Team Fulmore

2 month videos

2012-02-01T22:27:00.000-08:00

Adelyn had her 2 month check up on Monday. Here are the results:

Weight: 11 lbs 13 oz - 57th percentile
Length: 23 inches - 55th percentile
Head: 16 inches around - 80th percentile

And for your viewing pleasure...

Play time

Here is Adelyn enjoying her changing table.

2 months

2012-01-29T11:28:00.000-08:00

Our little girl is 2 months old! Surprising how the time goes.

Adelyn is getting much more responsive. I am sure enjoying my time with her, especially since she often smiles when she sees Josh or me. Adelyn is definitely a pro sleeper. She has been sleeping through the night (5 hours or more between feedings). I'm very excited about this! She is also starting to follow noises she hears and I have been introducing her to Sophie the Giraffe. Josh told me she recently held the giraffe but he took it away as she just constantly whacked herself in the head with it.

Tummy Time

I think she might be rather proud of her accomplishment here in the bumbo.

Adelyn and I often go upstairs to hang out with Isaac and Dawn. Isaac is very fascinated with Adelyn. He claps his hands when he sees her and then crawls as fast as he can towards her to smack her head. Adelyn cries as soon as he touches her even if he is just holding her hand. But she does accept his kisses.

She is truly a happy and content baby. The car, however, has proven to be her nemesis. I am trying to figure out if she gets car sick or if she is bored or if she needs to just sit more upright. It is only when she is in the car. The only time the car ride is happy is if she is asleep. Hopefully we will figure it out soon.

I can't wait to see how different she is again in a month!

Happy Time

2012-01-14T21:58:00.001-08:00

Adelyn's First Christmas

2012-01-03T21:50:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Thanks Grandma Fulmore for the very fashionable coat and hat. You can't see it but it even had a bit of bling on it.

Her cousin, Isabella, gets really sad when she has to stop holding Adelyn. She even told us she wasn't hungry, after telling her mom the whole car ride she was hungry, just so she didn't have to give her up.

I think she cooperated quite nicely for being hungry.

Happy little family

Congrats on making it through your first holiday with my family Adelyn!

Adelyn's Birth Story

2012-01-03T19:37:00.000-08:00

Finally, after all your waiting, here it is... The Birth Story!

I started having consistent contractions Tuesday, November 22^nd, at 8 o’clock in the morning. I was taking Josh to the train station and told him I might be calling him home again soon. Around 9 or 10am, I went with my mom to the grocery store where they proceeded to get more intense and frequent. Assuming this was it, I called Josh home. I was having 14 contractions in an hour and didn’t know how quickly it would pick up. Unfortunately, this continued all day with no change. Josh’s parents came down the next day, again assuming it would pick up soon. I was wrong. By Thanksgiving, I was not only tired, but emotionally drained, wondering if Adelyn would ever come out. I had a few talks with our doula, Sarah, which helped calm my anxiety and helped me wait patiently for the Lord’s perfect timing. Thanksgiving wasn’t particularly fun as I was having several contractions during the meal and didn’t get to quite enjoy it like usual. That night, Sarah came over to try and help distract and encourage me. I asked her to be honest about how much longer she thought it would be. Her response was that my body was tired and needed to rest. Now to some this might sound discouraging, but it helped me let go of the idea that she might come any minute and helped me relax.

When Sarah left at midnight, I went to try and sleep, only to find that my contractions had intensified quite a bit. I was able to sleep around 1-3 minutes in between contractions. Around 3am, I told Josh to call Sarah back. I didn’t want to do this by myself anymore. I don’t remember much between 3am and 8am. I remember trying to sleep in between contractions, laboring in hands and knee position (with little relief), laboring on the birth ball, exaggerated squats, and going to the bathroom lots. Sarah also fanned me with a lemon scented fan, which helped with my feelings of nausea. Around 8am, I decided I really didn’t want to labor at home anymore. Sarah encouraged me to use all my options at home before heading to the hospital. So, Sarah, Josh, and I all headed up the street for the longest walk ever. We had to stop every 5 steps during my contractions. Once we got back, I tried taking a shower. Instead of relief, I began to feel pressure and then was really ready to head to the hospital.

We got to the hospital at 9:30am. Probably one of my favorite memories (I have a few, not all our mentioned in this story), was when the Emergency intake guy kept trying to send me back, while I was having a contraction. “Maam, you can come back here. (Pause) Go ahead and come back this way. (another pause)”. It took the woman intake person to tell him to wait since I was having a contraction. Once I finally was wheeled up to the labor and delivery floor, I was taken to a triage room. Second favorite memory: nurse completely surprised to find that I was 100% effaced, 7cm dilated, and 0 station with a bulging bag of waters. She couldn’t believe that I was that far along since I was making jokes and very calm. Needless to say, they put me in a labor room.

At 1:15pm, I had dilated to an 8 ½. At this point, Carri Jo (our doctor) discussed with us whether or not we wanted her to break my water. We decided to after being told I could still take a much desired bath. She informed me that she found meconium when she broke the water and would not stimulate Adelyn when she was born. If Adelyn cried on her own then she would put her straight on my chest like I had asked. If not, she would have to go to the nursery.

Once my water was broke, I was dilated to a 9. I had to lay on my back while I was being monitored. (My whole labor this far had either been spent on the birthing ball or atanding with Josh squeezing my hips and Sarah using a peppermint scented fan. I would close my eyes and breathe through each contraction. I was able to stay on top of them and took each one as they came.) Apparently, Adelyn, just like me, didn’t like me being on my back because her heart rate dropped significantly. Carri Jo then, very kindly, had to inform me that they were going to have to get Adelyn out really quickly. I remember thinking, ‘Oh no, she’s thinking a C-section. Okay take really deep breaths because sometimes that’s why the heart rate drops’. I also prayed, but kept in mind that we had asked for God to be glorified and trusted he knew best what that meant. Carri Jo also thought I needed more prayer warriors on my team and headed out and told my mom what she was thinking. Thankfully, they had me get up and immediately Adelyn’s heart rate went up. After a little more laboring I began to feel an involuntary urge to push. Carri Jo checked me and found that Adelyn was posterior. This began the hardest part of labor for me.

I had to get on my hands and knees in hopes that Adelyn would flip. I remember moaning through the intense contractions and sweating profusely. I was so thankful for Josh and Sarah, as they applied cold washcloths and a double hip squeeze. This part was really intense and I remember thinking that if I were to get an epidural this would be the time for it and wishing it was over. Thankfully Adelyn eventually turned. I continued to feel the urge to push and at 3pm it was finally time to get Adelyn out!

I pushed for an hour before Adelyn came out. I started pushing using the squatting bar. I’m pretty sure at some point I fell asleep for a few seconds at least and then remembered I should have been pushing. Carri Jo suggested I try a different position. Later she told me it looked like I was going to fall over the squatting bar. I gratefully took her advice and chose to lay on my back. Josh occasionally would say, “Good job, Joanie. There’s the head”. Then a little bit later, “There’s the head”. Meanwhile, Sarah tells me that I can do this and my body is strong and Carri Jo tells me I need to get this baby out. All I kept thinking is, “Am I done yet? Are we close? I’m so tired”. At 4pm exactly, Adelyn was born. She cried on her own and got to go straight to my chest! 7lbs 12 oz, 19.5 inches long, and 14 inch head.

Josh responded by crying. From the moment that just a little part of her head was showing, Josh was telling me how beautiful she was. But my response? Relief. I was so glad that I was done and that I could finally rest.

Leading up to the delivery, our main prayer was that God would be glorified in Adelyn’s birth.

In remembering all the events leading up to her arrival, it is very event that His hand was very much involved: she turned on her own, she didn’t breathe in the meconium, the c-section never happened, the cord broke after she came out, and the prednisone didn’t affect her blood sugar levels at all.

And we continue to pray that He will always be glorified in her life and our own. I am so very thankful that He has entrusted her to us and that we have this amazing opportunity to take care of and raise her. What a blessing!

1 month old

2012-01-03T18:46:00.000-08:00

Adelyn turned 1 month on Christmas day.

Things she is doing now:

-becoming more alert

- being awake for an hour after a nap before going back to sleep

-smiling

-growing

She wasn't too happy about being put in the basket.

