Favorite photo of me (BEDIM: Day 17)

Hey all!  I'm back. I dropped off the challenge for about a week there, just had to prioritize my family and domestic duties while running on low energy. My guts and energy level aren't recovered 100% yet, but I believe I'm getting there! Pressing on!
I do have to get a CMR lab panel tomorrow to check on my liver numbers, they've been fussy for a couple weeks now. Dr is thinking I just needed a Cyclosporine dose increase. Believing that's the case!

Now, onto today's prompt: my fave photo of myself.

This was several years ago. My hubs and I were away for an overnight to celebrate our anniversary, at the Salish Lodge above Snoqualmie Falls (thanks Mom and Dad). I got ready for the day and sat down at the window seat, and Hubs took this photo. The natural light was so pretty.

I look so happy, healthy, and glowing. It's a favorite photo because of those things, and the memories it brings to mind. I don't get dolled up and feeling pretty as often as I would like and this photo reminds me it doesn't take much, mostly a smile  :)

A moment in my day (BEDIM: Day 9)

Here we are, Day 9, and I'm still in the game. Go, me! It feels good to be able to keep up with a commitment. Haven't had that opportunity much lately!

Today is about sharing a moment in my day.

And I was about to post this after lunch, explaining how my day is panning out today. But then I promptly fell asleep for four hours. Wow.

So, now I will post. This is my pillow, blue Gatorade, and me. Today my guts are being fussy, blah blah.
I'm so Thankful for Hubs capably taking care of everything so I could/can rest.

Tomorrow's going to be better!!

a Piece of Advice (BEDIM: Day 8)

Today is Day Eight of the Blog Every Day in May. The prompt? "A piece of advice"

My advice? Pick your battles, and lighten up. Life is full of potential stressors, challenges, grumpy people, flat tires, rainy days. Relationships - marriage, parenting, family, coworkers, neighbors - have their speed bumps, and any time two or more imperfect people are involved, life can get messy.

My advice is keep the end in mind, and allow that ultimate vision to guide your responses and decisions. We have too much to do in life to pick up every issue bothers us, and if we do try to deal with every single issue we are going to be absolutely exhausted. We must pick our battles.
A great tip I was taught is to run every issue we have through the filter of "will this matter in five years?" Sometimes to help you pick your battles, you need to ask, "will this even matter in five days, or even five minutes?"
Asking this will help you conserve energy for what you NEED to do to achieve your ultimate vision for your life, no distractions.

Also, lighten up! Smile, laugh, keep a healthy perspective. Celebrate your blessings and victories. Watch and listen to comedians that give life by making you laugh. Just be light of heart, it is good for you. Life is too short to have attitude, stay upset, or worry. Hang around positive people who help you stay light.

I could write so very much more. But I will leave with these pieces of advice.
Now, what is your piece of advice?

Things I'm Most Afraid Of (BEDIM: Day 7)

This post is a couple days late, and I was going to just let it go. But I changed my mind.

The prompt for Day 7 is "the thing(s) you are most afraid of."

Let me start by reminding you, I so am not perfect and I so don't have it all together. But after thinking about this prompt for the week, I realized that in my last fifteen or twenty years of life, I have had to face just about everything I was afraid of. And more recently  I have learned how to capture a fear trying to root in my life, and throw it away. (Thank you Jesus, PK, and Joyce Meyer!  ;))

• Spiders. I defeated that when I had to deal with a giant tropical spider that came home in our grocery store bananas. Boom!
• Death. Face critical health situations enough and you'll make peace with this eventual fate too. Just not happening yet, not even close!!
• People not liking me. Yeah, life is too short to let people and their toxic vibes bother ya. Hurting people hurt people, and 99.9% of the time people have issues with themselves, not you.

So those were my big fears, and I know they resonate with most of you out there. We are all just human  :)

Now, I do have something I would identify as the thing that tries to overwhelm me. And that is because it is overwhelming.

I am overwhelmed by the idea of FOREVER. Of eternity. Of no more sense of time. Of going on and on, and on and on.......................

Wow, when that bugger creeps in, does it overwhelm my mind and make me get lost in my head.

