Part 2: The Blessings that were Given Before Dad Died

I miss my dad. It’s been 2 years and the events of that day are still clear as if I was living it again. I remember coming home afterward and feeling so tired. I just wanted to crawl in bed and never leave it again. 

Here I am 2 years later and my body remembers. My body feels the tired from that day. The pain, the hurt, the heartbreak. My heart was broken into a million pieces and the pain was so hard to bear. 

But now I will talk about the blessings that happened.

Ten years before this my dad beat cancer. He got ten extra years with us. He got to meet my children, spend time with them, love them and be loved by them. He was given a blessing, the gift of time, the gift of life.

A little over a week before he died, he got to celebrate his birthday and Thanksgiving with us one last time and all my siblings and I were there. My dad went to the Hospital Thanksgiving night. When my brother and his family tried to drive back home to Idaho they had car trouble and had to stay until the part came in, so they got to stay until dad came home from the hospital the next weekend. 

Dad came home on Friday. So many people showed up to help clear my parents basement on Saturday so that dad would have somewhere comfortable to be. All the missionaries for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the area showed up and worked hard to make it clean, organized and comfortable for my dad. Yvonne, and my dad’s ministering brother showed up and helped as well. And my uncle Steve and his grandchildren, my cousins children, came to help clear out the garage. Paul and his family got to spend almost all day playing games with dad on Saturday once the downstairs was ready for dad. Bryan got to hug dad that day and see dad for the last time. He was busy and on the go, so didn’t get to sit and spend time with him, but did get to say goodbye. 

On Sunday Dad’s new comfortable reclining chair came. I went and got my kids from their dad’s and drove home. We would have gone straight to dad’s, but we weren’t sure there would be enough food for us. We came after dinner and played Golf (a card game played with Skipbo cards) with my dad and visited with him. We got about an hour of play time with him before he got tired. We told dad goodbye, expecting to see him the next day to play games with him and spend time with him. I hugged my dad and he hugged me back (such a blessing). We told each other I love you. It was our final hug, our final declaration of love to each other, our final goodbye, and it was all a blessing. We didn’t know it would be our last. But what a blessing it was that our last moments were spent spending time with each other and our last words were Goodbye and I love you. 

So many blessings happened before my dad left and transitioned into death. I still wish for more time, I think that is natural. But I got 10 years extra, plus a weekend to say our final goodbyes. I love you so much dad and I miss you every day.

Dec 7th, The Day my Dad Died

Today I woke up tired, and kept wondering why, if I had gone to bed early like I did, was I so tired. After breakfast and a few chores all I wanted to do was crawl in my bed and go back to sleep. I thought, wait, what day is it? I checked my phone for the date, and it was what I had thought. It’s the 7th of December today. The day that I got a phone call in the middle of the night/early morning from my mom who was sobbing on the other line that something was happening to dad and that the paramedics were taking him away to the hospital and that I needed to pray right away.

    When that phone rang from mom, I knew it was about dad instantly and I knew something was wrong, and I jumped up fast and alert to answer it. As I prayed I pleaded for dad to be ok, to have him stay alive, to save him. I reached out to everyone that I could think of Via text, via social media, via prayer groups and temple prayer rolls. I desperately wanted a happy ending to have dad back safe at home with us. But hours passed as I prayed and asked for prayers and I got the call I’d been dreading. My sister was on the line with me and she told me that it was time to say goodbye to dad.

    It was about 4AM. I immediately called my neighbor Nancy, who sort of knew something was going on with my dad over conversations from the past few days. She answered immediately and knew it was my dad, and she told me to go to the hospital and that she would take care of the kids. I hurried to get ready and I left as quickly as I could.

    As I drove to the hospital I asked Paul if he would like to be there with me via facetime on the phone since he had just gotten back to Idaho. He said yes.

    When I got there we were told that we would only be able to see my dad one at a time, that they weren’t allowing more than that at a time because of Covid. It was December 7, 2020, everything was under Covid restrictions, masks, limited to no visitors. They allowed me in, and I walked into his hospital room alone. I don’t know what I imagined, that he would be conscious, that I would get to talk to him and have him talk back, that I would be able to see life in his eyes. But as I looked at him all hooked up to life support with an oxygen mask on his face, his eyes closed, I realized that was not how this was going to go. I would be saying goodbye. I stood there feeling small and alone.

