Days 10 & 11

Day 10


Wednesday I treated myself to something that I have been hearing a lot about! It seems over the last few months, every time I've turned around someone new was talking about this. So, since the word on the street was positive, I went for it!

Rita's Gelati, made with SWEDISH FISH {you heard me right} Italian Ice and swirled with Vanilla Custard. Oh my! Oh my! Oh my! 

It was not a disappointment! In fact the only disappointing thing about this "first" was that I had waited so long to try it!

Day 11

My "first" this past Thursday was something that I had actually trued to do before but did not have the correct change. I went to Aldi.

At the beginning of the year, just after moving to Lakeland, I tried to go to Aldi. However, earlier that morning when I dropped David off at school he informed me at the last minute before getting out of the car that he needed lunch money. I only had change on me and gave him everything I had except for a dime and a nickel. We parted ways and I made the trek to Aldi;  pretty excited to try someplace new. How was I to know that my plans had just been thwarted by a hungry 7th grader?! 


When I arrived at Aldi I was surprised to see everyone depositing coin into the little contraption attached to each cart. I needed a quarter. I had fifteen cents! 


This time however, I was prepared. I deposited my quarter and began my shopping adventure.

I found the store to be neat and clean. They actually had a lot of things packed into the small store and I was impressed that it was as organized as it was. 

I'll go back. Not weekly, but every once in a while to see if they have any fun new stuff. 

Because they are small they did not have a great produce selection, and that was really my reason for the trip. I needed a specific type of potato and they only had room for one. 

Oh, and when I put my cart back I got my quarter back. I put it in a special place in my wallet for the next time I visit!

Day 9

Much like my fear of heights, my fear of needles/blood has been a crippling fear my whole life. 


When I was a little girl and shots/vaccinations were part of my yearly check-ups, it was a given that once I walked out of the doctors office and into the waiting room, I would faint. Sometimes I didn't even make it that far. If they had to do a finger prick the nurses knew to pull the ammonia stick right there. Once, I thought I was okay and walked to the sink in the room to wash my hands and passed out right there. My chin bears the scar.


In high school, while sitting in Algebra, I cut my finger when my binder snapped shut on it. Yep, I passed out, right there in the middle of class. I guess when I hit the floor my teacher thought I had just fallen out of my chair and announced to the class, "That's what gravity will do for you!" He must have felt bad about it later because he apologized and I had no clue what he was talking about until he confessed!


Even visiting hospitals was difficult for me. Seeing someone with IV's, etc... triggered the same response in me. I would be flat on the floor awoken by the scent of ammonia. 


This fear, phobia, reaction is hereditary. My mom did the same thing to a certain extent, as well as one of my brothers. I come by it honestly. 


When I started having children something in me changed and I was able to get through the blood tests, etc... without much drama. Same thing happened for my brother. When his son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes 17 years ago he had to conquer the fear as well in order to take care of his child. 


Although I was able to move past the constant fainting and suck it up for most things, there was one thing that I could never bring myself to do. Donate blood. I guess as far as this fear goes, that would be the "Mount Everest" for me. 


Last week while at the doctors with Toby we saw an advertisement for a Blood Drive on the 30th of this month. I made a mental note. 


Monday night when I started thinking about my "first" for the next day, the 30th, I decided I would do it. 


People do it every day. Some people do it more than once a month. It was a life affirming thing to do. It saves lives. I could do it too!


Honestly, yesterday, I talked myself out of it more than once on my way to the Blood Drive. I even had to pull over once when I started to feel a little light headed because I was giving it to much thought. But, I made it there. 


Imagine my utter disappointment when I arrived and they were not there. Something had happened and the flyer we saw was printed with the wrong day. 


What to do... what to do. I knew what to do, but inside I was just a little relieved that I didn't have to go through with it. 


When I pulled back onto the main road and began driving back in the direction of home, I was compelled to turn left just two lights up from where I had been. You see, BloodNet, this areas division of the Florida Blood Service, has a brick and mortar location just a short drive from my house and within view from the road. 

http://www.bloodnetusa.com/

(I encourage you to give!)

I pulled into the parking lot and I called 411 for BloodNet's number. I know, I was in the lot, but I needed to call first. Maybe I wasn't allowed to just walk in. Maybe they didn't do donations at this location. Maybe, maybe, maybe... The very friendly receptionist assured me they did and to "just come on in". Did she know I was sitting in the parking lot?


Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it though anything in the One who makes me who I am. (Philippians 4:13/msg) I reminded myself of this. That even just donating blood was something that He enables me to do.


I went in.


The people were so friendly and walked me through every step. The girl who I spent the most time with asked me why I was deciding to give now. I shared with Trina my quest this year to form the habit of living life in the fullest possible way.


At that moment it became about more than just conquering a fear, because I am sure that this year I will have to squash a few in order to experience 365 "firsts", it became about truly sharing the experience with those that I am meeting along the way and encouraging them to do the same.

Trina proceeded to share with the other girls that came in and out of the "donation" room why I was choosing NOW to give blood. Each time she would start to say, "This is her first time, she'd donating now because... "She would place her hand on my arm and ask, "Can I tell {her} about it too?" So sweet!


Well, I did it! I survived. It wasn't nearly as horrific as I had made it in my thoughts ALL these years! In fact, the worst part was the finger prick before hand!


When Trina was wrapping my arm up after I was done, she said, "You know you saved three lives today, right?!" That's a pretty cool thought. But, I thought it was even cooler that I got to share my journey with someone in the process!


My dear children, let's not just talk about love; let's practice real love. This is the only way we'll know we're living truly, living in God's reality. It's also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. 1 John 3:18-20/msg


I'm going to refer to this as an ammonia free life from now on!

Day 8

Today didn't pan out as planned and my original "first" for the day did not happen, but all hope was not lost. 

Tucked away in the pantry I found something I had been hiding for a rainy day. Chocolate Raspberry Newtons Fruit Thins. I bought these a couple of weeks ago when they were on sale BOGO at Publix. I am a huge fan of traditional Fig Newtons and when I saw these I thought they would be worth a shot. However, when I got home with them, I had second thoughts. I normally do not like fruit and chocolate mixed, so when I put them away in the pantry I really made no plans to eat them. In fact, I considered that I might find someone to give them to or that eventually the boys would eat them. 

Tonight I decided that I would give them a try and I am pleased to say that they are delicious! That's a first!!  They are a perfect balance of crispy/chewy, chocolate/fruity, and sweet/savory!

I might take one with me tomorrow to eat when I am done with Tuesday's "first". I am told I will need it! Can you guess what it is going to be?

Day 7

I am married to a very smart man. I'm not just saying that because this week we celebrate our anniversary and I am trying to earn brownie points with Steve. I mean it. He's way scary smart.  He deals in virtualizations, complex systems analysis, infrastructures and more on a daily basis. He's a geek. I mean that in the most respectful, loving, honoring way possible. He's also very humble and unpretentious! I love this about him. He will help anyone who asks with any technical, computer related issue even if it is just basic stuff that he never really has to think about or do anymore.

Most of the time he talks about stuff that he is working on and I have no clue, not even the slightest, what he is saying but his excitement for what he does makes me excited to listen. I usually don't ask him to teach me to do something computer related, I just ask him to do it. However, when I was talking to him about what my "first" for Sunday could be, he suggested that he teach me how to update the ROM on my Droid phone. He got really excited about it and even told me about CyanogenMod, which is both a modification and a person. Also on a geek side note; apparently Cyanogen, the person, is part of a major coupe this past week on the part of Samsung because they hired this mastermind. (You feel smarter now too, don't you?!)

Steve explained that even just knowing the term "cyanogenmod" would give me "street cred". Today I tested his theory by bringing it up to a guy at Starbucks who I know is all about his Droid. The minute I mentioned "CyanogenMod" his face lit up and he started babbling about the specs and so on... I didn't really listen but I smiled, because I did not know that "street cred" was important until THAT moment when I gained it!

Day 6

Saturday, the youth of our church had an excursion to the farm planned. Toby was not able to attend and while I was hurrying David out the door he wanted to know if I would spend the day with him there! Who could refuse that invitation?! The Smith's family farm is an awesome piece of property and the Smiths have transformed the front part of the land into a "redneck water park" of sorts. 

Choosing to stay afforded me several great opportunities. First, I was able to connect a little more with one of the phenomenal women of our church, Mandy. She and her husband joined the church the same day we did and they quickly became integral parts of the youth ministry. I appreciate how connected they strive to be with the youth and I am thankful that they are two of the people that will speak into the lives of Toby and David over the next few years. Secondly, Mandy is someone who will hold you accountable and encourage you along the way. Accomplishing my "first" of the day involved me learning this about her. 


