On Wednesday night, Will took me to the ER. For those who don't want to read the whole post (b/c it's kind of lenghty) I'll skip right to the end. I was diagnosed with complex migraines and I now have medicine to take if something like that ever happens again. B/C there's no way to know with 100% certainty that it was the migraine, and not a TIA stroke, I am also on an asprin regimine to reduce the risk of blood clots.
For those who want to know more... read on. :)
When I woke up Wednesday morning, I felt great. I got to school, and around 10:00am, I started feeling funny (nice, medical term for you). By 10:15ish, I was dizzy. The dizziness continued and then I started seeing black dots. I couldn't focus on anything, and I couldn't write. Then, I began to have some confusion (ex. I couldn't remember my students' names, or how to spell them) and I started saying things I didn't mean to say (ex. I meant to say, "go to your seat"and instead I said, "go outside for recess" OR my words didn't form, and I spoke jibberish). Some of you may remember when that reporter who covered the Grammy's did that same type of thing on air- it was JUST like that! At this point I was pretty concerned about what was going on. I thought it might be Vertigo, or something like that. I knew I needed to get my kids to lunch, and then I could figure out what to do. As I was taking them to lunch (it's about 11:15 now) my right arm started to go numb, and so did the right side of my face and tongue. I went to lunch, and as I was eating I began to feel better. By 11:45, I felt great- just really tired, and a slight headache. Since I felt better, I just thought it was one of those weird things that happens, and I went on with my day. After school, I had a meeting, so I didn't get home until around 8. When I got home, I mentioned what happened to Will, and he immediately called our friend, Bryan, who is an ER nurse. Bryan told Will to get me to the ER, so that's where we headed- but not before I tiddied up the apartment a little bit ;).
We checked in to the ER around 10:00. We waited about 45 minutes and they got us back to a room. After a stern talking-to by the ER nurse (basically he told me I should have come in while those symptoms were occuring, and I wasn't doing the children any favors by trying to work through something like that) we were told that they thought it was either a TIA stroke (a mini stroke) or a complex migraine. They said that there is no test for a migraine, so they have to begin by ruling out the stroke. That night, I had blood work, a CT scan, an EKG, and a chest x-ray. The ER Dr. looked at the tests, and said he didn't see anything, but more tests would certainly be needed and they needed to keep me overnight for observation.
So, at about 3 am they took me to a room that is an extension of the ER called the Clinical Decision Unit. It is made for patients to stay for 23 hours or less. I had a private (small) room, but I shared a bathroom with another patient. The nurses there were wonderful, and they even brought Will a recliner so he could stay with me.
The next morning, I had an MRI, an echocardiagram, and an ultra sound on the arteries in my neck. This was when I realized the seriousness of what was happening. At this point, they were talking more like they thought I had the TIA stroke, and were doing tests to figure out why it happened. They were looking for a hole in my heart, or build up, etc. in my arteries- some place where blood clots might be shooting out. They were also telling me that there was a chance I would need some sort of surgery.
The rest of the day we waited for test results, and to see my PCP. When he came in, he looked at my test reults and said he didn't see anything on them (PRAISE THE LORD!)- no holes, no blockages, no brain damage! He said there was no way to be 100% sure, but he felt like since my tests came back clear, and because of my age, history, etc. it was a complex migraine. He wanted the neurologist to look at me the next morning, and he wanted to do an EEG, just to make sure. He also explained how similar and serious these 2 conditions are: (medical people, correct me if I'm wrong!)
A TIA stroke means that you have a blood clot that gets lodged in the blood vessels in your brain, but then it frees itself a little while later. Brain damage can occur b/c of the lack of blood and oxygen getting to your brain. A TIA stroke is often an indicator of a full-blown stroke to come. FYI- if you think you are having stroke symptoms, you need to get to the hospital ASAP because there is a therapy they can do to reverse the effects of stroke within the 1st 3 hours!
