Update on me

For those of you who don't know, the past month and a half has been quite a challenge for me health-wise. For myself, and for my friends out there, I want to summarize.

Facts:
1. I'm a medical anomaly - no one is quite sure what's going on. A team of doctors has consulted about me...
2. Every test they've done comes back normal, even a test that shouldn't have based on my medical history. The good news is that it doesn't seem like I have any life-threatening disease.
3. I have awesome family and friends that have helped me get through the last six weeks, providing grocery trips, washing dishes, a listening ear, and lots of hugs.
4. I'm still sick and tired, literally.

Goals:
1. Base each day on a jar of pennies. I'll spend what I have and hope tomorrow I have more. Each day I wake up, I'll have a different number of pennies out of 100. It'll be the way I can set goals for myself. Today I think was about a 50 cent day.
2. Get through this semester learning as much math as possible. WHEN I finish this degree, I will have learned tremendous amounts. This semester, I want to learn as much as I can in both the course I'm taking, background on my advisor's research, and also beginning my own research (I hope).
3. Try to learn to balance my commitments outside of school work. Learn how to say no, even if I don't want to, so that I can maintain my health enough to complete my school commitments. I hate backing out of things at the last minute, and I'm going to try to learn my limits. The pennies will help me.

Please keep the prayers coming. Help me learn whatever I can from this intense struggle, help me overcome the frustration and impatience that go long with both feeling bad and not getting answers. Prayers for enjoying every well minute I have. Plus, any suggestions on how to eat (gluten-free) inexpensively without cooking or grocery shopping would be appreciated. Miracles, people, that's what we need!

"He will never deal unjustly with anyone, neither will He task a soul beyond its power."

"True reliance is for the servant to pursue his profession and calling in this world, to hold fast unto the Lord, to seek naught but His grace, inasmuch as in His Hands is the destiny of all His servants."

Autumn time

Fall has officially arrived - the colors were beautiful on the drive to and from State College. I got to wear a pretty dress on Saturday, going to the Barrister's Ball at Penn State. I'm loving the cool crispness of the air, but the fact that it was still in the 60s and sunny on Saturday :).
I'm reading an excellent book for my book club this month - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I suggest it to anyone. If I needed any more incentive, Elizabeth Gilbert (of Eat, Pray, Love wonderfulness) also loved the book and thought the characters were her friends writing letters to her. (It's an epistolary novel... that's a great word, by the way, and I don't know where I learned it.)
I'm also excited as the 7th book of the Outlander series has come out! I didn't even know there was going to be a 7th book, I thought the series was over. Even though Amazon was amazing and it got it to me in a day rather than 5, I've been good and not started it until my plane ride home tomorrow. Well, I take that back. I read the first 3 pages, got entirely confused, and put it down. I'm no longer confused, but not reading it until break.
Fall break won't be much of a break this time, as I've still been sick. Yep, I've been sick since August 31. No fun. Very behind in school, but it's a really good thing I'm a graduate student and I have amazingly supportive friends. Lab tests have been done, we're waiting for the results. Unfortunately, the thing that looks most likely is not mono (which I'm praying for mono - it goes away) but chronic fatigue syndrome. I hate to admit it, but my symptoms line up almost perfectly with the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. For the past couple weeks, I've just been exhausted. Like sleeping about 24 out of 48 hours if I let myself. I've realized it's not a good idea to allow that, so I'm holding myself back to at most one nap a day. So please keep the healing prayers coming - I really need them. I am also going to try acupuncture, probably not until after fall break, just because I don't have the time. But at this point, I'll give anything a try, and maybe it'll help!

a little bit better

I think this morning I'm finally doing a bit better. Yesterday was worse than Wednedsay, and last night was about as bad as Sunday night. I didn't like the downward slide at all. But, I think this morning I'm doing a bit better. Plus, A will be arriving in just an hour and a half to keep me company, get some work done together, and just take care of me. It'll be nice to have a real person around, rather than just Malcolm and telephone calls. Yesterday I saw a person for the first time since the doctors on Tuesday. I have a new appreciation for people with swine flu who can't interact with anyone for a week! Two and a half days was too much for me. Maybe by tonight I'll feel up to being out in the world, I hope!! Thanks for the healing prayers, and keep them coming!

so so sick

I'm very sick... fortunately not with swine flu, but instead with stomach flu or food poisoning or something. Send healing prayers my way, as it feels like my body hates me...

