This is my response to the "We Are the 99%" campaign. It's not meant to be political, just thought-provoking. I'm not saying that Americans aren't facing difficult economic times, but let's not forget to look at the world around us too. I am blessed. I am called to live generously. If you have a need, please let me know. 1 Timothy 6:8 - "If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content."Monday, October 10, 2011
Perspective
This is my response to the "We Are the 99%" campaign. It's not meant to be political, just thought-provoking. I'm not saying that Americans aren't facing difficult economic times, but let's not forget to look at the world around us too. I am blessed. I am called to live generously. If you have a need, please let me know. 1 Timothy 6:8 - "If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content."
Monday, September 26, 2011
The Best Things About September
In chronological order:
- Taking 10 BigHouse families and 10 BH volunteers to the beach for Labor Day.
- University of Alabama Crimson Tide football. Roll Tide. 4-0
- Winning Chick-Fil-A for a year as one of the First 100 at the restaurant opening in Five Points (Birmingham).
- Alabama roadtrip to see friends in Montgomery, Clanton, and Birmingham.
- Record-setting BigHouse Kids' Night Out with 58 kids and 25 volunteers.
- Bowling with Heather and Adam in Opelika.
- Watching football with Micah and Blake and family.
- Surprise visit from Mom and Dad on their way back from their romantic get-away weekend beach trip (their words, not mine. They have an amazing marriage.).
- Beautiful weather!
- Julie and Will's wedding weekend. Exhausting but so wonderful and perfect.
- Tie-dye party with Heather and Adam (I love having them an hour away!).
- Courageous movie comes out on the 30th!
You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. Deuteronomy 13:4
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
August - where have you gone?
This month has absolutely flown by. Let's see if I can hit the highlights -
BigHouse - we've adjusted to life without our interns and Joe. I'm working 9-5, Monday-Thursday. We've got students and volunteers lined up to come throughout the week to help us though, which is nice. We're not doing the After-School Program this fall - we're reevaluating our programs to offer things that more families can take advantage of, so we'll be doing more Kids' Night Out events. We're also running for another Pepsi grant in September to hopefully start a Clothes Closet in Shelby County. We won a $10K grant in July to provide 500 care packages for kids entering care in 20 AL counties. We'll be putting those together in October.
Weddings - Heather and Adam got married this weekend. It was the most beautiful, pleasant late summer day in Tuscaloosa that I think I've ever experienced! They were planning to go to Boston for their honeymoon, but Hurricane Irene interfered so they drove to Disney World instead. It's Adam's first time at Disney - I hope they have a blast!
Julie is getting married on Sept. 24th and moving to Mississippi. So sad for me! But I am extremely happy for them both! I found a black dress for her wedding (I'm a bridesmaid) at Ross for $16. That's a record for me. It is SO cute too. I'm excited.
Headaches - I finished the research study in Tuscaloosa two weeks ago. I'm so glad that I did it. I think the meditation helps a lot with stress and anxiety which is a huge contributor and/or effect of my headache pain. August was mostly a very easy month. I pretty much stopped keeping a headache diary, so I've only noted 3 red days this month (which is the best of the whole 8 months I've had a headache). I did shots on all of those days - not fun. Especially last night..I tried a new med Sumavel which is the needless injection of sumatriptan (same drug as Imitrex). I was still very anxious about the shot (so, no better than regular injections), it hurt and bled, and left a big bruise on my leg. But worst of all it made my headache WORSE instead of better, made me nauseous, and all the muscles in my head/neck/jaw felt tense. No thank you. So I ended up taking one of my pain meds that doesn't do anything for my head but does make me sleepy. BLAH on headaches!
Oh! I got a library card! It only took me a YEAR. Opelika is very stingy with their reading materials apparently. Anyway, I've quite enjoyed reading several books and watching some movies (those come in handy on bad headache days).