A complex migraine means that the blood vessels in your brain constrict so much that blood and oxygen don't get to your brain. Eventually, however, they do open back up. People with migraines are more likely to suffer a stroke than those who do not. According to the dr., I may never have one again, or I could have one in 5 minutes.
The next morning (Friday), the neurologist came to examine me, and he agreed with my PCP that it was probably the complex migraine, and not the stroke. However, he said it really is just his best guess about what happened. He told me I could GO HOME! Yay!!!
....so my treatment from here on is this: I follow up with my PCP in 2 weeks. I take an asprin every day, and I have medicine that I take in case I have another episode like that. My dr. told me I should feel better within 30 minutes of taking the medicine, and if not, I need to call. Hopefully, I never have to take that medicine. :)
Thank you all for your prayers, fbook messages, text messages, phone calls, visits, etc. I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from everyone! Also, I am amazed at how my husband handled this situation. Even the nurses were shocked at his dedication to me. He never left my side (except to go home to pick up some things I needed), and he made sure I had everything I needed at all times. He talked with drs. and nurses, and kept our family up to date on everything that was happening. Will, I am amazed by you.
Also, I can't close out this post without talking about the grace of God in my life. He truly saved me. I should have been in the ER Wednesday morning while I was having those symptoms, but I didn't go until 10 hours later. I mean seriously, I could have had irreversable brain damage, or I could have had another episode while I was driving and crashed my car! I am so thankful that he gave the drs. and nurses wisdom in treating me and that I have made a full recovery. He truly is the Great Physician! He also gave Will and I both a peace that permeated our being. We were aware of the seriousness of the situation, but we were never panicked by it, or scared of the future. He gave us the ability to trust in Him. He is good.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
Happy Fall, Y'all!
I did a little fall decorating tonight. It may be a little early, but I don't care- school's started back, and so has football, so it's fall to me. :)
We used these vases during the salt covenant during our wedding. I love to fill them with different things, depending on the season. 
Since we have such a small apartment, I don't have a lot of storage space for decorations. I keep this centerpiece on my coffee table all year, and I fill it with seasonal items= space saver!
The pumpkin and the wreath I actually got at Big Lots a couple years ago. I was surprised to find them, but it just goes to show that if you keep your eyes peeled you can find cute things at good prices!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Back to school
The 1st week and a half of school have been a complete whirlwind, (as usual!) but I did find @ least 1 new project that we will continue in the future! Check it out!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Adoption
Since we announced that we are adopting a few weeks ago, Will and I have both had a lot of questions about our adoption, so I've decided to address a few of those. Will and I are always happy to answer ANY questions that anyone might have- don't worry about offending us. ;)
Q. Why are you adopting?
A. There are a lot of answers and reasons for this but I'll shorten it as much as possible.
-As Christians, the Bible commands us to care for those who are less fortunate than us.
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." -James 1:27
While we do not believe this means that every Christian needs to adopt, we do believe that every Christian has a responsibility to care for orphans and widows in some way. For us, we believe it means adoption.
-Adoption is an earthly picture of a Christian's adoption into God's family after Salvation. We once were enemies of God, until He saved us. Once that happens, a Christian becomes a child of God! Amazing!
"Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. "-Romans 8:17
"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another, But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." -Titus 3:3-7
-We have sought the Lord's will about adoption since we were engaged. We have always known that adopted children would be part of our family whether or not we had any biological children. We have been patiently waiting and asking the Lord to prepare us for the time He would say, "Go!" We believe we have clearly heard His call to go get our kids!
Q. Where are you adopting from?
A. We are working through the State of Kentucky's Foster/Adoption Program. We do not have a desire to Foster at this time, but some of the children in Foster Care are legally free for adoption. We would be looking at those kids, or kids from other states who are also legally free for adoption.
Q. What age/How many?
A. We have said up to age 7-8ish.. and up to 2 children.
Q. Do you care what race they are?
A. Nope!
Q. What about special needs?
A. As we go through our training classes, they will teach us about all sorts of disabilities and what some needs of children with them might be. We will have to honestly pray through what we feel like we can handle. Some things are obvious- we live in an upstairs apartment, so a child in a wheel chair probably wouldn't be the best choice right now, for example. Because our children will have been removed from their homes, they will have some sort of emotional, physical, or academic need beyond what other children their age would have.
