Making Pretzels!

Tonight the four of us made large soft pretzels and it was a lot of fun!

The dough pretzels waiting to go in the oven

Paul making the pretzels

Voila! The finished product!

Gotta love her!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays! Yes, I am single but to me that has nothing to do with it! Valentine's Day is a day to celebrate those you love- your students, your family, your friends, your pets, and the list goes on! It is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate with my students and I missed being with them this year! But I enjoyed spending the day before Valentine's Day at my old school and spending the day of with friends! It was a special day for sure!

My daddy got me flowers!

Saturday during the day I went to Raleigh Home Show with my friend, Whitney! It was a fun day and she definitely made it more fun!

The guy with the long beard is from Big Brother (not sure of his name but I he's popular, I think)

This is a popular chef of the restaurant The Farmer and the Chef and she has her own show on PBS

This shop was totally adorable and my favorite for sure!

Then we tried out beds, of course!

That night I had my Valentine's Night date with my friend Mariah! We ate at Lime and went to the movies to watch Black or White. It was a fun night for sure!

2 month Anniversary!

Today marks 2 months since my open heart surgery! Mom woke me up this morning and told me. It stayed with me all day long that 2 months ago I wasn't sure if I would wake up alive and I wasn't sure what valve I would have inside of me. But thanks be to God, I did wake up and woke up with only human valves inside of me! God is good and he blessed me with Dr. Jaquiss and Dr. Armstrong! Thank you for all of you who have prayed for my surgery and for my recovery! Thank you for your support and love! It has been a hard road but I am feeling that I am approaching the other side and to God be the glory!

December 8, 2014: Day of surgery

February 8, 2015: 2 months later

I made this heart shape cake to celebrate the occasion!

Here I remain...

This post is way overdue and I have written it in my head a million times. But today I was suppose to be on a plane flying to Tunisia. But that is not happening. Instead, I am here for another 4-6 weeks. Last Wednesday, I went to the cardiologist for my post-surgery check-up and I was sure I would be cleared to go back to Tunisia to teach and live. I mean, I am feeling better, am having less pain and more energy. I was not ready to leave my family but was ready to get back to work (oh how I miss my kiddos). I thought it was a done deal. But I am not in control and it was not my decision!

The night before my appointment, I prayed that my cardiologist would make it clear that I was set to go back or that I needed to stay here. I wanted to be sure that either way it would be the best for my health. Whelp, I should have known... my cardiologist is as honest as honest can be!

After I had all my tests and she checked me out saying my heart sounded beautifully and I am recovering wonderfully! She left to take care of paperwork and when she walked back in, she asked when I was hoping to get back to Tunisia. When I told her next Friday, the stuff hit the fan and it all went downhill from there! Mom and I were shocked. Then Dr. Armstrong and I exchanged words (which is what we do best) and I may have cried. But I never doubted her. She is the very very BEST and I totally trust her! She told me that she doesn't want me going to another country where I cannot get the care of doctors that know me like I can here. She knows that I will go at full speed and no stop. So she doesn't wanting me doing that in another country until my heart is 100% healed. She's right! She knows me! So here I remain!

I am not going to lie- it has taken me time to be okay with this. I wasn't for a little while. But I know this is best for me! I know I over do it and I know I am not 100% healed. I still get tired at the end of the day. My body aches when I overdo it. I still have pain in my chest when my incision area. So I am going to enjoy my time here and have lots of FaceTime and Skype dates with my friends and students! I hope to go back to Tunisia in mid March but will enjoy volunteering at my old school and spending time with friends. 

Thank you for all your encouraging words and uplifting emails! I love you all!

This is the famous and fabulous Dr. Armstrong! Love her smile here!

Love her open eyes here! Oh and I am sitting down while she is standing up... just to give you an idea.

Wicked on Broadway!

 For Christmas, my best friend Brooke, got us tickets to see Wicked on Broadway at the DPAC. I got to see Wicked in NYC with Paul but was so excited to see it at the DPAC! And the star who played the Wicked Witch, is from Raleigh so that was too cool! We had an awesome time!

After the show, we went to dinner at Blu Seafood Restaurant in Durham not too far from the DPAC and it was absolutely amazing!!! Brooke and I could not stop talking about what an awesome restaurant it is! We totally recommend it! Oh and then we went to Ben and Jerry's afterwards because it was right there and we never say no to Ben and Jerry's ice cream!!

Trip to Outer Banks!

Mom and I went to the Outer Banks to escape for a bit and it was a wonderful trip! It was just what both of us needed! We got a great deal on Groupon for an oceanfront hotel and had an amazing visit! I loved spending this time with you, Mom!

The view from our room

My first time swimming since surgery and oh it felt so good!

Mom loved the hot tub!

I took a walk on the beach one morning... love the Sand Dunes!

Our first stop for the day was the Wrights Brother Memorial! We went there when I was younger but I didn't remember it! It was great to see where they took the first flight!

These stones show how far each flight went. After the fourth attempt, the plane broke so they had to stop.

Mom and I walked to the top of the hill where the monument was!

The view of the ocean from the top

 

A neat sculpture of the first flight

Afterwards, we went thrift store shopping!

We found this $5 dress! Perfect for mom to wear to Paul and Ellen's wedding (their colors are purple and gray with hints of green), right? ;)

For dinner we went to this yummy restaurant that was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives! Soo good!

Once we got home from our wonderful day, mom and I went swimming! We always wore our bathrobes to the pool.

The next morning, the sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky! We started our day by seeing the Bodie Lighthouse. 

 

We also walked out on this beautiful walkway surrounded by water and birds.

 

Then we drove further down and found these gorgeous sand dunes on Pea Island to walk through. They were just beautiful!

Still on Pea Island, we walked on this Nature Reserve with lots of birds. The views were gorgeous!

Afterwards, we stopped by Rodanthe to see the house featured in the movie "The Nights at Rodanthe"

For dinner, we ate at another DDD that was just as yummy! We sat at the bar and could see all that was going on in the kitchen. It was quite cool!

The next day, we packed up and headed home! It was a wonderful trip for sure!