I'm headed out to run with Micah. Gotta get back on track with this "best shape of my life" business. We're aiming for a race in December. We were doing awesome until my headaches took over at the end of February. So I'm hoping I'll be able to get in a couple runs a week with her and show my head who's boss. :)
BigHouse - we've adjusted to life without our interns and Joe. I'm working 9-5, Monday-Thursday. We've got students and volunteers lined up to come throughout the week to help us though, which is nice. We're not doing the After-School Program this fall - we're reevaluating our programs to offer things that more families can take advantage of, so we'll be doing more Kids' Night Out events. We're also running for another Pepsi grant in September to hopefully start a Clothes Closet in Shelby County. We won a $10K grant in July to provide 500 care packages for kids entering care in 20 AL counties. We'll be putting those together in October.
Weddings - Heather and Adam got married this weekend. It was the most beautiful, pleasant late summer day in Tuscaloosa that I think I've ever experienced! They were planning to go to Boston for their honeymoon, but Hurricane Irene interfered so they drove to Disney World instead. It's Adam's first time at Disney - I hope they have a blast!
Julie is getting married on Sept. 24th and moving to Mississippi. So sad for me! But I am extremely happy for them both! I found a black dress for her wedding (I'm a bridesmaid) at Ross for $16. That's a record for me. It is SO cute too. I'm excited.
Headaches - I finished the research study in Tuscaloosa two weeks ago. I'm so glad that I did it. I think the meditation helps a lot with stress and anxiety which is a huge contributor and/or effect of my headache pain. August was mostly a very easy month. I pretty much stopped keeping a headache diary, so I've only noted 3 red days this month (which is the best of the whole 8 months I've had a headache). I did shots on all of those days - not fun. Especially last night..I tried a new med Sumavel which is the needless injection of sumatriptan (same drug as Imitrex). I was still very anxious about the shot (so, no better than regular injections), it hurt and bled, and left a big bruise on my leg. But worst of all it made my headache WORSE instead of better, made me nauseous, and all the muscles in my head/neck/jaw felt tense. No thank you. So I ended up taking one of my pain meds that doesn't do anything for my head but does make me sleepy. BLAH on headaches!
Oh! I got a library card! It only took me a YEAR. Opelika is very stingy with their reading materials apparently. Anyway, I've quite enjoyed reading several books and watching some movies (those come in handy on bad headache days).
I'm headed out to run with Micah. Gotta get back on track with this "best shape of my life" business. We're aiming for a race in December. We were doing awesome until my headaches took over at the end of February. So I'm hoping I'll be able to get in a couple runs a week with her and show my head who's boss. :)
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Beach
I heart red flag waves. Oh my. I went to Orange Beach this weekend with Julie, her brother Tim, and her fiance Will. We had such a great time. Julie has this great vacation philosophy that everyone does what their heart desires. Turn the music up loud while you have a dance party in the shower? Sure! Eat breakfast on the balcony? Yes! Ride the waves on inner tubes? Absolutely! Stay inside and watch old movies when the sun is too much? No problem. Eat Lucky Charms and Oreos like you're five? Who wouldn't? Take naps, spend time with Jesus, play games, watch the water, eat whenever you're hungry, fill up your cup a hundred times a day with the cool ice from the wet bar....yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes! No pressure, no schedule, no regrets.
Friday afternoon we went to the beach and got knocked around by big waves - laughing so hard at ourselves and the amount of sand we accumulated in our swimsuits, hair, ears, etc. We collapsed on our beach blanket and took goofy pictures. I said, "I think the beach cures my headache!" I felt so good. We thanked God for answering our prayers for pain-free days on vacation. Sunday was difficult and I tried a new "rescue" med - Treximet. It's for migraines and apparently works like a charm for those, but since my headache isn't migraine, it doesn't know good when it sees it I guess! So that was a let down, but it didn't stop anyone else from going out to enjoy the water, and I was able to play board games later and be the photographer's assistant for Julie and Will's engagement pictures on the beach, and I was completely content with that.
