6 hours in the Seattle Airport

My trip to California was quick. 

I don't think I would have minded just one more day to wander in the sunshine and soak up the humid 70 degree weather. I am so in love with the 7:00 hour there. The smell, the sounds, the warmth. 

I happened to be in the same place that my family was stranded in almost 1 year ago as we attempted to fly home on Air Force planes...and failed. Remember this post? Ah, it was a two part post, 

so here is the other one.

The memories from that adventure made my lonely presence bittersweet. 

Truly, I only had 1 day to spend in CA. The other days were spent traveling. 

While on my way  home my connecting flight was delayed 6 hours. 

Ugh. 

Though I must say, of all airports to be stranded in, Seattle's is quite nice. This is how I spent my time:

I bought lip gloss and face shimmer. 

I got a pedicure here:

I desperately wanted to go here:

But my arms were screaming from the vaccinations I received the day before so I opted out. 

*frowny face*

I did some shopping in an eclectic little shop where I spied this book:

I may or may not have opened this up while I thought no one was looking. Just one flash might have made me blush upon which I would quickly put it back in it's place. 

I am the type of person where good food can take me from a bad place to a warm spring day where birds are chirping and angels are singing in the heavens. Sound dramatic? 

What can I say, I'm very dramatic when it comes to food. 

Dear Wolfgang Puck:

This little eatery made my experience in the Seattle Airport a wonderful spring day in which angels were singing. At least in the hour I slowly enjoyed every morsel of your butternut squash soup and BBQ chicken salad. Thank you. 

And lastly I spent my time reading this book:

I'm not finished yet, as my new medication gives me headaches and makes it hard for me to focus. I am 3/4 of the way done and have enjoyed the read. It's easy to understand and paints a realistic picture of the Renaissance time period, a time I've always been fascinated with, but am so grateful not to be a part of. 

My date with a rheumatologist

Because I know you are all on the edge of your seats I'm going to tell you about my doctor appointment today. 

It was 70 degrees here. 

When I woke up this morning I felt good. 

No aches. 

"Ay crap." I think to myself . She's going to push my joints and they'll be just fine. 

Then she'll tell me I'm a nut job and send me home. 

This was not the case. We talked for a long time about my "history". 

She said it was okay that I felt good today. She said that it is common for people traveling down from the cold arctic (Alaska) say they feel better here in sunny California. 

My doctor came to the conclusion that I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. 

I don't know whether to feel relieved or depressed. I should feel some relief to be able to move forward and treat the problem. But I still feel like we're missing something. It could be denial, I'm sure that's part of the process, but these are serious drugs I'll be taking. As a precaution I was given all sorts of vaccines today to help prepare my body for when I'll be taking immune suppressants.  My arm hurts. 

I really appreciate all of your love and support. All of you who have commented, prayed, asked my husband questions, sent emails, texts, or phone calls have TRULY made this process easy for me. I am so blessed. 

Now, just a small favor, will you all just say a quick prayer in my behalf that my hands will never look like this: 

Wish me luck

I apologize for being a bad blogger.

No excuses!

I'm flying on an airplane tomorrow.

ALONE.

It's been so long since I've flown without kids, I may actually not mind the process.

It's 65 degrees in Sacramento.

I can feel my body relaxing already.

I'm off to CA for a special dr. appointment.

I'm SUPER nervous about my dr. appointment.

Are they going to poke me with needles?

Are they going to tell me I'm a psycho path?

Are they going to tell me I have a horrible disease I have to deal with for the rest of my life?

Will the dr. mind if I cry on his/her shoulder before they walk out of the room?

What can you do?

Suck it up and deal with it.

So I will.

Hopefully I'll have answers.

Likely not.

At least I'll have The Bachelor to keep me company in my hotel room Monday evening.

True Colors

From about December 20th, until around January 21st I was stuck.

Stuck in a dark, achey, world.

I feel better this week. Not great, but better.

It's been quite some time since I've done anything to really take care of my physical appearance.

I've been craving a change in the hair department. Yet, I know that I really want my hair looooong.

So, I reached for the box of hair dye.

I always stay in the "red" family. I don't want to go all crazy and end up with purple hair (this may have happened once).

I just need a little "umph".

Thank you Garnier.

It's deep(er), rich(er), soft, lucious, and shiney.

As you can see I also need a little "umph" in the makeup department. (I'm in a serious rut)

A little shopping spree to the Nordstroms makeup counter should do the trick.

Then all I'll need is a magic cure for whatever disease I have yet to be diagnosed with. 

I only wish Garnier could help in that department as well.

Here's just a quick tour of my V-day decor. 

I really don't have much, and part of me wants to go crazy and spruce everything up. 

Yet, most of me just wants to feel clean and uncluttered. 

So here you go, a minimelist V-day look, I suppose. 

I must say, I have warm fuzzy feelings for my doilie garland. 

Dandee Designs did one last year and it never left my heart. 

Speaking of V-day;

This is my friend Abbi:

Such a cutie, right?

