CHRISTmas at our house!

Good Morning Friends! I don't know how your Holidays went, but CHRISTmas was wonderful at our house. It was absolutely amazing to see our gifts underneath the tree, but I still am in awe at how they appeared there. Not due to the Santa Clause fascination, but due to the money we must have used to purchase these gifts.

When we were writing our "Gift Giving List," more than once we looked at each other with that "There's no way were going to be able to buy all of this look" and just felt a little deflated, honestly. But, over time, we caught sales and prayed about it, and the gifts started appearing. We wrapped and wrapped, and I was constantly thanking God that he sent me to certain stores and showed me where to look. The big factor in this was that I set my mind to this one thing: I refused to choose convenient gifts this year. I made up my mind around Thanksgiving that the gifts we bought were going to be personal and thought-out. They were going to be specifically chosen for each person based on what they would truly love to receive. That was my little way of bringing the spirit of CHRISTmas into our home.

I also tried to have little conversations with Jesus about his Birthday. I mean who wants to see everyone celebrating something, only to realize that it was SUPPOSED to be your special day, but they made it about them. This year, I wanted to remember: Jesus is the reason for the season, and I hope HE knew that I wanted to make it special for him. I know that ANY effort was a winner in HIS book!

All in all, I missed TWO very important CHRISTmas celebrations due to an extreme bout with nausea and vomiting that I've been having. I've been getting car sick and motion sickness really bad, and unfortunately I'm not quite out of the line of fire on that one. I'll be a little unstable, and then I get in the car and I feel like I have the flu with nausea. We really don't know why yet, but nausea is quite common with MS, due to vertigo.

I didn't get to celebrate CHRISTmas with friends and family on three different occasions, and I hated that I had to miss out AGAIN this year! Please pray that we do get a good grasp on my health issues this year, because I'm ready to gain more control over this illness!!

One event I missed was with my grandparents, Maimie and Pawpaw, my uncles and aunt, Ashley, Blu, and Ryan, and my two adorable twin cousins, Emma and Ella. They were all so wonderful, and sent the most amazing gifts to us anyway through my mom, and I hate that we couldn't be there to receive them! We received some amazing gifts, and I must mention one of them which was for both Scott and me, but I've taken it over: (This is not me, just a model in the pic)

Isn't this chair/couch amazing? Our bean bag couch/chair is Brown Microsuede, and it takes about 7-10 days to reach the full size, which is "pretty HUGE!" It is already big enough for me to stretch out on and sleep for hours, which is something I am famous for, as you know. (I hibernate daily!) Seriously, I grab my blanket and pillow, fluff the chair up a bit. and stretch out. And I don't have to worry about getting chilled, because my furnace of a chihuahua, JoJo, sinks into it and curls up around my belly, under the blanket. I'm in love...

I also missed Christmas with our good friends, Lee and Gena Anderson and with my Mother-In-Law Dianne. Next year, I refuse to let this control me!!

While I received a LOT of amazing gifts, here are a few of them:

• Project Runway Sewing Machine
• My entire collection of METAL STAMPS and Anvil to start my collection and new HIGHLY ANTICIPATED Metal/Stamped Jewelry Venture
• Estee Lauder Make-Up Collection (I get one every year!)
• FOUR different ART sets (with pastels, charcoal collection, oils, paint brushes, colored pencils, Ahhh.... I LOVE THEM!)
• A new sign for our den (Already Hanging!)
• And MANY more gifts of love.

Izzy was all into ZEBRA PRINT this year, and she received a LOT of it! Here are a few of her gifts:

• An Art set
• Zebra print boots
• Zebra Print Duct Tape ( Don't ask...)
• A Zebra Mini Pillow Pet
• A New Study Bible
• Jewelry Making Beads
• And much much more!

Evan is into "Boy Stuff" and he got plenty of it! Here are a few items he received:

• A Diablo game (to play Daddy online)
• A BB Gun
• Nerf Gun (Ahem, excuse me... Barricade RV-10 gun)
• A New Study Bible
• A Remote Control Car
• And much much more!

