Our New Toys

We bought Ava a "big girl" bike a couple of weeks ago and she has really enjoyed riding it.  So, Kevin and I decided to get ourselves bikes as well so that we could ride as a family.  We really want to start taking advantage of the nice weather and bike over at Shelby Farms and on the Greenline.

I chose my bike because the colors are fun and it has a built-in amp on the handlebars that I can plug my phone into and listen to my iPod through the speakers while I ride.  It sounds really great and it will be nice for when I go riding by myself while Ava is at school.  It is also a cruiser bike which means that the handlebars are raised and curved in toward the seat.  This will allow me to ride while sitting more upright so that it won't be as hard on my already bad back.  Kevin was laughing at me today when he saw me sitting on it--he says all I need is a straw basket to put on the front and a little bell and it will be even more retro looking!

I told Kevin that he and I are also going to have to wear helmets (which he was not happy about) because how can we preach to Ava the importance of wearing one and then not wear one ourselves?  And let me tell you, I was glad to have that helmet on when I started riding today.  It has been quite awhile since I have been on a bike and it took me a minute to get used to the sensation again.  But I guess the saying "it's just like riding a bike" is true because I was rolling along in no time.

I am really hoping that this helps me to get the weight I have gained off too.  I had to take steroids for several months starting back in November for my disorder and they caused me to gain almost 30 pounds.    I weigh more now than I have ever weighed with the exception of when I was pregnant.  It is wreaking havoc on my self-esteem.   I have almost no clothes to wear that fit me anymore and I have just refused to go and buy bigger sizes.  I told Kevin that I was going to try to find some comfy dresses to wear this summer that maybe will hide the weight a little and not make me feel like such a slob (I have been living in sweatpants and yoga pants for the last few months).  Yesterday, Ava and I went shopping for dresses. I ended up trying on almost 30 cute ones at various stores and I felt like I looked like a whale in all of them.  I was so depressed.  I ended up not buying anything for me, but Ava got several swimsuits and new pairs of pajamas.  At least I have been having fun buying stuff for her the last few months.  She has the opposite problem of mine--she is built like a rail and has to have adjustable pants so that we can tighten them up to fit on her skinny frame.

Getting the bikes is just one way that our family is working on becoming healthier.  We are really trying to promote ways to live healthily--mind, body, spirit--to Ava so that it just becomes a way of life to her at an early age.  Let me know if you have any good health tips or ideas on ways for us to exercise as a family while having fun.

My Beauty Must Haves

Now that I have entered my 30's, I feel this urgency to find products that will help with anti-aging.  However, I am also a sucker for beauty products that make me feel pampered.  I've put together a list of some of favorites.  I also love discovering new products and when people feel strongly enough to recommend one, I feel fairly confident that I will love it too.  So let me know what you love and I will give it a try!

1.  Lansinoh Lanolin cream

Okay, I confess--this is actually a nipple cream.   I bought tubes of this stuff when I was pregnant with Ava because it is supposed to be great for breastfeeding moms.  WRONG!  This cream did not do a thing to help relieve my pain throughout breastfeeding.  So, I was stuck with tubes of a worthless product.  Then, I happened to read an article about how lanolin is good for chapped lips.  This cream is pure, natural lanolin so I decided to give it a whirl.  Lo and behold, it works amazingly well!  I have been using this cream daily for the last four years to keep my lips soft.  People laugh when I tell them what I use, but I don't knock what works.  

2.  BeautiControl Lip Apeel

I am a big fan of BeautiControl products (and no, I don't sell it!)  I just really like their stuff for pampering and several of their products will be on this list.  The Lip Apeel is the other product I use on my lips.  As a matter of fact, I have it on right now as I am typing this.  Simply smooth the cream all over and around your lips and let dry.  Once dry, rub off with your finger or a washcloth and you will be amazing, and horrified, at the amount of dead skin that comes off.  Follow up with the attached lip balm and your lips will never have felt better.

3.  BeautiControl Instant Manicure

I am a self-described germaphobe which means lots of daily handwashing for me which leads to dry, chapped hands.  I use this daily to help them feel soft and smooth.  I like that it is fast--it doesn't take any longer than it takes to wash my hands.  Simply put a little bit on your hands, rub, and rinse.  The mixture of dead sea salt and oils work miracles.

