Sweet Summer time!

As of this Monday, Summer begins! Some how Alex and I lucked out and all of our finals are on Monday with the exception of my economics and precalculus final.... those open up Tuesday and are online. SO ready to be done with this semester! Alex starts school again in May and ends in July (summer session) and then I have 1 class in July. August I ship my butt off to Colorado to get most of my pre-reqs done so I can apply for Pharmacy school (yeah!).

On an even more positive note, we are almost done sending out save-the-dates... July 27, 2013! It is going to be here fast! We got the invitations almost done finally. We just need to add the information and a picture and those will be ready to send off (next year of course). I think that Alex and I have spent a total of 10 hours making them already... nonsense! We are hopefully going to be looking at and booking a venue in Helena in May. I got my dress back too! I'm still in love with it! I am going to be getting it sized in Colorado in March or April and I cannot wait because it gives me a good excuse to try it on!

Last week I bought a new car! I got a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee that looks brand new! It had low milege on it and I have engine and poweline insurance on it for two years... talk about peace of mind since I will be going to Colorado alone! I am way excited about it though because I absolutely love jeeps and I feel more comfortable and safe in it!

That pretty much sums up our life so far, sad I know!

Coming Together

So it is officially spring break! Woohoo! All I can say is it is much needed given I feel like crap... unfortionately I work most of my days off from school as does Alex. I guess that is one way to bring in the dough though, right?
Lets see here. I am finally starting to feel better, but the pain in my belly gets worse the better I feel... I got a new doctor finally since my old one was doing absolutely nothing for me and the ER doctors got sick of seeing me in so much pain so they put in their word and got me in with an awesome doctor. This doctor ordered a couple of things for me. First, trigger point injections... yes they sound as bad as they felt. Basically, an anesthesiologist sticks a huge needle in my belly that has about 6 ounces of cortizone and lidocane. Yeah, mid-procedure I asked the doctor if he has ever gotten hit because it HURTS!!!! (His answer was yes and usually people scream because of the pain. When the lidocane wore off, I was in pain again :( It was worth a shot though... literally. I am so thankful I don't have to ever get those again since they didn't work. Next up, an emptying study. Basically, I eat oatmeal and then they time how long it takes to exit my belly. This may be why I am so nauseated after I eat and why I don't eat very much. If this is the case, it is fixable!
Now on with the good news... the wedding planning. I found THE DRESS last week and Alex's mom verified that it was THE dress. I absolutely love it and could not be happier. My consultant told me that she has never seen anyone fall more in love with a dress as I did... needless to say I asked for visitation rights as it gets altered. Pathetic I know! I am so excited because I have never felt more beautiful and I feel that Alex will be absolutely blown away... even though he doesn't like the shoes his mom bought me to go with the dress... men. We may have found a venue as well. It is in Helena and it is a restored barn that is absolutely stunning. We will hopefully go visit it this summer to see if it is the place where we will say "I do" but as of right now I am pushing for it. As far as wedding planning goes, that is all I got. I am horrible at this kind of stuff...  Alex has done more planning than I have! What a guy :) We do have a date though... July 27, 2013! Save the date!
School update- Alex is doing phenominal in his classes and even has to go bowling with sped kids for his class... I want classes like that! Pre-calc and intro to organic chemistry is kicking my butt... but kayaking class starts next week so no complaints! I am so excited to go kayaking again! I am all set for transferring to Colorado in the Spring. So far Colorado has  taking 100% of my credits (including golf) which means that I am right on track to being done with undergrad studies next fall about a month after Alex graduates! I am so happy he graduates in a year! IT is well deserved!
Other than that, nothing new! We are just going to school, working, and seeing very little of each other since I work nights and he works days... ode to joy!

New Year Means New Beginnings!

What a rough year! Let's see here: Feburary I had a knee injury that I struggled with until May, May I had a Crohn's flare up that lasted until late June, July I started have gall bladder failure and I passed my CNA exams and CPR/AED certification, August I went into emergency surgery to have my gall bladder removed, September I found out that I have cysts and a torn muscle from my surgery, October I was placed on bed rest, November I started having symptoms of adhesions and Alex was rushed to the emergency room because he randomly passed out and hit his head pretty good, adn last but not least December I began treatment for adhesions and finally started feeling better. Whew! I had a very tough semester which resulted in a low GPA, but I passed all of my classes... I am really bummed that I couldn't get my 4.0 again but, considering the semester I had, I am satisfied with passing grades. Alex had a great semester though and his grades were all A's and B's! Unfortionately he still has another year of school left because the school added 5 more classes to his degree... lame right?
As most of you all have heard, Alex and I are engaged at last as of Christmas! I got the dream ring that I spotted in the window of a jewelry store about a year ago. Many people are asking about the details as to when the wedding will take place... and those people are learning that I am not a planner! yeah I know... sad right? I need a wedding planner...
I am still waiting to hear back from UCCS about admission, but if all goes to plan I should be done with my undergraduate studies next school year and will hopefully be accepted into my doctorate program. I am taking chemistry over the summer which means that all I have left is Anatomy, Organic Chemistry, Calculus, Biology, and BioChemistry... I know that is a lot to cram into one semester but it will be worth it in the end!
Anyways, School starts up again on Wednesday... I have never been so excited in my life! Alex and I both have been working non-stop! I picked up extra shifts at work meaning that last week I had a 57 hour work week plus holiday and overtime pay! That may not sound a lot but believe me, I'm dying! Being a CNA is really hard on your body (especially when your body already aches from Crohn's) and the days are 12 hour days! I now work nights though and my body is having a rough time adjusting! Alex works 10 hour days still and so between the two of us we should have a nice pay check next week!

