First off, my wonderful designer April from April Showers Blog Designs is going to help me spruce things up around A New Kind of Normal! I’m really excited to freshen up a bit! My design as stayed somewhat the same through the last several years and while I don’t want to completely abandon the current design (such as the colors which fit me perfectly) some change will be a good thing. So here is where I need some opinions from you beautiful readers – Keep the illustration in the header or ditch it? Any other suggestions, such as ways to make the design/layout easier to navigate, are welcomed!

The second awesome thing around the bend is Endomteriosis Awareness Month! We have 27 days until the kick-off on March 1st and we are hoping to take the blogosphere by storm! I am working with a couple other lovely bloggers to create a Blogging For Endometriosis Awareness campaign and we would love for you to be a part of it!

Related posts:

1. Endometrioisis Awareness Month Kicks Off Tomorrow!
2. Endometriosis Warrior Link-up!
3. Put an END to Endo!

The visit to the pain clinic was supposed to be a short one which turned out to be not the case. Thirty minutes after my scheduled appointment time, the doctor finally came in and being as I was the only patient there I was already frustrated. The gist of his response to my pain-filled weekend was to be thankful that the flare didn’t last any longer than it did. I just need to come to terms with major flares being a part of my life and be ok with not having medications to treat the pain. He did not want to increase my dosage (although we had discussed the possibility at my last appointment) however he agreed to give me a extended release pain medication to help prevent pain from waking me up in the middle of the night. The catch (there always has to be a catch, right?) is that for now he wants to go back to seeing me every 30 days versus 90 for drug tests and pill counts. On the way out the door, he let me know that I was overweight.

Needless to say, I left the appointment angry, frustrated, and defeated. I was angry that it seemed that he had no concern for my quality of life as a patient. I was frustrated that, even though it was never said, he seemed to be thinking that I was exaggerating my pain in hopes to get more medication. I was defeated as  it was if  the prescription he handed me said really said “give up hope for ever having a normal life.” The twenty minute drive to work seemed to last an hour as I attempted to process everything that had just happened. When I pulled into my parking space, things changed.

As I took the keys out of the ignition, I looked down and saw the word “fighter.” It served as a powerful reminder and I made the conscious decision to not go down without a fight. I am not going to accept that my life is over and any hope of relief is gone. I am not going to allow one jerk-faced doctor take my dreams from me.

I can and I will fight. I will fight knowing that my God is bigger than my pain and He will provide strength to press on. I will fight knowing I have an amazing family loving me through it. I will fight knowing that I have strong and inspiring women who are traveling the same road fighting alongside of me.

Related posts:

1. Too Tired to Fight
2. Guest Post: Happiness & Sickness Can Exist
3. Trouble for those with IC

So when the opportunity to check out the new site Mr. Chewy I was totally excited! I think the girls may have been even more excited when the box came in the mail! Mr. Chewy is a one-stop shopping experience for dog and cat owners that includes pet food, treats, and toys! With over 70 brands, you are sure to find what you are looking for! They also provide a subscription service that creates hassle-free delivery of your favorite pet products!

In our house, we have to be choosy about dog food and treats and Chloe does not tolerate corn well so we typically need to buy grain-free products which can be difficult when you live in a small town so I was very impressed with the wide selection of grain-free products that Mr. Chewy’s had to offer:

The girls were very willing to drive right in and start reviewing products!

Charlie took the sitting approach:

While Chloe preferred to stand:

As someone who has shopped many times online for dog food, treats, and toys, I have been very impressed by Mr. Chewy in both product selection and customer service. When I placed my order I had forgotten to enter my promo code and contacted customer service. Within minutes my issue was resolved in a efficient and courteous manner. Shipping was free on orders over $49 and my products arrived on my doorstep within two days! I will definitely be a returning customer!

