Holiday Fun

Let the Christmas Season Begin! Yesterday we pulled out the Christmas decorations that we haven't seen for two years and decorated our Apartment and of course our Christmas Tree. We got it last night and Jack was so excited. While Jason was putting it on the car he was clapping and saying "Yay Christmas Tree!" We decorated the tree after Jack went down and I think he was a little taken back to see it decorated and all lit up this morning. We are excited to have Christmas home this year all together!

The big kids playing Wii..gotta love sibling rivalry

TThe kids playing Wii even Ella got in on the fun

The Thanksgiving Spread

We had Thanksgiving at Darren and Amy's this year. The food and the company was great. I was just so excited to be healthy and to be with family. As sad as it is this was my first Thanksgiving spent with the Balls family. It was a great day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I baked myself a cake.

I baked myself a chocolate, chocolate chip with chocolate icing and sprinkles cake. Yesterday I got my results of my last scan and yet another clean scan. That is three clean scans in a row! Talk about celebration time so I thought that I would bake a cake to celebrate. Things are looking good as I head towards my one year anniversary on the 6th. The shingles have cleared up thank goodness and my immune system is doing good...I have just been dealing with sinus stuff but there will always be something small like that going on for a while. I am fairing well enough that they pushed my visits out two more weeks. So now I only have to go once a month, a major feat in itself! Things are going well my next challenge is continuing to learn how to fall back into normal life and enduring some intense physical therapy for the severe atrophy in my arms. Right now I am not able to straighten them at all. Hopefully I will get some more mobility but might not ever fully recover. Who knew recovery could be so hard..like all things it will all just take time. But good news is great and will keep me going and moving for another day.
So tonight I will dwell in the good news and when I have put Jack to bed, I will sit down to a large piece of cake and a glass of milk and celebrate this great milestone.

A post all about food....

The holiday season is upon us and already this year I have indulged on holiday food items that I have not been able to eat in two years! I started early around Halloween and had my first glass of egg nog (this was a big no no these last two years...something about egg and dairy together in a drink not so safe for the immune system) There is nothing like a good cup of nog in the morning to get your day started right? Whilst at the store last week with Jason for a simple dinner supplement visit I discovered or rather re-discovered all the holiday treats I get to enjoy yet again after a long absence. Things such as sparkling apple cider, in the hospital last year there was a little bottle that Jason got from a New Year's Party in the lobby of the hospital that sat on the counter in my hospital room just taunting me. I was then on a all ice chips diet so was not able to consume any sparkling cider. Also I am able to consume ice cream and I saw that they not only had peppermint but other flavors such as pumpkin pie and egg nog. I am not sure how I feel about the last two flavors but the peppermint ice cream brought me back to memories of my mom in the house on center street serving us a nice cup of this joyous ice cream post our Christmas eve dinner. I felt like a kid again when I thought of all the endless things I can enjoy this holiday food wise. What can I say food has always been and important thing in my life. When I was little I would often ask my mom what we were going to have for breakfast the next morning so that i could rest peacefully dreaming of my next meal. I cannot say enough of the joy that I feel that this year I have taste buds and I can enjoy life's simple pleasures. Kinda crazy to post about food but it is kinda a big deal this year! One last food thought if you are looking for a great holiday drink I would suggest the new pomegranate 7-up it is quite refreshing and delightful.

My buddy and me!

A little post to thank my little buddy at home for keeping me busy and my mind occupied...it is the best medicine. Thanks Jackson for reminding me what is important and how lucky I am to get to spend each day with you. (P.S you were a great helper in our cookie making experience.)

Some days are ROUGH!