    And then Paul called on Facetime and I was able to show Paul dad, and Paul began to sob and called out dad’s name. Then I began to sob. We walked over to Dad and told him to hold on, that mom was coming, that Jeremy was bringing her, that we would all be able to see him soon. Paul and I had our moments together with dad for a little while. Then Mom and Jeremy walked through the curtain, which was surprising since I was told it would be one at a time, but they decided to bend the rules for us. Mom came in with a brave look on her face, Jeremy came in and crumbled, turning away from the scene and pounding his fist on the counter as he began to sob. We all began talking to dad, telling him how much we loved him, what a good dad he was, what a good husband, what a good job he had done. We told him to hang on for Bryan. We waited for Bryan, I don’t really see Bryan cry much, he doesn’t share that side very much, but Bryan came in and immediately started hugging us as his face turned red and tears and sniffles began.

    We were all there, except for Tiffy who had been the one to be first, who had had to decide whether to let them take him to another hospital to try to fight to keep him alive (which they explained that dad would be a vegetable, wouldn’t be able to communicate or take care of himself) or to keep him there and let him die. She knew immediately what dad would say. She knew he would want to go, to leave this life and see us again someday. So she was the first to say goodbye. To squeeze his hand and tell him how much she loved him. All alone. She went home so I could come, so mom could come, and Jeremy, and Bryan.

    When I touched dad’s hand his heart rate would go back up. When mom touched his hand his heart rate would jump back up. Then came the time. They pulled the plug and we stood around him and waited. We sang to him that Families could be together forever, we let everyone via facetime say goodbye. And then he flatlined.

Immediately we had to take care of business that we didn’t want to do. We had to find a funeral home, we had to decide where dad would go. There was so much to do and they wouldn’t let us leave until we had a plan for his body. 

I miss my dad. It’s been 2 years and the events of that day are still clear as if I was living it again. I remember coming home afterward and feeling so tired. I just wanted to crawl in bed and never leave it again.

Failure

Have you ever had one of those moments that seem like your thoughts become louder than reality and you can't hear the person right in front of you?

Tonight as I celebrated my nephew's birthday a war began to rage in my head. It was a civil war.

Part of me kept thinking what a failure I am. How my dreams have not been met, how the life I planned had not come to pass. As my young nephews and nieces shared their future plans I realized that I haven't accomplished a thing.

The other part of me thought, well I got my associates degree, and I've had two beautiful children. But that is all.

As I sat there there I thought, sure I have an associates... A general education associates at a community college. Am I using it? No. To make my degree useful I would have to get my bachelor's degree in a specific field. And yes I'm a mom of two adorable children, but I even feel like I'm a failure at that too. I feel like I need to go to school to become a good mom and constantly find myself comparing myself to these super mom's that surround me.

Tonight the failure in my life seemed to wear me. I felt it wrapped around me, like big clunky chains that seemed to rattle whenever I moved.

I even felt like a failure as a sister, a daughter, an aunt, a friend. We sat in a circle sharing memories of my nephew and I couldn't think of one specific memory. I felt like an outsider all of a sudden. Where have I been? Where are all my memories? Is it that I just can't remember, or is it that I was never there sharing in the moments to even make those memories.

I feel like ten years of my life have been robbed by a stupid, selfish juvenile girl. I've lost friendships, I've lost trust, I've lost opportunities to spend time with my loved ones. Instead I was off pretending to be something that I'm not, all to be in a relationship that now after all this time seems to be unraveling to an end. And I'm realizing I lost myself, but not only that, I lost my time; among other things.

I dreamt of becoming a writer. I dreamt of having a big family to share my success with. My husband would be an equal partner and friend who would love spending time with family and friends. I dreamt of owning a house on a big property. And I have none of these things.

