Hope to update soon.

We also got to spend several days the second week in January with Allison and Varoujan. Apparently Varoujan has a conference here in Austin most years and we were lucky to be in the position to spend some time with them. We ended up playing a lot of games, going to a few favorite local food places, and just enjoying their company. Good times!!

They’ve done test after test, and half prove their theories and half disprove their theories. Where does that leave me? Having felt like I have had a reoccurring stomach flu for about fifteen years and a few thousand dollars poorer than when this all started. Most recently they told me it was gastroparesis and they started me on a diet that seems to be helping. Oddly its a low fiber diet, with moderate amounts of fat and quite high in carbohydrates and protein. So far I’ve done well on the diet, even if I don’t have the condition.

What’s next? Well we hope to go back to see my GI soon. I think we will get a consensus from him on some of the particulars and then just slowly add food back to my diet. What does this mean? I will be turning down a lot of food. I’m currently on a baby food diet, eating things that are very well cooked, mostly mashed and easily digestible. I will be on this through the end of the month. Then in February I will slowly, about one new food every 2 weeks or so, add food back into my diet.

I feel sometimes as if I’m loosing my mind over this, but I’m going to just have to conclude that whatever is wrong is not going to be something I’ll ever be able to put a name to. Quite frustrating that, but if I can find some sort of balance to life and begin to figure out what triggers this then maybe it won’t really matter. Like the saying, ” Doc it hurts when I bend this way,” and the doctor replies, “Well then don’t bend that way.” That is what looks to be my plight. I will have to figure out the food/foods/combination of food/s that make it hurt and just hope that by not eating them the situation remedies itself.

What I ask from my friends and family in the meantime is that you try to understand. I appreciate a bite of something seems simple to you and not a big deal. However in my life time a bite of the wrong thing means days of feeling tired, nausea, headaches, horrible and uncomfortable bowel issues and sometimes a full evening of vomiting. So just love me with my frustrating food issues, and lets try to find something else to do when we’re together besides eat.

Be healthy – eating better for our heath and my stomach situation, walking more with the puppies, doing a ride or hike together on a regular basis, and lifting weights together on occasion.

Save money – We’d like to save about twice what we normally do in a year, not including our normal contributions to 401k and IRA’s; to do this we plan to not eat out at all this year, unless we are more than an hour from home or if friends are in from out of state (however going for coffee, dessert or drinks on occasion is allowed, and Sean gets two work lunches out per month); I am also working on trying to make a lot of things we usually buy – hand soap, laundry detergent, etc; there are a few other little things we’re going to try, but I’m sure I’ll get into those more as the year goes on.

Puppies – Take them for another training class, preferably in a group setting with other owners and dogs.

Remodeling – We’re still debating on how we want to go about this, but there are 3 portions to our remodeling project and we’d like to at least get one portion done.

Well I think that covers the most important things. I made them detailed because Julie informed me that with out specifics you have no true goals to work towards. Hopefully these are specific enough. I know my 30 before 30 is. Lets see what we can accomplish this year!!!

Now for the challenge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARE YOU EXCITED YET!?!?!?!!

Do you have a pinterest page. If you don’t use it check it out! I use it as a place to save all my projects ideas. Everything from craft ideas, to recipes I’d like to try, to remodeling ideas, and fashion. Here are my boards for you to check out. I have a ton of pins! Especially on my MAKE boards. So the challenge is…… Make 50 items this year from your pinterest page. If you don’t have one then make/try 50 things this year in general. I’d love it if you send me what you’ve tried. I can try and post them to the webpage and we can see how productive we all are this year!

If you think about it, that is only ONE project a WEEK. We can do that!!! And it can be as simple as trying a new recipe, checking out something you keep meaning to check out, or making a little something and going all DIY on the world. I’ll try to post mine as I do them. Now GET ON IT!!!

On October 17th our good friends Monica and Aaron were blessed with this little man…

Jackson Andrew… 9lbs 1 oz!

Then on November 8th my cousin Ryan and his wife Stephanie welcomed number 5! This is her just a few weeks ago. Too Cute!

Lyla Jayna Elizabeth 7lbs 12oz, 19 1/4″

Then of course we had many a Thanksgiving dinner. Sean’s Mom and Dad were up the weekend before Thanksgiving. Sean made a beautiful prime rib roast and Sally made some awesome Yorkshire Puddings. Sooo good! We also were able to see my sister on Thanksgiving, which was at my Mom’s in Richwood. We had great food and played washers in the back yard. Good times! We were also able to make it to Waco to visit some extended family, including CJ, Heather, Hannah and Thomas. Love my cousins!

We also had some unfortunate luck with my health. However due to it all we think we have figured the mystery out. I’ll fill more in later, for now know that ER visits aren’t cheap but we are all fine and well.

Then we started December with a blur. Where did the year go!!! I guess it was all the traveling that made it go so quickly. We had birthday celebrations for many this month, and a few belated celebrations too. Sean also enjoyed his birthday this year, starting with a yummy dinner at Hoover’s! Then breakfast the day of at Juan in a Million’s! And the evening of his birthday he spent with the guys playing games, having a beer or two, and eating pizza. He asked for rice crispie treats for his birthday and I tried a recipe. Lets just say they were all really glad Monica sent a pan cookie with Aaron.

We also had great fun at Santa House this year. I will try to post photos of that soon! So much fun! I made caramellows! I made a few other things too, but I was most proud of those. We always love kickin’ it with the Weiss family and the Sharp family. Good times!!! Even the newest addition Jackson enjoyed the festivities.

Then soon after Sean’s birthday we headed to the coast for the holidays. We spent time with both our families, my Pawpaw, my cousin Thomas, and even Beth, Hazel and Jennifer! We also were excited to have Jenny, Chauncey and Matthew in town too!! We all grabbed lunch together and then Jenny and I hit the stores. I don’t know if Chauncey will let me go shopping with her again. ;0) We are so blessed by the awesome people in our lives!

Yesterday we enjoyed a fun evening with Julie watching fireworks.

And today we have spent the day relaxing, seeing the Weiss/Minor/Carter clan for lunch and then enjoying a nice supper with Julie and Evan. This was Evan’s last weekend with us. He heads back to Lake Jackson this week. Its a bit bitter sweet, but we hope the best for him. We were however very excited to have dinner at Julies! It was awesome! She made a pantry soup, good stuff. Well done Julie-girl! Look at the pretty table too…

Well I guess that’s as good an up date as any. I’ll try to do better, as always, and post more this year. We have a lot to look forward to and a lot to be thankful for! We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and that you are happy and safe, where ever you are!

Love from Sean, Melissa, Duke and Daisy!

So Sean left for Bangalore, India on October 1st. He was due back October 29th, but due to some luck and persistence on Sean’s side he was able to come home two days early. I was quite glad to see him, had he been gone much longer I think I might have gone a bit out of my mind. Anyway, all is well now and righted in our little world. You’re welcome to check out the photos from his trip.

As much as all that, I still feel there are a million things that I need to do, but having my husband home less than a week has not be fruitful in getting those things done. For now here are some photos of the rest of my trip to Europe. Part 2 as I call it. Such good memories were made on the entirety of that trip. And some quite beautiful photos were taken as well, if I do say so myself. I will update more soon.

I hope to have some photos of the trip up soon, some info about all our friends and their crazy obsession with baby making. , some great food stuff I’ve been dabbling in, and as always some fun craft stuff! Just bear with me a bit longer while I readjust to the idea that I have to actually finish things I start.

Well I’m sure I will call and catch up with each of you soon!

So glad to be back!