-cooing

1 week old

2011-12-05T11:40:00.000-08:00

It is weird to think that after waiting so long, a whole week has passed by since she was born. So far her favorite things are to sleep, eat, sleep some more and look around, even though it is still hard to focus. Oh and if she is not doing any of those things, she likes to eat her hands. She has been smiling since day two, but I'm betting it is because she is dreaming of eating or her tummy is giving her funny feelings that will lead to a surprise later for Josh or me to clean up.

2 things I learned this week:

1st: never eat green peppers. This will conclude in Adelyn crying all night in pain.

2nd: change diaper as fast as possible. You never know when another installment might be coming. This time it ended up leaving a huge mess all over the changing table.

Weird to think she will be bigger than this basket someday.

Her gangsta side

I didn't do it

Okay you will have to give me your opinion, but I thought this was hilarious:

Tiny feet

This one is for you Abby! :)

I have a baby!

Adelyn's Debut

2011-11-29T15:48:00.000-08:00

Adelyn Gayle Fulmore made her appearance on Friday, November 25th, 2011 at 4pm. She weighed 7 lbs, 12 oz and was 19 and 1/2 inches long. Some day I hope to have enough energy to write out the whole birth story, but for now here are some pictures of our precious, God given miracle.

Before picture: Wednesday before she was born.

Proud Grandparent shots:

One of my favorite pictures: Isabella holding her little cousin

Fists out ready to fight her Crazy Uncle Mike:

In her beautiful hand crafted crib by Grandpa Fulmore:

She truly is a blessing and we are so thankful for God's hand in the whole birthing process. So glad she is finally here!

XX Chromosomes

2011-06-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Hillary and mom who threw us a fun revealing party. Also, thanks to everyone who came. No one knew the exciting news except my parents and Mike and Hill. Hillary had everyone dress according to what gender they thought the baby was. (As you can see, my dad is a little bit of a fibber).

Most people thought it was a boy.

Even the old wives tales said it would be a boy, but boy (haha) were they were WRONG!

It's a GIRL! Totally not what we were expecting, but we are REALLY excited.

Josh quickly changed his apparel once we heard the exciting news.

Here is Adelyn Gayle Fulmore.

Our little baby girl at 19 weeks

The bubbly looking stuff up by her mouth is the umbilical cord.

Doesn't she have the cutest little nose?

Can't wait to hold her in my arms!

Vacation in Colorado

2011-06-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

Josh and I took a week off of work to go visit family in Colorado. We got lots of resting, visiting, and playing with Avery, while we were there. We even taught Avery how to clap. It didn't take too much effort. She is a very smart little girl.

I mean just check it out, she is already reading the newspaper!

And she has already mastered the black belt

We did do some adventuring when we weren't resting. We visited the red rock formations, went apartment searching for Tim and Abby, went to the 1up bar in Denver, and saw X-Men first class.

For a birthday gift to Josh and I, Tim and Abby treated us to a Rockies game. Thanks guys! Although the Rockies didn't win, we still had fun. We had prepared for a lightening storm and were quite surprised with very warm weather. Plus, we were given words of wisdom from three boys behind us, as they tried to catch the Dodgers off their game. Abby and I at first weren't very impressed with the shouting in our ears until we realized how much we could gain from these insults.

Here are the insults we learned from them. (Now dad and I are set with insults for our next Rainiers game)
- Ger HER out
- Put the Dodgers in the toilet and see if they enjoy it
- Send them to Mars with no space helmet
- Dodgers sucks that's why they can't hit a ball......... they suck popsicles
- Your shoe laces are untied. Look down!
- You know why the Dodgers suck? Because they don't practice. Like only once a day.
- Throw a snow cone at the Dodgers
- If something goes wrong blame Canada cause Justin Bieber was born there.

Birthday Bash

2011-05-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

With Josh and my birthday being so close together, we decided to treat ourselves to a little date night. We started our night off with a lovely dinner at Pabla Indian Cuisine. (Mmm... Indian food.) Then we went to go see the play Mary Poppins at the Paramount Theater. We got to sit 4 rows from the front! I have to say that I am very impressed by the amount of time and effort that goes into making all the costumes, sets, and stage designs. (I would insert pictures, but we were not allowed to take any, of course). And the kids, whew! They were impressive. How do they remember all those dance routines? I don't think even I could remember all of that.

This is the one picture we took. (I know, we aren't very photogenic). However, on the plus side, we felt very proud that we were educating our child in the arts. It was our baby's first ever play. I thought it very important that we documented it :). And seeing as I am almost 16 weeks along, I believe the baby was able to hear all that wonderful, yet sometimes scary, music. I think "the Holy Terror" would give anyone nightmares.

Well baby, I hope you look forward to more wonderful adventures that are in store for you. Next stop... COLORADO!

The Green Olive

2011-04-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

Now for an update - Week 9

Our baby is the size of a green olive. Now I have a small concern with these comparisons to fruits and vegetables. So much depends on the season. I mean just this last week the baby was compared to a raspberry. Let's just be honest, there are really dinky raspberries and then there are the really big and juicy raspberries, so how is that accurate? Well, to me it is all silly and fun whatever the case.

The Big News!

2011-04-03T13:23:00.000-07:00

I'm pregnant! Last Wednesday, Josh and I went to our first ultrasound to get an Estimated Date of Delivery. They determined I am 7 weeks pregnant +/- 4 days. This means I should have my baby sometime around November 16th. So crazy! By Christmas we will have a baby! It being a November baby has caused some commotion among the grandparents as Josh's mom's birthday is Nov 30th and my dad's birthday is Nov 4th. While it is more likely that I will deliver later than earlier, I still think it is nice of my dad to hope for his birthday.

I was waiting to post so that I could scan a picture of the ultrasound but apparently they don't give out pictures this early. LAME. So here is what I am told instead... The baby is the size of a coffee bean.

So there it is... I have a teeny tiny baby inside of me.

The ultrasound was very cool. I couldn't stop smiling. When the lady said, "There's your baby." my first question was, "Is there a heartbeat?". There was! According to the results of the ultrasound everything is healthy and good. Whenever the tech left, Josh and I would just talk about how tiny the baby was. So little.

The day after the ultrasound I had my first prenatal appointment. Some things were jostled about resulting in that day and the next with some morning sickness I hadn't yet experienced. However, the last two days have not been bad as long as I eat, eat, and do more eating. And I must say, I don't enjoy eating that much. So sometimes it is a bit of a chore but hey, I have a baby!

Valentine's Date

2011-03-03T14:06:00.000-08:00

Let's just be honest, Valentine's Day on a Monday, it didn't really happen. Josh didn't get home until 9pm. However, we did anticipate this, so on the Friday before Valentine's we had steak dinners at The Outback. Thanks mom and dad! They were DELICOUS! so yummy! My steak was so tender it just melted in my mouth. MMM...

Pre-Valentines: The next Friday we had tickets to see Groove For Thought. If you don't know who they are, they are a mostly a cappella jazz group that was on the tv show "The Sing Off". I got off of work and came home to get all fancy for our date, then headed up on the Sounder train to meet Josh.

The Cost of Beauty: On recommendation from two co-workers, we proceeded to find the Pink Door Lounge. Now this wouldn't have been such a big deal except in my effort to look cute I wore tiny 2-3 inch heels. What was I thinking? Pike's Place Market and heels! Brick streets and STEEP hills. Yep, it was an adventure. I'm surprised I didn't fall flat on my face. But, hey, I was super cute right?

Josh's view of the restaurant

My view

The Dining Experience: We were on a time limit. We arrived at 6:15 and our main event was at 7:30. Should be plenty of time right? The waiter comes up and asks us if we would like to start off with any wine. Uh oh, we are not off to a good start. The best part was when we said we were ready to order right away, the waiter gave the specials in what felt like a theatrical monologue. I could mostly understand and hear what he was saying but Josh had no clue whatsoever. We finished our meal around 7pm, feeling a bit of pressure to hurry and leave, when the waiter comes up and hands us the dessert menu. We apologized that we didn't have time, asked for our check, and hurried out of there. What makes this part so humorous is that the whole time we felt a little out of place; Josh being in a t-shirt and jeans with his backpack and ordering a soda. Normal things, except we perceived that the waiter was addressing me more often then Josh. Maybe you just had to be there, but it was really funny to us.

The Main Event: We left there at like 7:10 and we jogged all the way to Benaroya Hall. Yep. In heels. I was a brave little soul and my feet felt like they were blistering. Thankfully we made it in time to enjoy an amazing and comedic concert.

