4 Months of Marriage

Josh and I celebrated 4 wonderful months of marriage today. We can't believe that it has been that long, time has just flown by! I can't thank God enough for sending Josh to me!

I Love You, Joshua!

Mononucleosis- a.k.a Kissing Disease

What is mononucleosis?

Mononucleosis, also called "mono," is a common viral illness that can leave you feeling tired and weak for weeks or months. Mono goes away on its own, but lots of rest and good self-care can help you feel better.

What causes mono?

Mono is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). It is most often seen in adolescents and young adults. Children can get the virus, but it often goes unnoticed because their symptoms are mild. Adults usually do not get mono, because they have immunity to the virus.

Mono can be spread through contact with saliva, mucus from the nose and throat, and sometimes tears. Because the virus can be spread through kissing, it has earned the nickname the "kissing disease." If you have mono, you can avoid passing the virus to others by not kissing anyone and by not sharing things like glasses, eating utensils, or toothbrushes.

As soon as you get over mono, your symptoms will go away for good, but you will always carry the virus that caused it. The virus may become active from time to time without causing any symptoms. When the virus is active, it can be spread to others.

What are the symptoms?

The most common symptoms of mono are a high fever, a severe sore throat, swollen glands and tonsils, and weakness and fatigue. Symptoms usually start 4 to 6 weeks after you are exposed to the virus.

Mono can cause the spleen to swell. Severe pain in the upper left part of your belly may mean that your spleen has burst. This is an emergency.

How is mono diagnosed?

Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms and examine you. You may also need blood tests to check for signs of mono (monospot test) and the Epstein-Barr virus. Blood tests can also help rule out other causes of your symptoms.

How is it treated?

Usually only self-care is needed for mono.

• Get plenty of rest. You may need bed rest, which could keep you away from school or work for a little while.
• Gargle with salt water or use throat lozenges to soothe your sore throat.
• Take acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) or ibuprofen (such as Advil) to reduce fever and relieve a sore throat and headaches.
• Avoid contact sports and heavy lifting. Your spleen may be enlarged, and impact or straining could cause it to burst.

In severe cases, medicines called corticosteroids may be used to reduce swelling of the throat, tonsils, or spleen.

(Courtesy of WebMD.com)

Sick, sick, sick of being sick!

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a little while. After going to two Drs and getting no answers I ended up in the ER last Tuesday evening wanting to know what in the world was wrong with me. After having four throat swabs (strep, mono, H1N1 and some other one), a nasal swab (influenza test), a chest x-ray and blood work.....they came to the conclusion.....I HAVE MONO! Yuck!

So, I haven't really felt much like posting anything. I'm not really looking forward to having to deal with the effects of this stuff for the next two to six weeks. From what I have read, it can take up to six months to even start feeling like your normal self. That is not a very fun thing to look forward to. The amazing thing, Josh doesn't have it! We got him tested as well and the Dr. said that there is a possibility that he built up an immunity to it when I first started coming down with it...and that is how he escaped it. The Dr did say that he has bronchitis.

New Pic

(Josh, Kristina and Vanna 11-01-2009)

I think I'm getting sick...AGAIN!

This time I believe I am coming down with that good ole strep throat...UGH, being sick stinks! I really hope that's not what it is, I really want to go back to church on Sunday. Josh and I had to miss last Sunday and Wednesday due to whatever it is that we have-had, whatever. LOL I'm just so ready to be well again.

I'll be going to the Dr. within the next 3 hours are so. I have yet to get any sleep due "cough, cough" to the "cough" coughing "cough, cough, cough"...whew, sorry! ;o) Please, please pray it's not strep, I HATE that stuff!!! Oh, plus I think Josh is getting whatever this is as well, pray for him as well...he has no sick leave at work. One of those -work when your sick or you're fired- type of places.

A New Blog

With the discussion of abortion being here on my blog, I decided to make a blog specifically for that topic. I will be posting videos, pictures, and articles on the subject. Please go and check it out!

Click the Link Below.

The American Holocaust

The Hard Truth- Viewer Discretion Advised- Abortion Video

Vanna Update and Feeling Sickly

Vanna has been doing awesome, I thought it was going to be a huge chore to house break her and so far she has done great with it. I'm really shocked at how well she is doing.

