A Very Lucky Girl

  As Thanksgiving rapidly approaches, I'd like to extend some public gratification for several wonderful people I've had the privilege to interact with over the past few months. They've embraced my issues and me and offered help, no matter how far away. First, so many, many thanks for the family I have in Louisiana. For cousins I can call whenever, for grandparents who are so graciously welcoming me for the holidays. For an aunt who has offered her home for the summer. Thank you, Taylor C., for listening to a life story that sounds much like your own and for buying cookies at Pickleman's to share just because. Thank you, Megan, for offering your thoughts, even when I don't agree with them, and for dropping your Halloween drink to hug me when I needed it. I'm thankful for the Cregor family and the way they have enveloped me even from afar during this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year. I'm grateful for Tyler and his willingness to help, even when ...

I have a new address. A new place with which to answer the question, "So, where are you from?" Houston is my new home.  My dad and I moved into the new house over the Labor Day weekend. It's in a great location, close to countless yummy places to eat (I think I gained 10 pounds in 3 days), and also near a great running park (in order to counteract those yummy eateries).  Houston is only about an hour and a half away from Beaumont, so I'm looking forward to being so close to Moriah over Christmas break and summer. My elementary school friend, Nick (except now he's Mathison and I keep getting it wrong!), will graduate from Rice in May and he introduced me to a great new church I'm looking forward to attending more often when I come home.  There's a lot of looking forward going on. I can't change the events that brought me to Houston. They are in the past. But over the years and moves, I've become a pro at making the most of where I am, physically ...

Confession: Sometimes I feel truly blessed to have Addison's Disease. For one, it's fairly manageable, and for two (the best reason), I have met some amazing people through this connection! I use "met" loosely because I have yet to physically meet any of these women, but they all sound so wonderful on social media! And I hope one day I can hug each one and compare drug prescriptions and medical alert jewelry while swapping ER stories. Alycia: I found Alycia on Instagram when I scrolled through the hashtag #addisonsdisease last year. After wading through endless pictures of dogs (fun fact: dogs get Addison's Disease and I swear the world knows more about the canine disorder than the human one. Nope, not bitter), I stumbled upon a picture of a race to raise awareness for Addison's Disease. Being a runner, I was instantly intrigued and decided to creepily comment and ask Alycia about it. She informed me that it was in Australia, where she lives, so that was a ...

It seems fitting that the 5th phone I will ever own will be the iPhone 5, courtesy of my wonderfully amazing father, Paul Arceneaux.  talk about being A Very Lucky Girl... If all goes according to plan, my new technology should arrive in Oklahoma City TODAY. And then it should enter my life the next weekend when I go home to spend time with my grandparents. So...less than 10 days? I can handle that!  It's been a long road to this day in Taylor history. I was one of the few (the proud?) that lacked a cellular device all throughout middle school and even freshman year! Who remembers that HOME PHONES have speed dial? The deal I made with Paul and Sharbear aided in my achievement of all A's (barely-damn geometry with Mrs. Kucik!) to kick start high school. The move to Beaumont and my stellar grades culminated in... The red one. Sharbear took one for the team and claimed the brown model. I don't recommend TMobile to anyone, by the way. But I do recommend an unlimite...