Aren't we so photogenic?

This is Josh being super cute, waiting to get his first time ever autograph. And yes, he is wearing a backpack (with a Hello Kitty key chain on it)

Here is a little taste of what we heard:

Sorry I cut it short. I need a bigger memory card.

We had an adventure catching the bus too, due to me forgetting money and silly things like that, but we made it. Whew. I'm looking forward to our next adventure

Seattle Art Museum

2011-03-03T13:56:00.000-08:00

Totally thought I was more up to date on our blog... Whoops. Here are some photos when mom and I went to the Seattle Art Museum. We spent a couple hours looking at the Picasso Exhibit (which we couldn't photograph) and then briefly visit the other areas of the museum. One of my favorite quote from Picasso was, "God is really only another artist. He invented th giraffe, the elephant, and the cat. He has no real style, He just goes on trying other things". So silly. Anyways, it was a fun day with mom and I found it very intriguing.

Here are some pictures from the other areas.

Took us awhile to realize that the mouse was on a man in bed.

This was one of my favorite pieces.

From the Native American section

Alise and Brett's Wedding

2011-01-01T18:08:00.001-08:00

This year for New Years Eve, Josh's friend Alise got married. This meant we headed up for Canada at 2:30pm and made it back home just in time to say HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This is my favorite picture I got of the sunset on the way up

The wedding was a cocktail attire and very elegant.

Can you name 5 things wrong with the above picture?

Oh well, silly us!

Tea with Grandma Verna

2011-01-01T18:00:00.000-08:00

Every year Stephina, Dawn, and I take Grandma to tea for her birthday. Seeing as Stephina is usually in New York, we end up doing it around Christmas. Here are some pictures from Tea Time 2011.

We always put on the silly hats at the place.

This year Lyndsay joined our festivities.

We love you Grandma!

More Christmas Cheer

2011-01-01T17:48:00.000-08:00

Fulmore Tie-Dye Fun!

We all had a good laugh over this one

Josh helping Mike with his stretches

Yep that pretty much sums it up. Thanks Rachel!

Christmas Time Is Here

2010-12-25T15:56:00.000-08:00

Hello to all! Josh and I are here in Canada enjoying a lovely holiday with his family. As always, it has been quite a fun adventure. It all started on a cold, windy, rainy morning in Port Angeles. We boarded the Blackball ferry to Victoria. On deck, we played cards as the boat swayed us to and fro and people tried keeping their balance walking around the boat. All of a sudden there was quite a shutter as a little girl with glasses spotted something familiar. It was Santa! But how can that be, when it was only Christmas Eve. The girl went screaming back to her mom, with tears down her face, yelling "ITS SANTA!" Her mom not knowing what the problem was, was pulled by the girl to go see Santa Claus. "What's the matter," the Mother asked. "Were you a naughty girl"? Several of us laughed and continued to sway with the boat. Then we heard a "Ho, Ho, Ho," and Santa came our way. He wished us a Merry Christmas and handed us Candy Canes. A concerned passenger asked Santa if he had heard the story of the little girl. "She sat on my lap. We worked it out". Santa continued on his way to the other rooms and out of nowhere the sound of a Christmas carol sprang up. Truly it was a jolly holiday.

We are now here in Courtenay with the Fulmore family. Hanging out in our lovely footy pajamas, playing games, doing puzzles, and eating delicious goodies and foods.

The fun will really begin tomorrow as Michael and Heather will join us. PLUS, it is Boxing Day and Papa Fulmore (aka Dwight) is so excited about some dealios!

Hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas with family and loved ones. Merry Christmas everyone!

Halloween Festivities

2010-10-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

Our day started with a trip to the pumpkin patch.

It was a bit rainy and muddy but we made the most of it and found perfect pumpkins.

After we got back, we changed into our sweet cow costumes for the harvest party at PSCC.

As many of the adults at the harvest party commented, our costumes were "utterly amazing". Get it?

Some of the children were afraid of the cow costume and didn't want me to paint their face. When I went to get paper towels from the bathroom a little kid asked their mom if cows were allowed in the bathroom. Ha ha, I love the way kids think.

Our night concluded with pumpkin carving with Mom, Dad, Karl, and Dawn while watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" Rifftrax version.

Josh - human face, Joanie - bat, Dawn - hippo, Mom - silly face, Karl - :D

A Day With Emma

2010-10-23T23:23:00.000-07:00

I have had the last three months to do as I please. Being a nanny has these types of privileges when the mom has a baby. I try to go about every week or two weeks to see Emma, Darcy, and give some relief to Rheanna. I am sure she appreciated some adult conversation in her day :).

On this particular day, Darcie had to have a procedure at the hospital, so I took Emma. Mom and I took Emma and headed for the beach at the waterfront. Emma LOVES the beach and had been begging to go for quite some time.

There was a crazy looking tree stump that I had to take a picture of.

Emma was continuously trying to coax me to go into the water with her. I kept having to remind her that I did not have boots. We were pretending to be whales (she has been stuck on this ever since I taught her the letter W). According to Emma, we were digging in the sand to get to the whales and then we were burying treasure. 3 year olds have an amazing imagination. It was a lot of fun.

Eating lunch. It was kind of sandy as you can imagine, but I did have hand sanitizer. :)

She is such a silly girl.

We then proceeded to the Point Defiance Zoo.

The first thing Emma runs to in the "Kids Zone" is this Sea Anemone

Anyways, that was our fun day at the beach and zoo. Those boots were completely filled with water and sand. By the time we got back to mom's house I gave Emma a much needed bath. It was a great day and Darcie was just fine. Yay!

I go back to work Monday and I am excited to have more fun times with Emma, and now Darcie! I wonder what adventures are to come.

Cirque du Soleil - Kooza

2010-06-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago, as a Christmas gift from Mom and Dad, we went to go see Cirque du Soleil. It was AMAZING!!! As a sort of birthday gift to me, and as it was in Redmond, Josh and I decided to check into an hotel for the night. We got to the hotel a bit early thinking we would take a nice little swim. Josh's body had other plans. As soon as we got into the room, Josh collapsed on the bed and took a little nappy nap.

I was torn, as Josh must have been completely exhausted (he never takes naps) and wanting to swim. So, I woke him up after an hour. We went swimming but found we didn't know what to do except swim laps? Um, yeah we went to the hot tub. (We found tiny black dots all over us from it). We then went to Red Robin for dinner and then proceeded to the MAIN EVENT!

Sorry this picture is so dark. We weren't allowed to have cameras in the place so we quickly (and sneakily) took the shot.

As you can see, we actually had a pretty nice view. Also, they use the whole stage and as the acts are more about stunts it doesn't really matter if you see it straight on. It was incredible. I felt scared the whole time for the performers. They only use a single wire at times or NO harness at all. Yikes! I pretty much had my hands over my mouth the whole time. I told Josh not to try these things at home. His response was, "Uh no. I'm afraid of heights."

If you ever get a chance, you should definitely go. If you want to see glimpse of what we got to see check out some videos on the contortionists, the Wheel of Death, and the Trickster (tell me if you think his movements look like Josh, just a little bit). Just know that it is much cooler in person when you can see how high they really are.

All in all, it was a great night! We had so much fun!

25th Birthday

2010-06-18T08:37:00.001-07:00

I've made it. I'm 25. As Mike says, car insurance goes down because they figure I am responsible and have my life figured out. My response. "Of course. I have NO questions for my future, cause I'm 25". And Tim, you might have been off by a couple years :).

My morning awoke to a text message and birthday song awaiting on my phone. I had a visit from Katie in the morning. We were disappointed to find that the Lego Harry Potter (my b-day gift) didn't come out until the 29th. But we got over it FINALLY and enjoyed the morning together

My day then proceeded with a Neurologist appointment. In 2 weeks, I will lower the Prednisone dose to 70mg and then a month later to 60mg. Slowly but surely. The plan is to find out how low I can go, still be okay, but not be off of it. The other great news is that I can have BABIES someday. The doctors only concern is the medication I am on, which is why we are taking the Prednisone route for now. It is easiest to get off quickly and not affect pregnancy. Long term goal is to put me on an immuno-suppressant drug as they do not want me to be on Prednisone forever. YAY! I don't want to either. So, all in all, great news from doctor!

