Braving the dreaded 'No Bathrooms' on the Pendleton Underground Tour Comes To Life

Well, IC ladies... I did it. I went somewhere and did something that specifically said "no bathrooms on tour" and the tour was approximately two hours.

There is an underground tour in a city about 1.5 hours away from where I live and once a year they do a live interactive version that I heard was fantastic. My mom had been wanting to go so for Mother's Day I bought us tickets. While there are bathrooms at the gift shop, there are none underground for public use. Which as you know, even the thought can make us panic. I did make sure to go a few times before our tour started and although I was definitely stressing a little, did not want to let the IC be in control. So I did it anyway. I was prepared to need to leave the tour early, but ended up never having to. I relaxed a bit and was distracted enough I made it through. If I could have celebrated with a drink I sure would have! ;)

Some tips if you ever encounter something like this: choose carefully what you have for breakfast and what you drink, take your meds, and be prepared to do whatever necessary to take care of yourself. Being kind and explaining the situation to the others, if need be, is always an option! Even if you tried and things didn't work out exactly as you hoped, I'd say that is a success! You learn and get stronger through each experience. So good for you!

Another thing, try not to stress or take things too seriously. Yes, IC is uncomfortable and a pain in the uh... lower regions, but if you can laugh at the situation and just do what ya gotta do, life will be easier and others may not even notice or be bothered by it. And if they are, time to get new people in your life. 

So celebrate those IC successes and attempts. No matter how small! And share them with the IC community.  I know they inspire me and I'm sure I'm not the only one. 

X, A!

The IC Life

Hi everyone! I don't post much about what's going on with my health, but I plan to change that. Not in the sense that I want you to know every little detail about my body, but I do want to share what I'm doing and trying on the path to recovery from IC.

I'm always on the lookout for information and stories from those who have similar struggles and it can be hard to find upbeat positive people who fight tooth and nail to not let their struggles overcome them. I appreciate everyone who opens up and shares their experience, but so many people simply want a place to vent (we all need that) or even complain without making any life changes or doing anything about their situation. It can be so easy to stay stuck in that depression and fear that health issues can cause and I want to inspire people to overcome it! 

I may fail everyday at being who I want to be, but I refuse to be defined by my health struggles or failures. I want to live despite what I'm going through. I want to fight for my life and all I want out of it. And I want to share it with you! I want to show you the happy and not so happy parts of struggling with IC, how I deal, what works or doesn't for me, along with recipes, food ideas, travel advice, and other tips for living with IC. 

If you ever have any question or comments, please leave them here! But remember to be polite and respectful. We're all just doing our best here and there is no reason to be mean. The world has enough of that. 

So I hope you enjoy my blog and stick around. Because you're not alone. I'm not alone. And we CAN do this!

XX,

A

Interstitial Cystitis Woes

"Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living."

― Jonathan Safran Foer

Right now, my body is literally controlling my life and I find myself straining under the weight of it all. From the missed workouts, Starbucks in the morning, spur of the moment travels, and desire to seek out new employment opportunities the things that once spurred me along, rejuvenated me, and inspired me are no longer the same. There are so many lives I want to be living, but right now I am here. In this body. Living this life. Trying to make the most of it. Trying to reinvent my life and find new opportunities and passions that will motivate, inspire, and make me feel like I am living an important life on this Earth. I'm attempting to refuse to put limits on my life, yet also be realistic about what I am physically able to endure. I think I am able to endure anything. But in my darkest moments, it's hard to believe that. But I have to. However, by forcing these lives I want to live, I don't want the hard work and stress to cause more suffering. It's a catch 22. I feel like I am missing out on so much and I am straining beneath it all, but am not sure how much to push myself. Should we accept our limitations in life or should we never put limits on ourselves no matter what we are going through? Should we accept where God has us now and not force things we know may not be best or healthiest for us or should we trust that God will  get us through no matter what we choose to do? That is where I am at in this moment. On this day in time. Am I strong enough to handle more? Am I able to let God be my strength? Sometimes, I don't know. But I truly pray I am. I want to be fearless in life more than anything! To take on new challenges without fear - no matter what my body says. To not fear anything or anyone. To fill my life with people, places, and experiences that inspire others. To show love and compassion and be a heart changer in the world. I don't talk about what I am going through much, but I do want people to be aware in case they think I am rude/lazy/wimpy/weak/etc. so they know there may be more going on beneath the surface than what they see everyday. If you could throw a heartfelt prayer my way I would appreciate it.

X, A!

