One of the hardest days of the year for me happened yesterday. Surprisingly it was not the shots with the reactions, the numerous supplements, the IV therapy, the oils, or the countless hundreds of things that need to be done each day to beat Lyme Disease...it was the start of school in the south.
It is the start of the 4th fall of not teaching and there is not a day that goes by that I don't miss it. But today as I face the dichotomy of what was and where things are at I also know that it is the start of the 4th fall of trusting the Lord in new ways and days of falling in love with Jesus more deeply in this assignment that He has for me. A fall of trusting that the Lord has the best in mind and He will have grace for each day. What beautiful truth to know that He always rebuilds. He always restores. His love is forever and everlasting.
"The people who survived the wars have found favor in the desert. The LORD appeared to me in a faraway place and said, “I love you with an everlasting love. So I will continue to show you my kindness. Once again I will build you up, and you will be rebuilt, my dear people Israel. Once again you will take your tambourines, and you will go dancing with happy people. Once again you will plant..."
-Jeremiah 31:2-5-
Today I am so excited to team up with some other bloggers to offer one lucky winner a Kate Spade Pencil Pouch and a $30 Target Gift Card. So enter below for your chance to win!! Good Luck!!
1. Have a marriage centered on Jesus.
2. Laugh. A lot.
3. Realize what is important and let everything else go.
4. If your marriage is in trouble seek help.
5. Go on dates - at least once a week. (Don't have money for a date? My parents don't either and are constantly being creative with what to do. Look for free events in your area (i.e.- events at a local college, high school, church, etc.), pack a picnic lunch or dinner, go for a walk in a new park that you have not explored, etc.)
6. Be creative.
7. Be intentional.
8. Don't ever go to bed angry.
9. Fight fairly (stick to the subject at hand).
10. Listen. Listen. Listen.
11. Put the other person first.
12. Always remember that life is found in the little moments.
13. Never give your spouse the chance to wonder if you are cheating.
14. Do not ever let pornography become a substance in your house.
15. Never let children divide you and never speak ill of your spouse to your children.
16. Never let the "D" word (divorce) be uttered. The minute that you allow that you start down a road that you do not want to go on.
17. Pray together.
18. Go to church together.
19. Have Godly friends who you can encourage you along the way.
20. Recognize that life (and marriage is hard).
21. Respect Him ladies.
22. Love her completely gentleman.
23. Celebrate the big moments.
24. Rejoice with each others successes.
25. Support each other.
26. Understand his job.
27. Love her hearts passions.
28. Understand security is very important for a woman.
29. Take time to talk everyday. (Maybe this means shutting off the TV or turning off the internet - do whatever needs to be done to talk everyday!)
30. If you watch TV, watch TV you both enjoy.
31. Dance in the house
32. Turn off the phone, internet, blackberry, ipad, computer, etc..
33. Enjoy each others presence.
34. Kiss often.
35. Never hang up the phone or leave without saying "I love you".
36. Live life knowing how short it is.
37. Realize that after you have kids you will still be a couple so don't wait eighteen years to keep falling more in love.
38. Never stop flirting.
39. Hold hands whenever possible.
40. Cook for her, clean up for her, do the wash, etc.- Find something she hates to do and do it for her often without being asked.
41. Ladies, don't nag.
42. Find out something he loves to do and encourage it to the fullest.
43. Cry together, not with your friends, or brushing it off. Face life together.
44. Remember that life is fleeting and in the end the only thing that matters is love.
Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! I love you guys so much!
"The Light Shines in the darkness and the darkness can NEVER extinguish it."
-John 1:5-
-John 1:5-
This precious verse is a verse that I have been clinging to, crying through, and praying through a lot in this journey, but none more so than these past four weeks. Last month I shared an updated "day in the life currently" and as y'all can see this is dramatically different then a few months ago due to additional medicines, IV therapies, shots, etc. It is extremely intense and physically and emotionally my heart has often been overwhelmed as I continue to cry out to the Lord to answer for healing. I have been trying to take each day on its own without thinking of how this will look in a week from now or even the next day. I am finding more than ever the wisdom of the verse that states that we should not worry about tomorrow as today has enough to deal with. AMEN!
What a beautiful encouragement gorgeous sunsets, like this one, have been, reminding me of this truth in this difficult round of treatment as I just completed month 2. As my closest friends and family know, there has been a lot of tears, a lot of discouragement, a lot of frustration, and a lot of exhaustion. I am so thankful that we have a God whose mercies are new every morning and is not surprised by anything that catches me off guard!
