5400 miles in 90 days

Ryan was bit by a small dear tick (about the size of a stud earring) in May of 2014 on the side of his stomach.  Two weeks to the day later he developed what we would later learn was a bullseye rash (we kept calling it a hive at first) at the site of the tick bite.  Along with the bullseye rash he became really achy, ran a constant low grade fever, and was tired all of the time (sleeping 20 hours a day).  The bullseye rash stayed at the tick bite site but also started spreading around Ryan's body for the next 4 months.

I took this picture of Ryan (the bullseye rashes) in June 2014, a month after being bitten by the tick

We took Ryan to the doctor as soon as his first symptoms started but did not know about the tick bite during his first couple of visits.  At the doctor, he was first diagnosed with having an allergic reaction and then with a virus that was said to last about 3 weeks and did not require antibiotics.  Within the first week (and 2 doctors appointments later), Ryan told us about the tick he had pulled out of the side of his stomach.  When he lifted his shirt to show us where the tick had been there was a huge bullseye rash at the site.  We called the Doctor and told him what we had learned (Ry had been bit).  I also started googling what kind of reactions you could have if you were bit by a tick.  This was not the first time my boys had been bit by ticks- We lived in a wooded tick ridden area at the time and they both love the outdoors- Prior to this, we didn't think twice about tick bites.

It was mid June by this time and Ryan had been sick for 4 weeks- each day getting progressively worse.  He had missed most of the last 3 weeks of school because he did not have the energy to go.
One side of his face had started tingling off and on and he was starting to have some other unusual symptoms.
I had done enough research to know that Ryan was showing very classic symptoms of Lyme (blasted tick!!) and also knew that diagnosing the Lyme would likely need to be done by a specialist- It is tricky to diagnose and most often done by someone who is specially trained in treating it (as opposed to a general practitioner).  
During this time, my friend Deb's mom, Darlene, was getting pedicures from a woman whose daughter had also been bit by a tick (she lives in our area).  Her daughter had become sick, much like Ryan.  This family had found a Lyme Literate doctor in a town three hours away who was able to diagnose the Lyme.  Darlene found out the name of the Lyme Literate doctor and passed it on to Deb- Deb passed it on to me....Love how God connects the dots for us and brings the right information along right when we need it.

We were able to make an appointment with the same doctor and Ryan was diagnosed with Lyme Disease 6 weeks after being bitten by the tick.
The Lyme had 6 weeks to rack havoc on his body (in Oregon, this is a short time- most people go for years undiagnosed) 
He spent the next 6 months on 2 antibiotics a day and by mid December (2014) he was not showing any more symptoms of the Lyme so was able to go off of the antibiotics.
During this time, the local family whose daughter was battling Lyme, had found out about a treatment in Germany that has outstanding results when it comes to treating Lyme. 

When it comes to treating Lyme effectively, both the Holistic and the Pharmaceutical worlds must pull together.  We have mastered so many things in the United States but we have not mastered this.  The Germans (and most of the European Countries) have proven that among other things, high doses of Vitamin C along with IV Ozone, have a high success rate of beating Lyme.  Vitamin C and Oxygen can not be patented.  This means the US Pharmaceutical Companies can't profit from the use of it but they can profit from the use of the antibiotics used to 'manage' Lyme.

Ryan started showing symptoms of Lyme again this past August (2015).  We took him back up to his  Lyme Literate doctor and had extensive testing done to find out if the Lyme was back.
Sept. 15, we learned that Ryan's Lyme was indeed back and it was determined it had been in his system for longer than 2 months (meaning it was from his original tick bite the previous May).  It was also considered 'chronic'- meaning that, according to statistics, it was not able to be cured but instead something he would need to manage for his lifetime.  The 'bouts' he would have to endure would look similar to his first bout (feeling really sick with all kinds of awful symptoms).  

When we learned the news, Matt and I, along with many of our close friends and family, began to pray that the Lord would give us a peace about the right direction to go.

Earlier this Spring, the local family who we had heard about the Lyme Literate Doctor from, took their daughter to Germany to receive treatment- the results were outstanding.  Bless this precious girls heart, she went to Germany in a wheel chair because the Lyme was wracking havoc on her body and came home symptom free.

Matt and I have said, from the beginning of Ryan's Lyme journey, that we would do everything we can to give Ry the best chance of beating Lyme.  If it is something he has to take into his adult life, it won't be because we didn't pull out all the stakes and give it our all (please know that for us, this means going to Germany- for other's, it may look like something different- not one way is better but it is a unique and individualized journey for each person/family who takes this road).

