Facing the unknown...

Well in less than an hour, I will be on my way to another doctor's appointment to face my fate. For the past five months, I have been going from one doctor to the next. I have been poked & prodded to the point where I feel like I am a lab rat facing unknown tests with unknown results. Do you ever sit back and wonder just how many tests a doctor can run on you or why can't they just run them all at one time? (It's money, I tell you!!)

Here's a brief background ... in November, I had my routine annual physical and told my PCP about some pains I had been having in and around my knees. She sent me for X-rays to rule out any injuries I may have sustained from when I used to play football (yes on the girls team). They came back clean. The only thing found was a Vitamin D deficiency, so I was put on medication. More blood-work done in February showed I had an increased ANA Level (something along the lines of detecting antibodies in our body). I was then sent to a rheumatologist who decided to play the twenty million question game with me and then run MORE blood-work to breakdown the ANA and determine what in my body was causing such elevation.

Wellllllll...a week or so later those results came back and determined I was testing positive for two diseases: Scleroderma and Auto Immune Thyroid Disease. I was told to come back in four months for more follow-up blood-work on the Scleroderma. Well, I wanted to know what about the thyroid, as those levels were soaring off the chart (normal is supposed to be between 0 and 60, mine was 2,732). Back to the PCP I go and she refers me to an Endocrinologist.

During all this, I came down with three infections and later developed bronchitis. Basically I have little to no immune system anymore as my own body is attacking itself and I cannot fight off sickness, so I am continually staying sick. Today, I face the unknown again -- going to a new doctor whom I know little to nothing about, wondering what tests may be performed, wondering what could be wrong with my thyroid (is it just not working, do I have some sort of disease or worse do I have cancer?)

Oddly enough, I have, for the most part, been relatively calm about all these appointments and needle prodding. I have faith that God will take care of me and He will heal me. He has given me a loving family and friends who are standing behind me and supporting me through this ordeal. So today, as I sit in my office wondering what the next few hours hold, I know it is all in God's plans and I am going to remain calm and face whatever is thrown in my path next.

Groceries Galore

So, this week I have been working non-stop both at my full-time job and then after work assisting my friend, Phyllis, in preparations for a wedding reception she is directing on Saturday. Needless to say, I am mentally and physically exhausted AND to top it all off, I am battling bronchitis (talk about dedication!)

Last night, we had the task of going to buy the food. Wow, is about all I can say. We headed to Sam's Club and started the task of picking out foods. THREE Hours and THREE flat bed carts later, we were loading the van. I have never in my life spent so much money and time in one store. Our carts were loaded down so heavily, I had to get a running start to push them. You can only imagine what the van looked like, too!

Afterwards, we delivered it all back to the church manually lifting each box and toting it to the kitchen. Soon thereafter, we had to venture to Harris Teeter to pick up MORE supplies. We had so many people asking us whether we owned a restaurant or what all was going on.

It was a ton of hard work, and I am surprised I have been able to keep up with having bronchitis but it has been a lot of fun to help Phyllis. We are always up for an adventure. Am still running on very little sleep and probably will be thru the rest of the weekend, but guess what, now I'm off to BJ's to buy more stuff!!

Whoever would have thought all this preparation could be such hard work yet so much fun!!

Me, myself and I

So just a little "All About Me" randomization post. Maybe you can glean something you may have not known before.


