Six Chances: Friday Favorites: Round 2!

Hello my lovely readers!

Hope everyone's week is going well! I have some great news and some new things I'm working on!

First, my weekly update:

I had a doctor's appointment on Monday with my Gainesville GI doctor, and the good news is that she thinks I'm almost ready for surgery! She said I look great, and the only problem I'm having is gaining weight. Soo she upped the caloric intake to 2000 calories, upped the proteins, fats, and sugar, and will be checking the metals in my blood during my next set of bloodwork to see if there needs to be any more additives. I have an appointment with my surgeon next Tuesday, and my doctor says he should give me a date! She is expecting the second week of April, but we shall see! She isn't in charge of that so it's just an estimate! So next week I should be able to update you even more!

In other news, unfortunately Finn Sebastian Lewis-Quinn (our betta fish) died on Sunday. We aren't really sure what happened, but we got another one and now Finn Jr. is doing great! Hopefully this one lasts a little longer!

I also want to thank the people that have sent me letters in the last week! I love hearing about your everyday life and not always dwelling on my own, so keep them coming!! My address is on the last blog I wrote, Friday Favorites.

And now here are my six favorite things from this week!

USC Dance Marathon

Oh how I love this organization. For those that don't know, I was a part of this organization all five years I was in college. It is an event where we raise money for Palmetto Health Children's Hospital in Columbia, SC. Every year I was there (and since I left) we increased the amount of money we raised. My final year we raised $501,528, and many of the people that follow my blog were able to donate, so thank you so much for that! I learned so much from the organization and miss it with all my heart. As a child, I was in and out of the hospital often, so I knew exactly what the children we raised the money for were going through. It can be tough for a child in the hospital, and I wanted to give back as a way to thank the many hospitals I had been to and to give back to the children that just want to be healthy. All of the proceeds go to the Childlife Program at the hospital, which is an excellent way to help the children recover emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually.

My first year, I was a participant/dancer. Then I became a volunteer, Alumni Relations Coordinator, Logistics Director, and Hospital Relations Director. I learned how to communicate with all types of people, how to express my empathy, to just have fun, and that anything can happen if you just work hard enough, among so many other things.

The main reason I joined was because of the kids I got to meet and see every year. I quickly became close to a few of the children and was able to bond with their families in a way that I had never done before. So I'd like to feature a few of those children!

First up, John and Phillips Marshall!

These awesome boys are twins that were born 12 weeks early in July 2011. They were both rushed to the NICU and fought for their lives. Phillips endured a ventilator, and then later they both were on a CPAP machine to help the boys' lungs expand. Now, those boys are happy and healthy 5-year-olds! The last time I got to hang out with them, they were 3-years-old, but I still follow their mom on Facebook and keep up with their daily lives!

He took my phone and started taking selfies of us. At 3-years-old!

The hospital relations team had every child put a thumbprint on each directors' first initial as a gift for after main event. The boys would only do it if I made it more of a game and said "boop" every time they made a print.

Second, Ellington Hewitt!

Oh this little girl is just precious! She makes me so happy, especially because I bonded with her more than any other child at Main Event. She just has this amazing, resilient attitude about her and a confidence that she can do anything she wants to do. At a routine ultrasound, Ellington's parents found out she had spina bifida. Often this can lead to paralysis and mental damage, and her parents were told she could possibly be in a wheelchair. Within hours of being born, she was taken to surgery to close up the gap in her spine. A month later, she had another surgery to place a shunt in her head to reduce the amount of fluid on her brain. She immediately started therapy at the hospital and was finally able to walk in 2012! Now she is a bubbly little girl and loves to dance and has a very protective and funny little brother Emerson. Her sweet spirit and belief that God can do amazing things has proven to be most beneficial, and she one day hopes to be a nurse at the very hospital she was treated at!

P.S. I made both of those tutus for her! She loved getting them, as well as all the other Miracle Girls. The boys got capes with DM and a lightning bolt on them!

Lastly, Lila Mozingo!

This little girl is one of the most outstandingly smiley children I have ever met. She just lights up the room when she enters. Before Lila was born, her parents found out she had an AV canal defect. Lila spent two and a half months in the NICU after being born and had four surgeries, therapy, and many tests. When she was only six months old, she had open heart surgery. Now she is thriving like any other 5-year-old. She thanks the hospital for her continued success through life. She has braved so much in such a short life, but her carefree and determined attitude towards life has shown her true strength and willingness to get through anything life throws at her.

She just loves her boys!

Of course there are countless other Miracle Children we worked with throughout the years and so many more that we have never even met but were patients at this wonderful hospital. My only hope is that USCDM can continue to raise money for as long as they can, because life is precious and these kids deserve the best life possible.

This year USCDM raised $703,289!!

That's simply incredible and one of just a few reasons why I love this organization so very much!

To-Do Lists

This sounds super dorky. Let me explain why I love them. To-do lists (in my opinion) are meant to keep you accountable. I do mine the night before. I write down everything I need to do the next day in the order I need to do them in. Then when I wake up, I get going. I don't know about you but I find it so satisfying to cross something off my list. That just means I have one less thing to do, and I'm doing it with no one's suggestion or pressure. I'm doing it for myself. And most times, if it isn't on the list, I will completely forget to do it. So if I write it down, it will most likely happen. I even put naps on there because I know if I get everything done, then I can reward myself with a nap. Obviously some days aren't as packed as others because I have appointments or I've gotten everything else done within the week, but that just means I have more time to relax and do something for myself (even though I often put things like that on my actual list). This simple task of writing a to-do list the night before makes life so much easier, and it only takes me about three minutes to do it! With this, my agenda, and my dry erase calendar, I feel so much more put-together and organized!