The day ended with an AMAZING dinner at Gateway to India with Josh, Mom, and Dad.

Dad is holding his nose so he doesn't have to taste the Chai Tea, which we made him get even though he said no.

My napkin birthday hat

Something was funny about ordering food... don't remember

Dad was busy getting updates from Tim on Game 7.

Mom and Dad came over afterwards to have Ice Cream and watch the end of Game 7. After they left, Josh and I watched a show. It was a wonderful birthday! Thanks to everyone who called and made it such a great day!

A Day with Erin

2010-06-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

Ah best friends. What joy they give. Erin came over late last night to spend several hours with me today. Here are the events of our day:

1st stop: Neurologist.

Necessary but not painless.

I started off with a nerve conduction test in which they shock your nerves to see how much damage has been done. Hurts if they are working, can't feel it as much if there is damage. It mostly hurt but thankfully it is over quickly, so feels more like someone keeps flicking you hard. I thought we were done, when the doctor informed me that we were on to the 2nd part of the test. He proceeded to put a "tiny" needle in my leg that would sense the nerve activity. That was like someone jabbing a tiny knife in my leg and saying, "Now flex it until it hurts really bad. Now relax. RELAX," and then pulling it out. Needless to say, not my favorite part of the testing.

The results: Good news. The inner most part of my nerve (Nerve fiber) is not as bad as two years ago when they did this test. My symptoms come from the myelin sheath around the nerve being eaten away. (this can grow back easy enough).

The doctor believes that I am getting stronger and his recommendation is to take 80mg of prednisone for the next 2 weeks. I will see him again on the 17th. (Happy Birthday to me :) ).

2nd Stop: Pharmacy.

The best news is that I get sleeping pills now! No more 4 and 1/2 hours of sleep at night! yay! The doctor informed me that high doses of prednisone can affect your emotional status too and offered to give me tranquilizers. Nah. No thanks. I passed. Not for now at least.

3rd Stop: Home.

A needed talk with close friend.

Erin, being the good friend who she is, told me honestly that she really felt like I needed to prepare for battle spiritually. Funny thing, I agreed with her. The first time this all happened I really felt like God was working in the hearts of other people and it wasn't necessarily for my growth. Although, I definitely did. This time I feel like it's time for me to grow. So please be praying. I know that growth is good and I want to, but I can't do it on my own. Please pray that I would worship God for who He is and what He is doing, not what I am doing and don't have.

Oh and here are some very humorous pictures that Erin and I took on her lovely new laptop.

CIDP strikes again

2010-05-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

Sooooooo... about a week ago my hands and arms started feeling really sensitive to cold and heat. I thought it was weird but was unsure about what it meant. A couple days later my tongue started feeling like it was raw, you know the feeling when you burn your tongue, but I hadn't burnt it. I kept hoping every day that it would go away. Then Sunday morning came. My legs had started to go numb. dun dun dun... I knew this was not a good sign. The fatigue also began to set in. I tried to believe it wasn't a big deal, but in the back of my head I knew the truth: I was beginning to relapse.

NO! Say it ain't so.

Thankfully, I was able to get in today (being Tuesday) to see the famous Huddlestone (the neurologist). He did not have my favorite news. He told me that he was putting me back on PREDNISONE!! boo! I will also have an EMG on Friday the 4th. Very simply put, they shock you to see how your nerves respond and if there is damage.

All in all, not too excited about it all. I am thankful that there is something I can do to help me feel better and that things are not anywhere close to where they have been. I caught it early. Josh and I would really appreciate your prayers. Logically it is simple enough but emotionally it can be hard for me.

PUZZLES GALORE

2010-05-04T08:44:00.001-07:00

Here is what Josh and I have been up to:

And this one- the impossible puzzle:

It took us a really long time but we finished it!

That's about it. We lead a pretty simple life. When we rest at night we have been watching Rifftrax. It is guys who make fun of current movies. This may sound familiar as Mystery Science 3000 guys made fun of old movies. Same guys! So funny, especially their take on the Star Wars movies.

In other news, Mike and Hill are having their baby today!! yay! Congrats! Can't wait to meet her!

And We're Back!

2010-01-09T22:13:00.000-08:00

Just an ordinary night... or was it.

Two unwitting super best friends/married couple blunder into a night of BRILLIANCE!. The setting is in a dark and cold apartment filled with lots of love. It is the winter of 2010, the Olympics are about to happen in British Columbia, Canada, to the best of our knowledge.

"Does Joanie want to have a date night tonight?" Josh so thoughtfully asked.

"YES! Let's go through Mike and Heather's 'Date Night Mystery' that they farktated on us for Christmas.

RULES of the BOX"

1. To open each successive present the task associated with the one previous must be completed.

2. To be completed in one night

3. God will know if you cheat.

4. To be completed by you two only! (to ensure this these glasses have been included and must be worn for the duration of the evening).

In order to embark on our night with finesse, we dawned our prescription brilliance reading glasses. Before we could start off on this wonderful and daring adventure, we had to sufficiently fill our bellies. So we headed to the library. On arriving at Gateway to India ...

we were seated, immediately ordered too much food, and began our feast.

A little while after a Chai later...

"Now that your eyes can see clearly... Lets see what your hands can do.

*** helpful hint: to avoid finger cramps, pre-stretch!

The exercise at hand (get it) was a nifty wooden animal mobile and the wonderful game of Tactile.

Tactile the game of maskful discovery

Feel your way to VICTORY!

"After that exercise in dexterity, it is now time to Heat it up a little... Go run and warm your hands in hot water, dry, and return. Have fun!"

Josh had the runs up the stairs.

Joanie joined in

It was a success! And yes the puzzle is missing a piece.
BRILLIANCE!

A ransom note told us to use our imagination. We know what that means, wink wink.

Graphic details below:

Another round of Tactile!

SURPRISE! ending

Cardboard armor that we had to try out

OOPS! brilliance FAIL!

Round 1

Round 2

Thanks Mike and Heather! We had a BRILLIANCE! of a time.

Ps: Thanks for the Butter Chicken Body Wash and Guava Bubble Bath.

GBS/CIDP DEFEATED!!!

2009-10-19T13:32:00.001-07:00

After a year and eight months, in the battle of CIDP vs JOANIE, I can excitedly announce that Joanie WINS!!!

A week ago I went to the neurologist for my same routine check up. As always I jumped up on the table (always makes me feel like a little kid) and he preformed the normal tests to check my strength and reflexes. I always pass the strength test (how could i not?) and fail miserably at the reflex test. Since I got GBS the doctor has never found them, although I know I had them as a kid. Something to do with the nerves then I guess. Anyways, back to the story. So this time when he checked, I DID have reflexes... maybe not the greatest yet, but the doc was thrilled. He told me that he has NEVER seen this before and since it is happening in me, he sees no reason as to why I would be needing further treatment. He told me that he didn't have a crystal ball or anything but that if I would relapse again, I would have by now.

Possiblities of being a "normal" twenty-four year old- I was estatic!!!

So as of November 2009 I will no longer be on prednisone!!! And this time I believe it is sticking that way. YAY! Thanks again to everyone's prayers. I believe this is in direct correlation with those prayers. Our Lord is a mighty healer! He certainly has perfect timing in it all.

Leavenworth and Yakima

2009-08-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

We have been busy busy busy!!! Two weekends ago Josh and I went to Leavenworth to visit great friends, Margy and Gary. We had a wonderful time. It felt very restful and as Josh stated, "It felt like home". We got to play lots of fun games and now Margy has me hooked on this farming game on facebook. I don't know if we ever fully understood the rules to Killer Bunnies, but it was an adventure.

Last weekend I went by my lonely self to Yakivegas to see Erin. Her sister got married at their parents house. It was a beautiful wedding! And as most weddings do, I fell more in love with Josh. Or I might have just been reminded of the wonderful heart he has for me. So, congrats to Eleni and Andrew!

And when we aren't busy on weekends are weeks seemed to be filled with... I honestly don't know, but it must be lots of things because I feel exhausted in the end. (Not to mention I am going through withdrawals as I go down a miligram of prednisone. I know, I must be some sort of drug addict to my steroid :) ).