Our husbands went to law school together, we connected on so many levels. 

So, she is also AMAZING. 

She also happens to have an Etsy shoppe where you can find all sorts of wood-worked goodness like this:

You should go check her shoppe out, really!

And just on a side note:

My son, who is 2, still thinks he is invisible when his "magic" blankie is covering his head. 

Our nightly ritual has been to laugh as we watch him quietly inch his way out of his room and down the hallway with his blankie overhead. And we continue to pick him up and carry him to his bed. I should just take his blankie away, or do something mean to teach him it's not okay to come out of his bed. But I can't help it. He's just SO dang cute!

I have the world's 

AWESOMEST

friends!! 

For real. Why am I so lucky to have the friends I do?

 I can think of you all individually and get teary eyed because I love you so much. 

Today I am missing my sweet Trina. 

She is like my soul mate in female form. 

(next to Scott, of course. My soul mate in male form)

Hello HOT pregnant lady!! 

She can do ANYTHING! She can sew, she makes jewelry, she's the best cook, and she's so fashionable. 

You should go check out her ETSY shoppe Little Miss Priss. 

Truly, I adore her key chains! You may have seen me sportin' one. 

And then there's this lady:

Are you passing out from gorgeousness? 

I do. 

Every time I see her. 

She ALSO can do ANYTHING! 

For real people! It kills me. It's exhausting having such talented amigos! 

So, you should also go check out her ETSY shoppe Hush Blush: 

She makes all these GORGEOUS headbands (or you can have them put on clips for more versitality). 

She's got stuff for little girls too! 

You KNOW you want to go check these places out. 

So go...NOW!!

Hot water to snow

When I woke up this morning I could feel the ache in my bones. 

I'm still getting used to waking up all achy, but today was worse than usual. 

Then I headed to my kitchen where my trusty thermometer gave me an explanation: 

Yikes! 

Scott had heard a rumor that, if it's cold enough, when you throw a cup of water into the air it will instantly turn to snow. This morning was the perfect time to test out this theory. 

I was too busy reading this article (awesome) to help him out so he turned to 

Gracie to help him record the experiment. 

How stinkin' cute is my Gracie?? She may have a future in broadcasting. 

Just to brag a bit more about her, this Friday she recieved two awards at her school. 

One for being on the high honor roll and the other for citizenship for the quarter. 

Heartbreakingly I had, yet another, doctor appointment that I had to be to. I would have rescheduled, but had to wait long enough for this one and felt I couldn't wait any longer. 

Thanks to Melinda for taking pictures!

Giving in.

I had a rather traumatic experience today. 

I've never passed out before. 

Until today. 

Due to some needed tests I was summoned to the lab to have some blood drawn. 

I had no idea I should have been prepared to donate half my bodies supply. 

As I sat down in the chair the lobotomist pointed to the row of tubes and said,

"We've got to do a lot right now, are you up for this?"

"Oh, sure." I said, "2 weeks ago they did this much too and I was fine."

So, we proceeded with this fine experience. About half way through I started to feel real queasy. 

"Whoa, I don't feel so good."

"You'll be fine. How many kids do you have?"

"Um, no I really don't feel so good."

"Okay, "so and so" will go get you some water, would you like a cup of water?"

"Yeah"

A few seconds later a nurse walks in with a cup of water that  I take a sip of but instantly feel like throwing it up. 

Suddenly the cup is no longer in my hand and splashing all over the floor. 

"We've only got two more left, hang in with me!" I hear in an echoing voice. 

I'm a fighter. I did NOT want to go down. Passing out is scary! I was breathing, counting, forcing my eyes open. All I could say is, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

I'm sweaty. I can tell my eyes are open but I can't see anything. 

"You're done!" sounds like she's yelling from a mile away.
A sigh of relief comes over me, then...
blackness.
This is not as scary as I thought. For the moment I feel complete relief.
Sleep.

I open my eyes to find several people standing over me. I'm still in the chair, being held up by other's supporting me (pinning me, really) to the wall.

I want to go back.
I'll just close my eyes again. Just for a minute; when an ice pack is nestled in the back of my neck. My lobotomist is close to my face now.
"Keep your eyes open. Look in my eyes, I need to know that you can hear me."
So, reluctantly, I obey and I realize that I'm having an acid trip.
The colors are so bright. Everything is blurry.
My legs are numb! I've had an epidural!
Oh wait, my arms are numb too.
Holy cow, if someone were to let go of me right now I would slither down to the floor and no matter what kind of brain power I put into it I would not stay erect.

Several moments later the doctor decides that I'm not going to get better unless they get me to a bed.
"Who are the two biggest guys here?"
Ugh, I know! I'm so sorry! I'm not petite and lightweight. This next step would be so much easier if I were!

2 men pick me up and carry me to a bed where I lay for who knows how long until I can feel my feet again and now I only feel nauseous. I can also see again although I question it by the horrid pale yellow that has become my hands.

