Saturday, May 8, 2010
My Job - I LOVE MY JOB!!!! It's amazing how from week to week I feel more comfortable and confident. I've brought in some of my personal stuff to decorate my space and it made it feel more like home. I really enjoy my job. My coworkers are all pretty cool and very smart. I've known my boss from my job at Integrity Online (we worked together) and he's a great boss here. Sure I work some long hours at times. I have gotten used to 12 hour days occurring on a semi-regular basis. It's not overdone. But when I have my part of the project, which is Quality Assurance, it's the tail end of the project closest to the deadline. I'm responsible to make sure the site looks and works the way the client specified. I enjoy the work. I also wear the hat of Office Manager. I take care of the smaller administrative tasks in the office.
San Francisco - I ended up going to San Francisco for work last month and had an absolute blast! I'll try to post a couple of my favorite pics! I had a hard time narrowing them down to 200 for Facebook! So we'll see what I'll be able to narrow it down to for the next blog post if I actually post pictures!
My School - I started school. I got an A in my first class and so far I've got an A in my second. I'm currently in Microeconomics and I'm enjoying this class more then the first. I should be doing school right now but I'm honestly just not in the mood to do it. Writing about my life doesn't take a lot of thought.
My Schedule - It doesn't seem like I've changed my social calendar much since taking on school. I still feel like I'm trying to fit it all in. Which I can't keep up. I will have to learn to say no. That's gonna be tough. I am a social person and being unemployed I really learned to be open to doing anything and everything at a drop of the hat. Now I remember how it was when I worked down in Ontario. Those were pretty much 10 hour days w/ the drive. I remember never having enough time to get everything done, and there were moments of just breaking down because I felt overwhelmed. I actually almost felt like my time of unemployment was a gift from God, to give me time to recoop, time to spend with Him, time for me! I am glad I didn't waste it. There were times I didn't take advantage of my free schedule, but for the most part I took opportunities to do things I'd never have the time to do.
Big Changes - Most of you have read about my brothers surgery. He's home now. He still requires a lot of care. They have him on a nutrition iv at night and there's been nothing but problems with the pumps they've sent over. At this point we're hoping he can just not use it because he's been eating better.
My sister is engaged! Mike met with me on a Saturday to try to come up with a plan. He knew he wanted it to be soon and he also knew he wanted me there to take pics of the moment. He just wasn't sure how to make that happen without it being obvious. I decided to be sneaky and plan a photoshoot and ask Heidi to be my model. She had no idea! It was awesome! And I got pictures of the whole moment! :)
So I really had intended to post some pictures but I think I'll just have to wait till next time. Labels: activeLAMP, AIU, Updates
posted by Charity at 5/08/2010 05:29:00 PM
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Update 4/24/10
So I just got home from visiting Brian at the hospital. His spirits seem good. He's still really weak but is able to keep his humor. His heart rate has become almost normal. While I was there he got up 3 times to walk around. He's doing very well. It was a nice change to see him up and out of bed. They allowed him to eat once last week but he had a bad reaction so they put him back on an IV of nutrition. He will hopefully get to eat solid foods next week, currently they are allowing him to have hard candies (which he doesn't seem to care for) and some flavored ice chips.
But... they estimate he will be discharged in 2 weeks! That is if he stays progressing at his current rate. So keep him in your prayers!
Though I had to share (with Brian's permission of course) this adorable pic of him I took today! Always the comedian. :D
Update 4/16/10
For those of you who want to know if there is a way to help...
http://www.thecareplace.org/brian/
Brian hasn't eaten since his first surgery on the 5th. They are removing fluid from his lungs over the next hour. He has been accumulating fluid in his lungs for the last several days. There is a fluid buildup and it is very difficult for him to breath. We have friends and family with him 24x7 and he ...is still in allot of pain and on a continual drip of morphine. They did find fluid in his cavity again, but will take a new procedure with needles and remove the liquid that way, instead of opening him back up.
Doctors are still optimistic.
Original Post 4/13/10
A lot of people have been asking about my brother Brian, what happened and why he went in for surgery. One of the reasons I haven't shared too much detail about the procedure is because Brian is a very private person and dislikes talking about it to people that aren't aware of his condition. I have decided to post this and send this post to the certain individuals that are asking rather than sending out the same story in multiple emails.