4.BeautiControl Warming Trend Green Tea Mask

Okay, this is one of those products that makes me feel pampered.  I love this facial mask.  When mixed with water, it begins to heat up and feels so good.  I like to keep mine in the shower which also saves time.  The green tea scent is unbelievable!

5.  Olay Regenerist Night Cream

This product gets great reviews and once I tried it, I could see why.  I want a night cream that is going to help my skin and keep those pesky wrinkles away but I don't want to spend $100 on it.  I discovered this for $20 and it made such a huge difference in the softness of my skin.  After using it for a few weeks, my skin improved overall and just felt great.

6.  Aveeno Positively Radiant Tinted Moisturizer

I hate wearing make-up because most of the foundations I have tried feel thick and heavy.  Unfortunately, my skin is not flawless and I need some kind of coverage.  This does the trick for me.  The tint gives me just enough color and it does not feel sticky and gross.  The combo color/moisturizer/sunscreen is also a timesaver.  

7.  Jergens Natural Glow lotion

I am Irish which is obvious by my coloring--red hair, light eyes, and PALE skin.  I hate being so pale but I am VERY anti-tanning.  If I am in the sun, I always have my sunscreen on or am covered up.  This lotion gives me some color so I am not so blindingly white once summer rolls around and I break out the dresses and sandals.   It's also goof-proof!

8.  BeautiControl Nourishing Eye Pads

Another product that makes me feel pampered.  These are great for puffy eyes and circles.  Stick them in the fridge and they work wonders.

9.  BeautiControl Detoxifying Bath Soak

Living here in Memphis, I get my fair share of sinus headaches.  I actually use this not as a bath soak but as sinus/tension headache reliever.  I just soak a hand towel in water and mix in a little of this bath soak.  Pop the towel in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute and then lie down with it over my face.  The rich peppermint smell relaxes me and soothes my headache.  

10.  Hot Tools Ceramic Curling Iron

My hair is naturally curly and while I usually straighten it, I often think it looks better curled.  

When I take the time to curl it, this is what I use.  I just recently discovered this brand and it works great.  I like hair tools that are ceramic or tourmaline and this brand comes in several barrel sizes and features adjustable settings. 

11.  CHI straightening iron

I usually try to straighten my hair so it doesn't seem so unruly and this flatiron is the one I have found works best for me.  Now I have to include a word of warning:  this gets HOT!  Now I know you are saying, "Well, duh, Stefanie!"  But I mean it gets seriously HOT!  Hot enough to do this when you trip over the cord and knock it onto the floor and then step into it as you are falling:

Yes, that is probably a freak thing that would only happen to me but I feel duty-bound to warn you!

**If you are interested in any of these BeautiControl products, let me know and I'll give you the contact info for my consultant, Lori.  She's a sweetheart and may even be convinced to come to your house and let you try all this stuff!

Which beauty products can you not live without?

The Biggest Loser

Kevin and I starting watching the show The Biggest Loser a couple of years ago. I had heard of it but never really thought it would be something I would be interested in watching. Once we did, though, I realized how inspiring it is. Watching this show really makes me want to get healthy (kind of like how watching Hoarders makes me want to clean my house!). Unfortunately, it seems like every time we sit down to watch on Tuesday we are eating dinner. So as I am trying to enjoy my meal, I'm watching people counting calories and sweating at the gym and it just makes me feel like such a couch potato. It has really helped me think about how I need to consider the foods that I put in my body. The other day, I saw a commercial with Bob Harper (one of the Biggest Loser trainers) for Quaker oatmeal. Now, I have always hated oatmeal. But Bob said it was a superfood!   I mean how can I not want to eat a superfood (marketers just love me!) So I went to the store and got a variety box of Quaker oatmeal. I brought it home, all excited, and told Kevin about how I was going to start eating oatmeal. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "Hey babe, I'm going to start eating oatmeal!"

Kevin: "Umm, okay. Why?"

Me: "Well, I saw a commercial for it and Bob says it's really good for you. He eats it every morning. He even called it a superfood!"

Kevin: "But you don't even like oatmeal."

Me: "Well, I know. But I added just a touch of brown sugar and some pecans and now it tastes really good!"