Audiobooks

I'll be honest. I've never listened to an audiobook before this week. I may have as a child without realizing it, but I never actually chose to listen to an audiobook. I decided to get a library card last week because I didn't want to spend so much money on Kindle books. Most of the books I want to read are at the library so I'm getting to read and saving money at the same time! I have to take many trips to Gainesville. Most times once a week. If not, I usually have other appointments around town that I have to drive to. Either way, I spend a lot of time in the car. So I decided to start listening to books in the car instead of listening to the same playlist every time I'm in the car. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my playlist, but it gets a little repetitive sometimes. I decided to go through the Nicholas Sparks books on tape. I've seen most of the movies, but I've only ever read The Last Song. Yeah, I know it's tragic that I haven't read them, but I'm going to eventually. I've already finished one on tape! I listened to it going to and from Gainesville on Monday, and I felt like I was in the car for all of 20 minutes. It was wonderful. It kept me awake and engaged and kept my mind off of the fact that I had to drive four hours in the middle of nowhere. I've already started a new one, and I hope I can get most of it finished next Tuesday in my next trip to Gainesville.

Flowers

My grandmother is a master gardener. I figure it's because she has a huge yard, so she has plenty of space to get creative and plant whatever she wants. I love her yard. It's probably one of my favorite things within itself. I've had family pictures, prom pictures, yearly pictures, and did some of my own photography all in her yard. It always came in very handy. So when all this stuff started happening a month ago, I bought some pots and different plants for my roommate and I's small balcony. I got some gloves, soil, plant stands, and even a shovel. I felt so self-competent, but knew for a fact that I'd probably kill at least one of them. I've never been a huge outdoors person, so I never really learned much about taking care of plants or even what lasts for how long. I set out determined to do these pretty plants some justice, and so far, they all look BEAUTIFUL! I've been so proud of myself. Obviously everything is color-coordinated, and I even bought some outdoor pillows, a bug candle, and glazed our outdoor table. It gives me something to do everyday and I've become really attached to these plants. I have succulents and aloe plants throughout our apartment and have received some beautiful flowers from friends and family that I have proudly displayed in my room.

Essential Oils

I never really understood how these things worked or how the oils were supposed to do anything for you until I actually tried it. I started with doTERRA because my health coach sells them. I first tried DigestZen and absolutely loved it. My stomach makes lots of noises and often pain can come at a moment's notice. Before class, exams, or any other function, I would rub it on my stomach, lower abdomen, and wrists, and within minutes, everything would kind of calm down. It was a life saver. I wouldn't be as anxious that something would come up during the event and then I'd have to run out. It also helps with my nausea. So this was a great addition. I also have lavender to calm myself down. The smell of lavender actually gives me headaches, so at night, I put it on the bottoms of my feet and I sleep so much better.

My other favorites are:

1. Helichrysum- I put this on bruises to help them decrease in color (I bruise really easily).

2. Breathe- I diffuse this in my diffuser with other oils when I have a cough/cold/allergies (pretty much anything that causes me to breathe abnormally). You can also just put it under your nose and it lasts forever.

3. Orange- This and Breathe go great together and I LOVE the smell of oranges

4. OnGuard- I obviously have a very delicate immune system. I am currently on three immuno-suppressant drugs and have a port. When I go somewhere that I am nervous about the germs, I just simply put it under my nose, behind the ears, or on my wrists to help my immune system. You can also diffuse it!

I also have most of these in roller bottles, which I carry around with me at all times. You never know when you might need one or when a friend might need one! I highly recommend trying essential oils because they do what you need them to do, without you putting in much effort. They make their way towards whatever part of your body needs it and just work to their best ability. It truly is so great.

And this leads me to my last favorite thing of the week...

My Health Coach

Pam Sowell

I started with Pam right after I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. I was in a very bad spot because I had lost so much weight in the course of trying to figure out what was wrong with me. She managed to teach me some simple tricks to help me gain weight. She started me on some special vitamins that were a lot better for me than the ones I had been getting at the drug store (fun fact: a lot of vitamins have gluten in them to hold them together because that's what wheat does). I started eating more protein and learning how to make a lot of new foods too. She makes suggestions as to what I need to do based on certain circumstances and keeps up with certain questions I have and gives me the best answer she can give after much research. She always answers my texts and orders and ships anything I may need while I am in Florida. She has offices out of Lancaster, SC and Pineville, NC so every two weeks, we Skype with each other. And if I am at home, we try to fit in an in-person meeting.

She is one of the best things that has happened to me! We have been through a lot of the same things, so it is so easy to talk to her. She understands me like no one else does. I wish I had had her when I was first diagnosed with Crohn's because I could have used a role model like her. We may have an age gap, but I talk to her about things like we are the same age. Her husband says he knows when she has talked to me during the day because of the way her spirits are. We balance each other, and I value every little thing she tells me or suggests to me. I honestly didn't even know what a health coach was before I started with her, and I didn't know how much it would help to go to one because I may be a little stubborn. She has become so much more than a health coach to me. She's become a confidant, friend, and someone I can rely whole-heartedly on. I honestly don't know what I would do without her. I've learned so much that I would have never learned otherwise, and I honestly do think she turned my life around. I now have the attitude that a perfect combo of alternative medicine and medicine that doctors give you can work wonders for you.

Unfortunately we don't have a picture together. Don't know why. I will make sure to get one next time I see her!

So those are my six favorites this week, plus obviously too many more to name!

Next week, I am starting something new! Every month I am going to have a theme. Every Tuesday, I will post something about that theme. March's theme is all the fun things I have done since coming to St. Augustine! A clue to what I could be talking about next Tuesday: