Probably the longest post ever....

First off I am not a hermit I promise.

Just feeling NASTY.

I had been feeling pretty yuck, but was bound and determined I was going to my 10 yr reunion, ( yes, I will add pics later in this post) well was having some issues with swelling in my face especially.

Which only got worse after consuming a couple of "adult beverages".

Well on Monday I was feeling way way way bad, was way swollen and wanted to cut my joints off with a hacksaw.

So I was just trying to hold out until my appt on Wed., where it looks like my kidneys have been the major culprit all along. As I only have one that works that is a problem:P

So got get a few more tests to see what all is going on, not really pleased with the first one where my levels or all the nastiness where so high it couldn't even be read :P So we shall see! I'll keep you posted, mention this on facebook and I will hunt you down ;)

Anyway, in other news everything around here is breaking and it is driving me NUTS. It was the washer last week, then the dishwasher and now the air conditioner?? Serisously, you are 5 yrs old. So I am sitting her typing with no air, needless to say I am about to go run errands!

Please forgive the swollen face ;P







Alot of us that are in the group picture are also in the older group picture...can you match us up??

Breathe...

I had a mild freak out today when I was informed I may have to get my treatments, which I get at least every 21 days in the hospital again. Such the pain in the butt, and it cost so much more. They already cost anywhere from 10,000-12,000 a treatment(every 2-3 weeks)Depends on shortage etc.

I literally felt sick to my stomach.It is so much easier to have it done at home.Yes there are times when I am barfing or my joints are hurting that I wish I was in the hospital but it's rare.

Keeping my fingers crossed that my wonderful homehealth nurse can keep giving them.

I hate having to go in the hospital for things like that because it also brings me in contact with so many more germs and I stay so much sicker :(

All seems well now, praise god, lets hope it stays that way.

And other blast from the past...

Me before I discovered hair straighteners. I was almost 17 in this pic...and I can remember thinking that was the "coolest" sweater ;)

I seriously can't believe I have been out of school 10 years!

And I am one of the older kids in the grade. I will be 29 this year, only one more year left in my twenties. When did that happen.

In some ways because of the health stuff it feels like I was in school 200 years ago, but I sure as heck don't feel a whole lot different than I did I 21,25,and the list goes on.

Sheesh.

My reunion is Saturday, the bright side is my husband graduated 6 years before me, so he was been out 16 years! LOL

As you can tell I was just as weird then ;)

Another day, another doctor

I swear I am just going to move into a hospital. This time it wasn't actually for me, so that was a plus in some ways, but it was for Houston, big minus :(

He had been having allergies for the last day or so, just sneezing, basically hay fever, started back giving him his singular and all better.

Well yesterday afternoon he was itching his ear and it looked red, after playing outside.

Well I put hydrocortisone on it and gave him Ibpropuen and he went to bed. Well, I went to get the booger out of bed this morning and his ear was so swollen it looked fake. The inside part looked like thw world's biggest shrimp both in color and size and the rest just looked like wax.

So I took him in and after they all got over the sheer size of the fake looking ear, they decided,he had gotten bitten my something and had an allergic reaction, then it started to swell within the canal etc and now the skin and ear are infected, in literally less than 24 hours :(

So lots of fun, nasty tasting medicines for the little guy.

Only us, and of course I have NO IDEA what he was bitten by :P

I am alive...just laying low

Just wanted the one or two people who may still read this thing, know that I am still ticking.

This time of year is just tough for me healthwise. So I can venture out and wear a Michael Jackson mask or stay home, so a lot of the time I stay home.

Sometimes, I just say forget about it and go out but often pay for it later.

Just gotta be careful this time of year because a lot goes around.

Breathing issues have been the issue of late as achy joints have been. Man, oh man, there is a reason I have went through like 4 heating pads in the last year. I <3 them!

Anyway, that was just my poor attempt at excusing myself ;)

Seriously, I need to make it a point to update this thing, daily or at least a couple of times a week.

But I mean how fasicinating could you find treatments and doctor's appointments?? Not very.

I just know that today, I am super grateful for a blessing I don't deserve...being a mother to a sweet boy.

