Just taking one day at a time.

I can't believe how long it has been since I have updated. I am here; not well but here.
Right after my last post I had a doctors appointment for a check up. I have not been feeling well for a couple of months but couldn't put my finger on what the problem was. The doctor did an extensive blood work up and called me the next afternoon to tell me the news. It appears that my thyroid has stopped working. Great; just what I wanted to hear. This is why I have been experiencing extreme fatigue and not able to loose any weight.
He started me on a medication a few days later. He said that getting the right medication is often difficult and that I will need to be closely watched. On the day I started my meds I got a nursing job. So excited to start my new career but not while I am dealing with these health issues. So needless to say this past week has been very hard for me. My job turns out to be very physical. Not a bad thing but when you have been sitting on your bottom for the past year and a half it is taking a toll on my body. I have muscle pain in areas that I didn't know there were muscles. Because of the thyroid issue and the new job I am a mess. I go to work and then come home and go to bed. I was told it will take weeks to get my medication to where it needs to be.
Thank God I have a husband that is so understanding.

Many Blessings,
Heidi

Good News!

Well D and I have been busy with a flurry of activity bringing in the new year. Speaking of the new year. D and I are real big party people; yes we are. For New Years Eve we rented movies and Wii games and had a kitchen full of junk food. Good times. Then by 10:45pm we couldn't wait for midnight to get here because we were exhausted. Meg and Drew stayed home as well to enjoy all the excitement with us. At the stroke of midnight we all fell over each other trying to get to bed. Yes; the excitement was just too much for us.
But D and I did write down our goals for 2011. So glad to be doing that; we always reach our goals when we write them down.
I was blessed with news yesterday of a job opportunity. Glad to be starting the new year with a new career.
In other wonderful news Devin and Heather are moving back to our small town in the Spring. So so happy about this. Life would be perfect for me if all my kids would live here at the zoo. But what I think is perfect and what they think is perfect are two different things. But am jumping for joy tonight that they will be living a couple blocks away.
Meg and I have been real busy in our storage room organizing and purging. Goosh I love purging. Since I will be starting work soon and Meg is going back to school in a couple of weeks we thought it best to whip this place into shape. It is amazing with the Holiday season how things can really get out of hand.
D will be building more shelves in the laundry room soon. Meg watched a show on TLC called Extreme Coupon. Tomorrow we will be shopping for groceries and household items totaling over $300 and all we will be paying is around $120! Yes! I can get used to this! The additional shelves are needed because she is getting so many items FREE. Yes I said free! She is using store coupons as well as manufacture coupon on sale items makes them free. Gotta love it!
With so much good news I am flat on my back with a head cold. Ugh I feel like poo. Have so many plans and dreams for 2011 so I need to get back on my feet soon.

Many Blessings
Heidi

PASSED!

This evening was my state board exam. I passed with flying colors! It really wasn't that hard. I studied all day today so maybe that helped. I am so glad it is behind me. Now on to getting a job in a hospital then on to the next step in becoming a nurse.
I am so glad to be bringing in the new year with a new career!

Many Blessings,
Heidi

Happy Birthday Drew!

Yesterday was Drew's birthday. Happy Birthday son; we love you. I didn't have access to the computer so was unable to post this yesterday.
Drew is an amazing father and husband. I am so proud of the man that you have become.

Christmas 2010

This is my beautiful family(minus Stephanie), they are a silly bunch but they are mine and I love them all.

We had such a wonderful Christmas. It took several shoots to get this picture. We had an escapee in the middle shot but quickly got him back on track. Getting all seven looking at the camera and smiling would have been a Christmas miracle.
This was taken on Christmas day evening about 9:00pm. At this point the kids are tired and cranky. The parents....well as you can tell the women already had on their jammies. Its what we do after dinner. Put on our happy pants(that is what my mother-in-law call them).

So blessed to be able to be with my kids this Christmas. We sure did miss our Stephanie though. My in-laws were very missed as well. Maybe next year we can all be together.