first week of school

Maybe I really am allergic to school or something, because Monday - the beginning of the first full week of school - I got a flu-like thing. Don't worry, it's not actually the flu, I just have felt crummy and exhausted all week. So here's a few thoughts from the week...
- Awesome drive home on Sunday - saw a rainbow for at least 45 minutes, and for a long time saw the whole thing.
- Amazing, amazing weekend - State College, Pittsburgh, State College. Incredible people, beautiful devotional, and wonderful spiritual insights. Plus, Malcolm made some new friends ;).
- Monday felt like fall, and it was refreshing (except for the fact that I got sick).
- My parents are coming to visit tomorrow! I can't wait, it's been too long since I've seen them ( 4 months).
-I might get to come to SC for fall break after all, and that's a wonderful thought.
So I'm feeling better, but now I'm exhausted. Please send healing prayers my way, so I can enjoy the great weekend coming up!

happiness

This morning, I'm happy. It's a sunny day, the cool weather is coming, and I danced yesterday. I went to jazzercise around lunch, which was amusing and fun, then ended up walking from campus to downtown for thai food for dinner (yum), and then went swing dancing for two hours. I finally have the idea of lindy hop (yay)! Plus, I just got to spin around a room and feel tall (my dance shoes have heels). It's the first day of classes, but that doesn't mean much until Monday for me :). Plus, this morning began with Malcolm curled up on me in bed, purring like the sweet cat he can be, while I petted him and scratched behind his ears. It was a beautifully sweet moment.
Happy Thursday!

These are a few of my favorite things...

... of the past few weeks (in no particular order):

1. Seeing so many of the people I love and care about so much
2. Enjoying the absolutely beautiful nature that I live in and near
3. Time with friends over - make your own sushi picnic lunch, and an ice cream party at my place
4. Just relaxing with someone special to me
5. Betty Crocker's new gluten-free chocolate chip cookie mix - not only is the dough tasty, but the cookies turn out pretty well and still taste good the next day!
6. Starting conversations with random people in the aisles of Wegman's
7. Late night walks home in Ithaca after delicious food at parties
8. Seeing my friends so happy in their new starts (apartments, marriages, houses, etc.)
9. Having a truly classic sister conversation - I love my sister :)
10. Enjoying the last few days of post-A-exam freedom and celebration before classes begin again

I think that's about all for now. James Taylor, Corrinne May, Red Grammer, Priscilla Ahn, Meiko, Joshua Radin, Jack Johnson, and Jason Mraz have been playing in my "August Mix" this week.

Restful week

Ahh, Saturday morning with no studying to do, no teaching stuff to finish off, no cleaning to do, no necessary cooking. Plus, I woke up to pretty flowers on my dresser, a beautiful sunny day, a kitten snuggling (and wanting to be petted), and all the time to do what I want with. I'm loving the freedom of no immediate responsibilities! It's definitely my time to fill up, before starting the new semester.
Jules came to visit this week, starting on Monday, and we had a wonderfully restful week. We watched lots of movies (something like 7...) over 3 days, ate lots of yummy food, reading out in the sunshine with treats from Gimme, went for several walks to waterfalls, up gorges, around the neighborhoods that I love so much. We house-spotted and commented ;), planned lives living across the street from each other, talked about life and love and school and plans and family. Plus, we got all dressed up, went out for dessert at Madeline's and then went swing dancing at the 2nd floor bar. We had a lot of fun together, a lot of giggles, not many tears (go us), and a lot of love.
Yesterday was a beautiful day, filled with so much that I love about Ithaca - a walk to Cascadilla gorge, lunch at Taste of Thai, hanging out with Malcolm at my apartment, then a hike at Robert Treman Park to Lucifer Falls with a delicious picnic at the top before heading back down, all with good company!
I'm definitely doing everything I can to enjoy the beautiful Ithaca sunshine but coolness (yay for highs in the 70s, even if it's 79)! Soaking up as much sun as I can before winter returns. It's funny how far away snow seems when I'm outside now, though when I'm out in winter here how far away summer is. I love the change of seasons, and it makes you appreciate the beauty of what you have even more.
I'm still listening to my birthday music that my wonderful brother gave to me, with a couple additions. Especially loving:
1. No Answer by Gillian Grassie
2. I'd Rather Be With You by Joshua Radin
3. Red Cape by Priscilla Ahn
4. Happiness by the Weepies
5. Let It Go (and Little Superhero Girl) by Corrinne May
6. Turn to Stone by Ingrid Michaelson
... and much more by those artists. I really love just listening to the same music over and over.
Time for more relaxing, including reading, a movie, some ice cream in the sunshine, and then Rock Band/s'mores party tonight (the flash cards will be burned...)!

Gluten-free cooking successes this week: French silk pie, gluten-free onion rings, gluten-free pasta salad