Tuesday, December 28, 2010

the letter

well, we all survived christmas and a blizzard in new jersey! now, i am back to the grind for a few days before a respite in florida for NYE!

i just wanted to update everyone on where we are with the whole rude doctor issue. i called the monday after said appointment to see if i could reschedule the remaining appointments with the other doctor. well, that cant happen :( i have decided to cut my hours back at work to every tuesday and thursday and every other saturday (peter is totally excited to have a wife again instead of a roommate!). well, the other doctor only works tuesday and thursday afternoons and i cant take off every two weeks for an ultrasound and i dont want to be going to 2 different doctor locations to see him on a different day when i also have to see my regular Ob every two weeks. i then asked if the nice tech, Kathy, could just do the scans and send the results to Dr. Wood (my OB). apparently that cant happen either. Dr. Kovacs, aka crazy lady, has to come in, do the scan, and then sign off on the chart. GREAT! so, apparently this is going be a another test of my patience! per Dr. Wood's suggestion and the developing issues, i decided to indeed send Dr. Kovacs a letter. the following is the letter...i tried to be direct without being rude or crazy...i hope she gets the hint!



Dr. Kovacs and Associates:

I have been a patient at the Miami Valley office for the last several weeks and have been under the care of Dr. Kovacs and Dr. McKenna. As you are aware, my first ultrasound showed excessive fluid in the nuchal fold. I have come back for two other appointments including an amniocentesis test. My husband and I have been told that our little girl has turner’s syndrome and with all of the fluid in and around the baby’s body there is no chance of survival past delivery. I understand that this is a very slim chance, but because of our faith and religious beliefs we are hoping and praying for a miracle. We understand that the miracle would be life past delivery and that, regardless, the baby will be facing difficulties. In knowing what we know, all the facts that your office and Dr. Wood’s office have given us, as well as our own research, we know what we are up against. With that being said, we will never terminate our pregnancy. We are choosing to carry until the baby’s heart stops beating. We know that if the baby is born there will be very severe complications. My requests from this point on are that termination will not be brought up or asked of us again and that conversations of complications will only be brought up if there are new or changing situations. As you can imagine, this situation is very hard for my husband and me. I am now coming every two weeks for ultrasounds and to see Dr. Wood. I have been trying to stay strong and be positive and that would be much easier for me if I were to come in and not have to worry about defending the choices my husband and I have made. If there are questions or a need to change my appointments, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your help and patience as we are going through a very hard time!

Sincerely,

thanks for reading!! happy New Year!!

blessings, ALo

Sunday, December 19, 2010

The Honest Truth

honestly, i have had a rough 2 days. sometimes i am not sure how i am supposed to act or feel. usually, i try to keep it together and stay strong, but yesterday that was a real struggle for me. i am just sad and then i feel very selfish. selfishly, i want my baby to be healthy and "just fine" and selfishly i want to plan a nursery, have baby showers and most importantly be looking forward to bringing her home. i know that this is a big deal to me and consumes most of what i think about, but this is not all that is going on around me. everyone i come into contact with has something going on in their lives that may seem devastating to them too. that is why i feel like i need to keep it together (poor peter, my awesome hubby, has to deal with me when i cant do it anymore).

my appointment friday went as most people would expect. i still always hope for something good or a positive change, but that will always be a very slim chance. thankfully my awesome mom came down to go with me! she came thursday afternoon and took peter and me out to a nice dinner and then had her hair done (a nice perk for her!). friday started early with an ultrasound. i had a really sweet ultrasound tech named kathy; she has done all three ultrasounds for us and knows our case well, she also assisted in the amnio test. she is always very nice and explains things to me when i ask (which is very often!). as we were looking at the ultrasound, it became very clear to me very quickly that things had gotten much worse. at 18 weeks, the baby should look like a baby and should be easy to recognize all the fingers and toes. on our poor baby every thing is full of fluid and looks very puffy. it's as if you took a latex glove and blew into it, that glove blows and everything looks like an over stuffed sausage. that is what our baby's arms and legs look like. you can see the bones as a thin strip and then all the fluid around them. this is the first time we have seen this...in 3 weeks the fluid is progressively moved over the entire body. her little lungs have still not grown since the 13 week appointment. she still has a strong steady heart beat, but it is having to work much harder to pump through all the fluid. i am sure there is more, but those are the things that stick out to me. at the end of the scan, the doctor came in to go over everything with me. i already knew what was a going to be said (i have done my research and know how things are supposed to be). i told the doctor what i had seen and she told me i was right. she proceeded to say that with all that was happening we had the option of termination. this is the same doctor that i have already told 2 times that we would never terminate. so, i responded that peter and i had "faith and were believing in a miracle, and if we don't get that miracle than we completely understand what we are up against." the doctor then turned to me and said, in a very pessimistic tone, "oh, so, you are ok with having a baby with a webbed neck?" i quickly responded in somewhat shock, "yes, at this point we would be ok with having any baby, even with disabilities." i was so upset, especially because a webbed neck (a cosmetic side effect of turner's syndrome) is going to be the least of our worries! my mom and i left somewhat dumbfounded by her comments. we went upstairs to my OB appointment with my sweet doctor, Roberts Wood. i told him what happened and he has encouraged me to write a letter to the practice that does my ultrasounds and tell them why i was upset. he explained that she would never understand our faith (he is a believer too!) but her comments and insistence of termination are not appreciated. i am also going to make sure she is no longer the doctor i will see there...i will have to go every 2 weeks for an ultrasound and check up from here on out.

