Happy Anniversary!!

Today is Jimmy and mine's fifth anniversary. I cannot believe it has been five years, and at the same time I can't believe it hasn't been longer. We have had a crazy five years. We spent our first year of marriage almost entirely dealing with legal issues resulting from Jimmy's divorce. We spent the second trying to actually live without it running and ruining our lives. The third we spent trying to get Jimmy better after a severe life threatening situation. Then the fourth year we spent preparing for the birth of our little miracle Tyler. The fifth year has been a wonderful year so far. We still have a lot on our plate, but we have each other and that is what matters most. I can honestly say I love Jimmy more today than I did yesterday and I will love him more tomorrow than I did today.

Today is strangely similar to our actual wedding day five years ago. The sun is out and shining bright, there is not a cloud in the sky and there is a strong, crisp fall wind. I am so excited because tonight we will return to the Whispering Pines Inn in Norman, Oklahoma where we stayed on our wedding night five years ago. I can't wait to find the guestbook and see if our entry is there from that night. We were so exhausted and tired from our weeding that we didn't get to truly enjoy it. We plan on eating in their beautiful restaurant and enjoying their wonderful morning breakfast brought to the room. To make it even better I contacted them to let them know it was our anniversary and that we would love to stay but not at the current rate and they highly discounted the Emerald Dreams Room. I sound like a commercial, right? Trust me, I'm not getting paid. ;-)  Tomorrow we plan to see a movie alone which we haven't been able to do in forever. Is it awful to say I am just excited to have a big tub of buttery popcorn as I am to see a movie? I will post pics tomorrow since we never really took pictures when we were there before and it is such a nice cottage. I also have a few surprises but I have to wait to share those because Jimmy doesn't know. Oh and just in case my WWW-FOES are reading (you know who you are)...No, I am not pregnant!!!

A lot of Randomness...and a Broken Nose

So I am feeling pretty pathetic about my poor blogging skills. ;-) I mean I don't know why I don't seem to find time to do it. Here is a quick catch-up...We have been really busy with life in general. Jimmy has started Lymphydema therapy and we've spent mass quantities on the Solaris Ready Wraps for his legs only to find out we now have to buy them for his thighs also. They are not covered by insurance and were going to be about $350 after a discount locally. I found them online for just over $200 and figured it can't be that hard to measure...they even give pictures. So I did and we saved about $150...yay for high school math skills!!! ;-) Meg's school cheer team that planned on going to NCA Nationals had some unexpected drama and one of the cheerleaders quit. So they have decided to discontinue their quest for a national title which has tremendously lightened my load of going back and forth to practices but it has also been really disappointing. They had an awesome coach, awesome girls, and a great shot at winning. All-Star Cheer competitons begin November 12th so it is about to get really busy again for that. Almost two weeks ago Meg was hit by her flyer at cheer practice and broke her nose. She had surgery on Halloween but made the best of it by bedazzling her splint. She will probably kill me for sharing this picture but I think it is pretty cool.

Last Saturday we went to the pumpkin patch and I don't think Tyler cared much about the pumpkins at all but he was fascinated with the tractor (which he called "Truck!") pulling the hayride. He also had a great time going down the huge slides built off the sides of haybales. He has no fear and went down the biggest slide they had (with Sissy of course) and begged to go again.

After Meg's surgery she carved a pumpkin...I think it is pretty darn cute.

Tyler spent most of his time ignoring the pumpkins and yelling "Truck!" everytime the tractor went by.

Tyler went to the Fall Festival at Meg's Junior High. I think he was the cutest puppy there.

So I want to share a website that I am attempting to follow. I'm not doing so great at the moment but I have hope. It is http://www.flylady.net/. It takes a positive approach to home organization and cleaning so you can "finally love yourself" and not constantly feel behind. This weekend I plan to tackle our master bedroom and bathroom and turn it into a sanctuary...okay so maybe we will settle for a bed not piled with clean clothes waiting to be hung and folded, but for us that is a sanctuary. ;-) I am trying to get up the nerve to post before and after photos.

I hope everyone has a great weekend...it is HAPPY FRIDAY!!!...and someone please hold me accountable and ask me if I am sticking with my plan to get our house in order. It is time for the Holidays again (I can't believe it!!) and I am really hoping to enjoy it this year and do lots of fun things. Last minute housecleaning is not on my list of acceptable activities this year so I have to get busy.

Some History, Muffin Tops, and a Money Makeover?