I spent the day today taking down all of our Christmas decorations. I do that every year the day after Christmas because someone here at the zoo will be having a birthday tomorrow. Since a birthday is so close to Christmas I remove all decor for their birthday. I will tell you more about that tomorrow.

Many blessings,

Heidi

This year..................

This year, this is our Christmas journey.

Less Decorating, more living.

Less Shopping, more giving.

Less Running, more being.

Enjoying all the little gifts along the way.

Christmas is coming.

From our house to yours, may the perfect love of Christ be your light and life.

Christmas Eve Eve

Our Stephanie came home last night. I wish it were for Christmas but unfortunately she was hear because of a funeral of a friend. We were able to give her her Christmas gifts this morning before she had to return to southern Illinois to a job that I wish she did not need this holiday season.

Meg's twin brothers were here this morning as well. Drew helped them prepare for their driving permit. It appears that parallel parking is not their thing. Wasn't mine either. Still to this day I will do everything I can to prevent parallel parking. But this afternoon we received good news that they both passed.

I did some holiday baking today. Well maybe I should rephrase that to I made chocolate mint cookies. That's it so far. I hope to do more baking tomorrow. The mint cookies were so easy though. All you do is melt chocolate bark, add a little peppermint extract then dip Ritz crackers into the chocolate and set aside. Heaven! Hoping to make peanut cluster as well.

These are some pictures that I had on my computer. I think they are just precious. I really need to download the 300 plus pictures on my camera before tomorrow.

Many Blessings from our family to yours this Christmas!

Heidi

Really Good Santa!

I am not doing a very good job lately in documenting my life. I have been so busy that I am not sure what day it is. The days seem to fly by when I am going to school. Just about ready to wrap it up though. Clinical's are complete. Now just a couple more tests and I will be done.

I can not believe that Christmas is less than a week away. All gifts are bought and wrapped. Thank goodness for Meg though. I haven't had time to wrap one gift. If not for her no one would be able to open gifts this year.

I have been able to relax a bit this weekend before a big test on Tuesday. So I decided to keep my Aspen for the night. Her and Drake have been having a good time. Drake calls her Appy. Aspen is just too hard for him to say. Drake is talking a lot now. It is very cute to hear him.

Drake recently went to see Santa. He didn't cry which was really surprising. He doesn't take to strangers very well. I asked Aspen if she has seen Santa yet. She said, "No; he is sleeping a lot." HAHA she is too funny.

Well off to do some home work.

Many Blessings,

Heidi

UUMM December, REALLY!?!

The time is flying by; when did it become December!?!

My time is filled with school and clinical's. A week will go by in a flash. Not sure how that happens. I will be done with my clinical's on Monday. Yea for me. I will be hitting it hard again for three tests before the end of the year. No rest for me.

I wish I could say all is well here at the zoo but all is not well. All have colds and cough. Yuck. I wish I could say that I breezed right by it all but I got it.

Spent last weekend at the lake. We really needed a little R&R. What better way than at the lake.

Christmas shopping is 95% done. Wrapping is 100% incomplete; but have intentions on getting that done soon. Like maybe next week.

Off to bed. What a boring post.

Many Blessings,
Heidi

Beautiful Thanksgiving Week!

I have been knee deep in the Thanksgiving week. Our Stephanie came home on Monday evening. Feels so good when she is home. All seems right with the world.
Thanksgiving was wonderful; was able to see all my kids. Dinner if I do say so myself was amazing. I tried out a new mashed potato recipe. The. Best. Ever! Definitely will be a family tradition from now on.
Then there was BLACK Friday. Yes I do partake and yes I never slept Thursday night because sales started at ten and went on the entire night. The number of great deals were endless. So excited. Now I am paying for it because now I have a bad head cold. Feel like poo. I need to be decking the halls but all I can do is take halls cough drops. I have a major test Tuesday and I haven't even opened my books this Holiday weekend. I have to get to it tomorrow.
Off to bed with my new fleece pj's my box of Kleenex and my cough drops.

Many Blessings,
Heidi