**Disclosure: This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. While I was provided a credit to MrChewy.com to facilitate the review, all thoughts are 100% my own.**

Related posts:

1. {product review} Simone France Skin Care
2. {Product Review} Organica Pure
3. Getting Some Sleep: Relax The Back {review}

I cannot even believe we are at day 30 of the 30 Day Blog Challenge! It has been so much fun! Its tough posting every day but I feel like I’ve gotten to share some different sides of myself as well as having the chance to know my bloggy friends better as well! I definitely like having a guideline to help with post ideas but I’m looking forward to having a little freedom too! I’ve seen some photography challenges that I like on Pinterest but I will probably follow those using my Tumblr account, which I will link in my nav bar!

So onto the final assignment! I did not have a picture  from today (not sure if that was the intent or not but hey, I’m all from breaking some rules every now and then) but I am going to share one that is relatively recent:

I chose this picture from Bloggy Bootcamp as I think it is an event that really help me to become confident in myself both as a blogger and as a person. I was at a point where I was really struggling with how to move forward with my blog. I brought so much information home from BBC and I didn’t quite know what to do with it so this challenge has really helped kick off 2012 with some focus and goals in mind.

3 awesome things that have taken place in the last 30 days are:

1-Reserving my room for Type A Parent Conference in June and finding a roommate which makes me (and my wallet) breathe a little easier!

2-While Abby was staying with my parents, it was great to be able to reconnect with  my husband! I think sometimes as a parent you don’t realize how much your conversation and day revolves around your child. It can be SO easy to lose that connection as husband and wife when so much of your time is as mom and dad. So it was really fun to be able to spend that one on one time together.

3-I’ve found a group of bloggers to work with for Endometriosis Awareness Month! Not sure what we are going to do exactly but we are looking forward to using our blogs to help raise awareness! If you are a reader and would like to join in, please drop me an email! The more the merrier! Also, speaking of Endo Awareness Month, I found this super cute Fight Like a Girl hoodie that I cannot wait to wear!

Thank you for sticking with me through this challenge!

Related posts:

1. Kicking off 2012 with a Blog Challenge!
2. My 10 Things Before I Turn 30 Finale
3. Blog Boycott Day!

Day29: Something you could not ever get tired of doing

I love to sing. Location does not matter. I sing at home. I sing at work (its a good thing I have an office to myself). I sing in the car. If you would ever pass me driving, I’d be the goofball singing and car dancing. Some of my most powerful worship experiences have occurred while driving. One more than one occasion I’ve had to pull over.

The one thing I can never grow tired of is singing praise to God. Even when its hard. Its in the times of darkness and frustration that my choice means the most. I can choose to turn away or I can choose to give Him honor despite my circumstances. I may not understand my circumstances and may not be able to provide an answer of why this has happened to me but I can trust in Him and His character and for me, that is worth singing for!

Related posts:

1. Day 13: Rockin’ for Christ

Ok – I am cheating. The instructions for Day 28 actually say favorite movie (singular) but there is no way I would ever be able to narrow it down to just one movie so here are a couple of my favorites:

When I’m in the mood for something girly:

When I’m in the mood for a little bit spooky:

When I’m in the mood for a little drama:

Of course, the unspoken favorites are any of the seasons of NCIS which I proudly own on DVD

What are your favorites?

Related posts:

1. Day 3: My Favorite Place to Shop
2. Day 13: Rockin’ for Christ
3. Day 18: Cravings

My MP3 player is in my car but I can pull up my playlist through rhapsody.com so here are my first 10 songs:

1. Action by FireFlight
2. Shout to the Lord by Skillet
3. Tonight by TobyMac featuring John Cooper (of Skillet)
4. Glorious Day by Casting Crowns
5. Thy Mercy by Caedmon’s Call
6. Welcome Home by Shaun Groves
7. Just a Kiss by Lady Antebellum
8. A Little Bit Stronger by Sara Evans
9. The One You Need by Shane & Shane
10. Knee Deep by the Zac Brown Band

From the list you can see that I like a mix of Christian and Country music to make my work day pass smoothly

Related posts:

1. Day 13: Rockin’ for Christ
2. Beauty for Ashes

When I think back to January 2007, I can definitely see a lot of changes that have occurred over the last five years.

