Ok, so I went to the doctors today and I have really good news: my cyst has burst!!! Yes that's right, number five is no more! Contrary to what my sister wanted me to do, I did not name this one (she named my previous four).
To say that I'm relieved is an understatement! I was so hoping to not have to have surgery again because to be quite honest, I don't think that my body has still yet fully recovered from the last ordeal. I know emotionally I was definitely not prepared to have to do something like that again, so I'm very happy that I don't have to.
So what does this mean for the future? Well I had a choice to make. I can continue to go for ultrasounds and tests every few months to see what's happening and keep monitoring everything, but I have chosen not to. Maybe it's something I will change my mind on in the future, but I my reasoning now is that I don't want to live like this for the rest of my life: being supersensitive about every pain or twinge, going for test after test, waiting for results and then doing the whole cycle again.
No, I'd rather enjoy every day and not worry about what may or may not happen in the future. Some may call that irresponsible, but after almost three years of dealing with these cysts, I've come to the point where this is something I feel comfortable doing.
So thank you all for your prayers and support! The prayers definitely worked and I feel truly blessed to have such a great group of people around me :)
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Friday, August 25, 2006
First Endorsement
So as a part of the whole publishing process, a few copies of my manuscript were sent out to various people for them to read (and hopefully endorse). Well today I received my first endorsement:
"We're all walking through a fallen world, and at times we need a guide to point out the trails and the traps. Kristen McNulty's book does that, raising important questions with insight and offering answers with integrity."
Craig Borlase, author of God's Gravity: The Upside-Down Life of Selfless Faith
I don't know why, but getting this makes the whole thing even that much more real to me. It's so exciting!
Well I'm off to my aunts cottage for the weekend. I'm sure I'll have lots to post about on my return ;)
"We're all walking through a fallen world, and at times we need a guide to point out the trails and the traps. Kristen McNulty's book does that, raising important questions with insight and offering answers with integrity."
Craig Borlase, author of God's Gravity: The Upside-Down Life of Selfless Faith
I don't know why, but getting this makes the whole thing even that much more real to me. It's so exciting!
Well I'm off to my aunts cottage for the weekend. I'm sure I'll have lots to post about on my return ;)
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Seeing Past The Surface
This week I've been spending a good deal of my time painting at work. I can't say I've ever done much of it before, but I got a quick crash course this week.
The amazing thing about paint is that you can take something that looks so weathered and beaten and make it look completely brand new with just one coat of paint.
Unfortunately though, that paint will start to dull and it won't be long before it starts to flake away. It's a temporary solution to a permanent problem.
Maybe that's the reason why when God works on our hearts, He never does a surface job because He knows it'll only be temporary. No, when God does something, He digs deep down to the core of the issue and does His work.
Unfortunately many times as Christians we don't like this process because it's a little too long and painful. So we slap on our own coats of paints and ignore what is rotting underneath. And while temporarily that may make us look good for a day, a week, a month, or maybe even a year, God sees past that. He sees the cracks, He sees the stains- He sees what needs replacing.
And so with gentle hands and a patient heart he slowly chips away at our coats of paint until the real problem is exposed. And when it is, He doesn't leave it out there to flaunt: He removes the problem and restores things to the way they should be.
This is never an easy process and it's usually not quick: it was never meant to be. But it is the only way that we can be truly transformed from the inside out.
The amazing thing about paint is that you can take something that looks so weathered and beaten and make it look completely brand new with just one coat of paint.
Unfortunately though, that paint will start to dull and it won't be long before it starts to flake away. It's a temporary solution to a permanent problem.
Maybe that's the reason why when God works on our hearts, He never does a surface job because He knows it'll only be temporary. No, when God does something, He digs deep down to the core of the issue and does His work.
Unfortunately many times as Christians we don't like this process because it's a little too long and painful. So we slap on our own coats of paints and ignore what is rotting underneath. And while temporarily that may make us look good for a day, a week, a month, or maybe even a year, God sees past that. He sees the cracks, He sees the stains- He sees what needs replacing.
And so with gentle hands and a patient heart he slowly chips away at our coats of paint until the real problem is exposed. And when it is, He doesn't leave it out there to flaunt: He removes the problem and restores things to the way they should be.
This is never an easy process and it's usually not quick: it was never meant to be. But it is the only way that we can be truly transformed from the inside out.
Monday, August 14, 2006
The "Something Major"
"Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart's desires."
Psalm 37:4
For the past five months my belief in the words of Psalm 37 has been tested. You see it has been a lifelong dream of mine to write a book and have it published. Last summer I felt that the time to write was now, so I took a step of faith and started to write.
That decision was further confirmed when a publisher approached me and said that they wanted to publish my book, so I kept writing and finally came up with a finished product.
Unfortunately before I could sign a contract (or maybe that was fortunate) the company sold to another publisher who converted it into an educational publishing house. So I was left with a 35,000 word document and a broken dream.
As I submitted my proposal to other companies and got a lot of "sorry we have a full line-up, try again later" emails, I started to doubt if maybe this book idea was just something I wanted for me and not something God wanted for me. But deep down inside the fire was still burning.
Well that little fire got a dose of gasoline recently when another publishing company offered me a deal!!! Supposedly they were impressed with the content of the sample chapters they saw and really liked my writing style.
Needless to say, the whole experience is very surreal! Because not only does this mean that a lifelong dream is being turned into reality, but it could open up so many doors for my future it's hard to believe! By the way this was the "something major" that I was talking about a couple of weeks ago. Sorry I couldn't share the details sooner, but I had to wait until everything was finalized.