The History - So my brother has Ulcerative Colitis. Brian was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis back in 2003. He spent a month in the hospital to recover. Once out, he seemed to lead a normal life, he was healthy active and the disease went into remission. That is, until October of 2008. From that point his health went up and down, his quality of life deteriorated. He was in the hospital a few times for colonoscopy’s and blood transfusions. His doctor tried everything she could, every drug out there, each with months of waiting to see if it would actually work. She finally ran out of options and told him to talk to another specialist to confirm that the last option she could recommend was surgery. The second opinion confirmed and Brian agreed to go forward with the surgery.
The Procedure – a Colostomy. He had his lower intestines removed. This is the part I know is a bit private for Brian so if he wishes to share I will let him do so. I understand that this procedure will increase his quality of life, and before you think it’s a permanent colostomy bag, that is not the case. It’s amazing what they can do with the human body these days!
Present day – Brian had the surgery Monday April 5th, 2010. It was a 6 hour procedure and according to the doctor this is a surgery where it’s common place to have complications during the surgery, Brian did very well! It was a stressful 6 hour wait for the family and his girlfriend Saundi. My brother Shawn flew out to be with Brian during the first week of his surgery. I attempted to keep myself distracted but found I couldn’t focus on anything. We were able to see Brian right away and I was surprised at how alert and lively he was considering what his body had just been through. Over the next few days the family and Saundi, took turns spending the night with him. By Friday he’d been out of bed walking around on his own. We were all quite impressed with how well he was recovering.
Saturday was a different story. His heart rate had increased to 170 and his blood pressure dropped. It was just me, my mom and Saundi at the hospital with him. He was breathing shallow quick breaths and we knew something was wrong. After a long day of ruling out possibilities, such as a Pulmonary Embolism, leakage, infections, etc. Brian was taken to ICU. His original surgeon, Dr Hui, was called in.
When he got there he took another look at the ct scans that the Radiologist ruled as clear, and he found something! Thank God he decided to take a quick look! He found something but couldn’t confirm what it was without going back in. He got Brian prepped for immediate exploratory surgery to find out what was going on.
It was quite an intense moment as we stood there when he explained he would have to open up my already weak brother, and poke around to find out where the leak had occurred. We were all emotional wrecks. I was grateful my friend Andie had decided to come to the hospital to visit me before all of this went down. She arrived right in time for me to break down on her shoulder outside. Within a half an hour of deciding the only option was to open him up again Brian was whisked away to the operating room. It was a tense couple of hours but Dr Hui came out and explained that Brian was doing well, that he found a massive infection on his right side and that if they hadn’t caught it, he would have been dead in a couple of days! Talk about sobering! Yet we could rejoice that Dr Hui had found the minute spot on the CT scan where the Radiologist had passed right by it. Thank God!
So we were able to breathe a huge sigh of relief. Brian, we were told was going to make a full recovery now that they knew what they were dealing with. What happened was that at some point on Friday when he was doing so well the suture had ripped and he was leaking fluids to his right side. He had a drain on his left side but for some reason it wasn’t draining all the fluids out. Dr Hui put another drain on the right side and explained there was still no way to fix the torn flesh but time would have to heal it. He explained the reason why is because it would be like sewing through tofu. But now that they know what to look for they wouldn’t need to open him up again but have other ways of clearing it out.
Today Brian is doing remarkable! He was moved out of ICU the next night. Every day he gets out of bed more often than the day before. He still has his sense of humor and is quite entertaining to talk to while on all his pain meds. Today he has some labored breathing and they found some fluid in his lungs and said he needs to get up and walk around more. We’re still not sure how long he will have to stay at the hospital but overall we’re extremely thrilled with his progress! I believe he’s doing even better this time around then the first surgery!
It’s been an incredible comfort knowing so many people were praying for Brian. I am so amazed at all the people who are so willing to offer to help in any way. I thank you all! I haven’t been able to respond to all of you as I’ve been dealing with a lot of things! I know you understand but know I am so grateful to you and your prayers! I know it’s the only way I’ve been able to function this last week and a half!