1. What is your name spelled backwards? Retsof Htiderem
2. What did you do last night? Went to a jewelry/fashion party with some friends from church
3. What was the last thing you downloaded onto your computer? Something work related
4. Have you ever licked a 9 volt battery? No why on earth, pray tell, would I do something stupid like that?
5. When was the last time you swam in a pool? Sunday, February 28, 2010 -- and it was so much fun!!
6. What are you wearing? Had to bring the winter clothes back out since Spring just can't seem to arrive in North Carolina -- khaki kourds and a black turtle neck
7. How many cars have you owned? 2
8. What is the type of music you dislike most? Rap
9. Are you registered to vote? Yes
10. Do you have cable? No, we have that little thing known as the converter box
11. What kind of computer do you use? At work, I have a Dell; at home I have a Dell, two Gateways and some really old thing that I am not sure if it is even a brand
12. Have you ever made a prank phone call? Yes, when I was much younger
13. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving? I have already bungee jumped
14. What is the furthest place you ever traveled? The Bahamas or New Hampshire, whichever is further away (ha!)
15. What's your favorite comic strip? I don't really have one
16. Do you know all of the words to the national anthem? Yes
17. Do you shower in the morning or at night? At night, but do my hair in the morning
18. What is your favorite pizza topping? Cheese, please
19. Chips or popcorn? Probably popcorn
20. What cell phone provider do you use? Verizon.
21. Have you ever smoked peanut shells? No, but I do eat them
22. Have you ever been in a beauty pageant? Not hardly
23. Orange juice or apple juice? Orange Juice
24. With whom were the last people you sat at lunch? Yesterday, I had lunch with my friend, Phyllis
25. Favorite chocolate bar? Snickers
26. Which of your friends lives the closest to you? You know I need to do a mapquest on this to determine if it is Phyllis or Tiffany ... hold please, research in progress......Okay and the results are: Tiffany lives 5.35 miles from my house; Phyllis lives 4.52 miles -- so there you go and now I know
27. When was the last time you ate a homegrown tomato? Wow, it's been a while
28. Have you ever won a trophy? Yes, several
29. Favorite arcade game? Skee ball
30. Ever ordered from an infomercial? No, not that I recall
31. Sprite or 7-UP? Ugh, neither thanks
32. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to school/work? Fortunately, no
33. Last thing you bought at Walgreens? Probably Claritin
34. Ever thrown up in public? Not that I know of
35. Would you prefer being a millionaire or finding true love? Hmm that's a tough question :)
36. Do you believe in love at first sight? No
37. Spongebob or Jimmy Neutron? Neither
38. Did you have long hair as a young kid? Yes
39. What message is on your voicemail? I have a few saved
40. Where would you like to go right now? To sleep, ha, I am so exhausted
41. What's the name of your pet? Zoey Katherine
42. What kind of back pack do you have, and what's in it? I don't have one other than my mini-back pack purse
43. What kind of tennis shoes do you have? I have several different pair: New Balance, Nike, Adidas, Skechers, etc.

Tickle the Ivory

So yesterday, I re-visited my past and got back to playing the piano in church.

I started taking lessons when I was in the 3rd Grade from a wonderfully talented teacher, Mrs. Ellen Scott. She taught me well and I stuck with her until midway thru high school. She wanted me to do a lot of competitions, whereas, I just wanted to play in church and for fun. I eventually switched to another teacher and stuck with her halfway thru college, where I eventually had to quit taking lessons because balancing work, college and piano was beginning to take a toll.

I had played off and on in church for many years -- playing offertory, prelude, accompanying for kids groups, even some mixed ensembles and even the chorus at my high school. I eventually switched churches (long story) and my Mom would always hound me about "you'll forget how to play" (since I had quit practicing & playing). I kept reminding her that it is like reading another language and you really can't just "forget it"

January 24, 2010, I got baptized (that is a whole post in itself - maybe I'll post that soon) and joined Calvary Baptist Church (yay!) My friend Tiffany approached me a few weeks ago and asked if I'd accompany her as she had to sing a solo. I hesitated at first but agreed -- that was probably before I realized she would have to sing in the MORNING service. But I agreed. Picking out a song chose to be a treat -- we went thru a variety of books and selections and narrowed it down to two, finally settling on one of my personal favorites "God Makes No Mistakes."

Yesterday, March 21, 2010, was the day we performed. We tried to only let a few people know I was going to play (and I hope we were able to surprise a few people!) and all-in-all, I think it went really well. Was I nervous? A little bit yes ... my leg always shakes, especially when I wear heels. I was more nervous about coughing or something (thanks to being sick) rather than messing up the song. Needless to say, I so honored and surprised by the comments I received afterwards. It really made me feel special and really made me realize that God has given me a talent that I need to use more.

I am truly honored that Tiffany asked me to play for her. She could have easily chosen our AMAZING church pianist, Trudy Hays, or her other close friend, Donna. But she chose me to play for her, and that meant a lot to me.

Speaking of the song she sang ("God Makes No Mistakes"), you know God really doesn't make any mistakes. Don't we wish that were true for us? I'm so grateful for everyone He has placed into my life ... each one has been brought in for their own purpose and NONE are mistakes. Let's honor Him in whatever we do.

Hey Y'all ...

One phrase that is definitely associated with the South and with myself is "Hey Y'all". This has been a common greeting for many years, but it has more recently become more noticeable thanks to a lovely little lady in Savannah named Paula Deen.

As many of you know, Paula and her sons have a restaurant in Savannah that has become wildly popular. I had been to Savannah many times but never had the opportunity to eat there (nor was it that popular when I first went to Savannah). During my recent trip, we decided that we would stop by The Lady & Sons and see if we could get in.



