Update (part 1)

Hello! It's been a crazy month and a half but I will catch you guys up.

I went to finish up my evaluations for the Cochlear Implant on March 16th. They did a balance test which was very weird. They had to put a video camera on one of my eyes and look at the movement of my eyes while they put hot and cold air in each of my ears and water in one of my ears. I also had to move in different positions too. Strangest test i've ever done in my life lol but it wasn't bad.

After that, I went to my therapist that I will be seeing every two weeks after surgery and the activation. She was very nice and helpful in my understanding of what I will be able to hear.. hopefully. She did some testing to see where I am in speaking and listening to people without lip reading. She said that I do very well in speaking and that she was very impressed with me. I didn't do very good on the listening part because I depend on lip reading now. She said that I will hopefully be able to hear almost as good as a "normal" person does and showed me the chart of where I am hearing now where the Cochlear implant "can" help me hear and it will be a dramatic difference but I do have to work hard to get there. She made me that much more excited and not so much nervous.

Then, we went to the psychologist. She pretty much just asked questions about my life and where I am. She had to make sure that I was able to handle the stress and changes that I will be going through once I get it. She also had to make sure that I had support behind me to help me through it. She said that I was a perfect canidate and that she had no doubt that I would benefit from it.

I passed all the evaluations and testing. Right now, we are STILL waiting on approval from the state (DARS). I am hoping to hear from them this week. We ended up having to call the supervisor of DARS to see what was the hold up and it was just a big mess. It's very stressful and i'm so ready to just KNOW and plus it's getting in the way of school because I am trying to figure out what summer classes to take compared to the fall, but I think we are finally getting closer to getting a surgery date. I will keep you guys updated and hopefully the mess will be sorted out SOON! Here are a few pictures of our trip and you can kind of see what the hospital looks like:

The morning after we came home from Dallas (March 17th), I got the sad news that my great-grandfather, Gampie, passed away. He was such an amazing man with a great and HUGE heart who could just make anyone smile even if he didn't know you. He was a successful man and I only hope to become a great person like he was. I'm glad that he is at peace and he is smiling down and watching over us with Gammie. I do still get sad when I realize he isn't here anymore and I cry over the smallest things that remind me of him, but mostly I remember the good times with him and i'm so blessed to be able to know my great grandfather for as long as I have. Here is a picture of us:

Well I think that's enough updates for one blog post. I will update the rest about Maddie and Warrior Dash tomorrow on another post! And again, I thank all of you guys for the wonderful support that I have gotten from you and all the prayers, thoughts, texts, emails and facebook posts that I have got from from you guys. All of you guys are seriously the best!!

BIG change and adventure coming my way

I just wanted to keep you all updated. I recently found out that my hearing is declining rapidly and I will not be able to hear out of hearing aids in the next couple of years. In spite of this information, I wanted to check out Cochlear Implants because I do want to hear at least SOMETHING and didn't ever want to even consider losing all of my hearing. This information leads to my next adventure in life.

 

 

 

Last Thursday, I went to my first appointment to the Dallas Ear Insistute in Dallas, Texas. (Thanks again Mom and Dad for taking me!:). They are the best hospital that specializes in Cochlear Implants. The hospital is amazing. The staff there is really nice and Dr. Peters is very positive and reassuring. They told me that I am a canidate and that I will LOVE my implants and wonder why I never got them sooner. They have absolutely no doubt that I will be able to hear MUCH better than I do with hearing aids and be able to hear sounds that I've never been able to hear before like birds that y'all say are so pretty to hear and the water dripping out of the faucet and some of the quiet and high pitched noises that I was never able to hear before. 

 

The surgery which will be done on the side of my head above my ear will most likely be done in May or June. The doctor said that he wants to do it in my better ear that I can hear with my hearing aid with, which means NO hearing aids or hearing at all for at least 4 weeks if not more. I won't be hearing my kind of "normal" for quite some time. I will be hearing anything and everything between robots and alvin and the chipmunks for the first few months. I'm very excited for the experience and the opportunity to be able to hear better than i've ever heard before because I've noticed that my hearing has gone down rapidly the last two years with my hearing aids. It will be a long hard road to learn and teach myself how to hear again and get used to the strange noises that i've never heard before, but I know I can do it with the HUGE support network I have behind me. I am honestly kind of scared to not have my hearing aids or the option of having them anymore after this but I know it will be worth it to hear the little sounds that make life even more enjoyable. I am also nervous about the recovery and the hard road of getting it back to normal and teaching myself how to hear again and therapy and things like that, but like I said, I have a huge support network behind me and I know that I can do it. I will be updating my blog on this information as a journal and keeping record of my experiences for my benefit as well as to keep my family and friends and you readers out there informed on how i'm feeling at the moment.

