Friday, October 14, 2011

Hello FLORIDA!!

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Its been a almost a full 3weeks since we left Utah (for good), we're settling back into Florida life and despite the rain earlier on the week we arrived, my sister in law drove me to Ponte Vedra beach just so I can reconnect with Tangaroa (Ocean or Maori God of the Sea) it was short but oh so very sweet.  I'm soo very thankful to our Su Family for taking us in while we make the transition, and even more Thankful that we're out of Utah... in fact, the week we arrived in FL I spoke to a few of my friends from my old job in Utah and they told me my timing was perfect because it was ALREADY SNOWING - even if it was just flurries - ITS STILL SNOW!!!! And I thanked God above we were no longer living there - and I'm back in my Normal surroundings, Beach and Sun with an added bonus of good ol' Southern hospitality.  I used to hate being called Maam and the Southern manners frankly bugged me, even though it was just that... Manners.  But after 2yrs in Utah let me tell you what a welcome change that is.  I love it and even love hearing the kids say "Hi, Miss Ria"  or "No THANK YOU Maam" I looooovvvveeeee it!! Thank you Lord, we love you and are soo thankful for all that you have provided us with and for keeping us safe during our road trip across America.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. From Florida, with LOVE!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Reality bites... and the Shepherd saves!

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The truth of the matter is; I HATE UTAH - I hate everything about this place, the mountains, the snow, the people, the snow, the cult they call religion, the two-faced pitbulls, the whole friggin state and I wish I HAD NEVER EVER moved here! I feel guilty that my husband had to move here, and I know he did this just for me - Oh Lord, can you see how much I despise this place?!?!  No matter how much I try to hang in there and wait the time out till we leave this God-forsaken rathole, I just dont have the strength and will-power to be patient any longer.  I feel spiritually beaten, broken down and just this week I mentioned that I'd lost my faith - in true reality, Im in the same place now that I was before I came to know Jesus ... and it hurts so much!  How could I let this beat me down this way, where is the strength I had once, where is my faith! I feel like Im being punished! God help me!
Lord you hear our prayers, please show us what it is that you want us to do here.  We want to leave soo bad but we just dont have the funds to leave just yet, its like the more we try to get out the bigger the hole gets.  I refuse to get deeper into my depression, I wont let that happen - esp when my husband is fighting so hard to keep me afloat! Why should he have to fight this? Why did I drag him into this mess.... Im sooo pissed off! I just want to scream - I dont care anymore, I just dont give a flying ..... uggghhh!!! Im suffocating here and I dont know what the hell to do! I wish I could get on the wagon and drink, but the state enforces restrictions on the level of alcohol that I cant even get drunk even if I tried! - But what good would getting drunk do? Not a damn thing, Im stuck in this effing craphole of a shithole and I cant do a damn thing about it! Lord, please! Get us out of here, please!  .....................................................................................................................................
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...WOW, WOW, WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  OH LORD GOD you are an Awesome God, a Just God, a Caring God and above all, a LOVING God! Oh Lord, when times are tough, you carry us above your shoulder, leading us onto the path we need to lead. Thank you Lord God sooo much. 
I know if you're reading this, you're probably completely confused by now hehehe please dont be confused, Ive left the beginning of my blog exactly as it is, its how I felt when I started writing this blog, I didnt edit it because I wanted you to see the real frustration and anguish I felt and the reason why the following happened to me, I promised to be honest with my blog and so the following wouldn't make much sense if you didnt know the pain that happened before it. Heres what happened;