Five years ago, I was planning my third surgery at the Center for Endometriosis care in Atlanta where I could be seen by one of the top endo specialists in the country. We had already had several unsuccessful rounds on fertility drugs (Clomid and Femera) but we still had that hope that we weren’t out of the game yet. The statistics were in our favor. After the recovery from surgery, we were going to step up our treatments to IUIs. Five years ago, I am pretty sure The Girldfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy was still on my nightstand so that I could be ready when the good news came.

Five years ago, I also think I was a lot more optimistic that the pain I was in was only temporary. I had already been diagnosed with fibromyalgia in addition to the endometriosis but there were still many options to try out at that point so with that coupled with the hope of relief promised by the upcoming surgery, I counted down the days until I would be pain-free and hopefully pregnant.

I will admit that I am probably a little harder now than I was then. I wouldn’t say that I am a pessimist as I do believe there is always hope, but I think I would consider myself more of a realist. Maybe caring less about what the statistics say and caring more about being heard by my physicians when I tell them that I am not better. Maybe caring less about dishes in the sink and the house not being perfect and caring more about the precious moments with my family. Maybe caring less about having all the answers and caring more about the hope that I can only find in Him and learning to walk by faith.

So have I changed in the last five years? Absolutely. Have I changed for the better? I think in some ways, yes. The last five years have most definitely been a challenge but I think that how we respond to the challenges molds and shapes us into the people that are we meant to be.

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Related posts:

1. Day 5: 2 Years Ago
2. 6 Years of being a Mrs
3. A New Kind of Normal is 4 years old!

As I mentioned in my 20 facts post, I was a runner throughout high school and college. I was never fast but I was dedicated. I mostly ran the mile and two-mile races during meets and while I was never fast enough to run on the collegiate level, I continued to run throughout college.

There is just something about running that I loved. It was more than just the physical activity but it was almost emotional and spiritual at the same time. I have prayed some of the deepest prayers and done the most thinking on runs where its just me and God.

I miss it. A lot.

Between the pain and crushing fatigue that often accompanies chronic illness, it has just not been in the cards for me lately. There was a period of time after my Celiac diagnosis that I was able to run again for several months before my endometrioisis made its return post-hysterectomy.  I was hoping the most recent surgery would have allowed me to get back on the road but haven’t got there.

Yet.

For the first time in weeks (or maybe in months), I feel encouraged that my pain will not always be this way. Will I ever be completely pain-free? Not likely. However, the constant pelvic pain will hopefully ease up as physical therapy progresses. The first 3 weeks of PT have been very difficult and very painful but for the first time today I didn’t leave the office in tears. Progress. There were definitely some painful moments and I’m still a little crampy but not like last week. Progress. As we get these lower abdominal muscles and pelvic floor muscles loosened up, I should see my pain levels lower. Progress.

I love progress. I may never run a marathon but at this point, a jog around the neighborhood would do just fine!

And because everyone needs a giggle on a Wednesday, I am pretty sure the following is pretty accurate  -

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No related posts.

This was another post I was really looked forward to when starting the challenge!

1. My coupon organizer (purchased from GlowGirl on Etsy)

2. My wallet

3. My fantastic planner

4. My blog business cards (holder purchased from OC Style Creations on Etsy)

5. My meds  Can’t leave home without them!

6. My BFF – my TENS unit

7. Gum – when I get the urge to snack, I chew gum.

8. My keys (key fob also purchased from OC Style Creations)

Now you’ve seen the contents of my purse, what’s in yours?

Related posts:

1. Feature: Foster Kade Designs
2. Crochet Hatsy Giveaway!
3. Favorite 5