So what's happening with it right now? Well I just finished my final edit of the manuscript and now I'm in the process of choosing possible photos for the book cover. And at the same time, final edits for my "author website" have be completed and it's now online. You can take a look at it by visiting www.kristenmcnulty.com. I'd love to hear any feedback that you guys have on it!
Praise God for the desires that He places within our hearts and for the way that He arranges our futures!
Psalm 37:4
For the past five months my belief in the words of Psalm 37 has been tested. You see it has been a lifelong dream of mine to write a book and have it published. Last summer I felt that the time to write was now, so I took a step of faith and started to write.
That decision was further confirmed when a publisher approached me and said that they wanted to publish my book, so I kept writing and finally came up with a finished product.
Unfortunately before I could sign a contract (or maybe that was fortunate) the company sold to another publisher who converted it into an educational publishing house. So I was left with a 35,000 word document and a broken dream.
As I submitted my proposal to other companies and got a lot of "sorry we have a full line-up, try again later" emails, I started to doubt if maybe this book idea was just something I wanted for me and not something God wanted for me. But deep down inside the fire was still burning.
Well that little fire got a dose of gasoline recently when another publishing company offered me a deal!!! Supposedly they were impressed with the content of the sample chapters they saw and really liked my writing style.
Needless to say, the whole experience is very surreal! Because not only does this mean that a lifelong dream is being turned into reality, but it could open up so many doors for my future it's hard to believe! By the way this was the "something major" that I was talking about a couple of weeks ago. Sorry I couldn't share the details sooner, but I had to wait until everything was finalized.
So what's happening with it right now? Well I just finished my final edit of the manuscript and now I'm in the process of choosing possible photos for the book cover. And at the same time, final edits for my "author website" have be completed and it's now online. You can take a look at it by visiting www.kristenmcnulty.com. I'd love to hear any feedback that you guys have on it!
Praise God for the desires that He places within our hearts and for the way that He arranges our futures!
Friday, August 04, 2006
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Trip to Huntsville
So last week my sister and I ended up spending a few days in the Huntsville area. It was kind of a last minute trip- we had stumbled upon a great hotel deal online and since she was on holidays, she decided to go and asked if I would like to come along. I of course said yes!
The hotel that we were staying at was fantastic. They had many on-site activities that we took full advantage of including tennis, canoeing, swimming, and pool. I also tried my hand at kayaking, but ended up getting out of the kayak rather quickly as I just don't have the balance needed!
On Thursday we took a trip up to Ragged Falls, which was a good distance from the hotel, but we had went in 2002 on a family vacation and really wanted to see it again. The last time we took a boat right up to the bottom of the falls and then climbed up. This time we had to settle for the trail, but it was fun. The falls are beautiful and its always wonderful to be in the middle of God's creation (to the right is a photo I took of part of the falls).
The only downfall (no pun intended) to Ragged Falls was the stupidity of two parents. They decided it would be fun to launch their kids down the river leading to the falls and it could have very well turned into a deadly activity. As it was the father slipped and fell into the rapids and its a miracle that he didn't end up going down the falls. I understand the idea of adventure, but this was just plain stupidity.
My favorite activity of the trip though was the horseback riding! Neither Erin or I had ever been before and we both really wanted to try it, so we booked a spot and got to ride some pretty nice trails. It was a lot easier than what I thought it would be, although I'm sure it would have been harder if I would have gotten an active horse. Mine was kind of lazy and at one point stopped dead in the middle of the trail and wouldn't go further. I tried everything to get him to move, but he was quite stubborn. It took a lot to finally get him going again, but once he did, he was pretty good for the rest of the ride.
It's too bad horseback riding costs so much here because it's something that I could see myself seriously pursing as a hobby. What can I say- I have expensive tastes. First downhill skiing. Then golf. Now horseback riding. I think I'm going to stick to tennis- its fun and free. ;)
The hotel that we were staying at was fantastic. They had many on-site activities that we took full advantage of including tennis, canoeing, swimming, and pool. I also tried my hand at kayaking, but ended up getting out of the kayak rather quickly as I just don't have the balance needed!
On Thursday we took a trip up to Ragged Falls, which was a good distance from the hotel, but we had went in 2002 on a family vacation and really wanted to see it again. The last time we took a boat right up to the bottom of the falls and then climbed up. This time we had to settle for the trail, but it was fun. The falls are beautiful and its always wonderful to be in the middle of God's creation (to the right is a photo I took of part of the falls).
The only downfall (no pun intended) to Ragged Falls was the stupidity of two parents. They decided it would be fun to launch their kids down the river leading to the falls and it could have very well turned into a deadly activity. As it was the father slipped and fell into the rapids and its a miracle that he didn't end up going down the falls. I understand the idea of adventure, but this was just plain stupidity.
My favorite activity of the trip though was the horseback riding! Neither Erin or I had ever been before and we both really wanted to try it, so we booked a spot and got to ride some pretty nice trails. It was a lot easier than what I thought it would be, although I'm sure it would have been harder if I would have gotten an active horse. Mine was kind of lazy and at one point stopped dead in the middle of the trail and wouldn't go further. I tried everything to get him to move, but he was quite stubborn. It took a lot to finally get him going again, but once he did, he was pretty good for the rest of the ride.
It's too bad horseback riding costs so much here because it's something that I could see myself seriously pursing as a hobby. What can I say- I have expensive tastes. First downhill skiing. Then golf. Now horseback riding. I think I'm going to stick to tennis- its fun and free. ;)
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