I believe in Heaven and I know that I know I will be spending forever with my Creator when my time in this life is done. I believe what the Bible says about Heaven- that it is a beautiful, perfect place God created with His people in mind. That it will be a place of JOY. Peace. Love. Worship. Freedom and fun! Reunions. Relationships. Life ABUNDANT, with no tears, sickness, or pain.
And I let those truths flood in at those times when my mind goes down that imploding path of too-big-way-too-big-to-comprehend thoughts (which God never asked me to think in the first place!).

As my best friend aka Hubs encouraged me a few years ago, "we are all going to live forever, no matter how you look at it. We get to decide where we spend that forever."
And that helps me. Because I think if there is a true fear I have hidden in this thing, it would be the fear of spending an unending eternity alone.

How I am grateful that the greatest truth about my forever is that I will never be alone. Heaven is the place we get to be in God's presence forever. Never ever alone!


I hope this encouraged someone out there. Perhaps my most revealing blog post ever. So if you have anything to say, let it be kind.  :)

What do I do? (BEDIM: Day 6)

Day 6 of the Blog Every Day in May challenge: "If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, "what do you do?""

I have been to enough parties, weddings, and other small-talky events since my last full time job (four years ago) that I have a lot of practice thinking about this. I for one would rather hear a list of someone's varied talents and pursuits than a description of their nine to five hours. That's not how American society works, but I secretly wonder if I am not alone on that.

Without further ado, here is a surely incomplete list of "what I do:"

• I breathe
• I think
• I dream
• I endure
• I hope
• I believe
• I choose joy
• I love
• I believe the best
• I help
• I nurture
• I grow
• I read
• I learn
• I problem solve
• I get creative
• I hunt for treasures
• I ask
• I listen
• I give the benefit of the doubt
• I welcome and include
• I empathize
• I feel
• I hear
• I pray
• I make the best of things
• I fight on
• I feed my faith and starve my fears
• I speak truth
• I cherish my blessings
• I wonder
• I worship
• I press in and press onon
• I seek adventure
• I take risks
• I analyze
• I look past the negatives
• I see how things could be better
• I encourage
• I speak up when needed
• I sit back and observe often
• I honor my heroes
• I strive for the best
• I hold myself to (too?) high standards
• I perfect
• I get intense
• I lighten up
• I smile
• I laugh
• I LIVE, determined to not die, until a fulfilled old age

Cinco de Mayo XII

Well, I skipped Day Five of the BEDIM, and for good reason. Yesterday was the twelve year anniversary of my liver transplant.
It was a dream of a day. Woke up to blue skies and seventy degrees before noon, got to spend the morning at my amazing church for one of the greatest services of the year, our annual Liberty Offering. Then in the afternoon it was home with my family, BBQ steaks, homemade salsa and salad, lemonade, gluten free cake and brownies. My  big bro was in town which made the day even more special.

Then I was surprised with cards and gifts- I was not expecting anything! My hubby really got me good, he brought out a wrapped box which I opened and it was A PEARL NECKLACE! I had made a little comment a while back about wanting real pearls some day, and I would love to have them to mark our vow renewal in July. Well, now I have them! Wow!!

Hubs took this photo of me wearing my new pearls:

It was a great surprise and very special, memorable day. We wrapped it up by watching a brilliant sunset from the deck. I'm convinced that as tiny and humble our home is, we are on one of the best view lots in our city. I can't wait for summer and all the gorgeous sunsets to come!

If you are not registered as an organ donor, please consider it. One donor can save or improve the lives of over 50 people! Less than 1 percent of registered donors ever get the opportunity to donate. And as of ten minutes ago, 118,019 people are on the waiting list for a life saving organ transplant. Consider the gift of life.

(Source: unos.org)

My Favorite Quotes (BEDIM: Day 4)

The prompt for today, Day 4, is your favorite quote and why.

I LOVE inspirational, motivating, inspiring, life giving quotes. I have a whole book of quotes I started in high school, and added a LOT to through some challenging seasons of growth in college, particularly during my freshman year novice crew season. I had quotes posted all over my dorm room. Favorites by Mark Twain, Henry David Thorough, Zig Ziglar, Vince Lombardi, Emily Dickinson, C.S. Lewis...

