Life Renewed

I've kept most of this off this main blog so far, but now I'm ready to put my fingers to writing again. I love writing, and I've so missed it.

In March, I was dealt a curve ball in being diagnosed with MoyaMoya disease. The name of the disease is Japanese, and means "puff of smoke". It is a problem with the blood flow in your brain where if untreated you could have a stroke. I was really showing signs of this disease when I had the TIA in January 2013, but no one connected it until March 2014.

I've successfully survived two brain surgeries since then, and I'm starting to pick up the pieces. My first surgery was on May 1st, and before I had the second surgery -- I was feeling amazingly good. Much better than I can remember feeling in a very long time. The second surgery was on July 8th, so I'm working toward being back to where things were a couple of weeks ago or even better.

I feel like since we moved to Memphis in June 2011, I've been in one long tailspin of something eerily like depression. Possibly even longer. It has been a rough road to a spot where I never thought I'd get to... I mean I think I felt better in between my surgeries than I did since high school. My energy level was impressive to me, and I couldn't be more grateful for my doctor.

There is so much life in me -- and I'm going to need it. I've put a lot on my plate with homeschooling, but I feel like it's important for our family. I've got two little boys that have very different needs, but both are remarkably deserving of everything I can give them. I've got an ADHD wild man that needs some extra love and attention, and at the same time a 3.5 year old who is basically already a reader.

I hope that this is just the start of me being able to restart my life on many levels. So many things have been on hold for a longtime, and now it's time for me to shine. I've got businesses that need to get started, books that need to be finished writing, school to plan, classrooms to set up, and so much more. I hope that while the dust settles around us, you will come along with us for the ride of our lives.

It's also time for us to find a new church home for our family. We have been coasting along since we moved, and we are ready for these boys to make some friends. I am excited about getting out there an into a church home again -- a lot of our beloved friends have found new places to worship since we left Cypress in 2011... and it's time for us to figure out where we fit. I am still not a fan of the mega-church concept for us, so we will be looking small first and go from there.