One of the best things about the condo where we stayed was having access to the owner's closet!! The condo belongs to Will's aunt and uncle so we had the keys to the indoor and outdoor closets where they keep extra toys and supplies like beach chairs, floats, kites, a football, paper towels, dish detergent, salt, ramen noodles, board games, plastic wrap... It was so convenient! Every time we thought of something we needed someone would say, "Check the owner's closet!". It made me think of prayer...you can go through life as a guest, enjoying what there is, but struggling with what you don't have or didn't know ahead of time, OR you can go through life with Christ, who has given us the keys to the Owner's closet of life through prayer. "...ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you," Jesus says in John 15:7. What a gift! What a privilege!
Friday afternoon we went to the beach and got knocked around by big waves - laughing so hard at ourselves and the amount of sand we accumulated in our swimsuits, hair, ears, etc. We collapsed on our beach blanket and took goofy pictures. I said, "I think the beach cures my headache!" I felt so good. We thanked God for answering our prayers for pain-free days on vacation. Sunday was difficult and I tried a new "rescue" med - Treximet. It's for migraines and apparently works like a charm for those, but since my headache isn't migraine, it doesn't know good when it sees it I guess! So that was a let down, but it didn't stop anyone else from going out to enjoy the water, and I was able to play board games later and be the photographer's assistant for Julie and Will's engagement pictures on the beach, and I was completely content with that.
One of the best things about the condo where we stayed was having access to the owner's closet!! The condo belongs to Will's aunt and uncle so we had the keys to the indoor and outdoor closets where they keep extra toys and supplies like beach chairs, floats, kites, a football, paper towels, dish detergent, salt, ramen noodles, board games, plastic wrap... It was so convenient! Every time we thought of something we needed someone would say, "Check the owner's closet!". It made me think of prayer...you can go through life as a guest, enjoying what there is, but struggling with what you don't have or didn't know ahead of time, OR you can go through life with Christ, who has given us the keys to the Owner's closet of life through prayer. "...ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you," Jesus says in John 15:7. What a gift! What a privilege!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Cycles
One day I'm going to realize that what they say about "pain cycles" with NDPH are true. Those green days turn yellow, then red, then fade back to more tolerable levels. It seems that thunderstorms team up with my hormone cycles to really hit me hard. I think the mindfulness meditation exercises I've been practicing for my research study group have helped somewhat. But this afternoon I decided it was time for injections again. Actually, it's something I've been contemplating for days, but haven't forced myself to do. The anticipation of the shots puts my head through the roof! The other night I went to bed at 7:30pm to see if the extra sleep would do the trick without the needles. It seemed to work great, until I woke up to storms! Blah.
The nurse told me when she showed me how to give myself the shots that the first time would be the worst, and after that it would get easier. Not the case for me. The first time I didn't know any better! Now I know the stick is bad, injecting the medicine is bad, the cramping and sore muscles afterward are bad. The drowsiness (phenergan) is good, and the eventual headache relief (DHE) is good. The possibility of having to repeat injections for relief is bad, however.
Tonight it took me ages to work up the nerve to do the shots. And unfortunately, somewhere in the process, the needle of one wasn't screwed on tightly so I lost most of the medicine when I started to push the plunger. Based on the fact that I did it almost two hours ago and I'm still awake, I'm assuming the lost medicine was the phenergan. Ordinarily I would remember which syringe had which med, but I put them down and walked away so many times I lost track.
I keep thinking there has to be an easier way to get relief. Ice packs, rest, and meditation only go so far. Then I get desperate. I'm feeling better now - minus an ultra sore leg - and hoping that it continues for awhile. I'm going to the neurologist again on Tuesday. Not sure what to expect really. I'm not really interested in trying another preventative ("preventatives" for NDPH just aim at keeping your pain on the low end on a daily basis, for me that would be 5/10 or less) since my pain generally stays low on its own, and I have had so many bad reactions to meds. If there is anything I can do to avoid pain spikes during storms and my period though, I would gladly sign up for it! (As long as it doesn't involve needles!)
