Catching Up

 If we aren’t watching football, we are playing football. Even in the rain, Caleb’s team is doing fantastic!

We found out this week that we are #1 in our league, #8 in the state, and #12 in the nation!!!! Caleb’s team finished out the regular season undefeated and now we roll into the playoffs.

October is ADHD awareness month. Both my husband and son are ADHD and struggle with it often. Lucky for them, I am OCD and highly organized to balance out their chaos. Right before Kindergarten started, we were able to get Caleb on the right treatment plan and it has helped him so much. Our goal is to keep his awesome personality while helping him succeed in life. So far, things are right on track. I know that we may have to tweak and adjust things as we go, but I am happy that he’s doing better.

 We took Caleb and my niece, Zoey, to the circus. I love spending time with my family.

I finally got a picture of all three of them together. Levi just won’t stay still for very long!

We celebrated my aunt’s retirement last week. We had four generations of my family there and it was great to spend time together. We all get so busy that sometimes I forget how much we enjoy hanging out.

 Caleb got football and Kindergarten pictures… I still can’t believe how much he’s changed.

My Zumba® Divas are fabulous! We had a Disney tutu party and I got so tickled seeing these ladies dance in frilly skirts. These ladies bring so much joy/inspiration/laughter to my life. I can’t believe I am lucky enough to have them in my life.

I know they probably don’t want to hear it, but things are going to have to change in class. (***If you’re a Zumba® Diva, here’s your warning….) I’ve brought back a few of my old songs in class and I have realized that they are making me so sore. That means one thing, our regular songs are not challenging us enough. We’ve gotten used to them because they are so much fun. It’s time to switch things up a bit and work different muscles. I’m looking forward to new choreo!

I’m also really buckling down on my nutrition. I am still having health issues, but I am trying not to make things worse by eating junk. I refuse to give up any food groups, but I am making smarter choices. Instead of regular bread, I eat Ezekiel bread. I have to plan better, but it is worth it!

Ryan has also continued with our home projects. He bought me a matching light for my kitchen that ties in with the dining room lights.

I’m really hoping to have the main parts of the house in order before the holidays. This is my year to cook Thanksgiving dinner and I would love to enjoy completed rooms. In all honesty, we’ve made some major changes in just a few months. I am really pleased with the progress.

I do have a health update. I’ve been through two more rounds of blood work and we have ruled out so much. I do know that I probably don’t have an autoimmune issue and my thyroid seems to be functioning properly. I also know I do not have any sort of crazy infection. But, I don’t really know what my health issue is at this point. I have an appointment with a neurologist tomorrow. He’s one of the head doctors in our city and I am quietly hopeful. I have this gut feeling he will help me or get me connected to someone who can. I have 84 pages of medical records in my hands and I have no answers. I am praying he might.

I struggle many days. Not just with my health, but with explaining things. Mostly I look just fine. Sure I have dark circles under my eyes because I am absolutely exhausted no matter how much sleep I get. And sometimes I’m a little bit slower because I am trying not to hit the floor when I’m dizzy. I don’t smile as much because I have massive headaches and the room tilts sideways. I brace for those things. It takes all of my energy to roll out of bed and just make it through the day. And it takes even more energy for me to fake normal and try to convince everyone around me (and sometimes myself) that I am okay. On the rougher days, I admit that I’m not okay. Some days it hurts to touch my skin and it’s misery to wear a shirt. My hair is falling out in clumps. I cry because I am literally doing all I can and I’m not getting anywhere. I gain weight and then I feel disgusted because I don’t have the energy to change things. I keep thinking if I can just figure out what it is I can find a way to conquer it. But until I know what I’m dealing with, I just keep going.

I focus on the happy things. I focus on my many blessings. I have so much to be thankful for. I do what makes me happy. Dancing and Zumba® bring me joy. Seeing Caleb play football makes me unbelievably happy. And helping Ryan around the house take my mind off things. I have a great life, but I just want to be able to enjoy it more.