Kevin: "Stef, I think that may disqualify it from being a superfood."

He's probably right but it does make it a whole lot yummier.

Take that cholesterol!!!

Kevin and I also decided that we are going to start our own Biggest Loser challenge.  We will do a weigh-in each week and see who has the highest percentage of weight loss.  The person who does will get to choose something they would like the other person to do for them as their prize.  I've already decided that if I win this next week I am going to have Kevin detail my car.  He hasn't told me yet what I will have to do if he wins...kind of makes me nervous!

So wish me luck and hopefully I will be next week's

Top Ten Favorite: Restaurants in Memphis

So, I don't make a big secret of the fact that I LOVE to eat. Going out for a meal is one of my favorite things to do. I just find it relaxing and fun to have someone else cook my choice of a meal and then clean up after me. I'm always looking for recommendations for new places to try so feel free to comment on your favorites!

Disclaimer: I realize that a couple of the restaurants on my list are chain restaurants and are not unique to Memphis but hey, I like what I like. :)

10. Lee Kan's Asian Grill
255 New Byhalia Road #111
Collierville, TN
My favorite menu items at Lee Kan's are the firecracker shrimp, egg rolls, and sweet and sour chicken. I don't like sushi but they also have a great selection of sushi rolls. My sushi loving friends rave about Lee Kan's Velvet Roll. Prices are reasonable and the atmosphere is nice.

9. Olive Garden
All over the city though we tend to like Wolfchase
This is on my list because who doesn't love endless salad and breadsticks?! I also happen to really like their entrees. I usually stick with The Tour of Italy because I like the variety. I also cannot leave without a piece of the Black Tie Mousse Cake. It is one of my favorite desserts of all time.

8. Huey's
Also all of the city and I think I've eaten at all of them and never had a bad meal
I cannot go to this restaurant and not get a burger--it just seems sacrilegious. The Huey Burger is my fave with cheddar or swiss and some yummy steak fries and a pickle spear.

7. The Grapevine Tea Room
6286 Chester Street
Arlington, TN
This little tea room is just cute and cozy. It is ranked #3 of 40 tea rooms in Tennessee. They serve the most amazing little cheese biscuits as a starter. You will find salads, soups, and sandwiches on the menu. Their homemade chicken salad and pimiento cheese are to die for. They also make a delicious caramel pie.

6. Central BBQ
2249 Central Ave (I just prefer this location but there is also one on Summer Ave)
It's all good! I really love the sausage and cheese plate, pulled pork sandwich, and the ribs, of course!

5. Swanky's Taco Shop
6641 Poplar Ave (I prefer this location to the newer one further west on Poplar)
Germantown, TN
This is a restaurant that my whole family can always agree on. Ava loves their chips and queso. I have had their taco salad, tacos, chicken quesadillas, and nachos and they have all been fabulous. Very reasonable as my family can eat there for under $30.

4. Bonefish Grill
Another chain with 2 Memphis locations--Cordova and Collierville
BANG BANG SHRIMP!!!!!! I cannot go to Bonefish and not start with this as an appetizer. YUM! I always get either the Chilean Sea Bass or the Imperial Longfin as my entree.

3. The Little Tea Shop
69 Monroe
Downtown Memphis
This is the oldest restaurant in Memphis having been open since 1918. When you go in they have their daily menu "ballot" on your table. You take your little golf pencil and go through and check off what you would like to eat. Everything here is homemade fresh every day. The owner, Miss Sue and her husband, live above the restaurant and she gets up every day and begins cooking by 5. The Little Tea Shop is only open for lunch (11-2 pm). You start with warm, crumbly corn bread sticks. Everything is awesome but the Lacy Special is where it's really at--chicken, rice, and gravy also with delicious veggies. This is Southern comfort food at its best. Before you leave, try the frozen pecan ball covered in hot fudge.

2. Folk's Folly
551 South Mendenhall
Memphis, TN
Kevin and I love to splurge a little and go here occasionally (when I say splurge, we usually don't get out of here for much under $200). I love the fried dill pickles and calamari for appetizers but my heart belongs to the catfish beignets. I move along to the caesar salad before my favorite, the Maker's Mark Medallions. Medallions of filet mignon seasoned with salt and cracked pepper on top of a Maker's Mark peppercorn sauce. Be still my beating heart!!! I am such a steak and potatoes girl! We love the twice baked potatoes and then I round it all out with a piece of cheesecake or Southern pecan pie.

