I Did It...

So last weekend was my first trip by myself in 2 years... and it went great.  The 4 hour drive to Cedar Falls was accompanied by Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, and random phone calls from my mom, sister-in-law, Chris, and one of my best friends, Liz.  It kept me going! :)  My body got sore towards the end of each trip from sitting in the same position for that long, but other than that it was quite enjoyable.  I had so much fun talking wedding talk with my best friend Molly and her mom, Barb.  I needed some quality girl time.

What was interesting for me is the flood of emotion that I had when I returned to MN.  I just started crying, I mean I DID IT.  There was a point in the past year that I didn't think I'd ever be able to travel by myself.  I keep telling Chris how frustrating it is taking "baby steps."  I feel like I have to start my WHOLE life over and learn how to do stuff all over again.  Well as Chris said... this was a "toddler step" and it was huge.  I think part of the reason that it has be so emotional for me is that I have felt stuck.  I'm not quiet about the fact that I miss Iowa terrible and my family and the fact that I'm really, truly not that big on Minnesota.  But I know this is where Chris and I need to be right now... now in 3 years, we'll talk! :)  Its just hard when my best friends are in Iowa or Georgia and honestly, a phone call is just not cutting it anymore every few months.  So... next destination is Des Moines to see Lizzy and Heather! :)  I'm hoping this ability to drive and see friends will stop making me feel so depressed about being "stuck" in Minnesota.  Sorry to vent, but quite honestly this is the "filtered" version of how I really feel! :)

On a brighter note, Keegs turned 3 last week and had a "Princess and the Frog" birthday party.  It amazes me how much time and effort Kelly put into the party.  Heck, she even had someone come dressed up as Tiana.  In situations like this, Chris and I always reflect on how lucky we are to have a sister-in-law that loves our nieces so much and will always be there for them.  Its nice to learn some future "parenting" advice from afar.  Here are some pictures from the party!

Oh... and Mia is getting so big!  Look at her!  We got to see her walk across the floor on Skype last weekend!  Can't wait to hold them and love them! :)

She believed she could... so she did

So my mom sent me a "thinking of you" package to me last week, as I have been having a rough time.  In it contained a book titled "live happy."  I opened it up today and the first quote is, "She believe she could... so she did."  I feel this sums up yesterday's doctor's appt.

I've been kind of MIA for about a month due to not feeling well.  I had my second infusion at the end of April and needless to say it didn't go as well as the others.  I had HIGH anxiety through the whole process and a slight fever.  Afterwards, we believe I either had a slight reaction to the infusion or an infection.  I was in bed for about 5-6 days straight due to fever, muscle pains, and outright fatigue.  The fever went away which was great, but I just didn't feel well for the next two weeks... and I continuously slept 12-14 hours a days... I was so tired!  We're not quite sure exactly what it was all due to, but last Thursday, I finally started to feel better and by this weekend I was painting our bathroom.  Not much happend during those three weeks except I watched a lot of movies and slept.

Anyways... the good news is that my blood numbers from last month look good.  My disease is still active, but only a smidge and thats too be expected.  My white blood count finally lowered to 14 (in December it was at an all time high of 31).  Normal is below 10.  All my other numbers are lowering which is great, especially since I'm going down on prednisone... in the past the disease numbers have risen.  So yeah... I get to go down to 10 mg. of prednisone on Saturday... a lot of people have told me that this is when the "moon" face begins to go down!  WOOHOO!  Even better... is that I don't have to go back to the doctor until July!  That is the first time in two years that I will go a WHOLE MONTH (aka June) without seeing a doctor.  I just have to get blood tests and verify that my levels are still good to go down to 7.5 mg. in July.  Anyways... positive thinking is helping! 

Now, the focus is just going to be on taking baby steps to get back to a healthy, normal lifestyle!  We have been walking lately and my lungs have really improved.  I can actually walk without having to stop and cough.  Our neighborhood pool opens May 31 and we're hoping to start slow workouts in there... its suppose to be nice on my joints.  Each day I feel like I'm getting a little stronger and have more energy.  Tomorrow I am going on my first adventure (aka road trip) by myself since I've been sick.  I'm looking quite forward to it and at the end of the road trip is some much needed girl time with one of my best friends.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers!