The Good and the Bad

Just to provide a little update, I know everyone is pretty much aware that I've been in a rough place for quite some time. Well, with all the drugs that my gastrointestinal specialist has me taking and all the tests that have been run to find anything else that might be causing so much trouble, I finally went to another doctor yesterday for a second opinion. While my file had not been faxed by my GI, he was able to pull my test results and told me that with the extensive amount of active disease in my ileum (where the small and large intestine meet) he doesn't believe that the treatment I am currently on will work. While I really like the GI I have been working with, he always used terms like "quite a bit" and such. This doctor was specific and I felt that he wasn't sugar coating or dumbing down his interpretation. While it certainly isn't good news that your disease is about as bad as it can get before considering surgery, for the first time in awhile, I felt that the pain that I have been suffering is valid.

I was hesitant to break up with yet another GI, however, when I was awoken at 5am with my now incredibly sore belly, I decided that I need to go with my gut, even though it hasn't always been my best friend (joke for the blog). Hopefully, I can get my medication switched this week and begin to see some improvement. Matt and I are appreciative of all of your thoughts and assistance during this challenging time. If we didn't have such supportive friends and family, we could have never considered buying a house. Although, there was that eviction thing that kinda made it necessary... (Look! Two jokes!) Regardless, thanks again... We love you guys.

I think I can, I think I can...

Well, two weeks down and the little engine that could is still chugging along... Much to the credit of our parent's help (thanks, Dad!)... Matt has taken some vacation time to continue the effort of Operation: Get Settled. (I'm sorry I couldn't come up with a more catchy name...) So, we have made significant progress in moving boxes from one room to another and getting more wrong paint on the walls! Seriously, my dad lead the team in the much involved project of preparing the basement for storage use. This involved some demo, concrete patch, and a lot of dry-loc paint. So, with about 80% of the work complete, Matt and I started moving our not so frequently used belongings into the bright and shiny space. Two dramatic observations were discovered. First, we actually do have a fireplace and second, I can never nag Matt again for keeping crap. I didn't really know how much stuff I really had! Boxes of pictures, cards, newspaper clippings, text books, research material, fabric... the list goes on and on! But, of course, I need all of it!

The other project to boast about is the start of the guest room downstairs. It was originally going to be painted blue, but since we used the wrong paint color in our bedroom, we decided to change our plans. So, the green intended for the master is now a serene guest room. I'm actually very pleased it worked out this way, though. Our new bedroom furniture (to be delivered in a few weeks) is much more traditional than I expected, so the taupe in the master will certainly look better with the style. It's kinda like design by fate. Well, I'm off to Home Depot again!

Christening

So, every week it's beginning to feel a little more like home... At the end of week one, we christened the new house with our first dinner party. It felt really good to be able to function in the new space. (Although it seems like we just keep pushing the boxes from one room to another.) Everyone has been so wonderful during this process and we can't express enough how much we appreciate your help! So please, anytime you get the urge for some good food, good friends, or good times, head on into the city! But don't dress too nice because we'll put you to work...