As I get stronger I admit that I hadn't really eaten a good breakfast because I had a tooth worked on yesterday and it hurts to chew. So, they escort me down to the cafeteria and the nice doctor buys me soup.

As I soaked in a hot bath this evening and replayed the events in my head I had a spiritual learning moment.
There are moments in our life when God wants to take us somewhere, teach us something, guide us to a better place. Sometimes, especially when we don't understand what's happening it will seem scary.
If you're like me, you fight. Push the process away. Hold on to what you know.
But as I learned today, whether you fight or not makes no difference. You will still end up where God wants you to be, you just may have drawn out the process longer than necessary.
When you do arrive at this point, you'll realize that it is wonderful. You'll wonder why you ever fought in the first place. I can see this process happening to me right now in my life. I decided that I would just give up the fight. Hand it over to God and let Him take me and teach me what He may.
Easier said than done. But recognition is the first step. 

Last post about Fairbanks

Just for the sake of not being a quitter let's have a final post about our trip to Fairbanks.

It was cold. 

The End. 

Okay, before "The End", Scott thought it would be cool to drive out to see the Alaskan Pipeline. 

I thought it would not be cool. 

So he went by himself at 6 AM, while the rest of us slept. 

Aren't I the BEST wife?

Probably not, but I'm glad he got a picture. 

Our drive back to Anchorage was eventful and complete eye candy. 

We happened upon this lovely (and wild) herd of caribou just outside of Denali National Park:

It was just a gorgeous day filled with breathtaking views:

And to top it all off the majesty herself made an appearance. 

Denali:

(or Mt. Mckinley as all of you "none" Alaskans would say)

No where I ever live will be as beautiful as this place. 

I feel so grateful to be here now. At this moment. In my home. With my fighting children. 

Because let's face it, no matter where we are they will always be fighting so it may as well be beautiful outside. 

A binki, a boy, and hotel room decor.

There was more than just having fun for us when we went to Fairbanks/North Pole/Santa's house. 

I love staying in hotels.

Love it. 

So do my kids. 

However, Henry only likes them until he realizes he's so confined inside the room. 

But seriously, just look at this picture: 

Oh, my body is aching to climb inside that bed with my 3 charmers and watch a great Disney movie!

Don't you want to too?

I know. 

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh......

*okay, I slapped myself back into reality*

So, in said hotel room was this cool vase:

I promise I'm going somewhere with this. 

Contrary to this picture's visual, there is a shelf that extends over the opening of this vase. 

(about a 3 inch gap)

The vase is cemented into the cabinet. 

Now, I understand that this picture looks like an inanimate object at the bottom of someones uvula,
 but that is, in fact, Henry's precious binki at the bottom of said vase. 

(picture taken with my phone slid over the opening of the vase)

Like any other good mom out there I only brought 1 binki. 

For about 20 good minutes Scott and I debated about whether one of us should run to the nearest market to buy a new one. 

The fact that it was -20 outside, that it was so cold that we had to plug and unplug our car every time we turned it off, and that we were lazy brought us to the conclusion that we should roll with it and cut Henry off of this thing cold turkey. 

It worked!!

I'm proud to say that we have now been binki free for 4 weeks!

So glad we didn't have to rely on therapy for this one. 

Happy Music

I am not much in the mood for blogging. 

I know. 

What has happened to you Chablis??

Still, I feel a deep need to connect to you, my dears. 

But I don't want to tell you a story. 

So, I'll just share with you my favorite music of the moment:

I am in love with this album! 

It's happy. 

And heaven knows I need all the external lifts I can get these days. 

You can check Miss Jess Penner out HERE.

Or go download on itunes. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Repaired.

Whoa.

 I hate computer problems. 

Love my computer. 

Hate when it gets all uptight. 

Love family who can help us fix our computer over the phone even more! 

(Thanks Randall!!)

So, let's do some catch up of our New Years weekend. 

The girls enjoyed a slumber party in their girly camo tent until they wouldn't go to sleep and we made them get  in their own beds. (we're so mean)

Henry discovered his secret hut the next morning and thought he could get away with this:

Then we headed to Downtown Anchorage to play in Town Square. 

An ice maze. Scott and I were majorly disappointed to find the maze so small. 

Why can't they make "corn maize" sized ice mazes?

We admired the ice sculptures.

And we went to our awesome friends house to eat, play and watch fireworks!

(Bobbi, Robyn, and babies)

(Heather and Caiden)

Now, I'm so grateful for cool friends who spend practically Scott's entire months salary on amazing fireworks and share the show with us. 

Seriously, this was Stadium of Fire worthy!

As the temperatures warmed up through the weekend the snow became perfect snowman snow!

Scott and the kids made a snowman portrait of our family. 

Henry:

Gracie and Lydia

(holding hands)

The Mr. and the Mrs. 

(he has his arm around me. *smile*)

And if you can spot little Zeus, then you win the game. 

Thanks for visiting the Adams family!

Come back soon!