Life Lately

Hi friends! Please read the following for a little life update. In short, I’ve been sick and trying to live life more off-line, but for the longer version and some cool things I’ve been loving lately, keep reading.

(Top book I’ve read fifty times already haha, was just re-reading haha.) 

Some good books I’ve read

Two weeks ago I checked out four books from the library and I’m halfway done with the stack! The Divorce Party was excellent and if you haven’t read it yet, I think it should be your next read. Girls In White Dresses wasn’t what I expected, but it was so easy to get through as the stories are short. It’s a little hard to keep all the girls straight, but I think it’s a fun read for us 20-something gals who know loads of people who are either engaged or just getting married.

My weird health

It all started with a migraine two weeks ago.

I get migraines every now and then. When I was about 15/16, I got them so frequently. I missed school, dance practice, work, and church. I was behind on getting my service hours for confirmation, I missed a TAKS test and had to make it up in the middle of June that following summer, and I was eventually just taken off the call sheet at work because I was never there. I feel like all I remember from junior year of high school was crying, laying in a dark room, drinking Coke because the sugar seemed to help, and watching So You Think You Can Dance. I know it sounds pretty pitiful, but that’s just how it was.

After several appointments to the neurologist and some medication, I got the migraines under control. I got them a couple times a month – usually when I was stressed or when my allergies were bad and this continued for the next 5 ish years. I even stopped taking the preventative migraine medication at the end of my freshman year of college.

But maybe a month ago, the migraines increased in frequency. Which is why the blog is quiet and maybe if you know me in real life or go to school with me, I’ve been kind of flakey.

I’ve been missing 1-2 classes a week and having to cancel at least 1 or 2 appointments each week. It sucks.

So I got this migraine two weeks ago and it just kind of never went away. It hurts on the entire right side of my body. It prompted me to start going regularly to a chiropractor, which has helped some, but not completely. And I went back to my neurologist for the first time in 5 years. It was weird, I felt 16 again and I honestly hated 16 haha.

So I’m in this weird in-between where we are still trying to figure out what’s going on with me. I don’t think it’s a true migraine because the strong migraine medicine that usually knocks my headaches out within 20 minutes isn’t helping. Essential oils (peppermint mostly), epsom salt baths, stretching, walking, and ice help, but they don’t take away the sensation completely.

I have blood tests today and am scheduling an MRI, so I’m really praying that we find out whatever is giving me trouble and it’s a relatively easy fix.

So I’ve been quiet lately because I just don’t have the energy each day to keep up my online presence. Some days are better and I feel like I could blog or even post a picture of what I’m doing on Instagram, but other days I don’t feel like leaving my room. I even feel like I’m kinda off writing this post – like the words aren’t flowing well, but I wanted to get an update up that I could link in case anyone thinks I died, haha. I’m alive!

Fayetteville

Despite the weird migraine thing, I still went to Fayetteville with Cam two weekends ago. It was such a good time, and even though every hour I felt different – sometimes had a pounding head, sometimes felt relatively normal – I really enjoyed myself. That’s just how good Fayetteville is! We started out the trip in Dallas to break up the drive and got to spend time with family friends. Then in Fayetteville, we got together with Cam’s brother, Noah, and then our couple friends Jill and David and went to the same corn maze we did last year. I don’t know that I ever blogged about it last year, but it’s this farmland with a corn maze, pumpkin patch, petting zoo, and pig races! It’s good, country fun. We struggled a bit more in the corn maze this year, but made it out in time for the last pig races of the evening. It was freezing, but a good time!

After we went to our friend’s birthday dinner on Dickson St. It was so good to see everyone, but it was so weird to talk about our jobs and (for them) post-grad life rather than classes and college life.

The next day, we were unsuccessful at finding a brunch place because every breakfast place on the weekend in Fay is PACKED. I have vowed to move back to Fayetteville at some point with Cam and start my own restaurant. I want it to be HUGE so no one ever has to wait longer than a few minutes, but I still want a farm-to-table concept. Maybe my dream of owning chickens will truly happen! Anyway, I settled for trying the new hazelnut latte at Starbucks (A+) and we just grabbed an early lunch. The rest of the second day there was spent squeezing in every visit with friends we wanted to see. I love that it’s a small town because we could easily bounce around from place to place to hug everyone and say hi.