Josh and I have been sick these past few days with what the dr. said was just a cold. I've never had a cold with body aches and chills, but that is what he called it. Now Josh and I both have this awful cough that is nagging at us. Only a few days in and I'm so ready to be done with it.

Hates hunting and is okay with Abortion...is it just me or is someone confused?

I have gotten some comments (which I have not posted) that disagree with mine and Josh's hunting. They have said things such as "It's inhumane" and "How can you call yourself a Christian and then kill an innocent animal"....well, allow me to explain.

And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth [upon] the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
Genesis 9:2-3

God gave us the beast of the earth, the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea to us for meat. To me, killing and eating a deer is no different than going to Wal-Mart and buying a pork tenderloin or ground beef and condoning the killing of a pig or a cow. There is really no difference. If God had said not to eat a cow or a deer, I wouldn't eat it, but GOD gave us the deer, the cow, the pig, and the fish so that we could have meat. One comment stated that the gun we were using didn't look like a very humane way to kill a deer. I don't mean to sound rude or smart mouthed, but you can't kill a deer humanely. Unless you go after it with a needle which is impossible and pretty funny looking I would think. LOL So, that is why I see no problem with hunting.

This topic always gets me to thinking and normally will set me off somewhat. I can deal with people who disagree with me, I get it all the time. I never post ALL the comments that I get, I get more bad comments than good. And I don't mind sharing what and why I agree or believe that way. But this is what gets me about this topic...most of the time, I'm not saying all the time, but most of the time when you have a person who will defend animals rights so strongly it's normally someone who is completely okay with abortion, which is the murder of a child, a human being! Yet, they will get on here and leave a comment about how wrong I am for killing an animal. How backwards does that sound. I'm not being mean or hateful, I'm just sharing what I have on my heart. How can someone willingly walk into a clinic and ask someone to kill their baby? How?!?! There aren't many topics that I will get upset over, but abortion is one of them.

To those that do agree with abortion, how can you be okay with the killing of a baby? I don't care what the circumstance of the pregnancy, don't kill it, let someone adopt it!

To those who appose abortion, thank you for your stand!

Answering some Puppy Q's

It has been raining since I got up this morning, yes...rain is good, but on a day where you didn't get any sleep the previous night because of your precious little puppy making a bunch of noise because she doesn't want to be confined....all the rain does is make you EXTRA sleepy! While I love having a puppy to help me pass the time in the day and keep me company until Josh can get home, she sure doesn't let me get stuff done. She loves attention and follows me everywhere I go and makes cleaning almost impossible! LOL I wouldn't trade her for anything!!!

I got questions in comments about what kind of dog she is. When I took her to the vet they said that they weren't completely sure what she is. They said she looks to have boxer in her somewhere...and whatever else they aren't quite sure. We got her at the pound and they had her listed as a Labrador Retriever mix...which means she could just be a good ole mutt.

Someone also asked how we came to naming her Vanna, well...Josh and I were trying our best to come up with a name for her that we both liked and that turned out to be a harder task than we thought. So, I looked at Vanna, then looked at Josh, then back at Vanna and I just said that she looked like a Vanna...he said no, he hated it. But, it came time to make the vet appointment and they needed a name....Josh said "Her name is Vanna". So, that is how we came to naming our lil pup, Vanna.

Meet Vanna

This is our new little puppy, Vanna. She is 2 months old and such a handful!!!

My First Deer Hunt Part I

Josh asked me to go hunting with him and at first I just didn't like the idea of getting up at 5:30 on a Saturday morning to go sit in the woods and HOPE to SEE a deer...but the more Josh and his brother Jacob kept talking about it the more interested I got. So, needless to say...I went...and I LOVED it! I just loved sitting in the woods and listening to the sound of the breeze through the leaves, hearing the birds chirp and spending time with my husband. We didn't get a deer, but we heard several and saw a HUGE doe with two fawns. The fawns were old enough to be able to survive on their own, but by the time Josh got the gun ready the doe had taken off. But hey, at least I got to see some! Here are some pictures from the hunt!