The Injury...

It's taken me almost 2 months to process everything that happened in such a whirlwind.!
And no it has nothing to do with a pregnancy! Oh I cant wait to be old enough for people to not ask me if I am pregnant, ha! And just for my own records, we decided our last pregnancy 18 months ago was the last child I would carry. Unless God completely intervened, we are not having any more biological children and are journeying down another road right now we are very excited about! God really is able to give abundant peace, clarity, and wisdom in family planning if you will ask for it. He has answered us loud and clear in so many ways that I'll never be able to even write about.  More about that when time deems so...

So, to walk myself back through what happened. Nov. 13th I woke up with the left side of my face completely numb. It was kind of a joke as I figured I had slept wrong or something on my face. I moved on and the next morning I got concerned when I woke up to find it was still numb. It was now Nov. 14th, Tim's birthday. That afternoon, I had been watching my friends 2 children and we were having a big play date. I took the 4 children to Lowes and on the way home the left hand side of my body started going numb. I decided to take the friends kids home and get my own people home!

I call my mom and of course she immediately tells me I am having a stroke. ! So I decide to wait until Tim comes home and give him a fabulous birthday surprise that I am dying. Luckily, we had celebrated on the weekend because I still feel like the worst wife ever for ruining his birthday night. Tim is concerned and after a few phone calls to some family/friend nurses and doctors, we decide to go to the Emergency Room. Let me just tell you if you ever need to get back into the ER quickly, just tell them parts of your body are going numb. Apparently it is a big deal and within 20 minutes I was stripped down on the trauma floor and they were running a EKG, Cat-scan, and all kinds of blood work. They had no answers but eliminated that it was a major stroke, brain aneurism, or anything crazy. They sent me home and ordered an MRI for the following morning with a Neurologist appointment. MRI was freaky if you have never had one. I don't like small spaces so I tried to not think about it. Anyway, MRI was cleared and ruled out a minor stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, and any clots. You know... its a weird phone call the day someone calls to tell you that you don't have MS.  It's like.... okay, thank you... when 48 hours prior that wasn't even on your radar. Anyway, the Neurologist basically had no idea and that was another wasted co-pay. At this point I really need the Lord to intervene. I can't feel half my body and no one seems to have any idea.

And that is always when the Lord steps in. Within 2 days a neighbor and family nurse tell me that they think it is the same problem. The 2 people dont even know each other. My neighbor is a chiropractor and I had gone over there to see if he had any thoughts. He was able to adjust me some to get some feeling back, but told me the next day he thought it was Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. Well, also within those 2 days word has spread through the family and one of the nurses in the family used to work in the Thoracic Outlet Center- crazy. She immediately called and said all my symptoms pointed to that. So, within a week, I went to see this specialist and I was diagnosed immediately with it! Praise the Lord for a diagnosis.... I feel like that is half the battle sometimes!

No to figure out what the heck it is and how do I fix it. Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. Upon learning about it, I immediately felt really sad. It was an injury I had caused. And not meant to.
The specialist told me it was from excessive, overuse, repetitive constant motion. Ay, yi, yi. It is really common in athletes, but he was trying to figure out WHAT I had been doing. Well, pretty soon this doctor un-covered my whole life story between small children, renovating houses, and the house cleaning job I had for 2 years. (Which by the way, I only had 1 house left I was doing and finally closed that chapter of my life literally a week before the injury happened).
Anyway, he said the combination of ALL of those activities for long periods of time basically led to a "burn-out." The overuse in my left shoulder and all the heavy lifting from renovations (which womens bodies aren't apparently made to do excessive amounts of heavy lifting) caused compression on the nerves in the left side of my body, thus causing me to go numb.

Good news? It can all be fixed through physical therapy. Not 100%, but pretty close. The physical therapist said I do have some bulging discs that cant be fixed, but managed and under control. Have you ever been to physical therapy? It's basically like entering the gates of Hell. Oh my gosh. So painful. They adjust you, but also move your tissue/muscles where they need to go, do heat ultrasound, ice, also put you in a machine called Traction that stretches your spine out. I think I may have hit 5'4" now =)
But it works. So I do it. And I love the physical therapist I am seeing. She just tells it like it is. And she has given me back confidence as I again felt like my body totally failed me. She explained professional athletes are the most injured people in the world. And even with million dollar health care and therapy.... when enough is enough, your body needs you to chill. No amount of money can make your body rest and recover.  So, that is what I have been doing. I have been in PT twice a week and trying to rest. TRYING is key. It is very hard and will be life style changing for me.

