Showing posts with label Blog stuff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blog stuff. Show all posts

Monday, November 14, 2011

Plan a Fabulous Party {without losing your mind} E-Book Discount

I'm so excited.

I love blogging. I love friends I meet through blogging. I love publishing. I love working for a publisher. And I love technology which allows us the wonderful world of e-books!!

So without further ado... let me introduce you to my wonderful blogging friend Mary. She has launched her first e-book titled Plan a Fabulous Party {without losing your mind}!



I have my copy of it and cannot wait to get through it!!!!

But for now I couldn't wait to share a special discount with you. Through tomorrow 11/15/11, when you place an order here using code FABPARTY you'll receive $3.00 off the cost!

The only stipulation is that I hope you'll let Mary know you bought it, found out about it through me, and let her know what you think! {Please also come back and tell me too because I'm curious. :)}

As always, I'd also love to hear from you at rochellelearning at gmail dot com {spelled out that way to hopefully avoid more spam!}.

Enjoy friends, and party like never before!!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Blogroll

Back when Blogger developed "pages" {like the tabs you see above, under my header}, I decided to move my blogroll there since it had gotten long.

But then, I noticed a while back that my blog roll page links were all messed up, and the list was so large it was too overwhelming. I couldn't even look at it without wanting to get away from it. I listed every single blog I'd ever looked at. Gah! Too much.

So I finally finished tweaking it. I limited it to my very favorite blogs, each of which I read either every day or once a week, depending. And yes it's still a lot of blogs! And yes it's back on the side instead of the top.

Since I can't do the full-blown redesign I'd wanted to, I've decided to do a bit more experimenting. I like it better on the sidebar where you can see the most recent posts. I hope the sidebar doesn't get too long or overwhelming, but feel free to let me know if it does!

Enjoy. :)

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Blog Stuff

I want to redesign my blog.

Like a complete overhaul.

It's driving me bonkers.

Anyone want to do a complete overhaul for me, with my own URL {not this convoluted ridiculous one I have right now because I didn't know what I was doing when I first set it up?}, a new design, new way of commenting, etc?? If you know HTML, are cheap, and interested, let me know! :)

If not, I'm going to have to just survive it. I just want something different and am antsy for something more interesting and not so... blah.

A big thing for me right now is renaming the blog and reformatting how I do things. I'm tired of this blog supposedly being focus on my illness, because I prefer to be able to also talk about other things. I feel like I've confused my audience. I get a lot of emails from people trying to promote health-related things here and tell me stuff about Fibro and what not.

Then there are those who aren't here for reading all about Fibro. And since I intermingle my topics, Fibro or other stuff {and then of course all the oodles of pictures}, I feel like I'm being unfair.

And I'm just really tired of having it be all about Fibro. I want to have a life & faith blog instead, with sometimes talking about how Fibro is part of my life.

So now that I've confused my audience and am not sure I have that many reading anymore despite that the hit counter keeps going up but I so rarely get comments, I can't help but think it's time for an overhaul.

How to go about it though is yet to be determined. If you have any ideas, I'd be happy to hear them.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Hilariousness

Head over to The Other Mama for some funny :)

{This is my new favorite blog. Hillary is such a stinkin' hoot!}


Monday, March 15, 2010

Getting to Know Me

1. What time did you get up this morning? Later than I should have. 7:10.

2. How do you like your steak? Medium well.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The Blind Side. AMAZING!!! Loved it.

4. What is your favorite TV show? I have to pick only one? I can't. Chuck, NCIS, Smallville, NCIS LA, Lost

6. What did you have for breakfast? Luna breakfast bar & banana

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Chinese & Italian

8. What foods do you dislike? Seafood {except fish}, coconut, brussel sprouts, avocado, asparagus, broccoli, liver, anything spicy, most nuts, etc....

9. Favorite Place to Eat? Panda Express, Fazoli's, Olive Garden, Fu Yuan, Mai Thai, Baker's Square

10. Favorite dressing? Ranch or Honey Mustard

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? Hyundai Santa Fe

12. What are your favorite clothes? My new Lee jeans

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Ireland or Hawaii

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? Depends on my mood. Seriously. I can't even decide right now.

15. Where would you want to retire? No idea. Probably stay in IL where family is. If not, most likely would be North Carolina.

16. Favorite time of day? Late afternoon/early evening


{deleted questions 17-21}

22. Bird watcher? Sort of, but not avidly. My Grandma S. was an avid bird-watcher/bird-lover so I often watch the birds and just think of her.