Q. Don't you want to have biological children?
A. Absolutely. We want God to build our family any way He chooses. We have had some fertility issues, and a miscarriage. We have done some fertility treatments, but have just barely scratched the surface of that. At this time, we feel like we need to put our time, energy and resources into adoption. This does not mean that fertility treatments are not an option for later, or that we think they are bad. It just means that for right now, we are adopting.
Q. What if you get pregnant while you're in still in the process of adopting?
A. We will have to discuss that with our social worker. Generally, they won't place a child in your home if you have had a baby and/or adopted within 6 months. (This is our understanding anyway.)
Q. What is the adoption process?
A. It varies by agency, so this wouldn't be true of all adoptions- but for us:
1. We had to attend an informational session.
2. We are currently attending 10 training sessions (ours are 2 sessions/day for 5 Saturdays)
3. We have TONS of paperwork including: a Family Profile, financial statement, medicals, credit references, personal references, acceptance scales, etc.
4. We will have 2, 2 1/2 hour home visits to complete our Home Study.
5. We will (hopefully) be approved.
6. We will get our referral, and have a few meetings with the child.
7. The child will be placed in our home, and we will continue to have home visits with our social worker for about 3 months.
8. We go to court! :)
Q. How long does it take?
A. We have been told it will take anywhere from 4-6 months from when we started classes (May 14) to be approved, and we can get our referral anytime after that. We are hoping to have our kids by Christmas.
Q. How much does it cost?
A. Are you sitting down? NOTHING! Since we are working through the state and these children are considered "hard to place," the state subsidizes their adoptions, and it will not cost us anything, beyond our own travel expenses to adopt them!
Thanks for sharing in our journey! We will continue to post as we go through this process! Please keep us in your prayers!
Q. Why are you adopting?
A. There are a lot of answers and reasons for this but I'll shorten it as much as possible.
-As Christians, the Bible commands us to care for those who are less fortunate than us.
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." -James 1:27
While we do not believe this means that every Christian needs to adopt, we do believe that every Christian has a responsibility to care for orphans and widows in some way. For us, we believe it means adoption.
-Adoption is an earthly picture of a Christian's adoption into God's family after Salvation. We once were enemies of God, until He saved us. Once that happens, a Christian becomes a child of God! Amazing!
"Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. "-Romans 8:17
"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another, But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." -Titus 3:3-7
-We have sought the Lord's will about adoption since we were engaged. We have always known that adopted children would be part of our family whether or not we had any biological children. We have been patiently waiting and asking the Lord to prepare us for the time He would say, "Go!" We believe we have clearly heard His call to go get our kids!
Q. Where are you adopting from?
A. We are working through the State of Kentucky's Foster/Adoption Program. We do not have a desire to Foster at this time, but some of the children in Foster Care are legally free for adoption. We would be looking at those kids, or kids from other states who are also legally free for adoption.
Q. What age/How many?
A. We have said up to age 7-8ish.. and up to 2 children.
Q. Do you care what race they are?
A. Nope!
Q. What about special needs?
A. As we go through our training classes, they will teach us about all sorts of disabilities and what some needs of children with them might be. We will have to honestly pray through what we feel like we can handle. Some things are obvious- we live in an upstairs apartment, so a child in a wheel chair probably wouldn't be the best choice right now, for example. Because our children will have been removed from their homes, they will have some sort of emotional, physical, or academic need beyond what other children their age would have.
Q. Don't you want to have biological children?
A. Absolutely. We want God to build our family any way He chooses. We have had some fertility issues, and a miscarriage. We have done some fertility treatments, but have just barely scratched the surface of that. At this time, we feel like we need to put our time, energy and resources into adoption. This does not mean that fertility treatments are not an option for later, or that we think they are bad. It just means that for right now, we are adopting.