I have an associates from community college. I am a fulltime mom. I am currently separated from my husband, but because I don't have an income or anywhere else to go, still live under the same roof as him. I live in a trailer...yep, a trailer.

As I felt totally consumed by failure tonight I had to try and think of the positive. JK Rowling said "Ultimately, we all have to decide for ourselves what constitutes failure, but the world is quite eager to give you a set of criteria if you let it."  Even though by the world's standards, the world that would now judge me to be a failure, she was a"failure", she rose above it and became the author of one of the most beloved and popular book series of our time.

What I have to remember is that my failures don't have to be who I am, but I can build on those failures to make successes. I can break my shackles of failure and self doubt. I can be proud of who I am and confident in myself and what I have to offer this world.

If I could give advice to the youth in my life, it would be to stand tall and confident. Believe in yourself and have self worth. Stand up for your beliefs and live those standards. "Don't give up what you want most for what you want right now". And if you ever do make mistakes and feel like a failure, remember it is never too late to follow your dreams and get back on your path to your idea of success and happiness.

My Dad

In the month of November I was inspired by Facebook to write a list of things I was thankful for each day.  I decided to expand that list to 100 things I was thankful for, and I was going to share that with you.  As I was preparing the list of things I was thankful for I got some bad news from my dad.  My dad come down with a rare form of cancer, they found the cancer by accident in his face.  He told me that they wanted to start an intensive treatment of Chemotherapy right away.  This he told me as I had just wished him a happy birthday.  Tears began to fall down my face and a huge lump clogged my throat.  It took all I had not to start sobbing.  The list of my thankfulness was immediately put on hold.

When you get news from a loved one that they have some terrible disease that could possibly kill them you are flooded with a ton of thoughts, regrets, and memories.  The one thought and regret that kept coming to my mind was my wedding reception.  During the reception, I was supposed to dance with my father to the song "My Girl".  When the song came on my dad and I talked and I told him I was tired and wasn't really feeling well.  He told me we didn't have to do the dance and we left it at that.  What made me feel even worse was when my sister-in-law pulled me off of my chair and coaxed me to dance with her and her cousins.  I gave in and danced but have felt rotten about it ever since.  That dance was meant for me and my dad.  I will never get that chance again, and I will probably never get that dance with my dad.

My dad has had his chemotherapy treatments.  He was in the hospital for all of December.  He has been home for a few weeks now and is so happy to be home.  He is weak and unable to do much.  He isn't recovering like the doctors had hoped.  When he left the hospital he seemed to be clear of cancer, but when he went back for a check up, his chemo doctor told him that he would probably never be able to have chemotherapy again because it would most likely kill him.  He didn't even check for cancer because he told him that if they found anything that there would be nothing he could do, that chemotherapy was no longer an option for him.

So far things are looking positive, but the last bit of news is concerning.  I hope that my dad has beaten the cancer.  I hope that it is over.  Right now he is in the stage of recovery and over the next 6 months he will be recovering and monitored for any signs of cancer.  He is not able to return to work or to be around a lot of people.  I am glad that he is able to be home where he is comfortable, the hospital tried to encourage my mom and sister to send him to a care home, but my dad wanted nothing more than to go home to recover.  I'm thankful that my sister is able to look after and care for my dad during this time; he is so happy that she is and is so proud of her.  

I'm thankful for all the prayers that were said for my father and for the prayers that are still being said in his behalf.  I'm thankful for all of the visitors that have come to see my dad, they bring him so much hope and cheer.  I'm thankful that I was able to see my dad over the Christmas break and that in that time he seemed to improve each time that I went and saw him.  

I hope that the next 6 months brings a speedy recovery and a positive outcome. 

My Goals

My want for a well scheduled blog might be a bit premature; I am about to go into labor any day now.  I think that if I tried to make out a schedule of days I will be posting to my blog I will only be setting myself up to fail, and making anyone who reads my blogs frustrated from broken promises.

I am sick as of this weekend; I hope it is just a common cold, but I’m not sure.  It will sure make for a difficult labor if I am still sick when it’s time; this I am not excited about. I am however excited to meet my baby, to no longer have heartburn, to be able to perform everyday tasks without difficulty, and to get down on the floor again and play with my little boy.

