More Doctors.

This will be a week of doctors visits...

For the past several months, my stomach feels as though it has not been digesting food correctly. In fact, it bloats up very large and becomes very painful after certain meals and I've even began to have rashes and hives after eating some cookies. Not very fun. I haven't been able to eat very much either, and if I do I get sick. Really nauseous. Due to that fact, I've been losing some weight.

But I look like I've gained it.

When I'm not bloated (in other words, when I haven't eaten for a while during the day), I look a bit skinnier than I used to be.

I go to the doctors office tomorrow to see if we can figure out what's wrong.

I really hope it's nothing. But, at the same time, I'd like to know if this is what's causing my migraines, because I've been getting migraines every single time it happens, too.

I don't know which I'd rather have.

Neither, actually. I'd rather have neither.

Oh well, I'm going to wish myself luck at the doctors office tomorrow, and hope for the best, whatever it might be!

Also, I'm going to hope and pray that I get through this night shift, because right now, I'm really not feeling my best.

Happy Birthday, Cory!

My man is turning 20! How exciting!

I wanted to dedicate a post to him, and to everything he's done for me, not only for these past two years that we've been dating, but for much longer.

Cory is a strange guy. Kind of quiet, really tall, and some people get a little intimidated by him. But not me. I love him more than anything. He, once you get to know him, has one of the kindest hearts you could ever imagine.

I remember being friends with him in high school and staying up late into the night chatting with him, having conversations that seemed too big to have back then. One in particular I remember is him telling me how great of a person I would be for someone. How great of a girlfriend, a wife, and a mother I would be to some lucky guy. Little did he know I had no desire to be someone's girlfriend, wife or mother at the time, but as time went by, I realized, long before we even started dating, that I loved Cory. Man, did I feel silly. I was only 17--how in the world should I know what love meant or what it felt like? But I was sure of it, I loved Cory. I cared for him more than I had anyone. And a year later, I was not only a girlfriend, but his girlfriend. And he still reminds me how lucky he feels.

Now as the years are going by and things are growing more difficult, it's so nice to know that I have this amazing guy by my side, telling me that I can do it and there's nothing that's impossible.

I'm happy to have him with me, happy to have gone through what we have, and excited that we get to go through more.

I love you Cory! I hope you have the best 20th birthday imaginable!!

Mission.

Alex is now Elder Creasey. His being set apart was wonderful; the spirit was very strong. I'm really proud of him for being able to go out and serve the Lord like he is.

Aunt Lorna and Uncle Don came to be with us for the setting apart. Aunt Lorna made really delicious lasagna, salad, and dessert. We had a really nice time. We conversed as a family and laughed and cried...it was a night of mixed emotions.

I'm so happy for Alex, but at the same time, I'm going to miss him so much and it'll be a tough beginning for us as a family. It will be a change that will take time to adjust to. But it's totally possible. And we still have letters that we can write to him. I'm sure he'll write to us as well. I'll be looking forward to those letters.

We dropped him off at the MTC today and it was a bittersweet moment. It's hard thinking that my little brother is gone for two years. That this is real and it's actually happening. I don't think it's hit me yet. I realized on Sunday that he would be leaving, and it was really distressing, but I don't think I've yet realized that he is actually gone. I can only hope that he feels comforted in the beginning, because I don't think it'd be easy being separated from family so quickly. I feel like we had so much time to be with him, yet it was not enough. But, as he does what Heavenly Father wants him to do, I know he will be blessed and he will bless the lives of so many others. I love Alex a lot, and I wish I would have told him that more often.

I'm going to write him a letter this week so he gets one next week. I'd really like to hear from him already. I feel like when I get home from a day shift, it will be hard. I think that's when I'll cry. Because I won't see him on the couch, and we won't be able to talk. But it's okay, because I'll be able to see him again. Two years isn't very long at all.

