Bernheim Forest Field Trip

My daughter's class took a field trip to Bernheim Forest here in Louisville, KY. This place is gorgeous! It was very rainy this day but it didn't damper the kids fun thankfully! I love going on field trips with my daughter's class. We always have so much fun!

I just wanted to share all of the lovely pictures that I was able to take while on this trip!

If you enjoyed this blog  please do me a favor and subscribe to e-mail notifications for when I release new blogs! You can do that from the link on the right hand side of the page. Thanks and have a beautiful day!

The Great Stroke of 2014 (This is a long one)

In May of 2014 I was 26 years old and had started to have dizzy spells. They happened almost every time I would get out of a hot shower. They happened at random times as well and I could just tell that something was not right. I made an appointment with my doctor's office but couldn't get in to see my doctor, so I saw another one on staff.

I explained to him the symptoms I had been having and he did a standard check up and a simple neuro exam which consisted of me closing my eyes and him pushing me to see if I'd fall. I am sure to him this seemed sufficient. He advised me that I just had low blood pressure even though it was still in the normal range. I went home and increased my salt intake, like he told me to. This did not help and 2 weeks later I was still having the dizzy spells.

I went back in and saw another doctor that I hadn't seen before. I was just appalled at this doctor. She came in, looked more at her phone than at me, texted the whole time and didn't even have her phone muted. She said that she was agreeing with what the previous doctor said and left it at that. I went home thinking that I was crazy.

Then one morning in June I was getting ready to go to my grandpa's birthday party. I took a shower and got a dizzy spell like I always did. I sat down until the spinning stopped. Then I took my makeup bag into the living room and sat down to do my makeup. I picked up my makeup brushes but couldn't hold onto them. Then all of a sudden I couldn't remember what I was doing, I was extremely confused.

My friend came into the living room and asked me what was wrong. I told her and she sat down and started looking things up on the internet. Right about that time my boyfriend walked in the door from work. He immediately asked what was wrong with me and my friend explained to him that she thought I was having a stroke. He checked my grip and it was gone and I still didn't know what was going on. He got me dressed and took me to the hospital.

When we got there he had to explain to the nurses what was going on because I could barely speak. They took me back to a room and the emergency room doctor came in. My boyfriend explained everything to him and the doctor said I was probably just having a migraine, he wasn't going to run any tests. My boyfriend stood up and told the doctor that he brought me in because he thought I was having a stroke. He told the doctor to do an MRI and he did.

The MRI came back showing that I had had a stroke and there was damage done. I spent 4 days and 3 nights in the hospital and left with no answers. I went to a neurologist, a rheumatologist, and a hematologist. It wasn't until December of 2014 that I found out that my stroke was caused by a blood clotting disorder. The disorder is called Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome. It basically causes my blood to clot in my veins for no reason at all. I went through more testing to try and figure out why I have this disorder but we never found a reason. It was just there.

There is no cure for the condition, you can only treat the symptoms. I am now taking blood thinners to keep my blood from clotting. I now have chronic migraines as part of the damage that was done. I also have hand tremors that we are currently trying to manage. I also have minor difficulty remembering things. But I count myself very lucky. There are people who have strokes and can no longer function. I wake up every day and thank the gods for smiling on me.

I am here to say, don't take things for granted. Life is precious. And always listen to your gut. If you think something is wrong then talk to someone. And if they don't listen then talk to someone else. Talk until someone listens. No one knows your body better than you do. I was a healthy 26 year old female who had not been on birth control most of my life and I had a stroke. No one could have seen that coming. But it happened and I'm still here, fighting to keep it from ever happening again.

There are no pictures for this blog because I couldn't really think of anything that fit. If any if you have gone through a similar situation, please feel free to comment if you are comfortable with it! I hope you all have a beautiful day! 

Wally

This is my first born furbaby. His name is Wally, short for Sir William Wallace. He is a mutt that is beagle, jack russell and chow mixed. He has truly been one of my best decisions I have ever made. 