 

My next appointment is in March and it is a series of appointments to make sure that I can handle getting the implant which I have no doubt that I will pass and from there I will know more about when my surgery will be and things that I can do to make the recovery as easy as possible.

 

If y'all have any questions feel free to ask me!

Playing Catch Up!

Wow, it's been 4 months since my last post! hahaha... I'll catch you guys up and i'll add the pictures later when I get to my computer with all the pics on it.

Shortly after my last post, I was running with Ami a week before the half marathon that we had been training for, my knee popped and it hasn't been the same since. That entire month I took a break from running and jiu jitsu so I wouldn't hurt it further because it would hurt after I would bend it and I sadly had to miss my half marathon after trying everything from a knee brace to heating/icing it. We were thinking it was a displacement of the knee cap. I was really disappointed. After that month I decided that I wanted to focus on my love for running and save money and stress by not going to Jiu Jitsu and all the seminars and that definitely helped with my financial troubles. I do miss it, but I love running more. The knee brace that I got is helping keep the knee in place and all of our short runs has made it stronger. We are now currently training for a new half marathon in March so wish us luck! We are also planning on running in Warrior Dash in Dallas, will be going to Tough Mudder in November and who knows what other trouble we'll find and get into!

Ami, her husband Zach, and I have also decided that we're going rock climbing in March. This will be a first for me and I'm excited for a new adventure! I've climbed a rock wall before but it's been years and I remember being scared of letting go, but that will be the adventure part!

My dogs are doing great! Maddie is bigger, but she's not near as big as I thought she would be, she is still smaller than Marley and is very very vocal when she's angry at Marley! Marley has started this thing where she grabs her own tags on her collar and starts walking around and running into walls lol, that dog is trouble. They're still cute and wouldn't trade them for the world.

The house is now undergoing remodeling construction! YAY! We painted the office Turquoise and painted my desk yellow with brown curtains and it looks great in there! We recently got into the master bedroom and started tearing out the walls, ceiling, everything! The people before me did not know what they were doing so we are having to redo pretty much everything, but that's the part that makes it fun right?!

I had to go in and get hearing tests done to "confirm" that I was deaf so I could get new hearing aids from the state. I know... i've only been deaf ever since I was born right?! I guess they didn't believe me with all the paperwork I had on it. ;) I found out during the process that I lost quite a bit of hearing since the last hearing test I had. I was a little disappointed about it at first because I was a little scared about losing all of it, but I know that i'll continue on to greatness and I will figure it out once it happens. They have a lot of new advances out there and eventually they will have even more amazing ones! I love my hearing aids and I will continue to embrace having them until I get to that point. I got the email today that I have been approved for them and I'll be going to the next step into getting them. I hope I get them soon!

I also wanted to add that I am so grateful for my friends and family that has stuck with me through thick and thin, y'all know who you are. I'm loving our girls night and family nights and i'm enjoying life as I know it! I know the year 2012 will hold great things for all of us! That's all for now and I will add in pictures later... maybe ;)

My Very First BJJ Competition

I am proud to announce that I will be in my first Jiu Jitsu Competition coming up on September 10th. I am trying to decide whether I want to do GI or NOGI, but I think I will most likely end up doing both. This competition is the Fight for Heros Charity Grappling Tournament. Come support your local fighters and come watch our fighters such as Caleb Hudson, Jarret Jones and many more! I'm nervous but very excited to watch my friends compete and for the experience of it all!

Also, check out the video for it...

Hope you guys can come watch and have a good time!

Here are some pictures this week of us training:



Frustration

Today, I write this blog in frustration. As you know, the AC has been broken. I'm still not back at my house because after the third time of them being there... they still can't fix it. Today, I am waiting on a phone call for them to go back out there... AGAIN... to "attempt" to fix it. Don't get me wrong, I love staying at my parents, they're awesome, but i'm ready to be back in my own house in my own bed, and I think the dogs are ready to be back in their own yard.

Anyways, to get rid of the frustration, i'm going to remember the good times from this weekend....

Friday night: Sister time!!

We made some delicious "Wookie" cookies. Tara and Jason are huge fans of Star Wars.

