A Very Lucky Girl

I have done one of these blogging interaction awards before , but when my friend Amber, of Clearly Alive , nominated me last week I couldn't say no to a fellow Addison's fighter. And since today, July 1, is my day of birth it is socially acceptable to make it all about me for 24 hours.  Amber is a pretty cool person from what I've garnered from our conversations on social media. I first "met" her in an Addison's Disease Support Group on Facebook. She is currently working in Malaysia and her lifestyle there is encouraging when it comes to me wanting to pursue my own career abroad.  Her 11 questions for me: 1. How did you decide on the name for your blog? This one is easy. I explained it in my inaugural post more than two years ago #timeflieswhenyourblogisfun 2. What is your funniest "brain fog" story?  That time I couldn't even remember a "brain fog" story. AKA now.  3. Cats or Dogs?   DOGS. One in particular, my sister, my boo-...

  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 wholeheartedly blame BayLeaf Baptist Church for ruining all other places of worship. I loved BayLeaf. I still love BayLeaf. If I could fly back every Sunday to attend, I would. It's the most genuine place I've ever been. It's small enough for people to know your name and, when I was growing up, it had the best youth program. I can't speak for it now that Justin is no longer there, but I'm sure it's still pretty fantastic.  And now I'm older and have gone to several churches since leaving the safety and comfort of BayLeaf, but I still am looking for the environment I felt when I walked into the red-carpeted sanctuary.  So when I visited my dad in Houston, I opted out of going to First Baptist with him. I don't want to get lost in another church. So I decided Joel Osteen's pad was the place for me! Just kidding, I actually can't stand him. We can talk about that issue another time.  Instead, I attended New Song Fellowship on an invitation from...

I love so very many things about traveling. I love every kind. The kind where you walk somewhere. The kind where you drive to a new state. And especially the kind where you get your wings and fly across state lines.  Airports seem to disintegrate social divides, even with notions of first class and coach. Everyone is on an equal playing field, dependent on the airlines for a schedule. Real life is suspended in an airport terminal. When I flew to Baton Rouge to visit Mimi and Didi, I met the nicest characters on my return flights. One rather large man had the unfortunate privilege of sitting next to me in a middle seat. He wedged himself into the space and I graciously offered him the armrest, but stubbornly held on to my window seat winnings. He made small talk, offering that he was traveling back from a Bachelor party in New Orleans with a large group and had once upon a time wanted to major in English Literature. After take off, I inserted headphones and lost myself in round af...

"... she rejoiced as only mothers can in the good fortunes of their children ." -Louisa May Alcott I should probably begin this tribute to these certain 21 influential people in my life with a post dedicated to the woman who experienced labor in order for the world to experience me. If you're about those Thank-You notes I can provide an address for her upon request. Shari Nelson Arceneaux and I have a running joke about what a "good mother" would do (which is typically the opposite of what actually happens). It came from a novel that we both read that I can't remember the name of now. But my good mother instilled a love of reading in me from a very young age. I can remember being put to bed with visions of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Anne of Green Gables swirling through my imagination. She taught me how to make the essentials in the kitchen: spaghetti, spicy pretzels, and ultimate chocolate chip cookies.  She's one of my biggest cheerleaders and the b...

By my expert calculations, my twenty-first birthday is a mere 45 days away. It seems like it's taken a lifetime to get here. Weird how that works, right? I didn't make it to 21 all by my lonesome though. There are at LEAST 21 people (or pairs/groups of people) that have contributed positively to the person that I am/will be during my 21st year of life. So I plan to highlight them in the next 45 days by posting about a singular person approximately every other day. People you can expect to read about in the next few weeks (in no particular order) include: Nathan H Sharbear Paul Mimi (and Grandpa Butch) Mimi and Didi Aunt Blanche Katherine and Caroline Emily B Megan H and Hannah W Moriah C Tyler M Carra L/Grace J/Sam W/Stasia M Marianne W Beignet Robin C/Jeanett N/Marilyn H/Edna E (and other magnificent teachers) Justin/Sarah B Conner G my ADPi sisters Natasha A the brave parents that let me spend time with their kids (several babysitting endeavors) Savanna...

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 ...

And fortunately, so do all bad things. This semester reigns as the worst semester of my college career. Too many emotions for one 20 year old girl to handle with aplomb. Dead week is almost over and finals finally begin next week. I'll be OKC bound for the summer on Tuesday. 6 more nights.  To wrap up this academic semester, I had a few thoughts. First and foremost, S/O to everyone who thinks their major is harder than everyone else's. Everybody is busy. Especially this time of year. Your busyness is not special. I'll be happy to empathize with anyone, but don't expect sympathy from me. Prioritize your time; it will amaze you how you can fit school AND play into your schedule. #mindblown. I've heard dead week referred to as "I wish I was dead week," but I personally have had an excellent past few days.  Puppies visited the South Oval. There was a crowd around them all day long, but I managed to cuddle with two precious babies. I now have a serious case...

It seems all I've been doing the past few days is writing. Writing papers, writing blog posts, writing notes, and writing in my journal. For me, writing helps create order in my otherwise chaotic cranium.  I wish I was better at using my words vocally, but I'm still learning how to think thoroughly before speaking.  I attended a student assistant training on Sunday afternoon for next fall and learned a lot about myself. The speakers asked us to take the StrengthsQuest Survey prior to arriving and to learn what our top 5 strengths were according to the test.  The results were lengthy and detailed, but a single worksheet on strengthsquest.com summed up each of my strengths. Maximizer : People talented in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something especially talented into something superb. Consistency : People talented in the Consistency theme are keenly aware of the need to treat people ...

