for what it's worth

Call me slow... I've had a twitter account for quite sometime now but until lately, I haven't used it. I a m now a tweeting twitterer! It's kinda fun and I'm finding others to follow that peak my interests. Took me a while to get the hang of it though. So do you twitter? If so, who do you follow? My following list consists of friends, UC organizations, health and women's interests, local and national news, as well as prophetic people of God. I've come across some helpful hints too. I find I can learn new things and be pretty entertained for some time. Follow me @monnieab *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* About my last post, running the Turkey Trot 5K in Austin, I've got to collect some sponsor money for the cause.  If you'd be interested in helping out, please click the link below to donate. I really appreciate it! I actually hate asking for money but sometimes it has to be done. So here I am--asking.  http://thundercloud.com/index.php/beneficiary...

I did it! I registered for my first ever 5K! To say that I am nervous--understatement! I am even reluctant to put it out there that I've signed up... NOW I'M ACCOUNTABLE! http://thundercloud.com/index.php/trot-home So now I'm getting serious about training. Told Killer, my trainer, today and he was pumped! Made me even more nervous! But I can do this, right!?!?! Been doing a lot of soul searching over the last couple of weeks; I've come to the conclusion that my mind is more than half the battle when it comes to physical activity. I am so ready to be past this self doubt that I seem to hang on too. Why is it so hard to put this behind me? I do still have chronic pain issues and working out seems to magnify some of them right now. I'm hoping the more weight I loose and the better shape I get into, things will settle down. I ordered a book today on living with chronic pain. I'm hoping this will give me some helpful tips as well as insight to deal with it. ...

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon at our ranch, Happy Vista, located on part of the Palo Duro Canyon called Happy Canyon. I am always amazed by it's beauty and vastness. Is that even a word, vastness ? This place justifies making up new words to describe it. Shannon is in the process of laying a water line through out in order to water cattle and supply our camper and one day, a barn-house. It's hard work in the heat of September, not to mention dirty! He hired a ditcher to ditch the ground and then we follow up by laying 2 inch x 20 foot PVC pipe, gluing it together and dropping it in the ditch. I can't tell you how many miles Shannon has done with the help of my dad and a friend, but it is a lot! I laid about 1,200 feet myself. Let me tell ya--my arms are so sore! those stinking pipes are heavier than you'd think! I really enjoyed the work though. There's something about being outdoors with your hands in the earth that really connects you to the land. I cannot ...

I am no good on my own... I desperately need God. Had an epiphany this weekend. I am a bit embarrassed by it too. Seems I've been trying to live life with out the help of my Creator. Very hard, wouldn't suggest it. I just thought I'd give it a go with my own wisdom, I know better than this. It doesn't take long for things to spiral out of control. Probably because I never really had control in the first place. Geez, these are the hardest lessons to learn. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Heard a message by Graham Cooke, a prophetic man of God, the other day. He was talking about struggling with illness and he said something that stuck with me. "I am a whole ( wo )man fighting sickness,  not a sick ( wo )man trying to get well."  Wow! This has become my new mantra! I have to keep reminding myself that God is bigger than UC. I am not UC, I am a person who is struggling with UC. UC does not own me. Somet...

Where did our childlike wonder go? I was watching a toddler study the wheels on the grocery cart today as his mother pushed  it down the isle. He was completely taken with the whole workings of this wheel. I couldn't help but smile. He was so intent on those wheels and every time the mom would roll the cart forward his head would bob up and down until the wheel came to a stop. As I got closer, I saw that the wheel had a sticker or some piece of paper stuck to it and as the wheel turned the boy followed that paper with his whole head. He was oblivious to everyone and everything around him. His mother was oblivious to his infatuation with the wheel, she was probably just happy that he wasn't running wild or throwing a fit.  While watching this little guy, I began to feel a little bit of a loss. When did we start taking life for granted? Kids are always amazed and amused by the slightest things. As adults, we seem to become immune to the little things that make life fun and int...

Scope is done and results are in: Remicade 1, UC 0. Remicade is definitely earning it's keep at 5 grand every 6 weeks. Thank God for insurance. Let's hope that any health care reforms don't screw this up for me... As I write this, I am sitting in my favorite spot drinking coffee. I love to have this time every morning after kids go to school and hubby goes to work. I need it to get ready for the day. A little one on one with my Creator and a chance to reflect on my goals and prepare for the day. Since I lost the first 2 weeks of school to feeling bad, I have a lot to do during this short week. I am also starting week 2 of my new medicine changes. I can already tell a difference. It looks like my UC wasn't flaring after all, but my meds obviously needed some adjusting. I am feeling less overwhelmed and sleeping much better at night too. My body aches are still there but the leg and foot cramps seem to be lessening.  In fact, my doc said that if he hadn't known my...