Update

I went to the Dr. last Wednesday to get an update on my progress and to figure out something to do for my extreme leg pain and cramping.  It wan't the best Dr. apt.  He said that my disease was a lot worse than we originally thought and that instead of turning a corner in the next few days, I had a least 2 months left before any relief would come.  It wasn't the news I wanted to hear the day before Thanksgiving.

I felt bad after my last blog post because everyone says I am so positive.  I hope you know there are lots of times I question why me, or if this will ever go away.  This weekend I had several nights where I was sad, even devastated that I have to do this for a lot longer than we thought.  It will be a total of 4 months before I start climbing out.

I am trying to see it from a positive side that at least I didn't know at the beginning it would take so long, 2 months doesn't seem like that long....so I can do it another 2 months.  I know I can, some times it is just hard to take it all in.  I really didn't want to be sick for Christmas, but I can't control much of that.  So now instead of feeling good for Christmas Ted and I have a new goal of feeling better by my birthday March 5, I think it is doable.  I just have to get use to the new idea I guess.

In other news I found a few pics from the last month I wanted to share:

Ted's mom came over and helped me set up our Christmas tree!  The 2nd tree in our whole marriage.  My first fake tree ever...I grew up in Utah where real Christmas Trees weren't a fire hazard...something I have to get use to here in dry old AZ.  

I am making these for the tree...so far only 4 done.  They are decoupage ornaments with old book pages on them.  I had the idea since Ted's biggest passion is books, I ended up using my grandma's old cooking books (over 50 years old) to incorporate family and of course my love for cooking :)  They are turning out pretty cute, I just need more energy to do them all!

Yesterday we got to visit our good friends (who is also Ted's cousin) Roger and Lindsey who just had a new baby Thanksgiving eve!  He is adorable!  Ted loved holding baby Owen.

Yes that is a chocolate fountain in our fancy grocery store that is near our house.  They have a wine cellar, a man's den with club chairs and TV's for the men to watch TV, fruit from all over the world...it is pretty crazy!

I made an apple pie for Thanksgiving.....It turned out cute, but it was really runny...I think I better lay off baking till I feel better, but at least I made something for Thanksgiving!  

We got a new member of the family...a TV.  We haven't had one since before we left Philly 3 years ago, once we found out I would be in bed longer Ted made sure I had something to do :)

One of my favorite places near our new apartment is an outdoor mall, The Scottsdale Quarter.  It has the prettiest outdoor lighting at night complete with a light up splash pad dancing to music.

I had to add this one, Ted manages online faculty for Grand Canyon University and the team he manages dressed up like him for Halloween, how perfect was it that he wore the exact thing that day?

(Ted gets a hard time for wearing a shirt and tie to work every day)

Lola and I spend a lot of time at the pool in the sun trying to get more Vitamin D.  Such a hard life....

Hope you have a great day!!!  

We are still here!

I noticed today how long it has been since I posted!  OH gosh!  Not much has gone on in terms of exciting things so not much to post.

Ted sold his car.  He is working like a mad man at Grand Canyon University and is in his last year of course work for his Doctorate at Pepperdine.  Almost done with school!

I got my real estate license toward the end of summer and then got the bad news that I was sick again.  At first it was just Lyme disease again so we went to a doctor to try to treat it.....that was when he found out I actually have never had Lyme disease but instead have a rare blood diseases that is attacking my white blood cells (a type of a Protozoa).

I started treatment in early September right when we had to move.  When you treat a blood disease, you get  a lot worse before you get better.  Usually the blood disease lays dormant in most your body but when you start treating it the disease starts to fight back, making your body a war zone...literally!  I am suppose to get to a point where it is so bad that it kills everything and then I will start feeling better....still waiting for that point.  I was suppose to hit the bottom by Thanksgiving time...but it doesn't look like that is going to happen.

Here is a picture of my blood test.  The blue is the blood, the white film is the disease (it literally makes your blood really thick, it is named for the greek word slime....), the white dots are my white blood cells in cased in the disease.