Sorry I dont have pictures for you. I am not good at remembering to take photos.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

2009-07-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

In all began on a sunny afternoon... Josh excitedly explained that Harry Potter was coming out and we wouldn't want to miss it. I agreed to go to the very first showing, as long as promised to dress up. No going half way. And as it naturally happens, the days came sooner and sooner to the showing of the movie. Josh continually reminding me what was coming up soon and how good a movie it would be. Well finally the day came. We still had no idea what we were going to wear, and no store had anything we could use for costumes. We did joke about wearing children's Transformer costumes. I went home disappointed, thinking there was no way we would ever pass for wizards. I went to the very trustworthy and resourceful internet to see what we could do. Unfortunately, Josh had passed his Harry Potter stage of life. (he was often known as the Harry Potter boy at college). But will still dressed him up as Harry. But who could I possibly be? Well, the only true way to figure out who to dress up like is to take a quiz entitled "Which Harry Potter character are you". As you can see below, I was 100% matched with Luna Lovegood. Google image her and see what you think. Think if I had long hair.

Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood

Ready with our wands in case someone challenges us to a wizard duel.

Well, we got all dressed up, took a nap, and headed off to the movies for the 12am premier. When we got to the movies, an hour early, we found it odd as no one seemed to be there. As I easily found a parking spot, Josh says quietly "It's not the 14th is it?" Yep, we were a good week early. We spent the last week prepping for the movie, by of course, watching the other movies and beginning to read the first book. Last night we finally made it! Although a few were dressed up in robes, and I mean a few, like 5 people, we stood out quite nicely. Everyone else was wearing normal clothes or Harry Potter t-shirts. I guess Tim they weren't as big of fanatics as Lord of the Rings fans. Josh has rated it one of his top favorite 5 movies. The movies are certainly increasing in acting and film quality. All in all it was a fun night.

4th of July

2009-07-07T08:24:00.000-07:00

After these last few crazy weeks, the fourth of July was a wonderful day to get to relax and rest. I spent most of the day just laying around (oh the joy!) I seriously hadn't stopped in like 5 weeks. At around 8, Josh, Dawn, and I headed over to Mom and Dad's played some games and watch the fireworks. Here's some pics from the night.

Josh makes silly face. Mom says that's not silly. Josh, "How come you get to decide what silly is"

We played Skip-O and yet again, DAD wins and JOSH never moved a card from his pile. I think we know why Josh hates the game so much.

Check out this sweet bug that landed on the table. Anyone know what kind it is?

Here is a TRUE viewing of silly faces.

Funny story of the night: Dawn offered to buy chocolate and asked Dad what kind he wanted. Dad said, "No thanks... well I do like Snickers. Okay you talked me into it, I will have a Hersey's with almonds." We played two rounds of 'I've never', the whole time having Dad saying, I want to know when we are going to get chocolate. So sure Dad, you never wanted the chocolate in the first place.

We finished the night by watching fireworks from the church parking lot. There was lots of different places to look at. I would show you a video, but I spent most of the night seeing a cool display of fireworks and JUST missing it on my camera. Hope you all had a wonderful 4th.

June 1st ~ It's KARL's birthday!

2009-05-30T14:53:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Karl! Here are what some people have said about you and your coolness...

1. "You're mother couldn't birth you any better." - Josh

2. "Things that describe Karl: That's what she said and yo mama jokes." - Joanie

3. "You could freeze water with how cool you are" - Chris

4. "I'm pretty cool. right?" - Karl (while sitting on the toilet)

This is a video I dedicate to Karl and his persuading skills. He got to tickle Dawn's feet for 10 seconds if she... well we don't really remember what she was supposed to get.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ISABELLA!!!

2009-05-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

It's my niece's first birthday today. She is 1 year old! Happy Birthday Isabella! Congrats Mike and Hill, because you will be probably celebrating this more than her. We LOVE you!

Been awhile, guess its time for updating...

2009-05-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

So what's new? Currently Josh and I are up in Canada visiting his friends and family. Rachel just graduated from Trinity from the nursing program. She even got a blue cord for having a 3.5-3.8gpa! WAY TO GO RACH! YOU ROCK! It was quite fun as we made many faces at her while she was in sitting in front of an audience and cheered very loud as she walked across the podium.

The time up here has been very restful and super encouraging for Josh. It is so nice to see him so peaceful. We will be coming back Thursday to start looking for jobs. I am currently quitting my job due to the fact that my boss needs someone who can work full time.

As for my health, the doctor is still telling me I am healthy and strong. I am currently taking 6mg of prednisone a day. No that isn't a typo, it is 6 not 60. YAY! The only thing that is actively happening, beside waiting to see if CIDP will do anything again, is that in 2 weeks I am getting my warts on my feet burned off. I hear it hurts. But I say, "poo poo, to pain. Bring it on!" plus, who wants those things anyway?

Also, Biggest News of ALL!!!! Josh was told me that he has an interview for his green card on June 11! It's happening, and oh so soon. We were both very excited and did a dance of celebration. (Give it a try sometime. It is very joyful). That's all the news for now. Thanks for reading.

Good news! Good news! GOOD NEWS!!!

2009-04-04T22:28:00.000-07:00

We have great news to spread... Josh got his travel document in the mail so we get to go celebrate his sister's graduation at the end of the month and then spend a week with his family!!! yay! Also, Josh got a work card (which is not his green card), that is good until 2010, so he can work as soon as possible. (again, sorry Tim, it probably won't work for him to be at Starbucks in Boston, the commute isn't that great.)
Thanks for all your prayers!

Too Close To The Fire...

2009-03-31T14:24:00.000-07:00

My Thug Face

Super hero powers shining through

Smiling as usual

Josh's artist photography for you

My friend is in Cosmetology School right now, and I always wanted pink in my hair, so I let her experiment. Give me a shout out and tell me what you think. It was her first time coloring with fun colors like this.

Alabaster Jar

2009-03-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

I don't know if many of you have heard this song but we sang it in church yesterday and it led to a neat encounter with God.

First, let me start with the new news from my neurologist. We have been trying different kinds of pills to try and get rid of the pain I am having in my joints, especially in my hands. This last visit he told me that neither him nor his collegue in the office have ever seen this before and so... dun dun dun.. I am even more rare! As mom says, I am for sure one of a kind. So I took a blood test to see if I have another autoimmune disorder on top of this since they don't have answers.

So yesterday at church we sang Alabaster Jar. As we started singing the words "The time that i have left, Is all i have of worth. I lay it at your feet, lord, It's less than you deserve. And though i've little strength and though my days are few,You gave your life for me, so, i will live my life for you," I began crying. And very audibly, I could hear God say to me "I know you feel like damaged goods now that you are sick, but it's not true. You are so beautiful to me. I know you feel like you have less to give now, but you actually have more". This was such an answer to the longing of my heart as I kept asking, "what purpose do I have now that I lay in bed and sleep all the time?" I wouldn't say I have lots of answers for that question still, but I know I am just where the Lord wants me, and in that I can find satisfaction.

So please continue to pray as the Lord continues to heal me, on the inside and out.

IVIG treatment #2

2009-02-27T15:13:00.000-08:00

I had another IVIG treatment yesterday. I feel SO GOOD! YAY! They gave me anti-nausea yesterday so I only have a slight headache today. I did get hives from the plasma, so I got to have 3 doses of benedryl. 2 of which were administered through the IV at the hospital, and WOW does that burn. They said it burns because it isn't the same PH as my veins. It's so great because I don't feel so dragged down by my health and feel so much more back to myself. I am hoping that it lasts a bit longer this time. So good news all around. HOORAY!

February Fun Facts:

2009-02-20T19:37:00.000-08:00

That's right... February has been filled with quite a few events. Okay so there really is only 3 to talk about
1. Last weekend, Erin and Eferon came over for a fun filled weekend. Valentine's day was fun as we decided to go to Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. Eferon was real excited to see the sharks and all the rest of the animals since he hadn't been to a zoo since he was little. The peacocks were out and about too, walking like 2 feet away from us, struting his stuff. It was pretty funny because just when everyone thought the polar bear was going to do something cool, he ended up taking a poo. The beluga also decided to share that with us too. But the funniest moment out of it all was when a little boy, in an unpleasant smelling area, said, "Ew. It's smells like my bottom". Oh kids, how cute.

2. I got a check in the mail yesterday from the charity. So thank you very much to whomever donated! It really helps because I haven't been feeling the best and didn't work as much in the past two weeks. Yay for bills getting paid!

