Wow.. It's been Awhile

Awhile doesn't even touch it... Well I guess when you work non stop, and clean non stop, and have no internet at home then it gets tough to get on here. Hopefully, by september we will have at least internet. It's been over 5 years since we have had cable. And Collin wants it back. If I cut back my hours I would enjoy cable too. Nothing fancy just a few of our fav channels.

So An Update into the World of Courtney and Collin. Collin is working for Uhaul. He now works Mon-Fri 9am-5pm usually. Though thankfully now that it's summer, he can pick up a few extra hours here and there if they let him. I am working full time in private care for a gentleman in his 50's with ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease. I enjoy my work. Currently I work 53 hours in 5 days. It's grueling and exhausting but rewarding work. I am hoping by the end of summer I can cut back my hours.

 ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease is : Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.

A-myo-trophic comes from the Greek language. "A" means no or negative. "Myo" refers to muscle, and "Trophic" means nourishment–"No muscle nourishment." When a muscle has no nourishment, it "atrophies" or wastes away. "Lateral" identifies the areas in a person's spinal cord where portions of the nerve cells that signal and control the muscles are located. As this area degenerates it leads to scarring or hardening ("sclerosis") in the region.

As motor neurons degenerate, they can no longer send impulses to the muscle fibers that normally result in muscle movement. Early symptoms of ALS often include increasing muscle weakness, especially involving the arms and legs, speech, swallowing or breathing. When muscles no longer receive the messages from the motor neurons that they require to function, the muscles begin to atrophy (become smaller). Limbs begin to look "thinner" as muscle tissue atrophies.

While there is not a cure or treatment today that halts or reverses ALS, there is one FDA approved drug, riluzole, that modestly slows the progression of ALS as well as several other drugs in clinical trials that hold promise.

Importantly, there are significant devices and therapies that can manage the symptoms of ALS that help people maintain as much independence as possible and prolong survival. It is important to remember that ALS is a quite variable disease; no two people will have the same journey or experiences.  There are medically documented cases of people in whom ALS ‘burns out,’ stops progressing or progresses at a very slow rate.

My client is an engineer. He used to work for Intel. He is very very very smart and has every use of his brain but no longer can speak. He uses a trach to breath, a computer and/or eye chart to communicate, and other devices for other things. He has some control of certain parts of his body. Normally, when diagnosed (which usually happens mid life around 30's-50's.) you have 2-5 years before you loose your ability to breath on your own. This is when and where a person diagnosed either dies or decides to prolong life using a trach: A tracheostomy is a surgical procedure to create an opening through the neck into the trachea (windpipe). A tube is usually placed through this opening to provide an airway and to remove secretions from the lungs. This tube is called a tracheostomy tube or trach tube.

Onto other things, Po-Po (pronounced Paw-Paw), or Miss kitty or pretty kitty, is doing well. She has had some issues diet wise but we have FINALLY found a dry food she likes. In the past month she has only thrown up once! We are looking into finding the perfect wet food as well. I found this awesome pet store on Mississippi Ave here in portland. They have been most helpful! 

Our BIGGEST NEWS is that we finally tied the knot!! As if you didn't already know. But in case you missed it, Yup COLLIN AND I are Officially Mr. and Mrs. Haines! Now I just need to make my name change official and get a Oregon license and change my social security card ( and finally have a legal S.S. card again... my mom laminated mine and ross's when we were like 17 cause she was afraid we would ruin them, except she didn't read the back saying that by laminating them, they were void. Only had an issue a few times but thankfully I've had my passport since I was young), among other things! I can't wait. I have waited so long for us to be official. If you read the table info at each table, you have known that since we dated in high school, I always knew Collin was the one. He was ready to propose back then, but as Rev. Grahm put it "I had other things to do first". So we went our separate ways and didn't talk for 5 long years. And then out of the blue, Collin myspace messaged me. And I said what the heck. So we talked and talked and talked and come thanksgiving of '08 we were dating again. I knew within a year that this was it. He was most definitely the one and I'm not letting him get away but we both had our issues to work out. And it was a rough road for awhile. But we came together and learned how to really talk to each other about our issues. And finally after 4 years of dating, Collin was ready to pop the question. Another 2 years later here we are! Whew. 

 I am sooo happy for everyone who helped. My mom who put everything she had into this wedding. My dad for everything he has done. My wedding Consultant who was awesome and was able to get me the wedding of my dreams.  Dr. Pastor Robert Grahm, who made our wedding ceremony mean so much more than just an average wedding and put a nice personal spin on it. My wonderful and amazing Maid of honor and sister in law, Amelia and my brother Ross. Without the two of them this day wouldn't have been what is was. I thank you all!

I am so happy Collin and I decided to say our own vows along with everything else. It gave our vows so much more meaning. I cried because Collin was crying and because I was so happy to finally be united as 1. But when I went to say my vows to him, the emotions of all the years leading up to that moment came all at once and I had such a hard time getting out the words. Perhaps, I stole a few lines from this movie and that, but Every word held true meaning to me and our relationship, what collin means to me and what our relationship is. I wouldn't trade the feeling I had that day, or the feelings I get when I remember that day. I will treasure those moments and those feelings forever. Collin is my true best friend. I can share anything with him and vice versa. I love you so much babe!

Anyways, this is long enough I think and pretty much sums up our life at this point. With the wedding over, now we can truly concentrate on getting both our feet on the ground out here in portland, Or.