My passion for literary quotes has died down in more recent years, and been replaced by a list of Scriptures that I have found or have been given to me, that get me through these trying years of health challenges. I have a list now of my favorite promises from the Bible, that I lean on and hold confidence in. I have taken to writing some right on the living room wall with Sharpie -of course in a nice, artsy way, and only because the living room is the last room in our home still waiting for removal of old plaster walls, replaced with insulation and drywall. In case you were wondering ;)

A few weeks back, when I got to come home from the hospital and so desperately did not want to go back again, I wrote down a list of six Bible verses, and I started declaring them, out loud, each day, each time I felt a hint of a bad symptom, each time I needed to stand firm.

These following "quotes" are amazing words to know and file in your mental arsenal, to whip out in a time of testing- especially if you are in a health crisis, but not only for that! Some of my favorites:

Hebrews 10:23  "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

Jeremiah 30:17  "But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,' declares the LORD"

1 John 4:17  "as he is so also are we in this world."

Psalm 27:13   "I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."


My life motto:  Psalm 71:14   "As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more."



and my constant declaration: 
 Psalm 118:17   "I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done."


And finally (I can't believe I almost forgot!), the quote that changed my life four years ago, and off of which I based the title and aim of my blog:
"Our greatest power is our power to choose." - Kevin Gerald

Things that make me uncomfortable (BEDIM: Day 3)

Day Three of "Blog Every Day in May" Challenge! You'll notice I went with an acronym for my titles every day - BEDIM - a little less clutter for your eyes. You're welcome.  ;)

So today's topic is things that make me uncomfortable.

I can tell you one right off the bat:

1)  Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey bickering on American Idol! Oh boy does pointless conflict, especially of the dramatic and showy flair, make me squirm. It is so uncomfortable to watch. Similarly, the second thing that makes me uncomfortable...

2) Cheesy or bad acting. Ah, I just can't take it.

3) Feeling pressured or backed into a corner. This happened quite a bit in my first few adult years dealing with serious health issues and pushy doctors. So happy to look back on those years and see how far I've come!

4) Making excuses. I loathe making excuses, but had to learn to give myself grace - I have had some pretty major reasons for cancelling plans or not being present somewhere important. I still hate doing it though!

5) Having wet socks. Seriously, that is probably my number one physical pet peeve. A close second: muddy feet while wearing sandals.

Well there you go! So what makes YOU uncomfortable??

An Education on....(BEDIM: Day 2)

It is Day 2 of the Blog Every Day in May Challenge, and I am on it!

For anyone joining in on the blogging fun, check out the links above for the list of the 31 days of topics!

The theme or topic suggestion for today [Day 2] is "Education."

Let me begin by explaining that I am typically a very thorough, detailed person when it comes to something I really want to learn, or that I'm passionate about. And I have a decent memory about such things.
Because of this, I have endless files of information in my head, and when I access those "files" I am concerned with making sure facts are correct, and I will check multiple sources usually before I am satisfied. I take it super seriously even just conversing lightheartedly with a friend, to make sure I'm not misleading. For better or worse, that's me  :)
That being said, in trying to pick a topic about which to "educate" my readers for today's post, I realized it would literally turn into an all nighter fact checking situation with coffee, Google, and stiff muscles. That's not fun, and blogging should be fun! See, at least I know enough to tell myself when I need to lighten up ;)
So instead of that all nighter nonsense, I thought it would be fun to just list all the topics I was considering for this post. I know a bit about this stuff:

• Liver transplants (P.S. my twelve year transplant anniversary is this Sunday!!!)
• Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis -the liver disease
• Celiac disease
• ulcerative colitis
• autoimmune disease
• ITP (autoimmune/idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura)
• anemia
• blood transfusions
• which hospitals in the Seattle region have the best food
• gluten free living
• the Paleo/Ancestral way of eating
• leaky gut syndrome
• how to modify recipes for multiple food allergies
• college crew / sweep rowing
• cloth diapers
• breastfeeding
• how to pick the perfect name for your baby
• how to live as a family of three, with lots of medical related expenses, on one income
• Gilmore Girls - anything and everything about that wonderful TV masterpiece
• basic sewing
• basic knitting
• basic gardening
• surviving home remodels while living in the house
• living in and organizing a very small home
• how to choose joy, no matter what

 So that's fun :)