Sinkholes Stink!

Here I was planning to roll into 2016 quietly. Taking this last week to get organized before we move next week to our new apartment (away from the Walnut tree I'm allergic to). Have a nice long new years weekend. Well, 2015 wasn't quite done with the Ilberys yet.

From December 26-28 it rained. Constantly. This storm wave ended up dropping between 6-7 inches of rain, and lucky for us, we are far enough east of the Mississippi to avoid the heavy flooding that little towns as little as 7 miles away got. However, heavy rain can also cause the soil to be washed away, and that is what was happening at our apartment building.

I went to go to work on Monday and saw that the City public works had our road closed. It was raining pretty hard and I didn't really look around that much, just got them to move the barrier so I could get out of our complex. At lunch, I saw this post on Facebook:

Great. Another sinkhole. This is the second one that has come up in our building area. Last time, it was in the parking lot across the street from us, this time it was in ours. The fear at this point, is that since our building has a pretty big drop off, the structure might not be sound, depending on the expanse of the sinkhole.

I got home that night ( I had to park up the road and walk in the rain) and decided I would make cookies and take them to the workers having to work all night.
I took them a plate and most of the night we listened to the music of jack hammers and workers yelling at each other as they pull up our street and dig into the hill beside our building. Tuesday, they turned our water off and we were without water all day.


They turned it back on that night around 7:30pm and we were so excited we could use our toilet again! But it was a short-lived victory, as it was turned back off again a few hours later so they could prepare to work on the sewer line. We filled the bathtub that night with the beautifully green-ish water so that we could flush the toilet tomorrow and refill it with a bucket.

I'm glad that they didn't make us evacuate the building, since we didn't really have anywhere else to go and couldn't afford to put ourselves up in a hotel for a week.

Let's add on to being without water with all of the noise. This sinkhole is literally outside our bedroom window. Can't they make any machines that are quieter? I "slept" with earplugs the last three nights and still could hear everything. Last night we heard the soothing sounds of a backhoe scraping up the road and putting the road bits into a dump truck.
So, at this point we haven't slept very well the last three nights and have been without water for two days. To make it even better, last night they knocked out our power and we had no heat to go with our no water or anything else.

Turns out, the sinkhole was not as bad as they initially thought, and it will be fixed by the time we get back..I am welcoming a weekend away for the new year celebrations..maybe we can finally get some sleep! ...nah


Welcome to life, huh? Sometimes, I just have to laugh and remember how blessed we truly are that we had running water, power, and heat to lose in the first place.

15 in 2015: Our year highlights

We have almost made it through another year! 2015 has presented us with new challenges, amazing opportunities, life changes, and of course, things we have never done before. Here are our top 15 highlights of our year in review! (yeah, I may have gotten a little carried away with the links..) I apologize if the pictures don't line up the way they do on my computer

  • 15 moments of 2015 •

(In order of occurrence)

1. We visited the Dominican Republic! Sandy beaches, gorgeous jungles, and time away from "real life" (March 8-14) Check out the trip details here!
   

2. We celebrated our first wedding anniversary (April 12) Check out this story, here!  Wait! There's more! 


3. We visited Memphis TN to see our friend Drew! We spent a weekend walking everywhere, seeing ducks, touring the Gibson Guitar Factory, eating BBQ and laughing the whole time. The Memphis Zoo is wonderful, and the Bass Pro Shop observatory was worth the wait in line to ride to the top of the pyramid. (May) Give me more details!

3. We sold my childhood home and cut ties with my hometown of Salem. We moved so my husband can pursue a Computer Science degree from SIUE. (June)

4. We became renters for the first time. I miss my washer and dryer :( ..and being as loud as I want to.  Also, for the first time in my life, I have to share a bathroom. Ick. Can you say "Spoiled only-child?" ;)  (June)


5. I got a new job working for a dental company. The work is ok, and I have great co-workers. What more can I ask for, really? (July)


6. We went on a very interesting float trip. Got lost, more than once...made reservations at a place that was so disgusting we didn't stay, rented tubes and went on what was supposed to be a relaxing river float, but the river was so high that there were white water rapids in some spots. We all ended up capsizing at some point and my brother-in-law stepped on a snake. (he is ok, it didn't bite him). But, we ate delicious food and I burnt my legs so badly that I couldn't move the next few days. We also visited my favorite cave in Missouri on the way back home. (July) All the glorious details are right here!