 i try so hard to be strong during my appointments, but her pessimistic attitude/comments about this pregnancy make it very hard for me. i have tried to make my faith and beliefs clear without being one of those crazy people, but friday i wanted to throw everything out the window and kick the lady! then, after i was mad and after my mom, who was for once totally speechless :), and i laughed about it, i got very sad. not sad for me, but for all the people who have probably listened to the advice and allowed this women, and other doctors like her, to play god and be the one to determine the future of their babies. i am and will be sad knowing the facts and stats we are up against. i am tired and worn out from everything, but in no way will i ever give up and let someone else be in control. God has me right where He wants me. He has never left my side, even when i wanted to kick that crazy lady!

 please pray that i can continue to be strong, that i wont give in to what might be an easy way out. please pray that God will give me rest emotionally and mentally. peter and i are traveling to new jersey and florida, please pray that things go smoothly and things with the baby do not change over the break (i am nervous enough about what is coming without having things change and end up in a hospital out of state). thank you for all your prayers and continued support...i am so blessed!!

blessings, ALo

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

take heart!

hey everyone. it has been a week since my last post, but not much has changed with baby stuff. the good thing is that she is still in there, hopefully getting bigger and stronger. the final results of the amnio test did come back stating that baby girl is missing one of the X chromosomes, but that, thankfully, nothing else is missing or impaired. these results do not change anything for us, but they do tell us that it is definitely Turner's syndrome. the chances of this ever recurring in one of our pregnancies is less than 1%. the doctors want to continue to see me every two weeks along with frequent ultrasounds. my sweet momma is coming from michigan this week to go to the appointments with me. i have an ultrasound first and then my regular OB appointment. ideally, the ultrasound will show a decrease in fluid and show that the lungs and other organs are developing on schedule, or at least more so than the last appointment. obviously the risks are still high and there is a chance that there will not be a heartbeat. factually i understand this and feel capable of dealing with this. emotionally i feel totally unprepared and totally freaked out. please pray that regardless of what we find out i am able to stay strong an know that God is ALWAYS in control!! i have been reminded of a verse lately that means a lot to me, i hope that this brings you some peace with whatever you have going on in your life...especially during this holiday (crazy) season!

blessings, ALo

John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world"

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

it's a girl!

i have been a little overwhelmed as of late and have not updated lately...sorry. ok, so if i talk about the facts it somehow feels less real. the facts from before have not really changed, we now have names for the disorder and details is all. the FISH test, which is part of the amniocentesis, found that our baby is a girl and that she is missing an X chromosome. this is what is contributing to all the problems that she is facing. the problem is not about the lungs, that is the result of the problem. the syndrome is called Turner Syndrome. to the knowledge of all my doctors and genetic counselors, no baby diagnosed with Turner's from conception (or before birth) has never survived. in fact, most pregnancies like this miscarry before the first trimester. so, basically, this is different than most Turner pregnancies making it hard know what will come next. my OBGYN, who i really like, told me that this is the first time in 15 years that he has ever seen this. he told me that the baby is basically experiencing congestive heart failure. the heart is beating, but not pumping fluid through the body like it should, which is why the fluid is building up in the chest and abdomen. the fluid is causing the lungs to not develop. the doctors are saying that the fluid will continue to stunt other organs or will stop developing as well. however, the baby will continue to grow and survive because the heart is still beating. my body is keeping the rest of things going, basically like life support. so, the outcome has not changed...there is still no chance of survival. the hard part is that the pregnancy could continue for a while, if not to term. yes, we are still praying for a HUGE miracle, but we also need to prepare for reality. it is hard to be normal, i am not sure what normal is right now. i am scared of something happening and not having peter there. i am sad i dont feel like i can be excited about much...this is no longer a "normal" situation. i hated hearing that there was no longer a 30% chance to carry and deliver a baby to bring home. so, the next thing is my appointment with my OBGYN. i will go every two weeks to check growth and the heartbeat.

those are the facts. but i know that my God is so much bigger than facts. even if things do not change for our baby, we know that we are not alone in any of this. God has been so close and comforting to peter and i over the last few weeks and especially the last few days. we just keep saying, God loves our baby so much more than we do and He is going to do what is best for her.

thank you for all the prayers and support and encouragement. i am not sure what to ask for other than patience, peace and health. we are so blessed beyond measure and we know that we are going to be more than ok through everything!

blessings, ALo

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

much needed!

this is from the book Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young. i had been reading this for a little bit, but had slacked off. a friend a quick excerpt and i thought it fit how i feel today perfectly! i hope that you can get some comfort from the words as i have!

blessings, ALo

From the Book Jesus Calling- by sarah young

"I am involved in each moment in your life. I have carefully mapped out every inch of your journey through this day, even though much of it may feel haphazard. Because the world is in a fallen condition, things always seem to be unraveling around the edges. Expect to find trouble in this day. At the same time, trust that My way is perfect, even in the midst of such messy imperfection. Stay conscious of Me as you go through this day, remembering that I never leave your side. Let the Holy Spirit guide you step by step, protecting you from unnecessary trials and equipping you to get through whatever must be endured. As you trudge through the sludge of this fallen world, keep your mind in heavenly places with Me. Thus the Light of My Presence shines on you, giving you Peace and Joy that circumstances cannot touch.