I think that when this whole pregnancy thing is over and I get the hang of being a mother of two, I will be able to start blogging regularly. 

My goals for this blog are to try to incorporate more of my writings and some of my personal experiences and thoughts. I have a family blog and it is only committed to writing about the family, so for me this will be like a journal/writing blog.  I hope to include poetry, short stories, fiction, and nonfiction writing.  I hope as well to include some interesting thoughts and experiences that I wouldn’t write for my family blog.

My Blog is Scheduled to be Revamped

So I've decided that I'm going to revamp this blog a bit. I haven't really blogged here in a while because I have been busy with being a new mom and getting ready for baby number two. I also have been trying to adjust to a new town that I'm really trying to like, but it hasn't really been that easy. I do miss Portland. I miss the rain, the people, my family, my friends, the trees, the green. I have met some really nice people and hope that some good friendships will grow. Who knows, in 4 years I might love it here...but I really doubt that, I might grow to like it. We'll see.

Happy Halloween

Halloween is one of my most favorite times of the year. I love getting all dressed up and going out to parties or trick-or-treating. I love the goodies, I love the costumes, I love the decorations, and I even love the television specials.

Here are a few links of fun things for Halloween:

My YouTube Channel

Here is a sample playlist from my YouTube channel for Halloween:

Happy Halloween

One of the games I like to play around Halloween is the M&M game online. It is a pretty fun game with spooky music that gets you thinking creative. Here is the link:

The M&M Game

For those of you who like to be a little more interactive in their games I found a fun little Zombie game called Plants vs. Zombies:

Plants VS Zombies

For those who don’t like the scary stuff, a dress up game might be fun for you:

Halloween Dress Up

Here is a place you can go to find recipes, crafts, and printables:

http://familyfun.go.com/

For all of you crafty people out there, here is a link for pumpkin carving and decorating ideas:

http://www.marthastewart.com/276965/halloween

And here are some pumpkin carving templates:

http://www.hgtv.com/topics/halloween/index.html

Here is one more link for recipes, crafts and costumes:

http://www.amazingmoms.com/holidays-seasons/halloween/

I hope you all have a Happy, Safe, and Fun Halloween!

My favorites for the week

This week I've been loving the following:

The song "Price Tag" by Jesse J. Here is the video complimentary of Youtube.



The book "Peek-A-Who" by Nina Laden.

http://www.amazon.com/Peek-Who-Nina-Laden/dp/0811826023/ref=pd_sim_b_12

The drink Cranberry Juice mixed with Sprite.

    

                         





                                     +

The singer on Youtube, Christina Grimmie.



The makeup guru on Youtube, Kalel Cullen.

http://www.youtube.com/user/QueenBeeuty

The TV show "Monk".

The down sleeping bag halo from REI.

Eucerin Plus intensive repair lotion.

Burts Bees chapstick.

That is all for now. Just wanted to share ;)

Update: More Blogs to Come

For those of you who follow my blog or have just found my blog you will notice that it hasn't been getting updated very often. This is due to my new busy life that I am trying to adapt to and am finally beginning to master. I will begin posting a blog here at least once a week. I don't want to commit to more than once a week right now as I am very busy with my new family; my little one keeps me pretty busy.

What is my blog about?

This is my personal blog where I will be creative, let my thoughts run free, and blog whatever I feel like blogging on any given day. I do have a family blog if you would like to follow that. You can follow that blog at ckjohnsonfamily.blogspot.com.

Along Came a Spider...

It was the first few weeks of Elyas's life, and we were still trying to figure out how to eat. We had been trying so hard to have a successful feeding that nothing was going to stop us. As I sat in my rocker and fed Elyas, I felt something brush against my bare shoulder. When I looked over to see what it was, there was a spider dangling next to my face. I immediately jumped up with Elyas and ran to the other side of the room, luckily I had a breast friend pillow and I was able to keep him latched as I ran. Well I stood and watched the spider from across the room and guess what he did, he went back up to the ceiling and ran toward us and began to repell back down to us. Up I jumped again and ran back across the room and follow he did. He was chasing me!!! Finally I went back and sat down on the bed and just watched the spider. From across the room he came down again and just sat and watched us. What a creepy little thing! He hung there for a while before he retracted back toward the ceiling and ran into the light fixture. I sat there and watched that spot for a long time, with an occasional sweep of the whole ceiling.