23. Are you a morning person or a night person? definitely night

24. Do you have any pets? No.

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? Not that I know of

26. What did you want to be when you were little? A writer. Ironically now I'm an editor and oversaw copywriting for 4 years at a publishing company. Now I have no desire to be a writer, except through this blog.

27. What is your best childhood memory? Playing with my cousins around the farm... in the woods, in the barns, with the horses or cows, jumping fences, rolling in the hay, etc.

28. Are you a cat or dog person? Growing up: cat person. Now: dog person. Allergies and living in the suburbs changed my mind.

29. Do you like to read? Yes!

30. Always wear your seat belt? Always! And make anyone riding with me wear one too, including my never-wear-my-seltbelt brother!

31. Been in a car accident? Yes, several. One which appears to have caused the Fibro.

32. Any pet peeves? People interrupting me or others when they're talking. People driving on my bumper. Vampires. Certain little things hubster does. Indecisiveness... which ironically is my biggest annoyance about myself. Loud music blared from neighbor's cars while in their driveways in front of their houses and it shakes my house. Smiley, giggley, bouncey people before 9 am.

33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? Sausage & Green Peppers

34. Favorite Flower? White rose

35. Favorite ice cream? Edy's Slow Churned Light Chocolate Fudge Chunk and Ben & Jerry's Light Phish Food

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Does Panera or Jimmy John's count?

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Never

38. From whom did you get your last email? My coworker Kate

39. At which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Probably Target

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Yes

41. Like your job? Yes!

42. Like broccoli? Only in the broccoli cheddar soup at Panera or my mom's corn/broccoli casserole {in both it's diced up small enough or easily enough I can avoid large chunks}

43. What was your favorite vacation? Wow, that is hard to choose!! Top ones: L.A., Nashville, Smoky Mountains, Vermont ski trip

44. Last person you went out to eat with? Tim's sister Kandy. We. laughed. so. hard. I. nearly. choked. several. times. :) :) 

45. What are you listening to right now? My coworker's typing on their keyboards and a few coughs/laughs here and there.

46. What is your favorite color? Purple.

47. How many tattoos do you have? None.

48. Coffee Drinker? No!!

49. Soda Drinker? Yes!!

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Blog Updates Coming Soon

I participated in an incredible 3-hour blogging seminar on Saturday, thanks to the joint efforts by Amy Bayliss and Amy Stults called Split Decisionz. It was phenomenal and I learned a ton... to the point of brain overload, lol!

I am really, really excited about everything I learned. I'm ready to put it all into practice right away. But sadly, that's unrealistic. So in the meantime, I'm working on things behind the scenes to get it to where I want it to be. It could take weeks, I'm not really sure. I'll try to post regularly, but it won't be quite as often since the redesign will be more of a priority.

My ultimate goal is to get things wider, more legible, and easier on the eye. I want you all to keep coming back time and time again! :)

I have a ton of stuff I anxiously want to share with you {yes, even all the way back to Thanksgiving!!}, and am sad I'm getting so behind. Alas, I think I have to scale things back a bit to make it realistic. We'll see.

Thanks for your patience with me as I go under construction behind the scenes. I hope you end up liking what you see!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Story of the Week

Visit MckMama's blog for what I'd like to call the story of the week!!! LOVE IT!!!!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Back to One

After lots of thinking and praying, I've decided to utilize my limited energy & resources back down to just one blog. I apologize to those who enjoyed either of those two blogs. But between lack of interest and my inability to keep up with 3 blogs, I just think it's wise to stick to just this one. Thanks to those of you joining me from any of those others, I really appreciate your continued support.

So... that also means more pictures & more weight loss stories on this blog instead! I originally split them because I didn't want any of those things to take away from anything here. I still hope it doesn't and I'll continue to think and strategize about how exactly I want to proceed. But generally, I'm just giving 100% to this blog, and I'm going to be 100% myself.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Redesign

I think I finally settled on a background. I was attempting to redesign with a brand new template, and get it looking more like a website with different functions... but I had no idea what I was getting into!! It would have worked except it would delete all my widgets on the side (blog rolls, other links, etc) and I just do not have the time or energy for redesigning it.

So, alas, I think I've settled on a new background. The one I had before was having some issues and starting to personally drive me nuts. I'm sorry to those of you who liked it, but it was time for it to go.