(my support crew, Grace, Cami and Gordo)

A while ago before a hospital visit, I was filling out some papers before a hospital visit..just some general questions to see what you could handle I guess...so there was this one question that asked how do you feel about staying in the hospital to which I responded " I strongly dislike staying the hospital." Throughout the last couple of years I have added to that list of things that I "strongly dislike". After yesterday MRI scans near the top. I had to have an MRI of my spine last night to follow up some impurities found in a ct scan a couple weeks ago. Instead of getting my pet scan this time I had to get a ct scan because of insurance issues. So the MRI was a follow up of the ct scan to make sure all looked well. Let me tell you it was miserable. I had the worst anxiety attack in that tube. I was in there for an hour and when I came out I was drenched in sweat,my feet were numb and I had to call Cami into the dressing room to help me get dressed before I passed out. I was really distraught and I am still trying to recover from it. I am amazed at how the body reacts when you hit your limit. The one thing that kept me sane in that tube was breathing of course and I kept repeating over and over the talk that I gave in Stake Conference two weeks ago..which was on Faith. As I repeated those scriptures and principles that I had memorized over and over they started to sink in. Life is hard and sometimes all we can do is just breath and repeat a mantra( mine is I am strong I am strong...I AM STRONG)and say a prayer to keep us going till the Savior takes over. When I came out of that tube and literally came to the light it was a gasp of relief and a satisfaction that I had just yet accomplished another hard thing....but not on my own.

(my little angel she always has a way of comforting me in the way I need it.)

We are blessed in our afflictions and so I was blessed because since it was late scan I spent the night at Cami's house. Cami went with me for the scan and after we went out to dinner just the two of us. We couldn't remember the last time it was just us and it was wonderful. There is nothing better than converse to someone who was there through it all and able to give her female perspective. It was a rough night at which drugs finally aided early in the morning.
Then in the morning there came an Angel to my bed. Grace the sweetest thing came climbed into bed with me talked to me, stroked my hair and made sure my head was on my pillow so I could sleep. She even ran and got her book of faiery tales and read them to me. Later after some retail therapy I was still feeling groggy and Gracie climbed into bed with me yet again. Surrounded my head with pillows and pulled my blanket up. Soon the room was filled with Gordo my little protector and Cami. We sat there and spoke of things to fill our coming days with happiness...it was a good moment. A moment that I needed. Some days are rough...really rough with this recovery and having moments like that strengthen me to get through the next day even when I think it is hopeless. Thanks Grace. Gordo and Cami for refreshing reminder that the Archer family has got my back when it comes to support!

Wrestling Skills

This last couple of days Jack has had a cold. It has been yucky and there has been A LOT of nose wiping. Jack is getting really sick of it so every time he needs it wiped he runs away. So I have sure gotten my work out this week chasing after him and wrestling to the ground to wipe his nose. Jack thinks this is hilarious and laughs the whole time. Yesterday it seemed like we did this routine every two min. It had gotten to the point that he would come up to me and just stand there for me to notice his drippy nose then laugh and run away. He is a character but I have to say I am rather sore today from preforming all those wrestling moves all day yesterday. I think I got some good practice in though so today hopefully, I come out more victorious in our matches. (below is a video of Jack to prove my point. He had just been standing in front of me waiting to notice then he took of to his room and shut his door. Sorry if it is a little shaky.)

Halloween

It is at the end of a very good day that it is good to post. I had a wonderful Halloween and it was made even sweeter because it was a day of marked improvement. It was great to be out doing the things that I couldn't do last year. There were several times today that tears came to my eyes because I was so happy to be here, to be healthy and life was pretty normal and we were out doing normal Halloween things with Jack. He sure ate a lot of candy today but I kept saying "hey it's Halloween so go for it." I will probably regret that choice tomorrow when Jack is coming off his sugar high. Jack was a cowboy and made the rounds today. We had a Jack O' Lantern pizza for lunch with Papa Seth. Jack took a trip to see his great grandparents then we went and visited Grandma Pat and watched the costume parade at her school. Jason also took Jack around at work and we visited with some friends then ended the night at the Aggie basketball game. Jason and I concluded the night with silence and scones. I made every treat that I wanted and probably ate way to much candy but hey it is Halloween and it is good to be able to celebrate it like it should be celebrated. I have said it before but I will say it again "the bitter is bitter but it sure makes the sweet even sweeter."

Jason and Jack watching the Aggie basketball game, a great conclusion to the day