Happy 3 years!

Yes today Alex and I have been together for 3 wonderful years and I couldn't be happier! We went out for Italian and laid low because it has been a rough month! Last weekend I started work again and was surprised to see Alex come in to my work... only it wasn't to visit me. He ended up having to have 9 stitches in his left thumb and he broke a little bone as well so he is in a cast and out of commission for a few weeks. Two weeks ago I wound up going through a lot of tests because I was, and still am, having some severe pain in my abdomen where my gall bladder use to be... The findings were that I have a torn muscle and two cysts- one on my pancreas and one in my muscle. I am on a high dose of muscle relaxers and prednisone. Gah! Needless to say, it has been a couple of rough weeks!
School is in full force now! I am way overwhelmed with the classes that I am taking, but I am doing it so that I can finally get into the health promotion program next semester. Alex starts his school hours Thursday where he will be working with an after school program cooking. The weather has been super nice so I cannot classify myself as a hunting widow just yet... but soon! 

UGG- as in pain not over priced boots

Well Thursday I was given instructions to go to the ER for an assessment because I could not move my right arm and couldn't take a deep breath. So a few hours later I am driven to the ER and told that my Gallbladder is coming out the next day. I head home and then the next day I am in outpatient surgery. After the gallbladder came out they found that it was inflamed, although not past a dangerous amount and adhesion's were found. Now that it is Sunday I am still in a lot of pain but I can breathe again and I can eat without vomiting and feeling nauseated. I have 9 staples in my belly right now and they hurt! I can't wait to get them taken out! I also can't wait for the swelling to go down.... Anyways, We got to Phoenix next week and I am so excited! I hope that I feel better so that I can enjoy the pool and wedding! We leave the first and are going to stay in Salt Lake City with my Aunt and then the following day we are heading to Scottsdale where the hotel is. Then Saturday is the wedding and Sunday we head to California and Monday back to Montana to start school Wednesday. I am out of work right now until I heal but as soon as I can I will be back working my CNA job on the weekends and I think I am going to try and get a job as a CNA in Billings as well. Alex is going to take up a second job as well so hopefully we will have time for date nights :) But we are both ready to start school and get back into the motions again!

And the list goes on...

A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks! For starters, Alex went and visited his uncle in Denver which he said was very hard. He also got to see a lot of his family which was great for him! He didn't talk much about the trip but it was great for him to get to see his uncle one last time and get to see his family. I PASSED my CNA examine!!!!! I got a 92% and the lowest you could get was a 75%! So I am officially a CNA and start work on Thursday. I got to go to Colorado and go to one of my good friends wedding. I was able to see a lot of friends that I graduated with and that was a blast! I had my orthoscopy today, they found one sign of inflammation in my stomach and that is being biopsied and they tested me for a bacteria. Before leaving the hospital I found out that I will need to have my gull bladder out because it is not draining like it should. It sure explains why I am nauseated after I eat. Hopefully that will stop my vomiting and actually give me some relief! Any who, Alex and I are still working and looking forward to this next school year and what it has to bring for us!

Happy 4th of July Weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is the 4th of July weekend and we couldn't have asked for better weather! The whole family went up to Helena Saturday (the 3rd) and spent literally all day at the lake. John and I went tubing and had a ball! We also did a lot of kayaking and it was such a blast! Alex attempted it and after being tipped twice he gave up :( Then I TRIED water skiing and my butt never left the water.... and then we did about and hour and a half boat ride. The rest of the day was enjoyed with some friends of the people who had us up there. We had BBQ and thankfully a couple of people were gluten free people and made a special dessert which they shared with me! So blessed!

Moving on, I am on my 5th week of my CNA class which means that hopefully by the end of July I will be a Certified Nurse Assistant. I currently hold a 94 in the class and start my on site training on the 14th.
Alex has been working away. He works almost everyday now if only for 30 minutes. He and John went crystal digging last week and came back loaded. He is going again tomorrow an hopefully finds some gold that we can cash in.... haha.
Health wise- I am doing better. I still get really exhausted after about 2 hours of being on my feet. I had a colonoscopy last Thursday and that did not go well. Half way through the prep I stated vomiting again.... but luckily I hadn't eaten anything for the past 4 or 5 days so he was still able to get what he needed. He did not find anything abnormal so he said that he is most likely going to refer me to a doctor in Billings because he is concerned with the amount of blood I loose through vomiting and other means.

Happy 4th everyone!!!!!!!!!!