Lately & Essential Oils

I can't believe it's almost June! May flew by for me. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen we were in Omaha last weekend for Hank's birthday party. It was a great trip! We also were fortunate to make a quick jaunt over to Des Moines to see my Aunt Melissa & some family. It was another love-filled weekend! 

On our way to Omaha last Friday, Ranger buddy had some sort of allergic reaction after a rest stop break. His eyelids and snout swelled up which gave me quite the scare. Looks like we'll be adding baby benedryl to Ranger's overnight bag from now on ;). 

PS - that's his tongue in action licking his nose - not swelling;) thankfully his tongue/throat didn't swell! 

In other excitement around here, I got my essential oils this week and am in love!

If you've been eyeing essential oils and want to try one, let me know and I can order it with my discount for you! I get 24% off the retail prices :) I'd be glad to add anything you want to one of my orders so you can try it at a cheaper price! 

So far, I've been enjoying peace and calming for.. peace and calming ;), peppermint for headaches (and it's a relaxing scent too!), lemon + lavender + peppermint combo on my neck, around my ears and diffused (I got a diffuser with my kit) for allergies, joy as perfume, thieves diffused for immunity, pan away for pain areas (shoulder, neck, temples), lavender on the bottom of my feet for teeth grinding, purification under my armpits (it adds nice fragrance since I use natural/non-scented deodorant). The list goes on - and this is just since TUESDAY! Ha! I'm loving it. I'm sure I'll have more to share as I experience more with them.

I made a new board on Pinterest to store oil ideas too - there are so many DIY products people make and ideas on how to use the oils, making bug spray, sunscreen, use for restless leg syndrome, canker sores, etc. It's wild! 

I've been diffusing different oils every night. It's my favorite post-work activity lately - picking which oil to diffuse. If you use them, which are your favorites? I'd love to hear! 

Beauty on my way home today. 

Today's Pinspiration:

Enjoy your NOW. 

(Source)

Hope & The Silver Lining

On my way home from work tonight, I heard two songs that spoke to me "louder" than they have in the past. They made me emotional and made me think of my Aunt Melissa. I wasn't sure what brought Aunt Melissa to my mind, and I read my Aunt Melinda's update on Caring Bridge just now and believe the Lord put Aunt Melissa on my mind for a reason - to pray for her. I didn't know in that moment her chemo hasn't been responding as well as we hoped. The things we do know come from the Lord. That He loves us, cares for us, and that we weren't created to live on earth and for this to be the end. There is SO much greater in store for us, friends. We all have hard days and it's been so tough to see my family go through tough things in the past year (Joe's accident and Aunt Melissa's cancer are big ones). BUT. God created us to long for so much more - for eternal, unending life with Him. It isn't perfect here, but it will be in Heaven. 

I'm writing these words as much for me as anyone else. Life here is hard, really really hard sometimes. We have to cling to our truths to get us by, and trust His plan. I can tell you one thing, Aunt Melissa's cancer, as much as we {I don't like the word "hate, but that's what I wanted to put here} what my Aunt Melissa (and family) is going through, God has been doing something beautiful through her faith. I can't tell you how many people, including myself, she has inspired in the face of one the toughest circumstances the earth can offer. She posts daily Bible verses to inspire others, and has caused so many of us to learn by her faith example. 

We all need Aunt Melissas in our lives. Women to inspire us to trust stronger, love deeper, and share our faith in ways we alone couldn't do. Now I've gotten myself all kinds of emotional, but I know you know where I'm at. What if everyone had an Aunt Melissa in their life? What if we could all inspire others with our faith in the midst of trials? Or inspire others in the happy times? We don't see His whole plan, but seeing some of the silver lining of it shows us a little look at the beauty yet to come. 

If you're in a tough spot, I hope my Aunt Melissa's hope and faith can inspire you too. If you haven't heard these songs in a while, they may hit you too. Both gave me chills on my way home tonight.

We can do this. Through Him, we can do all things. (Phil 4:13)

Lord, I need you by Matt Maher (click this link if the video below doesn't load)

I will Rise, Chris Tomlin (click this link if the video below doesn't load)

Today's Pinspiration:

(Pinterest Source)

In the Midst - The Ups and Downs

I'm writing from a different place tonight. I may ramble here, but thought I'd shed some light on the path I travel on. 

I'm a positive gal, an optimist at heart. This chronic condition has had its share of daily ups and downs, weekly ones, and even months that were just hard. I've come a long way and am thankful the Lord has shown me progress lately. 



So, to cut to the chase, my insurance decided today it will no longer pay for my chiropractic adjustments - that I don't need them, I'm well enough. It was such hard news to here as I left the clinic tonight, with all of my appointments lined up until early June. It's hitting a tough nerve in me with where I'm at in my journey. 

I've made a decision in the past few months to gradually reduce my prescriptions by using more natural alternatives. When my doctor looked at me and said I'm taking the prescriptions that should be helping (and they aren't), I knew I needed to try a different path. I've been on a good path seeing the naturopath and after 3 weeks of chiropractic appts (3x per week). My headaches have been reduced in intensity and frequency which is huge for me - nothing has touched my headaches like the results I've had there. I literally had days I walked in with a headache and walked out without one. Pretty incredible from the chronic non-stop headaches I'm used to! 



I also left their office feeling frustrated yesterday after having a re-exam to check progress and having the highest blood pressure I've ever had. Something like 145/93 and resting pulse at 95. That's not ok! Not with me. So I was determined to stay the course and looked forward to this office helping me reach wellness. I still can, I just will have to pay out of pocket unless I can somehow convince my insurance to cover it (I'm thinking it won't work that well for me;) but I'll try.).

It just made me feel frustrated that they have no problem paying for my family doctor that has no ideas how to get me better, pay for prescriptions that aren't getting me anywhere, but they won't cover something that is finally actually showing signs of progress. 

So there's my vent - thanks for that :) I know this is just a bump in the road, and maybe it'll make me get on a more active workout plan, or find a good massage therapist (I've had knots in my back and neck every time I've been at the chiro's office). 

Life has ups and downs, but sometimes it helps us find the inner strength we need to push even harder toward our goals. 

On my way home tonight, I saw a car in an accident from a distance, along the path Nick travels from work to home and immediately worried it was Nick. It wasn't. But I think I needed that to remind me my insurance not covering these visits is certainly not the end of the world ;). I'm glad I had perspective in that moment to step out of my self pity. 

I was just feeding Ranger dinner and had an ah-hah moment. We've transitioned him to a different brand of food, so we've tried different things to get him to eat it (he wasn't sold at first). I gave him a small amount tonight left over from what he didn't eat at breakfast. He probably assumed that was his meal and finished it. When I realized he finished it, I gave him more, knowing that little amount wasn't his dinner. 

For Ranger, I had in mind the other food he'd get for dinner when I gave it to him. He didn't know though, he can only see what's in front of him. We can only see our present circumstances, where the Lord knows what's next. I fully trust him with his plan for me and know he sees my journey laid out. It's more helpful if we stop squirming in discomfort and just trust His plan. Way easier on us too, right? :) 

A few photos lately... mostly of Rangerboy, ha! I guess he's been my photo subject these past few weeks. 

 Pure preciousness right here. 

 Most photos with him are like this. Mid-motion. This boy is busy and is usually on the move.

 This face:) and my crazy long hair! It's grown like crazy this past year.

Our favorite puppy turned 9 months old this week - I did a fun look back at his 9 months so far. It's been a wild journey, but he obviously has me wrapped around his paw. 

Today's Pinspiration:

Food for Thought.. ;) Thanks for "listening" to my rant tonight, friends. 

(Pinterest Source)