I'm continuing to work on some things, like having a designer friend design a new header/photo for me. We'll get there... thanks again for your patience!! :) I appreciate you all so much. Don't go disappearing on me! If you hate the background, tell me, I don't like anyone's eyes to be annoyed. ;)

With all that said, now that it's settled (at least for now), I'll get back to my full Fibro story soon. Blessings to all!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Pardon My Dust

I'm experimenting and changing some things. Thanks for your patience. :)

Monday, May 4, 2009

Not Me Mondays


Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Generally I have not participated in this carnival because it mostly seems like something for mothers. While I am not yet a mother, but deeply desire to be one someday, I still have my own funny stories to tell sometimes. So here goes nothing.

This past week, I most definitely did not step onto a chair on a slick wooden floor with only slick shoes on, try hanging a curtain, and slip so badly on the chair that I fell and bruised my bottom on on the top edge of the chair. No, not me!

And I did not find myself scrolling through MckMama's blog, accidentally click on the icon in my toolbar for "Add to Wish List [Amazon]", suddenly see a picture of her kids pop up, and decided despite the goof to actually go ahead and click Add to Wish List just to see what it would do. And then get a rip-roaring good laugh out of it before finally removing them from my wish list. No, not me!

I did not get upset that our faucet had broken again, begging hubster to fix it, only to realize that what was clanking around in the teapot was an important item that had fallen out of the faucet into the teapot. I did not therefore attempt very hard to fix it myself to cover my mistake only to get water blasted all over me, with a very failed attempt. No, not me!

That's all I've got for my first attempt, but I hope you enjoy it. :)

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Organizing Our Hallway Closet

After getting deeper into the blogosphere earlier this year, I was feeling quite inspired by the organizing whirlwind out there. Everyone seems to be into the organizing spirit.

I love it.

I just don't do it very often because it takes so much work and energy I normally do not have to spare on something like organizing. Years ago before Fibro, loved it. Now I love it in spirit, hate it in body.

So on January 30th, I started a project that took a lot of time and energy, but it was well worth it. A dear friend and coworker, Sherah, took me around to local resale shops, Good Will, and a nifty store around here called Deals. It's all under $5. They had some pretty spiffy storage containers that I fell in love with.


Looking back now, I wish I had done a few things differently... like measure the space, really search for the right containers instead of just grabbing what I thought I liked best because it was the first set I laid eyes on, and colorize.

That's right. I did not measure the space so that I would know how wide the containers should be or how they would fit next to each other [did not work out the way I envisioned]. I did not ever see any anywhere else that I preferred, but I did wonder if I'd looked a little harder, would I have found something I liked better and worked more effectively for my strange space? I did not match colors super well either. {sigh}

But despite my mistakes on it, I'm still super-duper happy with it.

And given that I got sick right in the middle of it, I'd say it's not too shabby that I finally finished it about 3 weeks later in mid-February.

BEFORE: (yes, it's embarrassing....)

You can't tell completely, but this is one funky closet. It goes over our stairs to the basement, so it gets deeper and deeper at each level. It's very oddly designed. There's not a whole lot you can do with it, but I think I did a pretty good job.....

AFTER:

(And yes, now we intentionally buy smaller packages of toilet paper and paper towels.)

Come on, let me hear all the horrahs!!! :)

TA DA!!!! :) I'm happy!! What do you think? It is soooo great to be able to go in, grab a container or an item, and not have to rummage around for forever to find something or ultimately give up trying to find it! [I found a lot of things at the bottom of some layers in here that surprised me! Like, "ohhhh, that's where that was all this time!" Doh!]

And yes, next time I will not buy containers with jagged edges so that my labels actually STICK!

Have you recently organized something and would like to share it with others? Check out the I'm an Organizing Junkie blog, and join in on today's post.

Organizing Blog


HAPPY ORGANIZING!

Friday, April 24, 2009

Fabulous Friday with 8 Things

Happy Friday everyone! Woot!

I get so ridiculously giddy and excited when people tag me on Facebook or blogging. It's like being picked in grade school for teams; there's just something that fills that need to want to be liked. :) Ohhhh it does my ego good.

Whether or not that's a good thing, we won't get into right now. Just let me soak in this enjoyment....

So without further ado, thank you Kayren for tagging me to play '8 Things'! Oh what fun!!!!

Here's how 8 THINGS works:
  1. Mention the person that tagged you.
  2. Complete the lists of 8's.
  3. Tag 8 of your wonderful bloggy friends.
  4. Go tell them you tagged them!

