'bout time...

I have been told by a few people that I should start a blog. Me? Start a blog? Is my life that interesting that I could turn it into a blog that someone besides myself would actually read? Maybe. Maybe not. As of lately, I definitely have a ton on my plate. So, 'bout time I write it all down and possibly help someone along the way.

A little about myself:  

I am first and foremost a wife to a man, Chadwick,  that has been my rock throughout life's roller coaster.  We were married in May of 2007. I could not be anymore blessed than I already am when it comes to my husband. He is just simply the best. 

We have a very fun-loving pup named Contessa, but we call her Tess. She is a 6 year old black lab/dalmatian. She has been our baby for the last 4.5 years. We love her and our life definitely wouldn't be the same without her.

I was born and raised in Michigan. Chadwick and I relocated to Nevada in February 2012 for work. My heart misses Michigan, but it was when we moved out here that our lives really took off. There was a reason why God moved us across the country away from our families and everything we have always known. This is a concept that has been a learning process for sure. Why the heck would I move from the beautiful lands of Michigan to the dry deserts of Nevada? I asked myself that question a lot when we first moved, but it hasn't been that bad. It is views like this that make life more bearable out here.

I am an artistic person. I always have myself wrapped up in some sort of creation. I love sewing, photography, cooking, paper crafts, music, and so on... I make all my household cleaners. Laundry soap, dish soap, all purpose cleaner, and orange clean. Recipes and blog posts are sure to follow. It was one of the reasons I started this blog, right? To make people impressed with how all-natural and green I am, right? ;-) As a stay at home wife, creating a naturally clean home is something that I take joy in. Not only is it better for you and the environment, it is so much cheaper! Let me tell you, I am all about saving money.  Here is my homemade orange clean. It is a very sad day when I run out of this. It is my go to cleaner for so many things. Plus, it is SO easy. 

Now onto the biggest reason why I started this blog: PCOS! Infertility! Surrogacy! Inducing lactation! Gastric bypass! My journey over the years struggling with all of these things starts with this:

When I was 14 I was diagnosed with PCOS. At 14, I had no idea how it was going to affect me over the years, and even at *gasp* 26, I still am shocked at how I am affected. Over these last 12 years, I have had every PCOS sympton known to man. I have had the weight gain, the acne, the facial and body hair, the dark patches on my skin, the ovarian cysts, the practically non-existent cycles, the insulin resistance, the hormone imbalances... need I go on? At first, I wasn't too upset. It meant I didn't have to deal with Aunt Flow like the rest of the girls I knew. Who wouldn't love to not have to worry about if someone can see your pad, if you were going to bleed through, if you had gym class that day, and all those other awkward and embarrassing things that every 14 year old girl dreads? Even in my late teens, I wasn't too concerned about it. I cared about the spare tire I had around my waist more than anything. It wasn't until 2007 and my wedding vows were said that I started to wonder if there were going to be more issues that I originally thought. I mean, babies come when you skip a period right? Well, if you aren't having periods, then how can you skip one? Hmmm. Off the doctor and thus begins the journey that almost 7 years later, we are still blindly making our way through.

It is hard, it sucks, some days I feel I cry the whole day. The hardest part is the unknown and the not understanding! One thing I do know is that I serve an amazing and compassionate God that has far more for me than I could ever fathom, especially in my times of trial. I know there is a rainbow for me at the end of this storm!