I can remember being in the hospital after they had removed my heap of a tumor( otherwise know as Fred) and coming out of the fog they had had me in for about 5 days....and feeling so sick and holy crap this hurts....and what are all these tubes coming out of my body...and one of the first things I remember Jeremy saying was hopefully one of the next times you are in the hospital, it is to bring a baby home. And I can remember thinking, no way, as the doctors had already threatened me body harm if I got pregnant within the next 18 months...well wouldn't you know, I got pregnant with my little guy 6 weeks later, and then he was almost 6 weeks early so people seem to think Jeremy snuck into ICU, I promise he didn't ;P LOL

Being Houston's mother is such a blessing, and one I often feel I don't deserve. He is pretty great :)

I worked the pole like a pro...

Sadly, it was an iv pole so no money was involved ;)

I swear I would love to calculate the hours I have spend hooked up it would be like a million hours...or so it seems.

It is kinda funny and kinda sad that Houston thinks it is normal.

He thinks everyone has their own nurses, all mommies have their own scarfs (scars) and that every day is treatment day.

He even tells the nurses he can give me my medicine, he probably could...LOL

Well week before last I was sick, like I wanted to run into traffic sick, they tried to force my hand and made the hospital not seem so bad, they know all to well how I try and weasel out ;) Well I decided instead that because Houston was going on Vacation the next week that I would just go to my docs office everyday for the IV meds, because the home nurse couldn't do them because what they were.

It seemed like a good idea.

For the first day.

Then it was a little more suckage everyday. It is a yuck drive even when you feel good so it was not fun, but the nurses are the best port accessers ever, I almost want to kiss em' hardly anyone gets in in good the first time, because the port is so old, and trying to go bad , pesky thing!

So they used a lovely 1.5 needle , after I about had to go change my pants...it was all uphill from there :)

Then figured out that one of my favorite nurses from my floor at the hospital is now working at the office...win, win :)

Anyway, I felt a little better last week and the childlessness helped, to be honest.

Then start feeling way yuck again so I wanted to form tackle my nurse in a good way when she got here.

Then she told me one of my meds was being no longer made..so I preceded to panic but then calmed down when I realized their was a comparable med.

Yay, me.

I know this is probably like the most boring blog post ever, but hey just need to get it out every now and then.

Lets pray for feeling "my" normal :)

Haven't had much to write about...

Was sickly last week.

This week I did get to visit some with friends which was lovely, not lovely because my baby was going to the beach :(

Today I get to ....hold on wait for it.....CLEAN.

Fun Times.

Speaking of fun times, can you guess who we saw this Sunday while waiting on the grandparents...



Houston was in awe of meeting his idol. He could barely speak and if you know him you know that is a big thing ;)

Can't wait until I see the little guy again, Houston not Thomas ;)

sick puppy sick puppy.

I am a sick puppy yet again. Having lung issues and bronchitis :P

So I have been traveling to Birmingham everyday for IV meds...oh the fun, I tell you.

I want a photography mentor *pout*

I want someone I can ask things, that can teach me things, critize me etc.

Not easy to find there is like a 10 page thread on ILP, not seeing that happening. A photog was taking some mentorees and I wasn't in that bunch :P

I know I am not going to go in business. I won't trust me. I just want to be able to take the best pics for my family...and maybe some friends...no money exchanging hands...which I think put some people off.

Also, I have no desire to do studio stuff...I am a lifesytl'er' all the way.

Any ideas on how to get a mentor???

I feel bad bothering people because I know they are busy.


Just kinda thinking out loud.

A little piece of me

If you're readmy blog , I want to know 36 things about you. I don't care if we never talk, or if we already know everything about each other. Short and sweet is fine ... you're on my list, so I want to know you better!

01) Are you currently in a serious relationship?

Yes

02) What was your dream growing up?
That I would be able to travel the world.

03) What talent do you wish you had?
I wish I could do math well, seems stupid but my brain doesn't work that way

04) If I bought you a drink what would it be?
water or diet mountain dew

05) Favorite vegetable?

squash

06) What was the last book you read?

Hard to say, I am always reading more than one...

07) What zodiac sign are you?

Sag
08) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.

Butterfly on my stomach....the piercings have all grown up

09) Worst Habit?

procrastination

10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?

if i knew you sure

11) What is your favorite sport?

too watch..I love girlie sports or extreme sports

12) Do you have a Pessimistic or Optimistic attitude?

both

13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
talk your ear off

14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?

getting sick
15) Tell me one weird fact about you.

hm.... my husband was born on 11.4, me 12.4 and we were married on 1.4



16) Do you have any pets?

two dogs and a fish

17) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly?
you would have to pardon the mess ;)

18) What was your first impression of me?

Can't answer this one generically

19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?

Scary as heck! I hate them!

20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?

i would be prebaby weight other than that, i am fine

21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?