Scott didn't ask for anything... ANYTHING, so we were all at amiss on what to buy! He got:

• A new Eddie Bauer Coat
• Eddie Bauer clothes
• Wool Hunting Socks
• Gift Cards to Academy Sports
• A Father's Wisdom book (It's an awesome read!)
• A Browning T-shirt
• More Gift Cards
• A few more shirts

Needless to say, we were more than blessed this Holiday season. I'm anxious to learn how to sew so I can start sewing Scott's underwear soon! (haha... just kidding!)

I pray that your Holidays were as blessed as ours, and I hope the stress has left you with the shopping frenzies over! Have an awesome week, and don't forget to start planning your New Year's Resolution... I have many this year!!!

Computer Funerals are Depressing!

Happy Columbus Day! It's rather early still, and I'm on Day two of my "At Least One Blog Entry a Day" Campaign. I mentally started it yesterday, and I'd like to write at least one blog entry each day for a month. I seriously doubt my abilities to focus and stay on track in attempting this goal, but I'm still going to try. If I do indeed succeed at this, I will have kind of developed a new habit, so writing in my blog will be the "normal natural" think that comes first each day. Anyway...

About a week ago, my precious computer died. You have to understand this: My computer and I, well we really have a tough bond. I spend a LOT of time on my computer every single day, and I learn all of my features and buttons to make my system work for me. So if suddenly I can't get my computer to turn on and when it does come on, the computer randomly shuts off, I start to panic. I have a zillion pictures and documents saved on my computer of ideas for projects, family photos, and random images and stories.

When I dropped my computer off at a "Computer Repair" shop in Montgomery, Alabama, I was convinced that the issues I was having were due to a loose power cord and the computer somehow wasn't getting the necessary "juice" to run. The people running the place, an older couple who looked like they retired and got bored staying at home, seemed to think that it just may be the electrical connection as well. Tighten a little bit of this and twist a little bit of that, and I should be able to expect a phone call the next day to come pick up my phone.

And I did get a phone call the next day alright. To inform me that the motherboard had gone out in my year and a half old computer friend, and a new motherboard was going to be $220 and I still had to pay the diagnostic fee for them finding the problem. The owner lady kept telling me that it was cheaper for me to buy a new computer, and that they also sell computers. She said that if I will buy one of their computers, they will transfer all of my information from my old computer to the new one FREE OF CHARGE.

I don't know why, but this was where she started to rub me the wrong way. If I am paying you the diagnostic fee to fix my old computer AND should I choose to purchase a new computer from you, I would really hope that you would hook up the cords and transfer info from one computer to another for free. That's kind of like owning a store that only accepts checks and that store  is having a tough time in this economy. Then a very generous person comes in and spends $250. After they pay, you realize that you forgot to ring up a $5.00 shirt. Do you make the person write out another check for $5? NO, you show your appreciation, ESPECIALLY if they are personally helping you out, and you GIVE them the shirt to show that you are grateful! I went in the store two times, and each time there were no other customers. DON'T pick over each thing if you would be making a lot of month on one purchase.


 So what did I do? I made a responsible adult decision to wait a few days to decide. And, I was kind of in mourning over the death of my old buddy Computer, so I asked her to please let me speak with my husband and see if we could rub out hands together and make the $$$ appear to fix my old computer. Ok, I didn't say that about the money part, but either way, over the next few days, my mother told me I needed a second opinion. And I'm thankful that I listened.

The new place my mother suggested resulted from a recommendation from a highly trusted client of her business. He swore that a place where he gets his computers repaired is amazing, so we decided to try a second opinion after all...