The next day as I was feeding Elyas (in the rocker) my eyes were glued to the ceiling and walls. After scoping the room for a while I relaxed. Right when I relaxed something fell on my head, I flicked it off and quickly looked to see what it was; there was a huge, weird looking bug! It was crawling across my bed. I was freaking out but I couldn't get up to get it, because Elyas and I had been having such a hard time learning to breast feed. As I plotted what I would do, I saw something in the corner of my eye. I turned my head and saw an ugly black spider crawling across Elyas's clean clothes in the closet. Was it the same spider as the day before? No, he was a different size and color.

Okay, I thought, this was getting weird. What was going on? Where the heck were all these bugs coming from? Could they smell my baby? Why were they so attracted to us? Ahhhh!

Is my story over? No, here is the worst, creepiest part!

So Elyas and I were doing a feeding session in bed. This was the best most successful session so far! It was comfortable for both of us. I wasn't in pain and he wasn't struggling to get or stay latched. As we laid there, to my horror I saw something big and black crawl slowly from the back of my baby's head toward his face and mine. I quickly flicked the spider off his head, but then became anxious and creeped out; I had no idea where he had gone. I lay there feeding Elyas and feeling very uncomfortable when there again I saw some black creepy legs slowly crawling over the folds of the blanket toward us. I grabbed the blanket around pinched it over the spider and crushed and rubbed the blanket together. When I separated the blanket there was no marking, no proof that the spider had been crushed, which meant he had gotten away and was somewhere in or on the bed still. I began lifting the covers and looking for the spider. I couldn't find him anywhere and hoped that the baby would soon be done eating so I could jump up and get out of the bed.

Did I ever find it? No. Has anything like this happened since? No. Thank goodness, it only occurred that week and I haven't seen a spider or bug since.

"How Has Your Pregnancy Been?"

People have been asking me how my pregnancy has been, and I really downplay it when I answer. They ask me how I'm feeling, and I say fine, but you know that is just the quick and pleasant answer. Who wants to listen to your list of ailments?

Well for those of you who really want to know how it has been...here goes:

My first, second, and beginning of the third trimester was literally miserable. I thought, "how the heck do pregnant people get anything done? How do they work? How do they clean? How do they move?". Why? Because I was noxious all day every day for that whole amount of time, and when my gag reflex was set off it didn't stop for an hour or more. I love how they show in the movies the cute little pregnant woman who wakes up in the morning, grabs her stomach, pukes and then it is all over. Who named morning sickness? Seriously? Because it does not go away after you relieve yourself once. It doesn't go away; it is there all day. I was even waking up from a deep sleep and running to the bathroom at night. The thought of food, the smell of food or other things, they would set me off. If I wasn't craving something I couldn't eat, because everything would send me running to the bathroom. I lost a lot of weight. They even had to put me on nausea pills for cancer patients so that I could manage to get a meal into the day. How did I finally get it to stop? I went to acupuncture, and after 2 visits my nausea started to subside and go away. I am truly a fan of acupuncture, and I even hope to use it during labor. The other thing that was miserable about the first 7 months of pregnancy was the lack of the ability to move without feeling excruciating pain. No fun, I would be so dehydrated because of my nausea that it would literally reveal itself physically. I could barely move.

