Verse of the week

" Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.....................Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth."    Hosea 6:1,3

Verse of the week

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.  Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.  The Lord lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground."   Psalms 147:3-6

Finally Getting Hydrated

I'm so happy with the outcome of the hydration therapy.  Can't believe how good I'm actually feeling!

SOME OF THE PROS:
-more energy
-can do school with less trouble
-tons more strength and energy with working out
-less nausea, lightheaded ect.

After going without an IV saline for four days, it took the nurse ten minutes and two pokes to find a vein.  I was so dehydrated that my veins had retracted significantly! 

I still have moments of feeling really bad but they are less frequent and I can usually take care of it with fluid, salt ect. 

Biking-good or bad for hip chicks.

Hm. Well, to answer that question........it's NO.  I tried several times but it just doesn't go over very well with my shallow hip sockets.  As my physical therapist said, walking is good for my hips but bad for my back and knees.  Biking on the other hand is bad for my hips and good for my knees and back.  So for now, until my hips are fixed I guess its time to put the bike away.  There's always another time.

While I'm at it, I might as well throw in the latest on my dear old friend....POTS!  This past week I have done two days of hydration therapy.  1.5L of fluid by IV, here at home.  If it continues to improve and really help me, there will be a discussion with my doc about putting in a port. One more week of treatment and then we will see him about what to do next.

Introducing........

Clarabelle's great grandniece's 3rd cousin twice removed 
acrylic on canvas

Verse of the week

"For I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content."  Philippians 4:11

blogging trouble

I'm having a lot of blogging trouble lately.  So sorry for the changes going on.  has anyone else been having trouble with blogspot?

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm Thankful for:

-A great God

-A wonderful family

-chats on the phone with my big brother

-Chocolate

-A really good Physical Therapist

-the ocean and waves
-Sunny days
-Clear night skies filled with stars
-A God who we can trust and depend on

-colorful flowers

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Ramblings from my lastest art class: acrylic painting

acrylic painting of a cardinal

Island ducks have right of way

Verse of the week

"For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard."   Isaiah 52:12

Randomness

Between doctor appointments, school, bouts of feel pretty disgusting, ect, ect, ect, this is what I've been up to lately :-D

'Blue Berries' (watercolor)

'Green Waves' (watercolor) used a photo from a surf magazine as a reference. I've never painted waves before and it was kind of a challenge but I like the way it turned out!

This is what you could call a hand me down. With two older brothers, its quite common, especially when it comes to school books.  Like my poor physics book.  Its hanging on by tape!!! But this one you can't beat! I got my brother bike! With a little good bit of cleaning and a few touch ups, I'll be gone..................riding!!!! That is.......I've got to check first with my physical therapist if I can actually ride it.  I'm not saying I don't know how to ride a bike but with hip dysplasia, its another story. Well, we will see.  Hopefully he'll say its ok! If not, there's always after surgery :-D

GO VOTE, AMERICA!!!!!

Verse of the week

"For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver; the Lord is our king; he will save us."  Isaiah 33:22

I thout I saw a thweety bird, I did! I did see a thweety bird

 We got to see a Pileated Woodpecker flying around our house today!  They are so cool :-) Their call on audio: birdjam.com

It was sort of hard to get a good picture with him being almost camouflaged in the dog wood!

I NEED some serious funnies today............its medicine for the soul

From the Deep Thinkers Society Joke Book:


-If you scare yourself half to death twice, does that mean you're dead? 


-If you run behind a car, do you get exhausted?

Verse of the week

"I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it."     Isaiah 46:11

Verse of the week

"For God is not a God of confusion but of peace."     I Corinthians 15:37

Verse of the week

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."    Matthew 11:28

From the General himself

On May 2, 1863, General Thomas Jackson (nicknamed Stonewall) of the Confederate Army, was visited by Chaplain Lacy after losing his arm from a bullet wound accidentally shot by one of his own men.

