• Home
  • About
  • Wellness
  • Dana Rose Lee Photography
  • Contact

Dana Rose Lee Blog

Amazon Prime Day Purchase | 23andMe and MTHFR

July 16, 2018

While my bank account is never happy on Amazon Prime Day, I am truly thankful for one purchase I made in 2017. I bought a 23andMe kit for the sole purpose of wanting to find out more about my ancestry. 23andme, MTHFR, Saliva, DNA, Ancestry, Amazon, Kit, Health, Wellness, Dana Rose Lee BlogWhen I spoke with a friend about the saliva kit, she decided to purchase it as well because she wanted to find out if she had MTHFR. That 5 letter word had popped up a lot on social media. All I really knew about it was it’s link to miscarriages and tongue ties because that is what I kept seeing.

Six weeks after sending my saliva off, my results came back on my ancestry, which was fun to see but not that surprising. I was actually more interested in finding out if I had the MTHFR gene mutation so I researched how to process my raw data, did it and anxiously waited. And then…I found out I had MTHFR and the worst kind you could have. At first, I was really really upset. In fact, I cried because we were trying to get pregnant at the time and I feared miscarriages. But then, I started researching everything I could about this gene mutation and it was MIND BLOWING. Like lightbulb moment for me.

Our bodies need methylation, which is an important process that enables us to stay healthy. Those of us with a MTHFR gene mutation have a highly reduced ability to convert folic acid or even folate into a usable form. Both are forms of vitamin B9, required for numerous critical bodily functions. When the process of methylation is interrupted by the gene mutation, over-methylation or under-methylation can occur and many conditions can arise.

I have the C677T gene mutation and am homozygous which means both of my parents are carriers for the gene mutation. As many of you know, my Mom passed away of a non-smokers Lung Cancer. When doing my research, I found that lung cancer can be traced back to this gene mutation. WOW. She also had two miscarriages one of which was a twin loss and as it is widely known, miscarriages are a very common cause of this gene mutation. Like I said, finding out that I had MTHFR shed light on so many things.

Here are some of the conditions that can come from the gene mutation that I have or have had in my life:

-Migraines
-PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)
-Chronic Nerve Pain
-Cancer
-Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)
-sleep issues

And to think it took me 32 years to get tested for this genetic mutation. And honestly, had the 23andMe test not been $100 off on Prime Day, I probably wouldn’t have bought the kit. I would have never known all that I know now. Pretty crazy, right?!

Because MTHFR is genetic, there is a chance that Ollie might have it too. As a MTHFR-aware person, of course I had heard of tongue-ties. I am even in a FB group titled: Tongue Ties, Autism, MTHFR – what’s the connection? I never thought Ollie might have one though. Because you see, he was not the typical tongue tie case. He did not have difficulty latching. In fact, he latched on almost immediately after birth. He was gaining weight – in fact, he was climbing the growth chart at a solid rate, going from the 30th percentile to the 70th percentile in 5 weeks. In the back of my mind, those were the “tell tale signs” of tongue ties: difficulty latching and Poor weight gain. What I didn’t realize was, there are plenty of other symptoms which he did have: gas, gumming/chewing nipples, making clicking sounds while sucking, milk spilling out after feedings. There were also symptoms that I was having: discomfort while nursing, sleep deprivation and cracked nipples.

I am so thankful that one of my sweet mama friends asked me if I had him checked for ties after I was telling her some of the issues WE were having. I had a lactation consultant come to assess us (shoutout to Jenny Busbey of Lactation Room). She felt in Ollie’s mouth and said he had a strong tongue tie. She then watched us breastfeed and here is what she noted: he doesn’t latch. Because of my oversupply (which in this case is a blessing), milk basically pours into his mouth like a hose. This is why he was gaining weight so well but also why my nipples were so sore because he wasn’t in fact latching properly. In just 6 minutes (yes, this is a typical length feeding for us), Ollie drank 3oz of milk. After the feeding, milk came pouring back out of his mouth because he was taking in so much so quickly and couldn’t properly swallow because of his tongue not functioning properly. She said this is all common with tongue ties and felt that after the revision, I would definitely see an improvement with everything.

On Wednesday June 20th we saw an ENT to have Ollie’s tongue tie revised. While the procedure was super quick, it was the most heartbreaking thing to be in the room. Hearing him scream like that made my Mama heart hurt so badly. But…almost 4 weeks later, I can see a huge difference and know that in the long run, that day of pain was well worth it! He is latching so much better (almost pain free for me), spitting up way less, isn’t as gassy and fussy, his tongue is actually moving (he is making so many noises so I can now see it) and our sleep has improved (but of course Mama is hopeful for longer stretches eventually). I am so thankful that we had his tongue tie assessed and revised. I have a little mama guilt that it took 5 weeks to diagnose Ollie’s tongue tie and another week after to have it corrected. But I am grateful that he is thriving.

So friends, even if the 23andMe kit isn’t on sale today on Prime Day, I am writing this post to share what a blessing that purchase was one year ago. MTHFR is more common than we think – some estimate that as many as 40% of people have a MTHFR mutation. Unfortunately most don’t know about it because they haven’t been tested for it.

