Fibromy-a-huh-wha??

Dana and I are very open about my battle wtih Fibromyalgia. It's a condition that is a mystery to many people and unfortunately one that not many doctors are willing to address.

In an effort to take a break from conventional medicine, tomorrow we will be seeing a Naturopath.
I've seen a Naturopath before, but he was a little bit of a coooook. Picture this..my regular visit would consist of me sitting in a chair that looked like it hailed from an old school barber salon or dentist office. It had old smelly leather, random metal contraptions, restraints and a BIG bright light above the head. Just as I was seated, he would pull the mystery (slot machine looking) handle and WHOOSH, I was flat on my back. All I remember was some mumbling and tapping. Not like reflex tapping, it was the kind of tapping you do when you have a puzzle piece that just won't quite fit...you tap..and tap until it forces its way in. Uncomfortable tapping on my forehead, elbows, knees and collar bone...and that was it. Tapping, take two and call me in the morning.

Needless to say, I'm pretty skeptical when it comes to another "Natural" doctor. It just so happens that this one comes with a great reference, so we are hopeful that he will be able to give us some solid and useful advice.
Honestly, at this point I'm ready to try anything. I have been pumped up with more medication than one person should have in a lifetime, poked and proded, xrayed and examined all to no avail. I'm ready to try a different option.

In an effort to really make a change for the better, Dana and I are diving into an organic/natural diet, and will be engaging in as much exercise and activity as my body can handle. If nothing changes, nothing changes right?
So here we go! We are off on our next life changing adventure. If you are curious at all as to what FM is or what exactly we are dealing with here, feel free to access this really amazing resource: www.fmaware.org.

We really appreciate the love, prayers and support we've been blessed with to this point. Please keep lifting us up!

A Modern Day Fable

So, as many of you know, we are HUGE movie nuts. We are MVP's at Hollywood video, and really just enjoy digging into a comfy blanket and a great story to get lost in.
Last night, on a whim, (more for me) we picked up Penelope. It's not a movie I had heard much about, I just knew that it was a sweet girlie flick with a pretty cool story. I was sweetly surprised at how fantastic this story is! Dana fell asleep ten minutes in. But nontheless...lol.
A few years back, I had the awesome privilege of working with a group of teenage girls who didn't think much of themselves or the way things were going for them. I think I am SO enthusiastic about this flick because I think about them often. I deeply hope this message is sown into their lives in some way shape or form. Pretty remarkable. Check it out!

A sweet celebration..

Hello!

Dana and I have enjoyed a really quirky, relaxing and fun weekend away together. We went down to Lincoln City to relax and celebrate a little for our 1st anniversary. The first day there, we got to shop a bit and check out LC, but the weather was a little windy and nutty so we decided to go chill at our great beach front hotel. Dana ended up getting SUPER sick that first night and a gnarly headache/the pukes had him down and out. SO, I kicked back in my comfies, ate strawberries and watched "Deadliest Catch". (We don't have cable, so when we get to stay in a hotel, we TOTALLY love that show. It's a sickness, I know.
The second day had us off to a better start, Dana was up and running so we spent sometime on the beach and headed to the Newport Aquarium. We had planned on setting aside time so he could play in the waves with his body board, but unfortunately the serious lack of waves didn't permit that. Bogus.

Our weekend/vacation isn't quite over yet, but it has been an adventure thus far. I hope you are having a lovely weekend, thanks for taking time to check in on us. :)
More pictures to come!!

One year!!

On Tuesday, Dana and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary. It's so strange how quickly this year has flown by. It really seems like just yesterday that we were walking out of the airport right off our honeymoon, ready to face real life.
We have been through so much together! We've experienced growth we couldn't have imagined, strength we didn't know we had and grace that definitely surpasses all understanding. :) It's amazing to me what I've learned personally. Marriage has this profound way of showing you your own strength and weaknesses in ways you wouldn't expect. You also discover more and more about each other, the good, the bad, and the morning breath, dirty dishes, stinky bathroom ugly. Lol.

I realize this is completely cliche, but I honestly believe that we love each other stronger, deeper, bigger and more intentionally than we did the day we promised to love each other till death parts us. I didn't realize I had the capacity to love someone this much, this way.

Marriage feeds my faith. The goodness, beauty, trials and grace that are a part of this journey could only come from God. I believe that with all my heart. The blessing of this responsibility make me a stronger person, it gives me courage and confidence for things to come.

We plan on celebrating our special occasion on the beach this weekend, Lincoln City. Dana arranged for us to crash at a great little beach hotel. We are really excited to get away and take a look back at the past year. :) Not to mention play in the sand and Dana is SUPER stoked to take his body board for a spin.

We will post pics when we get back! :) Have a fantastic weekend!