You see me severely wounded but not depressed.....I am sure that my Heavenly Father designs this affliction for my good.  I am perfectly satisfied, that either in this life, or in that which is to come, I shall discover that what is now regarded as a calamity, is a blessing.....If it were in my power to replace my arm, I would not dare to do it, unless I could know it was the will of my Heavenly Father.

Verse of the week

"And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."     Philippians 4:7

Just Another Hip Chick: Part One

My left hip has been bothering me for several years.  Physical therapy has helped strengthen it but there has been something going on there that nothing has helped.  Honestly, I was wondering if I would get diagnosed with some type of hip dysplasia but part of me didn't really think it was going to be significant.  But when I saw a hip surgeon a week ago, x-rays did in fact show I have hip dysplasia in both hips.  Hip dysplasia is when your hip sockets are really shallow.  The joint doesn't sit in the socket correctly so subluxations, dislocations  and labrum tears are common (I also have a tear).  A Ganz osteotomy (loosely translated, as major hip surgery;) has been recommended.   My doctor encouraged me to make a decision of when to do it within the next three years. We are thinking sooner rather than later but haven't made a decision yet.  The recovery is challenging.  A week in the hospital, two months with no weight bearing on the operated leg and six months of rehab.

The day I was diagnosed with hip dysplasia I didn't really know what to think.  It was a mix of emotions.  I couldn't figure out if I was scared or what I was thinking.  What was I afraid of? What was expected of me?  I suddenly remembered you can look at it in two different ways and which way was I suppose to see it? Simple as that. You can view obstacles or what seems like a terrible thing as the end of the world, or you can realize that sometimes those are the times for the best opportunities to show up. It really isn't anywhere near the end of the world and with all honestly theres a whole lot more to life than a bum joint or a major operation.  A WHOLE lot more!
 

Resources:
 - How Stuff Works
 -Hip Dysplasia

Is this called flexible or what?!

Your Love Never Fails

Love cranking this song way up there! SO good:)

Verse of the week

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life."  Proverb 13:12

Missing the ocean

Finally home after a week of vacation!  Its good to be back but at the same time I miss the ocean, waves, sun, and salt water.
I'm completely hooked on surfing now.  Getting up on the board was actually really easy but it was the balancing and standing part that was hard.  I was expecting the complete opposite so it was really satisfying to nail the getting up part but kinda disappointing about the standing.  I only had a hour out there so leaving was hard.  I had an itch to get out there and do it until I got it.  But I left with more goals and a hankering to get even stronger for next year.

The paddling wasn't a problem,  Just walking through knee deep water with strong currents was really hard.  Next time I'll just paddle.   My instructor was really helpful and understanding.  For the lesson he pushed my into the wave.

Besides surfing I had lots of fun.  We went shopping in lots of little art and craft shops.  Got to see tons of birds and a few dolphins!!  And went swimming whenever I could.

Beautiful sunsets!

Saying goodby

Since the weather has cooled down POTS has become a bit easier to handle.  Which is a nice relief to say the least.  I'm hoping to get a few projects done this week.......we'll see how that goes!

Verse of the week

"I am the one who helps you, declares the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy one of Israel."  Isaiah 41:14

The Super Sweet Blogging Award!!

The rules are: 

The nominee has to thank the person that nominated them, answer the 5 Super Sweet Questions, and nominate a bakers dozen of other Super Sweet Bloggers.

A BIG thanks to  Jaibirdcat for nominating me!!

And The Questions Are:

1. Cookies or Cake?
Cake, of course ;)

2.  Chocolate or Vanilla?
  CHOCOLATE!!!

3. What is your favorite sweet treat?
Ice cream cake, ice cream, ice cream and more ice cream anything:)

4.  When do you crave sweet things the most?
After I've had something spicy and mostly after a meal.

5. If you had a sweet nickname, what would it be?
Sweetpea ;)

My Nominees:

Allison Workman 

Pain with a Purpose

Living with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome 

Plain Ol' Vanilla 

The Beauty of the Lord 

Verse of the Week

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."  Isaiah 43:1-2

For The POTS Dictionary

Brain fog n- 1. the inability to focus and make sense of something. 2. lack of concentration and the inability to read or understand things. 3. the act of reading and having the words travel no further than the retina......forget about the optic nerve. 4. the act of listening and having the words go in one ear and taking ten minutes for them to come out the other in translation. 5. the act of relating to Gilligan's absent mindedness and stupidity in situations that shouldn't have taken that much thought. 6. being present in body and absent in mind. 7. when Where's My Mother by Dr. Suess is hard to understand. 8. the feeling of being an air head.

*Feel free to add your definition as well!!!!!!

A Summer with POTS

This past weekend brought 70 degree weather and with it, the first time I felt so good in a LONG time.  Anything over 80 degrees makes me feel pretty awful.  The heat is back today but this weekend gave me hope that I'll really will be feeling better within the next month or two.

During the last couple of months, I have had a hard time sitting at the computer for more than a minute before I'd feel exhausted and develop extreme nausea and the feeling like someone punched me in the stomach.  Hense the lack in posts, email, ect.  School and working out have also become extra difficult with brain fog, shear exhaustion, weakness ect. Since I also have EDS, putting off a good workout or even moving around is not an option........that is if I don't want to get right back to where I was at the beginning of this year (joints shifting, subluxing, and very painful ............NOT FUN.  But the workout has easily been taking the entire day as opposed to an hour or two.   My physical therapist is so encouraging but insists that as long as ALL of the 16 exercises are done and there is a day off inbetween,  my "Pokealong" workout is just fine.

It has certainly been a challenging and at times a very frustrating year.  I had to do a lot of letting go when I wanted to take over and make myself study or workout.  I don't make daily 'schedules'  and plans anymore because I know that my day is going to be totally unpredictable with POTS.  I really just have to go with the flow. There have been many times when I hated doing it but I had to close my physics book because in reality, with all the brain fog and inability to understand a sentence, I needed to find something else that I COULD do and be a little bit more productive in.....although sometimes it was nothing.

Verse of the Week

"Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way."      Proverb 19:2

Summer re-cap

I always look forward to the summer months mainly because of the warm weather. But this year hasn't exactly been something that I would have looked forward to (POTS wise), had I known.  Its definitely been a struggle with school and simple daily tasks.  Making a phone call or sitting down to write a simple email can be hard.  School is still slowly coming along (though I think graduating early has long past and is not realistic any more).  Its not having POTS that I have a hard time with; its just learning how to live with it, and how to make the most of my time whether I'm feeling good or not.  I've also been trying to figure out how to keep working out and staying strong while I'm so tired. I'm hoping the cooler weather coming will make a difference!

As far as this past month with POTS and having a busy week, not much has been going on.  My summer has been fun despite 'everything else'!

Thursday a good friend of mine went horseback riding with me.  We rode trails up a nearby mountain were a battle took place during the Civil War.  It was cool and shady, a lot of fun and my horse was the best :-)   We went in the morning when it was cool.  That helped a lot. 

I like riding Western because its not as stressful on the ankle and all as opposed to English.

This morning we went to watch a Civil War skirmish at the courthouse.  After that, there was a living history camp.

The Confederate 1st Virginia Cavalry

Verse of the Week

" ......for He is at my right hand that I may not be shaken..." Acts 2:25

County fair

Every year I look forward to spending the weekend at our local county fair.  Despite the heat and missing my best friend this year, we had lots of fun :-)

Ready to show in the 4-H tent

Loved the safari :-)

The turtle was really cool!

Must take a picture of this draft horse :-D

Frisbee dog competition

The highlight of the fair was the clogging competitions.  Lots of energy!

I was a little concerned that the heat would be a problem and I wouldn't be able to stay for as long as I wanted, but Hawaiian ice, ice cream, a milk shake and plenty of cold ice water was just right... + my Gu Brew!!  All before lunch.   Well, I had a chili dog somewhere in there.   It only happens once a year.  "It's my one weakness."

