Saturday, July 9, 2011

NEW!

Soo..I have decided to use a new blogging host, and have made the switch to Wordpress!


I plan to leave this account active for a little longer, but will be deleting it soon.  Everything that is in this blog has already been shipped over to Wordpress, so that's where everything will reside from this point forward. 

Here is a link that will take you directly to my new blog:


Anyways, hope everyone has a great day, and don't forget to make sure to check out the new blog!

Sutton

Thursday, June 9, 2011

God is Good

For the last couple of weeks I have started going to physical therapy 3 times a week, 2 hours each session.  My PT is great, he's really encouraging, he's definitely helping me improve, but lets be honest..physical therapy sucks.  Just that simple.  I have to drive all the way to Florence, for 2 hours, for someone to MAKE me do a bunch of things that I don't want to do.  Yes, I know I need to do them, and the sooner I start the better, but lets be real-no one likes to be forced to do things.  It's much easier and simpler if we are able to do them on our own, at our own pace. BUT...would that lead us to any progress, and if so, would it be efficient progress?  I've come to the conclusion that as much as I gripe to my parents and Chad about having to truck all the way to McLeod EVERY Monday, Wednesday, & Friday, I'm still ultimately going to get dressed, lace up my tennis shoes, truck it on over to McLeod and DO it.  I guess it just makes me feel a little better to complain about it before hand, but regardless, i KNOW that I NEED to go, I HAVE to go, and it WILL make things better for me.

It's kind of the same concept with life.  There are many things that we need to do in our life, to help others, serve God, and follow His rules.  But many times, we get caught up in what WE want to do, instead of what we are suppose to be doing for HIM.  I hear so many times about people complaining about this and that, and saying "oh it just couldn't get any worse" and yes, myself included-I've muttered those same words several times, especially in the last year, but..even though it's hard for us to understand, and in all honesty I don't really think the human brain is capable of comprehending just how massive and powerful our God is, we just have to realize that God has a plan for everything and we HAVE to do for him, not ourselves.  God does not give us more than we can bare, and prayer is the best medication possible.

Also, this month will be 1 year since I was diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disease, Churg-Strauss Syndrome.  So far to date, we've been able to keep things under control with daily & weekly medications, but more importantly, lots and lots of prayers.  It's hard for people to understand exactly what this whole CSS thing is, and to be honest-I'm still learning everyday more and more about it, so I try to give people a basic run down of the whole thing without being too wordy and literally just explain it in simple terms.  I have found comfort in talking with a friend that just recently-around the same time as I-was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease very very similar to mine.  He's going through the same things that I deal with-the treatments, injections, medications, doctor appointments, physical therapy, and although my family and friends are more supportive than I can ask for, it's nice to be able to occasionally talk with someone that is literally experiencing the same thing that I am experiencing.  As the saying goes, it's hard to understand until you've walked in my shoes.  But I wouldn't change the support and understanding that I've gotten from my parents, sister, Chad, and all my other family and friends that have been there along the way, and I thank God each and every day for every single one of them. 

Monday, May 16, 2011

An update.

So, I have been MIA with the blogging for a while it seems.  I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I promise that I will try to do better and update more frequently. I know I know, I say that all the time, but I really will make a conscious effort to keep it updated on a regular basis. So anyways..

I've been going to the doctor with all my scheduled appointments and stuff, getting all my lab work and everything just like I'm suppose to, but.. & yes there is a but..it seems that some of my test results have started dropping a little bit.  Not to the extent that they were back when I was put in the hospital, but it is enough for Dr. Turner to take extra notice and keep in touch with me between our appointments. When I saw him the end of April, he said that by the end of May I would need 2 more infusion treatments..great, just great. BUT..and this is a good but, (hopefully) He talked about possibly using a new chemo drug, that I am horribly afraid of, rituxan. This is a different drug than what I had for my previous 6 months of treatment so I asked him what the chances of using the original drug (solu-medrol) instead of the rituxan (a full blown cancer/chemo drug) and he AGREED! He said that he would make a more definitive answer after my next set of blood work but for this month I'm in the clear! At least I know what to expect with the solu-medrol infusion treatments.  While the whole thing is far from pleasant by any means, going into another 2 infusion treatments with a completley new, and more aggressive drug like rituxan really really scares me.  So I'm glad he agreed to consider the solu-medrol again.

