Great day!

Today was a wonderful day!

I woke up early (that's the only not so wonderful part). I got up at 7:15 but didn't roll out of bed until 7:30. I showered and got dressed before 8 am. I drank some water and checked my e-mail.

I left Brookings at 8:30 and headed to Madison. I went right to the TC because my friend Jacinda wanted to see me but had class at 10. I got there around 9:10. I hung out in the TC until about 9:50 and then everyone (Jacinda, Casie, Katie, etc) went to class. I went to the help desk and they put a new hard drive in. (That's DSU's answer to everything.. virus? new hard drive... computer going slow? new hard drive... elephant sat on the computer? new hard drive... haha)

I headed back to the TC to wait for people to get out of class. I e-mailed Laura to ask her if she was going to be around that afternoon and had time to get together. I sat there for about an hour and talked with my friends as they came to lunch. I had planned to meet Kimberly at 12 across town, but it was hard to get away from my friends. I finally left at 11:56 and hurried to my car.

Kimberly was running late, so she showed up around 12:20. We had a good meeting and were able to catch up. It was good to talk--it had been a long time. I was there until 1:40 or so, and then I headed back to campus.

I sat and talked with Kim (a friend I've had a lot of classes with) for awhile. I was just getting ready to leave town when I decided to check my e-mail.

I'm glad I did! Laura had e-mailed me and said that I could come hang out after 2 if I wanted to. At 3 I called her and said I was coming, and was there shortly after. We sat and talked for over 3 hours!!! I love Laura. She's so incredibly easy to talk to and I just love spending time with her. :)

It was already dark and I was nervous about driving home because of the deer incident... so I told her that I needed to get home before it was too much later. She prayed that I would get home safely without getting hit or hitting anything... and I did! I was really nervous because it's the first time I have driven in the dark since that deer hit my car.

I got home safely and had real food for supper (yippee!). Now I'm writing this and helping my mom with something. Her aunt is looking for a Zhu Zhu pet for her granddaughter, and every single place my mom calls is sold out... here and in Lincoln, NE. If anyone can find one around your area, let me know and I will reimburse you!!!

I'm going to go work on that some more... but today was a good day. I plan to go to bed somewhat early... and try to get a Bible study in before bedtime. Should be a good night, and I can sleep in tomorrow. Thank you, God!!! :)

WONDERFUL news!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today has been a wonderful day.

Last night I got a HORRIBLE virus on my computer... when my brother woke up, he was able to fix it (Thanks, Ross!!!). What a life saver.

I put a new antivirus software on my netbook to protect it.

My brother had to leave this morning, which is sad... I miss him already!

My mom and I put up and decorated the tree this morning, and put up other decorations--it's beautiful! The cats are going crazy and playing with the ornaments.. and trying to scale the tree. We expected that.

I just got a letter in the mail from my doctor. Last week I went in to figure out my sleep problems... I already wrote about that. I also had blood work done to check my levels. Because I've been living on a lot of crackers and bread with a little meat, I was sure all my levels were off. GUESS WHAT?

It's a MIRACLE!!! (truly...) ALL my levels are fine. I'm not anemic, my electrolytes are fine, my kidneys aren't failing--EVERYTHING looks good. THANK YOU GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so so so so thankful and pray that I get the same results when my surgeon does blood work next time I go. What a wonderful surprise in the mail!

I am so so so so so glad! My mom made banana bread for my brother, and the smell didn't make me feel sick. Some pasta she is making is bothering me, and hash browns made me feel sick this morning (the smell). So... the smell thing isn't totally better, but there are a few smells that have NOT bothered me. I'm thankful.

I feel like *after* Thanksgiving, I have so much more to be thankful for! I guess that's why we should be thankful all year, huh?

I'm watching a Christmas movie so I'm going to lay my head down and do that... I am so excited though and had to report the good news! :)

Thanksgiving and Black Friday

Yesterday was one of the best days that I have had in a LONG time. I was really worried that I was going to get sick from the smell of food cooking on Thanksgiving. Every food smell made me sick for weeks, and I was sure that yesterday was going to just be awful for me.

I was VERY pleasantly surprised to find out that was not the case. I woke up and finished my research paper. I wrote 6 of my 7 page paper in about an hour. I was so happy to get it done. I am still waiting to get a grade, so we'll see. I am finished with three of my four classes and only have 4 things left to do for the semester--read a chapter, do an assignment, do a project, and a test. Not bad.