Verse of the week

"and He will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is Zion's treasure."     Isaiah 33:6

Picture 101: EDS Snapshot

Click the image to enlarge

Verse of the Week

"And though the LORD give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left."     Isaiah 30:20-21

My Art Studio!!!

Since I have more concentration and all I have started drawing more. With school almost finished I can't wait to get into it!! SO, I set up my own act/craft studio!!

My table.  I came home to it Saturday.

Its set up!!

I have to admit that I was hurting quite a bit after setting the table up.  Not sure how I would do it next time though.....probably ask someone else to help me!  At least its up :-)

Christmas in July :-)

Some supplies unexpectedly came this morning!

"The kitty" colored pencil drawing

I've always wanted to try drawing on black paper.  So the other day I did for the first time.  I picked out a photograph and watched a movie while I worked on it! It was SO much fun!!! Can't wait to get more of this paper soon :-)

Verse of the week

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things."           ~ 1 Corinthians 13:7

Laughter is the best medicine

An Afternoon at the Fire Station

My brother and I headed down to the nice and cool station after getting some ice cream.  Took pictures, watched the Olympic trials, and um......I took a shot at pool but I have to say it was a disaster........need some serious practice there:-)  The hot weather has been a little bit of a challenge for POTS but hopefully not too many more weeks of this heat! And hopefully we will get some more rain like last night.  Just don't want the wind ;-)

My brother getting his gear on. 100 pounds with air pack and all!

The station's two year old ladder truck.  Pretty impressive in person!

Really??

I got so much done yesterday.  I cleaned, worked out, worked on my essay, went for a walk, got some baking done.   I mean, what else could you ask for?  I was feel pretty good :-)
Later this morning, I started getting some pain in my left shoulder.  Then it got really bad and started going down my arm, all the way to my hand.  My mom thought it must have been from carrying a water bottle on my walk.  Honestly, I thought that I wouldn't have to deal with that...........it wasn't THAT much weight.  SO, I called my physical therapist and he agreed that it was probably from carrying a water bottle. The weight pulling my 'straight' arm kind of tugged on my loose shoulder.  Usually, when it hurts or feels like the joint has slipped out of place in the socket, I can move my arm a certain way and it will pop back.  It didn't work this time.  So I'm not sure what happened to it: just what made it hurt.  

The game plan is to ice it and when I go for a walk I need to make sure that my elbow is bent when I carry my water bottle.  The act of accommodating with EDS!!! I'm not sure about you, but right now I'm thinking...........who usually has to worry about how they carry a simple water bottle??  At least it sounds crazy :P

As for a little update.  My ankle still the same.  My hip is a little worse.  I have an appointment with a really good hip doctor for.................hmm.......well...........December.  We are on the cancellation list, don't worry :-)  I was officially discharged several weeks ago! And my physical therapist did say I could go surfing in a few weeks!! I'm SO excited!!! I'm trying to figure out what kind of braces I'm going to need to get. 

As for tomorrow, it's a horseback riding trial and a 2nd art class in the morning.  We will see if I end up sleeping the afternoon away :-) Tomorrow is my active day.  I try to take one day off and rest between active days.  It seems to work fairly well.  I just need to still pace myself on the busy days and not pack too much stuff into them :-)

God Of My Everything

Just a little warning,  after the song at 3:29 there is absolutely nothing.  I'm not sure why but there is almost five minutes of 'absolute nothing' on the video.  Kinda odd :)  I hope y'all enjoy the song!

Three years later

2009

I wasn't all that pleased when I did this three years ago.  For the past few months, I've kept running into it and wanting to redo it and see if my watercolor skills have improved any since then.  Other than accidentally starting it on the wrong side of the paper, I'm more happy than last time with how it ended up.  Maybe in the next three years I'll try it again:-)

2012

"live life at your own pace" ??