Q. What if you get pregnant while you're in still in the process of adopting?
A. We will have to discuss that with our social worker. Generally, they won't place a child in your home if you have had a baby and/or adopted within 6 months. (This is our understanding anyway.)
Q. What is the adoption process?
A. It varies by agency, so this wouldn't be true of all adoptions- but for us:
1. We had to attend an informational session.
2. We are currently attending 10 training sessions (ours are 2 sessions/day for 5 Saturdays)
3. We have TONS of paperwork including: a Family Profile, financial statement, medicals, credit references, personal references, acceptance scales, etc.
4. We will have 2, 2 1/2 hour home visits to complete our Home Study.
5. We will (hopefully) be approved.
6. We will get our referral, and have a few meetings with the child.
7. The child will be placed in our home, and we will continue to have home visits with our social worker for about 3 months.
8. We go to court! :)
Q. How long does it take?
A. We have been told it will take anywhere from 4-6 months from when we started classes (May 14) to be approved, and we can get our referral anytime after that. We are hoping to have our kids by Christmas.
Q. How much does it cost?
A. Are you sitting down? NOTHING! Since we are working through the state and these children are considered "hard to place," the state subsidizes their adoptions, and it will not cost us anything, beyond our own travel expenses to adopt them!
Thanks for sharing in our journey! We will continue to post as we go through this process! Please keep us in your prayers!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Caleb is Here!
It's been a little while since I've blogged, but with school starting back up, and the arrival of our newest nephew, we've been extremely busy!
Caleb is the cutest, sweetest, most precious, handsome baby I've seen! I'm in love. He was born Friday, August 27 at 10:30 pm. He weighed in at 8 lbs, and was 21 3/4 inches long! Big boy!!!
Jill (Caleb's mommy) was a trooper! Her water broke at about 4:30 Friday morning. Everything was going well, and when we were on our way to Indianapolis for the birth, we got a call at about 6pm that she was dilated to 9 1/2 centimeters, and they were going to start pushing as soon as she got to 10. Caleb got stuck though, and couldn't come out! Caleb didn't seem to be under any stress, and Jill was doing well (like a said, a trooper!) so the dr. decided to let the labor continue naturally. At 10:30, they took him out via c-section. We were SO relieved to have him here, finally! (None more so than Jill, I'm sure!)
Sweet, precious Caleb spent the first few days of his life in the NICU, and scared us all to death. He was apparently under more stress during the labor than they realized, and then he took a gulp of marchonium. When they were sucking all that out of his lungs, they nicked a spot on his lung. So our perfect Caleb was in pretty rough shape there for a while, and had quite the fight ahead of him.
Matt and Jill did GREAT! I watched in awe as my big brother became a daddy, and did what he needed to do to take care of his wife and child. He took shifts of immediate family to the NICU to see Caleb, but didn't let anyone stay too long, and let us know when they needed rest. What a proud little sister I was!
Caleb hit every milestone, and did great in the NICU! He was released on Monday morning, and stayed in the hospital until Tuesday when the doctor told Matt, "Jill and Caleb are too healthy to be in the hospital. Take them home!"
Will and I had to leave Indy Sunday afternoon, but we got to go back the next weekend for Caleb's dedication!
Caleb was WONDERFUL! He didn't cry once in church. The rest of us, however... ;)
I can't wait to get to know this little guy, and I'm thrilled to be his "Auntie M." He is such a good baby. He's just content, and goes with the flow. I expect more frequent visits to Indy in the future!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Good old golden rule days...
Tomorrow is the 1st day of school!!!!!!
I always get SO excited about everything- new students, new supplies, new organization ;), etc... I LOVE it! This year I am especially excited because it is the 1st year I've taught the same grade, in the same room, in the same state! I felt like I could really take the time to set up my room the way I want it, and it makes a HUGE difference when you actually know what you're going to need throughout the year.
I've been blessed with excellent assistants each year I've taught, and this year is no exception! I gave her a to-do list today that was forever long, thinking there was no way she could possibly accomplish it all, and within an hour she had about 3/4 of it done. Yes! LOVE you Natalie!!
