Laughter~

It does a body good!





It's good for ones soul!
So are nice walks on the beach!






So is exercise. Let me continue my story now, return to the pictures anytime to have a good look at what matters most~~FaMiLy.




January 2010. We had family pictures taken by my sweet friend Amy. It was so much fun. Amy was great. January was a good month. Kaili was home for the holidays, Amy took our pictures, Amy worked out with me almost every morning of the week. Amy inspired me to train for a triathlon. Since me bout with stomach pain in November, Amy and I had been working hard.

In January even though Kaili was home, I continued my workouts. Kaili came a few times. Then the day came when Kaili had to return to school. Sad day.....

February came; Amy and I continued training, and were both dropping pounds. We participated in a "biggest loser" competition together to help spur us on more.

March came: more of the same. Early morning workouts, though we kicked up the swimming a few notches. While Amy was cruising along with the front crawl, I was trying to perfect my back crawl. Things were going great. I was looking better, feeling so fit, and I was fitting into pants that had been in my drawer for years. Awh, I felt good.

April came: Sometime in early April, on a Thursday, my abdominal pain returned. With a vengeance. It was bad. I was planning a walk around the base with Damon at lunchtime while John was headed to the gym for his noon workout. He called me and said the gym was closed so he was going to join Damon and me. We waited, and in a few minutes we were walking. Inside of 3 minutes I was doubled over in pain. I waited for it to pass and walked on. It returned and I put an end to the walk. I ended up in ER that day...I don't even remember what the Docs did that day. I returned home and in two days was feeling better. I felt good Sunday through Wednesday only to wake up the following Thursday morning in more pain than ever.

I curled up in bed and when a cramp came I ran to the bathroom only to sit and shiver and wish I would vomit. NOTHING happened. The pain would subside and I would crawl back into bed. No food, barely any water, and definitely no going downstairs. I was getting really concerned that something weird and more serious than constipation was going on.
Finally one ER doc ordered x-rays, and an abdominal ultrasound. He also recommended a colonoscopy. So I scheduled the colonoscopy for the 19th of April, a few days after I was to return from a preplanned vacation to Las Vegas with my good Anchorage friend, Anna. Amazingly I felt good the morning I was to leave for Anchorage. Sort of. I was able to be up and about, though I wasn't eating. So I was weak and tired, and had no energy.

But I was EXcitED for our trip to Vegas!!!

I will end this chapter by saying that I know without a doubt~~Heavenly Father blessed me with that week in Vegas. He blessed me with the ability to get out and see things, to taste food, to laugh with Anna, to soak up much need SunShiNe. He blessed me with time to relax, take a road trip (which I love). I was just BLESSED~~~ little did I know what awaited me when I returned. The Challenge of a lifetime.
May God also bless you and yours. Every DAY!