RIP January 2009!!! well, it wasn't all bad.

January is gone and HOLY SMOKES I'm so glad!!!!  I'm a recovering complainer and as such I have to be SOO careful to not go there.  Easier said than done.  But at least it's easier not to whine on a blog...because it does take a little more effort that just opening your mouth. 

But just for fun I thought I'd share a few of the highlights.  

New Years Day my kids both broke out in hives all over their bodies.  I didn't care however, because my hands also had a HORRIBLE allergic reaction to something-I was in serious pain people.  You know something's wrong when you are in too much pain to care about your kids!!! I won't show pictures.  Went to an allergist, he says I'm not allergic to any foods....eat away! Weird.  But whatever.  He says I'm most likely allergic to nail polish and detergent.  Go figure!  

Next day Olivia's neck was swollen to the size of a baseball. 

 I bandaged up my un-useable hands and it took us three tries to find a walk in clinic that was open.  We had strep throat.  Chris was snowboarding.

The middle of the month was filled with interesting but unfortuntely unbloggable drama from all sides.  Me not working...and bored.  

Kids sick off and on.  

Chris woke up Sat. 5 am ish in serious pain.  He thought it was an ulcer.  I looked it up.  It said throw up (check) and drink water.  I got a huge drink of water and brought to him.  He was in pain.  I passed out.  Woke up in puddle of water on the floor.  I went to lay down.  Chris thought his appendix burst.  I looked it up.  It said:  might die.  don't drink anything!  We called an ambulance.  Didn't know where the hospital was. 

 A few hours later Chris learned he was going to deliver a rock baby. 

 We named it Stone Kidney Larsen.  Stone is a family name after all.  We are going to call him Grain for short though because that's how big he was.  And now I can never tease him about having to leave during Olivia's birth.  At least he didn't pass out and make me come to his aid!  And now I know how horrible it is to see and worry about someone you love in so much pain.  And I realized I really do love him so much more than when we first got married.  

So now January 2009 is gone.  May it rest in peace, far far away from me.  Bentley will get it with that iron stick if it tries to come back!  I will however look back at the bad times and have a little chuckle.  We will always remember the morning Chris got to fulfill his life long dream of riding in an ambulance.  Never say you can't reach your dreams people!  Hey, I'm here to inspire!

life lessons

Did I mention that I found out I have the skin version of Celiac Disease?  It's called DH for short. This is my self diagnosis.  I haven't been officially diagnosed yet.  But the cause is gluten and the result is excruciatingly painful blisters on an isolated spot in the body.  For me being my hands.  As I've eliminated all these things from my diet I have healed my hands. I have an almost instant reaction (basically overnight) to anything I eat.  So it's pretty clear what is a culprit and what isn't.  I have additional allergies to dairy, corn, and nuts.  Although I haven't tried all nuts.  
A friend of mine brought over a whole gluten-free care package. How sweet is that!?  She made me two loaves of this rice bread. I couldn't wait for the picture I had to take a bite first. It was really good.  I ate two pieces.  I had known that she was a really healthy eater, I just hadn't known why.  

I made this discovery last Saturday.  Which probably contributed significantly to my ultra bad day.  I was feeling pretty sorry for myself.  It's a lot overwhelming. But I'm trying to move past it and just get healthy. 

I went through a difficult trial a few years ago and felt really sorry for myself for a long time. After it was over I realized all I could have learned from it.  So I made a pact with myself not to wait for the end of something difficult to realize the good that could be learned from the situation.  One thing I have learned from this is the importance of asking questions to get answers.  You really can't get answers if you aren't persistent.  I started having symptoms for this almost 6 years ago. Right after Olivia was born.  I thought it was severe eczema due to the increase in hand washing. Or perhaps a soap allergy.  In the past 6 years I have tried everything in relation to my own original conclusion.  No one offered me a different solution. Not even a dermatologist.  But the responsibility is my own. And I never once opened my mind to alternative ideas regarding the matter.  I am a Relief Society teacher in my church.  This last Sunday's lesson just reiterated to me the importance of meditation and prayer.  Sometimes I feel like in the journey of life I'm a slow learner.  Somehow it takes me years to figure things out.  I am so grateful for the loving care of a Heavenly Father. I feel that He tenderly teaches me through my life's trials and triumphs.  I'm grateful to have learned something new. Something my body has been screaming at me for 6 years. I finally listened. Finally got the message.    Figuring out the specifics will apparently be a life long journey.  But I'm sure it will be worth it. It already is.  I wish I could explain better how spiritual this whole ordeal is for me.  I guess it's just another very real example of how sometimes doing the more difficult thing is actually easier.  Although there is a mourning period for the loss of old behaviors (popcorn and a movie).  But now that I have the knowledge I can't not live this way.  Now that I know that something I thought of as normal is causing me significant pain, I can't not live the way I now know is right.  I know there will be a transition period that will be difficult. Learning the new behaviors (how to make gluten- free cookies) will be a process of trial and error, but in the end it will be worth it!  My quality of life just sky rocketed.  

Yay! I'm tagged...

I actually think I've been tagged before, but usually too lazy to do it.  This one is pretty short.

3Joys:

-Conference issues of the Ensign (me and conference are BFF)

-My marriage

-Life

3Fears:

-Having fears

-Not doing the things that really scare me

-I'll think of something later I'm sure....

3 Current Goals:

-Getting my fabric design portfolio ready by the end of Oct!!!

-Mastering 4 open American Smooth routines (Foxtrot, Waltz, Tango Viennese Waltz) to compete again soon in a more challenging category.

-Upping my photography skills.

3 Current Obsessions:

-Patricia Ahn (Rose always introduces me to the best music--so inspiring!)

-Food Allergy Detective Work!

-Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop

3 Random Facts about myself:

-I like to draw on tracing paper.

-My most used kitchen utensil is the vegetable peeler.

-When I'm running I like to leap if nobody is around....although, I leaped while running on the beach and there were a bunch of onlookers.  I didn't notice them until all of the heads turned. I reenacted it later for Lindsay to capture my embarrassing moment for posterity.

I tag everyone who reads this!  And when you post it leave a comment so we can read yours, too.

a bit of nothing

Rain! Glorious rain! How we have missed you!  Puddle jumping is the best!  Especially when you lay down and roll around in it!  Well, I didn't.  But Bentley sure did.
So I've done a pretty good job of restraining myself from talking too much about my allergy detective work.  I realize it's insanely boring. My mom and I call each other and share the fascinating stories of what we've eaten in the past few days and what reactions we did or didn't have.  All I'm saying is these precious lunch time bowls of potatoes are my only hope of keeping any meat on my bones!  I will report these findings:  I'm allergic to corn (sob-corn is my favorite food in the whole wide world, and popcorn is my very favorite treat), dairy, yeast, and chocolate. Yup, chocolate.  It's not as bad as the others though, it only makes my taste buds swell if I eat a lot of it.  But for the good news:  My hands feel great!  You know how they say ignorance is bliss?  It's so so true. I would think about regretting my detective work, but my hands are so happy I guess I won't complain just yet.