I'm blogging again!

This has been a super crazy year so far. To summarize ... I started the year doing The Biggest Loser (update: I lost over 30 pounds, some I have gained back), then I hurt my back in aerobics class and had to go through several months of treatment, and just when I started doing better (July), I was diagnosed with a fibroid the size of a baseball on my uterus and had to go through intense treatments that have made me feel like I've been in menopause for the past four months. Now, I will have a Myomectomy on Monday, November 16, to remove it. (More about this whole situation and the procedure will come in a later blog ... both here and on destinyinbloom.com.)

Needless to say, this has been an extremely long and emotional year for me. But there have been some bright spots: we bought our first house, Travis got a promotion, and our first nephew, Brett, was born in April.

So, with all of that said, I was very excited to see Brett when I went to Oklahoma a few weeks ago. We also were going to spend some time with Travis' grandparents who have not been doing very well. They live next door to Travis' parents, so when we go to Oklahoma, we get to see them often. The first day we were there we went with Chad (Travis' brother), Becky and baby Brett to visit his grandparents. What I didn't know is that they had a very special surprise for me.

Before I tell you what the surprise was, let me go back to March when we threw Becky a baby shower. One of the gifts she received was from Travis’ grandfather. It was a hand planed baby cradle. He made it to be an authentic antique. It is absolutely amazing! Of course, I wanted one. I mean, just because I was not having a baby now didn’t mean I wouldn't ever have one. But then when I got my diagnosis in July, along with it came the news that the possibility of having children was very unlikely unless fibroid was removed.

Well, when we went to their house, Grandpa Duncan took Travis and me out to the back where he showed us the baby cradle he made for us! I couldn't speak ... I just cried. My heart melted. He's been so sick and his arm is so badly damaged that we thought they'd have to amputate it. He practically made the cradle with one hand. He told Travis that he did everything he could to make it for us before they took his arm. He said it was the last one he would ever make. After he said that I just cried some more. After I got myself together and hugged and thanked him, I took some pictures of the cradle along with Travis and Grandpa Duncan.

The doctor believes that after this surgery, I will be able to have children ... more importantly, I believe I will have children one day. And I really believe that this cradle was a gift from God ... a sign of hope ... a sign that there's more to come. :)

Friends Are Friends Forever ...

Last week we had a First Baptist Euless mini-reunion at my friend Traci's house. It was so much fun to see friends I haven't seen in many years. I hope we won't let so many years pass before we get together again.

Traci and me

Greg being ... Greg. Some boys never change.

I love the look Traci's giving him in the background.

Greg and Erin

YUMMY Fruit!

Travis and Traci

Rich and the Wii controller ... a scary combination!

Texas Rangers Opening Day

We had so much fun at the baseball game on Monday. I'm so glad this is something we got to do together, especially since Travis has always wanted to attend Rangers Opening Day.

My gorgeous husband on game day. Check out those baby blues!






Former President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch.


My very happy husband. He loves baseball!!!


As usual, I was running late and couldn't find any of my Texas Rangers T-shirts (I have at least six!), so I grabbed my Southern Maryland Blue Crabs T-shirt. I wasn't really worried that anyone would even see it since it never occurred to me that I'd take off my sweatshirt or unwrap from my blanket. It was freezing and very windy outside ... except, of course, at our seats where the wind was completely blocked! We were burning up and actually got sunburns. Next time I'll make sure to wear one of my Rangers T-shirts!


Travis wearing the "right" T-shirt.

It's been a long time ...

I haven't felt like blogging at all. :( I miss being excited about writing and photography. I'm ready to start feeling "normal" again ... whatever that is.

My back is doing better. It's probably about 75% better than it was last week. I go back to the doctor next Tuesday, and he'll determine if I need another epidural or if we can move on to physical therapy. I'm anxious to see what he thinks about my progress.