I'd really like to go to Chile sometime in the near future. If possible, I'd really like to go and complete a service project in a different country as well. I think I'll start saving for that now. Mom figured out that some airline she looked at, possibly Delta, is having a great offer on tickets to Chile--buy 2 tickets for the price of one! So after talking about it today, we're going to go get our passports, and for the kids, our Chilean citizenship, and then head off so we can see Abuelo y Abuela! I miss them so much. It's hard, sometimes, not having a grandparent. Sometimes I'm jealous of Cory and how good his grandparents are. I've never met them, but he tells me about them. They sound like really great people. I just wish I had my really great grandparents here to talk to. I wish I would have been smarter when I was younger and listened to the stories they had to tell. I feel a lot of regret over that. To have seen so much history happen in your lifetime must have been incredible. I can only hope that I get to ask them their favorite parts of their lives; what made them who they are, and why they are happy.

I go to Lagoon with Cory's family on Friday. It will be really fun and I'm way excited! Even though Lagoon is kind of gross, but it will be a day that I can be stress free. I don't even care if I'm tired. I'm happy that I'll be able to see Cory and finally spend time with him. I feel like I really haven't seen much of him all week and it's become a little bit of a frustration. I know it's my own fault though, I'm working a lot. I think I have a bit of a break in a few weeks, so that will be really nice. Plus school starts and we have a class together, so we can see each other then, too!

Paying for school is going to be difficult this semester. I'm nearly $900 short. $600 on tuition and $300 on books. Books are going to be bad. It's a bit stressful, but that's what comes with school. It'll be worth it; I only have a few more semesters until I'm finished with prerequisites for Nursing School. I'm looking to move somewhere else for Nursing school, because if I want to be a Nurse Practitioner, I'll have to go through a better school than SLCC (they only offer a program for an associates in nursing, or something of that sort). So I'm looking into several different schools as possibilities. I'll have to talk to a counselor just so I can be sure I'm doing everything right, but I think I'm nearly finished with my prerequisites.

Life's going good; of course there are challenges, but that's to be expected!

Anniversary Number Two.

Today was a good day. Despite being so tired I felt I might possibly die last night, it was good.

Today, well I guess technically yesterday (August 10th) was a celebration for Cory and I. We have officially been dating for two years! It was exciting. :) Cory planned this year's anniversary to-do's--I put in my opinions when he asked for them, and sometimes when he didn't. But, it was very fun. I enjoyed it and today was something that was very much needed.

Here's how my day started out yesterday:

Alex and Dad came home from California in the morning around 9. It was nice to see them home, but the second they walked in the door, they smelled poop. I was a little more than half asleep, but I could still process most of what they were saying. Dog poop. Oh no. Heard the bathroom door open and then quickly close. Alex complaining of the stench.

I left Zeke in the bathroom last night because I needed to sleep. I was so tired and couldn't handle a jumping puppy at 3 am. Well, Zeke wasn't happy with that. He pooped everywhere (bathtub included) and smeared it all over the floor. Tracked it everywhere. And it smelled terrible.

I had to clean it all. Alex did help, thank goodness, but it was all semi-traumatic considering I had just woken up.

Alright, so the mess got cleaned and I took a shower and got ready for the day. I didn't do anything fancy, just some make up and left my hair natural. The whole poop ordeal left me a little flustered. I took a long nap afterward and woke up around one. Cory would be on his way at two. So I quickly got myself together and was ready by the time he got here.

We went to lunch at Corner Bakery Cafe--it was delicious! Cory got a meat and goat cheese sandwich, and I got their delicious mac and cheese. Oh my gosh, it was good. I don't think I will ever get sick of that mac and cheese. It was heavenly.

After that we went to see Wolverine. It wasn't that bad of a movie, I have to say. I was interested for most of it. But I was still pretty tired and it's always been really hard for me to stay awake in movies. I don't like paying money (or having someone else pay money) to sleep through a movie. I'd rather just rent it from redbox or something like that.