This past month brought some surprises (to me) and as always I am very grateful for all of your continued prayers on this journey! Thank you sweet friends for continuing to take me to the heart of God day after day as I walk through some dark and difficult times:
(1) One of the continued prayer requests is for financial resources to help with this round of treatment. Due to some necessary changes in some treatment things are exceptionally tight and as always I am trusting that the Lord will completely provide for each step. As I mentioned in last month's post the days are quite intense with tons of traditional and alternative therapies that are designed to not only kill Lyme Disease but to help my body heal, fight back, and be given resources to make a complete recovery from the devastation that Lyme has caused.
Approximately this round of treatment will cost about $6,000 (you can read the breakdown HERE) and I am praying for a miraculous $1000 to come in to help offset the costs. It is always humbling to discuss this part of this journey and yet so many of you lovingly continue to ask how you can financially help so I will share and appreciate your kindness in understanding how difficult and humbling this area is. I have put a link to a "go fund me" page set up for this round of treatment that can be found on the left side of my blog and below and appreciate your prayers for this area.
(2) I would ask for continued prayers for specifically one of the IM shots that I take 4 days a week. This shot (administered by my amazing mama!!) causes a lot of pain and a lot of difficult side effects. I won't bore you with the details here, but I appreciate your prayers as this is incredibly difficult.
(3) Another prayer request is about another shot that I need to give myself and it is also difficult with a host of different side effects then the shot I mentioned in #2. (These two shots specifically are ones that are difficult to handle.)
(4) I would appreciate prayers for my severe exhaustion. There are literally some days that it is difficult to even sit up in bed without passing out due to exhaustion.
(5) As some of you know and have been specifically and faithfully praying for me about these past few weeks is the exceptionally difficult days that have occurred due to a sudden and drastic medication change. This medicine I have been on for a year and is something that my body needs but at this point my body started rejecting the ability to handle it and causing severe reactions. It was up and down for several weeks as I had to stop it suddenly, then we tried it at a different dose and still had reactions, tried again at yet a different and smaller dose and still had reactions so then I was pulled off it completely. At this point I will stay off of it and we are looking for some other alternatives. The truth is that this has been extremely unpleasant, extremely difficult with a lot of sickness- especially at night time, and my vertigo and dizziness are extremely difficult to handle. I would pray for complete healing from these symptoms and also complete healing from the side effects of having to stop this medication so suddenly.
(6) We are praying for the ability to fully complete this next month of treatment. For a variety of reasons that I won't go into here this is a necessary month to complete and it must be done. Thank you friends.
(7) We are praising the Lord that this week we are finishing TWO whole months of treatment being completed!! For those of you that have been following my story from the beginning you know what an incredible MIRACLE that this is. From going to having anaphylactic reactions to everything (including food) to being able to handle over 10 different antibiotics, 40 different supplements, vitamins, IV therapies, IM shots, detox shots, etc. This is truly a miracle. There are LOTS of tears that have been shed and we are rejoicing regarding this news.
(8) I would finally conclude with asking for prayers for me emotionally. Treatment, even with #7's wonderful news is .... extremely rough. I would appreciate prayers for perseverance on this journey that the Lord has set before me, strength for the physical demands, and encouragement for my discouraged heart.
Thank you so much friends for all of your love and support,
I am so excited to have Aimee share her heart today about her experience with Lyme Disease. Aimee Goodwin is the author of "Victory, a Lyme Story", which is available through Amazonbooks.com or through her publisher authorhouse.com. She is such an encouragement to me personally and I am so thankful for her willingness to share with us today!
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Thank you Rebecca for inviting me here today. My name is Aimee Goodwin. I like many of you am a Lyme warrior and survivor. It's a badge I wear proudly! I had chronic Lyme undiagnosed for five years. For five years, I searched for a Doctor Who could help me and found no one. Eventually I ended up going out of state to California to see a ILADS trained doctor in Redwood City. I fully credit him for saving my life and for the fact that I am here today. You can read my story in its entirety in the book I authored called "victory, a Lyme story."
I wrote my book for two reasons one, because I wanted those who are suffering with this silent beast to know, that there is hope, that they can get their lives back. That there is light after the darkness of this disease. I also wanted the loved ones of those suffering with Lyme to have a better understanding of what we go through to be healthy again. I want them to see that it takes a great deal of fight to reclaim our lives. We aren't called Lyme warriors for no reason.;)
When Rebecca asked me to be a guest on her blog, she asked me to share a little bit of my story, and to share something inspiring. Rebecca, I don't know how inspiring I will be, but I shall try!