1. Jim's Place Restaurant
518 Perkins Extended
Memphis, TN
I remember eating at Jim's about 20 years ago with my parents for the first time. I fell in love then. Fortunately, this is also one of Kevin's favorite restaurants. Jim's recently moved across town to a new location. The atmosphere is completely different in the new place--Jim's went from a quaint, creaky, old house to a sleek, shiny, uptown bar. That's fine with me, as long as the food doesn't change, which it hasn't. I love munching on their crunchy, crouton-like bread while I'm waiting for my meal. We always start with the Souflima as an appetizer. You won't find this on a menu anywhere else as it is a family recipe of rotisseried pork tenderloin that will melt in your mouth. I am also a huge fan of Jim's house salad dressing. It is like a kicked-up Thousand Island that I have just about figured out how to duplicate to perfection (I'll post the recipe another day). My favorite entrees here are the parmesan chicken, the pecan crusted catfish, and the filet bearnaise. You can't go wrong with any of the desserts either.

If we cook at home but are just in the mood to go somewhere for dessert, I like to go to the Cheesecake Corner (downtown on G E Patterson), YoLo for some great frozen yogurt and local toppings, or Gigi's Cupcakes (the Southern Comfort is my all time favorite)!

Well, all this has definitely made me hungry. Definitely time to scrounge up some dinner--too bad it won't be from any of these places!

What are your favorite Memphis restaurants?

All Around The House

When I started this blog, I did it with the intention that it would be a place to document the activities of my family.  However, I realized that my family does not do something blog-worthy every day.  Instead of just blogging here and there, I thought it would also be kind of fun to just share things about myself with you and hopefully have the opportunity to learn more about my friends that read this as well.  I'll be blogging about different things like my own personal top ten lists, recipes, hobbies, etc.  Please feel free to share your favorites things, thoughts,  and opinions with me as well.  

I don't know about you but I love seeing how people live.  I'm the kind of person who loves to go to open houses even when I'm not looking to buy a house, just to get ideas for decorating.  I LOVE going to the Vesta Home Show each year.  When we go for walks in our neighborhood or are driving down the street, I like when people have their windows open so you can get a little peek into the way they live.  Basically, I guess I am like a harmless, non-creepy voyeur.  :)

I thought I would give you a peek of some of the items around my house that I just especially like.  I am also going to attach a Linky at the bottom of my post.  If you would like to show us ALL AROUND YOUR HOUSE, just use the Linky to do so.  

I love springtime and when the weather starts to warm up and people start going outside again.  I also love when my flowers start to bloom.  Now I definitely don't have a green thumb but every year we landscape and then I try to keep the plants alive.  I was excited to get home from church today to find this in our front yard:

I am so excited!  I did not kill our rose bushes!  Blooms are about to pop open everywhere!  Another one of my favorite places at my house is on our front porch

I love to sit out here when the sun is going down with a glass of wine or a book and just relax and enjoy the nice weather.  

Now this is random, but I love the light fixture we put in our entry way.  

I like it because it doesn't resemble a boob.  Have you ever noticed that it seems like every single hallway light fixture looks like a giant boob?  I have and it drives me CRAZY!  This is the least boob like fixture I have seen so I snapped it up at Lowe's and my husband and our handy friend Doug put it up for me.  

This frame also hangs in our entry way.  I wanted a big frame that would take up most of the wall and I found this one at one of my favorite stores, Classic Trends, in Arlington.  I ordered it with custom colors and they had it ready for me a few weeks later.  It holds a 16X20 pic so I took a few of my favorite shots of Ava to Sam's Club and had them blown up.  I believe it only cost between $5-6 a print.  Not bad, huh?

I believe this is my favorite wall in the our house.  It is in our living room.

My friend Jenny helped me pick out and arrange a variety of frames in different sizes and prints on our mantle.  I ordered the vinyl lettering for over the mantle from rightonthewall.com and then Kevin, my mom, and I applied it to the wall.  Mom also helped me hang the curtains which was a pain in the butt.  The pillows on our chaise are from Kirkland's with the exception of the monogrammed one which I had done at Sassafras in Arlington.  