7. We went to the Lantern Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden . I had bugged Micah to take me for quite some time, so he finally gave in and we braved the 95 degree July night to go to this festival. It was phenomenal. They had Chinese acrobats and the gardens were beautiful. Once they turned the lanterns on, it was for sure a sight to see. (July)

 

8. The Italian language and I started our hardcore love-hate relationship. (July)
***Side note: My parents got us Rosetta Stone for Christmas last year, and we started it, dropped the ball, started again, fizzled out...well, I started it back up and have kept to it! I have the equivalent knowledge of a high school foreign language class. I know lots of random words and can put together broken sentences out of these words. Working on grammar slowly. But hey, as long as I remember "Voglio Pizza" (I want Pizza!) I should be fine, right?


9. We visited Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin one weekend in September. (I love our roadtrips!) We decided one night to take off and drive. It was a long weekend with Labor Day, so we took off Friday night and just drove until we were tired. Then the next day we went at it again. 
 

10. We found out we are going to be an aunt & uncle for the first time! We are looking forward to meeting our niece in April 2016. (September)

11. My step-dad and I surprised my mom for her birthday by flying me out to South Carolina (where they live) and I got to spend the weekend with them. Hurricane Joaquin made her presence known and it rained torrential floods the whole weekend and ruined our plans to go to the Oktoberfest and the Italian festival. (October) 

12. I ran my first half marathon! This was the hardest physical thing I had ever done. I used an entire package of IcyHot and injured myself three different times over the course of my 5 month training, and had to tape up my ankle and leg in order to run it...but I did it! (November 1st)

13. We learned that I am highly allergic to Walnut Trees. So, there's that.. (November)

14. My husband passed his first semester of Computer Science with all A's in his classes! Proud wife moment :) I think I embarrass him with how genuinely proud I am of him..I can't help it! I like him. (December)

15. We visited the St. Louis Zoo Wildlights for the first time. After waiting in line for nearly an hour to get in, we were able to walk around the zoo and see the light displays. They had an ice carver, stations for s'more making, kettle corn, and millions of lights. For $10 a person, it was definitely worth a trip.




These are just 15 moments that stood out to me while writing this. All in all, I have loved 2015 and all of our adventures, mishaps, challenges, and changes we have made during this year. However, I am ready to take on 2016 and the adventures in it. (I already know of a few...but I'm excited to see what happens with our time that hasn't already been planned.) 
************************************************
BONUS MOMENT: I had this listed and then took it out..but I've decided to put it back :) For Valentine's day, we went to dinner dressed as though we were from the 1940's. Why? ..well, why not? 

It's also worth mentioning that our Christmas has been excellent- spending time with some of the people we love most and making memories. Here are a couple of pictures from our December of family time. 

We have been blessed in 2015, this is for certain. I'm ready for a new year! 

The Christmas Budget

I have had several family members ask me how we make ends meet. My husband is a full time student in college- so we have tuition to pay, along with rent, electric, and the typical bills. We also travel. And all on one income.

Let's get this straight: its not always easy being a one income couple. Lucky for us, however, we understand how to manage money so that we have everything we need, and we can still do most of the things we want to do. So, I have some tips for those who have been asking about general money management, as well as some of my thoughts/tips for this holiday season.

Again, I'm not a financial expert, but these are some of the things we have done that have been successful.

General Money Management

1. Budget! ..I know, scary word. But seriously, sit down and record how much your bills are monthly. Then figure up what you (and anyone else who contributes to the monthly income) actually bring home. Take inventory. What do you pay for that you don't use? Where is your money going?

