I found myself

so this past month has been an interesting one. if i were to take the time to write everything i would be here all night and i really want some time to watch the next episode of Lost. so i will just hit the highlights.

we made it through the first part of December with little or no problems. we were excited for the Christmas season. we decorated the house, finished shopping, made christmas cards and planned our treats. then disaster struck. about the second week of December i got hit with an extremely bad case of vertigo that literally left me bedridden for two weeks. after several days without improvement i went to the hospital hoping to find relief. all they did was confirm that i had vertigo and pump me full of all sorts of drugs, which did nothing for me. although justin tells me that valium makes me do funny things--thankfully nothing will be posted on youtube. after getting out of the hospital i went to several different doctors and found out that in addition to the vertigo i also had a hernia, which he put back into place for me--not a fun experience. i slowly got to the point that i could function by myself--up to this point justin had to help me do EVERYTHING. the poor guy had a lot to deal with. at one point, not only did he have to deal with me, but Riley had a double ear infection and Valen had the stomach flu. i don't think justin ever wants to deal with throwup again. by Christmas i was mobile and self sufficient, but not really better. we did have a wonderful Christmas morning. this was Riley's first Christmas where she understoond what was going on and was excited for presents. we don't do santa at our house, nor do we use wrapping paper--two subjects for another post--but she was excited for each present and was a little put out when we finished. then she realized she got to open each of the packages and boxes and play with the toys inside, and that took the rest of the day. Saturday morning Justin took me to the airport and i flew, by myself to Utah for my brother's wedding.

travel log: buffalo to detroit--flight was short and did not cause me to throw up. i was able to eat and keep down an expensive smoothie and bagel. detroit to kansas city--some trouble getting back on the plane, but again the flight was good and no sickness. kansas city--flight was cancelled so i had to stay the night. i also found that i lost my wallet with identification and debit card, which meant that i had to cry to the security guards to let me get through security. i did get to stay in a nice hotel all by myself and had two free meals. my step dad teased me when i told him that i ate a hamburger for dinner. i told him that since i didn't drink all the stress of my drove me to eat meat. kansas city to salt lake: a good flight, again without sickness.

i had a great time in salt lake and it was wonderful seeing my family and watching my brother get married--i only cried a little bit.

the trip home was uneventful--unless you count the delays i experienced in detroit, but i made it home safe and sound.

for New Years we had some wonderful friends from Salt Lake/San Francisico visit us and celebrate the new year.

now with valen in school and justin preparing to go back to school reality has settled in and we are slowly getting back into a routine--mean mom undoing all of the fun nice things that dad did while i was sick and gone.

as i said before it has been crazy but there are several things that i have taken away from this experience:

~i am grateful for a husband that was willing to drop everything to take care of me and the kids.
~i am thankful for summer graduation.
~i am thankful for all of those that helped us out while i was sick. i was amazed at how many people were willing to help us--babysitting, dinners, flowers, hospital visits, get well cards, phone calls, thoughts and prayers just to name a few.
~i am thankful for my health.
~i LOVE my cell phone, weekend minutes and texting
~i love seeing and reconnecting with friends and family.
~i LOVE food--the weight loss was nice, but eating is better!
~i really do enjoy being able to clean my house.
~i am grateful that the Lord teaches us through disappointment, trials, heartache and sadness. it makes all those happy moments that much sweeter.
~i am grateful for the detroit airport and their lost and found services, and the honest person out there that found and returned my wallet and made it possible to find myself twice in one trip.