I will keep updating this post when anything new comes up. Labels: Inspiration, Updates
posted by Charity at 4/25/2010 01:01:00 AM
Monday, April 19, 2010
So I'm sitting in a conference room in San Francisco at the DrupalCon. I've had a blog post pending for about a month now and have decided I'll have to post that one later... I'm really enjoying my experience here! I mean the city itself is amazing! And walking to, from and around the hotel have been absolutely incredible! It makes me want to travel more for work. The hotel we're staying at is pretty sweet too.
Last night we had a good bonding time. I enjoyed hanging out with my boss and then later just me and my coworkers hung out at one of the rooms laughing, goofing off, exploring the hotel, and well just having a great time. It was a great experience.
I haven't taken many pics other then on my cell phone. But tomorrow we're planning on ditching half the day to go sight seeing. I can't wait! Helior knows a friend who can get us access to a rooftop so we can take pics of the city from top! It should just be an all around great day!
My brother Brian is doing as well as can be expected. He's had some rough couple of days. They were going to allow him to eat real food for the first time today but then put him back on liquids because of gas pains. He's doing well though. The doctor wants him to walk today. He's not been allowed the last couple of days because of some procedures he's had done.
Well my session is going to start and instead of keeping this a saved draft for a month I'm gonna post it... Or ... maybe I'll just make this my San Fran post... Hmmm? Yeah I'll never post it that way... Its getting posted and if I need to I can update it. :) Labels: activeLAMP
posted by Charity at 4/19/2010 05:29:00 PM
Sunday, March 7, 2010
There are different seasons in everyone's life. Right now I'm feeling an overwhelming sense of change. If it's not one area of my life, it's another. It's been a bit overwhelming. It wasn't until I was driving to church this morning that I really decided to accept the change in anticipation and excitement rather then panick or dread. This last week has been a rough week. One that gave me a taste of what's to come and it wasn't easy or fun and I haven't even added school to the mix.
I am wondering if I will have any kind of social life in the next few months. Yet I seem to be getting myself in more trouble being the social butterfly that I am in combination with the new sense of self confidence with my weight loss. So maybe this lack of a social life will be good for me (see Side Note below). Help me stay on track and have the right focus.
Side Note: Something I've realized recently, I haven't shared much about my dating life, mostly because there is a lot of dating and nothing substantial coming from it. But I've seen a pattern. I tend to fall for the most impossible guys. Impossible in the fact that there is no possible chance that a good, healthy relationship can come of it. It doesn't help that I'm not meeting any men that share my beliefs which is a priority for me. Yet I fell for one of these "impossible" guys, one that has polar opposite beliefs, one that was in every way the wrong guy. We fooled ourselves into thinking that talking about the fact that we shouldn't get into a relationship was the same as staying out of one. WRONG. It was never declared a relationship, I think we both knew labeling it what it was didn't change the fact that it shouldn't be. I have made a decision that casual dating is not something I should be involved in especially since I can have good intentions of stearing clear of the wrong guys but there is always the chance of falling for one. I've been finding it difficult to get my time management under control. It doesn't help that my work is not a static mon-fri/9-6 schedule. I have always been someone that keeps a fairly social life but I'm finding it difficult to find time for my friends, and sadly a few have been a little less then understanding about my lack of availability. And in the coming months I don't see how I will be available for much more then a phone call here or there.
What hit me today is that God may want this for my life for a while. I can only hope my friends will be understanding in the midst of it, because as in all seasons, things change and it won't always be like this.
My brother has opted for the surgery to remove his colon. It's scheduled for early April. April 5th I believe. It's a pretty heavy duty surgery. He will be out for a good 4-6 weeks and will have 3-12 months of getting used to the lack of his colon. It's a serious lifestyle change! And there are a lot of possible complications that can occur. We are nervous but feel this is going to be the best thing for his health. But please keep him in your prayers.
I found out my Grandpa (on my dads side) is dying. He has cancer and it's so far gone, he's chosen to stay at home and be comfortable with the time he has left. He lives in Minnesota and I desperately hope to make it out there to see him one last time, I just don't know if that will happen. I have one comfort in knowing where he will go when he's gone and that I will see him again. It's just hard to know he will be gone soon.