8 THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO:

  1. Spring.
  2. No construction near my house.
  3. Trips to visit my nieces.
  4. Vacation days.
  5. Christmas.
  6. Having a baby... someday, I hope.
  7. Losing lotsa weight.
  8. The birth in Sept of a dear friend's baby who is sorta like a sister in my mind and I literally cannot wait to meet and hold that kid. So exciting. On pins. and needles. Cannot wait. Love. Love. Love sharing the little moments with her. I'm learning so much!

8 THINGS I DID YESTERDAY:

  1. Got ticked at stupid drivers.
  2. Gripped my head in agony as the tingling got to be too much.
  3. Coughed up a lung and blew my brains out (into a kleenex).
  4. Watched the exciting new episode of Smallville. Lois & Clark are getting closer!!
  5. Wished I was playing with my nieces.
  6. Laughed at our neighbor's ridiculously nonstop barking dog.
  7. Pranced around like a little school girl waiting for my husband to get home from work. Then made a kick butt dinner cuz I had some energy... somehow.
  8. Watched all the behind-the-scenes action on Twitter, HearitFirst.com, and CCMmagazine.com for all the latest on the GMA Dove Award happenings (Gospel Music Association). Since we don't get the Gospel Music Channel, we had to find what we could online to appease our curiosity for who won what awards (check your local listings; hopefully they'll air it soon on a regular channel). One of our church worship leaders, and an awesome voice and songwriter Meredith Andrews, was nominated for 2 awards and we got to see all her updates from the audience in the 5th row at the awards. So cool. So happy for her, even though she didn't win, we're so glad she got to go and even be nominated for her amazing You're Not Alone song and praise & worship album The Invitation. You go girl! [On the video for You're Not Alone that I linked to, the song begins at 1:50 into it.]

8 THINGS I WISH I COULD DO:

  1. Travel the world without being afraid of long plane flights.
  2. Sing.
  3. Knit.
  4. Crochet.
  5. Sew well.
  6. Swim. I can fake it/doggy paddle while holding my nose.
  7. Wood carve. Like Grandpa.
  8. Cure Fibromyalgia.

8 SHOWS I WATCH:

  1. Smallville
  2. Chuck
  3. Heroes
  4. NCIS
  5. LOST
  6. Flashpoint
  7. Numbers
  8. The Unit
The above list could pathetically go on quite a bit longer...

8 BLOGGERS TAGGED:

  1. Mique at 30 Days
  2. Monica at Bolsa Chica
  3. Georgia at It's Just How I See Things
  4. Sherah at Sherah G Photography
  5. Erin at Future of Hope
  6. Mary at Giving Up on Perfect
  7. Em at Life, Liberty and the Pursuit
  8. Katie at Belles Lettres Designs
I decided to spare my other chronic pain/Fibro friends because I know how chronic illness can wreck havoc on your lives, and I didn't want anyone to feel forced to do it with what little energy they might be having. However... Melody, Deby, Vikki G, K8, Sherrie, Amy, Sarakastic, Shelley K, KimberlyLB, and anyone else I might be forgetting by accident... feel free to participate if you want and have the energy to!!!! Just be sure to link back here and also leave a comment letting me (and others) know that you played along. Thanks! But no pressure!

Now I'm off to tell everyone they've been tagged. Let me know if you decide to play along. :) (And just tell me if you're annoyed by it and have already been tagged.) Have fun!!

AND HAPPY FABULOUS FRIDAY!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Pain Study & Chance to Win

I've heard recently about a sleep study that is very interesting, and I thought I'd go ahead and share it with all of you in case you're interested too.

A very nice lady who represents Select Comfort (maker of the Sleep Number bed) read my blog and contacted me with this information. Here's part of what she said:

"The study, conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital by Harvard researchers, shows how the right mattress can significantly reduce back and neck aches as well as morning soreness, stiffness, and pain in addition to many other quality of life measures that often suffer as a result of poor sleep. For example, intimacy with your partner, food cravings, mood, etc."

To read about this study, click here.

Pete Bils, a prominent sleep researcher, was recently interviewed on the nationally syndicated TV show, THE DOCTORS, where he talked about how mattress pressure points increase aches and pains.

I realize most of us know that our mattress isn't always ideal, but often we just can't afford to do anything about it. It's that fine line between literally paying for it with pain but feeling like you really can't pay that kind of money or deciding that it just really needs to be part of the budget because you're hurting too much.