Then we had some fun with crayons and this is the outcome!

Aren't we creative? hehe, I love nights with my sister, we're so random and we always have a good time!

Saturday: Running, Jiu Jitsu, hanging out with my family and cousins, failed attempt to fix the AC, and then girls night out!

We ran 3 miles on Saturday and we had fun. We had a guy hold up his "slow" sign, so I guess we were going pretty fast! yay! hehe...

Jiu Jitsu was fun rolling with JoAnn and Lynn. Here is a picture of them rolling. I learned a lot rolling around with them and it was good to get back into the swing of things.

After that, I went to hang out with my family until the AC people called. I love my family. They're so awesome. My uncle got a new job and he was talking to me about that, i'm so proud of him! I also got to see my cousins for a little bit after not seeing them for a few weeks. Aiden was telling me about his toy lizard and Cambree was funny saying that she was going to brother's appointment in her rainboots. My Pepaw gave me a lunch of string cheese and a breadstick... hahaha... I love my Pepaw so much! Then I went to my house and waited two hours for them to "fix it". Then I hurried back to my parents to get ready and let the house cool down until Sunday. I got scared while getting ready because my uncle decided to come to my parents house. He needed some tools. My cousin, Korbin, was sad to leave after only being there for a short time.

When I got ready, Tara came to pick me up and we went to Melissa's and to Grahams to dance! Here is a few pics that I (Tara) managed to get of the night, it was a blast!

I LOVE MY GIRLS!!!

Yesterday, I was excited to pack up my stuff and head home to my house. When I got to my house it was 86 degrees! I figured it was still trying to cool off so I stayed there for a couple of hours and it was only getting higher. When I left the house it got all the way up to 89 and I just headed back to my parents house. We went to run yesterday evening too, and we ran 4.5 miles! Hopefully when they come today, they will fix it for good! Wish me luck and cross your fingers for me!











I want to teach Marley or Maddie to do this...

Here it goes...

Here it goes...

Saturday I went out with my girls, Ami, Meghan and Jamie. We had a blast. We went to Cancun Grill, the Hemmingway and then Woofers and Tweeters. Here is a summation of random words/sentences that went on during our night: Parking really far away and Ami and Meghan having to walk in heels, Oh crap I missed the toilet and peed on the floor, I Am Legend... TOTALLY GOING TO HAPPEN, creepy stalker ex, cowboy, guy that can dance, the Cupid Shuffle, and so much more! Anyways, one of the best nights we had! Here is our mirror pic that we used to do all the time back in the day!

The next morning, I woke up to a burning, smokey smell, I freaked out and ran and checked everything but nothing was on so I just figured it was my clothes from the night before and went back to sleep. I woke up and I still smelled it and I was extremely hot so I went to look at the thermostat and found out that my AC is broken... again. So all day I laid there lazy until Ami got there to run 3 miles. We ran it and I came back to a hot house. So hot that Marley even stayed in front of the fan with me, wish I got a picture. Anyways, the next day we have the people come look at it and the fan motor was completely broken off so they had to order parts and they won't be in until Thursday and so the dogs and I packed up and went to stay with my parents. I love being at my parents house. They're so cool! My Mom is the best cook in the world and my Dad is the best at grilling! Yum, I am totally eating better here too. My dad set up a play area for the dogs and Marley being very sneaky, got out twice. The first time she snuck up behind me and scared me! The second time was the next morning and we found her on the porch, so thank goodness she knows to stay close! She was also laughing at us because we couldn't figure out how she got out, but we finally figured it out and she's been stuck in there since!

Yesterday, Ami, Tara and I went running again and we ran 3 miles again. We did a great job! We will be running again on thursday for 4 miles, Saturday for 3 miles and again on Sunday for 5 miles. That will be 15 miles total for the week! Then Tara and I headed back to my parents house and ate some delicious fajitas!

While I've been staying at my parents, they got me watching Conan. Conan is HILARIOUS. Anyways, If ya'll didn't watch this episode of Conan with Shaq, y'all need to. I've never really liked Shaq much, but after watching this, he seems like a pretty cool guy. Shaq also likes to fit into small things (to him) like GoKarts "You look at me. You look at the thing I am about to get in, people say 'he can't get fit in that.' And I'll be like, 'watch this!'"  (p.s. I felt sorry for the guy who had to pull Shaq on that thing!!) Shaq in a Pink Jeep and falling = FUNNY!