Making A Joyful Noise Unto The Lord

Last night, I did something I have not been able to do in 5 yrs.....I played my drums at Church!

My church has been asking me for 2 years to bring my drums and start playing for them because they have no drummer.  But due to Crohn's I have not had the physical strength to play, until last night!

I have playing drums professionally for 18 years, I started playing for churches, revivals, and songfests locally when I was 15 years old.  But my love for the drums and a hunger to play started when I was just 3 years old!

Me age 4 or 5 years old with my sister Autumn Age 2 or 3 years old playing on my Aunt Lori's Drum set. This is the drum set I cut my drumming teeth on

One of the last videos of me performing was taken back in 2008 at The Salvation Army's Divisional Women's Retreat those videos are on my youtube channel. The next year I was too sick to play and have not played professionally since that time, that was until last night!

Me at my home church Plug Run last night playing for the first time in 5 years. The set up may look a little strange but with this set up I can have an entire drum set, toms, cymbals, and all with out taking up alot of space

I had so much fun just making a joyful noise unto the Lord, and the entire church was so blessed they told me to have me play for them.  To look out in the audience and see my Grandma, Grandpa, cousins and my husband all watching me with such big smiles on their faces was just so awesome.

My Cousin Richard playing the Guitar, His wife Cookie,and my Grandma singing a special song, and me backing them up on drums.  It was so great to play with my family.

Not only did I get to play for the congregation singing but my cousin Richard sang and His wife Cookie and my Grandma sang with him while I backed them up on the drums. I love playing with my family, we all are very musically talented, Especially my Dad's side of the family, music is in our blood. I'm the only female drummer on my dad's side of the family and I'm the 2nd female drummer on my mom's side of the family.

It was very special to see my husband Jeremy in the audience just watching me with the look of, "yep that's my baby up there play those drums!" He just beamed with pride for me.  I call him my roadie hehe haha.

We had no idea if my body could last the entire service because I have not played this long straight since before I got really sick, but my body held up and I made it through the whole service without getting sick!

My whole life all I've ever known is music and church, and that's what I love to do. I love to play music for the Lord. Even if there would be no one in the audience I'd still be happy to play, because the Lord is there and He is the reason I play, being a blessing to others is just a perk to me. 

Without Jesus I could not do any of this, and He gets all the glory.  I am just a vessel to be used by Him to help inspire and lead people to be saved.  I always tell people, do look at me, Look At Him! Because without the Lord none of what I have accomplished could have happened.

Jeremy did take video clips of me playing, and we will get those clips into a video and upload them to my youtube channel in the next couple of days. 

Spending Time With Friends Is The Best Part Of Living

Accomplished more on my "Living List" today, actually I accomplished everything I hoped to do today and only had 3 hours that the crohn's took me out!

Went and had breakfast at our fav cafe with our "second parents" and also my Dad! Our "Second Parents" had gone on a trip to Ireland last week and while there they bought us some authentic Irish Buscuits!

Real Irish Biscuits flown all the way to Ohio from Ireland by our awesome friends

Then went to the Chillicothe Bikers Church's Annual Hog Roast and Bike Show for Lunch, this was for Dad and Jeremy really, I skipped the food but enjoyed hearing Pastor Foot and Pastor Critter share their testimonies and messages the Lord put on their hearts. 

Me and my Dad at the Hog Roast. Yeah you can tell I'm his Daughter, we look like twins.

Me and a VERY Sweaty Jeremy taking a selfie At The Hog Roast, it was very humid out.

 

 

Jeremy Just Had to take a picture of the HOG! Dad and Jeremy Said it was AWESOME pulled pork!

  I Got sick at the Hog Roast and Dad and Jeremy had to get me home quick.

And after resting for 3 hours the pain and extreme fatigue passed enough to go to Pike Lake with Jeremy, my dad, and a family friend, to their Music Festival to See My good friend Stephanie Stanley perform, and there I ran into my Aunt Linda and her Husband Justin and had a good chat.

I was brought to tears when in the middle of her set Stephanie looks up and says, "I just want to say I to Miranda and Jeremy!" and waves at us. Stephanie knows just how much I've fought to be able to come and sit and listen to her and support her tonight. I just didn't expect her to call me out like that. 

Our Friend Stephanie Stanley Performing with her friend Chad. I love Stephanie's Guitar Bright Cherry Red

I lasted through Stephanie's Set, but had to leave not long after because my body was giving out again on me. Oh and I Got to drive for the first time today in over 6 months!!!! I drove to pike lake and drove home!!! YAY ME!!!!

My body is screaming now and I'm completely exhausted, but to see my friends Pastor Foot and his wife, Stephanie, and our "Second Parents" Dawn and Gary and also spend time with Jeremy and My Dad all day is worth the pain, because tomorrow is not promised and I have to LIVE and do what I can for as long as I can. 







Hope to do more and see more friends I haven't seen in a long time soon.

Now I am going to go take a pain pill and see if I can get some sleep, and see what tomorrow holds.