Right when I got to the boiling point of my blog, calling out to God to help me, the frustration blurred me and the hatred in my heart started to grow even more stronger, at that very instance words began flashing in my head.  I know how it felt when God first spoke to me (at a Womens Retreat in NZ) and so I knew that its when you're broken down and weary that you hear His voice more clearly... so because I felt completely beat down and calling out for help, I asked 'Why I am here Lord, why do I feel like this?' and the words "Pray for Utah" flashed up, angrily I shook those words out and replied 'NO! why should I? I hate Utah!!' and then the words "Love Utah" flashed, confused and upset I again refused it and I screamed 'No! I hate it here, why?' again and again the words "Pray for Utah" and "Love Utah" flashed until I couldnt shake the words away any longer, the more I shook the words from my thoughts and answered with 'No! I hate it here Lord!! NO!', the more the words flashed, and more & more the anger in me resided and a warmth started to creep into my soul , it got warmer and warmer until finally I felt the loving arms of God surround me completely (just like I did when I first heard his voice all those years back), and then I heard in a loving tone, the words "Stop using your strength to Hate Utah, use it to Love Utah's people!" and with those words, a realization hit me (like an AHA moment) and I started laughing! ... Im telling you now that Im glad Ben is asleep because I know he'd probably have had me admitted after seeing me crying on the floor in anguish one moment and the next on my knees laughing. I just couldnt stop laughing, the realization that all this time I was feeling beat down because of a State when in actual fact, it was using all my strength to hate it that was draining me out, it, it felt like a huge weight off my back - a relief! Hahahaha Ive said it before, sometimes you just need God to come down and slap you a few times and put you on the right path... for me, He does it often! Hehehe you know, Im not perfect, Im a lamb of God who wanders off where she shouldnt go, but regardless of how many times I wander off, Lord Jesus - my Saviour and Shepherd always leaves the herd and comes to find me, because he cares about what happens to me.  He wouldnt lead me down a path he knows is dangerous for me, and Im glad we serve such a Loving & Caring God. 
Well, now I know that I have a reason for being in Utah.  Although the wanderer in me wants to flee and get away right now.  I know that God will lead us (both) out when the right time come, but for now I can try to stop hating it soo much and do as Im told; To Pray for & Love the people of Utah.  
Lord, God please forgive me for using soo much of my strength on such a hateful thing, help me to Love the people of Utah with the same reverence I used to dislike them.  Thank you for answering my prayer and thank you for being with me and shepherding us along the right path.  Thank you Lord God, Thank you!
Lastly, I'd like to apologise to those who come across this blog and wander about this crazy writer LOL... well, my blogs title is Seeking My Salvation - so lets just say, Im still seeking it :o)  God Bless xox

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Gas Hikes again

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Pretty soon, they're gonna tax us for breathing...  Hurry Up August, get here already! Praying that the gas hikes dont get soo ridiculous that its gonna be cheaper to Fly out of here, we really need to Drive and I sure hope the gas goes down a lil bit by then... if not all the way back down! Eh well, Dreams are Free right lol

Im soo ready to leave and God knows how hard it is for me to be patient right now, especially with how things are looking financially.  BUT... Im faithful that God will provide, show us the way and drive us out of here.  Soo excited.  On another note, Surgery Round Two is coming up for us, Ben has his surgery confirmed in 2wks time, we were hoping to get out of Utah for a few days just to relax and regroup before his surgery but now that his surgery has been set for the day before we were suppose to get out of town, it doesnt look like its gonna happen with hubby in recovery mode.  Still Im very thankful we are finally getting his Polyps removed (he's been living with it for almost 4yrs) and the allergy shots have helped and will continue to help him greatly come Spring.  My poor husband is allergic to Grass, Dust & Cats. Sometimes I think having the polyps has been more of a benefit than a nuisance the last 4yrs lol.  All in God's time.  Be Blessed this March!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Desperate Times means Falling in Love all over again...

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It's been almost a month since my surgery and I'm healing along as well as I can, the scar that I thought wouldnt be soo bad is starting to grimace at me and my smile is almost not completely crooked, however, I still cant laugh without biting my left lip but my husband keeps me laughing no matter how funny I feel and look.

Lately we've fallen on some pretty tough times financially, and we're sooo truly thankful to have family we can call on for help. Funnily you'd think I'd be loosing weight being on this diet of noodles & soup for the last few weeks but alas, no mas! Lol.  A while ago Ben & I saw this movie and I cant for the life of me remember the name of it, but it had a message along the lines of; "It doesnt matter what we do, as long as we do it together" and for the last few months that message has become somewhat of a motto for Ben & I especially when we're discussing our future, where we're heading and how were getting there.  No matter what we've been through, we've been through it together and ridden the rollercoaster along the bumpy road that is Life. Either way, God always leads us through the valleys, moving mountains for us and ALL he asks is we stay Faithful! So we will!

The other day after discussing our finances, our move and promising each other we would never get into this predicament ever again, it occured to me that Ben and I have been together almost 10yrs and the feeling of overwhelming love that flooded over me that night drove me to my knees in tears, to know that in only 9yrs we have weathered many storms and ridden countless rollercoasters but always ALWAYS found the time to enjoy each other and make one another laugh and smile.  When I see him laugh at something we're joking about, or pretend like he's sick of me kissing him, or when I catch him sneaking looks at me the butterflies in my stomach go into olympic mode with crazy flutters, I know that there isnt a man alive I'd rather live this life or any other lifetimes (if you believe in that kinda thing) than with the wonderful man God has blessed me with today.  