Conscience, most of the time

22) What color eyes do you have?

gray, houston and i have the exact same eye color

23) Ever been arrested?

Nope

24) Bottle or can soda?

I'll do either. A can is better because it has less quantity.

25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?

travel overseas

27) What's your favorite place to hang out?

I don't have one....i like to go to the bookstore to decompress...

28) Do you believe in ghosts?

yeah

29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
read,browse the net, and take pics

30) Do you swear a lot?
more than i should


31) Biggest pet peeve?

judgemental people

32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?

Quirky

33) Do you believe/appreciate romance?

I can appreciate it.

34) Favorite and least favorite food?

Favorite: anything ethnic Least Favorite: greasy stuff :P

35) Do you believe in God?
for sure

36) Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?

Sure

Hope everyone had a great Easter ours was nuts. We originally were going to go up to visit my parents/grandma on Saturday so we could do mass and the egg hunt on Sunday and then J's family on Sunday.

Well went to leave on Saturday and my car water pump was out...so I was carless all day. Still wasn't done by Sunday so J had to drop us at church and go work on the car some more :(

Got it working and we made the rounds with the family yesterday.

Houston got some goodies and then my parents bought him a nintendo DS. He is spoiled rotten.

He got a big boy haircut and he almost doesn't seem like the same kid...he has had the bowl cut for so long I barely recognize him ;)

These pics aren't the best but you get the idea ;)

Houston's easter duds...

Figured I would go appliqued....I resisted the smocking..it was hard but he is too old. Sad but true.

He has lost alot of weight and could honestly wear the size 3 but I got him a size 4. I think preschool is about the limit to wear it though.

The thing about the south is monogramming, smocking and appliquing is huge.

He is the ONLY kid in his class that doesn't have his name on his backpack ( only because it wouldn't fit ;P )

Everything is very"cutesy" for lack of a better word...here is his little backpack



All you non southerners are probably cringing...definately regional!If he was a girl he would have a bow the size of a softball on his little noggin'

Is this thing on?

Seems a little dead.

We are still trucking along.

Hope you are too!

My friend had her baby!

Lucas was born at 8:25 on Palm Sunday.

Here he is...

My little cutie pie

 

I am feeling better, it is feeling warmer so we are spending time outside :)

The tooth is GONE

Yay, the pesky teeth fragments have been cleaned out. It is surgery sore but in terms of OMG pain it feels soooo much better.

Yay :)

So glad it is on less procedure to worry about.

It wasn't without drama though, the nurse stuck herself with the needle from my port though :( Lucky because I get blood products my blood is tested for stuff all the time so she has nothing to worry about, but I know she is probably still freaking out.

Oh and I FINALLY found my photoshop cd :) The bad boy is from 2004...so its ancient but hey at least I found it ;)

Sorry I have been a little MIA

Still have to have all the oral surgery :P So between that and the sickness, haven't felt like doing a lot.

I have been a wee bit obsessed with all things photography related :P

So I have been resting and reading ;)

Getting to know you Photography Style

Stole from ILP but I thought since so many of my friends liked to take pictures that it would be fun to do, feel free to post it on your blogs as well :)



1. Your first name:
Jade

2: Your first camera model:
My first camera was one of those plastic blue kids cameras :)

3: Your current camera model:
I have a sony alpha 330

4. When and how did you realize you had a passion for photography?
I have always loved taking pictures, I also love to scrapbook, which I think in a lot of ways goes hand in hand

5. Describe your photography style in three words only
life,real,unposed

6. Where do you see yourself in five years photography wise?
Still loving taking pictures, I love that their is always something else to learn ;)

7. If you had $1,000.00 to spend on gear what would you buy?
I would love to have a nikon but honestly I would probably buy lenses :) A 50 mm for sure, or maybe put it towards a mac.

8. Are their any specific photographers or styles that appeal most to you?
I love
http://kelliekanophotography.com/blog/

I love any "lifestyle" photog too

9. What would you say your greatest struggle has been?

Hm...not sure just the learning curve I guess.

10. Are their any tips or learning materials you'd recommend?
I read books a lot and LOVE Ilovephotography.com

11. Share an embarrassing moment that relates to a photography experience.
Basically just that I have no shame, I will crawl around and look like a fool! I feel like half the town has seen my panties :P

12. Besides being behind the camera, what other things do you enjoy?
I love anything crafty and I love to read :)

Five dollar makeover

Made a new strap cover and pimped out my bag ;)