Two of my favorite things in my kitchen are the coffeemaker Kevin got me for Christmas--LOVE IT!

and having space between my kitchen cabinets and the ceiling so that I can use that space for decorating too.

I found this antique rocking chair at The Happy Heart in Arlington and fell in love with it.  I knew I had to have it for Ava's room.  I had not yet figured out how I was going to decorate her "big girl" room yet, aside from the fact that it had to be mainly purple (Ava's favorite color at the time which she has recently changed to pink--isn't that just like a woman?!).  I ended up building her entire room around this chair.

I painted her walls a deep purple and then my mom and Kevin taped off a striped border around the top of her walls and I painted the stripes a blush pink.  You can see the border in the next pic along with some frames that I made for her wall.

Along our hallway I have simple black frames with our wedding pictures

This is Ava's art wall in her playroom.  She likes having a place where she can change out her art.  These are her current choices:

And I have an obsession with pillar candle holders.  Some of my favorites:

From the kitchen

From the living room

From our bedroom

And one of a pair of sconces that I have hanging in our bedroom.  I just really like the mosaic detail on them.

There are still quite a few changes that I need to make to our house.  I didn't show you anything from our bathrooms because I am about to start working on redecorating them.  Then I can do a before and after bath makeover blog!  

Show us what you love around your house!

Putting It In God's Hands

Each time Ava and I get home from her school, I immediately pull out her folder and go through all her papers.   Earlier this week, we got her preschool calendar for April.  As I am looking over it to see what is going on next month, I cringed when I got to April 28th.  You see, April 28th is Bring Your Sibling to Class Day.  You may be thinking, "So?"  But what you need to understand is that our sweet, sweet girl

desperately, DESPERATELY wants us to have one of these

so that she can be a

I am SO, SO afraid that she is going to have a meltdown on April 28th because she has no sibling to share with her friends.  She constantly talks about babies.  She loves to go through the baby section at Target so she can look at all the baby stuff.  My child sits and pages through the Pottery Barn Kids catalog picking out bedding and telling me that is what she wants for her little sister's room.  Ava has this game she likes to play where she picks up whatever novel I happen to be reading at the time and she pretends to read it to me.  Tonight, the story she "read" to me was about a little girl who wonders if God is going to give her mommy and daddy a baby.  She wants to know if God is going to put a baby in her mommy's tummy.  After she finished "reading" her story to me, I asked her what she would do if God didn't give her a baby sister (her preference-BTW).  She said "Well, maybe He will give me a little brother."  To which I said, "How would you feel if God didn't give you a brother OR a sister?"  Her reply was, "I would be all by myself and that would make me sad."  Talk about breaking my heart!!!

If you had told me several years ago that Ava would be our only child at this point, I would have been surprised.  Being an only child myself, the idea of one child doesn't bother me that badly.  However, Kevin has always insisted on at least two kids.  He thinks it is extremely important to have a sibling.  So early on, we agreed that two would be a good number.  We also thought we would have them not right on top of one another, but fairly close together in age.  Well, obviously that has not happened.  If I were to get pregnant tonight, our children would still be almost 5 years apart in age.  

We are in this position because right about the time we were ready to start considering trying for another, I began to have a lot of my health problems.  It took a while for me to feel like it was serious enough to warrant a trip to the doctor (because, really who likes to go) and then it has taken close to a year to get some type of diagnosis (which is still a little bit sketchy).  I just was feeling so badly health-wise and I really felt it would be irresponsible to become pregnant when I wasn't sure exactly what we were dealing with. Now that I have received this diagnosis, it has really given me mixed emotions.  With this disorder that I have, my doctor has warned me that the rate of miscarriage is higher among those with MCTD than among those without.  She has also told me that chances are I would feel great during pregnancy because my body would be producing hormones that would help counteract my disease.  The downside is that after delivery, I could suffer a setback and my symptoms could become worse than they are now.  I have a lot of days now where I struggle with my energy level and I really have to work to get through the day.  The thought of feeling that way and having a newborn just seems so daunting to me.  I also think to myself, "What if my symptoms become so bad that I don't ever feel like playing with Ava?"  I would feel awful to give her a sibling and then not be able to be the kind of mom I would want them to have.  Kevin says I can't live life saying, "What if?" and I know he is right but I think it really freaks me out because I didn't develop many of my symptoms until after Ava was born.  Coincidence or does pregnancy make it worse??  My doctor says she can't really answer that and there is really just no way to know how my body will react.  