After much prayer and quite honestly, much agonizing as to what we felt like the best treatment for Ryan's Lyme was, we decided to go to Germany.

90 days from today, Januray 15, 2016, we will be traveling 5400 miles to a country we have never been to.  We will spend just under 11 weeks there as Ryan goes through treatment.

When you think of it, could you please pray for our Ryan- for his body to stay strong as he goes off of the antibiotics he has been on since days after the symptoms of his Lyme started coming back in August (German Protocol calls for him to be off antibiotics for 3 months prior to treatment for detox).  Could you please pray that he will tolerate the treatment well.  And could you please pray for all the details involved in transitioning life five thousand miles away for such an extended period of time.

As of today, Ryan is doing great- The Antibiotics have successfully suppressed the Lyme so that his symptoms are mild (constant low grade fever and a few other small symptoms).  We are so thankful for this and pray it continues as we count down the days until we leave.

Thank you for walking this journey with our family and for the support so many of you have shown.   May God Bless and keep each one of you.

The note that went to Ry's School from his doctor

abortion...revised

I wrote this blog post last night
posted it
went to bed
got back up
got Matt up and ran by him all my concerns with this post.  I was the devil's advocate as to how one could take this the wrong way. 
I felt like, at some level, my Christian friends could feel like I was bashing the actions they have taken to stand up against abortion.  The time, energy, effort, passion they have put into defending the unborn life.  The right of that unborn life to have a voice. I applaud this effort and stand with you!
I believe Planned Parenthood should be defunded.  I think they are bullies who have preyed on the vulnerable.  I think they promise freedom from your 'problem' so that they can profit.  They were given a position of power and the funding to have a loud voice and they continually misuse it.
Shame on Planned Parenthood.
That being said, I believe standing up against Planned Parenthood can be done without beating down the woman who has had an abortion.  I believe picketing signs (or comments, etc) can be written or spoken so that the evil Planned Parenthood is partaking in does not attack the mother who choose abortion. 
Signs like 'Baby Killer' and 'God Hates Killers' etc. does nothing to reach the ones truly affected (the unborn baby and the mother).  Those types of words serve to tear down.  They do nothing to point the precious mother, who is considering abortion or who may have already choose abortion, up to the one that can truly heal her.
I recently saw pictures from a Planned Parenthood Picket some of my local facebook friends did- Their signs were so respectful and so right on- had I not already had plans I would have joined them.

Below is the blogpost from last night.  The only changes are that I added to paragraph 3 the parentheses with the words 'with these types of signs' to clarify that I do not think 'all picketing' is wrong. I also changed some of the phrasing (total typo- thank you T. for letting me know).  Other than that it is all there for you to read.
_____________________________________________________________
Original Blog Post:

I see so many things circulating about abortion right now.  Planned Parenthood has all us Christians buzzing.  The released video's of harvesting baby parts may have something to do with it.....maybe it's their defending statements to the video's......maybe it's our Christian belief that the second a baby is conceived it is life...not a blob of tissue. 
Abortion grieves my heart- I don't believe it is right (in any circumstance) BUT that being said, I understand how a precious woman can make the decision to have one.  I understand how her life can seem so overwhelming and so complicated she feels like there is no other way.  My understanding does not come from personal experience but instead over the years I have heard many stories from ladies who have had an abortion- maybe 2 or maybe even 3.  I listened long enough to hear her story- not the surface story but the real story....I stayed in contact long past the abortion and listened as her heart broke over her decision. What she thought would fix their situation really just complicated it more.

Every time I see the term 'baby killer' referencing the woman who has had an abortion I cringe.
When I see a picket going on (with these types of signs) my heart wants to nurture each woman who drives by who has had an abortion- Do the picket signs heap more condemnation than what she already feels- Does she feel like she has to be fake around (or angry) at us Christians because we consider abortion murder (making her a murderer). 

I wonder what staging a picket for women who have had an abortion (or women who are considering having an abortion) would do.  I wonder if on the signs we wave we had things like:
'Your forgiven'
'Your baby is in Heaven'
'Let go of the guilt'
'Your loved more than you could ever imagine'
'Healing is possible'
'We love you'
'Choose Jesus!'