So yesterday was an awesome time at the Lee's. There were 12 of us, 5 international people from Thailand and China. It was so much fun! Had great food, amazing company, and a lot of laughs! Was a picture perfect holiday. I have my pictures on Facebook, so if you are my friend, you should check them out! :) It was very important for me to get some pictures this year because I look quite a bit different from last year! :)

My mom's computer died the other day, though it's been giving her problems for weeks. There was a Black Friday sale at Best Buy where you could get a 15 in HP laptop for $197. Good deal, huh? So we woke up at 2 am and headed to Sioux Falls to see if we could get one. The line when we got there was already wrapped around to the back of the store. We met a very nice woman from Marshall, MN and talked to her--that really helped to pass the time. It was a lot of fun, but FREEZING! We were out there from before 3 until 5. We didn't get the laptop, of course, because they only had so many tickets for them, and they were gone long before they got to us. When we were up to the front of the building, the line was all the way to the back of the store and wrapped around the back of the store. We had a few choices to choose from... a $479 Sony laptop with Blu-ray. Well, neither my mom or I wanted that... or to pay that much. See, I was going to get a computer as well for my own personal use since I hate my school computer. Well we decided to get two netbooks. I never wanted a netbook because they are so small--but it works just fine. I am not sure how it'll work without a CD drive, but we'll see. They are really cute! And handy to take on the go... I think I will start doing my journals on this computer and using it as a portable journal. :) I like it.. and they were decently priced, so it was worth it. I bought one for me and one for my mom.

We got home around 7 am and started up the netbooks to see how they were. Then I went back to bed... slept til 1. Because I wasn't able to take my sleep medicine last night, I woke up feeling like I hadn't slept--ugh! I have a bad headache, and my back is sore from standing for 3 hours in line. So I'm not feeling the greatest, but that's okay. I'll live. I'm just so thankful that I had such a great day yesterday. :)

So now my mom, brother, and I are playing a Mario game on Wii. Later today we will (I think) put up the Christmas tree. It should be a pretty good day! I have a bad headache that feels like it's turning into a migraine, which isn't fun.. so hopefully I can keep my headache and my back pain away today. I want to enjoy today, not feel horrible.

Today I got my post-surgery journal done, and also wrote my 30-day notice for moving out of my apartment. Sounds like a productive day to me! =P

I am so glad that now it's officially Christmas season. I LOVE Christmas! It's my favorite time of year! :)

Thanksgiving

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope everyone enjoys the day with good food, lots of laughter, and great company! I know I will! =)

Doctor and stuff

I have never had such a hard time getting an assignment done. I've tried several times to work on this research paper, and haven't hardly even started the reading yet. The paper is nowhere near started. It's not due until Friday--but I'm hoping I can get it done tomorrow. Ugh. I failed at getting it done today.

Today I went to the doctor. I have been feeling exhausted lately. I have no trouble falling asleep or staying asleep (so a sleeping pill wouldn't help). The problem is that I can sleep all night (whether it's 5 hours, 8 hours, or 12 hours) and wake up feeling like I haven't slept in days.

My doctor gave me a prescription for amitriptyline. It's a medicine that can be used for a lot of things. It's most commonly known for being an anti-depressant, but don't worry--that's not why I'm on it. That is when it is a high dosage, such as 300-400 mg. My dose is 25 mg. It can help people fall asleep (which I don't have trouble with). It can also help regulate sleep schedules--which is what I DO need help with. I am supposed to try half a pill for the next two nights and then move to one pill a night. If that isn't helping, I'll take two pills a night.. and if that doesn't help, we'll have to try something else.

He also had me do some blood work (a lot.. they took 5 things of blood.. my arm hurts!) to check my "levels". I'm not sure exactly what he checked, except iron. I am pretty sure my levels are all off, though.. so I'm nervous. Surgery makes levels go off anyway... but not being able to eat anything but crackers and a few other things isn't helping. I'm not getting the nutrients I need. He will call me when he has the results.