2. We got rid of cable TV. Ok, so going back to my previous point, we found that we were paying Charter around $110 a month for our cable/internet 'bundle deal'. When we actually kept track of how often we watched a show on TV, we decided it wasn't worth it! A $110 monthly bill was cut to $40 when we took cable TV off and just paid for internet. By cancelling our hardly-ever used cable, we initially saved $70 a month. We have since purchased Netflix, which is $8 a month, so we are still saving $62 a month. I realize this isn't an option for everyone, but I'm going to guess that 99% of us are paying for something we don't use and could get rid of.

3. Make a grocery list! ..and then stick to it! You would be surprised how much this helps. If you can take 5 min to make a list, standing in your kitchen before you go to the grocery store, you will be less likely to just pick up "whatever looks good" or food that you won't actually eat. Before we made a list, we would go to the grocery store for "5 or 6 things" and end up with $150 of groceries. Then, to make it even worse, we wouldn't eat it all before it went bad and we threw so much money in the garbage- along with wasting food!
I'm not saying you can't pick up food that looks good or isn't on the list, I'm just saying if you make a list, it will make you more aware of how much you need- if you get to the checkout and had 15 things on your list and end up with 60 items in your cart--you're spending more than you meant to.

4. Monitor indulgences. For us, this was eating out. We both understand that eating out is costly AND unhealthy. An average lunch for two at a fast food restaurant can range from $10-20 depending where we go. A nice dinner can cost upwards of $50..if we ate out three or four times a week, that's anywhere from...$100-200 a week spent, when we have a full fridge of food at home! Yours may be different, but for us, this was a big one.

5. Realize that you have money for what you WANT to have money for. I hear people all the time, telling me that they "wish they had money" to do this, that, or the other. They wish they could go on vacation. They wish they could afford a new car. They wish they had the newest electronics. The list goes on and on.
HOWEVER, how many of us waste money on useless things? Here's the thing: if there is something that we REALLY want, how many of us tell ourselves "No"? Very few. Instead, we find a way to get it.
This is why we have money to travel. We want to. We make sacrifices in other areas so that we can save money and then use it to go somewhere that we want to go.

Christmas Season Tips:
Christmas is supposed to be the "most wonderful time of the year" but for many has become the "most stressful time of the year"...it doesn't have to be!!!

1. NEVER take out a personal loan for Christmas. We have never done this one, but we have friends and family members who have... they can destroy your credit, as well as charge you such a high interest rate that you end up paying back double what you borrowed in the first place.

Instead, try:
           - Preparing for Christmas in advance. You know Christmas is coming. Its the same date every year, and most of us know how many people we are going to buy for in advance.- several months, if not the whole year in advance. Saving $5 a week for the whole year- starting January 1st, would yield you around $260 to spend.

            - Research credit cards. I know you have all seen those advertisements for 2%, 1%, 5% cash back programs offered by the major credit card companies. And when used right, they are an amazing thing! We have one credit card for the two of us, and we earn cash back each month when we pay off our balance. The trick is, don't charge what you can't pay off each month and you not only avoid paying interest to the credit card company, but you earn a percent of what you spent back as a credit. Our particular program allows us to use our reward points in the form of gift cards, dollar for dollar use on Amazon, or we can tell them to apply that to our bill and they take whatever point money we have off of our statement.. Last year, we earned over $150 in cash back rewards, and that bought over half of the Christmas gifts we had to buy. Many credit card companies offer reward programs...find one that works for you.

2. Keep Christmas shopping is check. It's easy to go overboard when shopping this time of year. The question is: What do you NEED? What do your children need? What do they WANT? If you are really trying to budget and avoid going into debt this holiday season, your 5 year old child probably doesn't need the new $600 iPhone 47 (or whatever number they're on now). You can still have nice things WITHOUT having a TON of things.

Chances are that most of us don't truly NEED anything, for that matter.