3. The Fulmore's are coming tonight! I am so excited because we haven't gotten to see them since our wedding! YAY! The Fulmore's are coming! We are hoping to take them bowling, because some of them have never gone 10 pin bowling. In Canada it's only five pins with a 5lb ball, and some different rules. And we will be celebrating Christmas! So, all in all, it should be a great weekend.

Abba, I belong to you

2009-02-03T11:45:00.000-08:00

This last week has been yet another adventure. This time under the care of Tacoma General nurses. The treatment did not go as smoothly as I would have liked, as I had a migraine and felt nauseated almost every day. The day after the last treatment I spent in bed all day throwing up. So not as easy on my body as I had hoped. I have slowly been regaining strength and eating a bit more. Tomorrow I will be going back to work.

Since I wasn't feeling well, Josh and I didn't make it to church on Sunday. (And no it wasn't because of the Superbowl, we didn't even watch it- I know Mike, what was I thinking :) ). We thought it would be a good time to listen to Brennan Manning (thanks to Tim on that one). It was a good reminder for both Josh and I as we were reminded that God is our Heavenly Father and He longs to hold us on his lap, kiss us, and call out to him, "Daddy, I belong to you". It has been such an encouragement to me in all of this, because no matter how much we go through, He has us in his arms and He will never let go.

IVIG treatment

2009-01-19T21:11:00.000-08:00

Looks like the insurance has approved me to get treatment for IVIG (intravenous immuno globulin - "infusion") and my doctor is not wasting time. I should be starting treatment next week- Tuesday through Friday at 9:30am. It will be getting treatment every day and it should take around 2 hours to do. For those of you who don't know, it just means that they take plasma from other people and drip the antibodies slowly into my body. There is a little glitch in getting this done as I do not have a port in, but I guess we will just wait and see what they decide to do. As to how I am doing emotionally, I am actually excited because after the treatment I will stop taking prednisone. Plus, it should make me feel better for longer which is great news too! As always, I would appreciate your prayers during this time. IVIG is not cheap, it costs around $10,000 for one day and while insurance will cover some of this, it isn't completely covered. Also, I will be receiving other people's antibodies and sometimes their antibodies can react funny with mine. Overall, it should be a pretty harmless treatment and has a lot less side effects than prednisone. But hey, prayer never hurts. Most likely, I am assuming that I will just be tired from it all and could get a headache. I guess we will see though. Thanks again for all the love and prayers. I continually feel surrounded by an amazing network of friends and family. Thanks!

Rain Rain Go Away... and take your flooding too

2009-01-18T19:54:00.000-08:00

As some of you know and have heard our downstairs apartment flooded 2 weeks ago. We managed to see that it was happening and got all our stuff upstairs into my cousin's house and garage, so that nothing was damaged. She doesn't have much of a kitchen or dining room now. We look like what some people might call "white-trash" as we have a couch, Josh's dresser, the table, fridge, and their Christmas tree all under the car port. And you may be asking, "Glad you're safe and so is all your stuff, but come on where is the footage?" Well, yes in fact, we do have footage of this spontaneous adventure, but do to the transportation of possessions we are unsure of where it is. When we find it, you will be informed.

We thought about building an ark, but we decided the car port would be sufficient enough for now. And living upstairs isn't too shabby at all, although it would be nice to get our stuff all back together and be downstairs again. We sent the dove out at noon today. It didn't return with an olive branch, but we did receive news through a message in a bottle, that we will get to move back in downstairs by Wednesday. (They had to rip out the carpet and put in tiling). That's all of the adventuring for now. Stay tuned for more issues of... the Adventures of Josh and Joanie, Flooding edition.

Merry Christmas Tim and Abby

2008-12-27T13:24:00.001-08:00

This is what happens when Tim and Abby aren't around...

Love you guys!

The Snow is a Falling

2008-12-26T19:09:00.000-08:00

Here is our day of fun in the snow...

We went sledding down this street... probably at 1/2 mph.

Josh strutting his stuff as usual

Rolling in the snow

The creepy gun fighting snowman Karl, Tony, and Josh created

It's Official

2008-12-15T18:41:00.000-08:00

Well, as my title says: It's officially Christmas time. The rents and us set up their Christmas tree after Thanksgiving and dad looked like a giant next to the tree. And yesterday it snowed, and for all Western Washingtonians, all were a bit nervous about venturing out in it. But today what made it feel even more like Christmas was almost here... dun dun dun... I saw a car with reindeer antlers on it and another car with a lit up Santa attached at the front bumper. What says Christmas more than car decorations as you are driving in the snow? So, it is finally here and although the snow only lasted less than a day, it still made me feel like Christmas is just around the corner.

CIDP news update

2008-12-12T19:44:00.000-08:00

As some of you may have been wondering... it is time to update you on my current health situation. So far I have been holding strong physically and just enjoying my life as a married woman. Over the past week I have begun to notice some weakness in my joints and hands. This worried me, as much of my body seemed to be wiggin' out on me. So I went to see the neurologist today and though he is not worried about the immediate effects, he is making plans to hook me up with IVIG treatment. This means in January, I will be getting a permanent port (under the skin) and they will flood my body with antibodies over a series of days and try and trick my body into not making any of its own vicious kind.

I have mixed feelings about this as I am in the middle of two extreme feelings. One is that I am sad as I am 23 and facing what most 80 year olds face: the fact that my body is mortal and can only hold up for so long. On the other hand, I feel relieved, as it allows me to let myself be sick and rest properly and I am so thankful that the Lord has given wisdom to doctors so that they are able to treat it. Thankfully too, even if my body is mortal, I know that in the end - because of Jesus' love and sacrifice for me, I will get a new body in heaven and thank you Jesus! there is life beyond this one. Does this mean I think I am dying? By no means! But it gives hope in a time of grieving.

GOOD NEWS!! - On the plus side, we still get to go to Canada for Christmas, and I am still healthy to sled and play and wrestle and all sorts of things. Also, we found out that Josh is going to for sure get paid on the art he has been drawing for this up and coming company. So the Lord is good and providing much for our lives. We are very thankful to him for his provision over us.

HONEYMOON ADVENTURES

2008-11-07T20:33:00.000-08:00

After about 2 some weeks back from our honeymoon, I suppose it is time to give some updates on our honeymoon and married life.

It all started with the keys... we got back to my parent's house to change into comfy clothes and were all ready to start off on our honeymoon until we couldn't find the keys. 10 minutes later they were found, we packed the car, got in and NO CAR KEY!! It took us another 5 minutes to realize it was in the closed trunk. Thankfully the trunk popper in my car worked, we got the key and then we were ready to go.

Then it was the our propriety... once we made it to the valet of the Westinn my car's trunk wouldn't pop. After a good ten tries of that, I went to use my key on the trunk... that only took 5 tries. Just a little embarrassing, but to top things off, the valet man tried to zip up josh's duffle bag for him, only to say that it wouldn't. We seemed a little out of place. As we entered the hotel, the vast majority of people were in business suits as we, mere town's folk, were dressed in jeans and t-shirts. We finally made it to our room, which was on the 43rd floor. Beautiful city view at night.

As we were hungry, we decided to order some food from room service. Josh got himself a hamburger and I apparently ordered some chicken nuggets off of the children's menu. (Way to act all grown up now that I am married).

The rest of the trip seemed to go quite well... we did have a few glitches here and there but for the most part an easy going honeymoon. We did decide to be daring at one point and go "swimming" in fridged water (felt like ice cubes wrapped around your legs).

So here are some pictures of the trip for you...

Josh running away from the intense wind.

The view from Mt. Constitution

Sunset at Mt. Constitution

The view from our place.

Golf lessons from the new husband

The deer at the place just came up to us and ate right out of our hands!

REASONS TO CELEBRATE!!!

2008-10-13T21:55:00.001-07:00

WOOT WOOT! I have been discharged from my physical therapy. I have been discharged from Occupational Therapy for awhile now and I only have one more appointment with Orthopedic Physical Therapy and I am ALL done!! Won't my neurologist be so proud! Anyways, just wanted to praise God in his healing of my body. Yes, I still am taking prednisone but as I am getting weaned down, I am still holding physically strong. YAY!

On another note... I am getting married in 5 Days to an amazing man, Josh, who loves the Lord. I am pretty stoked and surprisingly not too stressed. PARTY!!!