Here's a few pictures of my room, from start to finish. Of course, it's never REALLY finished, but you get the idea. :)
This is what it looked like when I first walked in...
After a couple days of work....
Almost ready....
Finished and ready for the 1st day of school!
LOVE my little library area!
Guided Reading... and supply bins that won't be there past the first couple days :)
Whole group area
I always get SO excited about everything- new students, new supplies, new organization ;), etc... I LOVE it! This year I am especially excited because it is the 1st year I've taught the same grade, in the same room, in the same state! I felt like I could really take the time to set up my room the way I want it, and it makes a HUGE difference when you actually know what you're going to need throughout the year.
I've been blessed with excellent assistants each year I've taught, and this year is no exception! I gave her a to-do list today that was forever long, thinking there was no way she could possibly accomplish it all, and within an hour she had about 3/4 of it done. Yes! LOVE you Natalie!!
Here's a few pictures of my room, from start to finish. Of course, it's never REALLY finished, but you get the idea. :)
This is what it looked like when I first walked in...
After a couple days of work....
Almost ready....
Finished and ready for the 1st day of school!
LOVE my little library area!
Guided Reading... and supply bins that won't be there past the first couple days :)
Whole group area
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Contentment
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." -Hebrews 13:5
Lately, I've really been struggling with being content in my life. I've been thinking about what life will be like when we finish school- we can buy a house, we can settle somewhere, instead of living in transition, Will will be able to start his career, we will be able to take vacations instead of using vacation time to take classes, etc. God has really convicted about my lack of contentment. He has given us this season of life for a reason, and that's all it is, a season that will be gone before we know it. Then, I'll be wishing for things to be like they are now.
One of the things I've really been struggling with lately is that we don't own a home, and the prospects of home ownership really aren't anywhere on the horizon. We have an 800 sq. foot two bedroom apartment. In order to become more content in our present circumstance, I've decided to make a list of things that I am thankful for about our apartment, so here goes:
1. It takes me less than two hours to clean the apartment from top to bottom.
2. I only have to clean 1 toilet!
3. If I use the right outlet, I can plug in the vaccuum cleaner 1 time, and vaccuum the whole apartment.
4. We have a dishwasher (our last apartment did not).
5. We have our own washer and dryer (many apartments don't).
6. We have real carpet, that makes those lines when I vaccuum (our last apt. had this office-style carpeting, and it was brown).
7. Our room is big enough now that our bed does not have to be pushed up against the wall ,and I don't have to climb over Will every time I get in or out of bed (we had a TINY bedroom in our last place!)
8. Our heating and cooling costs are very low.
9. We don't have room to hang on to a lot of junk, and I'm not the kind of person who hangs on to a lot of stuff.
10. Our rent is cheap, which allows both of us to take classes, and still be able to live comfortably!
11. We live right across the street from our church.
12. Our guest room is bigger here than at our last place.
13. Because most of our furniture is hand-me-downs, most of it has a story (this was your grandma's, dad made this, etc.)
14. If I need Will for something, he's never too far away. :)
15. A small apartment means that it didn't cost too much to decorate.
16. The next time we move,we won't have very much stuff to move.
17. We have friendly neighbors.
18. We live in a safe area of town.
19. We are closer to my school than we were before.
20. We have 2 bedrooms. It's nice to be able to have space for Will's office, for guests, and it's nice to know that if we get pregnant again, we'll have room for a baby.
21. We have more closet space here than we did in our last apartment.
22. We have an open floor plan, which makes the apartment seem bigger.
23. Our rooms are square! (again, something you learn to appreciate when you live in a place with weirdly angled rooms).
24. Our guest room is bigger here than the last place.
25. We live in a relatively quiet complex.
26. Our landlords are nice people.
27. We have the opportunity to minister to people outside of the seminary community.
28. We've got this great garden center/ fruit stand across the street that is the ONLY place in Louisville that I've been able to find good peaches. We've missed good peaches.