It saddens me when I see girls rushing to marry any guy just so they can be married, but Ladies (and Gents) it doesnt work that way... IMO I reckon this is the reason why the divorce rate in America is soo high.  Take your time getting to know each other (before & after marriage, it never ends), learn to COMMUNICATE and when times are rough - don't run away, ride it out together and tell me it doesnt make you stronger! May you be blessed to know the Love that God has crafted especially for You. 
God Bless xox

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Day 5

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Day 5 and the bruisings have started to show... I know Ive got a loooonng way to go till full healing but I really dont know how Im going to do at work with my mouth sipa (crooked) and my lack of pronounciation of my S's & F's - ugghh! I talked with a colleague yesterday and explained to her the problem I was having with my mouth and the dorkus said she didnt want to see me until my mouth was back in place bahahahaha

Neway, had a follow-up with the ENT Dr and he said I was healing exactly right (I didnt know there was a right way to heal lol), and also explained to me what to look for for blood clots (scaryy!!) and just to rest up... ummm, Sorry Doc but my bills arent going to pay themselves SOO... I took one more day off and then Im heading back to the grind Thurs. On the homefront, Ive been pretty short with Ben lately and I dont know if thats because of the pills or something else... But Im guessing its because he spoils me soo much and with me being post-surgery that Im being even more spoilt! HAHAHAHA Im pretty sure its more the latter than the pills Lol I love my husband and I know I am one of the few to have been blessed with such a wonderful, caring soulmate.  Love conquers ALL and I know if I were to die today I would be content that no matter what had happened in my life, I was blessed with the LOVE of a wonderful man, wonderful parents, wonderful siblings and wonderful friends.  We live in a society where we always think the grass is greener on the other side, never seeing that the greener side is sometimes the side you're actually on.  Remember to always look at the blessings you HAVE RIGHT NOW and not always be looking forward to the Blessings yet to come.  Enjoy the Now people! God Bless xox

"I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all."

Original: Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem In Memoriam:27, 1850

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

The Results are In

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Yesterday I had the nicest thing happen, the nurse who looked after me in Recovery at Salt Lake Regional called to see how I was doing, Ive only had surgery once before and this never happened and to have her call and check on me was by far the nicest thing Ive ever had happen to me in my whole Hospital History. Thank you Lord for the blessings of the Recovery Nurse.  

This morning, the swelling on my face doesnt look as bad - its still wobbly, I iced it for a little bit last nite so I think thats helped a little bit and Im starting to cut down on my pain meds - I go back to work on Thurs, it was spose to be Wed but I dont think I'll be any good tomorrow on the number of pain meds im on, so today instead of having had 4 by 12pm, Ive only taken 1 pill.  I can feel a bit of pain but nothing I cant handle - God continues to take care of me and theres nothing like surgery to put things in perspective! The ENT Dr called with the results today and All Glory to God - it was benign.  NO CANCER! WOOHOOO!!  Now its looking after me time, Im soo glad to have Ben by my side and I know no matter what may come our way, TOGETHER we can get through ANYTHING!

Gods continued Blessings xox  

Monday, January 31, 2011

Post-surgery

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Its been a few days since my surgery and Im healing slowly.  I still have a lot of swelling and the numbness is still there but the doctor says I still have a L O N G way to go.  At least 2-4mths before I get the movement back in the nerves and the swelling goes down.  We will know on Tues the results of the biopsy, but we're both glad that we caught the tumor early.  Soo much I could write about but the pain meds are keeping me groggy and Im soo very thankful Im getting all the sleep I can get now lol I should be ok to go back to work on Wed but we'll see.  God Bless & Thanks for the prayers xox

