Where to even start...

I guess I'll give a quick health update since that has been consuming my life lately. I finally got into a Urologist on Wednesday. I'm so glad I went. I was worried he would brush off my Candida theory (because not all Western Medicine docs give it much credit) but he was on board with it and said it was definitely adding to my symptoms. He also said I have something called Interstitial Cystitis which I also suspected based on my HOURS of research. He gave me a list of foods to avoid which I was already avoiding. There were a few more things I had to cut out that he thinks may have been worsening my symptoms because they are so acidic (like tomatoes). It's unfortunate because I LOVE tomatoes and they go well with so many of the things I can actually still eat. There are some discrepancies between what he says I can eat and what the Candida diet that I've been following says I can eat. I'm just trying to not be too extreme but try and make sense of it all. It's tricky because I feel like I need to stick with the Candida diet because I'm noticing improvements but it's so SLOW and I don't want to ignore the advise of my urologist. Especially because in two weeks he wants to do an ultrasound on my bladder and if things aren't better, he wants to perform surgery. You could have knocked me over with a feather because I wasn't expecting him to say that.

My new life

I REALLY don't want surgery and I'll spare you the details but I wonder how much good it would really do. For now, I'm trying to stay positive, keep eating my veggies and pray for a quick recovery. Something tells me nothing about this process is going to be quick. So that's that. My days consist of broccoli, kale, asparagus, quinoa, cooked turkey, chicken, organic eggs, raw almonds, unsalted sunflower seeds and not much else. Throw 8 different supplements in with tons and tons of water and it's just ridiculous. It's hard. Really hard. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a breakdown every couple days or so over it. It's crazy expensive and the list of foods I can't eat is a million times longer than the list of foods I CAN eat. Let's just say I've been doing a lot of praying lately.

Detox Day:  2 Quarts of distilled water, fresh lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. Yum.

This has definitely put a damper on the last couple months but I've had some fun times too. I'll have random chunks of time where I feel so much better and can actually go out and do something. Then there are days when I can't leave the house. Those are the days that really get me down. I feel guilty for not being a "fun mom" like so many others who are carting their kids all over town during Christmas Break doing fun things that I wish I could be doing with Cole. It's hard to be a good wife, mother, housekeeper, employee, visiting teacher or friend when I am so wrapped up in all this jazz. Lameness abounding.

With my immune system being compromised from the Candida, I of course caught a nasty cold. (Probably from school). That's why I'm up at 1:30 AM and can't sleep. That dang cough and heavy chest. Danny and Cole are nestled in their beds probably dreaming about sugar plums...

One Sunday when I was feeling well, we took our second trip downtown to see the lights and it was AWESOME. Freezing cold, of course but so great. We parked right across the street from Deseret Book and were literally 20 feet from the South entrance to Temple Square. That never happens. There were hardly any people and we got to sit and enjoy some singing in the Assembly Hall which I love. I have fond memories of doing that with choirs that I was in during high school and college.

The UVU Women's Choir was fantastic. Glad we got to hear them.

Cole brought his camera and was so cute walking around taking pictures of things. He still doesn't understand the concept that with a cheap camera like his--you have to hold it REALLY still even after you hear the sound of the shutter because otherwise the picture turns out blurry.

 These are compliments of Cole:

But my personal favorite is this one: A crowd of about 10 people were stopped while Cole tried to get just the right angle for this beauty. He was so proud. We might need to get him into a photography class for kids :) It doesn't help that his camera is totally ghetto but he loves it and makes the most hilarious videos on it that I know we will cherish forever.

 It was a good night and I'm so glad we made it down just the 3 of us to walk around without the crowds and enjoy some time together.