Blood is Thicker than Water

...and in my case, it's very thick. Literally. What I have is a blood disorder and it is called Factor V Lieden aka Factor 5. It is a hereditary hypercoagulability disorder...it means my chances of developing a blood clot is much higher than the average person. Studies show that about 5% of Caucasians in North America have Factor V. Within my family alone, my father, younger sister, uncle, aunt, and cousin have it.
The excessive clotting that can occur with this disorder is a concern for women that want children as it increases the risk for miscarriage and stillbirth. My doctors have created a plan for me for when I do get pregnant I will be self-administering daily shots of some type of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), such as Lovenox or Fragmin in my abdomen. But I will learn more of that in detail when I actually to get pregnant.
Many women with Factor V have given birth to healthy babies and I find that to be comforting that it is possible. The more I learn about the disorder the better off I will be. Knowledge and awareness is my best defense.

My hopes for this year...

Since I quit school I have had a lot more free time on my hands and it's been wonderful and relaxing. Cris and I decided to start a chore list...at first I thought it was pretty lame and that we are old/mature enough to keep up with the house without a list. Turns out the list helps as a reminder of what needs to be done and when...but it also keeps things even between the two of us, so that we both are working towards a common goal. It's been really nice...and the house is looking better already!
This hasn't been the only positive step we are working on. We also are trying to save up money while paying off our debt. Debt sucks! I feel like its going to take forever before its all paid off, but every little bit helps. One major thing we cut our expenses on was our lunches...we used to go out for lunch every single week day. Right there that's saving us $65-$75 a week...that's $300 a month! Eventually I would like to get to the point where we are saving more than we are spending, but until we are debt-free we will do the best we can.
My only other resolution this year was to get healthier, in every sense of the word. Mentally and emotionally my goal is to rid my life of negative people, places, and things. And also to remember to not take life so seriously, God will only give me what He knows I can handle. Physically, my goal is to eat healthier. Not to lose weight, but to eat a balanced diet. Being in this body for 29 years I've adapted to the fact that I can eat anything I want and won't gain an ounce...but that doesn't mean I should eat a bag of potato chips for dinner. I've been pretty good with taking my vitamins but could always use a reminder about those things!
The biggest goal I have this year is to get pregnant and have a healthy baby. There is so much love inside of me to share with a child all my own. The thought of one day being someone's mommy brings a tear of complete joy to my eyes. I have faith that it will happen for us, hopefully soon, but patience is a virtue that is learned. One I'm obviously still learning. Taking it one day at a time!

My Life in a (pea)Nutshell

I wanted to start up this blog to record my life...I want to be able to look back and remind myself of where I've been and just how far I've come. And hopefully inspire anyone on the way to do the same

I have to start somewhere...and I guess I should start by telling you what a whirlwind of a life I've been leading for the past two years.

For one, I got married on the last day of the year in 2010. I am one of those lucky girls that married her best friend. That sounds ridiculously cliche but it is beyond true for me. My husband, Cris, is full of energy and always keeps me on my toes. I love that about him, he honestly makes me laugh every single day. Its a blessing to be married to someone that can do that, laughter keeps us young and happy.

So, after tied the knot I made the big mistake of telling everyone that we wanted to have babies right away. Because since then, I think more often than not, people are probably wondering why we haven't gotten pregnant yet. The answer is that I haven't got the slightest clue. And yes, we are still trying. And yes it's beyond frustrating. I can't lie, it stings a little each time I hear someone else is pregnant, but I'm slowly getting out of that phase now that almost everyone I know has either one or two kids...or is currently pregnant. Cris and I have kept our faith that one day we will be blessed with a little one of our own. So until that happens we will continue to pray for those that also struggle to have a baby and hope we are in their prayers as well.

So earlier in 2011 I had a bright idea that I wanted to go to cosmetology school...it wasn't what I thought it would be and I ended up withdrawing after eight LONG months. Although I enjoyed certain aspects of school I absolutely hated how much time it took away from my life. I work full time, so when I would get home from my job I would have one hour to eat, change, and get the dogs fed. I never missed home so much in my life. I spoke to a lot of stylists about my path and they gave me a lot of great advice. Needless to say I quit school and truly have never been happier. I feel so focused on where I want my life to head now and I feel like I am seeing clearly for the first time in a long time. I'm so grateful for my new found time.