Also, on Monday I had to go spend the whole day with an Occupational Therapist having all kinds of test done. The conclusion that the OT came up with..that it would probably be a good idea to start some physical therapy each week to help regain some of the strength, range of motion, flexibility, etc. that I've lost due to treatments. So, I'm suppose to talk with my doctor next week for our "phone date" and find out exactly where to go from here.

There is nothing that I want more than to just be somewhat "normal" again.  The weekly injections, countless amounts of medicines, and endless doctors appointments are enough to make anyone feel crazy. I do absolutely love my Dr though, and should considering I'm going to be seeing alot of him, basically for the rest of my life so I'm glad we have a great Doctor/Patient relationship. I will just be glad when I will be able to go back to work and have something to do with my days.  I see now why some people choose not to retire.  Idle time can make you go stir crazy and really get to you after a while.  All my family and friends all have something going on whether it be work or school so when they are gone all day it gets pretty boring/lonely around the house. I have started to do some reading to pass the time.  It's been a while since I actually sat down to read a book but I picked up one the other afternoon and found myself staying up late, and waking up early to keep reading.  I finished it by lunch time the next day was surprised that I read the entire thing in less than 24 hours. I picked up another book the other day, Water for Elephants. I want to read the book before I watch the movie. I've heard they are both great.

Over the weekend Chad, Brandon, and I went to Columbia, Lake Murray to be exact, for the Bassmasters Fishing Tournament.  It was day 3 of weigh ins and it was actually pretty fun! There were different vendors, tents, sponsored boats and professionals all over the place. There was even a Evan Williams tent (they were a big sponsor for the whole tournament) where they were giving away free shots of all the different kinds of Evan Williams. Chad made his way quite a few times over to that tent throughout the day, haha! But anyways, the boys were like kids in a candy shop once we got there.  It's like when we were walking up and they both saw everything, they didn't even know where to start, haha! And also, even though the bottom fell out 30 minutes after we got there, AND it was hailing, (which happened to hit me on the head) we were able to stay somewhat dry until after the storm passed, and then it was sunny and hot the rest of the day.  We had a good time and it was a fun day for sure! After we left Lake Murray, we went into downtown Columbia and showed Brandon the stadium! It was definitely a day well spent.

Anyways, that's about it for now. Hope everyone has a great day!
Sutton

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Catching up..

I know it's been like a week, but in my defense, I've had a little bit more going on this week than my typical non eventful week.  I got to babysit Emma Grace a couple days this week and it was super fun.  We had a good time, and then afterwards I hung out with Kristin, the Twins, and EG for dinner and play time outside! I absolutely adore Tommy and Kristin's children and love spending time with them. The twins: River & Khloe, will be 2 May 14th and Emma Grace will be 5 in April. I love seeing them and when I get there they all give me a big hug and "sugar" and I could literally just eat them up!

Well, on St. Patty's day, me and Emma Grace headed to the grocery store and then went home and made GREEN rice krispie treats! Let me just begin by saying Emma Grace is such a good helper, and she seems so much wiser beyond the average thinking of a 4/5 year old.  She told me exactly what I needed to do, and she informed me that she could take care of most of it herself, and she was right!! She pretty much made the rice krispie treats, I just helped in the overseeing the measurements and that kind of thing.  They turned out pretty good as well.  We'll have to keep experimenting with food coloring and see what other creations we can come up with!


On Friday, Chad was off so we decided to ride to the refuge and do a little fishing (now that I have a real fishing license and all!) It was a really gorgeous day, and HOT. But none the less, we stayed out there for the majority of the day.  I kept finding little fish that I would try to play with but they just didn't wanna play back.  After walking the banks, endless amounts of casts, we finally hit the jackpot.  We had spotted a big female bass that looked like she was getting ready to bed (that's fisherman talk-so Chad says, hehe) and finally after about 30 minutes she took the bait. Chad helped me to get her hooked so she wouldn't come off but I reeled her in and get the glory of "catching" her.  I wish I would have been able to record the whole thing.  As soon as she popped up above the water Chad instantly reminded me of a 5 year old on Christmas morning.  He was yelling and screaming and running around more than I was! But luckily we got her up to the bank and were able to snap a few pictures!
*note to self-remind me to take hand sanitizer with me next time we go fishing.  These things stink!

On our way back from fishing, we stopped at the Peach Farm for some Ice Cream and I wanted to get some strawberries but they didn't have the baskets of them.  They had the same kind you buy in the grocery store which just wasn't acceptable and I left a little disappointed. (However, the birthday cake ice cream did help!)

