Today I am thankful for a relaxing Saturday after a busy week at school. I can hardly believe the first quarter is already complete and report cards are finished! :)

As I reflect back to a year ago, it feels strangely odd to imagine that I really could not have handled the work and stress of the job I so enjoy! Was that really ME? MY life? Then I am overwhelmed by the goodness of God in the ways He has worked my life. It's been a GREAT reminder of really how far I've come. It can be easy to live life in the here and now, to find all the negative things in life, but I've been challenged and blessed by "reminiscing" the past and counting my blessings.

I am VERY H*a*P*p*Y to have a great report on the medication decrease. I now have myself down to a half pill in the morning and afternoon and two pills in the evening. (at my highest dosage I was up to 2 1/2 three times a day). I am amazed how much better I can function. My brain just works so much better and FASTER without that medication interfering! :)

I am excited to see what God has for my future. My prayer and desire is to trust His Almighty plan not only in the good, but also to recognize HIS goodness in each trial. *Lets us pray for each other*

Well well more good news from my little corner of the world.

I had a very good visit with my doctor in Philly last Monday (Sept. 24). He was very pleased. He said my batteries seem very stable. We are now knocking artane down at a fairly high "speed". The idea is to "shift" the work to the batteries. I am VERY excited about that. For now my next appointment is in January but there is a possibility that I may need to go back before then to turn the batteries higher due to lowering the medication. Time will tell. I continue to feel positive differences here and there since I'm coming off medication and that makes me *hApPy*.

School has been going wonderful! I LOVE my job. God has been SO very good to me. I feel BLESSED beyond measure. Why God chose to heal me yet allows some of my friends to continue to suffer, I don't know but it is my prayer that God will continue to use my life for His honor and glory.

How can it really be August and almost September? Where did the summer go?!!! The exciting side is... "back to school days" and that makes me HAPPY!!! Guess why? ;) Yup! You guessed right!!! I AM "back to school"!!!! Not as a student of course but as a teacher-aide/secretary. That also means I have a job!!! I am so happy and excited to see the way God provided for me!!! I was at school everyday last week. Monday-Wednesday helping to set up ect. School started on Thursday. I plan to be there Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday for right now. I am just LOVING it. I feel very blessed to have been in and out of shcool enough the last few years to know the bulk of whats happening, my brain doesn't have to try to process so many new things at once. :)

I really did thoroughly enjoy my busy summer making lots of good memories, hanging out with friends, connecting with family and just kinda doing things at my own leisure. Looking back I am glad I didn't have a job. However I am looking forward to getting back into a more scheduled and somewhat slower-paced life.

On my last post I mentioned the fact that I was coming off baclofen. I feel blessed how easy it was. I am now completely off and doing just fine! My next goal is now to come off R-tain. I don't expect to come off quite as quickly as baclofen simply because it's higher dose and a stronger medication. I would appreciate your prayers. I don't exactly know why but it seems the side affects are hitting me pretty hard recently. I feel just great in the morning, but shortly after the 12 o'clock dose I can expect to feel extremely tired and just "out of it". It slows my brain down per say. I may feel that way for about an hour, then i will "snap back" again. The 2nd dose usually comes around 4 o'clock. Some days I don't feel that one as much. I take the third dose before I go to bed so that one is usually ok. It has been very frustrating and I find it easy to become a bit discouraged and down. That is where the whole school/job thing comes into play. I find it helpfull to have something to fight for. I feel needed and fulfilled at school and it gives me something other than myself and my struggles to think about.

 I am currently coming off a fourth a pill each week and hoping my body will cope with that. I  look forward to farther consulting with  my doctor during my visit the end of September.

 It is with a grateful heart that I can TRULY say that my Father really DOES know what I can handle and has been giving me many reminders in various ways that He cares about me and really just wants all my trust. I am trying to learn that even when it may be the hardest thing to do, I simply must TRUST. The peace and happiness I feel when I do just that is reallly indescribable and yet I so often find myself resisting. *"Let us pray for each other not faint by the way in this sad world of sorrow and care for that home is so bright and its almost in sight and I trust in my heart you'll go there."*

I want to close with a phrase that recently popped out at me. *It is My power that will protect you! Stand firm, with Me beside you fear will fly out the window!!!* Such an encouraging and true promise! :)

 I sit here contemplating, realizing it's been far too long since the last update. This is not one of those things that I really enjoy therefore, I find it quite easy to push off. I know it's a very lame excuse. The up side of it is... I really do have a busy life and I am well enough (most of the time) to thoroughly enjoy it. :)

Remember when I had seen my new doctor in April he turned the batteries down a bit. I was afraid of a set-back, would my body try to conform to some of its earlier positions since the batteries weren't quite as persistent. Turns out it did quite the opposite... with less tension my muscles were able to be more free and I started seeing progress as in I didn't feel so tight. 

I had an appointment with my doctor July 25. He was happy with the way the adjustment in April helped my voice. He noticed a little more of the C shape in my side. I hadn't noticed it myself so we decided that as long as it doesn't bother me we are going to hold off with any adjustments for the time being.

HAPPY NEWS IS: HE DECIDED TO TRY TAKING ME OFF BACLOFEN!!!! Instead of 2 pills three time a day I am now down to half a pill a day. Next Tuesday I will come COMPLETELY off. It has gone so well for me and I am certain I feel better already. His guess was that since surgery my body probably doesn't even use it that much. Why be on it and deal with the bad side affects if I don't need it!! :):):) That's a no-brainer.