We headed home Sunday after finally getting breakfast out at my favorite place – Arsaga’s. I was sad to leave….I think a part of my heart will always be in Fayetteville.

Astros win!

Ok this was CRAZY. Wednesday night, Cam came over to watch the final game. Around 8:30, I went upstairs to bed because of my stupid migraine thing, and Cam stayed downstairs with my youngest sister’s dad, Phil, watching. I fell asleep quickly, and sometime later I woke up because I heard HOWLING. Howling and whooping. It was coming from outside my window! I could hear the city cheering!

Our TV had a slight delay so the city actually told me we had won before I heard Cam and Phil clapping downstairs. I ran downstairs, high-fived Phil, hugged Cam, and then me and Cam got in his car and drove up and down the street with all the bars near my house. The bars were PACKED. Everyone was cheering and chanting “As-tros, “As-stros”! It was honestly magic. I couldn’t stop laughing!

I didn’t go to the parade the next day because I actually ended up at the neurologist and chiropractor…bummer. But I’m glad I drove around with Cam at 11 o’clock at night after we had won and got to witness the excitement! After everything our city has been through, we really needed this.

Appointments on appointments

Like I said, there’s a lot of appointments happening. So much that I keep having to cancel and move things around to make room. I have school meetings, professional events, neurologist appointments, an impending MRI, blood tests, chiropractor, therapy, etc, etc. I’m not complaining – just trying to explain the lack of posts and radio silence from me!

Stranger Things

When I’m sick, it’s tradition to start a new Netflix show. This time around, it was Stranger Things – season 1 AND 2 because I hadn’t seen either! I’m so hooked. It’s better than Riverdale, ya’ll. If you haven’t watched, WATCH. I’m genuinely upset that I am not Millie Bobby Brown.

NEDA walk 

Cam and I did the NEDA (National Eating Disorder Awareness) walk this past Saturday at Discovery Green and we had such a special time. We really want to get a team together for next year and I’d love to set a fundraising goal.

Cooking and baking

This has been total stress relief for me. I felt really good on Sunday after a couple hours of cooking and baking with Cam. We listened to my November playlist on Spotify (and then my October playlist when we finished that) and it was just good for the soul. This week, I made a batch of my “Clean out the pantry” cookies, this lentil salad for lunches, and we roasted pumpkin seeds. (Did half the batch in sea salt and olive oil, and half in olive oil + cinnamon + brown sugar….the sweet ones were SO good!)

Time off social media

I no longer have Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat apps on my phone. I get on Twitter maybe once a week from my laptop. My blog posts still automatically publish there via Bloglovin, so I don’t have to worry about that. Snapchat was just too much for me, so I haven’t been on there in a while. (So don’t snap me haha I won’t ever see it!) I re-download Instagram maybe every two days to check messages. (And a friend of mine is about to have her baby, so I keep checking to see if she’s in labor!)

But yeah, I’m pretty unplugged right now. I don’t know how long that will last. I don’t want to delete my accounts completely because I think the feelings I’m having toward it right now are temporary, and I really like using Instagram especially as a way to remember special times in my life. (Also, I need them for work.)

If you’d like to reach me or chat, you can text or call if you’re someone that has my number. If not, please email me! I check my blog email (hello@cristinawashere.com) about every other day and my personal (mandujano.cristina@gmail.com) several times a day.

Cam and I’s anniversary

Next Wednesday (the 15th) is Cam and I’s SEVEN YEARS. I can’t believe it and I’m so happy! We are both taking off work to spend the day together. So far, we have planned that we want to try to have a picnic since we think the weather will be nice, but that’s all we’ve got so far. I’ll be sure to let you know what we decide to do!

That’s about all I have to update you with right now! Hopefully I can jump on sometime next week to give you another update and share a re-cap of what Cam and I did for our seven years. 

Thanks for reading.

X,

Cristina