January-February 2012 - My weight in Chocolate kind of a month! DONE

Since mid December, I have found myself in the "waiting" place again!  Waiting to write until some of the storm was calmer. I always want for January and February to be the "slower", "catch up months".  This year for some reason as I speak to many different people it seems that everyone feels like they are on a merry-go-round and can't get off.

My groundhog days, which are not my own most of the time follow this verbal outline;
First light; "Oh, what a beautiful morning."
Mid-morning;"What should I eat that stays within reasonable calories, how do I do this on the run all day?"
Mid-day; "Bring it on!"
Late afternoon-"Have I done any good in the world today?"
4:30-10pm-"I can do hard things."
11pm-"Be still, it is the day that will end, not you."

Walking through the storm, melt the madness, 

set me free with your serenity.  

This crazy world will not change, 

so Lord please change me.(Jericho road)

Of course January is filled with all the nobility of intentions for self-improvement.
Emotional eating self-recognition moment 2012; after attending a health class or two, I learned that I should be consuming 1 gram of protein for every pound of lean body weight each day.  Well, this month the emotional eater in me confused that equation with, you should eat 1 pound of chocolate per pound of body weight! (which I am much better at achieving in a days time.)
To rationalize and explain the need for such large quantities of chocolate and so it is recorded for history, I offer one week-at-a-glance that highlights the unexpected happenings that are added to the everyday usual organized chaos, throwing it into daily mini-spirals of unorganized chaos.
Saturday- Davis and Ben eye appointments. Davis with contact intolerance and a change in contacts, hoping that he can be infection, pain and redness free and see as well!
Sunday-looking at the calendar to see just what the week will bring; unexpected awareness of early-out week for the elementary-all week...yay!  Begin new schedule of  Davis tapering meds-hoping for continued tolerance and good labs. Encouraged that the past few months have brought some of the best labs to date!
Monday-early-out, 2:30pm guitar, 2:40pm parent teacher conference, 4:00pm girl scouts, 4:30pm oh yea, root canal, (for the first time in 20 years I requested a little happy aid so that my anxiousness would not send my bulging discs in my neck into spasms for the week, rendering me limited.)  Root canal successful-not too loopy(much to the disappointment of my kids who had heard stories of the last embarrassingly dramatic Valium experience!)
Tuesday-group meeting for meal planning, weight control, work-out and emotional support.  Every time I sit and deeply talk with other women, I am in awe at the adversity we are asked to endure and the examples of strength that is consistently a source of empowerment to me.

When you are in over your head, that's right where you want to be with Christ. The love that we feel and know Christ, 

is directly proportionate to the adversity in our life.

Wednesday-Sports medicine appointment for Davis' back issue x3 weeks after a day at Get Air Trampoline. Also, random bloody nose, fighting a four month sinus infection, 2 rounds of antibiotics that did not help. Frustrated with the meds causing more side effects than benefits, I am now an unofficial, hopeful, essential oil guru!

As I sat at the class, I laughed at the recognition that every family member needed 4-5 drops of various oils from head to toe! An overwhelmed rush filled my body as I contemplated who needed what first; immune system, kidneys, sinus', stomach, tension, sports injuries and growing pains!  I wanted to bathe in Lavender from my nose down, in attempts to calm.  Let's just say I hold the bottle up to my nose 27 times a day! Breathe. 

Instead of waiting for the storms to end, we must learn to dance in the rain!

I love to dance in the rain.

Early-out!(this alone just messes with the week!)
Thursday-am- placement of a crown on the previous mentioned root canal tooth.  I should have asked for another round of happy aid for the 1 1/2 hour appointment that due to some unexpected complications, took 3 1/2 hours.  I can think of a hundred other things that I would rather do or clean up, than go to the dentist. However, I will censor and restrain for this entry!
mid-day-early out and second parent teacher conference
pm-after yesterday, it was determined that Davis would need a MRI to rule out a vertebral stress fracture.  Ironically, the very same injury that placed Ryan on the inactive list and also had a MRI for just 3 weeks earlier.(he was cleared and is now back in baseball playing at about 85% working hard to reach 100%. Well, the up side, we have met our insurance out of pocket maximum for at least two people in the first month of the new year! Off again to drive to Salt Lake, today for the MRI!
It has hourly-wise, been a full-time job, plus, this week, driving  from office to office and time spent on the phone hoping to track on the life-sustaining meds for Davis that are part of the Nationwide drug shortage.  After 5 weeks of communication, we still do not have meds to pick up after the supply runs out in a month. "My Fears Have Worn Me Out" (song, Switchfoot)  I have to hand this one over to Heavenly Father so as to keep my wits about me and my imagination i check.
Dinner on the run...again.

Oh! wait what's this, it's Pack Meeting tonight and we are to bring a plate of treats and oh, yea mom, I'm getting my Arrow of Light tonight.  Bring it on!  Arrived at Ben's Arrow of Light ceremony just in time, with cookies in hand. Sat down and embraced the tender reflection that this was our last pack meeting after 3 boys and 8 years!

Crawl, literally crawl, into bed late after trying to prepare for the next day and to pack 7 people to leave out of town in 96 hours.  But no time for that...Friday and Saturday still have to happen!  Emmi up half the night with ear aches and sinus infection.
Friday-8am call to acquire a Pediatric appointment first thing for Emily's ears and sinus'
Ben's labs in bag, and Davis' labs drawn in the car at the high school parking lot, between classes, in attempts to make only one trip to the lab and clinic by 10 am.
Appointment, along with a wait in the lobby with every other cough and cold-
need for antibiotics, off to the pharmacy.
Early-out!
Haircuts given x3-long overdue
Time Out For Women-a ticket I've had since December.  How can I afford the time to go...how can I afford Not to go?
4:20pm-getting ready to walk out the door-call from the sports medicine doctor.  Spinal stress fracture...ruled IN!  Ten minutes to break the news to Davis that plans for Spring baseball were out and most other activities low key until healing could happen and then the plan is physical therapy.  (which later did not help and after too long we ended up at Dr Christensen's to have muscle activation and chiropractic adjustments.  Success, Davis is feeling much beter)  The continued strength through disappointment and pain astounds.  The words to the song, what doesn't kill you will make you stronger, came to his head and he continues the plan to be a compliant patient to give the best chance for recovery.

The saying, "everything comes "in 3's", has now officially been changed to "multiple groups of 3's!" 

Remember to breathe.

4:29pm- in the car to leave-call from lab; results good, will continue tapering.  Best platelet count for Davis to date.(tender mercies)
4:40pm- dinner with the girls before Time Out.  Relaxation was hard to come by as I tried to mentally organize the next few days.  The company was great and the first recognition and surrender that it was my birthday weekend brought a smile to my face!
Saturday- Long week-Happy day! 9am Time Out resumes with the inspirational theme; "Seek the Good!"  Poignant for me was the word seek.  As evidenced by this week, adversity will find you sure enough, however, we have to make a conscious effort to continue to strive to seek out the good every day.  It is all around us.  My Mantra for this year is "Surround Yourself with Greatness".  This is a challenge, however, a daily desire physically, mentally and especially spiritually, that has helped me not only maintain through the challenges and constant changes to "my plan", but also feel the love and peace I crave.

Someday, you will become.  As for now you are in the refiner's fire.  In the meantime, become a woman that God can depend upon!

(time-out 2012)