Once we got back home I had some errands to run and so did Chad so we each did that and I went by my parents house for a few.  When I got back home Chad was working on getting things ready for his fishing tournament that he had today in Santee. I decided it would be a good idea to take a shower and get cleaned up.  When I got in the shower I just about wanted to scream. My arms, neck, and face were so sunburned that it literally brought a tear to my eye. I'm not *technically* suppose to be in the sun due to my medicines and stuff, and of course I forgot to use sunscreen. Who knew you could get sunburned in March?! Well after a shower and lathering on the aloe, I still hurt and burn and it just all around hurts! And the funniest part of it all you ask-it is a farmers tan.  I don't mean a little darker on the forearms and white shoulders. I mean a REALLY REALLY noticeable difference.  I haven't seen the likes of a farmers tan since I played softball over 10 years ago (thank you tanning bed!) And now that I can't get in the tanning bed, I have no idea what I am going to do.  I went to get dressed this morning with a shorter sleeve dress and had to put on a shirt underneath that was longer on my arms because I just looked absolutely ridiculous! Great..Just Great!! Anyways..At least it's just my arms, face, and neck that are sore and not my entire body! I would take a picture to post and show, but I'm just to embarrassed! :)

So, that's about it.  Enjoy the weekend!
Sutton

Friday, March 11, 2011

Oh Happy Day!

SO today has been a really good day. It's Friday and I got up this morning to babysit the 3 cutest kids ever.  We played, the twins napped, and Emma Grace even gave me a back massage (she's pretty good too!) Here are a couple pictures that we took today.

Emma Grace

Khloe

The Twins-Khloe & River

Also, Chad came by to see me while I was babysitting.  Since I've been staying at my parents this week with my sister while they are out of town, I haven't seen him as much as I do in a typical week.  It was good to see him since he was off today and he even surprised me with a really cute basket of flowers.  He's so sweet and I can't even begin to tell you just how much I love him.  He means the world to me and definitely puts a smile on my face everyday.  He's the best guy in the world and I'm so lucky to have him! :)
:))


So after babysitting, me and Cameren took a trip to the Verizon store to get her new replacement phone working correctly and then headed back to Hartsville.  We waited around for Chad to get back from the Refuge and then the 3 of us headed over to the Mexican restaurant to get some dinner.  After that we went to Wal-Mart to get a few things and then headed home. All in all, it was one of my better days that I've had lately! Hope everyone has good nite!
Sutton

Thursday, March 10, 2011

boredom..

So how many of you would love to have the opportunity to sit at home everyday, with no plans, an open schedule, and no responsibilities? As glamorous as it may sound, it is all but..trust me.  I have watched every tv show TLC, MTV, and TBS has ever made. Throughout my day, my biggest "to do" is to take a shower, I'm not even kidding.  Being a teacher your whole day is basically planned and accounted for and your lucky to get in any relaxation before hitting the sheets and getting right back "to the grind." So you can imagine how much of an adjustment for me this no work thing has been.  Before I got sick, I would go literally ALL day long-from 5:15 in the morning when I woke up, to 10 pm at night when I could finally crawl into bed and fall asleep before the dust even settled.  I had so much going on, a full time job, meetings, working on my masters, going to the gym everyday, that I was beyond busy so I thought that not working for a while would give me a chance to 1-obviously get better, and 2- to sort of slow down, rest, and enjoy myself with some "free time."  Well..it's now March and I don't know how much more "free time" I can stand. I desperately WANT to go back to work (Do you hear me Dr. Turner!!) I NEED to go back to work, for my own sanity!

My schedule as of late is so open, that preschool children have more going on in a day than I do. I still have my typical doctors appointments that I go to.  And my parents and Chad are always letting me do all their errands that need to be taken care of, but it still doesn't compare to that of a full time job.  I see other people that complain day in and day out about work and I just want to slap them in the face and scream, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Be glad that you are ABLE to work and HAVE a job! So much idle time just seems to make me feel blah. I see all my friends and family with jobs or school and it seems that everybody has so much going on, and then here I am, with nothing going on day in and day out and it almost makes me feel as though my days are going to waste. I don't really feel as though my days are productive since I technically don't do anything.  I even have trouble falling asleep at night because I guess I'm just not tired.

I've talked with my doctor and he's agreed to let me TRY to go back to teaching in August (that's if I can find a job) and in all honesty, it can't get here fast enough.  I think I will fill alot better mentally and emotionally once I can get back into a routine and actually feel as though I'm doing something with myself everyday. Okay, enough negativity for one night (i just felt as though I had to get that out there, you know-it makes you feel better when you express things!)