Things I Have Accomplished On My "Living List" Since Recovering From Surgery

It's 1:30 a.m. here in Chillicothe Ohio. It's quiet and all i can hear is the sound of my husband softly breathing....and occasionally farting in his sleep. (He may kill me for that but admit it even you ladies, we all fart in our sleep)

I'm lying awake completely doped up on anti nausea and pain meds but can't sleep due to the painful itching in my feet caused by very bad swelling I had earlier due to steroids I'm on trying to get this Crohn's disease in remission, that doesn't seem to want to work again. Yes again because I was on this steroid (Entocort) 2 years ago and it didn't work then and it obviously is not working now. And all it is doing is making me retain lots of fluid in my feet and ankles to the point they hurt even though I'm taking a diurectic/blood pressure pill to combat the swelling. So double the pain now which means I'm miserable and back to not being able to do much.

But this is NOT what I got on here to write about in the middle of the night.  Below I'm listing some of the things I've gotten to accomplish over the past 3 weeks since I recovered from rectal/colon surgery to repair damage crohn's had caused. And giving me back part of my life and taking care of 50% of my pain/problems.

Now some of the things on this list may seem TMI (Too Much Information) For some but when you are battling a life long debilitating disease you want to share everything you've gotten to do. So here is what I've accomplished so far in the past 3 1/2 weeks.

--Ate At A Restaurant with my grandparents for the first time in 6 months
--Went To Church for the First time in over 6 months
--Walked in the park for the first time in over a year
--Went Grocery Shopping For the First time in 4 months
--Went Fishing with my husband for the first time EVER in our entire 8 year relationship/6 1/2 year marriage
--Had Sex with my husband like a normal person for the first time in 5 years!
--Made a pineapple upside down cake for the first time EVER
--Went to a local cafe and had breakfast with my hubby and Dad
--Had a day with my dad, We ate at a restaurant then watched a movie together. First time in 5-6 years we've done that together.
--For the First Time EVER, Went to our local library and got my library card and spent a few hours at the library just reading.
--Grilled out on our patio for the first time in over a year
--Went to 3 doctors appointments in less than a month and didn't get violently sick riding in the car to and from the appointments for the first time in over 3 years.
--Started making Video logs on my youtube account after nearly a year of being too ill to do them
--And Finally achieved a Green Thumb! Taking Good care of my Flowers my Grandma bought me for my birthday, I love smelling them and watching them grow and bloom.
--Cleaned my upstairs bathroom for the first time EVER living in this home without getting sick! It normally takes me over an hour to clean our little bathroom upstairs but I did it in 15-20 minutes and didn't even have to take a break or lie down afterward!
--Walked From our house down the street to the grocery store, walked around the grocery store, then walked home. FIRST TIME EVER since we've lived here.  That was really pushing me and I nearly collapsed after but I DID IT!

And this is not the end I keep adding more and more to my "Living List" and I hope to share more that I have accomplished soon

JMC Vlog Episode 41: Facing My First Real Bad Day Since Surgery

Accomplished some more things on my "Living List" On Saturday, But then Sunday and Monday Crohn's Kicked my butt literally.



I share about being bedridden and while in bed chatting with my friend Virginia who has Leukemia and is in the hospital after her body began retaining fluid and the fluid is now in her lungs.

Making Choices And Sacrifices To Be Able Live And Love Like A Normal Person

Today, I was faced with a very big dilemma today because there were 2 things I really wanted to do, but knew my body could only handle one. One was, doing nothing all day but rest so I could go to church this evening and be with my family and church family worshiping God. Or two, wear my self completely out to make a cherished memory with my husband doing something I have not been able to do in 5 years.

I chose number two....

Now some may think that was wrong to choose number two, but I have been to church more times in the past 5 years and even in the past 2 weeks, than I have gotten to do this one activity with my husband in 5 years. And because I chose number two and surprised my hubby by this choice, he was brought to tears because he knows the sacrifice I gave just to make another cherished moment/memory that made him and i happy.

Yes I must nurture my relationship with God, but I also must nurture my marriage that has been put through literal hell and has nearly fallen apart if it were not for mine and Jeremy's fighting spirit and faith that God has a purpose and plan for our marriage. I must nurture and care for what God has also given me. That is why I chose number 2.

Now Tonight lying in bed, I am paying dearly for my choice.  The intestinal pain is the worst it has been in 3 weeks and I've had to take 2 pain pills in 4 hours and also an anti nausea med as well.  Jeremy feels guilty seeing me in so much pain because I chose number two.  But the pain is all worth it just to see him smile and happy, and I cherish that moment that I felt fully alive and normal again. Even if it was short lived, but all that matters now is that.....I LIVED and when I have another good day I'll Live it again to its fullest.  

Many chronically ill and terminally ill people make what they call bucket lists (things they want to do whie they are still healthy enough to do them).....But I don't believe in bucket lists per say.  I believe in "LIVING LISTS". Because these things on this list are what you do when you are living and not being sick or dying at the moment, and you can only do them if you are truly fighting to LIVE and not Just Survive this life we have been given.  My list grows weekly as I mark off things I have been able to live and experience finally again.

Choices and Sacrifices sometimes have to be made so we can live, but in the end they are well worth the pain and the tears we may go through just so we can say another day.....I LIVED and didn't just survive! 

JMC Vlog Episode 40: Recovered From Surgery And Feel Great

My First Vlog In Nearly A Year!
Since Jeremy's Vlog Update 2 weeks ago, I have gotten so much better from the surgery I had on April 25, 2014 to repair damage to my colon/rectum due to Crohn's Disease.

It's been a long 7 years of suffering but finally I am getting a break and being able to live again some what.