Leave a Comment · Labels: Lifestyle, Oliver, Personal, Wellness Tagged: 23andMe, Amazon, Amazon Prime Day, Dana Rose Lee Blog, DNA, Family, Genetic, Health, MTHFR, Mutation, Symptoms, Testing, Tongue Tie, Wellness

Welcome To The World Oliver Lee | Your Birth Story

June 7, 2018

Today marks one month since Oliver Lee entered this world. I am not quite sure how that happened but I am so grateful for every single moment (even the hard ones) with him. It is amazing how someone so little can change your entire world. For 10 months, you prepare for the moment you get to meet your baby. But honestly, nothing will prepare you for that moment. And those hours (or days) leading up to it make that moment so so worth it.

I knew from the second I got pregnant that I wanted an all natural, unmedicated birth. From my past experiences with surgeries (there have been 9 since 2008), medication and my body don’t go well together. In fact, drugs tend to never work and I always have adverse reactions to them. So an epidural was not in my birth plan. While many warned me about the pain of natural childbirth, I knew deep down that my body could withstand it. Mind over matter right? I spoke with friends who had gone all natural, I read Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth and I hired a doula. The more I researched and spoke with Brittany (my doula) of Frederick Moms and Doulas, the more empowered I felt that this was something I could do.

So are you ready for the birth story? Here we go…

At my 36 week appointment I was 1cm dilated and 50% effaced. I thought this was definitely a sign that I was going to go into labor early. I laugh at this thought now. At my 37 week appointment, there was no change. Still no change at my 38 week appointment. I had been having a lot of cramping during this week and some contractions here and there but nothing was progressing and I was getting super discouraged. If you know me, you know I am a planner. I want to know when things are going to happen and how everything is going to go down. This made the end of pregnancy really hard for me. It was a true test of patience and I had a lot more patience to be tested.

I was doing everything possible to kickstart this labor: chiropractor, acupuncture, walking (even walking with one foot on a curb and one down because I had heard this could help), eating pineapple, taking primrose oil, ingesting Young Living’s Clary Sage Essential Oil. Everyone says that baby will come when he/she is ready and I now realize that is in fact 110% true, but I needed to try everything because I was just so done.

On May 3rd, at my 39 week appointment, I had my membranes swept and this seemed to help things progress as I lost my mucous plug over the next 3 days. On Sunday night (5/6), I started having contractions that for the first time were timeable. They were about 10 minutes apart throughout the night. I woke up on Monday morning and my contractions had stopped. I headed to my chiropractor and got adjusted. My right hip was completely out of alignment so once he popped that back in place, I thought maybe things would start progressing again. Nothing all day. Monday evening, my contractions started again. They were 7-8 minutes apart throughout the night. I was supposed to go to acupuncture on Tuesday morning but in the middle of the night I emailed her to tell her I was having contractions and thought labor was impending. However, I was tricked yet again…I woke up Tuesday morning and my contractions had stopped. Nothing all day except for a few cramps here and there. Tuesday evening, my contractions started again. They were 8-9 minutes apart throughout the night. I woke up on Wednesday, so exhausted, 40 weeks pregnant and no baby.

Prodromal labor. It is truly the most frustrating thing – both mentally and physically. It is so rough but the only thing that was getting me through the contractions and sleepless nights that weren’t progressing to anything was the fact that Brittany had said most people who have prodromal labor have fast births. Could this be the silver lining of prodromal labor? One could only hope.

I was continuing to do all.the.things to try and get this baby out of me but he wasn’t hearing my eviction notice all too well. Brittany told me that birth was a marathon so I needed to rest as much as I could. Given the fact that I hadn’t been sleeping for days because of my nightly contractions, I really tried to rest all day on Wednesday. Wednesday night the contractions came back. I was so exhausted by timing that I just didn’t even attempt to time them. This baby was never going to come out of me.

I woke up on Thursday morning still pregnant but ready for my 40 week appointment. Josh came with me to my appointment, as I had an ultrasound scheduled for 9:30am. All looked well and that was a relief. I told Josh that he didn’t have to wait for my appointment with the doctor because it was just a routine check and I would call him after. They took my blood pressure and it was slightly elevated. I got checked and I was 2cm dilated and 70% effaced. I asked for another sweep because the word induction at 41 weeks was brought up and that was definitely not in my birth plan. After the sweep, I started feeling some serious cramping. The doctor left and returned and told me to lay back and try to relax, they wanted to check my blood pressure again. While it went down slightly, she was a little concerned by it so wanted me to go to labor and delivery triage to be monitored. I immediately texted Josh, who of course felt bad for leaving me and offered to come back to the hospital. I told him everything would be fine and I would keep him posted.

After checking in at triage and waiting for a little bit, I went back to a room and got hooked up to monitors, had my blood drawn and started feeling contractions. After snooping at the monitor, I noticed that my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart. The on call doctor came in and asked if I was feeling the contractions and I said yes, but they were tolerable. She told me that my blood pressure was completely normal and all the blood work came back normal so they were going to discharge me. It was 12:30pm and I was starving. I drove myself to Balducci’s Market to get some lunch.

I got home around 1:30pm and ate my lunch. Roxie was crying to go outside so I took her for a quick walk. When I came back inside, I got on the birth ball and started rocking back and forth. It was 2:58pm and Josh called me to tell me he was coming home and asked if I wanted him to stop to pick up coffee. Two minutes later, while still on the phone with him and on the ball, I heard this POP noise, almost like a rubber band snapping. And a gush of water flooded my yoga pants. It was crazy.

Me: OMG, my water just broke.
Josh: Seriously? OMG, he is coming. Should I still stop and get us coffee?
Me: Ummm no, I think you should come home!