So it's lunchtime at work and this is usually one of the few times I have to do much anything. A lot of you know our family and what makes our life so nuts but for those that don't...a little history. Jimmy used to be an Air Traffic Controller and developed seizures and a nasty illness in the early 2000s. Jimmy had many organs shut down and he developed severe peripheral neuropathy in his feet, legs, back, hands, and arms. The only explanation we have ever been given was a toxic cause. There is no cure for nerve damage so all we can do is try to manage the severe pain caused from it. Jimmy also has Rheumatoid Arthritis which causes additional inflamation and pain. In February 2009 Jimmy was lucky to live after having multiple DVTs (blood clots in the legs) and Pulmonary Emboli (blood clots in the lungs). This further damaged the circulation in his legs and in turn...you guessed it...more pain. Since then Jimmy has been to about every kind of specialist known and has had implantation of a cervical and lumbar stimulator to attempt to block pain signals. He also battles severe swelling in his legs which we are beginning lymphadema therapy for. We are considering a referral to a major research hospital at this time but even that is a challenge as the Tyler is so little and Mehgan is heavily involved in school cheer, competitive cheer and her school band. We refuse to give up hope of help for Jimmy and pray that something turns around as there is so much he would like to do that he isn't able to at this time. Last week he was admitted at the hospital for an infection in his leg only to have our family doctor go against two other doctors and say it wasn't infected. To be honest we don't know who is right. He has referred us to a vein specialist that we will see on November 3rd so yet again we hope that she might have some answers for us. Okay, onto something more positive...

Saturday was my Mom's birthday and today is my Dad's birthday and Jimmy's Mom's birthday. We really like to pack them all into a short amount of time. :) I tried my hand at making cupcakes the other day with less than enough cups to line the muffin tin. It was pretty funny seeing all the huge muffin tops (no, I wasn't wearing tight jeans) and it was even more fun watching Tyler tear into one later that evening. I think all the sugar made him nuts because he refused to nap all day Sunday.  I was going to add a picture but apparently the blog fairy doesn't like me as it won't upload...so I will try again later.

So finally I am really interested in anyone that has done the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University. I received an email at work that they may have the classes here in the near future. I also found out that you can do it online. Jimmy and I have talked a lot lately about really getting a firm control on where our money goes. I don't think there are many people, if they are honest, that haven't struggled with managing money at some point in their lives. It is tough and life is busy but hitting the drive-thru constantly or buying things you already have because you are disorganized and can't find them really puts a drain on your finances. So we are considering taking these classes or doing the online classes and trying to take steps to a more secure financial future.

Ok, let's try those pictures again...




Really Big Muffin Top Cupcakes!!




Why is everyone looking at me????



Early Morning Screw Up

Well...it isn't even 6am and there is already chaos in the Schnell house. Saturdays should be laid back and relaxing right??? WRONG. Mehgan is walking in the Race for a Cure for Breast Cancer Awareness today. The plan was that everyone would meet at the junior high at 5:45 am. Being the responsible parent I am, I got someone else to take her. ;-) this sounded like a great plan. The baby doesn't have to be woken, we don't have to get out in the cold, we just have to do one thing...set our alarm clocks. I am sure you can see where this is heading. So in the midst of my really good dream that I will spare you the details of, the dogs start barking and I hear the doorbell. Instantly I am thinking "What idiot comes to yor door at 5:30 am??!!!" Well, that would be the non-idiot taking your daughter to the Cancer walk. So frantically I am grabbing Sandia, our bulldog, yelling at Diva and Browni all while trying to yell for Mehgan. Great, I am losing my voice. So in the meantime Tyler is now screaming his head off and since we have like 900 baby monitors it is being broadcast all over the house. I am frantically trying to reach pop tarts in the back of the pantry, shoving hairbrushes, money, shoes, etc., at Meg and still attempting to yell through the house, "Mommy is coming Tyler!!!" So she is off to the walk and Tyler is up and grinning ear to ear ready to start his day. Mommy on the other hand is a mess with no bra (this blog will be brutally honest), hair going everywhere, and praying the BIg gulp Fairy will drop a 32oz Dr Pepper on the doorstep. So much for a relaxing start to the day...oh and Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Reality...Stranger than Fiction

So for years I have been told I should write a book, my life is like a movie, my family should have our own TV show, the list goes on and on. I have grown used to the shocked looks and the comments of "You have got to be kidding me!", "No way!", "Are you serious?", and the one I hear most often..."I don't know how you do it." Well to be quite honest, I am not always sure how I do it either.
My family has been through doctors appointments, hospitalizations, car breakdowns, arguments, injuries, illnesses, and financial struggles....oh and that is just in the last week. Jeff Probst has nothing on us...we are the real Survivors. Simon Cowell move over, we have an X-factor like most could only imagine. The truth is Reality is not staged, it is not casted, it is not edited for positive ratings...it is life and this blog is my attempt to share with you my life as I know it.