29. We can see God's hand at work in providing us with this place to live.
30. I was so overwhelmed after the miscarriage (miscarried on Tuesday, moved on Saturday) that I couldn't handle unpacking very many things at all. Thankfully, we didn't have very much to unpack anyway! I love that God takes care of us in the little things as well as the big things.
31. We don't have to do any maintaince, upkeep, or yard work.
32. We will appreciate our own home so much more one day.
33. Everyone should live in a place so that later, they can say, "remember when we lived...."
God has been so good to us. I am thankful for the experiences He is giving us. My prayer is that in my anticipation for the future, I don't miss out on His blessings now. I want to be content in all circumstances.
Lately, I've really been struggling with being content in my life. I've been thinking about what life will be like when we finish school- we can buy a house, we can settle somewhere, instead of living in transition, Will will be able to start his career, we will be able to take vacations instead of using vacation time to take classes, etc. God has really convicted about my lack of contentment. He has given us this season of life for a reason, and that's all it is, a season that will be gone before we know it. Then, I'll be wishing for things to be like they are now.
One of the things I've really been struggling with lately is that we don't own a home, and the prospects of home ownership really aren't anywhere on the horizon. We have an 800 sq. foot two bedroom apartment. In order to become more content in our present circumstance, I've decided to make a list of things that I am thankful for about our apartment, so here goes:
1. It takes me less than two hours to clean the apartment from top to bottom.
2. I only have to clean 1 toilet!
3. If I use the right outlet, I can plug in the vaccuum cleaner 1 time, and vaccuum the whole apartment.
4. We have a dishwasher (our last apartment did not).
5. We have our own washer and dryer (many apartments don't).
6. We have real carpet, that makes those lines when I vaccuum (our last apt. had this office-style carpeting, and it was brown).
7. Our room is big enough now that our bed does not have to be pushed up against the wall ,and I don't have to climb over Will every time I get in or out of bed (we had a TINY bedroom in our last place!)
8. Our heating and cooling costs are very low.
9. We don't have room to hang on to a lot of junk, and I'm not the kind of person who hangs on to a lot of stuff.
10. Our rent is cheap, which allows both of us to take classes, and still be able to live comfortably!
11. We live right across the street from our church.
12. Our guest room is bigger here than at our last place.
13. Because most of our furniture is hand-me-downs, most of it has a story (this was your grandma's, dad made this, etc.)
14. If I need Will for something, he's never too far away. :)
15. A small apartment means that it didn't cost too much to decorate.
16. The next time we move,we won't have very much stuff to move.
17. We have friendly neighbors.
18. We live in a safe area of town.
19. We are closer to my school than we were before.
20. We have 2 bedrooms. It's nice to be able to have space for Will's office, for guests, and it's nice to know that if we get pregnant again, we'll have room for a baby.
21. We have more closet space here than we did in our last apartment.
22. We have an open floor plan, which makes the apartment seem bigger.
23. Our rooms are square! (again, something you learn to appreciate when you live in a place with weirdly angled rooms).
24. Our guest room is bigger here than the last place.
25. We live in a relatively quiet complex.
26. Our landlords are nice people.
27. We have the opportunity to minister to people outside of the seminary community.
28. We've got this great garden center/ fruit stand across the street that is the ONLY place in Louisville that I've been able to find good peaches. We've missed good peaches.
29. We can see God's hand at work in providing us with this place to live.
30. I was so overwhelmed after the miscarriage (miscarried on Tuesday, moved on Saturday) that I couldn't handle unpacking very many things at all. Thankfully, we didn't have very much to unpack anyway! I love that God takes care of us in the little things as well as the big things.
31. We don't have to do any maintaince, upkeep, or yard work.
32. We will appreciate our own home so much more one day.
33. Everyone should live in a place so that later, they can say, "remember when we lived...."
God has been so good to us. I am thankful for the experiences He is giving us. My prayer is that in my anticipation for the future, I don't miss out on His blessings now. I want to be content in all circumstances.
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