(BTW, my mom owns an income tax business, Dease Accounting in Montgomery, AL, so if you are searching for a new Accountant to handle your personal or business tax information and returns, give her a call at (334) 270-9970. Of course, I recommend her because she IS my mother, but I also worked with her there for a few years. I was very impressed with how she genuinely cares about each person and every return, and her prices are PHENONEMAL compared to H and R Block, usually MORE than 50% cheaper. I know all of my old high school and college friends are learning the hard truth about filing taxes and it's confusing anyway. I promise, if I can work for her and understand what and why things are taken out, she will definitely be able to explain it to you... haha. FYI, I'm really proud of her bc that is one stressful job during tax season!)

Back to my computer:

The name of the AWESOME computer repair business that I also now highly recommend is Computer Commuter. The owner is Kevin Elkins, and his office is located in Montgomery, Alabama on Monticello Drive. (Click HERE for directions to their office.) Turns out, my motherboard was out of service, yes. But the cause was indeed the power cord and the over-amount of power that FRIED my computer and some other technical info that I can't quite remember. There was NO pressure to buy another computer, there was no stressed out Best Buy Geek Squad Assembly Line In and Out Quickly kind of atmosphere. It's was totally worth it.

Needless to say, I was better off to buy a brand new computer. And of course, Computer Commuter helped with that as well. They don't sell computers, but they were more than willing to help us find one at a wonderful price, AND (love this!) they explained what each little GB and tit tat means that now comes on each computer... THANKS!! If you need a new computer and a place gives you a quote that you think is too high, head on over to best buy or Wal-Mart, wherever computers are sold, and get a quote from them as well. That will let you know if you are getting ripped off or not. And we definitely were NOT getting ripped off by Computer Commuter!

Fortunately, in my situation, when it came to getting a new computer, their assistance was greatly appreciated, and our BRAND NEW computer is now supposed to arrive by Friday of this week!! Yay! That is also part of our Christmas from my Mom and Step Dad, Rusty, and I am SO thankful that they are going to allow me to have it early now! I really need to get to all of my craft information before this year's Holidays arrive, too.

Speaking of Parentals, Two days ago, I went grocery shopping with my Dad, and we had SO much fun! It has been years since we had been grocery shopping together, and it had also been years since he had been in a grocery store that small! I took him to SUPER FOODS in Tallassee, a place that is a little bigger than Dollar General but much smaller than Food World. In addition to common brand names of Today's World, they also carry random brands that were popular like 30 years ago. It was so much fun to hear Daddy say, "Chelsea, I haven't seen this or that in years!" I had a great day with him, and it was nice to go back in time!

I was going to fill you in on what I've been working on over the past week, but I'm getting a little antsy sitting at the computer right now. I've typed a lot, and my medicine has kicked in to wake me up. Scott is still asleep, so I'm going to go goof off... haha. Talk to you later!

Shattered Dreams and BRAND NEW SCHEMES!

Well, Hello to ALL of my super special blog readers! (And, yes I do realize that my blog is overwhelmingly followed by a grand total of TWO people). So, you don't have to point that out to me, thank you...

I hope that each and every one of you two faithful readers finds yourself in good company tonight... See now doesn't that approach make me sound so.... sweet?  Like the eerily cheerful Michelle Obama, with her "I don't even know how to spell 'ATTITUDE'" sweetness? She makes me look like a demonic witch.  I don't know why but it irritates me that she is always so freakin nice and in such a good mood ALL   THE    TIME... with the SAME smile. And you know what I'm talking about ladies... We all have numerous smiles for every occasion, ready to pull the perfect one out at just the right time. Not Michelle. She's always just so... following.

   See what I mean? Ugh.

 Ok, I have to quit, because I'm just cracking myself up.  Lately, I catch myself laughing all the time at myself. You know what that is called: Sudden Twenty-Something Dilusion Syndrome. And, that's right, I think I have it.

Now if you google this phenomenon, and you are impressed by the hundreds of articles published about the unfortunate symptoms of this illness, PLEASE let me know, because I totally thought I made it up.