The nurse told me when she showed me how to give myself the shots that the first time would be the worst, and after that it would get easier. Not the case for me. The first time I didn't know any better! Now I know the stick is bad, injecting the medicine is bad, the cramping and sore muscles afterward are bad. The drowsiness (phenergan) is good, and the eventual headache relief (DHE) is good. The possibility of having to repeat injections for relief is bad, however.
Tonight it took me ages to work up the nerve to do the shots. And unfortunately, somewhere in the process, the needle of one wasn't screwed on tightly so I lost most of the medicine when I started to push the plunger. Based on the fact that I did it almost two hours ago and I'm still awake, I'm assuming the lost medicine was the phenergan. Ordinarily I would remember which syringe had which med, but I put them down and walked away so many times I lost track.
I keep thinking there has to be an easier way to get relief. Ice packs, rest, and meditation only go so far. Then I get desperate. I'm feeling better now - minus an ultra sore leg - and hoping that it continues for awhile. I'm going to the neurologist again on Tuesday. Not sure what to expect really. I'm not really interested in trying another preventative ("preventatives" for NDPH just aim at keeping your pain on the low end on a daily basis, for me that would be 5/10 or less) since my pain generally stays low on its own, and I have had so many bad reactions to meds. If there is anything I can do to avoid pain spikes during storms and my period though, I would gladly sign up for it! (As long as it doesn't involve needles!)
Monday, July 11, 2011
I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me. Psalm 13:6
I've been blessed with lots of "green days" lately. Those are the low-pain, forget-that-the-headache-is-there, normal-life, wonderful days that until so recently were VERY few and far between. I haven't had a "red day" since June 25th. THAT IS A MIRACLE PEOPLE! "O magnify the Lord with me, let us exalt His name together!" Psalm 34:3 Thank you for persevering in prayer for green days and my headaches to go away for good. I'm starting to believe they actually will! I go back to the neurologist on July 26th. I would love to be able to show up in his office and report that God has taken my headaches away completely and I won't be needing to make another appointment!
I'm in Clanton tonight on my way to Tuscaloosa for my research group session tomorrow. Also, while I'm on campus I'll hunt some Pepsi power vote caps...doing my BH duty. We're in the running for a $10,000 Pepsi grant to provide care kits for 500 kids entering foster care in 20 Alabama counties. We need to be in the top 15 on July 31st to receive the grant. Right now we're in the #1 spot...not too shabby! lol But we have to keep our votes up to stay competitive - we don't want to peak too early. So here's how you can help:
Text "107285" to 73774 (PEPSI). You can do this once per day. So easy!
Click HERE and sign in through facebook or create an account with your email(s) to vote once per day.
Collect yellow caps from Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, and Pepsi Max bottles or codes from 12-24 boxes of cans. Click on the "Power Vote" button on the website (above) to enter more votes for BigHouse! (Each code is worth 5-100 votes!)
We're looking forward to our Musical Mania Day Camp next week. We'll be learning and performing a classic children's musical called Down By the Creek Bank. I'm very excited! Hoping my green days continue!!
I'm in Clanton tonight on my way to Tuscaloosa for my research group session tomorrow. Also, while I'm on campus I'll hunt some Pepsi power vote caps...doing my BH duty. We're in the running for a $10,000 Pepsi grant to provide care kits for 500 kids entering foster care in 20 Alabama counties. We need to be in the top 15 on July 31st to receive the grant. Right now we're in the #1 spot...not too shabby! lol But we have to keep our votes up to stay competitive - we don't want to peak too early. So here's how you can help:
Text "107285" to 73774 (PEPSI). You can do this once per day. So easy!
Click HERE and sign in through facebook or create an account with your email(s) to vote once per day.
Collect yellow caps from Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, and Pepsi Max bottles or codes from 12-24 boxes of cans. Click on the "Power Vote" button on the website (above) to enter more votes for BigHouse! (Each code is worth 5-100 votes!)