 One of my favorite memories was that, instead of getting us all a $30 gift we may or may not like, an aunt and uncle bought us all (family of 6, 8 including the aunt and uncle) tickets to the Broadway theater. We saw The Blue Man Group one year, and the Tran-Siberian Orchestra another year. We are all grown and certainly don't need anything, so instead of buying "stuff", we made a memory as a family.

What if, instead of waiting in line for 12 hours on Thanksgiving Day to be the first in line at Best Buy of Toys r Us, we stayed home and spent time with our families?

What if, instead of buying our children 16 Christmas presents, we bought them 5 or 6 gifts each, and then used that extra money to go on a family trip somewhere?

Seriously, if you typically spend $800/child- try spending..$300-400 and use the extra $800-$1000 to go somewhere over a long weekend. Or rent a cabin in the mountains, or they have Disney World packages that start around $1,000, or heck, take $50 and take your family out to see Christmas lights, or to the Christmas Market, or some other themed event going on in your city.

In the St. Louis area, I would recommend:
Wild Lights at the St. Louis Zoo -$10 per ticket

MO Botanical Garden- Garden Glow - $16 per ticket

3. Get Crafty! With sites like Pinterest, Etsy, and numerous other sites, getting ideas for crafts has never been easier! Children and Adults can both find do-it-yourself decorations, ornaments, gifts, recipes, you name it! Spend a day making something FOR someone WITH someone. Whether you help your children make a gift for Grandma, or make a batch of cookies with an old friend, get crafty! Spend time together!

I have just recently picked back up on crocheting. My mother taught me when I was a little girl, and just a few years ago I started making things again. This year, several of my gifts have been scarves and hats that I have crocheted. They end up costing less that $5 to make, they're practical because it gets pretty cold around here during winter, AND they are handmade so they have a little bit of meaning behind them. That person knows that I spent time on them.


I constantly see cases where parents (and grandparents) buy their children (especially young children) TONS of toys, clothes, and miscellaneous things. Then, in 6 months I see 3/4 of those things in the rummage sale pile, or 'for giveaway' on Facebook. Fact is: most children are so over-saturated with toys that they only play with.. maybe 10 of their 200-something items, and then we either:
1. Let that clutter pile up in our homes
OR
2. Throw it in trash bags and dump it off at the Goodwill (or other place that will take our stuff)

I am not saying that gifts are a bad thing. I love gifts! Both getting them and giving them. I am simply saying:

• Give quality, not necessarily quantity.
• Cut back a little bit. Seriously, there is NO reason to put yourself in over your head in debt over this season.
• Spend more time WITH your family instead of sitting in front of an electronic screen.
• Make memories. Don't wait and wish you had more time later.

There you have it, my thoughts on budgets. Hope this answers some of the questions I've been asked about how me manage money. Everyone is different. Everyone has different values. Different things are important to different people. We spend our money on what is important to us. 

And the 'winner' is...

Well...we are approximately 98.674% sure we know what is causing my hives and allergic chaos!

I called the allergist today to find out exactly what I tested allergic to during last weeks tests. I left the doctors office last week with the knowledge that I was allergic to: 'trees, molds, and grasses' and was given instruction to take two antihistamines, one in the morning and one before bed. Well, this morning, my sides looked like this:

A week of antihistamines and I'm still breaking out and miserable. What is going on?! Its driving me crazy! 

Today, we got some answers. 

I am allergic to: 

Mold- Phoma

Grasses- Bermuda, June, orchard, timothy, and some more that I can't pronounce

Trees- Oak, Sycamore, Box elder, Birch, and Walnut. 

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present: this massive WALNUT tree in our parking lot and also approx. 50ft from our apartment. 

This explains why my symptoms started a month ago, when the leaves started changing. It also explains why my hands have been broken out so bad, every time I get in and out of our cars, which have to be parked underneath this tree, I was getting walnut tree germs on them. I have inhaled all of the walnut tree pollen and I'm not getting better because it is so close to our apartment. 