May has been a month of personal transition for me. Nothing major, just the fact that I feel like my entire life has changed completely, therefore transforming me into a person even I don't recognize some days. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, because I think that I have matured and found myself...kinda. I never really realized how much real precious time I was wasting before I was sick. I got up each morning and got dressed and felt nothing. I drove to work and slaved away and drove myself home each night... and felt nothing. I made detailed organized plans for my future, and set milestones all the time and... God was laughing at me. Then one day, He must have thought that I had wasted just about enough time being selfish, so he took my life and He did to me what can only be described as this: He Re-Hatched Me with a Brand New Set of Morals and Values.

God gave me a second chance through Multiple Sclerosis, a second chance to learn how what truly is most important in life. Best of all, God taught me to be THANKFUL, for just about everything. I no longer fret about my high heels matching or my make-up looking beautiful, for now I am thankful that I am able to put my shoes on by myself *most* mornings. I no longer worry about letting someone down because I cannot be there for them all the time, because now I have to focus on not letting myself down and staying the course day after day. It's like waking up each morning to a new agenda, an agenda that you have to prepare for without any warning: Will my feet be numb, will my legs refuse to move, will I be able to feel my fingers, is my neck physically going to hold my head up tomorrow, is my body trying to tell me something? But as most of you know, I am SO random.. and God gave me a random disease.

I'd imagine when God was shifting through his "Disease Binder" on the day that my name was called, He was probably frustrated. I mean, He had to give me something pretty important, something that would be challenging for me, otherwise I would always be griping and complaining to Him, whining about how "SHE got to have Multiple Sclerosis and all I got to have was Lupus?" or "Why do I have to get something as boring as Cancer when HE gets to be so cool with his Multiple Sclerosis?" God was probably sitting at his huge table with all of his sparkly angel buddies while they debated which illness I would enjoy more. I'd imagine that just about the time all of the angels started getting catty, flapping their wings, causing MY precious Heaven Papers to scatter across the room, God loudly announced, "OK, I have decided to give her Multiple Sclerosis AND a Chronic Daily Migraine, because if she only has Multiple Sclerosis she will eventually become bored with figuring out her symptoms, so the Migraine will cause just the right amount of daily fog to make her have to actually use her brain each day." And that is how I like to think that I was specially selected to harbor this disease... and I'm ok with it. In this scenario, I STILL got to be the center of attention for a little while, right?

All kidding aside, I'll briefly update you on my last visit with my neurologist. I have a *knot* in my neck that is really painful and it causes confusion and awful cramps in my neck and sometimes I physically cannot hold my head up. I have a little neck brace for that, luckily. Well, if you feel my neck, you can feel the knot. So I diagnosed myself with a brain tumor, made a will for my precious chihuahua, JoJo, and selected a nice solid Oak casket for my funeral... which will be pulled by a Harley... haha Just kidding. I seriously was worried about it though, and I had no answers. Turns out, It's JUST that I am having a chronic daily migraine in my neck, and the pain is so intense that it is causing the muscles in my neck to form a hard ball, like a cyst. The ball of muscles is pressing on the nerves in my neck from the bottom side and the top side is making the bones in my neck between my c3- c4 Spine area poke out of my neck... thus creating the hard *knot*. And I absolutely do NOT respond to migaine medicine, so I cannot make the migraine cease. The bad news is that Doctor Leganke thinks the lesions on my brain could possibly have spread to my neck and/or spine. I have to go back for like my tenth MRI in a week or so. And for those who do not know, the lesions cause pain and they mess with things such as your concentration, speech, attention span, congnitive abilities, walking, etc. It just depends on where they are. So, basically I have almost had the migraine in my neck every single day for one whole year... I totally think that on my one year Migraine Birthday, June 3, 2011, I should so get a surprise migraine party.... Just Saying.

