Wedding Weekend Highlights!

Brother and SIL's wedding weekend was definitely one to remember! We got to stay at a beautiful hotel, eat lots of delicious food, wander around South Coast Plaza and the surrounding area, and spend lots of time with family and friends. Can life get any better? I submit that it cannot! ;)

Some special moments that I enjoyed were the family dinners we shared, going with Brother to get his tux the day before the wedding, walking to breakfast with Brother and some family the day of the wedding, random dance parties with the girls while getting ready for the wedding, Caitlin singing "Two is Better Than One" during the ceremony (and pretty much everyone breaking into tears), and brunch with all of our family and some friends the day after the wedding.

Oh! And gaining a sister-in-law....that was also a huge highlight. :)

Since the wedding happened in 2013, I thought I'd pick my top 13 favorite pictures to share with you.

1. Here are the girls at the rehearsal. We didn't see each other before or discuss what we were wearing--the black and blue (same shade, even!) just happened. We found it quite amusing. :)

2. Emma, the flower girl (and our cousin), was quite adorable. This was the sign on the wagon she pulled out of the ceremony. The sign on the way in said "Here Comes the Bride."

3. The rehearsal dinner, at Magianno's, was DELICIOUS! Here are Polly and Scotty holding an S & P that our uncle carved for them! He also carved an "E" for one of the center pieces at another table. He's quite talented, and his handmade gifts are always very special to us.

4. I just love this picture. How could you not?? She's gorgeous.

5. Here we are shortly after getting ready up in the bridal suite. We were having a little too much fun. :)  

6. I just really like this picture of the two of us. He's pretty darn handsome.

7. This is Polly and Scott's brother-in-law, Jason, walking around with his little girl, Natalie. I'm not sure he realized that he was "walking her down the aisle" at the time. I'm so glad I happened to snap this picture. It's so precious, and I know they'll love to look back on it one day. 

8. Here are Scott and Polly with their niece and nephew. I like the look of them with kids. Now that they're married, they should get started on a few of their own! ;)

9. Yah, she's just so purdy. This was right after she got ready and right before their first look.

10. Here are Natalie and Blake (being pulled by Emma in a wagon). They pretty much stole the show (until Polly walked out, of course). There were a few times during the ceremony that I got a bit choked up. Each time, I'd just look over at the babies to keep myself from crying. :)

11. My twinsie uncles. I love that they look so much alike in this picture. I couldn't tell them apart for many years of my life, so I just referred to them as "Uncle B."Now, of course, I can tell them apart...but can you?

12. Here we are out on the dance floor having a ball!

13. Confession: this picture was taken BEFORE the reception. I was so tired after the ceremony and during the cocktail hour that I just sat down on the floor for a while. Emma decided to join me, and it made for quite the Kodak moment.


Well, there you have it! If you'd like to look at more pictures (a couple hundred), go visit my Facebook page. Enjoy!

I Love USC (Medical Center)....

....as a loyal UCLA fan, I never thought I'd say those words. 

However, the UCLA CRPS doctor doesn't take insurance, so it was (hi ho hi ho) off to USC I go... (or went).

As you can probably recall, if you're a reader of the blog, I haven't had the most pleasant experience with pain guys in Bakersfield. If you don't remember, refresh your memory here!

That Bakersfield "doctor" was the epitome of what a doctor shouldn't be. I was praying for the exact opposite when I went down to USC.

I prayed for a doctor who would take time with me, who would listen, who would treat me like a real person with a real problem, who would come up with a plan and would follow through.

Well, God blessed me with all of those things and more. 

Fortunately, my mama took me down this morning (because there's no way I could drive there and face a doctor and drive back all on my own). I have quite a case of white coat syndrome, so I just prayed all morning to calm my anxiety (and my blood pressure). We got to the USC Medical Center a bit early, so we sat down in a quaint courtyard to eat lunch. We shared a table with an older gentleman because the place was hopping. He was waiting outside with his adorable 3 month old puppy while his wife went to her appointment. I loved petting and playing with the sweet puppy as I ate my lunch. It definitely helped calm me down a bit.