To the woman reading this who has had an abortion, God has His loving arms around you tonight and He is whispering in your ear:
Daughter,
'Your forgiven'
'Your baby is in Heaven'
'Let go of the guilt'
'Your loved more than you could ever imagine'
'Healing is possible'
'I love you'
'Choose Jesus!'
Choose Life

This blog post is dedicated to our birthmother Heather

who choose life for our daughter Ellie

who choose to place Ellie with us by way of adoption

Who could have chosen abortion but didn't

Thank you Heather- Ellie's life is such a gift to so many

I love you.

This is the only picture I have of Ellie's birth father Arthur (yellow shirt) and Ellie's birth mom Heather (licking Arthur's foot ) together.  I love the look on Arthur's face (cringing) but even more than that I love the fearlessness of Heather- maybe for shock factor or maybe because she was dared, she licked his foot.  I would have done the same thing Heather- The exact same thing.  Love you again!

turning over investments

2010 was an interesting year for those of us invested in the residential real estate market.  Homes that, 4 years ago, sold for $200,000 were flooding the market as foreclosures for 50% of their original sold value this year.  We were living in Hawaii at the time but still watching the Oregon real estate market closely. 
Matt and I make a great 'real estate' team- It's an interest we have shared since shortly after getting married.  I usually locate the house I think we should buy (months of looking and months of analyzing the market so that when the 'deal' pops up, the decision to buy the selected home is made before we even step foot inside with the realtor) and Matt completes the remodel needed on the home (our rule is to buy the worst house in the best neighborhood).
We had also been watching the market on Kauai, trying to decide if it was a good idea to purchase local.  While Oregon had been hit hard with foreclosures, Kauai's market was only moderately hit.  I had found an online auction site with a couple of properties on Kauai that were of interest to us. Around that time I had also found a property just minutes outside of our Oregon hometown.
The Kauai property was located in Lihue.  It was a vacation rental type of a complex with a 2 bedroom condo available.  The unit overlooked the pool at the complex and had air conditioning.  When Matt and I went to look at it, our first impression was that it had a funky odor in the breezeway you walked through to access the front door of the condo- It also needed a bit of cosmetic rehab work done- Overall it was a great deal and penciled well.
We had already set the price we were willing to pay for the unit before the day of the online auction arrived.  The bidding stopped $100 short of what we were willing to pay.  The time was running out on being able to bid- It was literally just minutes before the property was closing that it struck me....living on Kauai was one thing- owning real estate on the island was a commitment I personally was not ready for.  Matt was gracious and said he understood- We also agreed that I would fly out to Oregon to look at the property we were interested in.

The trip to Oregon was successful.

On Dec. 1, 2010 we purchased a 1967 Square Foot foreclosure on .29 acre.  It sat at the end of a cul-da-sac in an older community (built in early 70's) but shared a back yard fence with higher end homes in a golf course community.  The home was built on a moderate hill and was not engineered.  Over the years, ground and soil shifting had gone on and the house had literally fallen apart at the seams.  The bank holding the title was willing to negotiate so that, even with all the work needing done, it would still turn a profit when sold (it would also turn a profit if rented).

We have held onto the home over the past 4 1/2 years as a rental.  In April of this year we decided it was time to sell- we are looking forward to using some of the profit to develop a small RV park (6 sites) and the rest of the profit to go on a serious shopping trip....

We listed 4/17
Went pending 5/22
Closed and funded yesterday (YAY!!)

p.s. I'm kidding about the shopping trip....I WISH!! :)

2010

2015

Back yard

a month past four

Here we are, to the day, a month past four
really nothing monumental to document...just my precious girl enjoying her summer and growing up.

go for it!

I remember my Aunt Anne telling me how important it is to stay interested in what your kids are interested in.  Basically she was saying, as a parent, stay relevant.  Be able to track with what your kids are doing.
Fresh in my memory is also the smile on my friend Kristi's face last night and the twinkle in her eye as she encouraged several of us ladies to 'go for it!' To get in the lake (up here at the ranch) even though evening was coming quick, the wind had kicked up, and it was a bit chilly.  It was a fun float and made some great memories

When Eli and Ry asked Matt and I if we wanted to head to a lake about 20 minutes from our house and watch them jet ski tonight we were like 'absolutely!!' 

My boys newest thing is jet skiing
This mama hasn't been in that saddle for 20 years (except for a very short ride last week)
This mama wants to take Aunt Anne's advise and stay relevant to my boys (I love you Eli and Ry)
This mama also was impressed with her friend Kristi's advise last night to 'go for it'

Just as the boys were finishing up skiing I asked- 'Hey Ry, can I try riding your ski?'
Eli hooked me up with his life jacket and Ry handed over his ski...