I went upstairs to change my wet clothes and called Brittany. At this point my contractions were definitely getting stronger. Brittany stayed on the phone with me to time a few of them. I remember her saying “ok, they are pretty much on top of each other. Do you want to continue laboring at home for a bit longer or do you want to leave now?” My response was: “let’s go. But do you have your camera?” When I think about this I laugh. Only a photographer in labor would ask a photographer if she had her camera packed. Oh yes friends, my doula was also my birth photographer (Brittany DeFrehn Photography)!

Josh walked through the door and I told him to grab our bags, we were leaving! We put Roxie in the crate and I texted our dog walker who was going to doggy sit for her. The car ride to the hospital seemed to take forever (less than 20 minutes). There is no comfortable position in a car when you are in labor. When we got to the hospital, everyone was moving at snail speed. On the labor and delivery floor, while waiting for Brittany and to head back to triage, I paced back and forth and then ended up in the middle of the waiting room on my birth ball moving back and forth with each contraction. You lose all sense of caring about anything.

Finally at 4:30pm we went back into a triage room and I was so happy to see the same nurse from earlier who allowed us to break the rules and let both Josh and Brittany come back into the tiny triage room. I was also happy to see the same on call doctor who I really liked (and had seen a few times during my pregnancy). They checked me and I was 4cm dilated. Contractions were strong and back to back. My water kept gushing and bloody show had arrived. Things were getting super real. Brittany applied Clary Sage to my ankles and that started ramping things up even more.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth story Around 5:45pm, I was wheeled to a labor and delivery room. Fun fact: this was the same room that Brittany had delivered one of her babies in. That was definitely a good sign.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storyI was squatting, rocking back and forth on the ball, holding onto the bed, hopping onto the bed and leaning on the back of it, just trying to find a position to get me through these back to back contractions.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storyBrittany coached me through every contraction. She applied counter pressure to my back. She doused me in Peace & Calming Essential Oil. The nurse said it was the best smelling labor and delivery room she had been in. birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storyThere were no breaks between contractions and I remember looking at the clock thinking I don’t know how much longer I can do this. Josh kept reassuring me that I was doing great. I remember looking at Brittany and saying I don’t know how much longer I can do this and that’s when she said: “remember what I told you. When you tell me you can’t do it any longer, I promise you are close.” I got checked again and was a 9.

The worst feeling was me wanting to push and them telling me I couldn’t because I wasn’t fully dilated. Another bad feeling was me hearing that baby’s heart rate was dropping. All I could think of was they were going to wheel me in for a c-section. The nurse (who I loved) was very concerned about this. The doctor was less concerned. However, they did feel that I should get some fluids to not put baby in distress so I complied (but I will tell you, I made sure they weren’t giving me drugs). Unfortunately I had been poked and prodded all day (you should have seen one of my bruises) and my veins weren’t cooperating so it took multiple people to get the IV in.

I asked to be checked again and I was a 9 1/2. About 5 minutes later I made one noise and the nurse told my doctor to check me, she knew I was a 10. And hallelujah I was. I had gone from 4cm to 10cm in 4 1/2 hours. I was ready to push. Let me tell you, pushing is HARD! While it was such a relief to actually be able to push and know that I was one step closer to meeting baby, it was exhausting. I would push for 3 rounds of 10 seconds and each and then rest. I kept asking if I was making progress and the response was “we can see the head but then it retracts.” All that work for the head to just go back in – what a bummer. Finally, after about 50 minutes, my doctor told me to reach down and feel the head and that was by far the biggest motivating moment. I can do this. He is almost here. A few more pushes and I felt that Ring of Fire (oh my word that is real and really painful) and then…

At 10:01pm, Oliver entered the world. 7lbs 3 oz and 21 inches long.

They immediately put him on me and this image says it all.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storyAfter 7 hours of natural unmedicated labor (YES, I DID IT!!!), he was here and absolutely perfect! I delivered the placenta and Josh cut the cord after it finished pulsating.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storyUnfortunately I had a second degree tear in two places. Getting stitched up with only lidocaine that didn’t take in all the places was not fun at all. Like I know I had just birthed a baby which was way more painful, but that fish hook and stitching was awful. The only thing that got me through was holding Ollie the entire time.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storyBrittany continued documenting our first moments as a family of three.

birth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth storybirth, birth photography, natural birth, labor, baby, pregnancy, birth story

She helped me breastfeed for the first time and then I told her to go home! I am truly forever thankful for her. With her help, I was able to have the birth I had hoped for. Without a doubt, hiring her as my doula was the best decision I made.

Around 1:45am, we were finally transferred to a private room. I didn’t sleep at all. The adrenaline and hormones kept me wide awake and I couldn’t stop staring at the bassinet beside me.

Welcome to the world Oliver Lee, you are so loved and I am so thankful I get to be your Mama.

Leave a Comment · Labels: Essential Oils, Lifestyle, Oliver, Personal, Wellness Tagged: babies, birth, Birth Photography, Documentary Photography, Doula, Holy Cross Hospital, Life, motherhood, Natural, natural birth, Photography, pregnancy, Wellness

Clothier Maternity Session in Annapolis | Dana Rose Lee Photography

March 14, 2017

It is a gorgeous mama-to-be’s due date today, so I figured it would be a perfect time to share the Clothier Maternity session in Annapolis. We decided to photograph Jenna’s maternity session after her baby shower in mid-February. Why? Because her hair, make-up and outfit would be picture perfect (see what I did there). Plus, I would already be in Annapolis for the event. Her baby shower was at a private clubhouse right on the water, which was a beautiful backdrop for her session. After all, Jenna is all about the nautical theme so it was simply perfect (think: whale themed baby shower and nursery).