This is a picture of Wally when I very first got him. Wally found me in 2006, when I first moved into my own apartment. He was running loose in my apartment complex and they found him at the office. My boyfriend at the time picked him up and met me at work with him. It was love at first site and we have been together ever since. He has been with me through abusive relationships, becoming a mom, a divorce and every other good or bad time in my life. He has stuck with me through every laugh and every tear.





He has a very big personality for such a small dog. Everyone who meets Wally falls in love with him, even if they don't like dogs. He is high spirited without being obnoxious. He is gentle with small kids. He will invite himself into anyone's lap and is always ready to snuggle. He is the best sleep cuddle buddy ever!

He has been super protective over his baby sister since the day she was born. He was never jealous of her, it's like he just knew that she was here for him to watch over. Still to this day if she is sick or not feeling well he is right there with her.






Not all small dogs can handle the energy and personality of a young husky being introduced into the household. But Wally and Lucy became best friends and partners in crime very easily. Sometimes I think that they should be on greeting cards together!

He has some serious patience too! He has dealt with some wardrobe modeling as well! Plus in the the winter he has to have a hoodie on 'cause small dogs get cold too!

Even now, 11 years later, his hearing is going and he sometimes can't make the jump to the bed but that big personality is still very much intact. His muzzle and face is mostly gray but if you ask him, he is still all puppy! He still wags that tail just as fast when you say "Wanna go bye bye?" The vets still guess him at being 8-9 years old and are shocked when I say he is 12. They say Wally is going to be around for a long time.




Some non dog people will never understand it, but I love this dog as much as I love my own daughter. He is a part of this family and will always be. He is my side kick and my spirit animal. He is my migraine support buddy. We love you Wally and look forward to many more years with you!

If you have a furbaby on your life, please comment about them below! If you enjoyed this blog  please do me a favor and subscribe to e-mail notifications for when I release new blogs! You can do that from the link on the right hand side of the page. Thanks and have a beautiful day!

Lucy the Husky

This is our husky Lucy Belle. She is a a character! We have never owned a husky before and have learned a lot about them in the process.

One thing we have learned is that you will ALWAYS be covered in dog hair! I personally wear a lot of dark colors and even if I lint roll myself off, I will always leave the house with Lucy hair on me. So theoretically she goes every where with us. And we sweep the floors in the house daily and still find balls of Lucy fur in the corners of the house.

She sleeps in the most awkward positions! I mean really, who can sleep like this and isn't in pain for days?                                                                       

We are pretty sure we have "broken" our husky as well. She no longer enjoys the cold weather. As a matter of fact she either sleeps on our electric blankets, or against us or the other dogs at night when it's cold out. 

She is pretty sure that we are all okay with her laying on us or using us for a headrest. I mean, that's what we were put here for, right? For her entertainment/comfort.

She is very confident that she can fit just about anywhere. This foot stool is only about 18 inches by 18 inches square! And she loves to photo bomb pictures whenever she can.

Regardless of how furry, obnoxious, or invader of personal space she is, we love our Lucy Belle.

If you have a husky in your life (or any furbaby in general) please feel free to share your experiences! If you enjoyed this blog please subscribe to email notifications when I post more. You can find that on the right hand bar of this page. Have a beautiful day!

Post Christmas Seasonal Blues

My mother and I both suffer with the post Christmas/seasonal depression. This year we have decided to leave the Christmas tree up until we hit spring. Spring being the weather, not the season start because here in Kentucky we are gong back and forth between winter and spring weather. When the spring weather is here to stay then we will take the Christmas tree down. But so far it has worked wonders.

Every evening we turn the tree lights on and our neighbors probably think that we are crazy but who cares. It helps! Who cares what other people think, you do you. If us having the Christmas lights on every night helps us through our post Christmas blues then that's what we are going to do!

If anyone has any tips or suggestions for getting through the post Christmas blues feel free to comment below!

If you enjoyed this blog please subscribe to email notifications when I post more. You can find that on the right hand bar of this page. Have a beautiful day!