The 3rd full week in may (21-23) (almost exactly a year after surgery) I enjoyed three jam-packed days of fun at Camp Andrews. We youth girls wanted to do some of their fun ropes courses so they came up with this cool plan that if we come do some work for them, they will give us a price cut for the courses. It was an awesome experience for me and of course piles of fun! :)

June 28 we had an enjoyable day at The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania with the fellow ministry      families (minus one) from church. The 16 mile bike trip that most of us took proved to be a highlight.

July 2-6 our church had our vacation bible school. My sister and I taught the kindergarden 2 class. There were approximatly 17 children. We did split them up and have our own classrooms. It made for a busy but fun week.

OK, so that ended on Friday night. We had a rather full weekend and to top it off the youth group left for a work week at the Allegany Boys Camp in Maryland. Such a helter skelter as we raced around to pack and prepare for that. We met at church around 9:00 Monday morning. So thankful to be able to share such great memories with my awesome youth group. As you can guess, it was late to bed and early to rise. I felt good about how well I held up!!!! Some of the work included staining a house (outside), cleaning, doing some library work, and helping in the kitchen for the girls. The guys did some roof work and I'm not sure what else. The first day I did some staining, but because my shoulders/neck were a bits sore that evening, I opted for the easier jobs the rest of the week.

                                                                                    

We (as in my 16 year old brother and 19 year old sister) arrived home from the youth trip around 6:00 Friday evening and decided to join the rest of the family at a Beiler reunion in Cherry Tree . It takes about 2 and a half hours to drive so we scurried around and manged to surprise most of the family when we arrived around 10:30. Other than mom and dad no one expected us till the next morning. I find great joy in surprising people like that. :)   

On Wednesday (June 13) I had an appointment with my nutritionist. I decided to the 3 hour drive (round trip) by myself. It was fun and the BEST visit ever. Her report was great!!! No Lyme, No ecoli, No epsteinbar... No need for more appointments with her for right now. makes for much *H*a*P*p*I*n*E*s*S in my heart.

So... like I said, my life has been crazy. I don't know what all God has in store for me but I do            know that whatever it is, I can trust His plan. I would really like to get a job or two in the near future but there again God knows what I as His daughter can handle. My job is to be patient and allow Him to work His plan. Easier said than done. 

P.S. I started this last Monday already so I hope you can make a little sense out of all the dates and happenings...

High Fives to yet another successful doctor visit!!!

I could never ask for a kinder, more caring, SMART doctor. He took time with us. Instead of feeling like "just another patient", I sensed his caring heart. He KNOWS what he is doing. Not only does he adjust and do programming, he can also adjust medication levels! :) We were delighted to find that he has a lot of direct contact with my surgeon and he and my former programmer used to converse back and forth frequently as well.

He did make an adjustment. Rather than turning me up though, he actually turned me down a little. I had been having problems with my speech. My throat felt tight and I had a hard time pronouncing my words. My speech sounded slurred. He noticed my right side was up a bit higher than my left so he turned it down till they were the same. It was amazing how fast we noticed a difference!!! I admit to feeling a little unsure about it. I was scared I'd see a decline in other areas of my body. I had gone to be turned up, not down. However, I feel confident he knows what he is doing, he has my trust. So far I have been feeling fine.

He wants us to report back to him in several weeks as to how things are going (doesn't that sound like a caring doctor?). Our next appointment is the end of June. From what I understood I still have a lot of room for adjustments, which is encouraging and, given time he feels that I may very well be completely off all medications and such.

No words can describe the peace, the joy, the happiness, the awe and the amazement I feel in my heart when I realize ALL that our GREAT God has done in and through my life. At the same time
it's humbling, especially when I think of the way God has used my testimony, my story to touch so many lives. My prayer is that HE would receive ALL the glory and praise, believe me, it's NOTHING that I've done, but EVERYTHING that He has done.

I would like to close with a quote I read recently... So true...
*When trials come your way, God will draw you close to His heart. If life is always going smoothly, comfort is meaningless; but when you're in the midst of trouble, He comes alonside with tender love that overflows your trials and reaches out to others.* ~Pamela McQuade

I just LOVE the way God works!!! He NEVER ceases to amaze me!!! I feel so full and blessed this morning!

The past few weeks I have felt an increasing need/desire for an adjustment made with my battery. The problem... where to go, what to do. I kept praying about it. Last weekend I began having extreme pulling in my left side (mostly arm and hand, some leg as well). Sunday evening it was to the point that I could hardly type and writing and such was quite difficult. My throat also tightened up. Anyway... I came to a fast realization that something needs to be done and SOON. So dad got on the phone. He called the office where my first programmer practiced and told the nurse there the dilemma we were in. She gave us the number of another programmer. Thursday morning he called the programmer and after a brief talk he gave the report that the nurse would talk to the doctor and get back with us. She also told us that due to receiving quite a few of Doctor Jaggi's (former programmer)patients they were booked into June. However, with my urgent need in mind she would talk to the doctor and get back to us. Thursday afternoon she called, due to a cancellation they can take me APRIL 16!!!

I am amazed how relaxed my muscles are, but am SO happy to think that I am ACTUALLY going to see a programmer again! It's been nearly 8 months since I've been adjusted. Oh, yes, and according to a little online investigation, I am BLESSED with another experienced, kind-hearted doctor.

I'd like to leave you with this verse...
And we know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. ~Romans 8:28

THANKS FOR PRAYING!!!!! I am indeed LYME FREE. Did you get that...?! I'm LYME FREE!!! :) Praising God for the miracle He sent my way! :)

I hope to be able to give a little more detailed version of my the life in the near future! Thanks in advance for your patience. :)