Tim feels really bad and like he caused this and has told everyone, "I broke my wife." I assure him that I don't blame him for any of it and I share the real estate dream and cleaned houses to help our family through a rough time. It helped us a ton and Tim got us back in the best position now that we have ever been in. We are a team and when you take a side, no one wins. Life leaves a few scars sometimes.

Anyway, I have feeling back and PT is working. I have some set backs when I "over do" it, so we are trying to find a balance.

Either way, I am glad that I entered 2013 feeling all sides of my body, ha! Also glad that God has been with me in sweet ways. Things like this remind me we are made from dust and our flesh will fail us. I am thankful for a strong inside that God can only give.

End of the Year!!

This is my attempt to catch my blog up in pictures and wrap up 2012! We have done so much on the house and are 1 month out from completion- we were hoping to finish Christmas, but with life and children... we had to push it back!
Going to be blogging and trying to get all of 2012 up before the year ends!! We have tons of things happening so I have to get on it...

Funny things my kids say that I need to remember real fast:
Mackenzie gets so mad when I wash her hair and I am trying to pass off this chore to her to do by herself completely. However, during the dramatic process (because EVERYTHING is dramatic when you have a daughter) she says, "Mommy, stop bossing my hair around. I do not like it!!" She calls me scrubbing her hair with shampoo = bossing it around.

David since he could speak constantly calls a "hotel" a "hu-tel". I don't know why and I can't seem to shake it. Oh well, hu-tel sounds a lot fancier I guess.


I need to start back at Halloween:

Trick or Treating at the Avenue outdoor shops. David was a pirate and Mackenzie was Belle.

Mackenzie loved the man on stilts... the girl has no intimidation or fear. David cautiously peered at him from behind my leg...

We have been trying to eat and try all the restaurants on the Marietta Square. We went to Thaicoon with some people from church and it was very yummy! We live being a mile from the square!

I am shocked we still use our bread mill and bread machine (going on 5 years) and we have been using our juicer for a year making the "Mean Green" veggie juice!

Our street during the fall...

I worked an Event with Microsoft when they released the new Surface in November...

Our 2012 pumpkin

I think we have close to almost 30 children on our street. We all went trick or treating! Have I mentioned how much I love living here??

I got a new beautiful nephew (Tim's oldest brothers and child #2), baby Ben. Tim and I are now Aunt J and Uncle Timmy to 4 sweet boys!

We spent lots of time on Kennesaw Mountain as the leaves changed on the weekends..

I've been helping teach the 3 year old nursery class at church...

Mackenzie LOVES baby dolls. She is a full time care taker of them right now

Tim turned 31

David was "Squanto" in his first school Thanksgiving play.

We had a FUN date night for Tims birthday to Ikea and dinner with my best friend who shares the same birthday!

I am still running the Farmers Market and made some yummy homemade cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving

Beautiful Thanksgiving day

LOTS of food!

Mackenzie and my nephew Josh have become so close and look so much alike!

Went back to my natural color being a brunette, ha!

Took the kids to see the Nutcracker!

We went on the Tour of Homes in Marietta with my mom and dad. It is all of the sudden fascinating to me since we now live inside the Historic District to see houses that have been renovated. It was fun and we got some great ideas!

Mackenzie was my first child to go to the E.R. Never thought it would be my daughter first. She opened her dresser drawer out on her and it went pretty deep right in her eyebrow line :( I was very sad, but she was super brave and barely flinched. 3 stitches in her eyebrow. So thankful the scar will be hidden.

Thought this was a little overkill, but they were numbing her face before stitches. FYI- if your small child ever gets stitches, they are put in a straight jacket so they don't freak out. It was so sad for me to see that. Again, she thought it was a game because Tim wraps them in blankets tight and they pretend they are burritos. Ha! Was thankful for that silly game that kept her calm.

David getting ready to sing in the Kindergarten Christmas Choir. So sweet.

Worked another event in early December at Coke Corporate. Every inch of that place was decorated, it was a lot of fun!

Love seeing the Polar Bear every year and he is so goofy when no people are around, we had fun with him!

Santa and Mrs. Claus.... the hilarious part about this... a friend paid for this couple to be at her childs birthday 3 years ago and GO FIGURE, my grandmothers assisted living place hired the same folks. I have the same picture from 3 years ago posted here. Hilarious.

Annual Christmas lights sight seeing...

Pink Pig ride on Mackenzie's 4th Birthday! Very fun, but the night ended very bad when we were pushed to the ground by some people who had robbed a store and were trying to flee. We were fine. Maybe more on that story later.

Mackenzie is now 4 and has lots of sassiness to prove it!!!