I wanted to get my research paper done today, but didn't. It was hard because I spent over an hour at the clinic. By the time I got home, I didn't have much time before 5 when we went to fill my prescription. I got home and had some supper, and now I have no motivation to work. haha.. oh well. Even on the rare occasions that I do something at the last minute, I get it done and do well with it. I will probably get quite a bit, if not all, done tomorrow.

There was some drama today regarding tutoring. I am not going to get into it here, but let me just say that I am pretty sure tutoring is officially over! UGHHHHH! Some people frustrate me.

I am excited because my brother will be here in a few hours! :) I miss him like crazy so I'm excited to spend some time together! Yippee!

On that happy note, I'm going to end this entry and go check my e-mail! :) Hope everyone is having a great day!

Thankful

What am I thankful for?

* That God loves me so much that He calls me his daughter
* That I have a loving mother who has always been there physically, emotionally, financially, and any other way. She's been here for me whenever I needed her. We've had a lot of good times and some bad, but I have never questioned her love for me.
* My brother, Ross. We were best friends as children--and I absolutely love him! I can't wait for him to come home this week for Thanksgiving so we can spend some time together!
* My sister, Shannon, who was stillborn. While I've never met her, I SO look forward to the day we meet in Heaven!
* Other family: My dad, stepmom, stepsister (and her daughter!), aunts, uncles, grandparents (though they are no longer alive), cousins. I'm thankful for the family I have in my life.
* "Family" and friends: I have been blessed with wonderful friends, like the Lee's, Michele, my InterVarsity friends, and a LOT of other people who, while not blood related, are family to me. I'm thankful for their constant love and support.
* I'm thankful that I have "bad" days. Without the bad days, the pain, the sickness, the sadness... I wouldn't realize how truly blessed I am.
* I'm also thankful for the good days--the days of rest.
* I'm thankful for silly things like coloring books, Christmas movies, and cats.
* I'm thankful for books. I love them!
* I'm thankful for music, which makes me happy and lifts my spirits.
* I'm thankful for a home to live in... and for my space heater that keeps it liveable for me in the winter! (hehe)
* I'm thankful that my fears didn't come true--that the surgery has worked and I've lost 90 lbs.
* I'm thankful for little pleasures, like finding out I can drink sparkling cider because there is no sugar in it (it's just apple juice with natural sugars which I am allowed to have)
* I'm thankful for my three cats... the laughs they bring, the love they give, the entertainment they are
* I'm thankful that YOU care enough about me to even be reading this right now
* I'm thankful for SO much. Even on the hardest, most painful day, I am blessed. God has given me far beyond what I deserve... and continues to bless me more than I can imagine.

Emotional

Today has been one of the longest, most emotional days I've had in years.

I am not even going to attempt to write about all of it, but it's just been a rough day.

Yesterday I ended up going to the women's retreat for a few hours with my friend Ashley. We ended up having to come home because the smells (pizza, cookies, and nail polish) made me so sick. It was fun to be there for part of it, but I was sad to have to leave.

I have not slept well in a week. Thursday and Friday night I had crazy dreams. Last night I didn't have a dream (that I remember) that kept waking me up, but I just didn't sleep well. Restless sleep is almost as bad as no sleep at all. I woke up exhausted. My sinuses burn and my head hurts from my cold.

I finished my Francine Rivers book and read the first 75 or so pages of a Karen Kingsbury book. Then I started on some homework. I didn't get very far, because I wasn't feeling well.

I had a late lunch--my mom cooked me some chicken. It didn't settle very well, and the smell bothered me all afternoon (still can smell it now.. gross). This is why we don't cook anything! Ugh!

This afternoon I was just wiped out. I didn't feel like doing anything--except sleeping. I just rested (didn't sleep). Tonight was emotional and exhausting. That's not something I am going to talk about in here... it's a private matter... but it has just been a long day.

I just finished eating around 9:15... I don't plan on doing anything else productive tonight. I'm either going to watch a movie, play a game on the computer, or read my book. Possibly I will do all three.

I have been sick for over a month pretty much... the flu (twice), H1N1, a sinus infection, a cold... I just am so exhausted and worn out. I desperately need some solid sleep. I'm hoping I will get that tonight.

I won't be tutoring until I hear otherwise--it depends on how he is doing... if he heals fast or not... if he has surgery, etc. So at least I get to sleep in tomorrow. I'm looking forward to that.

I'm going to go read some other blogs and then try to relax a bit before bed.