Thanks, God, for looking out for even the smallest of details.

My appointment was at 1:30, and they took me back at 1:31. No joke. They even apologized that there was one person in front of me. Is this place for real? 

The resident spoke with me first, gathering my history and my story and asking me tons of questions. I immediately felt like I was heard, and I hadn't even seen the doctor yet. She left, discussed the information with the doctor, and they both came back in. This kind-hearted Jewish man immediately put me at ease. He sat back, got comfortable, and had about a 30 minute conversation with me. It was definitely more than I could have asked for.

After much discussion, he decided that the best plan of action for now was to double my Lyrica (since it seemed to get me over my last big hump) to get me in the right treatment range. We'll do this progressively over the next couple of weeks (and pray that the side-effects are minimal!). He said that if I lived in the area, he'd have me do some OT and stress/talk therapy to help improve my quality of life right now, but he didn't think anyone in the Bakersfield area was qualified in this particular treatment, so we'll stick with the meds for now and see how I do.

We talked a bit about continuing some physical therapy and how to slowly desensitize my foot so that I may eventually be able to wear some different shoes. He said that he hopes in a year or two I'll be close to "normal" again (whatever that means!). I may never be back to 100%, but he thinks I'll at least get close--he seems really hopeful, and that's great news!

At the end of my appointment he even said, "You and I should see each other again in about 6-8 weeks." For real? It's like we're real people working on a project together. This guy is above and beyond! I'll go back at the end of April, and we'll go from there. I am just so relieved to have a plan of attack and a doctor that really cares about me. He truly is everything a doctor should be.

So, thank you all for praying for me!

Thank you, God, for USC and an amazing doctor. Thank You for taking care of the little details and the big ones.

Thank You for hope. :)

Brother's Wedding...Check.

We've returned home from the wedding festivities.

We

are

exhausted. 


Tomorrow shall be interesting.


Once I have a chance to upload all of my pictures, I'll share my favorite gems with you. Until then, enjoy this tid-bit:


My brother and I went from this...

....to this...

And, as an added bonus....I now have a sister-in-law!!!

Stay tuned. There is much more to come! 

March, March, Marchin' Along...

Oh, hey there, March! Where'd you come from?

Seriously.

Out. Of. Nowhere. 

This year certainly has flown by already...and the forever anticipated March is finally upon us.

What has gone on thus far this month? 

I had to say a sad farewell to my beloved red placard--apparently I'm healed now (not!).

I was able to go back to the Stockdale theater--my second home as a high schooler--to see the Spring play. I especially enjoyed sitting in "my" seat. Check that date out--really?--has that chair really been there for 13 years??

These nasty-@$$ trees are KILLING my allergies--not to mention that they smell like butt. I seriously want to find whoever planted them at my school and punch him/her in the face. True story.

Today is Polly's BIRTHDAY! Happy Birthday, Almost-Sister-In-Law! LOVE YOU! 

Now, what is there to look forward to for the rest of the month??

1. Oh, you know, Scotty and Polly are getting married THIS SATURDAY! WHAT?!? (Click here to read their engagement story.) And, of course, all the wedding festivities prior to Saturday will be pretty darn awesome. 

Here they are with their flower girl, Emma!

2. The Improvised Shakespeare Company (from Chicago) is coming to do a show at Stockdale! It's going to be AWESOME. Check out the flyer, and go to the show! You'll love it. 

3. Next week I'm headed down to USC to see the CRPS specialist dude. Let's hope I'll get some answers--or at least a good doctor to follow my case. 

4. Toward the end of the month, we're having another family get together before my dad leaves to go back to Hungary. I think my family is pretty awesome. 

5. SPRING BREAK!!!! Not only that, but I'm pretty sure I'm heading to LONG BEACH for part of it! I can't wait for some baby and good friend lovin'!!!! 

What are you all looking forward to this month???