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!!!!!!!!!!

summer time!

So school ended over a month ago.... but I am just now getting time to write! First off, school. School went excellent this last semester. Alex and I both made the Dean's list- Myself with a 4.0 and Alex with a 3.5! Definitely looking forward to next year though to see if we can keep this up! My Gen eds will finally be finished as of next semester and I will officially be starting my upper division courses which means that I get to dig into the nitty gritty of my degree. Alex should only have a year left of school and then he will be a college graduate! Next off, summer. Alex is still working as a mechanic and I am working at my old job again... except I get to go on a new adventure! I just got accepted into the CNA summer program with the Harlowton Hospital which is through the Miles City Community College. With a 6 month commitment I do not have to pay for the class and I will start making money in August. I start the class online this coming up Monday and it is an 8 week course. I am super excited about this and may even get transferable college credit! I am currently in the middle of a crohn's flare up and am going under testing so thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated!

Sick of snow!

                                                      A fresh new two feet of snow............................

                                                        And more snow.....

                                                              Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                  There is a fence under there..... somewhere.......

                                                The roads last weekend driving back to school

                                            The difference in my knee caps.... bad pic.... sorry!

So hopefully we are through the worst part of winter.... but maybe not. After getting snow by the foot, I have come to realize that I do not belong in Montana! A couple of weekends ago I drove of pure black ice roads and as a result I was almost hit... and I mean about an ice away from being in my first highway accident.... something that you don't ever want to experience because of the severity of the high speed impacts.... but I am safe and made it to Harlow to work. Last week, leaving Gap to come back to Billings consisted of a few snowy and ice packed roads... and both Alex and I were almost hit by an idiot semi driver who likes to basically push you out of his way... dang Coloradans don't know how to drive :) Anyways, school is going good. I started working my other job every weekend again so I am working two jobs and taking 17 credits.... much prayer is needed! Last week I injured my knee again and found out bad news. Because of my very high arches, and low weight bearing arches in my feet, the amount of pressure put on my navicular bone (the highest part of your arch) is forcing my knee to collide and rest onto my upper condile (Highest grove in your knee) and as a result I am injured. Due to the amount of running that I have been doing, My weight is being shifted to much. I woke up one morning with a swollen knee, bad pain, and bruising. A week passed and I finally went to the doctor where I was referred to an orthopedic specialist. I must say I do love this doctor even though he hurt me! Okay not really but he did jerk my knee in all sorts of directions to make sure that all ligaments and tendons are doing their jobs and that looked good. Looking at X-rays, however, was not so good. My patella has risen about an inch above where it should sit. Because I was in so my pain, I am in a brace with a prescription for physical therapy and a medical brace. I do have an appointment for a month to see if the brace and physical therapy helps and if not then the next step is to make sure that the cartilage is not torn under my patella... so lets hope for the best! I would like to get running though so I can do the 5k run in Harlow this summer! This whole knee pain started with my work out training.... and now I am behind schedule! Maybe next year though! (On a positive note, I almost look great in a bikini! J/k). Alex doing great so far in his classes. His health has been great and he has no joint pain unlike his charming girlfriend! Here are some quick pictures to update you guys!