Psalm 18:30 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

Isaiah 41:13 For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

babyLo

i know that this is LONG overdue...sorry! most of you know that peter and i are expecting our first little one this may! we found out in september and have been so excited! we went to our first ultrasound appointment friday, november 12th. we were so excited to see our little one, to know that things were great and our baby was perfect, after all we were 13 weeks along. we found out during that appointment that not everything was perfect, that the baby was not 100% healthy. during that first ultrasound the doctors measure fluid on the baby's neck. in a normal ultrasound the fluid should measure 3mm or less; ours was measuring 15mm...showing abnormalities. the fluid is coming from around the baby's heart and belly. we were devastated, of course. we sat down with the doctor and a genetic counselor who told us that most likely this was a chromosome disorder, basically a misfiring of information when the egg and sperm met. we were told some disturbing stats, but we also knew that no matter what God is in control. the doctors originally told us there was a 70% change of miscarriage at any point during the pregnancy (not something we were prepared for). we were told about some testing that could be done that day, but we were not prepared for anything that day and decided to hold off on anything else until we could comprehend what we were being told. we came home and were very upset...we called/emailed alot of people asking for prayer. we have felt all of those prayers and we are soooo thankful for each of them! we have experienced an amazing outpouring of God's love through our friends and family...we are more than blessed.

today, nov 30th, peter and i went back for a follow up scheduled ultrasound to check the progress of the baby's growth and check the levels of the fluid. peter and i (and lots of others) were praying that things would be better than last time, or at least not worse. unfortunately that did not happen. the fluid has gotten progressively worse and we are now facing more bad statistics. the fluid has spread farther down the baby's body, but (thankfully) does not involve the head at all. the fluid around the heart and lungs is much worse though. the fluid is now compressing the baby's lungs causing them to not develop. basically, the lungs are like a sponge, when you squeeze a sponge it gets smaller or contracts. unless the pressure is taken off the sponge, it continues to stay contracted. that is what is happening. there is so much fluid that the lungs have no where to expand and grow, leaving them under developed. we were told by the doctor today to expect a miscarriage at some point. even if i were able to carry the baby to term, there is no way the baby would survive because of the decreased lung development. we again were devastated, not knowing what to say. he could not tell us when the miscarriage would happen, just that it is is more than likely. we decided to to go ahead and have an amniocentesis test done today. this test allows the doctors to determine what is happening genetically or chromosomally with the baby. there is a low risk of miscarriage with the test, so i am home today on bed rest. we will have some preliminary results from the test this thursday and the rest will come in 10-12 days. we are now praying for strength and peace, that only God can give! we know that HE knows and cares about this, even more than we do (which is hard to believe!!!). we also know that He will not give us more than we can handle. please pray for us...for wisdom and direction as we continue as well as for peace in the coming days and months.

i appreciate you taking the time to read this and pray for us! i will try to keep things updated as we progress with our pregnancy!! LET'S PRAY FOR A MIRACLE...MY BABY NEEDS ONE!!!!

blessings, ALo

Sunday, June 13, 2010

i didnt finish last!

for everyone that knows me you are probably really laughing now! 1. i have not been too physically active for about 10 years. 2. i have never been in a canoe with peter. 3. i have not seriously rode a bike...ever. i have not been on a bike consistently since 5th grade! what was i thinking????!!!!!



ok, so the deal is peter and i did the triathlon!!!! yep, last sunday...i am just recovering!! the above pics are AFTER the big race when we got home. we didnt take our camera or have anyone take any pics of us. i honestly thought that there would be people at the the finish line taking some for us...oh well...as you can see we survived...and didnt place last!!! ok, so here is the breakdown...

we left our house last sunday at 7:15, got down to the race area at 7:45, thinking that would give us plenty of time for our 8:38 start time. we were WRONG!!!! thankfully there were some serious thunderstorms when we got there which gave us a one hour delay. yes...the storms cleared out very quickly and we ended up with GREAT weather...sunny, 75 but very windy...fun for the bike of course! :) so, back to the beginning...we walked about 3/4 of a mile from our car to the bike staging area to set things up. then then walked down "killer hill", which we knew we would run up to finish our race...i was secretly freaking out before the race even started! lets just say, i am not sure how i stayed upright, for real! i saw so many people that had mud stains on their butts! this is not a paved road...it is barely a trail with tree roots to use to pull yourself up the 45 degree incline and then there are about 50 steps to climb to finish...yes, we went down that and then walked another 1/2 mile to the canoe start line...yep, took us a while to get things ready and set! :)

we started at exactly 9:38. every two minutes a group of 6 canoes starts the race...there were over 1200 people involved in the race!! so, peter say behind me during the canoe race and we paddled hard, but didnt kill ourselves, we knew it would be a long day! surprisingly, we didnt get into any "disagreements" during the canoe race (6miles) or any of the race for that matter...i know, not typically me, but i had prayed all week that i would keep my temper and unsportsman like conduct in check :)  the hard thing about the whole thing is that you never see any clocks or times during the race until the finish line. neither peter or myself wore a watch, but we felt like we did well for the canoe portion...about the only time we werent being passed by 100s of people! 