We personally want to find the ideal mattress for us, but it's such a tricky thing and you don't want to make the wrong choice. It's so awkward to lay on mattresses in stores and try to get a really good feeling for a mattress. I think our last choice was just word of mount, laying on it quickly, and just rushing through it to have something at least better than what we had. Now with the Fibro, I feel firmly that we need to make sure we make the right decision. To read my discussion with Peter on his mattress blog, click here.

We were just finally able to pay off my car loan, which is a huge step for us! We're hoping and praying that maybe it could last at least another year so we don't have to foot the bill for another car, and we can concentrate on saving for other things, such as a new mattress. We'll see....

So with that said, you have a special chance to register to win a free Sleep Number bed!

After you register, here's what you do:

1) For those of you I know who don't have blogs, please leave a comment with why you'd like to win a Sleep Number bed, what you've heard about them, and what your top 5 favorite restaurants are. If you don't have a google account, you can leave a comment as "Anonymous" but then be sure to include your name and email address within the text of your comment (if you are a personal friend/family and I have your email, then you don't have to include that).

2) For those of you with blogs, please write about this pain study, the chance to win a Sleep Number bed (by April 2nd only, otherwise ignore this step), what you like about or don't like about Sleep Number beds, any thoughts you have about pain issues/Fibromyalgia/other chronic illnesses and how it relates to your sleep, and what your top 5 favorite restaurants are.

By registering to win and doing one of the above two steps, you will be signed up to win a $25 gift card from me to one of your top 5 restaurants! [Okay, so I know this isn't much perhaps compared to some of those other contests/giveaways out there, but it's about all I can do.] :)

This opportunity to win a Sleep Number bed ends tomorrow, April 2nd, so get on over there and submit your name right away! This is all a part of celebrating sleep awareness in the month of March [okay, so I'm a little behind... but who else can believe it's really April now?!?!?!?].

My part of the contest ends at midnight, Saturday, April 4th, Central Time.

For those of you writing about this on your blog, in Mr. Linky below, you must include your permalink to this topic on your blog, not your blog homepage. That way anyone reading this in a couple of months could still be able to find your direct page with this topic. [Please note: this is my first time using Mr. Linky so I have no idea how this will work. If you have any problems with it, let me know, and instead just post a comment with your permalink included. Also Mr. Linky is saying you're participating in something called "Wordless Wednesday" which you aren't doing, but I'm having trouble changing it. Please ignore and forgive these issues! Thanks!! :)]

Click below now to register for your chance to win a Sleep Number bed! Be sure to do so by tomorrow (April 2nd)!!

Thanks for participating!

Must Have Sleep Contest



Sunday, March 29, 2009

Re-Evaluating & New Blog

I've been re-evaluating some things this weekend... thinking through what I do on my blogs and how much time I spend on them.

Despite the extra work it took initially, I've decided to create another blog for my photography attempts. I'm not pretending to be anywhere near professional or even amateur. I'm completely a beginner, just wanting to share my new love of photography through God's wonderful creation and all its beauty.

I am excited about this blog and its potential. It will also free up space on this blog. I will even post my personal pictures on this other blog (with links and alerts here), allowing more freedom to keep this blog dedicated to more details about Fibromyalgia and me personally. The only things I think I will continue to keep here are "Things I Like Tuesdays" and "Fabulous Fridays". They allow this blog to help me shed light on Fibro while also keeping a positive spin. I will also likely keep any pictures here of things specifically related to Fibro. I'm not sure how this is all going to play out, and there will likely be adjustments along the way... but for now at least, I'm very excited about this new adventure!

Now that I finally have it set up, please go check it out here: Creation's Beauty. And be sure to let me know what you think! :) Thanks!!

Monday, February 23, 2009

Changing my Blogrolls

I've changed all of my blogrolls on the right-hand side in hopes that it will be even more helpful now. I've put them into categories instead of "my favorites" or "recently encountered". Since the latter one was becoming so lengthy as I explored more and more of the blog world, I decided that separating them would be best. I wasn't quite sure about some of them, but hopefully you'll find it very helpful as you also explore the blog world.

Hopefully I chose correctly, but if one of these blogs is yours and you prefer to be listed in a different category, please let me know. I did the best with the information I had at the time.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Mine was terrible, quite frankly, with excruciating and intense pain the whole weekend through, so nothing of what I wanted to get done got done. But that's the way it goes sometimes and we just have to roll with the punches. I have a chiropractor appt tonight for immune system support help, and I'm really glad because now I need him to work on my back too! I don't know what I did, but youch... it really, really, really hurts. I'll keep you posted.....