But she LOVESSSS her big brother. They are so so close and sweet together.

We decorated Gingerbread men at a friends house...

And to end the year, I suffered an injury renovating the house and have been spending LOTS of time in the physical therapy office every week. Definitely more on that later....

And here is Mackenzie in my shirt when I was a little 4 year old at Christmas.... oh how I see so much of myself in her it's scary!

Hold Fast blogland, I have more pictures, stories, and some big exciting things for 2013 we are pumped about :)

Tim

Sometimes I can't believe I met Tim almost 13 years ago. We were SO young! I realize christian marriages in general are a huge rarity. HUGE. Being married to 1 person your lifetime is an even bigger rarity. The divorce rate is through the roof and I remember being afraid for a short season of my life that my parents would divorce..... not because they didn't get along, but because that is what most of my friend's parents did. As I saw my parents love grow, even through the bad times, it gave me hope that real love does exist and I could find the love of my life one day. I am wildy impressed at those who did not have examples like mine and have just clung to truth and believed in holy marriage even though they had not seen it in their own lives. Tim and I's parents are both at 35 years and ridiculously in love.

I think at this point in our marriage, we really will lay down our own life, desires, and dreams for the other person. I never realized the power in this, but it is pretty awesome. Little did we know making a commitment to find Tim's passion in a career would have involved what it actually ended up involving.....
Whew. But. Wow.
I would seriously do it all again because he is so alive. And loves what he does every day. And you know what??
That makes me so happy because he has layed his life down for me to do what I love every day..... Raise these babies.

Now. Let me tell you the enemy is always trying to attack. Sabotage.
I have fears that I have to take captive. Surrender. And claim truth. Satan will make me question....
What if I don't hear God?
What will be the next storm that comes to hit us?

Each person will have a different set, but I promise you there is something that is a lie that will make you doubt. If you are following after Christ and trying to hear His voice, I promise you will also be attacked by the enemy and hear his lies. You can't live in fear. You can't live in regrets. And you really have to BELIEVE that God is working all things for the good of those that love Him.... And probably what I have learned the most is TRUSTING him with the hurt and pain this life will bring.

We are free from that. Greater is He that is within me and we have the power to call a lie a lie and claim truth. I can't tell you how alive we feel. How we have faced so much defeat, pain, and hardship.... and how God has redeemed it ALL. You don't always get what you want, but sometimes God blesses you 10 fold when you are obedient and continue to follow Him no matter what, even when you lose it all.

I really believe God redeems all circumstances. Maybe not how we think...
I shared this morning in my womens Bible study..... Tim went from being laid off- to getting a full scholarship to get his HVAC degree. To being the #1 Recruited Student out of the program. To being at one of the top companies in Atlanta handling their commercial accounts.
We went from putting our house for sale on a whim.... to selling it 13 days later. :/
To realize the week of closing was also the week that Tim was going to be losing his job. We didn't know that. But God did.
We put all our stuff in storage. We lived with his parents while he worked, went to school, and we bought Nellie Mae and renovated her.
Almost 3 years ago we were home-less. We now own 2 homes. God redeemed.
God also redeemed all of the hard hard work of cleaning houses that I did. When Tim was going through the transition, I advertised on craigslist and would clean on evenings, weekends, and mornings whenever Tim or the grandparents could watch the kids. Normally when they would nap or be in bed. There was a stretch when I was cleaning 13 houses a month. God humbled me during that time and has now redeemed me with some really fun and rewarding part time work as an event planner.
And our children..... our precious precious children. God has redeemed. David asked the other day if anyone he knew would be in heaven right now. We talked about my Uncle Bob who just went this week, my mothers father, Clarence and Chefs mother, Alice. Chefs dad EJ is also in heaven. Then he asked if there were any kids he would know that are there. I told him he had LOTS of brothers and sisters in heaven. 5 to be exact.  David was THRILLED. And said, Well mommy we are all going to end up there anyway so its ok right? You have to love a 6 year old's simplicity.
Yes baby, We will all end up there together. I figure one day when they are older or if they ever ask or if it is appropriate, Ill show them the ultrasounds of all of them. Or Mackenzie may want to see that she had a twin. I'm so blessed God picked these 2 kids for me to keep here on Earth and have for a short time. I still firmly believe God isn't done with our family. I don't know what that exactly looks like, but He has told me He isn't done.

Well, the whole post was supposed to just be about Tim and his awesome job. They like him. And they took him on a big fishing and golfing trip. And Tim, being the stud and jack of all trades he is, of course brought home a freaking massive Amber Jack fish. He did find out down there it was worth $24/ lb. so for a few days I swore he would sell it and bring home cash, but he didn't. He brought home fish. Lots of awesome, awesome fish. He also caught a grouper! Anyway, I was so happy for him to go and here are a few pictures:

Vegas, baby.