as we finished the canoe race we took a few min. to change from our reef flip flops to our running shoes...we had a pretty good transition, not pausing to do more that what we had to to get back on the race. the next stage is the run (5.5miles). basically, you run back to the canoe area and up to the bikes. before the race even started peter and i had decided that we would walk the run part. partly because my kness had given me so many problems during training, partly because we didnt train enough for this first experience. again, we have no idea how long it took us, but we kept a good pace the whole time. there were a few small hills, nothing major until for real the last half mile which is appropriately called "killer hill" as mentioned above. lets just say this...people have asked me if i would do this race again. the only reason i would not do it is becuase of this hill. IT WAS AWFUL!!!!! by the time i got to the top i was more than out of breath, dripping sweat and exhausted...and they want to get on a bike??? YEAH RIGHT!!! plus i had to pee like no ones business and the only thing available was nasty porta-potties...gross, i dont even like to go in public restrooms that ladies use...these are toilets that every sweaty person in the race uses and they have been sitting in the sun for days...awesome! however i knew that i would fail if i didnt go...i guess that was the least of my worries for the day, it just seemed like a big deal after killer hill!

after a few cups of warm powerade, a granola bar and a trip to the big orange mobile toilet, peter and i got on our bikes for 18 miles!! yep...i rode my bike for 18 miles!!! the bike really was not bad at all, i was just SUPER slow!!! poor peter...he had to wait for me alot during this part of the challenge and he is a saint for it! the course was flat and through the cornfields, but SUPER windy!!! i am pretty sure my toes were numb before mile 6, but i just kept creepin along! 

months before the race i had asked peter to stay with me the whole race, to not leave me behind..i had several reasons, but basically i just didnt want to do the race alone. he of course said he would and he did more than stick with me...he trained with me for several months prior, he kept me excited up til race day, calmed my nerves the day of, and encouraged and supported me the WHOLE time!!! he came behind me when i needed a boost and came ahead of me to lead when things were uncertain! we knew that the race would be a big test for us and our marriage and i can honestly say i have never been more sure or excited about us than i have through this whole process!! as we came up to the finish line we had to dismount our bike and walk them across the line...we came in at the same time...side by side...smiling the whole time! about 30 seconds later i started crying...from appreciation and love that peter did more than he promised, from excitement that we finished alive, and from pure exhaustion!! eventually i calmed down and stripped out of my sweaty clothes to change and go enjoy some food and live music.

a week later i still feel so blessed that peter and i were able to do this challenge together and say that we survived. it took us 4 hours and 9 minutes...could have been better, but we FINISHED!!! so, thank you to all who encouraged and supported us and who care enough to read this...i know its long!! :) p.s. i treated peter and i to massages today...nice perk of post race recovery!! :)

blessings, ALo

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Prom and then some

so for the past few weeks the salon has been PACKED every saturday with young girls coming in to have their hair "upstyled" for prom. this season evokes so much anxiety into the lives of so many people...most of all...mine! not because i cant do the required "updo", no, my fear runs much deeper than this simple curl. you see, where the salon is located i have the...uh...pleasure (???) to service families with mom's that only want the best for their daughters, especially for this extremely important night of their lives. i mean, i know that prom is a very important right of passage, a night that girls dream about and a night that mothers spend lots of money for. here again is here i come into play :) yes, it is true that i make decent money curling, spraying and pinning hair for prom. and if that is all it was i would be just fine...just fine i tell you. but as we all know, beauty is not all it appears to be. here is how it really happens during prom season...the said prom date comes to the salon accompanied by the mother. i greet them with a smile knowing how excited the girl is for this huge night...well, day actually...to get started. we, all three of us, go to my station in front of the large front window. the beautiful high school student sits down and we begin to talk about her dress and what her ideal "event style" would be. then outta nowhere here comes mom, all up in my grill about what her duaghter HAS to have for her special night. i smile and nod knowing that, well, here we go again...a mother always knows best! i proceed to do what i have been trained for...training that mommy dearest does not have, i mean if she did would she be paying me to do this? in the meantime mom sits in the sill pointing out every imperfect curl and uncrossed pin. really lady...really??? gimme a break! the really crazy part is that this happens more times than not and we could do 3 or 4 on a given saturday...ugh...makes for a long day! prom is not always bad though. it does remind me of how much fun my friends and i had at our "prom" or lack thereof. i mean, i loved getting dressed even with the dress code requirements and sitting all night NOT dancing. no, but seriously, i loved high school and i loved all that came with it. and thankfully my mother was not the doting type. my mom was helpful, encouraging and always a gracious host! thanks for making my jr./sr. so fun, mom, and for not being a momzilla!!! :)

blessings, ALo

Monday, May 3, 2010

Grandpa Southwick

my grandpa had this laugh, a true belly laugh, in very sense of the phrase. even if he was making pokes at you, you couldnt help but laugh if he got going....truly contagious laughter.

my grandpa loved being outside. he loved birds and plants and flowers and everything outside. he loved the warm months, but he always loved God's creation.

my grandpa hunted for indian artifacts. he found hundreds of arrowheads over the years and knew thousands of trivia facts about all tribes...he really knew his stuff and would light up when he talked about it.