Friday, January 23, 2009

I'm an Addict

Hello, my name is Rochelle and I'm addicted to...

...blogging!

I CANNOT GET ENOUGH!

This is getting a bit ridiculous.

But I love it. I love meeting new people. I love networking. I love, love, love learning new ideas, new ways of thinking about stuff, seeing things through other people's eyes, getting links to stuff I'd never even thought about looking up but that I love, seeing all different kinds of crafts, finding things that I love and connecting with those people that love those same things, I love getting more connected with family and friends, and I love being able to communicate with others in this amazing way--whether about God/Jesus, fibro, my daily life stuff, pictures, or whatever--this is a journey I want to continue.

Wow.

Whoda thunk? I resisted it at first, but now I've slid right into the abyss of the blogosphere.

I don't want it to be number 1, 2, 3, or 4 priority... but I want to be able to effectively communicate and network with others in this world who I wouldn't have been able to even know 15-20 years ago.

But I'm re-evaluating how high of a priority this has crept up to in my life. I'm re-thinking how personal and open I want to be on this blog, because there are quite frankly a lot of weirdos and creeps out there... who do not have our best at heart. Their intentions are to pull us down, freak us out, and scam us or hurt us if possible. I don't want to become so well known on this Internet that my life becomes an open book and I put me and my loved ones at risk. I haven't actually come across this yet personally, but I think one must always be aware and cautious.

I had a fellow blogger recently ask me which town I live in because she once lived in the Chicagoland area. I adore her blogs and am fairly confident it would be totally okay to tell her that info. However, I'm not at that place where I'm just up and ready to trust everyone. I've been hurt a lot in my life, and I tend to be a little too open. Since I've heard a lot of bad stories about finding the wrong people on the Internet, I want to be careful. But I also don't want to push away the trustworthy, nice people who ARE honest and wouldn't hurt me. I guess I just need some time to figure that out. So if it's all the same to you all... no offense... but I'm not ready to get down to specifics such as that quite yet. Even though it would connect us, and it helps for networking, I just don't think I'm ready to go down that road right now.

How do you all handle it?

Yes, I love reading other blogs, linking them from my site (scroll down to the right), starting to follow some of what they do and how I want to change my blog, and writing/sharing with you my own thoughts and feelings. But I am rethinking exactly what I want this blog to be about and how much I share. Thanks for your patience as I try to find my niche and how much to say!

I have to admit... it's pretty sad when you're sitting in a convenient care center, praying for your husband who isn't well, getting lots of tests, and you're thinking in the back of your mind...

"I wish I could be blogging about this right now."

Monday, January 19, 2009

I love, love, love event planning...

...but it doesn't always love me.

Before fibro, I loved event planning immensely. Helping people on a special day means a lot to me. But now, it's a bit more difficult and sometimes so incredibly painful that the planning becomes almost impossible. I haven't quite figured out a way around this, except to just slowly back away from doing as much event planning as I did previously.

That makes me sad, but I'm not sure how else to handle it for now. The hardest is wedding planning on the day of the actual wedding. I haven't done one since I have fibro, and since I know that even without it, it was utterly exhausting, I doubt I'd be able to handle it as well. But I hope to give it a try someday, and be successful at it.

With that said... I'm so excited to share with you a website called Moments of Elegance. I found it through one of my favorite new blogs 30 Days Homemade.

Please go check out both sites! They have phenomenal stuff, and I'm really excited about it... I hope you are too. And especially if you're planning an upcoming event, definitely check out Moments of Elegance!!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Writer's Workshop Assignment

As mentioned earlier, I'm doing an writer's workshop assignment from Mama's Losin' It. I think this is another great way to focus on important or funny things in life. In this particular case, I chose the prompt: describe your significant other's most attractive inner quality. I'm having a tough time narrowing it down to just one thing. He's sooo great. But... here goes....

My husband, Tim, has many wonderful qualitites. But one in particular that stands out is his graciousness. He is so incredibly gracious, and even when I often least deserve it. I know he cares for me a great deal, and he does so many things for me it's amazing. He's such an active, caring, giving husband. I know I can rely on him to help me when I'm sick, when I have a bad fibro flare-up day, or even if I'm just incredibly tired and need a hand. Tim graciously forgives me on days when I'm grumpy or I've hit the end of my rope (which comes increasingly faster with fibro). When I need something picked up from the store on the way home, he does it. When I need someone to carry a basket of clothes down to the laundry room, he does it. When I'm super exhausted from a long day, he's willing to cook or help me cook dinner. I try really hard not to take advantage of my husband's gracious serving. I never want him to feel used or like I'm just doing it to do it. But I truly love that he's so gracious. He's so kind. He's so willing to serve me and love on me. He never asks for anything in return.