If you look at the picture above of the fun the Smith farm offered, you will see on the left side two barrel slides.  Most of you will look at those slides and think, "whats the big deal?". A few of you will look at them and think, "no way." That is the group that I would have placed myself! No way! I am afraid of heights. Not just a little, a lot. I am better about them now, than I was a few years ago, but no where near excited about them. A few years ago you could not even get me to walk out of the tunnel on the second deck of Tropicana Field without panic inducing fear! 


I decided to do the slide as my "first" of the day. I could do this. No big deal. Wrong! Very big deal! Mandy knew I was scared and offered to do it with me! She would go first. The climb up was pretty daunting and she was at the top when I was only a few feet off the ground. I couldn't do it. I froze. I asked her to go down the slide so I could watch. She obliged! 


After watching her do it, I got a little more brave and said I could do it too! Once again she headed up the ladder and called for me to come up! This time I made it to the top! She let me ask her a ton of questions. Do I sit this way or this? What does it feel like? What happens when...? Some questions I probably asked more than once or twice! She answered every one! She was a true encouragement. A trusted adviser. I was finally ready to take the plunge. 

I did it!!!!! Thank you Mandy!!!


The last opportunity I had that day, was that I was able to watch David hanging out with his friends, just being a goofball! This really made me happy because after knowing Jesus as their personal Lord and savior, I want nothing more than for my boys to be comfortable in their own skin, to be goofballs if they want and just laugh at the sheer joy of life!

A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.

Proverbs 17:22/msg

A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face. Proverbs 15:13a/msg

Day 5

Warm Oil Scalp Massage. Need I say more? For years I've been saying I would pay someone to just rub my head/hair/scalp. When I decided to spend a little of my birthday money on a treatment at the spa, imagine my delight when I saw this on the menu of services. Total relaxation. Like. Whoa.

Days 3 & 4

Before I talk about my "firsts" for the past few days there are a couple of things that I have learned this week that I want to share. First, living life in the fullest possible way keeps you busy! Second, I have learned that I am an extremist, all or nothing, person in the way I think. I need to work on that. 


I was feeling defeated because I had not found the time to blog about this weeks adventures. The adventures continued but I started to feel like if I couldn't find the time to write about it every day, then what's the point?! Then, yesterday, as I was getting a Warm Oil Scalp Massage {more on that later... day 5} it hit me. Not finding time to write about it every day IS the point. There will be some days that while living life in the fullest possible way I just don't have time to sit down and write, and that is okay {self permission granted}.

That being said, there will be times when I will blog about several days at a time, especially on days where the "firsts" were small in comparison. This is one of those times.


Day 3
Wednesday I went geocaching. It wasn't as easy as that though, you can't just GO. Prior to my excursion I had to do some research. I am really thankful for the friends that gave me input and encouragement, it was most helpful and made me more comfortable in the process. I ended up using the http://www.geocaching.com/ website and  located a geocache close to home. My biggest dilemma was what "treasure" I would leave at the site. Oh, that's one of the best parts of geocaching... it's reciprocal treasure hunting! 


I already had plans on Wednesday to spend a little time with Alexis (a precious girl that I have the honor of being able to speak into the life of). When I asked her if she would be up for the challenge, she was. I picked her up and we drove to the general area that I knew the geocache to be. I had the coordinates in my phone and we began driving down the road where the GPS led us. This particular geocache was tagged as EASY and also came with a clue, "mossy oak". Well, this road had a grove of "mossy oak," not just one. The weather was bad and the grass leading up to the trees was atleast 3 ft tall... I thought the possibility of snakes was pretty high. This thought did not thrill me. At. All. In fact, at this point, as we sat there for a good 15 minutes, with my map not working because of the weather (or possibly remote location), I considered giving up. I thought EASY meant NO WAY YOU'LL MISS IT. I was wrong.  Alexis and I talked through the possibilities and drove up the road a little bit. I decided to "phone a friend". 


Jenn and her family have been geocaching for a few years across several states, so I knew she could walk me through this. She had the experience to give me the advice I needed and tell me the truth about what I needed to hear. EASY did not mean that it would be a flashing neon sign, can't miss it, find. It just meant that I would not have to hike, climb, risk life and limb to get it. Okay, the truth helped, I stopped focusing on why I couldn't see it right in front of my face and started thinking about what I was actually looking at. 