So, after talking with our landlords, they are willing to work with us and relocate us to another apartment across the complex that is away from the deadly walnut tree. We can move into the new unit on January 8th. So until then, it looks like I'll be taking pills and keeping all the windows closed, and washing my hands as soon as I can after touching our cars. Hopefully in a few weeks, it will be cold enough to kill off everything on the trees and I'll finally get some relief. 

We have been blessed with great landlords who were willing to work with us on this. I'd just like to say thank you, again. 

Also, if anyone needs an apartment, ours is listed as of this afternoon! I would recommend HP management to anyone in the Edwardsville area! Rent includes water, sewer, trash, cable and internet! 

Oh, and here is Google making the picture of the tree look prettier. I guess Google thought I was taking a picture of it for the leaf color or something. Idk. The tree still looks pretty ugly to me right now

The Allergist - Round 1

I've been looking forward to today, another new experience in the books!  Today was the day I finally got to see an Allergist to figure out what has been causing me to break out in hives, itch like crazy, even have an anaphylactic reaction.

I have been racking my brains trying to figure out what has caused this. The doctor I saw last week told me that it was a food allergy, or something that I ingested. So, I kept a journal of everything I had been eating, and purposely avoided peanuts because those are a pretty common food allergy and a person can develop allergies at any time. Fun, huh?

Also, this has been going on for nearly a month now, so it might be something that I'm continually exposed to?

Have I eaten anything weird? No.
Change laundry detergent? No.
What if I developed a cat allergy? Poor Atti.
Mold in the bathroom? No.
Change medicines? No.
ANY way I could have accidentally ingested penicillin? No.

So today, we got some answers and narrowed it down.

The doctor came in and talked with me, first. We discussed what had been going on, and he looked at my hands (which have been consistently in hives since this started). He ordered full boards of food, environmental, animal, and 'miscellaneous' allergy tests. The assistant came back and wiped down the insides of my arms and proceeded to prick me with the various elements.

We did this twice, and pretty much instantly I was itching. The assistant left the papers on my table, so I spent the next 20 minutes trying to figure out which allergens were where on my skin, and if I was reacting to them. I was definitely reacting to SOMETHING. 

After a VERY long 20 minutes the doctor came back and evaluated me. He gave me an antihistamine cream to help with immediate relief for my arms, and we discussed how I did. 

I passed the food section with flying colors! No known food allergies and I can start eating peanut butter again! Super excited! Also, the animal section was clear. I'm not allergic to Atti! Or dogs, horses, rabbits, or goats. 

However, I didn't do so great in the molds, trees, and grasses section. The worst reactions came from the trees they tested on me. I knew going in that I was allergic to Christmas trees, but I didn't realize I was allergic to like...7 kinds of trees. I'm also allergic to grass (which we also knew) and molds. So basically, everything in the air. That explains why my seasonal allergies are so bad. 

Unfortunately, we don't know what is causing my hives. The doctor says that, knowing what I'm allergic to now, I most likely inhaled several things while at an event we went to, which was outside in a field, and where the symptoms started. 

Going forward, the doctor wants to see me again in a month, told me to take 1 Allegra/Zyrtec daily, along with Zantac, and he spent about 10 minutes talking to me about allergy shots. They will be terrible. And expensive. If I opt to do them, I will have to go get shots weekly for a year, then every two weeks for the following 2 years. (3 years of shots)

This is what my arms looked like leaving the doctors office. 

And this is what they look like 5 hours later (now)

 

The 'trees' section on my right arm is swollen and hard. You can still see every dot where they tested me.

If I am allergic to everything, does that mean I win?

The St. Louis Half Marathon: my first major race

Yesterday I ran my first half marathon.

 I purposely waited until today to write about it, because I knew I would let my emotions get the best of me and not give an accurate account of the race, and those that blessed me during it.

I ran 195 miles to prepare for this race. From July-Nov 1st.