February 26th is when I wrote my very first EVER blog post a year ago. You can read it here . 217 posts later I don't know that I've grown as a writer, but I can claim with confidence I've grown as a person.  But maybe that's the exact same concept. Because this person is a writer. Sometimes. I'm also a reader. An eater. A runner. A sleeper. A giggler. A tweeter. A Facebook-er. A studier. A dreamer.  A daughter. A sister. A girlfriend. A friend. All in all, quite a multi-personality Very Lucky Girl. 

I crawled out of bed on a Tuesday morning over Christmas Break at 5 am to accompany Sharbear to her 5:30 am kickboxing class. I have never boxed in my life, kick or otherwise. I felt EXTRA uncoordinated. That's another plus to running: the clumsiest person can do it with little ill effects. Nevertheless, I persevered through the class, pausing to gulp water only 3 times.  Sharbear is member at a small gym, the class had maybe 9 participants (the time likely drives everyone away) and had your stereotypical bouncy, overly energetic blonde who no doubt was headed to pilates upon completion of the class, the front row mom who did the opposite of whichever side the instructor commanded, the lone middle-aged man who reminisced about his old boxing coach before class began, and the obnoxious girl to my left who sang along to every. single. song. Honey, you aren't kicking hard enough! I really enjoyed the group aspect and the coach dynamic of the gathering. It felt vaguely li...

I was sitting in the Starbucks on Campus Corner during dead week, snatching a few extra minutes of studying before heading out into the brisk night, when a stranger haphazardly approached me. Our conversation transpired as follows: Would you switch seats with me? Uhhh why? Cuz I want to sit by the window. [nervous laughter] Well so do I. can I sit with you then? [indicates the entirely separate table merely shoved up against mine by a prior customer] Uh yeah you can sit there, it's fine. [buries head in notes, hoping to deflect any further advances] What's your name? Is that what I think it is? [touches rape whistle on my keychain laying on the table] Yep, it's a rape whistle. [not so subtle emphasis on the rape] Oh. so what's your name again? Taylor. What do you do? I go to school Oh I dropped out in 10th grade and got my GED. i might go to OCCC in january though. My boyfriend went there. [quick insert of boyfriend line. GOT EM.] Oh cool. What's h...

For so much. So, so much. The blessings in my life so outweigh any negative, major OR minor. I think the number one thing I am thankful for is drugs. I'm talking those little 5mg hydrocortisone tablets, 25mg DHEA pills, tiny halves of fludrocortisone, and the synthroid that I'm slowly getting weaned off of (wean-hate that word. Searched for another and came up blank). My drugs are awesome and amazing and I am so thankful for medical insurance and for parents that are willing to shell out cash to prolong and maintain my fulfilling life. I'm thankful for a heart that's sometimes too sensitive, but one that is often attuned to the feelings of others. I'm thankful for legs that are learning the nuances of running all over again. I'm thankful for people that enrich my existence everyday. I'm thankful for family that knows the value of laughter I'm thankful to work with dedicated and motivated students. And I'm extra thankful for the sucker t...

It's official, I am a trained employee of Fuzzy's Taco Shop. Working brings a new, not entirely unwelcome, dynamic to my free time. That was the main purpose for my midsemester venture into the working world. I'm too good at prioritizing my school assignments...and was left with miles and miles of unscheduled hours. So why not get paid to smell tacos for a few shifts? Exactly. Fuzzy's serves alcoholic beverages so I am in the process of obtaining my liquor license and compiling all of the stories of schwastyfaced individuals into a heartwarming blog post. Stay tuned! I work in constant fear of having to clean up puke. #fingerscrossed I've had two drunk strangers profess their love for me, one tell me "forreal doe, if you ain't married I'm comin' back to talk to ya. I'm serious", and another ask me what special skill I would bring to the table in a zombie apocalypse.  Despite the constantly sticky hands from cleaning up queso (seri...

I don't know about you, but I'm starting to regret the hold that sites like Facebook have on my life, despite how much I admire the purpose behind Mark Zuckerberg's idea and the other social media that have latched on, like Instagram and Twitter.  Paul sent me this link via email yesterday, the coincidence is seriously astounding as I had already written this post Personally, I think social media's designated purpose is to make it easy to share your life with those that live farther away. You have the prerogative to share written updates and pictures about what is important to you, whether it be a cherished person, a prized car, an unbelievable experience, or a beloved pet. But lately Facebook seems to have taken a more twisted turn, as most of my interactions involve my friends that I see more regularly.  I don't foresee any drastic action occurring soon, I still use Facebook for the more useful purposes of sharing this blog, connecting with my Gateway class,...

So I was in Court today. Did you just freak out? Well, calm yourself, I was only the moral support for my friend. It was a completely new experience. If growing up means going to court I'd like to take the next train back to kindergarten, please. The courthouse itself is incredibly domineering and ominous, gray and uninviting (sorry, kinda got carried away with those adjectives). We walked up those stone steps, laughing and joking ("photo-op? let's commemorate this moment!") and instantly fell serious as we tiptoed inside. We were ushered through a metal detector (I am only used to these inside airports so to go through one without the promise of a flight directly after was slightly disappointing) and proceeded to sign in for arraignment. Commence people watching. We sat on a wooden bench (think church pew a long way from home) and instantly googled the presiding judge. Google images were unhelpful. Michael Tupper looked like someone who didn't get a bid d...