My Valenties Day

I am totally bragging here but I had the best V-day ever! Jeremy and I have began a tradition of cooking/grilling at home for the occasion. This year he switched it up and tried to throw me off the trail by taking me out to dinner Wednesday evening. That was totally special and sweet. But it didn't stop. He went to the doctor with me on Valentines day- super sweet! Then when we finished early at the doctor he went to TARGET with me even though it wasn't what we had planned. We were able to have lunch together and just a nice day 'piddlin' around.
When I got home he had cleaned! and bought me flowers and was busy preparing a FABULOUS meal. I had told him that I would make dessert and I was planning on making strawberry RHUBARB pie. Well in typical DeLena fashion I made strawberry RUTABEGA pie!(insert laughter here) My husband laughed- becasue I was laughing- and ate a piece anyway! Unbelievable! (Luckily I figured something catastrophic like this might happen so I had a back up dessert plan. So all was not lost.)
It was just a very nice romantic relaxing evening and I wish everyday could be Valentines day. But then it wouldn't be so special.
I will add that I have been shown the error of my ways. I think I take my husband for granted and he continually loves me and shows that to me. I DON'T show him enough, and I don't know why but I'm gonna change that!
Have a great weekend ya'll!

Great News!

I have a new phrase for you- Fatty Necrosis. That means that what the doctor took out of my bum was fat tissue that had died as a result of the steroid injection almost 2 years ago. So it was great news,I mean still freakishly unique! but nothing to worry about. The doctor hypothesisizes that my body recacted negatively to whatever it was that they injected me with in Jamacia. He said it might have even been the solution or medium that they were keeping the steriod in that I reacted to because I have had other steroid shots and have not had this result. Thank you for your thoughts and most importantly your prayers. They have been a huge blessing to me and to Jeremy during this time.
Now on to other great adventures!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Strange Happenings!

***Note to reader- long post AND spell check is down so go easy on me!***

I have always felt a sense of pride about my uniqeness. I enjoy going against the flow whether that is playing devil's advocate in a debate with friends or standing up for something I'm passionate about. I also have been know to enjoy a little spotlight every now and then! ( I know, you never would have guessed!) But recently my body has decided to get in sync with my personality. Stange things have been happening lately.

Most recently I had an "old bruise" become "infected" and swollen. Or so we thought. The "old bruise" was observed by my regular doctor in October and she was not concerned because it did not hurt. She said the trauma ( a cortiroid/cortizone shot in my bum! on my honeymoon!) had stained the skin leaving the permanent bruise color. Sounds weird but continue reading.

So about the first week in January I was laying around with darling husband watching THE OFFICE dvd's and realized that "my bum" where the "old bruise" was hurt and it was swollen and tender. So weird! Again it was 1.5 years old at least, and now it was acting up. So next day called the only doctor to have ever seen it, my gyno, and she told me to come in the next day. At this point I asked " should I be alarmed?" the nurse sweetly replied, "well if its bothering you, you want the dr. to look at it". So the Dr. says that it appears infected and prescribes an antibiotic. The Dr. seemed fairly confident that it was in fact and infection and statd that if the antibiotic did not reduce all the swelling then she would refer me to a surgeon to get it "excised" !!! So of course the antibiotic reduced the size of the swelling but not completly and it was still tender. So then came the referal.

Today, almost a month after noticing the "old bruise" hurting I went to see the surgeon. He informed me that he was fairly confident that it was a dermatofibroma. ( i would inset a link here to wikapedia or web md but blogger is down).He explained that it was a scar tumor that was benign most always and the color (that we thought was stain leaving it looking like an old bruise) is another criteria of dermatofibroma. So have I had this scar tumor longer than I thought? He stated that he has only seen one malignant one in all his years of practice and that was "like 40 years ago." However he is going to send it off to pathology to make sure it is not malignant and is a dermatofibroma because the presentation is uncommon (read on bum instead of leg and was reduced in size by antibiotic).
So here's hopeing and PRAYING that my body stops being unique and leaves the uniqueness to the personality and that I don't break the doctors 40 year streak!

The removal should be easy, local anestic and all but seriously what the heck! I mean knock on wood but I couldn't tell you the last time I've had anything like the flu, strep throat, or run of the mill stomach virus but dermatofibroma, oh yeah. Now I've had that!

p.s. I would like to note that both doctor's have been very nice and PATIENT with all my questions! Knowlege is power, especially about your freaky body!