On a happier note, my sunglasses are on their way to me! Yes! I got the email today saying they had been shipped out and should be here in a few days! I also did some online shopping the other night (another result of my boredom) and ordered some really cute summer dresses.  I'll be super excited when they get here!

Also, we're going to the beach this weekend and I definitely could use a trip away for a day (for obvious reasons!)  It'll be great! We're planning on leaving early Saturday to head down to Myrtle Beach.  Chad has a couple places he wants to go, and of course I want to go do some shopping at the outlets! I think one of Chads friends may go with us so it should prove to be a fun trip! Also, my parents will be home from Daytona late Saturday night so it will be good to see them.  I've talked with them each day and they seem to be having a good time!

Lastly, tomorrow I get to babysit the 3 cutest kids in the entire world, Emma Grace, and the twins-Khloe and River.  I absolutely love them to pieces and can't wait to see them.  I'm super glad Kristin called me today about babysitting since her daycare is closed tomorrow, and it will also give me something to do! Plus-I enjoy kids and these 3 are just the best. Anyways, maybe tomorrow I'll have some cute stories to post about the kids-until then, have a great night!
Sutton

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Just a few things..

So, there are a few things that I wanted to mention just to get off my chest. How many of you enjoy reading posts and writings that look like they were written by a 3 year old?  The poor English, awful grammar, and  lack of sentence structure are a common sight on many of the popular social networking sites.  I for one can not stand horrible grammar. I don't know if its the fact that I'm a teacher and I am use to instilling correct English/grammar into my students, that it really irritates me when I'm trying to read something and feel as though I have to decipher through each word because the writer decided to use some ridiculous form of a non existent short hand.  I understand abbreviations and I'm completely okay with the whole "texting lingo" but when you are writing something for others to read, I really think that you should at least use the spell check option before publishing a bunch of babble that is ultimately going to take me twice as long to decipher and understand, and in the end-still make no sense.

Also, I decided to go to the grocery store yesterday to get a few things. Not a whole lot mind you-just a few things that needed to be replaced around the house.  Well, I understand the fact that there are lots of people that do their grocery shopping at the same time, but... must you, your 5 children that are running aimlessly through the aisle, and your shopping buggy be parked smack in the middle of the isle making it impossible for anyone to get around, or through for that matter? And then, see you standing there with others behind you, and still not make any attempt to slide to one side, control their children running loose, or even dare I say, say "excuse me?" I'm not asking you to move out of my way, because you have just as much right at the grocery store as I do.  However, it would be nice if you could respect the fact that others are there too.

Okay, so sorry for the rant but sometimes it helps just to vent a little bit! :) In other news, mom and dad left this morning at 3:30 am to head to Daytona Florida for bike week.  A couple years ago my dad got a Harley and even though my mom swore she would never let him own one, she ultimately ate those words.  And to an even bigger surprise, she herself now has her own personal Harley.  Never did I think I would see a day where my mom would drive a motorcycle and go to "bike week" down in Daytona.  However, during the spring, summer, and fall, you can find them out riding motorcycles from sun up to sun down.  It's their new hobby and they both really seem to enjoy it.  So if it keeps them happy and in a good mood-they hey, by all means-go for it. They are planning on staying for the week and should be home sometime Sunday.  They put the bikes in a big trailer and pulled them down there behind my dads suburban.  I feel sure though once they park and unload the motorcycles, that's all they will be driving until its time to load up and head back home.  Last summer they were going to go to on a big bike rally, but I happened to get sick and in the hospital for a while, so they postponed their trip because they didn't want to leave me home alone after having surgery and everything else only days after I got out the hospital.  So I was glad that they were going to be able to make this trip and have some time to get away from work and do something they both really enjoyed.

Also, Chad and I are thinking about making a trip down to the beach this weekend.  He's really been wanting to go to the Bass Pro Shop and I definitely wouldn't mind hitting up the outlet malls.  Who doesn't love new clothing/shoes/bags? I know I don't necessarily NEED anymore clothes, but some new things for spring and summer would definitely be nice.  Some cute dresses are always nice to have and the outlets always seem to have really good deals!

So I've been wanting a pair of the Ray Ban Wayfarer sunglasses for a while and even though I love my costa's, I decided I'd bite the bullet and go ahead and order me a pair, which is exactly what I did. (hehe) Hopefully they will arrive soon b/c I can't wait to wear them!

New Wayfarer Black / G-15 XLT
image courtesy of ray-ban.com

Anyways, that's about all I have for now. Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!
Sutton