I hate to end this post on that note but I've just realized I'm running out of time to get ready for the monthly worship concert at the church tonight. Which btw, I'm meeting someone for the first time. He works with a friend who goes to my church and she's been trying to hook us up for a while, so we'll see how it goes...
posted by Charity at 3/07/2010 04:51:00 PM
Sunday, February 21, 2010
I'm feeling the need for a change, odd that I've just gone through a fairly large change by getting a job. I'm not sure how to explain it. I've gotten myself into some bad habits being unemployed. And now that I'm employed I feel the need to clean out the bad habits and focus on the things that need my attention. Or I should say, I'm thinking I need to reorganize my priorities.
Family - Specifically my brother Brian who has been dealing with major health issues since August of last year. Not that this needs to change, he pretty much was my priority when I was unemployed. But now that I'm working I need to figure out a way to still be there for him.
Me - This includes personal growth. Time with God, devotions, prayer. This also includes personal hobbies.
Photography - It's a huge part of my life. But lately I tend to take pictures more for others then for myself. I don't go out and shoot just for fun anymore. My creativity seems to be stifled and I've lost some of the joy photography usually brings to me. My friend James has picked up on this and is pushing to keep our photography group alive. I'm grateful to him for that. We haven't been meeting up because of the holidays and our schedules but I'm going to make it a bigger priority.
James is continuing to encourage me to keep my creative photography going. He's started a "365 Project" and I'm thinking about joining him. It's where you take pictures every day of the year and post one of them for each day. I think it would be fun. I probably won't post every day, maybe like once-a-week. But it will encourage me to have some fun with photography daily. I haven't decided when I'll start. It's a commitment I don't want to take lightly.
My Job - I have a lot to learn for my job. They currently work in Drupal technology and I have only touched the surface of it. I need to schedule some time outside of work to study up on it.
Speaking of work, I decided to bake cookies for my coworkers. I let them take the container home over the weekend and the next week I received this picture from them. If you notice what's in their hands, they are enjoying my cookies. This picture makes me smile every time I see it! How cute is that!?
School - So for the last year or so I've been really feeling the need to get back into school and get my BA. I have been accepted at AIU (American InterContinental University). It's an online college. Both my brothers have gotten their degrees there. Its taken me a while to get it all going but now it's in full swing. I should start my first class in March. I'm excited and nervous to take on this additional time constraint only because I'm struggling so much to get a routine going in my life having just started working again. But I figure one class a semester should be an easy way to ease into it.
Weight Loss - I have only lost an additional 10 pounds since the holidays. So that puts me down to 70 pounds lost. I feel fantastic! Though I do want to continue and it's been hard to stay on track for more then a few days at a time. I still want to ultimately lose 30 more pounds. Make it an even 100 lost. I'd be curious if I can do it by June. Then that would put me at 100 pounds lost in a year! I'm not sure I can but I'll enjoy trying!
Anyways, still not willing to post pics just yet. I'll get there guys. If you have my facebook you have the most updated pics. I want to do some adjustments to the site as well. My blog archives aren't working. My info on other pages is outdated. I guess I can focus on that stuff tonight. I'm off to find something to eat.
posted by Charity at 2/21/2010 04:48:00 PM
Monday, February 15, 2010
I'm not really sure if I can keep this up. But... I'll try.
Hello again world! I'm currently working at ActiveLAMP in Victorville, CA. I started last month and so far I'm loving it! Today I'm a bit drained but it's more of a personal issue then a work related issue.
It's been different trying to get used to working full time again after being unemployed for almost a year. I don't even think I've made it to year mark of the date I was laid off at Alliance. Wow, I just looked and the anniversary date is officially February 13th! Just shy of the year mark. It's been a long road. My life has changed so much in a years time. But right now, I don't want to focus on that. I want to look at my life right now, there's no going back to what was, only to what is and what is to come.
That being said, I really am thrilled with my job! I've hesitated sharing anything publicly for some reason. Maybe my lack of open communication throughout the last year has caused me to be a bit reserved and more private about what's going on in my life. I have no problems sharing pictures or quick tidbits but lately, the idea of sharing the real me has only occurred to me to do on my anonymous blog, where only one or two people actually know who I am.
Well the above was written last week (2/10/2010) and I never got around to posting it. I'm going to do that now, and will post another hopefully in the near future and not another few months down the road. :)
posted by Charity at 2/15/2010 10:37:00 AM
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