And for the next course of action... just wait and see. Your guess is as good as mine. Treatment can control the MS, but it doesn't target the migraines. The migraines an cause lesions on my brain too. And the damage so far is irreversible. MS treatment just slows down the progression of the disease.. if it works. Doc gave me steroids to boost me, but so far the only thing it has given me is the inability to have even an ounce of patience and the rage of an old alcoholic wife beater... Sometimes I'd like to take a lot of heavy bottles and hurl them through the big den window one at a time, just to relieve some of the pressure. Then I imagine myself sitting on the couch for the rest of he day, trying to come up with a good story about how a big *animal* flew into the window and shattered it and I refrain from throwing anything but the occasional two year old tantrum.  Steroids = Chelsea is CRAZY. And the absolute best part is, they have not worked at all this time. Usually they do. This time... I think I may just have to buy stock in ice packs.

On a lighter note, while I have been "finding myself," I have made quite a few revelations about the new me. Most importantly I have realized this: I am the absolute wierdest person I know. I am not even kidding with you. Here are a few quick facts about me:

- I am obsessed with trying to find out how serial killers tick.
- I am addicted to Mountain Dew.
- I HATE to clean out the kitchen drain.
- I honestly have no patience anymore... for much of anything.
- Sometimes I get the urge to say what is on my mind... the real truth.
- I am so much stronger than I ever thought I could be.
- I have friends in places that I never even appreciated or realized.
- I am a creature of habit: I bathe with the same motions in the same order, every single time. If you walk in and say something that distracts me, I have to start all over.
- I have to have everything in balance- If there is a candle on one side, there has to be a candle on the other side... or my anxiety will fly through the roof thinking about it.
- I just realized I just may like frilly rosy feminine clothes.. who knew?
- I unplug everything before I leave the house... EVERYTHING... unless my dog is not there.
- I have a mental schedule that I may forget to share with you- But we HAVE to follow it.
- I HATE to drive.
- I think I'm a loner.

And the list goes on.  And on. And on.

Here are a few pictures of things or people that make me smile. Underneath, I'll put a little explanation...

 Our Wedding Day... this picture always makes me wonder what he was whispering in my ear. I can't remember most anything after the ceremony because I was so sick. This picture is real emotion. I love it!

 And honestly I added this picture, because while I am not SO concerned about make up anymore, I still think her eyeshadow is absolutely stunning... Just in case you wanted to know.

 I have this picture, because I think anyone with the natural ability to be so beautiful with such minimal effort should be... tagged in my blog?  I think she is beautiful all the time, in every picture. Real natural beautiful features.

And of course, the *Duchess* Kate! Sometimes I think she is so beautiful that I could cry. She is not scared to be herself, and she sets her own standards. The way she carries herself should be a guide for anyone who wants to learn how to set an example without even trying. I love everything about her, even the fact that her boobs are so teeny tiny like mine... We will take the focus away from you *trying* to tell is we are in fact female, and divert that attention to the fabulous HUGE hat on our head. If Kate can wear gaudy hats and hair clips with feathers on national t.v., I should definitely have the guts to stroll up to Izzy's soccer game with my big white Accessory on my head. Unfortunately, I have not ever made it out of the car with the hat actually on my head, but hopefully by next year I'll almost be there.

This needs no explanation... haha.

In this picture I was looking for my wedding gown. This was the dress I went in to try on... this was NOT THE DRESS. Ladies... when you pretend not to notice the price tag and bypass it to run your fingers across through the perfectly white lace... You just know. And this dress was not in my dreams.

 Neither was this dress... NOT THE ONE. .... Keep looking.

This sweet little beautiful brown baby is my chihuahua JoJo. It's sad, because I truly depend on her to keep me company each day, and I don't give her enough love in return. She may just be a dog, but this little girl has been through everything from day one. I truly love her.

I like this picture, because right after I put those fish down, my grandfather, Bop, taught me how to filet a fish for the first time... A wonderful experience that I will treasure forever!

This picture is special to me, because it is proof that I had the courage to cut off inches and inches of hair at one single time... That may seem small, but I had to know if I liked short hair better, so I made up my mind and went for it. Turns out, I hated it. Well, I know now.