We then drove up Butterfield Canyon to go to a viewpoint. It was nice, something we've never done before, so I thought it a bit odd that we were doing it now after two years. But the view at the top was amazing, although the ride up was a little scary. Definitely worth it. Going down though was terrifying, and I don't think I'd like to do it again, even if we did get down super fast.

For dinner, we ate at Red Robin. Cory gave me a choice between a few different restaurants and that sounded the best to me, though there was a tie for a while between that and the Cheesecake Factory. Red Robin was good though. Just the kind of food I wanted. I ordered fish and chips, Cory ordered chicken and fries. Great meal, I was full for a really long time after eating it.

Cory did a great job planning things out this year. It was fun and he made me feel better, he made the day great and he made me feel loved like he always does.

Today was Alex's mission farewell. He did amazing on his talk about Temples and Families. It brought me to tears. I was expecting Alex to talk afterward, and that way when I had to perform, I wouldn't be nearly crying, but no, Obispo changed the order last second and I was very shaken for the performance of "In the Hollow of Thy Hand/Nearer, My God, To Thee". Alex is going to be a great missionary while he serves in Long Beach. I have no doubt that he will bring many people the joy and happiness that they have been searching for.

Lots of people came, former ward members and lots of Alex's friends. Mom's friends came too. Cory and his family came. We all enjoyed the spirit Alex brought to the meeting.

At the farewell party, Cory and I played with Jayden and Kailey a lot. They were adorable and we were exhausted by how much energy Jayden had. Lots of people came and all the food that was prepared was gone within minutes, it seemed.

An exhausting day, but a great one. It's been a really good week.

Sick Calls.

I think I can honestly say that tonight is the most tired I've ever been while working a night shift. I was asked to work because someone called in sick earlier in the day. Of course I said yes, because it's the right thing to do. And I love working here, because it's fun. The staff is great. I'm very lucky to have a job like I do!

I get to see Katie today at noon! I'm super excited, especially since I haven't seen her in so long. :) We're going swimming. Yeah, I did work a night shift, but whatever! This is my best friend. Sleep can wait. Some quality time with my best friend is long past due.

Cory and I have our two year anniversary on Saturday! It's his turn to plan it this year. I'm curious as to what he has planned, it seemed like he really took the time to think it through, so we're going to have some fun! I've always had a love, hate relationship when it comes to surprises. Hate waiting for them, love it when they actually happen and I know what I've been waiting for. I guess you could say I'm just a tad bit impatient.

I may end up working the first half of tomorrow night. Another person called in sick, and the charge nurse is going to pass it along to see if anyone will be able to cover for them. I told them I could cover for half, but that was it, because I can't sleep through Saturday. I promised myself, and Cory. That wouldn't be fair.

Life has been pretty good lately. I've had my downs, but I feel like I'm bouncing back up. It definitely helps when I give myself things to do. If I find myself sitting down for too long, I start thinking way too much and worrying way too often. And that's when I start to get sad. So, I've been keeping myself busy. Blogging helps, but there's only so much that I want everyone to know. Of course, there's my journal, and my dog, but my dog likes to play more than he likes to listen because of his age, and a journal only gives you so much comfort.

Speaking of the dog, Zeke bit my face the other day! It was a play bite, but it was hard enough to break through skin and take a chunk from my lip! Yeah, it hurt. I have a little purple/red mark only my lip from where the small chunk was taken and a tiny scar from the broken skin on my chin. Also, it was a little bit mentally traumatizing. So I had to get over that before I could let him lick me the other day. But he felt bad about it afterward, and he was punished (he was given a smack on the rear and a night on the balcony).

We had family pictures last week. Here's a preview.

Honestly, I felt super awkward in front of this camera. Not sure why, but I did. We had individual shoots and then family ones (kids, then entire, then kids again...yeah, point made). One thing that makes me really laugh about this picture is how stinking pale Dad looks. He seriously almost disappears into the background. 

I am curious to see how the other pictures turned out. Dad told me they should be finished by the end of the week, but I think it will take a bit longer.

I'll post them up here when I get them.