ICLW June Edition

I just entered my information on Mel's form. I can't believe I hadn't added myself already. So if I don't make it on the list this month oh well. I'll still read and comment and pretend! lol

Here's a little about me/plans for the future.

• I'm almost 27 (next week! ahhh!)
• I have PCOS and Endo.
• I have horrible allergies all summer long thanks to the continuous blooming season and dry air here in the desert! (I'm contemplating buying stock in Kleenex!)
• I've been married for 7 years! (yes i was just a baby myself when we got married...but I wouldn't have it any other way now!)
• I'm currently in the middle of a job search, this is the last week before I have to sign my contract where I've worked for the last 6 years.
• I've been complaining a lot about my place of employment. SORRY! I promise I'll try not to anymore!
• If we move to someplace with IF insurance coverage, we'll proceed with treatments (aka start all over, it has been 5 years)
• If we stay here we will head to the OBGYN here locally and see how far into this process they take us. If that doesn't work, we'll do the 'foster to adopt' route (most likely of an older 4-7 yr old child is what we're thinking).

Life is kinda on hold, at least for this week. We have all kinds of plans we're supposed to have made for travel in July, but everything is still hanging by the "maybe we'll get a job somewhere else" thread. So next weekend we'll be cementing the rest of our summer plans. It will be nice to start making some concrete decisions!

So welcome, stick around awhile, later on this week I'll be hosting my first giveaway ;)

LA, LA Baby!

OK, I know it's a Jonas Brothers song, however, we heard it all the time in LA so I thought it was appropriate :) (Have I told you Radio Disney is one of my favorite stations to listen to? All the top hits and clean, albeit annoying, radio hosts... those are hard to find on satellite radio!)



We headed to Los Angels for some rest and relaxation. My Aunt and Uncle are currently (well til the end of the month) Mission Presidents of the California Los Angels LDS Mission. They have had quite the 3 years serving. We wanted to be sure to visit one more time before they were done at the end of the month.



We headed down on a Friday and went straight to the beach since it was sunset and the roads were clear. It was COLD! I had to go buy myself a jacket!

Santa Monica Pier

Palm Trees at Sunset

Saturday we walked the 500 yards to the LDS Los Angeles Temple. It is HUGE inside! One could definitely get lost in there.

After the temple we drove out to Philippe's for "the original french dip" sandwich. Every time we've been to LA in the last 3 years John's talked about going and had maps and directions how to get there. Finally, we got to go try it out. My tip/review... great sandwich, the spicy mustard is what sets it apart! Don't wait til your sandwich is almost gone to try it like we did!

Then on the way back to the mission home, we drove down all the famous roads and saw all the famous hotels, theaters, shopping areas, and signs. I'm still shocked at how squished everything is together! Rodeo Drive was fun, and so was seeing El Capitan where they premier a lot of Disney movies. It's also like Halloween with people dressed up as ALL kinds of characters! It was pretty amusing!

Monday we went out near the coast to check out locations for a luncheon my Aunt and Uncle were hosting the following weekend. We saw this old lighthouse, the Friendship Bell from Korea (I think) and got to watch the sunlight dance over the ocean. It was awesome!

New Infertility Non Profit

My sister got this extremely cool internship opportunity this summer to work for a newly founded nonprofit organization in Indiana. Please read the following from her and follow up if you're interested!



I am excited to share with you a newly founded nonprofit organization that I have become involved with, the Indiana Collaboration of Families with Infertility (ICFI). This organization is near and dear to my heart.


I am personally affected by a condition called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), which is now the leading cause of infertility in women across the country. My sister is also affected by PCOS, as well as endometriosis. I have watched her and her husband not only endure the private pain of not being able to have a family of their own for the last seven years, but also not having the social support they need because infertility is socially misunderstood.


ICFI is dedicated to raising awareness about infertility, supporting families emotionally and financially who are dealing with infertility, and providing a valuable online resource for support and reference. It was organized in April, and now officially has an EIN, with the paperwork for the 501c3 ready to be sent in this month. Our website is http://www.myicfi.org/ and we hope to have it up and running by the end of next week. Our first small fundraiser will be a dine and donate at Max and Erma's in Carmel; this will hopefully take place the last week in June but may happen in July based off of their availability. More information will be posted as soon as we have it - please plan to come out and support ICFI! We are currently very small, run entirely by 7 volunteers who are also passionately involved in the cause of infertility; however, we have big dreams for our budding organization and would love for you to get involved! If you would like to volunteer with us or make a tax-deductible donation of any general office supplies or money, we would definitely appreciate your help. Feel free to contact me for more information at dblackburn@myicfi.org.


Sincerely,
Dana Blackburn




I just LOVE my sister!


oh... and Happy 7 year Anniversary John!

Welcome ICLWers!

Well, I've been neglecting my little corner of the blogosphere. School is out for summer and we have an interesting summer ahead of us. If only we knew what was to come...cause right now I don't have a clue!


I've applied many places throughout the country. Right now our best chance at leaving our dysfunctional school board is looking like Memphis TN. I don't know if ANYTHING will happen. We may end up staying. Right now I don't know. Everything is so up in the air, and I feel like I'm suffocating!

Still nothing going on with TTC. On BCP and Met.formin for PCOS and Endo.

Other than that, nothing new here. Take a look around, and I promise to finish up the 5 posts I have started in the next two weeks!

Mother's Day Love

Many of "my friends" chose to ignore my facebook posts about NIAW.

Unfortunately, many of "my friends" are family. Some of whom have experienced infertility.