This was my sweetheart, Scott, before I ever knew he was my sweetheart. That gentle smile... sometimes I wish I could give that back to him more often. A lot has changed since this picture was taken, a lot that hurts and makes you cling to each other as you learn what pain really is. We have been through it and we will stay together as we travel this road... but I will always treasure the short time we had when life was Simple. Gentle. Easy.

My husband really is so confident in his *Manliness* that he sometimes sports my BIG sunglasses when he wants to ooze hotness... Such a goofball... a wonderful goofball.

For added manliness, here is a picture of my husband in my white and pink eye mask... And he really is asleep. And yes, he will kill me when he sees this. Our house is never normal... but it's perfect.

I LOVE this picture, because it was taken when I was 16... and I was so young and free and naive and happy. I was like a freakin walking ray of sunshine all the time in my own little world. I am so thankful for that time!

This is my beautiful Grandmother, Mimi. I LOVE this picture, because it shows her battling her own fight with chemotherapy and breast cancer. I believe this is one of them most beautiful pictures I have of her, because she is real. I'm thankful that we both have been through a crazy experience, because we have an  unspoken bond... Isn't she beautiful?

My one and only tattoo... I was 19, and I went all by myself and got a tattoo. I have no regrets and I am still proud of myself for doing what I wanted regardless of if anyone thought I went from "classy" to "trashy."  It means "ANGEL." I have no idea why I picked that at the time... It was random. Now I love it because I constantly have my own little reminder that God's angels are with me all the time...

Mr. Donnie Martin, one of my old bosses at Martin Funeral Home in Clanton, AL. He has Cerebral Palsy. The doctors said he would never walk. He rode a tricycle around town until he was 8, and his grandmother had to replace his tricycle tires 3 times! But when he was 8 years old, he learned to walk.. He went on to get married, he has a son, and he still beats the odds and works his tiny little butt off each day at the funeral home, even if it just by showing support. He has the personality of an angel, and I love him a lot. He's still walking and talking and he's about 70 years old.

My first scrapbook page... I had never even met Izzy when I made this. But I already loved her so much!

I just like this picture, because I'm being goofy... This was before my head started hurting... I was completely pain free in this picture... but I'm still just as goofy...

So here it is: THE DRESS.

This picture is Izzy and Evan when they were little. This picture makes me smile, because they are so young, so sweet, and so wonderful to have in my life. But it also makes me sad, because I wish I had known them then... I wish I hadn't missed seeing them grow. But I channel this to make sure I watch them grow now... They are angels.

My first baby boy: My brother Micah. I LOVE him more than he will ever realize. He has my heart and he doesn't even know it. I am so proud of him and I am so thankful that he loves God and that he is so smart... He will make a great difference one day, mark my words. He already makes one to me now.

Here I am at an exercise at work when I worked for the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences Medical Examiner's Office... I am SO thankful that God allowed me to do my dream job, cutting autopsies, for two whole years! He gave me what I wanted!!

Here we are on our honeymoon. This picture is a complete lie; In reality, we were scared out of our minds. That's why I love it. We were on our way to catch the subway in LA and it was getting dark. We were so clueless... but we were so wrapped up in each other that we made it through that crazy journey... Another time, another story...

Universal Studios... No one to worry about but us. We FINALLY made it!

The proposal... look at his shiny little cheeks grinning... LOVE IT! He had my heart way before that night, but the ring sealed the deal!

Without this little lady, I would not be here. This is my great grandmother, Annie Lee. As I've watched her grow older, I have learned that sometimes silence is the key to surviving. This littl lady has known some heavy pain and heartache in her lifetime... She has a story within her, and an entirely different world lives in her heart... sometimes I envy her for that.

I hope you enjoyed that little memory trip! Well, I have to go clean the house. Now. Scott is on his way home with the kids, and it looks like a craft store threw up all throughout my house... More later.