For my mama friends out there....pick something your kids are loving to do right now and go join them- IT'S SO WORTH IT :)

Ry

Eli

the mammogram and brave rita

The tears started just before I was called back for the mammogram today.  My friend Deb had just left from a quick drop by to say 'hi', I had already gone through the registration process and met back up with my friend Janelle, who was so graciously waiting in the waiting room.  When I sat down by Janelle she was just finishing up reading a text from her mother in law Rita.  Among some other things Rita told Janelle she was praying for the appointment I had today.
Rita
One word comes to mind when I hear Rita's name mentioned or when I see her at church on the weeks she is in town visiting her family.
Brave
God has allowed Rita to battle a significant diagnosis of cancer- a battle that did not start and end with surgery and treatment but instead a battle that was fought and then needed to be fought again.....and possibly again. I have never heard her complain or grumble...she addresses it honestly and matter of fact with grace and class.  Instead of relating to her cancer with fear she has chosen to trust God and His call and control on her life.  I admire you Rita and thank the Lord for how you show Him off in your life- I admire that He is seen so evidently as you travel the road of cancer.  I admire that instead of sitting in self pity, you live life to the fullest with your kids and grand kids....I admire that you have gone to your cancer treatments by yourself and not crumbled with fear.
You are brave Rita and you honor God with your bravery

The tears I was crying sitting with Janelle had been building for longer than just this morning....
Three months ago was when I first felt the 'lump'.  It was painful, which was reassuring, but persistent.  By late last month I couldn't ignore the lump anymore- I have learned, as a former anxiety attacker-er, by the time something is keeping me up late at night and causing fear to start taking root in my heart, it needs to be addressed.

Doctor's are not my favorite place to visit (I would rather eat brown eggs and drink Llama milk). I had secretly hoped the lump was going to go away if I ignored it long enough- When it didn't, logic won over fear and I made the call.  The morning of my appointment I was anxious and praying.  I was praying for the courage to face the day and to actually go to the appointment and not bail at the last minute.

Rita's daughter Kimberly (who lives in London) does not know how much God used a post and picture she posted on facebook the morning of June 23 (the same day as my appointment) to calm my anxious heart.  Here Rita was at Chemo (by herself) with a heart of gratefulness- If she could face her day with gratefulness I could at least show up to my appointment.

"Wanna know how I KNOW that my mom is amazing? We were comparing our "views" via text... Mine, in Covent Garden, where I'm reading and waiting for a meeting in about an hour. Hers? At UCD having chemo with her special blanket keeping her warm. Her response? "This is my view BUT I AM GRATEFUL." And when I said "I'm so sorry". She replied with "No be grateful something is working." That, my friends, is courage. And determination. And strength. And beauty. And I have the utmost respect for her. All my love"

My appointment went smoothly and very much as expected.  The doctor felt the lump and said she thought it was a calcified milk duct or something along those lines.  She was very reassuring that due to it's shape and size it didn't feel like cancer BUT a mammogram would definitely be the best route to go. 

I had dried the tears just as my name was called to go back for the mammogram today.  The tears stayed at bay as the first couple of pictures were taken.  As the tech made her way over to where the lump was I asked 'can you tell if something is weird right away- like as soon as the picture comes up on your screen?'.  She was gracious but vague and said that she had been a mammogram tech for many years and had seen a lot of lumps that were cancerous and lumps that were non cancerous.  She said that I had fibrocystic tissue which would mean I would probably experience many mammogram's in my future.  She adjusted her machine so that she could get a reading high up in my arm pit and all the way to my chest wall.  As she did this, my tears started falling- They fell down onto the mammogram machine.  The tech glanced up from adjusting the machine and kindly asked 'are you crying?'
'I'm a mom'
'I have 3 kids'
'worst case scenario has been running through my mind for months'
She was so gracious as my tears continued to fall- So gracious when she allowed me to come over and see the picture she had taken of the lump area.  She pointed to two 'lumps' and vaguely explained what typical 'cysts' (non cancerous) looked like and how the radiologist would be reading the pictures for the final answer but to her, there was nothing that looked alarming (my doctor left at noon today so the final conclusion as to what the lumps are will not come in until Monday morning).

It is such a comfort to know that we have a God who knows our fears and meets us where we are at.  How He uses the prayers of our friends, the bravery of others, and in my case, the medical staff to place His loving arms around us.  How He does not waste a single hard time we go through but will use it to grow our faith in Him and to give others courage and comfort to face their own trials (Rita).