After her gorgeous party, we went out to the waterfront to begin our session. This Winter has been incredibly mild and we lucked out for the photo shoot as well. The light was overcast, which for me is a dream to shoot in, as I typically photograph in shade. We began our session with some family photos. It is hard to believe that these will be the last ones taken as a family of 3… Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to beMaternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be

How cute are Mom and Christopher? This guy can’t wait for his baby brother to arrive. Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be

Those tippy toes kill me…Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be

Isn’t she beautiful? Simply glowing! Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be

As a photographer, it is pretty cool to have the privilege to photograph life stages. While I did not have the opportunity to photograph Jenna and Alex’s wedding, I did get to take their engagement photos. These were also taken in Annapolis a few years ago – love coming full circle. Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be

And a few images to document where the baby shower took place. Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be Maternity Shoot, Portraits, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Annapolis, Maryland Photographer, Maternity Photography, Natural Light, Water, Outdoor Photography, Family, Pregnant, Mama to be

Now we are all just waiting on Baby Clothier’s arrival. Stay tuned, hopefully not for too much longer, for more pictures, as I also have the honor of photographing their newborn session when he arrives!

Leave a Comment · Labels: Lifestyle, Photography Tagged: Annapolis Maryland, Annapolis Photographer, Dana Rose Lee Photography, Documenting Life, Family Photos, Glowing, Maternity Photographer, Maternity Shoot, Natural Light Photographer, Outdoor Photography, Photography, Portrait Photographer, Waterfront

Healed in Health | Natural Remedies when Modern Medicine Fails

February 27, 2017

I remember the exact moment that would change my health history for the next 3.5+ years. It was May 25th 2013 and it was one golf swing on the 9th hole. Right after my tee shot, I felt this immediate sharp knife pain in my back that radiated down my leg into my big toe. I felt tingling and numbness and knew this wasn’t a good sign. So I of course started googling all the things that could have happened and came up with the self diagnosis of a bulged, perhaps herniated disc. I drove myself home (less than 4 minutes) and laid on the couch thinking to myself: here comes another serious injury. You see, I was born hypermobile which basically means double-jointedness. All of my joints stretch further than normal making me more prone to injury. My body is completely elastic. So this golf swing on anyone without this syndrome would have been a normal golf swing. For me, it was the golf swing that turned into my health saga, which I am about to share. It is long, I am warning you. But…I promise there is a happy ending.

After the pain became consistently worse, I went to see a specialist at NYU Hospital, who prescribed me with anti-inflammatories and physical therapy for three weeks. Up next: an MRI, which showed a minimal bulged disc. So the next step was a cortisone injection which did take the numbness away from my big toe but the pain was still radiating in my back. I waited and waited, as the doctors suggested, and still no relief. Another cortisone injection was their answer and yet, there was no relief after that either. They told me time. After two months of time, I went for a second opinion and their response was more physical therapy, muscle relaxers and time. I started doing some of my own research (I am known for this) and decided to try some alternative types of therapy, since modern medicine wasn’t helping at the moment. I first started with acupuncture but did not have any relief. Someone had suggested dry needling, which is a form of therapy that uses a needle to penetrate the skin. In doing this, it stimulates myofascial trigger points, muscular and connective tissues in hopes of managing neuromusculoskeletal pain. After my fourth session, the pain in my back subsided but suddenly I had groin pain. I was in tears when the needles were going into my groin area and the doctor felt I should go see a doctor about my pain. This seemed to be an issue that had not been addressed.

So the doctors visits and tests started. I saw 7 doctors including: my GP, a general surgeon, two orthopedists, my gynecologist, an endocrinologist and a gastroenterologist. They ordered multiple x-rays, an ultrasound, a catscan and an MRI. Prescriptions were written for multiple drugs ranging from Lyrica to Flexeril, Skelaxin, Naproxen, the list goes on and on, many of which I couldn’t even pronounce. No one was exactly sure why I was in the pain I was in so I was just going from doctor to doctor, searching for answers. I ended up at the University of Maryland in the care of someone who still didn’t have an exact answer but believed I had a sports hernia, which is a tear to the oblique abdominal muscles. This injury is typical among males and college or professional level athletes, so it was kind of a long shot but it was the “only” educated guess as to why I had this groin pain. On October 27th, 2013, I was scheduled for an “exploratory” surgery. Post operation, I finally had a diagnosis: Athletic Pubalgia (aka sports hernia). Now that my case was solved and was surgically fixed, I would finally be on the mend. However, that was not the case. I was going to physical therapy, I was doing everything the doctor recommended, yet I was still in the exact SAME pain. I kept waiting and waiting for the relief that the surgeon said I was going to have and it just wasn’t happening.