K1 Visa

2008-10-08T21:46:00.001-07:00

The good news is out... Josh received his K1 visa this last Tuesday!! Praise God! Now here is the story...
We headed up Sunday to Canada for the start of the adventure, staying at the graces of Josh's sister, Rachel and her roommates. Come Monday we headed out to Vancouver for the big interview. We parked the car in downtown Vancouver and headed for the copper skyscraper with tinted windows. As we arrived at the door a group of security officers were there to greet us. Once they found out we had an appointment, they let us in and did a strip search. Okay not really, Josh did have to take off his watch and belt though, and I had to take off my jacket. Once they were satisfied that we weren't there to bomb the building we headed up the stairs to the next floor. In the stairwell we found ourselves being haunted by a howling wind... creepy. When we got to the 2nd floor we had an escort security officer while we waited for the elevator. We tried to ask him about the sound in the stairs, but I think he must have felt it was too highly classified for us. The elevator doors opened and he had to flash his badge in order to get to the 20th floor. I thought we were in for a FBI interview or something. The elevators created a bit of nervousness as the "walls" were mirrors. When we reached the 20th floor we hit another security check (as if they weren't watching our every move... you never know where those hidden security cameras are). Another security officer escorted us through a secret coded door into... a reception area! That's all they were hiding? No cops, no FBI agents, just a few chairs and some banker counters with glass windows. Disappointing climax I must say. But still, the US embassy managed to have a security camera out in the open, in case we tried to paper cut the desk clerks.

Josh's name was finally called after quite a bit of waiting. All of his papers were in order and minus a small thing about Dad not having a letter from his employer, and whether or not I could make enough so Josh wouldn't end up on welfare, we had smooth sailing. 15 minutes of talking to clerks and about 2 hours of waiting, we found out we had PASSED!!! and could pick up the visa the next day! sweet deal! We met some interesting people while we waited. One lady, was filling out her K3 visa.. she was already married and having to get the visa (lot harder to get through). She had spent a total of 1 month with her husband out of 7 months. Boo. And she had opened a DO NOT OPEN xray envelope and caused herself some more issues in the process. Double Boo. Then we met a girl who was filling out a K1 visa too, but had a ceremony in August but not filled out government documents yet. All in all it was an interesting time at the consulate.

The next day we headed back to the US consulate. As we grabbed everything we needed, we could not find Josh's passport. We were worried we had lost it and hoped for the best: that the consulate had kept it and would give it back. Thankfully that was the case. They had to print the visa in the passport. whew! This time the security officers were more friendly and not hardly any waiting time. Once we had all his papers we headed to the border, filled out some more paperwork and we were set to go! We only have 90 days to get married!!! Good thing we are getting married in 10. We are both very very excited.

As for the next steps... Josh has to fill out a whole new application for a change of status to get his green card and work visa. Just several pages of forms and 1010 more dollars to the government. well I guess it is a good thing that we have a sovereign Lord who provides for us. So please continue to keep us in your prayers. Still have a bit more to go in the process, but we are one step closer and we can get married as planned! YAY! YIPPEE!!

4 weeks to go!

2008-09-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

I have successfully completed the shower season of bridal land. We had a shower while I was up in Canada and one today with my church family. Josh and I escaped with quite a hefty load of loot. We both felt very blessed by people's generosity. Josh has now at least tripled his worldly possessions. Before the showers, we packed up his stuff and it all fit in one box and a suitcase. Now he has at least 5 boxes. So thank you to all of those who contributed!! And it might surprise you that, not counting today's shower, I have all the thank you's done. I was rather impressed with myself. Josh even helped with some of them.

Josh is now down in the states with me. We wait for the anticipated date of Oct 6 so that he can be officially moved down and demanded that he marry me before he returns to Canada. (I don't think it will be too hard to convince him). Anyways, it is 4 weeks until we are married!!! I think it is beginning to sink in. We are both very excited! share in it with us!!!

What have I been up to?

2008-09-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

So I realize that I have not written much on here in some time. Mostly that is because not much has been new in the realm of health lately. I am continuing to come off of prednisone AND.. dun. dun. dun.. the chipmunk cheeks are beginning to slender themselves. This is very exciting news for me. ha ha ha. Josh's mom however, has had to remake my dress a bit since I have gained some weight and am more healthy now. I continue to feel stronger and stronger as I slow down the steroids. God is indeed good.

For those of you who are much more concerned with things such as weddings, a week ago I had my very first bridal shower, hosted by my very good friends Erin and Dani. I must say it was a wonderful shower and thank you thank you's to the many gifts and people who showered me with love. We played a game where I had to guess what Josh's answers were and if I got them wrong I had to stick a piece of gum in my mouth. May not sound to shabby but they were bubblicious pieces of gum so you know they aren't really that small. While I did get his grandparents' names right, I was not always successful. Yes, chipmunk cheeks and a massive lump of gum in my mouth... not pretty. I will try to post a picture or two when I get the chance. Josh's parents came down for the shower and thanks to Erin, Dwight (Josh's dad) and even my grandpa got a bit into the Wii. Okay, so did I. Lots of wedding things were discussed and mom and Linda were planning like crazy. The weekend ended with Josh's parents buying us a bed for our apartment at a steal of deal price. Although when I first heard of this deal, I thought they said they got it at a dollar store for 10 dollars. Thankfully, I misunderstood and it is a quality bed with a pillow top to it. Very generous of them I must say.

I am now currently up in Canada visiting Josh's family and helping Josh pack to move himself down to the states. And this took us one day... more like a couple hours. Turns out Josh does not have much worldly possessions and we filled a box with his things. Pretty humourous if you ask me, although I am not complaining. Also, today Josh and I had our first premarital counseling. we mainly just discussed how we met, why we love each other, and the importance of not letting selfishness and pride in the way. But don't worry Abby, you aren't the only one out there with homework. We have more things to discuss next week after we have done some of our own homework. I thought of you Abs and almost started on it immediately. Your OA syndrome might be spreading to me.

Anyways, this is the news for me now. I will try to not make the gap so long before I write again. I don't want my blogger friends to give up on me :). Tis all for now.

Happy News!

2008-08-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

Just so everyone can be excited with me... I GOT MY PERMA-CATHADER OUT TODAY!!! which means, no more scary thing hanging out of my chest! yippee! No more dressing changes or saran wrapping for showers! Freedom! It's like I am a normal person now. Well, okay I know that's debatable.

As for my health, I am still holding strong as I come down off the steroid high. Good news so far. Let's keep praying that this is how it stays! WOO!

Health Update

2008-08-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

I saw my neurologist yesterday and he gave me all good news. He was very glad to hear that I had responded so well to the prednisone and now it is time to wean me down. It will take about 4 months to get down to 10mg every other day (I'm at 60mg every day right now). They aren't sure if the symptoms will return as I slowly come off of it, but it is a trial and error sort of syndrome, so we will just have to wait and see. As for now we are not going to do IVIG treatment as we are waiting to see what my body does.

More good news- I will be able to have children some day. Even if I get IVIG treatment it should not hurt the baby and this syndrome is not hereditary so it would not be passed on at all. YAY! Although, he was wanting me to wait until I am a little stronger to have one. Don't worry, I wasn't planning on it yet anyways :). Just good to know for the future.

Also, I am completely stoked because.. dun dun dun... I get my perma-cathader out!!! No more weird thing hanging out of me! I will get to take showers without saran wrap. I am not even quite sure what I will do with all of this glorious freedom, but I know I am going to love it.

So that's the news. The prayer is that the symptoms do not come back as the prednisone lowers. I do keep getting stronger and I feel more and more alive and myself every day. Thanks again for all your prayers. I must give a shout out to Tim and Abby as they let me stay in the house of restoration, reconstruction, re-birthing, rehabilitation center... we know what wonderful miracle that house had in and of itself. :) Love you guys!

Gaining Independence

2008-08-05T09:34:00.000-07:00

Time to share some exciting news in my life... yesterday I drove my stick shift car for the first time in 4 and a half months! I am gaining independence again! I am still taking it slow and not driving far as I do not know my full endurance level yet, but this is a major excitement for me! Sorry Dad, you might have to lose your new favorite car :).

Also, this weekend was party time at Ocean Shores with the Isaacson family. It was a fun time with lots of games and enjoying each others company. We even went putt putting, and from being in last the whole game, I snuck up from behind and took the gold! (sharing the victory of course with my dad and mike). Who knows, maybe the steroids were a cheating factor after all.