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Spilt Tea & Laptops

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"Babe, watch you dont spill your tea - its right by  the laptop" Less than 10mins later; spilt tea over laptop.
Yes I know, but I cant blame Ben entirely because ... umm... I may have been wrestling him! HAHAHAHAHA so when the inevitable finally occured I SCOLDED HIM LIGHTLY... I say that because the old Me would've GONE OFF on him lol but because Im just as much to blame as he is, I couldnt, still, I took a jab since I had warned him earlier LOL
After cleaning off as much as we could, we let is sit (tipped upside down for any excess water to drain out) for a bit before we tried to use it again... Lo & Behold, No Bueno! Sad face
Finally after Ben had gone to bed, I tried to log back in... No working keys on the Keyboard & the Mouse was completely shot.  With the keyboard not working, I remembered seeing something (while tutu'ing with it months ealier) about an Onscreen Keyboard, I located this through Ease of Use in the Control Panel and gave it a whirl... Yeeaaaaa a snail could've outran this Onscreen Keyboard it was soo slow lol So I eventually gave in and decided just to turn it off and leave it sit for the night. 

While sitting there watching TV I got to thinking that I had wanted to give up using the computer soo much (esp Facebook) just last week, and Ben and I had actually discussed this on Sunday after we got home from church.  So all in all, maybe its not soo bad to not have a laptop. 
Needless to say, I didnt loose any sleep over it either, HOWEVER, I woke up this morning and decided to turn on the laptop to confirm it was indeed broken ............... NO, its working just fine again - except a few loose & sticky keys and the mouse still out of action.  Funny though, Im not ecstatic its not broken lol but its taught us a few very important lessons;
1) Dont drink tea around the laptop and 2) Put the laptop away if you're gonna go WWF on your husband lol  and finally 3) Spend more time wrestling (playing) with your partner... Life goes by too fast when you're eyes are glued to the computer.  Turn it off and spend time with your family. 

So, now Im about to turn the laptop off and get dinner ready for hubby when he gets home in an hour.  We have Group Fellowship tonite at Pastors house, so its an early dinner tonight. 

ALSO: This Friday is my surgery for extraction of my lymphnodes for biopsy - Prayers Welcome.  God Bless you all & your loved ones xox

Monday, January 17, 2011

New Years Resolution vs 30 Day Blog Challenge

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I was looking for a challenge that I could "realistically" set for myself other than setting a "realistic-but-probably-give-up-on" New Years resolution hehehe you see Ive had the same NYs resolution for the last 4 years; "Loose Weight", and since I've failed the last 4years, Im just gonna stop with that goal lol... I do soo well until the Christmas festivities & just like that we're back to square one lol. 
Want an example? See my blog Blizzards & Crazy Drivers in April 2010 - this went on well enough until my BFF (all the way in Australia - yes you're ears better be burning hehe) got pregnant and well it just seemed fair that we both take a 9mth break hehehe... we do things like that! Lol its no wonder I always fail hehe

So here's how the Challenge won over the Resolution, about a week ago two girls come into the clinic for a pre-employment screening, while they're waiting to be called back they start talking about their "Blog Challenge" and how they've got some ideas for that days Blog.  I mean, they were actually EXCITED about Blogging - I must've made a face because one of the girls giggled and asked why I didnt like Blogs.  I explained that I do have a Blog but I just never got as excited about it like they just did, so they both EXCITEDLY (yet again) told me about this 30 day Blog Challenge and how you can set the challenge for something you want to do in 30 days... something about the time it takes for a Goal to get its wheels turning and blogging about it Everyday starts the engine going.  I asked if it was like a NY's resolution to which one said, the challenge is probably what will make you succeed in your NY's resolution - if you stick to it.  Before they left, I asked how to start said "Blog Challenge",  and it turns out I just have to pick something different to write about everyday for 30 days to complete the Over-all Challenge... which was something I PLAN to start and continue with for as long as I wish.  The 30 Days of blogging was just the beginning...

Ironically, deciding what exactly my OVERALL Challenge was going to be was a Challenge in itself lol... I do know that I am definitely NOT going to be writing about WEIGHT LOSS for 30 days straight. Our Pastor at church is On Fire for the Goals he has set for the church and the entire church has an input in it, I always leave church Gunho to get started on the Church Goals plan... Keyword being PLAN! So my plans??? .... well here are some of the things I wanted to get done this year:
  • GET RIGHT WITH  GOD ... Im a Work STILL In Progress People! :)
  • Spending LESS time on Facebook - ideally deleting my Acct altogether.. the drama on there is seriously sad & ridiculous!!
  • Spending MORE time in the Bible, with GOD and with my husband
  • Re-connect with friends & family - the light at the end of the dark tunnel
  • Getting financially stable for the move out of Utah - Woohooo!
  • Praying for GOD's calling for me & SERVING OTHERS  
  • And Getting My Groove Back <--- listening to Celine Dion while blogging lol
So many things and ... Oh My Gosh... did I just make a decision??........ I think I just did.  See you soon!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Doctors arent Perfect.