We have hope no matter what our diagnosis
We serve an amazing God
and He gives us others to spur us on as we walk this journey of life.
Thank you Jesus

p.s. I can not end this post without bringing up Duane- a brave father who has fought a courageous battle of cancer and is still fighting- His wife Linda walks by his side with a bravery much like Rita and has had her own battle with cancer.  I am praying for you guys and your family and admire so much how you choose to honor God through all of your journey.

p.s.s. Thank you Rita and Kimberly for letting me post about you without you knowing :) :) :)

UPDATE 7/13/14
Just got the news that my mammogram results were 'non malignant'- (non cancerous)!! Thank you SO much for all the prayers and messages- It brought tears to my eyes reading all of your words of encouragement. 

Rita

Janelle (L) Deb and I

when the rainbow does not mean what you thought

In December of 2010, Matt and I had been home study approved to adopt for 6 months.  We had retained an attorney in Hawaii who handled adoptions and signed up with an adoption agency on the mainland.  By the time December made the calendar that year, Matt and I had seen quite a few birthmother profiles but nothing had been a match.  If you are currently a 'waiting family' or have adopted, you know what I'm saying when I say that it's a tough wait.  Each day you anxiously check e-mail looking to see if there is a possible match- you wait for that phone call- you pray- you imagine what life is going to be like with your little blessing.

Sometimes you want something so badly you start grasping at straws to convince yourself of things that are not true.  Sometimes in the convincing, you put God in a place that He's really not- you speak for Him in a way that does not line up with scripture.

 

The message was on our home answering machine that December day...
A baby girl had been born at 34 weeks in Chicago- due to her early arrival and some other complications she was in NICU. Were Matt and I interested in becoming parents to this precious baby.
Matt and I prayed
prayed
and prayed some more
We ran it by our boys and then prayed some more
I personally didn't know what it was supposed to 'feel' like when you were told that you had been matched with a baby but I did know what it felt like to want your longing fulfilled so bad you would look for anything to confirm that the filling had arrived.

I specifically prayed that, if it was God's will, He would send a sign- something blaringly obvious that He was calling us to this adoption. 

I kid you not, as soon as I prayed the prayer, the most beautiful rainbow showed up in our front yard(never mind we lived on Kauai where rainbows were not so rare- I wanted to believe the rainbow was a sign so much that I compartmentalized any and all reasoning).  Matt had gone off by himself to pray and had come back just around the time the rainbow appeared- He said that he had been praying for a sign also and was shocked to see the rainbow. 

We called the caseworker and told her yes.
I booked a flight out to Chicago, leaving early the next morning- Matt was going to join a few days later..  I also booked a car and hotel.

I continued praying throughout the evening and had an unsettled feeling.
Was God really giving us the OK to adopt this baby by confirming it through a rainbow?
The unsettled feeling continued and by late that night, I was sitting on our bed crying to Matt telling him I thought we had made a mistake in saying yes....I knew this baby needed a mama but I didn't think I was the one- I kept going back to the rainbow and begging God not to be disappointed in me because of the sign He had given us to adopt this little girl.
An unsettled feeling had come over Matt too and we decided to call off the adoption.  The flight and hotel was cancelled and the case worker was called.

A firm conviction took root in both Matt and my heart that December evening- nowhere in the Bible does it say that a rainbow is for anything other than a covenant between us and the Lord.  A covenant that He would not flood the earth again (like He did in Noah's time).  There is nowhere that it said He would use it as a sign to confirm His calling on any of our lives- He uses His word to confirm His calling...He uses His word, the entire thing, to guide our lives- to teach us how to live and how to make wise decisions.  He uses His Word to teach us right from wrong and how to stand firm and not compromise. 

Matt and I made an error that day.  We spoke for God in a way that did not line up with scripture.
Each time I see a rainbow I am reminded to run to God's Word for His truth- To be careful that I am wanting something so badly I claim 'Jesus' when really it is the desperate longing for my own way.

Below is the rainbow I have been telling you about...When I took the picture, I thought it was going to be for our daughter to see when she was older- the sign God gave us that we were called to adopt her.
I was wrong
and
God was right
our birth mother Heather was 8 weeks pregnant with our Ellie at the time
I followed up with the caseworker on the adoption of the baby girl- at the last minute, the little girls mom decided to parent instead of place

Genesis 9:13-16New King James Version (NKJV)

¹³ I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. ¹⁴ It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; ¹⁵ and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”