I have had tons of people asking so I thought I would just try to explain it a little better.  I am on huge doses of antibiotics that are trying to fight the disease.  The pain I feel is a muscle/joint pain mixed with bone pain.  And I have little to no energy.  But the best part is we know what it is and we can treat it!

Blood diseases never truly go away fully, but we can track it and maybe every 5-10 years (hopefully longer) treat it again.  Those treatments won't be as long or painful as this initial one, especially if we catch it fast.  

We are so lucky to be in warm Arizona during this treatment with lots of family and friends helping.  It has made these last few months so much easier!  The worst part of the whole thing...I can't drive!  It really has been worse than the pain some days!  Ha ha...how is that for dramatic?  I don't have energy to go anywhere anyway...but just knowing I can't drive has been so hard.

Ted has always been so supportive, he is such an amazing guy for working 10-12 hours a day coming home to take care of me and fitting studying in somewhere along the lines.  We are just really lucky to be in a great place and we feel so loved!  So thank you to everyone!  

I am not shy about talking about my disease so ask away.  I just don't love to talk about it on Facebook or the blog every day because then I feel like that "sick" person.  I will be better before you know it!  Here's to being healthy!  

Ted's selling his car!

It's time :(  Ted is selling his baby!  Come take a look at his car here:
http://1966karmannghia.blogspot.com/

Thank you!

Wow!  I need to do this blog sale more often :)  Within a day everything in the below post was gone!

I posted on here before craigslist because Ted isn't home much lately and I don't like showing furniture to people I don't know.  Plus now all our stuff went to people who we know!  Love it!

Moving in 8 days, with 4 days up in Greer.....thanks to Ted's amazing parents we are almost all packed!

Moving Sale :)

Yep that's right we are moving...again!  This is #14 for us!  At least this time we are only moving from Mesa, AZ to North Scottsdale, AZ (30 min).

We are selling a few things because we are down sizing.  Yes I convinced Ted to get rid of a few books :)

2 Ikea bookshelves.  We have them stacked together in the pictures.

$45 for each obo

Another view of the 2 bookshelves.

My favorite desk :(  I have decorated many cakes on this!  

Our new place has a built in desk.

$25 obo

Bookshelf.  $25 OBO

We are need to have this items gone by the end of next week!  Let me know if you want more pictures. 

The places we've been

This site is really cool!  It lets you map everywhere you have been!  I guess you can tell we drove across the country a few times...and 4 of the states we have actually lived in.


visited 25 states (50%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

This is the world map.  I put where Ted and I have both been either together or pre-our cross little family, guess we need to start traveling more!  Spain and Portugal are first on our list.  We have both been to Brasil just never together so that must be next.  Ted has never been to Europe and I haven't been to Asia.  We have some work to do!


visited 7 states (3.11%)
Create your own visited map of The World

My Cakes!

Ted's China Trip

Since Ted isn't a blogger he gave me permission to post his latest adventure to China.  He went for 12 days and it counted toward a class for his doctorate at Pepperdine.

He had a great time!  His two roommates and him were the class clowns!  I loved getting emails about their funny stories.  His professor kept telling all the Chinese girls that he and his friend were famous americans...they ALL wanted pictures with them!

ENJOY~!

Here is a video of it...or the pictures follow it if you would rather look at those :)

He and his 2 friends hiked to the tallest point of the Great Wall in 45 min.

The top of the wall

I didn't know this but the wall is almost all stairs going up and down mountains! 

Olympic Village

This one is for his sister amanda :)

Inside the Olympic Stadium 

Ted actually getting a foot massage.....his feet are soooo ticklish I can't even touch them!

Trying not to kick the person giving the pedicure....

Classmates

If you know Ted, you know his obsession with Bonsai Trees...

Ted's professor

They got to visit a lot of corporations and leaders in China for their class

Pearl Factory, showing them how to open an oyster 

One of the many pictures these two took as "famous americans"

Another Ted obsession, Koi ponds.... 

More Bonsai 

Shanghai boat tour 

More bonsai.....

Shanghai Pepperdine