After going back to the surgeon in December, she felt that there was most likely an issue with the repair so recommended a second surgery to re-repair the hernia and suggested cutting the round ligament to relieve some of the pressure in my groin. 6 days prior to my surgery she was put on maternity bed rest, but her colleague had just done this surgery on a female with a similar history to me and it was a success. So I put my faith in this surgeon and felt confident that he could help. On January 19th, 2014 I went in for my second surgery. All went well. I thought I would finally be on the mend. However, I was still in the EXACT SAME PAIN. I was a medical mystery. No one could figure it out. This surgeon was baffled. My physical therapist was baffled. No one understood, especially me. I was in chronic pain 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The nerve pain in my groin was debilitating. I couldn’t exercise, I wasn’t sleeping, I couldn’t sit or drive or walk without pain. I tried to remain positive and basically put on a happy front. Inside I was just so tired of being in this pain. I was at my dermatologist one day and I was sharing my saga and she told me I had to go see THE nerve guy in Towson, Maryland. I was SO over going to get another opinion and having to share my story and filling out more paperwork and paying more out of pocket costs, but I was desperate for answers.

Off I went to see Dr. Dellon at the Lee Dellon Institute. He felt that all of my pain was nerve related and if he operated on me he would remove the genitofemoral and ilioinguinal nerves and release the lateral femoral cutaneous nerves. Lots of medical jargon right?! I became used to all of these names. This surgery had fixed thousands of patients and studies were written on it. In fact, he was the only surgeon who really did this. I put my faith in him. On April 2nd, 2014, he operated on me, prescribed me water therapy and said my pain would go away. Two months after this operation I still had the exact same pain. He said this can happen (of course, I am always “the case”) and recommended going back in. He would do a neurolysis of the obturator nerve and a fasciotomy of the abductor muscles. Before being cut a fourth time, I decided to seek another opinion and went to an Orthopedist in Fairfax. I started doing some research and noticed that many articles were saying that people with groin pain sometimes have hip pain so I thought maybe it is about time someone look at my hip! So they did a hip MRI arthrogram and they found a small tear in my hip labrum. The labrum is a rim of soft tissue that surrounds the acetabulum, which is your hip socket. He said he could scope me but he didn’t think this would solve my groin pain. I remember getting into my car and called my Dad and just started crying. I was so frustrated: why didn’t anyone have answers?

He said ok, you’re coming to New York. So off I went to Hospital for Special Surgery to see the hip guru, Dr. Coleman. He took a catscan and told me that I had dysplasia and hip impingement, which is a condition that creates abnormal wear and tear between the ball and socket of the hip joint. He wanted to do another hip MRI because his equipment/tech was premiere. So I had another arthrogram and he called to tell me that I had a significant labrum tear which he believed was causing a lot of my groin pain as well as some hip pain. He believed that there was something else probably going on with my groin so wanted me to see the #1 groin doctor in Philly, Dr. Meyers.  They worked together closely and twice a month operated simultaneously on patients. Patients who have hip pain typically have groin pain as well so off I went to Philly to meet with this guy. He did another pelvic MRI (if I counted the number of these I have had, it is scary). After reading my scans, here was my diagnosis: I had shredded all of my adductors which had pulled away from my pelvic bone. He believed the sports hernia was not repaired properly and I had a lot of scar tissue that was causing some pain as well. It was decided that I would have a combo surgery: first I would have a hip scope to fix the hip impingement and labrum tear and then Meyers would go in and fix the groin issues.

On January 9th, 2015 I had my 4th surgery, which was a success (I had heard that far too many times). Turns out my hip was a lot worse than the scans showed: I also had two bone spurs and the labrum tear was much larger than anticipated. My groin was pretty much a nightmare internally but everything was fixed properly. I remember looking at my hip and groin and thinking a truck had run over it. I couldn’t move anything. It felt like I would never ever be able to walk. I just kept thinking: “why me.” The pain was unbearable and I was immune to pain killers. Vicodin, Percocet, oxycodone, nothing was working so they decided to put me on a drug called dilaudid. I remember waking up in my hotel room (I was staying in Philly for 9 days of intense rehab) and told my stepmom that they had cut off both of my legs. I couldn’t feel anything and my eyes were practically rolled back into my head. She said: “ok, you’re not taking this drug.” I was basically hallucinating and on a serious trip. And this intense drug wasn’t even taking the pain away.

I would go to rehab at the facility 2x a day and then in between those sessions I would have my leg and hip in a contraption along with a constant icing machine to try and take the swelling down. This was actually the only time my pain subsided to bearable and I thought I might just have to permanently be on ice for the rest of my life. I was on crutches for about 7 weeks and was at home, depressed that I still wasn’t finding the relief that everyone promised I would. Time they told me. Every month I would drive to Philly for my check up and my progress report was: I am still having this nerve pain. They tried more minimally invasive procedures, including a major round of steroid injections in late April. They over injected me and I couldn’t walk. I had driven to Philly alone and almost had to spend the night there by myself. I waited 5 hours until I regained feeling in my thigh, leg and foot and was able to drive home. That weekend I noticed a lot of swelling in my face. On Mother’s Day, I ended up at urgent care with what they thought was an abscess in my upper tooth. They told me to follow up at the dentist who then sent me to the oral surgeon. I was put on antibiotics. 7 days later I started getting puffy everywhere. I was unrecognizable. People were wondering what was wrong with me and asked Josh if I was ok. Suddenly the puffiness turned to 25 pounds of weight gain. I questioned the doctors and they said “possible weight gain” was a side effect of steroids. They said it would last 6-8 weeks. My adrenal glands could not handle the amount of steroid injections into my hip and groin. I couldn’t fit into anything, I was physically and emotionally unhappy and it was just yet another side effect that didn’t even change my course of pain. Time would help they kept saying. The steroids stayed in my body for 9 months and there was no sign of them leaving. It wasn’t until I went on a serious detox that the steroids left my body.