Now that I'm in my third trimester and in my ninth month, let me tell you how I'm feeling. :D

Well, the nausea is gone, but my appetite is still being curbed by the most painful and strong heartburn I've ever had in my life; water can give me heartburn. I'm so afraid of it becoming stronger that I've really limited myself to certain foods. I've been eating a lot more dairy than normal; I've cut out any fast food, meat, some carbs (esp. pizza, etc), and even some vegetables (like broccoli) and fruit. I've also developed pregnancy carpal tunnel; my wrists feel broken most days. I took for granted brushing my hair and my teeth, dressing myself without wincing, turning a doorknob, buckling my seatbelt, locking a door, waving my hand, holding myself up with my hand in bed, etc. Those all seem so small and simple, but now they are excruciatingly painful. Another thing I’ve been dealing with is sensitivity in my teeth. My teeth get set off by something, I don’t know, a cold breeze, air, food, water, whatever, but when they get set off I am in pain all day. I try sensitive toothpaste, oral numbing gel, and my last resort is children’s Tylenol (the only medication I’m really aloud to take during my pregnancy). The good news is that this isn’t a daily problem, it happens 2 to 3 times a week; I just wish I could say that for my carpal tunnel and my heartburn.

The last three things that are appropriate to tell you about are the difficulty in breathing, the difficulty in sleeping/laying, and once again the difficulty in moving. When I was young I always said I was going to be one of those women who work out every day while they were pregnant. Well, it has been easier said than done. The problem has been my inability to move without pain, it makes it very difficult to stay motivated. It is very difficult to walk or even to sit down and then try to get back up again (that kills my knees); I think it is because all my joints are swollen making me painfully aware of every movement. Laying down is funny because I can’t lay on my back or I have to constantly pee, I can’t lay on my tummy because there is a basketball there, and I can’t lay on either side for too long before my hips begin to burn with pain. I have made a nest of pillows in my bed that surround me so that I can find a lasting comfortable position; which lasts for an hour or two if I’m lucky. Breathing; I took that for granted too. I have been gasping for air because my lungs are being compressed by the weight of the baby. So if I lean or recline back or lay wrong or even sit wrong, I begin to gasp for air. I’ve learned that putting my arms up in the air help open up the airway a little so that I can actually catch my breath.

What hasn’t been miserable about pregnancy? Feeling baby move and kick. Every time he moves, I suddenly forget about all the pain and suffering I’ve gone through. I begin to picture my future with him and Chris and none of the things I have mentioned matter anymore. They will soon be gone and I will soon have a new life in my hands. I can’t wait.

Things that have been making my pregnancy a little easier have been acupuncture, swimming, yoga, belly dancing, and the support from my loved ones. Thanks for all the support and love being sent my way.

Irrational Fears

Have you ever been in the back seat of a car and all these thoughts of a million and one ways you'll get in a car accident begin to flow through your mind? I hate that. I have been having that happen to me alot lately, and I'm not exactly worried about me, but I'm worried about my baby, I'm worried about my friends, my husband, my brothers and sisters, I'm worried about everyone I care for.

I guess that is part of being pregnant, right? Every time someone gets in a car lately I wonder in the back of my mind if it's the last time I'll see that someone I love. A movie plays out in my mind and I mourn their death before they even get in the car.

Last night I drove in the back seat of a truck, with a safe qualified driver, but all I could think about was what if we all die? Or what if one of these people that I love die? I wanted to grab ahold of everyone and savor them. I had to put my hand on Chris's back and hold on to him for the rest of the drive because I kept having images of him dying and I didn't want to lose him. I thought if I held on to him he would be okay.

I have decided that no one is allowed to die anymore...yea, I know, that wont work. But I just want all my family and friends to know how much I love and care for them. Even when sometimes you haven't heard from me in a while, it doesn't mean I don't think about and still love and care about you. I love you all so much!!!

I wish you all a long, healthy, and happy life, and please...Drive Safe!!!!

On the Rocks from UofO

Alright, I had to share this with you all, I absolutely love this. Enjoy!!!

Tolkien's Newly Published Book

JRR Tolkien is probably my most favorite author and biggest influences.  I love his writing, I love his stories, I love learning more about him. 

I just found out about a book that he wrote 70 years ago that was published for the first time in May in the UK, NZ, and AU; it is called The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun. Click Here to Find Out More

I'm anxious to get my hands on a copy, I wonder how good it will be? I don't want to get my expectations to high. What I mean by that is that The Hbbit, and The Lord of the Rings are two of my most treasured books, and I don't know if Tolkien's new book will come anywhere close to them. I know it is based on Norse mythology, and that he used alot of the Norse influence in the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, so we will just have to see.