As my 3 year old loved telling everyone, "my mommy works in vegas." Yeah.... that one needed some follow up! Anyway, I worked as a VIP Logistics Event Planner for Kia and the event was in Vegas for 1 week.
It was truly a blast. If you have read the above post, I have obviously had a lot of time (7 years) of not working to really think about what I want to do with my time when I do and can work and my children get a little older. In the past 2 years, I have done a few events a year and love it more and more. It's been really awesome for our family. For Tim to take on some of my roles and help out on the days or week that I work- who doesn't love swapping roles once in a while?!- and me just to have a time out from my day to day, kids, the house, the construction (do i really need to list it?!)- and for the kids- they get to go to a friends house for a playdate. David is only half day kindergarten from 9 to 1. Mackenzie is still home with me, however, Davids school has a moms morning out that she can go to if I ever have an appointment, ect. Its the same hours so that is great.

Anyway, the confidentiality of this job is pretty high. We work closely with company executives and their big meetings and most of what we see and do we cannot share. It has been really neat to be on the inside of so many companies and really see what they are like. Some are as they appear. Some are not at all!
My specific role was to handle all logistics for the corporate VIP during the entire week of the event. It was long days and some long nights, but a huge success. I really love my role at Logistics and feel like I have been naturally gifted at it because I love it so much and it doesn't stress me out. And I totally credit all my experience of running a home, children, and 2 pretty intense house renovations logistically. Haha!

One funny story that has nothing to do with my job. So, one night I was waiting for the president of Kia at the restaurant he was going to be eating at. I was dressed all in black with notebooks, phones, nextels, ect..... kinda looking like the secret service. Well, all of the sudden this guy walks right up in front of me lingering and then slowly takes a few steps away. I turn away from him so that he cannot hear what I am saying into my radio because he was standing so close. As I get a little further away from him, I finally look at his face and it strikes me that this man looks just like Ryan Seacrest. He stares right at me and then I look away because my radio comes in again that the president is almost there. I shrug off my thought because why would Ryan Seacrest just be hanging out in my hotel in front of this restaurant?? And why was he so small?? He sat down in front of me in the lobby of the restaurant I was standing in. After the president came in, I had really forgotten about him! Well, Thursday night we got invited out on our off time to Tryst Nightclub in our hotel. I know. Me in a nightclub. Mother of 2. Whatever..... I went, we got on a list to get in free so I figured what the heck! I had also already been in one a couple nights earlier because we had hosted an event in one. So, I was not afraid. I had friends with me and security was tight. Right before we went in they told me they were pretty sure a celebrity had just walked past them. I asked who? Sure enough they said Ryan Seacrest. This time, we ask security because I swear I am losing my mind. They confirm its him and he came in town early all week for his IHeartRadio event at MGM. So, he gets ushered to a booth with security surrounding him. No chance we are going to be hanging out. What is weird is only 1 other person spotted it was him besides us. He kept a very quiet profile. He is super tiny. And very tan. And was with 2 other men. Anyway, it was very funny. Even funnier since few nights before I told everyone I blew him off. So, the next morning my team was calling me Mrs. Seacrest all day.

Good times. I guess you never really know who you are going to run into when in Vegas. Let me just throw in one more thing. You also never know who you are going to be sitting in an airplane next to on the way to Vegas. And that is a whole separate issue..... Lord have mercy! The couple I sat next to on the way out there were taking shots, chewing tobacco, and throwing back those 5 hour energy drinks like crazy. I was so un-easy and was also pretty sure none of those things were supposed to be mixed :/
I also watched numerous people get married. Also saw a completely full black jack table at 745 in the morning with drinks in hand, ready to go. It's Vegas, baby.

Other highlight was the Eagles were the hosted talent this year (well, most of the Eagle members). They were pretty amazing and, again, me not recognizing famous people ate dinner next to the saxophone player and had no idea. Not even sure what I was rambling on about during that meal :/

Since I have been back home I have been able to do a few events in Atlanta, last week a few days at the Chickfila corporate office which is always a treat to work with them. I say it is hilarious what I do because my life goes from such a preschooler/kindergartener lifestyle of mess, toys, cleaning, and construction to an entire different extreme when I am at work that it is so humorous to me! I can't tell you how blessed I feel to live both right now and be able to learn what I am learning. No job I have done yet, for me, has been as hard, rewarding, and rich as staying at home with my kids... and I really mean that.