So I had the injections in April and clearly the only thing I got from those was 25 pounds of weight. Finally in June they felt that it was enough time to do an exploratory surgery. They wanted to cut me open for a 5th time just to take a look around. They truly weren’t sure why I was still in so much pain. Every single doctor seemed baffled by my case. I guess I was an anomaly. However, there was no way they were just going to cut me open in hopes of trying to figure out what was wrong. With more tears, I called my Dad and he decided that I should talk to one of my old wrist surgeons who was really connected in NYC and would ask around. He sent me to a doctor in NYC who specializes in hips, who believed that this wasn’t a hip issue so referred me (oh these referrals) to a hernia specialist. He looked at my MRI’s and saw THREE hernia’s just on the MRI. These were not sports hernias, regular ones, which 4 previous surgeons missed. I just couldn’t fathom this. How could all of these doctors miss these?! He said it happens a lot and this was the most frustrating part. Could this be my health ticket and the cause of all of this pain? He believed so.

He would do this surgery laparoscopically and would make sure that he would look over everything! You see, this surgeon was the first surgeon to notice that the hernia’s were SO deep that there was no way any of the other open surgeries could have seen these. So I thought to myself: the Philly guys just wanted to cut me open again and they would have missed these completely?! On November 30th 2015, I was scheduled for surgery #5 in NYC and would stay with my parents for recovery. Surgery went well – he couldn’t believe what he saw! He said I had 3 massive hernia’s and a nerve completely entrapped in one of them (hence all the nerve pain). This time I had mesh put in two places to secure the hernia’s. He said it was WAY worse when he got in than expected and had an ah-ha moment and fully believed that this was all the cause of my pain. I had heard doctors say this many many times, but I truly believed this sweet man.

With this surgery, I couldn’t do much because I had to let the mesh adhere and everything heal internally so no physical therapy or movement. I laid in bed for two weeks. Again, wondering why me but hopeful that this was my turning of the corner. Time passed, I still had the exact same pain. I felt it failed and I just remember crying and crying. Everyone said: “you can’t possibly have another surgery,” “maybe you’ll just have to live with this pain.” I tried to remain hopeful and found a physical therapist in NY that fully believed changing my walk and strengthening all of my muscles around the injury areas was the ticket to feeling better. So I trusted her and did whatever she said. I was still having the same pain so I went back to the surgeon who injected the area with lidocaine (no more steroids for me ever) to try and calm the nerves. That didn’t really help. I did months and months of physical therapy hopeful that it would help. Well, I still had constant pain. I hated talking about it so everyone thought I was doing so much better. It was just a really good front.

Nothing had worked and I had been through so much physically, emotionally and financially (over $65,000 – yes, I was in medical debt) that I just couldn’t bare talking about it. What could I say and what could anyone else say that would make it better? I just wanted to be pain free. But that didn’t seem like it would ever happen. It had been over 6 months of recovery from my 5th surgery, in my mind plenty of healing time. Yet the pain was the exact same pain that I had in 2013. How could this be, I basically screamed this!

June 2016 rolled around and I went to Young Living Convention. Since May of 2014, I had been using lots of oils and supplements but hadn’t noticed any change. I wasn’t giving up hope. I became friends with Ashley Westfall, one of my amazing uplines with Young Living. We got to talking and she learned of my medical saga over lunch. I told her I was experiencing chronic pain and had been through 5 surgeries with no relief. She had asked if I had spoken to Dr. Jim Bob Haggerton, a chiropractor in Texas. For the last 9 months I had been following him on FB, Instagram and YouTube. He is a huge wellness advocate and is basically a genius when it comes to the body. I said I hadn’t and she said that he did phone consults. I was at the point where I would try anything. Heck, I even contemplated flying to Texas! It would take me a few more months to pull the trigger on this phone call, but finally I did. I was getting married in September and just felt I wanted to wait until after the wedding to be put on whatever regimen he recommended. So the week after the wedding I had a call with him. I had written him a massive email with all of my history because frankly, my health history could be a novel (as you can see).

Most consults are 30 min and this sweet man spent 75 min on the phone with me. He didn’t look at scans, move my body, look at numbers, I mean it was all just a conversation. Here was his diagnosis: my back was probably herniated at L5/S1 and my sacrum is the cause of pain. Without resetting my tailbone (sacrum), therapy won’t matter. Since I have had a ton of damage to my joints and the scar tissue, this may have given me chronic pain. Even though the nerves are affected, this is not a nerve injury. This is a scar tissue injury with inflammation build up and it won’t heal unless I do work to the area. He told me what supplements I needed to take, what oils to use (he is a YL distributor so uses them to support his health and wellness) and told me to find a chiropractor, but not just anyone. It had to be a Gonstead specialist. I would honestly do anything he recommended and that is exactly what I did. But first I had to research the type of chiropractic care he recommended.

The Gonstead Chiropractic approach uses a variety of tools to detect the presence of spinal dysfunction, which results in pinching or compressing of the nerves that run through a particular area. “These compressed nerves often become inflamed and impede the proper transmission of impulses to the section of the body controlled by these nerves. A seemingly endless list of ailments and pain may be brought about by these subluxations.” By applying the Gonstead adjustment to the back, the pressure is removed from the nerve while joint function is restored. More importantly, nerve function is restored, and the path of that specific nerve is then again sending and receiving the “electrical” impulses as it should and ultimately, health is restored.