I have been struggling with this decision for many months now--I mean, I'm not getting any younger here. :)  Tonight, Kevin and I had a talk about it and I feel like I am getting to a place where I feel more at peace with this situation.  We have decided that we will not try to get pregnant again but that we won't  do anything to prevent it from happening either.  We are going to PUT IT ALL IN GOD'S HANDS.  Which, silly me, how have I not come to this conclusion earlier?  I must stop trying to control things and realize that I am not the one in control here.  If God wants to give Ava her deepest desire, than He will when He is ready.  And if He decides not to, that is okay too.  We have an amazing child who has just been such a blessing to us and we will continue to be a happy family of five (you can't leave out our two furry children!)

A Daniel Family Update...

It has been several months since I last wrote and we have had lots of changes around the Daniel house.  Just an update on each of the members of my family:

Kevin changed jobs at the end of last year.  He is still essentially doing the same job in the same industry but is now just working for a different company.  The company has headquarters in NYC and in a little town right smack in the middle of wine country in California--this means lots of fun trips for me and the hubby!   What is also great about this is that when Kevin is not traveling, he works from home and it's so nice having him right here in his office upstairs.  He loves not having to commute to work and just being able to roll out of bed, grab his coffee, and walk upstairs.  Ava and I love having him here for lunch and for little visits throughout the day.  He really enjoys what he does and finds his job so rewarding.  We both realize how blessed he is to have that satisfaction with his career--it is hard to come by.  I am so proud of him for being so good at what he does and for being such an amazing provider for our family.

Ava just celebrated her fourth birthday!  I honestly do not know where the time has gone.  It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital.  

As my grandmother says, "They broke the mold when they made our Ava."  Our daughter is smart, silly, adorable, talented, lovable, kind--all those adjectives that parents use when describing their kids. :)  She is a social butterfly and loves being on the go.  Every night before bed, our ritual is bath, brush teeth, climb in bed, read a story, and then comes the inevitable question, "Mom, where are we going tomorrow?"  Ava just started preschool last month and she is loving it!  The first morning we dropped her off at her classroom, she just bopped right on in without so much as a backward glance at Kevin and myself.  She can be fiercely independent.  She is still going to Kindermusik classes which we have been doing for 3 years now.  She also started gymnastics a few months ago and that has been a lot of fun as well.  She loves trying all kinds of new things and she sometimes shows such fearlessness, it kind of worries me. :)  She definitely gets that daredevil side from her daddy.  She also has such a big heart.  Back at Christmas, Kevin and I explained to her that we were going to help her clean out her playroom to make room for the new toys that Santa would be bringing her.  We got big garbage bags and told her that we would be giving any toys she did not want anymore away to boys and girls that may not have any toys.  She carefully went through all her stuff and we ended up with 3 big bags full of toys for Goodwill.  She parted with some really nice stuff.  A couple of times, I tried to convince her to keep some of the nicer, newer toys that she had not played with much but she insisted on giving them away.  In the months since Christmas, she has been putting aside clothing and toys for the Goodwill and asking me when we can drop it off.  It is so important to me that she understands compassion.   There is not a feeling in the world that is better, in my opinion, than the feeling you get from doing good for others with nothing in return.  She loves being outdoors riding her bike, helping me in the flowerbed, putting up at the golf course with Kevin (he bought her some nice clubs with pink grips before she turned 2--real clubs, mind you, not plastic ones).  She also loves babies.  She is excited by any opportunity to be around babies and all their baby paraphernalia.  My cousin, Brittany, had twins a year ago and Ava loves to play mommy to her cousins, Addison and Austin.

Our little girl is growing up into such an amazing person and I am so proud of her and the character she already displays.  Kevin and I truly do recognize how blessed we are with her.  She is a wonderful combination of the best of both of us. 