Many people choose to change the subject because discussing my infertility is awkward for them.

Most people choose to judge John and I's childless state and make comments like

• "aren't you EVER going to have kids?"
• "you're a teacher so you must like children."
• "why are you a teacher if you don't like kids since you don't have any?"
• "you've been married long enough, maybe you should think about children?"
• "maybe you should quite teaching and have children."
• "maybe if you weren't so focused on your career you'd have children."

However, I am a very lucky girl! I have many marvelous people in my life that get me, and care enough to support me.

My sister in law, commented and reposted every link I shared on facebook, reads and comments on my blog regularly, and always is thinking of how to make my day brighter. On Tuesday I came home to a package at my front door. Inside were these:

customized M&M's that say "We love you Aunt Erika" and this note.

It says " Aunt Erika, just wanted you to know that we were thinking of you on Mother's Day. Love the Kids"

So SPECIAL! Thank you! I love you guys and appreciate your thoughtfulness!

Then Thursday came. We ended up at school a little later than usual, had to run a few errands, and again, I came home to another package at my front door. (I NEVER get packages delivered to my house, our rural area has to go to the post office.) This one was 2 dozen gorgeous roses from my wonderful sister Dana. See:

With this note... isn't she amazing!

Then on Friday, my Aunt called me. Last year I spent Mother's Day with her. She watched how I cringed in church at some of the words that were spoken and knew how hard this day is for me. She called to make sure I was ok, and ready to brave today with a smile. It was one of the most appreciated uplifting pep talks EVER!

Finally today at church, I was mentioned by name, in one of the talks. I literally was so overwhelmed with gratitude I basically tackled the poor man to the ground afterwards telling him thank you. We both were teary eyed.

I have never felt more loved than I feel this week! Thank you to all my wonderful supporters! You make this life worth living!

I have a new what IF for you...

What IF everyone had this kind of a support system while suffering through infertility?

Secret Pals

I have had the joy and privilege to take part in Lynn's secret pals for the last two months. I cannot tell you how thrilled I have been to receive extra support and fun items from my secret pals! It has seriously been so much fun getting to know other people around the IF community and feel loved and supported, and be given the chance to show my support for others.

My March secret pal was Hannah from Life Happens When You're Making Other Plans

She sent me some awesome things :) A Dr. Seuss book. fuzzy socks, scrapbooking/card making stickers. a little purple lizard all the way from Cozumel that she got me on her cruise, and a gorgeous paperweight (I can't wait to get that to school next year!) She also wrote me some wonderful cards with all KINDS of questions. I"ll try and answer all of them at some point. Thanks Hannah!

My April secret pal was PCOSChick.

She sent me this amazing picture that her husband took and a GREAT book for my classroom about telling time. It just happened to come the week I was planning to teach telling time to my first graders. It's great! The picture is in a gorgeous frame. It is of an old barn and silos. It is AWESOME! Some people have such a gift for taking pictures! Thanks PCOSChick!

Guest Article: Endometriosis Pain and Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Endometriosis Pain and Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Many women must deal with a painful disease called endometriosis, which happens when endometrial tissues which should only grow in the uterus becomes located in other areas of the body. Endometriosis is one of the top three reasons behind female infertility and while one of the most treatable, it remains largely untreated in many women. Some of the symptoms of the disease include endometriosis pain during the menstrual cycle, irregular periods, fatigue, rectal and stomach pain, miscarriage, infertility, ectopic pregnancy, painful sexual intercourse and frequent yeast infections, chemical sensitivities and allergies.

While there are medical methods used to treat endometriosis, there is no known cause and no cure for the disease, however, there are many things that a woman can do to manage the symptoms and make life more bearable. Studies have shown that a woman eating a diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids has a less likely chance of developing endometriosis, while those with a diet heavy in trans-fats might be more at risk. Just as diet is important when a woman is trying to conceive a baby, it is also very important when naturally trying to manage the symptoms of endometriosis. Omega-3 fatty acids may hold the key to erasing endometriosis pain and could decrease the chances of a woman ever developing the disease.

Women that observe a diet rich in long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids were 22% less likely to be diagnosed with endometriosis than females that consumed the least amounts. A research study conducted using 70,000 American nurses as subjects followed the women over a 12-year period, and according to results a healthy diet is a key factor in the development of endometriosis. Just because a diet is low in fat does not mean it is healthy, women that consumed a diet high in trans-fats had a 48% increased risk of developing endometriosis, which means diet is a very important component in the lives of all females.

There are millions of women worldwide that suffer from endometriosis, many have spent countless numbers of years wondering how to go about managing the discomfort and pain and now through incorporating Omega-3 fatty acids into the diet, there is a new reason to hope. Researchers have found that certain dietary changes can lessen the likelihood a woman has of developing the disease, but also determined that Omega-3 fatty acids have a protective quality against endometriosis. Long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish like tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, smelt and anchovies and are the healthiest way a woman can add the fats to her daily diet.

When trying to conceive, Omega-3 fatty acids not only play an important part in improving female fertility, but now are also linked to helping prevent or decrease the risk women have of developing endometriosis. Following the dietary recommendations of a medical professional and through regular incorporation of Omega-3 fatty acids into the diet, a woman can take steps to reduce trans-fats and decrease the risk of endometriosis or alleviate symptoms if already experiencing the disease.

This article was written by Tania. She co-writes the blog Trying to Concieve. Find out more about her and her blog here.

I just want to thank Tania for sharing this information with me and my readers. I think many of us endo gals are open to trying anything to relieve the pain endo causes. Thanks again!