Well I'm off to see what more independent adventures I can attempt today...

Miracles in the making...

2008-07-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

A week ago, my daddy and I were discussing his sermon on miracles. I firmly believe that at some point if God chose, he could easily touch my body and I would be 100% back to normal, and I do hope for that. The thing that struck me though was, even if God does not heal me physically, does that really mean that there was no miracle? I don't think so. In fact, I have seen miracles already taking place. This week has been a perfect example of that. Again, I am going to list them, because I am not very eloquent in my writing.

-I drove an automatic car for 20 minutes this week (first time in 4 months). They aren't encouraging me to drive stick yet. It was a bit weird to be in the drivers seat after it being so long, but I did alright.

-I am walking again without any assistance. I can walk up and down stairs, with some difficulty but by myself. And no need for the commode these days. Also, I am attempting to run again. Now, it is more of a sneak run then an actual run, but these calf muscles are working hard to regain strength. haha.

-In physical therapy, I jumped an INCH!!! haha, I know it sounds silly but I got up off the ground, which was pretty fantastic to me. Then I jumped in a box shape and landed on my right foot wrong, slightly spraining it. However, I still can walk fine and we are still okay.

-I worked this week for 2 hours. I would have worked longer but this is the most I have done in a week for 4 months. I thought I would give myself a break.

-Josh and I are now officially registered at Bed Bath and Beyond. We are considering registering at Macy's still, but I found that after 4 and a half hours of registering, (we did take a lunch in between) I was really, really done. Especially since I don't like shopping for longer than 20 minutes in one store. We took the wheelchair along for me to rest in, but it was still very long.

-Immigration talked to us again, and in a week Josh should know the rest of the details for coming down here to live.

-Josh and I are continually blessed by the gifts of those around us. The Lord is providing for us financially in every way possible. Our wedding will basically be free to us.

Greater than all these things though, is what happened Tuesday 6am to Wednesday 6am. My church put on a 24 hour prayer for me. I was quite shocked as I did not know that it was going to be just about me. Someone made a comment about it being expanded but a man from the church had heard from the Lord that it was specifically supposed to be for me. *wow*. Now, I know that I am on steroids, and I make jokes about loving what they can do, but I really believe God did something with these prayers. All the slots for the middle of the night were filled out. That night when I was sleeping, I woke up for a bathroom break. The weirdest part was waking up, knowing that I could feel God's presence touch me and a rush of warmness going through my body. I don't know if they were people praying for me or dreams segmented together, but I do know something supernatural took place that night. Ever since, I feel less trapped in my body. I still have to gain back muscle from what I lost, but I really believe the steroids are not the only reason I am bouncing back so fast.

So does this mean I am healed forever? I do not know. Does is mean I am strong? By no means. In fact, please understand, by no means does this have to do with how spiritual and strong in the Lord I am. No, no, no. This is not about me. The prayers of people surrounding my family (beyond people I even know), are the ones that are sustaining me through this. I don't even feel like I have to hang on or push through. The Lord's grace is with me everyday sustaining me. All I have to do is sit back, rest, and let him work. Which is easy when you don't even need strength to do that. It truly is through your prayers that I am strong. This is what the body of Christ is meant to be. A place where we uphold each other. I certainly feel this way about you all and am very appreciative of your love and support for me in this time. It is quite overwhelming. So thank you again and again. Please don't stop praying, and do not lose heart, because God is using you to encourage and uplift me. Thanks.

IMMIGRATION NEWS!!

2008-07-18T12:20:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, Josh is Canadian, thus making it that we have to fill out immigration papers for him to live and work down here. We filled them out in February thinking that we would know by the end of September, which was pushing it a bit for a wedding in October.

As of yesterday, and a lot of prayer, we have been APPROVED!!!!!

Now we just wait 2-4 weeks to see where Josh needs to go to get his interview. If all goes well, we will be married in October as planned. PRAISE THE LORD!! One more blessing to be thankful for.

Clarification...

2008-07-17T11:50:00.000-07:00

First of all, thank you all for your love and support! It is always great to feel like people are rallying around you.

In response to some questions some have had, I thought I would clarify. First of all, this could have been life-threatening in the beginning if it had hit my lungs, but God spared me that part of the journey as it stopped right before the lungs. So now it does not sound life-threatening, just a challenge and a journey to see how far I will improve and what I will be capable of doing.

Second, I do not fully understand all of what this means for me treatment wise but I will explain as much as I can. Right now I am started on Prednisone, which is a steroid to help boost my immune system. My neurologist does not want me on it for very long, as it can have bad long term side effects. In about three weeks I will go to see him at which point he is talking about starting me on IVIg treatment (intravenous immune globulin). IVIg treatment consists of 5 treatments the first time round. They flood my body with tons of antibodies to trick my body into thinking it has too much. In doing so, my body will stop making so many antibodies, causing them to be less aggressive and stop attacking my nerves. This treatment should last longer than the plasma exchanges I was getting. If I notice that I am starting to regress after the first round of IVIg treatment then I only have to go back for 1 day of treatment as needed.

Third, chronic can mean lots of things. I asked if it would last for the rest of my life or just end after awhile. He said he did not know as it is different for every person; both are possible. So, I guess we will just have to see what the Lord's plan is for me.

I hope this answers your questions, if not let me know, and I will do my best to answer them. The doctors do not have tons of answers as it is very rare.

Guillain-Barre to CIDP

2008-07-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

I found out Monday afternoon that I no longer have Guillain-Barre Syndrome but the chronic version called Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy. For those of you have not heard it is a autoimmune disorder where my antibodies attack the nervous system eating away the mylon sheaths around the nerves, creating tingling, burning, and loss of sensation. I was diagnosed and hospitalized March 30, 2008. These last few months have been rough as I have had to learn to become dependent, relearn how to walk and use my arms/hands. At times it is emotionally difficult to handle as dreams and expectations of a perfectly healthy 23 year being dashed by an unexpected physical disability.

So as this can easily turn depressing, I have decided to write out my adventure, speaking of the miraculous works of God and of the many many blessings he has given me in this. On this point, my first thought is where do I begin? So in no particular order...

~While getting an MRI (when you shouldn't be able to hear the music they give you) I plainly heard the songs "I'll Never Let You Go", "Amazing Grace", and "How Great is Our God". Clearly the Lord was encouraging my spirits.

~Not able to sleep the first night in the hospital, Josh read the Psalms to me, where the Lord reminded me of how great he is and that while Satan may try and tell me that I am defeated, the Lord is the true victor in this battle. (this reminder has come of great use.)

~I had encouraging nurses/therapists that have comforted my spirits, laughed, and played with my family and I.

~I was "randomly" given the top neurologists in the area.

~I had more people that I could count or even knew praying for me.

~I was out of the hospital in 11 days of what should have taken 1 to 3 months.

~I had an incredible group of plasma exchange nurses that could not be more loving and fun to be with.

~My now fiance proposed to me once out of the hospital. He has been a constant reminder of the Lord's extravagant and constant love for me. Telling me even now that it is chronic, that it makes him want to love me even more. He also told me it was who I was that made him love me and not what I was capable of doing. He constantly reminds me that I am a beautiful daughter of God and encourages me to let people help me.

~With a huge help from my soon-to-be mother-in-law, and other family members, my wedding costs are very minimal (under $ 1000). I have a Father in Heaven who truly provides for me.

~I am on charity with the hospital (no hospital bills!!!) Thank you Jesus!

~Constant reminders from those around me that they love me and will do anything for me. (i.e. prayers, cards, hugs, gifts, movies, Rainier tickets, and new shoes from 2 special aunts of mine:) ) Thank you everyone! It is very encouraging to know that you are loved.

I am sure there is more I am forgetting but these are fresh in my mind as of today. More to come though as the Lord continues to bless me and teach me more of who he is. He has been encouraging me to thank him for CIDP and trust that he is doing spectacular things through it in spite of the fact that I cannot see or understand it. He does as he pleases and he is sovereign. As he has enabled and strengthened me to say from the beginning, I would loved to be healed from this but if he has not completed the work that he is doing in all of this, who am I to tell him when is the right time. I just pray that he can continue to give me the grace to keep that in mind.

Love you guys! Thanks for the love, prayer, and support. There have been times where God's presence has been very apparent to me and I know it's due to your prayers.