Chiro’s orders: I was to see him two times a week. Jim Bob couldn’t guarantee that I would be pain free. He said having gone through so much, my body would probably never be out of the woods but if I saw 10-20% relief that would be huge. He thought it could take months or even a year, but to be patient (which is what everyone said but I truly believed this guy this time). So here was his protocol he put me on:

-Fish Oils: I don’t eat fish. I can’t stand the taste, texture or smell so I needed a supplement that I would not burp up and that wouldn’t smell or taste like fish. Jim Bob pointed me to Innate Choice and I found them here. No burps, I am a happy camper! I take 2 capsules in the morning and 2 in the evening.

Note: all of the supplements listed below are from Young Living.

-Sulfurzyme: This supplement combines wolfberry with MSM, a naturally occurring organic form of dietary sulfur needed by our bodies every day to maintain the structure of proteins, protect cells and cell membranes, replenish the connections between cells, and preserve the molecular framework of connective tissue. MSM also supports the immune system, the liver, circulation, and proper intestinal function and works to scavenge free radicals. I take 2 of these in the morning.

-Ningxia: This is an antioxidant packed drink from Young Living. Antioxidants are like super Ninjas that support your cells! It contains whole Ningxia wolf berry puree which is a super blend of blueberry, aronia, cherry, pomegranate, and plum juices, natural stevia extract, grape seed extract, pure vanilla extract, and orange, yuzu, lemon and tangerine essential oils. The essential oils in Ningxia Red are seven times more pure, packed with 93% d-limonene and aid in the maintaining of the body’s normal cellular function. 1 serving of NingXia Red was found to be the equivalent of 7.5 mixed servings of fruits & vegetables. I take 2 ounces in the morning.

-MultiGreens: This is a nutritious chlorophyll formula designed to boost vitality by working with the glandular, nervous, and circulatory systems. MultiGreens is made with spirulina, alfalfa sprouts, barley grass, bee pollen, eleuthero, Pacific kelp, and therapeutic-grade essential oils. I take 3 capsules in the morning.

-Super Cal: When you don’t have enough calcium, your muscles can’t relax. This is a calcium and magnesium supplement. Calcium is essential to the health of bones, teeth, and muscles, and it also plays an essential role in blood clotting, nerve conduction, muscle contraction, and many cellular functions. Magnesium activates more than 300 enzymes in the body and, with calcium, affects nerve and muscle functions. This combination also includes potassium as well as zinc, which is an important mineral in many body functions. I take 2 capsules in the morning.

-AgilEase: This is a joint health supplement that enables greater mobility and flexibility through the reduction of inflammation. I take 2 capsules in the morning. Young Living, Dana Rose Lee Blog, Supplements, Ningxia Red, Health, Systems, Pain Free, Daily, Regimen, Self Care, Wellness, Thankful, Natural, Pain Free

I made a roller with Frankincense, Lemongrass and Copaiba and rolled these 3 oils right on my groin multiple times a day.  Young Living, Dana Rose Lee Blog, Supplements, Ningxia Red, Health, Systems, Pain Free, Daily, Regimen, Self Care, Wellness, Thankful, Natural, Toxin Free

Dr. Jim Bob found me a Gonstead doctor in Arlington named Dr. Whitlow. There aren’t many who practice this type of chiropractic care. He did a thorough examination and agreed completely with what Jim Bob had mentioned. The craziest thing he said is this is not a groin injury. Somehow along the way, the focus went from the back to the groin but the pain I was experiencing was because of my sacrum which was completely shifted. The nerves around the sacrum were so inflamed and pressing on other nerves and all of these wrapped around my side and led into my groin and they were the reason I was having the groin pain. But the groin pain was solely from my back injury. Lightbulb.

I have taken all of my YL supplements, have been seeing my chiropractor since October and I want to shout it from the rooftops that my pain has decreased by more than 10%, by more than 20%. More like 80%. I am  not completely pain free but for the first time in 3 years, I can enjoy life without debilitating pain. I have been hiking, walking miles, sleeping comfortably and…on Saturday I hit golf balls for the first time in FOREVER without groin pain!!!

It has been an incredibly painful journey. I would never ever wish this type of pain, the doctors after doctors, the procedures after procedures on anyone. And add in the uncertainty of why I was in the pain I was in, this journey has been never-ending. It has been a learning experience for sure. I am forever thankful for my sweet friend Ashley who urged me to speak to Jim Bob. And thankful for Jim Bob who laid the foundation for what I needed to do. I owe so much of my decreased pain to Dr. Whitlow. This man has spent hours looking at my body as a whole. He examines the full body X-rays before every session and then measures my nerve activity. He is one of the most compassionate medical professionals, checking in on me via text and phone calls. Truly, he cares. I am not just another name on a long list of daily patients.

I so wish I had the knowledge and the resources I have now with alternative medicine three years ago. Yes I had tried acupuncture, laser therapy, physical therapy, dry needling and clearly everything else under the sun, but I just didn’t have the right protocol with everything. While I can’t backtrack and change my course of health history, I hope my journey can show others that out of trials and tribulations, many years and many uncertainties, keep seeking answers and alternatives. I have so many scars, both physically and mentally, from what I have been through. But those have only made me stronger. I still have a ways to go before my body is healed, but my how far I have come!