Alexis and I drove up and down the road one more time, this time however we really looked and tried to see beyond the obvious. As we drove back up the road there was a small tree standing alone. It was gnarly and covered in moss. Thankfully the grass was not nearly as tall in front of it and I decided to get out of the car. Upon closer inspection I could see that the base of the tree actually had a hole in it... I mustered up the bravery to crawl under the low hanging branches that I knew just had to have spiders in them. 

There it was!!! I found it! It was a small, green, Rubbermaid box. I grabbed it and quickly moved to the hood of the car to open it up and see what treasure we had found. 

When we opened the lid, we both screamed and jumped back as tiny spiders crawled out and ran away. YUCK! I quickly regained my composure and began digging through the treasure. I flipped through the log and thought it was pretty cool to see the signatures of all those that had come before me and I wondered if this had been their "first" geocache as well. The treasures in the tiny box varied from "huh?" to "awww".

I chose my treasure, a tiny wooden cross, and left my own. Can you guess from the picture, what I left? I signed the log and then I closed it all back up and put it back it in its hiding place for the next treasure hunter to find. 


The whole process reminded me of how I sometimes feel when I am seeking God's will in my life about something specific. I want the answer to jump right out at me and just be EASY. I just want the answer/end result and not the process. I forget sometimes that seeking God's will in my life is moment by moment. It's daily. It takes more than just wanting it. Just like geocaching.


Geocaching                                                                                       Seeking God's Will
Read the instructions & get the coordinates           Go to His word, read His instruction
Ask for help from those with experience                    Talk to people who are wise 
Think! Look beyond the obvious.                                       Pray & look and listen for His leading
Take a friend with you                                                              Be part of a community, encouragement
Leave something behind                                                        Share what He has done/is doing for you


I had so much fun! I can't wait to do it again! If you've never geocached, I encourage you to give it a try. If you do, check out http://www.geocaching.com/ and say you know me, BIRCHFIELDFAM. Happy hunting!




Day 4

Thursday was one of those days where life was pretty full on its own. Toby had a doctors appointment with his orthopedist. I say "his" because this was not our first time visiting with Dr. Shenkman. 


Toby has been wrestling since we moved to Lakeland in January. He began practicing, lifting, training at the beginning of the year. He had never wrestled before this, but seems to have a natural ability and the coach seems to have taken him under his wing.


I will admit I am not a huge fan of wrestling. It kind of disgusts me. Like... makes me throw up in my mouth a little, disgust. It's just not a "pretty" sport to watch. I think it should have stopped when football was invented, but that's just my opinion. I am however amazed at his aptitude for the sport!

A couple of months ago Toby was competing in a tournament and wrestled in the next weight class up, I point this out because I think it has something to do with why he was hurt. He was flipped and came down on his right shoulder and the pressure of the opponent crushed his shoulder and popped his ac joint out of the socket. Painful.


At that time, we visited the ER and then the orthopedist. He was given the instructions -- six weeks no wrestling. As soon as the ban was lifted he was right back in there and eased his way back into matches. Two weeks ago during a match he was thrown in the exact same manner and "snap". 


The acromioclavicular joint, or AC joint, is a joint at the top of the shoulder. It is the junction between the acromion (part of the scapula that forms the highest point of the shoulder) and the clavicle. -Wikipedia (By the way... first time quoting Wikipedia word for word!)


OUCH!


This visit required x-rays and some serious talk about what it is going to take to help this heal. 4 weeks in a sling with limited mobility and then we will revisit Dr. Shenkman.

This is the first time I have ever seen an x-ray of any of my boys. THREE boys and we've never had a broken bone. How crazy is that? Especially considering that Toby is the child that starting at age two would climb to the highest point in any room and FLING himself off of it!


He took the news in stride. When they went to get the sling, he asked for one with dinosaurs. No such luck! But the nice gentleman did find stickers to place on it.

Nice. I'm such a proud Momma!! Barbie and "Super Patient" fairy! The sling tech (that's a real job, by the way) said that all the girls would "awww" over the stickers, hence giving Toby attention (as if he needs more)! He spoke 16 year old boy! I just shook my head! "Are you sure you don't have one with dinosaurs?"