As I contemplated this opportunity, many things came to mind after all the Lyme world is a vast place. This may seem like I'm wondering here but bare with me. One of the first things I did once I was well enough, was become as active as I could in helping others with the disease that had so ravished my own life. I spent a lot of time talking with people. On line, on the phone, in person. It was crazy how quickly those numbers grew. Eventually I ended up starting a support group in our area it was almost instantly a success. I learned that there is strength in numbers, that walking into a room full of people who understand you completely, is powerful. The support and wisdom shared there is absolutely priceless, I tell all new comers that they have just taken a powerful turn in the right direction in their journey. Lyme takes our power, it isolates us, it makes us feel like no one understands us.
Getting that power back is a big part of the battle.
I often say I get more from the group then I could possible give. I have met some of the most courageous people I know and I have made many true friends. They inspire me, and I am honored to know them. There are some personal frustrations though, I give them my support in anyway I can but often, I find myself feeling in adequate to give them the things they really need like money, insurance company's that pay the bill, or doctors that believe in the disease they are fighting. Often the only thing I have to offer is a heart felt "hang on" "don't give up". I'm known for it now, they all know when the "hang on" is coming, and I know it to, when there's nothing else I can do, it comes out. "Hang on."
There are good things happening. There are good things coming. The Lyme world has changed allot even in the last 10 years. When I was looking for a Lyme doctor here in Minnesota eight years ago, there wasn't one. Lyme wasn't even on a doctors radar then but now, that's improved. More and more doctors are getting it, the debate now is how to treat it. But at least now it's a debate. For every doctor who tells you there is no such thing as chronic Lyme and that your crazy, there is another who is learning how to fight this disease. So hang on! The science is being proven, new studies are being done and entire clinics are being opened for research. Better testing is coming, better treatments are coming, so hang on! There are people out there who are dedicated to pushing legislation to help protect the doctors that we so desperately need they are passionate, and they are doing it. There are those fighting for Insurance coverage, so don't quit now, your going to want to be here to see the changes that are coming, your going to want to be here to see "someday" your gonna want to be here to see how much better it's going to be, your victories are coming, your not alone, so don't quit, keep fighting, and hang on!
You see I know what it's like, I've been there. I have seen countless doctors who couldn't help me. I've been scared I would die before I knew what was wrong with me. I've had herxing episodes that made me want to crawl out of my skin rather then suffer it for another second. I've seen the looks of disappointment on my loved ones faces over things I could no longer do. I've been there.
But, I have also been on the other side! I have experienced little victories at first like being able to sing again and then big ones like a month with no pain! And now, there is nothing I can't do. Lyme doesn't control me any more so I say, hang on.
My book is available on Amazonbooks.com or through my publisher authorhouse.com both in an e-book and a paperback copy.
I can be contacted through my Facebook page for victory a Lyme story feel free to like it and share it while your there or through email goodwinfamily@midwestinfo.net.
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Thank you so much Aimee for sharing your heart today! What a beautiful piece of encouragement this is for all of us Lymies and anyone walking this journey with them in the fight for their health!
Today I am so excited to share that if you shop in my boutique today through Sunday I will be giving a major portion of the proceeds to help a sweet friend of mine who has been courageously fighting Epilepsy for almost a decade.
If you have been around the blog for a couple of years you may remember me sharing about my precious friendship with Jen and the impact that she has had on my life! She is truly an amazing woman of faith!!
So grab a cup of coffee, head on over to the boutique, and shop for an amazing cause!!
Happy Wednesday friends!!
p.s. Do you have a health struggle and would love to host a Chloe & Isabel on-line party/fundraiser with me to help pay for medical bills? Shoot me an email! I would love to work with you!!
As y'all know I love living for part of the year on Lake Champlain. The beautiful lake and towns that surround this gorgeous area of North America are simply stunning. In addition to the beautiful views Lake Champlain boasts, it is a place rich with American History having been apart of the Seven Years' War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812. While I love visiting a large city and traveling to different places throughout the world, I love the feeling of "coming home" to this area of the world. Many of the towns along Lake Champlain carry that feeling of "coming home" with them and today I wanted to share with y'all my favorite towns along Lake Champlain from the New York side. Soon I will share my favorite towns from the Vermont side and the cities along Lake Champlain, but today I hope that you enjoy finding out about these quaint New England towns and that reading this encourages you to visit them soon! Here are my favorites...
I shared last year how even though we would only visit Essex once a twice a summer when I was a child, it has a special place in my heart and truly is one of my favorite towns in the United States. I honestly would love to live there. The surrounding area is simply gorgeous country and is settled right in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. It has a lovely mixture of historic and new, a lovely art community, and is absolutely adorable. There are adorable eateries, a wonderful inn (that also has a lovely dining experience), and absolutely gorgeous buildings from the late 1700's and 1800's. It is important to note that Essex, New York is definitely an "all around year town" but many of the businesses & shops on main street close down at the end of October. They "re-open" for the first week of December (which I would love to see someday!) and then close again until the beginning of May! If y'all have never visited I completely recommend it!