I always dreamed of being a wife and mother, but I also long for a small life outside of that. Something where I can feel like I am using other gifts and learning and growing in an industry I can hopefully become more a part of as my children grow up and start their own lives (we are talking long term here obviously). But, I feel like I have to make choices now and be intentional so that when the time comes and I can work part time, I will know what I want to do..... and what I don't want to do. Anyway, here are a few snap shots of glamorous Vegas life. Tim always so sweet when I come home. Life on the event includes a fancy hotel with 2 maid crews during the day that clean your room and all of your meals prepared for you!!! Haha!! You see the contrast? Whenever I come home he has cleaned and has dinner thought out.... its really sweet and I have to remind him that there is never anywhere else I'd rather be. Besides, my OCD-ness always straightened up a little after the maids left because it wasn't how I do it :/
The Wynn Hotel...

 

 A nightclub we hosted a reception at... actually very classy

 

Secret service style...

Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh from the Eagles...

I could watch these fountains every night at the Bellagio, beautiful

Me and the dancing Kia hamster, my kids love him..

I really have the best memories from this trip and I love that God has allowed me to be apart of it.

6

I have ohsomuch to catch up on, I am going to try my very best. I think my very first blog entry was right before David turned 2 and I was 39 weeks pregnant with Mackenzie. I am not a scrapbook-er, great journal-er, and didn't even really keep a great baby book.... so this is it. And this has suffered quite a bit trying to blog about our babies and our real estate adventures! And it's online for the whole free world to read, but if you know me you know that I don't really give a rip about that anyway =)

So, my baby turned 6.
I know he is only 6, but it felt like he graduated high school this birthday. We entered into a new life stage. I very much agree with Andy Stanleys recent teaching on raising kids.... the first 5 years is really big on laying the foundation and the investment into your kids. At school age, they enter a new season and a lot of the framework has been laid for them. I only believe in his message so much because we just lived it.

It's weird to think about when I was 23 and pregnant with David. I am such a different mom now at 30. In a good way. Way more laid back. Way more go with the flow. Also reaping the fruit of what I have sewn for the past 7 years of dedicating my life to these little ones. I just can't put it into words, but it is worth it. Worth it. Worth every long night, behavior phase, and minute I have spent investing the long long days of staying at home. It fuels me to keep on. That what I am doing is what I am supposed to be doing..... and man do I need that some days with a 3 1/2 year old little girl right behind him, can I get an amen?! And even more props to the moms that work and still pour into their wee ones. I have worked a lot these past 2 years and I know that working moms put themselves last for sure.

I love my kids ages right now. We are having so much fun as a family of 4 and we are in that phase of no baby stuff anywhere. It's a phase my husband said he looked forward to the most. No naps. Everyone can communicate. We travel easily. We are just soaking in this life stage with these little people who are just made for fun!

Davids big gifts from us and family for his 6th birthday and what he is most into: hotwheels (still!), a new bike, a Wii, Skechers (b/c apparently thats what the cool kids wear), youth boy clothes (because we are so out of 5t now), LEGOS, and I'm talking more LEGOS. Had NO idea about the world of legos out there. I'll just let you discover it when time allots, its pretty mind blowing. We had some close friends and family over and what else does a little 6 year old boy like? Fire. So, we had a bonfire and dinner. In our construction site of a house. Our sweet closest people didn't seem to mind one bit.

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby David. These kids are just an overflowing blessing...... I actually just had my first real adult conference with his kindergarten teacher...... you know those moments when you feel like an adult? I know that sounds silly because I am 30, but there are events that take place that make me feel super adultish and I get kind of uncomfortable.... that is one of those times. Anyway, if I had heard even 3 years ago what his teacher just told me about David I would have told you that you had the wrong boy!! No offense, but if you have been a long time follower of the blog, little David was pretty much Hell on Wheels as a toddler. I was the one disliked at playgroups for the out of control child, chasing after him, disciplining him, ect....
For so long we have been consistent with him and I really owe it all to the Lord for shepherding his heart, mine, and raising him into such a caring, sweet, smart little kindergartener. Tim is also one amazing dad and from a family of all boys, he keeps me balanced with letting chaos reign a little and embracing it.... and well, maybe even encouraging it a little as well. Seems we have us quite a smart and well behaved little child....
David has told me he may fix everything like his daddy when he grows up as well as right now he wants to be married and have 5 sons. That's right, 5. And that they will all be coming to spend the night with me from time to time. Again, good thing his daddy can fix stuff ;) Bring it on!

So, I have a 6 year old. And other people think he is pretty awesome, not just his mom ;)