That’s what you are told when diagnosed with POTS.  When I first heard that I kind of pushed it aside and ignored it, thinking it sounded really………….hmm…..can I say spoiled and……selfish.  I thought that if I just pushed through the fatigue and the ‘not feeling well’ and stopped slacking that I might be able to learn how to deal with it.   NOT a good idea.  I guess I'm sort of learning just what it might mean..........especially this week.  Sunday night I babysat a 2 1/2 year old.  For about an hour and a half, she literally screamed, fussed, cried ect.  It completely wore me OUT.  mom had to come over and put her to bed for me.....I was conked out on the sofa.  I think it was the noise and stress of trying to stop her crying that did it.  I ended up sleeping ok, and when I got back home in the morning I went back to bed.  I had planned on taking my last Chemistry test that morning because I had PT later in the morning and I had to babysit overnight again Monday night.  I figured that I would be too tired to it do later so it was basically then or never………so I thought. Mom was not convinced that I should take it because I bombed the same test a month or so prior partially because of fatigue and ‘brain fog’…….thanks to POTS!!  So I just rested for a little while and left for PT later that morning. 

The news with PT is short but a lot!  I have one more appointment before being discharged!!!!!!!!!!!! The other thing is I’m probably going to have to see a doctor for my hip to find out if they can’t do some non-surgical stuff to it.  And I’m not sure what’s going to happen to my ankle.  It still bothers me a bit and I now have tendonitis in it but it really doesn’t stop me from doing anything, only hurts occasionally. 

After PT and lunch, I slept most of the 2 hour drive home, and that’s including thirty minutes of waiting for mom to get out of the grocery store (something I never do).  Once I came home I went straight to bed and slept for about three hours.  Mom had to try to wake me up several times and each time I went right back to sleep.  I finally got up and had dinner.  Around that time I found out that the babysitting job had been canceled…………more sleep! I was in bed around eight thirty or nine and got up around nine thirty in the morning.  By then I think I felt like I was beginning to revive some, enough to take the test. 

This past week has been basically been about not overdoing it.  If I want or need to do something I have to prioritize and not do everything at once or in one day.  I’m not good at it and probably drive mom up the wall when I insist on doing stuff.  Hopefully I can get the hang of it SOON!

I can't say that "living life on your own pace" is selfish because sometimes you really don't have a choice.  You may insist on something but your body can insist on something entirely different and it usually wins.  It’s the admitting it and actually "living life at your own pace" that is the hard part. It’s not that you are giving up, it’s just you have to be more creative and unique with what you do and how.  

Bear Xing

Friday we ventured up to the Skyline Drive.  It was a beautiful day and about 60 degrees up there.  Once up there for about five minutes, we came across two cars with their caution lights on and a bunch of people taking pictures.  A sure sign that there is something......usually not deer......there's enough up there where you don't have to stop every mile to get fifty shots of them. It was a bear! And her two cubs.  The lady who had been there for about twenty minutes said that at one point the bear did a false charge at her.  But it seemed pretty relaxed when we got there.  The cubs where up in a tree so that is probably why. We kept a door or two open................hmmm.......might be a good idea to have an escape rout planned..............JUST in case!

One of the cubs up in the tree

 

Mountain Laural

Harrier Hawk, Glider

The homeschool co-op that I go to for Chemistry had a visitor there Thursday!! A falconer and his Harrier Hawk.  It was really cool!! Here are are few pictures.

Glider

Glider and his owner, Mr. Straka

Take a look at those talons!

I'm so glad that I took my camera! It was a beautiful, cool, and sunny day.  The weather was perfect.  

  I'm dearly loved

Forgiven beloved

Hidden in Christ

Made in the image of the Giver of Life

Righteous and holy

Reborn and remade

Accepted and worthy this is our new name

Her Highness Olivia Rose, Champion Napper

Yesterday I promised to make another post of K's cat, and here it is.  Livy (the gray kitty) is also known as Her Highness Olivia Rose. Enjoy!

June 2005

Her Highness's repose is guarded by her sister Pansy.

January 2005: cat nap

Livy and Pansy catch forty winks together

September 2005

A basket full of cats

August 2007

October 2007

 June 2011

July 2005

Livy the Cheerleader