We're looking forward to our Musical Mania Day Camp next week. We'll be learning and performing a classic children's musical called Down By the Creek Bank. I'm very excited! Hoping my green days continue!!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Six Months
Six months ago I never planned to be writing about headaches. I had no idea the headache I got that day would be the reason I'm now in a research study for chronic headache sufferers. I didn't know that my life would be so drastically different. Shows how much we know! :) But really, isn't life like that for all of us? Of just my friends and family I can think of people who, six months ago:
- Had never been parents and are now caring for two little boys
- Had no idea God would send him to Africa instead of a college campus this fall
- Were wondering if they would ever get pregnant and now have pictures of a tiny person inside
- Was praying for God to prepare her to meet her husband and now she's planning a fairytale wedding (actually I know TWO of those! Both in my Bible study group!)
- Celebrated Christmas with their grandmother, who is now partying with Jesus in person
- Had a vision for a Statewide Swimsuit and Towel Drive - are now praising God for accomplishing it!
- Prepared to walk for May graduation at the University of Alabama, only to have cancelled after a devastating tornado
- Was still crawling on the floor and now he's running laps around BigHouse (that's Anderson, not Joe - in case you were confused!)
This morning I chose to be grateful for things I have learned, gained, experienced, avoided, and let go of in the past six months. Here's part of an email I wrote to Julie this morning - my treasured friend here in Opelika who has seen the good, bad, ugly, painful, joyful, faithful, doubtful, anxious, angry, peaceful....and everything in between these last six months.
"I'm celebrating today! It seems like today might be a good day to be angry or sad or whiny, but I am defiant! I'm choosing to be grateful for the 296 months of my life without chronic pain. The dozens of storms that I've seen that DIDN'T hurt my head. The fact that God prepared me to give up clogging and Six Flags and every other aspect of my life before it could be 'stolen' by headaches. The ways that God is making me more like Jesus in suffering. That I still have hope for NDPH to resolve on its own. That I'm not dealing with something worse. That I have you for a best friend. That I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! That because of Christ, God can use this pain for my good and His glory. That His Word is true and trustworthy. That when I do the body scan (meditation) practice, nothing in my body hurts other than my head. That God loves me, even though there is nothing lovely in me. That I can enjoy life today. That I don't have to do shots today. That God sees what is in store for me six months from now just as clearly as He sees today."
What are you celebrating today? :)
- Had never been parents and are now caring for two little boys
- Had no idea God would send him to Africa instead of a college campus this fall
- Were wondering if they would ever get pregnant and now have pictures of a tiny person inside
- Was praying for God to prepare her to meet her husband and now she's planning a fairytale wedding (actually I know TWO of those! Both in my Bible study group!)
- Celebrated Christmas with their grandmother, who is now partying with Jesus in person
- Had a vision for a Statewide Swimsuit and Towel Drive - are now praising God for accomplishing it!
- Prepared to walk for May graduation at the University of Alabama, only to have cancelled after a devastating tornado
- Was still crawling on the floor and now he's running laps around BigHouse (that's Anderson, not Joe - in case you were confused!)
This morning I chose to be grateful for things I have learned, gained, experienced, avoided, and let go of in the past six months. Here's part of an email I wrote to Julie this morning - my treasured friend here in Opelika who has seen the good, bad, ugly, painful, joyful, faithful, doubtful, anxious, angry, peaceful....and everything in between these last six months.
"I'm celebrating today! It seems like today might be a good day to be angry or sad or whiny, but I am defiant! I'm choosing to be grateful for the 296 months of my life without chronic pain. The dozens of storms that I've seen that DIDN'T hurt my head. The fact that God prepared me to give up clogging and Six Flags and every other aspect of my life before it could be 'stolen' by headaches. The ways that God is making me more like Jesus in suffering. That I still have hope for NDPH to resolve on its own. That I'm not dealing with something worse. That I have you for a best friend. That I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! That because of Christ, God can use this pain for my good and His glory. That His Word is true and trustworthy. That when I do the body scan (meditation) practice, nothing in my body hurts other than my head. That God loves me, even though there is nothing lovely in me. That I can enjoy life today. That I don't have to do shots today. That God sees what is in store for me six months from now just as clearly as He sees today."
What are you celebrating today? :)
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