(You can find out more about Essex HERE.)
Crown Point, New York
As a former High School History teacher I have always been a little fascinated with Crown Point and its European background. As colonists came to this area of the world there were originally two different European forts that were built here due to Crown Point's strategic location on Lake Champlain. The first fort was built by the French in 1731 but during the Seven Year's War the British gained control of this area. The French (who had destroyed their fort to keep the British from using it) eventually withdrew completely and the British built Fort Crown Point in 1759. During the American Revolutionary War, Crown Point continued to be known for its strategic location and eventually was established in 1786 as a town, with an influx of settlers in the early 1800's.
A final thing to note about Crown Point is that it holds one of the two bridges that you can cross to go to Vermont. The new bridge, "Lake Champlain Bridge" was constructed in 2011 as the old bridge (after almost a hundred years) was deemed unsafe.
Westport, New York
Westport is probably one the cutest small New England towns to visit with its rich social history that has lasted to this day. Originally the town was founded in 1764, but the town was completely destroyed in the Revolutionary War so the first permanent settlement didn't happen until 1785, with the town being firmly established in 1815.
Westport was known in the mid 1800s as a "resort town" and its social scene and happenings were regularly reported in the New York Times and the Boston Press. Like many other East Coast resorts the popularity started to decline as automobiles and airplanes made travel to other parts of the US and world more accessible. Despite this decline, Westport's lakeshore property has only increased in value since the 1950s and this quaint New England town continues to thrive, specifically with the only professional theater in the Adirondacks.
The Depot Theater was originally founded in 1979 and operates out of the historic (and still working) Amtrak railway station. This theater is absolutely adorable y'all. It seats approximately 135 people, has air-conditioning for those warm summer evenings, and hosts plays and musicals on its main state during the summer months, drawing people from New York City as performers. I can't say recommend this theater enough as the shows are absolutely wonderful!
Ticonderoga, New York
Ticonderoga was named from the Mohawk Indians, meaning "it is at the junction of two waterways", referring to the crossing between Lake George and Lake Champlain. In early settlement times Ticonderoga was a natural stopping point between New York City (from the South) and the French settlement of Montreal (in the North). Ticonderoga though was mainly settled due to its involvement in several historic battles and when Fort Ticonderoga was established in the 1750s by the French.
The town of Ticonderoga was officially formed in 1804 and to this day is a widely visited area of Lake Champlain. History buffs and kiddos alike enjoy visiting this area and learning all of the historical information about Ticonderoga.
Ticonderoga was named from the Mohawk Indians, meaning "it is at the junction of two waterways", referring to the crossing between Lake George and Lake Champlain. In early settlement times Ticonderoga was a natural stopping point between New York City (from the South) and the French settlement of Montreal (in the North). Ticonderoga though was mainly settled due to its involvement in several historic battles and when Fort Ticonderoga was established in the 1750s by the French.
The town of Ticonderoga was officially formed in 1804 and to this day is a widely visited area of Lake Champlain. History buffs and kiddos alike enjoy visiting this area and learning all of the historical information about Ticonderoga.
Valcour, New York
One of my favorite places to go by boat or to camp out on as a kid, is Valcour (or Valcour Island). Valcour is an absolute beautiful part of Lake Champlain and is easily accessible by car (or boat if you want to go to the Island). Many people don't realize that Valcour Bay (the strait between Valcour Island and the shore of Lake Champlain) was the site of a major battle during the American Revolutionary War. The Battle of Valcour Bay took place in October 1776 and is generally regarded as the first naval battle of the Revolutionary War, and one of the first fought by the newly formed United States Navy. Although most of the American ships were either lost or destroyed in the battle, the Americans were successful in stalling the British plans of reaching the Hudson River Valley, therefore making this an "American Success" in the eyes of some historians.
Before Valcour area became a national landmark in 1961, Lorenzo Hagglund (who was a veteran of World War I and a history buff) searched the area for any remains of the battle. He found several pieces including a hull and also discovered the USS Philadelphia which was ironically sitting (in tact) straight up on Lake Champlain's bottom. Hagglund spent time and money raising the ship and the USS Philadelphia can now be seen on display at the Smithsonian Institution (Washington DC).
(You can see more pictures of the New York Marshland and Valcour Island HERE.)
I hope that y'all have enjoyed learning about my favorite towns along the New York side of Lake Champlain! Stay tuned to find out about my favorite towns along the Vermont side of Lake Champlain! Do you have any favorite towns along Lake Champlain?
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