We decided to extend the Biggest Loser competition at work for another three months. We'll now finish on June 30. So far I've lost 32 pounds! I'm excited about it ... but it's been difficult to stay on track the last few weeks. Whenever I feel crappy I just want comfort food! The good thing is that I've still lost some weight despite not eating as well as I had been. Now that I'm feeling better, it will be easier to make dinner and not eat out so much. And hopefully I can start working out again. I noticed the other day that when I waved at someone my arm kept jiggling well after I had stopped waving. Was that too much information? Oh well! It will motivate me to go to the gym once I'm feeling better.

I surprised Travis last Friday night with tickets to a Texas Rangers pre-season game in Frisco. We had a really good time even though it was freezing outside. The Rough Riders Ballpark in Frisco is so nice! If you like baseball, take your family out there one night this summer. It's so much fun and great for families. Plus, every Friday night they have fireworks.

On Monday, we went to the Rangers home opener at The Ballpark. It was so much fun! Travis had not been to Opening Day before, and he was so excited. George Dubbya was there to throw out the first pitch, which was a strike! It was FREEZING cold outside with strong winds, but our seats blocked the wind, and we ended up hot all day and came home with sunburns. The Rangers won ... in fact, they won again tonight, so they're 2-0 so far! I'll post some pictures from the game soon.

Lastly ... we are still waiting to get final word on our closing date for our new house. As soon as we find out, we'll let everyone know. If you want to help us move (and you know you do!), mark April 25 on your calendar. That's the day we're hoping to move. :)

I'll try to be better about posting more often. Now that I'm feeling better, it will be easier. Thank you all for your prayers. I've felt every one of them!

Back Update!

I went to the doctor yesterday to find out the results of my MRI. He said that my L4, L5 and S1 discs are bulging. There is no space between the S1 disc and the S nerve that goes down my left leg. That is why I’m in so much pain. He showed me the MRI … it was pretty crazy to see how bad the discs look. I took a picture of the screen with my cell phone, which doesn't take very good pictures, but I thought I'd post it anyway.

I was really disappointed because I thought they were going to be able to do the treatment yesterday, but I have to wait until Thursday. I’ll get an epidural that should relieve the pain … if not completely then I will have another one in two weeks.

I have to be taken and picked up by someone since I will be heavily sedated. I won’t be out, but I will be “almost out.” He calls it “la la land.”

Please pray with us that I will only need this one treatment. This is quite costly, even with insurance, and I really want this pain to be over soon.

Two Updates

#1 | Update About My Back

I had a great appointment with a specialist on Tuesday. He said that I've either herniated my L5 disc even more as well as the S1 disc and/or I've got a nerve problem on my hip joint. He said he couldn't be sure until he got the results of the MRI.

I had the MRI done today. It was painful to lie flat on the table, but other than that it went really well. I meet with the doctor on Monday to go over my results and, hopefully, to get treatment for my pain.

Thank you all for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers!

#2 | Update About Our House

Travis and I have been looking for a house off and on for over a year. Well, we finally found one we love!! We put an offer on the house last Saturday and on Sunday we got news they accepted our offer! We are so excited! We had an inspector come out yesterday, and everything was great. Now all we have to do is wait and pack. We are scheduled to close on Friday, April 24. If you live near us and want to help us out, let me know! :)

The Biggest Loser | Day 79

Well, the good news is I haven't gained any weight. The bad news is I haven't lost any either. :(

I've been in so much pain and haven't been able to exercise. I haven't even felt like eating right ... although I did MUCH better than last week!

I'm going to Spine Team Texas today at 2:00 pm. If you feel led, please pray for me. I need them to figure out what's going on so we can start working on a plan to recovery.

Watch This Amazing Video

My friend, Natasha, just returned home after spending a week in Honduras. She and her husband, Aaron, are gifted photographers. Their pictures, along with the music, tell the amazing stories of the people they met in Honduras. It's an inspirational, heart-breaking, thought-provoking video. Watch it ... and share it with your friends.


Honduras from Natasha Brown on Vimeo.