Annoyed & Stewing & Thankful

I.hate.bedrest. In case you haven't heard from all my facebook statuses, I have pneumonia. I'm partially annoyed because of all that. However, I'm mostly annoyed and stewing because I've had pneumonia this entire time and a certain professional, we'll call him Dr. Certain Professional, neglected to tell me. I'm here to rant about this Dr. CP because I now have plenty of time to be annoyed and stewing and ranting. ;) Maybe I'll be of sound mind later and delete this, but alas, you have been warned: this is a rant!

It all started last week on spring break when I woke up with a sore throat, which turned into a cough, which turned into a low grade fever. Probably allergies? So I cancelled my doctor's appointment I had made last Friday. Dumb move because I woke up on Saturday with 101 fever and lungs full of yuck and had to go to urgent care and pay double to see the Dr. Certain Professional (who isn't my usual awesome doctor, Dr. Beau Meyer!) Dr. CP listened to my chest and diagnosed it as bronchitis and sent me on my way.

Saturday night was wretched. My fever was up to just about 103 and I couldn't catch my breath for anything. Sunday when I *thankfully* woke up, I went back to the doctor - and Dr. CP was still the only one there - and I requested an x-ray just to make sure it wasn't pneumonia. He was highly offended that I'd be scared of a doctor's misdiagnosis and haughtily said that I needed to give my meds some time to work. Sorry, buddy, but I know of a girl my age who just went to be with Jesus last week because of pneumonia. As much as I'd love to see Jesus face to face, there's still plenty of work to be done around here, so I want that x-ray. So Dr. CP takes my x-ray and shows me this streak of white on my lung and tells me that it's a collapsed lung and thinks it "wouldn't hurt you to be on another medicine to prevent pneumonia now." Those were his words. He writes me a prescription for Levaquin - maybe you know what that is, however I didn't. I thought it was a preventive med.

I go home and do all these breathing treatments and exercises Dr. CP told me to do, thinking I'm trying to reinflate my lung and prevent pneumonia. I make a follow-up appointment with my amazing usual doctor, Dr. Meyer, for Tuesday (yesterday).

Yesterday, I saw Dr. Meyer's precious face and told him that I had a collapsed lung and I was just here to see if I reinflated it. He takes a look at my x-ray from Sunday and says, "Girl, you you have pneumonia!" ...... what? I asked him if Dr. CP knew it was pneumonia. He did, and "that's why he prescribed Levaquin. Levaquin is the 'big guns' for pneumonia. You usually see collapsed lungs with pneumonia." .... WHAT?? Dr. CP didn't tell me I had pneumonia or any of this about that medicine. So Dr. Meyer whisks me off to get another x-ray to see if this medication is working. It is, thankfully, so I don't have to be admitted to the hospital, however I can't go back to work the rest of the week and I have to be on bedrest.

Sigh.

I have plenty to be thankful for, though. I'm thankful I'm still breathing which means I can still take part in all the work God has for us to do. I'm thankful that God gifted people with the abilities to make big gun meds like Levaquin so I don't have to go to the hospital. I'm thankful for Dr. Meyer. I'm thankful for amazingly understanding principals and co-workers who wouldn't let me in the building yesterday to fix sub plans for the rest of the week. They did the sub plans for me. Wow. I'm thankful for my mom who went with me to all these doctor's appointments - and who was a witness to Dr. CP's behavior so I know I'm not crazy! I'm thankful for my dad who makes me laugh because he's highly susceptible to pneumonia/respiratory illnesses, so he's avoiding me like the plague (I'm avoiding him too... as I'm on bedrest at my house. I don't want to give this to him - or anyone for that matter!) ;) I'm thankful for my cute boyfriend, who, when he found out I was now on bedrest for 6 more days, got me a video game to play. That made me smile because it was so randomly thoughtful. And of course, I'm thankful that my God is a healer. The Healer, who can and will do anything to set His children free.

"I run in the path of Your commands, for you have set my heart free." Psalm 119:32

Every Girl's Dream...

It is every girl's dream to have a man fight for her (in some form or fashion, should a situation arise). Well, my dream came true last night and I simply had to share my experience with you.

All growing up, I have had issues with food. I am the pickiest eater the good Lord ever made and I really have tried to change. It's harder than you think but I think I'm a little braver than I was one year ago! Ordering with me at restaurants generally takes awhile because I have to change at least something on my order 99% of the time. I've been warned that this little trait of mine would come to bite me one day. Little did those nay-sayers know that it would make a dream come true!

So there I was at Chili's last night, ordering the Cajun Chicken Pasta... minus the chicken... sub french fries for the chicken (since I'm paying for the chicken anyway, may as well try to get something else for my money!) And my sweet waiter, Joe, looked at me with a quick, slightly strange, barely noticeable look, but very politely said he'd get me my order. Hooray! No questions asked! (They always have questions for me.)