my grandpa once held me for hours when i was sad and confused. i am not sure that i have ever told any one this... i was staying with my grandparents and i was crying in my room in the basement. he heard me and came in to hold me...i can only imagine what he was thinking. he didnt have to say anything, he just held me and let me cry.

my grandpa loved our family. he and grandma have been married since 1950...60 years!! he and grandma raised 5 kids, 23 grandkids, and 11 great grandkids. he always made sure to tell us that he loved us, but he didnt need to...we knew.

my grandpa was a crusty old man....but only on the outside. he loved to poke fun and then would turn right around and be encouraging and supportive of whatever we were doing.

my grandpa was a great teacher. he taught us to fish, taught us to drive, taught us to laugh, taught us to pray.

my grandpa loved God, with all his heart. out of all of the things he was, the one i am most proud of is his love for and faith in Jesus Christ. he always made his faith evident in his life and made sure he told others about his changed life.

my grandpa will be missed, greatly! our family will be so sad and life will be different without him. but i know that today my grandpa is not sick. my grandpa is able to breathe without an oxygen tank, and today my grandpa is worshipping his Lord and Savior without any limitations! we have been blessed to have him for all of these years and we cant wait to see him soon!

I LOVE YOU, GRANDPA!!!




ALo

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Oh Man!!!

yep, i am a HUGE slacker! well, not just a slacker...lazy. so where do i start? what do you want to know? so, the truth of the matter is that i am updating this because i told my cousin alex i would if she gave me the address to her blog. so for those of you who have been waiting, you can thank alexandra ann bufton!! :) so, anyway, rather than try to revisit the last few months i am going to start with today :) here goes nothin...

today was one of those days that you think over at the the end and just go...huh? really? so, we all know that i love my job...i love what i do and where i do it. that being said i left today going, really? REALLY? i was cancelled at the very last second this morning for a cut and highlight which meant that i sat there from 9 until 11:45 with pretty much nothing today. i did get to do something new on a loyal guest of mine...she cracks me up every time she is there. at the end of my work day...2:30 mind you...i had an appointment for a cut and color for myself. now, in case you haven't seen me in awhile, i have been keeping my hair short and platinum blonde. i also ALWAYS have the same friend from work do my hair...in case you cant get in with me at sqaure one make sure you ask for courtney, she is awesome...anyway, thursday is courntey's day off and she is completely booked tomorrow, my day off. so i instead had another colleague do my hair. to make this already long story a little shorter i walked out looking like a lesbian porcupine!!! ugh! i am so serious!! my hair is soooo short. i even had to call peter before i got home to warn him, thats how short it is! huh?? really?? of course that is not my while day, but you all know how much your hair can consume your day/life when it is not right. like camilla alves on shear genius says "...and remember, hair is important!"

ok, hope to talk again soon...thanks alex!!!

blessings, ALo

Friday, February 5, 2010

CRAP!

i should have stayed in bed today!!! yep, no doubt about it!! the thing is that friday is my day off...yep, fridays. i actually really like having fridays off, it makes working saturdays not that bad...sorta! so, normally i sleep in on fridays, do nothing in the mornings, have lunch with some friends in xenia, run errands and come home to get ready to do something friday night with the hubby and/or friends. this did NOT happen today! now, most things that happened were fine, even great...but i tell you that my day did not start out on a good foot at all!

so, first of all i was totally and completely awake at 7:45 am...yes! so much for sleeping in! i mean, i LOVE that my husband says good-bye when he leaves and gives me a sweet little kiss on the forehead (do you think that is because i have morning breath?) and usually i fall asleep the instant he leaves..not today! so, rather than just lay wishing i was asleep i got up and took a shower. i knew that my cousin laura was coming over for a haircut at 9:45, so put some sweatpants and a t-shirt on and got my hair dry. when i finished i went into the living room to start opening up the house and turn lights on and whatever. as i was walking over to a lamp my toe caught the power cord of peter's new laptop. unlike the mac, this power cord does not automatically pull away. nope, instead the cord wrapped around my toe and the laptop came crashing down on my toes...taking off skin and causing a black spot to appear pretty much immediately and then it bled for 20 min.!! yes, i did swear, more than once...dont judge me! so i had to sit on the chair and compose myself. when i was finally ready to get up and finish getting things ready, i ended up with a staple from the arm of the chair in my hand...UGH!! yes, it was bleeding and i was even more mad. so, here i am its only 8:30 and i am bleeding from my toes and my palm! i should have just gone right back to bed and started over! i really couldnt believe it. i mean, i know that i am a little ditzy but i am not usually clumsy like that! i did take a deep breath and a few ibuprofen and finished the morning. after that my day was pretty good. i did some hair (yes, on my day off. thats how much i like what i do), had lunch with some friends, spent some time with a girlfriend and did her hair, and made it home safely in the snow/rain/slush junk that we are getting right now. i also made a nice comforting dinner...chicken and dumplins! i am rounding out the evening with a lock-in with peter (including cutting his hair) :) just us...hanging out! i hope that tomorrow starts out better, could be a long day at work otherwise!! :)

but for real, the chicken and dumplins were awesome, thanks Whit!! if anyone wants the recipe just let me know!