We also added a new member to our family this past winter.  We adopted, Allie, a golden retriever rescue from Memphis Area Golden Retriever Rescue (MAGRR).  My mom and I go to the Germantown Festival each September and every year MAGRR is there with their dogs.  Each year in the past, mom and I have petted the dogs and talked about how cute they are and what is sad situation it is, but this year I felt a strong pull to act.  Fortunately for me, I have a husband that doesn't freak out when I come home and say "I had a great time at the festival with mom, and by the way, I really want to adopt a rescue dog."  We checked out the MAGRR website and began the adoption process.  We quickly found that it was much like adopting a child--calls to our current vet, phone interviews, home visits, etc.  After several months, we got the green light to adopt and Allie came into our lives.  Allie is a saint of a dog whose family locked her in a garage and fed her until she weighed over 100 pounds.  The conditions of our adoption state that we have to keep Allie on a strict diet to get her healthy again.  She has already come such a long way.  She is now down to around 75 pounds.  Patton and Allie get along really well and Ava loves her new furry sister. Kevin and I have been so impressed with the great things that MAGRR does.  It is a wonderful organization that we both are becoming involved with.  Kevin is actually planning their next big fundraiser for next year, a golf tournament.   Check out MAGRR at magrr.org.  

As for me, 2010 was somewhat of a roller coaster.  I started having some health problems early in the year and ended up being sent by my doctor to see a hematologist for extensive blood work.  The doctor that I was sent to see is also an oncologist that works at one of our local cancer institutes.  After a couple of visits and lots and lots of blood later, I go in for in appointment and this is the conversation:

Doctor:  "Mrs. Daniel, one of your test results has come back abnormal.  This particular test is an 

indicator for CML."  

Me:  "Hmmm, okay.  What exactly is CML?"

Doctor: "CML stands for Chronic Myelogeneous Leukemia."

Me: (big whoosh as all the air leaves my lungs)

Doctor: "We are going to need to do some more tests to either confirm or rule this out.  These tests will take quite a few days.  We will let you know as soon as we hear something and just try not to worry."

Now to my credit, I did not cry until I got into the car and started the drive home.  Kevin called to see if I  was done with the appointment and that is when I lost it.  One of my greatest fears could potentially be coming to pass. The doctor had given me some reading material and Kevin and I quickly learned a lot about leukemia.  My family and friends were so amazing and supportive and I had so many people saying prayers for me.  It ended up being 3 agonizing weeks and lots of sleepless night later but I finally received one of the best phone calls of my life.  That call went like this:

Doctor: "Mrs. Daniel, I have your test results.

Me:  Silence as I am holding my breath.

Doctor:  "Your CML test came back negative.  However, it appears that we may now be looking at lupus."

Me: (thinking to myself) Hallelujah!!!  No leukemia.  I don't know much about lupus but it can't be as bad as cancer.

So, then it was off to a new doctor that specializes in autoimmune disorders.  At this point, this ordeal had been going on for the better part of a year and I just wanted answers.  This new doctor did more blood work and tells me she believes I suffer from mixed connective tissue disorder.  This is basically an autoimmune disorder that involves symptoms of lupus, scleroderma, and polymyositis.  It is rare but generally occurs in women in their 20's and 30's.  There is no cure and the only thing to do is to treat the symptoms which consists of fatigue, joint and muscle pain, weakness in the limbs, etc.  The doctor prescribed steroids to help alleviate the worst of the symptoms.  Unfortunately, all this has really done is make me gain almost 30 pounds.  I'm off the steroids now and hoping to start losing the weight and to find another method of treatment.  It is going to be an ongoing battle and I am still unsure what this will mean for my future, but I am loving life!  

On a more positive note, towards the end of last year my boss told my co-workers and I that we were about to gain two part-time positions at the branch where I work.  I came home that night, talked it over with Kevin, went back to work the next day and told my boss that I wanted one of those part-time positions.  He was not too pleased at first--he likes me--but after I told him I wanted more time to be a wife and a mommy, he couldn't really argue with that.  So in January, I started working just 2 1/2 days a week.  I absolutely LOVE it.  It gives me a great balance of being out in the working world and being home.  I am able to take Ava to school and pick her up and participate in her classroom, do volunteer work, start new hobbies, and my house has never stayed cleaner!   I have so many interests that I want to explore and it is exciting to have the time to do that now.  

Now hopefully, I will also have more time to keep my blog up to date!!!