Monday, November 21, 2011

a giant update from the tiny taylor

 The past few months have been what i would call adventurous. Everything has been new, most things have been great, while others have been not so great. But with every adventure there is bound to be room for a little failure, or even a little disappointment.
 Last ya'll heard i was extremely sick still. Since then i have begun taking lots of vitamins and supplements, conquered my detox, found out what foods i'm allergic to ( soy & wheat ) began a completely gluten free diet, and just tried to get healthy again. Well, the fevers stopped, i am not as weak or exhausted as i had been, no more stomache issues really, except for the occasion incident when i eat something i know i shouldnt, and i'm actually strong & what i would consider healthy for the first time in a very very long time. It is a complete answer to prayer, and i just wanna say thanks to everyone who has been praying, it was a rough summer and fall, but i think that now the new year will bring room for many great things with my healthy body!
 A little bit about Celiac Disease...basically i can't eat anything that has gluten in it, so that means any product that has any kind of flour, wheat, rye, oat, they are all out. So thats no bread, crackers, cookies, cake, dough, any rolls, breakfast cereals, all the stuff that has flour in it is out. and i mean out. If i do eat them i usually spike a fever and then ya know im extremely sick for days...it is not fun at all. But i have found alternatives and many restaurants offer G-Free menu's now :)
 Second, school. I switched from Kent State to the University of Akron, and this was a wonderful decision. I am in Akron's culinary/hospitality managment program and i am absolutely loving it. My favorite part is probably my Food Prep class, it is very hands on and that is one of my learning strengths. I am what you would call a kinestetic learner, i learn best when i can be actively doing something or touching something. To me, learning about food is absolutely magical. Each week we learn so many new techniques and recipes & i just really feel like i am in the right spot.
 Another praise is that i made a really good friend in my class. Her name is Meghan, she is a Christian & in my same program. We get along great, and she is a complete answer to prayer. I prayed every day for the first few weeks that there would just be someone in my major that truly loved the Lord and could be a true friend...then one day i was talking with Meghan about my small group and she flipped and was in one too & we were instantly friends. All i can say about that one is, the Lord hears our prayers! Sometimes it just takes a moment for him to respond, so be patient!
 The Family is doing wonderfully! Dad and Mom are both doing well, both still working, both still embarassing me all the time. Jordyn, Mark & Malakai are great! Malakai turns 1 the day after Thanksgiving & we are so excited! The theme is The Very Hungry Caterpillar, so that should be awesome! I'm making the cake of course! :) We call Malakai "Bean" i'm not sure where it came from, but i love it, and love him! Seth is well also, he is living in California and his soccer team that he coaches is going to Nationals in Florida next week, so i'd say he's living the life! I miss him most every day...its hard having your big brother live way across the country...it seems like another country.

I do have one Prayer Request ... as most of you know, last fall we got the news that my brain tumor was considered stable, well i have had a pretty bad headache for about 2 weeks now, and i am just a little worried. I told mama and dad about it a few days ago finally because i didnt want to worry anybody, but we have to be cautious. So i am going to the eye doctor probably this week to get my pressures checked and then hopefully get good news that everything is okay. I have peace in my heart that it is probably not mr. brain tumor, but i can not just assume, because these headaches are not fun. I've even been going to bed around 9 or 10, that never happens! haha. And if you are reading this, please dont panic, please dont start talking about it, i do not want any rumors spread, i am just solely asking for prayer that everything is okay! The Lord is in complete control & i find incredible peace in knowing that! "God is within her, she will NOT fall; He will help her at break of day!" Psalm 46:5 AMEN!

Alright, it's really late and this little lady has a big big week!

Blessed by a Heavenly Daddy,

Shelby Elyse Taylor