And on with the good stuff, I must continue.... He knows how to be romantic (er, sometimes) and he's incredibly funny and witty. Sometimes if I'm grumpy, I'll refuse to laugh at his jokes because I want him to have a serious conversation with me once in a while... but even with my meger attempts to blow off his humor, inside I have to admit to often laughing but not letting on. I just try to get across the point that serious conversations have to be had sometimes, ya know? He so lovingly tries to make me laugh. I really need to relax more and laugh more, huh? Well, thank you babe, for graciously continuing to egg me on and get me to crack up. I just love his sense of humor and relaxed attitude. He helps get me through so much. I tend to get easily riled up or anxious or stressed... he generally does not. He knows just what to do if I have a panic attack. He is the leader of our home; I appreciate the opportunity to be his helpmate. He is the lover of my soul and the second most important thing in my life (next to God).

Back to the romantic side of him... it pops up probably less than I would like, but more than I know many of my friends get in their marriages. So I'm very happy with what Tim does for me. Last Valentine's Day (or anniversary?) he got me these really pretty fake roses they now grace our dining room table. They keep a LOT longer than the real ones ;) and don't take nearly as much care. I do miss once in a while getting the real ones, but the fake ones are great. They're gorgeous, huh? Okay... pretend not to see the messy table beneath 'em....


Despite our differences... I love my husband very deeply, so whenever I do have the energy I try hard to do whatever I can to serve him. Because he certainly deserves the best.

Tim, I love you with all my heart, and I thank you deeply for being incredibly gracious. You are the BEST! Forever and ever baby, "til one of us is dead!"*



*one of our favorite funny lines from a former TV show A Guy, a Girl, and a Pizza Place (later they shortened it to just A Guy and a Girl (the girl is the same lady who now plays Mr. Monk's assistant on Monk and one of the two guys is on Lifetime's Rita Rocks (not sure where the other guy is now)

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

New Year's

It is really hard for me to comprehend that 2008 is already just hours away from being over.

Not only am I in a bit of denial, but I’m also out of it from being so sick. So earlier this afternoon when Tim was working on a project to transfer our 2008 pictures off the laptop and onto DVD-R’s, I indicated that I was frustrated not to be able to access the pictures faster and that I wanted him to wait at least until 2008 was over. Just as it came out of my mouth I realized that’s today!! Derf. After that we also had this conversation as we returned from the grocery store:

Tim: "Oh sounds like the recycling is being picked up."

Me: "Yep, oh I bet the mail has come too."

Tim: "Yeahhhh..." as we both notice the mail in my hands as I say that.

Double derf. I think you know you're sick when you have this much of a non-functioning brain! ;)

As I sit here reflecting on 2008, I have to admit it’s a bit of a blur. I still don’t even feel like it should be over. It was a whirlwind of mourning deaths; celebrating newborn life, marriages, and special anniversaries; fears over some sad diagnoses; spending lots of time with family; concerns over the slumping economy; and growing new & deeper friendships.

As I’ve been reflecting on the past couple of weeks, I’ve been thinking of some things that have special meaning to me . . . .

I love New Year's. Growing up we had a tradition of going over to my aunt's house (just a few minutes away down the same country road I grew up on), eating, laughing, and playing Charades. It was a tradition and it was so much fun! No one was ever too busy for it... we always gathered that night at my aunt's, no matter what (and that’s back when most of us lived within just miles of each other). Now everyone is too busy, too far away, or I manage to get sick at this time and can't have anyone over or go anywhere else. It makes me sad. I love New Year's and all the glee, celebration (the non-drinking kind), and joy that comes with it. I love counting down to midnight and then kissing my husband! :) I remember the first New Year's when we were together and going to be able to kiss each other at midnight... he was so excited. Now he forgets and I have to make him remember. Ha ha! ;) So tonight we are having a slow and quiet evening at home, watching movies, reflecting on the year, and me trying not to cough up my lungs. Goodness… I hope I get better soon. I’ve tried a bunch of OTC meds, so far the best seems to be Mucinex. It’s a 12 hour pill so I love that I’m not popping pills all day or drinking yucky cough syrup. The bummer is that it seems to only work for about 8-9 hours because the past few hours it’s been steadily worsening. But in 4 minutes I get to take my next dose – yeah!