Peanut Butter Granola Balls

I love peanut butter and granola. In fact, whenever I make any sort of peanut butter/granola concoction I eat it all up in a day. It can be dangerous. Good thing these can be made as healthy or dirty as you want! Just omit or add anything you prefer to make it healthier. That's the beauty of this recipe. You can even do it gluten and dairy free (which I did). Also if you prefer more of one ingredient, feel free to add more and compensate by increasing the honey or PB or use less of another ingredient to keep the texture right. I've seen several recipes like this posted online, but decided to make up my own because they are all basically the same and there is no exact science to it. You could do the same, but here is my version to do with what you will. Trust me, these are a fast and tasty breakfast!

Peanut Butter Granola Balls
Recipe by Angela Atkins

Ingredients

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal
• 1/4 cup carob or chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup almond butter (or use all PB)
• 1/4 cup flax seed
• 1/4 cup rice krispies
• 1/2 cup honey or agave
• 1/4 cup flaked coconut (optional)
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed. Roll into 1 inch balls and chill in refrigerator for half an hour. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

X, A!

Personalize Your Life

I love personalized photo items. They make the best gifts and are the perfect way to show off those photos not everyone gets to see in your home or that you don't have space to display. Plus, every time you look at the item you can't help but smile! Over the years, I have purchased a Miir photo water bottle, Medge Kindle Fire cover, and countless Shutterfly items such as mugs, key chains, magnets, notepads, cards, and photo books. I can tell you, my mom and sister's favorite gifts I have ever given them are photo gifts with my niece and nephews on them. That's why the latest personalized iPhone cases from Shutterfly definitely piqued my interest! They are adorable and affordable. And the fact that you can pretty much make them look however you want is a great option if you're looking for a gift for someone... or for yourself. I just may have to get one! In the meantime, check them out here: http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts/custom-iphone-cases

Also, here is some pretty interesting stuff on cell phone cases and what people want/expect from their phone cases. Pretty much magic, eh?

This infographic is provided to you by Shutterfly, a leader provider of photo books, custom iPhone cases & more!

X, A!

Embracing My Inner Dork

Braces, glasses, no make-up, frizzy hair? Yep, that's me lately. In the past, I would not consider stepping a foot outside with any of the above going on. Maybe it's getting older or maybe it's because I really have no choice. Either way, I am learning to embrace my "inner dork" and get comfortable with myself no matter what I look.

I have never done a blog post on my braces and have had them on almost 2 years. I got braces in May 2011 to fix my "snaggle tooth" and am beyond thrilled I did. When I was younger, my dentist always said my teeth might straighten out so my parents never took me to the Orthodontist. He was wrong! So here I am fixing them as an adult. Jeremiah jokes that he should send my parents the bill since this is something parents are supposed to deal with. Anyway, the braces are clear and I know in the end I will have straight teeth. So I am cool with the braces.

Now onto the glasses -  my most hated dork accessory. I don't know what it is, but wearing glasses makes me feel like I should be at home in my PJ's - not out in the world. They take me a while to get used to wearing and are not cute, in my eyes. But since finding out a year ago that my eyes are very damaged and dry from abusing my contact lens wearing privileges (so much so that I am not a candidate for refractive surgery), I have been forced to wear them even more. Even to work. Ugh! Once my eyes felt better I went back to abusing the contacts and my eyes started bothering me again. So here goes the spectacle wearing spectacle again! Wisdom over vanity, I suppose.

As far as the frizzy hair and no make-up goes? I am at peace with the hair my Mexican heritage has given me. Yes, I am probably the whitest girl you know, but my grandpa is Mexican. Like, habla espanol Mexican. And my great grandpa is Cherokee Indian. So what happened in the gene pool with me is a mystery. The no make-up thing is the worst, however. You probably would not recognize me if I did not have make-up on. I know people probably think I wear a ton of make-up and I do, but trust me it is necessary. I would rather be made fun of for "make-up face" than "ugly face." Yes, I do realize this is a huge issue I need to deal with, but hey one thing at a time.

I'm not sure what the point of this blog post was, except that I feel very self-conscience at times and wanted to be honest with myself about it. I know girls typically feel this way from time to time, so I thought maybe someone could empathize. Naturally pretty girls: you suck. There I said it. End blog post.

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Someone so dear to me shared this poem with me when I was having a rough IC day last year. While the immediate focus of the writing is death, I think it applies to so much more and on so many levels. Reminding us to fight and never give up. So rage against the dying of your light. Whatever that may be for you. X, A!

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

- Dylan Thomas