If you've read it, or are reading it now please let me know what you think.

The Lord of the Rings

This is just a really cool video that I found years ago on myspace:

Lord of the rings

!N!LOY!™ | MySpace Video

Happy New Year

It is the beginning of a new decade, the year 2010. Wow, it came so fast. Remember when it was the year of the new millenium? That seems like ages ago. I can't believe how fast time has gone.

I brought in the new year with a bad cold. I'm actually still sick and wasn't able to party at all; sad, but true. However, I had a great Christmas and had so much fun that it makes up for me missing my New Years Eve party.

With every new year comes New Year Resolutions. Well, I like to call them goals. I don't like the idea that from day one I'm going to try to flawlessly accomplish something and if I trip up then I'm done, I've failed my new years resolution. Um, no thanks. I like the idea of try, try, and try again. If I mess up, brush myself off and keep trying. I also like the idea of a goal picture collage. I don't have one yet this year, but will post it when I do. In the meantime, here are a few of my goals:

 To maintain a clean, fresh, and healthy mind. How?

• Write In My Journal Every Day

 To maintain a clean, fresh, and healthy body. How?

• Drink 64oz of H2O each day, 16oz of water before each meal.
• Exercise every day implementing cardio, weights, and stretching
• Eat healthy, well proportioned meals
• Awarding myself for exercising with TV, Video Games, or free time.

 To maintain a healthy and successful writing career. How?

• Read for at least an hour each day
• Write for at least an hour each day
• Practice vocabulary and grammar rules each day
• To keep notes of all my ideas

These are just a few of the goals that I am setting and working towards for the year 2010.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Christmas Entertainment Continued

While sharing my youtube channel with my family, I noticed that the play all feature is not working.  I hope these links will correct any problems if you have experienced any.

CHRISTMAS CARTOON CLASSICS

CHRISTMAS CARTOON RETRO

CHRISTMAS CARTOONS

WINTER

CHRISTMAS CARTOON ANTIQUES

CHRISTMAS COMMERCIALS

CHRISTMAS STORYTIME

CHRISTMAS MUSIC

Carpal Tunnel syndrome

As a writer it is important that I take care of my hands and wrists because repetitive movements, such as writing or typing, can be crippling.  My carpal tunnel is flaring up and I thought I'd share with you what I do when this happens.





This guy's stretches are amazing, they work every time.  Idealy if you have wrist problems you should be doing these exercises every day, not using them after the pain is already so bad that you can't use a mouse and keyboard, write with a pencil, or even grip a glass.  However, if you have gotten to this point don't think it's too late, these exercises work wonders!!! 

If you'd like to read more about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, click here.

If you'd like to read more about Tendonitis, click here.

If you'd like to read more about Arthritis, click here.

Christmas Entertainment

Every year around this time I love to turn the lights down low, turn the christmas tree lights on, and cuddle up with a soft, warm, fuzzy blanket while watching a good Christmas special. 

Well, nothing has changed, I still like it.  I thought I'd share some good links for you to some great sites that will allow you to either watch those Christmas specials online or inform you of when all the Christmas shows are appearing on the good old fashioned television.

101 Classic Christmas videos

My Holiday Youtube Channel

2009 Christmas TV Schedule

2009 Color Coded Christmas TV Schedule

Merry Christmas with Cartoon Network TV Schedule

Christmas Television Specials List (USA, Canada, UK, etc.)

Holiday Specials List

Ok.  Well, I hope you enjoy :)

A Cool Dream

Last night I had the coolest dream.  It was like I was in a ghost story, not a scary one, but an intriguing one none the less.  The funny part is at the end, Tom hanks was in it, and he played an important character.  Wow, it was so vivid, and so cool.  I woke up and kept saying get up and write to myself.  Well, I didn't listen to myself and there are holes now in my story, but I have written everything I remember and I think it is going to make a really good story.  When I am done writing and editing and perfecting it I will share it, or a little bit of it anyway, with you.