Initially, I was disappointed with myself on race day. I know I am my toughest critic, and I am very very hard on myself, but my problem-some left leg didn't let me finish the race like I wanted to. Granted, the odds were stacked against me from the start- and today, after I've had time to sit on it, I'm proud of myself for doing what I did.

...Ok, race day!

I set my alarm for 5am, but didn't really need it. I woke up probably every half hour throughout the night because I was so anxious and afraid I would sleep through the alarm. I got up and ate a bagel and a protein bar. I wasn't hungry, but I always eat breakfast and everyone has told me not to change your routine on race day.

The race was set to start at 7:30am, and it would take us 35 min to get there from our house. I woke my husband up at 5:45 and we left around 6. The drive over was uneventful, and we parked in the parking garage they had reserved for us, about a half mile away from the start line.

We found a place to sit down, and only had to wait about 20 min. before it was time to line up. I decided, last minute, to join a pace group. The race was put on by a running club in Clayton, and they had some of their most seasoned runners designated to run the race based on goal times.

 I chose the 2:45 goal time-
 1. Because it was one less than I was actually trying for (I wanted 2:30 finish time and the groups went in 15 min intervals)
2. I overheard several of the runners in that group saying it was their first race as well
3. The 'seasoned runner' in charge of us was this wonderful 60-something year old woman who was so full of life and happiness, it was just contagious. I was drawn to her.


After a quick selfie with my support rock, my biggest fan, and my best friend (my husband) it was time to line up and start the race! I was a ball of nerves, standing there waiting for the GO!
The moment passed, and we were on our way. The Clayton police and several other volunteers had taken care to shut down the main street of the city so we could run down the middle of the road and through all the intersections. I wish I would have taken more pictures while running. The sun was just starting to come up, and for the first 5 miles or so, we ran to the east so we could watch the sun come up and dry up some of the fog/mist that was lingering around from the cool night.

My pace setter's name was Rae. (Or Ray, I didn't ask how she spelled it). For the first 5 or 6 miles, we spent time talking. Telling each other about ourselves and looking around at the scenery. I had never been to this area before, so it was all new to me. The other runner's name that stayed with myself and Rae was named Marneen. Marnie for short. This was her first big race as well.

We found out that our motivator, Rae, was running 'only her 12th' half-marathon, but she had just completed her 101st MARATHON. This woman was truly amazing.

The first 5 miles went by pretty uneventfully. Rae told us to alternate water and Gatorade at the stations along the race, and we had been by two of them already.  I was feeling good, and soon I saw the sign for:

Whoa, mile 6 already? Maybe I can actually do this afterall!

Mile 7 went well, but I was starting to feel it..by mile 8 I was ready for the next water station, and we kept going. Rae continued to give me encouragement and also all the runners around us. She knew everyone! The volunteers, several of the runners, she was amazing me more and more.

Mile 9- yep, I'm feeling it. I had taped up my leg before the race, as I knew my Achilles tendon would give me trouble, but it was my knee that was causing the problem at this point.

Mile 10- I'm done. My leg can't do it. I had to slow down and Rae stayed with me. She said we had some time in the bank, and we would still finish around our 2:45 goal time. By Mile 11 I'm limping, and the last two miles were uphill so I had to walk some. I was so mad. I walked about half of mile 11, then at mile 12 I somewhat painfully started up again.

Rae was ahead of me, telling people it was my first race because when I came by to where the volunteers and police were blocking traffic, they cheered for me. I was so honored by that. These people, standing in the middle of an intersection doing their job, are cheering for me?! I got more water and Gatorade at the 12.5 mile station, and limp/walked on. At this point, my knee was shot and both of my feet ached like crazy.

Mile 13. I did it? Wait, I've still got that .2 mile to go. The finish line is right around the corner, my husband is texting me telling me to keep going, I'm limping and surely look ridiculous..but:

As soon as I saw it, I took off. I didn't care how silly I looked limp/jogging along. I finished the race at 2:48:04, and my husband and Rae were waiting for me. 