15-20 minutes later, this is what happens:


In case you can't tell, that would be french fries in a pasta dish. Complete with alfredo sauce drizzle. I laughed hysterically, and the manager (who brought us our food) looked at me strangely and said, "Is that right??" Well, technically... I had failed to request the french fries on the side. My bad.

When Joe comes to check on us, he sees that I had pushed my fries to the side and says, "Oh, did they put too many fries on your pasta??" ...... I reply, "Oh well, no it's fine, I just pushed them over to the side." Sweet Joe, "Oh no! You did mean on the side! I fought for you with the cooks because I thought this is what you wanted." PRECIOUS!!!

Joe, that was the best french fries in a pasta dish I've ever had.

Highlights

Well, not that too many of you read this thing anymore, but I've decided to resurrect my blog. It needs a little bridge between October and now, though. So here we go with a little blurb of the 'in-between':

November
* Thanksgiving was small and quiet. After the scrumptious meal, we quickly high-tailed it (as to avoid any emotional breakdowns due to the empty seat at the table) to see the very scary, not-child-friendly, "A Christmas Carol." My prom date was an animator on that movie. :)

December
* HAWAII!!! For Christmas this year, we took a little vacation to paradise. It was perfect and I think I should move there. We visited 4 islands: Hawaii, Oahu, Maui, and Kauai. Maui and Oahu are my faves. Oahu has so much to do that you could have an entire week's (or more!) vacation just on that island. And Maui has insanely gorgeous beaches that you could have your entire vacation there (as long as you're a beach person!) I should really post pictures and devote at least one entry to just Hawaii. Perhaps I will.

January
* New Year's Resolution: To love.

Now
* Lord-willing, I'm heading back to Ghana this summer so all that preparation is going on now. We're selling super cute t-shirts as a fundraiser! I should devote an entire entry to those shirts. Perhaps I'll do that too.

Well, there you have it. Very brief highlights of the in-between.

Ok, now let's get to the good stuff...

I've been avoiding my blog for the last couple of weeks now. All I've wanted to blog about was my Grandmommy and I just couldn't bring myself to do it for fear of the tears. I'm learning, though, that even when you think you'll never stop crying, you will. The tears will stop and the joy will return.

It's been 3 1/2 weeks since Grandmommy went to be with Jesus and I have cried everyday since her Homegoing. I hate it, but she was one of the most important people in my life, so cry I will. Tonight I washed my hair and happened to grab one of her towels. As I type I can smell her thanks to her towel around my head. :) I love that smell!

Grandmommy was the most giving, selfless, sacrificially loving person I have ever and will ever meet. I could talk to her about anything. My talks with her are moments I will cherish for the rest of my life. She had 8 grandchildren, but when you were with her, she made you feel as if you were her only one. Gosh, I just love this lady. Our "thing" we always did together was to go grab a slice of pizza and a coke and just talk for hours. When each of the 8 grandkids were 5 years old, she and Granddaddy took us to Disney World. I've seen much of the world thanks to her. She was one of my biggest supporters in my mission trips, even though she thought I might be crazy for going. ;)

Most importantly, Grandmommy loved Jesus more than life. I know she is with Him now and is beyond ecstatic that her faith has become sight. I know I will see her again and until then, I'll be waiting for all this to be turned into dancing.

"You turned my wailing into dancing..." Psalm 30:11

Because I have to believe this...

For His Glory

On road trip #2 this weekend, I had the privilege of traveling with some friends, Chris & Cheryl, to see Reverend Wuni, pastor of a church in Ghana. I wanted to share with you the beautiful story he told us about my friend, Rebekah.

About a month after our trip to Ghana last year, my Ghanian friend, Rebekah, came down with a horrible case of malaria. Jesus ended up calling her Home after only a few days in the hospital. Her family and friends took her body to a little village just outside Tamale called Tuuningli. As her grave digger was digging, he began to ask questions about Rebekah's Jesus and by the time Rebekah's funeral was over and her body was buried, this grave digger had become a new follower of Jesus Christ! One year later, God has used this little grave digger to plant the only Christian church in this little village called Tuuningli.

God does things we can't understand that ultimately flourish with His glory. Praise the El Roi, the God who sees us, Who sees deeper and further than we can even begin to imagine.

"She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: 'You are the God who sees me,' for she said, 'I have now seen the One who sees me.'" Genesis 16:13 NIV

Psst...

Disclaimer: Blogworld, I have 2 things to tell you. This is one, however... well, it just might not be as interesting to you as it is to me. Fair warning. ;) I know it's been such a long time since we've been together, but this is just what happens when you take a road trip with your BFF.

Ode to my BFF, Nicholle.
1. aka French Fries
2. Remember when we almost ate there?
3. RIP El Mercado... and Be My Cupcake
4. Valero....... x2
5. Welp, that's embarrassing.
6. Oh and then... Psst... HUH???
7. If you don't have a Nicholle, then I highly recommend you get one. There's just something about them that makes your life.... amazing.