I climbed a mountain!

My name is Tiffany and I have a problem. I am terrible at taking pictures when I should, and I keep them on my phone for way too long without doing anything with them. My phone is just a jumbled mess of pictures. So today I thought, you know, maybe I should post that trip to Denver back in September on Facebook. I am pretty sure I told many-a-person that I would share the pictures... 7 months later is still timely.

So I created my Denver/Albuquerque album (if you're my FB friend you can check them out) and forgot how much fun and how memorable of a trip that was. For one, Denver is gorgeous and so much fun! Second, we got to spend the second half of the trip with some of Spencer's best friends in Albuquerque. They are definitely some of my favorite people! But one day on the trip, a couple of us decided to go hiking... up a mountain... a little more than 12 miles. And in case you forgot the direction of a mountain... it goes up!

So that morning, we got up early, packed our Gold Fish and PB&J's, filled up our Camelbaks and started trekking up this thing. What really scared me the most was the thought of coming foot to face with a rattle snake. Stu and Jenna, who live in Abu and hiked with Spencer and I, talked about how they've seen rattle snakes along the trail and it's not a big deal. Really?! A rattle snake? Not a big deal?! Needless to say... a majority of the beginning of the trip, my eyes were locked on the ground looking out for death.

This was my forced "I'm having fun and not worrying about snakes" smile.

After about mile 7, I was tired and I figured if the snakes got me, well at least I died in a pretty place. The hike was so beautiful the entire way up. It is so amazing to see God's creation from this perspective. I've always said that the higher you are in altitude the closer you are to God... mainly because the higher you are, the closer you are to certain death if something goes wrong... just saying. How many people pray for the first time in years during bad turbulence? Man a lot of death talk on this post. I promise it gets happier.

Then after more than 4 hours and 12 miles, we made it to the summit! It was the most incredible feeling! This of course was back in September, but my stomach gets all butterfly-ee when I think back on that moment. That moment of feeling like you conquered... no kicked something's butt! I think back to how bumpy my health was then and how many strides I have made up until now. If I was able to climb a mountain at one of my worst points, think of the things I have to come!

I may never run a half marathon again but hiking almost a half marathon ain't half bad. (I bet there is a pun somewhere in there) I know it's only been a year, and I know my battle has just begun, but by golly, I have faith that can move a mountain! I have faith that things happen for a reason. It would be lovely to know that reason right now, but I know I will look back at these years, just like looking back at these photos, and I will have that butterfly-ee feeling because I will finally get to see how each experience, wether good or bad, was just a trail up the mountain. And when I reach the summit, it will all be worth it.

Well that was fun

Growing up in Oklahoma, you get used to the threat of tornadoes, but no matter how long you have lived in Tornado Ally or how many tornadoes you have been through/seen, nothing prepares you for when a twister is headed your way. You are helpless, you say a prayer and hope for the best.

Yesterday was my year anniversary of my diagnosis and to celebrate, mother nature decided to throw a party, tornadoes and all. Spencer and I were supposed to drive to Kansas last night after the Thunder game, but I was too nervous with storms headed our way and others up north. So we decided to leave early this morning... that would be why I am up before 10 a.m. on a Saturday. So around 2:30 a.m. this morning, I woke up to blaring sirens, which is funny because when I went to bed at 1:30 a.m. we were in the clear. Obviously mother nature was just so excited and wanted to party through the night. I turned on the T.V. and saw we had about 3 minutes until the circulation was going to be in our area. I ran to wake up my roommate, grabbed my purse, grabbed important documents and ran to the garage where we have a "fraidy hole." Let me just say, best peace of mind investment you can make! It was a very odd storm, very quiet. The circulation was on the southern edge of the storm, so there was no thunder, no nothing with it. After about 7 or 8 minutes, after my roommate Katie and I got over our shock, I crawled out and saw on TV that the storm had passed about 5 miles north. Thank you Jesus! Unfortunately, it was headed in the direction of my parent's neighborhood, which since storms ALWAY pass near there, some of the news stations actually mark it on their map. I called my parents to make sure they knew what was going on. They then headed to their shelter. So I can honestly say, we got our money's worth for both shelters last night!