The top picture is my husband and I, and the bottom is Rae and I laughing after I crossed the finish. 

This race was lots of fun, overall. I loved running and meeting new people! I was mad that I didn't run the whole thing, but I sort of knew going in that I would probably have to walk at some point. Rae kept telling me that today was a 'base line' day. She said 95% of her runners always beat their first race time. Today was a learning day, and I learned what my body could do, and where I needed to work on. You can see my time splits, and sure enough, I slow down around mile 10. 

 Thank you, St. Louis for making my first major race a success. Also, thanks to my parents, my amazing friends, and my husband for giving me encouragement before, during, and after the race. You guys(and girls) make life wonderful! Yes, I was mad at myself for having to slow down and even walk some. But yes, I'm still happy I did the race, and I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to beating my new 'base line' time. 

October: in Pictures

With fall in full speed, October has been it's usual, busy, self. The weather is getting colder and I havent had to run the air conditioner for the last week and a half! Saving some of that $$$$ before we have to turn on the heat for winter. Everyone's fall festivals are in full swing and people want to be outside enjoying the weather change. Here's some of our October  highlights:

              

I flew out to surprise visit my mom for her birthday, October 2nd. My step-dad helped organize it and picked me up from the airport so she didnt know I was there. Happy '39th', momma :)

My husband and I paid off both of our car loans! We are officially debt free! 

Spent a weekend at my in-laws house, and the boys played with a tennis ball in the road with Bailey, the dog.

The egg toss at Pleasant Grove's Sunday Funday on October 11th. Noah and Kourtney won! 

Micah lead the band in some worship songs

My husband and his dad tried their hands at being lumberjacks :)

 We visited the St. Louis art museum for the first time, to fulfill a project for one of Micah's classes October 17th

We carved pumpkins! Also on October 17th. And I made Chili to go along with pumpkin carving. 

Mine and Micah's finished products

All of the pumpkins: Mine, Micah, Noah, and Kourntey

I made my first pumpkin pie! Apparently it was good. 

Someone destroyed my pumpkin by the following morning, and stole the tealights out of all 4 pumpkins, October 18th. 

One of my pictures got chosen as a label for Jones Soda! 

We went to a Halloween party as Cosmo and Wanda- October 24

And dressed Atti up like a lobster :) 

Throughout the back half of October, I have been fighting some sort of unknown allergy that has made me break out in hives and swell. Mainly in my hands, but has also spread to my feet, face, ears, and sides. I had been seen by doctors twice since it started appearing around October 12th

October 28th I ended up at the hospital on my way to anaphylactic shock. I was dizzy, my throat was swelling, my whole body was swollen for that matter, and the right side of my body ached like it had been run over by a car. I am now the owner of 2 epiPens, and I see an allergist November 4th to begin trying to figure out what is doing this to me. Without the steroids and antihistamines that the hospital gave me, I go right back to swelling up, so whatever I'm allergic to is not leaving my system. 

Throughout all of this, I have still been cleared to run the half marathon I have been working so hard to train for, as long as I carry an epi pen with me. The race is tomorrow, my clothes are layed out, and I'm ready to go. 

I'm more worried about this Monday and Tuesday than I am about the race. The doctor has told me I have to be off of all medications 3 days prior to seeing the Allergist, so the tests can be accurate. Last time I quit taking (ran out) the temporary- fix steroid they gave me, I ended up having an anaphylactic reaction. I'm terrified to go off of them again. The last few mornings I have woken up and my hands had already started to itch and swell up again in my sleep, because it was time to take medicine again. Here's to hoping we can find some answers soon! Also here's hoping I do alright in the race tomorrow and don't have to find out how an epiPen actually works...

Anyways, Happy Halloween 🎃🎃🎃

And I'm looking forward to November! Birthdays, (hopefully) finding out what is wrong with me, Thanksgiving, and some more fun activities are planned :) should be an exciting rest of 2015!