I like spending time on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day filling in my new calendar for the next year. I spend time reflecting on the past year as I go, and writing in dates I'd like to remember happened the year before in the new calendar. I love writing special things in my calendar as they year goes along so I can “celebrate” all of life’s little things that happen that we’d otherwise forget.

I love the excitement and anticipation that comes with new jobs. My brother just accepted a senior pastor position in the town we grew up in. I'm so excited for them, it's almost as if I'm experiencing it myself! I just cannot help but be filled with glee. Of course, it means getting to see my wonderful nieces more often with the convenience of them living in a town that has Amtrak!! (So that when hubster doesn't feel like traveling, I can get down there myself since I don't drive long distances by myself.) Yeehaw! I am very much looking forward to more train travel in 2009.

I love my coworkers. We have our ups and downs, but generally speaking I just love the people I work with. And I dearly miss some that I have lost and have moved on (happy for them, sad for myself...). I treasure those who have kept in touch and deeply appreciate our continued friendships. I write this on the last day we lost a deeply treasured friend, Michele. We have so much in common and are yet quite different. I've really enjoyed our times together, getting to know you better, and learning from your strong faith and wisdom. You are a treasure, Michele. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You will be deeply missed at work, but we are happy for you and this next step in your life... wherever you may go we know you will keep trusting the Lord for your needs and he will provide. I will always cherish our times together and our good conversations. Then of course there’s Bob, Stephen, Jon, Debby, and I’m sure there’s been some more. I will miss everyone we lost this year, but I also am happy for them and the next steps in their lives. God bless you one and all!


Michele & I in 2007 when one of our other beloved coworkers, Georgia, departed.

I appreciate the team of doctors, chiropractors, nurses, and my rheumatologist who have at least attempted to help me throughout this year on my quest to learn more about Fibromyalgia and get an official diagnosis. Despite my initial fear, I’m very thankful to have this diagnosis and am trying to learn what that means for me each new day.

You know, I started this blog as a way to get the word out about Fibro. I’m not entirely sure that I’ve done that all too well. Along the way I’ve read more blogs, tried new things, shared more of my life with you, and tried to figure out exactly what to make my blog. I know it’s become quite a mix of things, but I’ve decided I need it to be that way. If all I did was concentrate on sharing my Fibro struggles, this blog would just become a way to complain and vent about my life while I strive to also find the positives in it. I don’t want to be such a horrible downer. So, I hope you don’t mind that instead this has become simply an outlet for me to share my entire life… fibro, ups and downs of general life, quirky things about me, Things I Like Tuesdays, personal pictures, etc etc. It’s been great for me to be able to use this for more than just talking about Fibro, which can get depressing. I’ve considered separating this into various blogs instead of just the one, but quite frankly that just takes too much work for me. ;)

So in 2009 the only additional blog that I anticipate at this point, is my new weight loss blog. Click here to see it now. I hope to do more with it soon (like add an RSS feed, etc), but for now it’s just to share my story about weight loss in 2009 and hopefully give me some needed accountability.

Thank you so much to all of you who read my blog, follow it, comment on it, and just peak in once in a while. I appreciate you all so much. I’ve learned a lot from you, and I hope you have from me as well.

I’m not big on New Year’s Resolutions, but I do think it’s fun to keep in mind the things that I would like to make better in the next year. It helps give us some things to think about and work on. So in that regard, for 2009 I hope:

- to read through the Old Testament in a year (because it’s the Study Bible and I want to take time to read the introductions and other information in there) and to be in a Bible study to strengthen my walk with Christ

- to lose 100 pounds and to get myself healthier so that we can start trying to have a baby in 2010 (our 10 yr anniversary in June)

- to work hard with my chiropractor to try to better my fibro so that the end of 2009 looks much brighter than ending 2008 feels

- to stop eating out so much and save more money

- to better myself as a wife and helpmate to my amazing husband

- to stop hair-pulling so that my eyelashes have a chance to grow back in full (something I have not yet talked about on here is my hair-pulling disorder, Trichotillomania, which is a problem I’ve had since about 4th grade, but we’ll talk about that more later... it's very embarrassing...)

That’s a lot of stuff, but I’m determined to do them this year, to the best of my ability! I’m tired of year after year not making the changes I want to make at all, and I know the only one who can change it is ME. And it’s time for a change.

I hope you’re able to take some time out tonight to reflect on 2008 for you and yours, and consider some things you want to change in 2009. Tim & I wish you and yours a very Happy New Year!!