Friday Fave- 12.12.14

Not only am I excited because it's Friday (and I don't have to work this weekend), but this is also my first Friday link-up! So let's get into it.

{one}
Today is my library branch's Christmas party. This is my first one attending since I missed it last year so I am kinda sorta really excited. The best thing about my job (besides access to tons of books) are my coworkers. So it'll definitely be fun to hang out with them for a bit.

{two}
My husband and I have been doing a Harry Potter/Christmas movie marathon throughout the week. I'm happy for a free weekend to fit in more movies.
 Also, I haven't watched the HP movies in yeeaaars so it has been great seeing all of those again. They were so young in the first one, and then that hair in the 4th one. Oh my.

{three}
Sigmund Freud humor is the best, especially when shared with your best friend.

{four}
I miss Zoella and Alfie's vlogs and Sunday videos. Just saying.

{five}
I have yet to do ANY Christmas shopping. A+ Procrastination.


I hope everyone has a good weekend!

I Am a Wife With Two Spouses

Yep, you read that right. I have two spouses.

One of my spouses makes me laugh whenever I'm around him whether I am mad or sad. He is an amazing person with a big heart, especially for animals. He likes the Ninja Turtles and can give you a whole explanation why the new Star Wars movies are horrible compared to the old ones ("They're classics!") And without a doubt, he is the strongest person I know.

My second spouse is mean and he is relentless. He hates pizza and salad, and is very picky with any other foods he eats. He can turn any day into a bad one and will even attack in public. The worst part is my first spouse and I have to deal with him for life.

He is Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

 

My husband was diagnosed in 2008, shortly before I met him. In the summer of 2013, he was admitted into the hospital for a week and half because of complications.


From his prospective, he could give you every in and out of what it is like to live with a chronic disease that any one walking past him on the street wouldn't be able to see just by looking at him.

But from my perspective, I just see my husband in pain from the time he wakes up to the time he goes to bed.

Every meal has to be carefully chosen and prepared because there are so many things that could make him ill if he eats them.

Going to work or going any place for that matter is a big deal especially if he is having a flare up.

His joints ache constantly and he isn't able to do as much as he wants or would like to.

He takes an array of different medications that are constantly being changed or altered, added to or subtracted from. Most of these medications are not cheap and are not covered under many insurance plans INCLUDING Obamacare. This means that under any insurance plan, adequate treatment can still cause a patient to fall into debt.

The hardest part?

There is no cure. He can be in remission, making his symptoms less noticeable. But for the rest of his life, he will always have Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis.

As a wife, this is a hard reality. You want to make it better. You want to stop the pain or make what he wants for dinner. You want to live a day without fear of hospital stays or surgery. You want HIM to live a day without this same fear. You want him to be able to go out and live a normal life without the anxiety. But that's not possible.

And the saddest part is many people don't know what Crohn's or Colitis is even though at least 700,000 Americans, if not more, suffer from this each day.

I write this post not only for my husband and those who suffer with him, but for the people who have no clue what this disease is or how it affects the people who have been diagnosed.

December 1 through 7 is Crohn's Awareness Week, and I challenge you, dear readers, to become aware and learn about this disease and the lives that it affects.



You can learn more about Crohns and Colitis here.

The Story of my Pets (Update)

Well, hello there lovelies. 

Since I'm off work this weekend and spending time at home with the hubby and our "zoo," I thought it'd be a good day to catch everyone up to speed on our little family of animals and there stories. Because everyone loves cute and fuzzy animals, right?

Prudence

 Prudence is our 4 year old beagle/rat terrier mix. I adopted her from the humane society as just a small pup. She is the sweetest dog ever and definitely loves to eat. And she is a BIG cuddler.
Rosey

 Rosey is a 1 and a half year old yorkie. She was given to Sean by a friend when his Crohn's was really out of control and he had to stay in the hospital for over a week. We call her "angel pup." She is sweet but definitely as sassy one.
Zues

Zues is our newest addition. He is a 7 month old Dorkie (yorkie/dachshund). A coworker of Sean's mom couldn't keep him so she was going to surrender him to a shelter. Obviously being the animal lovers we are, we couldn't let that happen. Two days after we had him, he fell really ill and we took him to the vet. It turns out he had parvo. He was hospitalized for 4 days until finally the vet decided he was homesick and couldn't make him eat because of it. So, they released him on outpatient care. That night, he ate and we knew he was going to make it. To this day, he is the silliest, most playful pup.  
Augustus (Gus)

 We bought Gus at Petsmart a few months ago and he was a semi-impulse purchase. Our hamster Hera had died and we went to get a new hamster but we walked out with him instead. Gus thinks he's a dog. At first we were worried about not buying him in a pair since guinea pigs usually do better with a buddy, but Gus is absolutely happy with his dog friends. Whenever any of the pets come up to the cage, he sticks his nose out and wheeks and wheeks.
Hercules

 Hercules is our little syrian hamster. We went into Petsmart for a Guinea pig bowl, and walked out with him, only because he was the cutest thing ever. He has a marking on his back that kind of looks like a lightning bolt too.
Dexter 
 He is a blue and purplish beta named after the television character. I can't get a picture of him because he is a fast swimmer.

Annnd that's the clan! What pets do you have?
 

How Thanksgiving Was Different For Me As a Newlywed

This Thanksgiving was my first one as a wife. A wife. That's still weird, but exciting to say.

Our holiday followed the same routine as last year. We went to Sean's grandparents' house for a couple hours, then Sean had to work (which is no fun), and I relaxed at home with the pups. But this year just felt different.

This year, I wanted us to create our own traditions and lay down our own roots. I wanted something special, that we could continue for years to come.

Some traditions I've seen are cooking a favorite dish to bring to the family Thanksgiving, buying an ornament to represent something special that happened each year, watching a certain movie, or putting up the tree on a certain day.

This year, we decided since Sean worked this Thanksgiving and most holidays, we would celebrate our very own separate holiday on Saturday. We will cook a small Thanksgiving-like meal, put up our tree, and watch our favorite Christmas movies. This is something we could do the Saturday after Thanksgiving, every year.

Call me a nerd, but this is one of the most exciting things I've ever done. I love the idea of traditions and starting our own. It is definitely one of my favorite things about being married, and it's even more fun when the person you're married to is your best friend and shares the same value as you.

What traditions did you start as a newlywed or even more recently that you still do now?

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