radical reminiscing

I keep waiting to post something when i have pictures and i am SO bad at uploading pictures so my post are few and far between. I guess a new year can bring a new start to things so i have a hope/goal to post more even if it is just writing. so here goes- Christmas was lovely, Jeremy and i put up our first tree because last year was CRAZY working at outback and then we went to Ohio to see his extended family so it just plain never happened. this year we were determined to not let Christmas traditions like that slip by. the tree was a real live one- antoher first for me. we spent the majority of the holiday in Chattanooga which was nice but its also strange. i love going home and seeing my family but its hard. i feel like i live in this universe where i don't always fit or belong. when I'm in Jackson its great, feels like home, like i belong -MOST of the time but every now and then i get an ache for something else, for my family and old friends in the 'noog. but then when I'm in chattanooga it doesn't always fit or feel how i had been dreaming it would. i never thought anything other than chattanooga could truly feel like home or give me that sense of belonging but when I'm there I feel everything but that. i love it but its not my home and even though i have tried to stay connected and in touch i have failed. there's SO much about me and about my life that can't be shared in phone conversations (maybe even just voicemails) and weekend trips here and there. i know they would say the same about their lives, that i don't truly know what is going on or to what extent it has been happening. i feel so much confusion and discomfort as i type this. where do i fit- with jeremy obviously and where he is is where i'll be and where are home will be but what a heavy thought to think that those who used to know me the best struggle to grasp who i am now and what my life is. and even more when i hurt and am going through something i don't necessarily call them and that when they hurt and are struggling with something i'm not necessarily who they turn to. what has it all become- exactly what its supposed to be -but who would have thunk it? maybe its all good. maybe i need to feel the ache all the time and remind myself that this isn't my home that nowhere on this earth should i feel comfortable because my home is in heaven and that is where i belong. nowhere else.
will i ever get it, grasp that concept? can i ever feel content to not always be comfortable?
"i've been painting pictures of Egypt, leaving out what it lacks. the future feels so hard, i wanna go back. but the places that used to fit me can not hold the things i've learned. those roads were closed off to me when my back was turned."- deuteronomy, sara groves, mary margaret- thanks.

How it all began...

Three years ago today Jeremy and I officially began dating after dancing in the cold all night, in a random parking lot in Oxford, after the Eggbowl game.
Two years ago today he surprised me by traveling to Chattanooga unbeknownst to me and proposing marriage in a very romantic setting he had created with the help of my sweet friend Jessica and her husband Albert.
Exactly One and a half years ago we said our vows and committed our lives to each other in front of God and our family and friends.
One year ago today we were spending our first official "big" holiday as husband and wife with my family in the 'Noog!
Today I am at work without him missing him terribly and reminiscing of our brief and eternal relationship and dreaming of our furure.
I love you baby!
Happy half anniversary!

Camping

We went camping a few weekends ago with Tim and Sarah. Jeremy had gotten some camping gear for his birthday in JULY and hadn't had an oppourtunity to use it yet. Tim found us this cool place in Port Gibson, thanks to his bro and we really had a blast! Gracie joined us- she LOVED it! We did some sightseeing stuff during the day that we were there. Here are a few pics from those adventures.

Long time, no post

Sorry its been so long since I have posted any news. We have been unusually busy but here are a few pictures from our travels. More to follow.











<

Happy Birthday Moma!

Today is my moma's birthday! although we were in town over the weekend it is still sad to not be there today. Happy Birthday Mom! I love you!

Mr. and Mrs. Bettis

Well my sweet friend Stephanie Beagles (there are quite a few Stephanie's i call my friend!) got married this weekend! It was beautiful.It was at the Grandview on Lookout mountain and our pictures were taken at Rock City! I will post some of my pictures soon but I wanted to say that it was so good to be home and be apart of this special day for her and for him:) Congratulations Stephanie and Tripp!

The New Look!

Well this is the new look- for now! Thanks to Erin I have a few really cute options for the banner and thus the look of the blog. Now some of you might think that the blog is too summery BUT to a few when you saw it you said-"That looks like Tennessee Orange" and to those few I say "GO VOLS!"
And Rocky Top- you'll always be home sweet home to me! Good Ole Rocky Top, Rocky Top Tennessee!

Update

Thanks for your prayers. I know they have been and are being answered for my sweet friends. Sarah and Laura are both doing exceptionally well at the moment. Of course there life is forever changed but the day to day is getting easier it appears. Sarah said something the first day and I think about it often but every purchase (big or small) or sentimental gift given now will be "after the fire." I know I have had "crisis training" but for all its worth it still really sucks to watch my friends go through all this. I am totally being selfish but I want my life back to normal, routine- I know THEY DO too! When will that happen? for any of us? They are back to work today and will move into the townhomes soon, maybe this week or next? so when that happens they will be my almost neighbors! yippee! Its just such a SLOW process! and now is the time I wonder what to do- the dust (shock) has settled, family members have gone home and life is supposed to be getting normal for them. but seriously how can it be it was just 8 days ago! it feels like a century to me. so all the to say please continue to keep them in your prayers!

Please Pray

My dear dear bestest friends, Sarah and Laura,lost their home to fire early Sunday morning. They are physically unharmed but are homeless and without anything. They literally got out with only the clothes on their back- which was p.j.'s due the time of day/night! It is all very surreal and overwhelming. They lost everything. I mean just thinking about that, everything big and small- all the knickknacks, hand me downs,antiques, clothes new and old, bedroom stuff, matresses, sheets, toothbrush, food, dishes, all your valubles and all your identifying paperwork- passports, drivers liscesne, bank card and check book. I mean how do you even prove you are who you say you are to get to the money that is yours! Furthermore if you go and try to get a liscense what address do you give them, where are you going to live- this is what my sweet friends are dealing with! Too much! They lost their phones as well so they were limited to call only those whose numbers they knew by heart- and lets face it that's about zero since 1997!
SO my mind is racing today and it is so hard to work! But they will be alright- they did have renters insurance so some if not all will end up getting compensated but they have to rebuild their lives!
Please please pray for them, for peace,provison and wisdom.