blessings, ALo

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Long Time No See

i know that i have been slacking in a huge way!! i dont have any huge excuses other than that i have been pretty busy. peter also uses the computer alot in the evenings, so i dont usually feel like blogging really late.

i will catch you up on my trip to atlanta though! i was able to go down south for a long weekend last week for my friend's baby shower. i am so blessed to still have close relationships with a few friends from high school! we have all been friends for over 12 years!!!

i had so much fun and got to see so many people...i laughed harder on friday night than i have in so long! i got to go down so many different memory lanes! pooter and i did lots of shopping both for the shower and ourselves, we did lots of eating...of course, including my favorite, Zaxby's!!! sunday was totally crazy and a blast at the same time! angel and jesse had so many people come and support them and encourage them before baby eli comes. i was so glad to be a part of all of it! i am so blessed to have them all!!

here are a few pictures!! there are more on my facebook page! :)









jared and lindsey strong...so great to see them!!











me, angel, and pooter at the shower...love them!!








blessings, ALo

Monday, January 25, 2010

CRAZY

yes...me...i am crazy!

i am going to be running a triathlon this summer...June 6th!!!

peter and i will be a team, not required, but most people in this race do it as a 2 person team. we will do a 6 mile canoe race, hence the teams, 5.5 mile run and then finish with an 18 mile bike ride.

ok, so lets think about this. i have run any farther than a few feet since high school...i graduated in 2001! i have NEVER been on a bike for more than recreation and that was also years ago! canoeing...well, i think the only upside is that it will be going downriver!! :)

i really dont care what place i finish, i just want to finish! i want to finish without having a heart attack. i want to finish with peter! i think this could be fun...i will let you know how things are progressing as we go! :)

blessings! ALo

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Today

today is sunday...and i love sundays!! you really never know what will happen, but today was great! today actually started yesterday...well, at least very early. peter and i stayed up after an SAE event in dayton to watch SNL, which wasnt really that great, up we stayed up and watched it anyway. i cant remember the last time i watched SNL...does that make me old? so we went to bed a little after midnight and slept in SOOOO late! i think i got up to use the restroom at 9:30 am and then got back in bed, stayed there til 10:30. it was so awesome...yes, even though we didnt make it to church :( i then made breakfast...scrambled eggs, toast, and a banana. i then took the longest shower ever, might have been the best shower i have taken in forever, yes, i do keep track of those things!! then, i jumped back in bed and stayed until noon. LOL! peter and i then made our way to the busch's for sunday lunch...who doesnt love sunday lunch, especially when someone else makes it...peter did make creme brulee! so good! then i took a cat nap on the way home in the car and came home to watch The Pursuit of Happiness and basically sat on the couch until right now. i love that sundays, no matter what, are slow and laid back. i love more than anything that it is all about family! peter and i have literally spent the ENTIRE day together!! so, if you are wondering, i will never give up this day! i will never work on sundays, they mean far to much to me!! and if you find out that i am working sundays, SLAP ME!!! thanks!

blessings, ALo

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Wedding Scrapbook

My aunts threw a beautiful bridal shower for me before i got married and one of the things that they did was have everyone that came make a scrapbook page for me. it was full of advice, blessings, recipes, pictures and so much love! i still look back on it a few times a year...sometimes i laugh really hard, sometimes i tear up (not quite cry though) and sometimes i giggle at the photos. there are 2 passages that keep coming back to me this week though. i thought that i would share them with you...so i guess this is an insight post! :) hope you enjoy them!! thanks to Abby and Katie who shared them with me!!

From Abby:
"Happiness in marriage is not something that happens.
A good marriage must be created.
In marriage the little things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say 'i love you' at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is at no time taking the other for granted;
the courtship should not end with the honeymoon,
it should continue through the years.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers the whole family.
It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice,
but in the spirit of joy.
It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is not looking for perfection in each other.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow old.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal,
dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.
It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner."

From Katie:
The Box, by Walt Larimore
"Most people get married believing a myth. They believe that marriage is a beautiful box full of all the things they have longed for. They believe the box is full of companionship, sexual fulfillment, intimacy, and friendship. The truth is that marriage at the start is an empty box. You must put something in before you can take something out. There's no love in marriage. Love is in people and people put it in the marriage. There's no romance in marriage. People have to infuse it into their marriages. A couple must learn this art; this form of the habit of giving, the habit of loving, of serving and pleasing. It's up to you as a couple to keep your box full. If you take out more than you put in, the box will be empty."


Blessings, ALo


Sunday, January 10, 2010

Watch out Hillsong...here she comes!!!

Morgan Brittany Busch...meet Sydney, Australia!