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HAPPY 2011 Everyone.

Pray you are all blessed this coming year and beyond.  In Sounds of Music, Fraulein Maria famously quotes that "When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window" and so the door to 2010 has been closed and the window to new opportunities and beginnings in 2011 has been opened. 

Ben and I closed out 2010 in amidst many testings for our health.  Ben's results have come back all clear but he still has a few more tests to go before we can breathe a sigh of relief... even though after the CT scan we breathed a HUGE sigh of relief, however it didnt give us an answer to Ben's health issue and so we hope that the next test will provide some answers, Thankfully so far its not cancerous and we are very relieved.  Our plan to move back home was all dependent on Ben's CT scan and with that coming back with positive results we are back on track for our plans for the move home.. YESS!!

Both of our health issues has been an emotional roller-coaster.  Ben's doctor has been amazing, never making an assumption on what the issue may be and always telling Ben exactly what tests are being done and what the tests are for.  I understand that Doctors aren't perfect and that they're only human who sometimes make mistakes but to say that Im only slighly disappointed with my Doctor would be an understatement.  On my very first visit, after just doing a Urine Analysis she determined that I was diabetic, and even after telling her that I had already been tested for it and wasn't diabetic, she still wanted to do further testing.  I got very worried that my previous tests had been false and I indeed did have diabetes (which unfortunately, runs very strong in both sides of my family).  I also did an Ultrasound for a growth in my glands, the doctor confirmed that it was a cyst but she would have a Radiologist look at it further just to be safe.  Although she figured that the only thing that might need to happen was drainage of the cyst.
So while we waited for the result,  Ben & I discussed the changes that may need to be made (lifestyle & foodwise) and decided to wait on the results before acting on it.  After about two and a half weeks with no call, I called the Dr's office who told me the results had been mailed to me.. MAILED!! I asked the Medical Assistant to tell me what the results were, she told me I was not diabetic (um derrrr) but that I was severely Vit D deficient and that I needed to get on Vitamin D pills ASAP... nice of them to let me know ASAP! And that the Radiologist after reviewing my Ultrasound recommended a CT scan, but no further explanations given.  I had my first CT scan the day after Ben's scan and an appointment was set at the ENT Specialist for surgery to remove the cyst.

Today, Ben and I had our appt at the ENT, Ben has had a nasal polyps for about 3yrs now and everytime we try and get surgery set for it, something comes up that stops it.  We didnt have insurance for a long time, and when we finally got it in CA and started with the surgery preparations by the time it was booked Ben had been laid off, and come the day of his surgery we had lost the Insurance.  So now, the preparation begins again and thankfully this time, we are double covered.  At todays visit, Ben had an appointment set for Allergy testing, and another CT scan for his polyps.  The doctor however set me up for surgery for a biopsy.  This confused me completely so I called the Dr when I got home and told her of the ENT visit and about the CT results, the Dr advised that the Radiologist found a mass and hence the CT scan was recommended.  The CT scan found that the socalled "cyst" was infact a mass compiled of several parts (possibly non malignant) and a tumor but a biopsy was required to determine if it is malignant or not.  I advised her that the ENT was booking me in for an extraction and biopsy.  When I asked why noone had called me to tell me about this, she said she had left a note in my chart for someone to call me - OMG!!  After telling the doctor that SHE should've called me, I hung up angrily and broke down crying.  I work in the medical field and I understand that sometimes things get overlooked but in the terms of this being a tumor with a biopsy required you'd think this would warrant a phone call from THE DOCTOR not her Medical Assistant - who still didnt do that either!  I was soo angry and this is not the way I wanted to see in 2011.  I think Im more angry with the doctor then I am with the results. GO FIGURE! So, after my breakdown my loving husband decided to cheer me up and took me out (despite it being freezing cold) for a chocolate cream pie lol. I can forgive the doctor for putting me through such an emotional state but I know I cant blame her, that just makes me a bitter person.  We take life as it is and live it as best we can, blaming others for the outcome doesnt make or change it, so we'll keep praying that the surgery and biopsy come back fine but if it doesnt, we know God will open a window.