I finally got back to bed around 5 a.m. just in time for my 6 a.m. alarm... remember the whole Kansas drive thing... yeah. It's early. But I am so thankful that it was not worse because so many people posted on Facebook this morning how they slept through the sirens. That is what's so scary about night twisters. You generally aren't prepared and they can be nearly impossible to see on the ground. And when a night twister touches down in a highly populated metro area... that can be very bad new bears!

So what did I learn? A storm shelter is worth it and fear/adrenalin/lack of sleep can take a huuuuuge toll on your body. I'm one of those who has been blessed to feel my arthritis when it's going to rain...ps It's going to rain today. I can feel it. The situation from last night the and barometric pressure issue has done a number on my joints today. I kind of feel like a creaky door when I move :)

All of this to say, happy one year anniversary to figuring out what was wrong and for a new beginning. I am not the same person I was a year ago. Like the song from Wicked says "because I knew [RA], I have been changed for good." I would never wish this for myself or on anyone I know but dealing with this disease on a daily basis has helped me to rely on God daily... not just when things aren't going my way. I am more hopeful when things get rough in any situation and I am more determined than ever to take control of my life and my body and not allow it to defeat me or dictate how I live my life. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

Just keep swimming

It's funny how childhood experiences can prepare you for life 15 years or so down the road. Between the age of 8 and 12, I was on my neighborhood swim team. I didn't love it and I wasn't the best at it. I wasn't bad, but swimming was not my calling. But it did teach me how to swim, how to breath and how to be comfortable in the water. After age 12 I stopped swim team and mainly focused on ballet and other "cool" activities.

Fast forward to 2010... I decided to attempt a tri-sprint, which includes about a 400 yard swim, a 13 miles bike ride and a 5k run. So obviously I started swimming again to train. I will say, the first time actually swimming laps in more than 10 years was a little rough. But eventually I got back into the swing of things and became pretty decent at it. I never imaged when I was 8 or even in 2010 how important swimming would become to me.

My boyfriend Spencer is a runner. When we met in April 2010, I was just getting into running. I did a couple of horrible 5ks, but with his help I really improved. Spencer pushed me and made me become obsessed with competing. He helped me train for a half marathon that I completed in Dallas in December 2011. I finished in 2 hours 4 min, which I think is pretty good. Shortly after running the half marathon, my body starting to basically break down. My right wrist became so painful that just barely brushing my thumb would bring me to my knees. Then my feet started to go. Waking up in the morning became the worst part of my day. I dreaded going to sleep at night because of how I would feel in the morning. Walking became so painful and every joint in my body became stiff.

I finally went to the doctor and long story short, on April 13, 2011 at the age of 23 I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. The day I was diagnosed I think I was able to stop crying for about 10 minutes. It was such a blow. I had been active my entire life and now I could barely walk, I couldn't use my right hand and I was in constant pain. Everything I had been able to do just less than 5 months earlier... A HALF MARATHON.... I could not longer do. It still makes me sad today when I see people running. I miss running. I miss that freedom.

For about 6 or 7 months, I really didn't do anything in the way of exercise. It hurt to move and I really had no motivation. Everyone kept telling me, "you have to keep moving or you will lose it." My problem was I couldn't really move. But after getting on meds, they finally starting to work enough where I could go for walks, take a couple of yoga classes and that was about it.

Then one day I thought, why not try swimming again. Why not... I have nothing better to do. So I started swimming again and, oh my gosh. That freedom that I have been craving, that feeling of not being held back, it was back. It didn't occur to me until just recently how God used my past experience to prepare and give me hope for my future. I say that because most of my friends today hate swimming. They aren't good and they would prefer to run, cycle or do something else. Swimming in my mind is almost like a foreign language. It is much easier to pick up when you are young. And because of being on the swim team as a child, I have so much more pleasure in swimming now... and I'm actually pretty good at it.

On a side note, I have tried to get into the senior arthritis pool classes at the gym... but the seniors have yet to accept me. I am this new fresh meat and I have to earn... or hobble... my way in. And believe me, I can do both!

So thank you Jesus for caring so much about me. You knew I had to face this battle in my future, so you prepared me at such a young age with the tools I would need to fight, to keep moving and to be an example that just because you're down, doesn't mean you're out.