Not quite a year after peter and i got married, we moved in with the Busch family...doug and caroline, bryanna, morgan and maggie, and yes, 3 dogs! we lived in the basement, shared a bathroom with the 3 teenage girls and would be awakened every morning by bo the bulldog snoring and/or the other dogs nails on the hardwood floor above us. it was actually a great time for all of us! we were there for just under six months and in that time we were adopted by our "fake family". we called them mom and dad and our sisters, even to this day we call them that. it is so great having people here in ohio that treat us like family.

now, over two years later, morgan is leaving for australia. i first met morgan right after the family moved from new jersey. i was an intern in the youth department and a small group leader and in the last 4 years i have seen her grow leaps and bounds in all aspects of her life! we have become close friends and i am so excited about this next chapter in her life!

morgan is heading all the way to hillsong in sydney, australia today!! she is an awesome singer/songwriter and is following God's calling in her life to expand those gifts by studying and training in one of the best places to do that. hillsong has been known for years as a leader in worship music. morgan will be there for 11 months at a time (everything is australia is backwards from us, so their school year starts in january). it will be so hard to not have her here, but i know that she is being attentive to God's calling and will be blessed for it!

so, help me in praying for morgan as she travels across the world and puts herself out there!! pray for her family (and me) as we figure out what to do without her here! :) morgan, i love you and i cant wait to see and hear what comes out of this experience!! have fun!!!!


blessings, ALo

Thursday, January 7, 2010

First Snow

today we got our first big snow of the winter here in ohio. i am one of those people that doesnt really care either way about snow. i dont love it, but i dont hate it. what i do hate is how people drive when there is a little snow. ohioans are not good drivers, EVER (!!!), let alone when there is snow on the ground. boo!

the good thing about today is that i got one of the best workouts!! i have never really shoveled snow before. i tried it once, right after i was let go from a job and i ended being more pissed off than i needed to be to shovel and didnt get much accomplished, in fact i am pretty sure that i hurt my back. but...today was totally different! i went out and got a portion of our driveway started before peter got home from work. i told him that i wanted to do ours and shovel the walk of the neighbors. next thing i now i had ours done and the neighbors entire driveway, an hour and a half later!! and yes, it was dark out at this point.

i think that the neighbors, who are in their 80's, thought i was creepy :) but in the end, i was excited that i actually took the initiative, especially in the cold!

i came inside and stripped down to find that my sweat had turned to icicles...in my bra, in my hair...awesome! come to find out, according to fitday.com, i burned 552 calories in that hour and a half!!! that is totally awesome! what a great way to spend my afternoon...totally unexpected!

get out there and shovel!! everyone benefits! p.s. you should have seen what i was wearing...should have taken a picture!! :)

blessings, ALo

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Best day in awhile

today was a great day! there were lots of things that made today great, but here are the top 4...

1. i was a teaching aide. our salon is extending their services to include eyelash extensions and i, being the nice person that i am, gave up my time to allow Kristin to practice with my lashes :) so...i now have eyelash extensions. they are weird for the first few minutes but i love them now...so cool!

2. i was part of a make over today. Della, the recipient, won the makeover from a raffle for a womens event. she was such a great lady and i had SO MUCH FUN!!! i did highlights, lowlights, cut and style. she also got a manicure and eyebrow arch as well as 2 two outfits from a nearby boutique. she and i will get to show off her new look next tuesday at the womens event and will be given a small radio spot! AWESOME!

3. i was asked to be a stylist for a photo shoot. next monday the dayton ballet are having a photo shoot , and brent (one of the owners) asked if i would be willing to be a part of it all!! DUH!!!

4. i made homemade whipped cream tonight. i know...not the best choice ever, but it was awesome!! we had heavy whipping cream that needed to get used, strawberries that needed to get eaten and some ice cream. what a great way to end a great day!!

thanks for caring enough to read this!!

blessings, ALo

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

What Michael Jackson did for the salon

i know that most people are tired about hearing about the legacy that Michael Jackson left behind, but for me some things are just undeniable. actually there is only one thing that i am going to talk about that has left an impression on me. frankly, i have never been a huge fan of the king of pop and have been uber over the whole thing....BUT...here is what i have see in the salon...black boys wanting to be white!! yes, im totally serious!!

ok, today for example, we had a young gentleman come in with VERY curly VERY dark VERY...no other word, knappy hair. he then pulled out a picture of Peter Wentz (mom, this is a white boy in a popular band, married to ashley simpson) and asked for his exact cut and style. now, thankfully the stylist was smart enough to be honest and tell him that he pretty much was delusional about the outcome; however, she went ahead with what she could do...relaxer, cut and style. it was a great outcome, but probably to his dismay he looked more middle eastern/indian than he did Pete Wentz, but he did have the skin tight girl jeans and purple hightops!

now, obviously this young man has what i like to call a serious identity crisis going on in his life, but maybe i am the only one to notice. i mean, this has been socially acceptable for a long time now! michael wanted to be white for a long time and we all know that it was a running joke among all the late night TV hosts and pretty much the whole world! so now, we have beautiful black men wanting to be white girls...what the heck? come one now...i dont even now what else to say!!!

boys, your mamas want boys, not girls. 

boys, your girls want to date/marry strong masculine men, not guys we share pants with! 

thanks! :)

blessings, ALo

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Opposites Attract

Peter and i have been married for a little over 3 years now and i can honestly say that i am more in love with him now than i have ever been!! and while i could go on and on for days about how perfect we are for each other, the truth is that i am not sure why we ever fell in love...we couldnt be MORE opposite! i am pretty sure that is what keeps things interesting for both of us. kinda like, lets see how we are going to get through today with all the craziness that make us us! so, here is a small sampling of how we are so different...

