayli as to keep everyone in the latest know how!! :) I figure it is easier for me to type on here every day (or if I miss a day or two you will know that my head was not doing well at all!)  So here is the diagnosis for the day.

As you can see I am going to talk about Kayli first.  So today was a good day for her.  She woke up and was feeling pretty good.  She took a shower and got dressed and she was her old self.  She hung out with me and we watched "Momma's Boy" which is hilarious!!! She then went with my mom to get an MRI of her head.  She was put into the contraption and without thinking opened her eyes in the tiny tube of misery and alas, she got claustraphobic and was seconds away from pushing the button to be released when she started to pray and shut her eyes and she made it out in 30 minutes.  We will be getting the results from that within the next day or two.  She had an appointment with a hand specialist tomorrow so I will be updating you on that as well later.  She had a good day, but as it started getting later so started to get a little loopy and so she took some meds and she is down for the evening.  She is doing alright though.  Hopefully she has an even better day tomorrow!!

 

Today I started out with a pretty bad headache, I went to my Chiropractor who has had 3 years of neurology and he adjusted me and said that my left brain looks better than it did before so he thinks that is moving in the right direction.  He also said that he thinks that is just a part of it.  He also believes that it has something to do with my petuitary gland (it is located at the base of my brain).  So he adjusted me, which happens to hurt like no other mother and sent me home with a little test and an appointment to see him in 2 weeks.  On our way home I got a really bad headache and felt aweful so as soon as we got home I got on the couch and my mom brought me some tea.  Sidenote: I have the best mom in the whole entire world!!  She has taken care of me for little over 6 weeks now and drives me to all of my appointments and the poor thing is so tired, but never complains at all!! (end sidenote)  So she made me food and I took some exedrine which helped a bit but not too much.  Then she left to take Kayli and I was feeling really sick not just my head and I had some sort of breakdown... like full out bawl like a baby on the floor mess!!  I didn't like that I was alone in the house feeling aweful and it was not fun!  I called my daddy and he talked with me for quite a bit and prayed for me and so that was great!  My head is still painful, but hopefully we are moving to an answer!!  I know that was long, but I hope it filled you in on some of the important details.  Maybe tomorrow we will get up and walk around the house without being looked after.... you never know what kind of crazy things we have up our sleeves!  Thank you so much for praying for us and caring for us.  You are amazing!!   We love you all and will talk to you tomorrow!!