Many of you who have been to The Lady & Sons know about their reservation policy and sometimes how long you have to wait to get a reservation. Some people get in line before 9am to obtain a lunch reservation. We decided that we would try to eat on a Sunday for the all-you-can-eat-buffet. But, as we were touring Savannah on Saturday, one of our stops brought us near The Lady & Sons right around noon. We walked down to the restaurant and found a nice sign by the hostesses booth saying "no more reservations" or something. So we inquired about what time we needed to be there to get reservations for lunch or dinner. She asked us how many were in our party and we replied "two" and to our amazement (and probably everyone else who was standing there) she said "well if you don't mind sitting on the third floor, we can seat you right now." Talk about nearly jumping for joy.

We went in, still not realizing we were truly eating at Paula Deen's restaurant. It is fairly rare that you can just "walk right up, sit right down" at The Lady & Sons, but I guess it must have been my lovely Southern charm that got us seated, haha!




The food was lovely. We had the Southern style buffet and our favorite was the mashed potatoes -- anyone know her secret for keeping them so creamy? We stuffed our little selves as much as we could and still managed to have room for dessert. Fortunately a nice stroll around Forsyth Park after lunch is what you need to walk-off the calories consumed at Paula's!



If you're going to Savannah, you definitely need to try to eat there. The price really wasn't that bad (honestly, it was about the same price as eating at a Golden Corral but the food is much better!). It is definitely an experience and something you can say you have done. Just remember, eat at The Lady & Sons and then go walk-it-off at Forsyth Park and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

A beacon in the night ...

Have you ever sat back and thought about how important lighthouses truly were for the American shipping industry? What would happen if there had been no beacon in the night to guide these massive ships into port? It would have been very devastating.

Growing up in North Carolina, we have a host of lighthouses that adorn our coastline. I have had the opportunity to visit a few of them. Last year, my friend Phyllis & I decided that it would be a really neat idea that at some point we try to go and see the various lighthouses in North Carolina.

While we did see a couple North Carolina lighthouses from a distance last summer, we never did go visit them. This February (and over into March), we took a trip down to Savannah. Prior to leaving, I did some research on the lighthouses in North Carolina, South Carolina & Georgia. We found out that three of Georgia's lighthouses were within fifteen miles of where we were staying. So we decided that while on this trip, we would try to go see them and take pictures.



The first lighthouse on our stop was to try to find Cockspur Island Lighthouse. It sits just east of Savannah heading out toward the Atlantic Ocean. Sadly, there is no way to really gain access to the lighthouse unless you decide to swim across the sound. We found a place to pull off and got as close as we could. Above is a close-up of the Cockspur Island Lighthouse. It was initially built to help guide ships from the Atlantic into the entrance of the Savannah River, which would lead them into the port. As you can see from the next distance shot, the lighthouse is very small, and we affectionately named it "the baby."



After leaving Cockspur Island, we drove the few miles over to the Tybee Island Lighthouse. This lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in Georgia, and it sits right along the Atlantic Ocean. I have had the opportunity to climb to the top of this lighthouse for an amazing view. We considered doing that this year, but it was much too chilly to attempt. We also saw this lighthouse at nighttime, and yes, they do still keep the beacon shining.





Our last stop was actually a block from our hotel, the Old Savannah Harbor Light. This mini-beacon sits alongside the Savannah River in Emmet Park. Its purpose for being built was to also guide the ships down the Savannah River and into the Port of Savannah. Cockspur Island & Tybee Island Lighthouses are several miles down river, so the Old Harbor Light was built to primarily direct the ships upon their entrance into the city.




Our lighthouse tour has just begun, and so far it has been very fun, historical & even educational. We are also trying to take our pictures with each lighthouse to prove that we have been there (I won't post how many attempts it took us to get pictures made with some!) But I hope everyone will at some point be able to see one of these great wonders. But most importantly, lighthouses serve an importance in the aiding of sailors into ports, etc., but we are also supposed to be our own lighthouse. God commands us in Matthew 5:16 to "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." We also need to be a beacon in the night and guide those to the true Light, Jesus.

Hello, blogspot

Well, I finally succumbed to the pressure and got myself a little blogspot. Not really sure what the point is nor why I felt compelled to get one, since I think I already have two or three others journals/blogs that I very rarely update.

But whatever, I'll try something new.

I guess I'll just try to keep this one updated as often as I can on things that are going on in my little world.

For now, I'll make this entry super-short. St. Patrick's Day is tomorrow so in honor of that day, here's my picture taken about a month ago on my "goof-off" night at Wal-Mart with a friend of mine :)