he is tall ( 6'9") and i am short (5'4")
he is quiet and i am loud
he is reserved and i am outgoing
he takes his time and i am totally impatient
he likes technology and i like clothes
he has wretched smelling farts (silent but violent) and i have loud ones
he likes classic rock and roll and i like country
he calls it soda and i call it pop
he has one sibling and i have nine (almost)
he loves the computer and i love TV
he likes a clean house and i hate to clean
he can drop 20 pounds with no effort and i cant loose weight if you paid me...but i could try!! :)

those are just a few things! but seriously...the most important thing in both of your lives is the relationship that we each have with Jesus Christ. we both now with that saving grace we would be nothing. God has allowed us to find joy not only in Him but in each other and that is what makes this journey so much fun, even with all the differences!

we also have lots of things in common, like our sense of humor and loving to have fun together, our love for our families and we both love to travel.

so, as this new year begins, i pray that we continue to look to each other for fun and laughter, despite everything else and we continue to let God lead us as a couple. i will be praying the same for you!

blessings! ALo

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Sick Little Lucy

isnt she so adorable? i know...shes my niece, Kayla. i love her to pieces, but as far as i know she is sick today. my sister-in-law told me last night that by 10pm Kayla had been sick 2x! apparently its going around! i have read all over facebook and talked to several clients that have had the flu. by the way, it really irks me that people come into the salon when they are sick! and the worst is when they say to me..."Oh, Charlie is sick and couldnt go to school today, but since i am here and couldnt find a babysitter, can you cut his hair?" ARE YOU SERIOUS???!!! if he cant go to school, he cant come here! DUH!!

ok,  back to Kayla...she is 6...cute, blonde and very mischievous! in fact, several people in the family have nicknamed her Lucy...short for Lucifer. isnt that awful, but funny? i know, welcome to the family! this picture was taken of Kayla and me in July at a family reunion in Michigan.

so while peter and i love our home here in the lovely ohio, and we love being independent, we hate to be away from family! we hate choosing who to go see during the holidays, we hate missing summer cookouts and boat rides and sitting on the front porch with our grandparents (we have grandparents in 4 different states!) but i really hate being away when someone is sick! no, i dont want the sickness, but i hate knowing there is nothing that i can do to help! i cant bring Kayla ginger ale and saltines and i cant bring my grandpa red velvet truffles or a milkshake! (my grandpa is very sick too, at home but hospice comes several times a week)


but all in all i am SOOO blessed! peter and i have all of our grandparents, parents, and siblings. i love my family, all of them, and yes there are TONS of us!

so, i pray that you and your family stay healthy!

whit, tell kayla i said hi and that i'm thinkin about her! love ya!

blessings, ALo

Friday, January 1, 2010

really??

am i allowed to do two posts in one day? i am not sure what the rules are here. i guess i am just anxious to really get this thing going... lol!

so, i have one of the greatest jobs in the world. i LOVE what i do. in fact, the days that i have to get up early arent even a big deal...yes, i know i only have 2 "early" days, but still! even though i love what i do, i was talking with some family at christmas i think that i missed my true calling in life. now hear me out...i think that deep down in my heart i am supposed to be a...

TV CRITIC!!!

lol. here's how it went down. we were sitting at dinner talking about how my two cousins, Beau and Brett, should try out for the Amazing Race and i went into this diatribe all about last season and how i think they would be perfect for the show being that they are 1. super competitive 2. athletic 3. brothers and 4. cute. then i was asked what other shows that i watched. here's the break down...

Sundays: Iron Chef, Brothers and Sisters and The Amazing Race
Mondays: Intervention and Hoarders, The Hills and The City
Tuesdays: Biggest Loser (!!!!!!) and Tabatha's Takeover
Wednesday: Top Chef
Thursday: Grey's and Private Practice
Friday and Saturday: whatever i can find

there are the occasional shows that are not listed, but those are the faithful CANNOT miss ones

then i was talking about how because i dont have TiVo i miss some shows that i love and Peter has to VHS record Biggest Loser for me...yes, i am that big of a fan.

here are 3 reasons why i think i should be a critic
1. who wouldnt want to get paid to watch TV
2. it would give be something to blog about
3. i really do care about TV, especially all the trash Tv (ie all the Housewives on Bravo, Kardashians, and Teen Moms) and could tell you everything you ever wanted to know about them

no, i will not be looking for a career change anytime soon, but you will probably be reading alot about the "crap" that i watch on Tv and the parties that occur during! i might be crazy, but whatever!

as a side note, after my family heard that i make Peter record via VHS, my mom donated her old TiVo to us, so now my addiction will only increase. GREAT!! no really, thanks Mom...i love you!! :)

blessings, ALo
well, this is it...my first post...EVER! i know that i am jumping on this band wagon a little late, but, you know me...all in my own time! :)

here's what you need to know first....i HATE using the capital letters unless they are all caps. if you dont like that...dont read. i usually dont use apostrophes unless i feel like it. however, i try very hard to use correct grammar and spelling :)

so, i am typing this while watching Julie & Julia, which is great so far and is about blogging and somewhat inspired me. but most of all, i have been inspired by my husband...he started a blog too (p.s. i love the ... (pause dots))

so, some days this will be nothing but nonsense and other days (probably few and far between) it will be insights into the...well, i have no idea. i bet i will have some really great stories though, and that will be fantastic.

so, all of this to say...enjoy! :)

blessings! ALo