If you are going through health uncertainties or are in chronic pain, I am here for you! It is a hard place to be in. NO one can quite understand it unless you have personal experience. I hope this story can inspire you to keep searching for answers, especially with alternative therapies. For far too long, I placed my health in the hands of medical professionals. I believed that they had all of the answers and had faith that they knew what they were doing. That they held my best interests in their skilled hands. Unfortunately that was not the case. If you made it to the end, thank you for reading this. If writing this post helps one person, all my trials and tribulations would be worth it. So there you are. Almost 4 years later, my health case is cracked and I think things can only get better from here. No more surgeries, no more drugs, only alternative therapies that actually work! Young Living Oils, Young Living Supplements and Gonstead Chiropractic therapy have decreased my chronic pain immensely.

Leave a Comment · Labels: Essential Oils, Lifestyle, Personal, Wellness Tagged: Alternative Medicine, Chiropractor, Dana Rose Lee Blog, Healing, Health, Health Journey, Lifestlye, Medical, Medicine, Non-traditional medicine, Pain, Pain Free, Supplements, Toxin Free, Wellness, Young Living

Wedding Series | Our Amazing Wedding Photographer

January 23, 2017

I am so excited to continue our wedding series and share about our amazing wedding photographer. As a fellow photographer, you would think choosing your photographer for your wedding would be the hardest decision. However, for me it was actually the easiest one. I follow a lot of photographers being in the industry. While I am not a wedding photographer, I had known what style I wanted and had been following Layce Bauman of Layce Bauman Photography for quite some time. When I saw one of her family sessions posted on Facebook, I messaged her and told I wanted her to be my wedding photographer.

It didn’t matter that Layce lived almost 3,000 miles away from Hudson. It also didn’t matter that we had never met. I loved her artistic eye and having followed her on Facebook and Instagram, I felt like I already knew her so it was going to be perfect. Intuition is a marvelous thing. After messaging back and forth, I managed to get her to agree to tentatively hold three dates for me. You see, I chose Layce before I had a venue or a date. That was how sure I was of my decision.

Once we set a date, we began building a friendship via text messages and emails. The first time we met Layce was at our engagement shoot, the evening before our wedding. Remember how we lived 3,000 miles apart? We definitely wanted to take advantage of the session, so we could get to know Layce before our big day. You know when you meet someone and you just click (I promise that pun was not intended)? Well, that happened.

We got to spend an hour and a half with her while walking the streets of Hudson. It didn’t even feel like we were taking photos, as there was such an ease. She posed us, told us where to go, how to stand. I let her have full control. It is definitely nerve wracking being on the other side of the camera.

I loved our urban session. I had scouted locations prior to our session and knew I wanted to start at the Amtrak Station in Hudson. Josh and I did long distance for over two years. We basically lived on Amtrak, commuting between Washington DC and New York City, so it seemed fitting to start at the train station. Hudson is also on the Hudson so there was a perfect little spot by the water. Nearly every building along Warren street made for a pretty backdrop, so it was easy to just walk anywhere and stop. I knew I loved Layce’s work before our session, but once I saw the back of camera goodness, I knew I made the right decision. Here are some of my favorites!Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto Engagement, Love, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Downtown, Vince Camuto

And then, she photographed our wedding and I can’t even explain to you what these photographs mean to me. You see, your wedding day goes by FAST. Before you know it, the day is over and it is off to begin the rest of your life together. Receiving my images brought me back to every single moment of our day. Like when I saved my Mom’s favorite perfume bottle (half empty) knowing that I would want to wear it on this day. Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Getting Ready, Together, New York

Capturing our first look, which I 110% recommend doing! Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York

Capturing moments that when you look at that photo, you just think “if this was the only photo, this would be enough.” Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York

Getting those shots that you put on a list and somehow your photographer remembers (with zero traces of paper). Wedding, Marriage, Love, Details, Flowers, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, New York

Moments like this when the glass did not break on the first try. Josh just needed a mulligan. Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York

Finding photos of your best friends wearing their pashminas from their bridal gifts from Marigold & Grey. Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Wedding Party, Marigold & Grey, Navy, JCrew Bridal

Making your dream of being with the horses a reality. Might I add, there are 92 horse pictures that make my stomach fill with butterflies and give me all.the.feels. Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Couple, Together, New York

Moment on the dance floor with Josh who let me tell you, typically does not dance! 

She caught moments on the dance floor with my Dad. Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Dancing, Father, Daughter, New York Wedding, Marriage, Love, The Hill, Hudson, Layce Bauman Photography, Barn, Rustic, Venue, Dancing, Father, Daughter, New York

Truly, not a moment of our more than 8 hour day was missed, all captured more beautifully than I could ever imagine.

Leave a Comment · Labels: Lifestyle, Personal, Photography, Wedding Tagged: Engagement Shoot, Hudson, Hudson Valley Weddings, Layce Bauman Photography, Lifestyle, Marriage, New York, Photography, Rustic, Rustic Wedding, Wedding, Wedding Day, Wedding Photography, Wedding Photos

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Previous Entries
Hello there! I'm Dana. A wife, a mama to one adorable boy and one crazy Vizsla. I am an essential oil lover who is passionate about living and sharing the natural life. And I enjoy being behind the lens of a camera.

Stay Updated

Topics

  • Essential Oils
  • Lifestyle
  • Oliver
  • Personal
  • Photography
  • Uncategorized
  • Wedding
  • Wellness

Search

Archives

Theme by 17th Avenue · Powered by WordPress & Genesis