The last six months...

I can't believe it has been about 6 months since my last entry. Life has been busy and I have been a little wary about getting back on and sharing, unsure why. I felt like I was doing really good about opening up and sharing very personal and painful thoughts and experiences and since time has passed I have closed up.
   So, let's play a little catch up. Last July we moved into our newly bought home in Santaquin Utah. We love it!! We have almost 2200 square feet and a half acre to play in. It is an old home, and with that comes potential problems and projects. Good news/bad news kinda thing. I love projects and upgrades and all that great stuff, but it always takes longer and more money than what you plan on. Hopefully it will be a little bit at a time, right? So, the past 6 months we have been busy really making it our own. With the new home we also got a little addition, our black lab/german shepherd puppy, Sierra. Well, she isn't really a puppy anymore, she weighs about 95 pounds. She has been so fun and brought us so much joy! Unfortunately Bella   (our little 8 pound terrier) has had a hard time adjusting. It has been an experience for all of us! ;)
  In our new ward we were called very quickly to teach the sunbeams.To be honest I was very unhappy with the calling, but we accepted. I was frustrated that we would be unable to get to know anyone in the ward, and I was also worried about teaching the young ones when my heart is so tender and aches for and lacks my own. I can now say that Heavenly Father knows me personally and what I need to be able to learn and grow to become who He needs me to become. It has been a wonderful experience!! It has allowed me to open my heart and be able to help fill that void. I love those little kids! I think about them all the time, and I feel like it is just an addition to my already 20 nieces and nephews. The first several weeks in the class I accidentally referred to me as Aunt and Mike as Uncle....:) Whoops. Comes naturally nowadays.                     I have learned how to teach young kids the gospel, about Christ and help them learn and grow, which I am so grateful for!!
    Okay, I started this post back in November and half of it got deleted as I was typing so I saved what I had left of  it and got off in frustration. So, now it is January and I have a little more things going on in my life. Back in November I had pretty severe abdominal pain at work. I couldn't go home without penalty and so I continued to work. At one point I ran to the bathroom and threw up for the next half hour. Feeling much better, I went back out to work. Within an hour I was passed out on the ground. This experience has spiraled into so many different tests, so many different diagnoses, a trip to the E.R. and on. My dr. is pretty sure I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and certain foods or stress can certainly aggravate it. In all the tests that have been taken they have found elevated liver enzymes, and they cannot figure out why. I got an ultrasound done friday and it came back normal, which is a good news/bad news type thing. I wanted them to find the problem, assuming it was minor, and tell me this is how you fix it, and voila all better- not the case. Well, I have an EGD scheduled for the 24 of this month and that is where they put the camera down your throat and look into your stomach to see if they can see any problems. Assuming this will be the same as everything else and will come back normal. My mom told me I just need to keep a food diary and learn what I can eat and those things I need to stay away from, because I know that something is wrong, but the tests are showing it is nothing serious, so that is good news. Just frustrating that I have to figure this all out the hard way. Personally, I think MOST of the problems and pain is caused by stress. I am constantly stressed out so much that it is hard to function. In the last month our furnace went out, and we had a pipe break and flooding in our laundry room, all of which is on top of the medical tests/bills/and pain causing stress on top of already much stress. I am trying to be able to manage my stress better this year. Any ideas?
  I am exercising and eating a lot healthier, and so I think that is something that will help over time as I continue to do it. Its not an instant fix, but will take time.  I am doing better this year at reading my scriptures and allowing myself to feel and that way I can hopefully cope better with trials.
  I am alive, and well, I have just been so busy and unable to get on here and update. Life is well, and I am so thankful for the gospel of hope and peace. I just need to grab onto that peace and not let anyone or anything get me down. Life continue to moves on. I love you all and am thankful for all my friends and family that support me-Thank You!
 Love, Keira