Summertime Sickness

Hey y'all!

I have been having some health problems for the past month & 1/2, but I think I am FINALLY getting better!

 The last blood work showed me positive for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF). Haha, yes, it is an actual real disease.

All I knew previously about RMSF at first was that it was a tick borne disease that is transmitted just like lyme disease. I didn't realize how harmful it could potentially be.

If you are curious about it, you can read it here: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

 The antibiotics didn't seem to be helping at first, but I heard it can take awhile before they actually begin to work.

I guess I learned the hard way to always wear BUG SPRAY while hiking/being outside!

 I'm determined to get over being sick and get back to enjoying life even more! I was absolutely thrilled to get back to work today, even if it was just for a few hours. 

My Young Living Essential Oils have helped tremendously. Peppermint is my miracle oil! I have learned to bring my oils with me wherever I go - it's my first aid kit!

My husband has seriously been an angel. He has gone above and beyond helping me through this time, whether it has been cleaning or just holding me while I cry from the pain. I truly could not survive without him.  <3

Anyway, I won't continue to bore you with the details about my health. 

So, trying to get back on track with health and fitness, with my hubby's help, we went to the grocery store and picked up some goodies. I did not push myself, but finally being able to do something like go to a grocery store was so wonderful. I have taken my health for granted, so now when I am able to walk around, it means so much more to me than it did before.

I grabbed peppers, oranges, baby carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, butternut squash, zucchini, avocados, sweet onion, white onion, oranges, and cantaloupe melon.

Oh! Now you can buy wine in grocery stores here in TN! It's definitely strange seeing wine in grocery stores, but I know a lot of people are happy about it.

I can't wait till I feel 100% better so I can have a glass of wine!

The first thing I made was fresh orange juice! I haven't juiced in a while and fresh orange juice is the best. Gotta get those vitamins!

The next thing I made was a recipe inspired from my favorite blog - Simply Taralynn: Simply Taralynn's Blog

Usually for lunch/dinner side items I have asparagus or broccoli. Having the same thing constantly can get boring. I want to add more variety of vegetables to go with lunch and dinner meals. 

I heated up the oven to 400 degrees while I chopped up my veggies. My blend of veggies contained zucchini, squash, orange bell peppers, and white onion.

I seasoned them with garlic salt, pepper, and onion powder, and popped them in the oven for an hour, stirring about every 20 minutes.

I grilled some chicken seasoned with a little olive oil and Mediterranean mixed spices that I bought previously from Zi Olive (Zi Olive Knox)

It was delicious!

Nathan even surprised me with a new kitchen island! Now I have more incentive to get better so I can really use it! :)

I want to say thank you to all of my family, friends, and my work family, for all your support, prayers and positive thoughts through this difficult time! <3